Chapter 39: Trusting Each Other

Seomun Ak let out a rage-filled roar as he charged in a straight line. Tables and chairs in his path shattered into pieces.

Jin Seong-un thought it was fortunate this wasn’t the Seong-un Inn.

Puk-!

With a single punch, Seomun Ak caved in an unorthodox martial artist’s nose. After kicking the fallen man aside, Seomun Ak rushed forward again.

The fight was one-sided. Jin Seong-un didn’t even need to step in.

It wasn’t simply because Seomun Ak was strong. The very name of the Seomun Clan shook the unorthodox martial artists.

“Se–Seomun Clan?”

Even those who weren’t martial artists murmured as they repeated the clan’s name.

Such was the weight carried by the Seomun Clan of this era. Though it couldn’t match the Five Great Clans, its presence was far from light.

Seomun Ak grabbed an unorthodox martial artist by the ankle and swung him around like a club. The man flailed helplessly, unable to resist against Seomun Ak’s immense strength.

Jin Seong-un’s gaze shifted toward the man who had introduced himself as the magistrate.

His expression was priceless.

Was that ruffian truly the second son of the Seomun Clan? No, he vaguely recalled hearing rumors about a troublemaker before.

But to this extent?

If it was true, then what about himself?

Such thoughts flickered across the magistrate’s face. Doubt, vigilance, despair, and confusion swept over him again and again in mere instants.

Jin Seong-un quietly stepped toward the exit, blocking it so no one could escape while Seomun Ak raged.

Their eyes met.

The magistrate seemed to be asking with his gaze.

Then what are you?

Jin Seong-un calmly met his eyes and simply nodded once.

Kwaaaang-!

Seomun Ak’s punch exploded.

His fists showed no mercy. He struck martial artists and ordinary men alike.

After all, everyone here was scum—there was no need for compassion.

Seomun Ak moved ceaselessly, like a berserker dancing with blades. It was as though he was venting years of bottled-up anger and resentment.

How much time had passed?

Now, more men lay flat on the floor than those left standing.

Seomun Ak suddenly turned to Jin Seong-un.

Jin Seong-un pointed calmly at a man. The fellow had been pretending to be dead while lying on the floor.

Bang-!

Seomun Ak smashed the man’s ribs without hesitation. Each time Jin Seong-un pointed, Seomun Ak followed.

Before long, Jin Seong-un pointed toward the second-floor railing, from which the entire hall below was clearly visible.

Seomun Ak froze. A man leaned casually against the railing, someone whose presence he hadn’t sensed until now.

‘A master.’

Seomun Ak instantly realized this man was a level above him.

He hesitated.

It wasn’t as terrifying as facing the Food Butcher, but fighting a superior expert always meant risking his life.

“……”

Their eyes locked.

The man showed no sign of intimidation, neither from hearing the Seomun Clan’s name nor from witnessing Seomun Ak’s might.

Rather, his gaze seemed to ask—

‘Shall I come down?’

Facing that look, Seomun Ak’s fury slowly cooled.

He wanted to snap back, “Come down, bastard,” but the words wouldn’t leave his lips.

The hall fell silent. Everyone watched the staring contest, expectation in their eyes. Clearly, the man was the strongest here.

Seomun Ak glanced at Jin Seong-un. As always, Jin Seong-un looked back with calm, unreadable eyes.

Normally, Seomun Ak found that gaze unbearably irritating. But in this moment, it strangely gave him strength.

The storm in his heart gradually settled. Remembering that Jin Seong-un—who had even defeated the Food Butcher—stood behind him filled him with confidence.

Finally, Seomun Ak spoke to the man.

“Quit standing around and get down here, bastard.”

The man sneered, drew the spear from his back, and leapt down from the railing.

Boom-!

The floor trembled under his heavy landing.

The spear in his hands radiated fierce energy.

“I’m down. Now what will you do?”

His low, weighty voice didn’t match his small frame. He twirled the spear, eyes locked on Seomun Ak.

In an instant, Seomun Ak imagined the man’s spear piercing his body again and again.

He made up his mind and said,

“Your turn now.”

With that, he walked toward Jin Seong-un. Jin Seong-un looked at him in disbelief.

Seomun Ak hurried to explain.

“I already put down about thirty of them. You should at least take one. I’m not the kind of guy to hog all the credit.”

He spoke as if he was being generous. Both he and Jin Seong-un knew it wasn’t true.

But since he had openly declared himself the Seomun Clan’s second son, he couldn’t afford to lose face.

It wasn’t just his own reputation at stake.

Jin Seong-un, seeing the desperate look in Seomun Ak’s eyes, stepped forward. After all, it had been his decision to rescue the children, and Seomun Ak was merely aiding him.

The man sized Jin Seong-un up, spinning his spear.

“So after your underlings cleared mine, now the leaders will fight?”

He mistook Jin Seong-un for Seomun Ak’s subordinate. Naturally so—he couldn’t sense any martial prowess from him.

Neither Jin Seong-un nor Seomun Ak answered.

The man, misunderstanding completely, burst into booming laughter.

“Khahahaha! Very well! I’ll kill this one first, then go straight for Seomun—”

His words stopped short.

Jin Seong-un had stepped forward, lightly stomping his foot. A fallen sword bounced into the air.

The man saw it. He prepared to swing his spear or move aside.

Puk-!

But before he could act, the sword pierced his chest.

He stared blankly down at the blade.

“W–What…”

That was the dying man’s final, nameless testament.

His body crumpled to the ground, and the spear slipped from his hands with a loud crash.

“……”

Silence fell over the hall. Not only the others, but even Seomun Ak had nothing to say.

After a brief pause, Jin Seong-un turned to Seomun Ak and said,

“Let’s take the children and leave.”

“Uh… y-yeah.”

Seomun Ak hastily nodded.

Jin Seong-un’s gaze then moved toward the magistrate inspector. He was already sitting collapsed on the ground, seemingly unable to stand.

“That magistrate…”

Jin Seong-un trailed off awkwardly.

Bringing someone of the magistrate’s rank before the authorities to be accused would make things complicated.

But killing him wasn’t an option either. No matter the Seomun Clan’s power, slaying an official carelessly would lead to a troublesome situation.

At that moment, Seomun Ak spoke.

“We can hand him over to the Murim Alliance. Though officials are usually untouchable, the magistrate’s crimes are obvious here.”

He nodded confidently.

Judging by the way the magistrate’s face turned ashen beside them, it seemed the answer was correct.

The magistrate was taken away by investigators dispatched from the Murim Alliance. His crimes, detailed in the investigation report, would be delivered to someone far above his reach.

Throughout the process, Seomun Ak repeatedly said, “I am Seomun Ak, the second son of the Seomun Clan. I entrust this matter to you.”

“But… is it really fine? Didn’t the Clan Leader forbid you from using the Seomun Clan’s name?”

“It’s fine. No… I suppose it isn’t. But I can’t just let myself be trampled forever.”

What kind of conflict did Seomun Ak have with his father? Jin Seong-un wondered briefly, but chose not to ask further.

They had rescued six children from Heukshi: Gaesam’s gang of four, plus two strangers.

The two unfamiliar children were siblings. They bowed gratefully to Jin Seong-un and Seomun Ak before leaving for parts unknown. When asked to come to Yichang together, they refused.

No one knew where they went—perhaps home, or perhaps wandering off to some new and unfamiliar land.

Jin Seong-un and Seomun Ak watched their departing backs for a long while, then placed only Gaesam’s group on the wagon.

They both sat at the driver’s seat.

A moment of silence passed as the two simply stared at one another.

Seomun Ak asked,

“Do you know how to drive a wagon?”

Jin Seong-un shook his head.

Seomun Ak’s face twisted.

“Then who’s going to drive?”

“I trusted Young Master Seomun.”

“I trusted you.”

A strangely heartwarming moment of mutual trust.

After glaring at each other briefly, both looked up at the sky. The sun was setting, and the crimson glow of the sunset was beautiful.

Staring at the reddened sky, Seomun Ak muttered,

“…Let’s just carry two each.”

“Let’s do that.”

And so, Jin Seong-un and Seomun Ak tucked the children under their arms and ran.

Unlike the slow wagon, racing across mountains and rivers created sights the children would never forget for the rest of their lives.

Sichuan Province, Deyang.

A messenger pigeon arrived at the Seomun Clan, sent from the Murim Alliance headquarters in Hubei.

The chief steward, after checking the contents, immediately hurried to the Clan Leader’s residence.

Seomun Clan Leader, Seomun Jeok.

As always, his face was stern as he read the letter. The steward stood silent, watching carefully.

The master he served could be described, kindly, as straightforward and bold. Less kindly, his temper was difficult to control.

In the steward’s opinion, Seomun Jeok’s temper was even worse than the famously hot-headed Clan Leader of the Hubei Peng Clan.

Seomun Jeok’s expression shifted as he read.

When he finally folded the letter, the steward quickly bowed and asked,

“…What should we do?”

The letter contained reports about Seomun Ak, the second son. It stated that he had recently wiped out unorthodox forces tied to Heukshi, in Hubei’s Dangyang.

Heukshi’s overseer had been a peak-level master known as Twin Spear, infamous for splitting his long spear into two for surprise attacks.

According to eyewitnesses, Twin Spear had been slain without even managing to split his weapon. It seemed Jin Seong-un had acted alongside the young master.

And throughout the battle, his son had loudly shouted for all to hear: “I am Seomun Ak, second son of the Seomun Clan!”

“I strictly warned him not to flaunt the Seomun name.”

The steward bowed even lower. Clearly, the Clan Leader’s temper had been provoked. Knowing Seomun Ak’s personality, the steward assumed he had done it deliberately to annoy his father.

“Shall I send someone to deliver your orders to the young master again?”

The steward asked carefully.

But to his surprise, Seomun Jeok’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.

He spoke.

“The boy, who always used the clan’s name to oppress others, has for the first time used it for chivalry.”

The reason behind the Heukshi extermination pleased him as well.

The children who had once served them meals at the inn had been kidnapped by the villains.

Seomun Jeok unfolded the letter again, smiling even more broadly as he read.

The Murim Alliance’s letter praised Seomun Ak. There was no parent alive who disliked hearing their child praised.

“Steward. Send a letter to the Seong-un Inn.”

“Yes, what shall I write?”

Seomun Jeok thought briefly, then smiled slyly.

“Tell him not to think of coming back for at least five years. And tell the innkeeper to take good care of my ruffian son.”

He had realized something.

The only place that could reform his reckless son was the Seong-un Inn.

Thus, Seomun Ak’s five-year life as an inn waiter was sealed.

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