The Execution of Villains (6)
Do Pyeong-su asked,
“Is that the Seongrinyuhyungchim you’ve been searching for the past twenty years? If Master hadn’t gone missing, you’d still be looking for it now.”
“How old do you think this book is?”
Seo Seok-san, examining the book’s condition, replied,
“It seems less than three years old. Manbakseonin probably died last year, right? This must be his final work before his death.”
“Do you think the head of the Hyeolyeongmun Sect really has it, as written here?”
“We’ll have to go and check ourselves.”
Do Pyeong-su asked,
“Is there any mention of Sura-do here?”
Yeon Geum-hong’s hand paused as she flipped through the pages.
“Here it is.”
Do Pyeong-su’s Adam’s apple bobbed heavily.
“Who has it, and where?”
“The Oseongdomun Sect? Ever heard of them?”
Though they were familiar with most major sects in the martial world, none of them had heard of Oseongdomun.
“It says they’re based in Pyeongyo County, Shanxi Province.”
Do Pyeong-su shifted restlessly, as if ready to leave immediately.
Seo Seok-san calmed him down.
“First, let’s stay composed. You’ve been searching for this for fifteen years—waiting a few more won’t hurt.”
“I… guess?”
“For now, let’s verify if the treasures listed in Manbochongnam are accurate.”
Seo Seok-san pointed to a page.
“Here—Gongcheongseok-yu. It says a man named Go Tae-bang, who runs a medicinal herb shop called Go’s Herbs in Pogang County, Zhejiang Province, has about 50 hoseung (milliliters) of it.”
Everyone was stunned.
“50 hoseung? That’s quite a lot!”
“Right. With that much, you could easily gain sixty years of internal energy if used well. Pogang County is only about two hours from here. Let’s check there first.”
Yeon Geum-hong agreed.
“If Go Tae-bang really has Gongcheongseok-yu, we can trust the book’s contents. Not a bad idea.”
“Man-dok also said the Executioner needs Gongcheongseok-yu for his Cheolhyeolgong training.”
Even without Cheolhyeolgong, Gongcheongseok-yu was a legendary elixir that could drastically boost one’s internal energy in an instant.
“Who should go?”
“I’ll go—I’m the fastest.”
No one objected to Yeon Geum-hong’s suggestion.
“Since we’re on the topic, I’ll leave right away.”
“Do you even know where Go’s Herbs is in Pogang County?”
“It’s not a big place—I’ll find it quickly. And don’t even think about messing with my liquor while I’m gone.”
“Who do you take us for?!”
“I know you wouldn’t pull any cowardly tricks among yourselves. But this batch is too important. Right?”
No one could deny her words.
“I’ll leave a special mark on my brewing shed. If anyone trespasses, I’ll know. And if that happens, I won’t let it slide.”
“We’ll guard it so tightly not even a fly can get in.”
“Ilmangyugye?”
Geom Woo-bin tilted his head at the book Seo Seok-san handed him.
“It’s a compilation of essential knowledge for surviving in the martial world. Reading it will help you.”
Crossing his arms, Geom Woo-bin stared at Ilmangyugye with a thoughtful expression.
“Executioner, what’s wrong?”
“If I step into the martial world, will I make a lot of enemies?”
Seo Seok-san, who had been about to say “That depends on you,” hesitated.
As Hwajeoksan’s disciple and the Executioner of the Bloody Wind Four, Geom Woo-bin would naturally attract countless enemies.
“What does the number of enemies matter? If you’re strong, it won’t be a problem. Don’t worry about it—just focus on mastering Ilmangyugye first.”
The book’s thickness—wider than a finger’s length—and its densely packed text made his head hurt just from flipping the first page.
The Bloody Wind Four, who had no intention of reading it themselves, dumped Ilmangyugye onto Geom Woo-bin.
“There are quite a few characters I don’t know…”
As he skimmed through, Geom Woo-bin suddenly smiled brightly.
“Guess I’ll study while I’m at it. Two birds with one stone.”
The Executioner was an oddly optimistic kid.
Yeon Geum-hong, who had gone to retrieve Gongcheongseok-yu, didn’t return until dusk the next day.
“Why did it take so long?”
“There was… a slight incident.”
“What incident?”
Yeon Geum-hong waved her hand dismissively.
“Nothing major—don’t worry about it. More importantly…”
She pulled out a black leather pouch from her robe.
“Gongcheongseok-yu was really there.”
Jang Man-dok took out a finger-sized porcelain vial from the pouch and opened it. The slightly viscous Gongcheongseok-yu was a milky-white liquid with no discernible scent.
After tilting the vial to inspect its contents, Jang Man-dok nodded, and smiles broke out on everyone’s faces.
Not only had they obtained Gongcheongseok-yu, but they had also confirmed that Manbochongnam’s information was reliable.
“Heheh! Treasure hunting is going to be fun from now on.”
Seo Seok-san added,
“Our priority should be elixirs that can strengthen the Executioner. That’s the most urgent.”
Everyone agreed.
That night, they all gathered in the warehouse where Geom Woo-bin submerged himself in Daeseong-rasu.
Geom Woo-bin, already wincing in anticipation of the pain, looked puzzled.
“Why is everyone here?”
As Jang Man-dok poured Daeseong-rasu into the barrel, Seo Seok-san explained,
“Today, we obtained a rare medicine. Have you heard of Gongcheongseok-yu?”
“No.”
“A single drop can grant an ordinary person a long, disease-free life. For martial artists, it can provide decades’ worth of internal energy.”
“Really? How did you get something like that?”
They knew where it came from, but only Yeon Geum-hong knew how. Under their collective gaze, she coughed lightly and answered,
“I saved a friend’s daughter and received it as a gift.”
“That’s great! Then we can share it—Ugh!”
As Daeseong-rasu rose to his neck, the pain began creeping in. Gritting his teeth, Geom Woo-bin continued,
“Since we’re martial siblings, we should divide it fairly. No, I don’t need any—I don’t even have any internal energy to speak of…”
Drip… drip…
Jang Man-dok tilted the small vial, and the white liquid trickled into the Daeseong-rasu.
Seo Seok-san gasped.
“He’s supposed to drink it!”
While Jang Man-dok scooped Daeseong-rasu into the vial to extract every last drop, Do Pyeong-su spoke up.
“They say it can be absorbed through the skin. Apparently, this is better. If he drank all this Gongcheongseok-yu at once, his body wouldn’t handle it, and the effects would be wasted. It’ll slowly absorb over the next six months.”
“Really?”
“Don’t ask me—ask Man-dok.”
“How do you know just by looking at Man-dok’s face?”
“Why wouldn’t I? It’s you who’s weird for not knowing. We’ve known each other for ages.”
“If everyone else doesn’t know and only you do, you’re the weird one.”
“You’re the ones who don’t know what you should. Anyway… Man-dok says if you’re going to fight, take it outside so you don’t disturb the Executioner.”
Geom Woo-bin, struggling against the pain, had no attention to spare for their bickering. Maintaining his posture was already his limit.
Then, Jang Man-dok’s voice resonated in his mind through Jeon-eum (a sound transmission technique).
―Use Cheonjihabilgong, Master’s internal energy technique.
The deep, calming tone of Jang Man-dok’s voice, which he was hearing for the first time, soothed his mind.
Using Cheonjihabilgong amidst bone-crushing pain was far from easy.
―Overcome the pain.
Jang Man-dok’s voice steadied him again, slightly easing his suffering. Geom Woo-bin recited the mantra of Cheonjihabilgong, struggling to gather his energy into his dantian.
All he felt was warmth—far from forming anything resembling true internal energy.
Jang Man-dok’s voice continued in his mind, now in an incomprehensible chant, like a monk’s sutra.
Yet, it inexplicably calmed him.
The pain remained excruciating, but his mind was at peace—an odd contradiction.
Then, at some point, his dantian twitched.
The scattered energy he had been sensing began coalescing into a spherical mass.
Like rolling a snowball, Geom Woo-bin spun the energy, expanding it rapidly until it weighed heavily in his lower abdomen.
When he felt it could grow no further, he circulated the energy through his limbs. Though he had practiced energy circulation before, this was the first time his meridians felt so full, as if his body were being purified.
The pain persisted, but it no longer disrupted his energy flow.
Jang Man-dok, assisting him, was inwardly astonished. He had expected Gongcheongseok-yu to greatly aid Geom Woo-bin’s internal energy—but this surpassed his wildest predictions.
‘Rough as it is, he should easily reach sixty years of cultivation at this rate.’
For now, it was sixty years, but with continued training, there was no telling how far he could go.
That depended entirely on Geom Woo-bin’s innate talent.
Judging by his initial response, he might tread a path of martial genius unlike anything they had ever seen.
‘We can accelerate his Cheolhyeolgong training.’
Had Geom Woo-bin heard that, he would’ve vehemently protested.
“Thank you for everything!”
“Sigh! I wish you’d work a little longer.”
Though Seo Pung-sik’s face was full of reluctance, their initial agreement prevented him from insisting further.
“Even if I’m not working here, I’ll visit often.”
“You’re really coming to sell liquor tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
Seo Pung-sik’s lips drooped, his nasolabial folds deepening.
Ilmangyugye had taught him how to read even the subtlest shifts in expression.
“Don’t worry. If it tastes bad, I won’t even try selling it.”
“Hahaha! Kid, what do you know about liquor?”
“I don’t, but the people making it right now are the finest connoisseurs in the world.”
“Fine, I’ll take a look. Bring it by.”
After bidding farewell, Geom Woo-bin left the inn and strapped iron weights to his wrists and ankles. Initially, he only wore them during work—three and five geun (about 1.8 kg and 3 kg)—but now they were six and ten geun (about 3.6 kg and 6 kg), and they never left him, even at home.
Yet, his steps remained light.
Cheolhyeolgong had taken root, and Gongcheongseok-yu had deepened his internal energy.
Still, all he practiced were footwork and fist techniques.
“The foundation of all martial arts lies in fist techniques. Without a solid foundation, you can never reach higher realms.”
That was the unanimous opinion of his four martial siblings.
Returning home, Geom Woo-bin found them gathered in the courtyard. Sales would start tomorrow, but today was the day they opened the liquor.
The tension on their faces was palpable.
Given that they had brewed hundreds, if not thousands, of batches before, such nervousness was hard to understand.
“Why do you all look like that? Like you’re heading into a life-or-death battle.”
“Because something just as important is at stake.”
Everyone nodded at Yeon Geum-hong’s words.
“What’s riding on this liquor?”
“That’s something you don’t need to know, Executioner.”
Geom Woo-bin didn’t press further.
“Are we opening it now?”
“No. There’s still half an hour left.”
Yeon Geum-hong pulled him toward the backyard.
“Want to practice hidden weapons in the meantime?”
“Hidden weapons?”
“Yes. They won’t interfere much with your footwork and fist techniques.”
“Why suddenly…?”
“Nothing beats hidden weapons in emergencies.”
“What emergencies would I face?”
“Starting tomorrow, you’ll be going around selling liquor.”
The brewing was handled by his martial siblings, but sales were Geom Woo-bin’s responsibility—a decision he had insisted on, arguing that he needed his own role.
“It’s just selling liquor…”
“Regardless, it doesn’t hurt to learn.”
Yeon Geum-hong slipped a black cloth bracer about four chi (12 cm) wide onto his forearm. Though it looked lightweight, it was surprisingly heavy.
“This is a Chimhyungdae. It holds forty needles inside.”
Pressing a hidden mechanism, she made a needle snap out.
“Once you’re used to it, you can flick out five needles with just a wrist motion. There’s a move in Chwihwanaksu called Hwahwabisan—where you twist your wrist and spread your fingers, right?”
After a quick demonstration, she continued,
“The wrist movement is similar. Channel your energy as if shooting from your fingertips, then flick your wrist—like this!”
The needle she released embedded itself halfway into a stone.
To Geom Woo-bin’s astonishment, she said,
“Don’t worry about power yet. For now, just practice hitting your target. Imagine a thread connecting your fingertip to the target—it’ll help.”
Of course, it wasn’t easy.
The concept of “shooting energy through his fingertips” was hard to grasp at first. But after relentlessly practicing for an hour, he began getting the hang of it.
Then, Seo Seok-san’s voice called out.
“It’s time to open the liquor!”
