Chapter 47
The domain of the Celestial Demon Sect is vast.
Naturally, since the Heavenly Family cannot govern all territories, many regions are managed by the family factions of the doctrine.
Of course, that doesn’t mean they collect additional taxes like protection fees in those areas.
It is purely a devotion to the sect, and any extra taxation for this purpose is legally prohibited.
Originally, the families have their own sources of income, so there is no need to shake down the common people for a few coins.
However.
“Is this revenge for not showing proper sincerity?”
This applies to the larger families.
Their subordinate forces, supported by their backing, naturally struggle with money.
Although protection fees are prohibited by law, the common people are mostly unaware of this, and even if they do know, the law is always secondary to the might of the fist.
When you can’t even walk after being beaten, how can you report it?
Usually, people live paying these so-called protection fees.
However.
“My son caused a ruckus, saying it was wrong.”
“Where is your son from?”
“He’s a temporary member of the Execution Squad.”
“I see.”
This is a policy to fill the manpower gaps by selecting capable individuals from those who have not gone through the training camps or were not recommended by the family.
It’s become the norm to recruit them under the name of temporary members, work them hard with a meager salary, and then discard them.
But many people, desperate for such opportunities, had fierce competition for those positions.
“To become a member of the Execution Squad, he couldn’t stand seeing such injustice and caused a ruckus.”
“Really? Is that all it takes for him to storm into the Watchtower alone?”
“Well, it’s… a bit complicated.”
The man hesitated for a moment before speaking with a sigh.
“There’s a tavern my son often visits. A girl who works there, who has been a childhood friend of my son, apparently couldn’t pay the protection fee and suffered horribly.”
“Hmm.”
“Seems like the tavern owner has been drinking heavily recently, so it’s probably him.”
“I see.”
Nodding, Cheon Mujin inhaled deeply as he looked at the large gate of the Watchtower.
“Inspectors! Open the gate!”
His voice rang out, loud and clear, and Cheon Mujin counted to three.
“One.”
“Who’s there?”
“Two.”
“Who’s there to talk about the inspectors…?”
“Three.”
The moment he finished counting, Cheon Mujin stepped forward.
As soon as his foot touched the gate, a loud crack rang out, and the gate flew open.
Naturally, the person who had been standing behind the gate, guarding it, met his fate along with the gate.
“An attack!”
Still, the basics of guarding were maintained as two guards had been stationed. One of them threw a bottle of alcohol and yelled.
“Guard at the waist is trying to draw his sword, but first he must throw away the alcohol bottle!”
Cheon Mujin smirked as he watched the man unsheath his sword.
“In war, a defeated soldier may be forgiven, but a soldier who fails in vigilance is never forgiven. That’s how the world works.”
“Who… who are you?”
“Did you think nothing would happen, so you were drinking leisurely behind the gate? My name is too valuable to tell you.”
“Do you know where you are doing this? This is the Watchtower, supported by the Wiji family!”
“How fortunate. I’ve come to the right place.”
As Cheon Mujin took a step forward, the guard instinctively swung his sword.
A crude sword strike.
It was so poorly executed that it made Cheon Mujin chuckle.
Whack!
He effortlessly struck the guard’s chin, knocking him unconscious, then without hesitation, he moved.
He swiftly severed the man’s right arm’s tendons and turned his body around.
“Let’s go inside.”
“Yes.”
“It seems like we’re running out of time. Run. Baekwoo, take care of the uncle.”
“Yes.”
Cheon Mujin kicked the ground and Yuhyeonhwa followed closely behind.
“Inside, the uncle’s son is being held. He’s a temporary member of the Execution Squad, so he probably hasn’t been killed yet.”
“They’re playing with him.”
“Exactly.”
Understanding the situation, Yuhyeonhwa gripped her spear tighter.
“Lord, how far can we go with your permission?”
“Permission? Well…”
The inspection authority Cheon Mujin received from the Celestial Demon was strictly for the investigation of drugs.
He had no authority to intervene in this Watchtower matter.
However.
“It’s fine to kill them.”
That was when Cheon Mujin was just an ordinary person.
Cheon Mujin was someone who saw his bloodline quite positively.
If he could use his name value, he would.
The Duke of the Heavenly Family had listened to the suffering voices of common believers and personally punished the corrupt ones.
Of course, voices demanding punishment for exceeding authority and excessive immediate executions would inevitably arise.
But…
“Is it really okay?”
“Of course. Cut them down.”
So what?
Just take a little time for reflection.
Abusing power like this is what it’s for.
It’s not for crushing the weak, but for stomping on those who think they’re strong and are running amok.
Arriving at the practice ground, where people had gathered, Cheon Mujin found a man covered in blood in the middle.
There were cuts from blades, bruises from blunt objects, and broken parts of his body. It looked like he would need several months of rest to recover.
If he were not a martial artist, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he had already died from the injuries.
“Huh? Who are these guys?”
“I didn’t hear that we had a guest.”
“Wait, who is that?”
With a confused voice, the Watchtower members turned their attention to the back.
There stood Wijiheon, with a cold expression, glaring at Cheon Mujin.
“Wiji Prince, what brings you here…?”
“Enough! I have nothing to do with this. Step aside.”
“What? What do you mean…?”
The unit leader tilted his head in confusion when Wijiheon spoke.
“My name is Cheon Mujin.”
Before the unit leader could respond, Cheon Mujin closed the distance and grabbed his shoulder.
“Here’s your gift, Wijiheon.”
The unit leader screamed as his leg was twisted.
“Ahhhh!!!”
With a loud scream, the unit leader collapsed, coughing up blood from his internal injuries.
Seeing the unit leader subdued, the others were stunned and hesitant.
“Who did this to him? Oh, I see. Judging by the traces, it must have been all of you.”
Yuhyeonhwa raised her spear at the fallen man’s side.
“It seems you like bullying the weak, so I’ll return the favor.”
With that, her spear vanished.
No, it wasn’t that it vanished—it was too late by the time it was felt to be gone.
The spear had already struck several of those surrounding her vital points.
“Cough!”
“You… you bitch!”
“Kill her!”
Angry men rushed toward her, but Yuhyeonhwa was unfazed.
She had chosen to strike first, so she was prepared for this situation.
The ones who had their vital points pierced were too sluggish, and the joint attack didn’t work as planned.
That tiny difference allowed Yuhyeonhwa’s spear to take advantage of the time gap.
With a swift motion, she took down five of them.
“Next.”
Her voice was filled with the determination to handle whoever came next.
But.
“Good job.”
She wouldn’t need to fight any further.
That’s because…
“Pathetic.”
The Watchtower had no chance against Cheon Mujin’s momentum, and one by one, they knelt.
“But, it’s a good posture. I don’t enjoy killing, so it’d be nice if we could resolve this without bloodshed. Oh, and who is this Jongyugon person?”
“That… that guy.”
“Thanks for cooperating.”
Cheon Mujin patted the shoulder of the man who had handed over his comrade.
Now, in front of the terrified man, stood Cheon Mujin.
Jongyugon.
The one who started this incident and is suspected of drug use.
Although it might not be true that drugs were involved.
The man who came to report to save his son could have lied.
“Haha, look at this guy.”
As Cheon Mujin placed his hand on Jongyugon’s shoulder, he sensed a murky energy in his terrified eyes.
“Cheon Prince!! What is going on here?!”
A loud voice came from inside, stopping Cheon Mujin’s hand.
Turning his head, he saw Wijiheon with a distorted face swallowing his irritation.
Looking in the opposite direction of his gaze, the cause of the commotion became clear.
“What the hell is this?! Cheon Prince!”
The unit leader of the second squad of the Execution Squad, Wiji Ho-young, sneered and approached.
“This is the Watchtower! The place where we manage the security of the area! How dare you do this! Even if you’re a prince, this is too much!”
“Hmm, why is the unit leader of the Execution Squad here?”
“Cough, well, my subordinate made a mistake, so I came to see for myself. Even though he’s a temporary member, he’s still part of the Execution Squad, so I came personally.”
“I see.”
Cheon Mujin pointed to the bloody man.
“So, you just watched as your subordinate became like this and did nothing?”
“Isn’t that the price one pays for their mistakes? I saved his life at my request, and I think I’ve done my part.”
Wiji Ho-young answered nonchalantly, but Cheon Mujin stared at him.
“The important thing now is the abuse of power by the prince. How can you commit such atrocities? I’ll make sure to report this to the higher-ups about your arrogance…”
“Wijiheon.”
“…Yes.”
“Are you involved in this?”
“Of course not. No, the Wiji family has nothing to do with this.”
Wijiheon firmly denied it and stepped back.
As Wiji Ho-young furrowed his brows at his brother’s strange reaction, Cheon Mujin spoke.
“If you’re stupid, at least be quick to catch on, Wiji Ho-young.”
“What nonsense…”
“Do you think this situation is favorable to you? Do you think you’re playing by your rules?”
Cheon Mujin wasn’t unaware of the oddness in the situation.
His nickname was the “Three No’s Prince.”
No talent, no effort, no etiquette—hence the title.
Even if his name was being re-evaluated, it was only among the warriors of the Celestial Demon who knew about his slaying of the monstrous beasts.
So why did the man come looking for Cheon Mujin?
Someone had whispered to him.
If not, there would have been no reason to come.
Cheon Mujin had learned that fact through the White Lotus Pavilion and had been waiting.
“You should have thought deeper if you were going to set a trap.”
Cheon Mujin grabbed Jongyugon’s shoulder.
“Being ignorant makes you bold.”
Jongyugon screamed as his magic was drained from him.
“Ahhh!!”
As Cheon Mujin’s fist smashed his solar plexus, Jongyugon could no longer even scream, choking and gasping.
Cheon Mujin slowly withdrew his hand, scanning the surroundings.
“This is why decay is scary. They don’t even realize what’s wrong with the situation.”
To Wiji Ho-young, this was all normal.
To him, a temporary member of the Execution Squad could be bleeding and lying on the floor without any issue.
“I don’t know what kind of trap you set, but…”
Actually, Cheon Mujin knew very well.
This incident had been a way to grab a small weakness and use it to shake Cheon Mujin by the collar.
A naive and foolish plan.
Exactly the kind of thing an inexperienced fool would think of.
“You’re wrong, rookie.”
Cheon Mujin stepped forward, raising his hand.
Did he think Cheon Mujin was going to attack?
Wiji Ho-young, filled with disbelief, looked down at Cheon Mujin with a confident smirk.
He could dodge, right?
But the moment Cheon Mujin’s shoulder moved, he turned his head slightly.
And then.
Whack!
“Ugh?”
With a jolt, his jaw shook, and the world swayed.
Feeling something was wrong, just as he realized it…
“Think about what you did wrong while you’re getting beaten.”
True violence had begun.
