A Tense Standoff

Seo-jun picked up Ju Yang-il as if he were throwing a toy, hurling him at the royal guards.

“You madman…!”

Two guards flung themselves forward, catching Ju Yang-il in a smooth motion. Meanwhile, the others surrounded Seo-jun, swords pointed.

Seo-jun’s gaze hardened as he glared at them, a scowl creasing his brow.

“What, are you guys slacking? Can’t even keep your master in line?”

In response, the guards’ neck muscles tensed with anger.

“Capture that man, now!”

“Capture, my ass.”

Capture? When he hadn’t even tried to run.

Stepping forward, Seo-jun wrapped his hands in internal energy. Opposite him, a slender figure stepped forward—likely an agent from Dongchang. Behind him, agents of the Brocade Guard and Dongchang assumed formation, intensifying the pressure on Seo-jun.

“Hey, hey!” Chun-bong, seeing Seo-jun’s intent to fight, shouted in alarm.

“What are you doing? Have you lost it again?”

“Not at all.”

His mind was clear; his mood, however, was anything but.

That damn prince—what was his name, Ju Yang-il?

The way he talked to Chun-bong was just vile.

Seo-jun had been watching from above, figuring he’d intervene only if things got out of hand. But he never imagined the jerk would keep up the harassment even after their duel ended.

Letting this slide? Impossible.

People only learn after they’ve been warned once, loud and clear.

“Stop right there!”

The Shaolin monk Ji-am called out, but Seo-jun ignored him, stepping forward. The top martial artist from Dongchang, leading the formation, frowned as he reached out his hand.

Whoosh!

A chilling energy gathered in his palm—it looked like the infamous Guihwa Technique, which could only be mastered by eunuchs.

Seo-jun reached out and grabbed his hand.

“Heh, fool.”

The eunuch smirked, but Seo-jun, now gripping a third-gender figure’s hand, was anything but amused.

Crack!

An icy chill spread from the man’s hand up Seo-jun’s arm, even frosting one side of his face.

With a frozen breath, Seo-jun exhaled.

“Eunuch cut.”

The Tenfold Yin-Yang Reversal.

Bam-bam-bam!

Yin and yang energy alternated within a blink, exchanging dozens of times.

“Ugh…!”

The man’s mouth spurted blood from internal injuries.

Had Seo-jun not controlled his power, the man’s arm would have exploded.

Seo-jun glanced down at his pale opponent, then tossed him aside.

Boom!

Several royal guards scrambled to catch him but were knocked back, tumbling across the ground.

A peak-level martial artist of the imperial household had been instantly overpowered.

With astonished eyes turning toward Seo-jun, he unleashed his full aura, fully intent on making his presence known.

Rumble…!!!

A heavy wave of arrogance pressed down on the martial artists.

Those who managed to withstand it, those who were overwhelmed, and those who simply stood frozen all watched Seo-jun with tense gazes.

Seo-jun’s cold eyes met theirs.

He spoke slowly.

“The crime of insulting the Gold Sword Clan is immeasurable.”

To insult a clan was no small offense in the martial world.

Letting it slide would bring shame, deeming one unworthy of a true warrior.

While Seo-jun didn’t have a deep attachment to the Gold Sword Clan, Chun-bong was different.

He knew her pride, the nostalgia she tried so hard to hide, and the longing she felt for a place she could no longer return to.

Insulting the Gold Sword Clan was tantamount to insulting Chun-bong.

Ju Yang-il, taken aback by Seo-jun’s icy glare, spoke up.

“What connection could you have with the Gold Clan to act this way?”

“Moreover, you insulted my teacher as a mere commoner, a sin that even your life cannot repay.”

Golden internal energy surged from Seo-jun, recognized by those around him who fell silent.

Insulting not only his clan but also his master?

As Seo-jun had said, even executing him on the spot would leave no room for complaint.

Ji-am, who had attempted to mediate, was left speechless.

“Do you have anything left to say?”

“Well…”

Ju Yang-il’s eyes darted, seeking an escape.

Could it be that such a master was left in the Gold Sword Clan? That didn’t make sense.

If that were true, then why had the Gold Clan faded without a trace?

Had a master of this caliber been present, the clan would not have vanished into obscurity.

He had to find some flaw in this logic; otherwise, he might lose his head right here.

Ju Yang-il’s mind spun.

“I admit to insulting the clan’s daughter. But your master… who could you mean?”

“The lady of the Gold Sword Clan, Geum Hee, is both my teacher and benefactor. The woman you insulted, therefore, is her.”

“That can’t be… Surely the heir of the Gold Clan isn’t even twenty…”

Instead of responding, Seo-jun took a step forward.

As he approached, the royal guards moved to block him, their expressions tense.

At the same time, Seo-jun unsheathed his sword.

Fwoosh!

Golden energy rippled, forming flames that maintained their shape—a technique of divine skill.

Those who recognized its mastery momentarily forgot the gravity of the situation, awestruck.

But the current tension was far too serious to ignore.

In the midst of the war with the Black Lotus Sect, any conflict between the royal household and the Namgung Clan could destabilize the righteous faction entirely.

[Ji-baek, I understand that this young hero was an acquaintance…]

At Ji-am’s transmission, Ji-baek collected himself and stepped forward.

“Young hero, might I have a word?”

Seo-jun turned to look at Ji-baek.

There was no trace of emotion in his usual gaze, causing Ji-baek to shiver slightly.

“He seems like a completely different person…”

Steadying himself, Ji-baek clasped his hands together.

“Amitabha… Young hero, would you consider showing mercy, for the sake of the current state of the martial world?”

Seo-jun, inwardly, nodded slightly.

‘This should be enough.’

If no one had tried to stop him, he might have had to stage his own scene of restraint.

While part of him wanted to shape Ju Yang-il’s head into a star, doing so would create a mess.

One misstep, and the righteous faction, along with the Namgung Clan, could be wiped out by the Black Lotus Sect.

If that prince had slapped Chun-bong, Seo-jun wouldn’t have hesitated to cut his head off, consequences be damned. But right now, the situation was ambiguous.

Chun-bong, who was practically dancing with worry in the background, didn’t seem to want things to escalate either.

But simply yielding didn’t sit right with him.

It was a moment that called for some staged WWE-like theatrics.

“You’re asking me to overlook the insults to my clan and my master?”

“Isn’t there a better way than taking his life?”

“I fear that if we leave, the imperial family will just brush this off.”

“That will not happen. Everyone here serves as a witness, and the royal family understands the weight of honor. They would not dismiss this as if nothing happened.”

After a round of exchanges, Seo-jun sighed heavily.

“Well, if Great Monk Ji-baek insists, I suppose I have no choice.”

As he approached Ju Yang-il, the guards attempted to intervene, but backed down at Ji-baek’s signal.

Seo-jun stood before Ju Yang-il, staring him down.

“Be mindful of your words from now on.”

“…Yes.”

At that instant, Seo-jun’s hand flashed like lightning.

Thud!

His knuckle struck Ju Yang-il squarely on the crown, forcing his head into the ground.

“Ugh…!”

Ju Yang-il’s body trembled, half-buried in the dirt.

“Whew.”

With a satisfied smile, Seo-jun dusted off his hands.

“Well, carry on, everyone.”

After all, there was still the Yongbong Gathering to finish.

 

The Yongbong Gathering resumed, albeit in an awkward atmosphere.

Off to the side, Seo-jun scratched his head, being dragged away by Chun-bong’s nagging.

“Well… I’m usually like this, right?”

Was it some WWE-style act passed down between the imperial family and the Gold Clan?

“No, that guy was definitely being rude. But I slapped him around, so it’s fine.”

Chun-bong grinned broadly.

“He couldn’t do anything but take it. Let him say what he wants. I’ve got some tolerance, after all.”

“Really? I didn’t think my Chun-bong was that forgiving…”

“What did you say?”

Chun-bong’s eyebrow twitched as she let out a long sigh.

“It’s not all bad. Thanks to you, the revival of the Gold Sword Clan is firmly etched in everyone’s minds, and I won my match smoothly, so if I just win the championship…”

The Gold Sword Clan’s grand return could be proclaimed to the entire martial world.

Chun-bong laughed brightly.

“Anyway, did you take care of things?”

Seo-jun grinned.

“Of course. Handled it perfectly. Those Black Lotus guys are going to love it.”

They’d be in for a serious headache, that much was certain.

 

By the next morning, the Blood Crow Sect was completely annihilated.

The Black Lotus Sect dispatched an investigator to uncover the truth behind the incident.

And the one they sent was Ma Deung-won.

Ma Deung-won was highly respected in the Black Lotus Sect for his skills, with no significant backing behind him. He was particularly renowned for his ability to analyze martial arts traces left at crime scenes.

Upon arrival at the Blood Crow Sect's devastated grounds, Ma Deung-won and his subordinates were left speechless, their mouths hanging open.

“…This is absurd.”

Even after time had passed, the buildings were still completely frozen, covered in an unbroken layer of ice, testifying to the level of the perpetrator’s skill.

Crunch!

Breaking through the frozen front gate, Ma Deung-won swiftly scanned the interior of the Blood Crow Sect. His expression grew more serious with each passing moment as he examined the scene.

“Why… does this resemble the North Sea Ice Palace?”

The icy chill and malicious aura, the traces left from exerted martial power, the smooth, unblemished white ice—everything pointed to the unmistakable signature of the Ice-Blood Technique, a rare martial art exclusive to the North Sea Ice Palace.

Yet, something seemed off.

“There’s a faint demonic energy here.”

“It seems there was more than one perpetrator.”

Ma Deung-won shook his head at his subordinate’s comment.

“No, it’s not that. This was all done by one person.”

While few intact bodies remained, making it difficult to identify the exact technique, it was clear that only a single person had caused this devastation.

“…You mean one person single-handedly eradicated the entire Blood Crow Sect?”

“Exactly.”

Even in the North Sea Ice Palace, few could achieve something like this.

And as far as Ma Deung-won knew, none of them practiced demonic arts. In fact, the very idea of a martial artist from the North Sea Ice Palace practicing demonic techniques was almost laughable.

This raised the possibility of a third party, yet the traces of the Ice-Blood Technique complicated matters.

Ma Deung-won chewed on his lip, wandering around the Blood Crow Sect's remains, lost in thought.

‘This is troubling.’

All the evidence pointed to the North Sea Ice Palace.

If one extended the implications, it even suggested that the Ice Palace might have allied with a demonic sect, a terrible prospect during the current war with the righteous faction.

The small sects’ grumblings didn’t matter, but if the Seven Star Gates moved to diminish the Ice Palace’s influence based on this evidence, the fallout could spiral out of control.

The worst-case scenario here would be if this incident were truly the doing of the North Sea Ice Palace.

If the Ice Palace had indeed allied with a demonic sect, creating a three-way war among the righteous, evil, and demonic factions, it could completely overturn the power balance in the central martial world.

“Damn it… who in the world would pull off something like this…?”

Ma Deung-won clutched his head.

He felt like it was about to burst.

 

“Why do my ears itch so much?”

Seo-jun scratched his ear as Chun-bong snickered.

“Do you even know how many people out there have a bone to pick with you?”

“Hey, Chun, come on! No need to hit me with facts!”

“Facts? What are you talking about?”

Chun-bong muttered in irritation.

But despite her complaints, if anyone actually dared speak ill of Seo-jun, she’d be the first to dropkick them.

Seo-jun ruffled her hair, deep in thought.

‘Come to think of it, I might be the perfect agent of chaos.’

What did martial clans fear the most?

Of course, there were many things, but one of them was having their techniques leak, as it opened the door for them to be framed for things they didn’t do.

And Seo-jun had an uncanny talent for replicating martial arts. With his abilities now at a higher level, he could even imitate most techniques with near perfection.

Leaving traces and then disappearing could gift any clan with a perfect setup for a false accusation.

‘Not a bad idea.’

Why not go the extra mile and fully master reverse techniques to really throw things into disarray?

Seo-jun of the North Sea Ice Palace, Seo-jun of the demonic sect, Seo-jun of the righteous faction.

Sure, the names were laughably on the nose, but who would suspect that?

Could anyone even suspect him just because he used different techniques?

They’d be branded a fool if they dared.

“Hoho…”

This was definitely going to be fun.

Decision made.

The perfect plan for a triple life had begun to take shape.