Chapter 14

Ch. 14

King of Fist, Seizing Control 1

The several loud crashes that erupted from the main hall caused quite a commotion outside as well. However, due to Hanyeop's orders, the guard brigade and the Gu Family retainers waited with uncomfortable expressions.

Dan Wooseong confirmed from Gu Yanghu's expression that he was looking down on him and asked.

"Did you bring some riffraff outside?"

Gu Yanghu replied.

"Why do you ask that?"

"I thought we might need witnesses for each other, if I'm going to cut off my arm and leave safely."

If either one died, a witness could announce that it was a legitimate match. While it was common for neutral figures to serve as witnesses, from Dan Wooseong's position, it was actually better to have the Gu Family retainers serve as witnesses.

And as Dan Wooseong said, if the Great Young Master was brutally defeated, the Galaxy Merchant Group's guard brigade wouldn't just stand by, no matter how much authority the guard brigade leader had. After all, Gu Yanghu was an outsider.

Gu Yanghu wore a cold smile.

"Great Young Master, you speak as if you could kill me. I'm suspicious whether you're truly a ragamuffin or a man who uses his head quite well."

Dan Wooseong replied.

"Don't categorize the world as either this or that. Can't you think that I might be a ragamuffin who also uses his head well? Anyway..."

When Dan Wooseong deliberately trailed off his words, Gu Yanghu nodded.

'Fine. One arm won't be enough for you. With witnesses present, what would you have to fear?'

As if taking the bait Dan Wooseong had cast, Gu Yanghu swung his sword toward the main hall doors.

With a thud, the main hall doors swung wide open, and Gu Yanghu said.

"The guard brigade and Gu Family retainers will serve as witnesses. The Great Young Master has agreed as well."

The guard brigade and Gu Family retainers came rushing in and positioned themselves behind Gu Yanghu and Dan Wooseong as if dividing into camps.

Mok In-seop said.

"Great Young Master, please be careful."

Gu Yanghu asked.

"Well, are we ready?"

Dan Wooseong replied briefly.

"Life and death decision."

"Of course."

Dan Wooseong's expression was calm.

His opponent was the main culprit behind Lee Jin-eon's death, had caused brothers to fight with blades, and had even devised a scheme to swallow up the merchant group. He had the character to concoct malicious schemes elsewhere too, so whether the Gu Family was behind him or an even greater force, Dan Wooseong had no intention of letting him live.

What he had learned from the preliminary skirmish was the sword's speed and the depth of inner qi.

That was sufficient information for Dan Wooseong. Various processes and conclusions suited to different situations automatically replayed in Dan Wooseong's mind.

The two men who had been glaring at each other silently clashed again.

In the rapid exchange of offense and defense where sword wind and fist wind ran wild, Gu Yanghu occupied the center of the main hall while Dan Wooseong moved in circles around the outside. Sometimes the sword barely grazed Dan Wooseong's body, and Dan Wooseong dodged the thrusting sword with extremely skilled movements.

Each time, Gu Yanghu was greatly surprised inwardly.

'This bastard's main specialty is originally fist techniques.'

It wasn't that the lightning qi was frightening, but his responses were varied as if he had faced countless swordsmen. There were numerous defensive techniques that even the fairly experienced Gu Yanghu was witnessing for the first time.

He responded by pushing the sword blade away with his bare hands, or by sending fist wind to the wrist before the sword could even be swung.

Only then did Gu Yanghu realize that Dan Wooseong's movements were consistently natural like flowing water, and he unknowingly broke out in cold sweat. Feeling impatient, Gu Yanghu found himself swinging his sword faster without realizing it. It felt like he wasn't looking at the overall aspect of the match and was drawing upon his inner qi prematurely.

On the other hand, Dan Wooseong could see the trajectory of the sword's flow, and he coolly read the psychological state contained in that trajectory.

'You're impatient. Gu Yanghu, now it's time for you to display your most confident technique.'

Dan Wooseong waited for Gu Yanghu's sinister technique. Because character and sword technique inevitably influenced each other. After exchanging a dozen or so close attacks and defenses, Gu Yanghu made his decisive move.

Gu Yanghu planned to attack Dan Wooseong's right shoulder, then attack his face with palm force from his left hand, then withdraw his sword and divide it so three afterimages were visible before finally stabbing Dan Wooseong's abdomen.

The attack unfolded as planned.

Dan Wooseong slightly pulled his shoulder back to avoid the first sword.

When the palm force flew toward his face, he countered it with his fist to cancel it out...

Gu Yanghu advanced one step rapidly and thrust in a sword seeking decisive victory. However, the sword couldn't advance and its tip didn't split into three.

When Gu Yanghu took that step forward, Dan Wooseong also closed the distance and firmly grabbed Gu Yanghu's wrist. He immediately crushed the wrist bone while injecting lightning qi.

It was a moment when the difference in their levels of psychological comprehension was starkly revealed. Before the sword could even fall to the floor, Dan Wooseong struck Gu Yanghu's instep with his left foot like lightning. Of course, it was actually Thunder Foot.

Crack...!

Gu Yanghu barely managed to suppress a groan. However, his lower body wouldn't move immediately. The lightning qi had surged from his toes through his calf to his thigh.

Only then did the sword roll on the floor...

Dan Wooseong struck Gu Yanghu's abdomen upward with his left fist, and with a thud, he pressed down on Gu Yanghu's body that had risen into the air with his right hand while bringing his knee under Gu Yanghu's waist.

Crack! Snap!

Gu Yanghu's entire body, with his spine crushed, curved like a bow before going limp, and as soon as he fell from Dan Wooseong's knee, he collapsed to the floor foaming at the mouth.

Dan Wooseong, who stood up looking perfectly fine, looked down at Gu Yanghu. The match had ended in an instant, so Gu Yanghu lay there unable to properly understand the cause of his defeat.

"Senior!"

The Gu Family retainers rushed over and surrounded Gu Yanghu to check if he was alive or dead. However, only anguished cries represented the result of the match.

One man turned his head sharply and glared at Dan Wooseong.

Dan Wooseong looked at the man and said.

"Are you glaring at me like that because you want to be killed too? You know better than anyone what Gu Yanghu was trying to do to our merchant group. If you have any conscience, take the corpse and leave while I'm sparing your lives."

Lee Hwa-eon, who had returned after finishing his report to his father, looked at the disaster that had occurred in the main hall with a haggard expression.

'Oh my...'

As the Gu Family retainers carried out the dead Gu Yanghu, one man remained and said to Dan Wooseong.

"Great Young Master, I confirm that there was no interference or problems whatsoever in this match. I will go and speak as a witness."

"It seems like you have more to say, so go ahead."

"Even if the Gu Family continues to request matches under the guise of revenge matches, you will have no way to avoid them. I wish you good fortune in martial arts."

The words, which were close to a threat, made the entire Galaxy Merchant Group fall silent.

After all the outsiders had left, everyone present looked at Dan Wooseong. Hanyeop had also come out briefly to receive a report from Mok In-seop about what had happened.

When Dan Wooseong looked around the gathering, it seemed that all the men of the Galaxy Merchant Group had come together. The atmosphere was heightened. It was as if they were expecting Dan Wooseong to say something. There were also those scattered here and there who hoped Dan Wooseong would say something like "My master's sect is greater, so don't worry."

There was no such thing.

The Galaxy Merchant Group had the King of Fist.

Dan Wooseong said.

"The Galaxy Merchant Group is mine."

At these sudden, unexpected words, the members of the Galaxy Merchant Group stared at Dan Wooseong quietly. Dan Wooseong's words continued.

"It's also my father's, and it belongs to the countless workers who carry heavy burdens. It also belongs to the maids who always wear apologetic expressions even though they've done nothing wrong. It belongs to the guard brigade who get up to stand watch even in the cold dawn. It also belongs to my uncle, who has lived more faithfully than anyone because of the grace grandfather showed in taking him in..."

Dan Wooseong nodded.

"So even if our merchant group accumulates money like a mountain, there's no money to give to bastards like Gu Yanghu. This incident is the Gu Family's shame, not my wrongdoing. Even if someone raises questions, I will take responsibility for it, not the Galaxy Merchant Group. That's why I faced him alone. So now, please brighten your expressions."

Only then did people smile.

When Mok In-seop suddenly clapped first, those swept up in the atmosphere clapped together.

Lee Hwa-eon also joined in the applause, but the youngest, Lee Ja-eon, who had been peeking and watching, alone did not clap. He was swallowing curses inwardly.

'If I had gone to Nine Flower Mountain, I would be the one receiving that applause, damn it.'

Lee Ja-eon looked at his eldest brother with angry eyes. Then when he made eye contact with Dan Wooseong, he gave a few very half-hearted claps before quietly lowering his hands.

Dan Wooseong called his younger brother in front of everyone gathered.

"General Manager."

"Yes."

"In that spirit, buy me just one elixir."

"Yes? An elixir? What kind..."

Dan Wooseong grinned and said.

"Of course, the best elixir that can be obtained in this martial world."

The merchant group's people smiled and looked at Lee Hwa-eon. Everyone had expressions hoping for the general manager's approval.

Lee Hwa-eon also laughed heartily. Actually, there was no need for his eldest brother to boost his prestige in such a setting. His eldest brother had plenty of private wealth too, and it was an atmosphere where he would have to buy it even if asked separately.

Lee Hwa-eon replied to Dan Wooseong with a rarely bright expression.

"Since eldest brother will be taking it, our Galaxy Merchant Group will purchase the finest elixir. Please become strong quickly so that no matter who you meet in the next match, you can defeat them refreshingly."

"Hahahaha..."

As people burst into laughter, Lee Hwa-eon also smiled. It wasn't just words. Actually, from now on, the Galaxy Merchant Group's fate also depended on his eldest brother's martial arts skills.

Lee Hwa-eon looked at his eldest brother and said.

"Eldest brother, not just I but the entire merchant group will support you. Please become strong quickly."

Dan Wooseong also looked at Lee Hwa-eon and nodded.

"That's what I want."

As people scattered to do their respective tasks, Lee Ja-eon, who had somehow developed an extremely angry expression, was left alone.

Lee Ja-eon was replaying the scene where Gu Yanghu and his eldest brother had clashed at the end.

He was almost in a trance-like state.

"At this moment, Gu Yanghu thrust out one sword, and this was a deception. Palm wind! But this was also a deception. Two feints, the third one must have been real, right? Thrust! Die! At this moment, that ragamuffin's reaction was... as if he had anticipated it, he suddenly closed the distance, twisted the wrist tight, and stomped on the foot bang!"

Lee Ja-eon was gesturing wildly with his hands and feet like a madman, imitating Dan Wooseong's movements. Even amid this, he was displaying quite sharp analytical skills, which was remarkable in its own way.

Lee Ja-eon made a whoosh sound with his mouth while striking upward with his fist.

"Just one solid hit to the abdomen, and snap the waist to kill him!"

Lee Ja-eon tilted his head slightly and said.

"Ah, this was a perfect victory. Haa..."

Lee Ja-eon, who only then realized he had been acting crazy alone, looked around. Fortunately, no one was there.

Lee Ja-eon sighed and headed toward his quarters.

"Don't they buy me elixirs? Are they discriminating? Damn bastards..."

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