Chapter 17. The Ring of the Formless Step

Just past noon.

The sky was clear without a single cloud.

The entire Cheonhwa Library guard team was summoned by the captain.

Hugong, who was leisurely drinking tea, also became aware of the situation through Songhwa’s report.

“Young master, there’s a guard team assembly for a moment, so I’ll be right back.”

“You don’t need to report every little thing like that to me.”

“I’m your shadow, young master.”

“Ahem.”

A total of 32 guards gathered in the small training ground in an orderly fashion. Almost 90% of them were swordsmen, and the rest were those who used fist and palm techniques.

The guard captain, Cheon Gyuin, stood on a small platform in front of the assembled guard team.

After praising the hard work of the guard team, he immediately got to the point.

“I have called you today because of an incident that occurred outside recently. I believe you are well aware of what kind of incident it was. That’s right. It’s about the commotion that occurred when the Eldest Young Master went out. I want to say two things to you about that. First, the excessive response of the guard team. This deserves to be pointed out.”

The guard captain’s gaze briefly swept over Songhwa and then returned.

“You all know that the Eldest Young Master has recently shaken off the past and changed. The Eldest Young Master is the heir who will succeed this library. He is the one who represents the Cheonhwa Library. It is natural that he will interact with reputable people from the outside. Therefore, the guard team must not only fulfill its duty of protection but also take special care not to tarnish his dignity.”

The guard captain continued to speak about specific dignity and etiquette.

“…The second is about the opponent with whom the dispute occurred this time. They belong to the Gwanghwi Mun. You are well aware that just because the name of the sect is Gwanghwi (Brilliance) does not mean that they are people who emit brilliance.”

A few of the guards bit their lips to hold back their laughter.

“They have been increasing their power recently, and there is information that they are holding a grudge against this library to repay the humiliation they suffered this time. Not a single hair on the heads of the family head, the three young masters, the scholars of this library, or anyone in the Cheonhwa Library should be harmed. That is the reason for our existence. In detail…”

The guard captain stopped talking.

It was because the vice-captain, Onso, who had cautiously approached his side, had whispered in his ear.

Cheon Gyuin tilted his head in surprise.

“The Eldest Young Master is looking for me?”

“Yes.”

“Right now?”

“That’s right.”

“What did he say it was about?”

“I did not hear.”

Then, Cheon Gyuin informed the guard team that the Eldest Young Master had summoned him.

He entrusted the rest of his words to the vice-captain and hurried to the Eldest Young Master’s quarters.

**

“Eldest Young Master, it is the guard captain.”

Hugong, who was in the middle of meditation, opened his eyes.

‘The guard captain?’

He had said there was a full assembly of the guard team. Then where did Songhwa go? She couldn’t have lied to me.

He composed his gaze and answered after a moment.

“What is it?”

“I have something urgent to tell you.”

It was a polite voice.

‘Songhwa lied? No way.’

Songhwa, as he had observed her so far, was a child who didn’t know how to beat around the bush. It was to the point where he thought it was a problem that she would say everything she thought without thinking.

‘The guard captain.’

The guard captain in Beomhang’s memory was a vague figure.

He just knew his name and face, and he had used honorifics considering his position as captain, so he was a person completely out of his interest.

Well, I’ll know when I meet him.

“Come in.”

He offered him a seat, and they sat facing each other with a table between them. Hugong immediately asked his question.

“I just heard from Songhwa that the guard team has been assembled.”

“That is correct. But it was such an important matter that I could not hesitate.”

“In the meantime?”

“That’s right.”

Cheon Gyuin added with a smile.

“I want to actively help you, Eldest Young Master.”

His voice was suggestive.

Hugong smiled faintly.

‘Help me? What a funny guy.’

A middle-aged man with a bushy beard being suggestive only aroused disgust and deepened his suspicion. He had never even asked for help. If he really wanted to help, the best thing would be for them to quietly do their own work.

“Let’s hear it.”

Cheon Gyuin took something out from his waist and placed it on the table.

‘?’

It was a dagger.

The sharp blade gleamed.

“Don’t you have something you have to do, Eldest Young Master? Don’t you have to die?”

‘This crazy bastard.’

“Hehe…”

Hugong was so dumbfounded that he couldn’t help but chuckle.

The guard captain also grinned.

“What’s wrong, Eldest Young Master? Are you happy to see the knife? Are you happy that you can die now?”

“You don’t have to go this far.”

“No. Now is the right time. There is no need to delay any further. I don’t know if you’ve looked outside, but the weather is so clear that it’s hard to find a better day to die.”

So that’s how it was. Hugong clearly understood the situation.

The reason for assembling the guard team was to create a private meeting for him to commit suicide. When did this start, and how far was it involved? It might be the chief steward after all.

“Hmm…”

He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them.

When his eyes were half-open, his entire sclera was dyed black, but when he fully opened his eyes, the sclera had returned to its original state.

The casting of Jeonhyeol, one of his three major body protection arts.

It was so instantaneous.

“So you still think I want to die, Captain?”

“Haha, of course.”

“Haha, what if I don’t have that intention?”

“A man’s promise shouldn’t change.”

“Captain, I am not the me of the past.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course.”

Both were smiling, but a chill was exchanged beneath the smiles.

“In that case.”

Pa-pat.

Cheon Gyuin’s hand touched Hugong’s chest and then fell away.

He had sealed two acupoints, Geogwol and Gimun, which were vital points.

If these two points were sealed, the entire body would be paralyzed, and one wouldn’t even be able to lift a finger.

The method of sealing acupoints differed for each sect in the martial world, but it was about the combination of acupoints, and depending on the internal energy of the sealer, it could cause paralysis or various other effects, and the duration also varied.

“You just have to stay still, Eldest Young Master. I am kind. I will let you commit suicide with my own hands.”

“Hehehehe…”

“Why are you laughing?”

“It’s funny, of course.”

“Eldest Young Master, your words have become short. Hehe…”

“When I wanted to die, I couldn’t achieve my goal, but now that I want to live, death comes so easily, so I can’t help but laugh. That Beomhang fellow is also unlucky.”

Cheon Gyuin tilted his head, then raised one corner of his mouth.

“Why do you speak of yourself as if you were someone else? Anyway, it’s troublesome if a person changes. You shouldn’t do that. Wasn’t it your wish to die anyway? Now, try to remember. Remember vividly the time when you were anxious because you couldn’t die. As I said, now is the optimal time to die. It can’t be better than this. Everyone has hope. You’ve been training your body, going out, and interacting with the children of prestigious families. Now, no one thinks that the Eldest Young Master will die. Ah, I almost forgot about the Hexagonal Eel. But, what would happen if you committed suicide after all this? It’s ruin. The family head will die, the Eldest Young Master’s uncle, who is as timid as a herbivore, will die, and the Second and Third Young Masters will not be able to live with their right minds. They will fall into a drunken stupor and become wrecks, cooped up in a back room. You can end it all like that.”

‘So it has to look like a suicide.’

Hugong nodded his head.

“You’re not alone, who else is involved?”

In an instant, Cheon Gyuin’s gaze turned vicious.

“You bastard, are you going to be so clingy? Why are you being so messy? I’ve said this much, you should understand. You’re smart, so you should know that it won’t change anything even if you hear it.”

“You’re glaring at me fiercely.”

“…?”

Cheon Gyuin flinched.

Hugong spoke in a low voice.

“I’ve changed my mind.”

“…?? “

Cheon Gyuin’s eyes were now wide open.

Slowly.

The Eldest Young Master’s hand came up and he crossed his arms.

“H-how… how can you move your body?”

Cheon Gyuin couldn’t believe the situation in front of him.

His pupils wavered like crazy.

He was even doubting his own eyes, wondering if he was really seeing it.

Gulp.

He had definitely sealed the acupoints correctly. Since he had sealed the vital points, his body shouldn’t be able to move. But why?

“Hehe…”

Towards the surprised guard captain, Hugong raised one of his crossed arms and stroked his chin. He had never been sealed in the first place. Hugong had already cast Jeonhyeol, one of his three major body protection arts, and had moved the positions of his acupoints.

Before consuming the Hexagonal Eel, Jeonhyeol had required a preparation time, but after consuming it, a moment was enough. The precursor of his eyes turning black was over just by closing and opening them.

Hugong chuckled.

He had wanted to have a real fight with someone anyway, so he was grateful that he had come like this.

“Eldest Young Master, you are amazing. You had a strange trick up your sleeve. But!”

In an instant, Cheon Gyuin picked up the dagger on the table. He immediately went to slit Hugong’s throat.

Hugong kicked up his knee.

The table flew up and blocked Cheon Gyuin.

When Cheon Gyuin swung his sleeve and pushed the table aside, Hugong had already stood up and had his hands behind his back.

Cheon Gyuin swallowed dryly.

‘What is this agility?’

No, more than that, he was relaxed.

Doubt deepened in Cheon Gyuin’s eyes.

Hugong opened his mouth in a low voice.

“Don’t break things.”

“You bastard!”

In an instant, Cheon Gyuin reached out with his left hand to grab his shoulder.

Was the shape of his bent fingers a tiger? A dragon?

No, it’s like a cat.

The name Byeokryeoksu (Thunderbolt Hand) was given because Cheon Gyuin’s hand movements were that fast, but in Hugong’s eyes, whose inner vision had been enhanced, it was so slow that he could clearly see the joints of the approaching hand and even the lines on his palm.

Just as it was about to touch his right shoulder, Hugong narrowly moved back diagonally. Evasion is always better when it’s by a hair’s breadth. That way, the opponent is flustered, and there is a delay in the next attack.

Two consecutive steps of the Formless Step (無形步).

The Formless Step now was in a different realm from when he had first faced Yun. The green blood of the Hexagonal Eel had given him leisure. Not only his footwork, but also his sensitivity to ki, which reacted to energy, had become more sensitive.

Even though his hand had missed in front of his clothes, a triumphant smile appeared on Cheon Gyuin’s lips.

Hugong also thought it was worth smiling about.

‘He must be thinking that the dagger in his right hand is the decisive move.’

Since the dagger was thrust in the direction of his evasion, if he continued in that direction, it would be like offering his heart.

‘No way.’

Hugong hesitated and shook his body.

The Ring (環) of the Formless Step.

At a glance, it looks like one can’t decide whether it’s better to advance or retreat.

That hesitation was subtle, and Cheon Gyuin’s dagger once again thrust into empty air. But on the other hand, Cheon Gyuin, who had misinterpreted the hesitant appearance as clumsy, regained his composure.

“Eldest Young Master, you’re lucky. But how long will your luck last!”

“I’ll give you fifty seconds. Do your best.”

“Eldest Young Master, you’ve become greedy. To want to live for fifty seconds!”