Myst, Might, Mayhem (Novel)

Note: I'm not sure why, but it appears Jangju has been replaced with Manor Master for this chapter. I thought of changing it, but it felt like it suited the situation more. Perhaps… Jangju wasn't even his name but the position of Manor Master or Manor Lord… I feel like this fits better. Perhaps, I might be wrong and later on we might find out his name was indeed Jangju, and Manor Master is just how Sang Ungbaek refers to him as… No idea though.

Note 2: Anyway, here is today's chapter. I am releasing it as soon as Webnovel time shifted to the next day as tomorrow is Sunday and I'm not sure I could have written a chapter then. So I shifted the second chapter I was going to write for yesterday to today (Webnovel Time). Perhaps, if I have time, I will upload another chapter. I want to try and reach 50 by New year. It will be tough… 27 chapters in 10 days… But it might be possible…

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A middle-aged man with a fierce appearance.

He was Sang Ungbaek, the outer manor master of Yeon Mok Sword Manor.

Known as the "Merciless Fist" in northern Anhui Province, he was a master of martial arts and had been the most loyal subordinate of the second generation since the time the manor was founded by the Mok clan.

Unlike the Inner Manor Master Jang Myeongin, who had entered the manor trusting the manor master, Sang Ungbaek was known for his strong convictions even among the retainers.

As such, Madam Seok couldn't win him over. He was a central figure in Yeon Mok Sword Manor and held significant influence among the retainers. Therefore, she had no choice but to be cautious around Sang Ungbaek.

"It's true, Outer Manor Master. No matter what, why would I order harm to be done to that child?"

"Hmm. Is that so?"

Despite her explanation, Outer Manor Master Sang Ungbaek showed a reaction of disbelief. This infuriated Madam Seok inwardly. Not only had things become complicated due to that wench of a Shaman's actions, but now she was also being subjected to suspicion.

'Damn wench.'

She had no idea what had transpired. The Shaman had received a thousand silver coins and then betrayed her at the drop of a hat.

'Ghostly Spirit Pavilion… Sak…'

She would make sure they paid the price. Right now, this man was another problem.

"Phew."

Outer Manor Master Sang Ungbaek had a persistent nature. Once he harboured suspicion, he would continue to monitor and scrutinize her. In this situation, she had no choice but to distance herself from Mok Gyeongwoon for a while.

'Troublesome.'

She needed to seize the secret manual from that bastard Mok Gyeongwoon. If Sang Ungbaek's surveillance caused the second son, that incompetent Mok Eunpyeong, to snatch it away, Mok Yeongho's position might be jeopardized.

She needed a different approach.

Outer Manor Master Sang Ungbaek was gazing at her with a suspicious look. He clicked his tongue inwardly.

'It's a mess.'

Ever since the manor master's life had become uncertain, with his death imminent any day, Yeon Mok Sword Manor had literally fallen into disarray. Still, he thought they would at least mind their manners until the manor master drew his last breath.

But this was the worst. Even with the manor master still alive, they were openly trying to kill other successors in a fight for the position of the next manor master.

'Manor Master…'

If the manor master learned of this, he would be greatly disappointed. On the other hand, it was regrettable. If the manor master had firmly established the succession from the beginning, he and the other retainers would have upheld his will and protected the designated successor.

But that hadn't been the case, leading to this situation. Now, even the retainers' opinions were mostly divided, so the moment the manor master's breath ceased, Yeon Mok Sword Manor might truly become a battlefield among blood relatives.

'What should I do?'

In the end, he too had to make a choice. Normally, it would be right to support the eldest son, Mok Yeongho, but seeing this, it was utterly disappointing. Even considering the first wife, it was undesirable.

The person who would become the eldest in the family once the manor master passed away was engaging in such acts. But suddenly, something didn't make sense.

'Come to think of it, the second young master too…'

Why were they targeting the third young master, Mok Gyeongwoon? If they had fought among themselves or targeted the youngest young master, whom the manor master cherished the most for his innate martial talent, it would have been somewhat understandable.

But the third young master, Mok Gyeongwoon, had absolutely nothing. He lacked martial talent, and with the downfall of his mother's maternal family, his position had weakened. None of the retainers supported him, so neither the chief wife nor the second young master had any reason to keep him in check.

Yet they targeted his life.

'Because he's the easiest target?'

No, it was too early for that. The manor master hadn't even passed away yet, and engaging in such acts would only cause them to lose the support of the retainers.

Outer Manor Master Sang Ungbaek grew genuinely curious.

Why had they targeted Mok Gyeongwoon? There must be something they needed to keep in check, prompting them to prioritize targeting him above all else.

'…I need to find out what it is.'

It wasn't a matter to be overlooked. If there was something that made them all willing to risk his life, it needed to be verified.

…

*Swish*

Someone entered the medicine hall by passing through the ceiling. It was none other than Cheongryeong, wearing a crown and holding a long pipe in her mouth.

Demon Monk greeted her respectfully with a bow.

In response, she grumbled, "Is it because she had a spirit servant? Or because she's a Shaman?"

"…"

She had been waiting for an opportunity to try to possess Sak's body. However, she had failed. She was confused about what the problem was. Shamans take precautions to protect their bodies with incantations or talisman techniques in advance.

As a result, low-grade ghosts, even if they wanted to possess the bodies of Shamans or individuals with strong energy, were unable to do so. But Cheongryeong wasn't a low-grade ghost.

Yet she couldn't possess the body.

"Tsk."

She had tried to sever the forced bond through possession but had failed. Was it because she, herself had become a spirit servant? With a sullen expression, Cheongryeong descended and gazed at Mok Gyeongwoon, who was sitting on the bed, focused on the reverse circulation of qi.

"There's no way to escape. But this fellow…"

Her blood-red eyes flickered with intrigue. Through her ghostly eyes, she could see that Mok Gyeongwoon's energy was becoming considerably stable.

"Ho ho~"

Mok Gyeongwoon had absorbed the energy of the Guyeo through the Ritual of Attachment. The energy of the Ritual of Binding is more negative and purer than the death energy generated from a deceased human. She had expected him to be unable to control it or even expel a significant amount, but it was unexpected.

He was steadily absorbing this energy.

"Hmm…"

Cheongryeong approached close to Mok Gyeongwoon. Then she brought her face close to Mok Gyeongwoon's, who was focused on circulating his qi.

'Strange.'

The scar on his forehead. It hadn't been long since he was cut, but the wound looked as if several days had passed. At this rate, it seemed like it would heal within a few days.

'…It surpasses human resilience.'

She had found it strange that he had survived despite suffering injuries that could be considered nearly fatal before becoming a spirit servant. But upon closer inspection, it was clear. This fellow possessed a recovery ability incomparable to ordinary humans. How was this possible for a human?

'There's something.'

He was definitely not an ordinary human. If she hadn't been forcibly turned into a spirit servant and lost control, she could have seized his body to find out why, which was a pity. Clicking her tongue, Cheongryeong stared intently at Mok Gyeongwoon's face.

'Quite a pretty face.'

She had felt it before, but Mok Gyeongwoon's face could be considered exceptionally beautiful. It met the criteria for a pretty boy. Although she didn't particularly like this mortal fellow, at least his beautiful face was somewhat tolerable. It was suitable for appreciation.

*Pak*

At that moment, Mok Gyeongwoon suddenly opened his eyes. As a result, their eyes met at close range.

'Oh my. This guy surprises even ghosts.'

"What are you doing?"

"…"

Saying she was admiring his face would be embarrassing. In response to his question, Cheongryeong distanced herself and casually turned her head to the side, holding the long pipe in her mouth, feigning ignorance.

"What am I doing? I'm not doing anything."

"Hmm."

Mok Gyeongwoon, who had been silently observing Cheongryeong, asked, "Did you handle that matter well?"

"Hmph. How dare you ask me such a question?"

"As expected of Cheongryeong," Mok Gyeongwoon smiled brightly.

As if displeased by his attitude, she raised one eyebrow. She felt like she had made a mistake by agreeing to help this fellow. She had offered to assist him, going against expectations, to see how he would handle the Ritual of Binding Guyeo and the Shaman woman on his own, but now she regretted it.

To her, Mok Gyeongwoon said, "You were gone for a long time, so I wondered if you had left for good."

"…Leave, you say."

Cheongryeong grumbled grumpily at Mok Gyeongwoon's perceptive words. Her desire to leave was immense. Apart from agreeing to help him, her true intention was to sever the bond of being a spirit servant at the first opportunity.

"Stop talking nonsense and continue circulating your qi. If you want to make the energy you took from the Guyeo your own, even a little bit, you should-"

"Ah! There's one thing I want to confirm."

"Confirm?"

"Yes. I'm curious if this is what they call the Danjeon."

"Danjeon? It's still unknown whether you can form a Danjeon with death energy or not. If you diligently…"

"Isn't this tiny clump below the navel the Danjeon?"

"…What?"

Cheongryeong furrowed her brow. Did this fellow just say he had formed a Danjeon?

"That can't be!"

Cheongryeong looked at Mok Gyeongwoon with an expression of disbelief.

No matter how much energy he had absorbed from the Ritual of Binding, forming a Danjeon so quickly was incomprehensible to her. She had never seen such a precedent even when she was alive. After sensing the energy, he had only circulated his qi for a short while, and he had already created a Danjeon?

"Can I check?"

"Yes. I'm curious if it's correct, so go ahead."

With that, Cheongryeong brought her palm towards Mok Gyeongwoon's abdomen. The method of confirmation was very simple. As a ghost without a physical form, she could directly enter his body to check.

'!?'

It didn't pass through. Her palm didn't enter his abdomen but stopped at the surface. As a high-grade ghost, she was capable of materializing her ethereal body for a brief moment. But this wasn't because she had materialized now.

*Tak*

*Tak*

"What are you doing?"

"It won't go in."

"Why?"

"How would I know?"

Even she couldn't understand the exact reason. It was clearly an ethereal state, so why was this happening? Thinking there might be a problem with herself, she approached Go Chan, who was snoring on the bed next to them. Then she inserted her hand into Go Chan's stomach. It went in so naturally.

"It works here? Then…"

She briefly materialized the tip of her inserted hand and lightly touched his Danjeon.

The moment she did so, Go Chan woke up with a start, "Eek!"

Then he trembled, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted. Cheongryeong had momentarily forgotten. The Danjeon, from the moment it is formed, becomes the most sensitive part of the body. However, whether Go Chan fainted or not, she didn't care.

"Tsk tsk, what an exaggeration. Anyway, it's not my problem."

She was focused solely on the conclusion. For some reason, her ethereal hand didn't pass through Mok Gyeongwoon but collided with him. It was a highly peculiar occurrence.

"Strange. Could it be because he became a spirit servant? Hey, Madman. You try it too."

At her words, Demon Monk approached and carefully touched Mok Gyeongwoon's body. As expected, even Demon Monk's ethereal body couldn't pass through Mok Gyeongwoon's body.

The two ghosts couldn't hide their puzzlement, "Do you know why?"

"Hmm. If it's not between ethereal bodies, there's no reason for them to collide like this."

"Then it would be difficult for you to confirm whether I have a Danjeon or not?"

"Well… Even if not, there are other-"

*Squeak*

The door to the medicine hall opened with a small sound. Wondering who it was, they looked in that direction and saw a middle-aged man with a fierce appearance entering.

'Outer Manor Master?'

It was Outer Manor Master Sang Ungbaek. Mok Gyeongwoon remembered his face since he had interrogated him once before.

"Aah."

Upon discovering Mok Gyeongwoon sitting cross-legged, Outer Manor Master Sang Ungbaek's expression darkened slightly. It was because he saw the injuries covering his body. Although he was recovering quickly, the scabs still made it difficult to discern.

Sang Ungbaek approached and spoke, "You're still awake, Young Master."

"Ah. Yes."

Outer Manor Master Sang Ungbaek, who had come close, bowed his head deeply and said, "I apologize. If I had paid more attention, this wouldn't have happened."

Based on appearances alone, Mok Gyeongwoon's condition was at its worst. Sang Ungbaek, who believed he had ended up like this due to an attack, genuinely considered it his own negligence. That's why he was apologizing.

In response, Mok Gyeongwoon shook his head and said, "No. It's alright. These things can happen."

"It's not a matter of these things can happen. The outer hall warriors were guarding, yet you were injured, Young Master. This is entirely my fault."

"You don't need to blame yourself," Mok Gyeongwoon spoke with a smile.

Sang Ungbaek's eyes flickered as he observed Mok Gyeongwoon. As the outer manor master, although not frequently, he had occasional contact with the young masters and had a rough understanding of their personalities. There were also rumours circulating within the manor.

'…Strange, just like last time.'

Sang Ungbaek knew Mok Gyeongwoon to be quite fussy and timid. Especially after his martial talent declined and his maternal family fell, he had become even more so.

But looking at him now, should he say he was composed? He had faced life-threatening situations twice in a row, yet he remained so calm? This incident wasn't that long ago. Yet there was no sign of fear or emotional trauma.

'Was he always like this?'

Suddenly, doubts arose. Even for adults, it was challenging to remain composed and calm despite being injured and having one's life threatened.

"Young Master… Are you truly alright?"

At that question, Mok Gyeongwoon instantly realized that he had made a mistake. He had considered it trivial, but he should have feigned some distress.

With that, he slightly lowered his head and said, "To be honest, I am worried that I might die quietly at this rate."

Upon hearing those words, Sang Ungbaek's eyes narrowed further. His suspicions deepened. Even if he expressed concern only after being asked, it was already too late.

'…This has become troublesome.'

Mok Gyeongwoon also noticed his suspicion.

Until now, he hadn't faced significant suspicion, but an unexpected person seemed to complicate matters. Although it didn't seem like he doubted whether Mok Gyeongwoon was an imposter yet, continuously involving someone with such keen intuition would be unfavourable.

At that moment, Outer Manor Master Sang Ungbaek spoke, "Young Master… You don't look well.

At that question, Mok Gyeongwoon instantly realized that he had made a mistake. He had considered it trivial, but he should have feigned some distress. With that, he slightly lowered his head and said, "To be honest, I am worried that I might die quietly at this rate."

Upon hearing those words, Sang Ungbaek's eyes narrowed further. His suspicions deepened. Even if he expressed concern only after being asked, it was already too late.

'…This has become troublesome.'

Mok Gyeongwoon also noticed his suspicion. Until now, he hadn't faced significant suspicion, but an unexpected person seemed to complicate matters. Although it didn't seem like he doubted whether Mok Gyeongwoon was an imposter yet, continuously involving someone with such keen intuition would be unfavourable.

At that moment, Outer Manor Master Sang Ungbaek spoke, "Young Master… You don't look well. May I examine your body to see if you have any severe internal injuries?"

Upon hearing that question, Cheongryeong, who was beside him, whispered, "It's better to be careful. If, as you said, a Danjeon has truly formed, no matter how small it is, its energy will be completely unrelated to life energy."

Mok Gyeongwoon glanced at her with a puzzled look.

Then she said with a smirk, "You might be mistaken for practicing an evil path."

'What's that?'

Mok Gyeongwoon still didn't have much knowledge about martial arts. However, based on her tone, he roughly understood the meaning of her warning.

With that, Mok Gyeongwoon shook his head and said, "It's alright. When the physician comes tomorrow…"

"Young Master, please forgive my rudeness."

*Pak*

Before he could finish his sentence, Outer Manor Master Sang Ungbaek swiftly grasped Mok Gyeongwoon's right wrist using a Golden Roc Hand Technique. Sang Ungbaek's hand movements were much faster than those of the escort guard Gam or Madam Seok. There was no room to dodge.

Not only did Sang Ungbaek grasp Mok Gyeongwoon's wrist, but he also struck acupoints on his chest.

*Pa*

*Pa*

*Pa*

*Pak*

He instantly struck the numbing acupoints that would immobilize the body. Having struck the acupoints, Sang Ungbaek injected his true energy through Mok Gyeongwoon's wrist to examine his Danjeon.

After injecting his true energy, Sang Ungbaek quickly examined Mok Gyeongwoon's internal organs through the meridian pathways and tried to sweep down to the Danjeon.

*Swish*

The true energy that was flowing through his body suddenly dispersed.

'!?'

Sang Ungbaek furrowed his brow. Thinking that the true energy had been interrupted halfway, he tried sending it again. But the result was the same.

*Swish*

His true energy flowed along the meridian pathways but dispersed once more. Something was strange.

Sang Ungbaek pondered for a moment. Usually, when examining the body, one injects true energy to a degree that doesn't strain the other person's body. However, if it dispersed like this, he had no choice but to inject more true energy. It's just that this method could be a bit dangerous.

"Young Master… I apologize, but I will inject a little truer energy. Although I have struck the numbing acupoints, please endure the discomfort for a moment…"

"Hmm. There's no other way. Cheongryeong."

"Cheongryeong? What is…"

*Puk*

It was at that very moment. Sang Ungbaek couldn't move for an instant. It was because he was seized by a bizarre sensation of something grasping his heart.

"Gasp… Gasp…"

Instinctively, Sang Ungbaek knew. It was gripping very gently, but if it applied even a little force, it seemed like his heart would burst. What on earth was this bizarre occurrence?

As he was perplexed, Mok Gyeongwoon said something as if he were conversing with someone, "No, no. It would be troublesome if you burst his heart. Please wait a moment."

'!?'

In an instant, Sang Ungbaek's eyes widened as if they would tear apart.