Absolute Dominion

◈ Absolute Dominion

Chapter- 24

After an hour, Jeok Lee-Gun and Cha-Ryun found themselves standing before a small, thatched house.

“Where exactly is this?”

“This is the home of the old man who will build the house.”

“What?”

“Have you heard of Divine Hand, Go Ong?”

“Ah! Yes, I’ve heard his name before. He’s supposed to be the most skilled craftsman in Hubei, right?”

“From what I’ve gathered, he’s not just the best in Hubei, but also in Hunan as well. In fact, he might be the most skilled in the entire region.”

“So, this is his house?”

Jeok Lee-Gun nodded.

“And you want to meet him now?”

“Yes.”

“Are you insane? At this hour?”

“So what?”

“This is incredibly rude! No one would agree to such a thing.”

“I beg to differ.”

What kind of nonsense is he going to spout this time?

“When night falls, people tend to become a bit more emotional, don’t they?”

Maybe you do, but not everyone feels that way!

“Moreover, just think about how bored an old man would be at this hour. He’s probably just sitting around, scratching his back right now.”

Ugh! That’s just another one of your ridiculous assumptions!

Thump, thump, thump!

Before Cha-Ryun could stop him, Jeok Lee-Gun knocked on the old man’s front gate. Since it was nighttime, the sound echoed through the quiet surroundings.

Cha-Ryun was already starting to feel bad for the old man.

Creak!

Go Ong swung the door open.

Without asking who it was, he opened the door first, a clear sign of his impatient and hot-tempered nature. In truth, he was quite a quirky character. Even after accumulating a decent amount of wealth, he continued to live alone without a single servant.

“What do you want?”

“Build me a house.”

“…Crazy bastard.”

Bang!

Go Ong slammed the door in their faces.

Jeok Lee-Gun remained unfazed, calmly pulling out several sheets of paper from his pocket, which he slipped under the door.

“Just take a look first.”

There was no response from inside.

Cha-Ryun smirked, teasing him.

“Not everything in the world goes your way.”

“It does, if you put your mind to it.”

“Where do you get that kind of confidence from?”

Jeok Lee-Gun looked directly into her eyes and asked in a serious tone.

“You’ve never truly believed in yourself, have you?”

“What?”

It seemed like a casual remark, but it shook Cha-Ryun’s heart.

It was an unfamiliar question, one that made her pause and wonder—was it true?

“Do you know what the most important step to becoming a master is?”

“…”

“Believing in yourself. But it can’t be something vague like, ‘I can probably do it.’ It has to be a fierce, combative belief—like, ‘I will definitely cut that guy down,’ or ‘I will surpass any limits in front of me.’ That kind of belief.”

I know that too. But…

It was clear that Jeok Lee-Gun was talking about something far deeper than the kind of belief she understood.

Is it really that simple?

Creak.

At that moment, the door creaked open once again.

Through the crack, Go Ong glared at Jeok Lee-Gun.

“Whose work is this?”

“It’s mine.”

Go Ong looked surprised.

After glaring at Jeok Lee-Gun for a moment, he opened the door without saying another word. The two of them stepped inside. The house of the greatest craftsman in Hubei was more modestly furnished than expected.

They sat across from each other with a small, low table between them.

Even after entering the room, Go Ong remained silent for a long time, staring at the papers Jeok Lee-Gun had given him. Cha-Ryun noticed that they were architectural blueprints.

She whispered softly.

“Did you really draw this?”

“No.”

What? Why are you answering that so loudly?

“It’s from an expert—he’s really amazing.”

The blueprint was what Hwa Mu-Cheol had handed to him earlier.

Go Ong was still staring intently at the blueprint.

Eventually, he looked up.

“What are these empty spaces scattered here and there?”

“They’re for formation techniques and various mechanisms.”

“Ah, I see.”

Go Ong’s eyes returned to the blueprint.

Gradually, Go Ong’s stiff demeanor began to change.

“Honestly, I’ve never seen such an excellent blueprint in my entire life.”

He let out a sigh that was filled with excitement.

“My hands are already trembling.”

It seemed as though he could already envision the completed structure.

“And who is going to live in such a house?”

“I will.”

Perhaps that wasn’t the answer he expected?

“Then who will cover the costs?”

“Also me.”

Go Ong appeared somewhat taken aback.

“The cost will be astronomical.”

“How much do you think it will be?”

“That depends entirely on the specifics. The price can shift dramatically based on materials and deadlines.”

“The finest materials.”

“And the time frame?”

“As short as possible.”

Go Ong’s eyes scanned the blueprint once more.

“Even if I gather every worker at my disposal and we toil through the nights in shifts… it will still take a minimum of two months. I’m the only one who could accomplish it in that time.”

Go Ong’s pride was evident. Jeok Lee-Gun asked again.

“How much will it cost, if calculated that way?”

“In that case…”

Go Ong paused for a moment, silently calculating the cost using his fingers.

“It will cost at least five hundred thousand nyang.”

Cha-Ryun gasped and exhaled sharply. The amount was so large that it made her laugh.

But Jeok Lee-Gun did not hesitate.

“Alright. Let’s make a contract.”

He then took out a bundle of promissory notes from his chest pocket and placed it on the table.

“Here’s an advance payment of fifty thousand nyang. Start the work immediately.”

Go Ong asked in surprise.

“Shouldn’t we draft a formal contract first?”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“How can you trust me? What if I take the money and run?”

Their eyes met, locking in a silent exchange.

Jeok Lee-Gun grinned.

“Don’t you want to build a house like this?”

At that, Go Ong’s lips curled into a grin, baring his teeth. It was a smile that needed no further explanation.

Jeok Lee-Gun and Cha-Ryun left the old man’s house.

Cha-Ryun was still in shock.

“Where did you get all that money? Did you steal it?”

“I told you—I saved up some money.”

“That doesn’t make sense!”

“Is the amount truly that shocking?”

“Of course!”

My goodness! Cha-Ryun had never seen anyone carry such a large amount of money around.

“Why do you assume that just because you can’t earn it, I can’t either?”

“Well…”

“Ultimately, that’s also a form of selfishness.”

Even if there’s truth in what he says, five hundred thousand nyang is an absurdly large sum of money.

“There are things in the martial world that you don’t know.”

He had said something similar before—that there were things in the world she didn’t know. What kind of things could he be talking about?

“Alright, fine.”

After taking a deep breath to calm herself, Cha-Ryun asked again.

“You said it was the house you’re going to live in, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you building such a big house?”

Moreover, he had mentioned installing mechanisms and formations.

Jeok Lee-Gun looked up at the sky and spoke in a serious tone.

What he said next was the most surprising thing since they’d met.

“I’m going to establish a sect.”

“What?”

She thought she must have misheard him. But no—it was neither a mistake nor a joke. Jeok Lee-Gun’s eyes, gazing up at the night sky, were filled with sincerity.

“The strongest and most magnificent sect in the martial world.”

“Really, you…”

Cha-Ryun couldn’t quite define Jeok Lee-Gun.

At that moment, Jeok Lee-Gun’s gaze shifted past her, to something behind her shoulder.

When Cha-Ryun turned around, she saw someone approaching.

It was Kwon Hyuk-Gi, the man who had taken her and her father to the Spring Breeze Inn.

Seeing Kwon Hyuk-Gi’s fierce eyes, Jeok Lee-Gun smirked.

“Didn’t I tell you? People become more emotional at night.”

Kwon Hyuk-Gi had lived two lives.

The first was when he was younger, during the days when he performed righteous deeds. It was a time when he found fulfillment in heroism, a time that would never return. As he grew older, he realized that the distinction between good and evil was meaningless. He became disgusted by the way evil men flourished while the righteous suffered.

So, one day, he crossed the line, deciding to try being evil for once. He wasn’t caught, and he made quite a profit. Nothing happened. He thought his life would fall apart if he committed evil, but instead, it actually became easier. The burden on his conscience wasn’t as heavy as he’d imagined.

The first time is always the hardest, especially with bad deeds.

From then on, whenever the opportunity arose, he joined hands with evil. He even accepted assassination contracts, killing people and stealing their goods.

Despite accumulating a fair amount of money through his two-faced nature, he was eventually caught. When suspicion began to fall on him, he fled to Hubei.

He found refuge with the Palm Heart Clan. The Clan Leader surely must have heard the unsavory rumors about him but still accepted him without hesitation. It was clear that the clan would find use for someone like him when the time came for dirty and dangerous work.

For a while, he lived comfortably within the Palm Heart Clan, killing time and being treated as an honored guest. He concealed his martial skills and kept a low profile.

For someone of his skill, dealing with a man like Jeong Lee-Chu posed no challenge. In exchange for carrying out their orders, he got to drink expensive liquor on their dime, all while securing his position—killing two birds with one stone.

But today, when Jang In-Gyeol called for him, the situation was different from what he had expected.

Spring Breeze Inn was completely destroyed, and Jeong Lee-Chu had returned safely.

Jang In-Gyeol had yelled at him for not being able to handle a single guy. He had yelled so much that Kwon Hyuk-Gi felt like smashing Jang In-Gyeol to bits and fleeing to another region. But doing so would mean fighting the entire Palm Heart Clan. Even with his hidden abilities, he couldn’t take on the whole clan.

Grinding his teeth in frustration, he made his way to Spring Breeze Inn, only to find it already closed.

Rumor had it that they had been caught selling fake bear gallbladder wine. Damn, that meant the wine he drank was also fake! The owner, Lee Hwa, was already nowhere to be found. She was probably buried somewhere by now. If she were alive, he would have buried her himself.

He had cornered one of the non-martial guests from that day and forced him to reveal the truth of what had happened.

Apparently, a young man with a close relationship to the second daughter of the Righteous Sword Sect had ruined everything.

That very bastard was the one smirking right in front of him.

Cha-Ryun’s expression hardened as her gaze met Kwon Hyuk-Gi’s.

“You!”

“Call me senior.”

“Hmph!”

Just looking at him made Cha-Ryun shudder in disgust. He was nothing but a lackey for the despicable Palm Heart Clan.

Kwon Hyuk-Gi’s gaze shifted to Jeok Lee-Gun.

“And what’s your name?”

“Jeok Lee-Gun.”

Kwon Hyuk-Gi frowned. He didn’t like Jeok Lee-Gun’s attitude at all.

“What do you do?”

“Is it your hobby to investigate the history of those you intend to kill?”

A cold sneer formed on Kwon Hyuk-Gi’s face.

“You cheeky little bastard!”

Cha-Ryun was caught off guard.

“Kill? What are you talking about?”

She stared at Kwon Hyuk-Gi in disbelief—yet he offered no denial.

It was evident that Kwon Hyuk-Gi intended to kill Jeok Lee-Gun. The problem was Cha-Ryun.

Initially, his plan had been to scare her, maybe rough her up a bit, and then let her go. But now that his murderous intent had grown, other thoughts began to take hold.

With a beauty like that…

Moreover, he knew that son of a bitch, Jang In-Gyeol, had taken a liking to Cha-Ryun. He didn’t want to hand over such a beautiful woman to him.

Kwon Hyuk-Gi glanced up at the night sky.

‘Alright, it’s time to go. I’ve grown tired of Wuhan anyway.’

Cha-Ryun’s heart began to race as murderous intent surged within him.

Saying he would kill Jeok Lee-Gun meant he would kill her too.

Cha-Ryun’s cold voice cut through the air.

“You bastard!”

“Yeah, that’s right. Scream all you want. It’ll make me feel less guilty. And don’t worry, you won’t die so easily. You can look forward to it.”

At that, Jeok Lee-Gun whispered.

“He’ll kill you after doing something nasty.”

You don’t need to tell me—I already know that much.

Seeing Jeok Lee-Gun making jokes in a situation like this, Cha-Ryun calmed down a little.

‘That’s just like him.’

In this aspect, he was always consistent.

“Don’t be scared. Do you really think you and I are fated to die at the hands of such a scumbag on the same day?”

In truth, she wasn’t that scared.

Beyond the Red Silk Sword Technique that she had trained in without fail for over ten years—there was also a strange sense of reassurance in being with Jeok Lee-Gun. What on earth was so trustworthy about this guy?

Cha-Ryun asked.

“Did Jang In-Gyeol order this?”

As if the question wasn’t infuriating enough, Jeok Lee-Gun added fuel to the fire.

“Of course he did. This son of a bitch doesn’t look like the kind of person who’d act without his master’s orders.”

Kwon Hyuk-Gi coldly rolled up his sleeves. True to his nickname, the Eight Flying Palms, his secret martial arts technique consisted of deadly palm strikes. It had the power to crush bones and break swords.

Jeok Lee-Gun took a step back, hiding behind Cha-Ryun.

“Save me.”

Cha-Ryun turned around with a face full of disbelief.

Jeok Lee-Gun shouted in surprise.

“Look ahead!”

Startled, Cha-Ryun’s eyes darted forward, but Kwon Hyuk-Gi was still standing in the same spot.

Jeok Lee-Gun’s voice came from behind her.

“When you’re facing an enemy, always keep your eyes on them. You shouldn’t blink, even if your friend next to you steals your money and runs off.”

‘What kind of analogy is that? What exactly goes on in his head?’

Kwon Hyuk-Gi took a step forward.

Cha-Ryun flinched and unconsciously took a step back.

Kwon Hyuk-Gi’s lips curled into a cold smile.

‘Damn it, his presence alone is overwhelming.’

Thump, thump.

Cha-Ryun’s heart began to pound wildly in her chest.

She knew she had to stay calm, but her mind started to go blank. When people are scared, not only do they tremble, but they also become dazed.

‘This is no joke.’

At this moment she thought she might actually die, her whole body started shaking. It was the ‘inner demon’ that often appears during one’s first real fight.

Jeok Lee-Gun snapped her out of it.

“Draw your sword.”

Clang.

Cha-Ryun drew her sword unconsciously.