Chapter 17: The Ring of the Shadowless Step
Just past noon.
The sky was clear without a single cloud.
The entire guard of Cheonhwa Seogo received a summons from their leader.
Hugong, who had been leisurely drinking tea, became aware of the situation through Songhwa’s report.
“My lord, there’s a brief assembly of the guards. I’ll return shortly.”
“You need not report every trivial matter to me.”
“I am your shadow, after all.”
“Ahem.”
Thirty-two guards swiftly gathered at the small training ground. Nearly ninety percent were swordsmen, while the rest practiced martial arts.
Before the neatly lined-up guards stood Cheon Gyu-in, the guard leader, atop a small podium.
After commending their efforts, he cut to the chase.
“I called you today due to an incident that occurred outside recently. You know which one I mean. Yes—the disturbance during His Highness’s outing. Two points must be addressed. First, the guard’s excessive response. This warrants reprimand.”
His gaze briefly flickered toward Songhwa before returning.
“You’re all aware His Highness has changed, leaving his past behind. He is Cheonhwa Seogo’s successor and representative. It’s natural he’ll interact with esteemed external figures. Thus, the guard must protect not just his safety but also his dignity.”
He continued detailing decorum and etiquette.
“……Second, the opposing party in this dispute belongs to Gwanghwimun. Don’t be fooled by their name—‘Radiant Light Sect’ doesn’t mean they embody it.”
Several guards bit their lips to stifle laughter.
“They’ve grown influential lately, and intel suggests they plot revenge for their humiliation. Not a single hair on anyone—our lord, the three princes, scholars, or any member of Cheonhwa Seogo—must be harmed. That is our purpose. In detail……”
He paused.
Deputy Leader Onso had approached to whisper in his ear.
Cheon Gyu-in tilted his head, startled.
“His Highness seeks me?”
“Yes.”
“Immediately?”
“Correct.”
“Did he state the reason?”
“I didn’t hear.”
Cheon Gyu-in announced the summons to the guards, entrusted the remaining speech to Onso, and hurried to the prince’s quarters.
**
“Your Highness, the guard leader is here.”
Hugong, seated in meditation, opened his eyes.
‘The guard leader?’
The entire guard had been summoned earlier. Where was Songhwa? She wouldn’t lie to me…
He composed himself and replied after a moment.
“What is it?”
“I have urgent matters to discuss.”
The voice was courteous.
‘Songhwa lying? Impossible.’
The Songhwa he knew couldn’t twist her words—she blurted thoughts outright, often to a fault.
‘The guard leader.’
In Beomhang’s memory, the man was a blur—a name, a face, a title deserving respect, nothing more.
Meeting him would clarify things.
“Enter.”
Hugong sat across from Cheon Gyu-in, a table between them, and posed his question.
“I heard the guard was summoned earlier.”
“Correct. But the matter was too urgent to delay.”
“And yet you’re here?”
“Yes.”
Cheon Gyu-in smiled faintly.
“I wish to actively assist you, Your Highness.”
His voice carried a sly undertone.
Hugong smirked.
‘Help me? Ridiculous.’
A scruffy-bearded man in his forties oozing false concern? Disgusting. He’d never sought help. The best “assistance” would be everyone minding their own duties.
“Proceed.”
Cheon Gyu-in drew something from his waist and placed it on the table.
A dagger.
Its blade glinted sharply.
“Your Highness has unfinished business, no? You must die.”
‘Madman.’
“Hoho…”
Hugong chuckled incredulously.
The guard leader grinned.
“Are you pleased to see the blade? Happy to finally die?”
“This is unnecessary.”
“No. Now is the perfect time. Look outside—could there be a finer day to perish?”
Hugong understood. The summons was a ruse to isolate him for a staged suicide. How long had this plot brewed? Perhaps the chief steward was involved.
“Hmm…”
He closed his eyes, then opened them.
As his lids half-raised, the whites turned black before reverting. A flash of Jeonhyeol—one of the Three Great Defensive Techniques.
“So, you still believe I wish to die?”
“Haha, of course.”
“And if I’ve changed my mind?”
“A man’s resolve shouldn’t waver.”
“Leader, I’m not who I was.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Both smiled, coldness beneath their mirth.
“Then.”
Tap.
Cheon Gyu-in’s hand struck Hugong’s chest, sealing two pressure points—paralyzing meridians.
“Stay still. I’ll kindly grant you a painless death.”
“Hahaha…”
“Why laugh?”
“It’s absurd.”
“Your Highness grows curt. Hehe…”
“When I sought death, it eluded me. Now that I wish to live, it comes so easily. Beomhang truly had rotten luck.”
Cheon Gyu-in cocked his head.
“Why speak of yourself as another? Change is troublesome. Recall your desperation—how you ached to die. This is the optimal moment. Everyone believes you’ve reformed—training, socializing. If you ‘suicide’ now, imagine the fallout. The lord dies. Your timid uncle perishes. The second and third princes spiral into ruin. All ends.”
‘A suicide must appear genuine.’
Hugong nodded.
“You’re not alone. Who else is involved?”
Cheon Gyu-in’s eyes turned venomous.
“Brat. Must you drag this out? You’re clever enough to know it changes nothing.”
“Your glare is fearsome.”
“…?”
Cheon Gyu-in flinched as Hugong murmured:
“I’ve reconsidered.”
The prince slowly crossed his arms.
“H-How… How can you move?!”
Cheon Gyu-in stared in disbelief.
He’d accurately struck the paralyzing points. It made no sense.
Hugong stroked his chin with one hand, unharmed. Jeonhyeol had shifted his meridians. The technique, once requiring preparation, now activated instantaneously thanks to Yukgangmang’s effects.
He smirked.
Perfect timing—he’d wanted to test his skills.
“Impressive, Your Highness. But!”
Cheon Gyu-in snatched the dagger, slashing at Hugong’s throat.
The prince kicked the table upward, blocking the strike. As Cheon Gyu-in swept it aside with his sleeve, Hugong stood calmly, hands behind his back.
Cheon Gyu-in swallowed dryly.
‘Such agility… No—such ease!’
Hugong spoke softly.
“Don’t break my things.”
“Bastard!”
Cheon Gyu-in lunged, fingers clawed like a tiger’s paw—or a cat’s.
His “Lightning Hand” lived up to its name, but to Hugong’s enhanced vision, it crawled.
He sidestepped narrowly, evasion timed to baffle. Two steps of the Shadowless Step—now refined beyond his first encounter with Yun. Yukgangmang’s effects heightened his reflexes, his qi sensitivity sharp.
Cheon Gyu-in smirked as his strike missed.
Hugong almost laughed.
‘He thinks the dagger in his right hand decides this.’
The blade thrust toward his evasion path—a fatal feint.
But Hugong swayed, employing the Shadowless Step’s “Ring.”
To observers, his hesitation made direction ambiguous. Cheon Gyu-in’s dagger pierced empty air, his confidence returning.
“Luck favors you, but for how long?!”
“I’ll grant you fifty seconds. Try your best.”
“Greedy, wanting fifty more seconds of life!”
