An Unexpected Encounter

By the time dusk settled, they had arrived at the village, just as the coachman had said they would — a place called Hobaek, named for the lake nearby. A great body of water rested at the foot of the mountain ridges, and the valley held the quiet grandeur of a twelve-panel landscape screen unfurled across the land.

Dang Seol-yong instructed the coachman to drive toward the Tang Clan branch, which sat on the outskirts of the village beside Lake Hobaek.

"You could receive treatment at the branch and stay the night. There are plenty of guest rooms here."

Dang Seol-yong wanted them to remain at the Tang Clan branch.

"And the branch always has family posted here who know medicine. You can be treated without going to a physician's hall. Sword wounds especially — we're better at those."

Jang Hyeon-nam had been thinking of stopping at a physician's hall first, then booking rooms at an inn. But if both could be handled at the Tang Clan branch, there was no reason to refuse.

"Then we'll gratefully accept your hospitality."

Dang Seol-yong shook her head at Jang Hyeon-nam's words.

"Think nothing of it. I've been in your debt this whole time. This is me paying it back."

The Tang Clan branch remained quiet even for the visit of Dang Seol-yong, the clan's treasured jewel. That was the kind of discipline only true elites possessed. There was no branch leader trying to curry favor with her, and no martial artists making a fuss. Everyone simply went about their work. The hospitality, however, was anything but lacking.

But one man felt the Tang Clan's reception was wanting.

White Salt Blade Jeo Pung ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠caught on at once that the Tang Clan was wary of his presence. The Tang Clan warriors were on their guard against a man who held a hall master's post at the Yeosan Sect.

It was then that someone came looking for him.

"A guest has arrived seeking you, Hero Jeo."

"Me?"

Puzzled that anyone would come asking for him, he went out to the branch's main gate. A Yeosan Sect subordinate was standing there, and Jeo Pung asked in surprise,

"What business brings you here?"

"This subordinate was passing through the area ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with Elder Sim on the Sect Leader's orders, and we heard news of you, Hall Master."

"What matter would bring Elder Sim out in person?"

"We've come to find a man. A genius strategist, they say. We mean to bring him back with us."

"A genius strategist? What's his name?"

"This subordinate doesn't know. Only Elder Sim seems to. According to the message we received, Jangan Sect has also made a move to obtain him this time."

Jeo Pung frowned.

"Then why did you come here? To report?"

"No, Hall Master. Elder Sim told me to bring you. He said having you along would lend the matter more weight."

White Salt Blade Jeo Pung already had a mission of his own, and he had no intention of leaving Jang Hyeon-nam's party. He had planned to find an opening and assassinate Jang Hyeon-nam before they reached Xi'an.

The subordinate glanced at Jeo Pung's face, then added,

"Elder Sim said to come even if you have a mission."

Elder Sim Suk knew what Jeo Pung had been tasked to do. If he was still calling him away, it meant the strategist they wanted mattered more than Jang Hyeon-nam.

"Understood. Wait here."

Jeo Pung informed Jang Hyeon-nam's party that something had come up and he would be leaving first. Jang Hyeon-nam and Ham Cheon-yeong were disappointed, but Seo Joo-cheon cheered inwardly.

Why is the man who was going to kill Jang Hyeon-nam leaving already? Something must have happened.

Seo Joo-cheon watched White Salt Blade Jeo Pung go for a long while. Soon enough, everyone was busy treating the wounded, and Jeo Pung was quickly forgotten.

Once the treatments were finished, they gathered in the dining hall for the evening meal. The Tang Clan branch had clearly taken pains to receive its guests. Chicken, duck, and even beef had been laid on the table — and with them, dishes one could ordinarily taste only at a high-class inn.

"I heard from the branch leader that the Heinous Saber Fiend is being pursued," Dang Seol-yong said. "He seems to be fleeing toward the Shaanxi Xingdusi, and the number of martial artists tracking him keeps growing."

Seo Joo-cheon nodded, laughing to himself.

If they're still chasing him, they must not know the Gongcheong Seokyu is fake. He's been too busy running to have time to take it.

With the Blood Heaven Unit on his heels, the Heinous Saber Fiend would have had no time to spare.

I'm genuinely curious how he'll react once he finds out the Gongcheong Seokyu is fake.

The thought made Seo Joo-cheon chuckle. Then, mid-laugh, the place name caught in his mind, and he started.

He had never used Shaanxi Xingdusi in the original work. It was a Ming-dynasty name; in the Qing, the same region had been called Gansu.

"Did you just say Shaanxi Xingdusi?"

"Yes. Shaanxi Xingdusi."

"Not Gansu?"

He put the word in his mouth to be sure.

"Gansu? Do you mean Ganzhou?"

That settled it.

They don't know the word Gansu. In the Ming it was called the Shaanxi Xingdusi, and within that territory sat Ganzhou and Suzhou. Only in the Qing were the characters Gan and Su taken to form Gansu, so of course they wouldn't know it. But what is this? Has the historical background formed on its own? That's right — now that this world has become reality, a historical backdrop could have taken shape even for things I never set down in the original work.

The Heinous Saber Fiend, Hong Seok-hun, could barely keep the smirk off his face.

It had already been two hours since he'd entered the cave. By now it seemed he had shaken off most of his pursuers, and he let out a long breath. The ones who had clung stubbornly — righteous, unorthodox, or demonic, it made no difference — he had slit their throats. He had no mercy to spare for flies buzzing into the Heinous Saber Fiend's affairs. The ones he'd killed on the run had to number in the dozens. Then those who valued their lives peeled away, and at last he could breathe.

When the Blood Heaven Unit had been on his heels he had been terrified, but after throwing everything into fleeing for days on end, he had shaken them too. He hadn't eaten or slept properly because of it, yet the moment he looked at the porcelain bottle of Gongcheong Seokyu in his hand, the fatigue seemed to vanish.

"To think an unexpected elixir would fall into my hands. A true fisherman's fortune."

If the Undying Demon and the Mount Hua Sect hadn't been tearing each other apart, he never would have even laid eyes on it.

"Now I'll take this and become the greatest master under heaven."

He hadn't slept in days and was so worked up his eyes were bloodshot.

Pop!

He uncorked the porcelain bottle and sniffed.

"Oh! Oh! So this is the fragrance of Gongcheong Seokyu!"

The smell alone lifted his spirits.

"If I take it all at once I won't be able to convert it to true qi, so I have to take it little by little."

He muttered the warning to himself like a madman, reciting the precautions.

"The spiritual energy of Gongcheong Seokyu is so potent that even a single drop is said to grant ten years of true qi. I have to consume it gradually."

His mouth went bone-dry. He stuck his tongue out long and let a single drop of Gongcheong Seokyu fall onto it.

Smack, smack.

He worked his lips and waited for heat to spread through his body. When you took an elixir, true qi unfurled and warmth rose in the flesh. But even after waiting the time it takes to finish a meal, no heat came.

"Huh? Was the amount too small?"

The Heinous Saber Fiend nodded to himself.

"Right. The rumor that one drop grants ten years of true qi was probably exaggerated. Only a fool would take a claim like that at face value."

This time he put his mouth to the bottle and took a gulp.

"Ahhh! So fragrant and fine!"

It was common knowledge that every elixir carried a pleasant scent. The sharp, lingering taste on his tongue was like honey.

"Tastes like honey — must be because it's an elixir."

He sat in the lotus position and waited another meal's time. Not a thread of true qi. Not even a hint of heat.

"What? Could the effects be delayed?"

There were only legends that Gongcheong Seokyu was a great elixir; people who had actually taken it were nearly impossible to find. Naturally, no one knew how the body was supposed to respond. The Heinous Saber Fiend never once suspected that the Gongcheong Seokyu he had risked his life for was fake. In the entire chain of events that had brought the elixir into his hands, there had been nothing to doubt.

Gulp.

This time he drained every last drop remaining in the bottle. And only after another meal's time did suspicion finally dawn.

"It's f-fake?"

Thinking of everything he had suffered to get here, he could not contain the rage that surged up. He replayed the moment he had snatched the elixir at the inn.

The situation was so dangerous I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠didn't notice at the time, but there was definitely something unnatural. The way the elixir was thrown — the way that Po Un bastard caught it and handed it over…

The Heinous Saber Fiend shot to his feet in fury.

Thud!

He smashed his head into the cave ceiling and grimaced. He was so angry he had forgotten even how low the cave was.

The Heinous Saber Fiend's killing intent filled the cave.

Seo Joo-cheon wanted to distribute the Gongcheong Seokyu among his younger siblings and raise their inner power, so he gathered his brothers that night.

"I'm thinking of converting the elixir I got from the Black-Eyed Leopard Saber into true qi. What do you all think?"

The three considered it carefully, then Ham Cheon-yeong spoke.

"Big Brother, we're not ready yet. We still haven't properly gathered the Human-Shaped Snow Ginseng Liquid Essence into true qi. Taking Gongcheong Seokyu in that state wouldn't do us any good."

He was right. With the ginseng's spiritual energy still remaining in their bodies, there was a real chance it would clash with the spiritual energy of the Gongcheong Seokyu.

"Understood. But once you've gathered all the ginseng's spiritual energy, tell me. I'll distribute it then."

Raising the martial prowess of the Shaanxi Four Chivalrous Heroes was Seo Joo-cheon's first priority. For now, they were the only ones who would protect him — the stronger they became, the better.

"To gather the spiritual energy quickly, you need to learn Yin-Yang Collision Cultivation first. It's quiet now, so all of you memorize this inner art."

If Big Brother said it, they followed without a word of complaint. Two hours later, the Shaanxi Four Chivalrous Heroes began circulating the art.

Seo Joo-cheon found the constant writhing in his dantian irritating, but as time passed it became bearable. An inner art that induced mild collisions of true qi in order to amplify it struck him as a bit of a cheat.

Then again, I created these two martial arts specifically to produce overpowered abilities, so perhaps that's only to be expected.

One of the hardest parts of writing a wuxia novel was inventing the martial arts. Fitting a style to a character was no simple task either — work that demanded a great deal of thought and care.

"The true qi is colliding on its own now," Ham Cheon-yeong reported.

"Same here."

Ham Cheon-yeong, Dokgo Ho-in, and Kang Chu-mi had all completed Yin-Yang Collision Cultivation. It was an inner art that simply set true qi colliding of its own accord, so the formula was not particularly difficult, and they achieved it easily.

"Don't slack on circulating your energy just because you have Yin-Yang Collision Cultivation. It should only be used as a supplementary inner art."

"Yes, Big Brother."

Worried they might grow lazy and lean on the art alone, Seo Joo-cheon laid on the lectures.

They bustled about from first light, wanting to set out early — that way they could reach the next destination by evening and rest. They finished a simple breakfast at the Tang Clan branch and came outside.

That was when Seo Joo-cheon saw a boy entering the compound. Thirteen or so, at a glance. A mesh bag hung from his shoulder, and even from a distance it looked to be full of medicinal herbs. The boy greeted a Tang Clan branch warrior.

"Hello, mister."

"Ah. Yeah."

"I brought the herbs."

"Did you? What brings you? Where's your grandfather?"

At the warrior's question, the boy's face darkened.

"Grandfather is sick, so I brought them."

"Ah. That's why he was supposed to come yesterday and didn't, and you came today."

"Yes."

The Tang Clan did not place branches in each region to expand the sect. The purpose was, above all, to obtain poisons and medicinal herbs. A branch's role was to procure the herbs, toxins, and venomous creatures unique to its region and send them on to the clan. That was why Tang Clan branches were never as large as those of other martial families, and why so few people were stationed in them. Even at most they did not exceed five, and most of those were from the clan's collateral lines. In return, a set period of service at a branch earned the right to learn the Tang Clan's martial arts, so there was no shortage of volunteers. A few years of hardship, and even a child of a side branch could seize a chance to rise.

"Where is he hurt?"

"He slipped while gathering herbs and broke his leg. The physician said he needs to rest for several months."

"Tsk tsk. He should have been more careful."

"I'll keep bringing the herbs. I already know all the ones we need, so gathering them isn't hard."

"Got it, kid."

The branch warrior ruffled the boy's hair.

"Haven't had breakfast yet, have you?"

"It's all right. I can eat with Grandfather."

"Guests came yesterday, so there's plenty of meat. You eat some, and pack some for your grandfather too."

"Really?"

"That's right."

The bright-looking boy noticed Seo Joo-cheon staring at him and bowed at the waist. It was a face he didn't recognize, so he took Seo Joo-cheon for a newly arrived Tang Clan warrior.

Listening to the two of them, a thought struck Seo Joo-cheon, and he called the boy over.

"Child."

"Yes?"

The boy turned and looked at him.

"What is your grandfather's name?"

"Um, I don't really know Grandfather's name. People call him Sanho-ong."

Old men who lived in the mountains were commonly called San-ong — Mountain Elder — but this one occasionally sold tiger pelts, and so people had taken to calling him Sanho-ong, the Mountain Tiger Elder. And in the novel Invincible Under Heaven: Lay Disciple, there was only one old man known by that name, and the grandson he raised was no ordinary child.

Seo Joo-cheon's hunch proved correct, and he was mildly startled. He immediately sharpened his gaze and attempted a Character Search on the boy. The boy's history scrolled down beneath his face.

The history left no room for doubt. This was the boy he had created, and Seo Joo-cheon felt a flicker of absurdity.

If he ever needed to gather a force, he had several of the powerful characters he had written in mind. Yu Seong, however, had never been among them. The Heavenly Killing Star the boy had been born under would, the moment it awakened, grant him a genius no one in the world could match — but it would also lock him into the fate of becoming a murderer of legend. Seo Joo-cheon had written Yu Seong to enter the fold as successor to Slaughter King Go Man, one of the Twelve Demon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lords of Mt. Macheon. That was why he had not even considered him when thinking about which characters to recruit.

And yet here was Yu Seong, standing plainly in front of him. He could not help but be thrown.