Chronicles of the Northern Heavens Chapter 22 - Warriors of the Dongbang Family
Yeon-hoo and his group entered a rundown inn in a small town. After about an hour of sating their hunger with food and drink, Yeon-hoo voiced the question that had been nagging at him.
"Why was the grand assembly canceled?"
If I answer, the young master's identity will be revealed.
It was Cheol Gun-ak's sound transmission.
"These are people we can trust."
The sudden statement left Yun Hoe and Cheol-u looking baffled. Cheol Gun-ak glanced at the two men before opening his mouth.
"Well..."
But the words didn't come easily. As he trailed off, Somubaek stepped in to answer instead.
"Two days before the grand assembly, my mother passed away. It seems that's why it was canceled."
"My deepest condolences."
"Thank you."
It had been years since his brother died, so it felt odd that they were only now coming to offer condolences. But hearing the circumstances, Yeon-hoo could roughly guess why Somubaek had left Baekya-beol while hiding his identity.
His mother must have been the only thread tying him to Baekya-beol.
Gazing at Somubaek stirred an inexplicable sense of kinship in Yeon-hoo. Their situations differed, but they shared the pain of being mistreated by their own blood kin within their families.
Even so, if it harms me or Northern Murim...
Yeon-hoo shook off his pity and turned to Yun Hoe.
"Commander."
"Yes, my lord."
"He is the cartel's young master. And this one is an undercover agent. From now on, treat them with proper respect, but keep this fact between us three for the time being."
Yun Hoe shot to his feet in shock, bowing deeply toward Somubaek.
"Yun Hoe pays his respects to the young master."
"Can I trust you to keep it secret, as the family head said?"
"To us, my lord's command comes before any promise to others. If you order secrecy, have no worries."
Cheol Gun-ak inwardly admired Yun Hoe's response.
No subordinate could conduct himself better than this.
Yeon-hoo asked something else.
"What do you think will happen with the trial?"
Cheol Gun-ak replied, "Northwest Murim is strongly claiming it's a Northern Murim conspiracy. If the Form Hall leader accepts their objection, it could drag on quite a while."
"Does that mean we'll have to undergo investigation too?"
"If they accept the objection, probably."
Yeon-hoo hadn't expected it to end easily from the start. But hearing that Northern Murim wouldn't escape scrutiny either made him uneasy for some reason.
This time, Cheol Gun-ak asked, "There's a faster route—why take this path?"
"Someone wants me dead."
"Northwest Murim, by any chance?"
Yeon-hoo silently nodded.
"There's a hidden grudge between him and me that the world doesn't know about. His pride must be wounded, so he'll be out for blood."
Cheol Gun-ak was curious about the grudge Yeon-hoo mentioned but held back. On the other hand, he couldn't help smirking at the thought that Northwest Murim was chasing the wrong lead entirely.
Come to think of it, I saw the Form Hall's head lose his composure in front of him. There must be circumstances we don't know about. And this man... he feels utterly different from Lord Yi Yeom.
The Yi Yeom he'd known had been overly mild—indecisive, even—which had led to missed opportunities more than once. Baekya-beol's assessment was that Northern Murim wouldn't have declined so much if he'd been more ruthless.
Northern Murim's lord lacks dominance. Excessive infighting among the guardian families wastes infinite human resources. That's what makes them weakest.
Words from the cartel's leadership meeting, spoken by the Great Earth Sovereign, echoed in Cheol Gun-ak's mind.
To become Northern Murim's lord, he must first win the power struggles against those tiger-like guardian families hiding their claws... Can he really pull it off?
The vibe wasn't bad, at least. There was a strange charisma that drew people in, an arrogance that never crossed the line, exquisite tact, and a heavy presence that instinctively intimidated onlookers. At his age, Cheol Gun-ak couldn't recall anyone with such an aura—not even among the eight families or Baekya-beol itself.
Actually, there was one: Somubaek's half-brother and Baekya-beol's heir, So Mu-yang. Him.
Their auras are remarkably similar... I wonder which is the superior talent.
One was adored by all as Baekya-beol's successor. The other was heir to a declining house. Worlds apart for now—but Cheol Gun-ak couldn't easily favor one over the other. If anyone knew his thoughts, they'd laugh, but in his heart, Yeon-hoo's stature was steadily growing.
Clack.
Yeon-hoo set down his chopsticks.
"If you're done eating, let's move."
"Weren't we staying here tonight?"
"We have a long way to go—gotta save time."
"...Understood."
Cheol Gun-ak regretted it, concerned for Somubaek's fatigue, but there was no helping it.
The road north was quiet. The snow on the main path had melted just enough for easy travel, allowing Yeon-hoo and his group to reach Northern Murim's border region far quicker than planned.
Whoooosh!
The wind grew bitterly cold. Fierce gales and chill froze the horses' breath mid-air, whitening faces around them.
"Cheol-u."
"Yes, my lord."
"Short break. Feed the horses some beans."
"Understood. His lordship calls for a brief rest."
At Cheol-u's low call, Cheol Gun-ak and Somubaek—who'd been riding ahead—reined in their horses. Yeon-hoo stepped out of the carriage, wetting his throat with liquor from Yun Hoe and staring ahead.
Once we cross there...
His gaze blurred. A beautiful face filled his mind—the face of his mother, who made him unable to abandon everything even when he'd wanted to.
"Commander."
"Yes, my lord."
"We'll stop by Songnim on the way."
"Understood."
Songnim (Pine Forest) was his mother's hometown. He'd visited often as a child, always showered with affection from her family—he'd never forgotten it even for a moment.
Mom, I wanna live here.
Hating the stern atmosphere of his father and main family, young Yeon-hoo had whined every time. His mother would tear up, and only after being exiled did he understand the meaning of those tears.
Meanwhile, Cheol Gun-ak, who happened to glance at Yeon-hoo, saw his expression subtly shift.
What's this...?
A deep shadow of regret and solitude emanated from Yeon-hoo—something Cheol Gun-ak had never sensed from him before. It stirred a strange emotion.
Soon after, they entered the outskirts of a picturesque village like a painting in ink. Mountains ringed it on three sides, and countless pines surrounding the settlement made clear why it was called Songnim.
But something was off. A place that should feel cozy to anyone was desolate. No one stirred even in broad daylight. Not even a wisp of cooking smoke rose at lunchtime.
Yun Hoe and Cheol-u, seated up front, exchanged uneasy looks. Yun Hoe quietly called into the carriage.
"My lord, we've arrived."
Creak.
Yeon-hoo emerged, eyes that should have been lost in nostalgia narrowing at the village's barren sight.
That was when it happened.
Clang!
"Argh!"
"Chase them!"
From the seemingly empty left side of the village came the clash of weapons and screams. Two young men dashed toward them like the wind, pursued by about ten men in blue robes—one bleeding from a wound.
Coincidentally, the youths and blue-robes were charging straight at Yeon-hoo's group.
"Out of the way, you bastards!"
Spotting Yeon-hoo and company, the youths swung their swords with curses. Killing intent flashed in Cheol-u's eyes.
"Don't kill them."
At Yeon-hoo's word, Cheol-u sheathed his half-drawn blade and moved toward the youths. With a casual sweep of both hands, the ferocious pair crumpled limply.
Thud!Whirl!
The pursuing blue-robes halted before Yeon-hoo's group. One spotted the fallen youths, smirked at Yeon-hoo, and said,
"Don't know who you are, but mind your own business unless you wanna get hurt. Just keep going."
Yeon-hoo silently sized up the blue-robes. Then Yun Hoe murmured low,
"Warriors of Cheongryongbang."
"What kind of place is that?"
"Its leader is one of Jang Cheon's fervent supporters. They often ignored the Sword Lord's summons I mentioned before."
Yun Hoe stared at Yeon-hoo, who nodded silently, then bellowed at the blue-robes in a thunderous tone.
"Ignorance of my lord is forgiven. But if you recognize him and still refuse to kneel, you'll pay with death. You dogs."
"...My lord?"
"Gasp! That's... the family head's carriage!"
The blue-robes, finally noticing the carriage, gaped in shock. But the one who'd sneered at Yeon-hoo grinned wider.
"So, is the Jang family head riding in that carriage right now?"
"This is our lord."
Yun Hoe pointed at Yeon-hoo. The blue-robe scowled, scanning him head to toe. With no lord confirmed yet and everyone expecting Jang Cheon, it was understandable. But not to Yeon-hoo.
So it begins.
He'd resolved on the way home. There would surely be opposition; to unite them, only two paths: one was rule by terror. It would leave scars, but in these chaotic times, it was the swiftest way to eliminate foes.
"Cheol-u."
"Yes, my lord."
"Sever that one's head."
"Understood."
"Wh-what?!"
Swish.Thump!
The blue-robe's head fell without a scream. Some raised their swords in horror, others paled and staggered back.
"Commander."
"Yes, my lord."
"Cut down any who move a step from now."
"As you command."
Shing.
Yun Hoe drew his sword, blocking the blue-robes' rear. Cheol-u held position, but all sensed instinctively: no one here could escape him.
Yeon-hoo turned to the youths. Their acupoints sealed but minds clear, they gawked at the scene. He flicked qi to release them and asked flatly,
"Tell me what happened."
"First, may I ask boldly... Are you the second young master of the Iron Blood Family, who left fifteen years ago?"
He knows me at that age?
Yeon-hoo's eyes gleamed. The youths looked barely into their early twenties. Fifteen years ago, when he'd left Northern Murim, they'd have been babes at their mother's breast. Yet they knew his identity precisely.
Then it hit him: the name "Dongbang" embroidered on the youths' sleeves stabbed into his eyes like a dagger.
His lips parted.
"Warriors of the Dongbang Family?"