The Judge's Second Corpse
Jang Cheon took one look at it. No need for a long inspection—it was unmistakably fresh. A corpse one day old looked different from one three days gone, even in color alone. He'd seen enough bodies in his time to know. Yet he also remembered the features of the man he'd spotted yesterday. In the jangho, you learned to recall such details in an instant.
"I'm heading to the Murim Conference myself," the man had said. "More precisely, I'm interested in the Young Phoenix Gathering."
Green martial robes with frayed elbows from long wear. Patched here and there. A disguise to match the outfit? No. The hands were the same. Clothes could fool you, but the marks of training could not. A single blink was all it took.
As he slipped away from the group, Jang Cheon muttered to himself.
"...So this Life-and-Death Judge does wield some bizarre power."
"Then..."
The end of the mountain path came into view, the outskirts of Jangan just ahead. But before spring had even passed this year...
"Yes. The work of an Outer God."
This marked Jang Cheon's second encounter with things from beyond the stars.
Around this time, Jang Cheon often revisited old thoughts from his days dominating the jangho. Faded memories led him to rumors and hearsay.
'Were there really so many strange tales back then?'
Even in those days, bizarre stories abounded. A man walking around with a sword stuck in his head. Reviving the dead by feeding them lye. A dragon ascending from the Yangtze. But truth was rare. Once he'd reached the Transformation Realm and gained standing, he'd learned otherwise. Keen eyes and deep understanding of qi easily unraveled such "sorceries." At least, there'd been no whispers of Outer Gods. A talking sword like Heuk-yo was a first, too.
Yet in the jangho three hundred years later, such things happened openly. An undeniable change. Something had transpired, no doubt.
"...Whose doing was it?"
"What?"
"Don't worry about it. That's not for you to ponder."
It was still too vague. Major affairs in the jangho were like that. The worry lingered in Jang Cheon without his even realizing it... until Cheon Sohyang spotted something.
"...!"
Walking side by side, she suddenly dashed forward. Her lightness skill and footwork blended seamlessly, swift as the wind. Proof that the Cheon Family's Flying Cloud Step had reached a profound level.
Jang Cheon soon saw it too. As they left the mountain path, a foul stench of blood assaulted them. A tall pole stood brazenly, like a message for all to see. And dangling from it, a man.
"Stay back! It's too late to save him."
"I know."
Jang Cheon tried to hold Cheon Sohyang back, fearing his kind-hearted disciple might rush in blindly. But she held steady. The girl first extended her senses cautiously. Then, murmuring an apology, she closed her eyes and plunged her hand into the man's chest.
Sure enough, a cleverly assembled mechanism sprang out.
"I've heard they sometimes hide things like this in corpses."
"Yes. Gruesome, but it happens often enough."
Jang Cheon knew better than anyone. It was one of his own favored tricks. Warriors of great families were often kin. Namgung, Somen, Cheon—family ties ran deep. So they'd approach bodies to recover them...
"Let me check it. Step back."
Gathering his wandering thoughts, Jang Cheon used void grasp to retrieve the device. He had no intention of letting her touch something so dangerous—especially with an Outer God involved.
"Not a hidden weapon."
A small wooden contraption of tough, flexible silken thread. Inside lay a grotesque token. Unlike before, this one was carved from animal bone. A skull-shaped fragment.
"To Namgung: Are you a house of heroes?"
Simple enough. But the recipients clearly weren't them.
Jang Cheon checked the corpse again—specifically, the scabbard. Namgung warriors embossed their blades with the Azure Sky emblem: blue heavens and lightning. Family traditions ran deep. They rarely changed, especially superficial flourishes.
"Indeed. This man's a Namgung warrior."
"Green robes with the azure cloud pattern... probably the Lightning Squad."
"Lightning Squad? Is there such a unit?"
"The most famous one. They made their name slaying the Great Demon King of Infinite Might ten years ago."
"First I've heard of it, but sounds like peak experts. In my day, Namgung's finest was the Azure Sky Squad. Where'd they go?"
"Never heard of them..."
Jang Cheon cleared his throat awkwardly, resolving to buy a jangho directory soon. Not important now.
"Anyway, this Life-and-Death Judge must harbor a blood feud with the Namgung Family. Best not get tangled up—could get messy."
"Ajusshi..."
Cheon Sohyang trailed off, then waved it away. "Never mind."
Jang Cheon eyed her steadily, then nodded. He had no desire to dwell on it either. Once, he'd been the sort to nurse deep grudges against Namgung himself.
"What reason is there to defile even a corpse! A duel to the death should suffice—dishonoring the body shames any clan, any house!"
Namgung Dan, Sword Dragon. Heir apparent to the Namgung Family. Without him, the man would've surely become patriarch. A once-in-a-generation prodigy fit to inherit the Sword King's throne. He'd shaken the world by reaching the Transformation Realm before thirty.
But it all ended because of one man. Because he'd dipped his feet into the Cheon Family massacre.
Passing the second corpse, Jang Cheon and Cheon Sohyang entered Chang'an outpost. From here, it was unmistakably part of Jangan.
"In the jangho, avoid entanglements if you can. Best policy."
Settling into a decent inn, Jang Cheon offered the lesson. Teach when the moment arises—that was his way.
"You can't grasp a man's story from one side alone. One person ties into dozens: parents, children, kin, friends, sworn brothers. No need for you to suffer if it's not your bond."
"But ajusshi, that's not what you used to say."
Cheon Sohyang pouted a bit. Her puffed cheeks suggested it had little to do with the teaching. They were in Jangan together, streets bustling with cheer. Hardly the mood for lectures.
Still, a disciple couldn't ignore her master.
"Hmm... When I was little, you said helping people was a clan's foundation."
"And that heart is right."
Jang Cheon missed the undercurrent. Instead, he gazed at his disciple looking up, just like old times—back when he'd hung in that cave.
He smiled faintly.
"You've a good nature. Saving and aiding others deserves praise; it's a clan's essence. Clans exist so people help each other live. But I... well."
He paused, then continued.
"I don't want you suffering. You're still young, might face more than you can handle. I dread that. If your kind heart leads to ill ends, how could I, as your master, not ache?"
"Hmm..."
Not the answer to soothe her. She puffed her cheeks more, mumbling through them.
"But I'm all grown up now."
"Mind your tongue with your master. When did you grow up?"
"I shot up while you weren't looking! I'm twenty now! Yesterday you said I need a match, but today I'm a kid again?"
"Wh-when did I...?"
Jang Cheon faltered. To him, Cheon Sohyang had never been an adult. He'd watched her since teaching her lightness skill—a child through and through. Or perhaps the issue ran deeper.
Those tangled thoughts shattered with a hearty shout.
Cheon Sohyang called the server the moment they sat.
"Server! Two bottles of rice wine here!"
"Coming right up."
"Thanks, but I wasn't planning to drink two."
"I'll drink 'em!"
Jang Cheon startled.
"What?"
She hadn't been like this at the riverside. He'd forgotten the chaos left no room for wine then. In his era, Cheon Sohyang ordering liquor was unimaginable.
Frozen in shock at this unprecedented turn, he couldn't stop her next words.
"Your unworthy disciple seeks her master's guidance."
"...On what?"
Her mood seemed to lift a little. To shake off the unease from last night's fire, Cheon Sohyang amped up the drama, bolder than usual.
"This disciple still doesn't know the proper way to drink. Please teach this clumsy pupil the Wine Dao!"
She had no intention of admitting it was her first time ever touching the stuff.