A Place Among Family
The harbor in the pale hours of early dawn, just as the sun began to rise.
“Huuup.”
This was Han Pilseng’s favorite time of day.
At first he had liked it simply because so few people were about; now he had come to savor the cold morning air and the sea still veiled in half-light.
“Mother. Just a moment.”
The wheelchair stopped.
“Hooo.”
Han Pilseng let out a long breath, gripped the armrests hard, and pushed.
Song Jain held her breath as she watched her son’s body tremble. She wanted to help, but this was not the moment. Tense and ready to catch him if he fell, she suddenly gasped in wonder.
“Ah…”
For one precarious instant, Han Pilseng stood on his own two feet.
It lasted only a heartbeat.
“Huh?”
Song Jain caught her collapsing son.
“Having a mother who’s a murim master is pretty convenient.”
“So you’re joking now.”
“Does it sound bad?”
“No. That was the most moving joke of my entire life.”
“I was trying to be funny. Gangcheon taught me.”
“It was funny. Look—I’m smiling, aren’t I?”
“You’re crying, Mother.”
Song Jain wiped her tears and settled her son back into the wheelchair.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. We have plenty of time now.”
“If I’m going to repay the kindness we’ve received, I have to keep moving.”
“Your mother can help share that burden.”
“Wouldn’t becoming part of the manor family come first? What do you think, Mother?”
Ja Gangcheon already treated them as family. Still, their place remained vaguely defined.
“Strictly speaking, we’re long-term guests.”
“I’ll go anywhere you go, Mother. But I don’t think there’s a better place than Deungmyeong Manor.”
“Why do you say that?”
“In all my memories, Deungmyeong Manor is the only place I’ve ever seen you happy without looking worn down.”
“That’s only because you got healthier and I finally had room to breathe.”
“It was also the first time you really mixed with other people. You even played with little So Cheon, not just Gangcheon and Cheongu.”
Song Jain nodded in quiet admission, then asked her son,
“And you?”
“I wish Deungmyeong Manor could be our home.”
His honest wish drew a gentle, maternal smile from Song Jain.
“I’ll ask.”
“Gangcheon will definitely say yes.”
Song Jain began pushing the wheelchair again.
“We’ll be late for morning exercises. Let’s hurry.”
“Yes. If we’re family, we all have to show up.”
They turned back toward Deungmyeong Manor.
After morning exercises finished, Ja Gangcheon had gone to the black market.
Yeonhui had been generous with information, clearly hoping for firm confirmation of her payment.
“There are currently five representatives negotiating the reconstruction of the Chosuhoe. Only if they reach agreement can the Chosuhoe be reborn. Right now the struggle over interests is fierce, so the outlook isn’t bright.”
She pressed further.
“I’ve already found a spot for the teahouse we’re opening at the harbor. May I proceed?”
Ja Gangcheon gave his permission. Their transaction ended there.
“Even while I’m gone, no skipping morning exercises! Big brother Panseok! You’re in charge!”
“Yes, hyungnim!”
The moment exercises ended, Ja Gangcheon packed his things. Beside him, Cheongu wore a worried look.
“Think it over again. Going alone is dangerous.”
Ja Gangcheon had declared he would leave by himself. Cheongu could not hide his unease.
“I’ve learned a lot from you. And this time I need to move fast.”
The reason Ja Gangcheon insisted on traveling alone was simple: speed. Cheongu’s martial arts were advancing quickly, but they still could not match Ja Gangcheon’s lightness skill.
There might be fighting.
Yeonhui of Haomun had given him one clear warning.
“Several organizations have their eyes on the Chosuhoe. They don’t want it rebuilt—they want to carve it up and take the pieces. Good medicinal herbs, hides, and quality timber aren’t only coveted by merchant guilds.”
When a honey pot appears, greedy bears are bound to fight over it.
“From the hunters’, woodcutters’, and herb gatherers’ point of view, as long as the terms are good it doesn’t have to be the Chosuhoe. The whole reason they dream of rebuilding it is simply to escape being exploited.”
Ja Gangcheon’s position was the same.
Even if it wasn’t the Chosuhoe, securing a mid-sized group that could reliably supply medicinal herbs would be enough.
I don’t know what will happen, so I have to move alone.
The thought had barely formed when—
“You don’t know what will happen, so it’s better if we go together.”
Cheongu’s words, as if he had read Ja Gangcheon’s mind, made him flinch.
“Did you learn mind-reading behind my back?”
“I can tell what you’re thinking just by looking at your face.”
“R-really?”
“If you know that, stop arguing and let’s go together.”
“But the fact remains that I have to hurry. They’re all gathered in one place right now—I can’t miss this chance. Unfortunately, your lightness skill won’t let you keep up.”
At that, even Cheongu had no reply.
“How much stronger do I have to get before I can fight beside you?”
“Not yet, it seems.”
“Tch.”
As Cheongu stepped back, Song Jain approached as though she had been waiting.
“Lord. Please take this.”
She held out a small wooden case.
“What is it?”
When he opened it, a rich medicinal fragrance rose. Inside lay three neatly arranged pills that glowed with an unusual red light.
“All-Poison Antidote Pills. Also known as the Poison Valley Sacred Pills.”
At those words not only Ja Gangcheon but Cheongu as well stared with open mouths.
“Whoa! These are All-Poison Antidote Pills? Wait—so Auntie really is from Poison Valley?”
“Yes. I was the final Valley Master who disbanded Poison Valley.”
“What? Poison Valley was disbanded? Word was you were the vice master, but you were the master?”
“When you return from this journey I will tell you everything. The people of the Chosuhoe are skilled at compounding medicines; if anything seems suspicious, use these for protection.”
“Thank you so much, Auntie.”
“And when you return, I have one request.”
“You can tell me now.”
Song Jain did not stall.
“Is there a place in this manor for my son and me to stay?”
“I’ve already given you rooms…”
Ja Gangcheon tilted his head; Cheongu explained from the side.
“She’s asking to make our manor their home.”
“Ah! You’re more than welcome! Great decision!”
He had asked them to take time and think it over carefully, yet Ja Gangcheon accepted without the slightest hesitation.
Everyone who heard the rumors about me only ever ran away.
He had half expected refusal; that fear proved groundless.
“Thank you, Lord. We look forward to serving under you.”
“I’m the one who should say that. While I’m gone, please look after the family as well.”
“I will.”
Song Jain’s presence was an immense source of strength to Ja Gangcheon.
“Ah, that feels good! My heart’s so much lighter!”
And so Ja Gangcheon set out alone into the murim.
His heart felt empty.
Damn. Should I have just carried him on my back and brought him along?
Thoughts of Cheongu rose dozens of times a day, yet each time he pictured the destination and pushed his speed higher.
I’m almost there anyway.
Ja Gangcheon once more reviewed the information he had received from Haomun.
Because the Chosuhoe had been spread across the entire country, its people could only gather by region. With Hubei at the center, they had split into east, west, south, and north.
The one who had proposed reconstruction was a man from Hubei, but the greatest influence lay with the northern faction.
That was why the meeting was being held in Henan to the north. True to their roots as former Chosuhoe members, they had chosen a quiet village near the Dabie Mountains as the meeting place.
This was already their fifth gathering, three years after the first; everyone had come believing it would be the last.
There it is.
Fortunately it did not stray far from the official road, and a side path made it easy to find.
From a high hill, Jaehyangchon looked like a small village of about fifty households living inside a wooden fence.
Yet the moment he tried to approach, countless gazes locked onto him.
What?
Jaehyangchon had been built near a valley that wound down between peaks.
Outside the village fence, in the surrounding forest, numerous groups had already staked out positions.
Way too many people.
Worse, their qi was sharp and vigilant. They were wary of any newcomer.
At seventeen, Ja Gangcheon now looked every bit a young man; no one dismissed him as a child anymore.
He deliberately slipped into the forest, erased his presence, and circled the village.
Something’s off.
What had begun as a simple look-around turned into a long, careful search of a wide area.
At least five murim organizations, minimum.
He now understood why three years of talks had produced no agreement.
No negotiation ever satisfies everyone.
Entangled interests had made consensus nearly impossible. The problem was that the groups he could see were not the whole story.
Merchant guilds are here too.
Their numbers were large and the clothes of those waiting were lavish. These were no small trading houses.
Seeing them, Ja Gangcheon realized one thing.
This board is far bigger than I thought.
In hindsight it was obvious.
A single organization could control two-tenths of all the medicinal herbs, wild hides, meat, and timber produced across the country.
When most mountain folk had been members, the figure had exceeded half.
On a national scale, that two-tenths carried enormous weight.
Having surveyed the outside situation, Ja Gangcheon knew exactly what he had to do.
Yeonhui had told him:
“There’s one person who doesn’t speak for any outside group. He’s the central region’s leader—the one who started all this. He refuses to cooperate with other organizations, saying it would corrupt the pure original intent.”
His intentions were pure, yet his faction was the weakest. Regardless, Ja Gangcheon decided to meet him first.
“He won’t want to see outsiders.”
Even with that warning, Ja Gangcheon’s decision did not change.
Night fell after the sunset.
Torches blazed around the central hall of Jaehyangchon.
They were bright enough to push back the dark, yet they could not lift the shadowed expressions of the people leaving the hall.
Brows deeply furrowed, they sighed wearily and returned to their lodgings.
They might have exchanged greetings, yet no one looked anyone else in the face. That alone told the result of today’s meeting.
It’s truly over now.
Everyone thought the same. The pattern had already repeated for ten full days.
Among them, the man who had led the effort let out the deepest sigh of all.
“Hooo. Was it truly impossible after all?”
His lodging was a tiny log cabin consisting of a single room.
While the others had brought many companions, he had come with only one man.
“My lord. It seems we should give up at this point.”
That single retainer suggested withdrawal.
“So in the end it was only my stubbornness?”
“Even if we manage to gather again, it will no longer be the Chosuhoe. The north will belong to the Green Forest, the west to the Black Wind Gang. The south appears to have joined hands with the Golden Dragon Merchant Guild as well. Even if agreement is reached, internal strife will tear it apart.”
That was why the talks kept circling.
Before any real negotiation, they first argued over the rights each side wanted guaranteed.
No real bargaining was possible.
“Would it not be better to ally with the eastern faction, with whom we can at least talk?”
“That would hardly deserve the name Chosanhoe.”
“My lord, do not cling to a name—look to practical benefit.”
“Do you think I am obsessed with a name? I need the power that name still holds. Even if we form a new group under another title, will people recognize it? Will the treatment of us mountain folk actually change?”
The retainer could not answer.
Many groups had banded together before, yet they were still ignored—that was why they had come this far.
“It must be the Chosanhoe. And as many people as possible must gather if we are to wield any real strength.”
“But…”
Fearing only more frustrating words, the retainer fell silent. Heavy quiet stretched until he finally sighed.
“My lord, why did you start this in the first place? Were we not eating well and living well on our own?”
“You were the one who began treating the injured herb gatherers.”
“You were the one who let them stay for free, my lord.”
“I have no regrets. I gave as much as I could.”
“I have none either.”
They soothed their hearts for a moment, yet reality remained unchanged.
Then—
“Hello.”
A bright greeting completely at odds with the mood rang out.
“I’m coming in.”
In the blink of an eye the door opened; a gust of wind seemed to pass, and a young man stood there.
“Hello. My name is Ja Gangcheon.”
“Wh-who are you?”
The old retainer, sensing a master, stepped protectively in front of his lord.
“I apologize for eavesdropping on your conversation. I had to move carefully myself. But I have a solution—would you hear me out?”
“I refuse. By nature I am a stubborn loner who dislikes joining hands with anyone.”
At the lord’s rejection, Ja Gangcheon tilted his head.
“That’s completely different from what I just overheard.”
“That is how I treat uninvited guests like you.”
Even after witnessing the young man’s extraordinary lightness skill, the lord’s refusal did not waver.
“My father once told me: if you feel kinship with a conviction a man would stake his life on, you may trust him.”
“What do you mean…?”
Ja Gangcheon drew something from his robes and held it out.
“It means I believe it’s all right to show this to you, uncle.”
What he offered was a short-handled tool with a palm-sized iron plate fixed to a one-cheok shaft—exactly the hand spade herb gatherers used when digging medicinal roots. Yet the spade Ja Gangcheon presented glowed with a soft reddish hue, and when the lantern light flickered across the metal, carved patterns became visible on its surface.
“Hahk!”
“Uhk!”
The moment they saw it, both men dropped to their knees on the spot.