Heavenly Dragon Merchant Guild
Life in the imperial palace was monotonous. On the surface, it seemed more glamorous than anywhere else, but beneath that veneer of monotony lay a fiercely competitive existence. Ju Geum-ye had lived that life for over twenty years. It would have been stranger if she hadn't felt stifled by it.
How could anyone not feel suffocated by palace life, bound by countless rituals and rules? That was why she'd become so deeply immersed in Wudang Sword Hero, wasn't it? Ju Geum-ye often evaluated herself that way.
"Father Emperor, really..."
Recalling her recent conversation with Emperor Myeongjeong, Ju Geum-ye couldn't help but let a smirk tug at her lips.
If asked whether she loved Baek Su-gyeong, she could answer with a firm no. At least for now. The feelings she harbored for him were closer to admiration than love. Of course, that didn't mean she had any intention of giving him up.
"Before anything else, he's the first person to ever refuse me."
The imperial princess of the Zhou dynasty. Her status alone could bring countless people to their knees. Even the most powerful ministers, who strutted about in this era of great peace forged by Emperor Myeongjeong, were like candles in the wind before him. And Ju Geum-ye's authority, as his one and only daughter, was no less formidable. It wasn't empty words to say she could make those ministers tremble with a mere gesture.
She was the sole imperial princess in the current Zhou imperial family. Moreover, she was the only imperial clan member enfeoffed as a gunju, which practically marked her as the next emperor in waiting.
"He seemed afraid, but not truly afraid."
Propping her chin on her hand, Ju Geum-ye tapped the table rhythmically with her index finger. Baek Su-gyeong was a man of conviction. Even knowing she could have his head struck off at any moment right there.
"Is he really just an ordinary scholar?"
It was natural to harbor such doubts. How many martial arts did he know? Just the ones unveiled in Wudang Sword Hero numbered over dozens. Some were even demonic arts that would have been horrifying if they'd actually existed in the murim world. Had he experienced them himself, or were they pure invention? The questions lingered stubbornly.
"If he's a grandmaster who knows all the martial arts under heaven, he's someone I can't let slip away..."
In the old murim, there had undoubtedly existed a hero worthy of the term "英勇"—one who had synthesized the martial knowledge of righteous, evil, demonic, and orthodox sects alike. The warriors of that era, now called the old murim, had clashed with the court-affiliated experts of the Yuan dynasty before the Zhou imperial house rose, dyeing the jianghu in blood as they fell. It was thanks to their sacrifices and aid that the Zhou imperial family stood today.
A breeze gently rustled Ju Geum-ye's hair as she sank into deep thought.
"Maybe a hermit from the old murim."
From the remnants of the old Ilwolgyo, who had collaborated with the Yuan to turn the jianghu into a sea of blood and now formed their own group called the Blood Cult after splitting from Ilwolgyo, to all manner of others. Perhaps Baek Su-gyeong had mingled freely across righteous, evil, demonic, and orthodox factions. How else could he be so profoundly versed in martial arts?
"That would explain why he wrote Wudang Sword Hero. It all fits."
The current murim was called the new murim. It hadn't been long since it rose from the ashes, severing ties with the past. At most, two hundred years had passed. People often spoke of murim history as a thousand years, calling it the Murim Thousand Years, so two centuries wasn't exactly ancient. Not too long, not too short—a span of roughly 250 years since the new murim's birth.
"If that's the case, then he's an immense master himself."
A twinge of embarrassment hit her. She'd flaunted her martial arts before such a man like it was a show. As if trying to forget that embarrassment, Ju Geum-ye fanned her slightly flushed face with her hand.
"What on earth is Father Emperor thinking...?"
A short sigh escaped her lips, but her mood wasn't bad. Emperor Myeongjeong had promised to respect her wishes. Even without her, there were plenty of talented collateral imperial clansmen. Adopting one as heir would secure the imperial line without much issue. Of course, the ministers would object fiercely...
"Countless rivers gather to form the jianghu, and countless people cultivate and clash to form the murim..."
Recalling Baek Su-gyeong's words, Ju Geum-ye gazed out the window. Snowflakes, not yet fully melted—like the eternal snows on Tianshan—glistened like mirrors reflecting the sunlight.
"...Nothing's going right."
Gal Ye-ryeong pressed a hand to her forehead and let out a deep sigh. Approaching Baek Su-gyeong by pretending to be the daughter of the Myeongwang Association leader had been a good excuse, but her pretext felt insufficient. She'd planned to have him stay at the villa she'd prepared if he went down to Wuan. But his decision to spend the winter in Luoyang had thrown everything off.
And then there was the incompetence of the Luoyang branch.
"Ah, my head."
At least she was getting continuous reports from the spies she'd secretly attached to Baek Su-gyeong about So Ssaang-a and Namgung So-min's movements, but it still didn't put her mind at ease.
"I need to get back to Teacher Baek soon."
Leaving those two vixens alone while she dealt with the idiots at the Luoyang branch made her uneasy. She was gathering information on Baek Su-gyeong from all directions using Haomen's intelligence network, but it still felt lacking. It was as if he'd dropped from the sky. This was derailing her plan to bring Baek Su-gyeong fully under Haomen's grasp.
"And now the Beggar Union's wench is stirring too."
When it came to information in the world, two sects were unmatched: the righteous Beggar Union and the evil Haomen. For Gal Ye-ryeong, who oversaw intelligence among Haomen's three leaders, the Beggar Union's Sangju of the Hound Party—a perennial drunk—was an irritating presence. And rumors swirled that Princess Nakhong had personally visited Luoyang recently.
"Ilwolgyo’s leader has gone mad with some crazy scheme, the palace sends a princess all the way to Luoyang... What the hell is going on in the jianghu?"
Ever since learning about Baek Su-gyeong, the jianghu felt off-kilter. The influence of Wudang Sword Hero was stronger than she'd imagined. People on Luoyang streets openly discussed volume 7's content and debated volume 8, leaving her dizzy. It was as if this vast Central Plains revolved around Baek Su-gyeong.
Gal Ye-ryeong rubbed her shadowed forehead.
"I'm getting wrinkles..."
Murim affairs were headache enough, and now the palace was involved. Princess Nakhong was Emperor Myeongjeong's only daughter, the frontrunner to become the next empress. Neither too young nor lacking legitimacy. With dozens of generations since the Yuan's fall, and female emperors not unprecedented, there was no pretext to oppose her ascension.
"Even the palace is watching him. Yongmun Escort Bureau to the palace... How much more chaos is he going to stir up?"
A flicker of resentment toward Baek Su-gyeong rose, but this might be the pain Haomen needed to step into the light.
"I have to hurry back."
Gal Ye-ryeong rose from her seat. She'd left Baek Su-gyeong's side alone for too long.
"I can't let those vixens steal Teacher Baek."
Moonlight shone brightly overhead as she quietly slipped out of the Luoyang branch.
"My ears are itching..."
"Shall I clean them for you, Pavilion Master?"
"No need. It's rude enough to bother Branch Leader So while she's working."
So Ssaang-a giggled at Baek Su-gyeong's words.
"You haven't been taking Pingwei Powder much lately."
"I took some recently. My stomach's been acting up again."
Only a handful knew Princess Nakhong had visited Yongmun Escort Bureau. Likely just information-hungry groups like Haomen or the Beggar Union, and others would pretend ignorance even if they knew. Plenty of murim folk avoided antagonizing the palace.
That was why Baek Su-gyeong had kept it secret from So Ssaang-a, Namgung So-min, and Gal Ye-ryeong.
"Oh no."
So Ssaang-a looked worried.
"You'd been doing better lately, but now..."
"I just want to live ordinarily—what's so wrong with that? At this point, I'm starting to think even the Heavenly Emperor is messing with me."
Baek Su-gyeong shook his head.
Was wanting a quiet, ordinary life so much to ask? A modest wish, yet nothing had gone right since Wudang Sword Hero. Maybe writing was the mistake.
"Instead of running a bookstore in exile, I should've just farmed."
"Then I wouldn't have met you, Pavilion Master."
Baek Su-gyeong gave a wry smile. A sigh-like mutter slipped out unbidden.
"Still, that'd be better than army dumplings and golden canned goods."
"Do you like grilled jiaozi?"
"No... It's nothing. Forget I said that."
A question mark seemed to float above So Ssaang-a's head before vanishing. Baek Su-gyeong's gaze turned to the window.
"They'll be here soon."
It was about time for the person from the Heavenly Dragon Merchant Guild to arrive.