Chapter 13
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: A Pawn and a Favorable Wind
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Namgung Yuya shot up from his seat and dashed forward for real this time.
The two disciples from the Taechong Hall beside him did the same.
*Sshk.*
Ha Yuseong executed a footwork technique.
His movements were neither fast nor slow.
The tip of the sword. It had stopped, leaving a gap no wider than a single strand of hair.
The scene was so natural it was as if the two had choreographed it.
Namgung Yuya stopped mid-run, staring blankly at the spectacle.
It was just one step.
If he took that one step, he could have joined the fight.
But he couldn't take that final step.
A distance of less than a foot.
It felt impossibly far.
Namgung Yuya knew this feeling all too well.
When he joined the Murim Alliance, he had been praised by his father for the first time.
He had resolved to change from that moment on.
He had decided not to live like this anymore.
It was nothing but a delusion.
Once again, he was standing still, helplessly rooted to the spot.
And his brother, just one step ahead, felt so distant.
It wasn't just about his martial arts being superior.
His brother was smiling at the approaching sword.
The opponent's killing intent was real. He himself was barely holding back the urge to wet his pants.
So why could his brother smile?
How could he be so composed?
"Hah!"
With a crisp kiai, he leaped up and landed gently on the opponent's sword.
The opponent's eyes widened in shock.
He pressed down on the sword, leaped up again, and spun his body.
Then he kicked up toward the man's chin.
"Don't underestimate me!"
The opponent swung his sword at the incoming foot.
Just before the sword and foot made contact, the foot grazed past the blade. Perfect control of his leg in mid-air.
The moment his foot touched the ground, it became a new pivot for his body, adding to the rotation. A follow-up spinning kick. It landed perfectly, squarely on the opponent's chin.
*Crack!*
The sound of bone breaking signaled the end of the fight.
His brother raised both arms and roared.
"Woooooah!"
The people around joined his brother, shouting in unison. The two disciples from Taechong Hall were no exception.
"Woooooah!"
His brother yelled even louder.
"Wooooooooooooah!!!!!!"
The onlookers who had been nervously watching the fight from their hiding places emerged and shouted.
"Wooooooooooooooooooah!!!!!!"
His brother shouted even louder than before.
"Wooooooooooooah!!!!"
The surroundings stirred with them, and the air grew hotter.
Only Namgung Yuya stood apart, silent.
It was a scene like barbarians competing to see who could shout the loudest.
It looked pathetic.
And yet.
"Why does it look so cool?"
Before, Namgung Yuya would never have envied such boorish behavior.
"Woooooah!"
Namgung Yuya roared loudly, but no one followed his lead.
*'Dammit!'*
*This is exactly why I didn't do it!*
***
Jegal Noein was reviewing documents as usual. A subordinate came to report.
"The Three Hounds of Henan have caused trouble again."
Three deep lines creased Jegal Noein's brow as he read the document.
They were the ones Jegal Noein had been waiting to deal with for a long time.
A considerable number of figures within the Murim Alliance were connected to them.
That was why he couldn't act rashly and had been waiting for an opportunity to catch them all at once.
Pests eating away at the Murim Alliance.
"Hah. Again."
It wasn't the right time to deal with them yet.
"As before, do your best to compensate the victims and resolve the situation."
"W-well, about that, sir."
At his subordinate's stammering response, Jegal Noein looked up from his documents.
"Is there something you haven't told me?"
"The place where the Three Hounds caused trouble this time... was the Mangeum Inn."
"What?"
In that instant, Jegal Noein practically threw down the document he was holding and shot up from his seat.
The surrounding subordinates tensed up, shrinking their necks as they watched Jegal Noein's reaction. It was an empirical defensive posture, anticipating stray sparks of his anger.
The Mangeum Inn was one of the Murim Alliance's main sources of income.
Messing with that place was something that couldn't be overlooked, not even for the Three Hounds of Henan with their connections to the Huashan Sect.
*'This time, he might not let it slide.'*
But Jegal Noein's fiery anger was for another reason.
Of all places, the Mangeum Inn was where he had sent the two new recruits, Ha Yuseong and Namgung Yuya, today.
Behind those two were the Ronin King and the Sword King.
Considering his relationship with the Murim Alliance, the Sword King's involvement could somehow be resolved politically, but the Ronin King was another matter entirely.
He was a figure who stood between the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions, a man who had risen to his position through countless bloody battles.
His cruelty was staggering.
If his wrath were to fall upon the Murim Alliance, the damage would be on a completely different level than what the Three Hounds of Henan had caused at the Mangeum Inn.
"No, why today of all days...!"
Jegal Noein quickly gave an order.
"Send the nearest squad to the Mangeum Inn immediately! No! I'll go myself!"
Just then.
Another subordinate ran in with a new report.
"The two members of the Crouching Dragon Unit who went on a mission to the Mangeum Inn have just returned safely."
"What? They returned safely?"
"Yes. They are on their way here now."
Jegal Noein pushed past his subordinate and rushed out to see for himself.
Outside stood two young men, perfectly fine.
His first thought was, *why are they unscathed?*
The reason the Three Hounds of Henan had survived despite all their evil deeds was not just their accumulated wealth and power, but also the fact that their martial skills were by no means weak.
"Ha Yuseong and one other have completed the mission and returned!"
"Y-yes. I heard there was an incident. Are you injured?"
"Fortunately, no! Oh! And the three who caused a disturbance at the inn have been taken to the prison!"
"G-good work. Um, I will grant you two a reward."
"Thank you!"
"Right. It's your first day, so go back and rest."
"Yes, sir!"
He didn't know exactly what had happened, but this was an unexpected opportunity.
If he used this chance well, it seemed he could finally eliminate the pests that had been plaguing the Murim Alliance.
Jegal Noein had a tendency to compare the personnel of the Murim Alliance to chess pieces.
In the Murim Alliance, Ha Yuseong and Namgung Yuya's value was that of a pawn.
"Perhaps I've misjudged them."
Jegal Noein watched the two departing figures, his gaze fixed on Ha Yuseong.
"I cannot let this opportunity pass."
***
A few days later, a great storm swept through the Murim Alliance.
High-ranking officials of the Alliance were successively stripped of their positions. Not only that, but their associates were also dismissed one after another.
"Did you hear? Three high-ranking executives of the Alliance lost their heads!"
"One of them was from the Huashan Sect, right?"
"I hear the Huashan Sect Leader's face is a sight to behold right now!"
"From what I've heard, the Alliance's inspection team is turning everything upside down."
"If the inspection team is on the move, this must be a really big deal!"
"Exactly! At least several dozen heads will roll for sure!"
"We need to lie low at times like this. Everyone, be careful."
"Of course."
***
Murim Alliance First Prison.
This place, usually empty and reserved for the Alliance's most serious criminals, was now crowded with people. Most of them were quiet, having given up hope, but three were different.
"You bastards! Do you know who I am? I'm, uh! A direct descendant of the Jin Family Merchants!"
"Is there anyone here who hasn't taken my money? Let's see them step forward!"
"You think you'll get away with this? Huh?!"
The guards, completely unaware of the current situation, scowled at the still-arrogant Three Hounds of Henan.
Just then, the guards all bowed their heads in one direction.
The Three Hounds inside the cell saw the newcomer and pressed against the bars, grinning slyly.
"Hehe. Looks like he's here to let us out!"
"These guys will bow their heads for anything if there's money involved, pride be damned!"
"The moment we get out, we'll kill that guy first!"
But the newcomer said nothing.
The Three Hounds studied the visitor for a moment. After recognizing his face, they smiled again.
"Elder!"
Elder Inhyeonjin of the Huashan Sect dismissed all the prison officials and unlocked the cell of the Three Hounds of Henan.
"I knew you would come."
"Once we're out, we'll reward you even more handsomely than before."
"I will speak well of today's events to my father."
Inhyeonjin sighed, looking at the three who still hadn't grasped the situation. He felt a pang of regret for ever having plotted a future with such fools.
"You touched something you should never have touched."
"What?"
"What are you talking about?"
Inhyeonjin continued.
"In this world, some things are medicine if you don't know them, and poison if you do. So don't feel wronged. I, too, have had to give up much because of you."
Inhyeonjin took care of the Three Hounds of Henan with his own hands. Behind him, three heads rolled across the floor.
Immediately after, as he stepped outside, someone was waiting for him with a bright smile.
"Did you take care of it?"
"Yes. Thanks to you, I was able to dispose of the pests that had crawled into Huashan."
Jegal Noein sneered inwardly at the amiable-looking Inhyeonjin.
*'Hmph! To think he'd shamelessly cut his ties after taking so much from them!'*
But Jegal Noein had no intention of stopping here. He still had more to get from Huashan.
Just then, Inhyeonjin preemptively took a wooden box from his robes and handed it to Jegal Noein.
"I will ensure this matter is concluded smoothly on my end, with no further complications."
Jegal Noein checked the contents of the wooden box and nodded.
"Very well. You must handle it cleanly. Only then will I refrain from further involvement."
"You need not worry."
"Good. Oh, and one more thing."
Jegal Noein, about to leave, added a final word.
"There won't be a second time."
Inhyeonjin gave a slight bow and departed. The moment he turned, his amiable expression vanished. He clenched his teeth, cursing inwardly.
*'Those idiotic bastards!'*
It was so close. Huashan could have soared as it did in the old days, but those three fools had ruined everything just before the finish line.
To think they provoked 'him' of all people.
"-Old man. I don't care if you take bribes or scam clueless kids. But if you mess with my kids, I won't stand by."
Inhyeonjin spoke softly.
"It is not yet time to make an enemy of the Mangeum Bank."
Although he had lost one thing, he still had something left.
"If the Huashan Sect can rise again, I will make a deal with the devil himself."
***
Back in his room, Jegal Noein took out the wooden box he had received from Inhyeonjin.
When he opened the box, a fragrant aroma filled the room.
"Hoho. To think he would give this up."
Jaso Pill.
One of the Three Great Elixirs of the Martial World, alongside Shaolin's Great Rejuvenation Pill and Wudang's Great Clarity Pill.
Jegal Noein knew that the reason Inhyeonjin had taken money while covering for those scoundrels was to create this very pill.
It was something impossible with Huashan's current financial resources.
He selected an appropriate punishment for Huashan from the available options and wrote up an order.
The next day, several rumors spread throughout Henan.
The Jin Family Merchants, who had held considerable power in Henan for a long time, had collapsed overnight.
The Murim Alliance was said to be behind it.
And the Three Hounds of Henan, who had committed all sorts of evil deeds for the Jin Family Merchants, were found as cold corpses that night.
And so on.
It was an open secret that this incident caused all the factions trying to curry favor with the Murim Alliance through backdoor dealings to retreat en masse.
Jegal Noein beamed as he looked at the Murim Alliance, which had become much cleaner because of this incident.
He had killed two birds with one stone.
***
Ever since the incident at the inn, Ha Yuseong had been pondering a single problem.
*'I have no offensive techniques.'*
What good was learning new footwork if he didn't know how to attack his opponent?
Ha Yuseong made a suggestion to Namgung Yuya beside him.
"I'm heading to the Alliance's library to look at some martial arts manuals. Would you like to come along, Brother Namgung?"
"No, thank you. I think I'll turn in early."
Since the inn incident, Brother Namgung had seemed listless. Ha Yuseong didn't press him for a reason.
*'At his age, it's natural to have dozens of worries a day.'*
He himself had gone through a similar period of wandering.
Looking back, those were the best of times.
"Alright. You worked hard today, too."
After parting ways with Namgung Yuya, Ha Yuseong headed for the library.
"This is the Murim Alliance, after all."
Back when he was a third-rate ronin, how much effort had it taken just to get his hands on a single martial arts manual?
But here in the Murim Alliance, he could just read one whenever he wanted.
However, Ha Yuseong was only permitted access to the Fourth-Class Archive, which housed miscellaneous books.
"I want to become a 3rd-class martial artist quickly so I can see the manuals in the Third-Class Archive."
Just how incredible would the martial arts used by the masters he'd only heard about be?
Imagining himself performing them, a goofy grin spread across his face.
"Hehe."
As he entered the Fourth-Class Archive, the scent of old paper wafted out from within.
"Ahh! This smell is amazing!"
Ha Yuseong made his way to the section where the martial arts manuals were collected.
As expected of the Murim Alliance's library, a wide variety of martial arts manuals lined the shelves.
Ha Yuseong went to a bookshelf and pulled out a book.
The book had no title, but it did have an author.
[Fake Plum Blossom Emperor]
"Since this is the Murim Alliance library, even the names are grand. Plum Blossom and Emperor."
Ha Yuseong opened the book.
[I was frail since I was young. I strove my whole life but could never become one of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen. But I could not give up on martial arts. It was my lifelong dream.]
Ha Yuseong nodded.
Because every man holds at least one thing in his heart that he can never give up on.
[Only in my later years was I finally able to make a flower bloom from my sword. But I couldn't tell if it was a plum blossom. Because I had grown so old that I'd lost my sense of smell, and cataracts had blurred my vision.]
"Who cares if it's not a plum blossom? The important thing is that you finally achieved it!"
Ha Yuseong began to read the martial arts incantations written on the following pages.
At that moment, Ha Yuseong was unaware that he was the cause of a new wind blowing through the Murim Alliance.