A Legacy for Vengeance
At the foot of the Jinling mountain range in Wungye County, Shaanxi Province, a full year had passed since the massive massacre that had shaken the region. Yet the Murim Alliance warriors remained encamped there, still searching.
“Did they die this time too?”
“Yes. Half of the warriors below first-rate died inside the valley. The rest collapsed, vomiting blood, the moment they emerged.”
“Again…”
“It seems clear that without thorough preparation, no one can withstand the cold poison of that place.”
The speaker let out a long sigh. “Just what kind of hellish labor is this? We’ve already lost nearly a hundred warriors. How long does the Alliance intend to keep wasting lives like this?”
“We have no choice. Once someone is declared a public enemy of the Murim, we must either recover the body or confirm beyond doubt that they will never appear again.”
“It was madness. That young man, a demonic human? There wasn’t a shred of evidence.”
“He stood out too much. His self-display was excessive.”
“True enough. Not every blade of grass in the thicket grows tall. Very well—draft another report. State clearly that the demonic human Baek Un-hyeon will not reappear. Emphasize that even first-rate warriors who entered the Yeon-yeon Blood Valley could not endure the initial toxic qi and fled back out.”
“I will prepare it at once.”
“Ah, and be certain to bypass the office of Taoist Jin Cheong-myeong. That fellow is suspicious.”
“You mean Jin Cheong-myeong? Understood.”
Bing Ok-yeon returned roughly fifteen days later. The moment the two elders saw her darkened expression, they understood that her search for an exit had not gone well. She believed she was hiding it, but she was not yet accustomed to controlling her features.
Still, the trip had not been entirely fruitless. She had brought back dry rations from outside and crushed them into a thin porridge. Food was scarce within the prison. Although the weakened toxic qi deeper inside allowed some plants to grow, the variety was extremely limited. Even those were tainted by the poison lingering in the soil. In such conditions, the preserved rations carried by the dead felt like a rare delicacy.
“Won’t you eat, child?” Hong Mae asked.
“I already ate. There’s food everywhere once you step outside.”
“You probably survived on raw meat again, like before. But I hear that tastes truly awful. Come, eat with us.”
“I was so hungry that I nibbled on a few pieces while bringing them back.”
“…Is that so.”
The next day after her return, Eun Baek-ho, who had remained bedridden, slowly pushed himself upright. He accepted a spoonful of the porridge Bing Ok-yeon had prepared. His expression melted into pure bliss. Spoonful after careful spoonful, he ate in silence. Then, gradually, that bliss gave way to sorrow.
The tears came swiftly, turning into quiet sobs. Bing Ok-yeon did not know how to comfort him. His weeping did not last long; he simply lacked the strength for it.
“I’m sorry… I failed to live up to my years.”
“It’s all right. I understand.”
“Thank you. Now, wait here a moment.”
He rummaged through an old bundle in the corner of the room and produced a small silver plaque.
“What is this?”
“Proof that one is the true master of the Eunpa Merchant Group.”
“Are you certain you should give something like this to me?”
“There is not much I can offer you. I hope you will at least accept this.”
“I cannot possibly accept something so precious.”
Eun Baek-ho withdrew the plaque and began searching the bundle again. This time he took out clothing—garments far better maintained and more luxurious than what he currently wore. With Bing Ok-yeon’s help, he changed. Somehow his dry, dull skin seemed to regain a faint luster, and his bent back straightened slightly.
“Follow me.”
“Elder, you are unwell…”
“It is fine.”
Eun Baek-ho led her to the small burial mound they had built between the prison and the living quarters—the place where his son and the others who had lived with him for years now rested. Bing Ok-yeon supported him at her side and listened quietly to his stories.
“I told you about my son before. The two buried beside him are the ones I spent the longest time with. The larger grave belongs to the Wandering Swordsman. He was an orthodox warrior who arrived before me and passed last year. At first he despised Hong Mae bitterly. In the end, however, he left with a smile.”
She had never heard of such a warrior despite his recent activity. He must have operated far from the central plains, in obscure corners.
“He must have suffered an unjust fate as well.”
“Hoho, no. That fool was caught fooling with his younger brother’s wife and fled here. He used to carry a sword while pretending to be a scholar. Once his honor was tarnished, he could not bear the shame and ran.”
“…”
“A stupid man acting stupidly and crawling into his own grave. There is no need to pity him.”
“And the grave on the right?”
“That one wasn’t innocent either. He tried to rob my carriage and ended up trapped here by accident. His subordinates were too weak and died at the entrance. However…”
“However?”
“At least while he stayed here, he behaved himself. That was fortunate.”
A faint, tranquil smile lingered on Eun Baek-ho’s lips as he spoke calmly of past connections. “There were many others who lived with us for years, though they are not buried here.”
“Even in a place like this, so many people…”
“Those with nowhere else to go have only places like this. They need somewhere to hide even though they know it invites death.”
Living right beside the Yeon-yeon Blood Valley, she had never imagined so many souls would enter this hellish place. Each must have carried their own desperate circumstances—whether fleeing the world or reaching the final destination after being driven to the edge.
“The ones who stayed here briefly before rushing back outside were often the most pitiful. Like the owner of that golden token you found. He lived here for about ten days, sobbing every single one of them.”
“To have reached this far, his martial arts could not have been weak. He must have been a renowned warrior.”
“Indeed… It was no mere coincidence. I never learned the full story, but he was undoubtedly deceived by someone.”
“So he kicked his way out of here to return, only to fail and meet his death.”
“There was also the physician who was thrown in for injuring the master of the house he served.”
“How did that happen?”
“He said the medicine had been wrong. But the physician insisted the prescription was only a mild tonic using goji berries. At the time, the master’s condition had been clearly improving.”
“Then perhaps a series of coincidences… or someone may have switched the medicine.”
“He must have been terribly wronged. The fact that he reached this place at all was thanks to the medicinal herbs he carried. Once those ran out, he had no choice but to rush outside.”
“I see…”
Eun Baek-ho’s breathing had grown labored. He bent at the waist, then straightened once more and held out the silver plaque to her again.
“Why…”
“Now I must ask you. Why do you refuse it?”
“I… This girl has already received so much from you and the courtesan queen. To accept something so valuable on top of that feels far too heavy a burden…”
“Is revenge not the most important thing to you?”
“Yes. That has not changed.”
“Then use this for your revenge.”
“Pardon…?”
“What do you think all the stories I just told you mean? They are tales of fools who lacked the power to avoid being driven into a place like this. I am the same. So is Hong Mae.”
“But you were the master of the Eunpa Merchant Group. If even you say you lacked power, few in the world could claim to possess it.”
“True. Let me correct myself. I possessed power but failed to use it properly. You, however, will be able to. I cannot. I do not wish to watch from the afterlife as my pathetic younger brother continues to ruin the foundation I built over a lifetime. I beg you. Please set my house in order.”
Bing Ok-yeon remained silent. Hong Mae had once told her that she must be capable of anything. Since she intended to bring down enemies whose very identities she did not know, she needed to gather as many advantages as possible.
“I will accept it with gratitude, Elder.”
“No, it is I who am grateful.”
“Then should I simply take this to the Eunpa Merchant Group?”
“Hoho, I am sorry, but it is not that simple. It will serve as proof that you are my successor. If you can present yourself as such, I believe you will be able to handle the rest on your own.”
“Yes. I will definitely restore the Eunpa Merchant Group to its rightful path.”
“Hahaha! Good! That is an excellent answer!”
That night, Eun Baek-ho closed his eyes with a satisfied expression, leaving behind books containing all his knowledge, trade connections, and secrets.
Another year passed. Even after Eun Baek-ho’s death, Bing Ok-yeon did not neglect her training. She also slipped outside whenever possible to create her own maps of the area.
One day, Hong Mae sat her down and began to speak.
“From everything you have told me, it seems the ones who framed you as a demonic human may have been your own subordinates.”
“What? I was told they all died.”
“They are children of the Nine Great Schools and Five Great Families. If every last one of them had died in an accident, you would have been executed immediately.”
“The situation was dire enough that execution would not have been strange, yet…”
“Yet you were not executed. That is a very big difference. The old men of the righteous sects become fanatical when their own sects are involved. Think carefully. Among those who criticized you, how many openly demanded your death?”
“Almost none… now that you mention it.”
“They must have informed the great sects in advance that their disciples were still alive. The accusation that you were a demonic human had already spread, but if your subordinates were confirmed alive, internal objections would have arisen.”
“A matter of convenience… is that it?”
“Exactly. It is certain that one of your subordinates reported you, and the news spread like wildfire throughout the Murim Alliance. Perhaps that informant deliberately circulated the rumor. Once a stigma is attached, the rest proceeds without resistance.”
“Why go so far…”
“To drive you into a corner without fail. Since they had begun it, they meant to see it through to the end. And… even those who realized the truth likely closed their eyes to it. After all, they were disciples of great sects, while you were merely the eldest son of a powerless family.”
Bing Ok-yeon felt that Hong Mae’s words were correct. The Murim Alliance’s handling of the matter had been excessively hasty. Only a few had strongly insisted on severe punishment; the majority had simply stood by and watched. It was only the lower-ranking members who had treated Un-hyeon like an actual demonic human.
“Now that I think about it… I escaped the Murim Alliance’s prison far too easily. There was no sign of any disturbance within the Alliance.”
“You were in such panic at the time that you were deceived. Yes, the Murim Alliance’s security is not so lax. Those who helped you escape must have been the traitors.”
Bing Ok-yeon ground her teeth. Until Hong Mae pointed it out, she had not suspected them at all. It was not as painful as the death of her family, but their betrayal still cut deep into her heart.
“Who could it have been…”
“That is difficult to guess from here. Once you leave, you must investigate in earnest.”
“…Yes. I will. There is plenty of time. I will find every last one of them and slaughter them all. I only hope that before I emerge, those bastards cannot rest easy in their beds.”
“Of course, this is merely my inference based on what you have told me. The truth may be different. Once you are outside, make certain to identify your true enemies.”
It did not matter if she did not know the traitors yet. As long as the ones who had harmed her family and the betrayers were not the same people.