The Murim Alliance Roster
“My apologies… We lack the ability, and so we have forced you, young lady, into such dangerous work.”
“Not at all. This is the same work you do, Seol-hwa, and the same work Mother once did.”
“We have spent our entire lives doing only this. But you, young lady, are meant for greater things…”
“If we begin weighing the worth of every task, we will never achieve our goals. If necessary, I can do far more.”
“Young lady…”
Seol-hwa’s eyes glistened with emotion. It was a remark and an attitude typical of the earnest woman. After all, the most she had done was pretend to serve drinks while coaxing an elder. From the day she swore revenge, Bing Ok-yeon had been prepared to do anything, so she merely smiled.
“So you have decided on a brothel after all?”
“Yes. I considered inns and teahouses, but information flows best where wine and beautiful women are involved. Besides, with the skills we possess, a brothel seemed the only place we could truly make use of them.”
“I see. If that is your choice, I will not stop you.”
Seol-hwa’s goal was not complicated. Hong Mae had no clear enemy she could call a nemesis. Her life had not been ruined by any single person’s malice. It was a tangle involving the Murim Alliance, the Sado Alliance, the Jegal Clan, and others. Jegal Hyun, who had driven her away, had simply chosen his legitimate wife over Hong Mae. Even after being cast aside, Hong Mae had clearly harbored conflicted feelings toward him; she had blamed herself enough to hide the fact that she was carrying his child. Of course, once she learned how he had neglected their daughter So-yeon, whatever lingering affection remained would have vanished. Until her final moments, however, she had believed So-yeon was growing up safely inside the clan. Therefore, while Bing Ok-yeon would not let Jegal Hyun stand in her way as she had before, he was not a direct target of her revenge.
“Please take good care of So-yeon from now on.”
“I will devote everything I have to supporting the young lady.”
So Seol-hwa’s true aim was not revenge, but So-yeon’s safety and growth.
“Young lady, please take this.”
“What is it?”
While they were discussing recent events, Seol-hwa handed over a thick bundle of papers the size of a book.
“It contains what I believe you will want.”
“What I will want…”
Bing Ok-yeon opened it and began to read.
“Sword Emperor Wi Mu-jin, Leader of the Murim Alliance… Heavenly Secret Divine Lightning Sama Ryung, Strategist… This is a list of Murim Alliance personnel?”
“Yes. You seemed to have business with the Murim Alliance, so I prepared it. Was it unnecessary?”
“No, not at all.”
Bing Ok-yeon continued reading the names.
“Heavenly Wind Sword Namgung Seong, Murim Alliance Enforcer Thunder Dragon Jin Cheong-myeong, Mount Hua’s Plum Blossom Sword Leader Mount Hua Divine Maiden Yu Seol-hwa, Plum Blossom Sword Examiner Yeom Ra-do Paeng Cheon-ho, North Hebei Paeng Clan’s Young Master Scholar of Clouds Jin Hyeon, Wudang Yellow Mirror Hall Master—”
The directory was meticulously compiled. Nicknames, sects, ages, genders, appearances, martial arts, weapons, positions—every scrap of information that could be recorded had been recorded. After reading for a long while, Bing Ok-yeon stopped at one section. As expected, they were all still alive. She had been prepared for this since the days when she was Yi Cheon-woo, yet she closed her eyes for a moment and steadied her breathing. Being prepared did not mean the emotions would not surge. Anger, most likely, was rising from deep within her heart.
“Do you recognize any of them?”
“…If I know them, then yes.”
“Shall I investigate those individuals more thoroughly?”
“Let me think about it.”
Most of them were alive—the members of the youth division she had briefly traveled with when she was Baek Un-hyeon. Among them, there was a high chance that her enemies were mixed in. She had not investigated them earlier simply because she had not been ready. Her martial arts were always lacking, but even if she could not win, she could at least confront them. Digging into their backgrounds, however, carried the risk of being exposed in return. She needed a position from which investigating them would not seem strange. That position was now the acting head manager of the Eunpa Merchant Group. At this level, it would not be odd for a merchant to look into them for the sake of business. She had thought the time had come to begin uncovering her enemies’ identities, and Seol-hwa had kindly provided the perfect shortcut.
“You investigated them very thoroughly. Is there any risk of being discovered?”
“I did not investigate them directly. I merely compiled the information that came in through operating the brothel.”
“I see. It has only been a few months… Thank you. I will put this to good use.”
“I hope it helps.”
As expected, Seol-hwa was one of the three Hong Mae had cherished most. Aside from being overly rigid, she was an outstanding person. That very rigidity was why she still remained loyal to So-yeon. It was a flaw that bordered on a virtue. Should she tell Seol-hwa her true intentions? She believed Seol-hwa was trustworthy, yet the risk was too great. Above all, revealing that she had originally been Baek Un-hyeon was not something that could be said lightly. She was unsure. The hesitation was still too strong. She would need to learn more about Seol-hwa first.
“By the way, why did you include those who returned to their original sects?”
“The Murim Alliance is ultimately an organization connected to the entire orthodox world. Even if they returned to their sects, their ties were not completely severed. That is why I compiled their names separately. Moreover, despite belonging to different sects, they seemed to share particularly deep bonds, so I grouped them together.”
“I see…”
The youth division, whose names had only ever been temporary. Seol-hwa did not yet seem to know how they were connected. She would probably figure it out on her own soon enough. And perhaps she would even uncover the hidden stories behind them. By then, Bing Ok-yeon would have to decide whether to reveal the truth herself or let Seol-hwa act as a third party seeking revenge on her behalf.
Jin Cheong-myeong.
He was the most likely candidate for her enemy. She remembered how his uncle, Jin Mu-gak, had denounced Baek Un-hyeon most fiercely. Had that been his true intention, or part of a scheme? She did not know yet. If it turned out that he had orchestrated the destruction of the Baek Clan…
He will have to atone with his life.
***
“Pass!”
The examiner’s voice rang out clearly. The boy who had passed the evaluation jumped with joy. Judging by the skills of those who had passed so far, including this boy, Bing Ok-yeon had a good sense of the passing criteria. So-yeon would definitely pass. Convinced of this, Bing Ok-yeon slowly looked around. Several faces buried in her memories caught her eye.
On the high platform, watching the young martial artists with a benevolent expression, sat Alliance Leader Wi Mu-jin. After eight years, his once-graying hair had turned completely white. Even the Sword Emperor was no more than an ordinary man before the passage of time. Rumors said he was searching for a successor so he could step down. Beside him sat the strategist, Sama Ryung—the man Jegal Hyun was most wary of. Bing Ok-yeon had a feeling that, sooner or later, she would need to make use of him to guarantee So-yeon’s safety.
These two were sitting in the same seats they had occupied that day.
“…”
Did she hold no grudge? Of course she did. But for the sake of a greater revenge, she could easily suppress such stale emotions. Of course, how much patience she could muster would depend on the extent of their involvement in the Baek Clan’s destruction.
Not many elders were visible. Most of them had already been older than the Alliance Leader back then, so the changes among them would be significant. The examiner who had greeted Bing Ok-yeon earlier was also absent, suggesting he did not often appear at such events. Many other faces were present—those who had been there that day, those who had been present when the Baek Clan was wiped out.
Grind—
“Pardon me.”
Someone sat down beside her. The voice was familiar. When she looked, the face was familiar as well. Angular features. Sharp eyes. Deep, dark gaze. Was he an enemy or not? Had everything begun because of him? Had the expression he showed back then been a facade or genuine? It was the face she had thought of most often inside Yeon-yeon Blood Valley.
“I am Jin Cheong-myeong of Mount Hua.”
He had clearly apologized. He had done his best. At least, that was how it had seemed to Baek Un-hyeon.
“…I am Bing Ok-yeon of the Eunpa Merchant Group.”
Yet his uncle, Jin Mu-gak, had led the charge in denouncing Baek Un-hyeon. Had that been his true intention, or a calculated move? She could not tell yet.
“I have heard much about you. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Bing.”
Now, just as before, this disciple of Mount Hua made her extremely uneasy.
It is fine. This was a connection I would have had to face eventually.
Bing Ok-yeon let out a quiet sigh inwardly and forced a smile.
“How embarrassing. I am sure only unpleasant rumors have been circulating.”
“Not at all. They say a peerless beauty destined to be talked about for eternity has appeared.”
“Huhu, even so, calling me the most beautiful under heaven is a bit much, don’t you think?”
“Haha, is that so? It sounds to me like you are quite confident.”
So why was he here? Before her killing intent could leak out, she asked herself the question and suppressed it.
“By the way, have you not returned to Mount Hua, Great Hero?”
“You knew of me? I suppose I am not dead yet. I have been assigned to the Murim Alliance again. With the number of disciples increasing dramatically, we need more people to manage them.”
“My, if someone like you is here, the Murim Alliance is truly fortunate.”
“You flatter me.”
Despite his modest words, a hint of smugness showed on his face. He no longer displayed his emotions as openly as before, but his personality remained unchanged.
“…”
Bing Ok-yeon assessed him. What if she ambushed him here? Could she kill him? If she could, could she do it in one strike? If she could kill him in one strike, could she do it without anyone noticing? The first question already stopped her. Surprisingly, she could not gauge his level. Her own achievements far surpassed those of her days as Baek Un-hyeon. Yet her body’s balance had been broken even more severely. A body optimized for the cold poison of Yeon-yeon Blood Valley found the pure air outside acting like a toxin. Recovery was extremely slow, and drawing upon natural qi was nearly impossible. This, combined with the fact that all external martial arts training had become impossible after her transformation, created a massive weakness. The aura Jin Cheong-myeong gave off now was incomparable to what it had been eight years ago. He did not possess the same weight as Jegal Hyun, of course, but he seemed to have already exceeded the expectations many had once placed on him. Leader of the Plum Blossom Sword Examiners. Next head of Mount Hua. Those titles were not empty.
In everyday life like this, his true depth could not be seen.
“So you were here, Master Jin.”
People began to gather one by one after recognizing Jin Cheong-myeong. Bing Ok-yeon was grateful she was wearing her veil. Otherwise, she would not have been able to hide the way her expression soured.
“It has been a while, Daoist Jin. It seems you have made progress. Your presence has become quite imposing.”
“Are you only going to praise others? Every time I see you, Daoist, you are different. I do not even dare to catch up anymore.”
“It was only luck. Besides, it has not been decided yet that I will be teaching the children.”
“If not Daoist Jin, who else would take on that role?”
It was Jin Hyeon of Wudang. Unlike Jin Cheong-myeong, he was a genuine Daoist who did not look like one. He seemed to have maintained his connection even after that day. Though not to the same extent as Jin Cheong-myeong, this Daoist’s skills had also improved dramatically.
“I am here as well. You have returned, Brother Jin.”
“It has been a long time, Brother Namgung.”
Namgung Seong. She had heard he had finally gained recognition from the main family. From an outsider who merely bore the Namgung surname, he had become a close branch family member.
“My lord, how could you leave me behind and come here?”
Yu Seol-hwa. A woman who happened to share the same name as Seol-hwa. Clinging to Jin Cheong-myeong, she shot Bing Ok-yeon a glance. From her form of address and the way her hair was tied up, it seemed she had eventually married Jin Cheong-myeong.
“Why is everyone gathering here? Are we holding a reunion?”
“That sounds good. There are a few more fellows around. Should I go call them?”
“I am afraid that will have to wait. I have business with this young lady here.”
“This one? I cannot tell who she is with that veil on. Please introduce yourself.”
“…I am Bing Ok-yeon, acting head manager of the Eunpa Merchant Group.”
Bing Ok-yeon suppressed all her emotions and offered a greeting. There would be plenty of opportunities for revenge in the future. It was enough to identify her targets among them and unleash her anger then.
“The Eunpa Merchant Group…! I have heard that it has been steadily recovering its former glory.”
Unlike the others, Namgung Seong reacted to the name Eunpa Merchant Group. Though the merchant group had long been expelled from Anhui, Namgung Seong was not from Anhui. Moreover, Kaifeng, where he worked, was in Henan, the same as Luoyang. It was not strange that he would pay attention to news about the Eunpa Merchant Group.
“Now that I think about it, I think I have heard the name as well.”
“It is a name worth noting. The Eunpa Merchant Group began to change after Lady Bing appeared. I met the former head, Eun Baek-ho, when I was young, so I know how different the group was back then compared to recently.”
“Well, I suppose I was lucky.”
“My, I never expected anyone to know so much about our humble merchant group. But I must say, I find it rather regrettable. My late granduncle, the former head, was a good man, but unfortunately he was not very skilled in business… and so we missed the chance to become a much larger group.”
“I heard that the former head stepped down precisely because Lady Bing, the granddaughter of the late head Eun Baek-ho, appeared.”
“Huhu, it was because my granduncle thought highly of me.”
While continuing the conversation with a light laugh, Bing Ok-yeon excused herself and left the spot for a moment. Her true reason was that it was difficult to maintain her composure in front of people who might be her enemies.
“My lord, are you interested in a woman like that? Does she not seem rather foolish?”
“Do not speak so carelessly.”
“Can you not tell at a glance? She keeps trying to boast about how pretty she is, saying the Eunpa Merchant Group is doing well because of her. I have never seen a woman whose thoughts are so transparent.”
“Was that so?”
“This is why men are hopeless. The way she talks, and women like her—once you take off the veil, their true worth is revealed. She will be too embarrassed to ever show her face again.”
“I have heard that she has occasionally removed her veil without any false rumors spreading.”
“Oh dear, what do merchants ever do? They buy everything with money. At best, she is just somewhat pretty. The most beautiful under heaven? Ha! A title even I have never received, and some merchant girl gets it?”
Yu Seol-hwa seemed to dislike Bing Ok-yeon quite a bit.
“Do not worry. I am only approaching her with the intention of receiving support for Mount Hua.”
“Really, my lord?”
“Of course. Truly.”
Jin Cheong-myeong soothed Yu Seol-hwa with a serious expression. He had not spoken a lie. Not yet, at least.