The Gathering at Bogong Shrine
Gyeong County had become a microcosm of the entire jianghu. People from every walk of life had converged upon the county in hopes of rescuing the Four Season Water Lords. There were those with no ties to the martial world at all—officials from the government offices and merchants from the trading companies. There were those aligned with the orthodox sects; with the Nine Great Sects and Seven Great Families absent, leadership of the righteous faction in Gyeong County had fallen to the warriors of the Huangshan Sect. There were those belonging to the unorthodox and demonic paths; though Dokgo Bin, the legitimate daughter of the Dokgo Family—the foremost of the Four Great Demonic Families—had been present, she had departed the previous day, leaving the Sinungbang to naturally assume control. Finally, there were the wanderers who belonged to neither the orthodox nor the unorthodox factions, those who walked the line between righteousness and evil. This group included the vagabonds who had come as escorts on hired missions and the independent martial artists who had sought out Gyeong County on their own. They were a motley assembly of people with different purposes and different allegiances. Without the inviolable presence of Guya Manor, this gathering could have descended into chaos at any moment.
Yet the name of the Jegal Family possessed enough influence to draw every one of them together in a single place. Guya Manor stood in a small village called Saje Village among the many settlements of Gyeong County. Within Saje Village, there was only one location large enough to accommodate so many people at once: Bogong Shrine, the largest ancestral hall in the village. Since it was also the place where the one who had brought news of the Jegal Family’s peril was staying, people naturally flocked there.
“Let’s go as well.”
Namgung Woo and his companions were among those who entered the main hall of Bogong Shrine. Many others had already arrived. Though more than half the crowd had left after the results of the Four Season Water Lords contest were announced, several hundred people still remained. The shrine was packed. Everyone spoke in hushed voices, but with so many gathered, the hall was filled with the murmur of conversation. When Namgung Woo’s group entered, the voices abruptly ceased for a moment before resuming. Glances flicked toward them. Even without sharpening his hearing, Namgung Woo could catch fragments: “That man is the one who…” and “From the Lord of Guya Manor…”
Yet the main topic of interest in this gathering was not the outcome of the contest.
“I thank you all for gathering here. This humble monk is called Hang-wi of Hwaseong Temple.”
A stir rippled through the crowd at the words of the man who had come to report the Jegal Family’s crisis.
“Hwaseong Temple—isn’t that the monastery of warrior monks on Mount Jiuhua?”
“The famed monk Hang-wi. He appears to have suffered internal injuries, yet his breathing is stable. Just as the rumors said.”
Those familiar with Hwaseong Temple and Hang-wi offered explanations, displaying their knowledge.
“As you have already heard, the Jegal Family, now in dire straits, sent out a plea for aid. Several warrior monks from Hwaseong Temple accompanied this humble monk to offer assistance… but shamefully, only I managed to escape.”
The Jegal Family had chosen to send someone with excellent lightness skills who would also draw less attention.
“That’s strange. Who could this assailant be, to threaten both the Jegal Family and Hwaseong Temple?”
To the question, Hang-wi answered in a grave voice.
“It is presumed to be the Bokmanghoe.”
“The Bokmanghoe?”
“What nerve do they have, to lay hands on the Jegal Family?”
The hall grew noisy with speculation about the attacker’s identity. Namgung Woo recalled the second reason he had heard for why the Bokmanghoe had not been eradicated.
They say the major powers deliberately refrain from wiping them out because the Bokmanghoe’s guise allows them to eliminate the rising talents of rival factions.
If that were true, then the true culprit was someone else wearing the Bokmanghoe’s mask. It seemed he was not the only one who had reached this conclusion. A derisive snort echoed through the hall, followed by a mocking voice.
“Bokmanghoe, my foot. It must be the Banunbang.”
Namgung Woo, who had already committed the major powers of the martial world to memory, nodded at the name. Banunbang—one of the Seven Demonic Gates under the Black Lotus Alliance. In terms of pure martial strength, it was a colossal faction comparable to the Nine Great Sects. Based in Mount Tianzi in Hunan Province, the Banunbang’s sphere of influence overlapped partially with that of the Jegal Family in Wuhan, Hubei Province.
“It could be the Gangseo Hwan Family as well.”
The Gangseo Hwan Family, based in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, was also one of the Four Great Families. Geographically and in terms of the Jegal Family’s escape route, the Gangseo Hwan Family seemed the more likely suspect.
“The Gangseo Hwan Family has no particular enmity with the Jegal Family. Recently, tensions between the Banunbang and the Jegal Family have been escalating, so it must be the Banunbang.”
The discussion of the attacker ended there.
“Then where is the Jegal Family now?”
Hang-wi’s gaze turned toward one side of the hall—where the unorthodox martial artists had gathered. Seeing this, the orthodox martial artists began to exert pressure on the unorthodox group, their auras flaring.
“Please withdraw.”
“There is no need to shed blood here, is there?”
A tense silence fell over the shrine, the air growing cold. It felt as though weapons might be drawn at any moment. Then a voice rose from the unorthodox side.
“Let’s go.”
The words of the Sinungbang warrior represented the collective will of the unorthodox martial artists present. With the Sinungbang—the strongest unorthodox force here—declaring their withdrawal, the remaining unorthodox factions knew their combined strength would be insufficient. As the unorthodox martial artists began to file out and the neutral wanderers followed after gauging the mood, Namgung Woo remained where he stood.
Jeonggwang, the Daoist from the Huangshan Sect who spoke for the orthodox faction, addressed the remaining neutral martial artists in a far more courteous tone than he had used with the unorthodox group.
“I would ask that you all vacate the premises for a short while. We intend to depart immediately to rescue the Jegal Family. However, if any among you wish to join us right away, you may remain.”
The statement came as a fresh shock to Namgung Woo.
They’re going to help the Jegal Family? Even though it could be a trap?
Yet they were going. Because they were the Jegal Family. Risking danger for their sake.
Is it because they are the Jegal Family, or because they belong to the same orthodox faction?
Namgung Woo substituted the Cheongsumun in place of the Jegal Family. If the Cheongsumun had fallen into crisis, would these people have driven out the unorthodox martial artists and rushed to their aid with such immediacy? No. There would certainly be some who would act to uphold the bond between orthodox allies, but they would not have mobilized on such a large scale or with such swiftness. If even the Cheongsumun would not receive such treatment, then what of the Changcheon Squad? Who would come to the aid of a band of wanderers with no direct ties?
In the end, it is because they are the Jegal Family.
This was the true power of a great and prestigious clan. Even without promising any immediate reward, they possessed the ability to make others willingly step forward to help. It was the same as when he had first witnessed the Hebei Paeng Family. The situations of the Hebei Paeng Family and the Jegal Family were polar opposites, yet each had demonstrated the strength of a great house in its own way. When the Hebei Paeng Family had joined them in Muan County, their mere presence had brought a sense of stability. Here, when the Jegal Family had sought aid, people had risen without hesitation upon hearing their name alone.
A great family…
When Namgung Woo had resolved to live in this world, he had created the Changcheon Squad to secure a place for himself. Yet the Changcheon Squad was only a temporary shelter, one that could be disbanded naturally once he found a way to return. But what if there was no way back? Or what if, even after finding such a path, he chose to stay? As the time he spent living in this world grew longer and the number of people he formed bonds with increased, the will to return had begun to fade within Namgung Woo’s heart.
I should also consider the path that remains if I stay.
The two great families he had witnessed had left a deep impression on him, showing him a model for the road he must walk. That was why Namgung Woo chose to participate in this rescue operation—to observe more closely why they acted, and to see how a great family would respond.
“There is one thing I would like to ask.”
While Namgung Woo was contemplating the future, Paeng Ha-ryeong lightly raised her hand and spoke.
“Who from the Jegal Family is currently outside?”
“Before that, may we take your remaining here as a sign that you intend to join us?”
Paeng Ha-ryeong turned to look at Namgung Woo. The decision of how their group would move rested with him. Though she wished to help the Jegal Family as a member of the Paeng Family, if Namgung Woo opposed it, she intended to follow his lead.
“I will hear the answer first.”
“That is…”
“It is fine, Daoist Jeonggwang. If they wish to know, they will find out anyway.”
Hang-wi stopped Jeonggwang and answered.
“The ones dispatched from the Jegal Family for this matter are the head of the Biyun Unit, Jegal Pan, and Lady Jegal Seon-a.”
“Seon-a?”
At the name Hang-wi mentioned, Paeng Ha-ryeong unconsciously repeated it.
“You know her?”
“She’s… a friend. But if it’s Seon-a, it would be hard for there to be no rumors…”
“That means the Jegal Family hid her presence very thoroughly.”
Though the exchange between Paeng Ha-ryeong and Namgung Woo was casual, to the others listening, its content was anything but ordinary.
“Then, benefactors, are you acquainted with Lady Jegal Seon-a?”
“I am not, but…”
As Namgung Woo trailed off, yielding the floor to Paeng Ha-ryeong, she removed her veil and revealed her identity.
“I am Paeng Ha-ryeong of the Hebei Paeng Family.”
No further explanation was necessary. That name, that surname, that origin resolved every question. Paeng Ha-ryeong’s presence completely erased the subtle distrust that had lingered toward the Changcheon Squad, and unlike the other wanderers, they were now fully accepted as one of their own.
Because the area they needed to search was so vast, the orthodox martial artists divided themselves into five groups. By the time Jeonggwang of the Huangshan Sect and Hang-wi finished organizing the formations, five search parties of approximately twenty members each had been formed.
“We depart!”
Their objective was to locate and rescue the Jegal Family—and to annihilate the assailants.