The Pearl of Tranquility
As the former head of the Namgung Family in Chukrok Murim, Namgung Woo naturally felt a deep attachment to the name. Yet he had no desire to inherit enmities with complete strangers simply to reclaim it.
“Yes, that must be it… so much time has passed… Then your wish to secure the strength of the Paeng Family and your own main house is purely to protect yourself?”
“I did not obtain it to achieve any particular objective. I simply moved as my heart dictated, and power followed.”
“…An answer worthy of a wise man. It would be rude for me to speak any further about the Namgung Family. I shall honor the great expert’s request.”
An unconditional alliance with the Jegal Family. Because the vow had been made verbally, it could later be denied with a straight face, yet the man Namgung Woo observed in Jegal Chong did not seem the type. If Jegal Chong were to go back on his word contrary to Namgung Woo’s expectations, the fault would lie with Namgung Woo himself for misjudging character. But Namgung Woo trusted his own judgment.
The minute changes in Jegal Chong’s facial muscles, the tremor in his pupils, the rhythm of his heartbeat—all of them had revealed the scholar’s true feelings the moment the name “Namgung” was spoken. No matter how supreme a martial artist might be, perfectly fabricating every one of those reactions in an instant was impossible. The pupils and the heart, after all, were organs that did not obey human will. Even if one could control involuntary muscles through martial arts, the difficulty was on an entirely different level from controlling voluntary ones.
And Jegal Chong had gone further. Beyond those involuntary signs, he had created irrefutable proof through both word and deed.
“I swear it. The Jegal Family will never forget your help and will repay it with aid of equal weight. This shall serve as the token of that promise.”
With those words, Jegal Chong produced a single orb. The exquisitely crafted white pearl was the Damnyeonguiju—Pearl of Tranquility. Fashioned from white jade, it held value as an ornament, yet its true significance lay in being the master key to the Jegal Family’s supreme formations.
“Whoever carries this bead may find a path of life within any formation of our house. It must never be taken outside the family, yet the family head alone holds the privilege of gifting it to someone beyond our bloodline.”
To give the Damnyeonguiju was the Jegal Family’s refined way of saying that Namgung Woo would be welcomed no matter when or how unexpectedly he visited.
“…I could abuse this, you realize.”
“The pearl only reveals paths of survival. Its value is already immense, yet even if it were to fall into the wrong hands through some misfortune on your part, our house possesses more than formations alone. There is no need for concern.”
Several points in Jegal Chong’s words were noteworthy. The shift from “great expert” to the even more respectful “esteemed sir.” The complete absence of suspicion that Namgung Woo might misuse the bead; instead, he spoke only of the possibility that it might be lost or stolen. Unlike the extravagant, all-encompassing gesture the Hebei Paeng Family had offered, the Jegal Family was expressing their gratitude in a far more elegant and refined manner.
“I accept it with gratitude.”
Namgung Woo received the Damnyeonguiju and tucked it securely into his robes. Jegal Chong’s condition was poor, so their private meeting ended there. As Namgung Woo rose to leave the room first, Jegal Chong spoke one last request, his voice heavy with apology.
“Please do not hate Jun too deeply.”
“What do you mean?”
“It seems he tried to cure the Paeng Family’s youngest daughter himself. I saw traces of his research into the Gongmyeongseongcheondo. He soon stopped because the technique that amplifies brain power and radiates it outward was fundamentally incompatible with the girl’s constitution. His achievement was still too shallow to touch the upper dantian.”
Jegal Chong had known Jegal Jun’s true feelings yet had allowed him to continue. It had become the foundation for his growth.
“It is laughable to think a boy who has only just reached the early Peak Realm could cure a heavenly affliction even the Sword Emperor could not mend. Still, he tried. He wandered the Ghost Gates searching for a method… Thanks to that, he earned the title Yugyeongryong, so the effort was not entirely in vain. Yet in the end, it all came to nothing.”
Then Namgung Woo had appeared. Had he been much older than Jegal Jun, it might have been different. But he was a young man barely older than Jun himself.
“I will speak firmly with Jun. Therefore, I ask you to forgive today’s rudeness with your generous heart.”
Jegal Chong expressed his sincere gratitude. Faced with a father’s heartfelt plea, Namgung Woo decided to let the matter pass.
“Just this once, then?”
“That will be enough.”
Their conversation ended there.
The next day, the righteous Murim factions that had finished regrouping began their counteroffensive against the Evil Faction forces encroaching on Hubei Province. The full-scale war between the Jegal Family and the Banunbang had begun in earnest.
§
Throughout the central and southern counties of Hubei Province, the clash of weapons never ceased. Even within the regions under government control the fighting continued; beyond them, it only grew worse. In forests, in mountains, beside rivers, across plains—everywhere, steel rang and blood sprayed as people tore into one another.
One side advanced, the other retreated. Despite the Banunbang’s successful surprise assault on the main camp in the opening battle, the war had settled into a fierce stalemate. The Evil Faction forces allied with the Banunbang were enormous, yet the righteous Murim’s counterattack was equally formidable.
Throughout the Nine Provinces, every martial artist in the gangho turned their full attention toward Hubei. This war was a miniature version of the great Righteous-Evil War. Merely looking at the roster of supreme experts participating was enough to inspire awe.
On the Banunbang’s side, the Fallen Immortal Dongbang Hwa, the Dragon-Slaying Demon, the Black Sword Ghost, the Destroying Island Demon, and others brought the number of Transcendent Realm experts to ten. The righteous Murim’s side was no less impressive: Jegal Chong the Scholar of Three Excellences, Jegal Wi the leader of the Jegal Family’s strongest combat unit, Wudang Elder Go Won, the Hengshan Sect leader who had descended from his mountain seeking revenge for his disciple’s death, and I Ho-yeong the Yellow Dragon Tiger—one of the Three Great Vagabonds. Nearly twenty Transcendent Realm experts in total.
Once a martial artist reached the Transcendent Realm, they were counted among the Hundred Great Masters of the Murim. Given that the average number of such experts per province was around ten, this meant the entire martial community of Hubei and Hunan had mobilized completely.
This war had already transcended a simple grudge between the Jegal Family and the Banunbang. It had become a struggle for supremacy over the Hubei-Hunan Murim. Neither side could afford to lose.
Those who had joined lightly, the vagabonds chasing wealth and fame, even the third-rate martial artists—everyone gradually began to feel the crushing weight of this conflict. Only then did the war finally receive a name.
The ferocity of the fighting meant neither side had secured clear dominance. As signs of a prolonged war emerged, both factions grew restless. The common anxiety was the invisible threat of Ghost Gates that could open anywhere at any time. Yet the side that worried more deeply was the righteous Murim.
The reason Wudang had not committed its full strength was to prepare for the Ghost Gates. Prioritizing the safety of the common people over the eradication of their greatest shame—the Fallen Immortal Dongbang Hwa—was truly in keeping with Wudang’s character.
Beyond that, both sides carried burdens that made a long war difficult. For the Evil Faction, the unpredictable imperial court was a source of unease. The fact that the Banunbang had recruited Imperial Consort Man was known to the upper echelons of the Evil Faction, yet the use of gunpowder left a bad taste in their mouths. The less they understood how deeply the consort was favored by the emperor, the greater their anxiety.
Strangely enough, the righteous Murim shared a similar fear. They worried that Imperial Consort Man might mobilize the court to fully side with the Banunbang. Therefore, when the Banunbang proposed a decisive rotational battle to settle the war, the Jegal Family accepted without hesitation.
“This rotational battle will decide the outcome of the entire war.”
Paeng Ha-ryeong spoke those words immediately after receiving news that the decisive clash would take place. As Namgung Woo looked at her face, he recalled the matter with Jegal Jun.
Whether out of consideration for Namgung Woo or to prevent Jegal Jun from causing trouble, the Jegal Family had carefully arranged their schedules so that the Changcheon Squad and Jegal Jun would not cross paths. Since the Changcheon Squad moved according to what Jegal Seon-a sensed through the Gongmyeongseongcheondo, they had shifted Jegal Jun around to avoid any encounters.
But once a decisive battle began, such arrangements would become impossible. It might be possible to assign him to a separate unit meant to block the enemy’s retreat after victory, yet doing so risked accusations that they were protecting a direct blood relative. Moreover, Jegal Jun represented a rather high level of combat strength. Leaving him out of a battle upon which the fate of both the family and the righteous Murim of Hubei and Hunan depended was never an option from the start.
We’ll end up facing each other at least once.
Paeng Ha-ryeong probably knew that Jegal Jun was present. She was not lacking in perception. But did she also know that Jegal Jun still harbored feelings for her?
“Gaga?”
“Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment. What were you saying?”
“We were talking about the location of the decisive battle.”
“It has been decided that the clash will take place on the western plains of Lower Hong Lake.”
“It would be difficult to fight a decisive battle inside the Yunmeng Marsh wetlands.”
“But if we lose this, aren’t we totally fucked? If they just block the northern route, we’ll be surrounded and annihilated.”
The squad members exchanged various opinions about the upcoming battle. Perhaps it was because the recent stalemate had begun to tilt ever so slightly in the Evil Faction’s favor. Or perhaps they were feeling the pressure of participating in their first large-scale group battle.
To them, Namgung Woo offered the greatest encouragement he could give.
“Don’t worry. We’re going to win.”
And so, the day of the decisive battle that would tie the knot at the end of the Yunmeng Great War finally arrived.