The Inspector's Decree
Despite the intense scrutiny from the entire martial world of Luoyang, the conclusion of the Unmong Daejeon proved unexpectedly hollow. The orthodox martial artists, having secured a decisive victory at Ha Hong-ho and surged into Hunan Province like a breaking dam, had advanced all the way to the vicinity of Mount Tianzi. Even the Wudang Sect, which had been preoccupied with sealing the Ghost Gates in Hubei, mobilized every available force in the hope of finally eradicating Banunbang. Yet the one who brought the war to its end was neither Banunbang itself, nor the Jegal Family, nor the Wudang Sect whose leader had seriously considered descending the mountain to drive the final nail.
It was the Provincial Inspector of Hunan who delivered the decisive blow. As the head of the Judicial and Inspection Office overseeing a province's surveillance and judiciary, the Inspector invoked the Great Ming Code to forcibly terminate the martial conflict. No one believed this decision stemmed from the Inspector's personal whim. Martial artists were not ignorant of worldly affairs. Though Emperor Seonghwa was wise, it was widely known that Consort Man's words could dim even his favor. It was clear to all that Consort Man was moving the imperial court from behind the scenes to shield Banunbang.
In the end, the orthodox sects disbanded without uprooting Banunbang. Yet their gains were substantial. Banunbang's prestige in the martial world had plummeted, and the heterodox factions that had rallied to its aid scattered like mist. Even key figures, including external allies like the Black Sword Ghost and the Extermination Demon, abandoned the gang. The once-mighty Banunbang, comparable to the Nine Great Sects as one of the Seven Black Gates, was no more. The orthodox sects had successfully brought the entire vast Huguang region under their influence.
The Jegal Family, along with their primary allies the Wudang and Hyeongsan Sects, saw their reputations soar to the heavens. Participants in the Unmong Daejeon returned with wealth, honor, new titles, and breakthroughs in their cultivation. Though regrets lingered, considering how thoroughly Banunbang had been reduced to a mid-tier faction, the orthodox sects had achieved the minimum conditions for a satisfying withdrawal.
The atmosphere within the Jegal Family was nothing short of festive. It was only natural. Objectively, Banunbang had been a formidable adversary on par with the Jegal Family or even the Wudang Sect. They had defeated it. With minimal losses. Even after Banunbang had played its shocking trump card of reviving the former Five Yin Demon Emperor, a supreme expert of the previous generation. The Jegal Family threw open their storehouses and hosted a grand celebration. The festivities extended not only to the orthodox martial artists but also to the neutral factions and vagabonds who had joined their cause, and the benefits reached the common people of Wuhan and Hubei. Everyone laughed, drank, and sang of joy—the joy of victory, the joy of survival, the joy of growth. Wuhan transformed into a city that never slept, filled with voices brimming with laughter.
Yet even amid such celebration, there was one member of the Jegal Family who could not laugh and revel with the others: Jegal Seon-a. In her room within the Jegal Family's main estate in Wuhan, she stared blankly out the window. The lights outside blurred and shimmered. Mingled with the bright glow came the sounds of merriment. If she stepped outside and walked a short distance, she could claim her place at the banquet. But she had no desire to do so. The joy of the war's end felt distant. She was relieved that her family would no longer be in danger, yet she could not share in the euphoria of triumph.
Even Jegal Seon-a knew it was a selfish thought, but the notion that she wished the war had continued a little longer surfaced unbidden. The battles in Hubei that had lasted nearly a month. During that time, she had spent countless hours with the Changcheon Squad. Looking back, those days felt painfully nostalgic. There had been moments of hardship and pain, but still… they had been good. Simply watching Namgung Woo's back as he protected her had filled her with an indescribable sense of fulfillment. If the war had dragged on, perhaps he would have stayed longer.
"Ugh…! What am I thinking, Jegal Seon-a! Get a hold of yourself. That person is Ha-ryeong's…"
Jegal Seon-a muttered to herself and clutched her pillow tightly to her chest. As befitting a daughter of a noble house, her pillow was made of fine silk—soft and plush. She subjected the innocent pillow to several rounds of suffocating torture before flopping onto the bed and staring vacantly at the ceiling. At the sound of a voice from beyond the door, she bolted upright.
"Seon-a, it's your father. May I come in?"
"Y-yes! Please, come in!"
Jegal Seon-a hurriedly threw off the blanket and stepped down from the bed. In the few steps to the door, she quickly smoothed her clothes and hair. Jegal Jong, who opened the paper door himself and entered, frowned at the sight of his daughter, whose hasty movements were obvious. He could tell at a glance what thoughts had occupied her mind while she refused to attend the banquet and shut herself in her room.
"Let's sit down."
"Yes. Over here…"
Though there was no real need for guidance, Jegal Seon-a pulled out a chair to ease the awkward atmosphere. Father and daughter sat facing each other. Following the principle of seniority, Jegal Jong spoke first.
"You went to Luoyang, didn't you?"
The subject was omitted, but there was no need to ask for clarification. There was only one person both of them knew well who had gone to Luoyang.
"Yes…"
"Why didn't you follow him?"
"…Pardon?"
"That's why you're suffering, isn't it?"
At her father's words, Jegal Seon-a could only open and close her lips like a mute, unable to speak. Jegal Jong waited in silence until his daughter could gather her thoughts.
"I… don't really know."
"What don't you know?"
"Just… my own heart. Whether this feeling is real, and if it is, whether it's all right to follow it…"
It was a feeling she had never experienced before. She wasn't even sure if what people called love was truly this. Perhaps her Spiritual Resonance had been too deeply influenced by Namgung Woo's powerful upper dantian energy. If that were the case, then it wouldn't be a pure emotion but merely the result of being swayed by power. It was a dilemma worthy of the Jegal Family. Because they did not know, they avoided acting rashly. The Jegal Family's characteristic of basing all actions on thorough understanding and analysis was fully evident.
If someone from the Hebei Paeng Family or the Hwangbo Family had felt what Jegal Seon-a felt, they would have charged forward without looking back. The living embodiment of that approach was Paeng Ha-ryeong. Despite never having left her family home before, she had followed Namgung Woo all the way to Gangnam. The bold way she called him "Gaga" was far too daring for Jegal Seon-a to imitate.
Even if her feelings were genuine and not a side effect of her resonance, there was still a problem. Paeng Ha-ryeong's affection was sincere. Yet the moral guilt of treating her close friend—and now a precious benefactor who had helped their family—as a rival weighed heavily on Jegal Seon-a.
After Jegal Seon-a poured out her worries over a long stretch of time, Jegal Jong asked, "Does the Great Ming Code prohibit taking multiple wives?"
"Eh? M-multiple wives? There is no such law, but…"
"Then is Ha-ryeong so narrow-minded that she would reject you?"
"……When it comes to Nam Daehyeop, she can be a little…"
Jegal Seon-a recalled how Paeng Ha-ryeong, usually generous without reservation, became particularly sensitive whenever Namgung Woo was involved. Jegal Jong skillfully hid his surprise and quickly changed tack.
"If you speak your true feelings, Ha-ryeong isn't the kind of child who would outright deny them."
"That… may be true…"
"If you're unsure, simply watch from the side a little longer. If it turns out to have been caused by your resonance, you can maintain the connection you've built. And if your feelings are genuine, it won't be too late to tell Ha-ryeong and hear her true thoughts."
"Would that… really be all right?"
Even Jegal Jong's heart was not entirely at ease. Sending his beloved only daughter to another man was never an easy decision for any father. The fact that it would not be a monogamous relationship made it all the more difficult. The thought that his daughter could not have one man's heart entirely to herself was something that, as a father, he could not help but resent. Yet more than that, he found it harder to bear watching Jegal Seon-a torment herself alone in her room. And if it was Paeng Ha-ryeong, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. She had once nearly become part of the Jegal Family, and during this war she had fought with everything she had for their sake. Since Paeng Ha-ryeong and Jegal Seon-a were close friends, if they could accept each other, it might even be better than being alone.
Of course, if Jegal Jong had known Namgung Woo's true identity, he would have deliberated further. But Jegal Chong had not revealed Namgung Woo's secret even to his own younger brother, so ignorance was indeed a blessing.
"The Murim Alliance will soon hold a grand assembly. Our Jegal Family has decided to send representatives as well."
The world was changing rapidly with each passing day. The Murim Alliance could no longer remain idle.
"Why don't you go with them, Seon-a?"
"M-me as well?"
"Yes. The Family Head has not fully recovered from his internal injuries, and the Lord of the Cloud-Cleaving Unit was also gravely wounded in this war. However, we've secured reliable escorts, so there shouldn't be any problems like last time."
Although both of the Jegal Family's Transcendent Realm experts were currently unable to act, Jegal Jong had minimized the power vacuum by accepting martial artists who had fought alongside them as retainers and hiring vagabonds. The strongest among them was currently on standby to escort those attending the assembly.
"It's been a while. You've lost quite a bit of weight, haven't you?"
The Vagabond King, Hwang-ryong-ho I Ho-yeong, called out to Jegal Seon-a as she approached the carriage. It was a long journey to Luoyang. Dressed in proper traveling attire, Jegal Seon-a bowed politely to him before boarding.
"Please take care of us until we reach Luoyang."
"Don't worry about a thing."
Thus, a procession of carriages departed from the Jegal Family estate in Wuhan. Similar scenes were unfolding not only at the Jegal Family but across the Nine Provinces. To Luoyang. To Luoyang. The orthodox sects began to move for the Murim Alliance's grand assembly.