I Missed You, Master
The Thousand-Li Divine Thief, Na Mu-gi.
He had set the trade aside for a long while, but his instincts had not died with the years. A wicker pack strapped to his back, he walked the streets of Jangan Commandery, and his two eyes swept the surroundings without pause.
How should I go about this?
Yi Do had ordered him to steal, from each of the thirteen clans, at least one item worth no less than five hundred gold taels.
Easy to say. In practice, a devilishly hard thing to do.
...I have no idea what this thievery has to do with clearing that false accusation from my name... but...
He had to do it all the same.
Even in the middle of his scouting, Na Mu-gi could not help noticing, with absolute certainty, how thoroughly Yi Do's name had seeped into every corner of Jangan Commandery.
It was enough to raise the hair on his neck.
Whenever the name was spoken, some trembled with fury and others shook with terror. The divide could not have been sharper. Those who treated it as nothing worth caring about? Not a single soul.
The number of people Yi Do had killed to date was enormous, but in this world, who you killed is what counts.
Word was that he had taken the heads of four clan masters in Jangan Commandery. That he had butchered, hideously, the Qi Condensation warriors guarding them — and worse, that he had wiped out every last assassin of the Killing Curtain.
Four masters of Samhwachwijeong and more than twenty killers, and not one survivor among them.
And yet Na Mu-gi found the situation faintly absurd. Not in the sense of why would anyone fear a man like Yi Do — quite the opposite.
...These idiots still don't understand, do they.
The wind of blood had long since been foretold. And what was it these people had done?
They had very nearly annihilated a branch of the Asura Sword Sect. And not with a clean slaughter — the women they raped, and the men they dismembered limb from limb before cutting their throats.
If the Asura Sword Sect were to smash Jangan Commandery — a territory nearly double the size of Sambong-hyeon — would the State of Yeon simply sit still? Or the sects of Yeon, for that matter? The Pacheon Fist Sect?
This was, for all intents and purposes, a declaration of total war.
But Yi Do paid such things no mind whatsoever.
Anyone could see that his ultimate goal was to pound Jangan Commandery into rubble. Until every soul connected to the massacre of the Sambong branch had been killed and torn apart, Yi Do would not stop.
And because he would not stop, the people here trembled in fear.
They were all entangled, directly or otherwise.
Having made one full circuit of Jangan Commandery, Na Mu-gi let out a long sigh.
That was that, and this was this. First things first — steal everything, exactly as the man had said.
The plan was laid.
The present level of vigilance, as Na Mu-gi judged it, was not particularly strict. But rob one place, then another, and the security would tighten far beyond what it was now. That much was certain.
So what was to be done?
It was beautifully simple.
Rob everything at once.
Of all the preparations he had drafted, one thing mattered above all.
The Jangan branch of the Pacheon Fist Sect.
He had to observe that branch's movements with meticulous care.
Above all, its branch master, Pung Bi-chang, was a master of the Ogijowon realm. The Thousand-Li Divine Thief might steal better than anyone alive, but if an Ogijowon master decided to come after him in earnest, things would get very complicated indeed.
So the hours passed.
When the hour of Mi arrived, every warrior of the Jangan branch took up his weapon and marched out toward somewhere. He caught it in passing —
They were headed for Sambong-hyeon, apparently.
Na Mu-gi laughed out loud.
The most troublesome bastards had removed themselves.
Now he could begin.
Slipping into the undergrowth, Na Mu-gi set down his pack and changed out of his clothes, piece by piece.
And then he was gone — kicking the spot where he'd stood into memory.
The branch warriors of Jangan Commandery arrived in Sambong-hyeon, seething with fury.
Today, whether they tore Yi Do limb from limb, heard an apology from his lips, or settled it some other way, they had to put a stop to the man's rampaging.
Truthfully, they wanted nothing more than to kill him on the spot — but the Pacheon Fist Sect did not run wild the way Yi Do did.
And waiting to receive them were two men.
"...So you're the branch warriors of Sambong-hyeon."
One had long hair bound tightly behind his head; the other wore his shorter, and a battle robe thrown carelessly over his shoulders.
Two men in all.
The contrast between them could not have been starker, but it made no difference.
Pung Bi-chang, the Giant Spirit Divine Fist, shouted with a face gone red.
"Why have only two of you deigned to come out!"
"Does that displease you?"
"...It does, as a matter of fact. You there. What's your name?"
"I am Un Dohyeon of the Sambong branch."
At those words, the man flinched. Un Dohyeon.
Then a bright smile bloomed across Pung Bi-chang's lips.
"I see. The younger brother of Un Mi-rang, the former branch master of Sambong."
Not a flicker of change crossed Un Dohyeon's face. That composure displeased Pung Bi-chang.
"That woman begged and groveled for her life, you know... It was quite entertaining."
"......"
"We stripped her bare, and she was truly a sight to behold. What a shame you never got to see her as she pleaded with us to stop."
Myeong Hyeon stole a sidelong glance at Un Dohyeon. There was still no change in his expression. Miraculously, none at all. If anything, it was Myeong Hyeon who found it strange.
A flicker of surprise crossed Pung Bi-chang's face.
"...You've got some mettle, I'll give you that."
"Is that what you came all this way to say?"
"Hardly. We've come to meet your branch master. Yi Do."
Only then did Un Dohyeon's expression finally react. A smirk.
It was now the other man's turn — the one in the carelessly draped robe. Myeong Hyeon spoke to the puzzled Pung Bi-chang.
"Ah — sorry for the wasted trip, but our branch master is away at the moment."
"...Away? He's reduced everything to this, and he's 'away'?"
Pung Bi-chang and the warriors of Jangan Commandery couldn't have known it, but there had been circumstances that warranted exactly that.
"What choice was there? The Sect Master himself, master of the Asura Sword Sect, summoned him. He had to go. Besides."
Myeong Hyeon went on, a sneer clinging to his words.
"'Reduced to this,' you say? From where I stand, you're complaining about the clan masters of Jangan Commandery being assassinated. So why have you come here to press the matter? Without a shred of evidence?"
"Evidence?"
"Yes, evidence. Put crudely — if you come charging in here kicking up a storm like this, it becomes a very serious problem for the Pacheon Fist Sect. No, what even is this, without so much as a justification?"
Pung Bi-chang's brow knotted.
It seemed Yi Do truly was absent.
The inside story went like this. The previous night, having dispatched his report through the Cheonjeong Gate, Yi Do had gone to sleep, rising early the next morning.
That was when the message bird arrived.
The highest-grade message bird used by the Sect Master of the Asura Sword Sect had flown in in less than a single day.
All things in this world defy prediction.
Yi Do had sent his report through the Cheonjeong Gate — but the branch head of that gate, eager to curry favor with Yi Do, had used a high-grade message bird of his own accord.
In a mere six watches, the bird had reached the Asura Sword Sect. It was reviewed at the main headquarters, and word climbed all the way up to the Sect Master.
In fairness, with an Elder entangled in the contents, there had been no way around it.
Dokgo Danya had dispatched his highest-grade message bird to Sambong-hyeon at once — and that was the bird that arrived this morning.
So Yi Do had thrown together his preparations and departed without ceremony.
It was now the early hour of Mi, just past noon. He had set out around the early hour of Sa, mid-morning — so quite some time ago.
"So. What will you do now, hmm? Kick up your storm?"
"...You. What's your name?"
"Me? I don't think you really need to know."
"...Insolent whelp. When someone asks, you answer."
"And why would I? You're not my superior, and you're no teacher I hold in respect. Why exactly should I?"
"...You... your eyes... Ha... hahaha... Now I see it. Sambong-hyeon has gone completely to the dogs."
At Pung Bi-chang's words, Un Dohyeon glanced at Myeong Hyeon's eyes. Now that he looked, both of them were glazed over, unfocused. And seeping out through them, that faint haze of killing intent — it was clearly not demonic qi, but it was no ordinary killing intent either.
"Looks like you've swallowed something you shouldn't have, hahaha... Fine. Don't do it."
Pung Bi-chang's mind whirled at ferocious speed. He reached his conclusion in an instant.
A voice boomed out to fill all of Sambong-hyeon.
"Fools of Sambong-hyeon, listen well!"
"I grant you one week! If the branch master of Sambong-hyeon does not come to Jangan Commandery and kneel within the week, I will dye this town red with blood, exactly as he did!"
"I will tear the heads from every sect master in Sambong-hyeon and hang them at the gates for all to see!"
"He was the one who started this! By his choice, your lives will be decided on that day — to die, or to live! Do you understand me!"
A vast silence settled over the town.
And the one to break it was Myeong Hyeon.
He snorted with laughter.
"Whatever it is you've been taking, it's made your voice awfully loud."
"...I'll remember you. Do try your best to clean this up."
Myeong Hyeon wore the expression of a man thoroughly unbothered. The man beside him looked much the same.
That attitude of theirs recalled only a single truth. Trust.
These two believed in Yi Do. The silent Un Dohyeon spoke at last.
"What do you suppose would have happened, had our branch master been standing here just now?"
"Nothing would be any different. Had he been here, that Cruel Demon Fiend would have died with his limbs torn off by his hand."
At those words, Un Dohyeon, too, finally burst out laughing.
"...So we were all madmen on both sides, weren't we."
Pung Bi-chang turned on his heel. With a curt let's go, the branch warriors of Jangan Commandery fell in behind him in unison.
They were both wrong.
Had Yi Do been standing here, every last one of those men would have died on this spot today.
Un Dohyeon turned to Myeong Hyeon.
"Did you release your blood pathways?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"The Lord told you to keep them shut, didn't he?"
"He did, but look who's come calling. If it comes to it, someone has to hit back."
"......"
"Hey. Un Dohyeon."
"Yes."
"You think that man's gone over there to stir up trouble again?"
"It isn't trouble."
"Hm?"
"He's simply doing what needs to be done."
"......"
"Nothing more than that."
Myeong Hyeon scratched at his head.
"A loyal hound, all right."
As it happened, Un Dohyeon had a question of his own now.
"I thought he might run. Apparently I was wrong."
"Why would I run? I'm not insane."
"Wouldn't life be easier if you went to the Imperial Sword Sect?"
It was true that such things were best known by as few as possible — but Yi Do, for all his caution, was remarkably generous with his own people.
They had ended up eating from the same pot, after all; there was no hiding backgrounds forever. So he had given them the rough shape of things — know what you need to know, and no more. Myeong Hyeon hadn't pressed for details either.
He'd already worked out roughly what manner of man Yi Do was.
"Hey."
"Yes."
"All of this — it's me trying to claw my way out of the Imperial Sword Sect. That's what it is."
"Understood, for now."
More than that, though—
"Oughtn't we be cleaning up after ourselves?"
There was no way these two couldn't feel the mood hanging over Sambong-hyeon. Pung Bi-chang had come up with a rather clever move, all things considered.
What would the people of Sambong-hyeon think of Yi Do now?
If they came to believe that he was the reason they would die, then from that moment on, the whole board would shatter.
"Is there actually anything we can do?"
Honestly? Not much.
Sambong-hyeon was ruled by Yi Do — not by the two of them.
However impressive their backing, managing this would be difficult.
Above all —
Before departing for the main headquarters, Yi Do had left them a single order.
Restrain yourselves.
However many branch warriors of the Pacheon Fist Sect came calling, they would not move aggressively — so stand down and simply watch.
And this was the result.
Just as Yi Do had said, the two of them had made no show of force here.
Instead, they wielded a subtler stroke — one capable of splitting Sambong-hyeon apart at the seams.
Un Dohyeon's frost-cold gaze swept the surroundings.
"A list, at the very least, should be drawn up."
"A list?"
"There will be those who whisper behind backs, those who agitate, and those who are simply swept along. Committing all of them to a list will help the Lord immensely when the reckoning comes. I'll see to this myself, so close your blood pathways. Your eyes are swimming, as we speak."
Un Dohyeon turned and walked away.
Myeong Hyeon smirked.
Prickly bastard.
I set out on the road.
Under ordinary circumstances I would have ignored it outright, but this was a message bird I could not ignore.
The Asura Sword Sect — a direct order, handed down by the Sect Master himself.
Come. There is something you must hear. There was no refusing that.
Fastest was best.
There was business I had set in motion in Sambong-hyeon, still unfolding even now, and I could not be away for long.
My estimate was two days in total.
Not the time to get there — the time for the whole round trip.
So I moved without pause.
Above Sambong-hyeon lay Wolgang-hyeon, and within it stood Wolgang Mountain, taking its name from the land itself. To reach Wisu Commandery, where the main headquarters of the Asura Sword Sect stood, one had to pass through here.
The moment I entered Wolgang Mountain, I began to run.
And then—
Deep in the mountains, I stopped dead in my tracks.
My senses spread out wide across everything.
And those senses were screaming at me.
Someone.
Is here.
Slowly, I laid my hand upon the hilt of the Cloud Dragon Sword. It was the very instant I would have drawn it—
That my nose reacted.
A scent.
I let my hand fall away from the sword.
How I had missed it.
Until the moment I died, I had not forgotten that scent for a single instant — not for one breath of one second.
Slowly, I knelt where I stood.
And I waited there, in silence. Gradually, a woman revealed herself from among the trees across from me.
With black hair falling to her waist and black battle robes draped over her frame, she was more beautiful than any woman I had laid eyes on in all my life. Her eyes gleamed like jewels, and the slender line of her jaw, her lips, and a nose of just the right height — she might have stepped down from a sculptor's pedestal. She was harmony itself.
It was a face I had never once managed to forget. Of every martial artist I ever beheld while I lived, she was the strongest.
She had given me the greatest help of anyone; every single thing my life became had begun with that woman.
Parting the smoke that curled up from her long pipe, she walked toward me.
"I heard it from Cheon Yeo-bi. You're my disciple?"
I did not rise from my knees.
"I am."
"How strange. I have never once taken a disciple in all my years."
"...Forgive me."
"What is there to forgive?"
"I should have come to you in person long ago. Circumstances did not allow it."
My master gazed down at me for a long, quiet moment.
At last, a smile touched the corner of her mouth.