The Call of the Murim Alliance
"Please enjoy. I won't be taking any payment for the Dongpo Pork."
"Much obliged."
The old man picked up his chopsticks and lifted the noodles first. The moment they entered his mouth, his expression changed entirely.
Heh heh......
"Not a single silver tael wasted, I see."
The young man and woman were just as astonished.
"Truly remarkable cooking, sir. I doubt I could find a dish like this anywhere else in the world."
Following the young man, the young woman spoke up as well.
"It's really delicious, sir."
When she opened her mouth, a voice as sweet as an oriole's song flowed out, surprisingly gentle for someone so tall.
"Well then, let's eat!"
Slurp.... slurp...
They busied their chopsticks and devoured the pork noodles. The old man picked up a piece of the Dongpo Pork and tasted it as well.
Bwahahaha......
And then he laughed heartily.
"Had I known there was an inn like this right in front of the Murim Alliance, I would have come long ago."
Thoroughly satisfied, he turned to Jiang Zhou with a face full of smiles.
"For a young man, your cooking skill is quite exceptional."
Jiang Zhou smiled as well.
"Thank you."
*
"Big Brother! I've brought something......!"
Yang Jeong, who had been sprinting over, switched to a dignified walk the instant he spotted the pretty women nearby. In one hand, he carried a pheasant.
"Where did you catch that?"
At Jiang Zhou's question, he answered in a low voice.
"I happened upon it while strolling through the forest."
"Ah...... I told you to fix the front hall, and you got bored and went wandering through the woods, did you?"
Yang Jeong smiled awkwardly.
Haha........
"I only took a brief walk, Big Brother."
"Not a single hammer strike since this morning until now, you rascal."
Just as Jiang Zhou was about to lose his temper, the old man and the young couple rose from their seats.
"We ate very well."
The young man handed over three silver taels with a contented face.
"Please come again."
The old man and the young couple left the inn with pleasant expressions on their faces. The moment they stepped out, Yang Jeong's voice changed completely.
"I'll get started right after lunch, so please let it slide just this once, Big Brother."
"You wear me out, you really do."
There was no one in the world as shameless a slacker as this guy. He'd probably been playing around in the forest all morning and just happened to get lucky with that pheasant.
"Please feed me so I can get to work."
"Serve it yourself."
"Yes, Big Brother."
Yang Jeong entered the kitchen, opened the pot, and began scooping rice. Even while ladling out the rice, his mouth never stopped.
"I wonder if those customers who just dined here were members of the Paeng Clan?"
"The Paeng Clan? How would you know that?"
"Aw, come on, Big Brother. Can't you tell just by looking at the greatswords strapped to their backs?"
At his words, Jiang Zhou, too, secretly began to suspect they might indeed be from the Paeng Clan. But what came out of his mouth was dripping with irritation.
"So anyone carrying a greatsword is a Paeng Clan member now? You hopeless fool."
"Still, the Paeng Clan is the first place that comes to mind, isn't it, Big Brother?"
"Quit talking nonsense and scoop the rice. Scoop mine too."
*
Ten days had already passed since the bloody battle.
The Murim Alliance spent its days in a flurry of activity, clearing away the corpses and dealing with the aftermath. Once the cleanup was more or less complete, Sin Pung-gae came to see the Alliance Leader.
"You've worked hard, Sect Leader."
Baek Mun-do bowed at the waist in gratitude.
"It was only my duty, Alliance Leader."
Sin Pung-gae had thrown himself into the work of collecting the dead and handling the aftermath. With the cleanup now roughly finished, what remained was to honor those who had distinguished themselves in battle. With so many dead, celebrating individual merit felt unseemly, but for the sake of morale, it had to be done.
"Many of our veteran masters fell."
The damage had been limited to this much only because the Murim Alliance's veterans had thrown their lives away in standing against the enemy.
"Their bodies have already been sent to their family homes, so we ought to erect a monument of merit here at the Alliance."
"Yes, we must."
A monument alone felt insufficient, though. They would need to summon a skilled painter to depict the fallen as they were in life and enshrine their portraits in the Alliance.
"Should we not also honor that old man's successor for his contribution?"
"Indeed we should. He saved the lives of the rising prodigies, after all—his merit must be acknowledged."
"Then have that fellow come directly to the Murim Alliance."
Heh heh....
"Are you planning to trap him here and coerce him?"
Bwahahaha.....
"What other choice do I have? The moment that boy sets foot in the Alliance, I'll extract a definite answer from him."
Sin Pung-gae looked delighted at the mere thought.
"I'll summon him here for now, but I'm not certain things will go as you wish."
In truth, Baek Mun-do also coveted the young man named Yang Jeong. He hadn't expected him to imitate the movements of the Moonlight Sword Manual so quickly, and his martial arts were respectable enough—he would make a fine fourth disciple. Taking Yang Jeong as his fourth disciple would bring his disciples to five.
But with Sin Pung-gae standing in his way, he couldn't afford to reveal his ambition.
Whether or not he knew what was in Baek Mun-do's heart, Sin Pung-gae suddenly put on a grave expression.
"Reports have come in from the Beggars' Sect. Strange things keep occurring across the murim."
"With the Blood Cult revived, it's only natural that strange things should happen."
Baek Mun-do's heart was heavy. He had steeled himself to some degree for the Blood Cult's revival. But never had he imagined that the Blood Cult's chief priest would be an old comrade—one of the One Hundred Heroes.
"Beyond the Blood Cult, there's a sect called the Tianshi Cult that has been appearing all over the jianghu. In Changsha Province especially, they cured the regional governor's chronic illness, and their influence seems to be expanding rapidly."
"Watch them closely, Sect Leader."
"I've already dispatched my beggars to every corner of the land."
*
Baek Won-young set out from the Murim Alliance for the first time in a long while. Walking beside him was Baek Ha-young. He had intended to go alone, but she had swiftly tagged along.
"Do you like Young Hero Yang that much?"
Baek Won-young asked casually, a smile playing on his lips. She feigned innocence.
"Whatever do you mean, Brother? You're all I have in this world."
Haha..
"As your brother, I'm glad to hear it, but you ought to admit what's good when it's good."
"It's not like that."
"If you keep hiding your feelings like that, another woman will snatch Young Hero Yang away before you know it."
Baek Ha-young's face darkened at once. In truth, that was exactly her worry. With a man that handsome, there would be no shortage of women eyeing him. But out of pride, she could never be the first to show her hand.
The siblings crossed the Stone Bridge and entered the inn.
"Welcome."
As they stepped inside, Jiang Zhou greeted them just as he always did.
"The affairs of the Murim Alliance kept us busy, so it's been a while since we visited."
"Please, have a seat."
When Jiang Zhou showed them to a table, they sat down facing each other across it.
"What will it be today?"
"We have chicken, so I can prepare chicken noodles."
"Then we'll have that."
While Baek Won-young placed the order, Baek Ha-young turned her head this way and that, surveying the inn. Noticing what was on her mind, Jiang Zhou asked,
"By the way, where is Young Hero Yang?"
At that, Jiang Zhou gave a faint smirk.
"Don't you hear the hammering? He's repairing the front hall right now."
Hahahaha.........!
Baek Won-young laughed heartily, but Baek Ha-young's expression drooped.
Making Young Hero Yang do such menial work.....
Speak of the tiger and it appears, as they say. Just as the hammering seemed to stop, Yang Jeong emerged.
"Big Brother, the rice...... Oh, we have guests?"
Yang Jeong, who had been bouncing over with a jingle, bowed politely at the waist.
"It's been a while, Young Hero Yang."
Baek Won-young offered his greeting first, and Baek Ha-young was about to return it with a smile of her own—when she noticed his eye swollen black and blue.
"What happened to your face, Young Hero Yang?"
Hahahaha........
Yang Jeong forced a hearty laugh.
"I was helping Big Brother with his work and walked straight into a pillar, that's all."
In truth, that bruise was the mark of a beating he'd taken last night when he'd been caught trying to steal liquor in secret. But he could never, ever tell Baek Ha-young that.
She wore a worried expression.
"You really must be more careful........."
Jiang Zhou watched the scene through the big hole in the kitchen wall.
Aigoo....
"Clueless brat."
*
By the time Baek Ha-young had emptied her bowl down to the last drop of broth, Baek Won-young rose from his seat.
"Thank you for saving my life."
As he bowed, Baek Ha-young quickly rose from her seat and bowed as well.
"Thank you, Young Hero Yang."
The sight of Yang Jeong standing firm as he blocked her path was still vivid in her eyes.
Haha.......
"Not at all. I only did what had to be done."
Yang Jeong received their thanks with a gentle smile.
"Please think nothing of it."
Jiang Zhou, too, brushed off their gratitude as if it were nothing.
Baek Won-young straightened his back and spoke in a calm voice.
"The truth is, my father has asked Young Hero Yang to come to him. He intends to honor the merit you earned the other day with great ceremony."
Baek Ha-young gazed at Yang Jeong proudly, but Yang Jeong was secretly flustered.
"Why......... me, and not Big Brother..........?"
At those words, Baek Won-young looked uncomfortable.
"My father actually wished to honor you both, but he judged that Young Hero Yang's contribution was the greater. I'm sorry, Brother Jiang."
How many people in this world could drive back an enemy with words alone? And yet this man named Jiang Zhou had done exactly that. What remained unclear was why that ferociously powerful female master had never pressed the attack. Had she pushed forward, they would not have held out for long. But she had only radiated killing intent without ever managing to step inside.
Baek Won-young rated Jiang Zhou even higher than Yang Jeong.
"I don't mind at all."
Fame was worth nothing to him. The only thing that mildly interested him was his standing in the jianghu.
My martial arts don't seem to be all that weak.
At Jiang Zhou's reply, Baek Won-young bowed his head once more.
"I truly apologize."
Yang Jeong asked with an awkward smile.
"Then when should I come?"
"Come to the Murim Alliance tomorrow at the hour of the snake. The Alliance's warriors will be assembled, and the honor will be bestowed before them all."
"U-understood."
Even as he answered, Yang Jeong felt uneasy inside.
Rising fame would only be trouble.........
His wish in life was simply to eat well, live well, and be left in peace. But if his name grew renowned throughout the jianghu, he might well find himself dragged into affairs that demanded blood be spilled.
Just as he was quietly worrying, Jiang Zhou spoke up.
"After the bloody battle at the Murim Alliance ended, a man carrying a long spear came here. He called himself Cheolgoe, and he left word that he was heading to the Demonic Cult."
Baek Won-young and Baek Ha-young went pale with shock.
"A man carrying a long spear, you say?"
"Yes. He dined here and then departed."
At Jiang Zhou's answer, Baek Won-young hastily turned on his heel.
A man with a long spear. Everything had begun with that man. After he had come and gone, countless enemies had poured in, and countless Murim Alliance warriors had lost their lives.
"I must report this to my father at once."
"Hurry, Brother. I'll come again soon, Young Hero Yang."
With their farewells finished, the siblings hurried away.
Once the two were gone, Yang Jeong tilted his head.
"After the bloody battle at the Alliance, someone like that came here, Big Brother? Why didn't I know anything about it?"
Jiang Zhou glared at him and answered.
"Because at that moment, you were busy running for your life."
Ah............
Yang Jeong nodded, finally understanding.
"Right. That's how it was."
*
"So this man Cheolgoe left word that he was heading to the Demonic Cult?"
"Yes. He dined at the inn and left those words behind, so it's said."
Hmm...
"I see. You may go."
After dismissing Baek Won-young, Baek Mun-do hastily took up his brush.
It may already be too late.
Scratch... scratch...
He wrote in one unbroken flow. The Blood Cult was an enemy not only to the Murim Alliance but to the Demonic Cult as well—and an enemy among enemies, so formidable that only by joining forces could either hope to repel it.
"Yeong So, are you there...?"
At his raised voice, a man in his mid-thirties entered the room.
"You called for me, Alliance Leader?"
Baek Mun-do slipped the letter into an envelope and handed it over.
"Run to the Demonic Cult without rest, day or night, and deliver this."
"By your command."
Taking the envelope, the man hurriedly left the room. Baek Mun-do watched him go with anxious eyes.
Please, let it not be too late.