Hao Mun, the Shadow Network Spanning the Jianghu
The Hao Mun was an intelligence organization found everywhere in the jianghu, its members drawn from society's lowest rungs: thieves, pickpockets, gamblers, courtesans, coachmen, errand boys, day laborers, and the like.
But these days, there was no single Hao Mun leader overseeing the entire martial world. It had devolved into mere loose alliances of regional branches.
Naturally, as time wore on, the value of information only grew.
Three hundred years ago, during the Great Orthodox-Unorthodox War, both sides had felt the full might of the Hao Mun's grip on intelligence. In response, the righteous and unorthodox factions alike stepped in to forcibly dismantle the unified organization.
Faced with annihilation if they refused, the Hao Mun leader swore an oath never to reunite under a single banner and restructured it into independent regional bodies.
The leader himself had realized it then: no one could monopolize the jianghu's secrets anymore. Doing so would turn the entire martial world against you.
Throughout the war, the major powers had pressured them relentlessly, twisting their information for their own ends. And it had only intensified as the conflict dragged on.
It was an unstoppable tide, not a mere choice.
Now, three centuries later, it had fully transformed into a federation where individual factions controlling specific cities or regions exchanged intel among themselves.
Even Yeon Dae-gwang, the branch head in Honam said to wield the strongest influence, directly managed only five or six major cities.
Mu Yun's gaze deepened.
Records of So-ryeo might still linger somewhere.
He needed details.
"So, Eun-ya Mun is long gone, then?"
"Wiped out ages ago."
A memory surfaced.
"Wasn't it in Ak-yang, Honam?"
"Huh? You even know that? Yeah, that's the place."
"Nothing left? Like the buildings?"
"That was so long ago—nothing but the plot remains. It's been a courtesan training house for years now."
A quiet sigh escaped him.
"Got it."
A sly grin crept onto Yeon Sa-gu's lips.
"Hey! Let's check it out sometime."
"Why?"
"Why? It's a massive courtesan academy! Girls flock there from all over, not just Honam. Heh heh heh!"
"Go yourself."
"It's near Dongjeong Lake. Killer views, and inside the training hall's cave, there are murals and a huge courtesan statue. Worth seeing. Supposedly ancient."
Mu Yun waved him off.
No reason to care now. He could visit later for nostalgia's sake.
"Fine. Sometime."
"Dude, who goes for the scenery? You know exactly what I mean."
"I said fine."
"When I head back home for business, I'm hitting it first. Gotta push Silver Moon Blue Night Sword to super peak somehow..."
A flicker of curiosity stirred in Mu Yun.
Yeon Sa-gu didn't carry a sword. Last time, he'd only used fists.
"A guy who learned swordsmanship walks around empty-handed?"
"What's there to use it on around here?"
"Me."
Yeon Sa-gu confessed bluntly.
"Ugh! At your level, it'd shatter anyway. Unlike some people, I lose interest if I keep breaking 'em."
Mu Yun's intrigued smile deepened by the moment.
He wanted to pass on even a trace of So-ryeo's legacy. Ice Jade Delicate Hand was tailored to her body, so it was surely lost—and even if preserved, the original form wouldn't survive.
That left only Silver Moon Blue Night Sword.
Pass it to this guy?
The prototype he'd crafted was definitely damaged. The detailed commentary he'd included would be gone too.
The more he thought, the higher his lips curved.
Teasing him would be fun, and we'd have plenty to laugh about together.
He'd already resolved to lay low for two or three years. Plenty of time to teach it all.
Mu Yun's sly smile gained a sharper edge.
Decision made.
"Oh! Lied about one thing earlier."
"Lie? What?"
"Silver Moon Blue Night Sword—didn't just hear about it."
"...Then?"
"Saw it."
"Saw what?"
"The Silver Moon Blue Night Sword commentary."
"What's that... You saw what?"
"My master had it. A copy matching the original, he said."
Yeon Sa-gu jolted like he'd been struck by lightning. His wide eyes and gaping mouth hung open for ages.
A loud gulp echoed from his trembling lips.
"You... what'd you just say? A copy matching the original?"
"Even a dummy like you could learn it in a year or so."
"...You read the contents?"
"Want me to recite?"
"...Do it!"
Moments later, Yeon Sa-gu's dazed, entranced gaze ignited fiercely.
No time to hide his gulping swallows.
"Where's the commentary?"
"In my head."
"...The copy?"
"Master took it."
"Where'd he go?"
"Into the mountains. Said he won't return to the world."
"...So only you know now?"
"Might not remember it all perfectly, though."
Yeon Sa-gu didn't bother hiding the murder in his eyes.
"You bastard! What do you want?"
Mu Yun turned back toward the headquarters.
"Gotta think about it. Need to squeeze two or three years out of you. Let's head in."
"...!"
That night's drinking stretched till dawn.
Of course, Yeon Sa-gu had never sobered up slower.
＊ ＊ ＊
Two years later, in Yeom-ryeong County, northeast of Chim-ju.
Midway up a mountain where the wind still bit cold.
A roaring elder's voice rode the gusts battering from all sides.
Whoooosh!
Martial Alliance Demon Subjugation Unit members gathered the corpses. Soon after, a quiet chant for rebirth in paradise echoed through the hills.
"Namu Amida Butsu, Tathagata Tathiyata, Amrita Vapi, Amrita Svaha, Amrita Vigarana, Amrita Vigaranda, Gamini Gagna, Kirtidare Svaha!"
As the chant ended, the unit's third leader—Shaolin's Jeong Won—let out a deep, sorrowful sigh.
"Alas... how shall we atone for such sins..."
Deputy leader Paeng Jong-ho's face hardened further.
"He's fully entered the mad demon stage now. Last time it was just lust."
Mad demons were divided into confused demons, whose minds flickered in and out, and true mad demons, utterly lost to insanity.
The target they pursued, Seok Sang-young, had clearly reached the latter.
Reason gone, madness alone remained.
Then Dang Seo-ha, who'd scouted the perimeter, rushed back.
Thud thud!
"Leader! The mad demon's definitely heading toward Chim-ju."
Jeong Won's face darkened.
Running blindly without reason—straight toward a city.
The largest in southern Honam, no less.
"That path?"
"Yes. Most southern routes lead there."
Paeng Jong-ho stepped forward.
"The forest is too dense; we might lose him. Better alert Chim-ju first."
"Wise. Send a messenger hawk."
"Understood. But birds of prey are thick here—might not make it. Shall we prepare alternatives?"
Conveniently, some members were traveling together en route home.
Jeong Won's eyes turned to the Bo-ta Mun and Dan-mok Clan groups.
"Fortunate you're here. Go ahead and warn them."
Jin Seo-yeon nodded after a moment's thought. She led the group: three from Bo-ta Mun, two Dan-mok swordsmen.
"Understood. We'll do it."
She wanted to stay and fight too, but someone had to go.
Couldn't split the well-synced third unit.
Jeong Won added a grandfatherly warning out of concern.
"Even before demonic arts, he was mid-peak. If you encounter him, don't push—find us. That's an order."
"We'll remember, Leader."
"Good. Hurry now."
Soon, the five took a shortcut toward Chim-ju.
Un-seon quietly asked her senior sister Jin Seo-yeon.
Privately, she called her "sis."
"Sis, after the sect, you'll return to the Demon Subjugation Unit?"
"Planning to."
Un-seon confided softly.
"Honestly, these past three years, you've taken all the dangerous jobs. Heavy injuries weren't once or twice. No need anymore, right? You're already a prime Sword Princess candidate."
Jin Seo-yeon's smile softened.
She treated her like a little sister—words from the heart.
But it was time to make it clear.
"You know I wavered between nun and warrior. The unit showed me: a warrior's path helps the world more. That's my choice."
"What about Sword Princess?"
Winning meant at least ten years at the Sword Pavilion.
"Not my road."
"...!"
Un-seon knew there was no more to say.
Besides, senior sister Seok Ryeo-ok was also a candidate. She couldn't take sides.
The five pressed on silently through the mountain path.
＊ ＊ ＊
The next day, at Cheong-ho Bang in Chim-ju.
Yeon Sa-gu, who'd rushed back, spoke up.
"Messenger from the north: mad demon's probably heading this way."
Ak Mu-gil's eyes widened.
No mad demons—or any demons—had appeared in Chim-ju yet.
Demons mostly stirred in the jianghu's northwest, near Sin-gang.
This far southeast corner heard only rumors.
Ignorance bred curiosity.
"How strong a mad demon?"
"Mid-peak this time. Trouble if he hits."
Ak Mu-gil glanced at Gong Ya-seong.
"What happens when a warrior that skilled turns mad demon?"
Just asking the skilled physician—Ak Mu-gil knew little of his background.
Gong Ya-seong knew the first question for demonic states.
"How'd he cultivate the demonic art?"
"Clan wiped out; learned it for revenge."
Gong Ya-seong's face stiffened.
"Self-taught to peak, madness in his bones? Truly dangerous."
"How bad?"
"Confused demon before full madness: hunger and lust dominate—no indiscriminate slaughter usually. But true madness leaves only rage. Kills anyone on sight, any way possible."
"Till death?"
"Varies by realm and circumstance, but usually after thirty or so kills, they rampage. Sometimes not."
"Rampage meaning?"
"Murder's humanity's worst act. Doing it endlessly without reason—rage peaks, reason flickers back briefly. Realize what you've done? Who could endure?"
"Whoa! Knowing your own deeds would drive anyone mad."
"Most rampage then. Blood vessels burst, death."
Ak Mu-gil had a sudden thought.
"So if they hit a kill count, all demons do that?"
"Said it varies."
"Damn! They can keep killing?"
"Won't stop till limit. Earlier was about batch kills."
Ak Mu-gil grimaced, misinterpreting.
"That's vague. Can't suppress by force, so wait till they rack up bodies? Hell!"
Gong Ya-seong smiled wryly.
"Happens more than you'd think."
"What? Bastards do that? Who? Orthodox demon hunters?"
"Not just them. Martial Alliance Demon Unit too. Sometimes steer toward remote villages unavoidably. 'Sacrifice few for many'—quietly, of course."
Mu Yun's narrowed eyes flicked to Yeon Sa-gu.
"North, you said?"
"Yeah, that's why I ran. Yeom-hyeung area—passes Eon-gwang on the way."
"Gotta check."
"Let's."
Gong Ya-seong interjected urgently.
He gauged Mu Yun's skill roughly, but caution demanded warning.
"If you meet him rampaging, retreat. No force stops it. Let vessels burst. Even if others hurt, stay back. Got it?"
"Got it."
Gong Ya-seong clicked his tongue.
He read intentions from expressions now.
"Kid! Not a curiosity trip!"
"Got it."
"Damn fool!"
Moments later.
Thud thud! Whoosh!
Yeon Sa-gu, flying toward Eon-gwang, spotted ahead and chuckled.
Ha! Bastard's already gone.
Not even half a gak since departure—no dust trail.
He prided himself on knowing Mu Yun's power best now.
Thanks to Silver Moon Blue Night Sword these two years, he'd been floored countless times.
But just now, another revelation: still holding back.
Yeon Sa-gu smirked.
Strip one layer, another hides beneath.
Five years! I'll peel it all. Promise!
Three years had stretched to five, months ago.