The Departure from Mungnyeong Island
A middle-aged couple stood gazing at the sun rising over the horizon in the early morning. The woman rested her head on the man's shoulder, their eyes fixed on a small boat floating on the sea.
Aboard the boat, a youthful man was fishing, his face filled with boredom.
"We can't keep Cheonhwa trapped here forever."
"But..."
"It's been twenty-five years since we came to this place. They must think we're dead and have forgotten us by now."
"Do you really believe that?"
"I do."
"Others might, but our sect would never forget us."
The man fell silent at her words. He knew it too—those who had placed such high hopes in their growth could never truly forget.
"Still, I have no regrets, Hwarin. Meeting you brought me a happiness and satisfaction I'd never known before. Even standing here with you now fills me with joy."
A faint blush rose on the middle-aged woman's cheeks at his words.
"I feel the same. Being with you is what I love most."
"Though we've committed a grave sin against our sect, once we chose to leave the murim behind, it was only right to turn our backs on that world."
"Then why send Cheonhwa...?"
"Cheonhwa still has much to learn. Experiencing the wider world will be a great education for him."
The woman understood this truth, yet as a parent, the thought of sending their only son alone into the world filled her with worry. She couldn't bring herself to decide easily.
"Don't worry. Cheonhwa was born with the Heavenly Spiritual Body and has already reached the Primordial Spirit realm. In terms of martial arts alone, he's already surpassed us. He won't go around getting beaten."
Yet concern still lingered in the woman's eyes.
"Not only that, but he knows our martial arts as well as those of the great sects to some degree. He won't face major difficulties even if he ventures out into the world."
"The murim isn't a place where martial arts alone suffice."
The murim was a world ruled by schemes and intrigue. Countless matters couldn't be resolved by martial prowess alone. Even the strongest could be killed in countless ways, and those who relied solely on their strength often met their end without a trace.
"Even so, we can't teach him everything. He needs to go out and learn for himself."
"His personality is a problem too."
This was what worried her most.
"That will naturally improve as he interacts with people. If he stays here with us, it might never change."
The woman nodded. She couldn't keep him sheltered forever. The man's words were right.
"Lately, Cheonhwa seems lonely. He's been speaking less. Even if he tries to hide it, I can see it—and so can you."
At sixteen, it was only natural.
"Cheonhwa has achieved the Heavenly Spiritual Body and opened the Heavenly Gate. He'll absorb everything quickly. Let's send him off and see what news comes back."
After gazing at him with worried eyes for a long while, the woman finally nodded.
"I understand. I'll follow your wishes."
The man wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"Don't worry too much. Cheonhwa is clever. He'll do well."
A man sailed across the rough seas in a small boat. Even as waves threatened to swallow the vessel whole, his face remained serene. This was his first journey to the Central Plains, and excitement filled him. A smile played on his lips.
—You've grown enough. It's time for you to head to the Central Plains.
The man's name was Cheonhwa, taken one character each from his parents' names.
—You'll see many kinds of lives there. It's no easy place.
Cheonhwa recalled his father's words.
—The Central Plains is a world where all manner of people live. The Imperial Palace, the scholarly circles, the merchant world, the murim...
—Your mother and I once lived in that murim, that jianghu.
Cheonhwa looked down at his hands. The martial arts his parents had taught him were vast—he couldn't remember every name—but his body had absorbed them through relentless training. He had reached a level where further physical cultivation was unnecessary.
Born and raised on an island with only his parents, Cheonhwa's days had consisted solely of martial training and studying under them. Though he looked no older than thirteen or fourteen at a glance, he was actually sixteen.
His mind brimmed with knowledge of the murim's sects, as extensive as the martial arts stored in his body. Though this knowledge was twenty-five years old and the world had surely changed, one thing remained certain: the fundamental nature of the murim had not.
Cheonhwa had achieved remarkable mastery in both martial arts and scholarship. What he lacked was worldly experience—the practical wisdom of how to wield what he knew.
—And when you reach the Central Plains, you'll need to temper your personality somewhat.
Cheonhwa's personality wasn't split, but it occasionally revealed a chilling edge. This had developed from training martial arts since childhood. Though his father had beaten it out of him repeatedly, it had softened considerably.
As the rough waves approached his boat, they suddenly calmed, as if by magic.
—If you ever need help, go to the Haedong Merchant Group in Suzhou and show them this.
Cheonhwa touched the necklace his mother had placed around his neck. His father had never spoken of his own family, but his mother had revealed that her side ran a merchant group.
Perhaps this difference reflected how parents expressed their worries and concerns for their child.
"I wish Father had told me about his family too."
—Your mother and I committed a grave sin against our sect. If you reveal our names to the murim, it will bring you great trouble. So avoid mentioning us if you can.
Though his father had said this, Cheonhwa thought differently. Whether they had sinned or not, his parents were worthy of respect to him. He felt no shame in them and had no intention of hiding their names out of fear of the world.
—There is always responsibility that comes with using power. Think carefully before you wield what you have.
—You told me to cut down my enemies without mercy.
—The murim isn't your enemy, is it? So don't go around beating people with that innocent face. Live quietly among them.
His father had always worried about him, yet Cheonhwa knew he trusted him deeply. That knowledge made him feel secure.
Lying in the old, small boat and staring at the sky, Cheonhwa wondered what awaited him in the Central Plains. As various thoughts crossed his mind, a bright smile spread across his face. He murmured softly.
"Still, I should visit my maternal grandparents first."
His mother had told him to seek their help if needed, but Cheonhwa had no such intention.
"They may see themselves as sinners, but I believe they made a great decision—one that saved many lives. I don't see them as sinners at all."
The faces of his parents appeared in the clouds above.
"That's why I'll always respect them. I'm proud that they're my parents."
The old, small boat reached Gangyin, a port city in Jiangsu Province. Cheonhwa anchored it a short distance from the harbor and disembarked.
The harbor bustled with people from early morning. The morning market was open, drawing crowds seeking fresh fish and seafood.
"Come here! Caught fresh this dawn—still alive and kicking!"
Among the crowd were innkeepers and merchants. The sound of haggling over fish and seafood filled the air as Cheonhwa paused to watch. It was nothing like the mornings on Mungnyeong Island, where only he and his parents had lived.
Of course, an island with just three people couldn't compare to the Central Plains, where lives intertwined.
"It's noisy, but there's a kind of order to it. It's pleasant to watch."
Smiling at the lively morning scene, Cheonhwa began walking. As he followed the road, people glanced at him curiously. He looked too beautiful to be a man, yet his physique clearly marked him as male.
"How can a man be that pretty?"
One woman spoke, and her companion quickly warned her.
"Don't you see the swords at his waist? Two of them. Watch your words around murim people, or you might end up like this."
The woman made a slicing motion across her own neck.
"Surely not."
"That 'surely' gets people killed, you fool."
They thought Cheonhwa couldn't hear, but he caught every word.
"He looks young, though."
"Even if he looks young, a murim person is still a murim person. Be careful if you don't want trouble."
'Father always said I took after Mother. So this is what he meant.'
Being called pretty could be an insult to a man, but Cheonhwa didn't mind.
"He really is handsome... well, pretty. Compared to that bandit husband of mine, ugh..."
Cheonhwa chuckled at the woman's sigh.
'At least one thing's clear—I really am pretty.'
Spotting an inn along the road, Cheonhwa stepped inside.
"Welcome."
A waiter guided him to a seat.
"I'm sorry. I've lived on an island all my life and just arrived in the Central Plains, so..."
The waiter studied Cheonhwa. Pretty features, sun-bronzed skin, two swords at his waist. He concluded this was a young murim wanderer who had trained in isolation and was now venturing out for the first time.
"What do you need?"
"How much for a simple breakfast?"
The waiter paused, then realized the young man might have entered the martial world so young that he truly didn't know. He fetched the menu posted on the wall.
"If you just want something light, look here. If you want a proper meal, check this side. Most people keep breakfast simple."
"Ah, thank you."
Cheonhwa scanned the names and prices, then ordered seafood noodles and a single dumpling.
"Please wait a moment."
As the waiter left, Cheonhwa took out payment from his robe and pressed it firmly into the table. Then he smiled, gazing out at the open view beyond.
Even in the early morning, the inn was busy with customers coming and going, filling their stomachs quickly.
The waiter returned with the food.
"Quite a few customers even this early."
"It's always like this."
"By the way, may I ask something?"
"Go ahead."
"Could you tell me about the Haedong Merchant Group?"
"The Haedong Merchant Group?"
"Yes. I heard it's in Suzhou, Jiangsu."
"I know it well. It used to be one of the top ten merchant groups in the Central Plains, but it's been struggling lately."
"Is that so?"
Cheonhwa listened as the waiter explained.
"It once held such power it could rival the greatest groups. But twenty-five years ago, after the great duel between Lady Hwarin, the Wulin Alliance's great princess, and Cheonwoo, the Demonic Cult's great prince, both sides suffered devastating losses. Their influence plummeted afterward."
Cheonhwa listened in silence.
"At the time, with the orthodox and unorthodox factions already clashing, the Demonic Cult's involvement nearly dragged the entire murim into chaos."
"I see."
Cheonhwa knew the truth but said nothing.
"From the Demonic Cult and Wulin Alliance's perspective, those two's sacrifice became poison—it gave the unorthodox faction an opening to rise. So neither side thinks kindly of them."
"So the unorthodox faction is dominant now."
"That's the current state of the murim."
"Then why is the Haedong Merchant Group struggling?"
"When Lady Hwarin held the position of Chief Inspector in the Wulin Alliance, her reputation..."
Cheonhwa felt anger rising as he listened.
—A man must think many times before acting.
Cheonhwa suppressed the fury boiling within. Then, as if nothing had happened, he smiled brightly.
"Ah, so the Haedong Merchant Group was abandoned by the Wulin Alliance. They're blaming everything on Lady Hwarin and tormenting the group now."
"That's fair to say. But we common folk still believe Lady Hwarin and Sir Cheonwoo prevented a greater disaster."
"Really?"
"Yes. When a great war breaks out in the murim, the merchant world and ordinary people like us suffer terribly."
Cheonhwa nodded.
"We don't see the Haedong Merchant Group the way the murim does. It pains us to see them struggling."
"I understand. Thank you."
Cheonhwa organized the information in his mind as he ate slowly.
"It seems I shouldn't be seeking help from my grandparents—I should be offering it. Mother probably didn't anticipate things had gotten this bad."
He tried to think of ways to help using all the knowledge his parents had taught him, but no clear solution came to mind.
"This is because I lack worldly experience. If I could properly apply what I've learned from my parents and the books I've read, there must be a way."
For Cheonhwa, who had no experience of the world, this was a difficult problem.
"I should head to my maternal grandparents' house first."
After finishing his meal, Cheonhwa stood up. As he left, the waiter tried to pull the money from the table, but it wouldn't budge.
"What the—?!"
No matter how hard he pulled, it stayed stuck. He couldn't even call Cheonhwa back—he was already far away.
"I told him to eat more."
The innkeeper tried next, but the money remained immovable. And since the table itself wasn't worth more than the bill, they couldn't cut it out.
"Damn it... What kind of person pays like this?!"
The innkeeper shouted toward the street, but Cheonhwa had already vanished from sight.
Cheonhwa passed through Zhangjiagang on his way to Suzhou, arriving only late at night.
"Excuse me, could you give me directions?"
He asked a passerby how to reach the Haedong Merchant Group.
"Follow this road and ask someone else when you meet them."
"Ah, thank you."
Cheonhwa walked as instructed, asking directions from people along the way until he stood before the Haedong Merchant Group's main residence.
Night had already fallen, but darkness posed no obstacle to Cheonhwa.
The residence was grand enough to hint at its former glory. Walking the perimeter along the wall took considerable time. Yet it was weathered, with many spots needing repair.
One glance at the mansion revealed how far it had fallen from its past heights.
"They say it's struggling, yet they haven't sold it to rebuild."
Cheonhwa couldn't understand why they kept the mansion instead of selling it.
"It's late. Everyone must be asleep."
Cheonhwa decided it would be better to visit during the day. He turned away.
As he walked off, he muttered to himself.
"So the Wulin Alliance played a part in my maternal grandparents' hardship..."