The Weight of Blood and Steel
Cheonhwa listened to the conversation between his maternal grandfather and uncle as he left with Cheon-sang, and he finally understood just how desperately they had been holding the family together all this time.
“Have you learned martial arts?”
Yi Cheon-sang asked after noticing the two swords hanging at Cheonhwa’s waist.
“I learned a little, but I only carry them for self-defense.”
At those words, Cheon-sang’s face showed clear disappointment.
Considering that Cheonhwa’s parents had once been among the top ten strongest in the entire Murim, Cheon-sang’s disappointment was perhaps even greater.
“Why do you ask about martial arts?”
“If our merchant group had someone strong in martial arts, the Untae Mountain Bandits, rival merchant groups, mountain outlaws, and water bandits wouldn’t dare look down on us so easily. Just like when Aunt was still with us.”
“Then you should learn it. Didn’t you say So-ryong and Jin-hwa are training at the Wulin Alliance?”
“It seems I have no talent for martial arts. I tried, but it didn’t go well.”
“There’s no such thing as that. There is no task that cannot be accomplished through effort. If effort doesn’t work, then the one who taught you simply taught poorly.”
Cheon-sang let out a small chuckle at Cheonhwa’s words.
“The person who taught me martial arts was Byeoksando Chunsa-pyeong.”
“Who is that?”
“He’s quite a famous martial artist here in Jiangsu Province. He even opened his own martial hall and teaches many students. The number of disciples he has is enormous.”
At the mention of opening a martial hall, Cheonhwa gave a small, wry smile.
“Is that person stronger than Elder Yong-deok?”
“Elder Yong-deok? You mean Grandpa?”
“Yes.”
“Grandpa doesn’t know martial arts. And Byeoksando Chunsa-pyeong is an incredibly powerful martial artist, I tell you.”
Perhaps Uncle never intended to raise Cheon-sang as a martial artist in the first place?
If the family had once grown large enough to rank among the Ten Great Merchant Groups, it was only natural they would have formed connections with renowned martial artists of the Murim. Or perhaps, because Cheon-sang had shown no talent for martial arts from a young age, they had decided to groom him as the future head of the merchant group instead.
The fact that So-ryong and Jin-hwa are training at the Wulin Alliance might mean Cheon-sang truly lacks talent for martial arts.
Cheonhwa rose from his seat.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to look around Taihu. I’ve never been there before.”
“I see. Shall I go with you?”
“No, you just got back from a trade journey. Rest well today. I’ll head out on my own.”
Leaving those words behind, Cheonhwa stepped out of the residence and scanned his surroundings.
“Once the rumors spread, someone will surely come to check.”
After confirming no one was around, Cheonhwa kicked off the ground, leapt into the air, and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Late that night, thick darkness had swallowed Untae Mountain so completely that nothing could be seen in any direction. The sound of footsteps crunching on fallen leaves broke the heavy silence.
The steps were neither hurried nor slow—perfectly measured and rhythmic enough to make even the person walking yawn from sheer monotony.
The footsteps seemed to be heading toward a faint light flickering halfway up the mountain.
“Hahahahaha!”
As the owner of the footsteps drew closer to the light, boisterous laughter reached his ears.
The person walking gave a cold sneer at the sound.
“Father always said that living only as a good person will never work in this world, and it seems he was exactly right.”
The owner of those footsteps was none other than Cheonhwa.
The source of the light was Untae Mountain Fortress, one of the Twenty-Four Green Forest strongholds belonging to the Unorthodox Path.
The bandits of Untae Mountain Fortress had stolen goods from the Haedong Merchant Group, sold them for a fortune, and were now in high spirits throwing a grand feast.
“Haha, did you see how terrified those bastards looked?”
“Exactly. The eldest son of the group leader even pissed himself, didn’t he?”
They were mocking Yi Ja-saeng, the leader of the Haedong Merchant Group, and his son Yi Cheon-sang, turning their humiliation into entertainment as they laughed and chattered.
“So that’s how it was.”
Cheonhwa had somehow already slipped past their defenses and was now casually mingling among them, joining the conversation as if he belonged there.
“Huh? I’ve never seen this kid before. Are you a new recruit? If you’re new, then act like it and show us some entertainment.”
“Hahahaha!”
Cheonhwa gave a small smile at the bandit’s words, stepped into the center of the group, and drew the sword from his waist.
“Looks like you’ve seen a thing or two. Fine. If you dance the sword well, I’ll give your ass a good spanking tonight.”
Cheonhwa narrowed his eyes slightly and slowly moved his sword. In that instant, his entire aura changed.
A pitch-black, ferocious energy rose from his entire body like an Asura ruling over the deepest abyss.
That energy swept over the laughing bandits. Before they could even speak about the sudden change in atmosphere, an indescribable terror took root deep in their hearts.
“Huk!”
Cheonhwa’s sword sliced through the air toward the gathered bandits, but they could only stare blankly at the blade approaching them.
“Huk!”
When a fountain of blood erupted from the body of the bandit who had told him to show off his skills, the others nearby gasped in shock, but their bodies refused to obey them.
They knew they would die if they didn’t run, yet the terror planted in their minds kept them frozen in place, unable to take even a single step.
Cheonhwa swung his sword at them without the slightest hesitation.
Untae Mountain Fortress was dyed in blood in an instant. The bandits collapsed, spraying blood everywhere, without managing even a single attempt at resistance.
“You… who the hell are you to do this to us…?”
One surviving bandit asked Cheonhwa.
“Why? You people torment and kill the weak too, don’t you? So you’re not allowed to suffer at the hands of the strong?”
The bandit looked at him as if he were spouting nonsense, but Cheonhwa answered with another question.
“Are you the leader of this place?”
“That’s right.”
Cheonhwa smiled brightly at the answer.
“I thought someone who had learned a bit of martial arts might be in charge, and it turns out it’s you.”
Cheonhwa sheathed his sword, then threw a fist straight at the leader’s face.
“Keuuugh!”
From that moment on, Cheonhwa began brutally beating him without mercy.
The leader was pummeled by Cheonhwa without even understanding why. The pain was beyond description. After beating him for about an hour, Cheonhwa asked,
“Where are the goods you took from the Haedong Merchant Group?”
“The Jiangsu Merchant Group bought them all at a dirt-cheap price.”
The leader answered Cheonhwa’s question almost involuntarily.
Cheonhwa beat him again. This time a scream burst from the leader’s mouth.
“Shut up. I’ll rip your mouth apart.”
The current Cheonhwa looked no different from a vicious demon wandering the nine heavens.
Under Cheonhwa’s coercion, the leader clenched his teeth and endured the onslaught of pain.
“What about the bandits who left the mountain?”
“There are none.”
“The Jiangsu Merchant Group came and bought the goods?”
“Yes.”
When the leader answered obediently, Cheonhwa’s fists finally stopped.
“If they handed the goods over to the Jiangsu Merchant Group, it means the Jiangsu group was behind this from the beginning.”
He didn’t answer, but his expression confirmed that they had acted on someone’s orders.
Slap!
A powerful slap across the cheek sent the leader’s head snapping to the side. All his teeth shattered and spilled from his mouth.
“P-please spare me…”
“I was told that the price of a life is another life. So don’t feel too wronged.”
“We are part of the Green Forest…”
“So what? The weak get trampled. That’s what you people always say. Weren’t you the ones laughing and humiliating the Haedong Merchant Group?”
He couldn’t answer. He could only beg for mercy, but Cheonhwa left an indelible mark on his chest.
“Kuuuuurgh!”
The leader coughed up blood, glared at Cheonhwa, then collapsed forward.
In less than half an hour, one of the Twenty-Four Green Forest strongholds—Untae Mountain Fortress—had been completely wiped out by Cheonhwa’s hand.
Through Untae Mountain Fortress, Cheonhwa confirmed that the Unorthodox Path had not changed much in the twenty-five years since his parents’ time.
“Uncle will need a lot of money.”
Cheonhwa took a deep breath, then walked with the familiarity of someone who had visited many times before, heading into one of the mountain fortress barracks.
It was the next morning when Cheonhwa finally returned to the main house of the Haedong Merchant Group. On his back was a large bundle that had not been there when he left.
“You didn’t return last night, so I was worried.”
“I’m not a three-year-old child. Have Grandfather and Grandmother woken up yet?”
“They have.”
“I see. And what about Arin?”
“He should be up by now.”
“Good. Don’t go easy on him just because he’s young. Make sure he works enough to at least earn his meals.”
“Hehe, understood.”
“Ah, Cheon-sang mentioned that the martial artist named Byeoksando Chunsa-pyeong is quite strong?”
“He is a Profound-rank expert. Though only of the lower tier.”
“Then why did you entrust Cheon-sang to someone like that?”
“Young Master Cheon-sang has had a weak body since childhood. I was told he doesn’t have the constitution for practicing martial arts. And rather than talent for martial arts, his talent for calculation is far superior…”
Cheonhwa was able to learn quite a bit about Cheon-sang from Yong-deok.
“Being quick with calculations means he has a good head on his shoulders.”
“Indeed. He was also excellent in academics, so we tried to make him a government official, but I understand Young Master Cheon-sang refused.”
“That’s strange. If he has a good head, he should learn martial arts quickly as well…”
“Pardon?”
“Father always said that smart people are good at fighting too. I’ll go greet Grandfather and Grandmother now.”
“Please do.”
Cheonhwa went to the inner courtyard and offered a morning greeting in front of the room where his grandparents stayed.
“Grandfather, Grandmother, it is Cheonhwa.”
“Come in.”
When Cheonhwa opened the door and entered, the two elders were already seated.
“I heard you didn’t return last night?”
“There was an urgent matter I had to handle, so I couldn’t return.”
“An urgent matter?”
Cheonhwa did not answer about the matter, and Yi Sang-woo did not press him further.
“Cheonhwa, when living within a group, there are laws and rules that must be followed.”
Yi Sang-woo, thinking Cheonhwa must have wandered around out of curiosity after living on the island, gently admonished him.
“If you tell us where you’re going before you leave, the family won’t worry. So next time, even if you don’t tell others, make sure to tell your grandmother before you go.”
“I will do so.”
“You must be tired. Go and rest.”
After bowing, Cheonhwa returned to the room that had once belonged to his mother.
Once inside, he untied the bundle from his back and spread it open on the central table.
The bundle was filled with a great deal of money and jewels—everything he had taken from Untae Mountain Fortress.
“If I give this to Grandfather, he’ll suspect something. There’s no need to hide it, but there’s also no need to announce it. This seems like the best way to handle it…”
Cheonhwa took a small amount of gold, silver, and iron coins and tucked them into his robes. Then he opened the door of the wooden cabinet on one side of the room and placed the entire bundle inside.
“Instead of stirring things up recklessly, I should destroy them one by one.”
Though he lacked real-world experience, he had absorbed a vast amount of knowledge and wisdom from his parents.
The wisdom born from that knowledge and experience might still be lacking, but his ability to understand and think with his head was no different from anyone else’s.
“I should ask Elder Yong-deok a few things.”
Cheonhwa left the room. He approached Yong-deok, who was sweeping the courtyard, and asked,
“Is there a place called Haomun in Jiangsu Province as well?”
At the sudden question, Yong-deok looked at him with eyes that seemed to ask why he wanted to know.
“There are just a few things I want to find out.”
“I can tell you if you’d like.”
“Elder Yong-deok, you have household duties to attend to. If you tell me, I’ll look into what I need myself.”
Yong-deok nodded and began to speak.
“There are three Haomun branches in Jiangsu Province.”
“That many?”
“If you include the smaller outposts, there would be even more. As far as the public knows, there is one in the provincial capital of Nanjing, one at Hongze Lake, and one right here in Taihu.”
“Do you not know the names of those branches?”
“That much I cannot know. However, there is a rumor that the courtesan house called Sang-a-ru located in Taihu is one of their branches.”
Cheonhwa nodded.
To survive in the Murim, one must not only master martial arts but also understand the techniques of the Left Path factions. I had a younger brother named Mu-yeong who became close with me after I left the Murim.
Cheonhwa recalled the words his mother had once told him.
The techniques of the Left Path factions are said to be best handled by Haomun. If nothing special has happened, Mu-yeong should be the leader of Haomun by now. He will surely be of help to you, so go to a Haomun branch and draw this pattern on the table. Someone will recognize it.
Cheonhwa pictured the pattern his mother had taught him in his mind and smiled brightly.
“Courtesan houses open at night, right?”
“That’s true, but… visiting a place like that is a bit…”