The Red-Haired Weirdo
Deep underground, in a cavern far below the earth.
One among the many mines of Tangshan.
After several days he had grown accustomed to the dark. Though the place seemed nothing but darkness, faint sunlight filtering through hairline cracks and the underground water that dripped steadily from the cave walls made living there less of a hardship than it might have been. Before entering the mine he had prepared enough provisions to last two months.
A soft rasp of movement.
In the blackness the man turned his wrist and studied the dark-hued bracelet that encircled it.
The Cheonhwangdo Map.
The very object Family Head Moyong Nam had secretly carried out of Baekcheonmun.
“I wanted to see Father’s face the moment he realized it was gone.”
He had stolen the thing his father prized above all else in the world.
“Hahahaha! Father! Did you ever imagine a day like this would come?”
Born the third son of Moyong Nam, he had been ignored all his life. Children meant nothing to Moyong Nam; the only person who mattered in the world was himself. Moyong Jeok, weak in martial arts, had been nothing more than a useless son. Even the retainers of the family had looked down on him for years. Through it all he had waited for the day he could repay his father in full.
Then someone who understood that festering resentment approached him. Patience, the stranger said, was the price of true revenge. And the deepest cut of all was to snatch away the treasure a man would not trade even for his own life.
The hand that reached out to him belonged to the Haebuk Paeng Family. They were a solid backer, more than capable of holding the Moyong Family at bay. What they wanted was the very object his father had smuggled out of Baekcheonmun. The Paeng men believed Moyong Nam was hiding it; Moyong Jeok decided first to watch and confirm whether his father truly possessed it.
Moyong Nam was a man who trusted no one—not even his own sons. Such a man would never leave something as vital as the Cheonhwangdo Map far from his sight. The answer was obvious: the private chambers inside the Family Head’s Hall.
Moyong Jeok watched for a long time. Nothing is perfect; a moment of carelessness always comes. And so it was—bitterness ending, sweetness arriving. Beneath the bed lay a hidden compartment. Guards ringed the hall so tightly not even an ant could slip through, yet Moyong Jeok waited again—for the day his father left the estate. When the chance finally came, he seized it.
He did not grow greedy. The map was in his hands, but it was never meant to stay there. He understood its worth and knew he could never protect it. He had no desire to die for foolish ambition.
“By now the Haebuk Paeng Family should be coming to find me…”
They had set no precise hour, yet if he simply waited inside the mine they would come. Curiosity gnawed at him, but for the present he had no intention of stepping outside. Provisions remained plentiful; he would rest easily and wait.
“They must have seen the mark I left. If they want this, they’ll come looking for me themselves.”
Moyong Jeok stretched out on the cave floor and closed his eyes.
A rush of air.
The sound of someone ascending the stairs at speed. Byeokcheon Hall Leader Paeng Shin appeared at once and seated himself before Paeng Hu.
“Brother, I have learned where he is hiding.”
“Well done.”
Though only the two of them occupied the floor, they still scanned their surroundings with habitual caution.
“Where?”
“The mark pointed to a mine.”
“A mine? Well, Tangshan is thick with mines even by Haebuk standards.”
“Yes. I learned the exact location from an old miner.”
“…”
“No need to worry, Brother. They will not find him for some time. I left Tangshan with my men.”
“As expected—Father had good reason to place his trust in you, little brother Shin.”
Paeng Shin leaned closer and dropped his voice to a whisper.
“The trouble is the sheer number of eyes around the Punghwa Guest House.”
“The moment we move, tails will stick to us no matter where we go, correct?”
“Most likely.”
Both men wore troubled looks. They needed a clean way to reach the mine where Moyong Jeok lay hidden.
“Brother, if we move at all, it must be under cover of a deserted night.”
“Indeed. Better to draw their gaze elsewhere first, then seize the opening.”
“Understood.”
Paeng Hu and Paeng Shin began to weigh methods of slipping the watchful eyes around them.
A man whose blood-red hair seemed almost to carry the scent of blood strode into the inn.
Every head turned and froze. The reason was singular: the inner energy pouring from his frame.
A surge of crimson light erupted; the red hair whipped upward on the force of it, flooding the hall with a pressure that stole the breath from every lung.
Jeokbalgoein—the Red-Haired Weirdo—rested the silver Moonlight Steel Soul-Suppressing Spear across one shoulder and swept the room with a casual glance.
Heh. I thought I caught an interesting scent… and look who is sitting here.
A thin smile curved his lips as he eyed the woman seated farthest inside. He walked toward her without haste.
“I never expected to run into you here. You’ve got quite the nerve.”
Killing intent gathered at the corners of his mouth.
Namgung Jinu rose at once and offered a formal fist-and-palm salute.
“I am Namgung Jinu, martial overseer of the Anhui Merchant Alliance. Kindly state your identity.”
“A man of the Namgung Family?”
Heavy sword intent rolled from Namgung Jinu’s body.
“That is correct, Great Hero.”
“Is the Namgung Family short of coin these days? Your skill is hardly low, yet here you are working for a merchant house.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know a certain fellow who has also taken a rather odd job.”
Namgung Jinu understood at once whom he meant.
“You know my nephew Uncheon. An honor to meet you.”
“Hmm. For that brat’s sake I would rather not injure you. Step aside for a moment. I have business with the pretty lady.”
“Understood.”
In earlier years he would have stood his ground. But his charge was to keep Yang Hui safe. Stepping aside did not mean abandoning her. He remembered Uncheon’s words on the road to Tangshan.
If it can be avoided, avoid it.
Jeokbalgoein regarded him with mild surprise. The man had not yielded from fear; he simply saw no reason to fight.
“Heh. The Namgung Family truly is different.”
He brushed past and stopped before Yang Hui. He had never seen her face, yet he knew exactly who she was.
“Wolhwami Yang Hui of the Anhui Merchant Alliance. The Juhong Hall Leader of the Sangcheon United Kingdom has come a long way.”
Yang Hui looked up with an untroubled smile.
“You know me well. May I ask where you hail from?”
“Heh heh. As if you don’t already know.”
“The Cheonha Merchant Coalition, then.”
“They said the Juhong Hall Leader was clever. Seems the rumor was true.”
From the fact that he knew her so precisely, Yang Hui drew one conclusion.
There is a spy inside our kingdom.
With a heavy thud Jeokbalgoein dropped the long spear from his shoulder onto the floorboards and fixed her with a hard stare.
“Merchants who don’t know their place shouldn’t go wandering about. This is no place for a woman like you. Best withdraw before you get badly hurt.”
Yang Hui’s pupils trembled. To one who knew nothing of martial arts, the man’s gaze alone was enough to set her body shaking with fear.
A soft, steady pressure rose.
One of the two Taoists seated with her—Taoist Yu Jin—raised his inner energy and blocked the oppressive force. The two masters the Sangcheon United Kingdom had requested were both of the Wudang Sect.
“Great Hero, you appear to be threatening Lady Yang. It would be wise to leave now.”
“Listen, big-nosed Taoist—keep sticking your neck out and it might get cut off.”
“…”
Taoist Yu Jin’s face hardened under the threat. The gale of sword-qi pouring from Jeokbalgoein pressed down like a mountain. Yu Jin raised his energy in answer. Wudang martial arts followed the principle of yielding without allowing invasion and the maxim that softness overcomes hardness. Rather than clash head-on with the crushing force, he guided it harmlessly aside.
Jeokbalgoein’s eyes widened, then curved into a smile.
“Not bad. You’ve got enough skill to interfere. Then again, a Wudang man ought to be at least this good if we’re going to have a proper fight.”
A shockwave exploded from Jeokbalgoein’s open palm.
Taoist Yu Jin traced twin circles with both hands; the yin-yang pattern of the Taiji manifested before him.
The rotating Taiji diagram caught and dispersed the palm force.
Jeokbalgoein gave a short, derisive laugh.
Wudang arts can’t be taken lightly either. Drop my guard and I’ll pay for it.
He poured more strength into his energy, climbing two full stages until it blazed at the eighth star. The entire inn shuddered as if it might collapse.
Zhenren Cheong Yu, still seated until now, rose and sought to calm the man.
“This humble Taoist is called Cheong Yu. Please restrain yourself a moment. If you fight here, innocent people will suffer, will they not?”
“Kwahahaha!!”
Jeokbalgoein threw back his head and roared with laughter.
“This is why the so-called righteous sects of the murim are two-faced. Since when have you lot ever thought about ordinary folk while you fight?”
“…”
“No answer? Nothing to say, then?”
He spun the Moonlight Steel Soul-Suppressing Spear overhead; a storm howled through the hall. Chaos erupted at once.
“Aaaagh!! The building’s coming down!!”
“Help!!”
People were hurled outside by the gale. Namgung Jinu stepped protectively in front of Yang Hui and barked an order.
“Shangmu Hall—guard the young lady and withdraw!”
“Yes, sir!!”
Dozens of Shangmu Hall martial artists formed layered rings around Yang Hui and rushed her out of the inn.
“Young lady, are you all right?”
“I—I’m fine.”
“And those two?”
Zhenren Cheong Yu and Taoist Yu Jin remained inside. Their indigo robes snapped violently in the wind. Cheong Yu’s gaze locked onto the spear in Jeokbalgoein’s hand.
Could it be…
Long ago the Absolute Window of the Murim had stood supreme. Yet, as the saying goes, no flower blooms for ten days; they too had vanished from the Central Plains.
“You… are of the Wolgang Spear Family?”
“Tsk. You saw it at a glance. Sharp eyes for a Wudang Taoist.”
A survivor of the Wolgang Spear Family—said to have been wiped out fifty years earlier—now stood among the ranks of the Cheonha Merchant Coalition. Cheong Yu glanced about, his expression troubled. Their opponent showed not the slightest intention of backing down.
“If we continue here the building will truly collapse. Shall we take this outside?”
“Why should I? I’m comfortable right where I am.”
He raised the long spear above his head and swept it lightly through empty air.
A blinding flash.
The force that erupted was immense. One entire side of the building sheared cleanly away and crashed down. The power was fully twice what they had felt moments before. Both Taoists tensed.
“Huuu… the inner energy is formidable.”
“Uncle-Master, that man is an extraordinary master.”
“Have I not always said the murim holds countless hidden dragons we know nothing of? We must give our utmost.”
“Yes, Uncle-Master!”
Zhenren Cheong Yu and Taoist Yu Jin flooded their swords with inner energy, bracing for the next assault.
“It’s finally boiling over.”
From a distance Baekri So heard the successive detonations and guessed someone had come to blows. Ever since the Blue Dragon Hall entered Tangshan they had been tracking the movements of the Big Dipper Hall and Byeokcheon Hall in search of Moyong Jeok. Sanggwan Gyeong burst through the door in urgency.
“Hall Leader, what’s happening?”
“Someone’s fighting.”
“Shall we take a look?”
Sanggwan Gyeong’s eyes glittered with curiosity.
“Hmm… no harm in seeing what it’s about.”
Baekri So and Sanggwan Gyeong raced toward the source of the clamor. As they neared the inn they reined in their movement arts and spotted Namgung Jinu standing among the crowd outside.
“Ah… Uncle Namgung?”
Since Baekri So and Uncheon had sworn brotherhood, Namgung Jinu had become his martial uncle. He hurried forward.
“Uncle Namgung! What happened?”
Namgung Jinu turned as the two approached through the throng.
“Some fellow suddenly attacked us.”
“For what reason?”
“He claims to be of the Cheonha Merchant Coalition.”
Cheonha Merchant Coalition… one of the Ten Great Merchant Houses of Sangcheon?
Baekri So could not make sense of it. They belonged to the same commercial world, after all.
…Then again, precisely because they share the same trade, the grudges may run deeper.
Another thunderous explosion rocked the inn; three figures burst out into the open. Sanggwan Gyeong recognized one of them at once.
“Hall Leader—that is Zhenren Cheong Yu of the Wudang Sect.”
“Zhenren Cheong Yu? The Taiji Sword Immortal himself?”
Baekri So’s gaze shifted to the red-haired man who was steadily driving the Wudang master back. He had never heard of a red-haired spearman who treated the long spear as a unique weapon.
The Cheonha Merchant Coalition has someone of this caliber?
The black-hatted man they had met on the road to Tangshan came to mind. The world was full of hidden powerhouses. How many more like these would appear in the days ahead?
Baekri So’s skin prickled under the weight of that raw force.
This feeling… is it fear?
Watching the Red-Haired Weirdo’s martial arts, he clenched his fists until the knuckles whitened.