Rumors of the Blue Stream Sword Fragrance
The rumor that began in Tangshan spread across the entire martial world with startling speed. Even in the Central Plains, hundreds and thousands of li away, word of it arrived within a single day.
Originally, the subjects of the rumor had been Jeokbalgoein and the Wudang Sect’s Taiji Sword Immortal, Cheongyu Zhenren. Somehow, however, as the story traveled from mouth to mouth, the names of those involved shifted and transformed.
“Brother, are you in?”
Late that night, Namgung Seonwoo arrived at the office of the Law Enforcement Hall within the Namgung Family Residence.
“Come in.”
Namgung Hyeonwu received him as he stepped inside. A faint smile lingered at the corners of Seonwoo’s mouth, as if something had put him in excellent spirits.
“Come, sit.”
“What were you working on?”
Seonwoo glanced at the documents spread across the desk and asked.
“I was reviewing past judgments, making certain nothing was mishandled. But what brings you here at this hour? If you have time to spare, you ought to be circulating your energy.”
“I believe my internal energy has already reached its limit. It seems I have no further talent left to draw on.”
“Tsk. Listen to you. It sounds as if you want a scolding the way a certain someone always does.”
“Hyeonwu, do you know where our nephew is?”
“Don’t tell me Uncheon has caused some kind of trouble.”
“How can you speak so coldly, Brother? Do you truly believe Uncheon would go around making a mess of things?”
“Nothing that boy does would surprise me anymore. I doubt there is much left that could shock me more than his declaring he would become an assassin of the Yaweol Sect. Stop circling and say what you came to say.”
“Hahaha. He is eccentric, I’ll grant you that. I was speaking with Dongwoo at Biryu Hall when I happened to see a dispatch that had just arrived at the family.”
With a quiet rustle, Namgung Seonwoo held out the letter he had been carrying.
“Read it. You’ll find it entertaining.”
Namgung Hyeonwu shot him a sidelong look and began to read.
The contents were both absurd and unsettling. According to the dispatch, when the Wudang Sect’s Taiji Sword Immortal Cheongyu Zhenren and the Wudang Cloud Dragon Sword Yujin Daoist had been driven to the brink of death by a red-haired stranger of unknown identity, Cheongryu Geomhyang had appeared and brought the fighting to a halt.
Hyeonwu found the whole thing ridiculous. Uncheon had done nothing of the sort.
“What is this supposed to mean? What exactly is that boy said to have done?”
“This is what it means. Uncheon forced Jeokbalgoein — a man even Cheongyu Zhenren struggled against — to withdraw.”
“……Surely he simply arrived just as they were about to stop fighting.”
Hyeonwu felt a swell of pride, yet he could not shake the suspicion that the report was wrong.
“It is not false. The one who stopped the fight was Uncheon — that much is certain.”
“Good heavens…… But the boy was supposed to be at the Yaweol Sect. How did he end up all the way in Tangshan? What is he doing there?”
“If it is Tangshan, it must be because of the Cheonhwangdo Map, mustn’t it?”
“What? That reckless, dangerous business—!”
“Brother, the Yaweol Sect may have sent him. In any case, isn’t this latest rumor extraordinary?”
“Haah. Extraordinary is putting it too strongly. Nothing good comes of meddling needlessly in other people’s affairs……”
Hyeonwu had nothing left to say. The same boy who had claimed he would take commissions from the Yaweol Sect for two years had appeared in Tangshan hunting pieces of the Cheonhwangdo Map?
He said he would not take dangerous commissions…… I will have to find out what is going on.
“Seonwoo, is there a way to contact him?”
“We could send word through the Hao Sect, or — if we can afford a little delay — through Biryu Hall.”
“No need to waste money. We will go through Biryu Hall.”
Namgung Hyeonwu rose from his seat.
“Brother, are you going to Biryu Hall this very moment?”
“While the matter is still on our tongues, we might as well.”
“It is a little late, but very well.”
Hyeonwu left the office and set out for Biryu Hall with Seonwoo at his side.
“Brother, you must be pleased, at least a little. Our nephew is making a great name for himself across the martial world of the Central Plains.”
“Enough. He has not even passed his twentieth year. We should count ourselves fortunate if his reckless behavior does not bring needless harm upon the family.”
“I truly do not think that will happen. If anything, the renown of the great Namgung Family is only rising.”
“If you happen to meet him later, do not inflate his head with empty praise.”
“You could simply admit that you are glad, Brother.”
“Quiet. That is enough.”
It was good that Uncheon’s name was becoming known. Yet one worry remained: that the boy’s closer relatives in the direct line might come to resent him out of envy.
……Still. My son is making a name for himself in the martial world. That much feels good.
Walking half a step ahead, Namgung Hyeonwu allowed a brief smile to touch his lips.
Two figures sat across a table from each other.
Moyong San carefully studied the man opposite him. He knew who had entered with Uncheon. It was none other than Jeokbalgoein — the same red-haired warrior who had fought the Wudang Sect’s Taiji Sword Immortal Cheongyu Zhenren and reduced an entire guest house to rubble.
Everyone had agreed that if Uncheon had not appeared at that moment, the red-haired man would certainly have defeated both Wudang masters.
But why us……?
According to Uncheon, Mu-hong had returned to his own stronghold. That, at least, was an enormous relief. In that man’s presence, one could barely draw a proper breath.
Yet no sooner had Mu-hong departed than Cheongryu Geomhyang had reappeared — this time with Jeokbalgoein in tow. Watching them, Moyong San noted that Uncheon exchanged only a few short words with the spearman, nothing like the way he had been around Mu-hong. Moreover, the two of them had not left the inn for two full days, remaining shut inside.
Moyong San doubted whether the entire Beidou Unit could have defeated Jeokbalgoein even if they had thrown themselves at him together. Of course, there was no need to force the issue. Their only purpose was to find Moyong Jeok and recover what he had stolen.
A sharp whistle of wind cut the air. A subordinate of the Beidou Unit who had been outside strode in and approached Moyong San and Ghost. The three exchanged glances and nodded.
Moyong San carefully checked the far side of the room, but the other two paid them no attention at all; they merely gazed out the window while sipping tea.
Just as Moyong San and Ghost rose quietly from their seats, Uncheon’s gaze — watching from a distance — locked with Moyong San’s. He had no idea when the young man had turned his head, and the sudden meeting of eyes startled him.
“…Cheongryu Geomhyang. Was there something you wished to say?”
“Nothing. But where are you slipping off to in secret?”
“What do you mean? I was only trying not to disturb the two of you. Being cooped up inside this inn has grown stifling; I simply wanted a breath of air.”
“I see. By all means.”
Once Moyong San and Ghost had risen and gone out, Jeokbalgoein watched their retreating backs and spoke.
“Do you believe him? Something feels off.”
“Who can say? He did claim the inn was too close and stuffy.”
“You’re not that naive, are you?”
“They haven’t done anything yet. Until they try something underhanded, we ought to take them at their word.”
“Which means you don’t believe them.”
Jeokbalgoein watched through the window as the two figures moved with clear urgency.
“That is not the gait of men out for a stroll.”
“They look pressed for time.”
“Is our contract still in force?”
“It is. Just as we agreed — catch him and hand him over.”
“Good. I’m glad you haven’t changed your mind this late in the game.”
“You needn’t worry. I’ll see the commission through as thoroughly as I can.”
“Heh. Then we don’t even need to follow them ourselves? Looks as if several dozen people have already attached themselves to their trail.”
“So it does. Tangshan truly has no secrets. I’ll handle the shadowing alone. Stay here.”
“……”
“Could you even move unnoticed looking like that? Footwork arts and martial power are different things.”
“I’ll wait.”
Uncheon’s form vanished from before him without leaving a single trace.
There was no way to tell how he had moved. Not even a flicker of presence remained.
“Heh. What a monster. Completely different from before. If we ever truly clashed, I wonder whether I could even keep up……”
Uncheon had decided to name his new movement art Cho-un Shin-bop — the Beyond Cloud Step. It was a technique born from the fusion of the Namgung Family’s Cheonpung Shin-bop with the silent shadow principles of the Yaweol Sect’s Sal-ui-gong, tempered by Uncheon’s own will. The name itself was simple, yet creating a new martial art was no ordinary feat. Only after one had perfected form and intent, fully grasped the subtle applications and the art’s true principles, could a technique be said to have been properly founded.
For reasons he could not name, Uncheon had come to realize that his mind was growing sharper with time. Martial principles that once refused to yield now unfolded under his hands with ease.
The other shadows racing after Moyong San and Ghost soon lost the trail. Only Uncheon — whose senses far outstripped theirs, and who moved from a distance at which he could not be perceived — knew where the two were going.
Moyong San and Ghost entered a dilapidated shrine. The building was not large. A subordinate opened the door and came out to receive them.
“A martial artist of the Hebei Peng Family’s Byeokcheon Corps was escorting an old man out of the village. We followed and seized them.”
“What sort of old man?”
“We asked a neighbor. Years ago he worked in one of Tangshan’s coal mines. The place is abandoned now.”
“A coal mine…… I see.”
Moyong San understood at once why the old man was needed. The reason Moyong Jeok had vanished from Tangshan was that he had hidden himself inside a mine. If he was buried among the countless abandoned shafts, finding him would be no simple task.
“What did the Hebei Peng Family ask him?”
“He cannot speak.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“The Hebei Peng Family crippled him so that he could not talk.”
“They sealed his pressure points? At least we can still make out his voice, surely?”
“Even that……”
Moyong San clicked his tongue, though he understood. Had it been him, he would have imposed the same restraints to keep information from leaking — so long as he did not kill the man outright.
“Can he read?”
“He can neither write nor read, it seems.”
“Ha. No help for it. We’ll have to go with him to the place he pointed out to the Hebei Peng Family.”
Before that, Moyong San decided to try releasing the sealed points on the old man’s body.
“Guard the outside. Let no one enter.”
“Yes, sir.”
The subordinate left the shrine at once. Moyong San fixed the old man with a hard stare and gestured.
“Stay still.”
The old man watched Moyong San’s lips and nodded. He was terrified. The martial artists who had come so suddenly had asked about a certain mark that indicated one of the mine entrances. Before the mine was abandoned, many laborers had known that mark well; now, almost no one remained who truly understood it — no one but him.
As Moyong San examined the old man’s body, his face twisted.
“Damn it…… The points are completely shattered.”
In that instant—
KWAANG—!!
“Aaaagh!!”
“What was that?”
The main gate of the shrine exploded inward, and their subordinate’s scream tore through the air. Moyong San and Ghost rushed outside at once.
Through the shattered gateway, a figure in a black hat stepped into view and advanced toward them. Moyong San shouted at him.
“Who are you?!”
“Heh heh heh. Moyong San. What are you doing here? If you want to live, you’d best stay exactly where you are.”
Killing intent poured from the black-hatted man’s body in a sudden wave that crushed the air around them.
Who in the world is this man?
Moyong San had never seen or heard of him. The one small mercy was that, however strong he looked, he was alone.
If Ghost and I fight together, we can handle him.
This man’s power was not like Mu-hong’s. There was no absolute, irresistible strength that made resistance itself unthinkable.
“Unit Leader, we’ll have to deal with this one.”
“Understood.”
Ghost stepped forward beside Moyong San and drew up his internal energy. The heart method of the Moyong Family that he practiced was among the most spiritually refined of all arts — the Spirit Intent Nine Heavens Art.
“The one who will withdraw is not us. It is you.”
A clear, ringing note sang out. The Spirit Radiance Divine Sword in Ghost’s hand poured forth light.
The Moyong Family’s lightning-fast sword — said to be able to cut even thunder falling from the heavens — unfurled in a storm of white flashing sword energy that streaked toward the black-hatted man’s throat.
You made a mistake. Once I move first, there is no avoiding this!
Ghost was certain of victory. From the day he first drew the Spirit Radiance Divine Sword, he had never once failed to cut his target.
In the same breath, Moyong San’s twin blades followed. Crossing in midair, the twin swords generated a howling sword wind that tore toward the black-hatted man’s entire body, ready to shred him apart.
Then—
“Too slow.”
The black-hatted man’s voice reached them. Ghost’s eyes flew wide.
“You put your confidence in this?”
A piercing whistle of death rose from below. The Spirit Radiance Divine Sword, racing for the man’s neck, carved empty air instead.
I was late? No — he is faster than—!!
A crushing impact slammed into Ghost’s chest. Crimson energy bloomed and drove straight into his heart.
“Guhh……!!”
It felt as if his heart would burst. A single blow had inflicted catastrophic shock. In an instant the crimson energy flower spread through his entire heart.
He coughed blood. Moyong San rushed to his side and checked Ghost’s condition as the man spat crimson onto the ground.
“Ghost!”
“Khrrr……”
A red glow was spreading across his chest. Inside a ribcage turned entirely scarlet, his heart melted away, and his life ended.
Watching Ghost die so absurdly, Moyong San’s body trembled.
A man the Family Head poured his heart’s blood into raising……
Confronted with the black-hatted man’s overwhelming power, fear flooded through him. Something had gone terribly wrong. He had believed that with the Beidou Unit, they could go anywhere in the martial world without trouble. Now it felt as if they had awakened beings they had no hope of facing.
“What…… what do you want from us?”
“Tell me why you came here, and I will spare your life.”
“……We found an old man who knows where Moyong Jeok is hiding.”
“So he is inside, then.”
“Y-yes.”
The black-hatted man brushed past Moyong San and entered the shrine. He looked around carefully — yet the old man Moyong San had spoken of was nowhere to be seen.
He came back out and stopped in front of Moyong San, fixing him with a gaze that promised death.
“Are you playing games with me?”
“W-what do you mean?”
“Did you not say the old man was in the shrine?”
“What? H-he was clearly right there—!”
Moyong San rushed into the shrine with a shocked expression and searched every corner. The old man who had been there only moments before had vanished.
“H-he’s gone…… Where in the world……?”
Moyong San wore a look of pure panic as he glanced about for cues. Watching him, the black-hatted man realized the man was not lying.
If the old man who was here until a moment ago has disappeared, someone must have taken him. Who the hell slipped in and carried him off?
Even while fighting Ghost, he should have sensed anyone who appeared. Yet somehow, in that brief span of time, someone had entered the shrine without a whisper of presence and fled with the old man.
“There was someone with monstrous ability nearby. Damn it…… I had my eyes wide open and still got my nose cut off.”
Having felt no presence at all, there was no trail to follow.
“It is certain that Moyong Jeok is hiding in a mine, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Even without knowing the exact location, we can simply enter and search them one by one.”
He had no idea how many coal mines Tangshan actually held.
“That method is fine, but…… it will take far too long. Without knowing the locations, there is no telling how long it could drag on.”
“That many?”
“And if you force your way in carelessly and a mine collapses, you will never come out alive.”
The black-hatted man fell silent in thought. Alone, he could never search every mine. And if a shaft collapsed once he was inside, there would be no escape.
Even knowing he is hiding in a mine, I cannot enter carelessly. In that case…… I’ll place restraints on these people and put them to use.
He turned back to Moyong San.
“First we go to wherever you have been staying. Lead the way.”
“R-right now?”
“Is there a problem?”
“No. None.”
In that moment a useful idea struck Moyong San. At Yanghu Inn, Jeokbalgoein and Cheongryu Geomhyang were waiting.
Those two should be more than enough to handle this black-hatted man.
With the black-hatted figure following behind him, Moyong San set out on foot toward Yanghu Inn.