Chapter 172
Chapter 172
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: The Seeds of the Past
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My heart is pounding.
It feels like it's not just pounding like crazy, but about to burst.
What is Jin San about to say?
The incident from thirty years ago?
He knows about Hwang Byeong-chan's past and calls him a traitor… could it be about *him*?
But the more excitement bubbled up inside him, the colder his eyes became.
“Everyone… should step back.”
“Pardon?”
At Neung Un-bi’s words, Ju Seung and the Crescent Moon Squad tilted their heads in confusion, but they soon complied and withdrew.
“Yes, my lord. We will wait outside.”
“Master, I will also be outside.”
When even Ung Hyeon had left, only Neung Un-bi and Jin San remained.
“Hoo, I don’t know where to begin. Ah, right. I should probably explain about him first. Everything for us started with him.”
“…”
“Back then, an inescapable net was cast to catch one man.”
“…!”
For a moment, the corner of Neung Un-bi’s eye twitched minutely.
The man Jin San was speaking of—was it not himself, Cheok Wol-rin?
“I, and that friend of mine, the Sword Saint, met him several times.”
“…”
“Ah, I mentioned it before, didn’t I? The footwork Ung Hyeon learned.”
That was right. On the day they first met, Ung Hyeon had used the Three Nothings Footwork, and Jin San had said it was an imitation of his own.
“In truth, we crossed paths many times. Because of the countless assassinations he carried out… But he was different from other assassins.”
“How… was he different?”
“He never killed anyone without reason. To be more precise, he only killed those who deserved to die.”
“…”
“Because of that, I let him go several times. He had committed crimes, but I thought he was too valuable a man to kill…”
Memories from that time resurfaced one by one.
As Jin San said, his path had led him to Zhongnan, and he had met him on numerous occasions.
One was the pursuer, the other the fugitive, yet at the same time, Jin San, unlike others, had shown a slight sympathy for his ideals.
“The Sword Saint also tried to persuade him several times for that same reason.”
He could almost hear those endlessly tedious lectures again.
“Then, when we heard the news that he had been captured, the Sword Saint and I rushed to the Orthodox Murim Alliance.”
“…”
“It must have been a harsh interrogation, because when we arrived, his condition was difficult to look at.”
It was a recollection for Jin San, but for a moment, Neung Un-bi felt as if he could feel the pain of that time.
The branding iron searing his skin.
The salt sprinkled over his torn and cut wounds.
The nails torn from his fingers and toes.
“Even amidst that horrific pain, he never revealed a thing. Instead, he glared at those who tortured him and screamed at the top of his lungs.”
“…”
“And the incidents of that time were completely buried. But it was strange.”
“What was?”
“We knew of the crimes committed by the people he had killed.”
“…”
“We heard it from him, and we saw the evidence.”
It was true. To Jin San, the Sword Saint, and a few others, he had spoken as if in protest, explaining why the men he killed had to die.
“But for some reason, none of the dead men’s crimes were ever mentioned. That was what was strange. I tried to dig into it, but at a certain point, everything hit a dead end. As if someone had deliberately hidden it.”
As he listened to the story, Neung Un-bi had to repeatedly cool the heat that flared up within him.
“That’s when it started. When we began to take an interest in the affairs of the Orthodox Faction…”
“So, did you find anything?”
“We did. It was vile. The Five Great Families, the Nine Great Sects, even the smaller factions—there wasn't a single place that wasn't involved. Of course, our Zhongnan had its share too.”
“…”
“Those who had been operating in the shadows under the name of the Orthodox Murim Alliance and manipulating power were displeased with our actions. They accused us of not only suspecting our own comrades but trying to stab them in the back…”
“And so?”
“We were sanctioned. Both I and the Sword Saint were severely reprimanded by the sect elders.”
“…”
“That’s when I met the current Alliance Leader, and we decided to join his cause.”
“I see.”
“But our strength alone, as young men back then, was not enough. We needed more power, and we needed a faction to stand against them.”
“Is that why you made him the Alliance Leader?”
“That’s right. The Sword King said he would bear the burden of it all.”
“And then?”
“The Nine Dragons' Contest and the Tiger Guard.”
“Pardon?”
“Among those future pillars of Murim, we secretly recruited those who had no ties to our enemies.”
“Then the reason you’re raising disciples to send to the Nine Dragons' Contest is also…?”
“Correct. The martial artists who distinguish themselves in the Nine Dragons' Contest mostly go through the Tiger Guard. Then they return to their sects and grow into key figures in their clans. We needed to place people who shared our ideals there.”
“…By any chance, were Un Hak and Ung Hyeon supposed to take on that role this time?”
“That’s right. However, now Ung Hyeon will have to bear that burden alone.”
Ah, since Mount Hua had withdrawn…
“So that’s what happened.”
Neung Un-bi now understood most of what had transpired.
Thirty years ago, they hadn't possessed the kind of power these men had.
All they could do was cry out for what was right and execute hypocrites.
But now, the situation had changed. The goal they had sought to achieve had, with his death as the catalyst, sprouted and grown over thirty years.
He had only intended to keep a secret, but to think that his death had not been in vain filled his heart with a sense of pride.
*Are you watching?*
*Your efforts are finally bearing fruit now.*
*The Alliance Leader has stepped forward, and even the great Sword Saint and Jin San have joined the cause.*
*The seed that has sprouted now will surely grow into something immense.*
“Then, all the words and actions you’ve shown me until now were all a lie to test me.”
“My apologies. We needed to be sure.”
“I understand. But I am curious.”
“…?”
“Now that you know your enemy, why do you not fight them openly?”
“That is… unfortunately, because there is nothing to reveal.”
At Jin San’s words, Neung Un-bi tilted his head in confusion.
They were already aware of the problem.
The elders of the Orthodox Murim Alliance, the factions that supported them, and their followers.
“Didn’t I tell you? Everything disappeared… as if someone had hidden it. In such a situation, we couldn’t just condemn the elders for voicing opinions for the benefit of their sects.”
“Ah…”
An involuntary groan escaped Neung Un-bi’s lips.
That would be right.
When they framed and killed the man named Cheok Wol-rin, they must have buried everything that had been exposed. They would have become more cautious, more cunning.
“And at first, we thought it was just the elders. But there were others behind them. Beings so colossal that even the Alliance Leader’s name was not enough to oppose them… And they rarely show their true identities.”
“Hmm…”
“That is why the Alliance Leader asked you.”
“Pardon?”
“If we are to fight them in earnest, our strength cannot be divided.”
That was the very reason the Alliance Leader, despite being of the Orthodox Faction, had built connections with the Demonic Cult and the Unorthodox Faction.
So that he wouldn't have to waste strength on external forces and could focus all his power on fighting the enemy within.
“Also, we still lack a just cause.”
“In the end… it’s about a just cause?”
Neung Un-bi’s face contorted.
That thing the Orthodox Faction lived and died for.
That damn thing that prevented them from punishing someone even if they committed a crime right before their eyes, if there was no just cause for punishment.
But it couldn't be helped. That just cause was what moved the entire martial world.
If they acted without it, they too would end up being framed, no different from him.
“But why did you call Elder Hwang Byeong-chan a traitor?”
“Ah, that…”
Jin San’s expression hardened.
“To be honest, we are also greatly at fault regarding him.”
“Pardon?”
“Hwang Byeong-chan was a man who cried out for the Orthodox Faction to purify itself long before we came to our senses and took action.”
“…”
“But no one helped him.”
Neung Un-bi almost nodded without thinking. He, too, had known the Hwang Byeong-chan of that era.
Not just Hwang Byeong-chan; no one had been willing to help them.
“We didn't know back then. But after that incident thirty years ago, he returned to his hometown.”
“His hometown?”
“Yes, to the Hwang family in Hefei.”
“So, with Namgung Hak…?”
“Correct. Was it a few years ago? Elder Namgung recommended him.”
“…”
“I went to see him, and I observed him just as I observed you. But he had already changed. He had become Namgung Hak's mouthpiece.”
“I see.”
He could understand that part as well.
He must have witnessed his death, and they must have scoured the world to find any factions that sympathized with him.
To survive, he would have had to make a choice. In the end, he chose to break his will and turn traitor…
Neung Un-bi was about to finally voice the words he had been suppressing in his heart.
To ask if he knew anything about those connected to Hwang Byeong-chan…
He was just about to open his mouth, his heart trembling at the thought that *his* name might come up, when it happened.
“Oh my, was Elder Jin San here as well?”
“…?”
Hwang Byeong-chan had come to escort him.
There was still so much he hadn't asked…
“Oh! Elder Hwang? How long has it been?”
Erasing all traces of his previous demeanor, Jin San greeted Hwang Byeong-chan cheerfully.
“It’s been almost two years, hasn't it?”
“Has it been that long already? I’ve been too distant, haven’t I? I should have stopped by to see you from time to time.”
“You always say that.”
When Hwang Byeong-chan playfully narrowed his eyes, Jin San laughed and scratched his head vigorously.
“By the way, what brings you here?”
“Hm? Didn't you hear from the Third Young Master?”
“Hear? What? I just had breakfast with him.”
“Pardon?”
“Think about it, my friend. He’s a distinguished guest from the Demonic Cult. Do you think the meals served to us would be the same as his? The quality must be on a different level from the start.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“I used my friendship as an excuse to come here before dawn, hoping to get a meal.”
“Ah!”
“My stomach was aching all night. All because I was trying to save face and couldn’t attend the banquet.”
“Haha, is that so? If you had come, Elder Namgung would have been delighted.”
“He wouldn’t curse an old man for his foolishness?”
“What are you saying? We’re all growing old together… In fact, after the banquet, he was very disappointed that he didn't get to see you, Elder Jin San.”
“Really? Elder Namgung said that?”
“Of course. He’s always talking about the elders of the martial world, it’s practically a habit.”
“That’s a relief. It’s been so long since I stepped back from the front lines, I thought I’d be lucky not to be treated like an old man in the back room.”
“An old man in the back room? Don't be absurd. I’ll arrange a meeting for us sometime soon.”
“Oh! If you would, I’d be very grateful.”
Laughing heartily, Jin San clapped Hwang Byeong-chan on the shoulder, looking pleased.
How could a person change so drastically in an instant…
It seemed the saying that old ginger is the spiciest was true.
“Anyway, it looks like you’ve already had tea.”
“Indeed, we have… But what is this tea? Isn't the quality far too low compared to the meal?”
“That part, I failed to pay attention to…”
“My friend, how can the Orthodox Murim Alliance maintain its dignity in front of the Demonic Cult like this? We must treat them with the best of everything.”
“I will take your words to heart.”
“Oh, right, why did you come again?”
“Ah!”
Led astray by Jin San’s words, Hwang Byeong-chan finally snapped back to his senses.
He still hadn't answered the first question Jin San had asked.
“Starting today, I will be attending to Young Master Neung.”
“What? You, who are so busy, will do it personally?”
“Of course. Wouldn’t that be necessary to uphold the dignity of the Orthodox Murim Alliance?”
“What? Hah-hah! This fellow is using my own words against me. You got me there.”
Jin San burst into loud laughter and looked at Neung Un-bi.
“Well then, Young Master Neung, this old man will take his leave.”
“You’re leaving already?”
“I’ve had a good meal, that’s enough. I’ll be counting on you again tomorrow.”
“Yes. Please come anytime.”
Jin San bid farewell to Neung Un-bi and walked away with long strides.
As Neung Un-bi watched his retreating back, a hint of disappointment colored his eyes.
He should have asked about *him*…
But rushing things only leads to indigestion.
It would be better to take my time and find out slowly.