The Hand in the Void
Nor did Noh Hyun-am utter a single word of submission until the very end.
Elder Lee Ha-jin knew this, yet he pretended not to notice. It was difficult to rebuke the man when Noh Hyun-am’s martial prowess clearly surpassed his own.
After that, the two men focused solely on their game of baduk.
In the match that lasted one full shichen—two hours—Noh Hyun-am won by five points.
Having lost both in martial arts and in baduk, Elder Lee Ha-jin left without so much as a backward glance.
He was simply no match for Noh Hyun-am in either.
Guannei Circuit.
Mun Mountain, Byeongmachong.
Dan Yeop trained late into the night, practicing the martial arts of the Six Gates along with Taeheo Muyeonggeom and Muaegeom.
He delved especially deep into the Six Gates techniques, piercing through every layer of their profound meaning. He did so with the thought that it might one day help the weaker ‘Dunce’ Dan Yeop.
After sweating profusely from practicing the Water Moon Divine Steps, he changed into his golden-threaded jade robe and lay down on the stone bed.
Yet the moment he tried to cultivate the Tae-eul-bon-won-yeon-seong-gyeol, a wave of fear crashed over him.
What if those hands choke my neck again?
Just thinking about those unidentified hands sent a chill down his spine. Being overpowered so one-sidedly felt like sleep paralysis—it was utterly terrifying.
Could it be some kind of ghost?
No matter how he thought about it, nothing else made sense.
If it had happened to the original Dunce Dan Yeop, he could understand. But for him—someone who had mastered the supreme arts of the ancient Taego Sect—to be helpless against it?
Even stretching the imagination a hundred times, such a thing should have been impossible.
If his master ever found out later, he would surely scold him for being a fool. Of course, since his master had already ascended to the heavenly realm, he would never learn of this incident.
I should learn some exorcism incantations when I have time. That way, if those hands appear again, I can drive them away.
The thought alone was satisfying, but the pleasant feeling didn’t last long. After all, he currently knew no such incantations.
“Ah, whatever. Let’s just try again. If I don’t die, I’ll just faint.”
He shouted bravely and slowly closed his eyes.
When the dantian is illuminated in stillness, the starry heavens are reflected within.
From the void, a flame arises and transforms into the divine lotus.
As he focused on the incantation, the stars turned into flames, which soon coalesced into lotus buds.
Dan Yeop stared at the ‘divine lotus’ with deliberate indifference.
Soon the ‘divine lotus’ slowly unfurled, blooming in full splendor.
Then the brilliant lotus scattered like mist, and the familiar white hand appeared once more.
This time, since he had been prepared, Dan Yeop paid close attention to the hand.
It was slender—clearly a woman’s hand at first glance. The fingertips were delicate, and the forearm was as smooth as ivory.
Who are you?!
His gaze traveled past the wrist and upward.
He was about to see the face beyond that graceful arm when his breath was suddenly cut off.
Ugh!
He struggled, but the hand only dug in deeper.
Urk! I can’t breathe! Stop!
Fortunately, just before he lost consciousness, the woman’s hand released him.
His mind dazed, Dan Yeop completely forgot to check the woman’s face.
Gasping for air while slumped over, he let out a groan of “Ugh!” and forced himself upright.
“Haa! I’m alive. She was definitely an assassin. Wait… am I a descendant of the royal family?”
He rubbed his neck with both hands, his imagination running wild.
Soon a deep sigh escaped his lips.
“Haa… This is bad. What am I supposed to do about the Tae-eul-bon-won-yeon-seong-gyeol…”
He needed to absorb the Qi Condensation Pill as soon as possible, yet this was a serious problem.
Still, compared to the first time, the sense of crisis was weaker and he had a bit more composure. There was hope.
“I think overcoming the fear of death has to come first.”
To do that, he needed to identify the owner of that hand.
As the Art of War said: Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be in peril even after a hundred battles.
If he could learn who his opponent was, a path to overcoming the fear of death would surely open.
“Tsk. It’s because that Dunce Dan Yeop won’t cooperate…”
Clicking his tongue, Dan Yeop removed his golden-threaded jade robe and stored it in his travel bag.
It had only been a single day, yet his body and mind were exhausted. He just wanted to rest.
The human heart truly was a fickle thing.
Just days ago, he had trained for three straight days without sleep, refusing to fall unconscious.
Yet now that the Dunce Dan Yeop had awakened him after only one day, he too felt fatigue far more quickly than before.
Shouldering his heavy pack, Dan Yeop trudged wearily back toward his quarters.
Episode 25. The One Hundred Year Plan Will Continue.
Guannei Circuit, Mun Mountain.
Around midnight.
Masked warriors gathered silently at the entrance of the valley.
There were thirty-one of them.
Killing intent burned in the eyes visible above their masks.
Their leader gestured, drawing the group closer.
“From now on, kill anyone you see who isn’t one of us. Exactly half a shichen from now, blow the whistle. Stop whatever you’re doing, withdraw immediately, and regroup here. If you dawdle, you might end up dead instead. Strike fast and retreat fast. Understood?”
The masked men, apparently familiar with such operations, simply nodded instead of answering.
The leader added one more warning out of caution.
“No acting alone. Especially if you see a pretty woman and break formation, I’ll kill you myself. Speed is everything, so don’t get distracted. Got it?”
The masked men nodded vigorously.
The leader glanced up at the moon, then dashed forward swiftly.
Thirty masked men followed closely behind him.
Swish, swish, swish—
Soon the masked intruders vanished into the cave.
The Byeongmachong had only one entrance.
And three Haomun warriors were guarding that entrance.
The narrow cave allowed only one person to pass at a time.
It should have been an overwhelmingly advantageous position for Haomun, but heaven itself seemed to favor the masked men.
The three Haomun guards had dozed off and failed to notice the intruders.
One by one, the masked men slipped inside.
A moment later, three of them exchanged glances and moved forward silently.
In that critical instant, one of the masked men stepped squarely on a caltrop.
“Agh!”
The involuntary scream jolted the dozing Haomun guards awake.
“Enemies!”
At someone’s shout, a fierce battle erupted between the Haomun guards and the masked intruders.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of clashing blades rang out violently.
The three Haomun guards couldn’t hold out for long and collapsed to the ground.
One by one, lights began to flicker on around the previously dark Byeongmachong.
The masked men charged toward the faint glow like moths to a flame.
“Aaaagh!”
“Uwaaah!”
“Enemies!”
“It’s an attack!”
“Wake up!”
The once-quiet Byeongmachong was thrown into utter chaos, as if a hornet’s nest had been struck.
Dan Yeop, who had been sleeping deeply, snapped his eyes open at the commotion outside.
“Wh-what’s going on?”
He hurriedly got down from the bed, threw on his clothes, and stepped outside to find pandemonium.
The trainees were running around madly, screaming at the top of their lungs.
“Run!”
“Assassins!”
“Tell the instructors!”
From afar came the sounds of screams and clashing weapons.
Terrified, Dan Yeop first ran toward the Amun training hall. The only person who could protect him right now was Instructor Dan Bul-wi.
When he reached the Amun training hall, Instructor Dan Bul-wi spotted him and shouted with visible relief.
“Dan Yeop! Come quickly, my son!”
Dan Yeop rushed inside, panting heavily.
“Huff… huff… What on earth is happening?!”
From behind him, Gwan Gu-jong answered.
“They say Hadong Province sent assassins! They’re trying to kill every single trainee in the Byeongmachong!”
“Th-then what do we do?”
“We have to hold out! Right now everyone is gathering at the Six Gates training hall.”
Only then did Dan Yeop begin to understand the situation.
Everyone except him was from the Six Gates, so they had fled to the Six Gates training hall.
When he looked around, he saw that only about a dozen trainees had gathered at the Amun training hall.
Perhaps that was why Instructor Dan Bul-wi, who was guarding the entrance, looked so grim.
Dan Yeop quietly asked Gwan Gu-jong.
“How many Amun trainees were there originally?”
“Over fifty.”
“……”
For a moment, Dan Yeop felt a chill run down his spine.
Just then, a group of masked men came rushing toward the Amun training hall.
Instructor Dan Bul-wi shouted at the Amun members.
“Stay calm! Hold your positions! Reinforcements will come if we wait!”
Soon a battle broke out between the masked men and the Amun warriors.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Claaang—!
Sparks flew in the darkness with every clash of steel.
The older fourth-generation trainees also grabbed their straight blades and lined up behind Instructor Dan Bul-wi.
Dan Yeop reluctantly joined their ranks.
Fortunately, Instructor Dan Bul-wi was holding the masked men back brilliantly from the front.
When they encountered unexpectedly fierce resistance, some of the masked men moved elsewhere.
Rather than wait in line at the narrow entrance, they changed targets.
Thanks to that, the number of enemies at the Amun training hall decreased slightly.
But it was still too early to feel relieved.
One of the warriors guarding the entrance was stabbed and staggered backward.
A fourth-generation trainee instinctively stepped forward to fill the gap.
Yet he lasted only a few exchanges before being cut down.
Next, Gwan Gu-jong took the empty spot, but he too failed to hold for long.
When the wounded Gwan Gu-jong retreated, it became Dan Yeop’s turn.
The moment Dan Yeop stepped forward, trembling, a group of people charged in from the side.
“Die!”
“You bastards! You sons of bitches!”
The hall leaders and the Hyangju who served them had arrived in force.
In an instant, the tide of battle reversed.
To become a hall leader in Haomun, one had to be renowned as a high-level expert.
The three hall leaders rampaged through the masked men like tigers.
Intimidated by their ferocity, the masked intruders began to falter and retreat.
At that moment, a sharp whistle sounded from afar—Piiiieee—!
The masked men immediately turned tail and fled at full speed.
The Haomun warriors chased after them with a thunderous roar of “Waaaaah!”
Dan Yeop’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.
His mind was completely blank.
Scattered among the corpses of the trainees were the bodies of several masked men.
The floor was soaked with blood, and the metallic stench made his stomach churn.
As he sat there in a daze, he suddenly heard groaning.
Snapping back to his senses, he hurriedly stood up.
When he turned, he saw Gwan Gu-jong lying on his side, moaning in pain.
He rushed over and checked the young man’s wounds.
A long gash ran across his side.
Dan Yeop tore a strip from his own clothes and tightly bound Gwan Gu-jong’s wound.
Gwan Gu-jong muttered in a voice that sounded on the verge of death.
“Senior… thank you…”
Dan Yeop wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out.
The other young trainees also began tending to the wounded, just as he was doing.
About one sigyeong—roughly thirty minutes—later, Instructor Dan Bul-wi returned with the hall leaders after pursuing the masked men.
He first checked on Dan Yeop’s condition.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No…”
“That’s a relief. Just in case, sleep in the Amun training hall tonight. The other trainees will be staying in the Six Gates training hall as well.”
“Yes. What happened to the masked men?”
“They all ran away.”
“Ah…”
“But quite a few of them died before they could escape the Byeongmachong.”
It wasn’t because Haomun had fought particularly well.
The masked men had panicked at the narrow exit and suffered heavy losses.
Their leader had commanded his subordinates with nothing but a single whistle and no detailed retreat plan—a common mistake made by murim factions that never studied proper military strategy.
The next day.
The full extent of the damage to the Byeongmachong trainees was revealed.
Out of two hundred and twenty trainees, a staggering one hundred and fifty had died.
Nearly seventy percent.
The losses among the managers who oversaw the Byeongmachong were just as devastating.
Two instructors, eight munwi, and twelve mun-do had lost their lives.
Due to the massive casualties, the Byeongmachong—which had operated for fourteen years—came to a complete halt.
Around lunchtime, the leaders of the Six Gates arrived at the Byeongmachong after receiving urgent word.
They immediately convened an emergency meeting regarding the future operation of the facility.
Ha So-ran, leader of the Gimun branch and the de facto head of the Six Gates, began to speak.