Arrival at Wuhan Ferry
Thud.
The carriage wheel caught on a jutting stone and lurched violently.
"My apologies! Are you all right, my lord?"
Baek Heon, seated up on the driver's bench, twisted around and called out in a panic. But inside the carriage, Namgung Cheon merely rested his chin on his hand, gazing absently at the scenery sliding past the window.
"I'm fine."
A short, indifferent reply. Only then did Baek Heon relax, taking up the reins again with visible relief.
Watching him, Mujin chuckled and spoke up. He was sprawled out with his pack serving as a pillow, nearly lying flat.
"How do you usually treat the man, my lord, that he stays wound up like that? You're a harsh master, I'd say."
Namgung Cheon fell into thought at the question.
Harsh, is it…….
Perhaps in his past life, when he had been the Heavenly Demon, that might have been true. But not now. Since being reborn as Namgung Cheon, he had never once made an unreasonable demand of Baek Heon, nor raised his voice at him. If anything, the trouble was that he paid the man too little attention.
"I simply do nothing at all."
At Namgung Cheon's flat answer, Mujin snorted with laughter.
"Truly just like you, my lord."
Mujin fished a strip of dried jerky from his breast, chewed it leisurely, and turned his gaze to the window. The great road toward the Yangtze was already teeming with crowds and carriages—from the banners of sects with considerable reputations to the lavishly decorated caravans of merchant houses.
Mujin pointed out the window and spoke.
"Awfully noisy, isn't it? A far cry from you, my lord."
Just as he said, the carriage Namgung Cheon rode in bore no ornament whatsoever. Namgung Cheon hadn't asked for it that way—but no doubt his mother, Jegal Hwa, had considered the matter and arranged it so.
Watching the gaudy carriages roll past, Namgung Cheon spoke quietly.
"I can't say I don't understand it. They need to draw eyes somehow, so I imagine that's why."
Mujin started, then opened his mouth.
"Born a Namgung and living as one all your life—how do you understand it so well? Right, of course. One must flaunt however one can, because that's how power is thought to be established."
Mujin pointed a finger at the flashy procession passing outside. From each carriage fluttered a flag emblazoned with the character for commerce, stitched in gold thread.
"Like those fellows."
"The Merchant Dao Heavens."
At Namgung Cheon's dry remark, Mujin nodded.
"That's right. And it seems they've opened their purses without fail this time too. Pouring that kind of fortune into every River-Along Martial Assembly—remarkable dedication, I must say."
The Merchant Dao Heavens. The colossal merchant alliance that gripped the markets of the world by the throat—one pillar of the Four Overlords of the World, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Orthodox, the Unorthodox, and the Demonic. A confederation of the Central Plains' greatest merchant houses, escort agencies, and money houses.
"When even the Murim Alliance turns a blind eye, that says everything. Well, they lend money to the Four Black Alliance too, so what chance would the Orthodox sects have of cutting them loose? They shower silver on Orthodox and Demonic alike, which is comical to watch—but thanks to those strings, no one can touch them carelessly. The power of gold is a truly frightening thing."
Mujin worked the jerky around his mouth as he went on.
Namgung Cheon nodded. He too knew of the Merchant Dao Heavens—after all, they had existed even in his past life as the Heavenly Demon. Then as now, they were men who balanced the scales with money and skimmed profit from atop that balance. Yet they never, ever teetered dangerously over the line.
Which is precisely why, paradoxically, they get along with everyone without incident.
A neutrality so complete it could scarcely be called coexistence with either side. And that was exactly the position the Merchant Dao Heavens wanted to occupy.
Still, I've yet to cross paths with them in any meaningful way.
Namgung Cheon dismissed the thought and looked out the window again. At some point, the scenery flashing past had shifted from forest road to open riverbank. The carriage was now running along the waters of the Yangtze.
Countless ships came into view, moored along the shore, banners of every color and design snapping in the river wind. And among them, a few enormous flags stood out above all the rest.
"Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan. Every heavyweight sect of what they call the Yangtze Alliance has gathered."
As Mujin murmured the words, Namgung Cheon replied offhandedly.
"It isn't bound together formally enough to deserve the word 'alliance.' It's nothing but a shell, tied together for no better reason than sharing the same stretch of water."
"A shell it may be, but it can't be ignored. When even the Unorthodox sects use the name, it's no exaggeration to call it one of the pillars holding up the Murim Alliance itself."
Mujin studied Namgung Cheon closely before continuing.
"That's what makes this River-Along Martial Assembly so important. It's a chance to gauge in advance who will speak with the loudest voice in the Yangtze Alliance—and by extension, in the Murim Alliance itself. There's a reason the young successors destined to become each sect's pillars gather here and strain against one another so fiercely."
Just then, the rattling carriage slowed and rolled to a gentle stop. They had arrived at Wuhan Ferry.
Mujin gathered his pack and rose from his seat.
"Well, seeing beats hearing a hundred times over, no? We're here—let's go out and see for ourselves."
"See what, exactly?"
At Namgung Cheon's indifferent question, Mujin paused halfway through the door, turned back, and flashed a grin.
"Whether you can truly bend not only Anhui, but that vast Yangtze itself, into the palm of your hand."
A three-story pavilion with an unobstructed view over the ferry. Zhuge Seoyeon leaned on the railing, chin in hand, staring out the window with a bored expression. Since Longzhong in Hubei and Wuhan were practically next door to each other, she had arrived early and was waiting for Namgung Cheon.
"My lady, it's already been a full hour."
Hongcheong approached her with a worried look.
"At this rate, all the good seats will be taken. And the Clan Head did tell you to go around making connections with everyone……."
"Enough."
Zhuge Seoyeon waved a hand and cut her off.
"Look all you like, it's the same old story. They'll either lord it over everyone on the strength of their family name, or grovel hoping to catch my eye."
Weariness clung to her voice. To her, the Dark Phoenix, the young successors of her generation were simply dull.
But…….
Namgung Cheon drifted into her mind. Such an audacious, unorthodox path that she genuinely wondered whether this was the same frail cousin she remembered from childhood. Which was exactly why she was so terribly curious—just how much had he changed?
"It's about time."
Her gaze swept the ferry entrance, persistent and unblinking. Carriages of the great noble clans, emblazoned with ornate crests, were filing in one after another—but that was not what she was waiting for.
Then it happened. Slipping through the press of the crowd came a single carriage with no decoration of any kind. A single guard warrior holding the horse's bridle—a carriage utterly plain to every outward appearance.
Screech.
The carriage stopped, and the door opened. The first to step down was a man shouldering a pack. Zhuge Seoyeon's brow furrowed the moment she saw him.
A wandering swordsman?
What was a ronin doing at the River-Along Martial Assembly—
In that instant—
"The Silent Extinction Sword!"
So that would mean—
A man in black martial robes stepped down slowly from the carriage behind him. Neatly tied-back hair, a strikingly handsome face devoid of any trace of a smile, and—— two swords hanging crossed at his waist.
"……Found him."
Zhuge Seoyeon sprang to her feet.
"Let's go, Hongcheong."
"Yes? Where to?"
"Where else? To greet the real protagonist of this gathering."
Wuhan Ferry was a veritable sea of humanity. Crowds from every corner of the world packed the riverbank solid. Five-colored banners fluttered and drums thundered.
But the true spectacle lay out on the water. Among the countless ships, one colossal vessel stood apart, anchored in the very middle of the river—a five-story pavilion ship of towering height. At its bow, a massive dragon's head plated in gold gaped open-mouthed, and the entire hull was decked in crimson silk and golden ornament.
"The Golden Dragon Ship. The banquet hall, funded by the Merchant Dao Heavens."
Mujin pointed at the vessel with his finger. This time, even Namgung Cheon was considerably impressed—the sheer scale of the Golden Dragon Ship exceeded anything he had imagined.
The Merchant Dao Heavens indeed. Well, it would take at least this much to earn the name 'Heaven.'
Just then, someone stepped into Namgung Cheon's path.
"It's been a while, cousin."
A clear, lilting voice. Namgung Cheon's footsteps stopped. Before him stood a woman with skin like white jade and luminous eyes—holding a white feather fan.
A white fan…….
An object that was practically the emblem of the Zhuge Clan. Namgung Cheon searched his memory. The Zhuge Clan had maintained frequent dealings with the Namgung Clan, and among them had been one girl who had followed him around endlessly. Childhood memory overlapped with the woman before him, and a single name rose to mind.
"Zhuge Seoyeon, is it."
At that, Zhuge Seoyeon folded her fan and studied him with a curious look.
"That tone of voice…… no, wait—we're hardly strangers, are we? You should call me Seoyeon."
She folded her fan again and took a step closer.
The Zhuge Clan, then…….
Jegal Hwa's words flashed through Namgung Cheon's mind.
—If you have leisure on your journey, stop by your mother's family estate.
Now he understood why she had said it. Still smiling pleasantly, in that brief span of moments Zhuge Seoyeon was taking his measure—everything about him. His voice, his expression, his manner of speech, beginning with the very way he stood.
She's even trying to read my qi.
The ingrained habit of analyzing an opponent instinctively and mining them for information. It must be something like a trait bred into the very bloodline of the Zhuge Clan.
"Anyway, you've changed so much I almost didn't recognize you."
"Zhuge…… no, you've changed a great deal yourself."
Namgung Cheon answered with equal placidity. In the instant between them hung a curious duel of mutual probing.
"Now, I hate to interrupt this touching reunion of yours—"
Mujin, standing beside them, thrust his head in uninvited.
"—but if we stand around here, the day will be gone. Wouldn't it be better to secure our seats first and talk after?"
Only then did Zhuge Seoyeon's gaze shift to Mujin. She feigned surprise, widening her eyes in a round, innocent shape.
"So the Silent Extinction Sword is with you as well. I was so taken with greeting my cousin that I failed to pay my respects."
"Heh heh. For the renowned Dark Phoenix herself not to know my face, I hardly know where to put this old body of mine."
Mujin parried with easy grace. Zhuge Seoyeon regarded him thoughtfully.
Mujin, the Silent Extinction Sword.
The man hailed as the free spirit of the jianghu, clinging to Namgung Cheon's side like a shadow. This, too, would stand as proof of just how far Namgung Cheon had changed.
"My apologies for the delay. Let's be on our way."
Zhuge Seoyeon took the lead, and Namgung Cheon, Mujin, and Baek Heon followed. The party cut through the crowd and made for the far end of the ferry. The Golden Dragon Ship drew ever closer, its golden dragon's head catching the sunlight and flashing brilliantly as it looked down upon them.
Namgung Cheon stopped for a moment and gazed up at it. A colossal ship. The multitude of figures who would gather upon it. And the great vortex they would set in motion. No longer as the Heavenly Demon, but as Namgung Cheon, he would have to plunge into that maelstrom.
Suddenly, Mujin's question came back to him—whether he could bend even the Yangtze itself into his palm. And as if in answer, a faint smile brushed the corner of Namgung Cheon's mouth.
The Heavenly Demon of Namgung
Author | Baek Rihaeng
Publisher | Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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