The Road to the Shanxi Yoo Family
Cheon Hwi and I honestly weren’t all that close.
We met from time to time since we were cousins, but that was about it. Distant. Awkward. A large part of that was because his father—my uncle—and my own father had an exceptionally bad relationship.
The two had once fought bitterly over the position of Family Head, and the resentment from those days still lingered. I’d heard that whenever he had the chance, my uncle would pour out abuse about my father and me.
Still, Cheon Hwi himself wasn’t a bad person.
Even though he had grown up hearing those things, he never hated me. He was only a little uncomfortable around me, a little awkward.
That had been true even in my first life, when nearly everyone in the clan had despised me.
So I never disliked him either.
That said, I had never been the one to approach him first...
Is this because of that matter after all?
Judging by the fact that he had come looking for me.
“Would you tell me what brings you here?”
“Th-that is...”
“It’s all right. Go ahead.”
I spoke to him in a gentle tone, wearing a mild expression. He looked slightly startled by my reaction, then quickly gathered himself and answered.
“I heard you’re going to the Shanxi Yoo Family this time. May I accompany you?”
As expected.
It was exactly the request I had anticipated. There was really nothing else important enough for Cheon Hwi to seek me out over.
Though it did leave me wondering why he had made the offer...
“Very well.”
I accepted at once.
There was no reason to refuse.
Cheon Hwi looked genuinely surprised.
“Are you truly all right with that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? The more strength we have, the better.”
Of course, that didn’t mean I could drag an entire martial force with me...
But one escort for Cheon Hwi wouldn’t be a problem.
Even including me and Sagong Cheon, that only made four people.
And personally, in this life, I’d like to become closer with Cheon Hwi.
“Thank you, Hyung-nim. I was afraid of going alone, but knowing I’ll be with you puts me at ease.”
Perhaps his tension had eased a little as well, because he smiled softly as he said it.
I nodded and said to him, “I’m glad I’ll be traveling with you too. Thank you for making the suggestion.”
At those sincere words, I saw his eyes widen into perfect circles.
I gave his shoulder a light pat.
“We’ll be leaving before long, so make your preparations. I’ll call for you again.”
“Yes! I’ll greet you again then.”
Looking oddly pleased, Cheon Hwi nodded and left.
Once I confirmed he had disappeared from view, Sagong Cheon quietly approached and asked, “Young Lord. Are you truly certain this is wise?”
“What is there not to be certain about?”
“Young Master Jin Cheon-hwi most likely did not make that proposal of his own will. It was probably ordered by his father, Elder Jin Yu-seong.”
“A perfect chance to earn merit appeared, so he’s sending his talented son to snatch away my achievements. Yes, I know.”
Cheon Hwi’s talent was unmatched within the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect.
Even now, he had already reached the upper ranks of the Peak Realm, and in the future he would rise to the Harmony Realm and earn the title of the First Sword of the Jin Family.
That’s why, in my first life, people were always saying how things might have been different if Cheon Hwi had become Family Head instead.
And yet, he himself had never coveted the position.
He had even defied his father’s order to seize the seat from me and remained loyal as a clansman to the very end.
Then he died in the battle against Black Night Castle.
In this life, I had no intention of letting that happen.
He had shown me goodwill, and I would return it. I would protect him to the end.
And while I’m at it, I should help that talent of his bloom fully.
Thinking that to myself, I said to Sagong Cheon, “Besides, you know as well as I do how important this matter is. Better Cheon Hwi comes with us than we fail. Having him there will only make me feel more secure.”
“That is true...”
“And Cheon Hwi isn’t the sort to greedily covet another man’s merit. He’ll act only as part of my party and follow my orders. So the picture my uncle wants won’t come to pass.”
I hadn’t accepted Cheon Hwi’s offer so readily for no reason.
I had accepted because there was nothing for me to lose.
If anything, this was our chance for both of us to distinguish ourselves and raise the name of the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect.
Of course, that did carry the risk of provoking Black Night Castle...
But this much should be fine.
Those bastards didn’t like stepping into the open unless absolutely necessary.
Even in my previous life, they had only finally moved once we began trying to exterminate them in earnest. Merely making a name for myself wouldn’t be enough to stir them.
“Don’t worry too much. Help me train on the way. No matter what happens, I’ll need to become stronger than I am now if I want to respond properly.”
Thanks to the knowledge of my previous life, I roughly knew what would happen at the Shanxi Yoo Family.
And I knew how to deal with it.
But there was always the unexpected, and for that, the stronger I was, the better.
That was why I had been training like mad lately.
“Understood. I’ll do so.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Sagong Cheon nodded and went to make his own preparations.
After a little time passed, we finished getting ready and set out for the Shanxi Yoo Family.
* * *
The party heading to the Shanxi Yoo Family was truly small.
Me, Cheon Hwi, my escort Sagong Cheon, and Cheon Hwi’s escort, a martial artist named Im Ho-gyeong. That was all.
I could have brought more people if I wanted, but...
They specifically requested that only the bare minimum be sent.
That was because this matter concerned the creation of one of the Shanxi Yoo Family’s spiritual medicines.
Since it involved their family’s secret arts, they wanted as few people involved as possible.
Which suited me just fine.
After all, aside from Sagong Cheon, there were very few martial artists I trusted.
Until I built that trust myself, I had no intention of carrying out missions with others.
“Then we’ll depart now. I’ll drive the carriage first.”
Cheon Hwi’s escort, Im Ho-gyeong, volunteered for the driver’s seat.
The remaining three of us sat inside the carriage and rested.
I had been meditating with my eyes closed for quite some time when I heard Cheon Hwi’s voice.
“Hyung-nim. May I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Have you... been hiding your true strength?”
It was the same question Sagong Cheon had asked before.
Cheon Hwi was probably not the only one curious about it. I imagined quite a few people were.
With a playful smile, I replied, “Well now. What do you think?”
“I... honestly don’t know. We haven’t interacted that often.”
Cheon Hwi answered with refreshing honesty.
Looking at him, I said, “Then find out for yourself.”
“Find out?”
“I mean that during this journey, you should see for yourself whether I was hiding my abilities or not. If it’s you, you’ll be able to tell, won’t you?”
“...!”
Cheon Hwi’s eyes widened.
“Though in truth, even if you do figure it out, it won’t matter much. What matters is who I am now. Isn’t that right, Guard Sagong?”
“Indeed. The Young Lord is correct.”
Sagong Cheon nodded calmly.
Cheon Hwi was just about to say something in response when—
Whiish!
Thud!
Hiiiiing!
The slicing hiss of air was followed by the horses’ shrill, agonized cries.
“What’s happened?”
“This is...”
Before we could even assess the situation, a voice rang out from outside.
It was the urgent voice of the driver, Im Ho-gyeong.
“Young Masters, we’re under attack! Green Forest bandits have appeared!”
“Bandits?”
We immediately stepped outside and took in the scene.
Just as Im Ho-gyeong had said, dozens of Green Forest bandits had surrounded us.
“Well now, just like I heard—some rich-looking young masters really were coming through.”
A middle-aged man who appeared to be their leader swaggered forward.
He carried a massive axe over one shoulder, and the force he gave off suggested he was no ordinary opponent.
“Why would Green Forest bandits be here?”
Cheon Hwi muttered in surprise.
This was still territory under the influence of the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect.
In other words, security in this region fell under our responsibility.
And according to our intelligence network, there were no Green Forest bandits operating here.
Which meant these men had recently entered from elsewhere.
And then there were the words that bastard muttered just now.
“Just like I heard,” rich-looking young masters “were coming through.”
That implied someone had tipped them off in advance.
“Haa...”
I let out a sigh.
There were simply too many possible culprits to narrow it down.
Most likely one of the senior figures who found me displeasing had decided to play a dirty little game.
“Guard Sagong. I’ll draw their attention, so please take the Young Masters and escape.”
Unlike me, who felt only annoyance, Cheon Hwi and Im Ho-gyeong were taking the situation very seriously.
Seeing the size of the enemy force, they had probably concluded there was no way through this without casualties.
That was why Im Ho-gyeong was trying to sacrifice himself to open a path.
“What are you saying? Guard Im, absolutely not!”
“But Young Master, this is the only way.”
“If we all fight together instead—”
“Then there’s a high chance everyone will be badly injured. And if that happens, going to the Shanxi Yoo Family becomes meaningless.”
“Who cares about the Shanxi Yoo Family right now? I have no intention of abandoning you, Guard Im.”
“Young Master! Please listen to me!”
Cheon Hwi and Im Ho-gyeong fell into a heated argument.
Like Sagong Cheon and me, they seemed to share a bond of deep trust. It was almost moving.
Ignoring the two of them, I stepped forward.
“H-Hyung-nim!?”
“Young Lord? It’s dangerous!”
I ignored the voices behind me and looked at the bandits.
“Say, sir. What should I call you?”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Heh. This elder is known as the Red Blood Axe, Geum Ho-tae. Call me whatever’s comfortable.”
“I am Jin Muyeol, Young Lord of the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect. These are my companions.”
“The Young Lord of the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect? Hah! Looks like we’ve hooked a big one.”
Staying perfectly calm before the visibly delighted Red Blood Axe, I made him an offer.
“If I hand over all the money I have, would you be willing to withdraw? Your goal is money in the end, isn’t it?”
“Heh heh. Regrettably, that won’t do, brat. The loose change you’ve got on you is nothing compared to what I could make by taking you hostage and squeezing the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect for ransom.”
“If you do that, the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect will mark you. You’ll find life very difficult.”
“Hoh. Once I’ve got the money, I’ll run south. No matter how impressive you lot are, how exactly do you plan to catch us then? Especially when everyone around here already knows your clan is in decline.”
It seemed restoring the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect to greatness still had a long way to go.
To hear words like that from nothing more than a shabby mountain bandit...
I gave a faint sigh and said, “So negotiations have failed.”
Shing.
At the same time, my sword slid free from my waist.
Before Red Blood Axe could even react, I swung it.
“Then die.”
Slash!
A storm of razor-sharp sword strikes swept over the bandits surrounding us.