A Hero's Reason (1)
The clan courtyard had been unusually bustling with activity lately.
The Seomun Merchant Group.
Just hearing the name might suggest a modest trading company, but the Seomun Merchant Group was growing faster than at any other time in its history.
An unprecedented boom.
The words were literal.
If it had previously maintained only a moderate existence, everything was different now.
Profits had doubled, and transactions had increased at least fivefold.
Goods poured in from every direction, and the stream of merchants never seemed to end.
It couldn’t be explained by simple luck alone.
Several factors were intertwined behind this surge of prosperity.
The first was the agreement Seomun Hwan had negotiated with the Murim Alliance.
The Murim Alliance’s events spanned many fields—skill exchanges, martial arts demonstrations, exploration of secret texts, council meetings, and more.
Logistics and management were essential for every single one.
The condition Seomun Hwan proposed had been clear.
All related events in the Hubei region will be exclusively handled by the Seomun Merchant Group.
With those few words, the Seomun Merchant Group’s workload had exploded.
Logistics, transportation, lodging, equipment, on-site management…
More transactions meant more manpower was needed. More manpower meant a larger organization. A larger organization built credibility, and greater credibility improved their negotiating power.
It was a perfect virtuous cycle, and the Seomun Merchant Group was developing at astonishing speed.
Furthermore, after Seomun Hwan became widely known as Kunlun’s successor, the Seomun Clan’s own prestige had soared.
A family that could not be treated lightly.
A merchant group that could not be haggled with carelessly.
Yet amid all these currents, one unexpected figure no one had paid attention to was working behind the scenes.
That person was Seomun Jin-gang.
Seomun Hwan’s eldest brother and the firstborn son of the Seomun Clan.
“The Young Family Head has arrived!”
As soon as Seomun Jin-gang appeared, the waiting crowd surged forward.
As if the single shout had been a signal, people flocked in from every direction.
“Young Master! I’ve been so eager to meet you!”
“Brother Jin-gang! How have you been all this time?!”
While the Seomun Clan’s status had certainly risen, this recent fervor was clearly on another level. Whether they came from prestigious families or smaller merchant groups, everyone seemed desperate to build some kind of connection with Seomun Jin-gang.
Nanyang’s Jaseongru chief steward, that one’s the second son of the Geumling Merchant Group… no, from the Hwangbo Clan? The Peng Clan as well?
Seomun Hwan leaned against the railing, quietly observing the scene. He slowly scanned the faces in the crowd, then raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
“Well, well. Even those guys showed up?”
In the middle of the merchant group’s own courtyard, the Green Forest’s flag fluttered proudly.
The Green Forest warriors gathered beneath it had dressed neatly in an attempt to look respectable, but years spent living in the mountains weren’t so easily erased. Despite their efforts, their slightly awkward hairstyles, overly shiny shoes, and stiff clothing only made them stand out more.
“Young Master! We greet you!”
A man wearing a massive horned helmet approached with stiff formality and bowed deeply.
His tone was respectful and his posture cautious, yet the whole thing looked somehow clumsy. Seomun Jin-gang spread both arms wide in welcome, and the fierce-looking bandit smiled awkwardly, clearly unsure what to do with himself.
Pfft!
Seomun Hwan couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Anyone watching might have thought a simple farmer had come to visit, but there was no mistaking that man for anything but a high-ranking officer of the Green Forest.
How could someone like that confidently address another as “Young Master”?
It’s because of what happened back then.
All these changes stemmed from a single incident a short while ago.
Seomun Hwan gazed absently at the sky, recalling the events of a few days earlier.
* * *
Even after finding the bamboo slip, Seomun Hwan continued to occasionally use his Hyeonwon-geuman to search through the warehouses.
Not long ago, they had been scammed by a merchant claiming to come from the Western Regions. The man had sold them a large quantity of expensive ornaments supposedly found only in the imperial palace of the Western Regions. They turned out to be cheap fakes.
Fortunately, Seomun Hwan had discovered the fraud early and disposed of the items. Otherwise, the damage to the merchant group’s credibility would have been catastrophic.
It was Seomun Hwan who had caught it.
Naturally, the scammers had been captured and wrung dry—down to their very souls. Since he had left them to Dongjeongwi, they were probably no longer living lives worth calling lives.
“How dare they target our family? They deserve divine punishment.”
It wasn’t only gangho villains who threatened the clan. Swindlers, con artists, and thieves aiming for the family’s wealth were everywhere.
Catching such vermin was also part of his responsibility.
Since then, he had continued to make time to inspect the goods whenever he could.
Today, while taking a brief moment to check the inventory, he had found something completely unexpected inside the warehouse.
“Huh? What’s this?”
It was an object wrapped in several layers of silk pouches.
Seeing how carefully it had been packed inside a wooden box, it was clearly cargo meant for an upcoming trade journey.
The problem was its contents.
What appeared to be an ordinary item was actually…
Shadow Night Soul Formation
A forbidden formation art that can trap even souls. It disrupts the senses with darkness and illusions, quietly separates the target’s soul, and causes it to collapse. Those who cannot escape lose the boundary between reality and fantasy, becoming trapped in endless nightmares.
The reason he knew the technique in such detail was simple.
“Because I created it.”
To be precise, it was a martial art he had developed during his previous life as the Phantom Demon.
It possessed terrifying lethality. The number of orthodox Murim warriors who had died trapped within it easily reached into the hundreds.
He had once used it as one of his primary techniques.
Of course, it couldn’t compare to the Hyeonwon-geuman or the Hwanma-gwilyun, but its power and subtlety were more than enough to be called a divine skill.
“It’s only natural that a martial art I created would be excellent. It’s far superior to anything those bald Shaolin monks, Wudang priests, or horse-faced Taoists ever produced. Damn right!”
But now was not the time for self-praise.
“Why is something like this in our family?”
If it had been carefully hidden deep within the clan grounds, he might have understood. But why was it sitting openly in the warehouse?
He spotted a passing servant and called out.
“Manager Ma!”
“Yes, Third Young Master. Did you need something?”
“Do you know what this item in the warehouse is?”
“Of course. Those are goods scheduled to be transported for the trade journey in two days.”
“There’s a journey in two days? Who’s the person in charge?”
“It’s Sir Seomun Jin-gang.”
“My eldest brother?”
Seomun Jin-gang was the one destined to inherit both the clan and the merchant group. Since this was a special request from the Murim Alliance, it made sense that either his father or eldest brother would lead it.
“There was something inside the box as well. Do you know what it contains?”
“I don’t know the exact details. I was only told it was a valuable item.”
“You don’t know? Why?”
“It’s not one of our own goods. It’s a specially commissioned transport.”
The Seomun Merchant Group primarily bought and sold merchandise, but they occasionally operated like an escort agency, transporting special items.
“Who’s the client? You know that much, don’t you?”
“Naturally. It’s a request from the Murim Alliance.”
“The Murim Alliance?”
This was unexpected.
Why would the Murim Alliance entrust such a task to the Seomun Clan?
“Who exactly from the Murim Alliance? Who is the precise client?”
“One moment. I’ll check right away.”
Manager Ma hurried off toward the office. He had sensed that Seomun Hwan’s demeanor was far more serious than usual and moved with appropriate haste.
A short while later, he returned panting and said,
“After checking… the exact client isn’t listed. It simply says it’s a request from the Murim Alliance.”
“Is that how requests usually come in?”
“No. Even if it’s from the Murim Alliance, they normally identify the person with authority… This is rather strange.”
Seomun Hwan’s eyes narrowed.
“Hmm. The Murim Alliance… and an anonymous client that even the working staff doesn’t know about…”
At that moment, a scene flashed through his mind.
The incident when he had gone to the Tang Clan—how the Baekri Merchant Group had been attacked while secretly transporting an unknown item. Even they had been bewildered because information they themselves didn’t possess had leaked.
He had dismissed it as nothing important at the time, but the similarities were too striking to ignore.
Could it be?
Seomun Hwan’s eyes gleamed sharply.
Is this connected to that incident?
At the time, the Baekri Merchant Group had been assaulted by a powerful bandit known as Mountain Tiger Ghost. If Seomun Hwan hadn’t intervened, they would have been annihilated.
Baekri Mudan’s attitude in trying to conceal the cargo’s identity had been suspicious, but Seomun Hwan hadn’t paid it much mind. He had thought it had nothing to do with him.
If only I had forced the issue and checked back then…
What was done was done.
He needed to deal with the problem in front of him first.
If this is a conspiracy targeting our family…
The Phantom Demon was a symbol of evil.
Even if it was only a martial arts manual,
Even if they had merely transported it,
If even the smallest connection became known…
The Seomun Clan could be destroyed.
Still, he couldn’t panic and expose the manual’s existence. Sneaking off to dispose of it would be equally foolish. If this truly was a conspiracy, it meant someone was deliberately targeting the family.
How dare these bastards target our family!
Grind.
Fury erupted like molten lava.
Family was Seomun Hwan’s reverse scale. He would never forgive anyone who dared touch it.
But the anger lasted only a moment. Soon, reason returned, cold as glacial ice.
Simply raging wouldn’t solve anything.
No matter who is plotting what, I refuse to be dragged along. In that case, it would be better to…
His mind began to spin faster than ever before.
* * *
The next day.
Clop. Clop.
Seomun Jin-gang halted his horse and gazed at the distant mountains.
When the wind blew, dust rose along the ochre road, and the plains of Hebei faintly revealed their outlines far away.
“You must remain cautious in this area, Young Master.”
Guard Captain No Gye-baek pulled his horse closer as he spoke.
“Beyond that hill where the forest path continues is a place where bandits frequently appear.”
Seomun Jin-gang nodded.
“I’ve heard the situation in Hubei is unstable. Everyone, do not neglect your vigilance. Stay alert at all times.”
Perhaps because this was a special request from the Murim Alliance, the entire party was on edge.
Seomun Jin-gang in particular had been so tense for the past several days that the back of his neck felt stiff.
The Seomun Merchant Group was known throughout the Murim as “a trading company that values faith above the sword,” and that faith was something Seomun Jin-gang cherished more than anyone.
Since this was an important commission, he prayed there would be no mistakes whatsoever.
“Let’s move again.”
When Seomun Jin-gang tugged the reins, the caravan resumed its journey.
Time passed, and the sun began to sink.
After riding through the forest path, a flat hill came into view.
Guard Captain No Gye-baek dismounted and surveyed the surroundings.
“The sun is setting and the horses are exhausted. The open ground on that nearby hill looks perfect for making camp.”
Seomun Jin-gang nodded silently. His mind was complicated.
All the recent rumors concerning Hubei had been ominous. A band of northern bandits had crossed into Hubei’s borders, and the scattered remnants were now armed, roaming the mountain ranges and committing robbery.
When they dismounted, the sound of insects from all directions seemed especially loud.
Beyond that noise, a faint light could be seen flickering dimly beyond the hill.
“There’s a fire,” Seomun Jin-gang murmured.
No Gye-baek spotted it as well.
“Someone has already set up camp. We cannot rule out the possibility that bandits are using it as a disguise.”
The other guards tightened their grips on their weapons, eyes tense. Those holding bows clenched their hands, while some had already drawn their swords and hung them at their waists.
“I will go check. Young Master, please remain within the formation.”
When one of the guards stepped forward, Seomun Jin-gang raised a hand to stop him.
“No. I will go myself.”
No Gye-baek’s eyes widened.
“Young Master, it could be dangerous. You never know what might be waiting.”
“I know it’s dangerous. That’s precisely why I’m going myself.”
Seomun Jin-gang smiled calmly.
“After all, I am the person in charge of this journey. I wish to avoid unnecessary conflict, and if I approach them directly, the other party may lower their guard.”
Having said that, he left the sword at his waist untouched and began walking slowly forward.
As he approached the campfire, the sunset dyed the hem of his clothes a deep red.
There, a single man sat waiting.
He wore a black cloak and an old iron mask that covered his entire face except for his mouth, which was barely visible.
The man slowly turned his head as if he had heard Seomun Jin-gang’s footsteps.
Yet there was neither wariness nor hostility in the movement. He simply gazed at Seomun Jin-gang in silence from beyond the firelight.
“Excuse me,” Seomun Jin-gang spoke first, maintaining a careful distance.
“I’ve heard that bandits frequently appear in this area. We saw your fire while passing through and approached with caution. If we have caused any disturbance, I apologize.”
The masked man remained silent for a long time.
The flames flickered across the surface of his mask, seeming to conceal even his gaze.
Then, in a low voice, he finally spoke.
“I am merely a ronin. Nothing like a bandit.”