The Reason of the Hero (5)
If he had truly unleashed his illusion arts, everything would be silent by now.
The Jangbodo, the Seomun Merchant Group, and the countless eyes scouring this land of Hebei would have seen nothing at all.
Simply delivering the item would have let the Seomun Merchant Group wash its hands of the entire affair.
But that would have been far too passive.
This was a vast conspiracy.
A single evasion would never free them from the flames of calamity.
Only by digging out the roots of the plot could he finally feel at ease.
So he had left the fear, greed, schemes, and justifications to mingle freely.
It was no mistake. It was a choice.
Stepping forward in his brother’s place, drawing in the Hwangbo and Paeng Clans—everything had been part of the plan.
‘Threats always grow in the dark.’
In his previous life, he had never created anything as pointless as a Jangbodo marking the Phantom Demon’s location.
Why bother with such unnecessary theatrics?
Yet now a Jangbodo that shook the entire Murim had appeared, bearing his own name.
This was no simple forgery.
It was part of a grand design—one with enough influence to move even the Murim Alliance.
Its purpose went far beyond mere greed.
‘Whose work is this? The Murim Alliance? The Demonic Cult? Or… my eldest brother?’
What mattered to Seomun Hwan was not the peace of the martial world.
Only his family mattered.
The Seomun Clan.
Nothing must ever put the clan in danger.
That was why he had not avoided the matter.
That was why he had stepped forward instead.
He had deliberately lifted the existence of this most dangerous Jangbodo into the light of the world.
‘I have to draw them all out. Whether fake or real, I need to know who planted it first.’
He had seen far too many such things in his life.
Illusions created by those who borrowed another’s name.
Shadows hiding behind masks.
If those fragments now targeted the Seomun Clan, it was better to set the fire himself.
A blazing inferno revealed more than cold ashes ever could.
Only then would the enemy move.
Only then would their true form appear.
Seomun Hwan gazed out the window at the chaotic scene across Hebei and thought,
‘Whoever created the fake will crawl out into this fire.’
Once his thoughts were settled, Seomun Hwan snapped his fingers again.
Tap!
Inside the carriage, Seomun Jin-gang slowly opened his eyes.
The familiar curve of the ceiling came into view, and only then did he realize he was still in the carriage.
His mind felt muddled.
“……What did I just do?”
It was a strange sensation. He had clearly spoken, yet the words and intent had not felt like his own.
Seomun Jin-gang slowly sat up and looked at his hands.
They were steady, but a faint tingling lingered in his chest.
At that moment, No Gye-baek shouted with admiration.
“I truly respect you, Young Master. I never expected you to speak so boldly right there and then…… It was truly unexpected.”
“I…… did that?”
“Yes! You completely overpowered the atmosphere so that even the renowned experts of the martial world had no chance to intervene. I found it quite satisfying.”
No Gye-baek nodded with a smile, but Seomun Jin-gang could not reply.
He was still searching his memory, and with each passing moment an inexplicable sense of dissonance sank deeper into his bones.
‘Why would I say something like that……?’
It should have been impossible.
He was not the sort of person to stir up trouble or carelessly leak secrets.
When the Murim Alliance entrusted a mission, keeping it confidential was the highest priority.
He had always believed that was the way to avoid unnecessary conflict and protect the clan.
Seomun Jin-gang forced his confused gaze to settle and leaned back against the seat once more.
The back of his neck felt oddly numb, yet his body was otherwise fine.
His memories remained hazy, but if the words could not be taken back, he had no choice but to accept them.
“……The words have already been spoken, and the stage has been set.”
Seomun Jin-gang frowned, lost in thought.
In truth, he too was deeply confused.
He had thought it was merely an important mission entrusted by the Murim Alliance, yet suddenly the story of the Phantom Demon’s Jangbodo had surfaced.
When he first heard the news through the messenger hawk, he had felt as though his heart might drop.
“Why must something like this happen to our merchant group……?”
Even so, he could not afford to be afraid.
Martial artists coveting the Jangbodo, external forces backed by the orthodox sects’ justification, and the possibility of betrayal from within—the road ahead would only grow more treacherous.
Nevertheless, he did not break.
The way he pondered his next move amid the chaos was unmistakably the responsibility of the Seomun Clan’s eldest son.
Steadfast, unyielding resolve.
Seomun Hwan, watching quietly from a corner of the carriage, let out a soft chuckle.
‘Not bad. He’s not entirely without flexibility.’
Even in the midst of anxiety, he refused to collapse and instead prepared for what came next.
Thought had taken root where confusion had passed.
Unfortunately, his talent for martial arts was lacking, but his qualities as a leader were more than sufficient.
Clip-clop! Clip-clop!
The Hwangbo and Paeng Clans were the two great powers dividing Hebei.
Under their protection, no one dared to block the procession.
Thanks to them, the merchant caravan arrived at its destination without incident.
The place was a shabby house perched on a remote mountainside in Hebei, at the end of a desolate gorge where few people ever passed.
From the outside, it looked like nothing more than an old private residence, its roof covered in moss and its walls half-collapsed beneath thick weeds.
The escorts, the experts from the Hwangbo and Paeng Clans, and even the stragglers who had followed out of lingering greed all stared at the dilapidated scene in disbelief.
“Surely…… this isn’t the destination?”
Someone muttered, and Seomun Jin-gang quietly stepped down from the carriage and walked toward the main gate.
Just then—
Creak!
The door groaned open, and an elderly man in a worn robe appeared from within.
His face was framed by a thick white beard, his forehead was broad and balding, and he held a dusty bamboo fan in one hand.
At a glance, he looked like nothing more than a mountain villager.
Yet Seomun Jin-gang bowed with the utmost respect.
“Elder Mubeultongji, Seomun Jin-gang offers his greetings.”
At those words, Hwangbo Gimun, Paeng Do-yun, and even the Seomun Clan’s own warriors widened their eyes.
“Mubeultongji?”
The eccentric of the martial world—his name was practically legend.
A genius among geniuses who supposedly knew everything in this world.
And that man had been living in this remote mountain village.
Mubeultongji swept his gaze over the group standing before his door, then frowned deeply.
“……There are far too many people. I was told only the merchant group would come.”
His voice was gentle, yet it carried a sharpness that pierced the listeners’ hearts.
Seomun Jin-gang lowered his head.
“My apologies. It was beyond our control.”
Mubeultongji silently folded his fan. The small motion alone wrapped the air in tension.
“A truly foolish affair. And yet you would reveal such an item so easily?”
“Among the choices available to us, this was the best.”
Seomun Jin-gang’s voice did not waver, but his eyes were complicated, as though retracing every move he had made.
Mubeultongji eventually shook his head and slowly walked back inside.
“……Very well. I suppose I shall take a look at this Jangbodo that has thrown the world into chaos.”
At Mubeultongji’s words, Seomun Jin-gang handed over the wooden box he had been carrying.
Mubeultongji checked the seal several times to confirm it was still intact, then slowly untied the knot.
Inside was the Shadow Night Soul Formation manual—the very one Seomun Hwan had previously examined with his clairvoyance.
After studying the book, Mubeultongji nodded.
“It is genuine. This is the Phantom Demon’s secret manual.”
The surroundings erupted into murmurs.
“Mubeultongji has confirmed it! It really is the Phantom Demon’s martial art!”
“Does the Phantom Demon’s cave truly exist?”
But the real reaction came next.
When he opened the manual, a thin sheet of parchment fluttered out.
The moment the parchment appeared, the sound of people swallowing their saliva could be heard from every direction.
“It’s the Jangbodo!”
“Oh! That’s the treasure map said to hide the Phantom Demon’s treasure!”
Seomun Hwan snorted at the sight.
‘Hiding a fake Jangbodo inside my real manual? I cast the bait well.’
Mubeultongji frowned and examined the parchment for a long time.
Eventually, he went inside and returned with a brush and paper.
“Far too many unnecessary people.”
Mubeultongji spent another long while grumbling as he began deciphering the code.
One hour passed, then two, and just as the onlookers were beginning to grow weary—
“Found it!”
When Mubeultongji touched the map and performed a strange gesture, a bright light suddenly flared.
And then—
Whoosh!
Flames erupted.
“What—!”
Those who had followed the Jangbodo all the way here cried out in shock and lunged forward.
Fortunately, the Jangbodo itself did not burn.
After the flames subsided, it looked even smoother and more polished than before.
Mubeultongji finally held up the revealed Jangbodo and waved it like a fan.
“A ridiculous thing.”
Everyone’s heads bobbed up and down as the map fluttered.
They tried to glimpse its contents, but such a thing was impossible from where they stood.
Mubeultongji quietly tapped the edge of the map with his fan.
Then he declared,
“This was never left behind by the Phantom Demon.”
For an instant, the sound of everyone holding their breath echoed through the air.
Hwangbo Gimun reflexively stepped forward.
“Elder Mubeultongji. Why are you so certain?”
Mubeultongji sat down on a wooden bench with an indifferent air and opened his fan.
“The art of Qimen Dunjia is complex and lengthy. At first glance, it may seem impressive. But it is like filling a page with excessive writing—nothing more than a trick to obscure the truth with flowery words.”
His eyes gleamed coldly.
“The Phantom Demon I knew dealt in far more refined principles. He pursued a realm perfected through simplicity, not complexity. This is merely flashy on the surface. It is not the Phantom Demon’s work.”
In other words, the item before them was an imitation, not the real thing.
Seomun Hwan listened and inwardly admired the assessment.
‘He sees it clearly.’
He had not expected anyone to evaluate his past self so sharply.
At the same time, another thought crossed his mind.
‘I thought this old man was in on the scheme……’
At least based on his actions so far, Mubeultongji seemed far removed from any conspiracy.
Mubeultongji, having lost interest, tossed the Jangbodo to Seomun Jin-gang.
“Hmph. I may not know who left it, but I can see right through the one who made it. I have no interest.”
He turned his back without another glance, fan in hand.
The moment the Jangbodo landed in Seomun Jin-gang’s hands, every gaze in the vicinity snapped toward him.
Eyes filled with greed and ambition.
Even though Mubeultongji had declared it fake, there were those who refused to believe—or refused to accept—the verdict.
Among them were Hwangbo Gimun and Paeng Do-yun.
Hwangbo Gimun spoke cautiously.
“……Young Master Seomun. What do you intend to do with that Jangbodo now?”
Paeng Do-yun followed suit.
“Elder Mubeultongji says it is not real, but public perception remains the opposite. The mere fact that this item is in the Seomun Clan’s possession will invite even greater threats in the future.”
Everyone held their breath.
Seomun Jin-gang’s answer could change the entire course of events.
At that moment, Seomun Jin-gang did something astonishing.
Whoosh!
He threw the parchment into the air and drew his sword in one swift motion.
Slash!
The parchment was cleanly torn in two, the pieces fluttering down to the dirt.
“……!”
Everyone was speechless.
Even Hwangbo Gimun and Paeng Do-yun had no time to stop him—the flash of the blade had already passed.
Seomun Jin-gang silently bent down and picked up the two halves of the torn Jangbodo one by one.
There was no regret or attachment in his touch.
He handed one piece to Hwangbo Gimun and the other to Paeng Do-yun.
“If it is your two clans…… I believe you can safeguard this false map until the Murim Alliance’s envoy arrives.”
Hwangbo Gimun and Paeng Do-yun looked as though they had been handed hot coals, unable to hide their dismay.
Seomun Hwan, watching from afar, slowly smiled inwardly.
‘No unnecessary greed—he handles things with a broad perspective. As expected of my eldest brother.’
But Seomun Hwan had no intention of stopping there.
He was not trying to resolve the situation; he was lighting the fuse.
Seomun Hwan quietly snapped his fingers.
Tap.
With that short sound—
Whoosh!
The torn pieces of the Jangbodo, which had been scattered on the ground, rose lightly from the hands of the Hwangbo and Paeng Clans.
At first they floated gently as though caught by the wind, then rose higher and higher until they met in the center of the sky, spinning rapidly toward each other.
Shhh!
The two sheets of parchment glowed, slowly merging in midair. Finally, with a thrilling ripple, they became one.
In that instant, a brilliant beam of light shot across the sky, and a massive image unfurled across the clear heavens like an ink painting.
It was unmistakably—
“A map!”
Someone cried out breathlessly.
The image floating in the sky was clear: mountain ranges, rivers, forests, gorges, and at the very end, a red circle marked upon a place known as the heart of the martial world.
It was the unmistakable form of the true Jangbodo pointing to its destination.
For a moment, the surrounding martial artists held their breath.
Even Hwangbo Gimun and Paeng Do-yun stared at the pieces in their hands, their expressions hardening.
And then—
“It’s the treasure! There’s treasure there!”
The gathered heroes stirred in excitement and began moving all at once, as though afraid someone else might claim the treasure first.
The Hwangbo and Paeng Clans were no exception.
The treasure scramble had truly begun.
Meanwhile, hidden in the shade of a distant peak were figures who were no ordinary martial artists.
Their faces were covered with black cloth, and they were armed with steel bows and poison-tipped arrows.
They had been watching the situation from beyond the mountainside, holding their breath, and now their eyes widened at the true form of the Jangbodo floating in the sky.
“……What is that?”
Their plan had been simple.
Greed would gather around the bait of the map, information would spread, and the martial world would move.
When the time came, they would assassinate the leading experts with their steel bows and sow chaos.
In that opening, they would divide the group and lead only the desired individuals “there.”
The true form of the Jangbodo that had appeared in the sky.
For that single moment, even they were so shocked that their breath caught.
A reaction they had not planned for. A Qimen formation response they had not anticipated.
Yet they soon exchanged silent glances.
A single brief gesture from their leader.
That alone changed every order.
“There was a mechanism like that?”
The leader frowned.
But soon he nodded.
“……The formation reacted. It was a device to reveal its true value.”
“Still, they’re all heading there anyway. Those people will never give up.”
“The objective has been achieved. In the end, the essence is to lure them.”
The group nodded silently.
From the very beginning, they had never cared who obtained the treasure.
There was only one goal.
To set the martial world in motion and drive them toward the hidden cave.
Right now, the experts of Murim were moving toward that place.
Orthodox, unorthodox, wanderers alike.
A single red mark in the sky was drawing countless blades toward it.
And this chaos was the very foundation needed to achieve their true purpose.
“Let’s slip away. We’ve drawn enough attention.”
At their leader’s quiet words, the rest followed obediently.
They lowered their bodies like the wind and vanished below the ridge.
Not a single trace or presence remained.
But there was someone watching them.
Seomun Hwan, gazing at them from afar.
Standing idly beside the carriage, he slowly raised his head and looked in their direction.
“Now I’ll be able to find out which bastards are pulling this kind of stunt.”
The corner of Seomun Hwan’s mouth lifted ever so slightly.