The Gongson Clan's Pledge
Jegal Yujin sat demurely, her face flushed crimson. “What should I do? What should I do?”
She had followed Baekri Hyeong into his room on impulse, and now not a single word would come to mind. Back in her clan, she had been hailed as a prodigy of the age, yet the moment she faced real combat, all such praise vanished from her thoughts. Baekri Hyeong had asked if she wanted tea and gone to brew it, leaving her with a rare chance to gather her thoughts for the conversation ahead. Instead, she felt her heart racing far too quickly, every nerve taut with tension.
They had met again after only a year, yet he seemed an entirely different person. Even though they had exchanged letters, seeing his face in person was something else entirely. She could not quite understand how things had come to this, but Jegal Yujin resolved that this time she would speak properly and lifted her head.
At that moment, he returned.
“Drink it before it gets cold. I’m still a bit clumsy at this, so it might not taste very good. I hope you’ll overlook that.”
“...”
“Are you unwell? Your face is quite red.”
“N-no, it’s nothing. I just...”
“Just?”
“It’s been so long since I last saw you. You seem like someone else.”
Jegal Yujin spoke in a flustered rush. No matter how much she tried to steady herself or how earnestly she wished to converse properly, it proved impossible. She wondered what on earth was causing this feeling.
“I suppose I must look different,” Baekri Hyeong said. “I feel like I’m about to break through the wall of the Transcendent Peak Realm.”
“P-pardon? Already?”
“Yes. Of course, I intend to take everything the Peak Realm has to offer before ascending… so in about a year, I should reach Transcendent Peak.”
“That’s incredible! Reaching Transcendent Peak before even coming of age? You could count such people on one hand even if you searched the entire martial world!”
“I’m not so sure. I grew up under my elder sister, an extraordinary martial artist, so I don’t have a clear sense of these realms.”
He had heard that the Demonic Cult had many experts who reached Transcendent Peak by the age of fifteen. The problem was that most of them perished under brutal training. Those who survived became the Demonic Cult’s warriors and spearheaded the invasion of the Central Plains. Even among them, only a tiny fraction advanced to the Hwajing Realm—known to the Demonic Cult as the Extreme Demon Realm. This was not something to celebrate lightly. Still, for Jegal Yujin’s sake, he refrained from saying anything that might sound arrogant. People always said that humility brought blessings; it was far better to live humbly than to die in arrogance.
“From what I see, you’re the more remarkable one,” he said.
“Me? What are you saying? I’m only at the First-Class Realm…”
“Do you think the First-Class Realm is low?”
“Of course not! Even if you searched the entire Murim, the number of First-Class martial artists wouldn’t even reach half the total.”
Most martial artists considered the wall separating Second-Class from First-Class the most heartbreaking barrier of all. The clear dividing line was sword qi—whether one could form even a trace of it determined the difference between the two realms. As for sword gang, that belonged to the threshold of the Hyeongyeong Realm, just below the Five Venerables of Murim, so there was no need to discuss it further.
“Reaching First-Class at eleven, and already eyeing the Peak Realm—you’re a genius the likes of which appear once in a generation.”
“But Young Clan Lord, you’re already looking toward Transcendent Peak.”
“That’s only because I’ve done nothing but swing a sword all my life. You’ve been studying strategy, mechanisms, and formations at the same time, haven’t you?”
There was a saying: all streams return to the sea. Countless rivers, waves, and currents eventually merge into one vast ocean. If mechanisms were rivers, strategy waves, and formations currents, then adding martial arts to the mix… Jegal Yujin was forging a new realm that no one else could achieve.
“In that sense, I’m a little envious of you.”
“What?”
“I only pretend to be clever. My mind isn’t actually that sharp, so I’ve had quite a hard time.”
Jegal Yujin probably had no idea how desperately she had supported him in his previous life. If she had not devised strategies for the Wandering Swordsmen’s Brigade, the mere thought of what might have happened sent chills down his spine. While Baekri Hyeong had led the brigade with martial might, Jegal Yujin had been the only mind capable of controlling that power. That was why he acknowledged her. Even if she had not yet bloomed, she was a woman destined to flower brilliantly in the future.
“I believe in you. So I hope you’ll advance along your path without doubting yourself.”
“..!”
“The next time we meet will probably be in a year, at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
With those words, Baekri Hyeong downed his tea in one long swallow. Jegal Yujin, however, remained frozen like a stone statue. Their conversation had been flowing smoothly, yet his simple declaration of trust had sent her heart pounding like thunder. Afraid she would make a complete fool of herself if she stayed any longer, she blurted out,
“I-I’ll be going now!”
“All right. See you next time.”
Jegal Yujin fled from the room as if escaping. The lively atmosphere vanished in an instant, leaving silence in its wake. Without a word, Baekri Hyeong gestured toward someone.
“Huh? Was I caught?”
“I knew from the beginning. It hasn’t even been that long since you lost to me, and you still can’t properly sense my presence?”
“...You’re really petty.”
The person who entered at his signal was Namgung Suryeon. He had noticed her lingering nearby for quite some time. Wanting to see how she would react, he had invited Jegal Yujin inside, but there had been no particularly noticeable change.
“So, what do you want?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way you have business with me.”
“Is that so? Then get out.”
Baekri Hyeong politely ushered Namgung Suryeon out the door and shut it firmly, making his intentions clear. Namgung Suryeon, abruptly expelled, stared in disbelief before her expression twisted with anger. She flung the door open again.
“Hey, you bastard! Treating a guest like this at the doorstep—”
Her words died in her throat.
Baekri Hyeong had removed his upper garment and was in the middle of changing clothes. Namgung Suryeon found herself staring directly at his bare torso. Fortunately, he had not yet removed his lower garments—though whether that was fortunate was debatable.
“You crazy bastard!”
BOOM!
Namgung Suryeon caught a glimpse of Baekri Hyeong’s faintly smirking face and slammed the door shut with enough force to nearly break it. She realized that no matter what she did, she could never win against his antics.
‘Next time I see him, I’m hitting him. Just once!’
Swearing vengeance for the future, Namgung Suryeon sniffled and headed toward the room assigned to her. Once her presence faded, Baekri Hyeong quietly fastened his clothes again. It was an old-fashioned but effective way to drive someone off.
“Heh. That was fun. Her reactions are always the best.”
If the person being teased did not react well, there was no point in teasing them. But Namgung Suryeon’s responses—from the very first time he had called her “auntie” until now—had been consistently excellent. To Baekri Hyeong, she was the most natural friend to joke around with. Of course, others might think he crossed the line, but he was younger in body, even if an old man’s mind resided within. Namgung Suryeon was older in years. It was just a child’s prank; that was all there was to it. Besides, she was unlikely to tell anyone about this incident anyway.
“Once I return to the clan, I’ll finally be able to root out the spies.”
He had ended up telling his father about the existence of spies within the clan. It had been to avoid suspicion regarding the Four Guardian Deities Sword. The moment his father heard the word “spies,” the subtle aura around him had turned slightly ferocious. If he returned to the clan now, a storm of blood would likely sweep through it.
‘I probably won’t be coming back here again.’
If the Hubei Alliance found its footing, it could never maintain friendly relations with the Murim Alliance. After all, the alliance had risen in opposition to the Murim Alliance, the coalition of orthodox sects. Baekri Hyeong intended to expand the Hubei Alliance further—not some sham alliance colluding between powerful sects and clans, but a true alliance where members would sacrifice for one another. He was determined to make it happen.
As the long night passed and dawn arrived, Baekri Hyeong witnessed an astonishing sight.
“I, Gongson Ryong, pledge my loyalty to my lord, Baekri Hyeok!”
“...Ryong-ah.”
“Please do not abandon this pitiful subordinate!”
It was Gongson Ryong—the Strange Axe—kneeling with all the members of the Gongson Clan, swearing allegiance to Baekri Hyeok. In other words, the moment the Gongson Clan of Liaoning Province joined the Hubei Alliance.