The Legend of the Northern Blade - Chapter 172: A Swordsman Decides Fate With Their Sword (1)

Chapter 172: A Swordsman Decides Fate With Their Sword (1)

A dozen martial artists stood before the main gate of Heaven’s Summit, their eyes fixed on the notice board long after everyone else had gone inside.

Exhaustion was etched onto their faces. They had traveled an immense distance without proper rest, but a brilliant light still shone in their eyes.

A seven-foot-tall man in a red robe, a massive Dragon Scale Dao slung across his back, stepped forward. At his waist hung a hexagonal truncheon as thick as a grown man’s forearm.

There was only one martial artist with such distinct features in the world—Yong Mu-Sung, the commander of Iron Brigade.

After leaving Gansu, the Iron Brigade had rushed to Wuhan with almost no rest, managing to arrive just before the Demon Hunters’ event began.

Yong Mu-Sung clicked his tongue as he read the latest update on the notice board. New information had been added concerning the fate of Jin Mu-Won. “Tsk! So it’s come to this.”

“This is how Heaven’s Summit operates,” Jongri Mu-Hwan sighed, his expression equally grim. “They never tolerate those who challenge their authority.”

Chae Yak-Ran shook her head in disbelief. “How on earth did his identity get exposed? He’s not the negligent type. Did he really not know how much attention Heaven’s Summit pays to anything related to the Northern Army?”

“He must have let his guard down,” one of the Iron Brigade members suggested.

“Or maybe he got a little arrogant after making a name for himself,” another added. “When people suddenly gain fame, they tend to get careless.”

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“Or… it was intentional,” Jongri Mu-Hwan remarked.

All eyes turned to him.

“That man never lets his guard down, nor does he act without purpose. If he revealed himself, there has to be a very good reason for it. Besides, he has…” Jongri Mu-Hwan’s voice trailed off.

“Spit it out, Mu-Hwan.”

“He has that man at his side. The Triune Scholar, Ha Jin-Wol. It’s entirely possible that this whole situation was orchestrated by the mad genius.”

“Hmm…” Yong Mu-Sung nodded slowly, the idea taking root.

It seemed plausible. While the abilities Ha Jin-Wol displayed in Yunnan were formidable, his greatest strength was his insight.

To an ordinary person, events were just a series of unrelated incidents. However, Ha Jin-Wol saw more. He could grasp the cause and effect of countless scenarios at a glance, intuitively reading the flow of events with an acumen that Jongri Mu-Hwan could never hope to match.

“Do you think that man would simply stand by and allow Master Jin’s identity to be exposed? I find that very hard to believe.”

“So you’re saying this whole mess is Ha Jin-Wol’s doing,” Yong Mu-Sung concluded.

“That’s right.”

Yong Mu-Sung scratched his head, his expression a mixture of awe and frustration. “Ah, damn it! I can’t tell if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

“Either way, we have to watch his movements carefully,” Jongri Mu-Hwan warned. “If we’re not careful, we could get swept up in whatever game he’s playing.”

“You’re right.” Yong Mu-Sung nodded and turned to his men. “You’ve all worked hard to get here. As you can see, this is Heaven’s Summit. From now on, watch your every step and do nothing that could give them a reason to target us. It’ll be a pain if we attract their attention right from the start.”

“You’re the one who needs to be careful, Commander,” one of his men retorted playfully. “You’re the one who causes all the trouble.”

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“Is that so? Hahaha! Then I’ll have to be the most careful one here. Alright! Let’s go inside.”

Yong Mu-Sung led the way into Heaven’s Summit, with the Iron Brigade following close behind.

Nevertheless, Jongri Mu-Hwan couldn’t tear his eyes from the notice board even as he walked away.

Ha Jin-Wol was the first person to ever make him, a man who prided himself on his intelligence, feel true despair. If he could think three or four steps ahead, then Ha Jin-Wol could see ten in the blink of an eye.

A man like that was now setting something big in motion.

I need to meet him, and soon.

The existence of a variable that moved beyond his calculations was unsettling. He had to understand the mad genius’s intentions. Only then could he hope to navigate the storm that was surely coming.

Even in a city as splendid as Wuhan, slums existed. East Bamboo Street was one such place, a shantytown formed by those who had lost out in the city’s ruthless competition and been pushed to its fringes.

The streets were choked with filth, and a foul stench rose from a nearby stream. Its inhabitants were just as squalid, their unfocused eyes devoid of any will to live.

Usually, even slums had a pecking order, a structure of extortion among the downtrodden. But here in East Bamboo Street, not even that existed. The people were too broken, mentally and physically, for such struggles.

“Tsk!” Ha Jin-Wol clicked his tongue, surveying the slum’s entrance. “Are you sure he’s in a place like this?”

Beside him, a young man in his early twenties with a gentle face nodded.

Ha Jin-Wol grunted, “Well, I guess it’s information that we only managed to obtain with the help of the Black Moon.”

He trusted few people, but he trusted this man, who was actually Cheong-In in disguise. Several hours ago, he had asked Cheong-In to find someone, and the man delivered in less than a day.

“Let’s go,” Ha Jin-Wol said.

Cheong-In shook his head. “You go in first.”

“Why? Aren’t you coming?”

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“We’re being followed. I’ll shake them off and catch up with you later.”

“What? Since when?”

” Two of them have been following us since we left the manor. They’re professionals. I can barely sense their presence or feel their gaze. Of course…” Cheong-In smirked. “Compared to me, they’re basically children.”

Ha Jin-Wol smiled faintly. “If someone put a tail on me, it could only be her.”

“Her?”

“The Poisonous Flower of the Seomoon Clan.”

“Ah, Seomoon Hye-Ryung!”

“Indeed. Deal with them and meet me inside.”

“Understood.” With a flourish, Cheong-In casually melted into the surroundings.

Ha Jin-Wol mused with a wry smile. “So, she’s finally taking me seriously?”

Battles between strategists began with grasping the opponent’s intentions. In order to devise a plan of action, one needed information. In this regard, Seomoon Hye-Ryung was dutifully sticking to the fundamentals.

Ha Jin-Wol left the tail to Cheong-In and walked into East Bamboo Street. The slum’s inhabitants showed no reaction to the stranger in their midst, not even a hint of suspicion. He had been through countless slums before, but this was his first time experiencing such indifference.

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They haven’t got even a shred of hope that. Since there’s nothing to protect, there’s nothing to be wary of.

He shook his head. This place was a living hell, where people without hope for tomorrow eked out a meaningless existence. The air was thick with despair, utterly devoid of vitality.

Following Cheong-In’s directions, he made his way to the deepest part of the slum. The melancholic atmosphere was so pervasive it began to sour his own mood, and he had to actively shake the feeling away.

Soon, he arrived at a small hovel cobbled together from discarded wood and straw mats. In front of it, a shabby-looking old man sat shirtless in a patch of sun, picking lice from his clothes.

POP! POP!

With every flick of his finger, a louse popped with a faint sound.

“Heheh! Look at you little gluttons. Your bellies are so plump,” the old man remarked.

Ha Jin-Wol observed the old man. He was as gaunt as a dry branch, his head a shock of white hair, making him look like a diseased, dying tree. More importantly, he paid no mind to Ha Jin-Wol’s approach, completely absorbed in his task.

Ha Jin-Wol crouched down beside the old man. Still, he didn’t spare him a glance.

Ha Jin-Wol decided to wait. As he sat there basking in the sun, a wave of drowsiness washed over him. He began to doze off, his head bobbing like a sick chicken.

Only then did the old man stop searching and look at Ha Jin-Wol. He eyed the scholar suspiciously, trying to see if he was faking it, but Ha Jin-Wol seemed to be genuinely asleep, as evidenced by his even breathing and the slight trickle of drool from his lips.

The old man’s hand reached under the straw mat he was sitting on. When he pulled his hand back out, he was holding a small dagger. Although the blade was no longer than a child’s palm, it was so finely honed that it gleamed with a chilling blue light.

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The old man fiddled with the dagger, his eyes fixed on the sleeping Ha Jin-Wol.

After a long, tense moment, the old man whispered, “Wake up.”

Ha Jin-Wol didn’t stir. Sighing, the old man tapped him on the shoulder. Only then did he groggily open his eyes.

Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, Ha Jin-Wol groaned, “Ah, I nodded off… Hic!”

“Who are you?” the old man asked in a raspy voice.

“My name is Ha Jin-Wol.”

“Ha Jin-Wol?”

“You’ve probably never heard of me. I’m just a nobody.”

“I see. What brings you to my home? Do you know who I am?”

Ha Jin-Wol nodded.

In an instant, the old man’s demeanor transformed. The dull, vacant look disappeared, replaced by eyes as sharp and cold as the dagger he held. His killing intent was so intense, it could paralyze a normal man.

Still, Ha Jin-Wol just smiled brightly.

Lowering his voice dangerously, the old man asked again, “Then tell me. Who am I?”

“Dong Ha-Pyeong. Your name is Dong Ha-Pyeong.”

“That name… it’s been a long time since last I heard it.”

The old man’s eyes closed his eyes. He tried to feign composure, but a faint, uncontrollable tremor in his shoulders betrayed the storm raging within him.

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“How did you find me?” he asked. “I was so sure no one ever would.”

“It wasn’t that difficult,” Ha Jin-Wol replied with a casual smile. “I just thought about where I would hide if I were you, and the answer was obvious. After that, I simply had someone search all your potential hiding spots, and they found you right away.”

“Ugh!”

“Still, choosing East Bamboo Street as a hideout was a brilliant move. I doubt anyone else would have ever found you.”

“Are you saying you’re that exceptional?”

“Eh… is that how it sounds?” Ha Jin-Wol scratched his chin, but he didn’t deny it.

“You are far more capable than I imagined,” Dong Ha-Pyeong conceded. “In that case, I’ll ask you politely. I don’t know why you came looking for me, but please leave. I am a man with no interest in the affairs of the world.”

“Is that really true?”

“What do you mean?”

Ha Jin-Wol pressed, “Are you truly uninterested in world affairs? This location is a stone’s throw from Heaven’s Summit yet completely off its radar. It’s the perfect place to monitor their movements. Are you telling me that you ended up living here by pure coincidence?”

“You…”

“You are the Northern Army’s Intelligence Hall Director, Dong Ha-Pyeong.”

“!!” Dong Ha-Pyeong’s eyes trembled violently. He had striven for so long to forget that title.

“And you are also the man who led the Northern Army to its destruction. Now, how about you answer my questions, hmm?”

Dong Ha-Pyeong squeezed his eyes shut. Ha Jin-Wol’s voice was soft, yet it cut deeper than any blade.

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