Chapter 227: Holding One’s Breath, Gritting One’s Teeth (2)

The world knew nothing of Jae Hyuk-Shim's death. It happened inside the Ironblood Fortress, where Go Jeon-Wol seized control the moment his master died.

The local dignitaries and merchants who had been drinking with Jae Hyuk-Shim were thrown into the underground prison. The martial artists of the Iron Blood Brigade were confined to the main hall with their acupoints sealed.

Go Jeon-Wol worked without pause. He purged all those who had fawned over Jae Hyuk-Shim and reinforced the fortress's defenses. He cut away the rotten branches, raised up the neglected but talented, and overhauled the entire system.

With Jin Mu-Won at its heart, the Ironblood Fortress was being reborn. With his powerful presence, he bound the fortress together in Jae Hyuk-Shim's place.

Go Jeon-Wol stood on a cliff and watched a boat sail off into the distance. On the bow of that shabby little fishing vessel stood a single man.

"Lord."

That man was Jin Mu-Won.

After subduing Jae Hyuk-Shim, he left the Ironblood Fortress without a trace of lingering attachment. He made no special demands of Go Jeon-Wol and did not ask him to follow. Even so, Go Jeon-Wol pledged his loyalty.

He wasn't alone in this, either. Most of the martial artists in the Ironblood Fortress felt the same way. The powerful impression that Jin Mu-Won had left behind still set their hearts pounding.

The Strategist was right. The Northern Army will rule the world again, and it will be because of the Lord.

Ha Jin-Wol, the Northern Army's strategist, had come to see him a while back. He won him over and explained exactly how to seize the Ironblood Fortress.

At first, he was skeptical, but now he had no doubt. Ha Jin-Wol understood the inner workings of the fortress better than anyone.

In fact, he even knew things that he, an insider, did not. Somehow, the man had obtained a complete list of the men sowing division and discontent within the fortress, enough to leave him shaken.

Following Ha Jin-Wol's plan, seizing the fortress was a breeze. As he took control, he marveled at just how many weaknesses the fortress had.

Secure the Ironblood Fortress completely, then lie low. That was the order, wasn't it?

Jin Mu-Won hadn't said much, but Strategist Ha Jin-Wol had given him clear orders. From that point on, Go Jeon-Wol was determined to follow Ha Jin-Wol's instructions to the letter.

He issued an order to the martial artists under his command. "From this day forward, the Ironblood Fortress will be reborn. Until the Lord calls on us again, you will all train in martial arts. We'll burn off the excess fat and forge our bodies anew so that we may race to the battlefield the moment we're needed."

"Yes, sir!"

The powerful response rang out across the entire Ironblood Fortress.

A quiet, dramatic change had begun, and not a soul in the world knew of it.

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When the fishing boat docked, Jin Mu-Won stepped ashore, followed closely by Cheong-In.

After they sent the boat off, Cheong-In led Jin Mu-Won to a secluded spot near the harbor where a horse was tied up. Holding out the reins, he said, "You can ride this one." "You can ride this one."

"Thank you for all your hard work."

Cheong-In scratched his head awkwardly. "Work? This is nothing. I'm just doing my job."

Jin Mu-Won smiled. Cheong-In had followed him ever since that day three years ago. The hardships he'd endured in that time were beyond description.

No one knew what had happened within the Black Moon, but after that day, it ceased its activities entirely. All of its cells had gone underground. They even relocated their operating bases, leaving Cheong-In suddenly cut adrift.

After that, Cheong-In was persuaded by Ha Jin-Wol into establishing a new intelligence organization for the Northern Army. Named Hidden Flow, the organization became the eyes and ears of the new Northern Army.

It was still taking shape, however, and its scale was nothing compared to that of the Black Moon. Nevertheless, an independent intelligence network was a significant asset.

Naturally, Cheong-In became the head of Hidden Flow. He was rarely at the Northern Army's base, so even Ha Jin-Wol saw him only a few times a year. His abilities were beyond question, however, and the intelligence that Hidden Flow gathered was exceptionally reliable.

After studying Cheong-In for a moment, Jin Mu-Won massaged his face using a bone contortion art. His features shifted into those of an ordinary-looking man.

Cheong-In handed him an identity token. "You can go by the name Dan Cheon-Woon, from the Peacock Sect in Hunan Province. The Peacock Sect's lineage was cut off over a decade ago, and the sect fell with it. Dan Cheon-Woon died unexpectedly in a remote area. Of course, no one knows he's dead."

In short, Dan Cheon-Woon was a real person. There was no way of knowing how Cheong-In had learned of the man's existence, but he could be trusted.

"Dan Cheon-Woon..."

"He was the withdrawn sort who didn't say much, so you shouldn't run into any trouble."

"I understand."

"Then take care on your way back. The front lines have spread all the way to Fu County, and public sentiment has become more unpredictable. The road to Sichuan won't be easy."

"Aren't you coming with me?"

"I'd like to, but I need to be somewhere else."

Jin Mu-Won shot Cheong-In a questioning look.

Cheong-In smiled bitterly. "The Black Moon has started to move again."

"The Black Moon?"

"That's why I have to go and see for myself. It's where I come from, after all."

For the past three years, the Black Moon had disappeared without a trace. Most of its members were like brothers to Cheong-In, so now that the Black Moon was stirring again, he couldn't turn a blind eye.

"Go, and come back safely. I hope everything sorts itself out."

"It will. The Black Moon isn't that stupid."

"If you need any help, just say the word."

"Mm!" Cheong-In nodded and looked at Jin Mu-Won. Though he wore another man's face, his trustworthy demeanor remained unchanged. Cheong-In was certain that even if decades passed, Jin Mu-Won would never change.

Jin Mu-Won and Cheong-In parted ways with a simple farewell.

Now alone, Jin Mu-Won mounted his horse and turned west. He had left the Northern Army to its own devices for a long time while handling the Ironblood Fortress. Ha Jin-Wol and Tang Gi-Mun were managing it well enough, but it was still unbecoming of a lord to be away so long.

Jin Mu-Won's expression brightened as he rode toward the Northern Army. He had resolved the issue of the Ironblood Fortress. By taking it, two of the Four Northern Pillars were now under his control. While it was far from the Northern Army's former glory, it was still a formidable force, no weaker than any of the Nine Sects One Gang.

Many had contributed to this achievement, especially Ha Jin-Wol, who had shown tireless, self-sacrificing devotion. It was his idea to establish the Northern Army in the western highlands of Sichuan Province, where Myeong Ryu-San's hometown was.

The choice of location was meant to honor the friend they had lost.

Thanks to Ha Jin-Wol's decision, the knot of resentment in Tang Gi-Mun's heart was loosening. At last, he could devote himself to raising a new generation of disciples.

Suddenly, Jin Mu-Won looked up at the vast, cloudless blue sky. He felt as though Myeong Ryu-San were smiling down on him from above.

"You're doing all right, aren't you?"

Myeong Ryu-San was a raw wound in his heart. Even now, the memory of him still cast a shadow over his thoughts.

Still, he drew strength from those moments. He couldn't let Myeong Ryu-San's sacrifice be in vain.

He rode at an unhurried pace. The western highlands of Sichuan Province were over three thousand kilometers away. It was an astonishing distance that would take more than forty days to cover, even traveling seventy-five kilometers a day.

He could have shortened the journey with his movement arts, but he didn't. Conserving stamina was vital on a long journey. He had learned through hard experience that this principle held true for far more than travel alone.

After riding all day, no suitable village came into view. Worse yet, the sun was about to set.

Jin Mu-Won reined in his horse and looked for a place to camp.

Finding a spot proved easy enough. He built a fire beneath a large tree beside a stream. He opened the sack on his horse's saddle and took out a small pot, grain powder, and dried meat.

He dropped some grain powder and dried meat into the pot, added water, and hung it over the fire. Then, he closed his eyes.

As he did so, scenes from his past played out before him like a revolving lantern. The fall off the cliff, his desperation to survive, and his reunion with Ha Jin-Wol and the others came rushing back vividly.

Back then, he had been ravaged by severe internal and external injuries, made worse by Eun Han-Seol. If not for the legendary meditation technique, the Art of Ten Thousand Shadows, he might have ended up crippled. Of course, he also owed his full recovery to Tang Gi-Mun.

After clinging to life, he set out for the Western Highlands of Sichuan with Ha Jin-Wol and the others. Initially, they hadn't planned to settle there. However, Tang Gi-Mun insisted that Myeong Ryu-San's parents be told of his death, even at the cost of their own lives.

Slipping through the tight surveillance at Heaven's Summit to reach Sichuan Province was no mean feat. In the end, though, they made it and delivered the news to his parents.

Myeong Ryu-San's parents grieved deeply, yet they did not blame Jin Mu-Won and the others.

"He made a name for himself, just as he always wanted. Our boy can rest contentedly in the afterlife."

They had repeated their son's alias, the Unyielding Bloodhound, several times as they buried him in their hearts.

That memory was etched vividly in Jin Mu-Won's mind.

Right afterward, Ha Jin-Wol proposed that they start the new Northern Army in that very place. The whole group agreed, and so the Northern Army was reborn in the western highlands of Sichuan, a place untouched by humans.

While Ha Jin-Wol and Tang Gi-Mun established the framework for the new Northern Army, Jin Mu-Won devoted himself to seclusion training. The savage battles against the Chaos Demon, Jo Un-Kyung, had left him with more than just internal injuries.

During those life-or-death struggles, he had grasped a thread of enlightenment. He was confident that he could further refine the Shadow Blade of Destruction. Thus, he devoted himself entirely to martial arts.

Meanwhile, Ha Jin-Wol used Cheong-In to gather intelligence from around the world and develop the structure of the Northern Army. Around that time, he also summoned Hwang Cheol and Kwak Moon-Jung from the White Dragon Merchant Association.

Through Hwang Cheol, he made contact with Ma Do-Gwang, the boss of the Flying Desolation Gang. Since the Northern Army's annihilation ten years ago, the Flying Desolation Gang had become genuine bandits. Without Ma Do-Gwang, they might have been beyond anyone's control.

Fortunately, Ma Do-Gwang still remembered the Northern Army and longed for those bygone days. Still, he didn't travel to the western highlands based on Hwang Cheol and Ha Jin-Wol's words alone. He wanted to see Jin Mu-Won with his own eyes, so he burst into the cave where Jin Mu-Won was training.

Only Jin Mu-Won and Ma Do-Gwang knew how that encounter ended. Regardless, from that day on, Ma Do-Gwang led his men into the western highlands. He willingly handed Ha Jin-Wol the immense treasure he had amassed as a bandit, and Ha Jin-Wol used it to rebuild the Northern Army.

Now, they had secured both manpower and resources. On top of that, they had the brilliant mind of Strategist Ha Jin-Wol.

As Ha Jin-Wol built out the Northern Army's system, he drew in more talented men. He placed each one in the right position and used Cheong-In to establish an intelligence organization.

Buildings began to rise in the once-desolate western highlands. Although the structures looked shabby due to a lack of proper materials, the martial artists who lived among them burned with ambition.

The harsh land drew people together. Despite everything being in short supply, the Northern Army's martial artists grew little by little. This was possible thanks to the tremendous efforts of Ha Jin-Wol, Seo Mu-Sang, and Ma Do-Gwang.

As the warriors grew and the organization expanded, they exhausted vast sums of money. Ma Do-Gwang's once bottomless treasure began to dry up, and the first crisis arrived.

Fortunately, the White Dragon Merchant Association stepped in. They were originally based in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, but moved to Sichuan Province to escape the war.

Ultimately, the Association decided to back the Northern Army with an extravagant sum. Such was the faith that their old matriarch placed in the Northern Army's potential.

The White Dragon Merchant Association didn't stop at financial support, though. They also dispatched the matriarch's son, Yoon Ja-Myeong, who was close with Jin Mu-Won and the others, to the Northern Army.

Once the Northern Army's finances were stable, nothing could stop their advance. They secretly expanded their influence. At the same time, the world, caught up in the war between Heaven's Summit and the Silent Night, remained utterly oblivious.

By the time Jin Mu-Won emerged from the cave, the Northern Army was no longer powerless. It had become the lair of a hidden dragon, with a well-established internal hierarchy and military strength.

As soon as Jin Mu-Won appeared, Ma Do-Gwang suggested recruiting Kyung Mu-Saeng. One of the Four Northern Pillars, Kyung Mu-Saeng had shut himself away in the Tempest Mountain Manor for a long time as a last resort to preserve the Northern Army's strength.

Jin Mu-Won moved at once to recruit him. However, Kyung Mu-Saeng's stubbornness was every bit the equal of Ma Do-Gwang's. He wouldn't readily acknowledge Jin Mu-Won as his lord. He wanted to gauge Jin Mu-Won's martial prowess for himself.

Kyung Mu-Saeng was extremely strong. He was so fast and powerful that his nickname, the Wind Emperor, was well-earned.

The scar on Jin Mu-Won's cheek was a memento of their fight, even though Jin Mu-Won had subdued him.

In the end, Kyung Mu-Saeng acknowledged Jin Mu-Won and joined the Northern Army. However, to slip past Heaven's Summit's surveillance, a fair number of his disciples stayed behind at the Tempest Mountain Manor.

Most of the martial artists who followed Kyung Mu-Saeng were loyal to the Northern Army. They guarded the secret strictly, shuttling back and forth between the Northern Army and the Tempest Mountain Manor.

With the addition of the martial artists from the Flying Desolation Gang and Tempest Mountain Manor, the Northern Army's disciples numbered close to three thousand. They were a force no weaker than the Nine Great Sects, and Jin Mu-Won bore the heavy responsibility of leading them.

He gathered his thoughts and fed a few more branches to the fire.

"There's a light over here," a voice suddenly called out from the darkness.