Chapter 232: Unwanted Companions Are Bound to Cause Trouble (1)

Jin Mu-Won’s face was reflected in Chae Yak-Ran’s eyes. Although she had never seen it before, it felt strangely familiar. Because of this, her words slipped out before she could think twice.

Jin Mu-Won shook his head. “I don’t think so. I believe this is our first meeting.”

“Really?”

“If we had met before, I’m sure I would remember a beauty like you...”

Chae Yak-Ran furrowed her brow at the casual reply. She studied Jin Mu-Won’s current face for a long time, but he held her gaze without any change in expression. Confused, she asked, “What is your name, sir?”

“I am Dan Cheon-Woon of the Peacock Sect.”

“I see, so you’re Master Dan. I must have been mistaken.”

“It happens. I understand.”

“I’d appreciate it if you kept what happened here to yourself. You understand why, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll trust you. I wish you good fortune in your travels, Master Dan.”

“Thank you.”

Chae Yak-Ran turned and went back to her seat.

As she sat down, Jongri Mu-Hwan asked, “What was that about? Do you know him?”

“No, it seems I mistook him for someone else.”

“Is that so?”

Jongri Mu-Hwan studied Jin Mu-Won carefully. The Chae Yak-Ran he knew didn’t often make such mistakes. If something struck her as strange, there was usually a reason for it.

He looks ordinary enough.

The man had an ordinary face, the kind you could find anywhere. He showed no signs of having ever trained in martial arts. There were no calluses on his palms or the backs of his hands from training in barehanded techniques or weapons.

Most importantly, he carried no visible weapons. Nothing about him suggested that he was a martial artist.

Could she have felt a sense of familiarity from an ordinary man?

Of course, it was possible. No one was a god, and it was impossible to remember every face perfectly. Mistaking one person for another who had a similar appearance happened all the time.

Still, something feels off.

Jongri Mu-Hwan remained suspicious, but he didn’t dwell on it. The strange man wasn’t his problem at the moment. They had recruited Go Cheon-Hu by force, so winning him over and securing his loyalty to the Iron Sect was what mattered most.

Jongri Mu-Hwan started sharing drinks with Go Cheon-Hu. Gongson Chang and Chae Yak-Ran joined the conversation, and a warm mood soon settled over the table.

As narrow-minded and arrogant as Go Cheon-Hu was, he was not the sort to go back on his word. He offered Chae Yak-Ran a cup of wine. “You’re the first wench I’ve ever acknowledged. Take this.”

“If you were in better shape, Elder, I would have lost. Thank you for going easy on me.”

“Go easy, my ass... Anyway, it was a great match.”

Go Cheon-Hu’s eyes shone with undisguised admiration. He had looked down on Chae Yak-Ran for being a woman, but he had given the fight everything he had. Having lost anyway, he had no grounds for dispute.

“The Iron Sect, was it? Is that Yong Mu-Sung the Sect Leader?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmph! I thought he was just a man leading vagabonds and chasing money, but he’s more ambitious than I thought. He must know what founding a sect really entails.”

“Ah, you understand. This is why we need you all the more, Master Go. Please become our elder.”

“Hmph! That wench, no...”

Vice Sect Leader.“

“Right. Since I lost to her, I can’t complain if you make me a low-ranking warrior. Do you really mean to take me on as an elder?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm!” Go Cheon-Hu’s eyes flickered brightly.

This fellow knows how to handle people. He could have humiliated me all he liked, yet he shows respect and asks politely instead. That is no easy thing to do.

“Then you must be the Iron Sect’s Strategist,” he added.

Jongri Mu-Hwan nodded. “It’s embarrassing to admit, but yes, I am the Strategist.”

“With a strategist like you and a martial artist like the Vice Sect Leader, I’m confident that the Iron Sect has a bright future ahead. My strength is limited, but I’ll fulfill my duties as an elder of the Iron Sect.”

“Thank you. Allow me to offer you a toast, Elder.”

Go Cheon-Hu refused none of the wine Jongri Mu-Hwan poured, downing cup after cup. Gongson Chang and Chae Yak-Ran offered toasts as well.

As the drinks were passed around, the mood grew warmer. When Go Cheon-Hu’s disciple, Gi San-Ha, joined in, the atmosphere reached its peak.

Jin Mu-Won’s eyes gleamed as he watched them.

Commander Yong founded a sect, huh? Was that why he was so desperate to earn money? To build this?

Establishing a single sect required an enormous amount of funding. Now that he knew the Iron Brigade Commander Yong Mu-Sung’s goal, he finally understood why he had taken on so many commissions.

Jin Mu-Won rose to his feet. He had run into people from his past in the last place he expected. However, his current situation left no room for a casual greeting. The world believed him to be dead, and he intended to keep it that way for the time being.

Previously, he had learned the hard way that stepping into the open and acting freely was not always the wisest course. He also knew that an arrow from the shadows was more terrifying than a sword in the light. He had no intention of repeating past mistakes.

“Let’s go,” he whispered.

Yu Geon-Yeop nodded, stood, and followed close behind him with quick steps.

“That little kid has excellent bone structure,” Go Cheon-Hu suddenly remarked from behind them. He hadn’t noticed it while the boy was sitting down, but the moment Yu Geon-Yeop stood up to follow Jin Mu-Won, his well-proportioned and balanced physique became apparent. For a child of five or six, his physical foundation was exceptional.

Yu Geon-Yeop turned and looked at Go Cheon-Hu.

Go Cheon-Hu raised his wine cup. “Hey, kid. Interested in learning martial arts? If you’re interested, I could take you as my disciple.”

Yu Geon-Yeop said nothing, merely bowed briefly to the old man before hurrying after Jin Mu-Won to the second floor of the inn.

Detecting no hesitation from the boy, Go Cheon-Hu smacked his lips. “What a shame. He looked quite promising.”

“Don’t you already have a disciple, Elder?”

“Isn’t it better to have more? When you find someone with outstanding potential, it’s only natural to want to raise them.”

“Is that so? I’ve never raised a disciple, so I wouldn’t know.”

“You’ll understand someday. You’ll see how hard it is to raise a good pupil. The jianghu is full of talented people, but truly exceptional talent is rare. If you ever find one, you must recruit them by any means necessary.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Jongri Mu-Hwan watched Yu Geon-Yeop walk down the second-floor hallway with fresh eyes.

Does that child have that much talent? Enough for the great Ghost Shadow Spear to covet him?

Even long after Yu Geon-Yeop disappeared into his room, Jongri Mu-Hwan still couldn’t pull his eyes away from the door.

Once they were inside the room, Jin Mu-Won offered Yu Geon-Yeop the bed and took a seat by the window. It was a pitch-black night, with not even a hint of moonlight. The only sound was the whistling wind.

Just because something was unseen didn’t mean it wasn’t there. Somewhere in that darkness, houses stood and people lived in them. Each person had their own thoughts and goals.

Some drifted through their days without a thought in their heads. Others clung to every day with grim tenacity. The pitch-black darkness swallowed them all alike, dyeing everything a single shade of black.

The present age was much the same. As the war between Heaven’s Summit and the Silent Night dragged on, people lost the luxury of dreaming about tomorrow. Surviving today was the only urgent business left. War devoured everything

In any case, the war between Heaven’s Summit and the Silent Night had lasted far longer than anyone expected. By Ha Jin-Wol’s reckoning, the conflict should have ended long ago, because the longer it stretched on, the more both sides stood to lose.

Both sides should have fought moderately and pulled back. That would have minimized their losses and preserved their internal unity. For reasons unknown, however, the war escalated by the day, and the damage increased exponentially.

Moyong Yul-Cheon controls Heaven’s Summit from the shadows and holds sway over the Silent Night. That’s the only explanation for how he can incite the Silent Night and plunge the entire Central Plains into war and terror whenever it benefits him. But...why is he going so far this time?

If they had fought moderately and then withdrawn, the Silent Night would have minimized their losses and strengthened Heaven’s Summit’s hold on the Central Plains. However, the current situation looked nothing like that. They fought like mortal enemies, with the Silent Night relentlessly attacking Heaven’s Summit.

This left two possibilities.

Either Moyong Yul-Cheon has lost his influence over the Silent Night, or something inside the Silent Night has changed drastically. Or perhaps both are true.

Regardless, the casualties were primarily low-ranking martial artists and civilians. Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Gansu were already in near-total ruin.

Despite this, Heaven’s Summit and the Silent Night continued to send men to those three regions. All signs pointed toward a war that would drag on for years.

Moyong Yul-Cheon.

Even now, Ha Jin-Wol was relentlessly investigating the man through Hidden Flow, but even the organization’s best efforts turned up nothing. Moyong Yul-Cheon and the Moyong Clan had completely shrouded themselves in secrecy.

In the end, Moyong Yul-Cheon and the Moyong Clan are the root of this conflict. This hellish war won’t end until they’re brought down.

His only consolation was that, while the Moyong Yul-Cheon and the Moyong Clan lurked in dim shadows, he hid in pitch darkness. He intended to make the most of it.

Having organized his thoughts, Jin Mu-Won opened his eyes. Yu Geon-Yeop was staring straight at him.

“Why aren’t you asleep?”

“Because I haven’t gotten an answer yet.”

“What answer?”

“The one where you agree to teach me martial arts.”

“Hmph!”

Jin Mu-Won’s brow furrowed slightly.

“You don’t want to teach me?”

“It’s more that I’m not ready to take on a disciple.”

“I don’t care if I’m not a formal disciple. As long as I can learn martial arts...”

Yu Geon-Yeop’s eyes filled with raw yearning for martial arts. For the first time, he let his feelings show openly.

Jin Mu-Won held the boy’s gaze for a long moment, but Yu Geon-Yeop didn’t flinch even under a stare that would have overwhelmed a peak-level expert. Seeing Yu Geon-Yeop determination, he knew he had to say something.

“I need more time to think about whether to accept you as my disciple, but...”

“......”

“At the very least, I will give you a chance to learn martial arts. What you do with that opportunity is entirely up to you.”

“That’s more than enough. I’ll work hard.”

“Okay. Now, go to sleep. We leave early tomorrow morning.”

“Yes!”

Finally, Yu Geon-Yeop lay down.

Jin Mu-Won waited until the boy had fallen asleep, then stepped outside.

“Hoo...”

His heart felt heavy. He had said the words, but teaching someone was no easy task. That went double for a man like him, who had mastered martial arts alone and had never learned how to teach.

Jin Mu-Won’s worries kept him company through the night.