Chapter 237: A True Warrior Always Recognizes A Kindred Spirit (3)

“Phew!” Jongri Mu-Hwan sighed in relief and looked around.

Chae Yak-Ran, Gongson Chang, Go Cheon-Hu, and Gi San-Ha sat near him, all utterly spent. The battle against the Supreme Demon Squad had sapped their every ounce of their stamina.

Behind them sat the surviving recruits of the Demon Slaying Army and the mercenaries. Without Jongri Mu-Hwan and the Iron Sect, most of them would be dead.

The Demon Slaying Army recruits, in particular, wore bewildered looks on their faces. They had lost Gwak Sung, their leader. For two years, they had never acted on their own judgment. They operated under strict discipline and management, where individual initiative was not permitted. Taking orders was all they knew. The mere absence of a commander was enough to plunge them into a state of chaos.

The mercenaries sighed in relief at having survived, yet they were just as clueless about what came next. If they could have, they would have fled the war with the Silent Night and everything attached to it, but reality did not allow it. They had already signed a contract with Heaven’s Summit, and no one who broke a contract with Heaven’s Summit lived long in the Central Plains.

For them, there were only two paths to freedom. Either their contract expired, or they died. Ultimately, that left them only one choice—to march to the assigned battlefield as their contract demanded and fight there until they fell. However, having witnessed the might of the Supreme Demon Squad, not one of them could muster the courage to go back.

“In any case, it seems we’re all just defeated soldiers now.”

Jongri Mu-Hwan’s gaze drifted to the carriage behind the mercenaries where Jin Mu-Won sat in the driver’s seat. His expression changed.

That man...

Neither the Demon Slaying Army nor the mercenaries had seen Jin Mu-Won fight. Chae Yak-Ran and Go Cheon-Hu hadn’t either. Dealing with Hong Ak-San had exhausted them, both physically and mentally, leaving no energy to watch anyone else.

Jongri Mu-Hwan was different, though. Even while setting up his formation against Hong Ak-San, he hadn’t missed a single one of Jin Mu-Won’s movements.

From the moment Jin Mu-Won lifted the iron rod off the ground, Jongri Mu-Hwan had scarcely taken his eyes off him. Jin Mu-Won had targeted the horses rather than the warriors, making him realize for the first time that cavalry could be handled that way.

Of course, that was not a method just anyone could use. No ordinary martial artist could remain so calm in the face of a charging cavalry like a tidal wave, not even Jongri Mu-Hwan himself.

I don’t know about the Sect Leader, but no one else in the Iron Sect could face a cavalry charge as boldly as that man did.

What shocked him most were the martial arts on display. Jin Mu-Won had simply thrust an iron rod with no apparent routine or technique, and enormous horses went down one after another with shattered knees.

To someone unfamiliar with martial arts, it would have been hard to tell what kind of martial art that was. To a martial artist of Jongri Mu-Hwan’s level, however, every motion Jin Mu-Won made looked like an ultimate technique.

They say that once martial arts surpass a certain level, the distinction of form disappears. Could he have reached that state?

He could hardly believe his own logic. The face he was looking at belonged to a man in his late twenties or early thirties. Reaching such a level at that age was nearly impossible, at least, according to his common sense.

No, there is one such person. The Northern Blade who shook the jianghu.

Jin Mu-Won’s entire active period in the murim lasted a mere six months, but in that short span, he achieved feats that shouldn’t have been possible.

He had sent shockwaves through the entire jianghu alone. His legendary feat of breaking through Heaven’s Summit’s encirclement at the last moment still lived on in bard’s tales.

Heaven’s Summit tried to bury the affair, but they couldn’t silence everyone. Through the low-ranking warriors mobilized to form the encirclement, the story leaked out piece by piece. Before long, the curious began digging for more information.

The truth that surfaced astonished the world. Many of Heaven’s Summit’s martial organizations had been decimated, and even the Chief Administrator, Gwan Dae-Seung, had lost an arm and withdrawn into seclusion.

I heard that several unidentified absolute masters were mobilized as well. Even so, Master Jin broke through their offensive and escaped the encirclement.

For Heaven’s Summit, it was an indelible humiliation. They were already facing public criticism for destroying the Northern Army, so this incident, in which they swallowed their pride to eliminate Jin Mu-Won but failed anyway, left a lasting impression on people. Even the great Heaven’s Summit was imperfect.

After breaking through the encirclement, Jin Mu-Won disappeared, and Heaven’s Summit declared him dead. Many believed them. However, a few discerning individuals did not, instead speculating that Jin Mu-Won was still alive and hiding somewhere.

Heaven’s Summit’s grip on the jianghu weakened noticeably after that whole series of events. Sects that showed signs of slipping free of their influence began appearing here and there, and Heaven’s Summit crushed them.

In the end, the law of the jungle restored order to the murim, though it did not extinguish the embers of conflict. Those embers continued to smolder, ready to flare up again at any moment.

Jongri Mu-Hwan believed that if Jin Mu-Won were alive and revealed himself to the world again, the murim would be shaken to its foundations. Many other figures had risen in the jianghu since then, but not one of them had made as deep an impression as he had. The only exception was the Azure Sky Martial Emperor, Dam Soo-Cheon, who built an immense reputation through the Three-Year War. However, even then, it was unclear whether he could stand against Jin Mu-Won should he reappear.

Jongri Mu-Hwan’s eyes swept sharply over ‘Dan Cheon-Woon’. He was certain the man hadn’t revealed his true abilities, so his martial prowess was uncertain, but he was clearly a formidable martial artist.

Is this the emergence of a new star? Dan Cheon-Woon of the Peacock Sect, huh? He’s someone to keep an eye on from now on.

He approached the carriage. “Thank you for your help, Master Dan. Thanks to you, we survived.”

“What did I do? It was all thanks to you and the Iron Sect.”

“Without you, many would have died. Thank you for your timely assistance.” Jongri Mu-Hwan clasped his hands together in gratitude.

Acknowledging the gesture, Jin Mu-Won smiled bitterly to himself.

So he saw it after all.

He knew better than anyone how meticulous Jongri Mu-Hwan was. Still, he had hoped to escape his notice, which was why he used the most ordinary martial arts possible. He didn’t think Jongri Mu-Hwan would figure out his true identity, but he had to be careful. The world could not yet know that he was alive.

“Master Dan, what are your plans from here?” Jongri Mu-Hwan asked.

“Well...”

“If you don’t mind, how about joining our Iron Sect? We’d like to recruit you under the best possible conditions.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t wish to join a sect just yet.”

“Hmm! I understand. If you change your mind, though, let us know anytime. The Iron Sect will keep our doors open and wait for you.”

“Thank you for the offer.” Jin Mu-Won returned the polite greeting.

Jongri Mu-Hwan sighed. He could tell from the man’s manner that there was no room for reconsideration. Still, he wasn’t offended. He knew the jianghu was full of men who had their reasons for not wanting to be noticed.

He changed the subject. “So, Master Dan, where will you go?”

“For now, the Western Fortress. From there, I have to find a way into Gansu Province.”

“So Gansu Province is your final destination?”

Jin Mu-Won nodded. “That’s right.”

Truthfully, his final destination was Sichuan Province, not Gansu. There was no need to tell Jongri Mu-Hwan that, though. The existence of the new Northern Army in the western highlands of Sichuan was top secret.

“As you know, we’re also going to Shaanxi Province. How about we travel together until we get there?”

Jin Mu-Won furrowed his brows. He wanted no further involvement with the Iron Sect or the Demon Slaying Army, but he didn’t have a choice. There was only one main road from here to the Western Fortress, and the Supreme Demon Squad was camped behind them. He couldn’t turn back.

“Sure. Let’s travel together until Shaanxi Province,” Jin Mu-Won replied, smiling wryly.

“An excellent decision. I’ll be in your care, Master Dan.”

Jongri Mu-Hwan’s eyes gleamed with intelligence.

Hong Ak-San dropped to his knees with a thud. “I have committed a crime worthy of death, General.”

A large boulder towered before him, and atop it sat an old man in his early fifties with snow-white hair. He wasn’t tall, but he was rock-solid, with veins like earthworms across his forearms.

Although his sturdy physique belied his age, it was his eyes that made the greatest impression. They gleamed with the killing intent of a predator stalking prey, and swirled with ferocious energy.

Even the great Hong Ak-San was cowed by that gaze and dared not lift his head.

“Hmph!” The old man’s gaze shifted past Hong Ak-San to the battered warriors of the Supreme Demon Squad behind him. Thirty or more martial artists were dead or wounded. The Supreme Demon Squad had never suffered more casualties since advancing into the Central Plains. “So you’re telling me you sustained unexpected losses while plundering supplies without clashing with Heaven’s Summit’s elite? The great Supreme Demon Squad. Hehehe!”

Hong Ak-San winced at the laugh laced with killing intent.

The old man was Cheok Cheong-Yeong, the General of the Supreme Demon Squad.

Beside him stood a middle-aged martial artist who looked to be in his early forties. Clad in blood-red battle robes and matching armor, he was Po Yeong-Hwi. Like Hong Ak-San, he was a Commander of the Supreme Demon Squad.

While they shared a rank, however, Po Yeong-Hwi was stronger, and the Second Company he led was superior to Hong Ak-San’s Third Company in every way.

Of course, the First Company, led by Cheok Cheong-Yeong himself, far surpassed them both. That was how wide the gaps in martial power ran within the Supreme Demon Squad.

Regardless, they were all one squad and answered to Cheok Cheong-Yeong. The Third Company’s losses were a disgrace to both Cheok Cheong-Yeong and Po Yeong-Hwi.

Po Yeong-Hwi looked at Hong Ak-San with open contempt, and Hong Ak-San’s face flushed red.

“So what became of them? Surely you didn’t simply let them escape?”

“I am sorry, General.”

THUD!

Hong Ak-San slammed his forehead into the ground. His forehead split open, blood ran down his face, but he paid it no mind.

“Tell me in detail.”

Hong Ak-San recounted everything that had happened during the raid, focusing particularly on the fight with Jongri Mu-Hwan and the Iron Sect.

As he listened, Cheok Cheong-Yeong walked among the wounded and dead, carefully examining their injuries. “Oh? This is interesting.”

“Pardon?”

“The wounds they sustained are interesting.” Cheok pointed at a martial artist who had died with his throat crushed. “At first glance, it looks ordinary, but it’s brutally efficient. The person who did this applied just enough force to a vital spot to kill.”

“That’s...”

“Tell me about the one who inflicted this wound.”

“He’s...” Hong Ak-San hesitated. He searched his memory, but came up empty. He had been busy with Chae Yak-Ran and Go Cheon-Hu at the time.

Fortunately, other warriors testified in his place, describing an unremarkable martial artist who wielded an iron rod like a phantom.

“So a man like that was hiding among them?”

“General, what will you do?” Po Yeong-Hwi asked.

“We’ll track them down.”

“But our orders are to cause disruption in the rear.”

“Kekeke! The lives of my men are worth more than some damn order. I want to see the faces of the bastards who did this to them.”

“Understood.” Po Yeong-Hwi bowed his head. Cheok Cheong-Yeong’s word was absolute.

In any case, he had no intention of letting this go. Incompetent as the Third Company had been, they were still part of the Supreme Demon Squad.

“Track them down,” he commanded.

The Supreme Demon Squad obeyed.