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Everyone was exhausted. Dust had piled up on their heads and shoulders. Still, the knowledge that they were reaching the end of their journey kept them going and eased some of their fatigue.

“We’ll rest here tonight and enter Yunnan Province tomorrow. I’ll let everyone have a day off when we reach Kunming City, so please keep up the good work!”

The escorts sighed unanimously at the thought of camping outdoors again. Still, Gong Jin-Sung promised that they would get a day off in Kunming, so there was at least something small to look forward to.

With practiced movements, the escorts rounded up the wagons and put up the camp fences. Except for the few who had been placed on the first watch, the men quickly set up the tents and began preparing dinner.

While all this was happening, Jin Mu-Won quietly led Kwak Moon-Jung to a deserted clearing nearby to oversee his training. Ever since leaving Chengdu, this had become part of the two young men’s daily routine.

Jin Mu-Won’s goal wasn’t to teach Kwak Moon-Jung his martial arts, but to point out Kwak Moon-Jung’s mistakes and give him suggestions on how he should improve, just as Hwang Cheol had done for the boy before disappearing.

SWISH!

Kwak Moon-Jung’s greatsword sliced through the darkness. His breathing was rough, and his face was red from the exertion. However, the boy did not let out a single word of complaint, and only continued swinging his sword over and over again.

He understood that he had received a precious opportunity available to only a few in the world; the opportunity to be guided by a true master.

Rather than forcibly attempting to change Kwak Moon-Jung’s habits, Jin Mu-Won preferred to observe his strengths and build on from there. He felt that that was the best way for a so-called “talentless person” like Kwak Moon-Jung to improve.

When Kwak Moon-Jung’s movements finally began to slow down, he suddenly shouted, “Stop, that’s enough for today!”

“Huff…huff…I can still continue!”

“You won’t improve just by swinging your sword until you can’t move.”

“But…”

“Rest and recovery is very important for muscle growth. Besides, we’re about to enter Yunnan very soon, and we don’t know what dangers lie ahead of us. You need to save your energy and make sure that you remain in peak condition at all times.”

“…Understood.” Kwak Moon-Jung was a little disappointed, but he did not refute Jin Mu-Won’s logic. Meeting this amazing person was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and until now, Jin Mu-Won had never been wrong about anything.

In fact, if someone asked him who the person he respected the most was right now, he’d say that it was Jin Mu-Won with absolute certainty.

“You’ve gotten a lot better than before, though.”

“Really? Heehee!” Kwak Moon-Jung giggled, embarrassed. Nothing made him happier than receiving a compliment from his idol.

“Let’s go back. There won’t be any food left for us if we’re late.”

“Yeah!”

However, just as the two young men were about to head back to the campsite, someone got in their way. It was the icy, stone-faced Seven Skills Swordsman of the Iron Brigade, Gong-Son Chang.

Gong-Son Chang asked Jin Mu-Won, “Mind lending me some of your time?”

“What for?”

“Let’s duel.”

“Duel?” said Jin Mu-Won, observing Gong-Son Chang’s face closely.

He’s dead serious about this.

Jin Mu-Won could sense the faint killing intent in Gong-Son Chang’s eyes. It seemed that the man had approached him prepared. The instant he agreed to the duel, the mercenary would draw his sword and attack.

Gong-Son Chang bit his lip and recalled the first time he had met Jin Mu-Won. Back then, he had said, ‘There are many weapons in the world, but the sword is the king of all weapons. Learn it well, and I believe that you will become an excellent swordsman.’

Thinking about it now, he realized that he’d probably totally embarrassed himself in front of a master. Whenever he imagined Jin Mu-Won laughing at him in secret, he felt his blood boiling.

He was familiar with the skills of Mu-Jin, the successor to the Kongtong Sect, and had never doubted the Taoist’s strength. And yet, that Mu-Jin had easily lost to Jin Mu-Won.

Gong-Son Chang understood that the problem lay with him, not Jin Mu-Won. It was he who felt that his self-esteem had been crushed and trampled on. However, the only way he could think of to repair his damaged pride was to fight it out with the young man.

He was confident that Jin Mu-Won would accept a duel he would win effortlessly. Alas, the young man’s response was not what he had expected.

“I refuse.”

“What?” Gong-Son Chang raised his eyebrows in surprise. When that surprise faded, his killing intent began to leak out once more.

“Why?” he asked.

“Is there any meaning to us dueling now, Master Gong-Son?”

“Is there a meaning? Hmph! Don’t you think you’re being too arrogant? Do I look like a pushover to you? To say that there’s no meaning to dueling with me…”

“I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant. I just don’t want to get distracted by other things right now.”

“What are you so afraid of?”

“What?”

“Are you afraid of fighting me and losing, or are you afraid of turning the Iron Brigade into your enemy?”

Jin Mu-Won’s eyebrow twitched. Gong-Son Chang was provoking him on purpose. Unfortunately, Jin Mu-Won was no ordinary man.

“As I’ve just said, I don’t want to get distracted by other things and expend my energy meaninglessly, especially now when we are just about to enter Yunnan.”

Jin Mu-Won had no interest in dueling with Gong-Son Chang. He gained nothing from it, neither fame nor profit.

Gong-Son Chang’s mouth twitched in irritation as he mocked, “I thought that you were a great man, but it turns out that you’re just a coward.”

Kwak Moon-Jung clenched his fist, furious. He was just about to scream in retort when Jin Mu-Won grabbed hold of his shoulder to calm him down.

“Hyung?”

Kwak Moon-Jung looked at Jin Mu-Won. Unlike Gong-Son Chang, whose eyes were twitching with rage, Jin Mu-Won’s eyes were as calm as still water.

“Hmph!” Gong-Son Chang snorted with disdain, then promptly turned around and stormed off.

The White Dragon merchant caravan entered Yunnan. While the early summer weather was still nice and cool in the Central Plains, Yunnan was already hot and humid. The escorts, who were not used to such weather, were sweating buckets while their faces turned red.

Gong Jin-Sung reminded them, “Be careful not to get bitten by venomous insects.”

“Yes Sir!”

Due to the hot and humid climate, the forests of Yunnan were breeding grounds for many venomous creatures.

Are we finally in Yunnan? Jin Mu-Won’s eyes glittered. He was nearing the end of this long and boring journey. Of course, this was just the end of the traveling, not the end of his mission.

Still, the thought that Hwang Cheol was nearby was comforting, to say the least.

Suddenly, he sensed a sharp gaze being directed at him. It was Gong-Son Chang. Ever since he had rejected the duel with him a day ago, the mercenary had been staring at him with open hostility.

On the other hand, Jin Mu-Won had no interest in Gong-Son Chang, other than the fact that he was actually quite annoyed by the man’s fixation on him. However, he did not want to waste his time and energy on something so meaningless. Instead, he thought about what he would do from now on.

Judging by the current state of my relationship with the Iron Brigade, it would be foolish of me to rely on them for information. I guess I should first seek out the person that Mu-Jin of the Kongtong Sect told me about, the “Triune Scholar” Ha Jin-Wol.

Although I’m not sure how much help this person would be, since he has a title like “Triune Scholar”, he should at least have the combined intelligence of three people, right?¹ Such a person can’t possibly be ordinary. He should at least be able to tell me about the situation in Yunnan.

Jin Mu-Won sighed. He felt that he was being far too optimistic. Even so, he couldn’t pass up a chance of finding Hwang Cheol’s whereabouts, regardless of how small the possibility was.

Jin Mu-Won gently caressed Snow Flower, lost in thought.

Suddenly, he recalled Eun Ha-Seol. Seven years had already passed since she had left him, but he still clearly remembered every little detail about her appearance.

I hope you’re doing well, and living a good life.

Every time he thought about the woman he loved, his heart would ache as if someone had stabbed it with a knife.

Suddenly, he was jolted back to his senses by the sound of people shouting.

“It’s a corpse!”

“There’s a corpse here, too!”

Jin Mu-Won stood up from his wagon driver’s seat and looked in the direction of the yelling. There, he saw a number of corpses strewn on the ground right next to the road.

The air reeked with the metallic stench of blood. That was proof that it hadn’t been long since these people were killed.

Jin Mu-Won walked over to where the corpses lay. He could hear Gong Jin-Sung and the Iron Brigade mercenaries discussing the state of the bodies.

“It hasn’t been long since these people died.”

They had come to the same conclusion as him.

Jong-Ri Mu-Hwan flipped over one of the corpses. It was a man wearing red robes and armor. A dagger the size of a child’s palm was lodged into the back of his neck, the only part that was not covered by his armor.

Jong-Ri Mu-Hwan frowned.

Yong Mu-Sung asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s poison. Judging by the black color of this man’s face, he died from poisoning.”

“Poison?” Yong Mu-Sung’s eyes narrowed.

Hidden weapons and poison. The identity of the perpetrators couldn’t be any more obvious.

“…The Tang Clan?”

Jong-Ri Mu-Hwan nodded, causing everyone’s expressions to turn grim.

The Tang Clan was one of the most prominent factions in the murim, despite being a bunch of blood-related shut-ins. That was because they were unparalleled in the arts of poisons and hidden weapons.

“Why did the Tang Clan do this?”

The same question popped up in everyone’s mind. Despite poisons and hidden weapons being their forte, the Tang Clan normally refrained from using violence.

“Someone definitely clashed with the Tang Clan, but we can’t be certain who started the fight.”

Worry appeared on the face of the usually fearless Yong Mu-Sung. He did not want to make enemies with the Tang Clan. Although the Iron Brigade was a powerful group recognized by the gangho, they were nothing compared to the Tang Clan.

Concerned about being poisoned, Yong Mu-Sung put on gloves made of deer leather before searching the corpses for something that could identify them. However, he found nothing.

“What a headache.”

The fact that these corpses didn’t carry anything that would prove their identities could only mean that they were prepared to clash with the Tang Clan. Not only that, it also meant that these people did not fear the strength of the Tang Clan.

Yong Mu-Sung glanced at Jong-Ri Mu-Hwan as if to ask him what he thought about this whole situation.

Jong-Ri Mu-Hwan took a moment to organize his thoughts, then said, “Firstly, I don’t think we should intervene in the Tang Clan’s affairs, and secondly, neither of these parties are people we should be making enemies of.”

“Tsk!”

Yong Mu-Sung seemed displeased, but Jong-Ri Mu-Hwan ignored him and continued firmly, “Our current mission is to rescue the Third Young Master of the White Dragon Merchant Association and his co-workers. Until this is over, we cannot risk getting involved in anything else.”

The leaders of the White Dragon caravan nodded in agreement at Jong-Ri Mu-Hwan’s words. With their current strength, protecting themselves was the limit. They couldn’t afford to get swept up in someone else’s affairs.

Yoon Seo-In muttered to herself, “Even the Tang Clan is here… Just what is going on in Yunnan?”

No one answered her, because they all had the same question in their minds.

While everyone else was deep in thought, Jin Mu-Won bent down and observed the corpse.

His upper body muscles are as tough as beef brisket, and his right arm is as thick as a tree trunk. Only a user of a heavy weapon would develop these particular muscles to such extremes.

Jin Mu-Won looked around for the dead man’s footprints and traced out the path he’d walked on the grass right before he died. He then stood up and followed the footprints, trying to recreate the dead man’s final moments, but no one took any notice of him.

The footprints led him to a small hill overlooking the forest where the main road was. As he climbed the hill, he noticed that it was covered in tall grass which appeared to have been trampled by many people.

The dead man and his companions hid here to ambush their enemy.

Jin Mu-Won counted the number of different footprints.

There were at least thirty people here, including a few martial arts experts.

He could roughly tell how strong a person was by the footsteps they left behind. All experts were light-footed and left barely any traces on the ground. Furthermore, those light traces would be flat, indicating that the person’s weight distribution was perfectly balanced and always in control.

Jin Mu-Won looked down at the forest. He could clearly see the White Dragon caravan from here. The Tang Clan warriors had probably been ambushed at the very spot where the caravan currently was.

Forests like these are among the most disadvantageous type of terrains for those who use poisons and hidden weapons.

The spread of airborne poisons would be slowed down by the lack of wind on the forest floor, and the trees could be used as cover to dodge thrown weapons. Additionally, the attackers wore thick armor that would be difficult to penetrate using small weapons.

This was a carefully planned ambush. If we were the ones who had arrived here first…then except for a few members of the Iron Brigade, most of the caravan would have been slaughtered.

At the thought of that, Jin Mu-Won felt his blood run cold.

The stench of death permeated this place.

This was a battlefield.

Proofreader’s Note: Pray that translator-nim gets that pay raise.

Footnotes:

1. Triune Scholar: Remember, Triune Scholar means “Scholar with Three Brains”. ↩