The Legend of the Northern Blade

“I know that. What I mean is, why is this thing in front of me?” Ha Jin-Wol kicked Myeong Ryu-San.

Tang Gi-Mun stepped in, urging, “Come on, let’s hear his story first.”

“Okay, fine,” Ha Jin-Wol scowled. He despised those who sought to gain without effort. The very notion that someone as able-bodied as Myeong Ryu-San could steal without working for it repulsed him.

Jin Mu-Won began to explain what had happened the night before, and Ha Jin-Wol’s expression relaxed a bit.

“Hmm, so this is the son of the village chief we owe a favor to?”

“Yes,” Jin Mu-Won confirmed.

“That’s a funny coincidence. In any case, you’ll have to take care of this thing yourself and keep it out of trouble.”

“Okay,” Jin Mu-Won replied with a smile.

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Tang Gi-Mun, who had been watching, crouched down in front of Myeong Ryu-San and examined every inch of his body. “You did a very thorough job,” he said to Jin Mu-Won.

“He’s pretty tough. It took that much to knock him out,” Jin Mu-Won explained.

“At least he’s got some muscle. And better bones than I thought,” Tang Gi-Mun praised, admiring Myeong Ryu-San’s physique.

Despite his shabby clothes, Myeong Ryu-San possessed a surprisingly well-developed body, especially his densely developed muscles, which displayed explosive elasticity similar to that of a wolf. Living on the rugged Sichuan Plateau demanded heightened physical abilities, which had obviously forged his extraordinary strength and endurance.

Tang Gi-Mun stood up and stretched his back. “Anyway, it’s a strange thing. I’ll let you take care of it.”

“You’re not going to treat it?” Jin Mu-Won inquired.

“I don’t care about treatment. For simple bruises like this, saliva alone will do the trick,” Tang Gi-Mun dismissed, shaking his head before walking away.

Jin Mu-Won sighed. Tang Gi-Mun was acting more and more like Ha Jin-Wol. Suddenly, he turned his attention back to Myeong Ryu-San, who was still lying down, and asked, “How long are you going to lie there like that?

Myeong Ryu-San shuddered, but did not budge.

“I know you’re already awake. Get up.”

“……” Myeong Ryu-San hesitated for a moment before slowly pushing himself up. He had woken up when Tang Gi-Mun was examining his wounds. As he looked at Jin Mu-Won, a mixture of fear and anger filled his eyes. “I… What are you going to do to me?”

“You said you wanted to go to Heaven’s Summit, right?”

“So?”

“Then you should come with us.”

“Why?”

“Can you afford to go there on your own?”

Myeong Ryu-San fell silent.

“If you come with us, at least you won’t have to worry about food and lodging.”

A conflicted look washed over Myeong Ryu-San’s face. Despite his narrow-mindedness, he was sharp and could see that Jin Mu-Won’s group was far from ordinary, and accompanying them would undoubtedly make his journey to Heaven’s Summit easier. Moreover, his pockets were empty now. Joining them made more sense than begging his way to his destination.

“Okay,” Myeong Ryu-San reluctantly agreed.

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Jin Mu-Won smiled.

A shiver ran down Myeong Ryu-San’s spine. For some reason, Jin Mu-Won’s smile gave him a bad feeling. But before Myeong Ryu-San could think about it, though, Jin Mu-Won changed the topic, saying, “Let’s go get breakfast.”

“Breakfast?”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“Rumble~” Myeong Ryu-San’s stomach growled, causing his face to involuntarily flush.

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As if he knew this would happen, Jin Mu-Won took the lead while Myeong Ryu-San followed closely behind. In the dining room on the first floor of the inn, Ha Jin-Wol and Tang Gi-Mun were already seated.

Ha Jin-Wol shot Myeong Ryu-San a reproving look. “Are you going to bring that thing with you after all?”

“I thought it might be fun,” Jin Mu-Won replied.

“Hmm!” Ha Jin-Wol continued frowning at Myeong Ryu-San.

Myeong Ryu-San squirmed under Ha Jin-Wol’s disdainful gaze. His instincts screamed that Ha Jin-Wol was no ordinary person.

After what seemed like forever, Ha Jin-Wol turned his eyes away from Myeong Ryu-San, mumbling, “Hmph, if you say so…”

“Did you all sleep well?”

“Good morning.”

Tang Mi-Ryeo and Nam Soo-Ryun greeted the men as they approached from the side, looking like close friends.

“Ah!” Myeong Ryu-San’s eyes widened.

“Hmph!” Ha Jin-Wol snorted at him, then returned the girls’ greeting along with Tang Gi-Mun.

Tang Mi-Ryeo and Nam Soo-Ryun’s gazes shifted to Myeong Ryu-San, who stood beside Jin Mu-Won.

“He picked up that thing last night and is going to take it all the way to Heaven’s Summit,” Ha Jin-Wol remarked.

The two women directed their attention to Myeong Ryu-San and said in unison, ““Oh!””

“N-Nice to meet you!” Myeong Ryu-San replied loudly, drawing the attention of everyone in the restaurant.

Tang Gi-Mun immediately complained, “Don’t just stand there, sit down.”

“Yes!” Myeong Ryu-San obeyed and hurriedly sat down.

Jin Mu-Won sat down next to him. Just then, the waiter arrived with the food that Ha Jin-Wol had ordered. Seeing the abundance of food in front of them, their hunger grew.

Myeong Ryu-San looked around for a moment and then started scarfing down his food.

“Heh! He must have a bottomless pit for a stomach,” Ha Jin-Wol teased.

Unfortunately, Myeong Ryu San did not hear him. He was completely absorbed in his meal, following his instincts and enjoying the meal.

The others looked at him in disbelief at first, but they soon turned to their own plates and ate in silence.

Nam Soo-Ryun had arranged to meet some disciples of the Mount Mu Sect in Wuhan, Hubei Province. They were first generation disciples like her who wanted to gain experience.

When she found out, Tang Mi-Ryeo had persuaded Nam Soo-Ryun to accompany them. So she went.

Since Tang Mi-Ryeo, who was rarely assertive, made the suggestion, Nam Soo-Ryun couldn’t bring herself to refuse. Thus, she found herself with unexpected travel companions.

After breakfast, the group left the inn and went to a nearby stable where they bought horses for riding and a cart for Mr. Yellow to pull. It cost a small fortune, but with Tang Gi-Mun’s ample funds, it hardly mattered.

Everyone seemed content, except for one person.

“Tsk, rich bastards,” Myeong Ryu-San sarcastically complained. While the others rode horses, he was left to walk.

Ha Jin-Wol glanced at Myeong Ryu-San and clicked his tongue. “Who would waste good money on a thief?”

“I’m not a thief. I just made one accidental mistake…”

“Yeah, yeah, that how it always starts… Thieves become bandits, bandits become murderers. It’s a good thing you’re terrible at martial arts, or you’d be in big trouble,” Ha Jin-Wol taunted.

“Ah, damn it! When are you going to stop talking about…?” Myeong Ryu-San’s retort cut off mid-sentence. Jin Mu-Won was standing right next to him.

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The man frightened him. His scars had not faded yet, and the memories of last night were still fresh in his mind.

Ha Jin-Wol grinned at Myeong Ryu-San’s reaction, but to Myeong Ryu-San it felt like a mockery.

Just you wait. Look down on me all you want now, but one day, I’ll make you kneel before me and beg for forgiveness, Myeong Ryu-San thought, clenching his teeth. However, when he caught a glimpse of Nam Soo-Ryun on horseback, his anger faded and he started chuckling idiotically.

Ha Jin-Wol clicked his tongue condescendingly. “Tsk tsk, what a pervert…”

“Hmph!”

The two of them immediately started quarreling again.

Jin Mu-Won sighed and shook his head. The two women, on the other hand, giggled in amusement.

Hmm? Isn’t Myeong Ryu-San keeping pace with us despite being on foot and engaged in a heated exchange with Ha Jin-Wol at the same time? Tang Gi-Mun’s eyes sparkled. He had previously discovered Myeong Ryu-San’s extraordinary physical abilities, but he hadn’t expected him to have the stamina and endurance of a horse.

Did Mu-Won know about this beforehand? Tang Gi-Mun grew curious about Myeong Ryu-San, and his eyes took on a dangerous gleam.

Half a day’s journey from the inn, Jin Mu-Won led the group to a dock next to a marsh hundreds of miles across. To cross it with their horses, they had to board the Yunmeng Marsh Riverboat.1 They purchased their tickets and shortly after, they boarded the Yunmeng Marsh Riverboat when it pulled into the dock.

The deck of the Yunmeng Marsh Riverboat was crowded with people. Jin Mu-Won sat down on one side of the deck and waited for the boat to set sail.

Suddenly, a voice called out, “Shall we go up on deck? Hey you, step aside and make way!”

As the people near the entrance hurried to clear the way, everyone’s attention was drawn to the three men coming out from there.

Nam Soo-Ryun recognized one of them immediately. Not him again, she thought with a frown.

The man in question was Flying Eagle Swordsman Jwa Moon-Ho, a six-foot-tall swordsman with bold features, dressed in a blue robe and carrying a broadsword with three round rings around his waist.

Flanking him on either side were two imposing men who towered over Jwa Moon-Ho. Their faces were almost identical, but one had dark brown skin, while the other was pale as a ghost.

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Nam Soo-Ryun groaned. A pair of brothers, over seven feet tall, with muscles like boulders and similar faces. Are they the Monochrome Bears (黑白雙熊), the Kwan Brothers? Damn it, did Jwa Moon-Ho recruit them into the Azure Dragon Society?

If she was right, then the brown-skinned one was Kwan San-Woong, while the white-skinned one was Kwan San-Cheol. The Monochrome Bears were renowned in Shaanxi Province among young martial artists for their unique outer arts, tough skin, and innate strength.

The crowd, intimidated by the Monochrome Bears’ stature and power, hastily made way for them, creating a clear path.

Spotting Nam Soo-Ryun sitting on the opposite side of the deck, Jwa Moon-Ho grinned wickedly and approached her, saying, “Miss Nam, how nice to see you here again.”

“Mr. Jwa.” Nam Soo-Ryun stood and put her hands together in greeting.

Jwa Moon-Ho gestured toward the Monochrome Bears beside him. “Allow me to introduce the Monochrome Bears. They’ve decided to join our organization in your place, Miss Nam.”

“Kwan San-Woong.”

“Kwan San-Cheol.”

The Monochrome Bears introduced themselves with haughty expressions. They looked down at Nam Soo-Ryun with smiles that seemed to mock her decision.

Their sneers irritated Nam Soo-Ryun, but she kept her composure and greeted them, “Greetings, I am Nam Soo-Ryun of the Mount Mu Sect.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re one of the Seven Young Skies?” Kwan San-Woong asked nonchalantly.

On the other hand, Kwan San-Cheol frowned, sending a chill through the air. “The Seven Young Skies? That’s quite a reputation you have there.”

1. Yunmeng Marsh: A giant lake in Qin Dynasty China to the northwest of Wuhan that no longer exists due to geographical changes. Today, it is a floodplain known as the Jianghan Plain, with fertile land for farming. In Jin Mu-Won’s time, the large lake would have already receded into a collection of smaller, shallower lakes.