As soon as Jin Mu-Won stepped into the room, the musty sll of old paper hit him. The walls were lined with countless books, cramd together without a single inch of space left, while a faint light glowed from a phosphorescent pearl hanging from the ceiling.
Beneath the phosphorescent pearl sat a woman. The mont he saw her face, a flicker of surprise crossed Jin Mu-Won’s eyes. She had a curvaceous, voluptuous figure, and her face was half-hidden by a veil, but her clear, bright eyes shone through.
Mae Wol-Ryung. Despite the veil, Jin Mu-Won recognized her instantly.
Mae Wol-Ryung seed to recognize him too, her eyes gleaming with a hint of a smile as she greeted, “Long ti no see, Master Jin.”
“Miss Mae, what brings you here?” Jin Mu-Won asked. He knew her as the head of the Sichuan branch of the Black Moon, so it puzzled him to see her here in Wuhan, far from Sichuan.
“I was reassigned to Wuhan right after we parted ways, Master Jin. Now, I’m the head of the Hubei branch.”
“Ah!”
“And you, Master Jin, have changed quite a bit.”
“?”
“You’ve made quite a na for yourself, so much so that no one would dare call you a newcor to the jianghu anymore. Huhu, I’ve been hearing about your exploits through Cheong-In.” The laughter in Mae Wol-Ryung’s eyes deepened. Jin Mu-Won might not have realized it, but as the only legitimate heir to the Northern Army and the most prominent prodigy in the current jianghu, his actions were a major point of interest for the Black Moon.
Regardless, being the legitimate heir of the Northern Army is a double-edged sword. Depending on how it’s used, it could be a great boon or a terrible bane, she thought.
“What about Cheong-In?”
“He should arrive in Wuhan soon. He’s been very busy catching up on work at Headquarters.”
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“What kind of work?”
“Report-writing. He has to detail every single event without missing a word to be assigned new tasks, but Cheong-In is terrible at writing, and his communication skills aren’t great… I always told him to practice writing, but he hasn’t improved.”
Mae Wol-Ryung’s tone was expressionless, but for so reason, Jin Mu-Won felt as if she was gloating and imagined a wicked smirk lurking behind her veil.
“But why are you here, Master Jin? You’re not thinking of joining the Demon Hunters, are you?”
“You seem to have a negative view of the Demon Hunters?”
“Hoho! Are you testing ? Anyone with even a little knowledge of the current state of the jianghu knows the Demon Hunters are not looked upon kindly. Many young martial artists enter Heaven’s Summit with high hopes, but how many are actually chosen for the Demon Hunters? The number of positions is limited, and most are already reserved by prestigious jianghu sects like the Nine Great Sects and the Five Major Clans. The remaining positions are scarce and highly competitive. Even for soone like you, Master Jin, would find it nearly impossible to secure a spot without a recomndation.”
“So, nine out of ten positions are already pre-determined?”
“Exactly. In the end, Heaven’s Summit is an alliance of major powers including the Nine Great Sects and the Five Major Clans. The remaining positions are officially filled through selection events, but the competition is so fierce among the smaller sects that vagabonds like you, Master Jin, can’t even dream of winning, no matter how outstanding your skills are.”
Without a solid background, it was impossible to enter Heaven’s Summit, and even if you got in, you couldn’t rise to the top. That was the harsh reality of the current jianghu.
Jin Mu-Won’s expression darkened after hearing Mae Wol-Ryung’s explanation. He had suspected as much, but hearing it from her made it even more disheartening. The world that Heaven’s Summit created for themselves was a literal hell for him and the other young martial artists who weren’t born to privilege.
As Jin Mu-Won’s gaze sank deeper, he unconsciously released an indescribable pressure, inadvertently immobilizing Mae Wol-Ryung.
He’s just as Cheong-In reported. Mae Wol-Ryung swallowed dryly. She had initially thought that Cheong-In had exaggerated, but from experience, she knew Cheong-In would rather understate rather than overstate.
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A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth behind the veil. So this is why Cheong-In didn’t want to part with Master Jin.
After staring at Jin Mu-Won for a while, she changed the subject, asking, “Still, I doubt you ca just to ask about Cheong-In. What brings you here, Master Jin?”
“I’m looking for soone.”
“Oh? I’m curious who it is.” Mae Wol-Ryung was truly intrigued. She knew that Jin Mu-Won had little contact with the jianghu and knew few people, so it piqued her curiosity that he was searching for soone.
“His na is Seo Mu-Sang.”
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“Seo Mu-Sang?” Mae Wol-Ryung frowned slightly, not recognizing the na. That could only an that Seo Mu-Sang was a person outside the Black Moon’s radar.
“About ten years ago, he was dispatched to the Northern Army Fortress as an external affiliate. When it was destroyed, he returned to Heaven’s Summit.”
“So that’s how you know him. Well, I’ve never heard of him, but if he’s alive, it won’t be hard to find him,” Mae Wol-Ryung readily agreed.
“I appreciate it.”
Until now, Jin Mu-Won hadn’t contacted Seo Mu-Sang out of concern for his safety, but with his imminent entry into Heaven’s Summit, he needed to find his first sword.
“It’s not a difficult request,” Mae Wol-Ryung admitted.
Jin Mu-Won gazed at her. Han-Seol… He wanted to ask Mae Wol-Ryung to find Eun Han-Seol’s whereabouts, but he couldn’t. Though closely connected to Cheong-In, the Black Moon was fundantally a group of information brokers. Revealing Eun Han-Seol’s information to them was too dangerous.
Anyway, with the Silent Night reappearing, she would eventually show herself. It was only a matter of ti.
“So, just Seo Mu-Sang, then?”
“Yes.”
“Are you not curious about the Four Northern Pillars?”
At this unexpected question, Jin Mu-Won’s eyebrows twitched, and Mae Wol-Ryung seed to enjoy his reaction, knowing from Cheong-In’s report that one of the Four Northern Pillars, Jo Cheon-Woo, had died at Jin Mu-Won’s hands.
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“Yeon Cheon-Hwa of the Greatsword Fortress has already entered Heaven’s Summit,” she remarked temptingly.
“Tsk!” A low click of the tongue escaped Jin Mu-Won’s lips. No matter how much he tried to remain calm, the ntion of the Four Northern Pillars affected him greatly, especially Yeon Cheon-Hwa, who had played a key role in the betrayal of the Northern Army, and whose obsession with the ultimate martial art surpassed even Jo Cheon-Woo.
Damn it. No matter how hard I try, the sinking sand of persistent grudges clings to my ankles, as if trying to drag down to the bottom.
“Why is he there?”
“Shall I find out?”
“No.”
“Why not? This is a trivial task for the Black Moon,” Mae Wol-Ryung persisted, a hint of regret in her voice evident.
“If he’s here, I’ll definitely run into him eventually,” Jin Mu-Won declared with certainly. He and Yeon Cheon-Hwa would inevitably clash soday. It was unavoidable.
Whatever the outco, I will confront it.
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He rose to leave.
Taken aback by his unexpected answer, Mae Wol-Ryung seed montarily at a loss for words. When she saw him leaving, though, she quickly asked, “Leaving already?”
“I have a lot to do, and very little ti.” Jin Mu-Won gave Mae Wol-Ryung a farewell greeting and left.
Mae Wol-Ryung stared at the closed door for a long ti, before finally sighing, “As Cheong-In said, he’s truly not an easy man.”
At that mont, a section of the wall opened, and an elderly man in a black martial arts attire appeared. His face was crisscrossed with scars, making him look grueso, but his eyes, as he gazed at Mae Wol-Ryung, were filled with loyalty.
“Heuk-No, you heard everything?”
“Yes, Miss.”
“Find that Seo Mu-Sang person as your top priority.”
“But, Miss…”
“He’s worth it. Cheong-In has already proven that.”
“I understand, Miss. I’ll handle it.” Heuk-No bowed deeply.
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