-Let go! I said, let go!
-Brother! Please!
The loud shouts reached beyond the main gate, prompting Mujin to urge his horse inside.
“Open the gates.”
As Mujin, covered in dust, reined in his horse, the warriors quickly opened the main gate.
Entering the tumultuous grounds, he saw Cheol-muk and No-sak struggling with each other, with Elder Jo and the instructors caught up in the commotion.
“What’s going on?”
“Family Head!!”
Elder Jo shouted as he rushed over.
“You’ve returned!!”
As Mujin dismounted, several warriors ran up to take the reins of his black horse.
“Of course, I returned. Did you think I’d abandon my own home and run away? Why is it so noisy? Cheol-muk, you… you’re awake! But why are you in this state? You should be resting.”
Only then did Mujin notice the thick bandages wrapped around his face, stained crimson with blood.
Looking closer, he saw that Cheol-muk was barefoot.
“F-Family Head!!”
Cheol-muk cried out, rushing forward and abruptly embracing Mujin.
Feeling his shoulder grow warm and wet, Mujin silently patted Cheol-muk’s back for a while.
After crying for quite some time, Cheol-muk finally pulled away, managing to compose himself.
As Cheol-muk’s breath still trembled from his sobs, No-sak spoke up in his stead.
“We were trying to stop him. He was insisting on going to Guizhou.”
“Guizhou? Why there? To get revenge by yourself?”
“No, that’s not it. He was certain that you had gone to strike the Moon-Slaying Sword Sect alone… He kept insisting that he had to help…”
“…”
Mujin looked at Cheol-muk without a word.
“No matter how much we tried to convince him that it couldn’t be true, he just wouldn’t listen. There’s no way you would do something like that without telling us, Family Head.”
Mujin didn’t respond to No-sak’s frustrated words, instead patting Cheol-muk’s shoulder.
They hadn’t been together for that long, yet Cheol-muk had read his intentions perfectly.
Judging by his appearance, he must have started acting stubborn not long after waking up.
“I’m back now. So let’s go inside. You’ll get sick if you stay out in the cold air like this.”
“Yes…”
Mujin led the barely responsive Cheol-muk to the infirmary.
Inside the infirmary, Dong-jeok, Jang-tae, and Head Steward Do were still unconscious, lying with their eyes closed.
Seeing this, Mujin turned to the physician with a grim expression.
“Have they… not woken up yet?”
At Mujin’s question, the physician, who was placing acupuncture needles on Dong-jeok, looked up at Mujin and smiled.
“They have all passed the critical stage, so there is no need to worry. Now that they’re past the worst of it, it’s actually more beneficial for the patients to wake up slowly. That man… he woke up far too early.”
The physician shook his head as he looked at Cheol-muk.
Seeing the physician’s reaction, No-sak sent a telepathic message.
-He threw the physician, who was telling him he absolutely must not get out of his sickbed, and bolted outside… I hope the physician wasn’t hurt.
Just hearing No-sak’s words, Mujin could vividly picture the scene.
“Lie down. Your recovery comes first.”
“Yes…”
As Cheol-muk finally lay down on the sickbed, the physician, having finished placing dozens of needles on Dong-jeok’s body, sighed and brought over fresh bandages.
The physician’s expression hardened as he unwrapped the blood-soaked bandages from Cheol-muk’s face, where the bleeding had worsened due to his agitated state.
“…”
Once the bandages were fully removed, Mujin could see a deep sword wound that ran from his forehead, across his left eye, and down to his chin.
It was clearly a wound inflicted by sword qi, and it looked severe.
It was likely a wound from being grazed by sword qi.
If he had been even a moment slower in dodging, his face would have been split open, not just wounded.
Seeing a few of the thick stitches had burst, with blood seeping out from between them, the physician sighed, inserted a needle to stop the bleeding, and began stitching the wound again.
“Unlike a normal cut, this will heal slowly, so you must be extremely careful. No matter how great a warrior you are, a festering wound must be cut out. But since the wound is on your face, we can’t very well cut off your head, can we? If you disobey my orders like this again, we might just have to cut off your head then.”
Cheol-muk nodded at the physician’s threatening words.
“Yes. Thank you, and I’m sorry.”
“Hey! Don’t move. I’m in the middle of stitching you up.”
“Yes.”
The young physician carefully stitched the gaping wound closed and finally wiped the sweat from his brow.
Mujin watched the physician and asked.
“His… eye…”
Before Mujin could finish, the physician shook his head.
“…”
“Family Head. I’m fine. I still have one left, don’t I?”
“Lower your voice. It’s making the blood rush to your face. Speak quietly, and be careful not to reopen the wound when you eat.”
“Yes.”
Seeing Cheol-muk force a smile despite losing an eye, Mujin felt a pang in his heart.
“Get some rest. And listen to what the physician says.”
With that, Mujin left the infirmary and walked toward where Soyeon and Dojin were.
The two children, who had been training in their quarters, rushed to him the moment he opened the door.
“Brother!!!”
“Brother!!!”
“…”
-Thump! Thump! Thump!
Soyeon pounded on Mujin’s chest with her fists, venting her intense emotions.
“You’re awful! How could you leave without a word?! If you’re going somewhere, you have to tell us! You’re awful!!”
“But I came back, didn’t I?”
“Still! You should have said you were leaving!”
“Alright. I’m sorry. I made you worry.”
“Brother…”
“It’s alright. I took care of everything.”
“Yes…”
Dojin replied, his voice calm with effort.
Mujin stroked the heads of the two children, twins born on the same day and at the same hour, yet so starkly different from each other.
“Your training? Have you been keeping up with it?”
“Yes!”
“Uh-huh!”
“Shall we practice your movement techniques for a change? Let’s see how much you’ve improved while I’ve been neglecting it.”
After spending time with his younger siblings, Mujin went straight to his personal training ground and resumed his training.
Starting his training before the stitches on his own wound had even healed, Mujin returned to his usual routine as if nothing had happened.
There were not many who could cut down hundreds of people one day and return to their daily training just a few days later.
A month after his return to the family estate, rumors of the Moon-Slaying Sword Sect’s annihilation spread like wildfire throughout the Central Plains.
The tale of vengeance was dubbed the Hidden Dragon’s Bloodshed.
The story of Mujin’s revenge—how he single-handedly stormed in with just one sword and annihilated one of the thirteen families of Samu-cheon—was a topic that inevitably captured the interest of the people of the Central Plains.
The Hidden Dragon who had defeated the eldest son of the Cheol Family Manor on Mount Song in a single move had now, by himself, destroyed a great sect of the Unorthodox Faction. How could one not be intrigued?
The warriors of the family were greatly astonished when they belatedly learned through the rumors that Mujin had annihilated the Moon-Slaying Sword Sect.
“Th-Then, did he really go to Piljeol that time?”
Elder Jo, in particular, was even more surprised that Cheol-muk’s guess had been correct.
He felt a bit hollow realizing that Cheol-muk, who had been with Mujin for only a short time, knew him better than he, who had watched over him his entire life.
The Three Demons and Head Steward Do, who were now able to move around, also heard the rumors and felt something hot surging in their chests.
The thought of Mujin storming the Moon-Slaying Sword Sect alone to avenge them overwhelmed them with intense emotion for a long time.
Seeing Mujin, who had not uttered a single word about what he had done, the family’s warriors once again realized what kind of man their Family Head, Hwa Mujin, truly was.
And as the Yeomhwa Family slowly began to return to normal, two familiar guests arrived.
“I heard you went through a terrible ordeal. I am sorry we could not be of help in your time of need.”
“Amitabha. I share the Abbess’s sentiment. Is Family Head Hwa inside?”
Elder Jo greeted Abbess Jinhwa of the Emei Sect and Great Monk Hyeon-u of the Shaolin Temple, bowing his head respectfully.
“Yes! Please, come in. He should be having his meal after finishing his morning training. This way, please.”
Just as Mujin finished his meal and was rinsing his palate with cold tea, the two guests followed Elder Jo into his training ground.
“It has been a long time. Have you been well? My apologies for my appearance; I was in the middle of training.”
The weather had grown quite chilly, yet Mujin was shirtless. The eyes of the two guests quickly scanned his body.
It was a body that could only be described as perfect, one that any martial artist couldn’t help but scrutinize from every angle.
As Mujin hurriedly put on his shirt, the two noticed the unremoved stitches on his back, and their expressions stiffened.
“That is a serious wound.”
“It looks like a wound from sword qi…”
“It’s nothing serious. Please, this way.”
The two ascended to a small pavilion built at the edge of the training ground.
“I will take my leave.”
Elder Jo said and turned to leave.
Mujin nodded and then turned to Masok.
“Prepare some hot tea.”
“Yes.”
As Masok ran to the kitchen where Mujin’s meals were usually prepared, Great Monk Hyeon-u spoke first.
“The Righteous Heart Assembly and the Righteous Family Assembly were quite bewildered, I hear.”
The gathering of the elites from the Nine Sects—minus Kongtong—and the Five Great Families was the first of its kind in sixty years.
As Great Monk Hyeon-u described how bewildered and crestfallen those who had gathered with grim determination must have been upon seeing the Moon-Slaying Sword Sect reduced to ashes, a hint of satisfaction was evident on his face.
“I was overcome with emotion and acted without thinking. I apologize for causing this trouble on my own without informing you.”
“Not at all! The Yeomhwa Family was attacked and suffered casualties; you were merely settling a grudge. No one can dispute that.”
Abbess Jinhwa also added her words.
“Of course. Is there a priority list for grudges? In fact, thanks to you, Family Head Hwa, a situation that could have escalated into a full-blown war between the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions has been averted.”
“I am grateful that you see it that way.”
Just as they finished speaking, five Daoists entered the training ground.
“It has been a long time.”
As Daoist Master Jayul stepped forward to greet them, followed by four first-generation disciples of the Kongtong Sect who offered a martial salute, the two guests nodded awkwardly, their gazes shifting between Jayul and Mujin.
“On the day of the attack, the Daoists from Kongtong aided our family. Thanks to them, we were able to prevent greater damage and repel the enemy. Master Jayul, please come up.”
Watching Mujin offer a seat to Jayul, Great Monk Hyeon-u and Abbess Jinhwa tilted their heads.
The sight of the Yeomhwa Family and the Kongtong Sect, who had acted like sworn enemies on Mount Song, now reconciled was quite awkward to behold.
To the two of them, Jayul calmly explained the changing atmosphere within the Kongtong Sect, how they had come to a realization and were trying to change because of Mujin.
After hearing Jayul’s long explanation, bright smiles spread across the faces of the two guests.
“That is a truly wise decision.”
“Indeed! That is the Kongtong I know! Your predecessors would be proud!”
As people of the cloth, the two of them knew better than anyone how difficult it was to repent for one’s own mistakes.
Despite being preachers, they also carried the identity of martial artists, and they had learned through life in their respective sects that it was no easy task to reflect upon oneself, realize one’s faults, and correct them.
“Through our dealings with Family Head Hwa, we once again felt how frightening inertia can be. Our Sect Leader gathered all the disciples of Kongtong and told them that no matter how trivial, one must not step onto the wrong path, and that even if you have gone too far, it is never too late to turn back if the path is wrong.”
“Those are truly fine words. The Sect Leader has made a great decision.”
“Kongtong’s decision will serve as a great example for future generations.”
At their praise, Jayul smiled shyly.
“But more importantly, what interesting topic were you discussing?”
As Jayul changed the subject, Abbess Jinhwa spoke.
“We were speaking of the Moon-Slaying Sword Sect.”
“Ah! The Hidden Dragon’s Blood… Ahem! You were speaking of the Yeomhwa Family’s Retribution.”
Having heard the rumors, Jayul excitedly started to mention the “Hidden Dragon’s Bloodshed” before quickly correcting himself.
“Yes.”
For a while after that, the conversation continued about the Hidden Dragon’s Bloodshed.
Daoist Master Jayul, Great Monk Hyeon-u, and Abbess Jinhwa asked Mujin, the subject of the rumors, various questions, hearing about that day’s events from the man himself.
The three of them listened for a long while to the story of Ma So-chu’s death that day, nodding their heads.
When the conversation came to an end, Jayul prepared to leave and spoke.
“Now that you two have arrived, I believe it is time for my disciples and I to return to Kongtong.”
“You won’t be staying longer?”
Jayul shook his head at Mujin’s words.
“We have achieved our purpose for descending the mountain, and those who were severely injured are all back on their feet. It is time for us to go. I feel I have left the Hall of Laws unattended for too long.”
At Jayul’s words, Mujin stood and bowed his head to him.
“The Yeomhwa Family will not forget the help you have given us.”
“Thank you for saying so, Family Head Hwa. Well then, until we meet again.”
With that, the Daoists from Kongtong truly turned and left the Yeomhwa Family estate. Mujin and the two guests saw them off together.
“You two must be curious about Soyeon and Dojin. Please, go in…”
Just as Mujin said that, an old man flew into the courtyard.
Mujin let out a soft sigh as he watched the old man use his lightness art to leap over the main gate of the estate.
“If you keep vaulting over the gate instead of using it, people will start to gossip.”
The Poison Emperor paid no mind to Mujin’s scolding and began to pour out what he had to say.
“Have you heard the rumors of the Sword Tomb?”
“Sword Tomb? What Sword Tomb?”
Great Monk Hyeon-u and Abbess Jinhwa also tilted their heads at the Poison Emperor’s sudden words.
“The rumor is that a Sword Tomb has been discovered on Mount Hwadu in Yunnan!”
“…I see. Is that such a big deal that you had to rush all the way here?”
The Poison Emperor looked straight at Mujin, who was staring at him as if he were making a fuss over nothing, and spoke again.
“They say the tomb belongs to the Dugu Sword Clan.”
!!
