Thud. Thud.

People parted as the young man walked past.

It wasn’t just his sculpture-like handsome features—they were overwhelmed by the intense aura emanating from him.

He was someone who stood out even from afar.

“Wow, he’s handsome.”

An older servant smirked at the naive comment from a maid who’d joined last year.

“Wake up from your dream.”

“What? I’m just saying since it’s my first time seeing him.”

“Didn’t you see earlier? When the Third Young Master’s quarters collapsed?”

“Who could see clearly in that chaos? Though I’d probably never forget this man even if I saw him during a war, hehe.”

“Well, his appearance was quite disheveled then.”

The maid’s eyes suddenly went wide as she thought about it.

“Oh, no way?”

“Yes. That’s the Second Young Master. So stop daydreaming and get back to work.”

Jin Mu-gyeong walked on, indifferently letting the surrounding whispers wash over him.

Upon reaching the classical-style pavilion, the guards at the entrance opened the doors for him. Their reverent gazes came as a bonus.

“The Lesser Family Head is waiting.”

“Thank you.”

Entering the Lesser Family Head’s office, he was greeted by the rich aroma of tea and his brother Jin Wi-gyeong, who came running with thunderous steps.

“Brother!”

Wide-open arms wrapped tightly around Jin Mu-gyeong.

He briefly considered dodging but decided against it—that would just make this giant whine like a child.

“I can’t breathe.”

His tone was as stiff as a wooden doll.

“Is that how you greet your brother after three years?”

Jin Mu-gyeong answered firmly.

“It would be the same even after thirty years.”

“You’ve grown cold. Changed a lot.”

“Yes, I’m a cold-blooded person without blood or tears.”

“That’s fine. I naturally run hot.”

“…Let go.”

Shortly after, the two sat facing each other and began talking.

“I don’t see Warrior Wi.”

Wi-peng, who should have been standing like a shadow beside the Lesser Family Head, was nowhere to be seen.

Jin Wi-gyeong took a sip of tea before answering.

“Put him in charge of the pursuit team. It’ll take about half a month to reach Three Questions Gorge (or Sanwen Gorge)[1] and back.”

“That far?”

If Taiyuan, where the clan was located, was the heart of Shanxi, Three Questions Gorge was practically its entrance and endpoint.

Being the gateway to Shaanxi and Henan, even half a month was a tight schedule.

“Isn’t it too much trouble for what’s essentially a formality?”

“Why, feeling guilty?”

“I didn’t expect things to get this big.”

“Neither did I. Didn’t expect you to cause such an incident right after arriving.”

“That’s—!”

“Mu-gyeong.”

Different from before, faced with his mildly reproachful gaze, Jin Mu-gyeong sighed.

“I didn’t mean to go that far. At first, I just wanted to exchange a few moves.”

“And then?”

“He was pretty good. I got heated and used too much force.”

“I’m sure you did. He’s not the youngest brother you used to know.”

Jin Mu-gyeong nodded with a sour expression.

Having crossed hands with him just an hour or two ago, he couldn’t deny it anymore.

“Speaking of which, what exactly happened?”

“The youngest?”

“Everything. The letter I received only said the Hengshan Sword Sect was attacking.”

Having received the urgent message right after Hengshan Sword Sect’s declaration of war, he had no way of knowing the details.

At most, he only knew the rumors he’d heard while traveling to Taiyuan Jin Family.

“Is it true the Grand Elder betrayed us?”

“Yes. It’s a long story.”

“How long?”

“Goes back forty years, to the Orthodox-Demonic Great War.”

Just as Jin Wi-gyeong’s expression hardened and he opened his mouth—

“Then never mind.”

“Back then, the Grand Elder… What did you say?”

“It’s all over anyway. What’s the point in me hearing about it?”

Jin Wi-gyeong’s face filled with bewilderment as his brother casually downed his tea in one gulp.

“Hey, you bastard!”

Wasn’t he supposed to be the clan’s direct descendant? He’d always known his brother only cared about martial arts, but this was beyond expectation.

“You need to know this! As a direct line member—”

“The Grand Elder betrayed us. And died. In the process, Hengshan Sword Sect was destroyed. Taiyuan Jin Family emerged victorious. Did I miss anything?”

“No, that’s right, but… I’m not sure who’s abnormal anymore.” In his confusion, he suddenly remembered something.

“You were the one who asked me to tell you everything!”

“Ah, I’d like to cancel that request. If I have to listen to things that happened before I was born, I’ll die of old age right here. Better to spend that time swinging my sword one more time.”

“Well then, I’m leaving.”

“Leaving? Where?”

“To train, obviously.”

“T-train? Now?”

“I came hoping to spar with Warrior Wi, but since he’s not here, I’ll have to practice alone.”

Jin Wi-gyeong was speechless. Was this how a brother should act after meeting his sibling for the first time in three years? His chest ached with betrayal.

“Mu-gyeong!”

Jin Mu-gyeong coldly replied to his emotional voice.

“Thanks for the tea.”

Watching his second brother leave without looking back, Jin Wi-gyeong was shocked.

After all I did to raise you.

Both his second and youngest brothers had grown up too fast. Though proud of how well they’d matured, sometimes it felt lonely like this.

Well, I suppose that’s the natural order of things.

Jin Wi-gyeong heaved a deep sigh and sat at his desk.

Then he carefully began piecing together his ill-fated masterpiece, ‘Birth of a Hero’.

“We couldn’t find any traces.”

“No witnesses, no tracks. The bastard’s like a ghost.”

Wi-peng swallowed a bitter smile at his subordinate’s report. Of course there were no traces—there had never been an assassin to begin with.

To think I’d have to act out something so foreign to me.

Wi-peng recalled his conversation with Jin Wi-gyeong from an hour ago.

• An assassin? Aren’t you making this too big?

• We should use the opportunity while we have it.

• I hope this opportunity isn’t just to rebuild the Third Young Master’s quarters more grandly.

• Oh, that’s a good idea. Look into it.

• My Lord!

• I’m joking, joking.

• Then what opportunity are you talking about?

That’s when the smile disappeared from his lord’s face.

• The opportunity for the main house to unite all of Shanxi Province. I’ve spent the past five days searching through all clan records. There was a name I needed to find. You probably know what it is.

• Dark Heavens.

• Aren’t you curious about the results?

• You didn’t find it.

• Clouds are gathering. Clouds we’ve never seen before. We need to prepare before they arrive.

• Command me.

• I’ll give you thirty elites. Head south immediately. Your official objective is to capture or eliminate the assassin, but your real mission is different.

Wi-peng unconsciously touched his chest, feeling the thick stack of papers Jin Wi-gyeong had given him.

• What is this?

• I plan to summon all martial sects of Shanxi Province to our main house for the coming New Year.

Not an invitation or request—a summons.

Wi-peng wasn’t stupid enough to miss its meaning.

• You aim to become the Alliance Leader[2]?

• If necessary.

Until recently, the martial world of Shanxi appeared to outsiders as divided between two mountain ranges: the Taiyuan Jin Family and Hengshan Sword Sect.

But the reality was different. The Shanxi martial world was like a three-legged cauldron.

Taiyuan Jin Family, Hengshan Sword Sect, and the minor sects.

Taiyuan Jin Family controlled the center, Hengshan Sword Sect the north, and the south belonged to over twenty minor sects. The Five Sects of Shanxi destroyed in this war were merely the name given to the five strongest among them.

Their alliance is strong. They might not comply.

That might have been true before the war.

The three-legged cauldron began to tilt. And Taiyuan Jin Family now had both the power and legitimacy to support the cauldron of Shanxi’s martial world alone.

Can you do it?

The answer was predetermined. Wi-peng muttered in a small voice.

“I serve at your command.”

At that moment, Jin Wi-gyeong was cursing Wi-peng while piecing together ‘Birth of a Hero’.

***

[Lv.50 Jin Tae-kyung]

• Class: First-Rate Martial Artist
• Fame: 1180 (+150)
• Titles: 3 (Title effects active)
• Strength: 135 (+15)
• Constitution: 142 (+15)
• Agility: 180 (+15)
• Intelligence: 25 (+15)
• Charm: 25 (+15)
• Inner Force: 15 years

Remaining Points: 50

• Distribute remaining points.
• Hidden Dragon of Shanxi (All abilities +10, Fame +100)
• Scion of a Noble House (All abilities +5, Fame +50)
• Duelist (Combat-related abilities +10% in one-on-one battles)

I looked at my status window with regret.

Shit. I’ve used too many points.

Fighting Jin Mu-gyeong, I’d dumped a whole 50 points into Agility. The ability balance I’d carefully maintained was ruined, which naturally made me feel sick.

Thought 20 or 30 points would be enough.

The wall of mastery was high. Or maybe Jin Mu-gyeong was just stronger than I’d imagined. The genius label isn’t given lightly, after all.

“When I lasted fifty exchanges, the assassin clearly looked troubled. I’m an unknown master who until recently focused only on training, still unknown in Shanxi…”

SMACK!

“Ack!”

Hyeok Mujin screamed as he got hit on the back of his head.

“What was that for!”

“Stop telling bullshit stories to the kids. Unless you want to die.”

But Socheon was waiting for the rest of the story with sparkling eyes.

“I don’t mind.”

“What’s dying? Soyul wants to die too!”

“…You’ve got a long way to go.”

I patted Soyul’s head as she tugged at my sleeve, whining.

My connection with these young siblings runs quite deep. Watching them quietly made me think of someone.

“How is Hero Gong these days?”

Gong Yacheong. The middle-aged man these siblings called uncle. Even I, still awkward with martial world terms, always added “Hero” when addressing Gong Yacheong. He’d earned that right.

“He’s recovering well. Though he’s still having trouble moving around.”

“Is that so? That’s good.”

“He actually wanted to see you before leaving.”

I was about to nod absently but stopped.

“Leaving?”

“Yes, he’ll be taking charge of the rebuilt Suzhou branch.”

“Then…”

“We’ll be going with him.”

War takes away many things.

Socheon and Soyul lost both their home and parents to Hengshan Sword Sect’s attack. Though they can’t turn back time, now that everything’s settled, they’ll return to the place holding their precious memories.

“Thank you, benefactor.”

Their sincere gratitude made my heart twinge. A reality too cruel for young siblings still remained.

Moreover, Soyul still didn’t know about their parents’ death.

Five years old…

Too young to comprehend and accept the present.

I tried recalling my memories from twenty-two years ago. They’re hazy.

“…I hope you’ll be like that too.”

Soyul smiled brightly even at words she didn’t understand.

I turned to Socheon.

“Can I visit sometimes?”

Socheon smiled brightly, as if he’d been waiting for this.

“Our benefactor is always welcome.”

Breaking through the warm atmosphere between us, Hyeok Mujin, who’d been quietly listening, cut in.

“So when are you leaving?”

“In half a year.”

Should’ve saved my emotions.