Chapter 180

New Year’s Day.

Jin Wikyung’s reaction upon seeing the sunlight on the first day of the new year was short and simple.

“Fantastic.”

Wolhwa, who had been tilting her teacup with graceful composure, let out a quiet laugh. She had arrived at the Jin Family of Taiyuan the previous night.

With the family currently barring all outsiders from entering, admitting her was a show of respect for their alliance.

“Are you really that happy?”

“How could I not be?”

“I suppose you have every reason to be, considering everything that’s happened. Two years ago, I never imagined a day like this would come.”

“That hurts to hear.”

Wolhwa covered her mouth in exaggerated dismay.

“My goodness, shouldn’t I be the one saying that? We’ve been waiting for you for so long.”

“I’ll keep my promise. Without fail.”

“I hope so. It would be troublesome if you went back on your word a second time.”

“Let’s stop. I’m tired.”

“That makes two of us.”

The previous night had been a long one. After an intense back-and-forth, they had finally found common ground that gave each of them what they wanted.

Both sides needed the other’s help if they wished to wield influence in Shanxi Murim.

Having finally obtained what she wanted, Wolhwa gave him a prim smile.

“Still, we did give you a valuable piece of information, didn’t we?”

Jin Wikyung replied with a disgruntled look.

“Oh, that information? I heard our family’s Datong Branch played some part in the matter as well.”

“We were the first to bring you the information. We were also the ones who promptly sent a messenger eagle.”

“That much… I’ll admit.”

Wolhwa suddenly narrowed her eyes.

“But aren’t you worried?”

“About what?”

“The Heavenly Wind Band.”

The news that the Heavenly Wind Band, which had been prowling around Datong, had been annihilated was certainly welcome. But it was also profoundly shocking.

One person had single-handedly wiped out hundreds of mounted bandits, including a Peak master? Unless that person was a Supreme Peak master, it would have been nearly impossible.

Wolhwa ran one long finger along her teacup.

“Who do you think it was?”

“Who knows? We’ll have to find out in time.”

Jin Wikyung suppressed a laugh. The world might be vast and full of reclusive eccentrics, but Supreme Peak masters were anything but common.

When he had first heard the news about the Heavenly Wind Band, only one name had flashed through his mind.

Sword Saint Mae Jonghak.

It was most likely him.

Considering the relationship they had built over the years, he ought to tell Wolhwa. But the matter was far too significant to share even with the Chief Branch Leader of the Lower District Sect.

“Don’t worry too much. Our family is keeping a close eye on the situation.”

“For someone saying that, you look awfully relaxed.”

“How could I be relaxed? I merely assume that whoever annihilated the notoriously vicious Heavenly Wind Band wasn’t a master of demonic, heterodox arts.”

Wolhwa narrowed her eyes at his feigned ignorance.

But she couldn’t press him any further. If the Jin Family of Taiyuan had truly possessed ties to a Supreme Peak master, its rise to its current position would have been far easier.

“Well, in any case, you have my sincere congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“But someone else has been awfully quiet.”

Knowing exactly whom Wolhwa meant, Jin Wikyung shook his head.

“He’s been dissatisfied since birth.”

A prickly voice asked,

“Are you talking about me?”

“Who else would I be talking about?”

Wipeng, who had been leaning diagonally against the wall of the office, opened his mouth.

“I wholeheartedly agree with my lord. It truly is a fantastic day.”

“What’s gotten into you? Whenever I say something like that, you lecture me about dignity and propriety.”

“What else am I supposed to call a fantastic day?”

His subordinate, usually as strict and fussy as an old schoolmaster, was humoring him for once. Jin Wikyung smiled in satisfaction.

“Exactly. That’s how important this occasion will be.”

“Can you hear the murmuring from far away? I hear that not only the influential martial artists of Shanxi Murim, but even commoners who heard the news have come.”

“Oh, is that true?”

“Indeed. We’ve also received a letter of congratulations from the Heavenly Sword True Person, the Sect Leader of Huashan.”

“Oh!”

“The Three Plum Blossom Elites should be arriving soon as well.”

Jin Wikyung already knew all of this, but it still felt good to hear it again.

The Nine Sects and One Gang were pillars of the Murim world, and their influence was immense. Even if only part of that great alliance was represented, it was practically equivalent to the entire orthodox faction vouching for the legitimacy of the Jin Family of Taiyuan.

Of course, he couldn’t deny that the Sword Saint and Cheongpung had played a significant role in that.

“And that’s not all. Isn’t Prince Shangshan, a descendant of the Son of Heaven, coming as well? This means that both the government and the Murim have acknowledged our family as the undisputed hegemon of Shanxi Province.”

“Of course! Absolutely!”

As Jin Wikyung’s spirits soared, Wipeng smiled.

“Do you know what the even better news is?”

“You’re really going all out today. What is it? Tell me already!”

The next moment, the smile at the corners of Wipeng’s mouth vanished without a trace.

“At this gathering, where countless martial artists and commoners, distinguished guests from the Nine Sects and One Gang, and even a descendant of the imperial family are coming, both Young Masters are absent.”

“…Ah.”

“I can at least understand the Second Young Master. Enlightenment doesn’t come whenever one wants it to, so secluded training is understandable. I’m a martial artist too. But!”

Wipeng continued with a fierce glare.

“The Third Young Master absolutely cannot be let off the hook. Leaving at a time like this as though none of it concerned him was bad enough, but now all word from him has stopped completely.”

Jin Wikyung quietly averted his gaze. Wolhwa, his only lifeline, merely shrugged as if she knew nothing and watched the spectacle unfold.

“He’ll come.”

“What do you mean, he’ll come? He left last year saying he’d be right back.”

Jin Wikyung opened his mouth to object, then stopped. The way Wipeng phrased it sounded strange, but it wasn’t wrong.

Wipeng ground his teeth and continued.

“Going off to make a weapon when we’re facing such a momentous occasion… I’m an idiot for trusting the Third Young Master even for a moment.”

“Now, now.”

“Am I wrong?”

“Now, hold on!”

“Why? What about it?”

Jin Wikyung flinched at Wipeng’s bulging eyes. Then salvation arrived in the form of a voice from outside the office.

“Lesser Family Head, the preparations are complete.”

“…There you have it.”

Wipeng’s lips moved as though he still had more to say, but he released a deep sigh instead. This was hardly the first time something like this had happened. They had to deal with the business at hand first.

“This time, you must give the Third Young Master a proper talking-to.”

“Of course I will.”

Jin Wikyung grinned and left the office.

Fifty martial artists radiating sharp auras stood in formation before the pavilion. Every one of them was at least a First Rate master, and they stared at their lord with unwavering composure.

An eight-cheok¹-tall giant, Jin Wikyung was the Lesser Family Head of the Jin Family of Taiyuan. In place of the absent Family Head, he had led the family for the past two years and finally set it upon a firm foundation.

His tightly closed lips parted.

“Let’s go.”

Wipeng, Wolhwa, and the fifty martial artists followed him. As they crossed the quiet grounds of the Jin Family of Taiyuan, their numbers continued to swell.

Fifty became a hundred, a hundred became two hundred, and two hundred became three hundred…

The Jin Family of Taiyuan had suffered as though its limbs had been torn away in the previous war, but its recovery had been swift, and its growth even swifter.

Our family has grown stronger.

The One Pavilion, Two Halls, and Three Teams advancing alongside him were proof of that.

They were the arms, legs, waist, and torso of the Jin Family of Taiyuan, stronger and sturdier than ever before.

Remembering the countless sacrifices and efforts that had brought them to this day, Jin Wikyung felt a surge of emotion.

“Lesser Family Head.”

Before he knew it, they had reached the Gate Guard Pavilion.

The gate guards standing watch at the main entrance bowed with crisp, disciplined movements. Beyond the solid stone walls, the cheers of countless people rang out.

“Wow, this really is fantastic.”

“My lord, give the order.”

Wolhwa smiled brightly, while Wipeng wore a more solemn expression than ever.

Jin Wikyung took in their faces and drew a deep breath. The next moment, his dignified voice rang out.

“Open the gates.”

It marked the beginning of the grand banquet that would continue for the next three days—and served as the signal flare announcing that the Jin Family of Taiyuan had become the hegemon of Shanxi Murim.

The area in front of the Jin Family of Taiyuan’s gates was packed with people. There were martial artists wearing swords and blades, merchants hoping to seize an opportunity, and commoners who belonged to neither group.

Even though it was broad daylight, firecrackers celebrating the first day of the new year went off now and then.

Boom! Boom-boom!

“Waaaaah!”

While hundreds upon hundreds of people laughed and chatted in the festive atmosphere, a handful wore faces fit for a funeral.

“Damn it.”

“What kind of situation is this?”

“I ought to just—”

The five middle-aged men—the heads of the five sects collectively known as the Five Gates of Shanxi—couldn’t smooth out their crumpled expressions.

Of the five, Woo Hwangtae, chief of the Seongun Escort Bureau, was in the worst state by far, frantic with worry thanks to his worthless son.

They wouldn’t even grant me an audience.

He had arrived five days earlier and requested a meeting countless times.

He had come to clean up the mess caused by his son, Woo Jintae.

But the carefully prepared letters and gifts he sent had been turned away without ever crossing the Jin Family of Taiyuan’s threshold. His pride had taken a beating, but in the end, he had resorted to coming in person.

“I am Woo of the Seongun Escort Bureau.”

The Seongun Escort Bureau had endured for three generations, and everyone in Shanxi Province knew its name. After all, it had flaunted the enormous fortune it had amassed through any means necessary.

Yet the gate guard’s response had been indifferent.

“You can’t meet him right now.”

“Come now, man. What do you mean? I’m telling you, I’m the chief of the Seongun Escort Bureau!”

“Whether you’re a bureau chief or a sect leader, I don’t know or care. I follow orders.”

…!

Had he ever suffered such humiliation in his life?

Like Woo Jintae, he had spent his entire life enjoying every advantage his family’s prestige afforded him. He had suffered a few setbacks and had occasionally been ignored by those of higher status, but he could endure that much.

But to be treated this way by a mere gate guard!

Every time Woo Hwangtae thought about it, the back of his head throbbed.

Those fucking bastards. No matter how powerful they are, how dare they treat someone like this?

Even his son, who had a child of his own, had returned so badly beaten that it was difficult to tell whether he was still human or some blue-skinned beast.

Father and son had both been utterly humiliated. It was too embarrassing to complain to the other sect leaders.

“Huff… Hooo…”

As Woo Hwangtae exhaled through his flushed face, the other heads of the Five Gates of Shanxi watched him cautiously.

“Chief Woo, are you all right?”

“If you’re feeling unwell, perhaps we should come back tomorrow…”

Woo Hwangtae snapped at them.

“Would you be all right, Sect Leader Song? My son was beaten like a street dog, and now we’re expected to apologize on top of that. And Lord Tae, if I retreat now, what do you think the Jin Family of Taiyuan will make of it? Do you even hear yourselves?”

“…”

“…”

The two men who had spoken flinched after drawing his ire, while the other two breathed sighs of relief.

But inwardly, all four were thinking the same thing.

This damned merchant. I ought to just…

They were only tolerating him because they still needed the Seongun Escort Bureau’s support.

They remembered clearly what their sons had told them.

The Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi said he would make the Seongun Escort Bureau an example.

Chief Woo and that man are both formidable… Unless they’re the Nine Sects and One Gang, do they really think they can swallow the whole bureau in one bite?

Given the Jin Family of Taiyuan’s recent power, they might be able to.

For now, we watch.

If the balance tipped even slightly, they would have to switch sides. The four sect leaders were each waiting for the right moment, and as long as their own families survived, they were perfectly willing to keep smiling at Woo Hwangtae.

“Ha-ha, Chief Woo. Calm yourself.”

“Indeed. You and we have all been wronged, haven’t we? We understand how you feel.”

“Let’s head inside. We can’t stand here watching forever.”

“Here, these pills came from a renowned physician. They can calm even the fiercest temper. Let’s each chew one before we go in.”

“Hoo…”

Woo Hwangtae released a heated sigh and was about to toss the pill into his mouth when—

“Wow, this place is crawling with people. Absolutely crawling.”

Along with the booming voice, something shoved against his arm. The pill dropped, and someone immediately stepped on it.

“…!”

That was the limit of Woo Hwangtae’s patience. He glared at the culprit, his eyes blazing.

The man stood a full two heads taller than everyone around him. Between his cow-like eyes and the way he was picking his nose, he looked every inch a country bumpkin.

“You! Stop right there!”

The huge man stopped in his tracks.

“Huh? Me?”

“Yes, you bastard! If you bump into someone, you should apologize immediately!”

“Ah. There were so many people, I didn’t notice. Sorry ’bout that.”

The man promptly bowed and turned away, but that only made Woo Hwangtae’s temper flare hotter.

His son’s humiliation. The memory of being disregarded by the gate guard for days. And now the behavior of this oversized country bumpkin.

The fuse had been lit.

“You ox-headed bastard! Stop right there!”

The giant flinched.

“What did you just say?”

“I called you an ox-headed bastard. You’re lower than an ox, you son of a bitch!”

“That’s one of the things I hate most.”

“If you hate it, what are you going to do about it?”

The giant snorted a plume of breath before opening his mouth.

“Can I hit him?”

“You bastard, I’ll kill—!”

Just as Woo Hwangtae was about to strike, a clear voice came from behind him.

“No.”

The speaker was a clean-cut young man.

Huashan’s Lone Crane, Baek Museong, had stopped his Junior Brother just before he exploded. He smiled at Woo Hwangtae.