Chapter 990

The Thunderbolt Saber King, Peng Cheolhu.

News that the Grand Family Head of the Hebei Peng Family—yet another giant born of the Great Faction War—had fallen spread like a raging wildfire.

“I thought he, at least, would hold firm… And yet it’s come to this.”

“Even so, who could’ve imagined the Saber King would meet such a pointless end?”

“Pointless? Don’t ever say that in front of me again. Great Hero Peng held fast to his chivalrous spirit until the very end.”

“Enough. You think he said that because he didn’t know? He’s just heartbroken.”

“I know. Damn it, I know.”

The martial artists who received the unexpected and tragic news could not hide their grief.

To them, the title of one of the Ten Kings carried a meaning unlike any other.

Yet Hong Dao, the Dharma King who had earned everyone’s respect, was gone.

So was Tang Taesang, the Poison King who had struck fear into countless members of the Demonic Cult.

And now even the Thunderbolt Saber King—the man who, apart from the overwhelming presence of the Fire King, Jeok Cheongang, had been all but the foremost of the Ten Kings—had met his death.

None of them had died of old age or illness.

“Don’t forget. They died honorably, fighting for what was right. Avenge them—that duty falls to us now.”

The old masters who had symbolized the orthodox Murim and stood for chivalry were dying one after another.

The martial artists of Murim layered anger over their grief.

To avenge those they had lost.

To defeat the new enemy, which had emerged for the first time since the Demonic Cult and revealed a power more threatening than ever.

“Who will stand against Dark Heaven!”

“Take up your swords! For the Nine Provinces, for justice and chivalry—rise up and fight those fiends!”

Rousing shouts rang out on streets everywhere. They had become an everyday occurrence.

Learning from the Murong Family’s example, Sect Leaders and Family Heads of various factions met often and put old grudges behind them. Young people, their blood burning with fervor, swung weapons they had never so much as bloodied until their palms split.

Even a stone leaves a mark when it moves. How much greater the mark left by a mountain?

The bloody battle fought across a narrow gorge in Shanxi Province—the incident that came to be known as the Eight Heavens Blood Calamity—and the death of the Thunderbolt Saber King had been the final sparks.

Dark Heaven had stirred up bloodshed across the land without ever revealing its full strength. Those who feared it now understood, as did the martial artists caught between the orthodox and unorthodox factions who had once been reluctant to oppose it.

The razor-sharp blade in Dark Heaven’s hand was aimed not only at the orthodox Murim, but at the entire world.

And the repercussions had long since spread far beyond Murim’s borders.

“So, who are you, and where are you from?”

“I’m Jang-pal, from Jeong Family Village.”

“Jang-pal? If you’re from Jeong Family Village, why is your surname Jang?”

“Pardon?”

“Why Jang-pal?”

“Oh, well…”

“Well, what?”

“My father’s from somewhere else.”

“Somewhere else, huh? So he married into the family and settled in Jeong Family Village.”

“Yes, yes. That’s right.”

“How old are you?”

“I turned twenty this year.”

The low-ranking official assigned to recruit soldiers looked the applicant up and down. Young man? The fellow standing before him ought to have been called a boy.

“Twenty?”

“Yes, sir!”

“I see. Then what is your mother’s full name?”

“What?”

“The more we talk, the more familiar you look. I might know your family. If I do, I could send you somewhere you’d have a good chance to earn military merit.”

At the official’s coaxing tone, the boy’s eyes lit up.

“Y-you really mean it?”

“Of course. So, what’s your mother’s name?”

The boy hesitated, but not for long.

He might not have his family’s permission, but his sense of chivalry and his dreams of making his mark on the world had never burned brighter.

If his parents were acquainted with the official in front of him, this was the perfect chance to be posted to a good battlefield, earn brilliant merit, and become a young general.

Me too. I’ll be like him one day.

He had already made up his mind.

Thinking of the idol he had never once seen in person, the boy found his courage. He gripped the bamboo spear he had clumsily whittled himself and opened his mouth.

“Th-the second daughter of the Oh family from the house by the persimmon tree. She said people nearby would know her…”

“Go home.”

“What?”

“Your father’s a Jeong, your mother’s an Oh, so why do you live in Jeong Family Village?”

“…!”

“What, still got something to say?”

The official glared at him as though he already knew everything. The boy stiffened, then barely managed to force out a reply.

“Actually, my whole family came from somewhere else…”

“What are you waiting for? Drag this brat out!”

“Gah, sir! No! You can’t! You’ll really regret turning me away!”

The boy’s eyes widened with fierce determination. Deeply moved by the sight, the official gave an order to the guards holding him by both arms.

“Give him three swats on the rear and toss him out. Twenty, my ass. You little brat—first you lie, and then you glare at an adult?”

“Siiir!”

His desperate cries changed nothing.

Ever since the Emperor’s proclamation had spread throughout the land, government offices in every province had been packed with people who couldn’t contain their dreams of making a name for themselves or the hot blood in their veins.

The official was in danger of dying from overwork before Dark Heaven ever got to him. He’d had his fill of boys lying about their age to enlist.

“Give him two more!”

“Nooo!”

“Yes!”

In the end, the guards gave the boy a sound kick to the rear and drove him out. The applicants, whose line stretched all the way outside the government office, watched him go and murmured among themselves.

“He looks younger than my little brother.”

“Still, the kid’s got spirit. Shame his head’s a complete rock.”

“But where did he say he was from again?”

“Doesn’t matter. He obviously made it up.”

“No, I still need to know.”

“Why are you so hung up on it?”

“I made mine up too.”

“…”

“I can’t have the place name overlapping by accident. They’ll catch me, and I’ll end up like him.”

“…How old are you, by the way?”

“Sixteen.”

“Cut the crap. You’ve got the face of a grizzled veteran.”

“Thank you, hyung¹. Looks like I’ll get through just fine. And please keep this a secret.”

“…Wait, you weren’t joking?”

While everyone else was still reeling, the applicant with the weathered face called to the boy as he staggered to his feet.

“How old are you?”

The boy, staring blankly at the government office, answered.

“Sixteen.”

“Same as me. Since we’ve met, let’s drop the formalities.”

“Not even a stray dog would believe that. I’m in a lousy enough mood already.”

“I’m serious.”

“I’m not falling for… it, sir.”

“Anyway, where’d you get that spear?”

The boy fidgeted before answering.

“I whittled it myself…”

“Don’t people our age usually use swords? Like me.”

The boy’s face twisted at once.

“Who says that? The spear is the king of all weapons.”

“There, you’re talking to me normally now. And I never said swords were the best. I just said most people use them.”

“Oh.”

“Seeing you get worked up over weapons tells me one thing. You came here because you want to be like ‘that person,’ didn’t you?”

The boy hesitated, then answered in a much softer voice.

“Show him some respect.”

“What?”

“Don’t call him ‘that person.’ Speak of him with respect.”

His dejected look had vanished.

As if nothing had happened, he seemed to have forgotten he’d just been thrown out of the government office. His eyes brightened as he continued.

“Blazing Flame Divine Dragon Jin Taekyung. I’m going to be like him. I will!”

Everyone had a goal they wanted to reach.

For the boy, Jin Taekyung was that goal.

A young hero of the martial world, watched by the entire land, and a noble marquis personally appointed by the Son of Heaven.

He admired him. Respected him.

When he’d strode here so confidently, he’d been full of ambition. Before long, he’d thought, he would stand shoulder to shoulder with Jin Taekyung.

Reality, of course, had kicked him in the rear and thrown him out.

“Damn it.”

The boy lowered his head gloomily.

Then a strange voice suddenly rang out from somewhere.

“Wow! That’s so cool!”

The boy looked up and blinked at the speaker. Everyone waiting outside the government office did the same.

Who’s that?

When did he show up? I don’t think he was here a moment ago.

Huh. Or was he?

Now that I think about it, maybe he was here the whole time…

They exchanged bewildered glances. But before anyone could make sense of it, the young man who had suddenly appeared before them was smiling brightly at the boy.

“My grandpa told me— No, someone told me it’s good to have a goal you want to achieve!”

“Y-yes?”

The boy stared at the young man, bewildered.

Perhaps it was the long robe caked in dust. The young man looked more than ordinary—he looked downright shabby.

Maybe that was why the shock of his sudden appearance and his attempt to strike up a conversation soon gave way to an inexplicable sense of familiarity. The boy felt it, and so did everyone else.

It was like… like…

Right.

That one slow older guy every neighborhood seems to have.

For once, everyone was thinking the same thing. How could they not?

Just look at that spotless, pure-white smile.

There wasn’t a speck of malice in his eyes. They were clearer than a stream, and then he grabbed the boy’s hand and shook it over and over—the way a little kid might.

“That’s so cool! You’re determined to become like the Blazing Flame Divine Dragon. That’s amazing!”

With both hands trapped in the young man’s grip, the wide-eyed boy finally came back to his senses when his shoulders began to ache.

“P-please let go.”

“Oh, sorry. I got excited. Did I hurt you?”

You couldn’t spit in a smiling face. Seeing how genuinely worried the young man looked, the boy couldn’t bring himself to complain.

“…No, I’m fine. But who exactly are you?”

“Just a passing hero who wants to save the world, like you, Young Hero!”

He puffed out his chest and declared it proudly. The boy and everyone else reached the same conclusion.

Yep. Definitely slow.

And, proving their suspicions, the young man kept babbling about whatever came to mind, oblivious to the strange atmosphere.

“But, Young Hero, if you want to become like the Blazing Flame Divine Dragon, why come to the government office? Wouldn’t it be better to go straight to the Jin Family of Taiyuan?”

“Oh, it’s just so far away. I’ve never been more than a hundred li² from home in my life. How could I…?”

“It’s far, but not that far.”

“Not that far? From here in Qinghai to Shanxi?”

“It goes by faster than you’d think. As long as you keep running hard and don’t give up.”

Snickers broke out around them.

From Qinghai Province to Shanxi Province was nearly ten thousand li², give or take a little exaggeration.

Even old peddlers who roamed the land with a few packs on their backs, and even the major Escort Bureaus, avoided taking on journeys that long whenever possible.

The trip would be grueling and mind-numbingly dull.

If even people who made their living on the road felt that way, what about those who lived in Qinghai, on the far western edge of the realm?

It was the sort of nonsense only a fool would say.

But to a boy whose own impossible dream had drawn laughter, the young man’s words sounded different.

“Just keep at it and don’t give up?”

“Right! And even if the Jin Family of Taiyuan is too far away, there are other options. For example…”

“Do you mean the Kunlun Sect?”

“Oh, you know about it?”

“Yes. I’m from around here, of course I do. And I know I’m too old to join the Kunlun Sect.”

The boy sighed deeply before going on.

“But I don’t want to join the Black Dragon Demon Gate. I know it belongs to the Murim Alliance, but its roots are still in the unorthodox faction. There are some unpleasant rumors about it, too.”

“Hmm. What about the other sects…?”

“The details are different, but it’s much the same with them. I’d rather join the military, learn strategy, and someday become a general leading an army. That might bring me a little closer to his fame.”

After pouring all that out, the boy gave a self-mocking laugh.

What was the point of telling a complete stranger—one who seemed none too bright—all this?

“I should go. Maybe I’ll see you again sometime.”

“Hey, wait.”

The boy kept trudging off despite the young man calling after him.

As the young man watched him go with a dejected expression, a round face popped up beside him.

“Hyung¹, what are you doing here? I’ve been looking all over for you.”

The people nearby assumed the bright-eyed child had come looking for the slow older guy. They chuckled and lost interest.

They never dreamed that, at that very moment, the adorable child was driving a sinister voice into the young man’s ear—one nobody else could hear.

“Didn’t I tell you? Disappear without a word one more time and I’ll kill you. Sword Saint’s Disciple or not, I don’t give a damn.”

The young man, Cheongpung, answered innocently.

“Sorry. I was only going to be gone for a little while.”

“Were you my enemy in a past life or something? Why do you keep doing this to this old man?”

“I had a reason.”

“Then tell me.”

“I ran out of candied hawthorn skewers³.”

“You little shit…!”

As he listened to the Slaughter Saint’s deep sigh, Cheongpung watched the boy’s retreating back.

Then he thought of someone and smiled to himself.

“Hehe. Did I ever tell you? When my Benefactor first saw me, the candied hawthorn skewers³—”

“Shut up. Please.”

In Qinghai, the Slaughter Saint was suffering.