Chapter 127: Myojinmun (1)

In a remote, long-abandoned village on the outskirts, there was an old, decaying shrine dedicated to Guan Yu, known as a Guandi Temple.

Once bustling with visitors, the place had now succumbed to the ravages of time.

The wooden door, half-rotted and barely hanging on, swung back and forth in the wind, creaking eerily.

*Hiiiiii-*

At some point, ghostly wails began to emanate from the temple.

This started after a man secretly visited the ruined village.

*Hiiiiii-*

The ghostly wails, like the winter wind scraping against the walls, echoed for days.

*Hiiiiii-*

And when the wails finally subsided,

*Whoooosh*

A massive surge of energy followed.

*Crash*

The old door of the shrine fell off and flew away.

*Whoooosh*

The wooden walls of the shrine shattered, the pillars broke, and the decayed roof tiles crumbled.

Amidst the debris stood a man.

Sitting cross-legged, floating in mid-air, he was in a deep trance.

*Whooooom*

At some point, a sinister red aura began to emanate from the man’s body.

Simultaneously, his hair, which had turned white with age, regained a dark hue.

*Whooooom*

As the red aura grew more menacing, his once sagging muscles swelled.

*Crack. Crack.*

The sound of bones cracking echoed from all over his body.

When all these changes were complete,

*Flash*

The man opened his eyes.

“Hahaha!”

The first thing he did was laugh maniacally.

“Is this what it feels like to surpass the barrier?”

*Whooooom*

His voice echoed like a bell tolling in an ancient mountain temple.

“A realm I couldn’t reach even with decades of training!”

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Filled with joy and trembling with rage, the man looked like a madman.

But one thing remained unchanged.

“Hehehe. The time for revenge has come.”

His eyes, now black with madness, glistened with murderous intent.

“Kill the righteous sect members.”

Muttering to himself, he staggered to his feet and walked towards a specific direction.

“I will destroy them all. Every single one of them.”

Even the heavens, if necessary.

The man’s name was Gon Ya-pyeong.

Once known as the Hidden Moon Flying Thief.

And as he left, the empty shrine remained.

“We must inform the ‘Apostle’.”

Dark figures that had been lurking in the shadows melted into the darkness.

***

“We’ve arrived.”

At the coachman’s words, Cho Un-hwi opened his eyes.

Lifting his head, he saw an imposing stone tablet inscribed with the words “Hong’an City.”

“Finally, we’re here.”

He jumped down from the coachman’s seat and tapped the cart behind him. From within, a groan was heard.

Soon, a small figure rolled out from the pile of hay on the cart.

“Ugh. I’m dying.”

Mo Yong So-hye, with straw all over her head, whimpered.

“My back feels broken.”

Well, riding on a donkey cart isn’t exactly comfortable.

Next, Baek Ri Seol, looking pale and exhausted, crawled out.

“I don’t think a cargo cart is suitable.”

“I agree. Walking was more comfortable.”

Even Namgung Yun-ho, who rarely showed any expression, looked fatigued.

Baek Ri Seol brushed off the straw from her clothes and complained.

“My butt hurts.”

“I smell like hay.”

“I smell like an old lady, ugh.”

Judging by their reactions, it had been quite a rough ride.

But there was no helping it.

“We had no money, so what could we do?”

Mo Yong So-hye pouted.

“We sacrificed a future instructor to get a ride on a donkey cart.”

“The reward for catching a petty criminal wasn’t enough for a proper carriage.”

“The future is cheap.”

As the group brushed off the straw, Cho Un-hwi shrugged.

“Stop complaining.”

Get up. We don’t have much time.

Namgung Yun-ho tilted his head.

“Instructor, you keep urging us. Do you have an appointment?”

“Yes. I have someone to meet.”

Hearing this, Mo Yong So-hye jumped in place.

“The instructor has…”

“Someone to meet?”

Baek Ri Seol also jumped.

*Thud.*

“Ouch!”

Leaving the two clutching their heads, Cho Un-hwi spoke.

“I do have people I meet occasionally.”

Though they were hastily made acquaintances.

***

As they passed through the city gate and looked around, they saw a rather grand building.

– Nammun Pavilion.

Standing in front of the impressive pavilion, a group of people approached.

“Are you Instructor Cho Un-hwi?”

The approaching man was a middle-aged scholar with a generous demeanor.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“We received word. Please follow me.”

Ignoring the murmurs behind him about how knowledgeable his acquaintance seemed, Cho Un-hwi focused on confirming the ‘convenience’ Jegal Yang-so had promised.

The middle-aged man led them to a place called Hakrim Academy, which he claimed as his residence.

Upon entering, they saw several servants bustling about, and beyond them, a luxurious annex.

– Comfortable lodging.

Just as promised.

Inside the annex, a feast was laid out.

“It’s not much, but please help yourselves.”

Though he said it wasn’t much, the table, groaning under the weight of the food, begged to differ.

– Unlimited food and drink.

This too was as promised.

‘One thing is missing.’

He thought, as Scholar Jeong approached.

“Haha. It must be tough leading the students through the Jianghu.”

He slipped a heavy pouch into Cho Un-hwi’s hand.

It was exactly as promised.

Satisfied, Cho Un-hwi patted the bulging pouch. Mo Yong So-hye tilted her head.

“[Greed]? [Satisfaction]? [Hail Jegal]?”

What’s your plan, instructor?

Seeing her approach like a curious cat, Cho Un-hwi waved her away.

“It’s adult business.”

So kids, go away.

***

The middle-aged man, who introduced himself as Scholar Jeong, was like a giving tree.

Not only did he provide comfortable lodging and pocket money, but he also assigned a servant to them.

“He’s an errand runner. Call him if you need anything.”

This is too much.

‘I didn’t expect them to be this meticulous.’

Officially, I’m just a low-ranking instructor at Shinmu Academy.

Maybe this is why people are desperate to manage the children of prestigious families.

Realizing this, Cho Un-hwi spoke to the servant.

“There’s something I’d like to request.”

“Please, go ahead, sir.”

Satisfied with the polite response, Cho Un-hwi made a short request.

“I want some grilled rice cakes.”

***

The servant was quite capable.

He seemed to have a quick wit.

“I’ll take you to a good place.”

Without hesitation, he led them to a market street filled with the smell of baking sweets.

“Wow. This is amazing.”

“The smell is incredible.”

Baek Ri Seol and Mo Yong So-hye were mesmerized by the sweet aroma wafting through the street.

It was inevitable.

‘This place was quite famous in my past life.’

They even supplied sweets to the imperial family in Beijing.

Though I’ve never been a fan of sweets, my fiancée mentioned this place fondly several times, so I remembered it.

‘Back then, I couldn’t visit because it was destroyed.’

The Jianghu without the calamity of the Heavenly Destruction Society is completely different from my memories.

‘I’d like to come here again with my fiancée someday.’

The servant skillfully navigated through the shops and arrived at a particular one.

“This is the most famous shop.”

It was a highly recommended local favorite, according to him.

*Crunch. Crunch.*

As they sampled the sweets, Mo Yong So-hye, like a cat eyeing a plate, reached out.

“Wow. This is really good.”

“It’s sweet. Baek Ri Clan’s sweets are good, but not this good.”

With the women’s praises, Cho Un-hwi spoke.

“One. No, give me a whole sack.”

“A whole sack?”

Baek Ri Seol and Namgung Yun-ho tried to dissuade him.

“Instructor, isn’t that too much?”

“You said you’d buy the rice cakes on the way back.”

“That was the plan.”

But plans change.

“He’ll pay for it.”

***

Beyond Hong’an, at their next destination, people were waiting.

“Are you Instructor Cho Un-hwi?”

Some were local officials.

Others were from well-known martial families in the area.

‘The influence of the Ten Great Clans is remarkable.’

Everywhere they went, sects offering convenience were abundant.

Thanks to this, the group enjoyed luxurious days for a while.

“Sister, how about this silver dove? It’s beautifully made.”

“I like this silver ring. Instructor, let’s get matching ones.”

Cho Un-hwi, who was usually stingy, didn’t miss the opportunity to spend someone else’s money.

“Buy it. Buy everything.”

He’ll pay for it.

During the day, they toured tourist spots and had fun.

After all, it was money from the Jegal Clan.

They spent it freely.

If needed, they even used the names of the Mo Yong Clan or the Baek Ri Clan.

Their lifestyle had become so luxurious that even Mo Yong So-hye started to worry.

“Instructor, is it okay to play like this? This is supposed to be the Murim Excursion.”

“It’s fine. Enjoy while you can.”

When the Heavenly Destruction Society rises, you won’t be able to play even if you want to.

“It’s fun, but skipping training to play makes me feel guilty.”

“At your age, playing is more beneficial than training in the dojo.”

So that you can use today’s memories as a foundation to keep fighting in the future.

‘People without happy memories lose the will to live when faced with crises.’

Having seen many people despair and commit suicide, he was certain.

Live as if today is your last.

It was a motto he had gained after long despair.

***

Cheongyang County, Anhui Province.

Cheongyang Sect Leader Seo Tae-myung received a letter.

“From Jegal Yang-so?”

The Jegal Clan is a prestigious family that has produced many military leaders for the Murim Alliance.

Though he held some influence locally, he couldn’t even dream of receiving a letter from such a prominent family.

“This is unusual.”

Reading the letter, Seo Tae-myung frowned.

The Chief Administrator asked.

“Leader, what’s the matter?”

“Here, read this.”

The Chief Administrator took the letter and nodded.

“The Shinmu Murim Excursion. It’s been noisy for a while, and now it’s resumed.”

“Indeed. It’s unusual for it to have been delayed for so long.”

Seo Tae-myung knew how serious Shinmu Academy was about the Murim Excursion.

Unless there were major incidents like unjust accidents or traitor hunts, the Murim Excursion would never have been postponed.

“It’s a good thing that the Murim Excursion has resumed.”

“It’s important to nurture the next generation.”

“Right. The problem is the latter part.”

Reading the latter part of the letter, the Chief Administrator’s eyes widened.

“Jegal Yang-so is asking for a favor?”

“It’s quite unusual. I’ve heard he avoids shady dealings.”

“The favor is one thing, but the latter part is puzzling.”

Reading the latter part of the letter, the Chief Administrator muttered.

“‘Investigate the temporary instructor.’”

What does this mean?

The Chief Administrator recalled recent rumors.

“It might be related to the news from Hong’an.”

“From Hong’an?”

“There are rumors about a very greedy instructor.”

Hearing the explanation, Seo Tae-myung was astonished.

“What a brazen individual.”

Why would they tolerate such a person?

The Chief Administrator answered.

“Surprisingly, it’s said that the Lone Flying Swordsman Wang Woo is watching over him.”

“Wang Woo?”

“It’s confirmed through a contact in the Murim Alliance.”

Seo Tae-myung was taken aback.

Though it hadn’t been long, the story of the Lone Flying Swordsman vowing to dedicate his future to nurturing the next generation had become a famous tale in the Jianghu.

Looking up to the sky.

– Heaven, if my dedication is lacking, do not spare your punishment!

His declaration was known as the “Kunlun Oath” and had become a legendary story.

“It seems Jegal Yang-so wants you to keep an eye on this reckless individual.”

“I agree. What should we do?”

Though it was a dilemma, Jegal Yang-so, known for his wisdom, had personally requested it.

“First, investigate this ‘temporary instructor.’”

“I’ll take care of it immediately.”

Seo Tae-myung began to move quickly.