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Baek Pyo shouted until his throat was raw, but no sound came out. As if in a dreamlike vision, everything was proceeding slowly in silence.

Enemies were rushing in from all directions, and the martial artists of the White Tiger Regiment were falling one by one.

Baek Pyo swung his sword like a madman. There were too many enemies. When he cut down one, two would rush in, and when he dealt with those two, four would come at him.

Beyond the falling enemies, he could see his subordinates being slaughtered.

He couldn’t go help them. Enemies were rushing in from all directions.

“Where’s the Alliance Leader? Where is the Alliance Leader?”

He screamed frantically, but the sound only echoed in his head without escaping.

He searched for Cheon Hajin while cutting down enemies.

Hundreds were entangled in battle, but it was eerily quiet. The scene was all the more horrific because of its surrealism. The sight of comrades’ limbs being severed unfolded slowly before his eyes.

How long had he been wandering like this?

Finally, Baek Pyo caught sight of Cheon Hajin.

There was an altar in the distance, and Cheon Hajin was lying on it.

Another scene caught Baek Pyo’s eye.

A pitch-black shadow in human form was walking towards that place.

“No! Stop it! Protect the Alliance Leader!”

He ran towards the place, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Enemies blocked his way. He cut them down again and again.

“No! Please! You bastards! Move! I said move!”

But the enemies endlessly blocked his path. Meanwhile, the black shadow climbed onto the altar.

“Alliance Leader! Please dodge! Please wake up!”

But Cheon Hajin remained asleep on the altar.

The black shadow drew out a pitch-black shadow sword.

“No!”

Thud!

The sword thrust by the black shadow pierced Cheon Hajin’s chest.

Blood splattered. The sight of blood droplets flying in all directions was shown slowly in slow motion.

“Alliance Leader!”

Cheon Hajin slowly turned his head to look at him.

The moment their eyes met!

Suddenly, everything that had been moving slowly sped up.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The swords that had been attacking him flew in from all directions, quickly piercing his entire body.

“Aagh!”

At that moment, Baek Pyo woke up from his dream with a scream.

His wife, Jeong Yeong[1], sat up beside him.

“Honey! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

She poured water from a kettle at the side and handed it to him.

“Drink this.”

“Thank you.”

Jeong Yeong watched worriedly as Baek Pyo drank the water.

Her husband had been having nightmares every day.

When he said he would quit the White Tiger Regiment, she didn’t object. Rather, she encouraged him to rest now and do as he wished.

With the money he had diligently saved during his time as the White Tiger Regiment Commander, they bought a tavern and the attached house.

She thought they could live happily like this, but her husband was suffering from nightmares every night.

“It’s all over now.”

Jeong Yeong hugged Baek Pyo from behind. She wanted to be his strength as calmly as possible, but she couldn’t completely hide the moisture in her voice.

“You don’t have to protect the Alliance Leader anymore.”

She knew her husband felt guilty about the Alliance Leader’s death. While some emotions fade as time passes, others become clearer. For her husband, the Alliance Leader’s death was the latter.

“I’m sorry.”

Baek Pyo sighed lightly.

“It’s not your fault, so don’t be sorry. Don’t apologize to me… or to the Alliance Leader.”

She only hoped that her husband would soon break free from the wounds of the past.

Her hands, embracing her husband, tightened with strength.

***

The next day, I didn’t go to the Wind Tavern.

I thought meeting Baek Pyo when I hadn’t made up my mind would only confuse me more.

Gwang-du also didn’t bring up any talk about the Wind Tavern or Baek Pyo.

Gwang-du went out with Gong Su-chan to help with creating the merchant group, and I wandered the marketplace alone.

If it were Gal Saryang, I wouldn’t hesitate. I’ve already made up my mind about him.

I will definitely make Gal Saryang my person when the time comes.

But why am I hesitating with Baek Pyo?

It’s probably because of his family.

The desire for him to live happily with his wife and children is making me hesitate.

What would I have done in my previous life?

I probably would have done whatever I felt like without much consideration. I wouldn’t even have had such worries.

Back then, I prioritized my feelings over others.

It might be called selfish, but there were unavoidable aspects to it.

When I was young, I lived with only one goal in mind.

With the sole intention of becoming stronger and the best in the world, I didn’t look back at anything else. Even if I wanted to look back, I couldn’t. The process alone was dangerous and difficult enough. If I had looked back, it would have been a path I could never have reached.

Becoming the Alliance Leader, going to war with the Seven Demonic Heretics, fighting against the hidden powers within the righteous factions. I fought for so long that my life wasn’t normal.

I didn’t know it then. I just thought that was what the life of an Alliance Leader was supposed to be.

But now it’s different.

Instead of just being true to my feelings, I’m now thinking about Baek Pyo.

Would he be happier living the rest of his life as a tavern owner? Or would he be happier roaming the martial world with me again?

Am I letting my desire to be with him cloud my judgment, or am I failing to make the right decision because of these worries?

It’s still difficult to find an answer.

Just as I realized many things only after dying in my previous life, the answer to this problem might only become clear after time passes.

I stopped walking for a moment and looked at the setting sun beyond the distant mountains.

Baek Pyo, I’m not sure.

***

On the opposite side, very far away, there was someone else looking at the setting sun in the distance.

It was Ma Cheol-gun.

Standing alone in a wide field, his determined gaze and tightly closed lips showed his strong will. Even in his still posture, he displayed the qualities befitting the most likely successor of the Heavenly Blade Sect.

How long had he been standing there?

A person walked towards him. Surprisingly, it was the Martial Righteous Alliance Leader, Ma Bonggi.

“You’ve come, Father.”

“Why did you ask to meet me here?”

“In the Alliance, we have to be mindful of the eyes and ears around us, don’t we?”

“Then couldn’t you have sent a mental message?”

“I wanted to speak to you directly, Father. I’ve already checked the surroundings. No one will be able to hear our conversation.”

The guard martial artists were standing far away, out of earshot of the two men’s conversation.

“Father. Please listen to what I’m about to say without misunderstanding.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why did you send our brothers to various parts of the Central Plains?”

“Didn’t I tell you when I sent you all down?”

“Are you really conducting a successor test?”

“That’s right.”

“Then why didn’t you send me out?”

“Someone needs to guard the Heavenly Blade Sect, don’t they?”

“Then am I also being tested?”

“Of course, aren’t you?”

Ma Bonggi was lying. He had already decided on a successor in his heart. Sending his children to various parts of the Central Plains this time was not to conduct a successor test, but to strengthen the power of the Heavenly Blade Sect.

He needed to build up the Heavenly Blade Sect’s strength, if only to keep in check the forces that had made him the Alliance Leader. There was no point in strengthening the Martial Righteous Alliance’s power. He didn’t know who among the Alliance was in league with them.

Of course, they would know his intentions. That he was building up strength under the pretext of a successor test.

‘It doesn’t matter if they know.’

What would they do if they knew? Would they try to stop it? How would they stop it? By killing him? If they had thought it would be this easy to kill him, they wouldn’t have made him the Alliance Leader in the first place.

He was the one holding the powerful weapon called the Martial Righteous Alliance. They might have made him the Alliance Leader, but that doesn’t mean they can control him as they please.

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

“Is there someone behind you, Father?”

Ma Bonggi’s expression immediately hardened.

“What nonsense are you talking about!”

“I asked who is behind you, Father. You must tell me. No matter what anyone says, I’m on your side.”

“Why do you think that?”

Seeing his son hesitate to answer, Ma Bonggi exploded in anger.

“Do you think I couldn’t have become the Alliance Leader unless someone was behind me?”

“No, it’s because I can’t understand why the Three Important Units of the Martial Righteous Alliance supported you. You had no interactions with them at all, did you?”

Ma Bonggi’s sharp aura softened slightly.

“For other matters, interactions would have been important. But this is about choosing the Martial Righteous Alliance Leader. It requires a greater cause than personal relationships.”

The gazes of the son asking for the truth and the father giving a false answer intertwined complexly in the air.

Finally, Ma Cheol-gun bowed his head and said,

“I spoke out of turn. I’m sorry.”

The two men’s gazes intertwined in the air.

“I’ll say it again, there is no one behind me!”

“I’ll believe your words, Father. Then I’ll take my leave.”

Ma Cheol-gun turned around and walked away.

Watching his son’s retreating figure, Ma Bonggi muttered quietly with a complicated expression.

“Damn it!”

Meanwhile, Teacher Go, who had been waiting at a distance, asked Ma Cheol-gun,

“How did it go?”

Ma Cheol-gun sighed and said,

“He kept hiding the fact that there’s someone behind him until the end.”

Ma Cheol-gun was certain there was someone behind his father.

His sigh was passed on to Teacher Go.

“What will you do now?”

Ma Cheol-gun bared his teeth like a beast. It was a strong and sharp appearance unlike his usual calm demeanor.

“I’ll have to do something. I can’t let all our efforts go to waste, can I?”

***

The next day, the spies sent by Jeong Yeo arrived.

“I’m Jin[2].”

“I’m Su[3].”

Jin looked to be in his forties, while Su appeared to be in his twenties.

They differed in age and appearance. But the two had one thing in common.

They looked extremely ordinary. They had familiar faces that seemed like you might have seen them somewhere before, to the point where when you first saw them, you might wonder if you had met them once before.

But these were people I had never met. I felt that if they were to talk with me now and then go mix with a group at another table, they would seem like they had been there all along.

“Will you follow me from now on?”

“We’ve heard everything from Sect Leader Jeong. We will serve you as our lord and devote our loyalty from now on.”

“Good. I’ll trust you.”

The fact that Jeong Yeo had sent these men to me meant that they had the necessary skills and trustworthiness.

Whether we would be compatible in terms of work or personality, we would find out as we spent time together.

I gave each of them a thousand taels.

“Use this for your operations and to ensure your safety. If you need money in the future, just ask anytime.”

The two men looked touched. It seemed they were grateful not just for the unexpectedly large sum, but also for the concern for their safety.

“Thank you.”

I gave them their first order.

It was to gather information about the Martial Righteous Alliance. I told them to focus especially on information related to Sima Cheon for the time being. I also told them to find out about the handling of the secret pleasure house related to Cho Byeok.

“The target is the Martial Righteous Alliance, so you must never overdo it. I prefer small but safe information over big information obtained through excessive risk.”

“Yes, understood.”

I sent the two men away. If they continue to show loyalty, they will become the core of the new information organization that will be created.

Of course, the position of the leader will be left vacant for Gal Saryang.

***

“Do you have something on your mind?”

Gwang-du snapped out of his thoughts at Gong Su-chan’s question.

The two were in the middle of eating at an inn, but Gwang-du had stopped using his chopsticks and had been staring blankly for a while.

“It’s nothing.”

Gwang-du resumed eating and asked,

“Where did you say you were going after we eat?”

“I need to stop by Manchun Trading Company for a moment.”

“Let’s finish eating and get going then.”

While working on creating the merchant group, Gong Su-chan was really moving around diligently. He would visit the money exchange, then go to various trading companies in Wuhan, then to the ticket office, then to check out estates, then to information brokers. He was truly running all over the place.

It was clear that creating a merchant group was no ordinary task.

“You’re really amazing. How do you handle all these complicated and numerous tasks?”

Gong Su-chan smiled faintly at Gwang-du’s admiration.

“It’s nothing special once you get used to it. I think you’re the amazing one, Martial Artist Gwang.”

“Please don’t call me Martial Artist Gwang, just call me Brother Gwang.”

Gwang-du still felt awkward being called a martial artist.

“If you say that, then why don’t you call me ‘brother’ too?”

“That’s…”

He couldn’t do it because he was afraid Gong Su-chan might feel burdened.

Gwang-du could understand why he was saying this. He was saying it was difficult and burdensome for him too.

Gong Su-chan smiled and said,

“Being amazing isn’t about handling tasks you’ve been doing habitually since childhood. I think truly amazing things are about fearlessly accomplishing tasks you’ve never done before.”

Gong Su-chan was shocked when he belatedly learned that Gwang-du had originally been a servant. Even after learning the truth, Gwang-du looked so much like a martial artist that it was hard to believe. And quite a formidable-looking one at that.

Gwang-du shook his head slightly at his praise.

“I shouldn’t be the one receiving praise. If it weren’t for the Young Master, I’d still be sweeping courtyards.”

“You’re both amazing.”

“This feels unexpectedly good, doesn’t it? Sitting here and praising each other to our faces.”

Gong Su-chan burst into laughter at Gwang-du’s self-deprecating joke. For someone who usually only smiled, this laughter was close to roaring.

At first, he had been curious about how a mere servant had become a martial artist. After all, such things were rare.

But after experiencing Gwang-du on the journey from Qufu to Wuhan, he could understand why. Why Byeok Ri-dan cherished Gwang-du. Gwang-du had enough charm to warrant it.

“Chief Gong.”

Gwang-du looked out the window and casually dropped a bombshell.

“I think I might cause some trouble soon. What should I do?”

At this sudden and unexpected remark, Gong Su-chan immediately replied without asking about its content.

“Go ahead and do it.”

Gwang-du looked at Gong Su-chan with wide eyes.

“Really?”

“You want to cause that trouble, don’t you? When it’s like that, you just do it. How can you cause trouble while worrying about the consequences?”

It was something that could never be said without absolute trust in the other person.

“Have you always been this reckless?”

“No, I’m a very calculating person.”

“Then why?”

“It’s not my business, is it?”

Good heavens. To the dumbfounded Gwang-du, Gong Su-chan added with a smile,

“And trouble that’s announced in advance isn’t real trouble. So it’s fine to go ahead.”

Gwang-du stared at Gong Su-chan for a moment before standing up.

“Let’s go, we have work to do.”

“Yes.”

As he stood up to follow, Gong Su-chan could sense it.

That Gwang-du had just made some kind of decision.