Chapter 43

The World Commerce Association.

They had played a central role in the distribution of Cold Ridge Jade Essence. It wasn’t possible to move forward with the story while leaving them out.

After a brief moment of thought, Unwi spoke.

“Give them ten thousand nyang in silver.”

“...Excuse me?”

His agreement with Han Janggwang had only promised to spare their lives, but he could afford this level of grace.

“Give it.”

Yangso scratched his head and handed the money over to the Han family disciples of Juryung Sword Gate. And with that, they left the sect.

Unwi spoke quietly.

“Set it on fire.”

As he had done after eradicating Jang Sword Gate, Cheongun Sword Gate, and Hyeoncheon Palace, he set each one ablaze.

Juryung Sword Gate would be no different.

He gestured to Jin Sohyeop and Baek Myeonggaek to follow him and moved to a corner near the wall.

The two, called out, quietly bowed their heads. Unwi looked at them for a while, then began to speak slowly.

“When I first accepted you, I told you to obey me without question. Do you remember?”

“We do.”

“And yet you didn’t.”

“...We’re sorry.”

He shook his head.

“I’m not asking for an apology. I’m asking you for your reasons.”

Jin Sohyeop took a deep breath and answered first.

“...As a martial artist, I believe it's natural to repay grievances.”

“And?”

“But attacking the authorities is different.”

“Different?”

“To be blunt, touching the authorities means breaking the order of the martial world. I don’t want to turn the officials into enemies.”

“Because you used to be a soldier?”

At those words, Jin Sohyeop suddenly looked up. His eyes were trembling.

“...How... did you know?”

“You can tell from the way you move.”

Unwi pointed at Jin Sohyeop’s feet.

“Every three steps, you put more pressure on your left foot. It’s a habit of those who’ve spent long hours on horseback. And the angle you draw your sword from—the upward diagonal from the left waist—that’s optimized for mounted combat. It’s also the standard sword-drawing technique of the Yang Empire’s cavalry.”

Silence fell.

Jin Sohyeop’s face had gone paler than ever.

“And Baek Myeonggaek.”

At my call, the corner of his eye twitched slightly.

“You still retain the breathing technique of the Cheongseong Sect.”

“...H-How...”

“Though the Cheongseong Sect was annihilated hundreds of years ago, their breathing method is an ancient art that affects the natural flow of the heavens and earth. Every time you adjusted your breath, the air around you trembled slightly. Even if you only know a part of it, the fundamentals don’t just vanish.”

“...That’s...”

“And I can see traces of military training in you as well. Doesn’t seem like the Yang Empire. Where was it?”

“...Wolguk.”

“Did you commit a crime?”

“...No. My ancestor from the Baek family was a first-generation disciple of the annihilated Cheongseong Sect. The breathing technique he obtained back then still survives in our family. My father, who was a military officer, taught it to me.”

“So that’s why I see traces of both the Wolguk infantry and Cheongseong in your style.”

“...Yes.”

“Because you had a military father, you didn’t want to make enemies of the officials. Is that right?”

“...Something like that.”

Unwi fell silent, lost in thought.

****

Who is Seol Unwi?

Judging from his actions so far, Jin Sohyeop and Baek Myeonggaek assumed there was a very high chance they would die today.

Even so, they couldn’t bring themselves to make enemies of the officials.

That was their conviction.

Faced with a conflict between that conviction and Unwi’s command, the two of them had chosen conviction.

And they were prepared to accept the consequences.

The two men quietly closed their eyes. And then, above their bowed heads, Unwi’s voice rang out unexpectedly.

“Conviction is a strange thing.”

The two men didn’t flinch. Unwi continued.

“Sometimes it weighs more than a mountain. Other times, less than a feather. You’re probably feeling its weight right now.”

Jin Sohyeop and Baek Myeonggaek lowered their heads even further, without a word.

“I too sacrificed many things for conviction. As a result, I ended up living every moment in the past. Filled with regret.”

“......”

“Whether it was right or wrong, I don’t know. But what I do know is that I never want to repeat it.”

A note of sorrow was buried in Unwi’s voice.

“I won’t say your decision was wrong. But it’s an undeniable fact that your choice put your comrades’ lives in danger.”

A breeze passed by. The leaves beyond the wall rustled.

“After tonight, you are no longer members of Seolap Branch.”

The shoulders of both men flinched.

Unwi’s words meant one thing.

Jin Sohyeop raised his head.

“...I thought you would kill us.”

A faint smile touched Unwi’s lips.

“If it ended in death, it would be punishment, not a lesson.”

Baek Myeonggaek opened his eyes and looked at Unwi.

“I accepted you. I gave you martial arts, and I gave you a cultivation technique. Hancheol’s martial skills are solid, and the Heavenly Image Heart Technique I created will be compatible with whatever inner method you study in the future. I won’t take back a single thing. I won’t demand payment, either.”

Their mouths fell open.

They had expected to at least lose their dantians.

“As I have my path, you have yours. No one knows where your road will lead—not even I. But—”

Unwi’s gaze turned sharp.

“If, at the end of your road, we meet again, and it’s not the same as mine—then we’ll be enemies. So live with dignity. Hold on to your convictions. Understood?”

Jin Sohyeop and Baek Myeonggaek knelt at once and clasped their fists in salute. In their eyes was a mix of regret, gratitude, and resolve.

“We # Nоvеlight # will never forget Ta Lord’s teachings.”

Unwi said curtly,

“Wonyang.”

From not far off, Wonyang answered quickly.

“Yes, Ta Lord.”

“You said three treasured swords were found in Juryung Sword Gate?”

“Yes.”

“Bring me all three of those swords.”

Wonyang flinched for a moment, then nodded. She quickly received the three treasured swords from Yangso and ran over to Unwi.

Unwi silently stared at the three swords for a while. Then he handed the one in the center to Wonyang, and gave the remaining two to Jin Sohyeop and Baek Myeonggaek.

The two men were nearly overwhelmed, unable to process the continuing generosity and grace.

“Where do you plan to go?”

To that question, Jin Sohyeop said he would return to serve in the government of the Yang Empire, while Baek Myeonggaek said he would return to his hometown.

Unwi turned his back as he spoke.

“Go.”

The two men bowed deeply one last time and left.

Even after they disappeared, Unwi stood there for a while, quietly staring at the wall. Only the moonlight fell silently.

And someone approached him.

It was Han Murin.

“...I heard the entire conversation. Unintentionally.”

“So?”

“You seem like the kind of Lord who listens to his subordinates.”

“And? So what?”

“May I speak my mind?”

“Go ahead.”

“Shouldn’t they have been killed?”

At those words, Unwi gave a faint chuckle.

“Why? Are you afraid the martial arts will be leaked?”

“Hancheol’s martial techniques and the Heavenly Image Heart Technique—yes, they hold great value. But even if they are leaked, I’m not afraid of that.”

“Then what are you worried about?”

“I’m worried about the way it was handled. I don’t trust those two. Whatever convictions they may claim to have, they caused harm to the comrades who stood beside them. If the Five-Snow Ice Formation hadn’t been so tightly linked, at least one of us three would’ve taken a serious wound. And that one would’ve been me, with the lowest cultivation.”

Unwi listened quietly to Han Murin’s words.

“To not punish people who committed such a crime is one thing, but to send them off with gifts—that, I can’t agree with.”

“So it was a more layered concern than I thought.”

“...Yes.”

“Then I’ll give you a clear answer. Those two were my people.”

“But those two...”

“And so are you.”

At those words, Han Murin stopped smiling and fell silent.

It felt like his heart had just pounded loudly in his chest.

“I don’t care if those two take the martial arts I taught and spread them elsewhere. The same goes for you, and for Wonyang and Cheonpung back there. Think back carefully—did I ever tell any of you not to leak the martial arts?”

“...You didn’t.”

“You’re all making a very big mistake right now.”

“What kind of mistake?”

“Martial arts are just tools. No matter what kind of tool it is, the person wielding it is what matters most.”

“......”

“People are born first. Martial arts come after. I accepted you as my people, and I respect the convictions each of you hold.”

Unwi walked forward and stood in front of Han Murin.

“To accept someone means to accept everything about them. The reason I never asked about your past is because of that.”

Han Murin swallowed hard.

“...Do you know my past?”

“I do.”

“How?”

“I keep saying the same thing, but I’ll make it clear for you. A person’s movements reveal more than they think. This has nothing to do with cultivation. When someone breathes, eats, channels energy, or simply moves, traces are left behind. Some can read those traces, and some can’t—but at the very least, I can.”

“...Then if I stay here, your enemies will increase. Your life will be at risk.”

“I told you already. Even if heaven and earth are overturned, those who walk with me have no enemies.”

Unwi placed his hand on Han Murin’s shoulder.

“I don’t hold back people who want to leave. I’m not afraid of martial arts leaking either. Because to me, conviction is more important than some martial skill.”

“......”

“And what kind of martial artist worries about getting hurt? If you had been seriously injured, it would’ve been my oversight, and I would take responsibility. You understand what I’m saying?”

Han Murin looked at Unwi with trembling eyes.

He didn’t know what to say.

His nerve—his scale—was on another level.

In the martial world, not all lives are equal. That’s a basic truth.

Unwi didn’t stray far from that truth either. But he drew a clear line.

The lives of his own people and the lives of others.

He cherished the former fiercely, and treated the latter like roadside garbage.

Was he always this consistent, this absolute in his standards?

Han Murin wasn’t sure.

Was this really the illegitimate son of Seolap?

To the still-silent Han Murin, Unwi spoke.

“Do not pursue Jin Sohyeop and Baek Myeonggaek. Do not kill them.”

“...Is that an order?”

“It is.”

A smile formed at the corner of Han Murin’s lips.

“Understood.”

Unwi walked toward the cliff.

It was a place from which all of Yangnyeong County could be seen at a glance.

Flames rose from a few places—but despite that, the view was rather magnificent.

“Wonyang.”

“Yes, Ta Lord.”

“Plant the Seollyeong flag.”

Tonight, Yangnyeong became the territory of the Everlasting Snow Palace.