A young man strode along the road.
The sword upon his back made it clear that he was a martial artist.
His upright posture, the prominent rise of his solar plexus (å¤Ŗé½ē©“), and the vigor in his eyes all hinted at years of arduous training.
His features were sharp and handsome, with a straight nose and clear, penetrating eyes.
He appeared to be in his mid-to-late twenties.
He descended the path and entered a small village.
His first destination was a modest tavern.
As he stepped inside, the innkeeperās assistant greeted him warmly.
“Welcome, honored guest!”
“A plate of dumplings, some wine, and a bowl of duck soup, if you please.”
“At once!”
The young man glanced around.
There was nothing unusual.
Though the land was teeming with martial artists,
without some major upheaval, one would rarely encounter them while traveling.
He was not from a renowned sect but still hailed from a respected righteous clan.
As the chief disciple, he had a bright future ahead.
More than that, he was betrothed to Mi-yeong (ē¾å½±), the daughter of his master.
‘On my last journey, I had Cheong-su (ę·øäæ®) to accompany me,
so I wasnāt lonelyā¦ but traveling alone is truly dull.’
As he waited for his food, he overheard a conversation from the next table.
Three middle-aged men were speaking in hushed tones.
“They say that Ju Seobangās daughter vanished recently.”
“That makes eight young women who have gone missing in this areaā¦
What sort of depraved fiend (č²é) is behind this?”
“The local authorities are investigating,
but theyāre completely helpless.
They havenāt even found a single clue.”
“Since no bodies have been discovered,
they were either buried in some remote mountains,
orā¦ this could be the work of human traffickers.”
The first man downed his drink and grumbled.
“Damn itā¦ Things never used to be like this.
The world is growing crueler by the day.”
“At least in Jin-pyeong (é³å¹³), the presence of the great righteous sects keeps such crimes in checkā¦
But here? What the hell are the authorities doing?”
“Shh! Someone might overhear you!
If the wrong ears catch this, you could be arrested and beaten.”
“Bah, to hell with them.
Letās just drink.”
“Youāre drinking too much in broad daylight.”
“Hah! In this wretched world,
a little liquor helps you see things clearer.”
The young man listened to their words while eating his meal.
‘Hmmā¦ A human trafficking ring?
If the last disappearance was just yesterday,
I might still have a chance to uncover something.
But I must deliver my masterās letter quicklyā¦
I canāt afford to waste too much time.’
‘Still, I have a couple of days to spare.
If I can find even a small clue,
I can report it to the authorities before I leave.’
Having made up his mind,
he approached the three men, cupped his fists, and spoke politely.
“Greetings, gentlemen.
I happened to overhear your conversation.
Pardon my intrusion, but if there is any way I can assistā¦”
One of the men looked him over and shook his head.
“Your intentions are noble, young man,
but if thereās more than one culprit,
you could end up dying in some nameless ditch.
It would be wiser to stay out of it.”
“I may be young,
but I am a disciple of a reputable sect.
If itās mere bandits,
I can handle them alone.”
The men exchanged glances before responding.
“If you insistā¦ Thereās a mountain called Daehong-san (大ē“ å±±) not far from here.
A woodcutter named Kim Seobang went there recently
and never returned.
The authorities searched the area but found nothing.
If you wish to investigate,
that might be a good place to start.”
“My thanks.”
With that, the young man paid for his meal and set off for the mountain.
Daehong Mountain was vast and densely wooded.
The young man spent an entire day combing through the area,
searching for any clues.
Yet he found nothing.
Still, his pride would not allow him to give up.
At one point, while traversing a pine forest,
he felt something strange.
‘Waitā¦ Havenāt I seen this exact place before?’
A suspicion arose.
‘I should test this.’
He retraced his steps several times.
Each time, he found himself back where he started.
To confirm his theory,
he marked the ground with twigs and branches.
And sure enoughā¦
‘A formation!
This is a concealed Illusionary Formation (čæ·é£).
It doesnāt attack intrudersā¦
It simply prevents people from finding the entrance.’
Though he had studied formations under his master,
his knowledge was limited.
‘If only I had learned more about formationsā¦
But regrets are useless now.
The sun is setting.
Iāll rest and try again tomorrow.’
The next day, he devised a new approach.
Using wooden markers,
he advanced step by step,
slowly mapping the pattern of the formation.
After ten attempts, he finally found a path through.
Beyond the formation,
he discovered a small thatched hut.
It appeared crude and hastily built,
large enough for only three or four people.
‘Could the criminals be hiding here?’
He unsheathed his sword,
gripped it tightly,
and approached cautiously.
With a swift kick,
he smashed the hutās entranceā¦
and found a lone middle-aged man seated inside.
The man coughed, spitting black blood.
“Stay back!
I am poisoned.”
The young man halted his steps.
The dying warrior looked up at him.
“Who are you?”
“I am Hyeok Ryeon-un (赫č®é).
And you, sir?”
**”Your energyā¦ You are from the righteous sects.
I am Neung Bi-yeong (åé£å½±).
I was tracking the Asura Blood Sect (éæäæ®č”ę)ā¦
and ended up like this.”
Hyeok Ryeon-unās eyes widened.
“The Asura Blood Sect?
Iāve never heard of them.”
“Have you heard of the Blood Sect (č”ę)?”
“Yes.
My master spoke of them.
A wicked factionā¦
Destroyed by the Demonic Sect (éę).”
Neung Bi-yeong coughed violently and spat another mouthful of black blood.
“The Asura Blood Sect is their successor.”
Hyeok Ryeon-un stared in shock.
āThe Asura Blood Sectā¦ is the successor to the Blood Sect?ā
Neung Bi-yeong nodded weakly.
āYesā¦ Their wickedness far surpasses their predecessors.
They are abducting womenā¦ not for pleasure,
but to create Jiangshi (ę®å±)ā
undead warriorsā¦ā
āJiangshi?ā
āHahā¦ A mere corpse to you, perhapsā¦
but these abominations are stronger than any ordinary warrior.
Even seasoned martial artists struggle to kill them.
The Asura Blood Sectā¦ is now creating a new breed of Jiangshiā
stronger than ever before.
At this very momentā¦
they are forging 200 of these monstrosities in addition to the 5,000 already made.ā
Hyeok Ryeon-un felt a chill.
āFiveā¦ thousand? And 200 more that are even stronger?ā
āYesā¦ Three-tenths of their army is already completeā¦
If we donāt act soonā¦ their numbers will be unstoppable.
This must be reportedā¦ before itās too lateā¦ā
Neung Bi-yeong let out a painful groan.
His face had turned an unnatural shade of ashen gray.
“Damn this poisonā¦
It has shattered my meridians and invaded my very bonesā¦
There is no saving me now.”
āSenior, please hold on!ā
“Noā¦ It is far too late.
The venom coursing through me is Deathly Corpse Poison (ę»äŗ”å±ęÆ)ā
a vile sorcery of the Blood Sect.
Once it enters the bloodstreamā¦
not even the greatest physician can purge it.”
Neung Bi-yeong spat out another mouthful of blackened blood.
“I have one final request, young warrior.
Will you hear it?”
Hyeok Ryeon-un nodded solemnly.
“Yes, Senior.
Speak, and I shall obey.”
The dying warrior slowly withdrew a small book from his sleeveā
its cover old and weathered.
Three bold characters were inscribed upon it:
éęåę³
Cheongwol Sword Art (Azure Moon Sword Technique).
“This is my lifeās greatest treasure.
A peerless sword artā¦ passed down through generations.
Take itā¦ learn it if you can.
But more importantly,
deliver itāalong with news of my deathā
to my comrade.”
Hyeok Ryeon-un accepted the book with reverence.
“Where shall I take it?”
āTravel to Changāan (é·å®).
There, you will find a tavern known as Tianāan Inn (天å®ęØ).
Rent a room on the second floor, first door to the right.
Then, write the character å (Mun) on a slip of paper
and place it on the windowā¦
Within two days, someone will come for it.”
“I understand.
I will see it done.”
Neung Bi-yeong smiled faintly.
“Then I can die in peaceā¦”
With those last words,
his head slumped forwardā
lifeless.
Hyeok Ryeon-un remained kneeling for some time.
Then, as per the dying warriorās wishes,
he gathered dry branches,
placed them over the body,
and set the hut ablaze.
“Rest in peace, Senior.”
As the flames rose to the heavens,
he turned and walked away.
Hyeok Ryeon-un traveled swiftly to Mount Tai (ę³°å±±)
to deliver his masterās letter.
While lodging at an inn that evening,
he studied the Azure Moon Sword Art.
‘Thisā¦ is no ordinary sword technique.
Its power is devastatingā¦
It even produces crescent-shaped sword energy that slashes at a distance!
But to master itā¦
I need far greater internal energy.’
After delivering his message to the Head of Mount Tai Sect,
he inquired,
“Master, must this letter be delivered urgently?
I have a prior obligationā¦”
The sect leader stroked his beard.
“This message is not of immediate concern.
You may attend to your matters first.
But what business do you have, my disciple?”
“Masterā¦ Something extraordinary happened on my journeyā¦”
He then recounted the events surrounding Neung Bi-yeong and the Asura Blood Sect.
The sect leaderās face darkened.
“Thisā¦ is grave news indeed.”
“Master, may I have leave to deliver his message?”
“Yesā¦ But take great caution.
If this sect is as powerful as you claim,
even we must tread carefully.”
With permission granted,
Hyeok Ryeon-un set off for Changāan.
Upon arriving,
he quickly located Tianāan Inn (天å®ęØ).
Renting a room on the second floor, first door to the right,
he followed instructionsā
writing the character å (Mun) and placing it in the window.
Then, he waited.
One day passed.
Then two.
No one came.
After three days,
Hyeok Ryeon-un gave up.
‘It seemsā¦ my message was never received.’
Feeling uneasy,
he set out to return to his master.
That night,
while resting at an inn,
he was awakened by a chilling sensation.
A cold blade pressed against his throat.
“Who are you?”
A voiceālow, deep, and piercingly sharp.
Opening his eyes,
Hyeok Ryeon-un saw a masked figure
holding a razor-thin sword to his neck.
He remained perfectly still.
“Who are you?”
“I am Hyeok Ryeon-un.”
The masked figureās voice was as cold as ice.
“Where is the Azure Moon Sword Art (éęåę³)?
And what happened to Cheongun Divine Sword (éé²ē„å) Neung Bi-yeong?”
Hyeok Ryeon-un inhaled sharply.
‘So this manā¦
is the one I was supposed to meet.’
“I have his message.
And the sword art is here, in my possession.”
The masked figure searched his robes,
retrieved the Azure Moon Sword Art,
and stepped back.
Hyeok Ryeon-un spoke calmly.
“I will tell you everything that happened.
Butā¦
could you please remove the sword from my neck first?”
The masked figure hesitatedā¦
Then slowly lowered his blade.
“Very well.
Speak.”
Hyeok Ryeon-un recounted everything.
After a long silence,
the masked man finally spoke.
“ā¦So even Neung Bi-yeong was defeated.
How terrifyingā¦”
Then, he turned back to Hyeok Ryeon-un.
“You are fortunate to be alive.
If you value your life,
tell no one of this.”
With that, the masked warrior vanished.
Hyeok Ryeon-un let out a long breath.
‘That manā¦
was stronger than my own master.
Who exactly is heā¦?’
Sitting up in bed,
he clenched his fists.
‘No matter what,
I must master the Azure Moon Sword Art.
Only thenā¦
will I be able to stand among the greatest.’
Thus, his journey was far from over.