Baek Muryang frowned slightly.
“I accepted the Master of White Wing Pavilion’s request and acknowledged him as a retainer, but I do not believe that approach would be wise.”
Yanghwi agreed.
Black Path fighters were called Black Path fighters for a reason.
Reform them and put them to use?
Easy to say.
They were men who had turned their backs on earning an honest living and chosen instead to prey on others.
There were exceptions like Gu Ak, but most of them were rotten from the roots.
To turn such people into members of a righteous martial faction, one would need someone intimately familiar with the ways of the Black Path—someone capable of watching them every hour, every minute, every second without leaving the slightest gap in their supervision.
Hm?
And as it happened, they had someone who fit those requirements perfectly.
“There is a saying in the Records of the Grand Historian: opportunity is difficult to gain and easy to lose.”
“Meaning that the right moment is hard to seize and easily missed. What are you trying to say?”
“The Baek Family is facing two such moments. One is an opportunity. The other is a crisis.”
The Black Path struggle for supremacy had created an opportunity for the family’s resurgence.
At the same time, the scrutiny now being directed at them had created a crisis.
If they did not want to miss either moment, they had to expand their strength somehow.
“Clan Head, you ordered the Master of White Wing Pavilion to perform One Chivalrous Deed a Day. What if we expanded upon that?”
The idea was simple.
Give others who had grown sick of the Black Path a chance to reform, just as Gu Ak had.
Then use one side against the other—no, use the Black Path to suppress the Black Path—and rapidly expand the Baek Family’s strength.
“Through the recent Black Path struggle, we saw firsthand just how much suffering those people can inflict upon ordinary civilians.”
“Yes. We know it well.”
“That gives us our cause. We employ Black Path fighters against the Black Path itself, and in doing so, uphold chivalry.”
“But how many of those men would truly follow such a lofty purpose?”
Gu Ak answered in Yanghwi’s place.
“Clan Head, I believe there may be quite a few.”
“Hmm?”
“A fair number of men have already come looking for me, including former subordinates from the Red Bridge Gang.”
The months-long Black Path struggle had left a powerful impression on its participants as well.
Endless fighting.
Fear and anxiety that never left them, even while eating or sleeping.
“They’re afraid to keep walking the Black Path. I suspect the ‘cause’ Younger Brother speaks of is meant to give such men a way to put on the robes of the righteous path.”
“Is that right, Hwi?”
“Brother Gu has seen straight through my intentions.”
“If we select and train such people properly, then we could indeed organize a fighting force in a relatively short time.”
After considering the matter for a while, Baek Muryang turned to Gu Ak.
“Master of White Wing Pavilion. Can you do it?”
“If you command it, I will.”
“Very well. Then from now on, I shall call you Master of the Reformation Pavilion. Accept suitable Black Path fighters under your command, train them, and organize a Reformation Unit.”
“As you command!”
Yanghwi added,
“Brother Gu will have his own ideas, of course, but there is one thing I would ask you to keep in mind. When dealing with Black Path fighters, I believe seven captures and seven releases work better than three earnest invitations.”
In simpler terms, nice words would not work.
A beating was the better medicine.
It was a rather uncomfortable thing for a former Black Path fighter to hear.
But Gu Ak soon bared his teeth in a vicious grin.
“Don’t worry, Younger Brother. No one knows that better than I do.”
*****
At the central training ground of Baek Family Manor, Yanghwi sat cross-legged with his two younger siblings.
“Both of you, remember this well. The Heaven-Harmonizing Origin Art. Its principle lies in harmonizing with heaven and earth and drawing benefit from the source.”
The Hundred and Eight Heaven-Covering Swords could only be learned after completely mastering the Three Swords of Heaven-Covering.
Without that foundation, its principles could not be comprehended.
The Heaven-Harmonizing Origin Art, however, was different.
Although it had originated from the Six Directions Harmonization Art, it was not a higher art that required the earlier technique as a prerequisite. There was no problem with learning it immediately.
In fact, because it was an internal cultivation method for accumulating internal energy, the earlier one began, the better.
That was why Yanghwi was now teaching it to his two younger siblings.
“Brother, what am I supposed to do at this part?”
“Mmm... Brother, this is too hard for Yeon...”
Yanghwi answered So’s questions, coaxed and encouraged Yeon, and continued his own training at the same time.
Running the Heaven-Harmonizing Origin Art in this young body makes both the accumulation and circulation of true qi far faster than in my previous life.
Back then, the lingering effects of qi deviation had caused difficulties whenever he circulated true qi.
With none of those problems in this clean, healthy body, the difference was striking.
I really can become much stronger, much faster in this life.
In his previous life, he had reached the Peak Realm at the age of twenty.
This time, perhaps...
With that thought, Yanghwi sank deeper and deeper into meditation.
All energy beneath heaven, made one.
Heaven harmonized.
The source unified.
He separated, one by one, the natural qi drawn into his body through his breathing.
It seemed like a single thing, but natural true qi was in fact composed of yin, yang, and the five elements.
He gathered every one of those energies into a true unity, transforming them into Heaven-Harmonizing qi.
That was when it happened.
Hm?
Yanghwi suddenly realized that the nature of the Heaven-Harmonizing qi within him differed from what he had possessed in his previous life.
No.
More precisely...
What is this?
His dantian held his internal energy.
And at its very center, he could feel something.
A tiny seed that had never existed before.
If he had to put a name to it, it was something like a Core Heart.
Why has this changed?
Energy flowed from the Core Heart.
It was unfamiliar, unlike anything he had ever sensed before, and as it mingled with his Heaven-Harmonizing qi, it imparted a strange quality to it.
It was still Heaven-Harmonizing qi.
Yet it was not the same Heaven-Harmonizing qi he had possessed in his previous life.
Clear and pristine. Pure... and lofty.
There was a sense of transcendence to it.
A depth that even the knowledge and enlightenment he had gained upon reaching the Transcendent Realm in his previous life could not see through.
It felt almost like...
Yes. Like the immortal qi that enlightened Daoist masters are said to possess. No... something even deeper and higher than that.
The change had been entirely unintended.
Why had such a difference appeared?
Yanghwi had an instinctive feeling that it might be deeply connected to the reason he had returned through time.
There is definitely a connection. I just can’t tell what it is yet.
After completing both the lesser circulation and then the greater circulation, the Heaven-Harmonizing qi that had swept through the acupoints of his entire body settled back into his dantian.
The Core Heart remained at its center.
Since it contained something akin to immortal qi, perhaps he should call it an Immortal Core.
Not knowing the reason bothers me, but it certainly isn’t a bad change.
That was enough.
Brooding over it was not going to give him an answer anytime soon.
“Brother, are you done?”
“Brother, your qi circulation took a lot longer than usual today.”
“It just turned out that way.”
Looking at his siblings, Yanghwi continued,
“That’s enough for today.”
“Mhm!”
“Yes!”
Watching Baek Heonso and Baek Yeonyeon simply plop down where they were to rest filled him with satisfaction.
You two just keep growing up like this.
Then—
Yanghwi’s acute senses caught the sounds of a disturbance near the main gate.
“Baek Family’s... Steward is me...”
“I was ordered... personally to the Clan Head...”
Frowning, Yanghwi launched himself toward the gate.
Through the open doors, he saw someone arguing with Steward Han.
“Steward Han. What’s going on?”
“Ah, Young Master Hwi. The Suho Association sent a messenger. But he insists that the letter must be delivered personally to the Clan Head.”
The Suho Association.
It had once been one of the four major forces dominating Agan County and was now one of the two powers collectively known as the Two Powers of Agan.
It was an alliance of small and mid-sized martial factions that claimed allegiance to the righteous path.
Yanghwi understood the situation easily enough.
I used the Jegal Clan’s name, and now the flies are gathering.
Over the past few days, they had quietly spread word that the Young Clan Head of the Jegal Clan would soon visit Baek Family Manor.
That had silenced the Gyojin Gang, which had been looking for excuses to provoke them.
Unfortunately, it had attracted the Suho Association instead.
“Messenger, hand over the letter.”
“I cannot. I was ordered to deliver it personally to the Clan Head of the Baek Family.”
Yanghwi had no interest in having a contest of wills with a mere messenger.
“The Clan Head has entered secluded cultivation. He will not emerge for another three days. If you want to stand here until then, be my guest. Steward, let’s go.”
It was a lie.
Well, half a lie.
Lately, Baek Muryang had hardly left his quarters because he was training in the Hundred and Eight Heaven-Covering Swords and the Heaven-Harmonizing Origin Art.
Steward Han, quick on the uptake, immediately matched Yanghwi’s timing and ordered the gatekeeper as they turned away.
“Close the gates!”
“Yes, Steward!”
“...Very well!”
Watching the messenger reluctantly hold out the letter, Yanghwi snorted and tore it open on the spot.
Then he and Steward Han put their heads together and read.
[To Clan Head Baek Muryang of Baek Family Manor, to be delivered personally.]
[The Suho Association deeply regrets the recent upheaval that has swept across Agan County...]
[To prevent such events from occurring again, the chivalric will of the righteous martial factions must be united...]
[To that end, we intend to hold the Yuhang Gathering, inviting direct descendants of the various factions and other distinguished figures...]
[We wish to provide a venue where the younger generation may mingle and forge ties, and therefore will hold a martial competition...]
After reading the letter to the end, Steward Han asked with a displeased expression,
“What do you make of it, Young Master Hwi?”
“In short? They want the connection we have to the Young Clan Head of the Jegal Clan.”
“You saw it that way as well?”
“Yes. What else could the Suho Association possibly want from Baek Family Manor now?”
Despite being righteous martial factions in the same Agan County, the Suho Association and Baek Family Manor had hardly interacted.
The Baek Family had been so insignificant that the association had simply neglected them under the excuse that the manor was located too far away.
And now they suddenly wanted to reach out?
There was only one reason.
“They want to dress it up as some grand gathering called the Yuhang Gathering, hold a martial competition, scout a few promising youngsters, and on top of that build a connection with a great clan.”
In other words, this was also the Suho Association trying to contain the Baek Family.
Its methods merely differed from those of the Black Path because it claimed the righteous path.
The essence was the same.
An eye for an eye, then.
“Well, I don’t think we need to overthink it. They want us to come play, so we’ll play.”
As he answered, Yanghwi looked around.
Workers were repairing old and damaged pavilions all across the manor.
Every bit of it was preparation for the arrival of Jegal Seon, Young Clan Head of the Jegal Clan and Baek Muryang’s sworn younger brother, along with his entourage.
Three days from now.
In three days, his sworn uncle Jegal Seon would visit Baek Family Manor with his daughter.
The Yuhang Gathering would take place another three days after that.
If the Baek Family said nothing, Jegal Seon would have no way to know about it, so simply not attending was certainly an option.
But...
Actually, this works out nicely. I wanted to leave a stronger impression on the Jegal Clan anyway.
The Young Clan Head of the Jegal Clan was making a visit that had never occurred in Yanghwi’s previous life.
Jegal Seon’s second daughter—someone Yanghwi had never even seen before—was still alive.
And now the Suho Association, which had stayed quiet as a mouse in his previous life, had not only inserted itself into the board Yanghwi had set up but was brazenly trying to maneuver against them.
If he could turn all of that into an opportunity for the Baek Family...
Yes. It may be a little early, but the sooner we start building prestige and reputation, the better.
Yanghwi gave his wooden sword a casual swing.
Vwoong!
A low vibration like the beating of a bee’s wings spread through the air.
“Jeomsun, sounds like a bee got inside. Drive it out before the young masters and young lady get stung.”
“Yes!”
Yanghwi gave a faint chuckle as he watched the maid answer energetically.
*****
Early that evening, at the central training ground of Baek Family Manor.
Every retainer had put on their finest clothes and stood facing the wide-open main gate.
The guest retainers Yeo Hyeok and his daughter were absent, but Gu Ak, now Master of the Reformation Pavilion, stood at Baek Muryang’s side.
Even Jeong Inhwa, the lady of the manor, whose health was poor, had come out for the occasion.
“...Brother. Even if Father’s sworn brother is coming, aren’t we showing a little too much courtesy? He’s the younger sworn brother, at that.”
Baek Heonso asked Yanghwi from beside him, looking rather sulky.
Yanghwi noticed that his younger brother’s gaze kept drifting toward their ailing mother, so he answered gently.
“We are doing this precisely because he is Father’s sworn younger brother.”
“Huh?”
By ordinary standards, the elder brother held higher status than the younger.
But the relationship between Baek Muryang and Jegal Seon could not be judged so simply.
Baek Family Manor was a third-rate martial family that did not even rank among the ten strongest powers of a single county.
The Crouching Dragon Jegal Clan was a mighty great clan spoken of throughout the martial world.
Though both were martial factions, the difference between them was like heaven and earth.
Yet the Young Clan Head of the Jegal Clan had chosen the head of a third-rate martial family as his sworn elder brother.
“Guan Yu acknowledged Liu Bei, who was younger than himself, as his elder brother. And Liu Bei treated Guan Yu as both a younger brother and a respected elder. Father is merely showing the same courtesy.”
Baek Heonso could not fully understand everything Yanghwi had said.
Even so, he engraved every word into his memory.
There was no chance his brother could be wrong about something he knew.
“Brother! I can see the horses!”
At Baek Yeonyeon’s small cry, the procession that had been little more than specks in the distance gradually grew larger.
Ten horses.
One carriage.
And close to twenty martial guards.
Rather modest for the Young Clan Head of the Jegal Clan traveling with his precious daughter.
Perhaps that reflected his sworn uncle Jegal Seon’s character—and the respect he wished to show his sworn elder brother.
Soon the procession stopped before Baek Family Manor.
Then a huge man carrying a young girl in his arms sprang lightly into the air and vaulted over the main gate.
“Brother! Your younger brother has come!”
Still holding the girl, the giant offered a one-handed half-palm salute.
At the sight of Jegal Seon’s broad grin, Baek Muryang could no longer restrain himself and rushed forward.
“Younger Brother! How long has it been!”
As the sworn brothers reunited, Yanghwi slowly inhaled and exhaled, awakening his qi sense.
Whoooosh—
His perception swept across Jegal Seon’s Eight Extraordinary Meridians and dantian.
He could see nothing.
Naturally.
At his current level, Yanghwi could not properly gauge martial artists of the Peak Realm or above.
So instead, he shifted his attention from Jegal Seon to the girl in his arms.
She was small, with her entire face hidden behind a pure white veil.
Yanghwi read the qi leaking from the girl’s Eight Extraordinary Meridians and dantian—
And then it happened.
“...!”
The girl, Jegal Seolha, suddenly opened her eyes wide and moved her lips.
Jegal Seon went pale with shock and thundered,
“Seolha! What is it?”