Episode 3
Chapter 1: The Baekri Family’s Betrothed (3)
But the road was no longer visible.
All that could be seen was a forest densely packed with trees.
‘Someone has set up a formation here.’
Baekri Cheon found the reason for the road’s disappearance in the formation.
However, he was a man ignorant of formations.
He had merely thought of it as sorcery that dazzled human eyes.
Baekri Un and Baekri Yuha had no choice but to turn back.
It was a place filled with great suspicion and bizarreness.
On the way back to the clan, Baekri Un suddenly remembered something.
That beautiful middle-aged woman he had seen at night.
She was somehow a familiar woman.
And yet, he could not remember her at all.
Baekri Un looked at the sword he had received.
It was from the thought that there might be some clue.
However, seeing the snake pattern engraved on the hilt, it did not seem to be an ordinary sword.
Grasping the sword hilt and drawing the blade, white light leaked from within the scabbard, revealing a blue-tinged blade.
Baekri Yuha, who had been greatly flustered by the disappearance of the road, momentarily lost herself looking at the beautiful sword, staring blankly at the blade alone.
Baekri Un also lost himself for a moment, then looking at his daughter’s face, he handed over the sword.
“At any rate, it is in the past, so let us hurry home. You seem to like it, so I shall give it to you. It is a treasured sword worthy of standing as an equal to the Clan Head’s Sword.”
“Really? Thank you, Father.”
Without a single refusal, Baekri Yuha received the sword, gazed at the blade for a long while, then sheathed it.
“A sword like this would be rare even in the world.”
Then, as Baekri Yuha felt something caught inside the scabbard, she turned the scabbard upside down and shook it.
Then, a small folded piece of paper fell out from within.
Baekri Un hurriedly picked up the folded paper and read it, and soon his complexion hardened stiffly.
“Th… This is…!”
“Father, what is it?”
“This is the Hundred-Changes Ghost Seo Hong’s Mountain-Breaking Three Swords. How could this be?”
As Baekri Un read the sword technique written on the paper, he quickly turned his eyes to his daughter’s sword.
He had heard of it.
They said the beloved blade of the Hundred-Changes Ghost Seo Hong was a treasured sword with a snake pattern drawn on the hilt.
“There seems to be no mistake.”
The sword technique of Seo Hong, whose ill fame resounded through the martial world, was tremendous enough to be comparable to the Baekri Family’s sword technique.
Baekri Un’s heart was filled with excitement.
He wanted to return quickly and inform the clan of this matter.
He had completely forgotten about the disappearance of the road.
* * *
“They have returned. Yes, did you send off the vengeful spirit well?”
“Yes, Father. It was the vengeful spirit of a temptress, so it was very difficult. And after observing that father and daughter for several days, they were not fated to be with us. They were people who already held prejudice, so no words would have gotten through. That is why I made certain they turned back.”
Jang Muho had guessed the reason for his son’s actions, but he was greatly disappointed.
“It is a pity nonetheless. She was a daughter-in-law candidate who had rolled in on her own.”
As the father and son were conversing, a beautiful middle-aged woman walked over and shouted.
“Quiet! What is so good about those lowly things who dared to slight our family that you speak such words?”
At the woman’s fierce scolding, the father turned his head and looked up at the sky.
“My dear, it was nevertheless Father’s betrothal agreement.”
“If not for Father, I would never have let such people into the village.”
The woman slightly softened her aggressive demeanor and asked her son.
“Did you by any chance give them the Hundred-Changes Ghost’s sword technique?”
“Yes, Mother. Every matter requires a definite conclusion. That is why I placed the sword technique inside the scabbard.”
“Well done, my son.”
The woman embraced her son for who knew what good deed he had done and patted his back.
“I think I must go to the vicinity of the Hyeran River tomorrow.”
As the son, embraced by his mother, spoke of his business, his mother scrunched up her face and asked fiercely.
“Are bandits building a hideout near there again?”
“Yes. There are rumors that these bandits are exceedingly ferocious, so I believe I must kill them all.”
“Very well, so you must. Kill them all and return.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Watching the mother and child exchange brutal words with bright smiles, the father went into his room with a sigh.
“Sigh! What kind of conversation is it every day, only about killing and sparing people… I want to see a gentle and kind daughter-in-law soon.”
* * *
The Paeng Family of Hebei had long been a renowned martial clan famous for its saber arts.
But now it had fallen into a shabby, insignificant martial family.
This was all because of the battle with the Green Forest that had occurred twenty years ago.
At that time, in the Green Forest there was a man called Iron Pagoda Saber King Wang Yangsaeng, who went around boasting to the martial world that no one could surpass him in saber arts.
It was only natural that the Paeng Family, famous for saber arts, could not endure hearing such rumors.
They had ridiculed him, saying a bandit hiding in the forest did not know his place.
Thereupon, Wang Yangsaeng led a thousand experts of the Green Forest down the mountain and raided the Paeng Family.
It was because he wished to let the world know of the Green Forest and his own strength at this opportunity.
As the Green Forest raided at dawn, the Paeng Family could not properly display its strength.
And surprisingly, Wang Yangsaeng possessed strength comparable to the Ten Great Experts.
Paeng Mokan, the greatest expert of the Paeng Family at the time, engaged in fierce battle with Wang Yangsaeng but was defeated and met his death.
The Paeng Family, whose strength had greatly weakened due to endless disputes in the martial world, was thus utterly devastated by the Green Forest.
Although the clan head and a few family members survived, they were severely injured, and moreover, the buildings and secret vaults that had displayed the Paeng Family’s majesty were mostly lost to fire.
After that, the Paeng Family walked a steep downward path.
Jang Hamyeong sighed as he looked at the few remaining buildings of the Paeng Family.
Compared to the once glorious Paeng Family, its current appearance was so shabby it brought tears to one’s eyes.
Although there were gate guards, they looked exceedingly shabby, having blended into the appearance of the fallen clan.
Jang Hamyeong took advantage of the darkness to scale the wall and headed toward the largest building.
The former clan head’s residence had been a large three-story building, but now it was a single-story structure.
He had spent several months here when he was young.
And it was the clan with the most memories in the martial world.
‘There were many good people…’
Bound to the family of his future granddaughter-in-law, he had neglected this place.
He still regretted it.
Somehow, all the connections he had made in the martial world pained his heart.
Jang Hamyeong found a room with light streaming out, opened the door, and stepped inside.
Two old people inside looked at him in surprise.
They were an old man and an old woman who appeared to be over seventy.
After confirming their faces, Jang Hamyeong sat at the table in the center of the room with a face full of sorrow.
“It has been a while.”
At Jang Hamyeong’s greeting, the old people looked at his face for a long while.
The old woman’s voice trembled as it flowed out.
“Brother Jang? Is it you?”
At the woman’s question, the old man’s pupils grew large.
“Brother Jang!”
Watching the old man shed tears, pain flashed through the corners of Jang Hamyeong’s eyes.
The old, shabby man missing one arm and one leg was the current clan head of the Paeng Family, Paeng Yeongho.
And the old woman had the name Jong Mimi.
“You look terrible.”
At Jang Hamyeong’s words, Paeng Yeongho prostrated himself on the floor and burst into sobs.
Tears also streamed down Jong Mimi’s eyes.
Haah!
A deep sigh escaped from Jang Hamyeong’s mouth.
There were not many who knew him in the martial world.
He had no intention of making his name known, and moreover, the martial world was not a place he had to live in.
Among them, Baekri Cheon, whom he had met a few days ago, was one with a special connection, and Paeng Yeongho and Jong Mimi before his eyes were another.
When he had not yet reached the age of thirty, Jang Hamyeong had met Paeng Yeongho in the martial world.
He had liked the other’s boldness and chivalry, so they had often kept company.
Paeng Yeongho also seemed to follow Jang Hamyeong in his heart, not hesitating to call him elder brother.
Jang Hamyeong had stayed at the Paeng Family for almost a year.
But then an incident occurred that made the relationship between the two awkward.
Paeng Yeongho had introduced Jong Mimi as the woman he had promised to marry.
The moment he saw Jong Mimi, Jang Hamyeong had fallen for her at first sight.
The three often kept company, but it was not as before.
Because Jang Hamyeong had kept his distance from Jong Mimi.
And Paeng Yeongho had noticed Jang Hamyeong’s heart.
For Paeng Yeongho’s sake, Jang Hamyeong had to leave the Paeng Family hastily.
Because he felt sorry toward his sworn younger brother.
Returning home, Jang Hamyeong hastily married a local woman.
It was to forget Jong Mimi, and because he wanted to stand proudly before Paeng Yeongho.
But he had been unable to come out to the martial world for a long time.
Because of his father’s strict order to be faithful to his family, he had to remain in his clan for a long time.
Time passed, and when he came back out to the martial world, he met Baekri Cheon.
He had wanted to meet Paeng Yeongho, but because of Baekri Cheon, who would become his in-law, he kept putting it off.
Then he heard the news that the Paeng Family had been raided by the Green Forest.
If he had not met Baekri Cheon, the Paeng Family would not have ended up like this.
Jang Hamyeong had incited Baekri Cheon to set out in pursuit of the Green Forest.
It was to avenge Paeng Yeongho’s enemy, but there was also a calculation to raise the fame of Baekri Cheon, who would become his in-law.
Though he had avenged the enemy, he felt too ashamed to face Paeng Yeongho, so Jang Hamyeong returned home.
Thus time passed, and now they met again like this.
“I truly missed you, Brother.”
Looking at Paeng Yeongho shedding tears, he felt angry for no reason.
“What man snivels like that? Get up at once!”
When Jang Hamyeong burst out in anger, Paeng Yeongho stopped his tears and raised himself from the floor.
Then Jang Hamyeong scratched his head.
“I am sorry about back then. If only I had come here a few days earlier, I would have swept away all those Green Forest bastards.”
At Jang Hamyeong’s apology, Paeng Yeongho and Jong Mimi shook their heads.
“No, Brother. It was the price of arrogance. You do not need to feel sorry.”
“What nonsense? If I say I’m sorry, then I’m sorry. At any rate, accept my apology!”
As Jang Hamyeong urged loudly as if arguing, smiles formed on the faces of Paeng Yeongho and Jong Mimi.
They were smiles formed after a long time.
The Jang Hamyeong they knew was such a man.
Though time had passed, they now realized how terribly they had missed that man, who had not changed despite the passage of time.
“Is there nothing I can help with? Tell me anything. When I move, nothing is impossible.”
As Jang Hamyeong puffed out his chest and spoke boastfully, Paeng Yeongho and Jong Mimi laughed aloud.
Whether the laughter sounded pleasant, Jang Hamyeong quietly waited for the laughter to cease.
It was his wish that their joy would not disappear with the words he would follow with.
When Paeng Yeongho and Jong Mimi stopped laughing, Jang Hamyeong scratched his head and asked.
“How many Muryeong tokens have you received?”
At the sudden question, shadows fell over the faces of Paeng Yeongho and Jong Mimi.
They had received some.
But it was merely a single Muryeong token sent by the Northern Alliance as a matter of courtesy.
A single one at that.
“There is a rumor that if you make a name in the Northern Alliance, even a clan on the verge of collapse can rise again.”
Jang Hamyeong spoke and took out three Muryeong tokens from his bosom, placing them on the table.
“Brother…”
Paeng Yeongho could not continue his words and shed tears again.
“Tch! Do you know how ugly it is for a man to snivel like that? Stop crying.”
At Jang Hamyeong’s shout, Paeng Yeongho stopped his tears.
“I have been observing your clan for several days. I saw that you wish to send your grandson and granddaughter to the Northern Alliance. That is why I am helping a little.”
He had originally come to take Baekri Yuha, who would have been his granddaughter-in-law.
But then, recalling old memories, he had observed the Paeng Family for several days.
However, the Paeng Family was in a terrible state.
That was why he was trying to help.
“They are children of humble skill. Their hearts wish to, but they cannot handle the Muryeong tokens.”
Muryeong tokens are distributed three hundred to martial families and martial sects affiliated with the Northern Alliance.
Young talents who enter possessing a Muryeong token become affiliated with the Northern Alliance, refine their martial arts for a year, and become warriors of the Northern Alliance.