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For the local people, the shock of the massacre had not yet subsided, leaving the streets so deserted that Yuxi looked like an abandoned city. Everywhere he went, he could see evidence of that fateful day. Walls were gouged by weapons, and the ground was stained with blood that hadn’t been washed away. The few passersby who saw Jin Mu-Won carrying Snow Flower shied away from him, a new fear of martial artists having taken root in their hearts.

Back at the inn, Hwang Cheol was passing on some of his enlightenment to Kwak Moon-Jung, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time. As teaching others was a good way for one to improve, the arrangement benefited both teacher and student. Jin Mu-Won, who learned a different martial art, tried to stay out of the way if he could.

While walking aimlessly, Jin Mu-Won suddenly felt a cold breeze caress his face. He looked ahead only to discover that he was approaching a vast lake. Without realizing it, he had reached a lake near Yuxi.

“Huh?”

A very strange sight greeted him. Several small boats were floating on the lake, and whenever a man on the largest one waved a flag, they moved into a different formation.

“Isn’t that person…?”

He recognized the man waving the flag. It was Ha Jin-Wol, the Triune Scholar. For some unknown reason, the sight of Ha Jin-Wol wildly screaming at the top of his lungs brought a smile to his face.

He stood by the lake and watched Ha Jin-Wol do his thing. The scholar seemed to be working on an experiment involving the coordinated movement of boats, but from the frown on his face, he wasn’t too happy with the results.

Suddenly, he threw away his flag, plopped down on the deck, and stared blankly into the water for a long time. The sailors and Jin Mu-Won waited for him with bated breath. It looked like he was about to make a breakthrough.

…How long have I been here? Jin Mu-Won wondered.

“AAHHHHHHHHH! Fuck! I don’t get it!”

CRASH!

Ha Jin-Wol let out a shriek, toppled onto his back, and lay there staring at the sky for the longest time.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him. “Eh?” he blurted.

“You’re the same as ever,” Jin Mu-Won remarked.

“It’s you? Why haven’t you left Yuxi yet?” Ha Jin-Wol pushed himself up and sat down cross-legged.

Jin Mu-Won sat down opposite him, only for Ha Jin-Wol to fold his arms and glare at him. There was no malice in Ha Jin-Wol’s gaze, so he did not avert his eyes.

“You do realize that you’re the reason I’ve had to talk so much lately, right?”

“Oh?”

“I heard you were called the Northern Blade? Such a presumptuous title.”

“I’m not the one who came up with that title.”

“Well, I guess it’s normal for the main character to be unaware of his own story.” Ha Jin-Wol shook his head and gave Jin Mu-Won a pitying look, then shouted at the boatman, “Bring me my wine table and drinks, I’m thirsty!”

“On it!” The boatman replied.

“You brought a wine table?”

“Hmph! Isn’t a wine table a must on a boat trip?”

“You don’t look like you’re on a trip.”

“Did you see what I was doing just now?”

“Yes.”

“Haha!” Ha Jin-Wol laughed and pointed at the water’s surface.

Jin Mu-Won’s eyes went wide in shock. A large school of fish swarmed beneath the surface, circling around one spot as if caught in an invisible fishing net.

“Is this…a formation?” he asked in a trembling voice. Although he could set up several advanced formations and understood the basic principles, he had never heard of anyone trapping fish below the surface with only a few small boats. It was a large-scale yet subtle maneuver.

“So what if it is? It’s useless.” Ha Jin-Wol snorted and waved his hand at the other boats. At his signal, the boats left their positions and returned to the shore. Immediately, the gathered fish scattered in all directions with a loud splash, symbolizing the disintegration of the formation.

What a waste of a good catch! Jin Mu-Won felt a pang of regret for Ha Jin-Wol’s wastefulness.

Just then, the boatman returned and placed the wine table between them. Ha Jin-Wol reached out and poured two cups of wine for Jin Mu-Won and himself.

“Cheers!”

Jin Mu-Won didn’t refuse the offer and took a swig. The strong liquor burned its way down his throat and quickly made him tipsy. It was a cheap liquor that he couldn’t imagine a man of Ha Jin-Wol’s stature drinking.

He finished his wine, then refilled both his and Ha Jin-Wol’s empty cups.

“Heheheh! It’s nice to have a drinking partner, although it’d be better if it was a pretty girl instead of a man.”

“I agree.”

“Hahaha!”

The two men drank and drank, the boatman bringing out another bottle as soon as the previous one was empty. Their faces quickly reddened from intoxication.

“I suppose you’re going to the Central Plains soon?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm…” Ha Jin-Wol stared at Jin Mu-Won.

Jin Mu-Won felt a little uncomfortable, but he didn’t look away.

“Damn, this is so interesting,” Ha Jin-Wol eventually concluded.

“What is?”

“You. How is it that a guy like you just shows up out of the blue?”

While ordinary freelance martial artists would run away from a fight between the Silent Night and the Tyrant Fist Sect, Jin Mu-Won had not only intervened, but also single-handedly ended the fight between the two sides with “overwhelming strength”.

Ha Jin-Wol recalled all the martial artists he knew of, but couldn’t match Jin Mu-Won with anyone in the existing sects. That was odd. A talent of Jin Mu-Won’s caliber should have been famous since childhood, like the Seven Junior Skies. However, he wasn’t, which made Jin Mu-Won a very intriguing outlier.

Suddenly, Ha Jin-Wol asked, “Hey buddy, have you ever dreamed of taking over the world?”

“Taking over the world?”

Jin Mu-Won remained silent for a long time. He had never considered such a thing before.

Across from him, Ha Jin-Wol patiently waited for his reply.

Finally, Jin Mu-Won said, “No, and I don’t know if I will ever think about it. I only know one thing for sure.”

“What is that?”

“I will never betray the voice of my heart.”

“The what?”

“I go where my heart leads me, and I won’t do what it tells me is wrong.”

“You’re a romanticist.”

“Maybe, but…that’s how I want to live.”

“A life following the voice of your heart, huh?”

Jin Mu-Won’s words unexpectedly resonated with Ha Jin-Wol. What is the voice of my heart? What is it I desire? Will I ever betray my own ideals and beliefs? He suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. Jin Mu-Won’s answer had brought up questions he hadn’t thought of, so he closed his eyes and reflected deeply on it.

Jin Mu-Won quietly watched him.

After a long time, Ha Jin-Wol opened his eyes. For a moment, Jin Mu-Won felt as if the fog that had been there had now cleared.

Ha Jin-Wol grinned. “Buddy, you should go to Heaven’s Summit.”

“Heaven’s Summit?”

“Something very interesting is going to happen there.”

“I don’t really want to go there.”

“No, you absolutely have to go.”

“Why?”

“Heheh! Because I’m going, and I need an escort.”

“What on earth…?” Jin Mu-Won was speechless.

On the other hand, Ha Jin-Wol looked confident that Jin Mu-Won would accept his unreasonable request.

“Why are you going to Heaven’s Summit?”

“I need to settle a debt with a certain girl there.”

“A girl?”

“That’s all you need to know for now. I’ll introduce her to you when we meet, so don’t ask me anything about her till then.”

Jin Mu-Won frowned. He had been so focused on saving Hwang Cheol that he hadn’t paid attention to Heaven’s Summit for a while. Heaven’s Summit… It’s the place where the people responsible for the destruction of the Northern Army have gathered. The place ruled by the monsters known as the Nine Skies. The microcosm of the gangho. The place that many young martial artists dream of entering. The place I have to go to eventually whether I like it or not, since they’re the only ones with information on the Silent Night.

“Hoo…” Jin Mu-Won sighed.

As if he knew this was coming, Ha Jin-Wol chuckled, “Heheh! Looks like I was right.”

“When do you plan to leave?”

“At the same time as you.”

“That might take a while.”

“Doesn’t matter. As you can see, I’m very good at alleviating my boredom.”

“Okay, I’ll give you a heads up before I leave.”

“No need to contact me, I’ll be there.”

“Also…”

“Hmm?”

“Can you stop calling me ‘Buddy’? I have a name…”

“I like you, so that makes you my buddy. I’ll come up with a new name for you when you’re a little more famous.”

“…Haah.” Jin Mu-Won let out a sigh. Strangely enough, he didn’t find Ha Jin-Wol’s tone annoying or unpleasant. If being irritating without pissing people off could be called a talent, then Ha Jin-Wol was a genius.

Jin Mu-Won poured the rest of the wine down his throat, and Ha Jin-Wol did the same. They finished all the wine they had, and Jin Mu-Won stood up.

“I need to go. My companions are probably starting to worry about me.”

“Heheh! Who would worry about someone as strong as you are?”

“……”

“Fine, it’s getting late, go ahead. I won’t see you off.”

“You won’t be able to, anyway.” Jin Mu-Won said, before leaping off the boat and running across the water to the shore. Although it was a powerful jump, the boat that Ha Jin-Wol rode on didn’t sway in the slightest.

Jin Mu-Won’s figure quickly disappeared from sight.

Ha Jin-Wol lay down on the deck and looked up at the night sky, the sea of stars reflected in his retinas. The stars always moved in fixed orbits. However, that order had now been disturbed, and new paths created.

“The destiny dictated by the heavens has changed with his appearance,” he mumbled.

Not many people can change fate on their first appearance in the gangho. Will he be a hero who moves the times, or a trailblazer who opposes the heavens? I wonder…

He smiled. After meeting Jin Mu-Won, the constant anxiety that had plagued him for years was gone.

“HAHAHAHAHA!”

Ha Jin-Wol’s roaring laughter echoed across the lake.