The Legend of the Northern Blade

"Kuhahaha!" Ha Jin-Wol's wild laughter rang out through the prison.

Jin Mu-Won shook his head. Ha Jin-Wol seemed to be in a fit of laughter for no apparent reason, but it didn't take much effort to guess why.

He must have met Seomoon Hye-Ryung.

He already knew about the complicated relationship between Ha Jin-Wol and Seomoon Hye-Ryung, so he understood exactly how Ha Jin-Wol was feeling right now.

Suddenly, Ha Jin-Wol stopped laughing. He let out a long sigh, then smirked. "Yeahhh! That felt great."

"You seem to be in a good mood."

"Of course! You should have seen that woman's face, all scrunched up as if she had bitten into something foul."

"I did see it."

"Fufu! Really? What did you think?"

"I wasn't very impressed."

"Then I suppose I am the only petty one. I haven't felt this relieved in ages! Wahahaha!"

Several years ago, Ha Jin-Wol had lost everything to the inner demons that Seomoon Hye-Ryung had inflicted upon him. Those experiences had forced him to grow, but they were not memories he wished to recall.

"This will probably make her more cautious," Jin Mu-Won remarked.

"Of course. That is precisely why I threw you into this cold prison in the first place," Ha Jin-Wol explained, all traces of laughter disappearing from his face as he reverted to the calm and calculating demeanor of the strategist he truly was.

"So, what's your next plan?"

"I have none."

"Excuse me?"

"There's no need to make any plans."

Jin Mu-Won blinked in confusion.

Ha Jin-Wol chuckled, "You are my plan."

"Please explain it in a way I can understand. I am not as smart as you are."

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"Kuku! Just wait and see. One thing is certain, though. Because of you, Heaven's Summit will soon be suffering one upheaval after another. You just sit here in this prison and enjoy the show."

"Just enjoy it? Are you not going to give me any warnings? Any advice?"

"Nope! I mean, who knows? Maybe someone will try to assassinate you, or someone else will plot against you. You don't need my help to take care of that sort of thing, do you?"

"So you want me to survive on my own."

"You've managed to survive so far, haven't you? I believe in you."

Jin Mu-Won shook his head, but he did not seem displeased. Since he had already decided to trust Ha Jin-Wol completely, he would trust him to the end.

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"At least it won't be boring, right?"

"If you hold out a bit longer, you will soon hear some good news."

"I look forward to it."

"Feel free to. I guarantee it."

Ha Jin-Wol's eyes gleamed coldly in the darkness of the prison.

I will drag them all out.Every one of those who lurks in the shadows and manipulates the world.

Late that night, a crowd gathered at the Wisdom Flower Pavilion.

They were the young martial artists of the Azure Dragon Society. Led by Shim Won-Yi, over thirty people, including Jwa Moon-Ho, Hyun Gong-Hwi, the Monochrome Twins, and Namgung Il-Geom, filed into the main hall and took their places around a long table, waiting for Seomoon Hye-Ryung to arrive.

Shim Won-Yi frowned. He had other important work to do, and this sudden summons irritated him. Still, he knew that Seomoon Hye-Ryung would never gather the Azure Dragon Society so late at night without a good reason, so he kept his temper under control.

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Jwa Moon-Ho quietly approached Shim Won-Yi. "Hyung-nim, do you have any idea why Miss Seomoon called an emergency meeting so late at night?"

"How would I know?" Shim Won-Yi replied curtly. "Just be patient and wait. She wouldn't have summoned us without good reason."

"I thought you might know, Hyung-nim."

"I cannot know everything."

"…Right."

Shim Won-Yi's face remained tense, but to his even greater annoyance, Jwa Moon-Ho failed to notice this and continued whispering something to Hyun Gong-Hwi beside him.

Just then, the doors to the main hall opened, and Seomoon Hye-Ryung entered, accompanied by Chae Hwa-Yeong.

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All eyes turned to her.

"You're all here," she began. "Thank you all for coming despite the sudden summons."

Noticing that Seomoon Hye-Ryung's expression was more rigid than usual, the atmosphere in the main hall became serious and somber.

"What's going on, Miss Seomoon?" Shim Won-Yi asked.

"Something serious has happened, so I called you all here to discuss a countermeasure for it."

"Something serious?"

"Yes, and I will explain it in detail soon. But before that, I have a question for Master Jwa Moon-Ho."

"Me?" Jwa Moon-Ho, who had been sitting silently, pointed at himself in surprise.

"Yes you, Master Jwa," Seomoon Hye-Ryung snapped irritably.

Sensing the unusual tension in the air, Jwa Moon-Ho frowned.

Seomoon Hye-Ryung continued, "I hear you secretly exerted your influence in the Outer Hall a short while ago. Is that correct?"

"T-That's true, but…"

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"May I hear the details?"

"Why would you…?"

"This is important."

Confronted with Seomoon Hye-Ryung's stern demand, Jwa Moon-Ho looked flustered. He looked to Shim Won-Yi for support, but Shim Won-Yi remained silent. Although he was annoyed by the summons, he could sense the unusual tension between Seomoon Hye-Ryung and Jwa Moon-Ho.

"Ah, well…" Jwa Moon-Ho hesitated.

Seomoon Hye-Ryung's expression grew colder, as if a sheet of ice had formed on her face. "Explain yourself, Master Jwa," she commanded.

"Jin Mu-Won caused a disturbance. I couldn't stand by, so I reported it to the Outer Hall."

"A disturbance?"

"Yes, that is…"

"Are you referring to the time when you, Master Hyun, and Master Namgung ganged up on him and still lost?"

"Is that true?" Shim Won-Yi shouted, jumping to his feet.

Hyun Gong-Hwi was one of the Seven Young Skies, just like himself, and Jwa Moon-Ho and Namgung Il-Geom weren't much weaker. For a team of three such skilled individuals to lose to a single opponent around their age was unthinkable.

"We only lost because we let our guard down. Next time, I'll definitely win," Hyun Gong-Hwi muttered.

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The hollow excuse echoed through the hall, and the other martial artists of the Azure Dragon Society stared at the three in disbelief.

Hyun Gong-Hwi bit his lip, Namgung Il-Geom closed his eyes in shame, and Jwa Moon-Ho's face flushed red.

So the rumors were true.

Those three joined forces and still ended up losing.

The Azure Dragon Society's martial artists instinctively realized that Seomoon Hye-Ryung was telling the truth. Otherwise, the three young men would not react this way.

Everyone knew that Hyun Gong-Hwi was among the top young prodigies of the current jianghu, so it was impossible to imagine him losing when he had the help of Jwa Moon-Ho and Namgung Il-Geom. However, their awkward reactions proved otherwise.

After a long silence, Shim Won-Yi said, "Jin Mu-Won… Are you referring to the Northern Blade?"

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"Yes."

"Hmm…" Shim Won-Yi scowled, recalling something Seomoon Hye-Ryung had mentioned in the past.

Desperate to justify his actions, Jwa Moon-Ho exclaimed, "That man insulted the Azure Dragon Society, so I could not just let him be. If I had ignored him, he would have become a significant threat to us."

"So you hired the Illusionary Killers?" Seomoon Hye-Ryung asked.

"How did you…?"

"Do you really think so little of me, Master Jwa? Did you really think you could cause trouble in Heaven's Summit without anyone noticing? Even if I hadn't found out, there are countless people in Heaven's Summit who could uncover the truth."

"Ugh!"

"Moreover, not only did you hire the Illusionary Killers, you also bribed the Outer Hall. Was that your attempt at a cover-up?"

Jwa Moon-Ho raised his voice, "So what if I did? Jin Mu-Won is just a lone freelancer. He cannot affect the grand scheme of things or accomplish anything on his own. Besides, I did not intend to kill him, only to confine him during the Demon Hunters selection. I fail to see what terrible crime I have committed."

Seomoon Hye-Ryung's eyes hardened. "Is that why you even tried to involve the Investigation Department?"

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"The Investigation Department? What are you talking about? Why would I send them a report? If they got involved, it would only complicate matters."

Seomoon Hye-Ryung's mind raced. If it was not Master Jwa, then who in the Investigation Department?No way… the Triune Scholar?

Picturing Ha Jin-Wol's cheeky grin, she clenched her fist so hard that her knuckles turned white.

"Master Jwa, for your information, the man you imprisoned is the sole heir of the Northern Army."

"The Northern Army? Why does that matter…" Jwa Moon-Ho voice trailed off as the realization hit him.

"The sixth generation Lord of the Northern Army, Jin Mu-Won. That is his true identity."

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"W-Wasn't the Northern Army annihilated?"

"That is what people think, but he survived and managed to enter Heaven's Summit. That's the most important thing right now."

"Why should that matter? In fact, isn't it a good thing that I imprisoned the heir of the Northern Army? They're a bunch of villains, right?" Jwa Moon-Ho said triumphantly, regaining his confidence.

Some of the Azure Dragon Society's martial artists nodded in agreement.

These fools with muscles for brains… Frowning, Seomoon Hye-Ryung shook her head in disappointment. "So you're saying he's a villain, then?"

"Yes, because he's the Northern Army's heir…"

"The Northern Army has already paid for all its sins. Jin Kwan-Ho, the former Lord, shouldered all the blame and committed suicide."

Silence fell over the room.

"Once Jin Kwan-Ho accepted the blame, Heaven's Summit could no longer officially punish Jin Mu-Won. Now, after ten years, public opinion has shifted. People are starting to question whether our brutal actions against the Northern Army were justified."

Time had softened the memory of the Northern Army's fall, and now some wondered if they had been judged too quickly and too harshly.

Moreover, with the return of the Silent Night, Heaven's Summit needed demon hunters, and ironically, the Northern Army had once been those demon hunters, defending the Central Plains from the Silent Night.

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With the reappearance of their heir, there was a chance that public opinion might turn against Heaven's Summit.

"Jin Mu-Won's presence in Heaven's Summit will spark fierce debate, and might even plunge Heaven's Summit into turmoil. Your reckless actions, Jwa Moon-Ho, dragged the Northern Army's ghost, who could have remained in the shadows, out into the open, turning this into the worst possible outcome. Heaven's Summit is going to argue endlessly about what to do with him."

"Aren't you overreacting?"

"Does it sound like I'm overreacting? Just look at Jin Mu-Won's connections. He's on good terms with Kongtong Sect, the Mount Hua Sect, and the Tang Clan. All famous sects that lead the current jianghu. Do you think Heaven's Summit can easily finish him off in secret without alerting them?"

Jwa Moon-Ho and the other Azure Dragon Society members fell silent, taken aback by the sheer scale of the consequences. They never imagined that what they thought was a small matter would explode into something so serious.

"If only he had never set foot inside Heaven's Summit, none of this would have happened," Seomoon Hye-Ryung lamented.

Above all, the Triune Scholar, the man who made even me, Seomoon Hye-Ryung, nervous for the first time in my life, is on Jin Mu-Won's side. From the beginning to the end, this whole situation must be part of his scheme.

She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. Without her noticing, Ha Jin-Wol had placed a blade at her throat.