Chapter 35: Iron Blood Sect 1

It was the first time he had deployed the Great White Night since using it at Seolui Peak. Even Baek Moo-jin thought its power was overwhelming. Though it was his martial arts that caused this, an unreal scene unfolded around him.

Not even the blowing wind could shake it.

Yet, even after unleashing this mysterious martial art, Baek Moo-jin felt something was lacking about the Great White Night.

Using the Great White Night with his current level of power seemed to lack lethality.

Of course, increasing his power further would widen the radius and intensify the penetrating cold. Yet, Baek Moo-jin judged that because it spread over a wide area, it couldn’t be considered an efficient technique for reliably killing specific targets.

Instead, he thought there might be no technique more efficient than One White Night when facing numerous enemies whose power levels lagged behind his own.

Baek Moo-jin stopped as he approached Jin So-hye, then surveyed his surroundings with a calm expression.

He envisioned himself freezing countless masters charging at him with One Against a Hundred, then severing their necks with the White Lotus Sword. The scenery of Hell itself probably wouldn’t be more gruesome than that.

He was expanding his combat instincts by unleashing his martial arts prowess and reflecting on that sensation. Particularly, Baek Moo-jin had unconsciously developed the habit of imagining various variables each time he won a duel.

Having finished his imagination, Baek Moo-jin approached Jin So-hye again.

Jin Sohye, seemingly attempting to resist even as the blinding light erupted, stood with her twin swords crossed, maintaining a stance to block the cold air.

Baek Moo-jin stood before her and gazed at Jin So-hye for a moment.

Suddenly, the sound of ice cracking, zzzzzz, flowed from Jin Sohye’s body.

‘Huh? Did she come to?’

Then, a reddish light began to seep from Jin Sohye’s twin swords. It was her intent to unleash the Heaven-Shattering Flame Sword Technique to melt the cold.

Baek Moo-jin stood silently, watching her.

If he had intended to kill her, he could have done so dozens of times already.

Jin Sohye unleashed the Heaven-Shattering Flame Technique, barely managing to dispel the bitter cold of the Great White Night. As fragments of the cold energy flew out with a crackling sound, Baek Mujin, who had been watching, lightly waved his hand, scattering the fragments away.

Then, from Jin Sohye’s mouth, along with a puff of white breath, came a rough gasp, as if the breath she’d been holding had finally burst forth.

“Haa…”

It would be normal for her to have no will or strength left to attack. Jin Sohye stood blankly, staring at Baek Moo-jin. Her gaze held truly complex meanings.

Anger, regret, astonishment, the humiliation of defeat…

Baek Moo-jin stared back at that gaze and asked in a flat tone.

“Are you all right?”

What a terrible question to ask.

There was no way she could be fine.

Just as Jin So-hye, her face pale, was about to say something again… her lips, still locked together, fell apart as she collapsed with a thud. Perhaps she felt wronged. Jin So-hye was not someone destined to lose in a place like this.

Jin So-hye had met Baek Moo-jin too soon.

It was bad luck.

But this defeat would be an invaluable experience, one she couldn’t trade for anything.

After all, she was still alive.

More precisely, because Baek Moo-jin hadn’t killed Jin So-hye.

Baek Moo-jin looked down at the fallen Jin So-hye, yet he couldn’t bring himself to touch her.

‘Is it because of the countering nature of our martial arts? It’s a miracle she’s still alive. But then again…’

Baek Moo-jin blinked a few times, waiting for Jin So-hye to rise. But she didn’t move at all, seemingly unconscious.

A sigh escaped Baek Moo-jin’s lips.

Touching the fallen woman felt deeply unsettling. Moreover, wasn’t Jin Sohye the status of a young princess, someone the Sunghwa Palace held in utter dread?

When Jin Sohye didn’t stir, Baek Moo-jin found himself unconsciously scanning the surroundings.

There was no way anyone else could be here.

Both Baek Moo-jin and Jin So-hye knew their martial arts were exceptionally unique, which was precisely why they had deliberately come to this desolate place to test their skills.

But without Baek Moo-jin’s help, Jin So-hye could lose her life. Baek Moo-jin shed his outer robe, then went to the rock where he’d left his swords and used it to strap his twin blades to his back.

Returning to Jin Sohye, Baek Moo-jin had no choice but to turn her onto her back. He placed his fingers on her neck and wrist to check her condition. Not being a physician and having little experience with such situations, he could do little beyond feeling her pulse. Fortunately, it seemed she was still alive.

Only then did Baek Moo-jin, oddly enough, apologize first to the unconscious Jin So-hye.

“I’m sorry. For touching your body…”

Next, Baek Moo-jin slipped one hand under Jin So-hye’s neck, wrapped it around her shoulder, and with the other hand, grabbed the back of her knee, lifting her up in one swift motion.

No matter how formidable Baek Moo-jin’s martial arts were, the weight of Jin So-hye in his arms was absurdly light.

“You dared to challenge me in this state?”

Though there was no one to reply, Baek Moo-jin spoke aloud as he carried Jin So-hye toward the inn.

2.

Walking swiftly while holding Jin Sohye, Baek Moo-jin suddenly caught an unfamiliar floral scent wafting from somewhere. He tilted his head, looking around.

“Hmph… Hmm…?”

Jin Sohye’s body, which had been cold, was gradually regaining its warmth. Yet, the scent of flowers wafting through this desolate place felt strangely out of place. Only after taking a few more steps did Baek Mujin realize the fragrance was emanating from Jin Sohye’s body.

“Ah…”

That realization was absurdly slow. If anyone had been watching, they would have hurled curses at Baek Moo-jin and kicked him.

But Baek Moo-jin’s curiosity remained, and he kept tilting his head as he walked.

Why was there a scent…

Did she spray perfume or something on her body…

Baek Moo-jin wondered if his nose had always been this sensitive. Jin So-hye’s faint, lingering scent tormented him.

In truth, parts of Jin Sohye’s body were damp from Baek Moo-jin’s ice technique. It was merely that the Heaven-Destroying Divine Art, now moving of its own accord within the unconscious Jin Sohye, was intensifying her scent.

Baek Moo-jin found the woman’s scent so unfamiliar it was bewildering, causing his steps to quicken unconsciously. It wasn’t just walking; it was an uncanny footwork technique faster than most martial arts masters could run.

As Baek Moo-jin passed the inn where he had briefly spoken with Jin So-hye, the woman in his arms suddenly spoke.

“Put me down.”

“Whoa!”

“Ah!”

Baek Moo-jin, feeling a pang of guilt, startled and set Jin So-hye down abruptly, almost as if he were tossing her. She staggered, regained her balance with difficulty, and glared at Baek Moo-jin.

Baek Moo-jin raised one hand as he spoke.

“I had no choice.”

What kind of misunderstanding-filled statement was that? Jin So-hye, startled by Baek Moo-jin’s cryptic words, asked back.

“Huh?”

Jin Sohye looked at Baek Moo-jin.

At that moment, Baek Moo-jin had just taken off his outer garment, leaving him clad only in a thin inner shirt.

Startled, Jin So-hye instinctively moved her head back and forth, checking her own body and collar. Baek Moo-jin watched her with an expression of utter bewilderment.

‘What? What did she imagine?’

For a moment, Jin Sohye suspected Baek Moo-jin, but upon seeing her own clothes were perfectly intact, she let out a sigh of relief.

“Give me my sword.”

At her words, Baek Moo-jin silently drew Jin So-hye’s sword from his back and handed it to her. Then, as if explaining why he had taken off his outer garment, he roughly put his clothes back on before gripping his own long sword in his left hand. Baek Moo-jin desperately wanted to let out a loud snort, but he stubbornly held it back.

As soon as Jin Sohye received her sword, she said.

“I had a momentary misunderstanding… Anyway…”

“Is that so?”

What on earth was she trying to say?

After a moment of choosing her words, Jin Sohye finally continued.

“…Lord Baek, thank you for showing me mercy. I lost. I would like to challenge you again next time.”

“You want to do it again?”

“Yes.”

Baek Moo-jin shook his head.

“I’m afraid not.”

Jin So-hye frowned and asked.

“Why not?”

Baek Moo-jin looked at Jin So-hye.

She was a formidable woman. It would be rare to find her equal. Jin Sohye seemed to have been made strong in a short time by the entire Sunghwa Palace using various methods, just like Baek Moo-jin.

But Baek Moo-jin had no reason to fight again.

‘What’s the point of continuing to fight when they’re no match for me?’

Baek Moo-jin blurted out words he didn’t mean.

“Let’s do this in about ten years.”

Baek Moo-jin thought Jin So-hye would be able to catch up to him somewhat by then. Moreover, after facing various masters in duels since stepping into the world, Baek Moo-jin had come to realize the arrangements made by the previous generation of clan leaders were far more profound than he had ever imagined.

Jin Sohye looked at Baek Moo-jin with a dejected expression at the mention of ten years. She wasn’t the type to ask someone twice if they refused.

Jin Sohye bowed respectfully, her sword gripped in both hands, and addressed Baek Moo-jin.

“Then, I’ll see you later.”

Baek Moo-jin nodded.

“So be it.”

He had thought her incredibly strong, surviving the Great White Night, but when she wore such a dejected expression, she looked like an ordinary woman.

Baek Moo-jin stood for a moment, staring blankly at Jin So-hye’s retreating back. Somehow, unsettling thoughts began to creep into his mind.

‘Surely… nothing will happen to her on the way to the Jin Family Trading House.’

Baek Moo-jin also turned to head toward the North Heaven Alliance. Yet, his mind was far from at ease.

“Haa… What a mess.”

Baek Moo-jin muttered as he resumed following behind Jin So-hye.

“Miss Jin.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll watch you enter the Jin Family Trading House and then return.”

Jin Sohye shook her head.

“It’s fine, though.”

At those words, Baek Moo-jin looked at Jin So-hye with an expression even stiffer than when he fought.

“I could subdue you by force, drop you off at the Jin Family Trading House, and come back. So follow my orders.”

What on earth was this man thinking, resorting to such threats?

Jin Sohye stared blankly at Baek Moo-jin for a moment.

Whether she guessed his intent or not, Baek Moo-jin considered it only natural to proceed this way. Moreover, it seemed only by doing so would Baek Moo-jin find peace of mind. Though she was an exceptionally strong woman when healthy, if she were to collapse or even die from some misfortune in a place like this, the consequences would be deeply unpleasant. Even if nothing like that happened, Baek Moo-jin believed it was right to take Jin So-hye back to where she had been staying.

Baek Moo-jin insisted stubbornly.

“Must I use force to make you obey?”

His tone was harsh, yet it was clearly Baek Moo-jin’s goodwill, so Jin So-hye couldn’t take it badly. Jin So-hye walked silently toward the Jin Family Trading House. Baek Moo-jin followed a few steps behind her.

And so, the man and woman began walking the night road without speaking.

3.

The Jin Family Trading Post, where the warriors of the Sunghwa Palace were stationed, was engulfed in flames.

What on earth had happened?

Baek Moo-jin and Jin So-hye had been gone for quite some time. Even so, this was where nearly seventy or eighty warriors of the Sunghwa Palace were stationed.

Beneath the flames, the warriors of the Sunghwa Palace and the unidentified black-clad figures lay intermingled, strewn about in horrific states. Yet the surviving black-clad figures—the attackers—were throwing all the dead bodies, friend and foe alike, into the flames.

Had even the Left Commander of the Sunghwa Palace been unharmed, this would never have happened.

Should this be called karma? Or simply bad luck?

The forces surrounding the burning Jingga Trading Company appeared to be roughly double the size of the Sunghwa Palace garrison. Yet the man who had killed the most Sunghwa Palace warriors was a long-haired figure clad in black, drenched in blood.

The man sat alone at a drinking table, its origin unknown, watching the burning Jin Family Trading Company. Soon, seemingly finding his mask suffocating, he roughly tore it off and tossed it aside before taking a drink.

The man was Yu Ja-eon, Deputy Leader of the Iron Blood Division.

Masked executives watched him with icy stares. They’d insisted the operation must be handled discreetly, that masks must never be removed… yet here he was, tossing his own mask aside and drinking. One executive cursed inwardly.

‘Damn bastard.’

Near Yu Ja-eon lay the body of the left-hand man, Yi Gon, who had fought fiercely until the very end, now dead in a gruesome state.

Yu Ja-eon glanced at Lee Gon’s corpse and said.

“Even mortally wounded, he fought fiercely.”

“Indeed. He seems to be the one responsible for escorting the Young Princess.”

“First, run a facial recognition scan to find out exactly who this man is.”

“Understood.”

“And the enemy faction leader.”

“Yes.”

“Make sure to kill all those surviving Salmun bastards too. Word could leak out.”

“Understood.”

At that moment, someone approached Yu Ja-eon, knelt down, and reported.

“Some people claim to have seen a young man and woman at an inn nearby. Upon closer questioning, it seems they are likely the young princess.”

“Is that so? After killing Lord Lim, they’re off romancing? How utterly infuriating.”

The reporter suddenly cleared his throat before continuing.

“It’s not certain, but from the description of the man’s appearance… it seems like…”

“What exactly?”

“It sounds like Baek Moo-jin of the North Heaven Sect.”

Yoo Ja-eon asked back, his face showing surprise.

“Really?”

“Yes. The description matches exactly what we recorded in the life-and-death registry. The fact he carries a white-hilted long sword fits too. We believe it’s Baek Moo-jin.”

“So these bastards are traveling together? Tell them not to return until we find him.”

“Understood.”

Suddenly, Yoo Ja-eon seemed to have phlegm in his throat. He stopped drinking, let out a loud “Kyaaah!” and spat out a yellowish spit. Then, after rinsing his mouth with more liquor, he spat again, this time toward the burning Jin Ga Trading Company.