The Haomun Leader, Lee Hyang, was of an age close to old, but the indigo silk robe with its exposed shoulders did not look out of place on her.
She paid that much attention to her appearance. She always went hiking to exercise, applied everything good for her skin, and never frowned in order to avoid wrinkles on her face.
But now, her face was all scrunched up. This was because that rookie, Yohwa, the Jiangxi branch chief, had brought in a request worth a whopping fifty thousand nyang.
Of course, at first, even Lee Hyang was thrilled and raised her hand at the enormous sum. But on the other hand, having to prepare martial arts worth close to fifty thousand nyang was what was making her so sensitive.
“Honestly, do you think this makes any sense in the first place? Buying Mugong with money? And not just any Mugong, but peak-level techniques? Who’s going to sell them? For how much?”
“Yes, you’re right.”
Jang Sam, who assisted the Haomun Leader, stared at the ground. When the Haomun Leader was this irritable, he could only bow his head.
Of course, Jang Sam also understood her anger. Haomun had been around a long time, but this was the first time he had seen a request to purchase peak Mugong with money.
To those of the Jeongpa, Mugong was their soul, their very spirit. The idea of buying and selling it with money was unthinkable. Mugong was more precious than life to any Muin.
Of course, there were those in history who had tried to buy it with money. Some mediocre martial families had tried to purchase Mugong with a few thousand silver taels, and when that fact was discovered, the Munpa that had attempted the purchase was scorned by Muin everywhere. Trying to buy the soul and spirit of martial arts with mere money!
With this kind of perception prevailing among most of the Jeongpa, including the Gupailbang, there was no one willing to sell.
“From what I see, the Hwanggeum Family head must be just a child and has no clue. Probably thinks money can buy anything. It’s the kind of ridiculous idea you’d expect from a young master who knows nothing of the world. Does he have any idea how proud Muin are?”
Lee Hyang kept grumbling. By now, Haomun already knew who the client was. Anyone would have to be a fool not to notice when such a flamboyant procession entered Namchang from Yeogang.
But so what? Lee Hyang had already exchanged that nearly fifty thousand nyang for Wonbo at the Hwanggeum Jeonjang.
Even bringing in that sum in Wonbo required several hundred Haomun members to come and go.
“You put up the notice in the Amsijang yesterday, right?”
“Yes.”
In this world, wherever there’s debt, there’s darkness. Not everything circulating in Jungwon is legal goods. The Amsijang was a place where contraband, Yanggwibi Ssiat, fake Wonbo, and other illegal items were bought and sold.
For now, Lee Hyang had posted a notice in the Amsijang to purchase Mugong, concealing the name Haomun.
“I bet we’ll just get swindlers trying to pass off the Samjae Sword Art as Isipsasu Maehwageombeop, or trash Mugong that’s worthless because the lineage is broken.”
Lee Hyang sighed deeply. Jang Sam kept glancing at her mood. The truth was, he had come to report the result of yesterday’s notice to Lee Hyang.
But with so many complaints, all he could do was listen. Still, it was time to speak.
“About seven people sent word they’d sell.”
“What?”
Lee Hyang was startled, but quickly became indifferent.
“They’re probably all scammers, aren’t they? Did you check their credentials?”
“Two are genuine. Muyoungja and Yak Seon.”
“Whaaat?”
Lee Hyang’s voice rose fivefold. Muyoungja was the current top thief known as the Divine Stealer, and Yak Seon was, needless to say, one of the Three Sages.
“…You can really do this with money?”
Lee Hyang muttered blankly. It made sense for a thief like Muyoungja, but for Yak Seon, revered as an elder among the Jeongpa, to be selling Mugong in the shadows—what was the world coming to?
Did that mean that Munpa who had tried to buy Mugong in the past had been unfairly condemned?
Jang Sam provided the answer.
“Maybe it was just too much money to ignore their pride.”
“Ah.”
Lee Hyang let out a sound as if she had realized something.
***
Today, an unexpected visitor was scheduled. News came through the Haomun Jiangxi branch that the Haomun Leader herself would be coming to my room.
Right now, there wasn’t much for me to do for the children. Just because they’d taken medicine didn’t mean they would heal immediately. True treatment was to let the energy of the medicine circulate through the body while resting. All I could do was make sure they stayed warm and protected from the outside.
I’d already told Geumwolsang and Gwak Jindo I’d bring the Mugong manuals. They were surprised, wondering how I could just hand out Mugong manuals for free, but since it was me, they just accepted it.
I went to the secret Haomun Jiangxi branch, disguised as a Gakjang. The same attire as my first visit: black bamboo hat and black clothes.
The seat I had sat in before was empty, so I sat there again. But before I could even sit, the attendant approached.
“You may go right up.”
“Ah, alright.”
I was about to pull out the chair but turned around again. There was no one on the stairs. They must have cleared the way because the Leader was coming.
I went up the stairs and entered the usual room. There, instead of branch chief Yohwa, a middle-aged woman in an indigo silk robe was seated. This was the Haomun Leader herself.
She stood up, held the hem of her skirt with both hands, and bowed at the waist.
“Haomun Leader Lee Hyang. I greet the Hwanggeum Family Head.”
“Yes. I am Gold-necked Hwan. I thought you’d be covering your face with a mask.”
I studied the Haomun Leader’s face carefully. Her expression was so natural, it didn’t seem to be a disguise.
“Call it a symbol of trust. Of course, I wear a mask when meeting unimportant people, but with a notable figure, I remove it.”
“A notable figure?”
“That’s just my sense. I’m not trying to brag, but even among Haomun members, there aren’t ten people in Murim who know my face.”
“I am honored.”
At my words, Lee Hyang smiled. As expected, Haomun already knew my identity. There was no problem with that; it wasn’t a secret worth hiding anyway. Since she already knew, I took off the black bamboo hat.
Lee Hyang lightly covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes growing wide.
“You are truly beautiful. Even when I saw your portrait, I thought you were handsome, but it didn’t capture even a thousandth of the real thing.”
“As expected of the Haomun Leader, you are good with flattery.”
“No, this is sincere. I run a Girudo where many women come and go, but none are as beautiful as the Family Head. My eyes are accurate, especially in this area.”
People often complimented my looks, but it didn’t affect me much. I changed the subject right away.
“So, may I see the Mugong you brought?”
“You don’t seem used to compliments.”
Lee Hyang smiled and placed a bundle of silk cloth on the desk. It looked like a scholar’s book bundle, the kind they carried to the capital. Each bundle would probably hold five books.
“What is—”
Just as I was about to ask what kind of Mugong they were, another silk bundle was placed on the desk. Then another. And another. In total, six large bundles covered the wide desk.
Despite the weight, Lee Hyang showed no sign of struggle as she placed all six book bundles onto the desk—she must have learned a fair bit of Mugong herself.
“These are the Mugong manuals we gathered. We did keep a bit of a margin for ourselves, to be honest. These cost thirty-five thousand nyang.”
“I see.”
My answer was a little delayed. I hadn’t expected so many Mugong manuals to be collected.
Maybe sensing my surprise, Lee Hyang explained further.
“There are a lot more impoverished experts than you’d think. Sometimes a family goes bankrupt and only the Mugong remains. In any case, Jungwon is more diverse than I thought. I learned something new as well this time. If you can’t buy Mugong with money, maybe it’s just that you don’t have enough money.”
Listening to Lee Hyang’s joke, I unwrapped each bundle one by one. There really was every kind of Mugong. Sword arts, internal arts, staff techniques, whip arts, spear arts, stick arts, boxing, palm arts, kicking arts, even hidden weapon techniques—everything.
“Of course, there were individuals who sold or bought Mugong, but to collect them so openly, you’re probably the first, Family Head.”
I pulled out a few manuals and skimmed through them. To me, who had mastered Namhae Sibigeom, most were just miscellaneous techniques, so I didn’t find much meaning in reading them. While flipping through, one bamboo slip made me pause.
This one was unusual—Cheonhye Chimsul. Lee Hyang explained immediately.
“That was a secret manual I got from Yak Seon, one of the Three Sages. It’s originally an acupuncture technique for healing, but if used properly, he said it could even become the Mugong of a Panguanpil. That one cost ten thousand nyang. The most expensive.”
Yak Seon’s Mugong. The Three Sages weren’t a title handed out to just anyone. They were acknowledged as far above the Seven Masters, both in status and in martial ability.
“Yak Seon is eccentric, but I never imagined he’d sell his own acupuncture technique like this. He said he needed a lot of money to develop new medicines, so he sold it. Its effectiveness is certain.”
I examined Cheonhye Chimsul. As expected of an acupuncture manual, it contained the locations of all the vital points of the human body. Though it was acupuncture, it also accounted for martial use—there was profound insight into piercing and stabbing.
Strangely, if you reversed the order of the acupuncture sequence, it became an extremely dangerous and lethal kill technique.
This one was worth learning myself. Whether it was Mugong for Panguanpil, Dan Chang (%81#) techniques, or even to incorporate into sword stabs.
I went through all the Mugong manuals in that manner. Flip through, move to the next. Watching me silently, Lee Hyang asked,
“Can you really tell everything just by looking like that?”
“I’m just looking.”
“Hmm. I don’t think that’s all there is to it.”
Lee Hyang watched me with suspicion, but I ignored it and checked all the manuals.
Fortunately, there weren’t any techniques from great clans. Even if there were, I couldn’t use them anyway. Of course, I could modify them and use them, but erasing the unique flavor of a Mugong was no easy task. Even I, while reading the Igung Cheonroe Sword Art, thought of the Namhae Sibigeom.
“Excellent. Could you please have a cart prepared outside?”
I put the books back into the bundles and looked at Lee Hyang. The weight wasn’t an issue, but I simply didn’t have enough hands to carry this many books at once. Lee Hyang, as if it were obvious, nodded.
“Of course. It’s already prepared.”
“Thank you.”
We left the room together.
Lee Hyang called in Haomun members to load the books onto the cart. I put my bamboo hat back on.
“It’s a good thing I came here,” she said just as I was about to push the cart.
“Why?”
“I feel like I’ve met a more extraordinary person than fifty thousand nyang.”
“Is that so?”
And so, we parted. I must have looked like a peddler dragging a cart. But I could guarantee, no one could possibly guess the value of what was in that cart.
I soon returned home and headed for Okmyogak. I could feel the servants stealing glances as I rolled in the large cart.
It was the same with those inside Okmyogak.
“What kind of stunt is this now?”
I had already told Gwak Jindo and Geumwolsang to wait and see what happened. Both of them looked at the cart with curious eyes. I uncovered the bundles.
“…These are real Mugong manuals. Did you rob the Murim Alliance library or something?”
Even though I’d already told them, Gwak Jindo and Geumwolsang were still surprised. I replied casually.
“I bought them.”
“You can really buy Mugong manuals with money?”
“Apparently so.”
“How much did you spend…?”
Gwak Jindo stared blankly at the pile of Mugong manuals, then snapped out of it like waking from a dream.
“But are you really going to teach all these techniques? That’s overkill. It’s better to master one Mugong.”
“These will become a single Mugong.”
Gwak Jindo was speechless at my words. He knew I had the ability to create Mugong. At that moment, Geumwolsang, who had been silent, asked,
“Then are you going to teach them all yourself?”
“No. I’m the head—how could I handle all the training myself?”
I answered with a smile.
“You can buy instructors with money too.”
I looked toward the northwest. Wuhan. That was where the Murim Alliance was.