The one who saved the dying Gangcheol was a man in his fifties who lived alone in a slash-and-burn village beyond the mountain.
He had gone up the mountain to gather herbs and lost his way. For a brief rest, he sat leaning against a tree with its thick roots exposed.
At that moment, he faintly heard a groan. Listening closely and following the sound, he discovered Gangcheol collapsed, covered in blood.
The man brought Gangcheol back to his village and cared for him, but as a dirt-poor slash-and-burn farmer, there wasnโt much he could do in terms of treatment.
All he could offer was to lay him in a warm room and nurse him. If Gangcheol recovered, it would be fortunate, but if he died, there was nothing to be done. Amidst all that, by some miracle, Gangcheol regained consciousness.
The problem was, he had lost all his memories.
He couldnโt recall even his own name, and due to his severe injuries, he could barely move, lying like a corpse. If the man had had a family, he might have abandoned Gangcheol on the mountain.
As time passed and Gangcheol gradually regained the ability to move, he began to help the man with farming and lived together with him. Unaware of anything, seven years slipped by in the mountains.
Then, five years ago, while Gangcheol and the man were setting a fire on the mountain to clear a new field, Gangcheol suddenly collapsed.
With his frail body, already past sixty, the man summoned all his strength to drag Gangcheol home. Gangcheol spent several days unconscious before finally waking, and at that moment, all his lost memories returned.
He wanted to return to Cheongangmun at once, but when he saw the man who had saved his life now old and sickly, struggling just to survive, he couldnโt bring himself to leave.
In the end, he stayed by the manโs side for another year, only heading to Cheongangmun after the man passed away.
On his way to Cheongangmun, Gangcheol came across a dying old man. Though he had little to offer, he shared his food and they traveled together. The old man followed Gangcheol, and the two relied on each other as they continued their journey, eventually reaching Cheongangmun.
However, his younger brother was nowhere to be found.
According to the villagers, after Gangcheol left, his younger brother locked himself in and secluded himself, and then, one day, disappeared without a trace.
Afterward, the old man volunteered to serve as a servant, and the two of them endured, supporting each other, hoping that Gangchan might one day return.
The problem began two years ago, when several merchant groups established themselves in Baekseong (็ฝๅ) as the gold mine there began to prosper. As the land available for settlement became increasingly scarce, winds of change swept through Guihon Village.
Jang Daepung (์ฅ๋ํ), the grandson of Mr. Jang, the head of Guihon Village, became the boss of Baekseongโs underworld organization, the Chilseongpa, at the age of twenty-five.
He demolished his grandfatherโs house in the south of Guihon Village and built an inn in its place. He intimidated the remaining villagers, virtually seizing the entire village for next to nothing.
Two years ago, word reached him that the newly arrived Manbok Merchant Group in Baekseong was planning to purchase the nearly ruined Guihon Village to establish its main office.
Gwak Manbok (๊ณฝ๋ง๋ณต), the head of the Manbok Merchant Group based in Songwon, Jilin, had amassed considerable wealth through trade across the Plains.
With Baekseong expanding, Gwak Manbok sought to secure a base for trade with the Plains and discovered Guihon Villageโa run-down settlement at the entrance to the Plains.
If the merchant group established itself in Guihon Village, trade with the Plains would become much faster and more convenient.
While seeking a way to purchase Guihon Village, Gwak Manbok happened to approach Jang Daepung under the guise of coincidence, and thus learned of the Chilseongpaโs existence.
What mattered most to Gwak Manbok was acquiring Guihon Village at a reasonable price. He didnโt care who his negotiating partner was, and ultimately, he entrusted the job to Jang Daepung.
But there was a problemโCheongangmun (ๅคฉๅ้).
Cheongangmun was a strategic stronghold located at the northern edge of the village, at the entrance to the Plains. Yet, forty-one years ago, when no one lived there, a crippled sect master and a mysterious old man had suddenly appeared and settled down.
For nearly two years, Jang Daepung and the Chilseongpa used threats and violence, but in the end, they could not drive them out of Cheongangmun.
They even tried to silence them by killing them, but could not bring themselves to kill a man crippled while saving a villager.
Thus, Jang Daepung resorted to ensuring that no one could contact them, hoping to force them to leave on their own.
Guihon Village, Bokchunru (็ฆๆฅๆจ), the inner chamber.
“So, Old Man Kang asked for three daysโ grace?”
“Yes. He said he would make a decision in three days.”
“Ugh, dragging it out so annoyingly.”
“Weโve waited two years; surely we can endure three more days.”
“You donโt know how hard Gwak Merchant Master is pressing me. Itโs driving me crazy!”
“Just three more days now. Congratulations in advance, Boss.”
“Yeah, youโve worked hard too.”
They reveled in the thought that Guihon Village would soon be in their grasp. At the same time, Gangchan was listening to Gangcheolโs account of Cheongangmunโs situation.
“So Old Man Kangโs leg ended up like that because of those bastards?”
Gangcheol nodded.
“He denies it, but Iโm sure itโs true. Since Iโm in this condition, they thought they just needed to drive out Old Man Kang and tried to persuade him. When he wouldnโt listen, they resorted to violence.”
Gangchanโs gaze turned cold.
“Brother, please ask Old Man Kang to come in.”
“Old Man Kang, could you come here?”
At Gangcheolโs call, Old Man Kang immediately entered the room.
“Please have a seat here for a moment.”
Gangchan sat Old Man Kang in front of him and grasped his left calf with his hand. At that moment, a subtle energy flowed from Gangchanโs fingertips.
“It might hurt a bit, but please bear with it.”
Old Man Kang let out a shallow groan, sweat beading on his forehead.
The bone that had once been broken had not healed properly and was pressing on a nerve, and the improper setting had even twisted the muscles.
“The broken bone didnโt set properly and is pressing on a nerve, causing you pain. It must have hurt a lot when you stood.”
Old Man Kang was startled by how precisely Gangchan described his symptoms.
“Are you by any chance a physician?”
Gangchan calmly shook his head.
“No. But I think I can help without causing you pain.”
He paused to steady his breath, then added,
“And thank you so much for taking care of my brother.”
At Gangchanโs gratitude, Old Man Kang waved both hands and replied firmly,
“Take care? Nonsense. The Sect Master is the one who saved me.”
Gangcheol immediately interjected,
“There you go again, saying as if I saved your life, but we just lived together, thatโs all.”
Gangchan watched the two with a satisfied smile.
They might not realize it, but his brother and Old Man Kang had probably saved each other.
“Now then, Brother and Sir, Iโm worried that this treatment will hurt quite a bit.”
“Will it hurt that much?”
“Yes, you might even beg me to kill you.”
Their faces stiffened in an instant.
“Just kidding, just kidding.”
Before dawn, a rough presence was approaching Cheongangmun. Gangchan quietly left the room and headed for the main gate.
After opening the gate and waiting for a while, he saw a cloud of dust rising in the distance as horses galloped closer.
Soon, eleven horses halted at the outer martial grounds of Cheongangmun.
In addition to the first squad of Cheongeomdae, there was a stranger among them.
A man in his thirties with an ordinary face respectfully greeted Gangchan.
“I am Jangdal, Mangwon (็ตถๅ) of Haomun based in Jangchun.”
Gangchan recalled the organizational structure of Haomun that he had heard about from Nanseol.
Haomun (ๆตฉ้) had a Mangjang (็ถฒ้ท) in each province beneath the Sect Master.
Below the Mangjang, each city had a Mang-sang (็ถฒไธ), and under the Mang-sang were the Mangwon (็ถฒๅ).
Each Mangwon managed dozens or hundreds of informants individually, whose identities only the Mangwon himself knew.
If any issue arose, eliminating just the Mangwon would make further tracking impossible.
“I am Gangchan.”
“The squad members must be tired from the journey, so let them rest for today.”
Old Man Kang, looking surprised, quickly guided the martial artists to a room to rest.
“Mangwon, you have something to discuss with me.”
Jangdal followed Gangchan into Cheongangmunโs sect masterโs room.
“Is this by the Sect Masterโs order?”
“Yes, I was ordered to assist the Hall Master.”
Gangchan was grateful for Nanseolโs consideration.
“This is perfect. I urgently need information about Baekseongโs Chilseongpa.”
Of course, wiping out a peripheral underworld gang was no big deal. But unless he planned to kill them all, he needed information.
“And please find out where they are now. Iโm sorry to ask this right after your long journey.”
“Not at all. Iโll look into it right away.”
After Jangdal left, Gangchan headed to the room where his brother was.
Gangcheol was sitting up, cultivating Inuigiseong (ๅผ็พฉๆฐฃๆ).
Gangchan quietly sat beside him, placed a hand on his brotherโs body, and sent a flow of Jui Gi (ๆฒปๆๆฐฃ) through him. Gangcheolโs condition rapidly improved.
After finishing his cultivation, Gangcheol looked at Gangchan.
“Last night, Father appeared in my dream and smiled at me.”
Gangchan smiled wryly.
“Maybe Father loved you more, Brother. He didnโt show up for me.”
“Haha, I didnโt think youโd be jealous over something like that. Hahaha!”
After a hearty laugh, Gangcheol hugged Gangchan tightly once more.
“Thank you for surviving, for coming back to me, and for growing up so well, my little brother.”
While Old Man Kang was worrying about how to feed the dozen people now in Cheongangmun, Gangchan appeared with a huge wild boar slung over his shoulder.
“Letโs roast this for our meal.”
Old Man Kangโs eyes grew wide.
“My word, where on earth did you catch that?”
“I was a hunter until I left here.”
At that moment, the first squad members of Cheongeomdae, who had gone to rest, started coming out into the yard.
“Please leave things like that to us.”
Du Ilchung (ๆๅฟ ) called out to Na Myeong (็พ ๆ).
“Myeong, you handle the pork.”
“Yes, sir.”
Na Myeong quickly received the boar from Gangchan and went to the well.
Du Ilchung added,
“Myeongโs good at this kind of cooking. You can trust him.”
“Is that so? Then Iโll trust you. Haha.”
Before long, delicious whole roast pork was cooking in the open area in front of the kitchen. While the meat was roasting, Gangchan led the squad members to the office where Gangcheol was.
“Introduce yourselves. This is my brother, the Sect Master of Cheongangmun, whom Iโve found after twelve years.”
“I am Gangcheol. Iโve heard much about you from my younger brother.”
At that moment, the ten squad members all shouted in unison,
“We pay our respects! We are the first squad of the Cheongeomdae from Heavenly Mandate Hall!”
Gangcheol seemed flustered at first, but soon smiled.
“Haha, this is a bit much. Letโs all go eat.”
For the first time in ages, Cheongangmun was bustling with people.
Watching the scene, Old Man Kang quietly brushed tears from his eyes.
‘Now I can die in peace. Thank you, gods of heaven and earth.’
After the meal, Gangchan gathered the first squad members and explained Cheongangmunโs current situation.
When the explanation ended, Baek Geombi (็ฝๅ้ฃ) was the first to speak.
“Do we really need a plan for a bunch of lowlife thugs? Letโs just wipe them out all at once!”
Gwak Sugi (้ญๅฎๅทฑ) immediately clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“You never think, do you? Do you think the thugs will just sit and wait for us to catch them?”
“Why do you always pick on me?”
“Silence.”
Sub-leader Go Gu (ไน) firmly cut in and looked at Gangchan.
“Hall Masterโs will is our will, is it not?”
Gangchan nodded and spoke up.
“Weโll make a decision after reviewing the information Jangdal brings. But if possible, itโs best to round them up in one place and take care of them all at once. If we leave stragglers, we wonโt be able to stay here and we might face trouble later. Think of a way to completely eliminate any future threats.”
The membersโ expressions turned serious at his words.
“And is everyone getting used to the bows?”
Squad leader Du Ilchung replied,
“Weโve mastered covert nocking and shooting, but we still need more practice to improve our accuracy.”
“Keep at it. Iโm sure these will save your lives at least once or twice. Focus on your training, and letโs regroup when Jangdal returns.”
“Yes, sir!”
The members dispersed in groups, chatting as they went to train.
“Squad leader, what should we call these bows?”
“Good question, should we ask the Hall Master?”
Gwak Sugi folded his arms and shook his head.
“Hey, thatโs something we decide and then get the Hall Masterโs approval.”
“So whatโs a good name?”
“How about ‘Somilgung (ๅฐๅฏๅผ)’?”
“A small, stealthy bowโฆ”
“Thatโs good. As expected, Sugiโs the clever one.”
“Hahaha.”
“Alright, letโs get back to training.”
The members laughed as they went to their places.
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