The Legend of the Northern Blade-Chapter 61: The One Thing a Person Must Never Give Up (4)

The silence in the inn was suffocating, but for a long time, no one dared to speak. Everyone watching felt as if they had seen something they shouldn't have.

"……"

Jin Mu-Won's opponents weren't ordinary martial artists; they were all first-class disciples of the Kongtong Sect, and warriors that people in the gangho often referred to as "martial arts experts".

Three of these "experts" had teamed up against one man and lost. Furthermore, for the entire duration of the battle, Jin Mu-Won hadn't drawn his sword or used his left hand. All he did was dodge attacks while using a strange finger technique that destroyed weapons.

Jong-Ri Mu-Hwan's expression was stiff. I can't believe it. The Kongtong Sect has been completely and utterly humiliated.

Even so, that's not the most important issue at hand here. The fact that we, the Iron Brigade, witnessed this whole fiasco is far more worrying than the result of this fight!

The Kongtong sect absolutely will not take this lying down. Once they start their investigation, they'll definitely find out that Jin Mu-Won and Kwak Moon-Jung were at the heart of this incident and go after them.

However, even though we did nothing, we won't be able to avoid being indirectly implicated. That's because it is an undeniable truth that we witnessed three disciples of Kongtong, including the future sect leader, behaving in a depraved manner.

Knowing those guys, they'll do anything to shut us up and maintain their reputation. We're fucked!

If I want to protect the Iron Brigade, I'll have to tread very carefully from now on!

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Seol-Goong screamed. Compared to the physical pain he felt, the mental agony of being humiliated and insulted was several times more aggravating.

"How dare you! How dare youuuuuu!" he repeated over and over again, glaring daggers at Jin Mu-Won. If eyes could kill, he would have already torn Jin Mu-Won to shreds.

"Junior Brother!"

Mu-Hae and Mu-Wol rushed to inspect Seol-Goong's wound. The murderous looks in their eyes were no less piercing than Seol-Goong's, but Jin Mu-Won took no notice of them.

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Instead, he walked up to Kwak Moon-Jung and helped him up, asking, "Are you alright?"

"Eh? Yeah!" Kwak Moon-Jung replied, still stupefied. Not even in his wildest dreams had he imagined that Jin Mu-Won could be that powerful.

"Do you think that you'll be fine after crippling a disciple of Kongtong Sect?" growled Mu-Hae through clenched teeth.

"If I worried about such things, nothing would ever get done."

"The Kongtong Sect will not ignore this!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes! The Kongtong Sect never forgets a grudge!"

"In that case, I'll just have to erase all the evidence, right?" Jin Mu-Won said, smiling gently.

A shiver ran down Mu-Hae's spine. Before today, it had never occurred to him that a smile with no killing intent could be so terrifying. He stuttered, "I-Is that a threat?"

"What's wrong? Am I not allowed to threaten you?"

"Eek!"

Jin Mu-Won's voice was low and calm, but to Mu-Hae, it sounded like the whispers of a devil. The young man had only shown them a fraction of his true strength.

The moment he draws his sword…No, even if I'm not a match for him, I can't…cower…

Jin Mu-Won took a step closer to the Taoists, and they instinctively took a step back. Their wills had been crushed by Jin Mu-Won's intimidating aura. Like that, Jin Mu-Won continued slowly pressurizing them, forcing them to retreat until their backs were up against the wall.

Suddenly, the inn door opened and a young woman's voice rang out, saying "Senior Brother Mu-Hae? I heard that you were here?"

The owner of the voice was the youngest daughter of the White Dragon Merchant Association, Yoon Seo-In. She had entered the inn while smiling happily, but when she sensed the unusual atmosphere in the room, her expression immediately stiffened.

"What happened here?"

Instead of answering her question, the Kongtong Sect Taoists simply stared at Jin Mu-Won like they wanted to kill him.

Yoon Seo-In turned to face Jin Mu-Won and asked again, "Can you tell me what's going on?"

"It's nothing serious. We just had a little difference of opinion."

"Really?" Yoon Seo-In said skeptically.

Jin Mu-Won shrugged casually, like it had nothing to do with him. However, unlike him, the three Taoists were not relaxed at all. They weren't about to let their guards down around Jin Mu-Won.

Mu-Hae asked, "What's your name?"

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"Jin Mu-Won."

"The Kongtong Sect will remember that name."

With that said, Mu-Hae, Mu-Wol, and Seol-Goong limped out of the inn. Yoon Seo-In followed closely behind them, crying, "Senior Brother!"

When they had left, Jin Mu-Won helped Ham Ji-Pyung onto a chair.

"Cough! Cough!" Ham Ji-Pyung coughed again and again. His broken ribs were pressing against his lungs, and he couldn't breathe properly.

CRACK! KA-RACK!

Jin Mu-Won poked Ham Ji-Pyung's chest several times and put his broken bones back where they were supposed to be. When he could breathe again, Ham Ji-Pyung's purple face slowly started to return to its normal color.

"How are you feeling?"

"Thank you, savior!"

"For the time being, don't push yourself. If you don't get enough rest, you'll never recover fully."

"Don't worry about me, savior. You need to run away and hide!"

"…Because of the Kongtong Sect?"

"Senior Brother Mu-Hae never forgets a grudge."

Although Ham Ji-Pyung was very grateful to Jin Mu-Won for stepping forward and saving him, he felt guilty whenever he thought that he was the cause of the young man's future troubles. The Kongtong Sect that he knew wasn't as unreasonable as Mu-Hae made it out to be, but he couldn't be sure as many years had already passed since he left the sect.

Jin Mu-Won smiled, saying, "They'll probably bring someone stronger the next time they approach me."

"Since you know that, please hurry up and run away! No matter how good you are at martial arts, you won't be able to stop them!"

Jin Mu-Won shook his head gently and replied, "I'm sorry, but I cannot do that."

"Then what are you going to do, savior?"

"You're badly injured. You should rest."

Jin Mu-Won quickly sealed one of Ham Ji-Pyung's meridians, knocking him unconscious.

Just then, Ham Seo-Ryung woke up, ran over to Jin Mu-Won, and asked, "Is my dad okay?"

"He'll be fine after resting."

A look of relief immediately washed over Ham Seo-Ryung's face. Jin Mu-Won turned to Kwak Moon-Jung and said, "Take care of Ham Seo-Ryung and Ham Ji-Pyung for me."

Jong-Ri Mu-Hwan walked up to Jin Mu-Won. He still hadn't gotten over his shock at seeing Jin Mu-Won's incredible martial prowess. The situation had changed, and he understood that he could no longer continue treating Jin Mu-Won the same way he did before. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "The Kongtong Sect is going to target you from now on."

"I know."

"Err…You do?"

"What was I supposed to do, then? Watch quietly as my little brother had his arm chopped off? Or witness an innocent father and daughter perish right in front of me?"

"Couldn't you have handled things differently? You might have been able to avoid direct conflict if you had negotiated with them rationally instead," Jong-Ri Mu-Hwan gravely said.

Regardless of how strong one's martial arts were, there was nothing a single person could do when they were greatly outnumbered. It was unfair, but "tyranny of the majority" was one of the fundamental rules of the gangho.

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Furthermore, the enemy this time was one of the most ancient and powerful sects, the Kongtong Sect. They were a faction strong enough to rule over a part of the world.

Jin Mu-Won locked gazes with Jong-Ri Mu-Hwan and said sternly, "Do you always calculate the consequences of your every action like that?"

"How else could I survive in this insanely dangerous gangho? Knowing our limits, and acting accordingly, is the secret to the Iron Brigade's continued existence and prosperity."

Jin Mu-Won lowered his head, mumbling, "I see. You're not wrong. Most people in the world live the same way you do."

"Then…why?"

"Sometimes, we must follow our hearts instead of our heads. To me, this was one of those times."

Jin Mu-Won's words weighed heavily on the hearts of Jong-Ri Mu-Hwan and the Iron Brigade mercenaries, like a wake-up call.

Before they could say anything, Jin Mu-Won continued, "Everyone says that justice is dead. The rich snatch away every grain of rice from the poor to fill their overflowing coffers, and those who are wronged can only suffer in silence. In times like these, as martial artists who follow the way of chivalry, if even we choose not to stand up for what's right, then why bother continuing calling ourselves warriors?"

Ten years ago, when the Northern Army was disbanded, countless martial artists had rushed forward and fought over all the treasures they could get. All of them were blinded by their greed, and no one cared for the truth. If not for Hwang Cheol, Jin Mu-Won would probably have given in to his despair and hatred a long time ago.

However, Hwang Cheol was living proof that there were still good people left in the world. He'd given Jin Mu-Won a reason to keep on living.

If I had turned away from those people, could I bring myself to face Uncle Hwang when I meet him again?

No, I can't.

Suddenly, Jin Mu-Won felt something change within him, as if the him right now and the him a moment ago were completely different people.

Jong-Ri Mu-Hwan shouted, "You can't change the world alone! That's not the way things work!"

"Is that so?"

Jin Mu-Won smiled, but Jong-Ri Mu-Hwan avoided his gaze. He knew that the instant he looked into Jin Mu-Won's eyes, he'd understand how the young man thought. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to do it. That would be equivalent to admitting that every decision he had made for the Iron Brigade was a mistake.

This man is dangerous. Fucking dangerous. It won't be long before he causes a huge stir in the gangho.

He's a charismatic leader who will inspire people to action. However, people like that never have a happy ending!

The rulers of this era will simply not allow anyone to destroy the order they've created! To them, a nonconformist like Jin Mu-Won is a seed of chaos that must be eliminated!

Although Jong-Ri Mu-Hwan's mental alarm bells were ringing continuously, before he knew it, he had already met Jin Mu-Won's gaze. The young man possessed a strange power that attracted others to him. At first glance, he appeared extremely ordinary, but when one looked into his resolute, stubborn eyes, they'd unconsciously find themselves sinking into its unfathomable depths.

Jong-Ri Mu-Hwan had the illusion that whatever Jin Mu-Won said, it must be true. He couldn't stand this irrational feeling, but he couldn't deny it either.

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Jin Mu-Won looked out the window. The clear, blue sky was reflected in his eyes.

"I may not be able to change the world, but I can at least be the light that illuminates the darkness. I cannot save everyone, but I will protect the people in front of me."

At this moment, the young boy who had been left alone in a ruined fortress finally became a warrior with a heart as wide as the world.

"That is…the reason I learned martial arts, and the path I have chosen to walk."

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