Light Novel: Volume 21 Episode 1
Manhwa: N/A

Chae Mu-ok was a young martial artist in his early twenties.

He belonged to a small faction known as the Mind Illumination Sect.1

It was a very small sect, with only about thirty disciples at most, of which Chae Mu-ok was the core disciple.

The Mind Illumination Sect hadn’t always been so small.

It was once a reasonably well-known mid-level faction in the region. However, it had clashed with another faction over regional dominance and lost.

The downfall of the defeated faction was predictable.

Many disciples left, and the master became a recluse. Only about twenty disciples remained in the Mind Illumination Sect.

These remaining disciples stayed not out of loyalty to the sect, but because they had nowhere else to go.

Although reduced in stature after the defeat, the Mind Illumination Sect still possessed considerable wealth. Supporting the remaining disciples wasn’t an issue.

The real problem was the lack of a future.

They might be able to survive for a while with what they had left, but their days as martial artists were numbered.

Chae Mu-ok knew all too well how miserable the end of a faction with an expired martial lifespan could be.

Like a frog in a pot of slowly heated water, not realizing it’s dying, the Mind Illumination Sect would meet its end in the same way.

That’s why he left the sect.

Chae Mu-ok considered himself a true martial artist.

His place was on the fierce battlefield, not in the crumbling Mind Illumination Sect.

The masters and priests pleaded with him, but he didn’t even pretend to listen.

“I will gain fame and revive the Mind Illumination Sect.”

With these bold words, he set out on his journey.

His destination was Poyang Lake, where a major conflict in Jianghu was unfolding.

Poyang Lake, amidst the great turmoil of Jianghu, had become a battlefield.

Factions supporting the Golden Heaven Society and the Silver Lotus Society were fiercely clashing with each other around Poyang Lake.

Countless people die every day at Poyang Lake. 

Despite the numerous casualties, heroes also emerged.

It wasn’t uncommon for a nameless martial artist to slay a peak master, quickly making a fiery reputation for himself.

Thus, the war continually birthed new heroes one after another, and their fame spread across Jianghu like wildfire.

Jianghu was ecstatic about these newly emerged heroes, proclaiming the dawn of a new era.

Chae Mu-ok also aspired to be a hero of this new era. He wanted to revive the fallen Mind Illumination Sect and to do that, he needed first to make a name for himself.

“Hoo!”

But the journey to Poyang Lake was far from easy.

He had been walking the roads for several days already.

His head and shoulders were covered in thick dust, a testament to the hardships he had endured.

He was notoriously bad with directions.

Even roads that others found easily took him several wrong turns to locate.

This caused his journey to be prolonged. 

If he continued on at this rate, he feared he might collapse from exhaustion before even reaching Poyang Lake.

“This can’t go on!”

Chae Mu-ok gritted his teeth.

A sense of crisis overcame him.

Just then, he heard the sound of horse hooves from behind.

Someone was approaching on horseback.

He turned around and saw a group of people on horseback.

Three people were on horseback, and behind them was a rather large carriage.

A strong desire to ride in the carriage welled up inside him.

Without considering the consequences, he blocked the path in the middle of the road and waved his hands frantically.

“Wait, please!”

Eventually, the horse and carriage procession slowly halted in front of him.

One of the people on horseback approached him.

He was an old man with a face full of age spots.

“What’s the matter?”

“I, I am Chae Mu-ok, a martial artist from the Mind Illumination Sect.”

“And?”

“Would it be too presumptuous to ask for a ride in your carriage?”

“Why?”

“Well, it’s just that I’m having trouble finding my way around, and I’ve been wandering around this area for two days now.”

“Ho! Is that so?”

“Yes! If you could take me even just to the next town, I would be eternally grateful.”

“Sounds like a tough situation, being directionally challenged…”

“I’m… sorry.”

“Why apologize? It’s just how you were born.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Tears welled up in the corners of Chae Mu-ok’s eyes.

He had met someone who understood him for the first time.

Seeing the old man smile filled Chae Mu-ok with hope. He thought that since the old man understood his situation, he would definitely give him a ride in his carriage.

“Then, you’ll let me ride?”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because you understand my situation…”

“Understanding your situation is one thing, granting your request is another.”

“Oh…”

Chae Mu-ok’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.

The old man chuckled at the sight.

“However, I can ask my master. But don’t get your hopes up. My master really hates being bothered.”

“Thank you, even just for considering it.”

Chae Mu-ok looked at the old man with grateful eyes.

“Haha!”

At that moment, the boy behind the old man burst out laughing.

It was because Chae Mu-ok’s expression was quite amusing.

Normally, if someone laughed at him, Chae Mu-ok would have felt humiliated and react angrily in response. But Chae Mu-ok couldn’t even muster such thoughts. He was too exhausted for that.

The old man moved his horse closer to a man standing next to the boy.

The man’s hat was pressed deep into the brim of his blood-red robe, despite the heat of the day.

The old man whispered to him in a soft voice.

‘Please!’

Chae Mu-ok looked at the man with a desperate plea in his eyes.

Although he couldn’t make out the man’s face through his deeply worn hat, Chae Mu-ok hoped he was a kind person who would allow him to ride in the carriage.

It seemed his fervent wish was answered as the man nodded his head. The old man then spoke on his behalf,

“Luckily, my master has agreed. But you can’t ride inside the carriage, you’ll have to sit on the roof. Is that alright?”

“Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”

Chae Mu-ok repeatedly bowed his head in gratitude.

“Go ahead and climb up.”

“Yes! Then, I’ll be in your debt.”

Chae Mu-ok passed the old man and the other man, approaching the carriage.

At the driver’s seat, a boy slightly younger than himself was sitting.

“Come on up, brother!”

“Oh? Yeah!”

“Hurry and climb onto the roof.”

“Thank you.”

“But remember, don’t make noise. The people inside don’t like loud disturbances.”

“Underst… ood.”

Chae Mu-ok replied in a subdued voice.

He felt an indescribable sense of intimidation from the boy who addressed him as ‘brother.’ Still, he was grateful to be called ‘brother’ by someone he had never met before.

Only then did Chae Mu-ok realize that he knew absolutely nothing about these people.

Driven by urgency, Chae Mu-ok had hastily boarded the carriage without inquiring about the identities or destination of these people.

‘Wait, did I make a hasty decision?’

If by chance he had joined a group belonging to an evil sect, his life could be in danger.

“Gulp!”

He swallowed dryly and carefully observed the group. However, it was impossible to discern their identities just by their appearances.

It was then.

 The boy sitting in the driver’s seat, as if reading his mind, smiled and said,

“There’s no need to be so tense. We’re not bad people.”

“Eh!”

“My name is Do Yeonsan. We’ll be traveling together until the next city, so feel free to call me by my name.”

“Do Yeonsan? My name is Chae Mu-ok.”

“I heard earlier. You’re from the Mind Illumination Sect, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Let’s get along during our journey.”

“T, Thank you.”

Chae Mu-ok was very grateful for Do Yeonsan’s friendly approach.

The wariness he had felt a moment ago quickly melted away.

‘Such a simple-hearted guy.’

Do Yeonsan glanced at Chae Mu-ok’s face and smiled.

If Chae Mu-ok had known who was inside the carriage, he wouldn’t have climbed onto the roof so unhesitatingly.

Inside the carriage were Eunyo and Hong Ye-seol. 

Eunyo, who had trouble with her eyesight, preferred riding in the carriage driven by Do Yeonsan over riding a horse.

Hong Ye-seol also chose the comfort of the carriage over the effort of horseback riding.

The two women were distant at first, but having traveled together in the carriage for a few days, they had become quite close.

The two women were putting their heads together, discussing their next move.

If one listened closely, snippets of their conversation could be heard leaking through the windows. Do Yeonsan filtered Eunyo’s voice from the rest, basking in happiness.

The three men leading the way on horseback were, of course, Pyo-wol, Nam Shin-woo, and the Elder Assassin.

For some reason, the Elder Assassin claimed to be Pyo-wol’s servant.

It started as a joke, but now it seemed to have become a habit, feeling quite natural.

Pyo-wol looked at the Elder Assassin and began to speak,

“Are you planning to use that guy?”

“He’s just the right person to divert attention.”

“I take it you know of the Mind Illumination Sect.”

“Yes! The sect’s downfall was due to the master’s overambition. He didn’t realize his own limits and waged war prematurely with other sects. Now they’re paying the price. Most of their disciples have left, only a few remain. For now, they’re barely surviving on their remaining wealth, but once that runs out, they’ll be completely ruined.”

“And?”

“Any sect with a decent level of intelligence would know about this. To them, Chae Mu-ok entering Poyang Lake wouldn’t seem strange at all.”

“So, we pretend to be part of his group?”

“A man trying to become a hero to save his sect. And a group of people who sympathizes with him. That should be enough to pass through their surveillance without raising any suspicion.”

“Very meticulous.”

“Thank you. Hehe!”

The Elder Assassin smiled broadly.

He seemed genuinely pleased with Pyo-wol’s praise.

The Elder Assassin spoke as he reined in his horse.

“In a little while, we’ll arrive at the mouth of the Zhengsui River.2 From there, we can take a boat through Dongting Lake to Poyang Lake. Only–”

“Only?”

“Because of the ease of access to Poyang Lake, many sects have sent spies to keep watch. If we do anything even slightly suspicious, we will immediately get caught.”

Of course, if they used the resources of the Hundred Wraith Union, they could perfectly forge Pyo-wol’s information and evade the surveillance. But that would be a very cumbersome task.

“It’s like mutual assistance. He gets to his destination comfortably, and we easily deceive their eyes.”

“That alone won’t be enough.”

“What do you mean?”

Crack!

Suddenly, a bone-cracking sound emitted from Pyo-wol’s face. 

He was using his face-changing technique to change his appearance.

After his bones and muscles subtly shifted, his entire facial structure changed.

A moment later, when Pyo-wol took off his hat, the Elder Assassin had to doubt his eyes. A completely different face had appeared before him.

Pyo-wol’s original face was not just beautiful, but mesmerizing, so much so that anyone could recognize him at first glance.

Despite mastering the face-changing technique, Pyo-wol usually operated in his true form.

For that reason, only a very few knew that Pyo-wol had mastered the art of face-changing. Others were unaware that he could change his face at will.

No one looking at Pyo-wol’s current face could recognize his true identity. It was that natural. 

Even the Elder Assassin, had he not witnessed it himself, would have found it hard to believe the extent of Pyo-wol’s skill.

“This should be enough to keep them from getting suspicious.”

“It certainly seems effective. Though the leader might not like it, this appearance is much more inconspicuous.”

Pyo-wol’s new face was exceedingly ordinary.

It was the kind of face one might see anywhere on the streets.

Identifying Pyo-wol based solely on his appearance was now nearly impossible.

Even the Elder Assassin wouldn’t have believed it had he not seen Pyo-wol perform his face-changing art with his own eyes.

The Elder Assassin then said,

“From now on, Master Pyo will assume the identity of Young Master Jin So-myung of the Sanqing Clan.”

“Jin So-myung?”

“He lost his life in the wilderness two months ago, but no one knows about it yet. He was so reclusive that he hardly interacted with the outside world even when he was alive. Even if Master Pyo assumes his identity, no one would know.”

“Is that so? Was he killed by the Hundred Wraith Union?”

“Who knows?”

Instead of a direct answer, the Elder Assassin gave a meaningful smile.


LUNA-CAVE

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