Light Novel: Volume 23 Episode 20
Manhwa: N/A
Troubled times give birth to heroes.
The conflict between the Golden Heaven Society and the Silver Lotus Society spawned numerous rising stars.
In the Golden Heaven Society, a group of young martial artists known as the Four Great Martial Artists1 rose to prominence, while in the Silver Lotus Society, a group of martial artists known as the Silver Lotus Four Wings2 distinguished themselves.
Storm Warrior Shin Mu-yeong.3
Wind Spirit Swordsman Ki Han-seong.4
Moonlit Wanderer Eun Suryeon.5
Demon Mirror Swordsman Jeon Mu-yeol.6
Black Winged Sword Hero Yul San-yeong.7
White Winged Martial Commander Jang Gun-sang.8
Blue Winged Eagle Eum Jung-han.9
Silver Winged Fairy Go Yeonhwa.10
These eight individuals could be said to be the greatest young warriors born from the great turmoil of Jianghu.
They made their presence felt on the fierce battlefield and established numerous martial achievements.
They emerged as a threat to those who had already established their reputations.
The most astonishing fact was that these warriors were previously completely unknown.
The people of Jianghu cheered for the remarkable progress of these young warriors, who had gone unnoticed until now.
Although they could not compare to the masters of the Golden Heaven Society or the Silver Lotus Society, the emergence of these new talents injected fresh vitality into Jianghu.
Then, a new martial artist appeared.
A one-armed middle-aged man who appeared out of nowhere on Yuhua Mountain.
The absence of an arm was a fatal flaw for a martial artist.
It wasn’t simply about the inconvenience of lacking an arm.
The human body is so delicate and sensitive that even the slightest imbalance can disrupt its harmony.
Without an arm, it’s difficult to maintain the body’s balance, and the power of martial arts is halved.
Above all, it’s difficult for the flow of internal energy to continue smoothly, making it hard to perform martial arts over a long period.
Despite such disadvantages, the middle-aged man demonstrated tremendous martial prowess.
He had unleashed an overwhelming force against the warriors of the Golden Heaven Society at Yuhua Mountain.
With just a single blow from his fist, Jeon Muyang lost his life, and twenty of his men were killed or injured.
Among the martial artists who had recently entered Jianghu, none had made a more shocking debut.
People who heard the rumors gave the one-armed middle-aged man the nickname “One-Armed Fist King.”11
Half in reverence, half in mockery.
Some revered him as a human victor, while others belittled him as just a disabled one-armed person.
The nickname “One-Armed Fist King” contained both meanings.
As such, One-Armed Fist King Hwangbo Chiseung became a martial artist that Jianghu took notice of.
The Golden Heaven Society immediately marked Hwangbo Chiseung as an enemy since he had killed dozens of their men on Yuhua Mountain.
The one most opposed to Hwangbo Chiseung’s prominence was Demon Mirror Swordsman Jeon Mu-yeol, one of the Four Great Martial Artists.
Jeon Mu-yeol was the brother of Jeon Muyang, who had died at the hands of Hwangbo Chiseung.
His brother’s death enraged him and fueled his animosity towards Hwangbo Chiseung.
However, Hwangbo Chiseung himself was utterly unaware of such facts.
Hwangbo Chiseung entered Yujiang, south of Poyang Lake.
Yujiang was an area that neither the Silver Lotus Society nor the Golden Heaven Society had firm control over.
The Silver Lotus Society had initially taken control, but the Golden Heaven Society had entered later and fierce clashes ensued.
As Hwangbo Chiseung looked around the streets, he soon spotted a large guest house and entered.
Perhaps due to the awkward time, there were hardly any customers inside.
“Is anyone here?”
The dozing owner of the guest house was startled awake by Hwangbo Chiseung’s voice.
“Uh, welcome!”
The guest house owner hurried out.
Hwangbo Chiseung asked him,
“Do you have any rooms available?”
“Of course. How many days do you plan to stay?”
“I’m thinking of staying for three days. Is that okay?”
“Of course!”
The guest house owner smiled brightly.
Hwangbo Chiseung paid him silver coins in advance and then took a seat.
“Please bring me some simple snacks and a bottle of liquor.”
“Just a moment. I’ll bring it right away.”
The guesthouse owner quickly ran to the kitchen.
Left alone, Hwangbo Chiseung took a seat by the window.
From where he sat, he could see the vast expanse of Poyang Lake at a glance.
Normally, Poyang Lake should have many boats afloat, but not a single fishing boat was visible.
It didn’t make sense that not a single fishing boat was out fishing, even though the weather was still cold.
It was a phenomenon that only occurred because the conflict between the Golden Heaven Society and the Silver Lotus Society intensified.
Launching a boat only to get caught in the crossfire between the two sides meant certain death. In fact, many fishermen died.
Many fishermen gave up fishing altogether because operating a boat in the lake meant sinking or dying.
Poyang Lake, with no people visiting it, no longer looked beautiful.
Some people even called Poyang Lake the Lake of Death.
This was because so many people had lost their lives here.
Hwangbo Chiseung had heard the rumors on his way here and was aware of the situation.
“But I didn’t expect Poyang Lake to be this deserted.”
Although he didn’t expect to see boats leisurely floating in the lake, he did not expect to not see a single fishing boat.
The war between the two powers was ravaging the entire Jianghu.
Not only Poyang Lake but the entire region of Jianghu was suffering the adverse effects.
“Hoo!”
It was when Hwangbo Chiseung unknowingly let out a sigh—
“Your food is ready.”
The guest house owner set down the liquor and food on his table.
“Thank you!”
Hwangbo Chiseung thanked him and picked up the liquor bottle.
Glug!
He poured the liquor into his cup and set the bottle down.
He picked up the cup again and poured the liquor into his mouth. Then he picked up the bottle again and poured more into the cup.
With only one arm, the sequence of movements was cumbersome. But Hwangbo Chiseung did not complain.
He was more than content just to have one good arm.
It was when Hwangbo Chiseung had just downed three cups of liquor—
“Are you the great One-Armed Fist King, Master Hwangbo Chiseung?”
Someone opened the door of the guesthouse and walked towards him.
Hwangbo Chiseung set down his cup and looked at the approaching figure.
It was a young man and woman in their late twenties.
The man was dressed in black martial attire, showing off a very handsome and dignified appearance, while the woman was dressed in a silver robe, and was seductively beautiful.
Hwangbo Chiseung asked,
“I am indeed Hwangbo Chiseung, but who might you be?”
“My name is Yul San-yeong, and this is Lady Go Yeonhwa.”
“Hmm! The Black Winged Sword Hero and the Silver Winged Fairy?”
“That’s just a title. We are nothing compared to Master Hwangbo.”
“So, what brings two members of the Silver Lotus Four Wings here?”
The two of them were members of the famous Silver Lotus Four Wings.
Hwangbo Chiseung had also heard a lot of rumors about them after entering Poyang Lake.
Therefore, he was a little curious.
‘Indeed…’
Hwangbo Chiseung inwardly marveled.
The aura of both individuals was exceptional.
Yul San-yeong’s energy was well-refined, which meant that he had perfect control over the flow of his internal energy.
Go Yeonhwa’s achievements were no less than Yul San-yeong’s.
For a woman to reach such levels of achievement was truly extraordinary.
Yul San-yeong cautiously asked,
“Do you mind if we sit down?”
“If you’re here to tell me to join the Silver Lotus Society, you might as well leave now.”
“Ah! Just as I’ve heard.”
Yul San-yeong slightly furrowed his brow.
As soon as he heard about Hwangbo Chiseung from Geum Dae-myung, he had rushed over to recruit him.
Go Yeonhwa, on the other hand, had joined him purely out of curiosity.
She was curious about the identity of the martial artist who had earned the nickname “One-Armed Fist King” after just one fight.
If what Geum Dae-myung had said was true, then Hwangbo Chiseung was undoubtedly a possessor of tremendous martial prowess. Such a skilled person joining the Silver Lotus Society would be greatly reassuring.
Yul San-yeong asked again.
“Can’t you reconsider? The Silver Lotus Society is the only one that can counter that insidious Golden Heaven Society.”
“I don’t know about such things. I’m not interested either.”
“How can you be born into this world and remain indifferent to its affairs?”
“Everyone has their own circumstances, and finding my master is the most important thing for me.”
Just then, someone’s cold voice interjected into the conversation.
“I wonder who your lord is, and will he be saddened by your death?”
Creak!
The owner of the voice opened the door of the guest house and entered.
The moment they saw his appearance, Yul San-yeong and Go Yeonhwa’s expressions stiffened.
It was a bandit in his early thirties, clad in blood-red clothing.
The long scar across his face and his piercing sharp eyes could make anyone who saw him involuntarily shrink back.
“Jeon… Mu-yeol?”
“The Demon Mirror Swordsman himself had come in person.”
Yul San-yeong and Go Yeonhwa recognized his identity and became wary.
The newcomer in the guest house was Jeon Mu-yeol, one of the Four Great Martial Artists of the Golden Heaven Society.
Jeon Mu-yeol immediately walked straight to the table where Hwangbo Chiseung was.
Unlike Yul San-yeong and Go Yeonhwa, he was radiating a palpable killing intent.
He glared at Hwangbo Chiseung as if he were looking at a life-and-death enemy.
Jeon Mu-yeol said.
“Answer me. Will your lord mourn your death?”
“No! He is not someone who sheds tears over someone else’s death.”
“And yet you still pledged your loyalty to him?”
“I owe him a debt of gratitude.”
“Is that debt worth your own death?”
“Yes. I am willing to give my life to repay this debt.”
“That’s too bad then.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because you will die before you can repay that debt.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Hwangbo Chiseung narrowed his eyes as he looked at Jeon Mu-yeol.
The eyes staring back at him were undoubtedly filled with killing intent, an expression impossible without harboring a grudge.
“Do you bear a grudge against me?”
“It seems you don’t know.”
“Don’t know what?”
“Jeon Muyang who you killed on Yuhua Mountain is my brother.”
“Jeon Muyang?”
“You killed him with your own hands on Yuhua Mountain, and yet you claim to not remember?”
An overwhelming aura of killing intent emanated from Jeon Mu-yeol’s entire body.
Jeon Muyang, who died at the hands of Hwangbo Chiseung with a single punch on Yuhua Mountain, was his brother. So as soon as he heard that Hwangbo Chiseung, the person who killed his brother, was here, he rushed over without a second thought.
The man in front of him was his brother’s murderer.
To Jeon Mu-yeol, his identity or martial prowess was not of great importance.
Yul San-yeong and Go Yeonhwa looked at the two with expressions of awkwardness.
Under normal circumstances, they would have fought Jeon Mu-yeol with all their might the moment they met him. After all, they were martial artists representing the forces of the Golden Heaven Society and the Silver Lotus Society.
In fact, they did fight with all their might every time they met, although no victor had ever been declared.
But this time, Jeon Mu-yeol didn’t even give a glance at the other two.
His gaze was fixed solely on Hwangbo Chiseung.
His resentment from losing his brother was so great that he didn’t even bother to pay attention to his surroundings.
Hwangbo Chiseung sighed and responded,
“Hoo! I don’t know who your brother is, but it was the warriors of the Golden Heaven Society who attacked me first. I was merely defending myself.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t. What I say is the truth.”
Hwangbo Chiseung did not waver at all.
Even in the presence of a renowned warrior like Jeon Mu-yeol, his figure was as unshakeable and unwavering as a giant boulder.
Despite having only one arm, he showed no signs of weakness. However, Jeon Mu-yeol, consumed by rage, did not see it that way.
Swoosh!
Jeon Mu-yeol drew his sword.
Seeing that, Go Yeonhwa whispered to Yul San-yeong.
“What should we do?”
“Let’s just watch.”
“What? But—”
“If he gets into trouble, let’s save him. He won’t be able to refuse our offer to join us then.”
“Does it really have to be this way?”
“I understand Lady Go’s feelings, but now is the time to be rational. We need as many skilled warriors as we can get. This is the perfect opportunity to recruit him.”
“But he said he already serves someone—”
“We’ll see. We’ll see how steadfast his loyalty is.”
Yul San-yeong smirked as he looked at Hwangbo Chiseung.
Just then, Jeon Mu-yeol shouted loudly,
“Reveal your lord. I will cut off your head and send it to this so-called lord of yours. And I will cut off your lord’s head as well.”
At that moment, Hwangbo Chiseung rose to his full height.
He raised his only fist and aimed it at Jeon Mu-yeol.
“Reaper Pyo-wol! He is the lord to whom this Hwangbo Chiseung has sworn allegiance! I can tolerate you throwing insults at me, but I can’t tolerate you insulting him! Come at me, you arrogant martial artist!”
LUNACAVE
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