Chapter 7

Song Chaeji was restless.

Winning the martial duel was good. And as a martial artist, witnessing a martial art that could open her eyes was an unexpected and significant gain.

However, apart from that, she had no idea how to deal with that unknown, mysterious master.

‘Ugh… To talk about dying in front of such a master… I must be crazy…’

She was ashamed.

To put it bluntly, she was embarrassed. She had confidently struck her own sword, calling herself a martial artist, only to lose. It was a fight she should have won, but she couldn’t control her emotions, making it a disgraceful defeat. Song Chaeji knew it herself, and that young master, who had reached a much higher realm, probably knew it too.

Remembering how she had tried to stop him by saying he hadn’t learned martial arts made her ears burn as if they were on fire.

Unable to say anything, Song Chaeji was fidgeting when Namgung Woo extended a helping hand.

“But was there a reason you chose a martial duel? I understand that following the ways of the martial world is better than relying on the government’s power, but I heard the Black Bear Faction has a Peak Master.”

On the way to the Black Bear Faction, following Pung Hyo as their guide.

After hearing more about the Black Bear Faction, Namgung Woo asked, thinking that the martial duel might have been reckless for Song Chaeji from the start.

‘The leader of the Black Bear Faction is said to be quite high among Peak Masters.’

As if she had been waiting for someone to talk to her, Song Chaeji quickly replied.

“Ah, the Black Bear Faction only has one known Peak Master, their leader. That’s usually how it is with unorthodox factions. The good stuff is monopolized by the higher-ups. It’s common for only a few at the top to have high martial arts achievements, while those below are far behind.”

Song Chaeji had calculated thoroughly before proposing the martial duel.

The leader, the only Peak Master in the Black Bear Faction, wouldn’t participate in the duel for the sake of face, so those below him would step forward. She thought she could win against them, being just one step away from the Peak Master realm.

“There might be other first-rate martial artists among the rest, but even at the same level, orthodox martial artists are usually considered slightly above unorthodox ones. There’s a difference in the level of martial arts they’ve learned.”

Orthodox martial arts have a deep history. It’s not for nothing that most famous sects come from the White Path Martial World.

The martial arts of renowned orthodox sects, refined over generations, have a depth that unorthodox martial arts, which rely on peculiar methods to accelerate growth, cannot match, even if their growth is slower.

“But why did Miss Song come alone to Pyeongyo County?”

It was a question meant to ask why she had come alone to Pyeongyo County, quite far from Hangsan, to help the Yang family, but Song Chaeji seemed to understand it differently.

“Well, if I used the power of the Hangsan Faction, the Shadowless Gate of Taiyuan might interfere.”

“The Shadowless Gate?”

When Namgung Woo expressed confusion at the name of the faction he had never heard of, Song Chaeji’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You don’t know? It’s one of the major factions in the unorthodox martial world…”

Namgung Woo felt a somewhat disrespectful vibe from Song Chaeji’s eyes.

As if she was shocked that he didn’t know such basic knowledge.

It wasn’t that she was ignoring him, but more like she was surprised that such a rare specimen existed.

When Namgung Woo stared at Song Chaeji, she realized her mistake and hurriedly tried to fix it.

“Ahem, ahem, no. It’s possible not to know. Anyway, the Shadowless Gate is called the ruler of the Shanxi Martial World. They also back the Black Bear Faction.”

Hearing that, Namgung Woo let go of his last bit of doubt.

He had been wondering if this was a different timeline of the Chasing Deer Murim that he didn’t know.

‘This is definitely not the world I know. There was no Shadowless Gate in the past, so if there’s any possibility, it’s the future, but that wouldn’t make sense.’

Namgung Woo gave up his last lingering hope.

He hadn’t expected much anyway, so the disappointment was small.

“That’s why I thought a martial duel had potential. Even though our Hangsan Faction has declined a lot, we still have the power to keep the Shadowless Gate in check.”

Just like the Shadowless Gate backing the Black Bear Faction, Song Chaeji also had the Hangsan Faction as her support.

So she thought they would handle the martial duel cleanly, considering each other’s face, but Song Chaeji’s calculations turned out to be too naive this time. It was a result in hindsight.

“Ugh, thinking about it again makes me angry.”

Song Chaeji glared at the back of Pung Hyo’s head, looking like she wanted to hit him.

Feeling her gaze, Pung Hyo’s steps became more hurried.

Seeing Pung Hyo’s pitiful state, Song Chaeji turned her gaze away, feeling hollow.

‘By the way, I still haven’t heard his name.’

Song Chaeji cautiously approached Namgung Woo, who was walking ahead.

“Um…”

Just as Song Chaeji was about to speak, another voice interrupted.

“We, we’ve arrived.”

Pung Hyo’s back was soaked with cold sweat, so tense was he at the thought of having a grim reaper behind him. His voice was thick with relief that it was finally over.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Y, yes!”

“Let’s continue the unfinished talk after we wrap up this matter.”

At Namgung Woo’s kind words, Song Chaeji nodded hurriedly.

Watching this from the side, Yang Sodang giggled, amused by her usually dependable sister’s unusual behavior.

“Sodang, you…”

“Uh, sister. Look, the young master is going in. Let’s follow.”

Sometimes, a child’s intuition is spot on. But it wasn’t just the child’s mysterious insight—it was obvious to anyone that Namgung Woo had become the group’s representative, so Yang Sodang quickly used his name to shake off Song Chaeji.

Indeed, Namgung Woo was already passing through the open gates of the Black Bear Faction, and Yang Sodang ran after him, sticking close to his back.

“Really…”

What goes around comes around.

Song Chaeji had never felt the teachings of the Taoist scriptures she had learned at the Hangsan Faction’s main base as much as she did today.

But this too came from the relief and hope of having overcome a major hurdle.

Song Chaeji’s expression was bright.

“Let’s go together.”

With light steps, Song Chaeji headed towards the two.

§

Hwang Moo-tak, the Great Strength Tyrant Blade, leader of the Black Bear Faction.

He was undoubtedly a strong man.

His martial arts, positioned at the very top of the Peak Master realm, had rightfully placed his name among the top hundred masters of Shanxi Province. Not only that, but he also possessed political acumen, having established close ties with the Shadowless Gate, the dominant faction of the Black Path in Shanxi Martial World.

He had more than enough ability to firmly grasp and rule over a small county like Pyeongyo. With the imperial salary, he could easily handle a county magistrate responsible for peacefully governing the region. A proper show of force and sufficient sincerity would suffice.

But now, Hwang Moo-tak was witnessing a disaster that rendered the authority he had built useless.

‘Damn, bad luck has struck.’

Unlike those third-rate groups who had grown accustomed to the power they enjoyed and lost their ability to make proper judgments, Hwang Moo-tak was different.

He trusted his insight, which had brought him to this position, more than the martial arts that had brought him to the brink of the Peak Master realm.

That’s why, when he first saw Namgung Woo, he immediately recognized him as a powerhouse he couldn’t contend with.

He couldn’t sense any aura. While mediocre martial artists like Song Chaeji or Pung Hyo, who were climbing the peak of ignorance, might have thought he hadn’t learned martial arts because he lacked an aura, Hwang Moo-tak was different.

He carefully observed every move Namgung Woo made—his breathing, his gait, his sense of balance. All of it was on a different level from that of an ordinary person who hadn’t learned martial arts.

The disciplined, unshakable demeanor revealed to Hwang Moo-tak the true reason he couldn’t sense Namgung Woo’s aura.

It was because of the difference in their levels. Namgung Woo was a supreme master who could thoroughly control all his energy, perfectly conceal it, and prevent it from leaking out.

Return to Simplicity. It was a realm beyond the world.

‘Bow. We must resolve this through dialogue.’

Hwang Moo-tak walked to the front gate and bowed very, very respectfully.

“Esteemed guest, your noble steps have graced this humble place…”

“I did not come to talk.”

Namgung Woo cut off Hwang Moo-tak’s words sharply.

Then he called Song Chaeji and Yang Sodang, who were trailing behind him, to his side.

“The Yang Family Inn. We need to settle the accounts properly.”

At those words, Hwang Moo-tak immediately understood how things had unfolded.

He was aware of the martial duel with Song Chaeji.

“During the duel, you used underhanded tactics. Joint attacks in a martial duel? Is that what the Black Bear Faction’s martial duels are like?”

“It seems the underlings acted on their own out of excessive loyalty. As the leader of the Black Bear Faction, I apologize on their behalf.”

As Namgung Woo continued to speak, Hwang Moo-tak’s mouth went dry.

‘Damn it, that lunatic Pung Hyo…’

I raised him because I saw potential, and this is how he repays me? I won’t forgive him.

“I’m not saying I won’t pay. I just want to receive the proper value.”

Hwang Moo-tak bowed his head as if in apology. Beating Pung Hyo could wait until after he dealt with the disaster before him.

“You also said it was a martial duel between the Black Bear Faction and the Yang Family Inn. Even after losing once, you refused to admit defeat. Now, only I remain at the Yang Family Inn. If you wish to continue the martial duel, feel free to do so. You can send others, or the leader can step forward himself. What will you do?”

Of course, Namgung Woo expected the leader to step forward himself.

If so, he hoped to somewhat satisfy his longing for this incomplete martial art.

But Hwang Moo-tak was a pioneer who had boldly established a faction in the unorthodox martial world of the Black Path!

“I concede. The Black Bear Faction has lost.”

Hwang Moo-tak’s waist bent like a bow.