The Murong family has been a martial arts family that has maintained its lineage for over a thousand years.
People from the Central Plains refer to the Murong family as the “barbarian rulers of Yodong Province,” but they do not fully understand the implications of that statement.
Only the officials appointed in Yodong Province and those living in the Manchu region clearly understand what it means to be termed the “barbarian rulers of Yodong Province.”
“Run awaaaaay!”
“Damn Murong family!!!”
Even charging in is useless. The Jurchen people take on anyone, martial artists who utilize martial arts. It’s futile to flee; they were better at horse riding than the Jurchens.
They’ll use any weapon without hesitation, mercilessly cutting down the throats of these outsiders.
“It’s the lord’s command! Show them why we are the Murong family!”
Martial artists who have honed their skills over a thousand years facing external tribes.
They are the barbarian rulers of Yodong Province. The Murong family.
“I’ve subdued them all.”
Murong Sang-a watched as the Great Lord of Spear Peak made the Jurchen leader who attacked the settlement kneel before her.
“Hey! You think the clan leader will stay quiet…? Cough!”
There was no value in hearing him out. With a strike as precise as if drawn by a ruler, one head rolled onto the ground.
“Spare one and send him to the clan leader. If there’s any dissatisfaction with today’s events, tell him to come find me by tomorrow.”
She didn’t want to spill unnecessary blood, but if it was her own blood that was spilled, it was a different story. If they wanted a fight, so be it. She would show them why they are the Murong family.
Murong Sang-a wiped the blood off her blade and looked somewhere.
“Yes. I will notify them. Just in case, I will contact the main force… Lord?”
A child was approaching Spear Peak. Who is this little one? A kid from the settlement? Murong Sang-a walked toward the child who approached her.
“Fairy! Fairy!”
Was it her otherworldly appearance? The child called out to Murong Sang-a as if asking for help from a fairy descending from the skies.
“What’s the matter?”
“Mom won’t get up. Can you fix her, Fairy?”
The child’s innocent remark clawed at the hearts of the martial artists watching the situation unfold. At the child’s fingertips was the already departed mother.
Murong Sang-a’s eyes trembled as she looked at the child.
“Come here.”
Murong Sang-a knelt to match the child’s gaze. What should she say? At that age, understanding death is tough. She opened her arms to soothe her heavy heart.
“Fairy! Is Mom going to Heaven like Dad?”
The child’s trembling voice hit her heart like a dagger. Murong Sang-a carefully opened her mouth to prevent the child from being shocked.
“Yeah. She has gone to Heaven.”
“Can I go too?”
The child’s words stabbed painfully into her heart. Murong Sang-a gently stroked the child’s head.
“You should live happily for a long time before you go.”
Those words flowed from her, words her lost half once spoke to her. Although she couldn’t say it to herself, she could mimic her claim to the heavens.
The child’s crying broke out. Murong Sang-a silently stroked the child’s head. Though her decision came after much thought, the child’s warmth showed her that reaching out was enough.
———
“The clan leader has sent a letter.”
The next day, what greeted Murong Sang-a was not the Jurchen army, but a messenger who had come swiftly on horseback.
“Please read it.”
“I am Turushan. I regret what has happened. Although I am a clan leader, I cannot control all the tribes.”
“You’re taking a step back.”
It was an unexpected action, not her command. He wanted to avoid conflict. Unlike the first letter sent, the clan leader’s humble position showed through.
“I do not wish to create insurmountable chasms due to misunderstandings between us. We should ease each other’s anger, so let us meet again when the words are more substantial. Instead, I will not disturb your tribe for a while.”
“Barbarian scum! Tucking your tail between your legs and running away, huh?!”
A few members of Spear Peak smiled with satisfaction after hearing the content of the letter. But the expressions of the Spear Peak leaders hardened.
“Great Lord of Spear Peak.”
Murong Sang-a called the Great Lord of Spear Peak, asking the younger members to explain.
“The expression ‘when the words are substantial’ can indicate months of time, but it also threatens that war may be prepared if things change.”
In the season of Tian Gao Ma Fei (High Skies, Fat Horses). For the native tribes, it merely expressed the essence of autumn, but for those living alongside outsiders, it was a dreadful phrase.
When horses grow fat, it means slaughters from outsiders are forthcoming.
“……”
“Provide escort to the investigation team and ensure they can send word anytime if attacked.”
Murong Sang-a sent out a letter with double meanings. She ordered ample preparations as she wouldn’t be lacking in defenses.
“Yes. Understood.”
“My lord, wouldn’t it be better to simply wipe out the troublesome Jurchens?”
One young member of Spear Peak knelt and spoke earnestly, stepping forward.
“From now on, I will continue to form investigation teams. Are we to kill every Jurchen we meet then?”
Although it was a foolish statement.
“……”
“Great Lord of Spear Peak, only you remain, please withdraw.”
“Understood!”
“Haaa…”
Once all the members left, Murong Sang-a let out a small sigh without realizing it.
“Is there anyone living in Yodong who hasn’t suffered at the hands of these barbarians?”
“Now that the Spear Peak has grown in size, it has become a matter of substance.”
Murong Sang-a nodded in agreement with the Great Lord of Spear Peak’s words, feeling a mix of frustration and understanding.
Originally, Spear Peak was merely a guard unit meant to protect Murong Sang-a.
She needed to establish power in the Murong family. Murong Sang-a decided to grow Spear Peak, her only ally.
Utilizing her wealth and connections, she successfully turned Spear Peak into a representative group of the Murong family, but an organization that expanded rapidly naturally began to show side effects.
In particular, the hatred towards outsiders was evident.
To the people of the Central Plains, outsiders were merely an object of contempt, but for those living in Yodong Province, outsiders were a tangible threat. Hatred was inevitable.
“Thanks to you, my lord has given them a hint, don’t the Koreans call them barbarians anymore?”
The Great Lord of Spear Peak, with a bitter smile, seemed to understand and comforted their leader.
“Once, a member of Spear Peak fumbled in front of me and was trembling in fear.”
“Haha! I thought I was dead at your gaze, my lord. I was begging to be sent to a faraway place unnoticed, was that true?”
“That seems to have happened.”
One corner of Murong Sang-a’s mouth curved up shyly.
“In the end, everything rests on you, my lord.”
The Great Lord of Spear Peak said with a serious expression, reading her face.
“What do you mean?”
“Restore the Murong family, and you will change it, young lady, no, my lord.”
The barbarian rulers of Yodong Province have the strength to do just that.
“…. While I’m at it, I’ll also check on other investigation teams. Prepare.”
At the Great Lord of Spear Peak’s words, Murong Sang-a fell into thought for a brief moment before revealing her next destination.
——
“The only guest room available is this inn. We will stay in the adjacent inn, so please rest comfortably.”
On her way back after visiting the Sacred Martial Library’s three locations, Murong Sang-a was about to say that the uncomfortable guest room was fine but swallowed her words.
“Everyone, please drink in moderation.”
With days spent wandering around in dust without proper rest, the members of Spear Peak were staying at an inn for the first time in seven days, creating an atmosphere of excitement.
For morale’s sake, Murong Sang-a decided to allow a small indulgence.
“Hahaha! Understood!”
“Thank you! We will make sure the guard duty goes smoothly!”
After repeatedly warning against excessive drinking, Murong Sang-a headed toward the guest room.
—-
In the middle of the night, Murong Sang-a woke up.
Despite being tired from the long journey, she couldn’t sleep. Even though they said it was a guest room, the soundproofing was poor.
“Ugh…”
Was someone suffering from muscle pain in the next room after such a long journey?
The low, ambiguous grumbling sound from someone who could be male or female kept bothering Murong Sang-a’s ears, preventing her from sleeping any longer.
Instead, Murong Sang-a sat up in bed, fiddling with the ring on her left hand’s pinky finger.
“May you live happily for a long time, wishing for a late arrival.”
Those words were meant to comfort the child, but the very notion that she had spoken them brought a bittersweet self-mockery.
How could a woman devoid of worth for happiness wish for a long life? She silently bore only the tasks left behind by her departed love.
To earn the right to see her face just once.
Murong Sang-a continued to fiddle with the ring on her pinky.
It was the ring left by her husband as proof of their union. Made of Zhangbai Silver, it had the function of preservation, but even miles away, she could think of her husband through the ring…
“Why is the ring reacting?”
Energy began to flow from the ring. It surged forth with strong insistence as if resisting the energy drawing near.
In the vast room where she was all alone.
If the Zhangbai Silver was reacting, there could only be one reason.
“An assassin!”
Murong Sang-a swung her sword in the direction the energy was responding to.
“Gah!”
The assassin was caught off guard, clutching their wound as they retreated.
“When?!”
There was no time to think. The ring was responding. One. Two. Three. The room was only three… where could they be? They were a professional assassin.
Without thinking, Murong Sang-a kicked open the door and bolted out.
“Where’s the guard?”
There lay the already lifeless bodies of two Spear Peak members right outside the door.
Murong Sang-a didn’t panic; she immediately headed downstairs to the inn. Downstairs, neither the innkeeper nor the dim lights were visible.
She tried to leave the inn, but a guest blocked her way.
“Assassin, you’re not going to escape.”
Before she knew it, ten black-clad men had surrounded Murong Sang-a.
“Did your brother send you?”
It made sense that things had been quiet lately. The Demon Cult. The only one who would use such dirty tricks.
Murong Sang-a thought of Murong Bi, who had poisoned her father in collusion with the Demon Cult.
“…….”
There was no answer.
Silence. As if no one were around. It felt like she stood in an empty house. Was the inn a trap from the start?
The ten black-clad men inched closer, tightening their grip on her life.
Could she face all of them? Murong Sang-a tightened her grip on her sword.
It was then.
“Thinking I’m only putting poison in your food, I thought you were just a common robber but realized you had something else in mind.”
Bam! With the sound of a door bursting open, someone jumped out from the room next to Murong Sang-a’s.
“Who?”
Both Murong Sang-a and the assassins shared the same feeling.
———
In this world, countless coincidences exist.
A carefully handed-over precious ring alerts a woman to danger.
“Mount Wu.”
A man read a book unreservedly written against the world, and a Taoist Master stepped forth into the world.
“The inheritor of Eight Trigrams Swordplay.”
Also, a man met a Taoist Master who possessed unwavering integrity, extending a helping hand to a complete stranger.
“I am Qingyun.”
Connections.
A man’s life saving a woman once again is not merely coincidence but an unbreakable bond.
