Friends

The fight that happened afterward was brief but eye-opening on many fronts for both sides.

The demonic man they met seemed to be relying on a martial skill that defied logic. Elder Han Taejin and Nun Oh Jiyong attacked at the same time but what they caught was his afterimage.

As for the Blind Phoenix, she relied on her keen hearing and attacked in a different direction, exposing the Vampire as he moved like a shadow but then again, the Vampire moved faster than before, avoiding her attack completely.

Yang Yuran cooperated with the two elders to relentlessly pursue Vallen, but he was elusive and could only be sensed by Yuran. As he exchanged attacks with them, it became clear that his strength wasn't much above that of a first-rate warrior, but he was quite difficult to pin down.

One that was clear for the three chasers was that the man they were chasing was not a human. Despite how profound and advanced the Qinggong (agility technique) he used, there was no hint of inner energy being used. Even sorceries that would imitate Martial Arts need some medium like a talisman or a totem to be cast in some sort.

However, nothing could be called logical with this foe. Aside from the bizarre Qinggong that always left behind a false mirage, the enemy showed a skill that was rather surprising to see.

As he was maneuvering between trees, Nun Oh Jiyong cut his path attempting to hit him with a palm attack but as he diverted his route, the Blind Phoenix attacked from above with her staff aiming at his center. As he was pincered, Vallen found no leeway from using the Shroud of Blood to dodge the attack but just as he did so, the Blind Phoenix signaled Daoist Han Taejin who charged with all his vigor towards the spot Vallen would appear in.

Just as Daoist Taejin slashed with his blade against Vallen, he felt a sharp killing intent coming towards his abdomen and had to cancel his attack almost as it was approaching Vallen's neck and parry whatever it was coming to gut him. As the two landed in opposite directions, Daoist Han could see a small knife flying in an odd trajectory and curving midair as it landed back in the hand of Vallen.

They prepared a trap for him, forcing him to take a drastic leap in order to attack him midair but Vallen played the dare game and forced Han Taejin to cancel his attack with a timely throw of a hidden weapon.

Such cunning was expected from a demon but the execution of the technique felt familiar to all three experts.

"Butterfly Wing Technique." Yang Yuran said in surprise as she was familiar with the sound this technique makes midair.

"The Tang Clan? Impossible!" Nun Oh Jiyong was surprised by what the Blind Phoenix said but it was Daoist Han who confirmed it.

"It is true. I am familiar with the technique." He said.

As the vampire fixed his posture, he began to causally dust of his ragged robe before glancing backward at them and casually smiling.

"I suggest this ends here." He said and turned to them.

"You scum! Are you related to the Tang Clan? Are you trying to disturb the peace between the sects?" Han Taejin asked.

"Well, I wonder." Vallen said and looked around which made the others check their surroundings too.

This was no mere distraction. It seemed that backup had arrived and they were all on the side of Vallen.

To describe what the three experts say, it can only be seen as a horde of demonic creatures appearing all over the surrounding trees like a pack of wild baboons. However, none of them screamed or even made a hiss, they all just remained hanging on the trunks and the thick branches silently waiting as the ragged black-clothed demonic young man smiled eerily.

How many monsters were there? Almost a twenty by just counting the red pairs of eyes that were glaring at them from above.

Was it a trap from the beginning?

"As I said, there is no need for violence. It would pain me to know that despite your good chances of survival, the disciples who are still behind may have been through a misfortune."

"BASTARD!"

Daoist Han Taejin was the one who lost his nerves this time but he was lucky Nun Oh Jiyong was there to stop him from acting recklessly. Vallen smiled and started to retreat back into the darkness along with the many Ghouls and Nosferatus surrounding the place with their red eyes fading in the darkness.

Without leaving behind any hint or clue, the three experts only had one clue they needed to pursue. The martial skill that was shown by the demonic man belonged to the Tang clan and there is no mistake about it.

If the Tang Clan harbors such monsters, not only they will be shamed in front of the world but all factions of the Murim Alliance will have to reconsider their status as an Orthodox clan.

~~~~~~~~~~

Far away from Sichuan, a meeting of fate took place at the gates of the Great Murim Academy where many of the junior members of Murim were expected to show.

While acting as an institution of martial knowledge exchange between the many factions, each faction was responsible for rearing its members with exclusive resources and techniques to compete with the rest. Thus the Murim Academy was nothing but a front to gather donations from the different factions—especially the smaller ones—and organize competitions for the juniors to pick the future participants of the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament, those few who will eventually take part in management of the alliance in the future.

Usually, holders of the Dragon and Phoenix titles were martial artists, both males and females respectively, and the competition was annually held for all martial artists under the age of 30. After that, anyone who still held the title till the age of 30 or contributed greatly to the alliance will be appointed as an elder. However, the position was saved for those who were favored by the existing top brass.

For that, the Murim Academy was established to be the first step for those who are ambitious enough to walk that path. However, not all were ambitious as some were also desperate to join for a multitude of reasons. Some came from a poor background and as long as they are taken under the wing of some bigshot, they will be supported and given both resources and teaching.

Others, however, were desperate for their own reasons and it was clear with Jegal Jongnam and Moyong Minah. They stood facing the gate of the Dragon Phoenix Hall with their faces darkened with both sadness and regret.

"So… we are here after all."

"We have made… without him alas."

"He should have been with us, that bastard! It is he who kept asking us to go together."

"He certainly nagged us for days."

The pair of young people stood together, brooding in silence, as the clouds in the sky added to their gloom.

Jegal Jongnam had dark circles around his eyes and he smelled of alcohol as he had been drinking for the past month. As for Moyong Minah, she kept her face hidden under a veil connected to her straw hat.

In this world, a few have mourned Tang Seong, the unfortunate victim of the Blood Proof incident. Nothing could have prepared his two friends for losing him in such a manner and they hated how powerless they felt for not being able to help him.

The Tang Clan is a brutal bunch. They walk the thin line between the Orthodox and Unorthodox but they have always been seen as the ones who can do what anyone else can't. Their martial arts are cunning, their poisons are better than anything in the Central Plains, and their methods are cold but always effective. They assassinated many enemies of Murim, sent the Green Forest on the run, and by all accounts the strongest Force in Sichuan, stronger than Qingcheng and Emei combined.

Brutality was the price of this effectiveness, many relate the Tang Clan and Gu Poison, a poison made by putting all manner of poisonous creatures in a sealed pot and letting them devour each other until one prevails.

But there was an exception, and that exception was called Tang Seong.

By all accounts, he was unremarkable. Just a member of the clan without all the explosive talent the heirs of the family have. He didn't try to compete with anyone and was bad at handling poison. On top of that, his personality was too humane and kind to be a Tang.

He was good at certain things like stealth and hidden weapons but poison, even his father, Tang Sungki, was publicly scolding him for his lack of talent in that field on too many occasions.

The friendship between the three—Tang Seong, Jegal Jongnam, and Moyong Minah—bloomed through the work of their fathers and took years to complete only to end in such tragedy.

Now that they started thinking about how it all started, Jongnam and Minah would occasionally smile as the two of them were really hostile to each other, almost competing in everything but they made a common enemy out of Seong as he would tirelessly compete with them without hoping to win, all he wanted was to join the fun. Suddenly, all that heated competition turned into a good relationship that lasted for almost three years.

Until that night, that is.

Jongnam noticed Minah looking away at the distant sky in the direction of the inner area of the Alliance Headquarters and so he asked.

"What do you have in mind?"

She, who was wearing a white and tan robe and resting her spear over her left shoulder, let a sigh as she kept her eye on one tall tower.

"From that place will we be able to find justice for Seong." She replied.

"The Yellow Dragon Hall?" Jongnam asked, fully realizing the extent of Minah's ambition to ascend the ranks in the most notorious office in all Murim.

The Yellow Dragon Hall was a tower none would dare approach even though it is not functionally a part of the main body of the Murim Alliance. This place houses the only authority that can punish any power in Murim, the Imperial Bureau of Murim Affairs.

While it is just an empty building most of the time, it is built at a higher elevation than both the Twin Dragon Hall and the Grand Stratagem Hall. An imposing reminder that the authority of the Imperial Palace remains higher than that of any power in Murim even this far away from Beijing.

Jongnam looked the other way, however, his eye landed on the second most important facility in Murim, if not the most important, the Grand Stratagem Hall.

"I find that unwise since all you will do is always be doing what others tell you. The Grand Stratagem Hall, on the other hand, dictates everything within Orthodox Murim even without the permission of the leaders. Over there is where we will find justice."

"Hmph! Good luck with that. The Grand Stratagem Hall only plays in the big picture and has no judicial authority." Moyong Minah said, unable to accept Jongnam's choice.

"And how is the Yellow Drago Hall any better? You will only be doing what you are told. Even the Administrator with all his might can't act freely." Jongnam retorted, seeing that her choice was unwise.

Those two were always like cats and dogs, always headbutting about every little thing. If they were puzzle pieces, there would be no way for Jongnam and Minah to fit together even by an intentional mistake.

The piece that could always connect them was Seong and the three together were always on good terms. No matter what they disagreed about, no matter every time they debated, Seong would always resolve it.

"Excuse me!"

As they reached the point they had reached just now, Seong would say something to resolve it but this time, it wasn't Tang Seong, it was someone just as bright as their late friend, with a bright smile and a warm voice.

"You must be Jegal Jongnam, am I right?" The young man spoke and cupped his fist, "My name is Namgong Jinmu."

Jongnam and Minah stopped their bickering and turned to the young man of their age group, greeting him the same way.

"Namgong Jinmu? Ah! I remember that name. We met during our families' exchange a year ago." Jegal Jongnam greeted Namgong Jinmu with a tired smile.

Namgong Jinmu turned to Moyong Minah and gave her a friendly smile as he spoke:

"And may I be honored by your name, young lady?"

"Moyong Minah." She replied.

"Oh, such a surprise! Here I was, almost thinking it was only I the Five Noble Clans sent this year. Just seeing all those Mt. Hua and Wudang disciples glaring at me made me very nervous. But there are three of us after all." Jinmu spoke brightly but it only made the faces of Jongnam and Minah darken even more.

Somehow, what he said touched a wound they both shared and he understood that something was amiss right away.

"Something the matter?" He asked with concern in his eyes.

"Nothing." Jongnam smiled and pondered a bit before continuing, "It is just… it could have been four of us."

"Oh!" Jinmu seemed to have realized that there was some sort of a tragedy and he must have used the wrong words at the wrong time.

He didn't pry or try to know anything so he thought for a while before speaking:

"I happened to hear the two of you arguing about the Grand Stratagem Hall and the Yellow Dragon Hall. I didn't mean to pry but I seem to understand your reasons behind coming here this year."

"It is simply justice for our friend." Minah said with a piercing gaze just as sharp as the tip of her white spear.

"You say that but all I hear is revenge." Jinmu said and showed a firm face, "I understand why I haven't got wind of any other member of the Nine Noble Clans joining this year. You must have come here behind your families' backs."

"You hit the nail on the head, friend." Jongnam replied.

"I see." He nodded and spoke to the two, "Revenge is all fine and good but let me tell you one thing. People neither change by force nor manipulation. They need to be inspired and influenced. In Murim, the only way you can do that is at the top."

Jinmu looked at the central building and took a couple of steps ahead of the two. The Twin Dragon Hall was his focus and as the two looked in the same direction he did, the glooming clouds were torn apart by sunlight, chasing away the cold of the early morning.

Maybe Namgong Jinmu has what it takes to change this world.

Maybe he can be the one to bring justice to Tang Seong.