Mount Qingcheng stood northwest of Chengdu in Sichuan Province.
Dense mist wrapped around the mountainside like a lake, leaving the peaks scattered above it like islands.
Whenever the light of dawn spread across the mist, the scenery seemed to belong not to the mortal world, but to the realm of immortals.
Within that mystical landscape stood the Qingcheng Sect, one of the martial world’s three great Daoist holy grounds.
The Hall of No-Mind was the residence of the Qingcheng Sect Master.
Every disciple of the Un generation had gathered there.
Baek Un, Ja Un, Jeok Un, and Cheong Un.
Every one of them wore a grave expression.
The hall was filled with nothing but sighs.
“We somehow managed to scrape together this payment, but the next one will be the problem.”
At Ja Un’s words, Baek Un, the Sect Master, groaned and blamed himself.
“Ugh... This is all my fault. Heaven must be angry because a man as lacking in virtue as I am became Sect Master.”
“What are you saying? How could the upheaval of the Azure Dragon Vein possibly be your fault?”
Jeok Un joined in.
“He is right. It was nothing more than a natural disaster. It was the will of Heaven, not the fault of any man. Please do not blame yourself so harshly.”
Baek Un shook his head at his junior brothers’ words.
“No. When one’s heart strays from the Dao, heaven and earth respond in kind. My heart fell into disorder first, and so the Azure Dragon Vein turned in its sleep.”
His voice was endlessly calm, but beneath it lay the crushing guilt of the Sect Master responsible for the Qingcheng Sect.
Jeok Un quietly spoke.
“Senior Brother.”
Everyone turned toward him.
“We are Daoists. What does it matter if we eat a little less or wear poorer clothes? As long as we remain grateful for what we have and continue cultivating the Dao, could poverty itself not become part of our training?”
A smile touched Jeok Un’s lips.
“Perhaps the Azure Dragon Vein stirred precisely to grant us that realization.”
Baek Un laughed.
“Ha ha ha. It seems you are the only one among us who has truly comprehended the Dao.”
“Not at all. I merely said what I could because you seemed so troubled.”
“Thank you. Your words have eased my heart somewhat.”
“I am glad, Senior Brother.”
His heart might have eased, but the problem before them had not disappeared.
Silence settled over the room once more.
Just then, a commotion erupted outside, and a disciple came running over in a panic.
“Sect Master! Guests have arrived below the mountain gate! I think you should come out immediately!”
They went outside and found a first-generation disciple standing there, struggling to catch his breath.
“What are you talking about? Guests? And what sort of guests would have you making such a commotion?”
“Sect Master, they say they are from the True Martial Merchant Company. There must be several hundred of them. Every one of them is carrying a load up the mountain path. I thought they might have come to the wrong place, so I asked again, but they insisted this was their destination and said they wished to meet the Sect Master.”
“My word.”
As Baek Un stood there bewildered, Ja Un seemed to recall something.
“Would that be the merchant company selling weapons in Chengdu earlier today?”
“Ah! The company where Ha Muhyeon serves as Chief Escort! I remember now.”
“It appears Ha Muhyeon has come to visit.”
At the mention of Ha Muhyeon, Baek Un’s expression brightened.
“That boy has come? What could have brought him here in person? Bring him in for now.”
“Yes!”
*****
When several hundred porters crowded into the courtyard before the Hall of No-Mind, the place looked as chaotic as a bustling marketplace.
Ha Muhyeon emerged from among them with a bright smile and stood before Baek Un.
“Sect Master, have you been well?”
Baek Un watched warmly as Ha Muhyeon offered a martial salute.
“Ha ha ha. Yes, nothing of consequence has happened to me. Have you been well?”
Nothing of consequence?
Ha Muhyeon had come precisely because he knew everything that had happened.
Even so, he pretended not to know.
“Yes. Thanks to your concern, Sect Master, I have remained safe and well.”
“But what is all this?”
“I heard about the sect’s circumstances. I came in the hope that this might be of some small help. I apologize for taking so long to visit.”
“Small? This is an enormous amount.”
“To tell the truth, I did not bring all this myself. These supplies were sent by the Merchant Master.”
“Why would the Merchant Master do such a thing?”
“I told him this place was my home, and he sent them.”
“My word... I am deeply grateful, but we cannot accept all of this. Is this not far too much?”
As Baek Un spoke apologetically, an unfamiliar voice reached his ears.
“You raised such a capable man and sent him to me. It is only right that I repay you for it.”
Jeok Wigang slowly stepped out from behind the crowd.
“And you are?”
Jeok Wigang offered Baek Un a martial salute.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Jeok Wigang, Merchant Master of the True Martial Merchant Company.”
“You are the Merchant Master? Forgive me for failing to recognize you.”
“Ha ha. There is nothing to forgive. Because of my age, most people never imagine that I could be the Merchant Master. Please pay it no mind.”
“Thank you for being so understanding.”
Baek Un gave Jeok Wigang a kindly smile.
“However, accepting all these goods is out of the question. This must be a tremendous expense even for you. We cannot shamelessly accept everything.”
“Then those porters will have to carry those heavy loads all the way back down. Do you not feel sorry for them? A man who follows the Dao should not be so cruel.”
“Th-that is...”
“Am I wrong?”
Jeok Wigang turned to the porters, and they immediately raised an uproar.
“Sect Master! We nearly crawled up this treacherous mountain as it is! This is too much!”
“If we have to carry these loads back down, we will die!”
“Do you not know that going down is even harder than climbing up?”
“Please show us mercy!”
The porters pleaded with expressions suggesting that they truly were on the verge of death, leaving Baek Un at a loss.
How could he possibly refuse when they were begging him like that?
Jeok Wigang’s voice rang out.
“You are too exhausted to carry them back anyway. Everyone, put the loads down.”
Before he had even finished speaking, the porters dropped their burdens to the ground.
“You have worked hard. Head back down and get some rest.”
“Yes!”
As though they had rehearsed it beforehand, they surged out of the courtyard in an instant.
They moved so quickly that every last one of them could have been mistaken for an elite martial artist.
The courtyard that had been packed with porters now contained nothing but neatly arranged bundles.
“Well, there is no one left to carry them back down. It seems you have no choice but to use them here.”
Jeok Wigang’s grin was not irritating in the slightest.
If anything, Baek Un was so grateful that he nearly wept.
He understood perfectly well why Jeok Wigang was behaving this way.
“There. You cannot return them now. Use them here or throw them away. Do whatever you please.”
“How could we throw away such precious goods? We will treasure them and put them to good use.”
“A wise decision.”
Jeok Wigang smiled and gestured toward the Qingcheng Daoists.
“What are you all doing? You should start moving the loads.”
At his words, everyone looked toward Baek Un for permission.
Only after Baek Un nodded did they break into bright smiles and hurry toward the bundles piled across the courtyard.
They needed to know what was inside before moving them, so they began untying the loads they had picked up.
“Wow! New robes!”
The bundles contained the blue Daoist robes that symbolized the Qingcheng Sect, sorted by size and build.
There were so many that the Qingcheng Daoists would not have to worry about clothing for years.
Other crates were packed with grain, salt, and medicinal herbs.
Radiant smiles spread across the Daoists’ faces.
Then a startled cry erupted from one side of the courtyard.
“Ugh! Wh-what is this?”
Everyone turned toward the sound.
Baek Un and the elders of the Un generation hurried over.
“What happened?”
“S-Sect Master, please look at this.”
Dozens of swords stood neatly arranged inside the wooden crate they were pointing toward.
“Swords?”
“T-Take one out. These are not ordinary swords.”
Baek Un extended his hand, and one of the swords flew from the crate into his grasp.
CLACK—
SHIIING—
Baek Un drew the sword and stared at it in admiration.
“My word... What a masterwork.”
Its clear metallic note delighted the ears, while the blade bore gentle, wave-like patterns.
A blue radiance shimmered across its surface, flowing beautifully whenever the sword moved.
Each time light struck it, the finely engraved emblem of the True Martial Merchant Company appeared and vanished.
It was not merely beautiful.
The instant he took hold of it, it settled into his hand as though it had accompanied him for many years.
Unable to restrain himself, Baek Un infused the sword with his qi.
HUMMMMM—
The sword rang.
A thrilling current spread from his fingertips through his entire body.
The vibration circulated through his blood vessels, giving him the sensation that his body and the sword had become one.
Through a sword he had only just touched, he was experiencing the unity of sword and body.
“It feels like a part of my own body...”
The words of admiration escaped Baek Un with complete sincerity.
“Ha ha ha. A sword such as this...”
He was delighted.
It had been a long time since he had felt anything like this.
He wanted to swing the sword properly as soon as possible.
Even the lightest movement sent a clear note spreading through the air in every direction.
The Qingcheng Daoists stared at the sword as though entranced by the sound.
Baek Un wanted to continue testing it, but he knew that this was not the time. He returned it to its sheath and looked toward the crate.
It appeared that all the dozens of swords inside were of the same quality.
Baek Un turned to Jeok Wigang.
“I believe this was brought here by mistake.”
He respectfully held the sword out to Jeok Wigang.
Jeok Wigang shook his head.
“No. It is a gift for the Qingcheng Sect.”
“Wh-what are you saying? This is far too much. A masterwork sword like this must be worth well over one hundred gold taels, and there are not merely one or two, but dozens. We cannot accept them.”
“I made every one of them myself, so the cost of the materials was not especially high.”
“What?”
Baek Un looked back and forth between the sword and Jeok Wigang in astonishment.
“Y-you made all of these yourself, Merchant Master Jeok?”
Jeok Wigang nodded.
Baek Un stared at him in disbelief.
Ja Un cautiously approached and asked, “Are these not the same weapons you were selling in Chengdu?”
“They are.”
“Is it truly all right for you to give us goods that you intended to sell?”
Jeok Wigang grinned.
“I am the Merchant Master. It is my decision.”
Baek Un’s gaze returned to the sword.
Then he looked past it.
Several bundles remained unopened behind the first crate, and their shapes looked suspiciously similar to the crate filled with swords.
“Surely the loads behind that one do not contain more swords.”
“How many Daoists do you have here? A few dozen swords would never be enough.”
“My word... This is far too much. If you are truly determined to give us something, we will accept only this one crate.”
At Baek Un’s words, the Daoists around him looked visibly disappointed.
Their faces immediately brightened again when Jeok Wigang continued.
“These are not gifts without purpose. I am giving them because I hope the current peace in the martial world will endure for a long time.”
Jeok Wigang smiled at Baek Un.
“Please use those swords to protect the peace of the martial world.”
Baek Un stared at him for a moment before sighing and shaking his head.
“No matter how many times I tell you to take them back, you clearly have no intention of doing so.”
“Of course not. I will never take them back. If you return them, I will simply bring them here again, so keep that in mind.”
Jeok Wigang’s firm declaration left Baek Un so dumbfounded that he burst into laughter.
“Ha ha ha. Goodness. It appears I cannot defeat you, Merchant Master. We will accept them with gratitude.”
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