I laughed as I watched Iryong Nogun engulfed in flames. Now that no one else was around, I could laugh freely.

I laughed at his death, mocking the entirety of his life. Drunk on the moment, I drew Fang of the Black Rabbit again, scattering Flame Essence in all directions while laughing.

"Burn…"

This fire is Jomsoi’s gift to the martial world.

Long ago, after the fire at Zaha Inn, I unknowingly became entangled in Jianghu. This punishment was simply a fair share handed to Iryong Nogun, for dragging the once-ordinary Jomsoi into Jianghu.

Now, even the faint memories of a normal life were burned away entirely in that mountain lodge. As I swung my sword freely, set fires, and burst into laughter, I heard voices outside from my subordinates.

"Big Brother!"

Did I have a disciple?

"Leader!"

Was I a sect leader?

For a moment, amidst the blazing flames, I mulled over the words "Big Brother" and "Leader."

Maybe I was too caught up in the thrill.

I began to mutter the path I’d walked so far.

"Jomsoi of Ilyang County. Gravekeeper. Master of sickles. Loser in a masked sparring duel. Third-rate martial artist. Sufferer of internal deviation. Fish of Zhejiang…"

Maybe some of the mechanical devices inside were melting.

With a loud crack, parts of the building began collapsing into the pits. Then I heard a familiar voice, closer this time.

"Leader! It’s Gunpyeong!"

"So Gunpyeong?"

With a thunderous roar, the burning vines shattered to pieces, and So Gunpyeong and the others burst through, their faces blackened with soot.

At last, I spoke to So Gunpyeong.

"I told you to wait outside. Why’d you come in?"

He shouted back, "The place was on fire! What else were we supposed to do?! Come on, cross over!"

I looked down and saw a dark pit between me and my subordinates.

It wasn’t a big pit, but for some reason, it looked like the Sando River—the boundary between life and death.

So Gunpyeong also stared at the pit, then turned to me.

"Leader, there’s nothing down there. Come on over."

"Alright."

I leapt easily across and landed among my subordinates. All of them looked like they’d had charcoal smeared across their faces.

Baek-in asked me, "Big Brother, did you start the fire?"

"Yeah."

"Let’s get out of here then."

At his words, I snickered and took the lead.

"Let’s go."

So Gunpyeong was still clearly upset with me.

"Why are you laughing?!"

I replied while laughing, "I set someone’s house on fire. Should I be crying instead?"

So Gunpyeong let out a ridiculous, forced laugh, "Uh-heuh-heuh-heuh!" and muttered,

"This must be what internal deviation feels like. I get it now."

"Be careful, Gunpyeong. Nothing’s scarier than internal deviation."

Together, we charged through the fire, occasionally swinging our swords. Sometimes, the disciples would blow open a path with their palm strikes, and thanks to that, we safely escaped Iryong Nogun’s lodge.

Once outside, we looked back at the mountain lodge.

With another deafening boom, something exploded, and the flames soared even higher.

So Gunpyeong muttered in shock,

"Must’ve been gunpowder somewhere… That’s not just the sound of wood burning."

I watched the blazing building and agreed.

"Seems like it."

Baek-in, ever the meticulous one, asked,

"Big Brother, what about Iryong Nogun?"

"He burned to death before the lodge even caught fire."

Baek-in let out an uncharacteristically deep sigh of relief.

"Good. That’s good."

"Yeah, good."

I looked at the soot-covered faces of my subordinates, and they looked back at me. Then we all burst into laughter.

I turned to the remaining forces of the Woonwoo Society.

"What about the actors who went in first?"

Voices called out from behind.

"We’re here."

So Gunpyeong explained,

"They escaped out the back with the lodge’s servants. One of the servants said there was going to be a big fight inside and told them to leave."

"Good. Would’ve been a shame to lose such talented actors."

"Yes."

I didn’t bother asking what happened to the servant. If he knew martial arts, he was probably already killed by my subordinates.

I glanced back again and saw the entire lodge sinking into the ground as if it had fallen into the pits. I guess there really were too many holes dug around. At least it didn’t look like the fire would spread—this was an isolated mountain, not part of a larger range. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to burn it all down and start over slowly from scratch.

"Let’s go."

On our way back, walking together, the disciples and officers were clearly curious about what had happened inside, so I gave them a rough explanation.

"There were tons of mechanical traps."

"……"

So Gunpyeong responded in a bewildered tone,

"That’s it, Leader?"

"Yeah."

I looked at Baek-in and added,

"He wasn’t anything special—certainly no better than the Great Rakshasa."

Baek-in looked at me, nodded calmly.

"Yes."

I stopped for a moment and looked over the disciples.

"The Great Rakshasa, Master Su, and Iryong Nogun—they’re all dead now. Among them, the Great Rakshasa was the most manly."

Baek-in responded,

"True. Then that’s enough."

Cheongjin and Baek-yu also nodded, as if a burden had lifted.

I said to my subordinates,

"The Woonwoo Society no longer exists. If you want to leave, leave. I won’t stop you. If you’re staying, you’re now part of Haomun. Black Cat Pavilion, Black Lotus Guard, and Woonwoo Society—they’re all Haomun now."

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

One of the former Woonwoo members asked me,

"What is Haomun, exactly?"

I nodded and replied,

"A trashy sect full of losers like you. A pitiful group that’ll spread across Jianghu by killing bastards like Master Su."

One guy who still didn’t get who I was asked,

"Who’s the leader of the sect?"

"Me."

"Weren’t you the Black Cat Pavilion Lord?"

"That’s me too."

As we turned toward the Woonwoo Society again, I asked So Gunpyeong,

"Dokgo-saeng didn’t cause any trouble, did he?"

So Gunpyeong shook his head.

"Hongshin is there, so it should be fine."

I gave instructions to the officers.

"The faction suddenly ballooned in size, but it doesn’t mean much. You officers and disciples can work together to sort out the details. I’m no good at handling the internal structure."

"Yes, sir."

"Just do what you’re best at. I plan to keep getting stronger. In the end, growing stronger is the most important job of a sect leader."

Honestly, even if a genius administrator appeared, there’s no way they could completely control this chaotic organization.

At a fork in the path, I sent So Gunpyeong and the disciples back to the Woonwoo base.

"I’ll head to the Black Cat Pavilion to check on the prisoners. You handle the cleanup and return later."

So Gunpyeong asked,

"Who should serve as acting manager for the Woonwoo Society? It’s still a Black Faction group and hosted many visitors, so minor and major conflicts are bound to happen."

"If Dokgo-saeng’s there, he’ll probably just stab everyone who comes…"

Baek-in chimed in,

"Then I and the disciples will stay there for now. We know roughly who’s likely to show up. We’ll kill those who need killing and send the rest away."

"Good. Take care. I’m heading back first."

"Understood."

***

I walked toward the main seat and looked at Yu Sacheong.

"Have you been well?"

"Yes."

"Cha Seong-tae didn’t bother you?"

"No."

I sat down and looked at Yu Sacheong on my left, then Cha Seong-tae on my right.

Cha Seong-tae asked,

"So how did things go?"

"What things?"

"You went to strike Master Su."

"Oh, Master Su got stabbed to death, and Iryong Nogun burned to death. Sent an enemy and a friend down to keep the Great Rakshasa company, so he won’t be bored in the afterlife. Now that I think about it, it’s all thanks to Yu Sacheong."

I looked at Yu Sacheong.

"You made a big contribution."

"Yes."

Thinking Cha Seong-tae might’ve learned something, I asked him,

"Where’s this guy from?"

"He’s from the Yu Sword Clan."

I turned to Yu Sacheong and asked,

"You a Hoyun too?"

Hoyun was a surname not many carried. Yu Sacheong revealed his full name.

“My real name is Yu Hoyun.”

“Where are you based?”

“I was originally in Eastern Jade Province, but now I’ve settled in Hongcheonhyang.”

“Eastern Jade Province, huh? That’s Baekdo territory. Got pushed out?”

“Yes.”

Pointing to the sketch on the side table, I said to Cha Seong-tae:

“Bring it here.”

Cha Seong-tae brought the sketch of the Left Guardian and placed it in front of me. I pushed it toward Yu Hoyun.

“This guy is on my wanted list. Think you can find him?”

Yu Hoyun replied,

“I’ll find him no matter what.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying.”

Yu Hoyun answered with a troubled expression.

“Pavilion Lord, please spare me. I’ll try to find him somehow. If you have any poison, please give me some. I’ll come back for the antidote.”

I nodded.

“I’ve already killed too many people today. If my ordinary day starts with killing and ends with killing, that’s not good.”

Yu Hoyun let out a breath of relief and answered.

“Thank you.”

“Good. Relationships like this matter. You know, not everything in life can be forced.”

At that moment, the main hall doors opened, and a subordinate gave a report.

“Pavilion Lord, you have guests.”

“Who is it?”

“A man named Geum Cheol-yong from Iron Dragon Sect.”

“Bring them in.”

Geum Cheol-yong and Gwak Yong-gae entered the main °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° hall. Geum Cheol-yong spoke with a smile.

“Pavilion Lord, it’s hard to catch a glimpse of you.”

I stood up and replied,

“What brings you here so suddenly?”

“People keep pouring in, but I haven’t seen you, so I thought I’d drop by.”

“You’ve finally arrived?”

Gwak Yong-gae placed a pitch-black box with a strap on the table and opened the lid.

Inside was the blade Geum Cheol-yong had forged: the Mad Blade.

The handle and scabbard were both ash-gray.

At the end of the handle was a dragon engraving—Geum Cheol-yong’s signature mark. But it was shorter than I had expected—just a straight sword.

The thought crossed my mind:

He didn’t get all the metal he wanted.

Still, it was a gift I hadn’t received in a long time.

I accepted it as a token of Geum Cheol-yong’s heart, not the blade’s perfection.

“Thank you.”

Geum Cheol-yong extended his hand.

“Draw it.”

I picked up the Mad Blade, heavier than expected, and removed the scabbard. The silver blade slowly revealed itself.

As I admired the blade, I said,

“I’ll put it to good use.”

“Do you like it?”

My indifferent attitude must have made him uneasy.

“I like it very much.”

Both blacksmiths and martial artists get the urge to cut something when they receive a new weapon.

Geum Cheol-yong asked,

“Nothing around to slice?”

I glanced at Yu Hoyun without thinking. He flinched in terror and suddenly dropped to his knees.

“Please spare me.”

Startled by the unexpected scene, Geum Cheol-yong and Gwak Yong-gae looked at Yu Hoyun.

I also stared at him, still holding the Mad Blade.

“Why would I kill you?”

I smirked, then drew Fang of the Black Rabbit from my waist with my left hand. Holding Fang of the Black Rabbit in my left and the Mad Blade in my right, I turned to Geum Cheol-yong and asked,

“Uncle Geum, no regrets?”

Realizing I was about to clash the two swords, Geum Cheol-yong nodded.

“No regrets.”

I checked with Gwak Yong-gae too, who had probably been most involved in gathering the iron and crafting the blade.

“And you, Vice Pavilion Lord?”

Gwak Yong-gae nodded.

“I’m confident as well.”

I evenly channeled the energy of the Wooden Rooster into both hands and clashed the Mad Blade and Fang of the Black Rabbit mid-air.

Because inner force was involved, a deep thung― sound rang out, a mix of dull thud and metallic clang, and one blade flew off.

Surprise flickered across the faces of Geum Cheol-yong, Gwak Yong-gae, and Cha Seong-tae.

Yu Hoyun, still kneeling, blinked in confusion as well.

I looked down at the broken half of the Mad Blade.

“A broken conviction. Fang of the Black Rabbit wins.”

Geum Cheol-yong scratched his head with an awkward expression.

“Well, now... where’d you get that precious sword?”

“It belonged to the former Master of the Black Cat Pavilion.”

Gwak Yong-gae exhaled with a pale face.

“Big Brother, we fell short.”

Geum Cheol-yong nodded.

“Seems so.”

Gwak Yong-gae quickly picked up the broken blade, took the Mad Blade from me like he was retrieving something precious, and put it back in the box. Slinging it over his shoulder, he said to Geum Cheol-yong,

“Big Brother, let’s go.”

It sounded like he wanted to escape as fast as possible.

Geum Cheol-yong looked at me.

“Pavilion Lord, I’ll return.”

I nodded seriously.

“Uncle Geum, take your time. I’ll be using Fang of the Black Rabbit in the meantime.”

Geum Cheol-yong turned away with a gloomy expression.

“Let’s go.”

When he suddenly stumbled, Gwak Yong-gae quickly caught him. The two leaned on each other and exited the main hall.

“……”

I cleared my throat a few times, then sat back down. Cha Seong-tae, who had been watching with me the whole time, was trying not to laugh.

I looked at him and said,

“Don’t laugh, you bastard.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Anyone can fail. Just like I did. Seong-tae, you’ve never even failed. You’ve never done anything to fail at.”

As far as I knew, there were only a handful of weapons in all of Jianghu that couldn’t be broken. The one I had once used hadn’t even arrived in the Central Plains yet.

Until then, I’d just have to make do with Fang of the Black Rabbit.