A month had already passed since Kang Moo-jin returned to the Diamond Escort Agency.
Kang So-gong, the head of the Diamond Escort Agency, had been cleansed of poison through the Water Spirit Arts, and though his mind was gradually returning in fits and starts, his body had yet to fully recover. He remained bedridden.
Given his age, it was taking time, but his condition was steadily improving. At this rate, he might even be able to take a stroll outside before long.
"Father's recovering too, and now the debts are finally cleared."
Moo-jin had been incredibly busy over the past month.
He had tracked down those who hadn't paid their debts and collected every last coin. With that money, he settled the family's outstanding loans.
And as a result, the Diamond Escort Agency was now free from any burdens of debt.
"This is just the beginning."
Being debt-free didn't mean they were rich. It simply meant the family's assets were at zero.
No debts, but no money either—still flat broke.
"Uncle, thank you so much."
His niece Kang Soo-yeon, her mouth smeared black with charcoal from the grill, flashed a bright smile, her white teeth gleaming.
Perhaps because it had been so long since she'd had meat, she had been grinning ear to ear the entire meal.
"That good, huh?"
"Yes! So good!"
What Soo-yeon was eating wasn't some fancy dish from an inn, seasoned with perfectly balanced spices. It was just simple charcoal-grilled rabbit that Moo-jin had caught in the hills behind the house.
'She's devouring this like it's the best thing ever. Admirable... but kinda heartbreaking.'
"Aren't you having more, Uncle?"
"I'm good. This is plenty."
Moo-jin washed down the tough meat—which was so chewy it nearly locked his jaw—with a swig of liquor.
In the Linked Qi Realm, where proper meals were a luxury, he had lived off hunted game for so long that this kind of survival food barely registered anymore.
"Thank you, Uncle. I'm so happy thanks to you."
"Hm?"
"You've helped Grandpa recover, smashed the heads of those Silver Push Sect thugs who came collecting debts, and even brought us delicious meat. Everything's changed so much since you came back..."
"...?"
Something in there sounded a bit off.
But Moo-jin kept his cool and continued the conversation smoothly.
"It's only natural. We're family."
"I never dreamed things would work out this well. Mom and Dad will be thrilled when they get back."
"Speaking of which, when did they say they'd return?"
Soo-yeon's father— Moo-jin's eldest brother, Kang Moo-woong—had left for Mount Song to seek aid from his connections at Shaolin Temple.
'It's been about a month since he left, so it'll be a while yet.'
"I'm not sure exactly. He said he'd stop by some acquaintances on the way to ask for help, so it might take a bit longer."
"I see. Got it. Looks like it'll just be us two for now, figuring things out."
Moo-jin stroked his chin, lost in thought.
The debts were cleared, but he hadn't yet figured out how the escort agency could start making money.
'Money. How do we make some...'
Pondering ways to earn money was important, but there was another pressing matter.
'Oh yeah, those Crimson Flame Gang bastards will probably come sniffing around soon. Almost forgot.'
He had pulverized their patrol agent I-mok and taken all the tribute money meant for the Silver Push Sect. They were sure to come gunning for him.
Black Dao thugs never let slights go unanswered.
'Black Dao scum, anyway.'
Moo-jin snorted and downed his cup.
They might rule Taiyuan like kings in Shanxi Province, but he couldn't care less.
To him, they were just bloodsucking mosquitoes preying on innocent commoners.
'Compared to the monsters I faced in the Linked Qi Realm, those small-fry are nothing.'
Moo-jin smirked bitterly as he pictured the Crimson Flame Gang, the fighting spirit honed over decades of battles—where his fists decided life and death—stirring once more.
"Uncle."
"Yeah?"
"I have a favor to ask."
"What is it? Speak freely."
"Teach me martial arts."
"Huh?"
"I want to smash evil faction scum's heads in... No. I want to get strong."
"..."
Moo-jin eyed Soo-yeon suspiciously. She averted her gaze.
'This girl...'
From the looks of it, her real motive was the former, not the latter.
"I'll teach you once you get permission from your father."
"Can't I learn a little before Dad gets back? Please, Uncle?!"
Soo-yeon put on her most endearing face, gazing up at him with sparkling eyes like they held the light of the stars.
"No."
Moo-jin was firm.
If he taught her now, she'd be out smashing evil faction heads for sure.
'No way I'm catching hell from big brother over that.'
Once she had her father's okay, smashing away was fine. Until then, absolutely not.
"Tch..."
Soo-yeon ripped into her meat with a disappointed pout.
She didn't seem like the type to give up easily.
'Anyway, we need to eat properly.'
Part of him wanted to just smash everything and grab some cash, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
His father would oppose it, and he didn't want to stoop to the level of those filthy evil faction types.
'Hold on. Can't we just restart the escort business?'
The Diamond Escort Agency had been run from his home. Resuming operations could bring in money, right?
'Not a bad idea.'
An escort service—getting paid to deliver goods—suited him perfectly.
And given his martial prowess, it wouldn't be tough at all.
'Damn, but I know next to nothing about it.'
He'd learned a bit about the business as a kid, but that was over thirty years ago.
The good memories from back then were hazy enough; the boring escort details? Forget it.
'Guess I'll have to wait till Father fully recovers to learn the ropes.'
Putting the escort business on hold until his father was better, Moo-jin furrowed his brow, racking his brain for other ways to make money.
That was when it happened.
"The third young master of the Diamond Escort Agency, come out!"
"We've come for the escort agency's youngest son, Kang Moo-jin!"
The thudding footsteps of dozens, along with the loud shouts of a few, rang out.
Moo-jin turned his gaze to the closed front gate and extended his senses.
'Who the hell are these guys? Crimson Flame Gang already?'
"Young master Kang, face us honorably!"
A middle-aged man's voice boomed wide and clear, carrying the pure, orthodox energy unique to Daoist schools among the righteous factions.
'Hm?'
Moo-jin, who had assumed it was Black Dao rabble at first, tilted his head at the righteous faction aura.
"What the...?"
"We come from Mount Hua Sect. Are you there?!"
"...??"
Mount Hua Sect? Not Crimson Flame Gang?!
Why would Mount Hua, with no ties to them, show up out of the blue at the Diamond Escort Agency?
Unable to make sense of it, Moo-jin tilted his head again.
'...What for?'
* * *
Confirming they were from a righteous faction, Moo-jin opened the gate to greet them.
It wasn't proper etiquette for righteous folk to shut out fellow travelers in discussion.
"What brings you here?"
Moo-jin's appearance—a towering figure whose head nearly brushed the gate—brought a sudden hush to the courtyard.
His immense bulk was so intimidating that everyone fell silent for a moment.
"Are you the third son of the Diamond Escort Agency, young master Kang Moo-jin?"
"That's me."
A young man stepped forward from the quiet crowd, politely cupping his hands in greeting.
"Pleased to meet you. I am Cheong-sang, fourth-generation disciple of the Great Mount Hua Sect, who paints plum blossoms with my sword and embraces the heavens in my heart."
Clad in pristine white robes embroidered with plum blossoms, his poised bow drew admiring gasps from those behind him.
Elegance seemed to swirl around him like a gentle breeze.
"I see. What business does Mount Hua Sect have with the Diamond Escort Agency?"
"...Young master Kang. Haven't you heard? I am Cheong-sang, fourth-generation disciple of the Great Mount Hua Sect."
"I heard."
"...? Do you not know who I am?"
Cheong-sang couldn't hide his bewilderment as he asked again.
In all his journeys through the martial world, no one had ever reacted so indifferently after hearing his sect and name.
'Did he just return from some other world or something?'
Mount Hua Sect. Cheong-sang. Those names alone should spark tension.
This guy was downright peculiar.
"I know. Cheong-sang of Mount Hua Sect. You just said it."
"...Young master Kang seems rather rude for a first meeting."
Offended by Moo-jin's blasé response despite his name and backing sect, Cheong-sang pointed out his tone.
"How can you treat a guest without proper courtesy...?"
"Yelling for the master of the house from the gate isn't exactly polite either. Especially in the middle of a meal."
"Well..."
Cheong-sang rolled his eyes, unable to find a retort.
His opponent's logic held more water; nothing came to mind.
As a brief silence fell while Cheong-sang searched for words, Soo-yeon gasped in surprise.
"Gasp! Cheong-sang, one of the New Swords of Mount Hua?!"
Moo-jin turned to his startled niece.
"Famous... guy?"
"Yes, Uncle! The New Swords of Mount Hua are the top five among the sect's younger disciples. Incredible masters!"
"This one too?"
"Yes! Cheong-sang holds the last spot among them, and that's still amazing!"
"Hm. I see."
Moo-jin remained impassive.
The New Swords of Mount Hua.
Impressive on the surface, but really just the stronger disciples of Mount Hua Sect.
Back when Moo-jin had fled home for the martial world, the true elite juniors were grouped as the Dragon-Phoenix Top Ten.
Dragon for men, phoenix for women.
The ten strongest rising experts across the entire Central Plains, each given a title.
In other words, the absolute top ten juniors.
Did Mount Hua's New Swords make that cut?
If anyone asked Moo-jin, his answer was clear.
'No.'
The strongest of the New Swords might scrape into the Top Ten, maybe.
But not the one standing before him.
'Local sword-slinger? Not even close.'
Dismissing even Mount Hua—one of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang—as "local," Moo-jin crossed his arms and looked down at Cheong-sang.
"Ahem. My thanks, little miss."
Cheong-sang expressed gratitude to Soo-yeon for vouching for his prestige.
"So, what's the purpose?"
"The reason one of Mount Hua's New Swords has come all this way... is to challenge the third son of the Diamond Escort Agency to a duel."
"Wait, why would Mount Hua Sect challenge our escort agency to a duel...?"
"The Plum Blossom Six Swords, huh?"
While Soo-yeon tilted her head in confusion, Moo-jin instantly pierced the reason for this New Sword's visit.
He understood the brutal laws of the martial world all too well, akin to the Linked Qi Realm.
"Not Six Armors... Six Swords."
"Ah, got it. I figured from the nickname outside."
"What does that... Sigh. Fine. You're right, young master Kang. I understand your joy at defeating one of our lay disciples. But he was merely a layman, not a true inheritor of Mount Hua's sword."
Shwing!
Cheong-sang dramatically flared his robes and placed a hand on his plum-embroidered scabbard.
"We cannot let our sect's honor remain tarnished. Today, I shall show you the true sword of Mount Hua."
Moo-jin sighed softly at Cheong-sang, who struck every dramatic pose like a scene from an opera.
'My head's killing me thinking up ways to make money, and here's some broke-ass showboater...'
Moo-jin had no interest in wasting energy on unprofitable pursuits.
"Forget it, just get lo—"
As he moved to refuse Cheong-sang and shoo away the lot, a new thought flashed in his mind.
'Wait. Isn't this... a chance to make money?!'