Martial Artist Lee Gwak-Chapter 70: The Brighter the Light, the Deeper the Shadows (2)

Light Novel: Volume 3 Chapter 7

Manhwa: N/A

Lee Gwak stepped outside the city gates after locking up Jang Wi-moon, Yi Woo-myeong, and their gang in the Outer Hall’s dungeons.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

The martial artists guarding the dungeons looked utterly bewildered and dumbfounded when Squad 13, with only six members, had escorted dozens of men, all bound together in a long line.

It was only natural. This was the first time such a large number of people had been detained in the Outer Hall’s dungeons at once. The guards, who reluctantly threw Jang Wi-moon, Yi Woo-myeong, and their men behind bars, had scowls on their faces.

Lee Gwak understood why the guards were displeased.

They likely thought he had unnecessarily escalated a minor issue, making a fuss over something that could have been ignored. And he knew that they weren’t entirely wrong.

Without a complete overhaul of the Outer Hall and a drastic reform of the slums, incidents like this would only keep happening.

It wasn’t something he, a mere squad leader in the Outer Hall, could change on his own. But that didn’t mean he would simply stand by and do nothing.

At the very least, he had to let them know that someone was watching. That awareness alone might make them think twice before acting.

He had no grand ambitions of changing the world, but at the very least, he wanted to maintain some order in the places he could see with his own eyes.

The place Lee Gwak headed next was the slums, where Jang Wi-moon and Yi Woo-myeong had fought earlier. More precisely, it was where Nam Woo-gyeong of the Hao Clan resided.

For a place where the Young Leader of the Hao Clan was staying, Nam Woo-gyeong’s lodgings were shockingly rundown.

“You’re here.”

Nam Woo-gyeong raised his head and looked at Lee Gwak.

In his hand was a small booklet. There was no title on the cover, so Lee Gwak had no way of knowing what was inside. But judging by Nam Woo-gyeong’s demeanor, it was safe to assume it contained valuable information.

Over the past year, Nam Woo-gyeong’s appearance has changed drastically. Gone was the disheveled, rough-looking man from before. Now, he was dressed in neatly tailored clothes, looking no different from a young nobleman.

There was a strong sense of discomfort in Lee Gwak as he looked at Nam Woo-gyeong. It was as if Nam Woo-gyeong were wearing clothes that didn’t quite suit him.

“If you’re here, sit down instead of just staring at me.”

“That outfit…”

“What? You think it looks weird too?”

Nam Woo-gyeong’s face twisted into a scowl.

“I wouldn’t say weird exactly, but…”

“Damn it! What’s a guy like me doing wearing fancy silk clothes?”

Even as Nam Woo-gyeong mocked himself, Lee Gwak remained expressionless. He had seen this far too many times to react.

When Lee Gwak showed no response, Nam Woo-gyeong scrunched his nose.

“I heard you caused some trouble today.”

“What trouble are you talking about?”

“I heard you threw all the troublemakers in the slums into the dungeons.”

“Well, it just sort of happened.”

“With all sorts of people pouring into the city lately, there’s been a sharp rise in scoundrels like them. Thanks to that, this place isn’t what it used to be. The atmosphere has gotten pretty grim.”

“You almost sound like you’re enjoying it.”

“As if!”

Nam Woo-gyeong shut the small booklet he had been reading and stood up.

When he spoke with Lee Gwak casually like this, he seemed like nothing more than a mischievous troublemaker, but when he closed his mouth like this and fell silent, he carried the weight of a mountain.

He was an interesting person.

Despite being the Young Leader of the Hao Clan, he had chosen to remain in such a rundown residence, treating Lee Gwak so casually, without formality. Neither of those things was easy, yet Nam Woo-gyeong blended into this place as if he belonged here all along.

“I have something I want to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why don’t you take control of the people entering the slums? With your influence and the Hao Clan’s, it shouldn’t be difficult.”

“That’s true.”

Nam Woo-gyeong replied with a nonchalant expression, as if it was someone else’s business.

“Then why don’t you? If you stepped in, the disorder would settle down in no time.”

“And why should I?”

“Because…”

“Gwak. You must be confused because you spend too much time around me but I’m not part of the Jade Heaven Alliance. I don’t have any obligation or duty to control and stabilize this place.”

“……”

“The only reason I stay here is to fulfill my duty as the Young Leader of the Hao clan. And if there’s one more reason, it is to observe the political landscape of Jianghu through the Jade Heaven Alliance. During my time here, I’ve grown close to the people here, but that doesn’t mean I should interfere in their lives. If you can’t see something through to the end, then the best choice is not to get involved at all.”

There was a deep resonance in Nam Woo-gyeong’s voice.

He continued speaking.

“Light things rise to the top and become the sky, while heavy things fall to the bottom to form the earth. That is the natural order of the world. If you leave things alone, everything will eventually find its place. This place is no different. It may be chaotic right now, but in time, order will be established here.”

“So you’re just going to stand by and watch? Isn’t that the same as turning a blind eye?”

“Well, maybe. Haha!”

Nam Woo-gyeong suddenly grinned, as if he had never been serious in the first place.

Lee Gwak furrowed his brows. At that moment, he finally understood the reason for the discomfort and unease he felt while looking at Nam Woo-gyeong.

“Are you leaving this place?”

“Ha! You really are sharp as a ghost.”

Nam Woo-gyeong looked genuinely surprised.

Even though he had guessed correctly, Lee Gwak was not pleased.

Over the past year, he and Nam Woo-gyeong had grown quite close. They had reached a point where they could joke around freely, without formality and without any reservations. And yet, just as they had gotten comfortable, it was already time to part ways.

A strange sense of bitterness settled in his chest.

“How did you know?”

“Your clothes, and the way you’ve been watching everything like a spectator. Neither suits you.”

“Tsk! Looks like I raised a damn snake in my belly. Well, if you’re that perceptive, I guess I can leave without worry.”

“When are you leaving?”

“Soon.”

“……”

“If it were up to me, I’d stay a little longer. But the Clan Leader wants me elsewhere, so what can I do? I have to go.”

Nam Woo-gyeong didn’t want the slum, where he had been staying for quite some time, in chaos. But now, it was no longer something he could involve himself in.

The Hao clan was a group that thrived in the shadows, gathering information from the dark corners of Jianghu. The moment they stepped into the light to restore order in the slums, they would lose their greatest strength and become nothing more than a target for rival factions.

For someone like Nam Woo-gyeong, following the cold logic of his mind had always been his destiny rather than acting on the passions of his heart.

Lee Gwak understood Nam Woo-gyeong’s position.

The world seen through the eyes of an Outer Hall squad leader like himself and the world seen through the eyes of Nam Woo-gyeong, the Young Leader of the Hao Clan, an intelligence organization that spanned all of Jianghu, were bound to be different.

No matter what decision Nam Woo-gyeong made, it wasn’t Lee Gwak’s place to question it.

Even if he felt a tinge of disappointment, he had to swallow it. That was the way of the world— the reality of Jianghu in which he lived.

“Gwak!”

“Yes?”

“You know what happens to a stone that sticks out, right?”

“Yes.”

“Until you’re strong enough to stand on your own, don’t draw too much attention. In the history of Jianghu, there was only one person who has ever walked alone without belonging to any faction.”

“Who was that?”

“The Fist Demon—the devil who broke free from Mount Hua. He was the only one who was ever truly free.”

For a moment, Lee Gwak’s eyebrows twitched.

The Fist Demon of Mount Hua.

That name had come up again.

“Who exactly is he? If you’re bringing him up, he must have been an incredible martial artist. So why don’t I know about him?”

“Because the current Jianghu has erased almost all traces of him.”

“What?”

Lee Gwak looked at Nam Woo-gyeong in disbelief. With a sigh, Nam Woo-gyeong continued.

“Phew… I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth. Before Jianghu was split between the Jade Heaven Alliance and the Celestial Demon Union, there existed two great powers. The Murim Alliance and the Demon Sect. These two factions waged war for supremacy over Jianghu, and as a result, the Murim Alliance and countless sects were wiped out. To save Jianghu, which was on the brink of destruction, one man stood up which was Cho Yeon-woon, the great warrior who founded the Jade Heaven Alliance.”

Lee Gwak already knew that much. It was one of the first things he had learned upon officially joining the Outer Hall.

But Nam Woo-gyeong wasn’t finished.

“It is true that Master Cho Yeon-woon led the Jade Heaven Alliance to victory in the Great Heavenly Blood War. But there was one martial artist he trusted and relied on more than anyone else. That man was none other than Dam-ho, the Fist Demon of Mount Hua. Although almost no records of his deeds remain, he was the one who truly ended the Great Heavenly Blood War. After that, the Demon Sect collapsed, and a formidable martial artist named Geom Yul-cheon gathered the remnants of the Demon Sect and the wandering demonic practitioners to form the Celestial Demon Union.”

“Why has none of this been made known to the world?”

“The Jade Heaven Alliance did not want the prestige of their first leader, Cho Yeon-woon, to be overshadowed. So, as soon as Cho Yeon-woon retired from Jianghu, they began erasing Dam-ho’s legacy from history. The same goes for the Celestial Demon Union. They didn’t want the presence of Dam-ho to diminish the reputation of their first leader so they thoroughly wiped Dam-ho’s name from the minds of the public. In this way, only a select few still remember Dam-ho’s name and deeds.”

“Are you saying that Cho Yeon-woon and the first leader of the Celestial Demon Union allowed this to happen?”

“Of course not. Though they had walked different paths—one of righteousness and the other of the demonic way—they both genuinely admired Dam-ho and considered him a true friend. There is no way they would do such a thing, and if they had still been around, they never would have allowed their subordinates to erase history like this.”

“Then why?”

“No one knows for sure, but they both disappeared from Jianghu around the same time. Essentially, they retired. Neither of them was ever seen in Jianghu again after that, so what happened to them remains unknown.”

“Hmm…”

Lee Gwak let out a low murmur without realizing it.

That was just how shocking Nam Woo-gyeong’s words were.

“No one knows what happened to them in their later years. Perhaps they are still alive. Or perhaps they have long since passed. But what matters is this—the Jade Heaven Alliance and the Celestial Demon Union deliberately erased Dam-ho from history for their own benefit. And so, even though barely a hundred years have passed, only a handful of people still remember him.”

“Then what happened to… Dam-ho, the Fist Demon of Mount Hua? If he was truly stronger than Cho Yeon-woon and Geom Yul-cheon, then wouldn’t he have stopped future generations from rewriting history as they pleased?”

“Hmph! Do you really think he would have cared about such trivial matters? To him, the opinions of the world and fame meant nothing. The only thing that ever mattered to him was forging his own path with his fists.”

Nam Woo-gyeong’s voice rose involuntarily. He was getting caught up in his own emotions.

Though the Jade Heaven Alliance and the Celestial Demon Union had tried to erase the legend of the Fist Demon, they couldn’t erase everything.

Among the survivors of the Great Heavenly Blood War, there were still many who remembered the Fist Demon of Mount Hua, and they passed down his legend to future generations, avoiding the eyes and ears of the Jade Heaven Alliance and the Celestial Demon Union.

Even in the Hao clan, there existed a recorded account of the Fist Demon’s exploits. It was not a vague, exaggerated story like a drifting legend, but a detailed account, as if written by someone who had witnessed his deeds firsthand.

Nam Woo-gyeong had read that book as a child, growing up with dreams shaped by its words, and that was why he despised the Jade Heaven Alliance and the Celestial Demon Union. Because they had erased the history of the person he respected and admired the most.

That was also why he remained indifferent despite Yeo Jung-wol and Lim Sobo’s persistent attempts to recruit him. He worked with them only when necessary but otherwise kept a strict distance. As such, to Nam Woo-gyeong, the Jade Heaven Alliance was not a group to be trusted.

Lee Gwak felt his heart pounding strangely in his chest.

‘Fist Demon of Mount Hua, Dam-ho.’

It was only now did Lee Gwak learned that the Fist Demon of Mount Hua’s real name was Dam-ho. That was how unfamiliar he was with this figure. And yet, the moment he heard the name, his heart reacted on its own.

It was a name he had never heard before—yet, it felt strangely familiar.

Suddenly, a memory from Mount Shaohua flashed through his mind.

The shadow of someone that had weighed down on him in the secret chamber of the Asura Blood Soul Trial.

A possibility crossed his mind.

Could that have been a remnant of Dam-ho, the Fist Demon?

No, it wasn’t just a thought.

It was a certainty resonating within his soul.

‘Hmm…’

An indescribable shiver ran through Lee Gwak.

It felt as if there was an unknown string of fate connecting them.

Even after that, Nam Woo-gyeong continued speaking for a long time, telling Lee Gwak about secrets of Jianghu that had never been made public.

And Lee Gwak listened to every word.

Beyond his status as the Young Leader of the Hao Clan, Nam Woo-gyeong’s knowledge and insight were extraordinary. If Lee Gwak, as a squad leader in the Jade Heaven Alliance, could only see the world through a narrow, limited lens, then Nam Woo-gyeong, with countless eyes and ears spread across Jianghu, saw the world on an unfathomably vast scale.

That night, the two of them sat with a bottle of liquor between them, talking until dawn.

For the most part, it was Nam Woo-gyeong talking while Lee Gwak listening, but that didn’t matter.

To Lee Gwak, this moment was more precious than anything else.

After downing the last drink, Nam Woo-gyeong, his face flushed red, spoke.

“Gwak!”

“Yes!”

“Always be careful. And then… be even more careful.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“If anything happens, contact me through the Red Flower Pavilion.”

“Understood.”

Nam Woo-gyeong watched as Lee Gwak nodded, a soft smile forming on his lips.

At first, he had only approached him out of curiosity, with the intention of merely observing. But at some point, Lee Gwak had become someone he genuinely cared for.

Now, Lee Gwak practically felt like his own younger brother. And that only made it harder to leave, and the regret heavier.

From that day on, Nam Woo-gyeong disappeared from the slums, and Lee Gwak never returned to the slums for personal reasons again.

SoundlessWind21’s Notes:

I don’t think this meeting and exchange with Nam Woo-gyeong were included in the manhwa. 😭 it’s so sweet tho not sure why they didn’t include it.

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