Chapter 001
The ancient capital of Luoyang.
True to its name, Luoyang was an exceptionally prosperous city—a land where famous dynasties had once nested.
In the office of the Agency Master of the Dragon Gate Escort Agency, the most prestigious establishment in Luoyang, a man in white scholar's robes stood with his head bowed before Ji Wisang, the Chief Agency Master of Dragon Gate Sword.
"I don't understand, Inspector Baek. I don't believe I've treated you unfairly."
"I'm simply tired."
"There's no one among the inspectors with your skills. With hundreds of items needing authentication…"
Though he spoke this way, Ji Wisang knew how stubborn the man before him was.
Baek Sugyeong, Chief Inspector of the Dragon Gate Escort Agency.
Known for his expertise in authenticating treasures, his eye for genuine articles was considered unmatched. How many times had his keen eye saved them from being swindled?
The word "resignation" written on the stiff yellow paper before him weighed heavily on Ji Wisang's mind. Despite lacking martial arts skills, someone with such special eyes was hard to find in the martial world.
"Are you absolutely certain you must leave?"
"Yes, Agency Master."
"…If that's how you feel, I have no choice. I'll ensure your retirement payment is generous. However, there may be times when I'll need your help, so please don't refuse my requests then."
That shouldn't be a problem.
When Baek Sugyeong agreed, Ji Wisang nodded.
"Honestly, I'm not sure accepting this resignation is the right decision. But if it's what you want, I must let you go."
Ji Wisang picked up the resignation letter.
"But be careful. You're more special than you think. A sharp awl will always reveal its point no matter which bag it's placed in."
"I'll take your words to heart, Agency Master."
With his hands clasped together and a deep bow, the former Chief Inspector left the office with an unburdened expression.
Watching his retreating figure, Ji Wisang closed his eyes.
"May you live in peace, Sugyeong."
...
Baek Sugyeong had fallen into the Central Plains about eight years ago.
Once an ordinary office worker who had transitioned to becoming a full-time writer, it took him about a month to realize he had landed in a world different from the Central Plains he had tirelessly written and read about in novels.
A world where righteousness and chivalry were hard to find.
It reminded him of what modern people jokingly called "gangster wuxia" from Chinese xianxia novels.
Of course, even in such a world, there were still righteous and good people. Thanks to the kindness of such individuals, he had spent about five years at the Dragon Gate Escort Agency.
With the money he had saved and his retirement payment, he had moved down to Wuhan and opened a bookstore, where he had been living for three years.
Unable to find a way back and lacking talent in martial arts, all Baek Sugyeong could do was adapt to the martial world. He had only hoped to live out the rest of his life in peace.
That thought…
If only he hadn't gotten the idea to write because he couldn't stand the pathetic state of this martial world.
"This isn't wuxia. This isn't the wuxia I know."
Three years had passed since Baek Sugyeong had settled in Wuhan, Hubei. Three years since he had opened his bookstore at a busy intersection in central Wuhan.
Though he earned enough to get by, Baek Sugyeong had many complaints.
The gap between the martial world he knew and this one.
A world where thugs who had sold their chivalrous spirit roamed everywhere, making it impossible to do anything with peace of mind.
No wonder the imperial court was constantly looking for opportunities to crack down on these martial artists.
That's all he could think.
"This isn't authentic wuxia!!"
Yes, this wasn't the martial world he knew.
Not a world where heroes full of righteousness and positive energy strode about.
There was at least a million light-years of distance between the martial world Baek Sugyeong knew and this one. People would panic and flee at the mere sight of sword-carrying individuals.
The saying went that officials didn't interfere with the martial world because those martial artists had eaten too much "sword rice"—lived by the sword.
"Hmm…"
After closing the bookstore door, Baek Sugyeong sat at his desk and pondered.
To him, who had been a somewhat experienced wuxia writer in the modern world, this martial world was unfamiliar.
No—more than unfamiliar, it was alien.
The sects in the martial world Baek Sugyeong knew existed here under the same names, but what they actually did was little different from bandits.
He simply couldn't bear the dissonance.
"This really isn't right."
It wasn't that he was so slow it took eight years to react; rather, what he had been suppressing all this time had finally surfaced.
When he came to his senses, he already had a novel he had scribbled in anger right in front of him.
A novel borrowing the name of Wudang, the great mountain of the martial world.
A simple chronicle of a Wudang warrior who returns to the past and traverses the martial world performing righteous deeds.
So he gave it a simple title as well:
"Wudang Sword Hero."
"I wonder if I'll be killed by the Wudang Sect."
The reason Baek Sugyeong hesitated to decide what to do with the completed first volume was none other than his fear of the Wudang Sect.
No matter how vague the concept of copyright might be, they were martial artists.
Baek Sugyeong was just an ordinary bookstore owner with no ability to resist them.
"What should I do with this?"
A world where the distinction between orthodox and unorthodox sects was so blurred it was impossible to tell them apart.
Is this what the martial world had become?
He had written it filled with such anger, but now that he wanted to show it to someone, fear took precedence.
It seemed a waste to throw away the already completed manuscript, but he wasn't planning to sell it either, so he didn't know where to put it.
Baek Sugyeong could only worry with the book in front of him.
"Owner Baek!"
Raising his head at the cheerful voice calling him, Baek Sugyeong stood up from his chair to see a lively-faced young merchant carrying a backpack.
He had been wondering when she would arrive.
"Welcome, Guild Leader So."
"I found all the books you mentioned last time! Will you pay me well for them?"
"The price for books is always the standard rate, Guild Leader So."
The merchant's name was So Ssanga, a young merchant with whom he had become acquainted after settling in Hubei.
She was supposedly the last descendant of a bankrupt merchant family.
Feeling sorry for her situation, Baek Sugyeong had become a regular customer, but So Ssanga always seemed to be struggling.
She was barely around twenty years old. How could it be easy for her to support a fallen family on her own?
"I'll unpack my goods, Owner Baek."
"Please do."
So Ssanga efficiently unpacked books from her backpack. One by one, the books he had asked her to find last time appeared.
Since arriving here, there hadn't been much to read, so he had no choice but to ask So Ssanga.
As the bookstore owner, he couldn't go around looking for books himself, and So Ssanga was the only person he could ask.
"Fifteen books in total! That'll be 50 taels of gold!"
"Don't try to overcharge me."
"But I had to go to so much trouble! I even went all the way to Chang'an!"
So Ssanga's lips protruded about five inches in a sulky expression.
She plopped down under the narrow awning in front of the bookstore, and her stomach growled audibly.
Baek Sugyeong pretended not to hear, but So Ssanga's face turned as red as a radish as she looked back at him.
"Ugh."
"Seems you haven't eaten again. Come in. I can close the bookstore for a while."
"T-that's!"
"Come in."
After forcibly sending the stubborn So Ssanga into the inner courtyard of the bookstore, he closed the door and hung up a sign.
After hanging the elegantly written "Closed" wooden sign, Baek Sugyeong made his way to the inner courtyard.
'…This is quite a chore, feeding her every time.'
So Ssanga usually came to the bookstore once every two weeks.
Baek Sugyeong didn't just buy books from her. He also obtained daily necessities and food through her.
Every time she came, she always looked hungry but tried not to show it.
How tenacious she was.
Grumble.
As soon as he entered the inner courtyard, Baek Sugyeong turned at the sound to see So Ssanga's face, red as a volcano.
"I-I'm not hungry! It's just, just something else!"
"I've known you for three years now, Guild Leader So. Your lies are too obvious."
"Ugh…"
"Just follow me."
Baek Sugyeong walked leisurely, and So Ssanga reluctantly followed behind him.
He prepared a meal for So Ssanga, and Baek Sugyeong sat across from her to eat as well.
Though the menu wasn't much different from usual, So Ssanga devoured her food like the wind.
Watching her, Baek Sugyeong couldn't suppress a bitter smile.
"I won't take it away, so eat slowly."
"…Thank you, Owner Baek."
About fifteen minutes passed.
Only when So Ssanga had emptied about five bowls of rice did her meal finally end.
"As voracious as ever."
"T-that's."
"I've always told you not to overexert yourself."
"But then I wouldn't have money to buy goods."
To rebuild the already collapsed Auspicious Cloud Trading Company would require an astronomical amount of money.
"…I understand your situation, but don't push yourself too hard."
As he was about to send her off—
"Owner, what's this book? I've never seen it before."
He saw "Wudang Sword Hero" in her hands.
"Give it back!"
"Let me read just a little!"
Two hours later, So Ssanga closed the book.
"Owner Baek, who wrote this?"
"I did."
"This will sell!"
Baek Sugyeong covered his forehead.
"Please return it. It's the only copy."
"You wrote this?"
"Yes."
"Then let me copy it!"
After half an hour of persuasion, Baek Sugyeong surrendered.
While So Ssanga copied the manuscript, he watched silently.
'…My life might be in danger.'
At that moment, Baek Sugyeong had no idea what kind of ripples "Wudang Sword Hero" would create in the martial world.