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“Just leave that in Waryong Hall. I’ll take care of it.”

What exactly does he mean by that? Lee Kwang and Jin So-cheong are the kind of people whose thought processes I just can’t grasp. As I was grumbling to myself, Samjeol Lee Kwang plopped some liquor onto the table.

“Let’s have a drink. I’m curious how it all went down.”

“Sure.”

My brother Jin So-cheong and I recounted the events that took place during our liquor gathering. Mostly Jin So-cheong did the talking, while I occasionally added a little context here and there. As the explanation wrapped up, Samjeol Lee Kwang seemed satisfied.

“Indeed, my disciples. Just as I expected.”

“Thank you.”

“Alright, let’s pour ourselves a drink. It looks like it’ll be a good night for liquor.”

And so the drinking continued until the hour of the dog (around 9 PM), after which we wrapped things up. Jin So-cheong had to return early to resume his duties as Grandmaster the next morning. As I was busy clearing the table after we finished our meal, Lee Kwang turned to me.

“You seem to have something on your mind.”

He had drunk quite a bit but didn’t really seem drunk; he was just in that tipsy state. A guy at his level could down a barrel of liquor and still stay sober. Knowing this, I cautiously broached the subject.

“When we visited Zhongnan Sect, they referred to you as Azure Dragon rather than Samjeol. When I asked the leader Yeon Jeong-hong, he suggested I ask you directly.”

“Why didn’t you ask during the drinking earlier?”

“Because it was a joyful occasion celebrating your achievements. This feels like a different moment…”

“Asking wouldn’t be disruptive?”

“……”

Lee Kwang chuckled lightly.

“You’re quite an amusing kid. Unbelievably talented for your age, and you have this worldly finesse like you’ve been around for decades… I thought I was good at reading people, but I can’t figure you out.”

“If it’s too much trouble, I can back off.”

“No, I should tell you why I’m referred to as Azure Dragon. Sit back and listen.”

“Yes.”

As I sat facing the empty table with Lee Kwang across from me, he gulped down a cup of cold water and began.

“Do you know I wasn’t just a martial artist in my youth? I was the Grandmaster of the Imperial Guards, the top martial officer in charge of ten thousand soldiers stationed in Luoyang. I often trained generals and soldiers, even serving as the Emperor’s martial arts instructor.”

“Yes, you taught me that when I first joined.”

“Now it’s time I tell you why I left the Imperial Guards to enter the martial arts world.”

I found myself filled with anticipation. ‘Finally, I’m going to find out.’

Being the Grandmaster of the Imperial Guards meant commanding a standing army of a hundred thousand and being a figure of immense honor—an almost incomprehensible position! Leaving that behind to manage a mundane regional military officer wasn’t easy to understand.

Until now, Lee Kwang hadn’t really shared much about his past life. I tried to ask before, but he’d usually scowled at me as if I were being rude. I hadn’t been close enough to him to hear about his past.

Lee Kwang continued.

“What do you think the organization that guards the Imperial Palace is?”

“That would be the Imperial Guards, the Golden Eagle Guard, and the Duke of Guanzhong, right?”

“Exactly. However, while the Imperial Guards function as a standing army, they are actually integrated into the chain of command under the Grand Commander, making the Golden Eagle Guard and Duke of Guanzhong the true elite guards.”

Lee Kwang paused, letting out a sigh.

“Yet, since their inception, the Golden Eagle Guard and Duke of Guanzhong have gone through too many rivalries. Both were formed because the Emperor couldn’t trust the powerful ministers and needed hunting dogs to maintain power. As a result, they started to decline, and even though they couldn’t properly guard the Emperor, they began corrupting with their power. There were many cases where nobles bribed their way in, placing their sons in these ranks.”

The previous emperor had been worried about this and felt the need to transform these two organizations into competent elite groups again. He selected the strongest warriors from any faction, filtering out those who showed skill and loyalty.

In that process, four of the most outstanding warriors at the time took charge. They were called the Four Great Experts of the Imperial Palace.

“……!!”

I gazed at him in shock. He nodded, confirming.

“I was one of those Four Great Experts, the Azure Dragon.”

It was an astonishing revelation.

If what he said was true, then the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School’s Lee Kwang was originally a prominent figure? If he was one of the best in the Imperial Palace, that meant he was already a peak expert back then! Plus, having been given the mandate to reorganize the military at the palace, he must have had the Emperor’s trust and had been at the core of power!

As I swallowed hard, Lee Kwang wore a wry smile.

“Back then, I realized there were only a handful of usable experts in the palace and decided to strong-arm the martial arts world into sending more competent fighters.”

“Strong-arm the martial arts world?”

“At the time, various sects in the martial world, including the Nine Great Sects, were quite hesitant to lend their experts to the Imperial Guards. The influx of talented people from the Luoyang sects took a while to happen.”

“Why? Nowadays, martial artists are eager to join the Golden Eagle Guard…”

“Back then, there was constant power struggle within the palace, and it was bloody. Being picked for the Golden Eagle Guard or the Duke of Guanzhong could lead to being ripped apart the very next day, and some sects were wiped out by accusations of treason without any explanation. Who’d offer up their talented disciples to such a bloodbath?”

“……”

I couldn’t tell when this ‘past’ he was referring to had taken place. It was clear that it was decades before I was born. The atmosphere of the current martial world and the palace seemed entirely different, leaving me to listen in thick silence.

He gazed at the moon in the sky and said,

“But still, I had to try. I sought out the leaders of the various factions, all while assuring them they wouldn’t be at risk if they supported me. But they wouldn’t listen to me. So, I had no choice but to resort to my final options.”

“Final options?”

“I went around smashing the martial arts sects throughout Shaanxi like a crazed whirlwind. Using sparring as an excuse, I destroyed the plaques of four or five sects in a day. I left behind quite a few downed experts and, while I killed many, I still regret some of it.”

“……”

“I thought that by putting enough pressure on them, they’d eventually yield and send skilled fighters to the Imperial Palace.”

Could that have been his intention all along? The Azure Dragon, one of the Four Great Experts of the Imperial Palace, had trampled through the martial world under the guise of sparring—there was a time when such reckless attempts existed. And I figured that the Nine Great Sects had mixed in during those sparring matches. I swallowed again, asking,

“Did you challenge the Eight Demons of the Demon Path or the Nine Great Sects?”

“Not challenge, but spar.”

“Yeah, spar.”

“I went against Zhongnan Sect, Huashan Sect, and even Wudang Sect, plus I also matched up against the Black Night Gate, Shura Sect, and Gate of Heaven and Earth from the Eight Demons.”

“And how did that go for you?”

“I never lost.”

The answer was too simple. But I suddenly understood the implications behind it, and a chill ran down my spine.

Lee Kwang—the Azure Dragon—had ridiculously put the strength of the Four Great Experts of the Imperial Palace on display in the martial world! That’s right! He’d gone undefeated against the top talents of both orthodox and heretical sects! I realized what Jin So-cheong meant by ‘fear’ now. Back then, the very name Azure Dragon was a harbinger of blood and death, a death god in the Imperial Palace!

I couldn’t believe it, so I asked,

“You had built up such a reputation, yet you became a mere military officer…?”

“Among those who harbored a grudge against me, there wasn’t anyone who was worth avenging. I made sure to leave a little room for compromise, so there was no one left who could readily attack me. I handled that properly and came down into the martial world.”

My thoughts spun with the realization of how fearsome this man was. If he claimed to have thoroughly handled his business, then to those trampled underfoot, he’d be a nightmare they would never want to encounter again! Lee Kwang was not someone you would ever want as an enemy.

“……”

“But even after applying all that pressure to the martial world, they shut their gates tighter. They’d repeatedly make excuses to avoid a spar with me. When my ambitions to recruit experts hit a wall, my anger and frustration peaked.”

Lee Kwang took a sip of tea, smiling bitterly.

“… But then, things stupidly resolved themselves. Once the internal strife in the palace ended, everything fell into place. The martial sects began sending out experts again, and the distribution of personnel in the Golden Eagle Guard and Duke of Guanzhong returned to normal. I was dismissed from the Four Great Experts for lack of ability.”

“Dismissed? That’s not your fault, is it?”

“I initially thought so. But as I descended into the martial world, a whirlwind of thoughts crossed my mind. After serving the Emperor my whole life, I was just kicked out like that… It made my blood boil with rage.”

Lee Kwang’s expression softened into one of peace.

“But it wasn’t the case at all. I realized my error.”

“What?”

“What I was meant to do wasn’t to pick fights with the martial world and crush their experts. My goal should have been to end the power struggles in the palace swiftly to achieve peace. If I had done that, no innocent lives would have been lost, and I wouldn’t have earned that unwarranted hate.

I didn’t think for myself, only obeyed commands from above, believing it to be the virtue of a military officer. And due to that, I ended up failing.”

“……”

Lee Kwang stared at me fiercely.

“You should also keep this in mind. No matter how strong a power you possess, you must think with your own head and walk the path chosen by your own will. Otherwise, that strength will be of no use.”

Think for yourself! That would be Lee Kwang’s most significant lesson for me as the current Samjeol. With my numerous past lives, I could painfully understand his words. I’d previously died many times for being swept up in situations and acting impulsively without my own consideration.

‘Life experience and wisdom are indeed essential.’

As I wore a face of realization, Lee Kwang looked at me with a peculiar expression.

“You’re really unique. I’ve told So-cheong this story several times, but he only viewed it as guidance for the future. Yet you resonate deeply with it as if you’ve lived through similar experiences.”

“……”

“Maybe the liquor has loosened my tongue. I’ll take a few more questions, but this will be the last round.”

A hint of embarrassment crossed his face. Even a man as cold as him didn’t seem to enjoy reminiscing about his past. I thought for a moment before asking him something important.

“Do you know the Lord of the Golden Eagle Guard? Is he also one of the Four Great Experts?”

“Of course, he’s my close friend, the White Tiger.”

I internally gasped. ‘That’s why he was ridiculously strong.’

If the Lord of the Golden Eagle Guard was the White Tiger of the Four Great Experts, then beating him directly would be impossible for me right now. Being Lee Kwang’s friend and referred to as one of the greatest meant he was among the martial world’s top tier.

“Who are the other two?”

“One is the Xuanwu, Duke of Guanzhong Huan-ya, and the other is the Zhuque.”

“Including you, three of them were commanders of the palace’s military forces, but what about this Zhuque? What’s his position?”

“Zhuque is a bit special. He’s truly a guardian of the Emperor and hardly reveals himself even to the other Experts. They say he operates from the deepest shadows.”

“I see.”

As Lee Kwang divulged some insights, he gave me a little cheeky comment.

“What are you going to do, being so curious about the Four Great Experts? With your current abilities, there’s no way you could match up with any of them.”

Regardless, I had gained tremendous intel. I brushed off the jab and focused on memorizing everything. Then, I asked,

“Lastly, I have a question for you, Master.”

“Go ahead.”

“If the Golden Eagle Guard were to abandon humanity and commit evil acts, would you stop them?”

“Hmm.”

Lee Kwang seemed to ponder deeply over my question. He probably had thought of such situations himself before. He remained furrowed in thought, and after a pause, spoke up.

“If it were for the sake of the Emperor, I would not intervene.”

“Are you serious?”

Lee Kwang nodded.

“I’ve seen and heard much about inhumane activities, and I’ve participated. I’ve even engaged in torture firsthand. But I believed that in all those actions, we were serving the Emperor with loyalty and integrity. For a lord, a warrior must be willing to sacrifice his own sense of justice and serve selflessly, so I can understand their perspective.”

“But…!”

I bit my tongue, wanting to retort.

‘The Golden Eagle Guard isn’t the same as it was in your memory! They are sacrificing thousands to appease their evil gods!’

But I held back.

My restraint came from thoughts of Mangnyang’s fate. If I told Lee Kwang the truth, I might find a way to provide proof of the tragedy and perhaps make him an ally.

But even if I gained him as an ally, there would be no guarantee I could defeat the Golden Eagle Guard. Moreover, given Lee Kwang’s words, there was a possibility he would ignore the truth. With my insufficient power, I’d end up facing a situation no different from when I slaughtered Mangnyang.

I wouldn’t rely on others anymore. I had entered the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School this time to cultivate my own strength. For that, I’ve vowed to charge ahead without looking back or to either side.

As I stayed bowed, Lee Kwang’s voice rang out.

“That’s all for today’s gathering. Starting tomorrow, I’ll teach you the Heavenly Gathering Kill in earnest, so stay sharp.”

Lee Kwang’s presence slowly dissipated.

There I sat alone in front of the empty table, gazing out at the moon. It was a full moon.

“I really need to stay sharp.”

This time, I steeled my resolve. All I could rely on was myself.

 

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