The Sunhwa Gate disciples were patrolling the bustling market streets, keeping an eye on the well-being of the townsfolk.

“Old man Wang, how’s business these days?”

“Haha, thanks to you, it’s going well. Ever since you drove out those scoundrels from the Sapa, I’ve had nothing to worry about.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“You’re probably hungry from all that patrolling. Here, have a skewer.”

The old man offered them a skewer of grilled meat, but the Sunhwa disciples politely declined.

“If we accept, our master will scold us. We appreciate the gesture, though.”

As they walked away with a smile, the Sunhwa disciples suddenly stopped, their expressions turning serious.

Blocking their path were martial artists in blue uniforms.

The disciples of the Daejeong Gate stood defiantly in their way.

“What brings the Daejeong Gate disciples here in such numbers?” one of the Sunhwa disciples demanded, raising his voice.

But the Daejeong disciples merely smirked, showing no intention of stepping aside.

“From now on, this street will be under the protection of the Daejeong Gate.”

“What nonsense is this? This area has always been under Sunhwa’s protection.”

“Silence. You barely managed to fend off the Sapa infiltrators recently. If you don’t want to be humiliated, step aside quietly.”

The Sunhwa disciples’ expressions hardened.

“Ha! So that’s your game. I heard you’ve been recruiting twice as many disciples lately. Are you short on funds?”

The Daejeong disciples flinched, and the Sunhwa disciple continued, his voice growing louder.

“Just like when you raised the protection fees in the western part of Winam two months ago to expand Daejeong. Do you not care about the common folk?”

The townspeople, who had been watching the standoff from a distance, began to murmur among themselves.

“Raising protection fees again? Didn’t they just do that four months ago?”

“I’ve heard from merchants in other areas that the fees have been creeping up.”

“It would be better if Sunhwa continued to protect us. They’re reliable and don’t overburden us.”

Sensing the townspeople’s unease, the Daejeong disciples drew their swords in unison.

“Leave before you get hurt! You’ve been warned.”

“How is what you’re doing any different from the Sapa?” the Sunhwa disciples retorted, reaching for their own swords but hesitating as they glanced around.

Fighting here would turn the narrow street into chaos.

“If we fight here, the townspeople will suffer. Let’s take this elsewhere.”

The Daejeong disciples laughed mockingly.

“Don’t pretend to care about the townspeople. Sunhwa has always avoided fights out of fear of losing.”

Provoked beyond endurance, the Sunhwa disciples could no longer hold back.

“How shameless!”

The Daejeong disciples, as if waiting for this moment, lunged forward with their swords.

Clang!

The clash between Sunhwa and Daejeong erupted.

“Oh no!”

“What on earth is happening?”

The townspeople hurriedly packed up their stalls and retreated.

The Daejeong disciples spread out, using the cleared space to launch a coordinated attack against the Sunhwa disciples.

Each Sunhwa disciple found themselves facing two opponents, clearly a premeditated move.

A Sunhwa disciple deftly parried the simultaneous strikes from above and below, employing the Meifeng Sword Technique.

He deflected two swords in succession and attempted to thrust at the Daejeong disciple on his left, but was forced to retreat as another sword pressed in from the right.

The other Sunhwa disciples faced similar challenges.

Though their martial skills were slightly superior, they struggled against the combined assault of two opponents, quickly finding themselves overwhelmed.

Yet, the Sunhwa disciples, fueled by anger, fought back fiercely without yielding.

“Ugh!”

For every injury a Sunhwa disciple sustained, a Daejeong disciple also suffered a wound.

“Don’t hold back just because they’re from a righteous sect! Push them back!”

“Shameless Daejeong scoundrels!”

With years of simmering animosity between them, the battle between Daejeong and Sunhwa grew even more intense as blood was shed on both sides.

Just as the clash seemed to reach a temporary lull, a figure darted between the two groups like a swallow.

Mu Hui, employing the Swift Step technique, moved against the wind, his sleeves billowing like flags before stiffening.

Infusing his sleeves with internal energy, Mu Hui executed the Bamboo Leaf Hand technique.

His sleeves, once rigid, began to ripple fluidly.

With arms extended, Mu Hui spun, his sleeves undulating like waves.

Swish!

His sleeves wrapped around the swords of both Daejeong and Sunhwa, yet remained intact due to the internal energy coursing through them.

“Gah!”

“Ugh!”

The impact of the sleeves against their swords forced the martial artists of both sects to release their grips.

As Mu Hui completed his second spin, the swords of both Sunhwa and Daejeong were neatly gathered within his sleeves.

In the blink of an eye, the martial artists found themselves disarmed, frozen in their stances, stunned by the unexpected turn of events.

Clatter!

As Mu Hui released the internal energy from his sleeves, the swords clattered to the ground, leaving only the embroidered plum blossoms on his sleeves swaying gracefully.

The martial artists stared in disbelief at their swords lying at Mu Hui’s feet.

To be disarmed so effortlessly by a young prodigy was beyond humiliating.

The Sunhwa disciples gazed at Mu Hui with reverence, while the Daejeong disciples were left in shock.

“Righteous sects, brandishing swords in broad daylight before the townspeople… what a disgrace,” Mu Hui remarked, his sharp gaze sweeping over both groups.

None of the martial artists could meet his eyes.

The Sunhwa disciples bowed their heads in respect.

“Master Mu Hui, we apologize.”

The Daejeong disciples, however, couldn’t hold their tongues despite Mu Hui’s intimidating presence.

“How dare you interfere with Daejeong’s affairs!”

“Isn’t it natural for Sunhwa, being part of the Huashan Sect, to intervene?”

Mu Hui took a step forward, his presence pressing down on the Daejeong disciples like a physical weight.

They flinched, astonished by the formidable aura emanating from the young prodigy.

“And dare? Even your master wouldn’t speak such words. Do you think Huashan is a joke?”

“Ahem. That was a slip of the tongue.”

“A slip? More like your true nature showing.”

Over the past three days, Mu Hui had sent his disciples to assess the situation in Winam. Daejeong had maintained the bare minimum of propriety expected of a righteous sect, but within those bounds, they had used any means necessary to expand their influence.

Daejeong’s goal was to monopolize Winam, pushing Sunhwa out, though it seemed to be just a step in their larger plan.

“Vermin…”

Mu Hui, hands clasped behind his back, stomped his left foot.

Crack!

The swords of the Daejeong disciples shattered under the force of his internal energy, breaking into pieces.

As the fragments scattered like petals, the Daejeong disciples’ faces flushed with humiliation.

To stand helplessly as their swords were destroyed before their eyes was a new and bitter experience.

“Tell your master to come to Sunhwa directly, instead of resorting to underhanded tactics.”

“We will relay your message.”

The Daejeong disciples, faces red with shame, fled without even retrieving their broken swords.

Watching them retreat, Mu Hui turned to the townspeople who had been watching from a distance and bowed.

“I am Mu Hui, second disciple of the Huashan Sect. I apologize to anyone who felt threatened.”

The townspeople, witnessing Mu Hui’s humility, showered him with praise.

“Truly, a disciple of a prestigious sect is different.”

“Even at a young age, he shows the spirit of a hero.”

“Huashan is Huashan for a reason. Look at that humility.”

Mu Hui gestured for the Sunhwa disciples to approach.

“Why are you standing there? Apologize to the merchants affected by the fight and compensate them.”

“Of course, Master.”

“Compensate them generously. We’ll make Daejeong pay back tenfold later.”

The Sunhwa disciple hesitated for a moment before nodding.

“Understood, Master.”

As Mu Hui took charge of the Sunhwa disciples, his fellow sect members watched in awe.

“We thought we’d have to step in, but Senior Brother handled it all in an instant.”

Mu Hwa, who had been ready to intervene, lowered his sword.

Mu Jin, arms crossed, nodded in agreement.

“Senior Brother seems to be rough with us, but he always presents the perfect image of a sage to outsiders.”

Mu Hwa had accurately observed Mu Hui’s behavior, and Mu Cheol nodded in agreement, sharing the sentiment.

“This must be what they call the art of diplomacy. The more I see of Senior Brother, the less I understand him.”

Mujin, who had been responding, carefully observed every glance and gesture of Muhwi, as if trying to learn from him.

* * *

The atmosphere in the reception room of Seonhwa Gate was tense.

It was just as Muhwi had said—the head of Daejeong Gate had come in person.

“Haha, the influence of the Hwasan Sect is truly impressive. I never imagined I’d set foot in Seonhwa Gate like this. I thought if I ever did, it would be to replace the sign with Daejeong Gate’s.”

“Master of Daejeong, you never change, do you?”

Im Muguk bristled at the Daejeong leader’s audacity but glanced at Muhwi beside him and held his temper.

The Daejeong leader shifted his gaze from Im Muguk to Muhwi.

“So, you’re the junior who summoned me.”

Muhwi merely raised his eyes slightly to meet the Daejeong leader’s gaze.

The leader’s upper lip twitched. In such situations, it was customary to introduce oneself and say something, but this young man showed no such courtesy.

“I could tell from the moment a junior called a senior, but it seems you learned martial arts at Hwasan but not etiquette.”

Muhwi lightly brushed his chin with his fingers and smiled.

“Senior, it seems my actions have offended you. I apologize.”

His words were apologetic, but his demeanor and expression were anything but. The Daejeong leader tilted his head in irritation.

“My master taught me to show courtesy only to those who deserve it.”

The Daejeong leader subtly gripped the hem of his pants under the table, and Im Muguk looked at Muhwi with surprise, having never seen this side of him before.

‘Hmm, it’s a bit unsettling, but also refreshing.’

With the Daejeong leader at a loss for words, silence filled the reception room.

Muhwi picked up the teacup in front of him and set it down lightly.

Thud!

The sound drew everyone’s attention to Muhwi.

“Seonhwa Gate, Daejeong Gate. It seems neither of you intends to reconcile and coexist peacefully in Winam, so let’s stop the pointless bickering.”

“You’re right. So, what do you propose?”

The Daejeong leader’s voice was laced with irritation, which only deepened Muhwi’s smile.

“As a righteous sect, we can’t engage in a bloody battle like the unorthodox sects, fighting until one side is annihilated…”

This was as much a reminder to himself. It would be simple to march to Daejeong Gate and wipe them out, but he was not a bloodthirsty warrior; he was the senior disciple of the Hwasan Sect.

Muhwi continued, meeting the Daejeong leader’s glare.

“How about we select representatives from each sect to settle this with a martial arts duel?”

The Daejeong leader tilted his head the other way and laughed, while Im Muguk’s face darkened again.

Though he had already heard Muhwi’s plan, Im Muguk couldn’t shake his worry.

In the end, Im Muguk sent a telepathic message to Muhwi.

[Muhwi, are you sure about this?]

[Don’t worry, I’m here.]

Muhwi locked eyes with the Daejeong leader, his gaze confident and his smile broad.

The Daejeong leader’s laughter began to fade as he watched Muhwi’s assured demeanor.

The end