Black and White Martial Emperor

The instant he saw the axe, what he felt was sheer awe.

What material was it made from?

That, he could not tell. Even Yeon Hojeong—who had shattered thousands of weapons and seen tens of thousands—could not identify what iron had been used.

But one thing was clear.

“The hardness is monstrous.”

What first drew his eye was the jet-black haft, so dark it seemed ready to drink in the sunlight itself.

Black upon black. To dismiss it as a mere dark dye would be wrong; it bore an uncanny luster. And yet it swallowed light, leaving the viewer with a strange sense of the arcane.

An overwhelming hardness that would never break. At the same time, a curious suppleness that looked ready to bear tremendous weight.

The harmony of rigidity and flexibility dwelt together within it. Just seeing the haft alone was enough to make him think so.

Yeon Hojeong’s gaze dipped lower.

“That?”

At the end of the haft hung a ring larger than a grown man’s fist, its material seemingly different from the haft itself. Of course, its hardness looked in no way inferior.

“A counterweight.”

It was a ring and, at the same time, a weight to balance the center of mass. The ring alone looked like it would weigh a great deal.

His gaze rose again.

The moment he saw the gigantic axe-blade, his breath caught.

“I know your nature is plain and spare,” said Master Artisan Pyeon, “but it felt a shame to leave it too bare, so I made it a touch showy.”

A touch showy was an understatement.

The blade was slightly narrower than the iron axe he had used before. In exchange, it was thicker.

And at the center of that massive blade, a savage dragon’s head jutted as if it might burst free at any moment. Around the dragon’s head, red and blue filigree like shimmering heat-haze added another layer of splendor.

A masterpiece.

It held together a warrior’s ferocity and a war-lord’s majesty. Its presence defied description.

“The name should ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) be given by its master, of course,” Pyeon went on, “but it felt wrong to leave it nameless, so I’ve been calling it Mad Dragon.”

Mad Dragon.

A rough name, perhaps, yet those two simple words fit it perfectly. A divine weapon that looked as if it would not rust for a thousand years, the summation of a master’s craft.

Spellbound, Yeon Hojeong stepped forward and took the haft in his hand.

“Heavy.”

A tremendous weight, a palpable thickness. Though similar to the iron axe he had swung before, it felt even thicker in the hand.

“Different from the Wind-Thunder Axe.”

The Wind-Thunder Axe had been his beloved weapon in his days as the Dark Emperor, a divine arm likewise forged by the greatest of blacksmiths.

If the Wind-Thunder Axe was lightning, the Mad Dragon Axe was wind.

If the Wind-Thunder Axe was cool, the Mad Dragon Axe was searing.

If the Wind-Thunder Axe displayed an aesthetic of restraint, the Mad Dragon Axe’s unrestrained, surging drive was its very essence.

It inspired a confidence that it would protect its master in any battle. As if a god of war had taken residence within it, merely looking at it set the blood to a boil.

Yeon Hojeong lifted the Mad Dragon Axe.

WHOOM.

From wrist to elbow to shoulder, then through his whole upper body, the transmitted weight was tremendous.

Amazingly, it somehow felt lighter than the iron axe he had used before. In truth it had to be heavier, and yet the burden on the body was less.

Without realizing it, Yeon Hojeong ran Jade Wave True Qi.

WUUUUNG!

The axe sang.

It was like a dragon’s roar. The fierce dragon set into the blade’s center seemed to open its mouth and bellow.

Master Artisan Pyeon’s smile was deeply satisfied.

“It seems the axe likes you as well. How is it? Does the feel suit you?”

No turn of phrase under heaven could suffice.

In the end, after a moment’s struggle, Yeon Hojeong spoke a single line.

“It could not be better.”

Pyeon burst into hearty laughter.

Words like “magnificent” or “peerless” were needless. If it fit the master’s grip and swing exactly, that was the highest praise a craftsman could receive.

“I knew it would be to your liking. Swing it to your heart’s content. No matter how savage your inner force, it will hold.”

Yeon Hojeong bowed his head.

“Thank you.”

“Heh heh, if the master is pleased, so am I.”

Pyeon beckoned to Mookbi.

“Young lady, come with me.”

“Eh? Ah—yes!”

She too had been bewitched by the Mad Dragon Axe’s dazzling form. Even as she started, following Pyeon, she kept stealing glances at it.

Yeon Hojeong took the axe and stepped out of the forge.

ZIIIING!

Bathed in pouring sunlight, the Mad Dragon Axe’s blade flared with a vivid brilliance.

It did not scatter light but gathered it. The blade, drinking in that light, seemed to set the dragon’s head and the heat-haze filigree aglow all the more.

He tightened his grip on the haft.

SQUEEZE!

The harder he gripped, the more the Mad Dragon Axe’s dominating force seemed to climb exponentially.

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

“I’ve been given a gift far beyond my deserts.”

This one would suffice. He would need no axe other than this.

His heart wanted to swing it at once, but the place was what it was, and he could not. He sat on a flat rock and, spellbound, busied himself with studying the Mad Dragon Axe.

How long had it been?

KKA-DDEU-DDEU-DDEUK.

The creak of a bowstring being drawn bored into his ear.

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes lit.

FWIIIIISH!

A wooden arrow fired straight at him at a brutal speed.

Yeon Hojeong simply swung the Mad Dragon Axe.

SHRAAK! BOOM!

The axe split the wooden arrow cleanly in two and sank into the ground. He had hardly put any strength into it, and yet more than half the blade buried itself.

Yeon Hojeong drew the axe out.

Not a speck of dust clung to the blade that had just parted stone and earth.

“You’re fast, even with something that heavy.”

He looked toward the distance where Mookbi stood.

In her hands was a red horn bow. Like the Mad Dragon Axe, the material of its limbs and string was unknown.

Yeon Hojeong shook his head.

“The draw weight is tremendous, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t even load the arrow with inner force.”

Even so, the shot speed verged on lightning. The bow’s completeness was in no way inferior to the Mad Dragon Axe.

Master Artisan Pyeon explained.

“It’s a treasure called the Red Lotus Bow. No one knows who made it, but they say you can’t draw it to the end unless your inner force is at the pinnacle. In rarity, it may surpass the Mad Dragon Axe.”

Yeon Hojeong and Mookbi bowed their heads.

“Thank you.”

Pyeon let out a broad laugh.

“What thanks are needed? You’ve gained fine weapons; I only hope you’ll use them with purpose. That is all.”

A great craftsman had bestowed a peerless treasure on worthy warriors.

He asked no material recompense. What he wished for was to see the warriors bearing his treasures shake the martial world.

The two warriors, promising to become great enough to meet a craftsman’s expectations, took their leave.

“Like the bow?”

“It’s amazing.”

“Looks that way.”

“Do you like the axe?”

“What’s there to say.”

“Looks that way.”

“Well then, I’ll be off. See you later.”

“Where are you going?”

“I have business in Zhejiang. I’ll arrive before the year is out at the latest.”

“Then let’s go together.”

“You too?”

“Why? Can’t I?”

“It’s not that... Aren’t you just volunteering for trouble?”

“If I’ve gotten a bow, I should draw the string.”

“We’re not going to fight.”

“We’ll see. I’ve a feeling, Young Master Yeon, that you’ll get tangled in every sort of incident.”

“I’m not a child.”

“I’m just saying. If something does happen, I’ll be a big help.”

“Fine. If you insist on the hardship, I’ve no need to stop you.”

“You have such a beautiful way with words. I’m always impressed.”

“I’ve said this a few times, but I never imagined you were so quick with your tongue. You were such a gloomy thing, never opening your mouth except to eat.”

“When was that?”

“...There must’ve been a time.”

“There wasn’t. Never.”

“Well, anyway—let’s run together again.”

“Gladly.”

****

“Branch Chief.”

“Whoever it is, tell them I’m busy.”

“It’s not that...”

“What is it?”

“A letter from the main house.”

The young man, who had been dashing his brush across the paper, stopped his hand.

He set the brush down and lifted his head.

“From the clan?”

“Yes.”

After a brief moment of thought, the young man held out his hand.

“Let me see.”

“Here.”

He read the letter in a single breath.

Watching the young man’s face grow darker as he read, Lee Geon asked,

“Is it funds again this time?”

“...”

“Branch Chief?”

“Hm? Ah—no, it’s not about funds.”

“Yet your expression isn’t good.”

The young man gave a bitter smile.

“It seems my elder brother has noticed.”

“...!”

“Looks like this is as far as it goes.”

“...What if we sent one more letter? As you know, the merchants in Zhejiang are on edge to the breaking point. If, in the midst of this, we monopolize the trade with the Westerners, this place will turn into a battlefield in an instant.”

“It will.”

The young man—Mo Yong-woo—let out a sigh.

“But is my brother the sort to appreciate such things? If they cause trouble, he’ll dispatch troops at once.”

“...”

“Then it’s over. Everyone who goes against my brother’s word will die.”

Lee Geon let out a breath.

“It’s not that I doubt you, Branch Chief... but would he truly go that far?”

“He would.”

“...”

“If it’s my brother, he absolutely will. He resolves most matters with talk, but if things pass the line, his way is to crush the other side utterly with threats and stratagem.”

Mo Yong-woo’s eyes deepened.

“If even that doesn’t work, then he draws the sword without fail. And he cuts. He cuts the core that caused the problem.”

“...”

“It seems our mediation ends here. Better to help them from the shadows. Better that than watching innocent heads roll to a stray blade.”

“...That’s true.”

Mo Yong-woo sighed.

“Every time this happens, I feel how paltry my ability is.”

Lee Geon felt a pang of regret.

The Branch Chief’s ability is more than enough.

That was no lip service; it was the truth.

Mo Yong-woo had not yet even reached thirty. Even so, he was a genius whose martial power surpassed the elder-grade of most great sects.

If this became known, the fame of the Twin Dragons and Three Peaks would be spoken of as the former—of the past.

And that wasn’t all. Mo Yong-woo excelled not only in martial arts but in commerce. His character, too, lacked nothing to be called that of a gentleman.

But even an unprecedented genius found it hard to spread his wings beneath the crushing weight of his clan.

A genius the world did not recognize—a fate ill-starred. That was Mo Yong-woo.

“Branch Chief.”

“Speak.”

“Then... how about this instead?”

“Hm?”

Cautiously, Lee Geon said,

“The merchants in Jiangsu, which borders Zhejiang, are likewise on edge. And the one mediating them is the Yeon Clan.”

Mo Yong-woo’s eyes lit.

“The Yeon Clan of Green Mountain.”

“Yes. Their mediation is said to be so excellent that, in the span of two months, the conflicts among Jiangsu’s merchants—which had looked ready to explode—have been largely patched.”

“And?”

“Since it’s come to this, if we’re to save these people, what about joining hands with the Yeon Clan?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Pardon?”

Mo Yong-woo shook his head, firm.

“Never. That would endanger not only the merchants but you and the warriors under this branch.”

“...Would it?”

“There’s no way to deceive my brother, not in any form. Besides...”

He let out a sigh.

“Of late the Yeon Clan’s renown is shaking the world. And the reason is their First Young Master.”

“That’s right.”

“The First Young Master of the Yeon Clan faced the Ming Clan alone. But the one who broke them decisively was my brother. There must be something between my brother and the Yeon Clan’s First Young Master that I don’t know.”

“...”

“Even the slightest risk would be fatal. At least for now.”

“Then in the end, we can only give up?”

Mo Yong-woo shook his head.

“Fix the course on supporting them from behind. Once my brother has given the order, matters here are as good as finished.”

Just then—

A hurried voice sounded from outside the branch chief’s office.

“Branch Chief!”

“What is it?”

“Miss Yeonhwa has arrived in Hangzhou!”

Mo Yong-woo’s face went rigid.

“Yeonhwa? That girl?”

“Yes. And she says she’ll stop by the branch within the day!”

Lee Geon’s cheek twitched.

“...Branch Chief.”

Mo Yong-woo leaned back in his chair.

A bitter look touched his face.

“Looks like it’s all over.”

That night—

Yeon Hojeong and Mookbi crossed into Zhejiang.