Author's Preface
Kang stopped mid-step. “Did you say… Mira?” He turned slowly to look back at So-Yeon. For the first time since she had met him, the calm certainty in his eyes was gone. “What was your grandmother’s name?” he asked.
So-Yeon looked up at him, confused. “Seo-Yeon,” she said. “My mother named me after her.” The words had barely left her lips when Kang’s eyes widened. It was as if someone had struck him square in the chest. His breath caught. For a moment he simply stood there. Then he vanished. A burst of wind spun outward where he had stood, sending dust and leaves swirling through the clearing. And he was gone. So-Yeon blinked, staring at the empty space. “…What was that about?”
Wuxing Ye glanced toward the monk and shrugged. “I told you,” he muttered, tearing a strip of meat from his grilled snake. “Annoying questions.”
With that he stood, carried his food toward one of the huts, and disappeared inside. Shenwu chuckled softly. He looked at So-Yeon with kind eyes.
“It seems, my child,” the monk said gently, “that some truths refuse to stay buried.” He folded his hands inside his sleeves. “I wonder if that is why your grandfather took such an interest in Kang all those years ago.”
So-Yeon frowned. “Can you stop talking in circles and just tell me what you mean?”
The monk smiled faintly. “That is not my place, child. That answer belongs to Kang.” He began walking away. “For now, my place is there.” He nodded toward the gate. “I will return later.” Then he paused and glanced back toward Blue. “Until then, watch over your brother...keep his feet elevated.”
A shadow suddenly loomed over them. Shan Tie had appeared beside Blue. Without a word, the massive man laid a cold cloth across Blue’s forehead.
“Make sure this stays there,” he rumbled. “So he doesn’t catch a fever.” He gestured toward one of the huts. “You can use that one for now.” Then he bent down and carefully lifted Blue. So-Yeon followed him silently. Tie pushed open the hut door and laid Blue down gently on the bedding inside. “Get some sleep,” he said. His deep voice softened slightly. “I think your next conversation may be the most exhausting one yet.”
He stepped outside and closed the door. For a moment, the hut was quiet. So-Yeon laid down beside Blue. She looked at him for a long time. “You know,” she murmured softly, “for a mountain king… he’s actually pretty nice.” She took Blue’s hand in hers. And slowly, exhaustion finally claimed her. So-Yeon drifted into sleep beside him.
Morning broke slowly over the small camp. Sunlight slipped through the doorway of the hut and brushed across So-Yeon’s face. Her eyes opened. Outside she could hear low voices… whispers… and the occasional burst of laughter. She turned her head toward Blue. He still lay where Tie had placed him, breathing faintly. So-Yeon rested her hand against his forehead. Cool. She let out a quiet breath. “No fever… thankfully,” she whispered.
Only then did she notice the cloth across his head. It had been changed. Fresh. Clean. Her brow furrowed. Someone had come into the hut during the night. And she hadn’t noticed. She looked around the small room. “This hut isn’t even that big…” she murmured.
"Either I was completely exhausted… or the men outside are so far beyond my level that their movements had gone entirely unnoticed." She sighed and pushed herself to her feet. Stepping outside, she walked toward the fire. The morning air was cool, carrying the smell of roasting meat. Another pig turned slowly over the flames, its fat hissing softly as it dripped into the fire below. So-Yeon sat down beside the campfire. The moment she did, the other three men stood. The monk rose first. Shan Tie followed. Wuxing Ye stretched lazily, already chewing on something he’d stolen from the roasting spit. None of them spoke. Without a word, the three walked away together toward the tree line, disappearing into the forest as if they had already agreed to leave. So-Yeon blinked, then she noticed. Kang had not moved. He sat across the fire from her. Arms folded. Straw hat tilted low. And his eyes were fixed on her.
So-Yeon met his stare across the fire. “Care to tell me what the hell is going on?” she said coldly. She folded her arms. “To be honest, I’m grateful you saved us. But we shouldn’t stay here any longer than necessary. Blue seems stable enough. I can take him back to our base camp.”
Kang slowly tilted his straw hat back. “You won’t be taking my grandson anywhere just yet,” he said calmly. “It’s too dangerous.”
So-Yeon blinked. “…Grandson?” Her eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about? Are you saying you’re my grandfather?”
Kang exhaled slowly. “Mira…” he said quietly. “What happened to her?”
So-Yeon stood abruptly. “Forget that,” she snapped. “Who are you really?” Her hand drifted toward the hilt of her sword. “Are you keeping us hostage now?”
Kang rose to his feet. The moment he released his qi, the air around them turned heavy. It crashed down on So-Yeon like a mountain. Her knees slammed into the ground before she could stop herself, blood ran from her nose. The fire flickered violently from the pressure.
Kang’s voice was no longer calm. “I will ask one more time.”
His eyes burned beneath the shadow of his hat. “What happened… to my daughter?”
So-Yeon’s face went pale. Fear. Shock. Disbelief. "Your daughter? You mean... my mother." Her voice trembled. "She was your daughter?" Her eyes filled with anger. "She always told us stories about you. We also know how you abandoned her and grandmother." She shook her head fast. "No, I can't believe this. There is no way you're my grandfather."
Kang sighed and sat back down by the fire. "Abandoned. Yes, that is how everyone sees it. I did not abandon them." He stared into the flames. "I protected them. From my name, my legacy, my enemies." He looked back at So-Yeon. "Tell me, what became of my daughter?"
So-Yeon stared at the ground. "She was murdered. Whoever it was left her body on our doorstep when we were children. We never found out who did it... or why." Her voice cracked. "She had been searching for clues about who murdered our father."
Silence fell between them, So-Yeon noticed Kang's knuckles turning white.
"So either my enemies or your fathers enemies killed her." Kang said.
"My father had no enemies. He was a simple guard for a local merchant." She paused. "What do you mean your enemies."
"What happened to your father?" Kang ignored her question.
"You old men are all the same. Demand answers and give none yourselves." She exhaled. "Bandits killed him. We were told mountain bandits attacked the caravan and killed the merchants, the guards, everyone."
Before Kang could speak, a shadow fell over the the fire. Tie stood behind him. "Bullshit. We have always had a pact with the local merchants and the Tang Clan. Yoryeon saw to that. We allowed safe passage through the mountain roads for a toll. If your grandfather thought mountain bandits killed your father, he would've came and burned our entire fortress to the ground." He folded his arms. "We didn't kill your father, that much i can guarantee."
"Seems there is more to this story than the world has been led to believe." Kang said. He looked back to So-Yeon
"To answer your question, I did not abandon my wife and daughter. My technique is something everyone in Murim seeks. My master taught it to me, and with it I can use it with any sword technique. The universal breathing technique." Kang shifted on the log. "He found me as a child, I was an orphan. He taught me his technique. There was no scroll, no sect. It is a technique passed down to one person each generation." He paused. "When he passed away, I traveled Murim gaining strength and techniques. I fought sect leaders, elders. I took their techniques and incorporated them. Sects and Clans do not appreciate when someone from the outside uses their techniques." Kang reached and tore off a leg from the pig roasting above the fire and took a bite. "When I met your grandmother, we fell in love. Life slowed down, and was normal. We eventually had Mira. Life was boring, but it was good. Until it wasn't. The Zhuge clan had kidnapped your grandmother to get to me. I slaughtered them all, the entire clan from top to bottom." Kang sighed. "After that I came to Chengdu with my wife and daughter to hide them and I left. I left them behind and roamed as to not put them in danger any longer. At one point I even forgot I had a family. Then, Yoryeon came along, the one man I could never beat. He asked me to watch over his grandchildren, he said he didn't have much time left. I accepted and honestly, watching over all of you, I gained a little piece back of what I had once lost."
So-Yeon stood and walked over to Kang. "I'm sorry, I had no idea. Neither did mother." She sat next to him. "I've lost alot in my life. Recently though, it seems as if I'm gaining as much as I've lost."
"If I had known who you were to me, I would've never let you go into that gate." Kang said. "I'm sorry you've been through so much, and I wasn't there for you all like Yoryeon was." Kang stood. "That stops now though. I will do for you and your siblings what I could never do for Mira. I promise."
Before another word was spoken, a violent crash was heard from inside the hut. So-Yeon was on her feet, she sprinted across the clearing and slammed into the door with her shoulder. Blue's body lay on the floor thrashing about violently. His muscles convulsed uncontrollably, his back arching as if something from the inside was tearing him apart. So-Yeon could only manage to scream one word as she watched. "BLUE!