Blade of the Discarded — Chapter 1

MY EARLIEST MEMORY

IS OF A CHILD TEARING INTO A DEAD RAT.

IT WAS A CHILD MY AGE, AND THE LOOK IN THAT CHILD'S EYES...

SHOWED NO ANGER OR SORROW IN THEM.

THERE WAS ONLY HOLLOW HUNGER, POOLED DEEP WITHIN IT LIKE A WELL.

AND PERHAPS

I WAS NO DIFFERENT.

IN A HAZY IMPRESSION I CAN BARELY CALL A MEMORY,

A WOMAN'S HAND ROUGHLY TUGGED AT MY TINY WRIST.

I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER HER FACE.

THE HAND OF THAT WOMAN CALLED MY MOTHER

WAS ROUGH AND COLD, LIKE A WITHERED BRANCH.

MY MOTHER LEFT ME STANDING BEFORE A STRANGE, MIDDLE-AGED MAN,

AND POCKETED A FEW COINS RIGHT AFTER.

THAT WAS THE FIRST "PRICE"

THAT WAS EVER PUT ON ME.

AND JUST LIKE THAT, THE WOMAN WALKED AWAY

WITHOUT LOOKING BACK EVEN ONCE.

FROM THAT DAY ON,

THE WORD "MOTHER" NEVER CAME OUT OF MY MOUTH.

I FOLLOWED THE MAN ALONG A MAIN ROAD RIDDLED THICK WITH DUST.

THEN HE SUDDENLY SLOWED HIS PACE AND TURNED HIS HEAD SLIGHTLY.

ARE YOU SAD?

NO.

...EVEN THOUGH YOU'VE PARTED WITH YOUR FAMILY?

IF SELLING ME LETS THEM LIVE A FEW DAYS LONGER,

I DON'T THINK IT'S SOMETHING TO BE SAD ABOUT.

YOU'RE OLD BEYOND YOUR YEARS.

THE MAN STARTED WALKING AGAIN,

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

YOU'LL UNDERSTAND SOMEDAY.

AND I FOLLOWED BEHIND HIM.

AFTER WE HAD WALKED A LONG WHILE AND THE SUN HAD GONE DOWN,

THE MAN SPOKE AGAIN.

CHILD,

AREN'T YOU CURIOUS WHY I BOUGHT YOU?

I'M NOT.

I'VE TAKEN IN MORE CHILDREN THAN I CAN COUNT OVER THE PAST DECADE OR SO.

SOME CRIED AND THREW TANTRUMS.

SOME STRUGGLED TO RUN AWAY.

OTHERS DID NOTHING BUT STARE BLANKLY AND DROOL.

HOWEVER,

A CHILD WHO DOESN'T EVEN ASK WHY THEY WERE SOLD...

YOU'RE THE FIRST.

EYES AS DEEP AND STILL AS A WELL...

NO CHILD THAT AGE SHOULD HAVE SUCH EYES.

CHILD...

I HOPE

YOU SURVIVE TO THE VERY END.

EVEN IN MANBUDONG.

THE WAR ENDED.

HERE IN THE MURIM,

NOT A SINGLE PERSON HAD BELIEVED THE WAR WOULD EVER END.

YET, AS THOUGH MOCKING THAT OBVIOUS, UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED TRUTH,

THE WAR REALLY DID END.

AND ALL OF IT ENDED

THROUGH THE HANDS OF A SINGLE MAN.

MARTIAL ALLIANCE LEADER JU GEONHWI

JU GEONHWI'S MARTIAL PROWESS WAS CONSIDERABLE FOR SOMEONE FROM A SMALL RURAL SECT.

WITH THE BACKING OF THE "NINE SECTS AND ONE UNION" AND THE "FIVE GREAT FAMILIES,"

HE ROSE TO BECOME THE MARTIAL ALLIANCE LEADER.

THEY HAD SIMPLY WANTED A PUPPET TO LEAD THE ALLIANCE.

HOWEVER...

JU GEONHWI'S FIRST ORDER AS MARTIAL ALLIANCE LEADER

WAS SOMETHING THEY HAD NEVER IMAGINED.

FROM THIS DAY FORTH, ALL WARFARE IN THE MURIM IS FORBIDDEN.

ANY SECT THAT DEFIES THIS ORDER

WILL BE ANNIHILATED.

NATURALLY, THERE WAS RESISTANCE.

THE PRIDE OF GREAT SECTS WITH CENTURIES OF HISTORY WOULD NOT BE BROKEN SO EASILY.

JU GEONHWI STOOD ALONE AGAINST THEM,

AND WITH EVERY SWEEP OF HIS SWORD,

THE BANNERS OF THOSE GREAT SECTS FELL, ONE AFTER ANOTHER.

AND THAT WAS HOW WAR...

VANISHED FROM THE MURIM.

HOWEVER,

WAR HAD MERELY CHANGED ITS OUTWARD APPEARANCE, CLOAKED IN A SHELL CALLED PEACE.

ITS TRUE NATURE REMAINED UNCHANGED.

THE GREAT SECTS STILL FOUGHT OVER THEIR INTERESTS,

AND AS ALWAYS, THEY FOUND A NEW WAY.

EVERY CLAIM TO WEALTH AND POWER WAS SETTLED ON THE DUELING PLATFORM,

AND ANY SECT THAT LOST A DUEL LOST EVERYTHING.

SOME SECTS REFUSED TO ACCEPT THE RESULTS AND PROTESTED,

BUT THE MARTIAL ALLIANCE LEADER WAS ADAMANT.

AS LONG AS IT ISN'T WAR.

WITH THE MARTIAL ALLIANCE LEADER MORE RESOLUTE THAN EVER,

EVERY SECT IN THE MURIM CHANGED ITS APPROACH.

TO WIN THEIR DUELS,

THEY BEGAN RESORTING TO ANY MEANS NECESSARY.

AND THAT

WAS THE BEGINNING

OF MY HELLISH LIFE.

THE MARTIAL WORLD'S TWISTED STRUGGLE FOR WEALTH AND POWER...

A NEW HELL BORN FROM A SHELL CALLED PEACE.

THE PLACE THAT FIRST PUT A PRICE ON ME.

THAT PLACE WAS DARK ENOUGH TO SWALLOW A PERSON WHOLE...

AND COLD.

DISCARD THIS ONE.

MOUNT HUA SECT, TWENTY-FOUR- MOVE PLUM BLOSSOM SWORD ART.

KONGTONG SECT, CROUCHING TIGER SWORD ART.

THIS ONE, TOO...

DISCARD.

WHAT WAS HAPPENING...?

ANOTHER WORTHLESS ONE.

IS THIS ONE THE LAST?

WHAT ON EARTH WERE THEY TESTING FOR?

ORPHANED, STARVING CHILDREN WERE EVERYWHERE IN THE CENTRAL PLAINS.

WHY ON EARTH?

WHY...?

WHY GATHER UP CHILDREN WHEN THERE WERE SO MANY OF US

AND EVEN GO SO FAR AS TO PUT A PRICE ON US...?

WHAT WERE THEY TRYING TO DO?

AS I SAID EARLIER, YOUR CONSTITUTION WILL DETERMINE

WHICH MARTIAL ART YOU MUST LEARN...

HOLD STILL.

NGHH... AARGH!!!

KEUK! UGH...!!!

...WHAT'S THIS?

THIS ONE IS DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS.

WHAT KIND OF CONSTITUTION IS THIS?

I'LL HAVE TO PROBE DEEPER TO FIND OUT.

IT'S USUALLY OVER IN LESS TIME THAN IT TAKES TO DRINK A CUP OF TEA...

THAT CHILD IS ENDURING ALL THAT?! WHAT KIND OF CHILD...?!!

ONE IS AS HOT AS FIRE,

AND THE OTHER IS AS COLD AS ICE. COULD THIS BE...?!

"DUAL HEART MERIDIANS."

"THE NAMGUNG FAMILY'S IMPERIAL SWORD FORM."

"THE NAMGUNG FAMILY'S IMPERIAL SWORD FORM."

THAT CHILD?

HAS MANBUDONG EVER HAD ANYONE CAPABLE OF LEARNING THE IMPERIAL SWORD FORM?

"IMPERIAL SWORD FORM."

A MARTIAL ART THAT REQUIRES A UNIQUE CONSTITUTION FOUND ONLY IN THE NAMGUNG BLOODLINE.

ITS OVERWHELMING FORCE CRUSHES THE OPPONENT,

AND IT MADE THE NAMGUNG FAMILY THE MOST RENOWNED SWORD FAMILY IN THE MURIM.

AND THIS CHILD CAN LEARN IT...

FROM THIS DAY ON, YOU ARE...

"NUMBER TEN."

YOU WILL EACH LEARN THE MARTIAL ART I JUST ASSIGNED YOU.

P-PLEASE DON'T KILL US...

ACCEPT IT.

YOU WERE ALL FATED TO BE ABANDONED BY THE WORLD ANYWAY, WEREN'T YOU?

DO NOT QUESTION IT OR RESENT IT.

TO LEARN THE MARTIAL ARTS MANBUDONG BESTOWS UPON YOU AND BE SOLD FOR A HIGH PRICE...

THAT IS YOUR FATE.

MY... FATE?

LEARN IT IF YOU WANT TO SURVIVE.

LEARN IT AND BE WORTH YOUR PRICE.

SOLD HERE FOR A FEW PALTRY COINS,

ONLY TO BE SOLD OFF SOMEWHERE ELSE.

THEN WHY WAS I BORN?

WHY MUST I GO TO SUCH LENGTHS TO STAY ALIVE...?

TIME PASSED, BUT THE QUESTION REMAINED UNANSWERED.

I HAD TO BECOME STRONG TO LIVE,

AND STRENGTH WOULD LET ME SURVIVE, BUT...

WHY ON EARTH

DID I NEED TO FIGHT SO DESPERATELY JUST TO SURVIVE?

I TRULY HOPE YOU SURVIVE.

THE MAN'S WORDS CAME BACK TO ME.

NUMBER TEN.

YOU'RE THE BEST OUT OF THIS BUNCH.

FOR THAT, I'LL GIVE YOU A REWARD.

YOU'RE CERTAINLY ENJOYING THAT.

EAT YOUR FILL. EVEN EATING IS A PRIVILEGE OF THE STRONG.

WHILE YOU EAT, TAKE A LOOK

AT THAT SCENERY.

?

SCENERY...?

AH, DIDN'T I TELL YOU?

THAT FOOD IS A REWARD FOR YOUR PROGRESS IN TRAINING,

BUT ORIGINALLY...

IT WAS THEIR SHARE.

RATHER THAN FEED WEAKLINGS WHO ARE GOING TO BE DISCARDED,

IT'S BETTER TO FILL THE BELLY OF A THING LIKE YOU.

ONLY THEN DID I UNDERSTAND

WHAT LIFE AND DEATH WERE.

AND...

A NEW QUESTION AROSE.

THEY WOULD KEEP KILLING US TO MAKE MONEY.

THEN WHAT WAS THE POINT OF SURVIVING FOR THEIR SAKE

WHILE BEING TREATED LIKE THIS?

I TRULY HOPE YOU SURVIVE.

WHY ON EARTH HAD HE TOLD ME

TO SURVIVE?

I STILL HAD NO ANSWER.

BUT NOW

I KNEW WHAT I HAD TO DO.

I WILL SURVIVE.

I WILL SURVIVE, NO MATTER WHAT,

AND FIND THE ANSWER.