Mercenary Harem in Murim Novel

Chapter 118 – Butterfly Effect

While the Capital City was still in chaos, in a place far away from the Capital, a man stood at the border of the Central Plain to the vast wilderness.

A never-ending green field lay in front of him, stretching for miles and miles. His untidy long hair ruffled by the wind, and his eyes were fixed on the horizon. He held a sword which was clearly worn-out and chipped, but it was still a deadly weapon.

This man was none other than the Wandering Sword Saint, Xiao Ah Tian. And his journey somehow brought him to this plain.

In truth, there was no destination of his journey.

He was just... wandering.

Ever since he was born, his parents had trained him in the martial arts. But, when he realized that his talent was not as good as his peers, he decided to travel the world, hoping to improve his skill.

With determination, courage, and a lot of hard work, he reached 8 Stars in a few decades. Talents didn't stop him from advancing.

However, his journey didn't stop there.

As a swordsman, he wanted to continue to seek out a worthy opponent and learn more techniques. He fought and fought many times, putting his life on the line.

His sword became his identity.

And, the sword was also his friend.

As he grew older, the Wandering Sword Saint began to feel restless. The world was changing, and his skill was not enough. He was tired, so he chose to rest in Qin City, the closest city that held a martial art tournament.

He thought that he would watch a young generation compete and maybe find a talented youth to mentor.

But, instead, he found himself a worthy opponent. Two of them, to be exact. And the second opponent was strong enough to match him in sword skill to the point of defeating him. His hand was cut off, but he was able to reconnect it with Hallowed Insect's technology.

'When I think about it again, they are amazing. They even have this thing that can allow me to communicate with them even when I am so far away.'

Xiao Ah Tian looked at a small metal doll sitting on his palm.

This was a gift from Leo and his team, a small metal doll called a 'Small Coco'. It was a device that allowed him to communicate with others even if he was a thousand miles away.

At first, he only held onto it to wait for the person he recognized, Shui, to ask for another fight. But after making a mistake, something that he never thought would do, he began to consider asking for a favor.

He couldn't undo his mistake, but at least he could fix it.

"I just need to press this small button here, right?"

The Wandering Sword Saint was taught how to use this device. When he pressed a button located on its chest, the Small Coco's eyes glowed and a woman's voice rang out.

"Hello, Sword Saint. It's been a while. What do you need from me? Please be direct."

Xiao Ah Tian recognized the voice. It belonged to the woman who reattached his arm.

'Chiaki is her name if I am not wrong. Why are their names so hard to remember?'

Complaining in his mind, the Wandering Sword Saint spoke.

"Hello, Ms. Chiaki. It's nice to hear from you. How have you been? I heard the Thunder God is doing something outrageous over there. He created an organization to challenge the Murim Alliance? If you have a fight, do invite me."

"Yes, yes. Just call me Chiaki. So, what do we need from us?"

"It is. I need a favor from you." His voice became serious, "It's a long story, so I will keep it brief. Can you help me re-attach someone's limbs? I made a mistake and accidentally cut someone's arms and legs."

There was silence.

Normally, no one would contact someone to ask for help to re-attach someone's limb. It was just too absurd, even for the most experienced mercenaries.

Not even for Chiaki.

"... Whose arms and legs did you cut off?"

But she was a professional in health care in Hallowed Insect. She had seen worse.

"It's... a young woman." Xiao Ah Tian looked down at someone trying to crawl toward him.

A woman. While all her limbs were cut off, her expression still showed defiance and anger. And more importantly than that, a fighting spirit that refused to be extinguished.

"I can still fight!" She shouted loudly, her chin was bleeding from the impact, and her voice was hoarse. "Even if I have no limbs, I can still fight!"

She was strong.

Without limbs, she bit the large axe she used to fight Xiao Ah Tian. Her clothes were a mess, the fur of her armor was torn, and her face was covered in dirt and blood.

But, despite all that, her eyes were burning with determination.

"Please, save her. She is strong, and I want to fight her again at full strength."

The Wandering Sword Saint ignored the girl and continued to talk with Chiaki. He had no interest in someone whose power was not worth his time. Without her limbs, she was nothing but a butterfly that could not even fly.

"I heard her voice. Is she conscious? Please send me a picture of her condition. I need to check her before anything else."

"Picture?" He was confused for a moment before realizing, "Ah, right. You have a small eye on this thing."

"Yes, just face Coco to the poor girl, you stupid man. You're really slow. I bet you can't even remember how to eat."

Xiao Ah Tian couldn't tell if Chiaki was annoyed or amused by his mistake. He wasn't that petty to get angry at such an insult. He had heard worse in his life.

Not that he would get angry at his life-saver. She technically allowed him to still fight even when his martial artist life should be over with his right hand.

"Alright, alright, don't rush me."

With that, he turned to the Small Coco and let Chiaki see the poor girl's condition.

It didn't take long for Chiaki to make a decision.

"Men are really stupid... Her bleeding has stopped, and the cut is clean. Just knock her unconscious and send her here. It's better than letting her die. You owe us big time, Sword Saint. Be prepared to pay the Leader back."

"Alright."

Having that said, white Qi rose from his body. It morphed into the shape of a dragon, dancing around him.

"Hmph!"

With a snort, the dragon roared. Shockwave was created, and the girl was thrown back. Her eyes rolled back, and she lost consciousness.

Xiao Ah Tian took her in his arms and put all the cut limbs in his storage ring. Then, he looked at the horizon. The vast wilderness was full of danger and mystery.

He would not rest until he reached his destination. The peak of martial arts. The sword that he had imagined since he was a child.

Something that could cut this world and space into two.

That was the goal he wanted to reach at the end of his life.

And this time, he realized it. The world was vast... More than what he had ever imagined.

As such, the Wandering Sword Saint set off, carrying the broken girl in his arms, toward a bright future where his destiny awaited.

"War behind me and an unexplored region where Barbarians reside in front of me. HAHAHA! This is truly the best. That guy really unleashed everything Murim had hidden for so long. Now, the world will be shaken!"

A hearty laugh rang out in the wilderness.

If Leo were there, then he would punch the Wandering Sword Saint without caring about the danger. Then, he would punch the ground.

After all, while he had messed with the plot of the original novel before, he never expected the butterfly effect he brought would be this big.

Before the next plot happened, Murim Alliance was in chaos. Wudang Sect's force was defeated. A mysterious organization was created under the Hallowed Insect, Hao Sect, and Tang Clan's cooperation. And, the mysterious leader of the Mercenary Union, Thunder God, had kidnapped the Murim Alliance Leader's daughter.

All these things were not supposed to happen.

But these were all something that never happened in the novel. He just added some stuff to the world, something exciting and dangerous.

This time, however, the butterfly effect had turned an event that was supposed to happen into something more. Something that Leo wouldn't be able to predict.

It was the true butterfly effect.

And, as the saying goes, it's a small world.

No one would ever think the Crazy Bitch would encounter the Wandering Sword Saint just as she arrived at Central Plain and fought, resulting in all her limbs getting cut off.

Not even the greatest strategist would be able to predict this turn of events.

But, that was the beauty of the butterfly effect.

Nothing was absolute.

Everything could change, and everything was possible.

It was something that Leo didn't know yet.

"Kim Min-Gu! Are you ready to depart?"

A young Wudang Sect disciple called out her junior brother, who was staring at the sky with a thoughtful expression.

"Hm? Yeah, yeah. I'm coming."

Shaking his head, Kim Min-Gu walked toward the group of young disciples. He couldn't help but wonder if his journey would be more exciting than expected.

'It's time to rebuild the Demon Sect. First, I will find my Master's treasure. And then, we will slowly rise from the shadow where we are forced to hide.'

A determined smile appeared on his face, and he joined the other disciples, starting their journey to the outside world.

Thus, the fate of the world once again changed due to the small changes that had been set in motion.

Leo didn't know what had happened, but he knew that the butterfly effect was working its magic.

He could only hope that his actions didn't cause any disaster or harm his group.