WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for the Legend of the Northern Blade manhwa, written by Woo-Gak and available now on TappyToon.
In Legend of the Northern Blade, the most defining moment in Jin Mu-Won's life was the betrayal of his father, "Jin Kwan-Ho," by the Four Pillars of the Northern Heavens and his subsequent sacrificial death to protect his son. Alongside the Four Pillars, the Central Heavenly Alliance branded Kwan-Ho as a traitor to the people of Murim, suggesting that he had colluded with the Silent Night.
While this is the prevailing narrative pushed by Woo-Gak in the manhwa, it can be argued that Jin Kwan-Ho may actually have had contact with the Silent Night outside of direct confrontation and that a larger conspiracy may be at play.
Though very little has been revealed about Kwan-Ho, outside of the testimony of those who knew him, the resounding opinion among those still loyal to the Northern Heavenly Sect is that he was a loyal and honest man. These traits have been inherited by his son Mu-Won and, looking at his actions, it's possible to draw conclusions about the moral compass of Kwan-Ho as well. For one, Mu-Won has shown that he doesn't hold any particular disdain towards the Silent Night and only acts violently in retaliation to what he perceives as evil acts.
The most notable instance of this is when Mu-Won first encounters Geum Dan-Yeop, who at the time had kidnapped many merchants, including Mu-Won's close friend Hwang-Cheol. Even bearing this in mind, Mu-Won made Dan-Yeop an offer that he would leave peacefully and not interfere in Dan-Yeop's plans if Hwang-Cheol was returned to him safely. This displays a willingness to judge every individual by their actions, regardless of whether or not they're associated with the Silent Night, and a similar line of thinking may very well have led Kwan-Ho to conspire with the group if he believed their actions to be just.
The precedent for unification between the Silent Night and the Northern Heavenly Sect has already been set since chapter 3, with the introduction of Eun Ha-Seol (the disciple of the Silent Night's "Possessor of the White Night") and the relationship developed between her and Mu-Won. With the constant comparisons drawn between Mu-Won and his late father, it's feasible that such a relationship may have similarly been built by Kwan-Ho prior to the current continuity. For example, the identity of Mu-Won's mother is completely unknown at present and, with no women shown as part of the Northern Heavenly Sect, it is entirely possible that Kwan-Ho engaged in a physical relationship with a member of the enemy side.
One potential candidate for this hypothetical relationship could be Seo Geum-Hyang, Possessor of the White Night and current master of Eun Ha-Seol. While in Chapter 14 she expressed a hatred towards the Northern Heavenly Alliance, referring to them as a "mortal enemy," it's important to remember that the training undertaken to use the "Silver Light of the Ice Crystal" technique involves losing one's memories and emotions. Meaning, she might not recall any romances she may have had prior to inheriting the technique from her master, similar to the current situation with Eun Ha-Seol. Potential evidence for such a relationship can also be found in chapter 14, where Ha-Seol's pleas to spare the life of Mu-Won briefly sparks a memory in Guem-Hyang of a time where she petitioned her master in the same way.
It is also possible that Jin Kwan-Ho may have uncovered some dark truths about the Central Heavenly Alliance, or the ruling Nine Skies, as they have been shown repeatedly to be an incredibly corrupt organization. This point has been hinted at more recently in chapter 108, in which the defeated and dying Yeon Cheon Hwa tells Mu-Won that something is lurking in the world of Murim. He explains that they don't know any specifics about it, but it seems that Kwan-Ho was aware of it, but was unable to speak about it to anyone.
The idea that there were important secrets being held by Kwan-Ho, even up to the point of his death, lends credence to the theory that he may indeed have been colluding with the Silent Night, which may be how he got such knowledge in the first place. This information may allude to a larger plot by the Silent Night or by the Central Heavenly Alliance themselves, which would explain why Kwan-Ho never shared it with the other members of the Northern Heavenly Alliance, who are tied to the government at large. Jin Kwan-Ho was a man of reputable character who, in the words of Yeon Cheon Hwa, "wanted peace for the world." Ultimately, whether Kwan-Ho colluded with the Silent Night because of romantic ties or because of a shared secret, he certainly was acting in a way that he believed was just.
