Seeking Notarization (1)
“A martial artist never interferes when two warriors clash under the banner of a duel.”
“Precisely. Given Sir Wi’s status, a private audience with the Alliance Leader is virtually impossible. However, if you formally challenge him through a succession duel, you will be granted time alone with him.”
A succession duel.
The solution Jegal Hyeon-sang had proposed.
It was not perfect, but it was the best option available to me in the near future. After all, securing a private meeting with the leader of the orthodox factions—the Wulin Alliance Leader—was something only those of extraordinary standing could hope to achieve. I had known this, yet I had still asked him to look into alternatives, just in case.
Though it was not an ideal answer, he had managed to bring back something far more satisfactory than I had expected.
…If I play my cards right, I might even be able to prevent the war with the Demonic Cult without too much trouble.
“So, can I apply for this succession duel right away?”
“Well… it is not quite that simple. As you know, the Alliance Leader is essentially the head of the orthodox sects. We cannot simply hand out the chance to challenge him to just anyone.”
He had a point.
If anyone could challenge the Wulin Alliance Leader, he would have been assassinated long ago. The very existence of the succession duel system was surprising enough.
“Why does this succession duel even exist?”
“…When the Wulin Alliance was first founded, the second Alliance Leader attempted to seize absolute power under the pretext of the war against the Demonic Cult. The orthodox factions nearly split in two and collapsed before they could even fight the enemy. However, the Azure Sky Sword Emperor, Namgung Jin-cheon, could not stand by and watch. He challenged the second leader for the position of Alliance Leader. After half a day of bloody combat, he emerged victorious and became the third Alliance Leader.”
…So it was a rule that could only exist because the Alliance had been newly established.
This was information that had never appeared in the original novel, so it was quite interesting. In the original story, the only mentions of the Wulin Alliance came after the leader’s death—when Seo Ryeon became involved—and the eventual collapse caused by the Demonic Cult’s long-prepared schemes and internal division. It was hard to call the Alliance completely incompetent, but the novel had been written with the clear intent of tearing the orthodox side apart, which proved fatal. Originally, it seemed the story was meant to have the protagonist rebuild the Wulin Alliance and face the Heavenly Demon, but an early ending left the Alliance forgotten.
To avoid the original novel’s ending, I needed to meet the Alliance Leader, warn him of the danger, and prevent his assassination. The succession duel was the only method Jegal Hyeon-sang had brought back.
“…Ever since the third Alliance Leader rose through that duel and stopped the Demonic Cult, the match between the second and third leaders became known as the succession duel and was passed down as tradition.”
“So you’re saying I have to do that.”
“Correct. Though the rule has fallen into disuse, if the conditions are met, he will not refuse. The Alliance Leader has already taken an interest in you, Sir Wi.”
“Does he want to recruit me again, like last time?”
“If you wished to join the Wulin Alliance, he would welcome you with open arms. A private audience would become much easier as well. But that is not what you want, is it?”
He was right.
A Peak master was already a valuable asset, but a Super Peak master was on an entirely different level—comparable to the head of a major sect or the greatest expert of a generation.
“Exactly. So you’re telling me to meet the conditions for the succession duel and challenge the Alliance Leader. What are those conditions?”
They would not be easy. This was a direct challenge to the Wulin Alliance Leader, after all. The requirements had to be extremely strict.
At my question, Jegal Hyeon-sang cleared his throat several times before speaking with a serious expression.
“…You must obtain notarization from at least three of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families.”
“…Then I only need two more.”
The Hainan Sword Sect would support me without question, so I only needed to find two others. The question was how to secure them.
“It seems like an incredibly difficult task… but it may turn out easier than expected.”
“Hm?”
“The Hebei Peng Clan might be willing to notarize you. Of course, you would have to negotiate with them directly…”
“The Hebei Peng Clan, huh.”
The clan that sweaty guy belonged to?
“They are known as the most straightforward and bold family in the Central Plains. If you approach them boldly, they are likely to respond favorably.”
That sounded like “they’re simple-minded, so you can sweet-talk them.” I pressed a hand to my forehead at the way a fellow member of the Five Great Families described his peers.
“And if that fails?”
“Then we would have to try elsewhere. The Wudang Sect would also be a decent option. Or perhaps the Huashan Sect, which does not get along with the Alliance Leader.”
“Why don’t the Huashan Sect and the Alliance Leader get along?”
“The current Alliance Leader competed against the Huashan Sect and the Sichuan Tang Clan for the position.”
“What about approaching the Sichuan Tang Clan?”
“Negotiating with those scheming fellows is not a good idea.”
Because they used poison, his evaluation was rather harsh.
“What about the Jegal Clan?”
“…I would not particularly recommend them either, but they would not be the worst alternative.”
“You said I need two more. Which one should I approach for the last?”
Jegal Hyeon-sang hesitated for a moment before answering.
“…The Shaolin Temple.”
“Uncle, why does your face look like that? Did something happen?”
“Just a headache-inducing problem came up, that’s all.”
The Hebei Peng Clan was one thing.
But the Shaolin Temple? Had the difficulty suddenly skyrocketed?
The sudden obstacle refused to stop pounding in my head. How on earth was I supposed to convince Shaolin? The Hebei Peng Clan would probably charge ahead enthusiastically the moment I said I wanted to fight the Alliance Leader, but if I brought that up at Shaolin, they would reject me on the spot. Depending on the situation, I might even get scolded and thrown out.
…The real problem was that I could not easily reveal my true reason. I could not just say outright that I was using the duel as an excuse to warn the Alliance Leader about an assassination.
It would be nice if I had evidence, but the culprit had been acting for over twenty years, waiting for the perfect moment to kill the leader. There was no way an outsider like me would have any credibility. Pure persuasion through words alone would be difficult.
Should I search the Shadowless Divine Art manual for infiltration techniques? Presenting evidence would make things much easier. In the original novel, the protagonist had grown suspicious after the Alliance Leader’s death, investigated, and eventually caught the culprit by the tail. If I could find that tail myself, I might be able to gather evidence as well.
The problem was that I had zero talent for infiltration, unlike the protagonist, and I was reluctant to entrust such a task to Mok Gyeong-i. Still, I could not afford to give up on finding something to strengthen my case, so I would have to dig through the original novel’s contents and search for a method.
…Or should I just raid a Demonic Cult branch? If I hit enough of them, I might find useful information somewhere.
“Would you like to rest for a bit? I can lend you my lap as a pillow!”
“Where did you even learn that?”
“Mother said men like resting their heads on women’s laps!”
…She was not wrong, but had her mother not passed away when she was young?
“No, it’s fine.”
“You don’t want a lap pillow?”
Hye-ryeong lowered her head with a sulky expression. She seemed quite disappointed. I let out a deep sigh and spoke to her.
“…I suppose trying it once wouldn’t hurt.”
“Hehe, lie down here!”
Hye-ryeong patted her lap with a confident look. But my gaze was not on her lap—it was drawn to the massive mass of flesh directly above it that threatened to crush my face.
…Should I start reciting scripture?
“Come on!”
“Alright, stop rushing me.”
I carefully leaned back and rested my head on Hye-ryeong’s lap. A soft, fluffy sensation unlike any pillow enveloped my head.
“How is it? Feels nice, right?”
“…Yeah, it does.”
Having a touch of pink in my life was a good thing, but after living soaked in blood, my mind refused to function properly in this situation. Was it because I had never dated before?
“Hmm~”
Hye-ryeong hummed a little tune as she looked down at me, clearly delighted that I was using her lap as a pillow. Or rather, I assumed she was looking down—her chest completely blocked my view of the sky, leaving only the tiniest sliver visible at the edge.
I tried my best not to be conscious of her chest hovering dangerously close to my face while continuing to rack my brain.
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial…”
I kept muttering every Bible verse I knew.