There's No Such Thing as a Peaceful Caravan (2)
“Traveling with the caravan was a good idea.”
“Right?”
“It really is… comfortable.”
Hye-ryeong and Mu-gwang nodded in agreement with my remark as they sat beside me on the cart. Neither of them had expected the journey to the Wuxia Alliance to be this pleasant.
“No Green Forest bandits, no unorthodox sects causing trouble… It’s almost unsettling how smooth everything is.”
Mu-gwang looked slightly uncomfortable with the situation. Then again, he had been the most tense when we first set out. Fighting Japanese pirates was one thing, but Green Forest bandits, the unorthodox factions, and the Demonic Cult were entirely different matters.
When it came to sheer cruelty, few could match the pirates… but those bastards killed even children without hesitation. No wonder the people of Hainan Island’s eyes lit up with fury at the mere mention of them.
“By the way, I wonder what we’ll have for dinner tonight.”
“The rabbit meat from yesterday was delicious!”
“At this rate, I’ll put on weight.”
“Hehe… Still, if I keep up my qi circulation and swing my sword, I won’t gain any.”
You, though… Hmm.
What would happen if you got any bigger?
I caught myself glancing at Hye-ryeong and quickly looked up at the sky instead.
We had been traveling the mountain roads for four days now. They said we were about half a day away from the next village. Once we arrived, we would eat a late dinner and rest. Then we would continue toward Wuchang Prefecture early the next morning.
At this pace, it seemed we would reach our destination without encountering a single bandit.
As someone who had secretly been hoping for Green Forest bandits, I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.
After all, bandits were like the licorice in herbal medicine for any martial arts story. A burly man would charge out waving an axe, boast about his strength, get beaten by the protagonist, and either reform or become roadside fertilizer. It was a path every wuxia tale passed through, yet our group had been denied the event.
Of course, it was best if they didn’t appear… but having come this far while freeloading meals and lodging, I felt a bit guilty. Swinging my sword at least once would help preserve my dignity—even if it wasn’t for a good cause.
“Uncle, what are you planning to do once we reach the Wuxia Alliance?”
“First, I want to look around.”
I intended to check whether the protagonist had arrived at the Wuxia Alliance and meet as many of the original novel’s characters as possible. Since all the major figures in the story had clashed with the Demonic Cult, building connections would prove useful in the coming war.
And if the right moment came, I could let the protagonist take the lead while I quietly reaped the benefits. Being a foreigner and an outsider meant few would criticize me for only pretending to fight before withdrawing.
…I also wanted to snatch a few of the protagonist’s fortuitous encounters.
I knew that funneling every opportunity to the protagonist would make reaching the final battle easier, but as a martial artist myself, I couldn’t help coveting them. Before possessing this body, I had found it foolish how people threw themselves into danger for such things, yet now that I stood in their place, I understood why they did it.
In the end, empathy came from experience. Only by standing in someone’s shoes could one truly understand everything.
“I want to make friends at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering! And I want to join the Phoenix Brigade of the Wuxia Alliance too… Ah! The Phoenix Brigade is a unit made up of female martial artists! Its vice-commander, Plum Blossom Sword Phoenix Baek So-yeon, is famous!”
“As the young lady said, she is considered one of the most skilled among the later-generation disciples.”
Baek So-yeon.
I knew her too.
She was one of the original novel’s heroines.
A beautiful woman with pride in her abilities and a slightly clumsy side, if I recalled correctly. As one of the Mount Hua Sect’s later-generation disciples, she possessed both an impressive background and outstanding skill. Yet she ended up becoming a fool who knew nothing but love after getting entangled with the protagonist.
That aside…
“The Phoenix Brigade, huh…”
I looked at Hye-ryeong after hearing the name from her lips.
Even if the past had changed… did that mean the major currents remained the same?
In a way, it was only natural. In the original story, the Wuxia Alliance’s Phoenix Brigade had always been the object of admiration for orthodox female martial artists. Three of the protagonist’s heroines, including Hye-ryeong, had belonged to it.
It was no surprise that Hye-ryeong wanted to join.
“If you enter the Phoenix Brigade, you’ll have to fight the Demonic Cult. Are you sure about that?”
“I didn’t learn the sword just to look cool, you know? I’m going to cut down every last one of those Demonic Cult bastards!”
“I feel the same. If a martial artist does not uphold righteousness, how can they call themselves one?”
Righteousness…
I mulled over the word Mu-gwang had spoken. It was a concept far too distant from me. At the very least, it was a word I had no right to utter after repeating meaningless killings in war.
“So in the end, it’s war here too.”
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s still just a baseless worry.”
At least for the people here.
Whew.
I almost let slip heavenly secrets.
From my perspective as a transmigrator, I knew the Great Orthodox-Demonic War would break out again in a few years, but these people had no way of knowing that yet.
That aside, it was ridiculous how many years still remained until the war even after all this had happened. Of course, the original author cramming in unnecessary events in the middle was the biggest factor. They stuffed every possible event in to promote the protagonist, then skipped through the most important part—the Orthodox-Demonic War—rushing to defeat the Heavenly Demon in a single breath. I still remembered how the comment section had been set ablaze.
Now that I thought about it…
Why was the Hainan Sword Sect considered one of the Nine Great Sects?
“Hye-ryeong.”
“Yes?”
“The Hainan Sword Sect is called a ‘sect,’ so why is it included among the Nine Great Sects?”
“That’s because we took the place of the Diancang Sect after they were wiped out. The Hainan Sword Sect was recognized as one of the Nine Great Sects right after the Second Orthodox-Demonic War ended. Though I’m not sure how meaningful it really is…”
Even though the Hainan Sword Sect had joined, “Eight Sects, One Gate, One Clan” didn’t roll off the tongue, so they just lumped it in as the Nine Great Sects. A behind-the-scenes detail that never appeared in the original story was surfacing here.
“I see…”
“Countless sects were destroyed during each Orthodox-Demonic War. If it weren’t for you, Uncle, we might have met the same fate.”
“Indeed. If it weren’t for Sir Wi, perhaps…”
“Don’t lay it on so thick. It’s embarrassing.”
“Hehe, you’re weak to praise~”
Hye-ryeong grinned mischievously as she looked at me, as if she had found something to tease me about.
This sly girl.
We passed the inevitably dull time with idle chatter. At this rate, we would arrive at the next village without incident and enjoy a good meal.
I wonder what’s on the menu this time.
Anticipating the next meal, I drew my longsword for the first time in a while. The well-maintained blade gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight.
“Everyone. We have company.”
“Who goes there!”
The moment I spoke, Elder Baek’s shout rang out. As expected of a master, he had sensed the ambush.
I watched the merchants and porters quickly gather in one place while Ha-jin, Ha-gyeong, and Elder Baek drew their swords at the front, then took my assigned position.
Who could it be?
Who was targeting this caravan?
Minister Myeong had said it was a hastily assembled caravan and hadn’t shown us the cargo, but the martial world never stayed quiet for even a day. There had to be something among the goods Minister Myeong was transporting.
Something that would inevitably attract flies drawn to a sweet scent.
“I don’t know who you are, but show yourselves!”
“Hah! Myeong Yun-jin! Did you drag the Hainan Sword Sect into our grudge?”
A gruff, middle-aged voice rebuked Minister Myeong. I leaned forward slightly to get a better look and saw a burly man with a thick beard. Judging by the massive greatsword he carried, he was a blade user.
The man glared at Minister Myeong as if he wanted to tear him apart right then and there.
“How do you repay silver with a blade!”
His tone made it sound as though Minister Myeong had committed some grave wrong. Just what had he done to provoke this?
I quietly fiddled with my sword while listening. The killing intent wasn’t particularly strong yet, so it seemed the men surrounding us had no immediate intention of attacking.
“The living must go on living, don’t they?”
“Your glib tongue is as sharp as ever!”
Could someone just explain what’s going on?
They were only spouting things only they understood without addressing the core issue. We had come all this way—why keep beating around the bush?
Perhaps because everyone was staring at him with that exact thought, the man finally revealed what we all wanted to know.
“Warriors of the Hainan Sword Sect! Do you know that the item you are guarding is the manual for the Eighteen Light Division Swords?”
What?
“The Eighteen Light Division Swords?!”
“How could that manual—?! It was supposed to have been lost…”
A manual?
“…Hye-ryeong. What is that?”
What the hell was it?
Let me be surprised too.
I felt strangely left out at the mention of a sword art I had never heard of before.