There Are No Bad Madu in the World (1)
“Hehe, I never thought I’d get the chance to handle a sword from the Western Regions.”
“Is that so?”
“What reason would a foreigner have to venture into the heart of the Central Plains? At best, the Northern Sea Ice Palace maintains some contact with the orthodox sects, but they focus on palm techniques and rarely carry weapons.”
Northern Sea Ice Palace, huh.
A sect that specialized in ice arts, one you could only encounter by traveling to the distant north. It appeared so often in martial arts novels that there was no way I wouldn’t know of it. It didn’t have much presence in the original story, though. Just another tag-along in the reinforcement army?
The Northern Sea Ice Palace needed food supplies, while the Central Plains needed rare resources found only in the far north. They were mutually beneficial trading partners, so when crisis struck the Central Plains, the Ice Palace lent its support to the orthodox side.
I had no reason to head north, so our paths would likely never cross…
“I look forward to your continued patronage.”
“Not at all, Hero Wi. Simply being able to examine Western craftsmanship up close is a valuable learning experience for me.”
Actually, it wasn’t made by Westerners.
It was something I’d specifically commissioned to be crafted as close as possible to European methods…
“Please take good care of it next time as well.”
“The pleasure is all mine.”
I slid the cleanly repaired longsword back into its scabbard and turned away. The booming laughter of Cheol-woong, head of the Iron Workshop that produced and maintained the Wuxia Alliance’s weapons, tickled my ears as he saw me off.
Having a name for myself definitely has its perks.
“Uncle, is the repair finished?”
“Yeah. Did you get bored waiting?”
“A little… but browsing all the weapons in the workshop was actually pretty fun.”
“There were a lot of swords, that’s for sure.”
“Every single one had a different shape. It was fascinating. Some had long, slender blades with sharp points, perfect for thrusting. Others had blunt edges that looked more like clubs. And some…”
Hye-ryeong chattered away like a baby penguin, walking beside me and slipping her hand into mine. I matched my stride to hers and we made our way slowly back toward Hainan Hall.
“Uncle, are you really planning to go to Wudang?”
“If I wait any longer the weather will turn cold, so I should go before that happens.”
Even though Wudang was in the same Hubei Province, the Wudang Sect was located at its northwestern edge. Unless I pushed myself hard with movement techniques, the round trip would take nearly two months.
“Wudang is so far away…”
“Traveling becomes difficult once winter sets in, so I intend to go and return as quickly as possible.”
To be exact, this was an excuse to meet the Blood Wolf Blade along the way while also visiting the Wudang Sect to seek out a reclusive expert. Since I couldn’t tell anyone my real purpose, my destination was officially set as a visit to Wudang.
“It’s an incredibly long way to Wudang Mountain. Do you think the elders will give permission…?”
“You want to come along?”
“I’d love to visit the Wudang Sect! My master once told me that Wudang Mountain is a breathtaking sight whether you look up at it from below or down at the world from its peak.”
Now that I thought about it, Wudang Mountain was indeed one of the representative sacred peaks of the Taoist tradition. I wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about the area, but everyone knew how prestigious the Wudang Sect was, so I couldn’t help feeling a spark of anticipation.
North Shaolin, South Wudang.
That was the saying, wasn’t it?
Even if I failed to find the reclusive expert, absorbing the spiritual energy of Wudang Mountain might help me break through a bottleneck. I’ll admit I had that shallow thought as well.
I spotted Hainan Hall coming into view and Mok-kyung pacing restlessly nearby, so I changed direction toward him.
“Mok-kyung. What are you doing here? Today isn’t a sparring day.”
“Ah, Lord Eun. I came because I have something to tell you.”
Mok-kyung offered a polite fist salute before immediately stating his business.
He had to leave for patrol duty and wouldn’t be able to spar for some time. That was the message he’d come to deliver.
“But do you really need to stay with the patrol squad?”
“Pardon?”
“With your current level of skill, you could remain at the Wuxia Alliance Headquarters without any issue even if you left the patrol unit.”
In the original story he’d seemed somewhat clumsy and was forcibly tied to the patrol squad for plot reasons, but seeing him here in person, there was no real need for him to stay there.
If events followed the original plot, he would gain experience through patrol missions, grow closer to his comrades, and gradually become stronger. But there was no rule saying all of that had to happen inside the patrol squad.
Even if he kept rising through the ranks there, gathering information about the ruined Yunnan Dan Family would still be difficult. In the end, the original story had him stumbling across clues about the culprit while on patrol duty. Wouldn’t it be far simpler if I just told him what I knew?
For someone like me who wanted reliable companions to fight the Demonic Cult, having Mok-kyung leave the patrol squad and travel with me was the better option. I’d like to bring him into Hainan Hall if possible, but I didn’t have the authority to do that.
If I explained the situation properly, Elder Baek would probably give permission, but…
“However, my father has repeatedly emphasized that accumulating experience within the Wuxia Alliance is crucial. It’s also advantageous to belong to the patrol squad since they receive the most information regarding potential culprits.”
“If it’s difficult to find the culprit even while in the patrol squad, then is there any point in staying there?”
“Pardon?”
I cast the bait lightly. The secret to fishing is attaching delicious bait to the hook. Just as I expected, Mok-kyung stared at me with a startled expression.
“Uncle, what do you mean by that?”
Hye-ryeong’s voice had a slightly sharp edge. Had she been hoping for a trip with just the two of us? But with a clear objective at stake, that wasn’t possible.
Besides, now isn’t the time for me to be enjoying a sweet little romance.
“Well… it’s good to be in the patrol squad that gathers every scrap of information about incidents across the Central Plains, but it’s not a bad idea to move around actively and hunt for clues yourself.”
Since I had already twisted the original story, staying in the patrol squad wouldn’t allow him to grow as much as he had in the novel. I had consumed the spiritual medicines the protagonist was supposed to receive, and I had destroyed the Blood-devouring Tree that Mok-kyung should have fought.
There was always the chance that another similar madu would appear, but since that too was a variable, it would be far more reliable for me to feed him experience and help him grow directly.
I was already planning to take the heads of several madu that the protagonist had faced in the early stages. If I rounded up all the wanted criminals and hauled them in, securing funds would become much easier.
“But…”
“The patrol squad makes gathering information easy, true. But commissioning the Hao Clan would be even faster.”
There was also the Beggars’ Sect, but their conditions were rather strict. For something like this, the Hao Clan—which scraped together every piece of information from the lowest levels—was far more likely to have what we needed.
Not to mention they maintain some degree of contact with the Demonic Cult.
“But doesn’t the Hao Clan demand an expensive price for their information?”
“Money can always be earned.”
“How exactly are you planning to earn it, Uncle?”
“By taking the heads of madu and collecting the bounties.”
“Madu?”
Hye-ryeong’s eyes widened as she looked up at me.
Was it really that surprising to hear me say I’d earn money by hunting madu? Catching madu in the Central Plains and claiming their bounties wasn’t exactly unusual.
There were even wandering martial artists who specialized in it. Most of them were small fry who ended up slaughtered while trying to capture a single target, but still.
“Don’t worry too much. I don’t intend to lose to any run-of-the-mill madu.”
I had no plans to touch the truly dangerous ones for now. I would focus on those between first-class and peak level. Thinking back on the parade of madu that had unnecessarily dragged out the early parts of the original story, I swallowed a sigh.
“Still, you never know what might happen. Wouldn’t it be safer to just work safely within the Wuxia Alliance…”
Hye-ryeong looked at me with deep concern, trying to dissuade me. Was she that worried? Well, people truly couldn’t predict the future… After all, no one had expected the Demonic Cult to target the Hainan Sect.
“Hye-ryeong. Without taking risks, you can’t become stronger.”
Working inside the Wuxia Alliance would be safe, just as she said. That was precisely why she was trying to stop me.
But a true martial artist only shines when standing on the edge of life and death.
I had no intention of settling comfortably in safety.
“…Then I’m coming too!”
“So, Mok-kyung, you should join us as well. I’ll help you with your revenge.”
“May I ask why you’re going this far for me?”
I met Mok-kyung’s eyes.
Only after a brief silence had passed between us did I speak.
“I need companions to face the Demonic Cult alongside me.”
“Isn’t that something you don’t need to involve yourself in, Lord Eun?”
“I’m not the kind of person who turns a blind eye when danger is clearly visible.” A knight never turns his back. A knight is the one who stands at the forefront, not the one who merely watches from behind.
Mok-kyung lowered his head for a moment, then raised it again.
“Could you wait a short while? I’ll go submit my resignation letter…”
“Take your time. We’ll depart in three days.”
And just like that, I gained Mok-kyung as a companion.