Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Chapter 3: Showdown (1)
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Fame feeds on fame.
A name earned in the jianghu is sometimes like a living creature, and other times like a castle built on sand. Martial artists must nurture their name to keep it alive. Otherwise, it crumbles with defeat. When a name dies, life in the jianghu turns harsh. A martial artist who is ignored loses their very existence.
Judgment is crucial.
One must know when to fight and when to stop.
When to flaunt one's fame and when to hide it.
Victory can come without confrontation, and even victory is not eternal. One must never forget this.
Thus, a martial artist must be as wise as they are brave.
The victor devours the loser's fame. Even an unknown soldier can gain commensurate renown by defeating the leader of a great sect. The devoured fame lingers in the victor's record, but it is merely a name without an owner. To reclaim it as one's own requires a challenge. Yet another defeat in that challenge withers the fame further. That is why a loser's comeback is never easy. Even overcoming anxiety to win does not restore the fame to its former glory. A name stained by defeat becomes a target for all.
That is why fame in the martial world is dangerous.
Famous martial artists rarely fight.
The moment victory or defeat is decided, one must be prepared to lose everything.
That is why gamblers are so precious.
A warrior who advances without retreat is beautiful.
Because they revere that beauty, the world of swordsmen like those in the Dosan Sword Forest is ruthless and merciless.
*From Hanbaek Martial Arts Chronicles,*
*in the History of Jianghu's Turbulent Times*
The three were always together.
All three were exceptional.
The child without parents entered martial arts training early. That was the policy.
Children who had lost both parents were rare, but those missing one parent or the other were not uncommon. It was the fate of martial families.
When a child's upbringing was neglected due to a parent's absence or for any other reason, the women of the household, led by the Grand Matron, took collective responsibility for raising the children from the Heaven-Earth Pavilion.
The Heaven-Earth Pavilion had been established for over a century and functioned admirably throughout that time.
Even orphans entrusted to the Heaven-Earth Pavilion could rise to important family positions if their abilities shone. Countless had grown into renowned masters.
The Heaven-Earth Pavilion became the driving force of valor.
Even warriors with children could stake their lives in the jianghu without hesitation.
"Children are the heavens, and children are the earth."
The Grand Matron always said.
That was why it was heaven—dry—and earth—kun.
Moreover, heaven-earth was the ideal their Daoist arts pursued. A handful of experts who had mastered the Heaven-Earth arts oversaw the pavilion, nurturing talented children. Because of this, parents who could perfectly raise their own children sometimes sent them to the pavilion anyway. The Grand Matron welcomed it. Children were the family's future, so if parents lacked confidence, they encouraged entrusting them to the Heaven-Earth Pavilion.
Though heaven and earth resided in the children, those who would become the sky one looked up to were distinct. Those who would become the ground one stood upon were clearly different as well.
"You'll know when you teach them."
The Grand Matron urged the children's martial initiation at every moment.
The quickest started wielding wooden swords at five. But the training itself was not harsh.
"Do not scorn a lack of martial talent. It is merely exceptional in other ways."
The children's talents were always varied.
The clan was not a simple martial family. It could not be sustained by warriors alone.
It needed both heaven and earth.
Talents had to be placed precisely where they belonged. And the earlier, the better.
"You don't have mom or dad either?"
That was how the three met in the Heaven-Earth Pavilion.
* * *
He vaulted over the window.
Finally, outside. No enemies in sight.
The inside of Jinseong Tower was a bloodbath, but out here it was another world.
He circled to the back path and emerged by the water. A night breeze carrying the lake's moisture greeted him.
No need to search. He spoke toward the darkness beneath the drooping willow.
"Report."
"East. Toward Chwi Sangwon. Chung Oh chased after."
One man emerged from the shadows to answer. His name was Gyu, the one who had poured him drinks at the table. Oho's brows furrowed slightly.
"You hurt?"
"I'm fine."
Just the words. Not the reality.
He was clutching his right arm with his left hand, blood seeping generously between his fingers.
"Stop the bleeding properly. An injury like that festering is no joke."
"Thank you."
"Save the thanks. What was the kidnapper wearing?"
"White silk robes."
"White silk? Not black?"
"Yes."
"His martial arts?"
"Weaker than those black scholar-robed guys. His lightness skill was decent, but Chung Oh slashed his leg, so he won't move fast."
"Good work."
He was about to dash off when Gyu grabbed him and added more.
"Oh, and..."
"Hm?"
"Not certain, but someone who looked like Yeom Seoksan appeared."
"What?"
He halted mid-leap.
"It felt off for a decoy, so I mentioned it."
"Off how?"
"From his actions and movements, he seems like the real deal."
A glint flashed in Oho's eyes.
Seol had frozen at the last moment, calling out "Daddy." That distraction made her miss the chance to descend through the hole, and the enemies kidnapped her.
At first, he thought it was a fake Yeom Seoksan drawing attention.
But Oho trusted his covert agents' eyes more than his own daughter's. If they said so, it was so. Maybe it really was Yeom Seoksan.
"Why's everyone rushing? If this guy's real, his appearance is too quick. Got it. We'll find my daughter first, then talk."
"Yes, understood."
Oho launched himself forward.
Unlike the hellish Jinseong Tower, the lakeside was serene. He skimmed the reed beds, flying swiftly.
Rustle!
He crossed a narrow path through the gaps of willow branches dangling like beards. Leaping two walls brought the brightly lit bustling streets. He kicked off a market pillar and onto a rooftop. A few drunks pointed at the bird-like Oho and gasped in awe, but caused no further commotion. Common folk knew better than to meddle in the affairs of jianghu wanderers—it only shortened one's lifespan.
Scree!
In his haste, Oho cleaved through the night wind without muffling his presence.
He raced across tiled roofs, leaping to the next tavern's roof. Far off, Chwi Sangwon came into view—a luxurious inn with blue tiles.
Thud! Thump!
The moonlight was bright, the sky clear. He leaped and leaped. Dark alleys he had traversed unrolled and vanished beneath his feet in an instant. He reached Chwi Sangwon's wall in a blink. Before he could look around, a familiar face appeared below the wall first. Chung Oh.
"Left side. He slipped into the alley by Eung Sansa!"
"You hurt too?"
"I'm fine."
Liars, all of them.
Far from fine. Blood from his thigh soaked his shoe.
"Damn... Eung Sansa alley? Must be the bamboo grove!"
"Seems like it."
"Pull back now. Get treated quick."
"Yes, sir!"
He leaped from the wall toward Eung Sansa. One might wonder why a mountain temple sat amid the boisterous wine district, but with so many tavens prospering, incense-pilgrim visitors abounded. Perhaps because so many sinners lived nearby.
The wooden fish's rhythm leaked softly over the wall, oddly harmonizing with the music from the taverns. He passed the side path and entered a forest trail thick with grass scent. It was a bamboo grove where giant stalks stretched to the sky.
Swoosh!
The signature wind through bamboo, resonating coolly between the straight shafts.
Darkness flowed in all directions.
Oho strode boldly into it. He sensed a presence moving swiftly far ahead.
Screech!
As he accelerated after it, a bizarre whoosh pierced the wind from the side.
Oho twisted mid-air, swinging his black-and-white swords in a killing strike, then paused. The weapon incoming at his flank was familiar.
Clang!
The impact felt heavy. It had to—heavy armament was the foe's weapon.
'Blue Spear! Blue Spear Society?!"
Through the bluish bamboo, a blue shaft thrust at his chest.
Oho dropped low, sweeping his black-and-white swords at the opponent's lower body. The thrusting shaft dipped sharply to block. The advance and retreat were incredibly nimble.
'Why the Blue Spear Society?'
Unlike the fake Taehaengbang at Jinseong Tower.
This was real.
Swinging a spear in a bamboo grove? Generally foolish.
But Blue Spear Society spear arts were different. They favored vertical strikes over sweeps, with narrow, precise arcs even on turns. They could unleash full power even in confined terrain like a forest.
'Damn...'
The blue spear moved as analyzed—agile.
This one had mastered the quintessence. Spear retrieval, stamping steps—all textbook.
'Can't kill him...'
The spear-wielding warrior's face was utterly expressionless as he struck down.
Oho flung himself left, spotting a gap on the foe's inner side, but couldn't unleash a killing blow. The Blue Spear Society was one of the One Mountain Five Rivers.
He couldn't just kill him. Shouldn't.
Moreover, unlike the Jinseong Tower thugs, this one's strikes lacked vicious killing intent. He was blocking Oho, but not charging to kill.
'These guys... how far does their reach extend?'
The Blue Spear Society claimed orthodox alignment, but in truth, they were distant from proper righteous sects.
They took commissions from other factions, wielded force, and demanded payment based on results. Their operations resembled escort agencies or ronin groups more than orthodox sects. They avoided the label of unorthodox fiends by upholding grand principles. They pursued profit through martial might but never swung their spears recklessly for self-interest alone.
They did not wield force without just cause.
Nor kill arbitrarily. Unless Oho was a widely known villain, they wouldn't initiate killing blows lightly.
Screech! Swish!
Bamboo leaves scattered everywhere.
Public opinion isn't always truth, but for these men, it was.
This strike proved it. Force applied, but not aimed at life.
No need to kill. Just block.
Whoever was behind this had lured them with a plausible pretext.
That explained the Blue Spear Society's involvement. It also meant the enemies' schemes were that cunning. His conversation with the covert agents flashed through his mind.
"The Red Heart, not sure... Chongmu? Isn't that it?"
"Saw it in top-secret files. Related to the Nine Great Sects' gag order..."
"Right before the Nine Great Sects seized control of Central Plains martial arts during the Yuan-Ming transition, there were multiple forces surpassing them."
"A sect outmatching the Nine Greats would be a mega incident. Beyond even my reach."
Mega incident.
Yes.
A sudden bloodbath erupted in the Flame Jade Merchant Guild.
Taehaengbang moved to swallow it as if waiting. Suspicious from the start. Taehaengbang Leader Huang Leman's moniker was Army Marching Sword; he wielded the Gentleman's Sword and embodied gentlemanly virtue. Such a man wouldn't order the devouring of Flame Jade Merchant Guild. He'd restrain it—fiercely.
No matter how greedy his subordinates, ignoring the leader's opposition wouldn't be easy. Yet they pushed. That was Chief Heaven's basis for suspecting a hidden force's plot, and Oho fully agreed.
Now, fake Taehaengbang warriors at Jinseong Tower.
At this moment, Daedong Leader Dongpungneung must be entertaining every suspicion upon seeing them. If he failed to spot the fakes, conflict between Daedong and Taehaengbang would spiral disastrously—plain as day.
That alone was no small matter.
Now the Blue Spear Society joined, escalating the absurdity. One of the Five Rivers of One Mountain—half the Shansi Province powers. A grand picture. Would such an elaborate scheme end here? Even without Chief Heaven's instincts, Oho knew it wasn't the full scope.
'Fuck.'
Damn to fucking damn.
Even his inner curses grew fouler. The situation warranted it.
'At this rate, even Mansu Seongbul will descend.'
Mansu Seongbul meant One Mountain of the One Mountain Five Rivers. Not Shansi Six Rivers, but One Mountain singled out. Not Five Rivers One Mountain, but One Mountain Five Rivers. Such naming held meaning in origin and order.
One Mountain stood first and alone. Pinnacle of the six masters.
If Mansu Seongbul came down from Odae Mountain, it would engulf all Shansi. No job for a few covert agents. Had he truly stumbled into the wrong mess?