Signs of Collapse (2)
“You sure that’s okay?”
At Pae Yul’s question, Yeon Hojeong smiled faintly.
“Just resting the body isn’t true rest. The mind needs a break too.”
“Hmm. Then why don’t you join me for a drink?”
“For all appearances, I’m the one in charge of this mission. How could I drink as well? I’ll head out for a bit—might pick up some information while I’m at it.”
Pae Yul clicked his tongue.
“Suit yourself. I’m off for a drink then.”
“Go ahead.”
Yeon Hojeong turned to Kang Liang.
“You should go drink too. It’d be lonely for the old man by himself.”
Before Kang Liang could answer, Pae Yul shuddered.
“No thanks. I prefer drinking alone.”
Kang Liang shrugged.
“You heard him.”
“Then rest however you like.”
“Will do.”
Kang Liang followed after Pae Yul.
“I won’t drink, but I should at least eat. I’ll grab some snacks and head over.”
“Do as you please.”
With that, the two of them left.
Yeon Hojeong shook out his damp hair and spoke to Hwang Seok-tae.
“You’re not going out?”
Hwang Seok-tae shook his head.
“I’m not the type to relax as easily as the rest of you.”
“I see. Then rest here.”
“Where are you headed?”
“Just going to take a look around the area.”
“If you’re after information, it would be better if I came along. The Dark Faction has its own intelligence network here as well.”
“I’m sure they do. But within Sichuan, using our own network will be faster than the Dark Faction’s.”
“The Beggars’ Union, then.”
Chiririring.
Yeon Hojeong slipped on a clean white outer robe over his inner clothes and the Flood Dragon Chain wrapped around his torso. After neatly tying his belt, he fastened the Black and White Twin Dragon Axes at his waist.
“Anyway, I’ll be back soon, so rest easy.”
Hwang Seok-tae shook his head again.
“I’ll go with you. Sitting still doesn’t seem like it’ll let me rest comfortably either.”
“You’re more sensitive than you look. Fine, let’s go together.”
The two of them stepped out of the tavern.
Though the weather had grown chilly, Sichuan’s climate was milder than most other regions. Perhaps that was why the streets remained incredibly lively even after nightfall.
“Unexpected,” Hwang Seok-tae muttered as he looked around while walking.
“Normally, people avoid martial artists.”
Yeon Hojeong had two large hand axes hanging at his waist and a metal spear slung over his shoulder. Hwang Seok-tae carried a vivid red longspear that clearly looked like a treasured weapon at first glance.
Their clothes were ordinary, but anyone could tell they were no ordinary men.
Yet the people on the street didn’t seem to regard the pair as anything special. They didn’t approach, but they didn’t avoid them either.
Yeon Hojeong said, “It means public order is excellent here.”
“Mm.”
“The Tang Clan has established numerous branch halls across all of Sichuan. The Qingcheng and Emei sects have many branch halls as well.”
Hwang Seok-tae nodded.
“A true iron fortress.”
Sichuan Province was home to three of the most renowned powers of the Orthodox Faction. It was difficult for any major incident to occur here. While back-alley thugs or corrupt merchants running illegal operations caused trouble from time to time, martial artists could not ignore the watchful eyes of the great sects.
Moreover, if any problems arose among the common people, these sects intervened even faster than the government, doing everything possible to ensure safety.
For that reason, the people of Sichuan trusted the Tang Clan, Qingcheng, and Emei far more than the imperial authorities. Additionally, due to the region’s rugged mountain ranges, very few people ever left Sichuan.
In other words, Sichuan Province was practically an independent nation. No matter what chaos erupted outside, Sichuan remained safe and prosperous.
That was why the citizens didn’t think much of seeing martial artists.
“Public order, huh…”
Hwang Seok-tae’s eyes deepened as he scanned their surroundings.
Yeon Hojeong asked, “Does it feel new to you?”
“……”
“We talk about stopping foreign invasions and all that, but in the end, what truly matters isn’t our own interests. It’s the hope that this peaceful scene before us right now doesn’t collapse.”
“……”
“Whether one dreams of conquering the world or becoming the greatest under heaven, no matter how careful they are, the people living apart from the martial world will inevitably suffer as well.”
“Why is that?”
“Do you know what all those dreams have in common? They require enemies, and they require people to die.”
“……”
“Becoming the greatest under heaven… It’s a fine dream. Romantic, even. A dream worthy of staking one’s entire life as a martial artist. But the moment factions form around that dream and conflict begins, the ones who bear the full weight of the damage are these very people.”
Hwang Seok-tae shook his head.
“That’s an overstatement.”
“I admit it. It doesn’t have to be that way. The important thing is that the possibility is high.”
“……”
“I’m not saying the world shouldn’t change. I want the world to change too. But any world that undergoes change always comes at the cost of those who once enjoyed peace—whether on a small scale or a large one.”
Yeon Hojeong looked up at the sky.
There were many stars.
“Even if the world’s progress is a little slower, I hope the minimum safety of the common people can be guaranteed.”
Hwang Seok-tae shook his head.
“I understand, but I think that’s far too idealistic.”
“Which is exactly why this world has gone mad. Because it’s a world where even the minimum safety of its people is difficult to guarantee.”
“……”
“So we must strive. Whether through martial power, financial power, or political power—those with strength must make the effort.”
“Even those with power are only human. Voluntary sacrifice is one thing, but you can’t condemn powerful people simply for not stepping forward.”
“Is that what you believe?”
“It is.”
“If the majority of people lived in a world where they didn’t suffer for food, where even if life was hard, a minimum level of safety was guaranteed… perhaps I would think the same as you.”
“……”
“My desire to guarantee that minimum safety is idealistic. But your opinion that we cannot criticize the indifference of the powerful is nothing more than comfortable complacency.”
“Comfortable complacency…”
“That’s right. I’m not denying the law of the strong or survival of the fittest. But such logic would be far better if it were built upon a foundation of solid peace. Isn’t that precisely why we are different from beasts?”
Yeon Hojeong smiled bitterly.
“Well, the truth is, I probably sound the most like a beast saying all this.”
Hwang Seok-tae looked at him and asked, “Do you dream of peace?”
“Is there anyone who doesn’t dream of peace?”
“Martial artists cannot exist in a peaceful world. Our hands are always holding spears and blades.”
“Precisely because of that, I believe the martial world itself must disappear.”
“……!!”
“In the far distant future, that is.”
Hwang Seok-tae, who had been quietly watching Yeon Hojeong, shook his head.
“I don’t understand. When I look at you, I see someone more feral and radical than anyone else. I saw you as a cold-hearted man who would use any means necessary if required.”
“You saw correctly. That’s exactly who I am.”
“Yet the words you’re saying now are excessively idealistic and romantic.”
“There’s nothing wrong with dreaming of ideals, is there? Besides, if the Three Sects hadn’t set their sights on the Central Plains, I might not have thrown myself so actively into the martial world either.”
“……”
“If that had been the case, I might never have even considered the idea that those with power must strive for the sake of the world.”
Yeon Hojeong smiled bitterly once more.
“In the end, they’re all just hypotheticals. Even after saying all this, if I survive this war, my plan was to return to my hometown and live quietly farming.”
Hwang Seok-tae let out a short laugh.
“You, farming in the countryside?”
“It’s a contradiction. I talk about how those with power must strive for the world, yet here I am already thinking about living comfortably back home. Even though I know the power I possess is no small thing.”
“……”
“At this point, I don’t even know anymore.”
Suddenly, Yeon Hojeong burst into hearty laughter.
“I’ve talked too much nonsense. Spouting words I can’t even take responsibility for. Even though I’ve thought about these things for a long time and quite deeply, hearing myself ramble like this makes me realize I’m not that smart after all.”
Hwang Seok-tae chuckled.
“Don’t say such things in front of others. You’ll get cursed at.”
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“No matter how outstanding a wolf’s strategies and tactics are, a wolf is still a wolf. That’s all I am.”
“Then I must be even less than a wolf.”
“No. It’s just that you don’t know yet whether you’re a wolf, a tiger, or a human.”
Hwang Seok-tae’s eyes trembled.
Though it had been said like a casual joke, the words carried a strange resonance.
Yeon Hojeong smiled and looked around.
“I’ll become the wolf that hunts with perfect strategy and tactics. You all just focus on winning the war.”
“……”
“As humans, of course.”
Hwang Seok-tae thought to himself that Yeon Hojeong was truly different.
As the commander of the Dragon Fang Iron Cavalry of the Black Dragon Department, he had sworn loyalty to Yang Cheon and wanted to lead the strongest unit in the Dark Faction. After that, he had hoped to become the strongest martial artist under heaven, just like Yang Cheon.
Most martial artists were probably the same. They would strive every day to become the best, the strongest. And once they realized it was impossible, they would turn their desires toward money or power.
But Yeon Hojeong, not even thirty years old yet, was already filled with concerns about the world and his own place in it.
It was astonishing. People lived in different ways, but Hwang Seok-tae had never once thought as deeply as Yeon Hojeong.
He told himself it wasn’t something to be ashamed of, yet for some reason, he felt ashamed anyway.
“You…”
“Oh?”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes suddenly flashed, cutting off Hwang Seok-tae.
“Good thing I didn’t drink and came out to look around instead.”
“Hm?”
Hwang Seok-tae’s gaze followed where Yeon Hojeong was looking.
There were far too many people. He couldn’t tell who Yeon Hojeong was watching.
“Open your senses. Focus.”
Woooong.
Hwang Seok-tae sharpened his five senses with his inner energy.
In that instant, a single strand of aura entered his perception.
“This aura is…”
“Yes.”
Yeon Hojeong stared at a figure far in the distance—someone carrying a bundle on their back and wearing a bamboo hat.
“It’s from the Emei Sect.”
Surprise spread across Hwang Seok-tae’s face.
Although he had been distracted by their conversation, he was still a supreme peak expert. If the opponent had concealed their energy so perfectly that even his senses couldn’t detect them, this was no ordinary master.
“There’s an Emei branch hall about five li from here. I had a feeling, and sure enough, we’ve run into one of their people.”
“Are we going to follow them?”
“We have to.”
“This may have nothing to do with our mission. It might be better to borrow information from the Beggars’ Union instead.”
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“The moment we learned that the Three Sects are targeting Sichuan, there is no longer any sect in this province that isn’t connected to our mission.”
“Mm.”
“Besides…”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes emitted a faint greenish-blue glow.
The Yeon Family Divine Elixir rotated, awakening the Azure Dragon Qi. His already razor-sharp senses grew even more acute as the gentle true energy unique to the Azure Dragon Qi swept across the area, feeding him all kinds of information.
“They’re being far too cautious.”
“Cautious?”
“Never mind the fact that the Emei branch hall isn’t far away—this is Sichuan. The Emei Sect’s influence here is no less than that of Qingcheng or the Tang Clan.”
Hwang Seok-tae’s eyes locked onto the back of the distant Buddhist nun.
He had not noticed that she was acting cautiously.
“Are you certain she’s being cautious?”
“There’s tension in her footsteps. The Emei Sect’s footwork is supposed to be steady and profound, yet she’s stepping from the tips of her toes. It’s clear evidence that she’s extremely nervous.”
Hwang Seok-tae’s eyes shook. At this distance, in the middle of this noisy street, Yeon Hojeong was listening to the footsteps of a nun far ahead. What a monster.
The corner of Yeon Hojeong’s mouth curved upward.
“Looks like something interesting is going to happen right from the first day. Let’s go.”
As he hurried after Yeon Hojeong, who had quickened his pace, Hwang Seok-tae thought to himself:
As expected, this bastard really is a beast.