Chapter 97
Chapter 97
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Chapter 8: When Many Gather, Each Naturally Raises Their Voice (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Time passed, and more and more martial artists poured into the area around Dongjeong Lake.
At first, it was only the warriors from the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, but soon enough, fighters from minor and medium sects began arriving after hearing the rumors.
By this point, even ordinary folk unrelated to the martial world caught on that something major was brewing at Dongjeong Lake. They didn't know the exact details, but the tension was palpable.
Every inn was packed with martial artists, and a heavy air of suspense hung over the streets. People held their breath, uncertain what might happen next.
Amid all this, word spread that warriors from the Wudang Sect had entered Won-gang. There were also reports of Shaolin monks spotted nearby.
As proof, a strict security perimeter spanning over three hundredjang stretched around the Tianxia First Tower. Neither martial artists nor commoners could approach its vicinity.
With things escalating like this, the most anxious group was the Healing Sword Sect, which had made Won-gang its home base.
The sect leader, Sim Woo-won, stared straight ahead with a grim expression. Seated across from him were figures rarely seen by the likes of him.
A middle-aged man in Namgung-style scholar robes and a swordsman whose face was half-covered by a black beard.
They were Namgung Chang and Oh Gun-ui.
The pair had shown up unannounced and requested a private audience. Naturally, Sim Woo-won had no power to refuse them.
"What brings the two of you to the Healing Sword Sect?"
"We've heard that your sect does a lot of good deeds. We just came to exchange greetings."
Despite Namgung Chang's praise, Sim Woo-won's face remained clouded.
His visitor was an elder of the Namgung Family—a true heavyweight by comparison. Sim Woo-won wasn't naive enough to take such a man's words at face value.
Moreover, he hadn't come alone. At his side was Oh Gun-ui, the second-in-command of the Haenam Sect and one of its strongest warriors. Unfortunately, the Healing Sword Sect had no one capable of handling him.
Sim Woo-won let out a sigh.
"Hoo! If there's any way I can assist you, please don't hesitate to say so."
Namgung Chang responded with a faint smile.
Smart people were always easy to deal with. They figured out the situation on their own and yielded accordingly.
All he had to do was set the tone.
Namgung Chang spoke up.
"As Sect Leader Sim likely knows, a major gathering will take place here soon. The full assembly of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families."
"Urgh."
Sim Woo-won groaned softly.
It was information he already knew. But hearing it directly from a Namgung Family member hit differently.
This was unfolding in Won-gang—practically his own backyard. And the venue was the Tianxia First Tower, which had deep ties to him. He couldn't help but pay attention.
"Why hold the gathering here, of all places? Groups like the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families could meet anywhere fine."
"It's a fine place indeed."
"Pardon?"
"Dongjeong Lake. A hub of all directions with stunning scenery to boot. Is there any spot in the world more perfect?"
"Well, that's true."
Though something felt off, Sim Woo-won nodded in agreement.
That was precisely why the Healing Sword Sect and Akyang Sword Sect had settled around Dongjeong Lake in the first place.
"We're thinking of buying some land in the Akyang area."
"Pardon?"
Sim Woo-won blinked in confusion at Namgung Chang's abrupt statement. Namgung Chang chuckled softly.
"No need to be startled. We're simply saying we'd like to purchase land."
"Ah, no... Why would the Namgung Family want land in Akyang...?"
"It's not the Namgung Family buying. It's the Murim Alliance."
"The Murim Alliance?"
"Yes. The Murim Alliance."
"What do you—"
"The Murim Alliance will soon be established at Dongjeong Lake. And we're eyeing Akyang as the ideal location."
"Urgh."
Sim Woo-won groaned again.
The Murim Alliance. It was something he hadn't even considered.
Now it made sense why the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families were gathering here.
The Murim Alliance wouldn't just be a loose coalition of the martial world.
If it truly formed, it would wield immense power. With the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families at its core, no current force in the martial world could oppose or check it.
Namgung Chang's words meant the Murim Alliance would take root in Akyang. Who could defy them?
The assembly at the Tianxia First Tower wasn't about deciding whether to create the Murim Alliance.
Its creation was a done deal.
The issue was how to divide the shares among the participating sects. That was likely why they were meeting at Dongjeong Lake.
'Honam Province, home to Dongjeong Lake, has neither Nine Great Sects nor Five Great Families. It's the perfect neutral ground. Nowhere better for founding the Alliance and fairly splitting the massive interests.'
Honam Province did have its Five Sects. But any one of the Nine Great Sects could crush them single-handedly.
Who among Honam's Five Sects would dare oppose an event backed by the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families under the Murim Alliance banner? It was impossible.
The more he thought about it, the colder his spine grew. Sim Woo-won's back was already soaked with cold sweat.
How he responded here could determine the Healing Sword Sect's fate. His mind raced with possibilities.
After a long deliberation, Sim Woo-won finally spoke.
"How... how can the Healing Sword Sect help?"
"Sect Leader Sim is wise indeed."
Namgung Chang's eyes gleamed sharply.
In Namgung Chang's gaze, Sim Woo-won saw his own cowering reflection. He hated to admit it, but that was reality.
Sim Woo-won spoke cautiously.
"Please tell me how I can assist. I'll give it my all."
"We'll need much from Sect Leader Sim. We won't hold back in asking."
Oh Gun-ui's expression hardened slightly at Namgung Chang's words.
Sim Woo-won couldn't know. Just how dire the situation was for him and his sect. A storm too fierce for a minor sect like the Healing Sword Sect was blowing into Dongjeong Lake.
***
A massive riverboat, the Yunma River Ferry, was sailing down the Yangtze.
The deck was crowded with passengers, clustered in their groups. Among them, one group stood out.
About twenty Daoists wearing Nanhua turbans and simple Daoist robes.
The world was full of Daoists. Any named mountain in any region was bound to have a temple.
But these Daoists aboard the Yunma River Ferry were special. They weren't from some ordinary temple—they were from the Mount Hua Sect.
The Daoists didn't flaunt their sect's name, but people quickly recognized them as Mount Hua Sect disciples.
It would be stranger not to spot Daoists from the Mount Hua Sect, one of the twin pillars of the Daoist sects alongside Wudang.
At the center stood an elderly Daoist who appeared to be in his early fifties. Like the others, he wore plain Daoist robes, but his eyes shimmered with profound depth.
His Daoist title was Hyunmu.
Junior brother to Sect Leader Hyuncheon Daoist and one of the Mount Hua Sect's top masters. He was leading this group of Mount Hua Daoists to Akyang.
The Daoists around True Person Hyunmu were elite disciples selected from the Mount Hua Sect, mostly second-generation. But given the gravity of the matter, a few first-generation disciples had joined as well.
Among the first-generation, one figure drew the eye: a female Daoist. Her Nanhua turban and Daoist robes couldn't hide her feminine curves.
She appeared to be in her early to mid-thirties. Her name was Han So-yu.
A rare female Daoist in the Mount Hua Sect, she was one of its top first-generation disciples. She was also a member of the Plum Blossom Thirty-Six Swordsmen, whom every Mount Hua disciple yearned to join.
Time had deepened Han So-yu's gaze and imbued her with the elegance of a plum blossom. No Mount Hua disciple failed to admire her.
Han So-yu murmured to herself.
"Three years, is it?"
That was when she'd last ventured into the world. Three years ago, a demonic figure called the Crouching Dragon Blood Demon had appeared in Shanxi Province.
He'd committed countless atrocities, and no sect or warrior in Shanxi could stop him. Desperate locals had appealed for aid to the Mount Hua Sect in Shaanxi Province.
Han So-yu had then led five of the Plum Blossom Thirty-Six Swordsmen to eliminate him.
The Crouching Dragon Blood Demon fought fiercely but couldn't overcome Han So-yu and her five swordsmen. In the end, he fell to her blade, earning her immense fame.
Plum Blossom Fairy.
That was Han So-yu's moniker.
Then came True Person Hyunmu's resonant voice.
"So-yu. What are you thinking about so deeply?"
"Nothing, Martial Uncle."
"As Dongjeong Lake draws near, even you've grown sentimental."
"No, it's not that."
"It's fine. We're Daoists, but we're not immune to the seven emotions and six desires."
True Person Hyunmu's tone was exceedingly warm.
He was endlessly kind to Mount Hua disciples but could be crueler than anyone to its enemies.
"You've worked hard all this time."
"It was nothing."
"Without Mu-gyeong and Un-gyeong—you—Mount Hua wouldn't be what it is today. You two are Mount Hua's future."
It was the highest praise True Person Hyunmu could offer.
For over a decade, they'd pushed relentlessly under the banner of reviving Mount Hua. Thanks to that, the sect was enjoying its greatest prosperity in twenty years. Yet it still fell short of its former peak. They couldn't afford to rest.
"And Myeong-gyeong?"
"We're meeting at the next dock."
"You'll see him soon."
A smile tugged at True Person Hyunmu's lips.
Whenever Myeong-gyeong came up, every Mount Hua elder wore a similar expression.
Twelve years ago, when True Person Hyeon-geom had taken the lay disciple Myeong-gyeong over the sect's core disciples, many had doubted.
Could a lay disciple truly absorb True Person Hyeon-geom's teachings? But Myeong-gyeong proved worthy of his master's choice, achieving terrifying progress.
He mastered every Mount Hua martial art at breakneck speed, shattering limits.
True Person Hyeon-geom, the sect's greatest master. Myeong-gyeong, its greatest prodigy. Their pairing made the impossible possible.
This trip to Akyang wasn't just for the Murim Alliance's founding. It was more about giving Myeong-gyeong real-world experience.
Myeong-gyeong was Mount Hua's future. How much stronger he grew would shape the sect's destiny.
Currently, Myeong-gyeong was traveling separately from the Mount Hua Daoists, all by True Person Hyunmu's design to build his experience.
"I'm truly looking forward to seeing how much he's grown this time."
"Martial Uncle!"
"Thinking back, we've been fortunate. Over a dozen years, and not a single Mount Hua disciple lost."
Han So-yu closed her eyes at True Person Hyunmu's words.
'Not a single one lost? That child died without ever being acknowledged as a Mount Hua disciple.'
Most of Mount Hua had forgotten 'him.' But a few hadn't. Han So-yu was one of them.
'Cheon-gyeong.'
The name lingered in her mouth.