Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Tang Clan Gathering (1)
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The Central Plains were ancient China.
But how harsh was survival there?
Ancient Central Plains were so brutal that even the darkest fantasy worlds paled in comparison.
A ridiculously vast landmass.
Dynasties constantly rising and falling.
With such expansive territory, wars and conflicts over hegemony never ceased within its borders.
And that was just the beginning.
This was the ancient Central Plains, where martial artists fired sword qi from their blades and palm winds from their hands, wreaking havoc everywhere.
So how could the state's administrative power reach every corner?
Caught between rampant bandits and highway robbers—who were practically political factions themselves—the lives of the common folk were a true "struggle."
Thus, a certain culture emerged among them.
Relying on family and kin over the state.
And surviving through their own networks of connections.
Not shallow relationships of mere greetings.
Truly bonds beyond family.
Relationships bordering on devotion, transcending mere closeness.
This was called "guanxi."
Similar in meaning to "connections," but leagues deeper.
And the prime example of such guanxi was the master-disciple bond.
A master is like a parent.
Which meant, conversely, that a disciple was like the master's child.
Bang Jongdae was the Justice Alliance Leader's sole direct disciple.
And I? I had exchanged wooden clappers with Bang Jongdae himself!
The sharp glint in the Golden Name Lord's eyes softened.
Exchanging wooden clappers meant Cheongun and Bang Jongdae had formed a sworn brotherhood, so how could his master—the Golden Name Lord—take it lightly?
Naturally, his attitude toward Cheongun softened as well.
"Allow this lesser monk to ask once more. What was your reason for raiding the Darkwood Sect?"
"Wasn't it a branch of the Heavenly Demon God Cult?"
"Let me ask again. May I inquire what you sought to gain by striking a branch of the God Cult?"
Cheongun took a sip from his teacup before replying.
His face was unusually serious, unlike his usual demeanor.
Given the opponent, even Cheongun had tucked away his playfulness for the moment.
This was the Justice Alliance Leader.
No glib improvisation would work here, as it had with Bang Jongdae.
But he had no intention of bowing his head either.
So Cheongun chose a direct confrontation.
"Alliance Leader, allow me to ask you this. What do you believe the Heavenly Demon God Cult does in the name of the strong?"
"They oppress the weak and commit all manner of atrocities."
"Then what happens to the world as they grow stronger?"
"It will be dyed in blood."
"Then let me ask once more. Why has the Justice Alliance stood by idly, knowing this all along?"
At those words, the Alliance Leader's gaze sharpened.
But Cheongun didn't flinch.
Instead, he handed over a few prepared letters.
The Leader slowly scanned them.
Each one detailed the Darkwood Sect's countless atrocities: plundering and murder, abductions and torture, even raids on innocent villages. The evidence filled the pages.
The Leader's face grew increasingly stern.
"These are the deeds done while the Justice Alliance wasted time sending spies."
"……"
"You follow the Buddha's teachings, do you not? Saving sentient beings through love and compassion—is that not the foundation? Yet compassion sometimes demands resolute action, much like a parent snatching a knife from a child's hand. That is all I did. Had the Justice Alliance stepped in sooner, I wouldn't have needed to."
"Then what do you plan to do with the captured demonic cultists?"
Cheongun chuckled as if to say, why ask something so obvious?
"Keep them all alive, of course."
Why kill demonic cultists?
Demonic cultists were valuable in their very existence, and Cheongun had never intended to kill them outright.
However, the Leader couldn't know his true motives.
He merely stared at Cheongun in astonishment.
"There will be fierce resistance."
"I'll treat them with great mercy and compassion, and pass on anti-demonic mind arts to help them control their inner demons."
Once a demonic cultist, always one.
Laundering them moderately and turning them into subordinates was highly advantageous for Cheongun.
"……Hahaha."
But the Alliance Leader gazed at him with admiring eyes.
He had wrestled with many concerns on the way here.
Concerns born from observing the movements of Cheongun, an absolute master who had fallen from the heavens.
The first was none other than Cheongun's talent.
He had heard all the reports from Namgung Hwi, the Qingcheng Sect branch chief.
A boy not even in his mid-teens wielded sword arts with a fishing line, his dantian held at least sixty years of cultivation from some heavenly opportunity, and he had mastered an unidentified Daoist supreme technique.
The Leader was beyond astonished.
If true, this boy's genius was unprecedented.
Moreover, he had been taught martial arts by the Crimson Night Sword Sovereign, the only one called the Sword Saint in the jianghu.
The Leader's gaze drifted to Cheongun's waist.
There hung a scabbard, its rough surface engraved with "Crimson Night Sword."
He had wondered if the rumors were exaggerated, but receiving the Crimson Night Sword Sovereign Jin Mu-seong's personal blade confirmed they were not.
And the second concern was his origins.
—Is this true?
—Yes, information directly from the Chengdu branch leader of the Tang Clan.
They had commissioned the Beggars' Gang to investigate Cheongun's background.
What if he had ties to the God Cult?
A thorough probe into who this Cheongun was seemed necessary.
But.
—...A beggar?
According to the reports, Cheongun had been a beggar.
An orphan without a single relative.
He hadn't even known basic martial arts, scraping by day to day.
At that point, even extending his lifespan would have been a struggle, let alone learning martial arts or finding spirit herbs.
Yet he had self-taught martial arts and reached this level in such a short time.
How was such a thing possible?
This was no mere martial prodigy—it was heaven-sent genius.
Thus, the Alliance Leader had come in person for this meeting.
He had no intention of rebuking him for raiding the Bloodline Pavilion or the Darkwood Sect from the start.
He was simply curious.
About the mindset of this boy, virtually guaranteed to be the next supreme under heaven, and his motives for expanding his forces.
About the righteousness and chivalry he espoused.
And as their conversation stretched on, the Leader grew more and more amazed.
Not only had he spared all those demonic cultists, but he planned to teach them anti-demonic mind arts to help control their demons!
A true heavenly being!
'Now I understand why Jongdae gave him the wooden clapper.'
Fate was truly wondrous.
This was the Buddha's will, the principle of heaven and earth—best to follow its flow.
The Leader had already taken a liking to him for showing mercy to the demonic cultists.
Besides, blood bends inward!
His sole disciple's sworn brother, bound by the Buddha's teachings no less.
He worried endlessly about sending his curious, undiscerning disciple alone into the jianghu.
But learning alongside such a boy would bring Jongdae great enlightenment.
This was fate, a karmic bond.
Their gazes met once more in the air.
The Leader chuckled heartily.
Cheongun grinned back.
Those with the heart of Buddha connect, as they say.
They smiled at each other before bowing their heads in gassho once again.
"Namu Amida Butsu."
"Namu Amida Butsu."
Cheongun was in high spirits.
He had absorbed the Darkwood Sect, parted amicably with the Justice Alliance, and received a handsome reward for releasing their spy unharmed.
But a problem arose.
"Not enough Deadly Blood Poison?"
"Yes, Pavilion Lord."
The number of demonic cultists kept growing.
Among them, the promising ones had been fed the Deadly Blood Poison so far.
This was to trigger his traits upon taking them as subordinates.
But Deadly Blood Poison required continuous doses after the first.
The issue was that its ingredients weren't something money alone could easily procure.
Bribing with extra cash might work, but it would be a massive loss.
He had been using the Bloodline Pavilion Lord's hidden stockpile until now, but even that was running dry.
He had searched the Darkwood Sect just in case, but the building he had first demolished with sword qi turned out to be their apothecary.
Then, Hong So-yeon, who had been watching quietly, spoke up.
"Isn't the Tang Clan Gathering coming up soon?"
The Tang Clan Gathering.
The Sichuan Tang Clan was one of the jianghu's premier poison clans, holding an annual martial tournament.
This event went beyond simple sparring, showcasing weapons crafted by the Tang Clan.
And what was the Sichuan Tang Clan?
The foremost house in the Central Plains for poisons, hidden weapons, and metallurgy.
Moreover.
"They say the champion gets access to the secret vault."
The Tang Clan's secret vault overflowed with rare treasures and curiosities.
Among all sects, who raked in the most wealth if not the Tang Clan?
Naturally, their vault was immense.
Filled with famed swords, manuals, and rare herbs scattered about.
As Cheongun immediately began preparing to leave, Hong So-yeon asked incredulously.
"Pavilion Lord, you're entering the tournament?"
"Yeah."
"On what qualifications?"
The Tang Clan Gathering was a tournament hosted by the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Entry naturally required proper affiliations, and a beggar like Cheongun had none!
But.
"Who is my master?"
"...The Crimson Night Sword Sovereign?"
Crimson Night Sword Sovereign Jin Mu-seong.
He was a righteous faction martial artist.
One of the Ten Supreme Masters, treated as a one-man sect.
And Cheongun was his disciple.
In terms of affiliations, few in the righteous faction outranked him.
Cheongun took only the scabbard at his waist and the fishing rod slung over his shoulder before setting off.
"I'll be back."
"..."