Aftermath of the Placement Rankings -1
A week had passed since the victory festival.
In that time, a great many things had taken place.
A few days after the festival ended, all of Sichuan was thrown into an uproar. The crimes of Yeo Il-ye's enemies had been laid bare for all to see, one by one.
First, the matter of the bandits.
It came to light that Hwanggeum-seon had drawn the bandits in, that Gae Myeong-bu had obstructed the Sichuan sects from uniting, and that Yu Ji-gyeong had used his influence to spread baseless rumors throughout Sichuan Province.
The fact that Gae Myeong-bu of the Jambong Sect had hired nangin in an attempt to destroy the Tangsu Sect and the Jajang Sect was made public. On top of that, every petty corruption of the Jambong Sect was exposed as well.
Hwanggeum-seon's misdeeds were so numerous that the investigation was still ongoing. Even the facts that had been clearly established were enough to shock people — and there were just as many unproven allegations still waiting.
Furthermore, the bloodbath at the Yeo Family Mountain Villa was formally made known to the Murim.
Lately, wherever you went in Sichuan Province, all you heard were stories about Yeo Il-ye, Hwanggeum-seon, Gae Myeong-bu, Yu Ji-gyeong, and the rest. As for Yeo Il-ye... well, her reputation had skyrocketed overnight.
You could say she'd become the protagonist of a hero's epic. From the public's perspective, even the thrashing of the nangin would be accepted as part of her chivalrous deeds. So to the people, Yeo Il-ye was a gallant warrior who, despite suffering a great tragedy in her youth, had grown through righteous resolve, attained enlightenment, and crushed the great evils of Sichuan Province.
Judging by the way public opinion was turning, it was only a matter of time before Yeo Il-ye's enemies were designated as enemies of the Murim.
The Wanderer Inn had fully switched over to off-season operations. The sects of Sichuan Province no longer had the leeway to hire nangin. Between the Jambong Sect's collapse on the tier rankings and Hwanggeum-seon's crimes... they were too busy adapting to the great upheaval sweeping through Sichuan.
It was certain this state of affairs would last for a while, so the nangin left the inn to go about their own business. Yeong Ji-huyeol left to search for a swordsmith, while Jeong Sam, Yeo Jinsang, and a few other nangin went out to take in the legendary site of Mount Jeongnam that would remain forever etched in Sichuan's history.
And it was during this off-season at the Wanderer Inn that Tang Do-gyeong paid a visit.
"Haha, how have you all been?"
"Tang Do-gyeong, the great hero!"
"Oh! You've been well, I hope!"
Tang Do-gyeong, Dang Do-yeon, and Hyeok Gi-rin had decided to stay at Sama Yeom's residence until the affairs that had unfolded in Sichuan Province were roughly settled. Sama Yeom was busy beyond measure, but Tang Do-gyeong was essentially just waiting around, so he started showing up at the Wanderer Inn.
I shook my head as I watched Tang Do-gyeong and the remaining nangin training the Fierce Tiger Fist as one big group. As I'd said several times before, first-rate martial artists couldn't use the Fierce Tiger Fist in actual combat. And yet, watching them train so diligently, I wondered if the Sichuan nangin hadn't already become converts to the Church of Tang Do-gyeong.
Hahp! Hap!
"Fierce Tiger Rampage!"
Fierce Tiger Rampage!
"Seven Strikes of the Descending Whale!"
Chaaaaahp!
Yu Sa-yeon was watching the nangin execute their fist techniques in perfect unison with vacant eyes. Well... she was someone who had devoted her entire life to revenge, so now that her purpose had been fulfilled, she seemed to be at a loss.
"Why have you gone so lifeless?"
"Ah~ I don't know. I guess it hasn't sunk in yet. Or maybe I just feel empty."
Yu Sa-yeon let out a long sigh.
"Crushing the Jambong Sect was satisfying, sure... but I didn't catch Gae Myeong-bu with my own hands... I don't know."
Time would be the answer. Yu Sa-yeon was fundamentally a person bursting with energy, so once she found a new goal, she'd bounce back to her old self in no time.
Yu Sa-yeon looked at me with a listless gaze.
"When are you planning to leave?"
"Hard to say. I'd like to stay until I've laid a solid foundation for the Peak Realm. Of course, I won't be working all that diligently from here on out."
"So you're saying you'll just keep your membership and cherry-pick the combat opportunities? That's pure evil."
Yu Sa-yeon snorted a laugh and stretched.
"Fine~ Do whatever you want. You avenged me — the least I can do is cut you some slack."
"So you're planning to keep running the Wanderer Inn."
"Well, if you're sticking around, of course I am. The income's decent, and there's no real reason to quit. The nangin at this inn... well, in the end, they did take up arms for my sake, more or less. If those guys want to stay... then that's that."
In the end, she seemed awkward about expressing gratitude directly, so she was hemming and hawing while changing the subject.
"Well, alright then. I'm heading out for a bit."
"Sure."
Heukmyo had been busy beyond measure lately. With a great upheaval sweeping through Sichuan Province, there was plenty of information to gather. She'd vanished at the crack of dawn again today.
Lately I'd been pouring myself into martial arts training. In the mornings I learned swordsmanship from Hyeok Gi-rin, and in the afternoons I studied hidden weapons techniques from Tang Do-gyeong or Dang Do-yeon.
The training methods Yeo Il-ye had lectured me on for about an hour when we parted ways at the Makyeo Ferry had been an enormous help. Heukmyo was a master who could contend with the Super-Peak Realm, but she'd never learned from anyone or taught anyone, so she was hard to call a good instructor.
If Yeo Il-ye had thoroughly absorbed the teachings of the Jeomchang Sect — one of the Nine Great Sects — then Hyeok Gi-rin was the one who had drilled those teachings into Yeo Il-ye and her fellow disciples.
Hyeok Gi-rin's instruction was on an entirely different level of efficiency. Every single lesson, I could feel my skills growing by leaps and bounds.
Unfortunately, this morning Sama Yeom had asked me to make time, so I headed to the government office.
I'd been worried that public unrest would break out after Hwanggeum-seon's faction's crimes were announced, but things had passed surprisingly quietly.
Everyone had simply been putting on a brave face for the festival — the misfortunes of the Hwanggeumga and the Jambong Sect had already filtered into the ears of Sichuan's people through quiet channels. Since information about the situation had already been circulating under the surface, no explosion had occurred.
Had Sama Yeom even accounted for this when he delayed the announcement until after the festival? At first I'd thought he was just Hyeok Gi-rin's doting uncle, but clearly not just anyone could become a Prefect.
The sect tier system had also gotten underway. Looking up, I saw a massive banner.
Bandit Alliance Subjugation Rank 8: Wolsang Sect
Gold-Tier Sect
Merit: 17 Bandits Captured Alive
The sect tier system was rapidly taking root. Once the plaques were distributed to the sects, the people of Sichuan immediately understood the ranking system. Honestly, was there a more intuitive system than this?
In front of the Wolsang Sect, whose plaque gleamed with a golden border, hopeful applicants stood in a line.
"I wish to become a disciple of the Wolsang Sect!"
"Welcome! Come this way and fill out the paperwork!"
There were times I wondered if unleashing a tier system upon this Murim wasn't equivalent to releasing forbidden knowledge. Even a mere game ranking system was enough to drive people mad — introducing tiers into reality seemed almost diabolical.
But the sects of Sichuan Province were adapting so swiftly that my worries felt embarrassing.
First, inquiries to the government office about the Jambong Sect's dissolution hadn't stopped. The Platinum plaque for the sixth-ranked subjugation sect needed to be redistributed. The Gold-tier sects needed to compete to elect a new Platinum sect. And so on...
Sects were already buzzing over the glory of the Platinum plaque.
In truth, the Wolsang Sect was officially ranked ninth in the subjugation rankings. They'd quietly bumped themselves up a spot by taking advantage of the Jambong Sect's collapse.
The Platinum and Gold sects were already raking in money hand over fist.
The effect of walking around wearing the Bandit Subjugation Hero's Sash during the festival period had been enormous. Children clung to them, begging for just one touch of the sash's edge. Bashful young ladies draped flower garlands around their necks. Remarkably, merchants voluntarily offered discounts. And among men, they became invincible beings who commanded looks of pure envy!
They were gods descended upon the earth itself.
Naturally, the young people of Sichuan Province envied those wearing the Subjugation Hero's Sash to the point of madness. Their desire to possess one couldn't have been any less intense than Gollum's craving for the One Ring.
The sects quickly exploited that psychology. In the end, young people wanted something that elevated their status just by owning it...
"There — you've paid six months' membership fees in full, so this belt is yours!"
"Ohh...! A Gold Hero Belt!"
The sects released belts colored according to their own tiers. Even if you couldn't become a hero of the Sichuan subjugation yourself, you could instantly prove you belonged to a sect that had contributed greatly to it.
"You bastard! How dare a silver-belted punk block my path! Don't you see the gold belt at my waist?!"
"Urgh...! Damn it, just you wait!"
"Bwahahaha!!"
"A Platinum belt! A Platinum belt has appeared!"
"Run!! If you cross paths with one, your dignity is toast!"
The commemorative Subjugation Hero's Sashes were exerting absolute authority, and below them, tier-colored belts were proliferating. Those who hadn't gotten a Hero's Sash were competing among themselves with belts, you could say.
"I hear that over the past few days, some people have been going around without wearing their Hero's Sash, just tucking the silk cord in their robes and pulling it out when needed."
"What a bunch of perverts... Clearly twisted individuals who want to humiliate the fools swaggering around on the strength of their belts!"
It hadn't even been a week, and already power-level hiders had shown up. A nerd who hides his silk cord? Or a nerd who hides his Hero's Sash?
I couldn't tell whether this was a positive or negative development, but the people and sects of Sichuan Province were rapidly growing accustomed to the tier system.
I'd been worried that the tier system would completely devour every sect in Sichuan — but it seems I underestimated the Murim. They'll figure it out on their own just fine.