The Onset of Chaos
Half a shichen before Gak-won entered to announce the start of the alliance meeting, Paeng Ja-ryeong had already taken his seat in the conference hall of the Murim Alliance. He exchanged brief greetings with those he knew. Because Paeng Ja-ryeong rarely attended public events, more than half the attendees were strangers to him, yet he recognized nearly everyone from the Seven Great Families.
The Heonwon Family sent their Three Elders again. The Mt. Mao Sect remains as uninterested in the Murim Alliance as ever. The Tang Family is much the same. The Ak Family’s patriarch came in person.
Paeng Ja-ryeong’s gaze swept across the hall filled with robes and cloaks until it settled on a man dressed in an unusual scholarly attire.
The Jegal Family must still be occupied with the aftermath of the last war. They sent someone I’ve never seen before.
It was neither the family head, nor his younger brother the chief steward, nor the lord of the Neungun Corps, their greatest martial force. They could have sent elders, yet they dispatched someone of Paeng Ja-ryeong’s own generation—and not even a direct blood relative. He had met the direct descendants of the Jegal Family before. Five years might change a face, but not enough to require a complete disguise.
And the Mo Yong…
Just as his thoughts continued, someone called out to him in an overly familiar tone.
“Hey, it’s been a while. What brings you all the way from Tianjin? Five years, is it?”
A man of similar age pulled out the seat beside him and dropped into it without ceremony. His presence was light. Even the lowest-ranked member of the Jegal delegation carried the dignity expected of his position, masking any lack of martial prowess. This man possessed no such refinement. Yet he showed no sign of intimidation or deference to the others. His bearing revealed a thoroughly self-centered nature.
His martial arts were also far below the average in this room. The hall was filled with Transcendent Realm masters, yet this man, merely at the Peak Realm, moved about with complete freedom. That freedom came from confidence that compensated for his lack of power. After all, he was the eldest son of the family that commanded the greatest wealth under heaven.
“Gyeong-do. You came.”
Paeng Ja-ryeong addressed his cousin, Mo Yong Gyeong-do, the future head of the Mo Yong Family, and answered his question.
“The last time I left the family grounds, it was also for Luoyang, so you’re right.”
“No need for stiff formalities, right? We met not long ago anyway.”
The glorious past when the Mo Yong Family had once surpassed even the Namgung Family and been called the greatest sword clan under heaven was long gone. Now they were a merchant clan, leading trading companies across the land. Naturally, they frequented Tianjin, the heart of the Grand Canal, so often that the thresholds of their establishments were worn smooth.
“Come now, so what does our Ja-ryeong think of this alliance meeting?”
Though his tone was that of a frivolous merchant rather than the dignified martial artists around them, Paeng Ja-ryeong responded with practiced ease.
“What is there to think? It won’t be any different from five years ago. The country is in turmoil both inside and out, so they’ll push for full commitment to subjugating the Ghost Gates. Since we won the Battle of Unmong, the unorthodox factions have probably lost some of their edge. They’ll try to expand the influence of the orthodox Murim while they can. Something along those lines.”
“Aigoo… This is why talking with the Paeng Family never works. You have no sense for information, none at all.”
“…Isn’t that why you came straight to me the moment you arrived? The Mo Yong Family lacks the actual martial strength to intervene in Murim affairs.”
The lack of information-gathering ability—that was the Paeng Family’s sore spot. Even though they held the strategic crossroads of Tianjin, they had been forced to forgo it while watching the imperial court’s reactions.
“It has been a long time since they produced any peerless masters. There are no Transcendent Realm experts in the current generation either—only the previous generation’s Grand Elder remains. Even the one considered the likely next head is only in his early thirties and at the middle stage of Peak Realm. They’ve grown the trading companies in size, but there’s no substance. Whenever they need experts, they end up borrowing the Paeng Family’s hand.”
Paeng Ja-ryeong’s reputation for an unshakable gentleman’s composure was well known throughout the martial world. Yet with this particularly lighthearted cousin, his resolve wavered like reeds in the wind. Blood relatives were always harder to endure than strangers. Still, even after Paeng Ja-ryeong’s counterattack, Mo Yong Gyeong-do merely shrugged as if to say, “So what?” It was true, after all. The verbal assault, delivered from a martial artist’s perspective, was nothing more than an objective statement of fact to Mo Yong Gyeong-do.
“That’s why Aunt went to the Paeng Family, isn’t it? And we have the Unbeaten Guest who promised lifelong patronage to our main house in exchange. Besides, what’s wrong with borrowing a hand now and then? That’s what in-laws do.”
Paeng Ja-ryeong clicked his tongue at the failure of his attack and added one final remark.
“Trying to wield swords with money. The Mo Yong Family has truly fallen as a martial clan.”
“In exchange, we’ve seized the ten thousand gold that moves the world.”
Convinced by Mo Yong Gyeong-do’s confident reply, Paeng Ja-ryeong accepted that he could never win an argument against him.
“So. What is this information you mentioned?”
“You know that two of the Eight Guard Divisions aren’t in Luoyang, right?”
“Sonpungdan and Ihwadan?”
“Correct.”
“Ihwadan was deployed to the Ghost Gate sealing operation in Mt. Buk. Then what about Sonpungdan?”
Just as he finished speaking, the door opened with a creak. The long-awaited arrivals had finally begun.
“We’ll talk more later.”
“Tsk, I should have spoken faster. Understood.”
Mo Yong Gyeong-do possessed at least the minimum amount of tact. Without it, he would never have been entrusted with representing the Mo Yong Family in Luoyang.
The meeting began.
Gak-won’s opening address unfolded exactly as Paeng Ja-ryeong had expected. The Ghost Gates showed no sign of closing… The imperial court, driven to extremes by repeated rebellions and Consort Man’s tyranny… The unorthodox factions, baring their fangs at the first sign of opportunity… Yet these words ultimately amounted to nothing more than a call to remain vigilant and share a sense of crisis, without offering any clear solutions. Although the Murim Alliance possessed immense prestige and martial strength, there were limits to what they could resolve. The imperial court? They would be branded as traitors. The unorthodox factions? Did they want another great war between orthodox and unorthodox? The Ghost Gates? That, they did not know.
“We learned during the Beijing Rebellion that the Ghost Gates can be opened artificially.”
If there was a way to open them, there would also be a way to close them. If they could summon Ghost Gates to places where none should appear, then they could also prevent Ghost Gates from appearing where they should. At last, the world had obtained a clue regarding the Ghost Gates.
“Separately from the imperial court, we have been tracking Lee Ja-ryong. And… though it is still only a hypothesis, we have identified an organization connected to him.”
The air in the hall grew heated at Gak-won’s shocking declaration.
“So that was Sonpungdan’s mission.”
“That’s right.”
“The lord of Sonpungdan… was it Pyopung-gaek, Byeok Woon? I heard his tracking ability was unparalleled. As expected of his reputation.”
Just as Paeng Ja-ryeong and Mo Yong Gyeong-do exchanged a brief exchange, murmurs rose from various corners of the hall. The alliance followed the principle of disclosing everything publicly, even if it delayed the proceedings.
“However, at some point, all contact with Sonpungdan was lost.”
Paeng Ja-ryeong muttered so softly that even Mo Yong Gyeong-do beside him could barely hear.
“No wonder the meeting felt faster than usual…”
Gak-won continued.
“We have confirmed that they use a base in a Taoist temple and employ spells even the Mt. Mao Sect’s Taoists are unfamiliar with. And this is the scripture Sonpungdan obtained and delivered to the alliance.”
Gak-won opened the wooden box he had brought with him and took out the book inside. It appeared recently made; though crumpled and torn in places, there were no signs of fading from the passage of time. Two characters were written on the cover: World Overturn. To overturn the world.
“From the title of this scripture, we intend to call this organization Beon-se-gyo.”
§
The alliance meeting did not end in a single day. After the long session that followed Gak-won’s shocking speech, the participants dispersed, promising to reconvene the next day. Yet Paeng Ja-ryeong’s schedule did not end even after he returned to the manor. Mo Yong Gyeong-do had followed him all the way there.
“Huh? Just do it for me. How much help could we possibly be anyway, huh?”
“What would the Mo Yong Trading Company do?”
“Ah, we’re busy~ The king of Joseon changed recently, and he’s quite something. His abilities are excellent.”
“Isn’t the story of the Joseon king changing quite old by now?”
“During the regency period, even a king isn’t truly a king.”
“So?”
“Anyway, this Joseon king really likes trade. Thanks to that, from the Mo Yong Family’s position connecting Joseon and the Ming, business is booming. Come visit Liaodong once, won’t you? Roads that didn’t exist are being laid out, and proper villages are rising in what used to be empty plains. It’s no less than Hebei.”
With Joseon implementing policies to encourage trade, the Mo Yong Family, which led the triangular trade between Joseon, the northern regions, and the Ming, had entered their greatest period of prosperity. They had originally swept up half the wealth under heaven; after this, they would likely walk the path of a merchant clan that valued commerce even more than martial arts. However, the Mo Yong Family’s inability to focus solely on the Central Plains was not because they simply did not care whether others lived or died while they did business—it was for a far more serious reason.
“And…”
Mo Yong Gyeong-do’s sly smile vanished, and his eyes sank as deep as an abyss. This was the true face of Mo Yong Gyeong-do, a man who did not value the martial path and whose personal strength was weak, yet who had reached a profound level in the way of commerce. Paeng Ja-ryeong corrected his posture and prepared to listen attentively.
“Things aren’t entirely peaceful over there either. I said the Joseon king has excellent abilities, didn’t I? From ancient times, capable rulers have always desired one great achievement.”
“Territorial expansion. They’re preparing for war in Haedong?”
“Probably. A bloody wind might blow through Guandong.”
“If that happens, the imperial court will lose almost all power to interfere in the martial world.”
“That’s right. It was only ten years ago that they subjugated the Jianzhou Jurchens and executed their leader, Yi Man-ju. Yi Man-ju—that man might not reach the level of the Three Extremes, but our assessment was that he could hold his own against the Twelve Venerables. And they utterly crushed the Jurchens he led.”
“I know. The Mo Yong Family once tried to join hands with the imperial court to subjugate him after he stirred up trouble in Liaodong, but failed.”
“Tsk… It was because there happened to be a civil uprising in Unyang at the time.”
Originally, they had planned a joint operation with Joseon, but when the Ming failed to respond properly, Joseon had marched alone, subjugated Yi Man-ju, and sent a message stating, “Since the Ming army did not come, Joseon subjugated him first.” The incident was still occasionally discussed.
“The imperial court has no choice but to concentrate its strength in Guandong. If Joseon’s power remains the same as ten years ago, they would pose a real threat from that direction as well.”
“Since the Jinyiwei commander died, Sinchang will move.”
“Nine times out of ten. Then the Wulim Governor will head to the capital again to fill the empty Beijing.”
“A vacuum in the imperial court’s influence will appear in the martial world…”
Paeng Ja-ryeong carefully painted a picture of the future. The imperial court had two cards left. Of course they would have hidden moves, but he set those aside for now. With the head of the Sinchang Yang Family and the Wulim Governor as their remaining hands, the court would use one hand to block Liaodong on the left and the other to protect their own neck. That would leave them with no hands free. Even if another great battle like the Battle of Unmong broke out in the martial world, it would be impossible for them to intervene and forcibly end it as they had before. Authority without power was meaningless. If neither the two family heads nor the Wulim Governor could move, who would fear the imperial court enough to forgo the gold right before their eyes?
Paeng Ja-ryeong closed his eyes. Even so, what he saw was martial artists scattering blood and swinging swords across a land where a brief peace had ended and wildfire had spread once more.
“…The beginning of chaotic times.”
“At least in the martial world, yes.”