Chapter 139: Disguise Technique (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 139: Disguise Technique (3)
If one were to graph the volume of voices during a meeting, wouldn't it form a rather pretty parabola?
As the gathering neared its end, the heated voices gradually settled back to their normal levels.
Of course, this wasn't a discussion that could be concluded in a single day. It would likely continue until the Yongbong Gathering finally came to a close.
Regardless, the progress made today was surprisingly substantial.
They had established a rough framework for how many troops each sect would contribute and formed a clear outline of how the Murim Alliance would respond to the Demonic Cult's sudden intervention.
In particular, the discussion focused heavily on how to maintain the morale of the Righteous Faction martial artists in the event of a three-way conflict.
While masters at the Super Peak Realm rarely lost their composure due to the perfect balance of their Essence-Qi-Spirit, the average martial artist’s mental state was bound to crumble if a terrifying new enemy suddenly entered the fray.
As countermeasures, suggestions were made to either keep the news of the Demonic Cult’s involvement strictly classified or to artificially boost morale by manufacturing a hero.
Other topics included spies and third-party factions. However, the discussion regarding spies wasn't very detailed, likely because maintaining strict security among the leaders was paramount.
"Then, let us conclude for today."
The moment the Shaolin Abbot dismissed the meeting, Seo-jun sprang from his seat.
It had been exhausting enough to keep track of the meeting's contents while simultaneously distracting himself with his own thoughts.
"See you tomorrow." Hong Angae grinned, flashing his yellowed teeth.
"Ah, yes."
Seo-jun made a quick escape. If he got caught up with the old beggar, he might have to endure hours of mindless chatter all over again.
After hurriedly ushering Pae Jin-gwang, Namgung Hyeok, and Namgung Myeong out of the building, Seo-jun finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew. Finally, I can breathe."
"Didn't you seem to be getting along well in there?"
Seo-jun shot Namgung Hyeok a look of pure disgust.
"I wasn't 'getting along'; I was humoring them. You know, out of respect for the elderly."
"Hah..."
"Anyway, that's that. How do you think those Demonic Cult bastards are going to move?"
Despite the abrupt change in subject, Namgung Hyeok—now fully accustomed to Seo-jun's conversational rhythm—answered naturally.
"Well... they say one of the most pointless endeavors in the Murim is trying to predict the behavior of demonic monsters."
"Is it really that bad?"
Namgung Hyeok nodded.
"To begin with, the Mara Papiyas they worship is an incredibly fickle deity, so that alone says enough."
It was even worse because most demons who hadn't reached the stage of Shedding Demonic Nature—the demonic equivalent of the Transcendent Realm—were usually completely out of their minds.
In fact, there was a saying that the stage of Shedding Demonic Nature was simply when a demon's mind did a full 360-degree turn right back to sanity. Until then, their mental states often defied the imagination of normal people.
"Man, the more I hear about the Demonic Cult, the more I wonder what kind of lunatics they actually are. The Soul-Stealing Demon I met before didn't seem that far gone."
"The Soul-Stealing Demon? Are you talking about the one who uses the Star-Absorbing Great Art?"
"Didn't you know? I'm the one who caught him."
Just as Namgung Hyeok's face registered a hint of surprise, a group of martial artists approached from behind.
Turning around, they saw figures from the Imperial Court.
There were three of them. Led by a General, two men stood rigidly behind him.
As Seo-jun watched them with a peculiar expression, the General spoke up.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am General Cheonyang, Ju Cheol-yak."
"I am Namgung Hyeok of the Azure Heaven."
After a brief exchange with Namgung Hyeok, Ju Cheol-yak shifted his intense stare to Seo-jun. His gaze was as cold as a drawn blade. Seo-jun didn't back down, meeting his eyes evenly.
"I have something I wish to discuss with this young man for a moment."
"Go ahead."
As Namgung Hyeok stepped aside, Ju Cheol-yak loomed over Seo-jun and took a long breath. His aura rose subtly, exerting a heavy pressure on the boy.
"I have heard the stories."
Wait, why is this guy suddenly talking down to me?
"I heard you humiliated the Third Prince in front of a crowd, and that an agent of the Eastern Depot suffered a similar disgrace at your hands."
His attitude was incredibly overbearing. Seo-jun curled one side of his mouth upward into a smirk.
"If someone does something worth getting hit for, they get hit."
Ju Cheol-yak’s eyebrows twitched at the brazen response.
"I understand the justification you cited. However, do you not realize that humiliating the Imperial Family in front of so many people is an equally grave act of insolence?"
Clank—
Due to the heavy armor draped over his massive frame, Ju Cheol-yak looked twice as large as Seo-jun.
The sight of the General looming over him was meant to be intimidating, but Seo-jun merely narrowed his eyes and let his own aura flare to life.
"Did you not hear what that 'Prince' brat was spewing?"
"I heard. He wasn't wrong."
"...Unbelievable."
Calling the successor of the Divine Sword Geum Family 'lowborn' wasn't wrong? That wasn't something a sane person would say.
Seo-jun had been in a decent mood until a moment ago, but now his blood was beginning to boil. His eyes slowly started to glow with a dangerous golden light.
"Are you sure you heard correctly?"
"It is a fact that the name of the Geum Family is not what it once was. Are they not already a fallen clan? While the word 'lowborn' is a bit vulgar for a Prince to use, it cannot be said to be entirely incorrect."
This crazy bastard. Seo-jun’s eyes flickered dangerously.
"...Seeing the state of the underlings, I can guess what the Emperor is like. Is the Imperial Court just a collection of morons?"
"...You have finally crossed the line. If you had just apologized quietly, you wouldn't have had to suffer."
"Bullshit."
The atmosphere vibrated violently under the crushing pressure of the two martial artists. It was a hostile standoff where swords could be drawn at any second.
Namgung Hyeok stepped in between them.
"Enough. What do you think you're doing?"
"Did you not just hear him? Are you intending to shield a traitor who dared to insult the Emperor?"
Ju Cheol-yak did not back down. Martial artists from the surrounding area began to gather, drawn by the sudden commotion.
Namgung Hyeok exerted his own aura, pressing heavily down on Ju Cheol-yak.
"I didn't realize the Imperial Court had become so grand that it could look down upon the Namgung Clan."
"Are you saying you intend to interfere with Imperial business?"
"...Just what are you relying on to act this brazenly? Has the Martial God returned to the Imperial Court or something?"
"Azure Heaven...!"
"Hah... Fine, I understand the Imperial Court's stance quite well. Your arrogance truly pierces the heavens. But you are still just a single family living under those heavens. If you have forgotten that, I have no choice but to engrave it into you once more."
Ju Cheol-yak was visibly flustered by the unexpectedly harsh reaction. To disregard the Imperial Court like this? Such a thing was unthinkable in Beijing.
A flicker of killing intent sparked in his eyes.
Seo-jun was rapidly reaching the point where he saw no reason to hold back.
Should I just bury them all here?
Would the Righteous Faction falter just because one General went missing? Seo-jun didn't think so. As for the chaos that would arise from a fallout with the Imperial Court? He could just clean it up himself. How hard could it be to hop between a few battlefields?
It would be even easier if he reached the Transcendent Realm. Seo-jun knew exactly how much potential he would unlock once he reached that stage. The ability to manipulate the natural energy within his domain meant more to him than anyone else.
If he could just reach the Transcendent Realm, he would become several times stronger than he was now.
Yes, it might actually be better to just exterminate the Imperial Family and fill the void with the Divine Sword Geum Family. Wasn't it about time for the Six Great Clans to undergo a change anyway?
Shring—
Seo-jun drew his sword.
The Imperial personnel seemed slightly taken aback for a moment, but then, faces flushing red with fury, they drew their swords as well.
The tension was on a knife's edge.
"Stop—!"
The Shaolin Abbot materialized out of nowhere, his voice booming with a Lion's Roar. He massaged his temples as if fighting off a sudden headache, looking back and forth between the Imperial and Namgung martial artists.
"What on earth are you all doing at a time like this?"
This wasn't entirely unexpected. Whenever the Sixteen Major Sects and Clans gathered in one place, friction occurred at least once a day. No one was willing to back down. Their towering pride simply wouldn't allow them to humble themselves.
Furthermore, the Imperial Court, which was exceptionally insular, had an even stronger tendency toward arrogance. Remnants of the era when the Martial God unified the Central Plains still lingered, leading them to believe the Imperial Family stood high above all others.
"Abbot, you've come at the perfect time. I couldn't speak of it during the meeting as it wasn't on the agenda, but how should I interpret the fact that there has been no punishment for his unauthorized interference in the duel?"
"General Cheonyang, that is enough. In that matter, the Third Prince's remarks were far too excessive."
"Abbot...!"
Ju Cheol-yak glared at the Abbot, his face flushed with indignation. The Abbot merely frowned in return.
"Leave it at that. Do you intend to make an enemy of Shaolin as well?"
"...I simply cannot understand this."
Ju Cheol-yak roughly sheathed his sword.
"...I will not forget this."
With that, he turned on his heel and stomped away.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?"
Seo-jun tried to follow after him, but the Abbot stepped into his path, blocking him. Only after Ju Cheol-yak had completely disappeared did the Abbot let out a long, weary sigh.
"I was wondering if things would actually pass quietly this time..."
The Abbot clicked his tongue and looked at Seo-jun. The boy's sunken eyes, dark and brooding over some unspoken thought, were deeply unsettling.
"Don't you go doing anything foolish, either. I will arrange a separate occasion for you."
"What kind of occasion?"
"Is there any other way for martial artists to resolve a conflict?"
A martial artist speaks through martial arts. Of course, they would have to address the Imperial Court's transgressions before it came to that.
*
The round of 32 for the Yongbong Gathering finally began.
The round of 32 was scheduled to take place over four days, with four matches held each day. However, the tournament bracket hadn't been released in advance. Since no one knew when their name would be called, all participants were required to be present.
Why use such an inefficient method? Simply because it was far easier to protect the Rising Stars if they were gathered in one secure location rather than wandering around freely. If a Rising Star from one of the Sixteen Major Sects and Clans were to come to harm, it would be a massive headache for Shaolin.
As a result, Chun-bong, Namgung Su-ah, and Namgung Myeong all waited for their turns in the designated waiting room. Meanwhile, Seo-jun sat in the VIP area reserved for the Sixteen Major Sects and Clans, idly passing the time.
To be precise, he was heavily contemplating the Disguise Technique.
Should I use the Disguise Technique to pretend to be from the Black Lotus Union or the Demonic Cult and commit an act of terror against the Imperial Palace?
No. Pretending to be from the Demonic Cult was a bad idea. If the Righteous Faction ended up clashing with the Demonic Cult because of a false flag, it would be incredibly troublesome. Since an all-out war with the Demonic Cult wasn't a certainty just yet, he needed to avoid actions that might unnecessarily multiply their enemies.
Therefore, the most appropriate identity for now was Baek Seo-jun. He felt like everyone would be quite pleased if he just dropped an ice meteor right on top of the Imperial Palace.
When he had asked Pae Jin-gwang about the Disguise Technique earlier, this was the answer he got:
'Disguise Technique? Ask that beggar you saw last time. A Seven-Knot Beggar should at least know the basics of disguise.'
"Seven-Knot Beggar" was a prestigious rank within the Beggar Sect. It referred to a beggar with seven knots tied into their sack; the more knots one had, the higher their rank. As a Seven-Knot Beggar, Hong Angae was essentially an Elder of the Beggar Sect.
"Oho, seeing you again, are we?"
Right on cue, Hong Angae came sauntering over and grinned at Seo-jun, showing off his yellowed teeth. Seo-jun leaned back in his chair and offered a lazy wave.
"Are you here to watch?"
"Indeed. One of our kids is competing."
"What? You have kids?"
"Heh heh, of course not. I mean a disciple of the Beggar Sect."
Seo-jun let out a hollow laugh. Regardless, this was perfect timing. He had originally planned to ask at the next alliance meeting, but it seemed he could skip that entirely now.
"Senior Hong Angae."
"What's with the 'Senior'? Just call me whatever you like."
"Sure, sure. Hong Angae."
"Now that's a bit rude, isn't it?"
Seo-jun chuckled and asked, "Do you happen to know how to use the Disguise Technique?"
"Disguise Technique? Of course I do."
Hong Angae covered his face with his hand. A moment later, when he pulled his hand away, his features had completely changed. It was the face of a much younger man, perfectly fitting for his alias, "Red Mist."
"Are you talking about this?"
"Oh, yes."
"Heh heh, I'll teach you if you join the Beggar Sect."
"That's a bit..."
He had already learned it just by watching. It wasn't a particularly difficult technique anyway.