Chapter 115: Those Evil Blood Cultists (3)
Chapter 115: Those Evil Blood Cultists (3)
The following morning, Zhuge Jeong-yeong sat in the General Administration Office, waiting. He remained there until the Martial Alliance meeting, which had begun early that morning, finally came to an end.
With the addition of last night’s commotion, the Alliance would not take long to reach a decision. It was a rare event in the history of the Martial Alliance for a secret art of the Blood Cult to breach its walls.
The Alliance would now prepare for war—the very war his father desired.
The Jinju Eon Family’s scheme had failed, but his father never failed. It was said that a wise strategist always leaves a 'Gate of Life' open, and his father was exactly that kind of man.
He would suffer no loss from this affair. As always, his father would leisurely overcome every obstacle, orchestrating the pieces to secure victory.
Therefore, as the son who had become his father’s only variable, he could do nothing but wait for his execution, prepared for death.
"What am I to do with you?"
A man approached silently and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Zhuge Jeong-yeong merely sat there, eyes squeezed shut, without a single movement. After a moment, the man let out a short sigh and sat across from him.
"My son."
"Father."
The meeting was over. Zhuge Jeong-yeong looked at the man sitting opposite him. He had the appearance of a well-groomed scholar. A tall, middle-aged man of letters with sharp eyes and a firm jawline looked down at him.
Behind a relaxed and kind smile, a gaze as sharp as a blade swept over his entire body.
"Eon Do-cheon will die."
"Yes."
"The Jinju Eon Family will have no way to avoid total extermination. And that cheeky brat from the Peng Family will return home safely."
"That is a relief."
"Is it?"
The eyes of the Zhuge Family Head, Zhuge Yeon-seon, scrutinized his son’s complexion.
"Is that truly what you desired? Did you not harbor feelings for Murong Cheong? Can you truly bear to watch that Peng Hyeon-hwi fellow survive and accompany her with a smile?"
"My marriage proposal was annulled long ago. My only wish is for Lady Murong’s happiness."
"You speak without even checking your own reflection. Look at yourself. Is that truly the face of a man wishing for someone's happiness?"
"I may be ashamed of my lack of virtue, but I cannot bring myself to commit an unvirtuous act."
He was still miserable. He still loved Murong Cheong. He still hated Peng Hyeon-hwi. But all those emotions only served to make him feel wretched just by thinking of them.
Despite his self-loathing, Zhuge Jeong-yeong did not turn his head away.
"Therefore, Father... please, do not commit unvirtuous acts yourself."
"You speak as if you are leaving your final words."
"Since I already know your intentions, Father, is there any reason for you to leave me alive?"
"Haha, hahahaha!"
The Family Head burst into hearty laughter. He laughed for a long while before looking down at his son.
This was a son who, despite being shriveled by an inferiority complex, could still spit out such spirited words—a son whose talent was quite disappointing compared to his intellect.
And yet, he was still 'his son.'
"There is no father in this world who kills his own son."
"You are not the type of person to leave behind future trouble."
"Do you truly think you could ever become a 'trouble' for me?"
"You were the one who taught me that a strategist's greatest enemy is arrogance, Father."
"Would you call a man who is startled by a single ant humble, or foolish?"
"…I believe I can do better than an ant."
"Then try it. Your filial piety in trying to show off for your father even at your age is quite admirable."
Zhuge Jeong-yeong glared at his father with a flushed face, then finally exhaled and withdrew.
After waiting a long while for him to leave, when the pavilion finally fell silent...
"You foolish boy."
The Family Head smiled bitterly as he filled his teacup and drank. Only after savoring the bitter aroma of the White Tiger Silver Needle tea for a long time did he speak.
"I do what I do for the sake of the family. How could I kill the family's future with my own hands?"
Sacrificing the end for the sake of the means was a self-contradiction. He was far too clever to commit such a blunder.
The Zhuge Family Head’s expression softened. Even if countless variables arose, nothing existed that could twist the flow of the grand scheme itself.
A strategist’s value shines brightest in times of chaos. If the confusion intensified, no one would be left who could deny the authority of the Zhuge Family.
In that sense, Peng Hyeon-hwi was a very interesting brat. Having observed him through several tests, the boy’s eye for the grand scheme had already reached the realm of those who discuss military strategy.
If Peng Hyeon-hwi died, the Righteous-Demonic War would break out. Thus, killing him had been the primary objective of the plot.
But even if that failed, did it mean a total strategic failure? No. Not at all.
Some heroes of the world cause storms just by breathing. Those who cannot find power in peace. Those who loathe the balance of the world. Those who cannot live in such a state of affairs.
Like himself, Peng Hyeon-hwi was such a being.
If his own era faded and the boy’s era arrived, a chaotic age would surely follow. If so...
Would not his own son, who had placed Peng Hyeon-hwi in his debt, enjoy glory and power in that chaotic era?
A strategist’s value lies in chaos. Therefore, whether Peng Hyeon-hwi died and the chaos began, or he lived and the chaos unfolded—would there be any loss for the Zhuge Family?
Even if his plan failed, and all his schemes were finally revealed to the public, and his flaws became public enemies, it was the same.
If his schemes failed, his son would surely be on the opposing side. That small child who was foolish yet clever, clever yet overflowing with compassion, and compassionate yet full of self-loathing.
If that happened, the family would be praised for cutting out the rotten parts and returning uprightly to the side of righteousness.
In that case, would there be any loss for the Zhuge Family?
Whether all schemes succeeded or all plots failed, as long as he could keep people on both sides alive to serve the family...
That was when the value of a strategist truly shone in the midst of chaos.
A wise strategist always leaves a Gate of Life open. And as the head of a family that had endured for a thousand years, one must be able to view even his own life and the life of his most beloved child impartially, as mere game pieces.
"But it still isn't pleasant."
A bitter smile, the kind a father might show when faced with disappointment and hatred in his son’s eyes, flickered across his face for a brief moment before vanishing.
Returning to the expression of a strategist governing the world, he began to calculate the weight of the blood price required to destroy the Sichuan Martial World, the blood that would flow because of it, and the cost of making them and the Black Path forces of Chongqing slaughter each other.
If a pillar of the Nine Great Sects and One Alliance crumbled, and even the Tang Clan, which was beyond his influence, was scattered, he could design a new landscape centered around the Jiangnan White Forest Association, which held the greatest power in the current era.
And even if all these things failed and came to naught, as long as the 'Eldest Son of the Zhuge Family,' who had rebelled against his family to protect 'Righteousness,' played a central role...
The family’s banner would always persist as part of the 'Orthodox Faction.'
This was how they had survived for the past thousand years. And it would be how they survived for the next thousand.
Life and death in the world are clear, but is it not the perspective of the survivors that ultimately distinguishes good from evil?
*
The results of the Alliance meeting were scattered to all corners of the world via countless carrier pigeons and couriers. It would not take long for the aftermath of this event to spread throughout the entire Orthodox Martial World.
In Wuchang, numerous Accomplished Masters of the Orthodox Faction were currently staying. And all of them were now seeing the proclamation issued by the Martial Alliance, designating the Jinju Eon Family as public enemies.
It was a result agreed upon by the Nine Great Sects, the Five Great Clans, and almost all the major sects belonging to the Alliance. The Alliance’s proclamation was posted throughout the city of Wuchang, drawing crowds.
Grit.
One among them gnashed his teeth and quickly left Wuchang. Taking advantage of the people's confusion, he moved before the Alliance’s martial forces could begin their full-scale mobilization.
That man, One-Star Fist Lord Eon Se-jeong, headed for Jiangnan with all his might the moment he cleared Wuchang. Immediately after arriving at the family’s safe house prepared near Lake Hongze in Jiangnan, he had to kneel and report the situation.
He reported to a martial artist who had used every possible means to reach his current status in order to rebuild his fallen family.
"You useless wretch."
"I... I am sorry."
"You had only one task. Only one!"
The wrath of a Peerless Master eats away at reality. Eon Se-jeong was also a master capable of overlaying reality with his intent, but in the realm of the Peerless, even breathing was not something he could do of his own will.
Under the roar of Heavenly Light Fist Eon Do-cheon, his father, Eon Se-jeong could only gasp for breath, clutching his chest.
"It was merely to kill a brat who hasn't even reached twenty! If you couldn't achieve it by 'killing with a borrowed knife,' you should have killed him yourself! You couldn't even do that, and yet you come to me with this kind of letter?"
"B-but Murong Seo-jeong was always by his side... Gah!"
"Even if that pretty boy from the Murong family was there, you should have been able to turn them into a bloody pulp in a single strike! What on earth have you learned!"
"I am... sorry...!!"
Eon Do-cheon glared at the letter that was slowly crumbling in his grip.
...Having confirmed the above evidence, the betrayal of the Jinju Eon Family is clear and beyond defense.
-The Martial Alliance hereby declares its intent as follows:
-First, the Head of the Jinju Eon Family, Heavenly Void Fist Eon Do-cheon, shall personally disable his own Dantian and come to the Martial Alliance to confess his crimes.
If a seat among the Fifteen Lords of the Central Plains were to fall, how could he handle the grudges that had accumulated so deeply to reach that realm?
-First, the Jinju Eon Family shall seal its gates for the next ten years.
In the precarious region of Hebei, without any support, how could they survive against the Dragon Slaying Alliance while isolated and helpless?
-First, as responsibility for the bloody incident in Qingxian County, the Jinju Eon Family shall pay 5,000 taels of gold to the local magistrate.
-First, as compensation for hostile acts against the Murong Family, the Jinju Eon Family shall pay 2,000 taels of gold.
Who could possibly pay an amount of gold that could buy an entire castle? And even if it were possible, how could they live after being completely drained?
-First, ten members of the direct lineage, including One-Star Fist Lord Eon Se-jeong, shall be conscripted into the Martial Alliance’s forces.
With the family’s future held hostage, the few remaining martial lineages of the family would be taken by the Alliance one by one, only to be pushed into battles against Black Path sects and die as arrow fodder.
-Deliver a response to the above recommendations to the Martial Alliance within ten days.
If not accepted...
-In the absence of a response within the deadline, the Martial Alliance shall eradicate 'Profit' with 'Righteousness.'
There would be no path other than extermination.
After reading the sentences, as if he were going to tear and swallow each one, the letter crumbled into dust in Eon Do-cheon’s hand.
"Those bastards... I could tear them limb from limb and it wouldn't be enough. How dare they... how dare they...! How dare they insult me like this? They used us as much as they wanted, and now they discard us so miserably?"
The Jinju Eon Family had been the dagger aimed at the heart of the Hebei Dragon Slaying Alliance, and at the same time, the gatekeeper guarding the path to Southern Zhili in Jiangnan. They were the breakwater that would be crushed first if the Righteous-Demonic War broke out, all to protect the territory of the Orthodox sects.
He had accepted this, knowing full well. There was no other alternative if he wanted to restore the family’s legacy, which had been burned away in the last Righteous-Demonic War.
The Alliance’s support was certainly sweet. He had been able to reach the Peerless Realm after unhesitatingly consuming countless spirit medicines and secret manuals. He was in no position to complain, even if he hadn't recovered the family’s lost martial arts.
The Alliance’s attitude had been no different back then. If he refused, the support would stop, and if the support stopped, the Jinju Eon Family would surely have been destroyed.
So he survived, and to face the Dragon Slaying Alliance and the Hebei Peng Family, which were beginning to rise again, he had borrowed external strength once more.
Even if he had reached the Peerless Realm, the future of his martial sect was dark beyond measure. His martial arts were of a kind that could not be passed down to the family. Where would he get those countless spirit medicines needed for his descendants to build their realms? If he grew old and died like this, what would happen to the family afterward?
The family’s lost legacy. The remaining martial arts system was also desolate beyond measure. How could he guarantee the future of his son, his grandson, and the countless family members he was responsible for?
So he had joined hands with the Zhuge Family. With their help, he had obtained support from the Chongqing Ten Thousand Ghosts Alliance. He had used sorcery to complete his martial arts, and in the process, he had clashed with the Murong Family.
All of it had been for the sake of the family. And even though the life and death of that family was an effort to remain the gatekeeper of the Orthodox sects...
When things went wrong, Zhuge Yeon-seon had discarded them so easily, the support from the Ten Thousand Ghosts Alliance had been cut off, the Martial Alliance had designated them as public enemies, and the Hebei Dragon Slaying Alliance was trying to push them out completely to solidify their hegemony over Hebei.
Now, there was no future for the Jinju Eon Family. His great family would fade away, leaving only disgrace in history.
"This cannot... this cannot be. It cannot end like this."
Unfitting for his realm, Eon Do-cheon staggered and leaned against the wall. He couldn't even feel the strength to pull himself together.
His great ancestors had fought without a single step of retreat even in the face of countless hardships... even during that terrible moment of the Righteous-Demonic War.
He still remembered his father, who died before his eyes. He remembered the elders who told him to lie still and pretend to be dead while cupping his cheeks.
He recalled the rampaging martial forces of the Peng Family. The overwhelming power of the Heaven-Destroying Blade Hegemon, Peng Gun-ak, who became a vengeful ghost and tore apart everyone in sight.
He remembered the sight of the Bloodhound Asura, Peng Ik-jin, who bore the grudges of all of Hebei alone after Peng Gun-ak's death.
And in between, the bodies of the Eon family elders swinging from the flagpoles of the Peng Family fortress.
That miserable moment when he had to do everything just to survive. The moments he crawled on the ground eating rats and bugs, and slept alone huddled in a ruined pavilion!
"Hebei... Peng Family...!!"
Eon Do-cheon’s voice echoed chillingly. Every grudge, every situation, every tragedy, and the end of his family—all of it began at their hands and ended under their flag.
"Se-jeong."
"Yes, Father."
"Go. Go and kill the son Zhuge Yeon-seon cherishes and loves so much. I must see if that old snake of the Zhuge family can still smile after I throw his son's corpse before him. If you fail, do not return alive. If you succeed, do not return to the family; you must seek your own way to survive alone."
"Yes, Father. I will surely do so."
And as for himself...
"Disable my Dantian? Seal my family’s gates? I’ll do as you wish. If you want it that much, yes, if you want it that much, is there anything I cannot do myself? But it will certainly not be in the way you desired."
Zhuge Yeon-seon. I will do it in the way you least desire.
I will gladly do so. I will do so with joy. Every moment the Zhuge clan breathes, they shall learn to fear the heavens.
The Heavenly Light Fist growled like a beast and left the room.
Only after a long time had passed since his wrath vanished did Eon Se-jeong, finally freed from the pressure, stagger to his feet.
*
"…You’re going to Tianjin?"
"Yes!"
"Do you really want to die?"
Zhuge Jeong-yeong was shamelessly saying he would accompany the group that included the Little Heavenly Demon of the Demonic Cult and the direct lineage of the Hebei Dragon Slaying Alliance.
For the record, his family was currently twisting their bodies with all their might to start a Righteous-Demonic War.
This was happening now that the Alliance meeting was over, and thanks to the kindness of the Murong Family Head, we were able to borrow the Sea-Ban Fleet for a while.
Since the Jinju Eon Family probably wouldn't leave me alone if I moved separately...
"I'm going all the way to the Peng Family Estate like this, you know?"
"That is what I hope for."
"No, sir, I think you're misunderstanding something. No member of the Five Great Clans has ever entered our family estate and made it out alive...?"
The last time a member of the Five Great Clans crossed the walls of the Peng Family Estate, my great-grandmother passed away.
"Whatever you do, you will surely need my help. If you were to pick one person in the world who understands my father best, it would be no one but me."
"You didn't seem to know him that well..."
"And if you're worried because I'm a Zhuge, there's no need. I have just renounced my family name."
"Oh."
In the Chinese cultural sphere, changing one's surname is an incredibly serious issue. Even the famous 'Slave of Three Surnames' from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms changed his fathers, but he didn't change his actual surname.
This was a serious case of betraying one's master and ancestors, on a completely different level from the 'soft' betrayals I usually committed.
"Until our family fully carries out what the Martial Marquis taught and returns to the right path, I will not be called a Zhuge. Until we recover a clean name in history, the current Zhuge family has no right to claim that name."
I stared at Zhuge Jeong-yeong for a long time. He said he had just returned from a private meeting with the Zhuge Family Head this morning.
Had he been influenced by his father in that time? Had he received a secret mission to stay by my side, report my actions to his father, and spy on the internal affairs of the Dragon Slaying Alliance?
As if reading my gaze, Zhuge Jeong-yeong spoke with a calmed expression.
"Peng Hyeon-hwi. I do not like you. Even that is not a sufficient expression. I loathe you."
"Oh."
I held back the words I wanted to say. I felt a bit sorry for him, but more than that...
It was because someone who showed clear hostility was actually easier to deal with. You have to doubt the true intentions of someone who smiles, but someone with animosity reveals themselves straightforwardly.
Zhuge Jeong-yeong exhaled deeply and said, "However, if there is something I loathe more than you, it is unrighteousness. It is said that a gentleman should not look at, listen to, speak of, or do what is not right (Analects: Yan Yuan). If my family is unvirtuous and chooses a shameful path, shouldn't someone stop them?"
I had to swallow my response to those words. As I was contemplating, Murong Seo-jeong looked at me and sent a sound transmission.
[Do as you wish. He doesn't seem to have ill intent, though it's not without concern.]
I turned my gaze to Murong Cheong standing beside him. Murong Cheong was looking at Zhuge Jeong-yeong’s face with a heavy expression. There was another reason I was hesitating.
In truth, the wisest choice would be not to accept Zhuge Jeong-yeong. The Zhuge Family Head’s grand plan ultimately lay in causing a disturbance equivalent to a Righteous-Demonic War.
It wouldn't be easy to fully grasp his intentions, but so far, I'd like to say he and I had exchanged opening moves on equal footing. All his plans had been thwarted in advance by my hand.
There was no guarantee it would continue to be so, but it wasn't worth taking the risk of keeping a member of the Zhuge clan by my side. If I were the Zhuge Family Head, I would definitely utilize this guy.
But at the same time, Murong Cheong’s words came to mind.
—If the family is going to do something wrong, at least I should do something right first.
—Before the family acts.
—I believe a person should have one last chance to defend themselves.
The words of the young direct descendant who had personally volunteered to enter Tianjin for her uncle, who had stolen a secret manual and fled.
My deliberation didn't last long. I nodded toward Zhuge Jeong-yeong and said, "It is said, 'Do not use a suspicious person, and do not suspect a person once used' (Myeongsim Bogam: Seongsim-pyeon). As long as you do not betray me, I will not suspect you, no matter what you do."
"…I still can't believe I'm having this kind of conversation with someone who carries the Peng name."
"Whatever. You're just a guy who couldn't even pass the civil service exam."
"…We…!! It’s not that we didn't pass, we just didn't take the exam!"
"Many idlers say that."
"You...!!"
"I look forward to working with you, Zhuge Jeong-yeong."
At my words, Zhuge Jeong-yeong also nodded and replied.
"Yes. As long as our goals are the same, I will give my all. Peng Hyeon-hwi."
"Blade Earl."
"Hmm?"
"Call me Blade Earl. Blade Earl."
Claiming the title of Emperor or King—as in Blade Emperor or Blade King—is a privilege reserved for the Fifteen Lords of the World. Below that realm, even a Peerless Master cannot lightly style themselves as such.
It was an unwritten rule. One need only look at Eon Se-jeong, the son of the Fist King Eon Do-cheon, to see this; despite his pedigree, he is merely called the "Fist Lord."
From that perspective, the title "Blade Earl" was remarkably fitting.
It was as if the Orthodox Faction was acknowledging me as a "Hegemon of the Blade"—a lordly rank just below the kings. Among the countless Accomplished Masters of the Black Path and Unorthodox Factions, none had ever received such a favorable title from the Orthodox world.
Considering this was essentially the medieval Chinese version of a "shout-out," it was a feat bordering on the impossible.
That was why I had to start aggressively PRing this prestigious title immediately.
It would be embarrassing to toot my own horn, so I’d just have to make sure the people around me did it for me.
"…Do you have no sense of shame?"
"You mean like a backwoods scholar who quotes the classics despite failing to even sit for the civil service exams?"
"Grind—!"
Zhuge Yeong’s face flushed crimson as he seethed in silence for a long while.