Chapter 128: The Kind People of the Sima Family (1)
Chapter 128: The Kind People of the Sima Family (1)
Little Arhat Won-deok was staring blankly at a wall.
He had no idea how much time had passed, but the snow lay thick upon his shoulders.
However, a few snowflakes were hardly enough to harm the body of a Little Arhat who had mastered the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic alongside his very first steps.
He sat facing the wall, as silent and motionless as an ancient tree.
If I ever touch alcohol again, I’m not human.
Meat was a different story. While alcohol was strictly forbidden during periods of abstinence, meat wasn't as harshly restricted as long as one didn't violate the precept against killing. After all, how could a man survive on nothing but grass?
Just as he was attempting to enter a state of meditative transition to chase away thoughts of booze, a temple servant came running toward the Wall-Facing Cave, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Monk Won-deok! Monk Won-deok!"
"...Ahem. Hmm?"
His throat was so tight from disuse that he had to clear it.
He turned his half-dead eyes toward the approaching servant.
"Has a year passed already? It felt like winter never ended, but has spring finally come to the world...!"
"What on earth are you talking about? It’s only been two months."
"It’s only been two months?!"
The Little Arhat, who had been ordered by the Abbot to face the wall for a year, let out a cry of despair.
He looked as though he would have been happier if someone had told him an ice age had begun and winter would last for a year.
"A benefactor is looking for you urgently! They said it was a matter of extreme importance, so even the Hall of Laws granted them passage!"
"What could be so urgent that they would disturb a Shaolin monk in the middle of wall-facing meditation?"
"I-I’m not sure. I wasn't told the details..."
"Who are they, and where are they from? Is it a benefactor I know?"
"All I know is that they came from Hebei... Anyway, the other monks outside are all looking quite fierce right now!"
"Mmm...!!"
The moment he heard the name Hebei, Won-deok immediately grabbed a handful of snow from the ground and chewed it.
The snow melted instantly, wetting his parched throat.
He even used the falling flakes to wash his face before finally standing up.
"Lead the way."
"Yes, sir!"
As he rose, the thick piles of snow that had accumulated on his monastic robes scattered into the air of their own accord.
His robes emerged perfectly clean, as if they hadn't been damp for a second.
"You’ve made great progress in your cultivation!"
"It’s nothing special."
It was impossible for a man who had sat in the snow for two months to look this pristine. It was equally impossible for his clothes to be so dry after being pelted by a blizzard.
This meant that for the entire duration, this man had not let his Protection Aura flicker for even a single moment.
Awestruck by such profound internal energy, the servant followed behind Won-deok with his mouth agape.
Won-deok soon found the outsider surrounded by other monks at the entrance of the Hall of Judgment.
"Ah, Won-deok. You’re here."
A warrior monk from the Arhat Hall, who had been glaring at the outsider with his arms crossed, nodded toward him.
With everyone’s eyes fixed on him, the man from beyond the mountain gates spoke to Won-deok.
"I have come as a secret envoy of the Dragon Slaying Alliance. Are you the Little Arhat Won-deok?"
"Just Won-deok will suffice. What is it?"
"Our Fourth Young Master... the Blade Earl, Young Master Peng, told me to deliver a message to you immediately."
The man bowed his head slightly in a humble gesture.
His entire body language screamed that he absolutely did not want to be doing this, but he forced himself to continue.
"I am going to Chongqing."
Deep creases formed around Won-deok’s mouth.
"Clear the way (Gado-ipjung)."
He wore an expression like a wolf that had been caged for too long finally baring its teeth.
Or perhaps.
Like a man welcoming the arrival of an old friend.
At the very least, for this young monk, there was no difference between the two.
*
42. The Kind People of the Sima Family
The moment we crossed the border into Henan Province, the atmosphere among my Black Path friends became remarkably subdued.
This was because Henan was a place where acting out meant death. While Shandong was considered a disputed territory, Henan was a different beast entirely.
Henan—home to the Beggars' Sect, Shaolin, and Wudang—was a land that even the Heaven-Destroying Blade Hegemon, Peng Gun-ak, hadn't dared to step foot in during the Righteous-Demonic War ninety years ago.
"Are you sure... are you absolutely sure you’re on good terms with the Little Arhat?"
"I’m telling you, it’s true. Why would I lie about something like this?"
"You’re sure it’s not just you who thinks you’re friends?"
"We’ve shared drinks, exchanged well-wishes—we’ve done everything friends do."
"What was the last thing you did together?"
"A life-and-death duel...?"
I had a vivid memory of blasting Won-deok with a Thunderbolt City-Destroying Cannon during the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. Considering that most people would die from that, and that I had no intention of holding back at the time, I’d say it qualified as a life-and-death duel.
We had showered each other with lethal techniques that should never be used in a friendly spar.
Upon hearing my answer, Seong Ryang-ha pressed a hand to his forehead and groaned.
"Zhuge Young. You say something to him."
"My name is...! Fine. Pavilion Master, do not worry. What this fellow says is the truth."
"Have you considered that if the Little Arhat has even a slight change of heart, none of us will leave this land alive?"
Seong Ryang-ha gestured with an uneasy gaze toward the crowd following us.
If things went south, these innocent and hardworking Black Path youths could all be hauled off to somewhere in Mount Song.
When the Shaolin Temple captures a Black Path martial artist, they kidnap them and sentence them to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
They don't even bother with a trial.
Considering that even in medieval Europe they at least held trials for witches, this was three times as barbaric.
If this many people were captured at once, I could only hope the Shaolin Temple’s Cave of Repentance had private rooms... Having been born into the "conglomerate" that is the Hebei Peng Family, I haven't shared a room with anyone in eighteen years.
Do nobles just die if they have to live in places like that?
"For now, let’s just head to Luoyang. The Henan Beggars' Sect must have noticed our movements long ago, so if they haven't reacted yet, we can take it as a positive sign, right?"
A crowd of this size couldn't be hidden. Even a single merchant caravan traveling in the dead of winter would catch the eye of the Beggars' Sect, so a group of martial artists of this caliber would have certainly been reported throughout the Henan martial world.
What if the Henan Beggars' Sect leaked our information to Chongqing or the Zhuge Family? That’s a very sharp point.
In the Orthodox world, their position is a bit like social media. There’s a lot of information, and it’s diverse, but the reliability is a bit questionable.
Rumors about us were currently spreading in Shanxi and Jiangnan simultaneously. As they say, the best place to hide a tree is in a forest. Amidst this flood of information, how many people would actually believe the news that "The Dragon Slaying Alliance has appeared in Henan, where Mount Song is located!"?
This is the public opinion warfare of a modern man.
"Luoyang, huh."
Zhuge Young, who had been walking silently beside me, spoke up with a subtle tone.
"Isn't that where the Sima Family is located?"
"Oh, right. Was your family on bad terms with them? We’re heading there on business; will that be a problem?"
"That was ages ago. It doesn't matter."
True, the era of the Three Kingdoms when Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi were at each other's throats was 1,200 years ago.
That’s roughly the same gap as between modern Korea and the Silla Dynasty.
It’s not like someone with the surname Kim punches someone named Wang while shouting, "This is for the Later Three Kingdoms!"
Furthermore, the Sima Family was famous for its highly social and kind family tradition, so there was nothing to worry about.
The Sima Family had survived by occupying a rather unique position.
If the Hebei Peng Family survived by crushing all their enemies, and the Zhuge and Jongri Families survived by making life miserable for everyone equally...
The Sima Family survived by never making enemies in the first place.
They were a family that welcomed any guest who visited Luoyang, no matter how humble. It was said they hosted over three thousand guests, much like Lord Mengchang of Qi.
Since they were known for building broad connections regardless of whether someone was from the Orthodox or Demonic path, there was no fear of them turning us away.
And while we were staying under the gates of a Great Clan like the Sima Family, even the Shaolin Temple wouldn't be able to sentence us to life imprisonment, no matter how angry they were.
In fact, when we arrived in Luoyang and visited the Sima Family, they were extremely hospitable.
To meet the Family Head, our representatives—Elder Seong Ryang-ha, Elder Hwang Jung-man, and my older brother—departed, while the rest of us were guided to the guest quarters.
We were lounging around in several of the guest pavilions when the inner gate swung open violently, and a woman came charging in.
"Young Master Zhuge...!?"
The atmosphere had been quite pleasant until this young lady, dressed in very fine clothing, suddenly screamed at us.
"I heard you were kicked out, but to think you’d take refuge with the Sima Alliance! Look at the state of you!"
"Do you know her?"
"She is one of the Four Flowers of the Martial World, the Red Lotus White Heart, Lady Sima Yeon-sang..."
"Oh, one of the Four Flowers."
Between her and Murong Cheong, I suppose the standards for the Four Flowers are quite high.
Seeing a Luoyang lady certainly felt like a sight for sore eyes after looking at the scruffy youths of the Black Path Demonic Alliance.
I wondered what Murong Cheong was up to. Since it was winter, were the Jurchen barbarians in Liaoning out hunting rabbits or something?
"This is truly pathetic! To think the eldest son of the renowned Zhuge Family has fallen so low!"
"It’s good to see you too, Lady Sima."
"I... I can't say the same!"
"I see."
"Still, since you’ve visited my home, you might as well stay comfortably before you leave!"
Sima Yeon-sang shouted her piece and then scurried away.
Seeing how her gaze lingered on Zhuge Young until the very end, I could pretty much grasp the situation.
"Young, it looks like that lady has feelings for you."
"I know."
"What?"
He knew?
"I turned her down."
"Why? A confession from one of the Four Flowers? You’re really full of yourself, aren't you?"
"Look who’s talking! Even though you know how Lady Murong feels!"
"Ah. Fair point."
Zhuge Young glared at me as if looking at something repulsive, then suddenly fell into a fit of self-loathing, burying his face in his hands with a sigh.
"The will I harbor shall not break, and the loyalty I hold shall not waver. Could a fellow like you ever understand this heart?"
"You mean you can't forget your unrequited love?"
"You... you are the last person who should be saying that..."
Zhuge Young, being only a First-Rate master, didn't seem to notice, but Sima Yeon-sang was still stuck to the edge of the far wall, glaring over at us with burning eyes.
Is she an elementary schooler?
"Anyway, they’re late. They should have been finished by now."
"Well, it’s probably the first time the Dragon Slaying Alliance has visited, so what can you do? We showed up in this number without any notice; we should be grateful they didn't kick us out."
My third brother, Seong Ryang-ha, and Elder Hwang Jung-man were currently at the Family Head’s hall to have an audience with the Sima Family Head.
Since we had to stay here until we got a reaction from Shaolin, we needed to negotiate terms for hosting a group of this size.
The guest pavilions we occupied were surrounded by other guests of the Sima Family.
If the negotiations inside went south, things could get very awkward very quickly.
After waiting for a long time, a commotion broke out among the guests who were keeping an eye on us.
"Oh, they’re here."
I saw Elder Hwang Jung-man’s massive frame in the distance. Fortunately, the atmosphere looked quite friendly.
A middle-aged scholar, who appeared to be the Sima Family Head, was walking toward us with a bright smile.
He entered the inner courtyard of the guest quarters and smiled at us.
"The days have been auspicious lately, bringing such fine guests to our family. It is a pleasure to meet you, Blade Earl."
"Thank you for the hospitality, Family Head."
"It is an ancient custom not to turn away guests; how could I bring shame upon myself by doing otherwise? And, Yeon-seon."
"Yes, Family Head."
Zhuge Young offered a very hesitant polite bow.
"Could you come with me for a moment? I would like to have a word."
"Yes, Family Head. Of course."
I suppose being the eldest son of the Zhuge Family means you have connections even with the heads of other Great Orthodox Clans.
Then again, if he hadn't been with us, I wouldn't have easily thought of barging into the Sima Family.
"Good luck."
"Yeah."
I patted him on the back, and Zhuge Young left, doing his absolute best to maintain his composure.
He looked exactly like a debtor being dragged away by a loan shark.
It was half an hour later when he returned to the guest quarters.
We were in the middle of enjoying the refreshments provided for free by the Sima Family.
He returned looking like he had just run a five-hour marathon. Without a word of explanation, he grabbed several sweets from the table and stuffed them into his mouth.
He looked like his blood sugar had plummeted.
"Drink some of this while you eat."
I handed him some tea. He gulped it down, let out a deep breath, and then...
"The marriage has been arranged."
He suddenly announced his engagement.