Chapter 33: First Mission (2)
Chapter 33: First Mission (2)
The Weihyeon branch of the Hao Clan was disguised as a small teahouse.
As I stepped inside, the proprietor greeted me with exaggerated fuss. It seemed the Hao Clan Leader had sent word ahead.
"Our clan is still investigating the destruction of the Cheonggang Sect... but, hmm. At least three Peak Realm masters must have been involved."
"Three?"
"Yes. The leader of the Cheonggang Sect was a long-standing Peak master, so they would have needed at least one master capable of harming him... and since they intended to silence everyone before the commotion spread, they likely had another one assigned to the leader just in case. On top of that, there would have been a third to block any disciples trying to flee the premises."
"I can understand needing two Peak masters, but what about the possibility of a larger number of lower-ranking martial artists surrounding them?"
"If that many people had moved, there’s no way we wouldn't have known."
The branch manager of the Weihyeon Hao Clan was a stout, middle-aged man. Dressed as a teahouse owner, he looked like a scholarly gentleman, fitting the role so perfectly that no one would suspect his true identity.
He toyed with his teacup as he continued.
"The Dragon Slaying Alliance has a strong influence in this area. Almost all the taverns belong to them, so our information isn't exactly top-tier... but even so, if a force of that scale had been mobilized from another region, it would have been difficult for them to escape our notice."
"At least three Peak masters, then."
"Yes. It’s more than enough power to annihilate a small organization like the Cheonggang Sect."
Spending all my time in the Peng Family tended to warp my perspective, but on the scale of the entire Central Plains, a Peak master possessed enough strength to serve as the leader of a small-to-medium sect.
To begin with, the Peak Realm was not a level an ordinary martial artist could reach. Most people without talent could train their entire lives and never even step onto the threshold.
That was the minimum requirement to awaken the Middle Dantian.
To consolidate the martial arts and principles accumulated over a lifetime and possess the talent to transcend that state—that was what it meant to penetrate the Middle Dantian.
In the Hebei Peng Family, the elders were at least at the Peak Realm, and even the squad leaders of the six halls of the Outer Hall were teeming with Peak masters. It was an exceptional place.
Actually, most sects belonging to the Ten Great Sects of the Black Dao were like that.
"What about the missing warriors from the Flying Tiger Pavilion...?"
"One First-Rate, one Peak. It was the 4th Squad Leader and one of his members."
"Then, though I regret to say it, we have no choice but to suspect those missing warriors."
"I suppose so."
If they had fought alongside the Cheonggang Sect Leader against a mysterious external enemy, it meant the enemy would have had to face two Peak masters and one Peng warrior. To bury them all without a sound, an even greater number of masters would have been required.
And the more people involved, the harder it becomes to evade the eyes of the Hao Clan.
But what if we assume the Peng warriors definitely betrayed the family?
If the Peng warriors were involved in the massacre, then only one 'external' Peak master would have been enough.
The 4th Squad Leader of the Flying Tiger Pavilion, one warrior, and one mysterious Peak master. With those three, they would have had enough martial power to wipe out a place like the Cheonggang Sect overnight without a sound, with strength to spare.
"Is there anyone among the Peak-level warriors of the Divine Spear Yang Family who recently came near Weihyeon?"
"Hmm... Young Master. It likely isn't the Yang Family."
"Pardon?"
"The current head of the Yang Family is in the middle of celebrating his 70th birthday. Because of the feast, the Orthodox sects of Shanxi have all gathered there, so our clan is keeping a close eye on the Pyeongseong area. If a Peak master from the Yang Family had crossed into Northern Zhili, they couldn't have escaped our notice."
A master who uses a spear. Since a Peak master wouldn't use an unfamiliar weapon when engaging in a life-and-death duel with an opponent of the same level, the culprit had to be a master trained in spear techniques.
The only family in this vicinity famous for spear techniques was the Divine Spear Yang Family.
In the first place, long weapons like spears were closely monitored by the government, so sects that specialized in them were extremely rare.
Among the Ten Great Sects of the Black Dao, perhaps only the Manyaseong. But there was no reason for a warrior from Manyaseong to appear in this area, so they were out of the question. Among other wanderers, Peak-level spearmen were incredibly rare.
I had memorized the registers of almost every martial artist near Northern Zhili, but no spearman who fit these conditions came to mind.
I thanked the branch manager and left the branch.
Since I had become a Murim Sherlock Holmes investigating a murder case in medieval China—where fingerprinting and forensic evidence were impossible—let's organize my thoughts.
Why cause a massacre?
It's common for Black Path sects to face destruction.
Perhaps a conflict with a larger Black Path sect, a raid by Orthodox heroic knights, drawing the ire of the government by plundering commoners, or failing to pay enough bribes to the officials.
However, a bloody incident where every single disciple is slaughtered overnight is not that common.
Even if martial world grudges are involved, Black Path organizations above a certain size all maintain ties with the government. They are insignificant wretches who handle the 'dirty work' for officials and hand over most of the resulting profits as tribute.
From the government's perspective, they rarely desire the total annihilation of a Black Path sect.
Unless the massacre itself was the goal, why project the power of three Peak masters to wipe out such a pathetic sect of barely thirty people overnight? And while taking extreme care not to be noticed by the Hao Clan?
Even more so, in a situation involving warriors from the Hebei Peng Family?
What if the intention was the massacre itself?
I stopped in my tracks.
Instead of heading back to the inn, I turned back toward the ruined pavilions of the Cheonggang Sect.
I fell into thought while examining the deep marks of the Thunderbolt Blade and the faint traces of spear tips left inside the building.
The only place in this vicinity that could dispatch a spearman of the Peak Realm is the Divine Spear Yang Family.
I felt like I was on the verge of grasping something. My head felt hot, as if the top of my skull was tingling.
I continued my thoughts, unfolding a map of Northern Zhili in my mind.
The Divine Spear Yang Family is in Pyeongseong, Shanxi. From here, it's about a two-day journey by horse. It's one of the closest Orthodox sects to this area!
Right now, numerous Orthodox sects are gathered at the Yang Family for the 70th birthday feast.
Peng warriors are involved.
A Black Path sect was wiped out, and two Peng warriors went missing.
Let's erase the 'Why?' and overlay a somewhat bold assumption. Just the process and the result, dryly.
What if a major sect of the Orthodox Faction harms a member of the Peng Family?
War breaks out. Even the White Lotus Cult faced that, so the Divine Spear Yang Family would be no different.
The Family Head wouldn't even need to step out. Dispatching just three combat squads from the Outer Hall would be enough to wipe them out.
Therefore, unless the Yang Family has gone mad, they would have no reason to try and harm Peng warriors.
But what if, for the past few days, the family has been hosting guests from major nearby martial sects?
The Orthodox sects could rally together, centered around the Shanxi martial world. But the 'Why' is still missing. What is there to gain by provoking such a massive conflict?
By opposing the Peng Family, they can rally a massive alliance in the Shanxi martial world.
The fragmented pieces of information began to connect.
Then why on earth did the Peng warriors help that process?
It's certain that the Peng warriors lent a hand in destroying the Cheonggang Sect.
Were they recruited? Why, and for what reason, would someone who is a squad leader of a combat unit betray the Hebei Peng Family?
The Peng Family never forgives traitors.
The Peng family motto is [Family from Beginning to End]. They are people who act solely for the family, and the punishment inflicted on those who don't is on a different level compared to other sects.
I continued to stare at the collapsed walls of the Cheonggang Sect.
There's something I'm missing. Something I'm overlooking.
"So you were here. I assume there's a reason you didn't return to the inn immediately? Did you find something out?"
Seong Chwi-san strode over from beyond the alley.
I turned toward him and asked, "Senior, how many years have you served in Sanwol Hall?"
"Hmm. I joined around your age, so a little less than twenty years. Why?"
"How many members of the Peng Family have you cut down?"
"Hmph."
Seong Chwi-san's lips tightened slightly. It didn't seem like a memory he enjoyed recalling.
He stared into my eyes for a long time before speaking. "More than thirty."
"What would be the most typical reason for a member of the Peng Family—a squad leader level member—to betray the family?"
"Hmm?"
"Exactly how great a price must be paid for a Peng warrior to betray the Hebei Peng Family, the number one sect of the Black Path?"
"It varies. Martial arts, relationships, grudges, ambition."
A Peng warrior cannot be bought with money.
But excluding that, depending on the person... if there are things a martial artist simply cannot resist, they might leave the family.
What was it? What did the Divine Spear Yang Family have that could sway a Peng warrior?
"They must have defected to the Divine Spear Yang Family."
"Is that what the Hao Clan said?"
"No. But the Yang Family has a reason to provoke our family at this moment."
I told Chwi-san about the Yang Family Head's 70th birthday feast and the Orthodox martial artists gathered for it.
Chwi-san, who had been listening intently, nodded.
"That sounds plausible. The Shanxi martial world lacks a group that could be called a grand alliance, and it's too close to Northern Zhili. It's a strategy the Yang Family Head might consider now that the Dragon Slaying Alliance's territory is expanding."
"Even if the Yang Family rallies the strength of the Shanxi martial world, can they stop the Dragon Slaying Alliance?"
"It would be difficult. Just three combat squads from the Outer Hall would be enough to tear the Yang Family out by its roots."
The moment I heard those words, I felt my mind clear.
Three combat squads could destroy the Yang Family.
That was the same conclusion I had reached.
If Seong Chwi-san thought so, it meant the Council of Elders would judge the same way.
The Hebei Peng Family was a massive clan.
If you included the six halls of the Outer Hall, the six halls of the Inner Hall, and all the warriors in each combat unit, they far exceeded the scale of two or three major sects.
It was only natural, as Northern Zhili was such a wealthy land. It was a place where wealth and talent, enough to rival the best in the Central Plains, gathered. The vassals selected from there were loyal to the Peng Family to the point of throwing away their lives.
However, Northern Zhili was too vast.
Even with their strength, there weren't enough personnel to manage and maintain their businesses while spreading their forces thin. The family's territory was so expansive that it was barely manageable even for Peng warriors.
Therefore, the dispatch of combat squads always had to be calculated for maximum efficiency. If too many personnel were invested in one region, problems would inevitably arise in another.
Northern Zhili is larger than the Korean Peninsula, and its total population is greater than that of the Joseon Dynasty. In other words, the Peng Family was a single clan governing interests nearly equivalent to the territory of an entire nation.
What if three combat squads were cut off in that situation?
The operation of the entire Peng Family would suffer a major setback.
In the Dragon Slaying Alliance's territory where cracks had formed, both Black Path and Orthodox sects would try to pull stunts to snatch up interests.
The Divine Spear Yang Family caused this incident aiming for exactly that.
"By any chance, are the Flying Tiger Pavilion warriors...?"
"They are moving toward the Divine Spear Yang Family. A request for reinforcements has been sent to the family, so the combat squads will gather soon. We decided to assemble in Pyeongseong. Usually, battles with Orthodox sects are a matter of speed. You have to strike fast and pull out fast before they can call for help from elsewhere to minimize damage."
"It's an ant-lion pit."
"What?"
I immediately kicked off the ground and ran. I had to get the horse I'd left at the inn.
As I bolted, Seong Chwi-san followed with a bewildered expression and shouted, "What do you mean?"
"Dammit, the reason 'why' the Peng warrior betrayed us didn't matter from the start! Because they were bait!"
I grabbed the reins roughly and leaped onto the saddle, and the horse began to gallop, letting out a dissatisfied snort.
I shouted toward Chwi-san, who had caught up.
"Because if they can completely cut off three combat squads, our already strained control will collapse!"
"But if they pull a stunt like that, the Yang Family will surely be destroyed! Are you saying they staked their entire family just for that?"
"Do you think the Yang Family Head came up with such a plan alone? The scale already exceeds the level of someone like the Yang Family!"
If the Divine Spear Yang Family and the Shanxi martial world are used as bait, and the only thing gained in return is three Peng combat squads, the math doesn't add up. That's the normal way to think.
But if the one who devised the plan isn't from the Shanxi martial world, would you still think 'it doesn't add up' and move on?
No, absolutely not.
Below Northern Zhili and Southern Zhili lies the Jinju Eon Family, one of the Five Great Clans. And if you just cross the Liao River from northern Northern Zhili, the Murong Family is situated there.
The only thing blocking the expansion of those two was the power of the Hebei Peng Family.
From the perspective of the Five Great Clans... that is, the Martial Alliance, the benefits to be gained by 'just slightly' chipping away at the Hebei Peng Family's power are numerous.
Since the only significant sects in the Shanxi martial world are the Divine Spear Yang Family and the Hengshan Sect, if we assume this is the Martial Alliance's intention, the gains far outweigh the losses. They only lose a few small-to-medium sects, and in exchange, they can fatten the bellies of the Five Great Clans.
The missing Peng warriors were bait, and even the Yang Family's 70th birthday feast was bait.
It's a triple smokescreen. Since a scheme of that level was involved—
The authority leading this plan is one that even those loose-lipped Beggars' Sect members have no choice but to remain silent about...!
The horse galloped, and a harsh wind brushed against my cheeks.
I glanced at the silent Seong Chwi-san and turned my gaze back to the front.
How many incidents like this are there? How common is this in this damn medieval China?
The Fifteen Armies of the World, the Ten Great Sects of the Black Dao, the Nine Great Sects and One Alliance, the Five Great Clans, and the Three Evils Beyond the Great Wall.
All these numerous powerhouses are gathered under one nation, lurking to bite each other's throats.
Because such immense power is released among the people, it naturally takes the form of a cold war.
It's not the kind and gallant martial world I imagined in the 21st century, but a forced peace created by powerhouses hiding themselves to target each other's weaknesses. Yes, this is a cold war.
It's a jungle full of jackals hoping for the downfall of anyone who shows a moment of weakness.
So all the sects are just holding their breath in the darkness, waiting for an opportunity.
Dammit, it's not an easy world to live in as the youngest son of a conglomerate-like Great Clan. If the family falls, we'll surely face destruction like the Cheonggang Sect.
The Black Path sects of Northern Zhili are hoping for the Peng Family's downfall for their own interests.
The Orthodox sects are also constantly looking for a chance to destroy the Peng Family, a Black Path sect, for honor or profit.
The Imperial Court is trying to rule the Central Plains with the White Lotus Cult in its pocket.
And in the midst of all this, my brothers don't hesitate to sell out their kin to outsiders just to become the Family Head. Even though the family might collapse if they take just one wrong step, they are so thoughtless.
I remember the expression my grandfather often had when he played Go with me.
That I must become the Family Head.
He was right. If it's not me, this simple-minded family feels like it will crumble in an instant.
The moment my grandfather, counted among the Three Peerless Masters of the World, dies—the moment Blade Emperor Peng Ik-jin passes away—this family will fall...!
*
"I'd like to go back soon, Elder."
"I also don't know why the Yang Family Head is stalling like this, but since he has his dignity to maintain, waiting a few more days isn't a difficult task, is it?"
"No, it's just that Yang Jin-cheong guy with the greasy face keeps hitting on me. He doesn't know his place."
"Why don't you show him his place, then?"
"My Han Chinese is still too difficult..."
"How is your lack of study the Yang Family's fault? Devote yourself more."
Murong Cheong grumbled and playfully slapped her uncle's forearm.
When her uncle, Murong Jeon, made an exaggeratedly pained expression, laughter burst from Murong Cheong's face.
A young man watching from a distance cautiously approached.
"You seem to be having a pleasant time, Lady Murong."
"I'm not. Go away."
"I'm sorry, Young Hero Yang. Cheong's Central Plains dialect is still unfamiliar to her."
"It's quite alright. It's an honor to host Lady Murong, who is famous for her beauty in the martial world."
The young man smiled awkwardly, bowed, and disappeared.
Murong Cheong, who had been glaring at his back for a while, grumbled.
"See? He really makes my stomach churn."
"He is quite smooth-looking."
"And even if I'm not familiar with the language, I can tell just by the look in his eyes. I think he just called me a barbarian."
"That's just your prejudice."
Murong Jeon said so as he looked around.
The feast, which had lasted for several days, was so lavish it seemed it would tear the roots out of the Divine Spear Yang Family.
Perhaps because of that, many beggars had gathered. Among them, beggars with knots tied around their waists were even visible.
"There are quite a lot of Beggars' Sect members."
Since Beggars' Sect members were rare in Liaoning, Murong Jeon couldn't tell if this was a normal occurrence in the inland Central Plains.
He was just a little... uneasy.
At that time, in the Family Head's hall of the Hebei Peng Family.
Sanwol Hall Leader Peng Ik-cheon sat grumpily next to his older brother, who was gazing at the night sky.
"You called me here and haven't said a word."
"I heard the boy Hwi received his first mission?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes. You knew?"
"There is little that goes in and out of this house that I do not know."
"Well, aren't you impressive. Is that why you called me?"
"The Cheonggang Sect in Anhyeon. Is that right?"
"...This is a bit disconcerting. Are you even reading the Sanwol Hall directives?"
"I heard some talk."
The Peng Family Head slowly turned his head to look at his younger brother. He chuckled at that face full of dissatisfaction and continued.
"I didn't read the Sanwol Hall directive, but the Flying Tiger Pavilion's report. Seeing the nature of the incident, it seemed like something Sanwol Hall would step into, and since Anhyeon isn't far, it was appropriate for Hwi to take as his first mission."
"What you say is true, but it's not a very significant mission. It's just a matter of going there and dragging back the missing brat by his hair."
"That is not the case."
The Peng Family Head flicked his hand.
Soon, a small side table and tea set floated over from afar on their own.
As he watched the tea fill the cups, the Family Head continued.
"It seems the second son has joined hands with the Martial Alliance."
"...What?! You know that and yet you're just...!!"
"Sit down. It is a meaningless endeavor."
"Meaningless!"
As the Sanwol Hall Leader, who must execute the family's traitors, Peng Ik-cheon shouted and jumped up from his seat, Peng Ik-jin's smile deepened.
"Sit down, Ik-cheon."
"Brother, I really don't know what you're thinking."
"A gemstone only reveals its true value when it is struck, and a tiger must run on its own to command the mountains and rivers."
"So what are you saying? That boy is on his first outing! If you were going to throw him away like this, you shouldn't have told me to raise him."
"What is Hwi's current realm?"
Peng Ik-cheon was about to shout but closed his eyes for a moment to consider. He soon spoke in an uncertain voice.
"Second-Rate."
"Are you sure?"
"His mind, technique, and body have all reached beyond that, but he himself doesn't know it. So, honestly, I'm not sure."
"I heard it was the same when he first started. Then there is nothing to worry about."
Peng Ik-jin finished his tea and looked at the sky. He cast his gaze over the night sky scattered with stars, his eyes measuring somewhere in the Imperial Capital.
"A bird that neither flies nor sings. If he learns to fly, he will soar through the vast heavens, and if he realizes how to cry out, he will move the Nine Provinces."
"I told you not to use such flowery language. What if he fails to fly and falls to his death?"
"Then that is all there is to it. If he cannot fly on his own, how can he hope to look upon the heights?"
At Peng Ik-jin's words, his brother closed his eyes for a moment to organize his thoughts.
He wasn't wrong. The family's power rested solely on the Family Head's martial prowess. If the next Family Head's ability was even slightly lacking, the current Peng Family would no longer be able to reign as the ruler of Northern Zhili.
If that was the case, testing all his children so harshly was not incomprehensible.
At this point, there was only one thing Peng Ik-cheon could do. He had no choice but to trust his grand-nephew.
But, what if.
If he resolves this incident, where will the Family Head's heart lean?
Peng Ik-cheon fell into thought as he watched his older brother silently drinking tea.