Chapter 59: Cleaning Up (2)
Chapter 59: Cleaning Up (2)
I woke up long before dawn to inspect my equipment.
I checked the blades for any nicks, ensured the gauntlets were securely fastened, and performed a brief session of meditative breathing to check the state of my acupoints.
With that, my preparations were complete.
I stood bathed in the morning sunlight streaming over the vast streets of Tianjin and thought to myself.
The Orthodox Faction.
Lately, I had been deeply preoccupied with this concept.
Contrary to the misconceptions held by many commoners, the distinction between the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions wasn't actually that vast.
The Nine Great Sects were a different story, of course. They were essentially religious corporations and didn't fit into the standard categories. You could call them the "sacred bloodlines" of the martial world.
But when it came to the secular world, the criteria for dividing the Orthodox and Unorthodox were quite ambiguous.
Take the Namgung Family, for example—a name familiar to everyone.
With their noble aura, magnificent traditions, and upright family laws, they were the quintessential image of a Righteous sect. The Orthodox Faction publicly hailed them as the "Greatest Clan Under Heaven." Unlike my family, which was barely two hundred years old, they were a formidable power that had maintained their lineage since the Spring and Autumn period.
Over those long ages, they had preserved their sword techniques intact. With countless geniuses refining their martial arts into an peerless style, the Namgung Family truly deserved the title of the Greatest Clan Under Heaven, but…
Are those guys really any different from us?
If you seriously considered that question, the answer was "not really."
Extorting protection fees from civilians (though they actually do provide security), operating their own merchant groups, managing the revenue of pavilions, tea houses, and brothels, running martial arts academies through branch families, and managing tenant farming around their massive estates…
They did everything a typical local noble family would do. And despite all that, the only thing they actually taught was "how to use a sword well." Which, in the end, was just a method for killing people. Basically, they were thugs with better PR.
After much thought, I had reached a single conclusion regarding the criteria that separated the Orthodox from the Unorthodox.
—The prestige of the family. Public reputation. Even if we are a martial house—no, precisely because we are a martial house—that is what matters most.
—Suppose a Mount Hua Sect swordsman cuts someone down in a tavern in broad daylight. People will assume the victim must have done something shady and move on.
—But what if a Peng Family warrior tears someone apart in a tavern in broad daylight?
—People will just say the Peng bastards are acting like thugs again. That is the difference in justification and prestige.
The words I had spoken when I was seven years old pierced through to the core of the matter. That was the only thing separating the two factions; everything else was just gift wrapping.
The Unorthodox did most of what the Orthodox did, and the Orthodox regularly did most of what the Unorthodox did. It was just a matter of how they packaged it—the Unorthodox being more pragmatic, and the Orthodox choosing more crowd-pleasing methods.
Normally, I would have left it at that. I would have dismissed it, thinking both sides were just dens of the same kind of people and that the world was simply built that way.
But.
—We do not do at night what we cannot do during the day.
—You may find it stifling. But that is how we were taught, and that is how we have lived.
—If the family intends to do something wrong, I must be the first to do what is right.
—I was taught that at any moment, a person must be given one last chance.
Remembering the words of a certain Orthodox martial artist—one who was barely a First-Rate master—my perspective began to shift.
I was a stranger from the 21st century, suddenly dropped into a medieval era for no reason.
I was an outsider without a purpose, someone who had cynically mocked the world, saying all human society was the same, and decided to just live out my days in comfort.
If I had to say why I had clung so stubbornly to Confucianism, perhaps, to be honest… it was because it spoke of "universal values" that were familiar even in my original home.
[If one is not upright, one is not human.]
I had a vague longing for the world of martial arts. Even in the studio apartment where I had hidden away, impoverished and failing to find a job, I had spent every night staring blankly at my smartphone screen, scrolling through those brilliant stories I admired.
Even if I couldn't easily imagine living that way myself, seeing and experiencing someone who actually lived by those principles made me wonder.
What would it feel like to live like that? Just a sliver of a thought. And, if I was going to do it anyway…
Yes, if I had been dropped into the medieval Martial World without context or connection, then…
Rather than just drifting along until my life faded away, shouldn't I try to live a life that leaves a footprint?
Thump.
That thought mixed with the fierce blood of the Peng Family coursing through my veins.
"Are you ready, 'Hyeon'?"
"Of course, 'Hwi'."
It had been seventeen years since I began living in this body.
What was the point in distinguishing between my past life in the 21st century and my current life in the 15th century?
As that thought took hold, I felt a sensation like something cracking in the back of my head.
In that moment, it wasn't pain that rushed in, but pleasure—a refreshing sense of omnipotence.
Even while using this body, I had considered it not mine. Even while living according to my own nature, I had made excuses about the Peng bloodline. How weak that thinking was.
If I were truly of the Peng bloodline, I would have seized what I wanted instead of wasting time on such worries.
It was obvious, but this body is mine, and this life is mine.
I am not some stranger pushed here from the 21st century; I am simply Peng Hyeon-hwi, the youngest of the Peng Family, who happens to have some memories of another world.
As I realized this, I felt the "Peng Hyeon-hwi" inside my heart break into a smile.
That's the correct answer, Alchemist.
'From now on, the Hebei Peng Family is an Orthodox family.'
That was the proper future. Therefore…
'I just have to crush everyone who says we aren't!'
It had taken a long time to arrive at this simple logic.
I gripped my gauntlets, performed one last check of my gear, and stepped out into the morning streets of Tianjin.
The day I become the Family Head…
Those who call our family a Black Path Unorthodox sect will meet their end.
Watch me, Confucius.
With the same heart that discussed "uprightness" alone in the Spring and Autumn period when human morality had hit rock bottom…
I will become the Zhu Xi Punch.
For the record, my punch is the Thunderbolt City-Destroying Cannon.
*
"The Jongri Family and the Jinju Eon Family? Ha, have they gone completely mad? Did they think they could get away with such a thing in Hebei?"
My father was so furious he nearly lost his reason after hearing my report.
It was unavoidable. If you listed the facts of what they had done, it was as follows:
Conducting human experiments that severely violated research ethics in someone else's territory.
Massacring most of the government officials in the process, including the District Magistrate.
Then, when it looked like they might be caught, fighting among themselves to destroy the evidence.
And on top of that, meticulously involving the Murong Family to throw the whole of Hebei into chaos.
'If I had sent Murong Cheong alone…?'
The thought made my breath hitch.
'Murong Cheong would have died, the Murong Family would have declared a Righteous-Demonic War in a blind rage, and the Jongri and Jinju Eon families would have buried the evidence and pinned all the blame on the Dragon Slaying Alliance. Including the murder of the officials!'
Then the Orthodox Faction and the imperial army would have tried to tear the Dragon Slaying Alliance apart, and the Unorthodox Faction would have reorganized around the Chongqing Ten Thousand Ghosts Alliance, which includes the Jongri Family.
Wow. Looking at the incredible positioning the Jongri Family had set up with this one move, I couldn't help but be impressed.
If they hadn't been caught, the minimum result would have been "successful human experiments and the successful recruitment of the Jinju Eon Family"—moving on to the next plot targeting the Martial Alliance.
Even if they were caught, it didn't matter because they had wiped the evidence clean, leading to the total destruction of the Dragon Slaying Alliance.
In other words, they could have reshaped the power balance of the Black Path Demonic Alliance around themselves.
Either way, they held a winning hand.
I wanted to say they were truly like disciples of the Zhuge Family.
But the problem was that while they were playing Hwatu, I had brought a deck of playing cards. One that included a Joker.
"Father. Ah… may I call you Father right now?"
At my words, the light of reason returned to my father's eyes.
His appearance, which had been like an incarnation of rage, gradually calmed.
He remained silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Phew… fine. Do you have something to say?"
I was currently in a private audience with my father. It was early morning.
Since the elders of the main house had not yet arrived, an official response plan had not been established.
In this situation, by choosing to call him "Father" instead of "Young Lord" or "Acting Leader of the Dragon Slaying Alliance," I was signaling…
That what I was about to say was a strictly personal suggestion and should not be officially disclosed within the Dragon Slaying Alliance.
And by understanding that even in his state of fury, my father was giving me an opportunity.
"In my humble opinion, attacking the Jinju Eon Family now is a poor strategy."
"Are you saying we should attack the Jongri Family first?"
"I am not in a position to petition you, but that would only be a mediocre strategy."
"Then what is the best strategy in your mind? To endure this without denouncing the Jinju Eon Family, the Jongri Family, or anyone else?"
"Of course not."
Since when were we that kind of family?
"In times like this, we hit the White Lotus Cult."
My father stared at me blankly for a moment.
Why? They're the ones the Great Ming Code says we can hit, the ones with targets on their backs and bounties on their heads.
They're even officially at war with us.
"Does that make any sense? No, they aren't even involved in this. Even if we use that as an excuse, would the government officials even accept it?"
"I will now explain the reason why they will have no choice but to accept it."
I picked up my tea cup, which was starting to cool, and held up a finger.
"We were caught off guard while knowing nothing of the situation. I am not an expert in military tactics or strategy, but trying to clean up a mess after losing the initiative is never the best course of action."
"And?"
"We must make the enemy as confused as we are."
Survival in Medieval China, Chapter 1: Always move unpredictably.
This was already included in the Chinese survival methods compiled by Sun Tzu over a thousand years ago. ("Appear where they do not expect you." — Sun Tzu's Art of War: Chapter 6, Weak Points and Strong)
*
"The White… Lotus Cult?"
"Yes, Family Head. The reason officially announced by the Dragon Slaying Alliance was a bloody incident caused by remnants of the White Lotus Cult…"
"Why on earth?"
Eon Do-cheon, the Fist King, looked at his subordinate with eyes deep in thought.
He tapped the bridge of his nose, lost in contemplation.
"Not us, not the Jongri Family, but suddenly the White Lotus Cult…?"
Shouldn't there be at least a shred of evidence? To suddenly claim the White Lotus Cult did it?
If they had mentioned the Jinju Eon Family, he would have used the Martial Alliance's backing to deny it and sway public opinion.
Based on the news that Murong Cheong had returned without any significant gains, he was certain the Martial Alliance didn't know the truth behind this matter.
Therefore, if the Dragon Slaying Alliance attacked the Jinju Eon Family, the Orthodox Martial Alliance would naturally have no choice but to protect them.
The Fist King was a core master of the Orthodox Faction, and even regardless of that, they couldn't simply let a great clan that was once part of the Five Great Clans fall helplessly to the Black Path.
It was a matter of face.
To keep the recently resurgent Black Path Demonic Alliance in check, the Orthodox Faction could never abandon the Jinju Eon Family.
But, not the Jinju Eon Family, not the Jongri Family, but the White Lotus Cult?
"Did the government officials actually believe that?"
"That is… I apologize, but…"
The subordinate hesitated, trying to organize his words, before finally speaking with difficulty.
"Since it happened in Tianjin, I could not hear the exact details. Please forgive my inadequacy. However… rumors are rampant that remnants of the White Lotus Cult were discovered in Tianjin and their heads were hung at the military gates."
"What…?!"
There were actually White Lotus Cultists in Tianjin?
Why…?
No, and why now of all times?
And why on earth did they pin it on them?
Eon Do-cheon couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"What exactly is happening…?"
*
"Secondly, I believe you are aware that I have taken charge of the Sanwol Pavilion and the Hao Clan's affairs by your order. By mobilizing the Hao Clan's secret lines, I have secured evidence of White Lotus Cult remnants infiltrating and operating in this city."
"What…?!"
I smiled as I looked at my shocked father.
I didn't know I'd use him this way, but as a way to use the guy whose arm I cut off and sent back, this was a much better way to expend him.
Ta-da! There really were White Lotus Cultists! With this, we had the evidence to present to the officials.
*
"The White Lotus Cult. Ha, did those bastards really not even notice we were there?"
"It seems so, my Lord. No matter how much those martial artists with their swords swagger around, could they really have grasped everything in the vast land of Hebei?"
"Then it's all for the better. Send word to Eon Do-cheon once more."
Jongri Seong, the Head of the Jongri Family, spoke with a sinister smile.
"Tell him that if he assists in completing the Great Rite, I will consider the loss of one Black Ship a sacrifice for the greater cause. Thanks to that old fox's decision to blind the Peng Family's eyes and ears, we have gained more than we lost."
"Can we trust Eon Do-cheon? Wouldn't a petty man like him do the same thing again if things go wrong?"
"Since when did we ever trust anyone while carrying out our plans? You say amusing things."
Jongri Seong chuckled and unfurled his fan.
"But does Eon Do-cheon have any other strings left besides us? And if this incident confirmed how lax the Dragon Slaying Alliance is, that is enough. Whatever we plot in Hebei in the future will be less of a burden."
*
"The Jongri Family will think we haven't noticed a thing. In fact, they got away with this incident without any evidence, and it would be a tedious task for the Demonic Alliance to denounce them."
"That's true. If we were to make a big issue of it, the Family Head himself would have to move."
"For the Jongri Family, that wouldn't be a bad thing. If the Family Head moves personally and the matter fizzles out without any significant gain, the prestige of the Dragon Slaying Alliance would hit rock bottom."
And this wasn't just a clever trick to avoid the enemy's scheme. It was "one" of the most valuable things we could gain from this move.
"The Jongri Family will take this opportunity to realize that the Dragon Slaying Alliance's eyes do not reach all of Hebei. They will begin plotting in earnest across the province. They will think that without the Family Head personally stepping in, the Hebei Peng Family's strength alone is insufficient to rule all of Hebei."
In the first place, it hadn't even been a century since our family was nearly destroyed.
When my great-grandfather bet his life on the Righteous-Demonic War and met a sudden end, our family would have certainly been wiped out if not for my grandfather.
In those days, my grandfather alone unified Hebei, which was on the verge of tearing apart. To put it another way:
—Aren't these guys all weaklings except for Peng Ik-jin?
Just as they were starting to think that, they gave us a poke, and what do you know?
—They didn't even notice this? Have they really lost all their teeth?
This was Survival in Medieval China, Chapter 2: Hide three-tenths of your true strength. ("When capable, feign incapacity." — Sun Tzu's Art of War: Chapter 6, Weak Points and Strong)
A small light flickered in my father's eyes as he listened to me.
"I would be disappointed if that was all, Hyeon-hwi."
"Yes, if we stopped there, it would be nothing more than the family having to endure and bury the matter."
Who do you think I am?
A possessor's schemes must always be one step further ahead.
"Whatever the Jongri Family tried to achieve through the Jinju Eon Family has failed. Since their goal ultimately met with failure, if we do not take any particular action, the Jongri Family will surely prepare a second attempt."
"I suppose so. And?"
"That is when the Jongri Family and the Jinju Eon Family will join hands once more."
At this point, I turned my gaze toward the box beside my father.
Toward the box where Eon Hyeong-shin's head was being neatly packed and salted.
Following my gaze, my father saw the box and then looked back at me.
"I am going to take that to the Orthodox Martial Alliance."
"What…?"
"At the Martial Alliance, Murong Cheong and I will coordinate our stories to denounce the Jinju Eon Family. Once the Jinju Eon Family loses its connection to the Orthodox Faction, they will have no choice but to cling to the Jongri Family."
And then.
"If the Black Path Demonic Alliance grandly abandons the Jongri Family…"
The Jinju Eon Family, who tried to profit by playing both sides between the Orthodox and Unorthodox. And the Jongri Family, who used them to poke around everywhere.
If both of them are designated as public enemies by both major factions…
"Wouldn't that be quite interesting?"
The world falls into chaos.
The Black Path is expelled from the Black Path, the White Path is expelled from the White Path, the Black and White join hands, and those who mixed Black and White are once again hunted by everyone as public enemies.
The Murong Family and the Hebei Peng Family joining hands, and the Jongri Family and the Jinju Eon Family joining hands.
To the eyes of a third party, all of it will look like nothing but chaos.
It was the very definition of shifting alliances and strategic maneuvering.
And both were terms that signified a chaotic era—
And words that described the Spring and Autumn period.
Confucius stood alone in the Spring and Autumn period, presenting a "line" and establishing the politics and scholarship of the world beneath him.
At the end of this chaotic era, the Hebei Peng Family, standing once again by my hand, would do the same.
"Well, now."
My father chuckled and nodded.
"The blood is thick."
It meant that the blood passed down from my grandfather had descended most strongly to me in my generation.
And it also meant that because of the intent in my words, the world would soon be drenched in thick blood.
The man who decided the direction of the greatest sect of the Black Path laughed heartily at those final words and sent me out.