Why Is So Much Coming? (4)
"Hngh... So this is Hwaum County!"
Go Hanwi of Youngsomun finally let out a sigh of relief when he saw the cluster of homes in the distance.
If it had been a hundred li farther, he would probably have been sprawled on the ground by now, shouting that he couldn’t take another step. But fortunately, Hwaum, their destination, had appeared not far ahead.
His legs felt as if they might buckle at any moment. His junior brothers were no different. All of them were gasping for breath, their faces the color of half-dead corpses.
"No, Master," Go Hanwi complained, looking at his teacher, who stood at the front and stared blankly at Hwaum. "Did we really have to suffer this much to get here? It’s only Mount Hua, after all...."
"Don’t say foolish things!"
But before he could finish, his master snapped his head around and barked at him.
"Do you have any idea how big this matter is?"
"...."
The voice of their master, Jang Yong, boomed like thunder.
"This is an alliance between the Sichuan Tang Family, the ruler of Sichuan, and the Mount Hua Sect, whose name has been ringing in everyone's ears lately. And now even the powers of the Outer Regions have joined hands with them."
"....But compared to the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Five Great Families, isn’t that still only a drop in the bucket?"
"Tsk, tsk. Your thinking is far too narrow."
"...."
Jang Yong glared at him with a clearly dissatisfied expression.
"This isn't something you judge by the strength they have right now. Mount Hua, which could still be counted among the Nine Sects and One Gang, the Sichuan Tang Family, one of the Five Great Families, and now even the Outer Region Four Palaces that had never once joined hands with any faction of the Central Plains—don't you see what this means?"
"I suppose that is true, but...."
"Right now, everyone is only testing the waters. But if they decide this thing might actually amount to something, the sects that have been hesitating will rush to join the Heavenly Alliance all at once."
Even after hearing the explanation, Go Hanwi only tilted his head as if he still couldn’t make sense of it.
"Then wouldn’t it be fine for us to join at that point?"
"You idiot!"
The roaring shout made Go Hanwi flinch and cover his ears.
"If you do that, you’ll be no different from any other sect! Everything can become an opportunity. Joining the Heavenly Alliance may be something to decide later, but if we make ourselves known in advance, the senior figures of the Heavenly Alliance will remember Youngsomun, won’t they?"
"...Do we really need to go that far...."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. A chief disciple who’s supposed to become the sect leader someday, and this is all you can think of...."
Jang Yong clicked his tongue and went on.
"It costs nothing to make an impression. If you can profit from putting in the legwork, then it’s money in the bank. So stop talking and follow me!"
"Yes, sir."
At Go Hanwi’s obedient answer, Jang Yong wore an even more dissatisfied look and strode forward again.
Kids these days...
He couldn’t understand how anyone with so little sense intended to survive this cruel martial world.
No one knew how the world would turn out. That was why you had to have a foot in as many places as possible. Especially for a place like Youngsomun, which sat awkwardly between Sichuan and Hebei, the need to stay alert was even greater.
They won’t openly slap us down for attending the Heavenly Alliance’s founding ceremony. Not with their precious pride.
Even if they had to endure a few uncomfortable glances, if they could build a friendly relationship with the Heavenly Alliance, there was no way to lose.
Of course the Heavenly Alliance would likely try to win them over aggressively, but that only meant they could afford to hold back a bit and leave room for maneuvering.
The world belongs to the one who moves first!
What mattered was being there ahead of everyone else.
He didn’t know what the Heavenly Alliance might become in the future, but for now they were surely desperate for every single person they could get. This was exactly the time to make themselves useful.
"Hurry up! We have to get up Mount Hua before the other sects arrive."
"Yes, sir!"
They entered with hearts swollen full of anticipation.
But before long, Jang Yong was forced to confront a reality he had never imagined.
"...."
"...."
As soon as they stepped into the gate of Hwaum County, all of them found their mouths hanging open without realizing it.
Anything strange?
Not really.
As rumored, Hwaum was not exactly a grand metropolis, but it was still a fairly large place that had everything it needed.
The problem was....
"What in the world is all this?"
The not-so-small Hwaum was overflowing with people, and the crowd seemed endless.
"...Master?"
"Huh? Ah?"
Jang Yong, still staring blankly at Hwaum, blinked his wide eyes.
What on earth is going on?
His gaze naturally dropped to the waists of the people packed into the crowd. Since each of them had a weapon hanging there, they were clearly martial artists.
"No, why are there so many...."
"Out of the way!"
At that moment, a group who had been running from behind shoved past Jang Yong’s shoulder.
"Ack!"
Thrown back two or three steps by the sudden impact, Jang Yong immediately glared and shouted.
"Who do you think you are! How dare you treat our Youngsomun—"
"What?"
The people who had been rushing ahead whipped their heads around.
At that same moment, Jang Yong’s mouth shut on its own.
Jang Yong, for all that, had weathered his share of storms. He was not such a fool that he would be frightened by a fierce face or a sharp glare. What silenced him was not their looks, but the insignia embroidered on the chests of those men.
Three crossed swords.
T-the Three Swords Gate.
There was no mistaking it. That had to be the mark of the Three Swords Gate, a sect said to inspire as much dread in Guangdong as a reaper from the underworld.
W-why on earth are those people all the way here....
But there was no time to think it through. Straightening himself in a hurry, he said,
"W-were you heroes of the Three Swords Gate? I failed to recognize you and...."
"Tsk."
The burly man who had bumped into him first narrowed his eyes and snapped,
"Consider yourself lucky. If this hadn't been Hwaum, I would’ve taught you a lesson."
"...."
"Where did a bunch of riffraff like you come from...."
"Senior brother, we don't have time for this! We have to get up Mount Hua now."
"Damn it! Why are there so many damn people packed in here? Hngh! If we're late, the sect leader will skin us alive, so hurry up, all of you!"
"Yes, sir!"
As the disciples of the Three Swords Gate dashed off in a frenzy, Jang Yong kept swallowing dryly.
No, all the way from Guangdong to here....
But the surprises were far from over.
In front of them, a swarm of people in yellow robes was hurrying forward.
"It’s the Jo Hyeon Sect!"
"The Jo Hyeon Sect from Guizhou! Good heavens, they came too!"
Jang Yong’s eyes widened even more.
The Jo Hyeon Sect?
That Jo Hyeon Sect? The one that supposedly never left Guizhou unless they absolutely had to?
"The Hyeonmo Hall has come too!"
"That—look, isn’t that the Hengshan Sect? No, even the Hengshan Sect came....!"
Jang Yong jerked his head around in alarm.
Sure enough, sword masters in dazzling white robes were entering Hwaum with disciplined steps.
M-my God, the Hengshan Sect.
Youngsomun was no small-time sect, by its own standards. It could at least claim some influence among the middling and lesser sects. But the factions making their names known here were not places Youngsomun could casually compare itself to.
They could hardly be compared to the famous orthodox powers like the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Five Great Families, but the names of sects that could proudly call themselves regional overlords were being tossed around here and there as casually as if they were common household names.
M-Mount Hua... was the Heavenly Alliance really this strong?
Even he, who had just been mocking Go Hanwi’s ignorance, had failed to grasp the situation properly.
The Heavenly Alliance’s influence had already soared far beyond anything he had imagined. And it hadn’t even officially been founded yet.
And all of them are going to climb Mount Hua?
What in the world was happening here?
Martial artists clustered together like ants and flooded toward Mount Hua’s entrance route. Naturally, that led to trouble here and there.
"You don't seem all that busy. How about giving way?"
"What was that? Are you picking a fight?"
"Hahaha. You're acting awfully proud for someone standing in Mount Hua’s front yard. If this weren't Hwaum, would you have dared say that to me?"
"You bastard?"
There were even those who shouted at each other to yield the road, and others who growled as if they might draw their swords at any second.
Everyone was in a rush to climb the mountain, but the path was narrow and only so many people could go at once, so impatience spread everywhere.
A-at this rate, won’t there really be a huge accident?
Jang Yong’s fingertips went cold with tension as he curled his hand into a fist.
And then—
"The Peng Family!"
"The Peng Family is here! The Hebei Peng Family!"
Everyone gathered at the trailhead whipped their heads toward the rear.
"Eh?"
Jang Yong, who had been slumped near the entrance, felt his face turn bright red. Because being here made it seem as if everyone was looking at him.
But instead of retreating into a corner, he turned to look back.
"O-oh...."
Through the Youngsomun disciples who had moved aside left and right, he could see several martial artists approaching this way.
Powerful red uniforms. Five tigers embroidered across their chests. And a massive dao that anyone would have to look at.
The Hebei Peng Family.
Even the Hebei Peng Family, the overlord of Hebei and one of the Five Great Families, had shown up in Hwaum.
There were only five of them, but the presence they radiated was enough to overwhelm everyone gathered here.
"Hmm."
The tall middle-aged man at the front swept his gaze over the martial artists gathered in Hwaum and then let out a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha! There are quite a lot of you here."
"It seems we’re a little late."
"Hmph. This is troublesome. We’ll need to go up Mount Hua first and pay our respects to the sect leader and the family head before the ceremony begins."
The Peng Family members looked around once more, then strode forward without hesitation.
When the man reached the end of the packed crowd, he smiled faintly and spoke.
"If it isn't too much trouble, would it be all right if we went up the mountain first?"
The person standing at the very back stared at the Peng Family in dazed disbelief, then flinched and stepped aside.
"P-please, go ahead."
"We thank you."
As if that had been a signal, those who had been packed shoulder to shoulder shifted to the sides and opened a path for the Peng Family.
These were the same people who had been ready to draw steel in order to gain even a moment’s advantage, yet before the name Hebei Peng Family, they became obedient as lambs.
It was a scene that showed with brutal clarity why martial artists in the Jianghu staked their lives on a sliver of reputation and chased strength by any means possible.
As the Peng Family strolled along the path cleared by the crowd, one of them spoke.
"The other Five Great Families haven’t arrived yet, have they?"
"Hard to say whether they’ve already arrived, but in any case, they’ll come. They can’t possibly miss seeing this with their own eyes."
"Yes. This is going to be an interesting founding ceremony. Hurry along now—we should go greet Mount Hua’s sect leader. Let’s go."
"Yes, sir!"
Watching the Peng Family quicken their pace, everyone gathered in Hwaum swallowed dryly.
All of the Five Great Families are coming?
Then doesn’t that mean the Nine Sects and One Gang will come too?
This... may turn out to be a much bigger affair than we thought.
The Hebei Peng Family is going to greet Mount Hua’s sect leader. Since when did Mount Hua become such a remarkable sect?
Many thoughts crossed their minds, but in the end there was only one conclusion.
Hurry and climb the mountain!
I have to see this with my own eyes!
The atmosphere surged hot all at once. Everyone hurled themselves toward the steep, towering path up Mount Hua.
Each carried their own curiosity, their own longing, and their own expectations.