Chapter 411: Beijing (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 411: Beijing (3)
Though the voice reaching his ears was highly welcome, Jeong Yeon-shin turned his head at a glacial pace.
Alcohol is truly the ultimate poison of all time.
This held true for both mind and body.
Cultivators who touched their brains with True Qi under the pretext of rapidly training their Upper Dantian—and luckily survived only to lose their minds—were known as demons.
At this moment, even though his head throbbed as if it might split open, no proper countermeasure came to mind.
Had he expelled the alcohol's energy the moment he drank it the day before, things might have been different. But there was nothing he could do about the hangover that had swollen the blood vessels in his head overnight before vanishing—leaving behind a relentless throbbing at his Baihui point.
It was his own doing. He had essentially consumed poison and deliberately chosen not to circulate his energy.
"Hey, Jeong Yeon-shin! I barely made it in time!"
A boy wearing a robe embroidered with plum blossoms sprinted toward him from afar.
With every step, the distance between them narrowed rapidly, yet he left no footprints on the dirt. There was no sound, either.
It was the Mount Hua Sect's lightness skill, the Dark Fragrance Drift.
Over his shoulder, two other Plum Blossom Sword disciples stood waiting in the distance.
Catching a glimpse of his friend, Jeong Yeon-shin flinched slightly.
Unlike him, Yu-hyeon—a first-generation disciple of the Mount Hua Sect with rather short limbs—looked every bit the proper young Taoist on the outside.
Much like the Old Immortal of Wudang who had suddenly exchanged blows with Jeong Yeon-shin yesterday before vanishing.
"Were you planning to leave without saying goodbye? We had things to talk about."
"We'll see each other again soon, so what is there to say?"
"I mean the Mount Hua Agreement. When you first triggered it, you mentioned the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps as the purple-rank representative, but things are different now. Great Hero Yong only inherited the Sword of Divine Attainment from the Hegemon Hero. You, on the other hand, are a blood relative of the party involved in the Mount Hua Agreement... so you're the one participating, right?"
Arriving at the inn, Yu-hyeon caught his breath as he asked. Jeong Yeon-shin nodded slowly.
"Of course I am."
"I figured. Perhaps Master will duel you. He has talked about you a lot. Well... I don't know exactly who the Nine Sects will select, though."
Yu-hyeon added that the atmosphere within the sect was so intense that even he, a Plum Blossom Sword disciple, would only be selected if he won their internal competition.
"The Mount Hua Sect Leader talked about me?"
"He owes you his life. Mount Hua doesn't forget such things. He said your back was narrow yet broad." Yu-hyeon muttered grumpily, "Though looking at you now, he wouldn't call it narrow..."
A warm feeling welled up in Jeong Yeon-shin's chest.
It felt just like the warmth that had seeped into his back when he carried Lady Yul-ha—who had suffered internal injuries from the Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect—down from the Net of Heaven and Earth.
However, Jeong Yeon-shin shook his head.
"If I duel Mount Hua, I will receive a lesson from the Sword Absolute... Perfected Heavenly Pillar. I'm already looking forward to it."
"Huh...?"
"Because the Plum Blossom Sword: Floating Fragrance was incredibly beautiful. The one I saw during the Sect Founding Ceremony."
"……?"
"Hmm?"
The two stared blankly at each other.
Suddenly, a dawn breeze swept across the river opposite them, wrapping around their figures. The gust of wind lightly lifted their sleeves and brushed coolly against their skin.
After staring up at Jeong Yeon-shin for a moment, Yu-hyeon nodded vaguely.
"I won't be returning empty-handed. I have something to report to my sect."
"Alright."
Jeong Yeon-shin nodded.
He had heard that large-scale sect war tournaments were conducted in this exact manner.
First, they would thoroughly assess the opponent's temperament, habits, and martial arts. Only then would they select the right disciple for the duel.
I wonder what kind of master will step forward.
Anyone facing the current Jeong Yeon-shin would inevitably need to possess four things:
Deep internal energy, solid defensive forms, lethal counterattack techniques, and the state of Unity of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
These were the absolute prerequisites to even stand a chance against a martial artist with fast, powerful strikes.
And within the Nine Sects—the absolute mainstream of orthodox martial arts—there would be more than just one or two immortals who met those criteria.
"Both sides must be thinking of absolute victory. Whether it's a leader of the Nine Sects or a purple-rank warrior of our fortress, we are of a status where we cannot simply move according to the will of others," Jeong Yeon-shin spoke seriously.
In any case, quite a lot of information about him would have spread by now.
Many sects would be aware that his martial arts were based on fast sword techniques and that he preferred short, decisive strikes. This was especially true for the great sects that were close to the Beggar Sect or the Hao Sect, or those that possessed their own secret intelligence networks.
"That is the tyrannical way itself."
"What?"
At Jeong Yeon-shin's question, Yu-hyeon shrugged.
"Nothing. Now that I've seen your face, I think I'll head back. Master will worry."
"Hurry along, then."
"We'll see each other again soon anyway. Even if I can't participate in the Mount Hua Agreement, I'll go watch. How often do events like that happen?"
"Right. By then, your combat spacing might also be a bit..."
Jeong Yeon-shin's indifferent gaze swept over Yu-hyeon's arms and legs.
Yu-hyeon waved his fist in mock annoyance and left.
* * *
The matter was drawing to a close. The only one who had to bear the aftermath of the Black Rank gathering was the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps. He had just declared that he would take full responsibility.
"Won't you take some of the blame with me? Dealing with the Imperial Family is quite uncomfortable for me as well."
Yong Hee-myung spoke slyly. It was a clear invitation directed at Jeong Yeon-shin.
The leader of the world's greatest Divine Sword Corps.
It was said he could arbitrarily decide the deployment of a Black Rank expert without even seeking permission from the Desolate Fortress's Chief Steward's Office.
This was the very authority of the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps that Jeong Yeon-shin had been constantly eyeing.
—Since the Lord of the Fortress is away, it is only right to obtain the Imperial Family's permission in advance. There are many excuses to make, after all.
It was Yong Hee-myung's voice transmission.
The Unit Commanders had decided to return to their respective posts. They could not simply abandon the livelihoods of the common people under their protection.
"Don't return that silk robe to the Dragon Clan!"
Ak Su-rim, who had been chattering about the rumors of Beijing, concluded her farewell. Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit, Hahu Wi-jin, burst into a hearty laugh, as if supporting her well-wishes.
The two of them and the Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit, Un So-yu, made their way toward Xiangyang as the standing forces of the Desolate Fortress.
A polite bow from Un So-yu, the Brightfolk swordsman who upheld the fortress's laws, served as her silent farewell.
The Commander of the Thread-Annihilation Unit and the Master of the Martial Apex Hall were heading to Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province and Fuzhou in Fujian Province, respectively. It was the far east.
"I heard that a sect using bluffing as its ultimate technique has risen greatly in Hangzhou. It is a chaotic era. If you go to Beijing, the world will be visible at a glance. You must think about how the power we possess should be properly used."
"It will be hard to speak down to you when we meet again. I was curious about how the martial artists of your lineage are taught, but I haven't been able to satisfy my curiosity yet. Let us look forward to next time."
Unlike the two Han Unit Commanders who spoke at length, the Commander of the Searing Abyss Unit, Yu Jeong-myeong, who had distinctively long ears, only gave a somewhat awkward nod before departing.
He was heading out to investigate rumors regarding a newly discovered treasure map of an unnamed Heavenly Demon.
"Are you going to Qinghai?" Jeong Yeon-shin asked.
"How did you know that...?"
"When I dealt with the matter of the City of Master Craftsmen previously, I obtained a treasure map from the Young Lord of the Tenth Sect. It was a map with Xining... the name of a city in Qinghai written on it. I burned it on the spot, but I remember it. It seemed to depict the city's underground."
"Xining, Xining... You have saved me a great deal of trouble."
"Take care."
"Thank you."
Jeong Yeon-shin clasped his hands and wished for the safe return of the Commander of the Searing Abyss Unit.
Information regarding the tombs where ancient absolute masters closed their eyes usually brought a bloodbath not only to the martial world but even to civilian homes.
Generation after generation, the Desolate Fortress's Divine Sword Corps employed all kinds of covert operations to nip rumors of treasure maps in the bud.
Sects dealing with demons and sorcery would soon be flocking to Qinghai.
It was a mission too difficult to entrust to anyone other than the Commander of the Searing Abyss Unit, whose lightness skill alone might even surpass Jeong Yeon-shin's.
"You take care of yourself first. You will be exposed to the competitive spirit of peerless masters."
The Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit, Cheon So-so, had a unique talent for conveying warmth in a completely flat tone. This was a fact Jeong Yeon-shin hadn't realized until he returned from the Flood Dragon's formation.
She mentioned she had just received some sort of request from Henan Province. If it required the Immortal Wood Spirit, it was undoubtedly related to the earth's energy.
"I hope you take care as well, Senior Cheon."
Around this time, Jeong Yeon-shin was feeling an inexplicable sense of emptiness. Was it because the warmth he could never find at the Jeong Family Manor had been fully provided at last night's banquet?
Had Cheon So-so's lips not curved into a barely visible arc just then, he might have had to swallow his loneliness in secret.
"Let's eat again when you come to Xiangyang."
"Pardon?"
"The Five-Rhyme Mountain Herb Dish. It was delicious yesterday."
She lightly tapped Jeong Yeon-shin's shoulder and left. A faint scent of grass lingered in her wake, mingling with the early cries of cicadas.
The Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring, Bukgung-a, and the Commander of the Dragon-Treading Unit, Wiji Geuk, headed to the border region beyond the northern tip of Shanxi Province.
They said the threat of the northern demonfolk masters was even breaking through the Imperial Army's defenses.
In this manner, the power of the Divine Sword Corps spanned all corners of the world.
It was a domain that Jeong Yeon-shin would have to take responsibility for in the future.
"For now, only think about the task at hand. The Beijing nobles embody the strange, violent, chaotic, and supernatural sides of politics. If you lose your focus, you'll easily have your nose sliced off right in front of your face."
"Strictly speaking, that is Great Hero Yong's job. At least until Unit Commander Jeong takes over the Sword of Divine Attainment."
Leaving Yong Hee-myung and Yeon So-ha behind, Jeong Yeon-shin faced a man with flowing snow-white hair standing about ten steps away.
The Commander of the Bloodkeeper Unit, the Divine Blood Ultimate Demon.
The profound strength of internal masters usually revealed itself to some extent through the light in their eyes, but there was not even a hint of luster in Jin Myeong-jo's red pupils.
They were surprisingly turbid. It was the realm of Return to Simplicity that Jeong Yeon-shin always observed and learned from.
Jin Myeong-jo opened his mouth.
"Beijing is a world of its own."
Jeong Yeon-shin nodded.
"I have heard much about it. They say it is not a land of humans."
"You will need to prepare in many ways. Are you interested in the Invisible Sword?"
"To be precise, I am interested in the Dark Night Radiant Blood Magic Sword..."
"Observe every single move of the Commander. With your Blood Art, you can more than realize it."
"Thank you for the advice. If I may ask, where is your mission location? Perhaps I could be of help..."
Jeong Yeon-shin trailed off. This was a person who might become the Vice Commander of the Divine Sword Corps in the future. Knowing his destination would make it easier to appoint him when the time came.
In an instant, a cold light flashed in Jin Myeong-jo's eyes.
"The death of a Desolate Fortress warrior is a common occurrence in war. Do not seek to know. Even if one dies in the wild, it cannot be called a futile death."
Immediately after, wrapped tightly in his black robe, he vanished from the spot.
In that moment, Jeong Yeon-shin saw the afterimage of Jin Myeong-jo receding as he stepped backward over the sunlit river. It was an extremely elegant water-walking technique.
"Myeong-jo spoke well. That is the mindset of the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps."
Yong Hee-myung placed a hand on Jeong Yeon-shin's shoulder.
"Once you rise to this position, you cannot help but frequently lose the warriors under your command. After I wash my hands in a golden basin and retire, I plan to visit their hometowns. There are many places I must stop by."
"……"
Jeong Yeon-shin nodded silently. After staring at him quietly for a moment, Yong Hee-myung curled the corners of his mouth.
"Let's get going. It's quite a long way, but in the blink of an eye, the moat of the Forbidden City will be right before us."
* * *
From Wuchang in Huguang Province to Beijing.
It was a distance that required traversing half the country. A span that, under normal circumstances, would take enough time to carry out two or three long-term missions.
However, the physical capabilities of the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps, who had fully recovered from his internal injuries, were truly monstrous.
Utilizing an extremely linear lightness skill sprint, he even overtook Jeong Yeon-shin several times—all while carrying the Keen Broom of the Divine Sword, Yeon So-ha, under his arm.
"That is...?"
"I borrowed your inspiration when I was trapped in the Net of Heaven and Earth. It was incredibly useful. If it bothers you, I am willing to impart a few words of my martial principles."
"I'll figure it out on my own."
"Hmm?"
They headed north at a terrifying speed.
They crossed forests filled with clay-colored branches and vast, cracked plains bereft of a single drop of moisture.
Sunlight and moonlight alternated several times, sweeping over Jeong Yeon-shin's head.
"Ah, you should know this. There is no way Beijing will welcome us. We'll be lucky if they don't issue an arrest warrant first."
"Is it because they suspect treason?"
"There might be those who do, but my point is a bit different. The gathering of the Unit Commanders itself is something that will offend them. Regardless of your intentions or mine."
"……"
"Leaving a power capable of greatly threatening the capital untouched within their territory? Such a country is no longer a country. Much less an empire. Isn't that the very reason the Desolate Fortress was created in the first place?"
"...I understand."
Then, one day, as they soared through the clouds and mist that wrapped around a sheer cliff like a belt...
Far away, golden roof tiles stretching endlessly toward the horizon reflected in Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes.
A fortress wall revealed its overwhelming majesty beneath the distant sky.
Beyond it lay a cluster of pavilions too numerous to count, and crowds upon crowds of people...
Beijing.
It was the capital of this country.
The sheer presence of the city was immense. How could such a prosperous land exist under heaven?
It was then.
Swoooosh—!
A shadow shot in a straight line toward Jeong Yeon-shin, who was suspended in midair.
It was an extremely long spear, flying fast enough to instantly bring to mind the Ten-Mile One Kill.
Infused with incredibly powerful True Qi, translucent circular shockwaves exploded one after another along the trajectory of the thrown weapon.
In an instant, it crossed the vast space and reached right in front of Jeong Yeon-shin's face.
"What a welcome we have here. First, let's moderately..."
Yong Hee-myung, who was stepping on the air beside him, was too late with his words.
The moment Jeong Yeon-shin snatched the long spear from the air, he spun around in mid-flight and hurled it right back.
Immediately after, an achromatic energy flared up like fire along his forearm. It was the trace of the Propulsion Shockwave that Jeong Yeon-shin had unleashed in a split second.
Whooooosh—!
The sound of it tearing through the air was on a completely different level. It was incredibly heavy.
It happened in a flash.
The long spear, warping the atmosphere as it flew, plunged straight into the ground.
In that moment, a violent vibration surged through the air, swallowing the sound of the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps muttering, "Hmm...?" amidst a deafening, roaring boom.