Chapter 541: The Jianghu Roster (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 541: The Jianghu Roster (7)
Ban Mu-il, a disciple of the Zhongnan Lay Sect.
One of Jeong Hye’s attackers had already fallen to the Plum Blossom Sword. The remaining two stood paralyzed, stiff as statues, before being dragged away by the Embroidered Uniform Guards. Their mute acupoints hadn't even been sealed.
"It's all a misunderstanding! I willingly became a spy in this nation's Jianghu! I was never turned!"
"Me too! It's just a coincidence! I'll tell you everything I know about the North..."
Their pleas flowed like water, but no one was listening. The silver-tongued maneuvering of these veteran Jianghu figures held absolutely no sway over the officials of Beijing.
A Brightfolk expert of the imperial family, distinguished by his long ears, muttered a chilling verdict.
"Lies."
His voice was as cold and resolute as the night sky hanging over the crowd.
The boy who had stepped forward to save Jeong Hye sheathed his sword without a sound. With a soft click, the milky-white blade vanished into its scabbard. It was the Sect Leader's Token of the Mount Hua Sect, famously known as the Purple Mist Divine Sword.
Naturally, the owner of that sword was Yu-hyeon, the boy who had assumed the mantle of Mount Hua's Acting Sect Leader at an unprecedentedly young age.
"...I'm glad. Yeon-shin's path is already rough enough as it is."
He gently patted Jeong Hye's head once, then silently vanished into the night air.
The aura of the boy, who had grown quite tall since they last met, was vastly different from before. It was taciturn and heavy—so much so that he didn't even return Wiji Myo-hwa's cupped-fist salute.
"Brother Mae-hwa...?"
Jeong Hye called out softly to Yu-hyeon, but Wiji Myo-hwa simply shook her head.
"Leave him be. The Mount Hua Sect has recently suffered some strange incidents. Rumor has it that the Saint Flower Sword God has vanished, but only the people of Mount Hua know the intimate details."
"Ah..."
"Our sect must focus on our own affairs first. But before that... please forgive me for not treating you like a child, Sect Aunt. Though I am deeply sorry to say this..."
Wiji Myo-hwa's calm yet stern scolding fell upon Jeong Hye.
"At the very least, Sect Aunt, you must not forget what you experienced at the hands of the demon of Lingering Spirit. How much blood was spilled that day? How many of our sect's benefactors were injured?"
Despite being a child, Jeong Hye held the highest generational rank in the Zhongnan Sect. The Earth-shaking Child of Zhongnan was certainly a sensible girl. That was why today's events were all the more incomprehensible to her.
By now, many of the surrounding figures were glaring at Jeong Hye as if she were a nuisance.
An immature child they couldn't easily handle because of the Acting Commander of the Divine Sword Corps. She was a Thunderbolt Bomb that no one dared touch.
"If you slip away alone under the cover of night and meet with disaster, you can surely guess what would happen—not only to our sect, but to the entire Jianghu, including Young Hero Jeong. You are highly intelligent. And yet... Sect Aunt?"
Wiji Myo-hwa faltered.
Jeong Hye, who had been listening to the scolding with a sullen face, suddenly looked different. She had slipped into a state of utter selflessness. The child's eyes had lost their focus.
[Come here.]
The voice rang out once more. It was audible only to Jeong Hye—a magnetic pull echoing over and over through the child's upper dantian.
As if possessed, Jeong Hye reached out her arm.
Slide.
Her tiny hand pressed against a large boulder.
Hyoryeong Rock of Mount Zhongnan.
At that moment, while the auras of countless experts brushed past the boulder, a low hum of internal power vibrated from Jeong Hye's tiny palm.
The energy of Zhongnan's Great Unity Heart Art had infused it.
Crack.
The sound came from the stone. A fine hairline crack engraved on the massive boulder split wide open, and three or four sheets of paper shot up from the crevice, riding the wave of energy. The true qi of the Great Unity Heart Art had acted as a key.
"...!"
The imperial faction was the first to react.
Flutter!
A woman of massive build crossed the spatial distance in an instant. Despite not being a eunuch, she was a figure whom the Late Emperor Geonreung had exceptionally appointed as the Head Eunuch. The air trembled around her fluttering red robes.
Without even issuing an order to her subordinates, she snatched the bundle of papers. Instantly, a violent backdraft erupted, whipping Jeong Hye's hair wildly into the air.
However, this was a gathering where everyone had mastered some form of eye technique. Countless experts present could perceive time as if it were stretched to infinity.
It took only a fraction of a second for the fluttering papers to register in the eyes of the crowd. More specifically, the densely packed writing on the very first page burned into their minds like a vivid painting.
[Certain realizations are like the seeds of the Golden Silkworm Herb (dandelion). They rise suddenly and vanish in an instant, making that fleeting moment worth a thousand pieces of gold.
The comprehension that has come to me is the same, leaving me with no time to spare.
I now ascend to the heavens.
Yet, by the premonition that has brushed past my mind, I am certain that a disciple of our sect will discover this secret within three years.
O child who has shattered the rock with the powerful Great Unity Heart Art.
Protect this well.
Until the swordsman who can speak with the dead arrives.
Until a person who treasures worldly connections and can converse with history appears.
He is the World's Greatest Sword of this era.
If he possesses a righteous heart, he shall cleave through this chaotic world with a single sword move.]
"The Sword Immortal of Zhongnan's...?!"
Many whispered from a distance.
A multitude of martial artists had surrounded the area, appearing like ghosts. Naturally, they were all renowned masters of the Jianghu—distinguished enough to have been assigned quarters for the Heavenly Scripture Martial Arts Examination.
Every single one of them had swiftly rushed over at the sudden commotion. Naturally, they all possessed outstanding eye techniques.
The Jianghu was in a time of famine.
A world where the value of high-level martial arts had soared to the heavens. The people of the Jianghu now had to fight tooth and nail to seize even a single grain of rice.
A single scene was now etched into the greedy, colorless gazes of such beings.
"The deceased Sword Immortal of Zhongnan..."
He had spoken of the world's greatest sword move.
The key to a sword technique that could pacify a chaotic world. Furthermore, it belonged to an immortal who had passed away after cleaving the gate of the strange, violent, chaotic, and supernatural phenomena of Mount Zhongnan.
Who among them would not covet it?
"..."
The murmuring crowd fell silent.
All eyes were drawn to the Head Eunuch's hand.
The wind at the foot of the mountain was no longer peaceful. It twisted and bent strangely, carrying a bizarre, heavy current.
The most confident person present was, of course, the Zhongnan Sect Leader.
Wiji Myo-hwa spoke, her eyes crystal clear.
"Head Eunuch, that is a document of our sect discovered by a Zhongnan disciple. Please hand it to me."
The Head Eunuch did not answer.
She merely curled her lips into a sharp smile, as pointed as her own ears. But as Wiji Myo-hwa silently held her gaze, she finally replied.
"The reason the new Emperor revived Zhongnan lies within my hand. You, the Zhongnan Sect Leader, should know shame."
The words of Beijing's most powerful figure were not overbearing. They were plain, spoken as if merely stating facts, which made them sound all the more authoritative—enough to make the surrounding martial artists hesitate.
"..."
Just then, Jeong Hye gently tugged at Wiji Myo-hwa's sleeve and whispered innocently.
"Sect Leader Niece, I want to go back to school. It seems 'shame' has a different meaning here."
The Head Eunuch stiffened for a moment, but in the end, she made no move to hand the bundle of papers to Wiji Myo-hwa. The gazes of the martial artists remained locked onto the documents, completely motionless.
The silence stretched.
No one dared to make a rash move.
Even a simple treasure map detailing the grave of a renowned expert was enough to trigger a bloodbath in the Jianghu.
What would happen, then, when the treasure itself—not just a map—was laid bare before their eyes? Anyone confident in their Body Protection Scripture might try to snatch the papers by any means necessary and flee deep into the mountains and valleys.
The martial artists of the Heavenly Scripture Martial Arts Examination.
Their expressionless faces spoke volumes. At this moment, every single one of them was undoubtedly suppressing the exact same urge.
If a fight breaks out, lethal waves of explosive qi will fly everywhere.
It happened just as Wiji Myo-hwa moved to hide Jeong Hye behind her back.
Suddenly, the moon vanished from the night sky. The clouds, which had previously held a hazy glow, turned pitch-black.
It was as if a black shroud had been draped over the sky. Beneath it, a figure stood perfectly upright with her feet together, stepping lightly onto one of the Head Eunuch's shoulders.
"...!"
It was a woman.
Her incredibly long hair cascaded down to her waist; though it was ash-gray, it possessed a lustrous, otherworldly sheen.
She seemed to emit a dark radiance of her own. In her hand, the moonlight that had been pouring down just moments ago was gathered into a soft, condensed glow.
As if she had stolen it from the sky.
Or perhaps she had simply found the moonlight, which interfered with her stealth, to be a nuisance.
It was said that the Five Great Swords of the World could cleave through providence itself. At this moment, this woman's pale hand also seemed to distort the very laws of nature.
Had they met face-to-face, it might have been different. But the Head Eunuch, having completely exposed her back to the woman who appeared out of nowhere, froze like a dead tree. The energy concentrated in the woman's sole had already sealed her acupoints.
"The God... Thief...!"
An imperial expert groaned under his breath.
The God Thief.
The vanguard of the Northern Jianghu. Her true name was entirely unknown.
A peerless master who had smuggled all sorts of precious treasures of the Ming Dynasty beyond the Great Wall. She had once even evaded the eyes of Emperor Geonreung.
"So many of them. How annoying."
Her voice tickled the skin like silk woven from the night sky itself. Instantly, many in the crowd staggered. Just hearing her speak had violently shaken the true qi in their upper dantians.
Yet, the woman's gaze lingered elsewhere for a brief moment—until, suddenly, she swung her long leg as casually as if she were taking a stroll.
Thud!
The Head Eunuch's head exploded.
The blood spraying into the darkness revealed nothing. It merely brushed past the woman's pale ankle before settling into the dirt.
Stepping lightly off the headless corpse, she vanished, melting seamlessly into the night air. In the blink of an eye, she had snatched the bundle of papers the Head Eunuch had been holding.
A peerless master thief.
The King of the Dream-like Body, born of the clan possessing the Dream Demon Physique.
She never strikes more than twice.
This was the sole rule of the God Thief known to the Jianghu. No one knew why she adhered to such strict conduct. Like many peerless masters, she was simply accepted as an eccentric.
Thud.
The Head Eunuch's body collapsed.
The dirt ground, rapidly staining a dark crimson, no longer felt like the Jianghu of the Ming Dynasty. It felt closer to the dry, barren, blood-soaked plains of the North.
Whoosh!
"I took my time since they only asked me to grace them with my presence... but it seems I am late."
An old woman holding a sword appeared. She came from the exact direction the God Thief had just been looking. She was none other than the Sword Empress Geum Seon-seon, the Diancang Sect Leader.
Glancing down at the Head Eunuch's corpse, the deep wrinkles on the old woman's face began to smooth out.
It was Rejuvenation, a technique that temporarily restored her youth. In an instant, she transformed into a young woman with an arrogant, self-righteous expression.
It was a technique unique to the Diancang Sect Leader.
"If I let the culprit escape like this, how can I face that ruined scoundrel of the Ma family..."
Muttering in a youthful voice, she kicked off the ground. Instantly, the earth beneath her caved in.
Boom!
Her figure shot into the darkness like a white blur. A tempest raged in all directions, violently scraping the earth.
That was the trigger.
"Let's follow! That was definitely the Diancang Sect Leader!"
"Diancang...? If the Sword Empress has stepped in, don't we have a chance?"
"They say even the Lord of the Desolate Fortress struggled against the sheer numbers of Dali! Though I don't know if that's true...!"
Transparent propulsion shockwaves exploded from all directions. The surrounding martial artists vanished into the darkness one after another, eagerly pursuing the God Thief and the Sword Empress.
Such was the impact of a treasure containing the ultimate way of the sword—the manual left behind by the Sword Immortal of Zhongnan.
"The Head Eunuch has...!"
"Send word to His Majesty! We pursue them first!"
Rumble—
Dust hovered hazily beneath the full moon, which had regained its light. The cold winter night air was violently pushed back by the sheer heat radiating from the martial artists' qi.
The heroes of a chaotic world pursued the world's greatest.
The direction was north.
* * *
Jeong Yeon-shin had never ridden a horse since ascending to the purple rank. Even without relying on sword flight, his lightness skill, Ten-Mile Light Grace, made him faster than any fine steed.
The halo constantly spinning in his heart also granted him practically infinite endurance.
It was the same now.
Thud— Thud—
Loud booms erupted beneath his feet at wide intervals. The faint afterimages of Ten-Mile Light Grace scattered continuously to his left and right.
Jeong Yeon-shin turned his head slightly and asked,
"Can you hold on?"
"Of course. Where else would I find a fated encounter like this?"
Shin So-bin, riding piggyback on his shoulders, answered quickly. She had her knees tightly locked around Jeong Yeon-shin's waist, and even at this incredibly high speed, she constantly shifted her feet.
A subtle movement.
She was absorbing and internalizing every bit of the violent propulsion shockwaves coursing through his body. Through this, her own mastery of Ten-Mile Light Grace was bound to improve continuously.
It was, without a doubt, a once-in-a-lifetime fated encounter.
Without exaggeration, it was an opportunity almost any martial artist would kill for.
Yet, Shin So-bin asked with a playful smile,
"I heard you didn't select me as a member of the Divine Sword squad. Did you bring me along because you felt bad?"
"No, just because."
Jeong Yeon-shin casually glossed over the question.
Shin So-bin was the core of the Vast Art Formula that the Demonlight Wing utilized in group battles. Naturally, he couldn't completely take her away from them.
However, their current journey together was entirely because of the Wudang Sect. The place where every disciple bore the face of the Perfected Ancient Sword—that sight had been a quiet, lingering shock.
Jeong Yeon-shin wanted to teach Shin So-bin a bit more. After all, hadn't he learned a great deal from his own seniors beyond the gate?
So, he had made her his companion for a short while.
He had sent Cheong-myeong and the other members of the Demonlight Wing back after making a specific request. The Perfected Mystic Concord had agreed to accompany them to Mount Zhongnan.
Although the faces of the Demonlight Wing experts had turned strange when he announced he would teach Shin So-bin, Jeong Yeon-shin wanted to become independent of Cheong-myeong's help—something he had been trying hard to ignore. Because he was an adult now.
It had also been a while since he had sent the White Swallow flying with a letter tied to its leg. Its destination was the Desolate Fortress Main Fortress. It wasn't an urgent matter right now.
Suddenly, Shin So-bin turned her head back.
"Hey."
She gently brushed away a strand of Jeong Yeon-shin's hair that was clinging to her face and asked,
"About that roster. How important is it?"
[More than anything else in the world.]
A heavy reply returned without delay. The voice echoed from the horse and rider following closely behind Jeong Yeon-shin.
"That much? There were some unexpected names in there, though."
[It is a hit list, and the God of War possesses the exact same book. The bloodbath that will soon sweep through your Jianghu will be carried out based entirely on that roster.]
"So it's a strategic treasure. Even so, the Beggar Sect Leader grandpa wasn't listed in it at all."
[A beggar is no Great Warrior. Lacking even the minimum amount of honor, he is not included in the roster. He is merely recognized separately as an extremely troublesome existence.]
"Ah..."
[You may ask more.]
The North Blade was originally a taciturn being.
Yet, whenever the roster became the topic of conversation, he became strangely proactive. Furthermore, he spoke with an oddly refined vocabulary.
It was a fact that occasionally felt chilling, precisely because he was a monster who refused to even show his face.
Jeong Yeon-shin didn't mind.
What mattered right now were his Black Rank seniors.
The Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring and the Commander of the Dragon-Treading Unit, who were reportedly being held captive after being branded as traitors.
Is that the place?
Before long, a grandly constructed barracks appeared right before his eyes. It was a military camp filled with an extremely tight and heavy aura, but at a glance, it felt closer to a Jianghu stronghold than a true military force.
In fact, he could sense countless familiar waves of internal power.
Not that it was his concern right now.
KABOOM!
Jeong Yeon-shin landed, violently splitting the ground beneath him.