Chapter 544: The Jianghu Roster (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 544: The Jianghu Roster (10)
The Great Wall. A sprawling, seemingly infinite barrier.
Though it stretched endlessly to the east and west, its ends were nowhere in sight. The ramparts ran into a pale haze, swallowed whole by the yellow, sandy winds. Whichever way one turned, the view remained the exact same.
It snaked along the distant ridges like the body of a flood dragon, poised to block off the entire world.
It was not a monument built upon the lives of just one or two people.
It was the Unified Martial Transcendence of a nation.
Such was the assessment of the renowned masters of the great sects who truly understood the peerless realm.
Because countless sacrifices had seeped into these stone walls, a resentment deeper than any divine ultimate technique was what bound the stones together.
The Great Wall north of Beijing was no different.
Juyong Pass.
A majestic fortress nestled between the long stretches of the wall.
Though called a pass, it was a fortress built on a terrifying scale by the hands of the Imperial Family's Ironfolk. Its height alone reached eighty jang—a man-made, heavenly cliff.
At this moment, two men stood upon the highest watchtower of Juyong Pass. One was a young man in a purple robe; the other was a middle-aged man clad in faded silver armor.
"They raised these stone walls using the spirituality dwelling within the fire energy of natural qi," said Grand Governor Jeon U-rip. The middle-aged man, who wielded absolute authority across the entire Great Wall, stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
Standing beside him, Jeong Yeon-shin listened in silence.
"Originally, I was a complete novice when it came to such stonework. But after being appointed as the Grand Governor of this wretched land, there was much I had to learn whether I liked it or not. Besides, the cavalry charge of those demonfolk bastards is a demonic art among demonic arts, capable of smashing even the Great Wall."
"……."
"I've heard they even mobilized the power of the 'Fire King' through the Imperial Family's secret formation. Looking at the scale of it, that story seems plausible. Though, of course, it shatters quite easily against that cursed Heavenly Silk Light Armor."
"Yet, looking at this reassuring height, I suppose it makes sense," Jeon U-rip added.
Jeong Yeon-shin nodded slightly.
A demonic art capable of smashing even the Great Wall...
Generally, the term "demonic art" was used in two cases. The first was when atrocious methods were used to accelerate one's progress, or when a martial art actually refined demonic energy. The second was simply referring to an overwhelmingly powerful martial art in a derogatory manner.
It seemed Jeon U-rip meant the latter, and now Yeon-shin agreed with him to some extent. After all, he had just experienced the Heavenly Silk Light Armor firsthand.
Yeon-shin stared blankly beyond the ramparts.
In the distance, a fortress stood facing Juyong Pass. Its slightly more angular roofs and walls were faintly visible through the haze.
Though incredibly far to the naked eye, from a strategic standpoint, the fortress was absurdly close.
Right now, thick plumes of gray smoke were billowing up from it, only deepening its desolate, overwhelming atmosphere.
...He withstood Seon-ryong.
He had failed to kill the Lord of Hocheon Fortress properly.
He had originally intended to pierce his opponent's abdomen, but ended up merely blasting his figure back toward the horizon. The bastard had let out a bizarre shriek during their second exchange before plunging into the canyon.
This was because Ma Ma-gwang-myeol's body protection qi had momentarily become as tough as the tendons of Pangu from legend. It was literally like a giant's muscle.
This was no ordinary feat, even against a Sword Kinesis strike thrown from an immense distance based on mere visual estimation.
"What are you thinking about so deeply?" Jeon U-rip asked suddenly.
A smirk played on his lips. His naturally sharp features had relaxed into a genial expression. Yet, conflicting emotions faintly bled through—the bewilderment of having encountered something utterly absurd, and the delight of meeting a kindred spirit.
Jeong Yeon-shin glanced at him before turning his gaze back to the front.
"...Beijing and the Northern Region. Neither of them are easy," the Acting Commander of the Divine Sword Corps replied.
For a brief moment, Jeon U-rip's eyes twitched softly—a flash of insight. Even while smiling, venom lingered in the eyes of the Great Ming Empire's Grand Governor.
"The Lord of Hocheon Fortress, Ma Ma-gwang-myeol, is indeed a troublesome bastard."
"……."
"Perhaps because he has lived such a chaotic life, he couldn't bind his existence into a single stance... but when it comes to arts directly linked to survival, like the Body Protection Scripture and body protection qi, he is second to none among peerless experts. I suppose he is a typical Han martial artist who knelt before the Northern Jianghu," Jeon U-rip concluded.
At that moment, the joints of his silver armor clinked. His murderous intent toward Ma Ma-gwang-myeol had clearly flared up alongside his energy wave.
Ah.
Suddenly, Jeong Yeon-shin realized that the Grand Governor's armor was forged from the same iron as Lingering Thunder.
The True Silver Ore that had once lain scattered within the Flood Dragon's formation. He had no idea where Jeon U-rip had obtained it, but it seemed that once one became the head of the empire's military, they could possess even such rare armor.
"There! They're coming!"
"Open the gates!"
Rumble—!
The shouts echoed from below the watchtower. The soldiers, who had been staring blankly at Jeong Yeon-shin and the horizon beyond the gates, rushed to open the massive doors of Juyong Pass.
Aaaah!
Those rushing toward them were, of course, the crowd of captives who had escaped from Hocheon Fortress.
It was a mix of young men, women, commoners, and martial artists. Every single one of them was pale and bloodless, having been escorted all the way from Hocheon Fortress to this place by Lingering Thunder, which floated alongside them.
Their gaunt appearances made it difficult to fathom the horrors they had endured.
Some of the commoners respectfully clasped their hands toward the floating blade, and the Divine Sword Lingering Thunder spun in place to return the greeting.
Thus, Jeong Yeon-shin's one and only beloved sword had regained an unrecognizable amount of vitality since leaving Mount Wudang.
Jeong Yeon-shin looked down at them and spoke to Jeon U-rip.
"There was a pavilion."
"Hmm?"
"It was built of corpses. A house constructed by infusing some bodies with powerful energy, and others with a faint, subtly undulating energy... It also looked like some unknown formation."
"Ah," Jeon U-rip let out a dry exclamation. "It is the secret qi accumulation technique of those northern bastards. According to our spies' reports, it's a common sight in every city."
"A qi accumulation technique?"
At Yeon-shin's question, Jeon U-rip curled his lips upward without much emotion. It was a manufactured, hollow smile.
"It's a formation that rapidly drains the energy of the deceased into the surrounding earth. Because their land is exceptionally barren and lacks spirit medicines, they developed such methods. Those turtle-like bastards even kill each other to create them. Usually, those who lose in great sect wars or clan wars end up suffering the same fate."
Jeon U-rip paused, then added, "Needless to say, a well-fed southerner makes for an excellent roof tile."
It was dark humor, steeped in the scent of blood.
The moment he finished speaking, Lingering Thunder slid back into the scabbard at Yeon-shin's waist.
Thud!
Jeong Yeon-shin smoothly channeled the recoil down through his feet. Soon after, the blue Taiji that had been faintly burning around him vanished with a flare.
Grand Governor Jeon U-rip seemed deeply curious about it, but surprisingly, like a martial artist well-versed in the etiquette of the Jianghu, he did not pry into Jeong Yeon-shin's ultimate technique.
He merely uttered a firm statement in a low voice.
"In any case, it is an achievement that anyone would marvel at. Of course, even so, I do not have the power to release Lord Jeong's subordinates from the Beijing Thunder Prison... but I can at least have a few words with them."
—Should you not rest first?
Jeon U-rip's final words echoed via telepathy.
Jeong Yeon-shin was slightly surprised but did not show it. The man before him was someone who had been bestowed the 'Golden Battle-Axe,' the axe of the late Emperor. It would not be strange if his keen eye was sharper than any Purple Rank of the Desolate Fortress.
Hocheon Fortress was now filled only with smoke.
It was completely empty.
The same went for Seulhae Pass beyond it.
Jeong Yeon-shin had truly annihilated three thousand demonfolk experts in an instant.
He had struck the crescent blade of an enemy expert—a weapon that seemed quite well-crafted—using Sword Kinesis, and immediately after, he had unleashed a sword song using the opponent's own weapon.
That single move had required extreme concentration. He had even felt a sharp pain, as if the true qi of his entire body was being drained away in an instant.
Although most of the Imperial experts above and below the ramparts were currently staring at Jeong Yeon-shin as if looking at Emperor Geonreung himself, he would have cut a rather pathetic figure if not for the Jeong Family Dynamic Art.
Even as he stood there circulating his qi, his entire body felt incredibly heavy.
The rotation speed of the halo has decreased by about forty percent. The true qi in my acupoints and fine meridians has temporarily lost its elasticity... and only this child is perfectly fine.
Hummm—
Jeong Yeon-shin stroked Lingering Thunder and turned to Jeon U-rip.
"Does this military camp have a map of the Northern Jianghu as well?"
"Of course we do. Though it is a national treasure treated with the utmost secrecy."
"Give me a copy."
"Pardon?"
Jeon U-rip's eyebrows shot up. This was a loaded response. It meant that if Jeong Yeon-shin took back his words now, the Grand Governor would pretend he had never heard them, sweeping the matter under the rug.
But Jeong Yeon-shin did not back down.
"I ask for a copy that can be burned later without issue," he said.
Clink—
A chain-like sound rattled from the True Silver Ore armor worn by the Grand Governor, and Jeon U-rip's question immediately followed.
"Are you planning to travel incognito?"
"I do not know yet. However, if the Grand Governor marches out, I am willing to follow the naturally expanding military camp."
The territory of the Ming Dynasty would expand.
If what they had to protect increased in such a manner, the Imperial Family would have no choice but to release Bukgung-a and Wiji-geuk.
The Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring and the Commander of the Dragon-Treading Unit. From what Jeong Yeon-shin had seen of them, though they might be somewhat fierce or slippery, they were seniors absolutely essential to the livelihood of the world's people.
Jeon U-rip shrugged.
"Of course, in those stolen lands of the north, our southern commoners live as captives, waiting to be used as roof tiles for those 'houses of corpses.' But if Lord Jeong moves like this, what becomes of the late Emperor's imperial decree?"
Perhaps wishing to draw a strict line between public and private matters, his tone was awkwardly formal compared to when they had first met. Yet, Jeong Yeon-shin's attitude remained unchanged.
"You must have heard of the Great War of the Desolate Fortress."
"Of course I have."
"The current Central Plains martial world is no longer as widely imperiled as before. Furthermore, the present lull stems from the tracks of the Northern God of War, which have become highly elusive."
As he spoke, Jeong Yeon-shin glanced at the empty air. It was as if he were speaking to someone who was not present.
In truth, he was locking eyes with the invisible wind.
Just as he had once encountered the spirituality of the Heavenly Demon within the body protection qi of the Heavenly Demon Divine Armor, at this moment, Jeong Yeon-shin was sensing the rich breeze unique to Beijing. Naturally, this was the function of his Upper Dantian.
"……."
Jeon U-rip spoke, his expression having sunk into indifference before anyone realized. He was a man who drew a clear line between personal goodwill and public duty.
"...So it is fine now? Because the late Emperor, who has passed away, has lost all justification?"
"If the Grand Governor permits, I intend to familiarize myself with the map first. Do I not have the right?"
From the Black Rank, one could view maps of the entire Central Plains, and the Purple Rank was even permitted to interfere in military strategy. For the Acting Commander of the Divine Sword Corps, it went without saying.
"You speak like the roofs of the Forbidden City. Fitting, no matter how you drape it..."
The middle-aged Grand Governor's eyes, wrinkled by the blood-scent of the north, curved slightly. His expression was like that of someone who had finally encountered the words and actions they had long awaited. Soon after, Jeon U-rip spoke, the madness of the battlefield flashing across his face several times in a brief moment.
"For now, very well. I shall give you a copy."
A quarter of an hour later, Jeong Yeon-shin had thoroughly mastered the geography of the Northern Region.
It was the result of secret cooperation within the Grand Governor's barracks.
Soon after.
Flash!
For a split second, a deep blue light flashed in his eyes. At the same time, Jeong Yeon-shin's telepathy blended into the wind.
—I once captured Her Majesty the Grand Empress Dowager's Cining Palace within my sense of qi back in the Forbidden City.
—…….
—Do not let me be the one to notify Her Majesty of my journey north. You must care for the common people, not imperial authority. If you wish to save face, issue the imperial decree first. I apologize, but I will give you a day's grace.
Whoosh—!
In an instant, a sharp wind scraped against Jeong Yeon-shin's cheek, leaving three characters behind.
Like Protecting Blood.
It meant he was no different from Jin Myeong-jo. It was a phrase that instilled an incomparably strong conviction in Jeong Yeon-shin.
Is the Deputy Unit Commander in the Imperial Palace? If so...
I am still in the right.
The Divine Sword of a nation thought, committing the geography of the Northern Jianghu to memory. The map drew strokes in his mind like a sword path.