Chapter 545: The Jianghu Roster (11)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 545: The Jianghu Roster (11)
Inside the Grand Governor's barracks, a meeting was taking place between the Grand Governor of the Ming Dynasty and the Acting Commander of the Divine Sword Corps. It was a gathering that would make any powerful figure gasp in shock.
As Jeong Yeon-shin examined a map of the northern region, he suddenly perceived the master of Cining Palace in the Forbidden City. To be precise, he felt her spirituality drifting on the wind.
Just barely.
I almost missed it.
Was this the price of running wild with Sword Kinesis—specifically, the Fan Dragon Lotus Art?
No, it wasn't.
Yeon-shin's sense of qi was still razor-sharp. It was the perception of a peerless realm that allowed for no sudden ambushes. Even though his entire body felt heavy after destroying Hocheon Fortress in the north, his senses remained perfectly intact.
It was simply that the Grand Empress Dowager's gaze was absurdly natural. The wind that lifted the tent flap and blew into the barracks was her very gaze.
It was a technique that manipulated the spirituality dwelling within natural qi as easily as moving one's own limbs.
Senior Shin's was earth qi.
The sorcery martial arts of Shin Cheon-hwa, the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps from two generations prior, held an overwhelming dominion over the power of the Five Elements.
Among them, his skill in manipulating earth and rock was particularly extraordinary; its speed and subtlety were so advanced that even Yeon-shin's swordplay was eclipsed in comparison.
Similarly, Cheong-myeong, the Commander of the Demonlight Wing, possessed a comparable ability.
—I'm good at feeling the wind.
That was why he had been considered the greatest swordsman of the Demonlight Wing even before Yeon-shin entered the Desolate Fortress. He claimed it was because strong winds backed all his sword strikes.
The Grand Empress Dowager's power was likely of the same nature. The only difference lay in the technique and the sheer caliber with which she wielded such abilities.
That was why their recent exchange had been possible.
Yeon-shin had slipped a voice transmission into the wind, and the Grand Empress Dowager had sent back a brief word of praise, acknowledging that a Divine Sword Squad Commander and the Vice Commander of the Divine Sword Corps were of the same caliber.
Although treason was a crime so severe that even the Lord of the Desolate Fortress would find it difficult to interfere, Yeon-shin felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
All is well.
He didn't find the Grand Empress Dowager's gaze unpleasant.
Rather, he welcomed it. It meant the matter regarding his two Black-ranked seniors might be resolved much faster than expected.
Meanwhile.
"Even so, nothing has been resolved yet. As is always the case with military affairs, the parasites in Beijing are the problem," Grand Governor Jeon U-rip said, pinching the bridge of his nose irritably. "Those who lick up the lull in the northern battlefield like honey. Since imperial power has just shifted, they must be like stray dogs searching for a place to lie down. If I were to order a large-scale march here..."
Both Beijing and the north would be thrown into chaos. They might get caught between those rising up and those coming down.
Suddenly, Shin So-bin chimed in.
"Isn't it a bit late to worry about that? Lord Jeong has already smashed a fortress and a pass."
Yeon-shin glanced at his disciple.
When their eyes met, the corners of So-bin's mouth curled up slightly like a cat's. It was hard to tell if she was teasing him or not.
"I learned military strategy from my family too," she said. "No matter how I look at it, isn't now the time to press our advantage? Hocheon Fortress is empty right now, isn't it?"
"Whether we occupy it or not is the key issue," Jeon U-rip replied naturally, treating her with the courtesy due to the legitimate successor of the Flash Art Lineage. He tapped his finger on the table where the northern map lay. "If we leave it as is, it will only lead to repeated minor skirmishes. At least until the Fighting God appears again..."
The Fighting God.
The supreme commander of the Ming military casually referred to the leader of the hostile faction as a "god."
This was something that would have been impossible had the late Emperor Geonreung not tolerated it in the past. Jeon U-rip's words flowed naturally.
"But if I raise an army again, then not only the north but even the south will be swept up in the freezing winds of war. The powerful imperial experts of the Forbidden City will try to conscript the martial artists of the Jianghu by any means necessary. Of course, the northern Jianghu, which is full of monsters, will also unite as one. Naturally... the latter is the biggest problem."
"So, if the Imperial Army moves, the northern Jianghu will also move like a nation?"
"Exactly, young friend of the Shin clan."
"Then it's time for martial artists to step in."
"Hmm?"
"A small group of experts should enter the northern Jianghu. That way, the land we occupy will keep expanding, beyond just Hocheon Fortress and Seulhae Pass."
"That is absurdly dangerous. Besides, there are no martial artists in the world who are so close to the military. What Murim expert would willingly walk into the Reviving Hell of the underworld?"
A fiery pit of hell.
This was Jeon U-rip's description of the north, and it didn't feel like an exaggeration at all.
After all, Yeon-shin had also just learned about the map and had heard, albeit briefly, about all kinds of unfamiliar climates, lifestyles, and the various factions and powerhouses of the northern Jianghu.
It really is the Reviving Hell. In many ways...
At that moment, Shin So-bin smiled brightly.
"Who's going, you ask? We are."
"What?"
At Jeon U-rip's questioning response, she continued.
"Martial artists view the Desolate Fortress as a government office, but government officials view our main fortress as a gathering of martial artists. Externally, the imperial family strictly refuses to recognize the Divine Sword Corps as part of the Imperial Army or as an imperial sect. We are outsiders. It will be the same in the north. Just look at how Lord Jeong's name is listed in the North Blade's Illustrated Guide to the Martial World."
"Ah, that roster..."
Jeon U-rip trailed off as if he knew of it. At the same time, despite the energy barrier being active, the rough snorting of a warhorse could be heard from outside the barracks.
The presence of the North Blade, renowned under heaven. There was no need to even lift the tent flap to know.
Regardless, Shin So-bin kept chattering.
"The important thing is that we need a small group of strong experts who can rescue the commoners of the north and sweep through the northern Jianghu, right? And as a side benefit, Lord Jeong wants Beijing to voluntarily release our seniors, the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring and the Commander of the Dragon-Treading Unit. Given these circumstances, wouldn't the late Emperor have permitted the campaign?"
"The reason we came to the Great Wall," Yeon-shin picked up her words in a low voice. He continued slowly. "Was to make Beijing voluntarily hand over the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring and the Commander of the Dragon-Treading Unit to me. Seeing how things are today, it seems an imperial decree will be handed down from the Forbidden City if we just wait a little..."
He trailed off slightly at the end. If asked why he thought an imperial decree would be issued, he had no concrete answer to give.
He was beginning to realize that the deeds of a gentleman did not always appear purely righteous. Even if it was absolutely necessary, some things had to be hidden.
...Senior Yong must have always been lonely.
His maternal grandfather, Ma Yeon-jeok, too.
And Shin Cheon-hwa, who was no longer of this world.
Each had been tyrannical in their own distinct ways.
Naturally, they must have all risked the stability of their position as the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps at some point. Just look at Yong Hee-myung's order to assemble the unit commanders in the past.
How much contempt had that order brought upon them from Beijing? No powerful figure had wanted to speak with the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps for long. No one spoke well of the former Commander, Ma Yeon-jeok, either.
Yeon-shin now had to walk such a path.
The north.
A land of the strange, violent, chaotic, and supernatural, where the corpses of countless commoners were used as roof tiles.
That was the mission the Acting Commander of the Divine Sword Corps had assigned to himself.
A way to secure the release of the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring and the Commander of the Dragon-Treading Unit as quickly as possible without any political burden, and to nip the northern threat in the bud.
Meanwhile, Yeon-shin suddenly wondered how he had come to take chivalry as such an obvious value.
Though it had happened naturally as he traveled far from the Jeong Family Manor, there had definitely been a turning point.
Xinye County.
A rarely fertile land.
He lost himself in the past while waiting for the imperial decree.
"……"
Jeon U-rip and Shin So-bin did not disturb him as he fell into contemplation. Both of them also became lost in thought for their own reasons.
The decision made here was, quite literally, a great undertaking.
They stood on the precipice of a momentous event.
* * *
It had been a day since Jin Myeong-jo and Yeon So-ha were expelled from Cining Palace.
However, the quarters assigned to them were not a prison. Rather, it was the pavilion closest to the outskirts of the Forbidden City, a place where they could enter and leave the court at any time.
And that was the problem.
Scribble, scribble.
Jin Myeong-jo wrote down a memorial to the throne with an elegant posture. The sound of the brushstrokes was quiet, but the content was far more overwhelming than the movement of the ink.
—The weight of the current Vice Commander of the Divine Sword Corps alone is no less than that of the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring and the Commander of the Dragon-Treading Unit combined. It is only fitting that he bears the guilt in their stead.
That was the gist of it.
The whole world needs to know about that memorial, So-ha thought. And of course, Commander Jeong too.
While Yeon So-ha was admiring this, he was suddenly summoned to Cining Palace once again. He went with the sea-colored bead, the Spirit Treasure Jade, which Jin Myeong-jo had casually tossed to him, tucked safely into his robes.
"It's a signal flare for the new Divine Sword Squad," Jin Myeong-jo had told him. "If anything feels off, don't go deep into the palace—just detonate it. I will come."
"Yes, sir!"
This time, only Yeon So-ha was summoned. It was likely due to the attitude Jin Myeong-jo had previously shown toward the Grand Empress Dowager.
However, the situation the Vice Commander of the Divine Sword Corps worried about did not occur.
Upon entering Cining Palace, So-ha felt no particular hostility. The silhouette of the Grand Empress Dowager behind the beaded curtain was as still as a piece of wood.
Instead, she abruptly expressed interest in the Vast Art Formula of the Divine Sword Corps.
"Seeing it again, it is different. That which is clumsily inherent in your body... your manipulation of true qi is absurdly free."
"Pardon...?"
"If Perfected Zhang Sanfeng had grown up on a battlefield, he would have created such a martial art. Come closer. I am curious about the vision of one who has reached such martial attainment."
"I do not understand what you mean, but..."
"I heard you were born to the Yeon family of Beijing and are a very clever child. The portraits of key Jianghu figures distributed to the Desolate Fortress must be in your head. If you see them, you will recognize them immediately."
Rustle.
A hand as withered as an old tree reached out from between the beaded curtains and pressed against So-ha's forehead before he could even think of resisting.
"……!"
At that moment, So-ha's vision turned white. His view of the palace interior suddenly soared endlessly upward, soon placing the entire Forbidden City beneath him.
It was as if he had achieved Unity with a divine wind.
All kinds of voices drifted to his ears. Not only the low conversations of the imperial experts but even the hushed whispers of some wealthy merchants.
"My, the lineup of the imperial warriors is truly magnificent. It was worth the trouble of entering the Forbidden City. But at this rate... the Great Wall must be largely undefended."
"The eye techniques of the imperial family are the best under heaven, aren't they? If the demonfolk, who are desperate to find the Fighting God, start gathering again, the experts from here will head back up. More importantly, isn't it about the Illustrated Guide to the Martial World? The whole world must be in an uproar."
"Well, that's only natural. Is this not a lean year for the Jianghu, where strength is everything? Originally, those Murim fellows were always extremely sensitive about who was superior to whom. In a situation like this, plausible public notices have been posted all over the world..."
"And the scale of it inspires confidence. I heard Lingering Spirit released it."
"Lingering Spirit? More like damn pests."
"Pardon?"
"Look at what those pests have been doing, including this incident. Aren't they subtly dividing the Jianghu of the world? I can't even begin to guess how much the number of duel challenges involving public notaries has increased immediately after those notices were posted everywhere."
"I suppose you could look at it that way. Indeed, the pride of a martial artist sometimes makes even hunger look like a joke."
"It's a chilling sight. Extremely insidious. It's as if the sect called Lingering Spirit itself was the northern Jianghu..."
"Stop, stop! This is the imperial palace...! Let's hurry to the Ministry of Revenue before the Minister roars in anger."
"True. If we offend the high officials here any further, there's no telling how much the military rations we originally agreed to provide will increase. That is also a damn nuisance. At least it's a relief that our grain is also going to the Desolate Fortress..."
"Sir...!"
So-ha felt as if he had been turned into a ghost.
But he didn't panic. He, too, was a genius obsessed with martial arts, just like any other member of the Divine Sword Corps.
Is Her Highness the Grand Empress Dowager looking down at the world through my eyes? This is a fated encounter. I should try to grasp this feeling.
Regardless of his will, he soared among the golden palaces.
Neither the civil and military officials strolling along the elegant paths of the Forbidden City nor the imperial experts carrying their respective eighteen weapons noticed So-ha's gaze.
"This roster doesn't include the Imperial Army."
"Are we the same as those Jianghu martial artists? Our superiority was already decided from the martial arts examinations, and we have no reason to split up like a disorganized rabble. Ah... it seems the Desolate Fortress was treated differently. I wonder if they'll like or dislike this notice."
"Now, refrain from such vulgar words. Do not think you are superior to the warriors of the Desolate Fortress."
"Just between us, I'm getting restless. The bed is so uncomfortable. I'd rather sleep on the bare ground of a military tent."
"The time to march out again will come. Frankly speaking, even if they are peerless experts of the Jianghu, how could they handle so many demonfolk? They are used to walking the Jianghu alone, so they'll be lucky if they aren't swept away by the hordes of monsters in the north. Even if we go through the trouble of conscripting them, we won't be able to use them as an effective force."
"In any case, this paper is ridiculous. Since the Ten Great Masters aren't even listed, what is the point of all this?"
"Hmm? I don't see the 'Six' either."
"...It's sorcery martial arts. Let go. I must report this to the Great Commander."
So-ha wanted to go to the Thunder Prison where the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring and the Commander of the Dragon-Treading Unit were imprisoned. Given their personalities, there was no way they would get along peacefully with the prison guards.
Especially Senior Bukgung, the Lord of the Wish-Fulfilling Spring...
Is the Thunder Prison even intact right now? I heard it's been quite a while since they were captured.
It was then.
—I can only observe them for a brief moment, so I must see how the martial arts dwelling in your gaze react to these people. Steady your mind.
It was the voice of the Grand Empress Dowager.
At the same time, So-ha's vision flickered.
Flash!
All sorts of scenes flooded into his mind simultaneously.
The function of the Vast Art Formula, activated unconsciously, began to organize the chaotic visions one by one. The first presence he recognized was familiar.
A back view with long, flowing green hair.
He could not clearly tell whether what hung from the gap in her light green silk belt was a sword or a tree branch.
But the moment he realized she was the Lord of the Desolate Fortress, So-ha's vision was violently repelled.
In the second scene, his ears reacted before his eyes.
"The old tree of Taizu, acting like a rat."
The Heaven-Smiling Invincible, who was playing Go alone in a pale white mist, smiled purely. The moment she placed down a black stone as dark as her own hair, his vision inverted and was pushed away.
Whoosh—
An unknown wilderness also flowed into So-ha's mind. There were no people there; only the air, occasionally shimmering in the shape of a single sword, could be seen alongside a rainbow-colored wind.
In the fourth place, blood splattered first.
Splat!
The Lord of the Hegemon Sword Sect, whose ribs had been crushed with a loud crack by the hand-blade of a woman dyed in purple. Yet, his eyes remained a calm, ink-like black.
He glanced at So-ha once and slowly lowered his eyelids. Simultaneously, So-ha's vision, which had held them, closed from top to bottom.
The fifth was a mountain made of the corpses of dead demonfolk.
Perhaps feeling self-conscious under So-ha's gaze, a one-armed swordsman wearing a bamboo hat pulled low laughed softly. Soon after, he politely pressed his hand together in a one-handed palm salute like the Abbot of Shaolin, while his mouth muttered a Taoist chant like a Wudang priest.
"Primordial Pacification Mantra."
From the hilt of the one who was a walking contradiction, golden sparks crackled and flared up before vanishing beneath his feet.
In the next instant, So-ha's vision was torn to shreds by a thousand and one sword strikes.
Gasp!
The final vision appeared to So-ha, who gasped inwardly.
The moment he saw a fluttering purple hem, his agitation subsided like a lie.
Hair holding the night air fluttered gently against the back of a peerlessly beautiful young man.
A girl clad in a blue robe was with him, and in the distance, a pair of massive centaurs followed them.
Hard as it was to believe, they were walking with their backs to the Great Wall.
"Stop," Jeong Yeon-shin, the Flash Art, said.
It was as if he had met the eyes of the Grand Empress Dowager without even turning around.