Chapter 6: Recognition (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 6: Recognition (2)
A late cold snap froze the dawn air on the mountain behind the Jeong Family Manor.
Jeong Yeon-shin thought to himself.
If the wind blowing through this valley had a color, it would be ash-gray.
The people of the Jeong Family Manor, once rulers of the county, were now laid to rest beneath the soil where next year’s seeds would sprout.
They had spent the entire night carrying and burying the dead.
Jeong Yeon-shin, the chief steward, a few surviving servants, Jeong Jung-san, and the experts from the Zhongnan Sect were all in a wretched state, covered from head to toe in dirt and dust.
Huddled in a corner, his niece had cried herself to sleep, only to wake and weep again in a relentless cycle.
Glancing at Hye-ah, Jeong Yeon-shin spoke.
"It's over."
"Indeed. This will be a sorrowful, nameless mountain," the chief steward agreed.
Jeong Yeon-shin shook his head.
"No. I meant the Jeong Family Manor is finished."
"..."
"Great Hero Cliff-Severing Sword, Great Hero Pacifying Fist. Thank you once again for your help."
Leaving the bitter chief steward behind, he bowed politely to the martial artists from the Zhongnan Sect.
Even caked in dirt, their eyes shone with vibrant energy.
They clasped their hands in a respectful return gesture, showing genuine respect to a mere boy.
"There is no need for such formality. This is now our junior brother's family," Cliff-Severing Sword replied.
"And... it would be difficult to say we bear no responsibility for failing to prevent this tragedy," Pacifying Fist added, a heavy solemnity settling between his thick brows.
Jeong Jung-san, who was ready to depart with them, held his niece, Jeong Hye, in his arms and stared gloomily at his third brother.
Having survived the massacre, he seemed to have changed.
"How could a single apology make up for all these years?" Jeong Jung-san said, his face etched with exhaustion. "The next time we meet, I will show you what it means to be an older brother. I will do my best, so please... survive."
"You may be entering the Zhongnan Sect late, but your talent is nothing special. At least, that's how it looks to me."
For the first time in his life, Jeong Yeon-shin spoke the blunt truth to an elder. It felt so liberating he wondered why he hadn't done it sooner.
"You'll have to train like your life depends on it. And take good care of Hye-ah."
"...I will."
With that, the Zhongnan Sect experts, his second brother, and his young niece departed.
When he turned around, the chief steward was standing there with the remaining servants, a bundle on his back.
"Where will you go, Chief Steward?"
"I mentioned before that I have established a network of informants. There are small branches of the Jeong Family Manor scattered throughout Nanyang. Since the bloodline of the Jeong family still lives, it is only right that I use our remaining assets to support you."
"But the Jeong Family Manor is ruined."
The chief steward smiled faintly.
"We were great landowners. The family's arable land is not limited to Xinye."
Jeong Yeon-shin had never realized the man was so loyal. He was an extraordinary individual, almost too good for the Jeong family.
"As you know, I'm heading to the Desolate Fortress. I hope we can meet from time to time."
"Of course."
The chief steward had also trained in martial arts, so he would be able to fend for himself.
"I hope you, at least, live a long and full life. Take care of yourself."
"I wish you the best of luck, Young Master."
It was farewell to both the chief steward and the Jeong Family Manor. The chief steward silently watched the boy's back as he walked away without a single glance behind him.
'Live a long and full life...? Since receiving the grace of the previous patriarch, have I ever heard such words from a member of the Jeong bloodline?'
Jeong Yeon-shin felt the man's gaze but didn't bother to turn around.
As his boots crunched through the grass, a fresh, new air seemed to swirl at his feet.
* * *
This was his first time stepping outside Xinye County.
Although he was able to travel along the official highway thanks to the chief steward's detailed directions, he inevitably drew a lot of attention.
Dawn had broken, and the morning sun began to warm the dirt road.
The highway running between Nanyang and Xiangyang also connected Henan Province and Huguang Province.
Since the main road to Shaanxi was not far off, he found himself occasionally checking to make sure the pack on his back was still secure.
That was how many people he encountered.
"His clothes are far too fine for a beggar."
"Isn't that silk? Using silk for a martial uniform..."
"Silk? But look at the state of him..."
The men from a passing escort agency whispered among themselves.
He had heard that merchant groups or escort agencies sometimes turned into bandits on a whim.
Jeong Yeon-shin walked in silence, keeping his hand close to his sword hilt.
'What a pain.'
But taking secluded mountain paths wasn't an option, either.
As a complete novice who had just stepped into the martial world, he lacked the experience. Getting lost would be a disaster.
Vigilance alone wasn't enough.
Wolves targeting his clothes and wealth lurked everywhere. It was a world where robbery and murder were commonplace.
Eventually, he ran into trouble with some wandering swordsmen, and those rogue martial artists paid for underestimating the young swordsman with their lives.
They were so absurdly weak compared to the warriors of the Thirteen Heavens that it left him bewildered.
'What gave them the confidence to attack?'
They were called rogue martial artists, but among the common fighters on the roads, those who had properly initiated their internal energy were rare.
It was a world where proper instruction was a privilege.
From Xinye to Xiangyang.
For experts capable of soaring through the air with advanced lightness skills, it was a short distance.
But for Jeong Yeon-shin, whose lightness skills were still rudimentary, the journey was filled with the tedious hassles and blood-splattered combat of the martial world.
Not a single opponent could block even one strike of his fast sword. As he cut down the rogue martial artists, the Jeong Family Dynamic Art naturally began to meld with his swordsmanship.
It was different from when he had trained his body in isolation.
Channeling the dynamic art while swinging his sword in real combat triggered another transformation in his body.
The muscles throughout his body adapted to instantaneous explosive power, and his flexibility increased even further.
Fast sword, fast sword, and fast sword again.
His fast sword technique, already incredibly swift, was now invisible even to his own eyes when unleashed.
As his physical vessel—the foundation of all martial arts—underwent such drastic changes, the efficiency of his true qi naturally amplified.
'Is this what they call a divine art?'
Perhaps because he had spent his entire short life practicing the Jeong Family Dynamic Art to the stage of great completion, the physical transformation was so pronounced he could practically feel it.
One week.
That was how long he endured, sleeping outdoors for the first time, resting on hard ground, and braving the freezing night air.
"Phew."
With a sigh, the boy entered an inn and unpacked his things. He had finally arrived in Xiangyang.
Since the establishment of the Desolate Fortress, the city had enjoyed uninterrupted prosperity.
Every day, tens of thousands of people flowed in and out, and thousands of different goods were traded.
In terms of trade volume and cultural sophistication, it was easily one of the greatest metropolises in the Central Plains.
"It's even crazier now! That fellow from the Hyeong family hit the jackpot! He says he can't sell alcohol fast enough because he keeps running out."
He overheard a conversation between men who looked like merchants.
Having secured a room, Jeong Yeon-shin came downstairs, ordered a meal from the waiter, and listened in.
"People are gathering from all over the Central Plains with dreams of greatness. I heard some martial artists are practically throwing silver around."
"Lately, the taverns don't even have a distinction between day and night. The martial artists who came for the entrance exam are drowning themselves in booze!"
"The Desolate Fortress is really something else."
"Of course! It's like they took a dying Xiangyang and force-fed it until its belly was about to burst!"
"What a colorful metaphor! Hahaha!"
Jeong Yeon-shin had to agree with that last part, at least.
He could feel the ridiculously high cost of living just from the price of his room; if he stayed here for even another month, his funds would surely run dry.
And here he had thought he had taken a generous amount from behind the Hegemon Sword Sect's back.
It was then.
"Has my young brother also come to join the Desolate Fortress?"
A young man sat down across from him with an easygoing, affable smile.
A brief glance at the sword at his waist revealed it was no ordinary blade, but what stood out most was the blue band wrapped around his head.
It was an accessory known as a hero's headband.
These days, it was an accessory rarely worn unless one was trying to show off, and this one was even embroidered with a dragon in gold thread.
"And you are, brother?"
"Ah! I haven't introduced myself. I was just so intrigued to see another challenger younger than me."
The young man continued with a smile.
"I am Heonwon Chang. I've come all the way from Shanxi."
"I am Jeong Yeon-shin of Xinye."
"Xinye? Where is Xinye?"
"It is a county in Nanyang, Henan."
"You came from nearby, then! Your journey must have been easy. Me, I had to clash swords with the bandits of the Green Forest and race the pirates of the Water Channel Fortress! Those Water Channel Fortress bastards have some fierce water arts!"
"Well... I suppose mine was relatively easy," Jeong Yeon-shin mumbled evasively.
"Right, so it seems we are indeed comrades preparing to enter the Desolate Fortress."
"What is your business with me?"
"Just to make an acquaintance! And maybe exchange some information. Almost no one passes the Desolate Fortress exam on their first try. It happens maybe once in a thousand times, and even then, it's usually the rising stars of prestigious martial clans looking to make a name for themselves. Most people have to make multiple attempts, passing on their second, third, or even tenth try."
"There's an exam?"
At his question, Heonwon Chang's eyes widened. You didn't know? The exaggerated expression suited him surprisingly well.
"It's called the Desolate Fortress Entrance Exam! The Desolate Fortress is quite different from ordinary sects, after all. Just like you have to take the civil or military imperial examinations to enter government service, there's a separate exam to enter the Desolate Fortress."
"So that's why there are so many people..."
"Whether you have a background or not, the moment you enter the fortress, a world of learning and opportunity opens up. It would be stranger if the martial artists of the world didn't flock here. There must be at least several thousand people practicing all kinds of martial arts just to pass this exam."
The Desolate Fortress.
If you wish to command the world with a single weapon, go to the Desolate Fortress; even government officials will walk on eggshells around you.
It was a common proverb. A cradle of martial arts that would make anyone's heart race.
Since the imperial family, which ruled the entire Central Plains, had directly established it to suppress the martial sects, it was said to be overflowing with spiritual medicines and high-level martial arts gathered from across the land.
"Some people hold the traditional great sects in higher regard, but they don't know what they're talking about. You think a sect founded by commoners is stronger than the Desolate Fortress? If that were true, those bastards would have founded their own empire and played emperor by now. How else do you think the Great Ming Empire maintains its rule? Those sect bastards just collect protection fees and donations in their local regions, acting like kings while being worshiped by the locals."
"I see," Jeong Yeon-shin agreed half-heartedly, wondering if this man held some personal grudge against the great sects.
"In any case, coming to take the Desolate Fortress Entrance Exam is an excellent choice... provided you can actually pass it, of course," Heonwon Chang said, his expression suddenly turning gloomy.
Jeong Yeon-shin found Heonwon Chang quite fascinating. He had never met such a talkative person whose mood swung so wildly.
"If you pass, you'll instantly gain the reputation of a rising star, the very best among your peers! A Desolate Fortress martial artist of your age would undoubtedly be an outstanding young expert!"
The energy drained from Heonwon Chang's voice again, despite his smiling face. "...Though the walls of the Desolate Fortress are as dizzyingly high as its reputation is grand."
"Yes, indeed."
Just as Jeong Yeon-shin was starting to grow weary of the conversation, the food arrived. It was Kung Pao Chicken and various stir-fried vegetables. Having not eaten a proper meal in days, even the aroma was a welcome sight.
Watching him eat with a complex expression, Heonwon Chang spoke up. "So, what do you say we head over to take the exam together tomorrow?"
"Sure, let's do that," Jeong Yeon-shin replied nonchalantly.
In truth, he was glad that entry was determined solely by an exam. He had no desire to beg for help from maternal relatives whose faces and whereabouts he didn't even know. It was a mix of resolve and youthful pride—a determination not to degrade himself, even if his life was on the line.
* * *
The next day.
"We've arrived."
Standing before the Desolate Fortress, Jeong Yeon-shin was no longer the third young master of the Jeong Family Manor. He was a swordsman who had survived a week that had been exceptionally harsh for a child carrying wealth. The boy had truly become a man of the martial world.
'Incredible.'
Looking up at the main gate, he was struck with awe. It was on a scale he had never even heard of. The fortress stretched out, its walls seeming to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the azure sky, a colossal and majestic presence.
"Impregnable," Heonwon Chang muttered beside him, looking spellbound. Jeong Yeon-shin silently agreed.
The towering, double-layered fortress walls looked incredibly sturdy. They enclosed an area so vast that the beginning and end seemed miles apart. A wide moat was dug around the perimeter, wrapping the fortress in a vast ribbon of water.
The massive, wide-open main gate was a testament to the confidence of a place that claimed to be the greatest in the martial world.
Jeong Yeon-shin took a slow step forward. Ahead lay a fenced-in training ground. It was likely the location of the first exam Heonwon Chang had mentioned.
"Let's go."
"Lead the way."
The two of them approached the registration desk at the very front and gave their personal details. The registrar, dressed in scholar's robes, wrote down the information and asked for confirmation.
"Jeong Yeon-shin of Xinye County, Nanyang, Henan Province. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Enter the training ground."
He turned around after receiving one of the round tokens piled high on the side of the large desk. The number "Thirteen" was engraved on it.
'It's noisy.'
It wasn't just examiners and applicants in the area. Aside from the young martial artists dreaming of passing through the dragon's gate to ascend to the heavens, the place was overflowing with spectators, merchants, and gamblers. The Desolate Fortress did not stop them, as if encouraging everyone to watch and enjoy.
"Over here." As they passed through the fenced gate together, a martial artist in charge of the exam called out to them.
He wore a neat martial uniform and exuded a tightly condensed aura. He felt no less formidable than the experts of the Thirteen Heavens.
The examiner spoke.
"The first test is the Fast Sword Style."
"Excuse me?"