Chapter 107: Peace (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 107: Peace (2)
While an uproar unfolded in Qingcheng, a quiet conversation was taking place in a small, secret room south of Shaanxi.
The location was the Enlightenment Hall, a branch of the Samu Alliance. Nestled deep within a mountain canyon, it was a place where signs of human presence were almost nonexistent. Inside the secret room, a single table and two chairs were all that could be seen.
In this bleak room, devoid of even the simplest decoration, an old man and a young woman were conversing.
"Was there any progress?"
Jeon Yi-yeong’s raspy voice filled the air. It was an incredibly thick, unpleasant sound that grated on the ears.
"There was," the woman replied calmly.
"Oh! Truly? Where is it? Where is that martial art?"
"I am not entirely sure."
"What? Did you not just say there was progress?"
"I did."
When her words seemed to contradict her initial statement as if she were playing word games, Jeon Yi-yeong paused his questioning and stared at her.
The woman continued, "I saw someone who has mastered it."
"Mastered it?"
His rough voice, laced with a metallic ring, echoed through the secret room. His eyes widened as much as his voice rose.
"Who… surely not that person from Qingcheng…?"
"Yes."
"Ho-ho."
The old man reflexively stroked the few strands of beard remaining on his chin.
"How unexpected. Truly unexpected. To think the Orthodox Faction possessed a martial art of the Demonic Cult."
He muttered a few words to himself before addressing her again.
"Those fellows must be out of their minds. To leave a child who is about to die out in the open at a place like the Cutting Sword Gate instead of hiding him away. What if he loses control and goes on a rampage?"
"He did not look like he was about to die."
At those words, the old man shook his head.
"That is impossible. Everyone who has learned the Demonic Energy Absorption Art has died. That boy will die soon as well."
"It did not seem that way. He appeared to have complete control over his Demonic Qi."
"Control? That is impossible. You are the only one capable of escaping the corruption of a demonic art. You must have misseen."
The woman started to add something but decided against it. She knew he wouldn't believe her even if she spoke. The energy of that technique—the Demonic Energy Absorption Art—carried too many restrictions to be easily controlled.
"What do you intend to do?"
To the woman's question, Jeon Yi-yeong replied, "We must go find it."
"The Demonic Energy Absorption Art? It could spark a major conflict for no reason."
"The other Four Lords of the Samu Alliance will handle such matters. I have already laid the groundwork. We simply need to move separately behind the scenes."
"Even if we find the Demonic Energy Absorption Art, might it not be different from the one I possess?"
"It is a fifty-fifty chance. But I wish to see it with my own eyes. Who knows? It might contain a method to suppress the side effects of the Demonic Energy Absorption Art."
Jeon Yi-yeong and Black Lord continued their quiet conversation in the secret room.
What they sought was none other than the Demonic Energy Absorption Art. They were looking for a breakthrough from the current version of the art, which was riddled with side effects.
"If we move according to plan, the main force will cross over to Sichuan. Let us refine the plan to extract the secret manual from there."
With those final words, the old man rose from his seat and vanished into the darkness.
Once he left, a heavy gloom returned. A silence so profound that not a single sound could be heard pervaded the secret room. After a moment, the woman, resting her hand on the table, began to stroke her own wrist.
"He had definitely mastered it."
On the woman's right hand was a thin bracelet. It was so small it was barely visible, but it was certainly fastened around her wrist.
The Essence Ring.
A precious treasure that burned away internal energy that exceeded the body's capacity to endure. While different in form from the Dark Heaven Bracelet, one of the Seven Treasures of the Quanzhen, it was an artifact with a similar effect—it possessed the power to suppress the side effects of the Demonic Energy Absorption Art.
The woman known as Black Lord was born with a Body of Extreme Yin, a constitution rare even in the Central Plains. Because of her innate Yin Qi, she was forced to learn ice-based arts.
To such a woman, Jeon Yi-yeong had presented the Demonic Energy Absorption Art and the Essence Ring. He had told her to master a martial art that no one had ever successfully mastered, one where the risk of side effects was nearly ninety percent.
After crossing the threshold of life and death several times, she had succeeded in fully mastering the Demonic Energy Absorption Art and absorbing energy. And the energy she used... from the very beginning, she had utilized Astral Energy.
Seeing this, Jeon Yi-yeong formed a plan to complete the secret manual. It was for this reason that she had entered the Samu Alliance with a status equal to the existing Three Lords. He had judged it a priority to create a solid foundation and an environment where they didn't have to answer to anyone.
Once they reached a position where the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Families could not easily interfere, they would be able to experiment with the Demonic Energy Absorption Art to their heart's content.
"How did he master it? His constitution isn't like mine, so how did he suppress the demonic energy?"
She thought back to the Taoist from Qingcheng she had met at the Cutting Sword Gate. His clean, gentle face began to flicker vividly before her eyes.
*
A pavilion built more magnificently than any other. This was the Great Hall, the heart of the Martial Alliance.
Located along the Yangtze River in Henan, which bridged the north and south, it was the inevitable center of the entire martial world. The site of the Martial Alliance was originally where the Heavenly Gate Gathering—a meeting between the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families—had begun.
As meetings became more frequent, branches were established in each region, and through the process of electing a Grand Chancellor, the Martial Alliance of today was formed.
"The weather is fine."
The day of Go Ju-gang, the Leader of the Martial Alliance, was, as always, the epitome of tranquility. Though he hailed from the Mount Hua Sect, he was more of a scholar than a warrior.
His role in the Martial Alliance was to respect the decision-making power of each sect and represent their interests, but lately, there had been almost nothing for him to do. Since no one was encroaching on the territories of the sects and there were no disputes over interests or commercial rights, his workload had naturally diminished.
Thanks to that, his routine consisted of feasting on rare delicacies in the morning, visiting famous mountain peaks to admire the scenery in the afternoon, and spending his nights at famous courtesan houses, drinking and dozing off with women by his side.
It was quite rare for a man like him to visit the Great Hall like this.
"You are saying you will withdraw all Unorthodox forces south of the Yangtze River?"
Go Ju-gang, whose face was oily from good eating, stared at his counterpart. The old man sitting opposite him nodded.
"That is correct."
"Even if it means giving up all commercial rights and geographical advantages?"
"Yes."
"Well, now."
Go Ju-gang checked the documents presented to him once more with a troubled expression. They contained details about moving all forces from major strongholds in the North, as well as the Yangtze, to the South. No matter how many times he thought about it, it didn't make sense.
"Why? Is something lacking?"
Beside the old man, another elder let out a chuckle. He was small in stature and had a hunched back, but his eyes shone with a powerful light.
"It is not that something is lacking. It is so much that it is actually bewildering. I am curious as to why you are suddenly acting this way."
"Well, there is only one reason. We want you to turn a blind eye to our plan to subjugate the Golden Martial Association in Sichuan into our main alliance."
"Ahem."
Go Ju-gang pondered. He knew that the Nine Dragons Alliance had been integrated into the Samu Alliance. After all, the two old men before him were the ones representing them.
Since those two had joined forces, it would become even harder to keep them in check. They were the ones who held sway over the entire South, excluding a few regions, after the fall of the Hengshan Sect. Under these circumstances, the proposal they offered was bound to be tempting.
"Is that truly the only reason?"
"It is truly the only reason."
They would withdraw the Unorthodox forces from the North. No, they would shrink all their forces to within the South. At a time when it wouldn't be strange to discuss driving them out through war, they were offering to retreat on their own, which was a welcome development.
"We wouldn't normally interfere in matters between Unorthodox groups anyway, but if you were determined to do it, wouldn't there be many ways to do so without seeking our understanding?"
This was the part Go Ju-gang found questionable. The way of the Unorthodox Faction was not to watch the Orthodox Faction's reactions, but simply to smash through whatever they pleased.
"The world has changed much. We also know well that there are promises to be kept. These days, peace is a higher priority than territorial disputes, is it not?"
"Peace?"
"Indeed."
The hunchbacked old man continued, putting strength into his gaze.
"You all have been plagued by the constant bubbling of Unorthodox factions for a long time. Even in this era of Great Peace, while there may be no incidents large enough for the Martial Alliance to intervene, rape, pillaging, and fraud always exist. Our goal is to reign over them. We wish for all Unorthodox factions to be subordinate within the Samu Alliance."
"But it brings us no benefit if the Unorthodox Faction unites its strength. Who can guarantee that you won't turn that gathered power against us?"
"Then we simply need to find a suitable point of agreement. And that is your job as the Alliance Leader."
The old man chuckled, passing the responsibility to Go Ju-gang.
"In any case, looking back at history, it doesn't take long for one power to fall and another to rise. Isn't the role of the Martial Alliance to control and sanction more realistically? In the process, the Alliance Leader will also be able to increase his influence."
"Hmm."
Go Ju-gang fell into thought. Their proposal wasn't particularly bad. They would move their troops to absorb the Golden Martial Association, and they wanted the Orthodox side to turn a blind eye. In exchange, they would minimize civilian casualties and avoid conflict with the Orthodox Faction during the fight. Furthermore, they would move the forces established in the North to the South and stick to their own territory.
As a price for ignoring the Unorthodox Faction's internal war of absorption, wasn't this more than enough?
"I shall discuss this further and..."
"We have come to receive a definitive answer now."
This time, the gaunt old man spoke. It was the owner of the raspy voice, Jeon Yi-yeong.
"Within the Samu Alliance, there are already voices saying we should not hesitate to go to total war. The logic is that since the Orthodox Faction touched us, we cannot stay still."
"What do you mean by that? When did we ever touch your side?"
"I am speaking of the Black Snake Union. Rumor has it that an old grudge between a Taoist of Qingcheng and the leader of the Black Snake Union was involved, but is it truly possible for a single sect to be massacred overnight like that?"
"It is not a common occurrence. So?"
"On our side, there are interpretations that the Martial Alliance secretly lent a hand. Even if the rumors are true, Qingcheng is still one of the Nine Sects and One Gang. In other words, a member sect of the Martial Alliance."
"Are those words... a threat?"
Go Ju-gang's expression changed. He felt a surge of hostility as the other party took a strong stance. However, the old man slowly shook his head.
"Do not misunderstand. We are the ones in the position of controlling those radicals. I believe the Alliance Leader is well aware of the hot-blooded nature of the former Nine Dragons Alliance. Right now, we are looking for a place to vent our strength. It is in the midst of this that we have turned our sights toward the Golden Martial Association."
"..."
"We are guaranteeing your stability in exchange for overlooking our activities. What exactly is the problem?"
Go Ju-gang was silent for a moment. He judged that this was not a matter for him to decide alone.
"I will give you an answer in fifteen days. I must discuss this with the representatives of each sect assigned to the Martial Alliance before a decision can be made."
"However—"
"Enough. No matter if I am the Alliance Leader, I ask that you consider my position as well. Overstepping authority inevitably invites backlash. Even if I were to be coerced into a treaty here, what meaning would it have if it were broken later due to pressure from other sects?"
The Alliance Leader showed a stance that he would not yield on this point. When forming an external treaty, it was impossible not to review which side would lose and which would gain.
"We are different from your side. The Samu Alliance, where oppression through force is possible, and the prestigious families who cling to justification are completely different."
"...I understand your position. However, please hurry as much as possible. Though we rule with strength, we cannot suppress our bloodthirsty subordinates forever."
"We shall be waiting."
With those words, the two men left the room.
"Whew..."
Go Ju-gang, who had lived for a long time without worry, saw his expression gradually darken.