Chapter 135: The Scheme (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 135: The Scheme (2)
“Hah. That old fox. In the end, he’s the one pulling all the strings.”
Song Yeo-guk chuckled as he stood before the grand pavilion overlooking the Palace of Supreme Clarity.
The distance was too great to discern their expressions, but he didn't need to see their faces to know exactly what Seok Myeong and Song Hak were feeling.
—I am deeply moved! To be granted the chance to contribute to our sect, however meager my strength may be!
Even from afar, Seok Myeong’s voice, bolstered by profound internal strength, rang out with crystal clarity.
Song Yeo-guk snickered and tilted his wine bottle, the liquid gurgling as he took a long draught.
“You got what you wanted, kid. But you’d better watch your back. That man is the type to fleece you for every penny you’re worth.”
He didn’t know the exact details, but it was obvious the Sect Leader had been heavily involved in this turn of events. Though he usually maintained the facade of a good-natured, genial man, Song Yeo-guk knew better from years of experience.
Sect Leader Song Jeong.
His calculations ran incredibly deep, and his ambition was equally vast.
‘Is he finally realizing it? That Qingcheng must change. And that Seok Myeong must be at the very center of that change.’
Song Yeo-guk wore a strange smile as he leisurely took in the view of the Palace of Supreme Clarity.
“Hey there, drinking buddy. If things keep going like this, won’t we lose our chance to step in?”
“Tell me about it. We came all this way because he called, and for what? Well, things seem to have worked out, so I suppose it’s fine.”
Song Yeo-guk laughed at the gruff voices coming from behind him.
“Hahaha.”
He glanced back at a man with a rugged, bandit-like appearance and another with a face as sharp as a blade. They were old friends who had once roamed the Jianghu by his side.
“Don’t waste your energy. Just wait. Today is a day for celebration.”
He had summoned a few of them in a hurry just in case, but it seemed he had worried for nothing. The Sect Leader had handled everything before they even had a chance to act.
“If it’s a feast, there should be wine. Dammit, to think I’m stuck with this cheap swill.”
Gulp, gulp!
The bandit-like man snatched the bottle from Song Yeo-guk and began chugging it.
“It’s better than blood, isn’t it? Besides, you’ll miss this peace later. Things are about to get incredibly busy.”
Song Yeo-guk grinned and waved his hand. It was truly time to move. They had to prepare for the future that was fast approaching.
*
Mount Song, located in the heart of Henan Province, has been renowned throughout the world since ancient times as one of the Five Great Mountains. The temple standing tall upon its peaks held a sacred significance, revered as the Great Origin of all martial arts under heaven.
The Shaolin Sect.
A peerless history spanning a thousand years. The ultimate repository of all martial knowledge. The spirit and the root of the Martial World. As the preeminent sect of the current era, it was a place that continued to forge countless legends of the Jianghu, following in the footsteps of the Great Monk Dharma.
“…And that is the situation. As far as this old beggar can tell, this is by no means a trivial matter…”
A hunched old man spoke as he reached for the long pipe tucked into his waistband. Befitting his small stature, his hands and feet were as tiny as a child’s. However, he was not a man to be underestimated; his name was Chwui Il-geol, the Leader of the Beggar Sect.
As the head of one of the Nine Sects One Gang, he was said to possess eyes that could overlook the entire Central Plains at a single glance.
“Is there not a lack of definitive evidence?”
A man with a sturdy build sitting beside the old man spoke softly. Though he appeared to be in his thirties at most, he naturally used a polite but informal tone with the old man.
“Ho, True Person Damun may think so, but while we lack physical evidence, we have plenty of circumstantial suspicion. The fact is that the Qingcheng Sect is connected to demonic arts in some form or another.”
True Person Damun, the Grand Purity Sword Sovereign.
Though he was nearly sixty years old, he had achieved enlightenment in his later years and undergone rejuvenation, resulting in his youthful appearance.
The Beggar Sect and Chwui Il-geol had been investigating this matter for a long time. Recently, they had uncovered that the Samu Alliance was linked to demonic arts. In the midst of that, they unexpectedly found movements within Qingcheng related to those same arts.
‘That brat from the junior beggars did a good job too…’
He had found a strange coincidence between Seok Myeong’s performance when the monsters appeared and the information on the Qingcheng Sect that surfaced during the investigation into the Samu Alliance.
“No matter how much I think about it, I cannot believe Qingcheng would hide such martial arts. They are a prestigious Orthodox Sect, and their pride is second to none. Would such a place really seek to learn the techniques of the Demonic Cult?”
True Person Damun defended the Qingcheng Sect to the end. The Demonic Energy Absorption Art was a legacy of the Demonic Cult. It was like an explosive that could go off at any moment if mishandled. In particular, the current Sect Leader, Song Jeong, was a clever and cautious man. It seemed unlikely that he would involve himself in such a gamble.
“I wonder. The Qingcheng Sect has barely managed to maintain its position at the tail end of the Nine Great Sects. There is plenty of room for that fierce pride to warp into something else. For instance, a desire to stand at the forefront of the Nine Great Sects.”
“But, Sect Leader Chwui…”
“And the more important fact is this.”
Chwui Il-geol laid out his thoughts as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“Have you seen the martial prowess of the boy named Seok Myeong recently?”
“Seok Myeong?”
“Ah, is this the first you’ve heard of him? He is a Rising Star who fought Cheol Gun to a draw. He also played a major role in taking down the Geomma and is a rising star who earned the title of ‘Illustrious Gentleman’ at the Cutting Sword Gate.”
“The Illustrious Gentleman. I believe I may have heard of him.”
“However, there are rumors that the martial arts the boy uses are slightly different from the traditional techniques of Qingcheng. He was seen using something called Black Ink Energy, which no one has ever seen before.”
“Black Ink Energy?”
Gu Jung-cheon, the Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect who had been listening quietly beneath the pavilion at the mountain peak, asked back.
“Not black qi, but Black Ink Energy… Did that energy happen to have a violet tint?”
A violet tint. The signature technique of the Mount Hua Sect, the Violet Mist Divine Art. Black Ink Energy was a dark energy, far from a violet hue, but he asked regardless. This was because, unfortunately, the lineage of Mount Hua’s Violet Mist Divine Art had been severed decades ago, and it was now considered a legendary technique. It was the natural duty of a descendant to seek the lost legacy of their ancestors.
“I cannot say for certain. This old beggar did not see it personally. However, most of the Two-Knot Disciples say that the tips of the sword aura he unleashed were black, while the base was pure white. They said it looked like a sinister energy at first glance.”
“Hmm.”
Silence fell over the group at Chwui Il-geol’s words. The tips of the sword aura turning black enough to look sinister—they had never heard of such a thing existing among the martial arts of Qingcheng.
“Hmm. Just because the color of the sword aura is different doesn’t mean there is proof that Qingcheng has dabbled in demonic arts. I believe we should approach this more cautiously rather than deciding on a conclusion beforehand,” True Person Damun said.
Gu Jung-cheon countered him.
“No, why are we debating evidence and caution amongst ourselves? Why not just ask them point-blank?”
“Hul-hul. It seems the Sect Leader of Mount Hua does not yet know True Person Song Jeong very well.”
Chwui Il-geol let out a chuckle as he looked at Gu Jung-cheon.
“I have heard of him. That he is a gentle man who is fair in all matters and knows his manners.”
At that, Chwui Il-geol replied with a slight smirk.
“Gentle… that is a bit different from the man this beggar knows.”
“In what way?”
“He maintains his manners in ordinary times. However, he does not sit idly by when he feels Qingcheng is being slighted. Have you ever seen the leader of a sect draw his sword and charge in for a life-and-death struggle over a minor remark?”
“What on earth…?”
Gu Jung-cheon’s jaw dropped in disbelief.
“It happened in the past… the Sect Leaders of the Diancang Sect and the Qingcheng Sect had a bit of a clash. The Diancang leader made a comment about how the people of Qingcheng were too narrow-minded, and Song Jeong immediately drew his sword, asking, ‘Oh? Would you like to see just how narrow-minded I can be?’”
“…That’s insane.”
“Hul-hul-hul.”
The Shaolin Abbot, Great Monk Hye Seung, who was with them, let out a laugh. He had happened to witness that scene personally.
“Those ill-mannered Qingcheng bastards never change. So, what do you plan to do?”
When Gu Jung-cheon asked, Chwui Il-geol spoke.
“Well, this old beggar has given it some thought.”
As he paused, everyone turned their eyes toward the Beggar Sect Leader. Since he was known for his ingenious ideas, they were curious about his opinion.
“First of all, wouldn’t the boy named Seok Myeong be the clearest evidence to judge whether Qingcheng has dabbled in demonic arts or not? If we bring him here and see his martial arts and energy for ourselves, we will have our answer.”
“…Wait, do you really think he’ll just answer if we summon him and ask?”
Gu Jung-cheon was flabbergasted. To think the plan he came up with was simply to call him and ask. Unless this Seok Myeong fellow was a complete fool, he would obviously refuse, saying, ‘No, I cannot show you.’ It wasn’t as if they could draw their swords and threaten a disciple of another sect.
“Heh heh. We create a situation where he has no choice but to draw his sword. Isn’t the current Leader of the Martial Alliance Go Ju-gang, who hails from your Mount Hua Sect?”
However, the Beggar Sect Leader was not as foolish as Gu Jung-cheon thought. He had formulated a coherent plan in his own way.
“Was there not a great turmoil within the Qingcheng Sect recently? We shall send a letter of consolation and invite them to discuss the various bloody incidents that occurred in Chang'an. It just so happens that the Martial Demonstration Gathering is scheduled for not long from now.”
“Oho.”
“The youngsters of the Qingcheng Sect are quite hot-tempered. If we put the young ones together, a fight will naturally break out.”
“Hmm, and in the heat of battle, his martial arts will be revealed?”
Chwui Il-geol nodded at Gu Jung-cheon’s words.
“Precisely. The more the fight escalates, the more we will see if it is only this boy Seok Myeong, or if the other disciples have learned those techniques as well. Through that, we can discern if it is a demonic art and simultaneously see if it has spread throughout Qingcheng.”
“Hmm.”
“Amitabha.”
At Chwui Il-geol’s words, True Person Damun frowned, and Abbot Hye Seung softly chanted a Buddhist prayer.
It was a strategy of ‘beating the grass to startle the snake’ to catch them all in one net. Instead of dealing with the sly elders, it was a clever scheme to let the hot-blooded First Generation Disciples reveal the suspicious points themselves. Furthermore, the Martial Demonstration Gathering was a place where many young Rising Stars gathered, so clashes between those invited were not uncommon. Even if Qingcheng realized the plan later, they wouldn’t be able to find a specific point to complain about.
“Very well. Then, who will be the opponent?”
“I am thinking of the Diancang Sect. Since there is already bad blood between the Sect Leaders, the First Generation Disciples will be even worse.”
“Indeed.”
Gu Jung-cheon nodded. Everywhere you go, there are overly loyal followers. They might endure an insult to themselves, but they go wild if their Sect Leader or their sect is insulted. Since Diancang had already suffered at the hands of Qingcheng, the disciples would be gnashing their teeth even more than their leader, and Qingcheng was a place where such temperaments were much stronger to begin with.
Chwui Il-geol continued.
“Since it is a gathering, please select the most outstanding Rising Stars from each of your sects. I hope this will also be an opportunity to see how hard the disciples of each sect have been training.”
At those words, Gu Jung-cheon glanced at True Person Damun and asked.
“On our side, we plan to send Yu Yeok-gil, who is already well-known in the Jianghu… but what about Wudang and Shaolin?”
The Five Dragons, hailed as the greatest Rising Stars. To test Seok Myeong’s abilities, he had put forward the card of Yu Yeok-gil, one of those five.