Chapter 178: Master of the Azure Martial Hall, Seok Myeong (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 178: Master of the Azure Martial Hall, Seok Myeong (1)
The third floor of the True Martial Hall, heart of the Qingcheng Sect.
Song Hak had been buried in paperwork since dawn. However, his focus was soon shattered by the arrival of a most unwelcome guest.
"What brings you here again?"
"Now, now. Is this a place I’m forbidden from visiting?"
It was Song Mun, wearing a beaming, mischievous smile.
As the head of the Azure Peak Pavilion—Qingcheng’s intelligence unit—Song Mun managed the sect's inner cabinet. Because their roles both involved significant external affairs, he and Song Hak had long shared a close, if often contentious, bond.
"Could I get a cup of tea?"
"Pour it yourself," Song Hak snapped, his voice cold.
His insides were simmering because of the rumors he’d heard recently. As it turned out, Song Hak was the only one who had been left looking like a fool.
"Heh. Why are you acting like this today?"
"You’re asking because you don't know?" Song Hak glared, answering a question with a question.
"…Ahem."
Clatter. Pour.
Avoiding Song Hak’s piercing gaze, Song Mun actually did pour the tea himself.
Still glaring, Song Hak asked sharply, "Why are you here?"
"Ah. Well. I’m here to gather opinions on this."
Slide.
With a slightly sheepish expression, Song Mun pushed a document across the desk.
"What is it?"
"You know we’re constructing the Western Martial Hall as a separate entity. This is to decide who will lead it."
"Hmph."
Song Hak was well aware of the project. The Western Martial Hall was an initiative they had poured immense effort into for a long time. Not only the other elders of the Qingcheng Sect but Song Hak himself had actively cooperated in its establishment.
The problem, however...
"Who did the Sect Leader recommend?"
"Seok Myeong."
"…Ugh."
Song Hak momentarily clutched the back of his neck. The reason he had put so much effort into the construction of the Western Martial Hall was none other than Seok Jun—his own son.
Until recently, Seok Jun had been the first among the first-generation disciples to wear the Azure Sutra Robe and was the undisputed top swordsman of the sect. Song Hak had even dipped into his personal fortune to help, hoping to pave the way for both the Qingcheng Sect and his son’s future.
But to think that after all that painstaking effort, the one swooping in to take the prize was Seok Myeong…
"Uh, well. If more than half the elders agree, we’ll proceed. If not, it’ll be rejected. As you know, this matter is important. I hope you won’t act unlike yourself by failing to distinguish between public and private matters."
"..."
For a moment, Song Hak wanted to snap back, What exactly is 'like me'? but he barely managed to restrain himself.
"Sigh..."
Scratch! Scritch!
With a face full of irritation, he moved his brush. As Song Mun had said, Song Hak was a man who strictly separated public duties from private feelings. No matter how annoying it was to see that detestable brat snatch the finest fruit...
"Take it."
Thud!
Having finished his signature, Song Hak threw the brush down and glared.
"And you. Don't you have something to say to me?"
"E-er, well. About what?" Song Mun hurriedly tucked away the document marked 'Approve' and cleared his throat.
"Are you really going to play it like this? If I lose my temper, I might just flip everything over. You knew from the beginning, didn't you?"
Grrr!
Song Hak glared at Song Mun, gnashing his teeth like a wild beast.
"All information entering Qingcheng passes through the Azure Peak Pavilion. Then it goes to the Sect Leader. Now, Song Mun, Head of the Azure Peak Pavilion—did you or did you not know that a declaration was coming from the Martial Alliance?"
"…Ahem. Hmmm."
"They say the one Seok Myeong killed was Goma of the Diancang Sect? One of the Four Demons of the Martial World, a man of elder-level strength? With the Sect Leader’s personality, would he have just let that slide? He would have taken action, and naturally, it would have required your signature as the head of the Azure Peak Pavilion."
"…."
Song Mun simply focused on tilting his teacup, refusing to meet Song Hak’s eyes.
"In the end, everyone knew except me! That the Sect Leader would take Seok Myeong’s side! It wasn't even something for us to worry about! It was a decided matter from the very start!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
An enraged Song Hak pounded on his desk. Song Mun flinched, his shoulders jerking as he offered an excuse.
"No… it wasn't just you who didn't know. Most people were in the dark. I wanted to tell you, but..."
"But!"
"It was the Sect Leader’s order. Isn't there a saying that to deceive the enemy, you must first deceive your allies?"
At Song Mun’s words, Song Hak clutched the back of his neck again with a groan. If it was the Sect Leader’s order, there was nothing that could have been done. It aligned with the principles of strategy.
Furthermore, looking only at the result, the Sect Leader’s choice was clearly correct. But because of that, hadn't he been forced to scrutinize, track, and even show consideration for a brat he didn't want to care about for the rest of his life?
"Even so! It’s only because the result turned out well! What would you have done if things had gone differently than expected?"
"That is certainly true."
Song Mun nodded. No matter how brilliant a scheme one devises, planning is up to man, but success lies with heaven.
During this visit from the Martial Alliance, several variables appeared that even the Sect Leader hadn't anticipated. He hadn't known Diancang would be so persistent, nor had he expected Seok Myeong to be so resolute.
It was a relief that things went well, but it had been a tightrope walk that could have led to a fall into a thousand-foot abyss.
"There were certainly variables that even the Sect Leader, I, and even Elder Song Ji didn't expect. It was truly shocking."
"What else?"
After venting his frustration, Song Hak gulped down his tea. His insides were burning again at the thought.
"It was you."
"Me?"
"Yes. I really didn't know. To save Seok Myeong, you actually threw your sword."
"…."
Song Hak’s face froze instantly. Song Mun smiled playfully at him.
"Aha—no one knew. Do you know what the talk among our Song-generation disciples is these days? They say Song Hak is truly a man of great character. That his affection for Seok Myeong is so deep he kept it hidden all this time, only to step forward at the decisive moment—a man with a warm heart."
"You… you… you—!"
Crack!
The teapot in Song Hak’s hand shattered.
A man who was an elder of Qingcheng had thrown his sword. And for that incredibly annoying brat, Seok Myeong. Even now, the memory was enough to make him kick his blankets in frustration at night. And here was Song Mun, bringing it up with a smirk.
"Ahem. If it were me, I could never have done that. No matter how precious Seok Myeong is, to dare throw one's sword in front of the Sect Leader—"
"You—! You bastard!"
Song Hak, who had been trembling, finally exploded.
Whoosh!
He threw a palm strike at Song Mun without mercy, but Song Mun lightly dodged it as if he had expected the move.
"No, I’m telling you, I didn't manipulate anything! It’s just that everyone found out about your hidden affection for Seok Myeong…"
"I don't care about him! You damn fool!"
Whoosh!
Another palm strike from Song Hak flew in.
Song Mun gasped and barely dodged it, utilizing the Illusory Lost Track Step. Despite everything, he was the head of the Azure Peak Pavilion. In terms of movement techniques, there was no one in Qingcheng who could match him.
"No, really, why don't you just accept it this time? I told you, everyone already knows. That you… Seok Myeong…"
"You bastard! Stop it!"
Clang! Shing!
Finally, Song Hak reached for his sword case and drew his blade.
Song Mun’s face stiffened. It seemed he had teased him too much. He should have stopped at a reasonable point, but Song Hak’s reaction had been too entertaining.
"H-hey now. Song Hak?"
"Hehehehe…"
Song Hak’s eyes had rolled back. The red veins stood out so sharply it looked as if he might shed tears of blood.
"L-let’s talk this out. You know what kind of trouble starts when an elder draws a sword in the True Martial Hall… Gasp! Hey!"
When something resembling Sword Force finally surged from Song Hak’s blade, Song Mun was horrified. He kicked off the floor with all his might and threw himself toward the window.
Crash!
The sound of the window shattering echoed loudly through the quiet Mount Qingcheng.
*
"What a temper he has…"
Crash!
Seeing Song Mun leap out of the True Martial Hall window to escape, Sect Leader Song Jeong clicked his tongue.
—You bastard! You bastard! I’ll bury your bones today!
He had roughly expected how Song Hak would react after hearing everything. Even so, he was deeply troubled about how to handle the aftermath of such a commotion.
"Sect Leader… I don't know what’s happening, but shouldn't we stop them for now?"
At Seok Myeong’s words as they watched from below, Song Jeong waved his hand.
"No. It’s fine."
Song Hak was certainly one of the top masters in the Qingcheng Sect, but that didn't mean he could actually harm Song Mun. Furthermore, Song Mun was the head of the Azure Peak Pavilion. As the leader of an organization dedicated to information gathering, there was one area where even Song Hak could not reach him: movement techniques.
If Song Mun was determined to run, even Song Jeong himself wasn't confident he could catch him easily. In terms of the Illusory Lost Track Step alone, Song Mun was the best in Qingcheng.
And while Song Hak had a fiery temper, he was a man who strictly separated public and private matters. He would stop eventually.
"More importantly, it seems we need to change the name."
Song Jeong stroked his beard as he looked at the plaque of the newly constructed building. It was a building—and an organization—that had been prepared for a long time for a new Qingcheng, a stronger Qingcheng.
Originally, he had intended to appoint one of the Song-generation elders as the instructor and name it the Western Martial Hall, but now the person had changed, and so had the purpose.
"From now on, this place will be the gateway to select and raise the greatest masters of Qingcheng. First, take this. We will go through the formal procedures later."
Song Jeong pulled out a plaque and handed it to Seok Myeong.
"Sect Leader… this is?" Seok Myeong asked cautiously.
On the luxurious plaque, finely finished with jade and iron, were the words: Master of the Azure Martial Hall.
"Do not be bound by the Heaven and Earth Sword anymore. Is the Heaven and Earth Sword not part of Qingcheng anyway? Now, you must embrace it fully."
"…Sect Leader!"
Seok Myeong’s eyes grew hot with emotion.
In a way, it was just a single plaque. But the name of Qingcheng and the name of the Heaven and Earth Sword were now bound together.
Master of the Azure Martial Hall.
It meant that the Heaven and Earth Sword was now officially registered as an orthodox martial hall of Qingcheng.
"…You are right. The Heaven and Earth Sword is also Qingcheng."
Unable to hold it back, a single tear rolled down his cheek. The years of sorrow were melting away. This small plaque contained the long-held desires of all those of the Heaven and Earth Sword lineage who had wandered and struggled for so long.
Pat, pat.
Tapping Seok Myeong on the shoulder, Song Jeong spoke again.
"I leave Qingcheng in your hands, new Master of the Azure Martial Hall."
"…Yes!"
Seok Myeong answered with a powerful shout that came from the depths of his lungs.
Three days later.
An official decree was posted at every Taoist temple, pavilion, and gate of Qingcheng.
The contents were as follows:
Master of the Azure Martial Hall: Seok Myeong.
Personnel Selection: Maximum of 30 people.
Eligibility: All instructors and disciples of the Qingcheng Sect.
Executive Authority: The Master of the Azure Martial Hall shall inspect and audit all martial arts of Qingcheng. He may receive instruction in martial arts from any elder of the Qingcheng Sect. Through this, he shall reinterpret existing martial arts and seek more efficient methods.
Objective: To raise the capabilities of existing Qingcheng swordsmen and to train all those with potential who have not yet achieved results by changing outdated standards. To forge them into the greatest masters of Qingcheng.
Song Jeong, 27th Sect Leader of the Qingcheng Sect.
Below the Sect Leader’s large seal, the signatures of numerous elders were attached.
There had been a vote to appoint Seok Myeong as the new Master of the Azure Martial Hall.
The result had been unanimous.