The Unorthodox of Hubei
"As you well know, Hero, Hubei is hardly hospitable terrain for unorthodox factions," Gwi Hu-jin said. "Even less so in lands bordering Mount Wudang."
"Mount Wudang is right around the corner, yet scoundrels are crawling all over the place," Ryeong retorted. "Doesn't that make it prime real estate?"
"I suppose someone of your supreme caliber would view it differently. At any rate, the unorthodox sects of Hubei are divided among three powers."
One was the Saber Ghost Gang. Its very name announced a syndicate devoted to the heavy blade.
"The second resides nearby, while the third had the brazen gall to plant its roots right in Wuhan," he continued. "The balance of power is so lopsided that the two of us would have to join forces just to contend with them."
"What? Then they aren't three rival powers at all. Are you lying to me right off the bat?"
"I swear upon my life, I speak no lie! But since that outfit effectively sits right in the heart of the orthodox sphere, they never clash with us. No, our true thorn in the side is the Fire Tiger Sword Gate."
The Fire Tiger Sword Gate. Their territory overlapped directly with the Saber Ghost Gang's, and the brawl back at the inn had broken out between martial artists from those very two factions.
Sabers and swords. Even without hearing the sordid details, it was plain why the two factions constantly came to blows.
According to Gwi Hu-jin's continuing explanation, unorthodox sects in Hubei were already scarce enough, yet every single attempt to merge with the Fire Tiger Sword Gate had ended in failure.
"Is the bad blood between you that deep? Otherwise, there's no reason reconciliation would fail every single time."
"If only it were that simple. No matter how much we swallow our pride to negotiate, bodies always end up dropping on both sides. Even when we double the guards."
It reeked of foul play. By Gwi Hu-jin's telling, it was safe to assume some third party was deliberately sabotaging the talks.
Yet he claimed to have exhausted every possible avenue. He had even personally kept tabs on the strongest unorthodox faction rooted in Wuhan, but the culprit was never unmasked. As the bloody cycle repeated, whatever open-mindedness they initially held toward the Fire Tiger Sword Gate had slammed shut.
Things had escalated to the point where both sides seemed poised to slaughter each other to the last man just to survive. Ryeong was effectively standing on thin ice ready to shatter beneath her feet—though in her case, it was more accurate to say she was hovering lightly in midair, bearing no weight on the ice at all.
"If what you say is true, an outside force is preventing you two from joining hands. Shouldn't the sensible move be to team up and catch that mutual enemy?"
"...The corpses bore traces of their martial arts. And our techniques were carved into the bodies of their dead."
"Traces of a mutual brawl, ending in total mutual destruction... So the problem is that there's no clear proof."
This wasn't something that could be untangled through mere dialogue. From either vantage point, the other side looked like sworn blood enemies. Lingering doubts or not, the heat of the moment left no room for cool heads.
Just like that, unorthodox scoundrels were bound to tear into their own kind. It made one realize just how absurd the notion of orthodox and unorthodox factions uniting under one banner truly was.
"Where is this Fire Tiger Sword Gate located?"
"Y-You intend to go in person? They may be marginally weaker than us, but to march in alone..."
"Ah, enough chatter. Just tell me where it is. I'm only going to take a quick look."
"Understood."
Resigned, Gwi Hu-jin produced a map and showed her the Gate's location. Ryeong neatly tore off that corner, tucked it into her robes, and prepared to leave.
Leaving behind a breezy request to look after her companion, she set off toward the Fire Tiger Sword Gate's stronghold. The transition was so seamless that Gwi Hu-jin couldn't even find the words to object.
Naturally, only he and Jinyeong were left behind in the room. Jinyeong, long accustomed to such developments, had already reached complete enlightenment. Was she ever the kind of person who listened when told to stop? He had tried hundreds of times. If it failed every single time, better to abandon all expectations and just enjoy the ride. His serene detachment earned him an odd look from Gwi Hu-jin, but Jinyeong had long stopped caring about how others viewed him.
All he wished for was for Ryeong to return quickly.
Was she a woman who could be brought down by a mere unorthodox sect? Far from it; even if she slaughtered every last one of them and returned, she wouldn't have a single scratch on her.
Gwi Hu-jin, still knowing little of Ryeong, paced back and forth, fidgeting anxiously. Feeling slightly awkward remaining entirely silent, Jinyeong summoned the courage to speak up.
"Do not fret, Gang Leader. The young lady is far stronger than you imagine. If she were to unleash her full might, scarcely any master save perhaps the Martial Alliance Leader could hope to withstand her."
"That hero has attained such a lofty realm? I... find that hard to fathom..."
"You will see soon enough. It will be decided by whether the Fire Tiger Sword Gate pulls down its sect plaque or comes crawling here to negotiate."
Though Jinyeong prayed for the second outcome, knowing Ryeong's temperament, the chances of it going the first route were overwhelmingly high. She despised troublesome matters, and detested fools who rushed in headlong without listening to reason. If third-rate scoundrels with zero discernment blocked her path, that very day would mark the end of their martial lives.
I can only trust you won't commit unnecessary slaughter.
Taecheong Jin'in had sent Jinyeong along partly to rein Ryeong in. The trouble was that far from restraining her, Jinyeong was merely dragged along in her wake. He could place minor checks on her actions, but that hardly meant he had full control over what she did.
Just like now. Had he spoken up earlier, he could already foresee being swept away by her bizarre brand of twisted logic. So he had held his tongue and let her do as she pleased. There was a reason he found himself praying to the Primeval Lord of Heaven far more often these days. When his companion was like this, who else could he lean on?
"This won't do. I'll take the boys and join—"
"Cease. She hates crowds swarming around her; you would do well not to make unnecessary moves."
"Are you truly not worried when your companion is storming enemy territory all by herself?"
"There is no need for worry. Have you already forgotten what I just told you? She is an expert capable of holding her own even against a master at the pinnacle of the Transcendent Realm."
Gwi Hu-jin bit his lip at Jinyeong's resolute tone. As a peak master, he could tell at a glance by looking into someone's eyes whether they were lying. Astoundingly, Jinyeong spoke absolute truth. His expression brimmed with total conviction that a single young maiden could topple an entire sect with ease.
Even zealots of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult wouldn't harbor such fanatical faith. That thought alone spoke volumes.
In the end, Gwi Hu-jin relented. If her own traveling companion was this certain, what right did an outsider have to doubt? All he could do was place his trust in her. If she brokered peace with the Fire Tiger Sword Gate, wonderful; if they were wiped off the map, all the better.
Though Gwi Hu-jin had glimpsed the gates of the underworld when he first picked a fight with her, in hindsight, he began to feel fortunate that he had picked that fight at all.
"*Yaaawn.* Man, I'm getting sleepy."
"Hang in there just a bit longer. Half an hour and the shift changes—hm?"
"Hello there, everyone. Would this happen to be the Fire Tiger Sword Gate?"
The guards stood watch before the grand gates, thoroughly exhausted in both mind and body from keeping vigil at their post for so long. Just then, a young woman appeared before them. Sauntering up with hands clasped behind her back and a bright smile on her face, she looked like an innocent young maiden through and through.
"What's your business?"
"I have a few words to exchange with your Gate Master. Would you be so kind as to let me in?"
"State your name and affiliation. Our Gate Master isn't so idle that he meets just anyone."
"Well, my name might not ring a bell, but I can give you my affiliation. It's the Saber Ghost Gang—"
"A dog of the Saber Ghost Gang dares set foot on our grounds?!"
Clang!
Both sentries unsheathed their blades in unison, leveling them straight at Ryeong's throat. The Fire Tiger Sword Gate and the Saber Ghost Gang were sworn, mortal enemies—factions locked in an antagonism so bitter that reconciliation was impossible.
Yet the smile never left Ryeong's lips. If anything, it deepened—for they were the ones who had directed killing intent toward her first.
"You've made a grave mistake. Farewell~"
"What?"
"What are you talking abou—urk!"
Both men clutched their throats at the exact same instant. In the blink of an eye, a razor-thin crimson line materialized across each sentry's neck.
Splaaash!
Scarlet blood fountained toward the darkened sky. Stepping back with practiced ease to avoid the spray, Ryeong's smile widened.
Though she had already reached grand attainment in the Heaven-Killing Art, the more human blood it drank, the greater the volume of internal qi it amassed. The art had been conceived with that gruesome mechanism from its very genesis.
She had originally intended to pursue a peaceful approach. But when swords were leveled at her neck, her instincts had moved before her thoughts. With the guards dead, preaching pacifism was out of the question. Ryeong scratched the back of her head and muttered to herself:
"Open up for your guest, you bastards!"
BOOOOM!
A single kick from her foot shattered the heavy wooden gates like tattered rags. Four martial artists on patrol within were crushed beneath the collapsed doors, meeting an untimely and accidental death.
An amused glint flashed in Ryeong's eyes.
So dying to flying debris without direct intent to kill doesn't violate the precepts, does it?
Hyeok was truly a crafty immortal. To define the boundaries of taking a life in such a versatile fashion.
Just as she wondered if this loophole would make it even harder to restrain herself going forward—
"Surround the intruder!!"
Alarms wailed throughout the Fire Tiger Sword Gate as torches flared to life, blazing bright into the dark.