Chapter 195
Chapter 195
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 195
Chapter Title: The Old Martial World
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Old Murim
The Yuan Empire.
It refers to the era when the Mongol Empire, founded by the famous Genghis Khan, dominated the Central Plains.
“Though it lasted just under a century—a mere blip in time—the martial world of the Central Plains was utterly ravaged during that period.”
Anyone who practiced martial arts, regardless of age or gender, was rounded up and killed. All martial arts manuals were burned.
The families who fought to the bitter end were crushed without leaving even a single foundation stone intact. Not even the great sects and clans could escape this fate.
“They forced a choice upon them: annihilation or abandonment of martial arts.”
Resistance was impossible.
Any warriors capable of putting up a fight had already been trampled under Mongol hooves.
With all their martial artists gone, the sects and clans faced unilateral invasions. The invaders burned every book and slowly starved them out—a ruthless tactic that left them no choice but surrender.
In the end, to survive, they had no option but to offer up their secret martial arts manuals themselves.
Those seized manuals were burned to ashes right before their eyes, and the martial heritage of the Central Plains martial world vanished into futile piles of cinders.
“They completely severed lineages of martial arts that had endured for centuries.”
“Because they resisted?”
Jeokga Geun-yeong nodded at my question.
“You’ll understand better once you read the rest, but it says all the forces of the Central Plains martial world united to fight against the Yuan armies.”
Every warrior of the old martial world stood against the Yuan.
High masters who wielded sword qi—even sword beams—challenged the Mongol Empire, the largest in human history.
And the result was devastation.
The extermination of the martial world.
Feeling threatened by warriors who opposed them, the Yuan sought to eradicate their very existence from the Central Plains.
The outcome was the present day.
A martial world where even sword qi had become a mere legend from stories.
“…Hah.”
The shocking tale left me too stunned for even a hollow laugh.
I’d suspected something extraordinary had happened, but I never imagined this.
Shaking my head in disbelief, my eyes suddenly caught the final line.
It stood out, written large, brimming with raw emotion.
[Curse you, demons.]
“…Demons?”
What’s with this expression? It doesn’t fit a wuxia tale.
I turned to Jeokga Geun-yeong for an explanation, but he just shrugged lightly.
“Probably referring to the Yuan’s tyranny. The records describe it as truly diabolical.”
“…I see.”
Something felt off, but with no real counterargument, I had to let it go.
“I’ll return the forbidden text.”
After handing the fully read forbidden scroll back to the scripture pavilion elder, he took it carefully and promptly left the room.
In the meantime, Jeokga Geun-yeong posed a question.
“What did you think?”
“…It was unexpected, to say the least. I never dreamed the fall of the old martial world had such a backstory.”
What I’d vaguely imagined was something more wuxia-like—a righteous-demonic war or the like.
Righteous faction warriors clashing with demonic ones until both collapsed. Something along those lines.
But reality was far grimmer: every warrior in the Central Plains trampled under Mongol cavalry hooves.
“And so the old martial world fell, only reborn after the founding of the Great Ming.”
“Indeed. Emperor Hongwu drove out the Yuan with the backing of the Ming Cult.”
Only for it to be suppressed later and reborn as the Demonic Cult?
I couldn’t shake the unease at the Demonic Cult playing such a pivotal role in the martial world’s revival.
The same fiends who birthed horrors like the Blood Explosion Technique as the heroes of martial resurgence? What an ironic twist.
*
Having learned the truth of the old martial world, I returned to the guest hall to find Hwa Ryeon waiting for me.
“Welcome back.”
“What’s this? How long have you been waiting?”
“Not long.”
I sat across from Hwa Ryeon and asked the reason for her visit.
“Got something you want to talk about?”
“No, not really.”
Then why’d you come?
As I blinked at her, Hwa Ryeon’s eyes narrowed.
Whoa, that’s the face of someone getting a bit miffed?
“…Can’t I visit without a reason?”
Her voice carried a subtle hurt, and I caught on immediately, flashing a sly smile.
“Of course you can. You’re always welcome.”
I extended a hand across the table. She tilted her head as if it were no big deal and offered hers.
Our fingers intertwined softly between her slender, pale ones, warm heat flowing into my palm.
Grinning foolishly at Hwa Ryeon, she averted her gaze—embarrassed by my stare—and changed the subject.
“What have you been up to?”
Yet she gripped our clasped hands tighter, unwilling to let go.
She’s getting cuter by the day.
Stroking her thumb gently with mine, I recounted my visit to Elder Gok and what I’d learned about the old martial world in the scripture pavilion.
Hwa Ryeon listened intently, her eyes widening as she murmured.
“…An astonishing story. A martial world where sword qi was commonplace. And the Yuan’s policy of exterminating it all…”
“Yeah. I was pretty shocked too.”
Hwa Ryeon propped her chin with her free hand, lost in thought, then turned to me.
“So, how does it feel?”
“Hm? What?”
“The world Ja-seong always hoped for… it really existed back then.”
“…Oh, that.”
I scratched my nape and mimicked her, propping my chin.
“Well, I already said I was shocked, and beyond that… regretful, I guess?”
“Regretful?”
“Yeah. We know it happened, but nothing about what that martial world was really like.”
The scattered scribbles on the forbidden scroll didn’t reveal much.
They were desperately jotted down to preserve something, which only made it sadder.
“If only more records had survived.”
What I wanted most was details on their martial arts.
Was the old martial world’s the same I’m trying to restore?
If those records remained, reconstruction would be easier.
“No helping it. That scroll’s the only one left, right?”
“The Jeokga Clan might know more. Just like outsiders don’t know about the scroll, maybe others are hidden elsewhere?”
Hwa Ryeon pondered my words, then nodded as if it made sense.
“You’re right. There could be hidden records in other places too.”
“Exactly.”
Delighted at the prospect, I beamed. Hwa Ryeon smiled faintly, then exclaimed as if remembering something.
“Oh, right—I haven’t told Ja-seong yet. We’re leaving the Jeokga Clan in three days. That okay?”
“Yeah, sure.”
My hunch was spot on.
My only plan was visiting Elder Gok again within three days—no issues there.
“But about our next stop… Wudang, right?”
“Yes. It’s about three or four days away.”
Following Nangong Clan and Jeokga Clan, our third visit—and the first of the Nine Great Sects.
Wudang was famed as the Polaris of the righteous factions, appearing in every wuxia novel with major prominence.
I wonder how this world’s Wudang compares to the one I know?
“Hope nothing crazy happens there.”
“Yeah. A tournament at Nangong Clan, rebellion involvement at Jeokga Clan—too many big incidents in such a short time.”
Hwa Ryeon nodded vigorously in agreement.
Her face, filled with genuine relief, suggested the tension had weighed on her more than I realized.
Seeing it, I chuckled.
“Aww, was it that tough? Poor thing.”
“…What’s with that tone?”
“Nothing, just…”
Delighting in her pouting face at my teasing lilt, I kissed the back of our clasped hands.
“Eek…!”
She whipped her head away to hide her flushing cheeks.
Her reaction so fun, I kept nuzzling her hand until she couldn’t take it and tried to flee.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going?”
“Let go… let me go…”
I yanked the rising Hwa Ryeon onto my lap.
Wrapping my arms around her slender waist from behind in a firm embrace, she stopped struggling.
“…How long are you going to keep this up?”
How long had we stayed like that?
Her voice came, soft and creeping in.
“Dunno. All day?”
“Be serious.”
“Hey, I am. I’d love to stay like this forever.”
The warmth of Hwa Ryeon in my arms, the faint fragrance at my nose.
It cleared my cluttered mind, bringing peace.
“Well, if you hate it, I’ll stop.”
“…Who said I hate it?”
Answering in a tiny voice, Hwa Ryeon relaxed completely, leaning into me.
The pleasant weight on my shoulder—turning, the world’s most beautiful face was right there.
Each other’s faces filled our visions, drawing gentle smiles on our lips.
We stayed entwined like that for a long while.
As if the world held only us two.
Of course, Seol’s sudden arrival at the guest hall cut our sweet time short.
At times like this, your obliviousness is endlessly frustrating, kiddo.
*
The next destination for Ja-seong and Hwa Ryeon’s group was Wudang, called the Polaris of the righteous martial world.
And rivaling—no, surpassing—Wudang in prestige was another Polaris: Shaolin Temple on Mount Song in Henan.
-Raaagh!
-Ugh-!
That Shaolin was burning.
Ancient temple halls blazed, death cries of monks echoing everywhere.
“Cough! You wicked demonesses…!”
In Shaolin’s main hall.
Abbot Won-gil of the era glared at the women before him after vomiting a bowlful of blood.
Women each bearing a bewitching beauty.
Leading them was none other than Ilji, Grand Commander of the Divine Wood Division.