The Purple Martial Command Token
Yeo Juga knew perfectly well who stood before him, yet he asked for confirmation all the same.
“Might I inquire as to your name?”
“I oversee the Law Enforcement Hall.”
“Ah—so you are Cold Wind Cold Heart, Lord Namgung of the Hall. It is an honor to meet you.”
The gulf between a Third Knot disciple of the Beggars’ Sect and the Head of the Law Enforcement Hall of the Great Namgung Family was as vast as heaven and earth. Namgung Hyeonwu returned the greeting with a light clasped-fist salute.
“Before I ascended Guimun, I heard rumors of Blue Stream Sword Fragrance. Are you aware of them?”
“I am.”
“You must be proud of your son.”
“There is no need to make a fuss over such a thing. A martial artist will fight sooner or later; when he does, his name will naturally become known.”
“It is hardly a natural occurrence when the man he defeated was no nameless wanderer but the Poisonous Assassin of Salyeong.”
“Salyeong’s Poisonous Assassin may have enjoyed a certain reputation, yet it is nothing to be astonished by. The boy is a scion of the Namgung Family, after all.”
“Ah…”
Namgung Hyeonwu spoke with utter calm, yet pride—an unshakable certainty—radiated from the simple phrase “a scion of the Namgung Family.”
“Yeo Juga, tell me the true reason you have come to our family.”
“I know that Wolyeonggwangheun has ascended Guimun.”
“Indeed. And why has the Beggars’ Sect gone to the trouble of seeking him out?”
“As the Lord of the Law Enforcement Hall is surely already aware, unexplained murders have followed in Wolyeonggwangheun’s wake through every village he passed. Until yesterday we did not know who was responsible, but we now suspect Salyeong—the same force that ambushed the escort of the Hwangshan Escort Agency.”
“Our family has already begun its own investigation into that matter. We will soon learn Salyeong’s precise motive for attacking the Hwangshan Escort Agency.”
“Yes. Therefore our sect intends to investigate directly whether Wolyeonggwangheun has any connection to Salyeong.”
Namgung Hyeonwu understood the man’s intent at once.
“You mean the Beggars’ Sect intends to take Wolyeonggwangheun away with you?”
“That is correct.”
“What connection does Wolyeonggwangheun have with the Beggars’ Sect?”
“Someone must take the lead, must they not? Our Chief has declared that he will stand at the forefront for the sake of the martial world.”
“Hahaha. If it is the Beggars’ Sect that upholds chivalry, then yes, you are free to step forward. Yet the affair between Wolyeonggwangheun and Salyeong seems far more closely tied to our family than to yours.”
“Does that mean you will not release him?”
“Our family has no reason to detain him. But while he remains within our walls, we will not hand him over to the Beggars’ Sect.”
Yeo Juga’s expression hardened. Namgung Hyeonwu regarded him and spoke again.
“If you wish to seize him and drag him back to your sect, do so after he has left the Namgung Family. At that point we will not interfere.”
Had they believed they could capture him once he left, they would never have climbed this far.
There is no other way.
With a soft rustle Yeo Juga reached into his sash, drew out a crimson tablet, and held it forth.
It was unmistakably a Purple Martial Command Token—one of the command tokens of the Wulin Alliance.
Three kinds of tokens existed within the Alliance.
The Purple Martial Command Token, issued by the Alliance Leader himself.
The Dragon Martial Command Token, which carried the will of the entire Alliance.
And the Red Martial Command Token, which executed the orders of the Alliance elders.
Namgung Hyeonwu looked at Yeo Juga and asked,
“Does the Alliance Leader himself desire the man?”
“I do not know. I myself merely received the order from my own sect.”
A dry chuckle escaped Namgung Hyeonwu as he regarded the Purple Martial Command Token.
So they knew everything about the Baekcheon Blood Sect Incident all along.
Until now the Wulin Alliance had never once mentioned the Baekcheon Blood Sect Incident. He had vaguely sensed they were feigning ignorance, but the token made the truth certain.
Is the Alliance Leader coveting it?
The current Alliance Leader was a man of Myeongseon Palace. Whether this was the Alliance’s will or Myeongseon Palace’s, he could not yet tell.
“So you mean to take him with you personally.”
“That is correct. Even the Namgung Family must obey the order.”
“An order, is it? Even if you brandish a Purple Martial Command Token, our family does not blindly submit.”
“Does the Lord of the Law Enforcement Hall mean to disregard the Wulin Alliance?”
“The Alliance is the central pillar of the orthodox sects of the Central Plains, yet it does not hold binding authority over every orthodox faction.”
“Are you saying you truly intend to defy the Alliance’s command?”
“Even the Alliance Leader has no right to meddle in the internal affairs of the Namgung Family.”
Namgung Hyeonwu’s voice was iron.
The Namgung Family’s pride as the foremost family under heaven ran deep. Not even the Alliance Leader could casually issue them commands.
“Neither the Alliance Leader nor our Chief will look kindly upon this.”
“Is that a warning—or a threat?”
In that instant a wave of freezing cold pressed in around Yeo Juga.
Damn it…
He could not move a muscle. He had heard only rumors of Cold Wind Cold Heart; this was the first time he had faced the man in person.
“Yeo Juga, as a man of the Beggars’ Sect you cannot be ignorant of what the Namgung Family is. We prefer to live quietly. But if we ever step into the martial world, you would do well to remember what has always followed.”
“…”
The Namgung Family’s true power.
Once every fifty years a peerless genius arose within the family.
Sword Heaven Patriarch Namgung Seohwang.
Sword God Namgung Jong.
Sword Heaven Patriarch Namgung Seohwang had sought to prove that a family alone could stand at the summit of the martial world; he crushed every force that barred his path—even orthodox ones—and ascended the peak. After his death, when the martial world’s accumulated grudges against the family finally erupted, Sword God Namgung Jong appeared and raised his blade against them once more. Both times the Wulin Alliance and the Unorthodox Alliance joined forces, yet in the end the Namgung Family earned the title of the foremost family under heaven before returning to Mount Hwangshan.
From that day forward, the martial world of the Central Plains never again dared to provoke the Namgung Family’s wrath.
Of all places, these fools had to come to the Namgung Family first and make things difficult.
If the family refused so firmly, there was no way to force Wolyeonggwangheun away.
“The Namgung Family must understand that this matter could become a problem later.”
“Of course. Wait a short while; I will go myself and seek the Family Head’s wishes.”
“I shall wait.”
A short while later Yeo Juga entered the Family Head’s Hall. When he stepped into the reception chamber, two men were already seated.
“I present myself before the Family Head of the Namgung Family.”
“Come in.”
“My thanks.”
Namgung Cheonwu regarded the seated man and asked,
“I hear you carry a Purple Martial Command Token.”
With a soft rustle Yeo Juga again drew the token from his robes and set it down.
“Indeed. I wonder what the Alliance Leader is thinking.”
Namgung Cheonwu smiled faintly as he spoke.
“The Family Head need only follow the command issued by the Alliance Leader.”
“Follow blindly without even thinking? Yeo Juga, you speak as though our family were a subordinate of the Wulin Alliance. I find that rather displeasing.”
“That was not my meaning. I only meant that the Alliance Leader’s command is of great importance…”
“When there is a sound reason for it. Is that not so?”
“Yes… that is correct. The Alliance Leader ordered that the man be brought so that the murders might be investigated.”
“Have you not already learned the truth of that? The culprit is said to be Salyeong. You must have heard as much before you climbed to our family, no?”
“I heard that Salyeong ambushed the Hwangshan Escort Agency. But there is no evidence that Salyeong committed the murders while pursuing Wolyeonggwangheun. If that is the case, then the relationship between Salyeong and Wolyeonggwangheun must be investigated.”
“The Alliance Leader seems to have a great deal of free time.”
“What do you mean?”
“For such a matter he personally draws forth a Purple Martial Command Token? Does the Alliance Leader handle every single affair himself?”
“That is…”
Yeo Juga could not immediately invent an excuse. Namgung Cheonwu turned to Namgung Hyeonwu beside him.
“Lord of the Law Enforcement Hall, it appears the Alliance Leader intends to investigate personally. What ought we to do?”
“The Great Namgung Family is no subordinate organ of the Wulin Alliance. Yet the Alliance Leader’s prestige cannot be ignored, and a Purple Martial Command Token is not something one may simply dismiss. Even so, I do not believe we should seize the man ourselves within our own walls and hand him over to the Beggars’ Sect.”
“Exactly. He is our guest, is he not?”
Yeo Juga asked the two men bluntly,
“Does the Namgung Family mean it will not surrender him?”
“No wrongdoing of his has been proven. We cannot pressure a man who is not a criminal.”
Namgung Cheonwu stated the family’s position with perfect clarity.
“No action of any kind is to take place within our walls.”
If they wished to seize Dokjeonhwa, they would have to do it themselves—outside the family.
After meeting with Yeo Juga, Namgung Hyeonwu returned once more to Jicheong. Dokjeonhwa, who had been waiting there, was in foul humor; he could feel the surrounding energy that now hemmed them in.
“Why have you surrounded us?”
“Before you grow angry, there is something you should know. It seems Salyeong is not the only one following your trail.”
“What do you mean? There were others trailing us as well?”
Dokjeonhwa and Jeong Cheong both looked startled. Namgung Hyeonwu told them the truth.
“Did I not already say that other sects besides our own are watching you with keen interest? The murders have drawn the Beggars’ Sect into motion. One of their people has now arrived at our family.”
Dokjeonhwa’s face hardened. The reason the Namgung Family had sealed off Jicheong…
To seize us… and hand us over to the Beggars’ Sect?
Namgung Hyeonwu watched the uncertainty flicker in Dokjeonhwa’s eyes.
“Do not misunderstand. We blocked Jicheong not to capture you, but to prevent you from descending in ignorance and falling straight into the Beggars’ hands. Nothing of the sort will occur within our family, so set your mind at ease.”
The words meant that the Namgung Family was protecting them.
“…You have my thanks.”
“But our intervention ends here. We do not fear the Beggars’ Sect, yet Yeo Juga carries a Purple Martial Command Token issued by the Alliance Leader himself.”
Dokjeonhwa understood at once. The Beggars’ Sect, too, belonged to the orthodox path. For the sake of a man they barely knew, the Namgung Family could not go to war with them. And an order from the Alliance Leader was a burden even the Namgung Family could not ignore.
“Even if you descend Mount Hwangshan safely under their eyes, you will never escape the Heaven’s Net and Earth’s Web of the Beggars’ Sect.”
“So you are telling us not to flee… but to submit quietly to the beggars?”
“It is the surest way to preserve your lives. Even if you go of your own will, men of our family serve within the Wulin Alliance. We will do everything in our power to ensure you receive a proper investigation.”
Dokjeonhwa regarded Namgung Hyeonwu steadily and asked,
“Do you help me because you do not wish the truth of the Baekcheon Blood Sect Incident to become known to the world?”
“If the Beggars’ Sect has moved, those who needed to know already know. The rumors will spread soon enough.”
Even if the Namgung Family stood blameless regarding the Baekcheon Blood Sect Incident, they would endure a season of slander—and until the Cheonhwangdo Map was found, all six great families would be entangled. Dokjeonhwa and Jeong Cheong had no choice but to decide.
Namgung Hyeonwu’s words were not wrong. Even if they slipped away in secret, once the Beggars’ Sect had taken the field there would be no escape. No martial artist could break free of the Beggars’ Heaven’s Net and Earth’s Web. As Namgung Hyeonwu suggested, going to the Wulin Alliance and laying every fact bare seemed the wiser course. The situation had changed, yet had they not intended to petition the Alliance from the beginning?
“Very well. I will accompany the Beggars’ disciple to the Wulin Alliance and reveal the truth. Will that be acceptable?”
“The matter is already past. From our family’s standpoint, it may even be for the best.”
The Namgung Family’s prestige would suffer for a time, yet for the sake of future generations the price was worth paying. The truth of the Baekcheon Blood Sect Incident would soon spread throughout the entire Central Plains.
Dokjeonhwa and Jeong Cheong recognized at a glance the two figures who entered Jicheong with the others—Yeo Juga and Seol Jo.
Ugh.
The stench struck without warning. Jeong Cheong clapped a hand over his nose and turned his head away. Yeo Juga’s face twisted with rising anger.
“What is the meaning of this behavior? Do you mean to insult our Beggars’ Sect?”
Jeong Cheong was still flustered and at a loss when a wave of cold qi rolled from Namgung Hyeonwu’s body.
“Yeo Juga, that is enough. Even I find the smell rising from your persons difficult to endure. Anyone meeting you for the first time would inevitably make a face.”
Yeo Juga answered sullenly,
“The Lord of the Law Enforcement Hall seems determined to put me to shame.”
“The very fact that you dare say such a thing is itself an insult to me. Were it not for the present matter, do you truly believe a branch chief of the Beggars’ Sect would be permitted to converse face-to-face with the Head of the Law Enforcement Hall of the Great Namgung Family?”
“…”
“If I am extending the utmost courtesy, then you would do well to mind your own conduct.”
A branch chief of the Beggars’ Sect held the rank of Third Knot. Only those of Fifth Knot or higher rose to the level of headquarters or hall masters. And the Head of the Law Enforcement Hall of the Namgung Family stood equal to a Sixth Knot Law Beggar. Yeo Juga’s swarthy face flushed a visible, furious red.
“I… apologize.”
“Hero Dok has agreed to accompany you to the Wulin Alliance. You already know he is not the murderer. Since he has committed no crime, treat him with every courtesy.”
“I understand…”
Jeong Cheong watched Namgung Hyeonwu rebuke Yeo Juga. From the moment he had entered the Namgung Family, the image he had held of the great orthodox houses had begun to shift. The Namgung Hyeonwu he saw was as just and upright as the rumors claimed.
At last Namgung Hyeonwu exchanged parting words with Dokjeonhwa.
“Hero Dok, fare well.”
“Thank you for allowing us to rest in comfort.”
“No. Our family is the one that owes you an apology.”
The two men faced each other and clasped their fists in salute. A short while later, Dokjeonhwa and Jeong Cheong left Jicheong and descended the Namgung Family under Yeo Juga’s escort.