Chapter 167
Chapter 167
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: An Unconventional Meeting
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The carriage ran for a long time before a massive fortress wall came into view.
“The Orthodox Murim Alliance…”
Neung Un-bi's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the sight through the carriage window.
“What do you think? You said you wanted to see it so badly. Are you satisfied now?”
At the words of Jin San, who sat beside him, Neung Un-bi silently nodded.
“Satisfied?”
Gang Jeong-gil, who was riding along as an escort, tilted his head at Jin San's words.
“Ah! My goodness… You don't know why Young Master Neung came to the Orthodox Murim Alliance, do you?”
“Pardon? Wasn't it the Alliance Leader who personally invited him?”
“He did invite him. But I was the one who requested the invitation.”
“...?”
Seeing Gang Jeong-gil's confused expression, Jin San smiled faintly and said.
“Actually, Young Master Neung is very interested in architecture.”
“Architecture?”
“Yes.”
“Does that mean he's skilled in mechanisms and formations, like the people of the Zhuge Clan?”
“No, just architecture.”
“...?”
“He's only interested in the buildings themselves.”
“Ah…”
“When Young Master Neung came to our Zhongnan territory, I heard he personally oversaw the construction of an inn and a brewery. On top of that, he said he really wanted to see what the Orthodox Murim Alliance headquarters looked like.”
“I see. I never would have thought Young Master Neung would be interested in architecture…”
“Just interested? He's quite talented, too.”
“Is that so? That's a rare talent for a martial artist.”
“It's always good to have a talent for something. So, I was already hoping to come with him, and I thought it turned out well. With the Orthodox and Demonic factions having signed an accord, I thought it would be good for the future pillars of both sides to become friends.”
“Indeed, we can't just keep fighting forever.”
“Right, exactly! I hope Young Master Neung takes this opportunity to befriend our Orthodox people, strengthening the bond between the Orthodox and Demonic factions.”
“So the Alliance Leader understood your intentions and readily agreed?”
“Of course! Isn't that the kind of person the Alliance Leader is? He desires peace in this martial world more than anyone.”
“That is true.”
“Furthermore, I heard that after learning what Young Master Neung did at the Heavenly Pillar Gate, he wanted to meet him as well.”
“Ah… so that was the situation. Haha, I wholeheartedly agree with your intentions, Elder.”
“Eh? Not just agree, but wholeheartedly agree?”
“Of course! If it's a member of the Demonic Cult like Young Master Neung, I'll always agree. There's no one who studies the Dao who has a bad heart.”
“…Then am I a bad person?”
“Hey, you're being sarcastic again. It seems your personality gets stranger the older you get.”
“What? Did this brat learn his manners from his ass? Is that how they teach you to treat your elders in Qingcheng?”
“Qingcheng? Of course not. But with you, Elder, it seems to be fine.”
“You little…! If Young Master Neung weren't here, I'd…!”
As their back-and-forth banter turned playful once more, Neung Un-bi let out a faint smile.
The previous conversation felt as if it were meant for him to hear.
To convey their hope—their desire for the Demonic Cult and the Orthodox Faction to grow closer, starting with him.
His own thoughts were no different from theirs.
The coexistence of the Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic.
It was only a small change, but if the Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic factions could establish branches in the same place and build their influence through fair and just means, he couldn't ask for more.
But his mind was too cluttered to dream of the future just yet.
The Orthodox Murim Alliance, one of the three great powers of the Central Plains.
But its nature was different from the Demonic Cult's headquarters or the Unorthodox Faction.
Because its name contained the word "Alliance."
A gathering of those who had pledged to be together based on shared hobbies, preferences, or common goals.
A pledge can be broken at any time, and anyone can leave if their goals diverge. In other words, while the leader holds immense influence, they do not have compulsory power.
Of course, that didn't mean any of the Orthodox Faction's powers would ignore the Alliance's will. The Alliance Leaders, generation after generation, were either the most respected figures, the strongest martial artists, or the most influential people among the Orthodox.
Furthermore, representatives from each power gathered to make decisions through discussion.
It possessed the so-called "just cause," the very thing the Orthodox Faction lived and died for.
But Neung Un-bi thought differently.
In the end, it was only maintained because it was based on mutual interests.
Because being a part of it was more advantageous than not…
Others might not know, but hadn't he seen it with his own eyes?
Those who engaged in fierce, clandestine struggles to gain more profit and seize more power.
Those who hid their unspeakable ugliness behind masks of justice, righteousness, and honor.
People tend to think based on what they've seen, and to Neung Un-bi, that was what the Orthodox Murim Alliance was.
Moreover, to him, the Orthodox Murim Alliance was no different from a grave.
The place where he had died. The place where he had ended his life in front of those who sneered and mocked, those who clamored to extract something from him.
Though he didn't know what had become of his body…
“Ah! Let go!”
“You let go, you brat!”
“…”
As Neung Un-bi was lost in his long reminiscence, he saw Jin San and Gang Jeong-gil grabbing each other by the hair.
“Young Master Neung! Please stop this guy! He has less respect for his elders than a dog's turd!”
To think this man was a renowned master of the Orthodox Faction and a great elder of Zhongnan…
“Well said. Young Master Neung, please stop the elder. He must be going senile in his old age!”
How did someone like you ever become a Daoist of Qingcheng…
What a fine display. Men who have made a name for themselves in the Orthodox Faction, acting like this in front of a member of the Demonic Cult.
He was truly curious what others would say if they saw this pathetic pair.
Two of a kind, neck and neck.
But…
Despite it all, Neung Un-bi thought it would have been nice if the Orthodox Murim Alliance had been filled with people like them.
People who held no prejudice regarding status, age, or ideology.
People who truly deserved to be called members of the Orthodox Faction.
If only there had been more people like that.
***
Escorted by the Vanguard Squad, Neung Un-bi entered the Orthodox Murim Alliance without any particular inspection and tilted his head in front of a building Gang Jeong-gil had led him to.
It was a humble, one-story building with four sections. It was too small to be called a pavilion.
But Neung Un-bi wasn't one to care about appearances, so he paid it no mind.
“Surprising, isn't it?”
“Not at all. It seems like a very good place to talk without any pressure.”
When Neung Un-bi shook his head and replied, Gang Jeong-gil looked a little surprised.
“You don't consider this a poor reception?”
“…Pardon?”
“Well, isn't it? Anyone would frown at having their first meeting in a place like this… You're so composed that I'm the one who feels embarrassed.”
At Gang Jeong-gil's words, a smile touched Neung Un-bi's lips.
“Someone once told me.”
“…?”
“That the clothes don't make the man. Isn't the person you're meeting more important than the place or the surroundings?”
“…”
“Besides, if someone's feelings were to be hurt, wouldn't that be the responsibility of the one who prepared the venue, not me?”
“Pardon?”
“It is customary for the host who welcomes a guest to dress appropriately and clean their house.”
“…”
“If that wasn't done, then it must be one of two things. Either I am receiving poor treatment, as the Vanguard Captain said, or the Alliance Leader has other intentions and wishes to test me. However, seeing as he sent the Vanguard Captain to guide me here, it seems closer to the latter.”
Gang Jeong-gil couldn't hide his surprise at Neung Un-bi's words. It was truly an insight beyond his years.
“Young Master Neung.”
“Yes.”
“It seems I should be the one to apologize, not the Alliance Leader.”
“Pardon?”
“It's true that the Alliance Leader guided you here with other intentions, but it was I who tested you.”
“…?”
As Gang Jeong-gil's expression turned serious and he apologized, Neung Un-bi looked at him with a puzzled gaze.
“Actually, after hearing of your past deeds, the Alliance Leader changed the location so that you could converse more comfortably.”
“…”
“There are many eyes in the Alliance.”
At those words, Neung Un-bi nodded in understanding.
Indeed, there was no way the Alliance Leader wouldn't know about his own Alliance.
The Orthodox Murim Alliance, a council formed by a pact. Countless eyes and ears existed there. His meeting with the Alliance Leader would surely be reported to the various powers through someone's eyes and ears.
Naturally, a free conversation would be impossible. It would have been a meeting that ended after a lot of nonsense spoken within the confines of formality, with true feelings hidden.
But if it was here…
A mere one-story pavilion, barely four sections wide.
The Vanguard Squad would be guarding outside, and with not even a waiting maid in sight, the Alliance Leader must be the only one inside the pavilion.
“The Alliance Leader instructed me to be sure to explain why I had no choice but to bring you here.”
“…”
“However, I wanted to know what kind of person you were, so I deliberately didn't explain the reason for bringing you here.”
“I see. Then it would have been a big problem if I had been disappointed and thrown a fit, wouldn't it?”
“Haha, even if you had, would anything have changed?”
As Gang Jeong-gil scratched his head apologetically, Neung Un-bi shook his head.
“Your opinion of me would have changed, Vanguard Captain.”
“If that were the case, you wouldn't be smiling with me like this now.”
Momentarily speechless, Gang Jeong-gil stared blankly at Neung Un-bi.
Is he… concerned about what I think?
“Will you guide me? It seems the Alliance Leader has been waiting for a long time.”
“Ah!”
Only then did Gang Jeong-gil snap back to his senses at Neung Un-bi's words.
“Please have your guards wait here for a moment. The invitation was only for you, Young Master Neung.”
“Understood.”
At Gang Jeong-gil's request, Neung Un-bi gestured to Ju Seung and Wang Cheon with his eyes.
[Hyang-i, you stay outside too.]
[Alright. It doesn't seem like there will be any particular threat anyway.]
After conveying his intentions to Hyang-i via telepathy, Neung Un-bi walked toward the pavilion, guided by Gang Jeong-gil.
The Alliance Leader waiting inside was likely the same, but Neung Un-bi himself was also quite curious.
What kind of person was the current Alliance Leader?
Seeing as he deliberately changed the meeting place, he was clearly conscious of certain eyes and ears within the Orthodox Murim Alliance…
Could it be that he also knew?
The fact that another power was moving the Orthodox Faction?
Then perhaps, could he be one of the people who, like himself, followed 'that person's' teachings and thoughts?
Various thoughts flashed through his mind, and his heart beat faster as he approached the door.
And behind him, Jin San spoke with a pleased smile.
“Keke, he's a really amazing fellow, isn't he? He has a knack for leaving you speechless sometimes. I was the one left like that back in the Three Gates Gorge. I felt like I wanted to find a hole to crawl into.”
“…He is.”
Gang Jeong-gil nodded and replied to Jin San's words.
The Third Young Master of the Demonic Cult. He was truly an unexpected person.
He seemed endlessly carefree, yet he was someone who knew how to overwhelm his opponent not with force, but with gentle words and expressions.
Even the venerated elders of a sect found it difficult to possess such an aura. Especially considering Neung Un-bi's age.
“Infinite Blessings…”
For the first time in a while, Gang Jeong-gil pleasantly chanted a Daoist invocation.
The first Alliance Leader in the history of the Orthodox Murim Alliance without the backing of a major power.
Neung Un-bi, who had laid the first stepping stone for the Demonic Cult to expand its influence in the Central Plains.
Gang Jeong-gil was incredibly curious to see what kind of repercussions the meeting between these two would bring.
“Whatever happens, the Council of Elders is going to hound the Alliance Leader again.”