Hao Sect (1)
Hao Sect (1)
"So, this time you've entered an intelligence war to track down the Hao Sect's trail."
"That's right."
After returning to the sect, I trained and meditated while awaiting operational orders. I had confidence in devising schemes to torment others or carrying out sabotage operations, but an intelligence war spanning all of Shaanxi was not my area of expertise. It made more sense to leave the work to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who had roamed the Central Plains for years doing similar tasks, and throw myself in only where manpower was needed.
"If the Embroidered Uniform Guard is lending a hand, you'll have the advantage in the intelligence war. No matter how high and mighty the Hao Sect gets in the Central Plains, against the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who once ruled these lands, they're nothing but posturing."
Sannyeo said that after hearing the operation outline I explained. Though she seemed to be simply listing impressions, there was a hint of regret on her face. Was it because this operation had pushed back her own revenge? But it couldn't be helped.
"You regret it?"
At my question, Sannyeo smiled and nodded.
"Of course I regret it. There's a part of me that wishes the Hao Sect would just keep running wild. If those bastards bring in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, wouldn't that be like having everything handled without lifting a finger? If they find a crack to burrow into and throw the world into chaos, wouldn't that alone be entertaining?"
"But if the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult doesn't win, the martial world will only bind itself together tighter, and we'll be the ones in trouble. Besides, do you think the average person would be left alone by bastards with 'demon' in their name? Innocent corpses would pile up everywhere. You don't wish for that, do you?"
Sannyeo paused at those words. She blinked as she stared into empty space, then drew in a sharp breath. Her eyes were strangely moist when she looked back at me. She shook her head, composed herself, and spoke.
"...That's a fair point too. We don't even know what level the Heavenly Demon is at. And besides, 'we' agreed to pursue this dream together, didn't we?"
We had to go together. It was a remark that revealed a certain sense of camaraderie. In a way, this operation meant Sannyeo had taken a step back. I spoke.
"Thank you."
"...What's with that, how embarrassing."
Sannyeo made a strange face at my words. It was the kind of expression she would've made if her hands were fine — scrubbing her body and complaining about getting goosebumps. Her disgusted reaction amused me, and I cackled with laughter. Then I lifted the shoe sitting in the courtyard with my toes and said,
"By the way, who's your next target for revenge? I still haven't heard. Is it the Hao Sect?"
"Close, but no. It's the Beggars' Sect."
She shook her head as she said it. At the mention of the Beggars' Sect, I frowned and asked,
"The Beggars' Sect? How are you supposed to kill the Beggars' Sect? The place is crawling with fucking beggars."
Wiping out the Beggars' Sect was impossible. Not because I'm small-minded, but because it's realistically impossible. How many beggars were sprawled across the entire Central Plains? And how much of a headache was it to distinguish members of the Beggars' Sect from among those beggars?
Sannyeo shook her head at my words and said,
"Oh, please. I'm not some mass-murdering fiend who cuts down innocent people indiscriminately. I only kill the people I want to kill."
It sounded similar, but I decided to treat it as different. After all, the way people see themselves and the way others see them are never the same.
"I want to kill the Beggars' Sect elders and the sect leader who were involved at the time of the Sannyeo Valley Massacre."
"That won't be easy."
The Beggars' Sect might have been a pack of beggars, but they were still bastards who occupied a seat among the Nine Sects One Gang. Their martial arts weren't systematically passed down, so individual members were weak, but those who reached the elder level had extensive combat experience and were beyond what an ordinary martial artist could handle. Moreover, their organizational strength was surprisingly formidable — if you poked them carelessly, you'd easily face a counterattack.
"At the time of the Sannyeo Valley Massacre, the Beggars' Sect elders and the sect leader actively incited their members to downplay and distort the incident. They spun it as suppressing a dangerous unorthodox faction's gathering in Sannyeo Valley, or that criminals had been hiding there so casualties were unavoidable. They packaged and buried it as just some passing incident, so even now, many people don't know exactly what happened in Sannyeo Valley."
As Sannyeo spoke, her eyelids quivered. She looked like her body couldn't contain her rage. I listened to her words and was lost in thought for a moment. The Beggars' Sect was too powerful an opponent. There was no way to deal with them right now, nor any justification.
"...Do you have any grudges against Mount Hua Sect, by any chance?"
Sannyeo answered immediately.
"As if I wouldn't. They didn't directly participate, but they silently went along with it. I told you, Docheol. I want to see this entire martial world smashed to pieces."
Sannyeo said that, then took a breath. She seemed to realize she'd gotten too worked up. Her chest swelled slightly, then subsided.
"...The idea of smashing the Beggars' Sect to pieces right now is completely unrealistic, so you don't need to worry about it. If we prod them recklessly, they're the type to scatter malicious rumors."
"Is that what orthodox sects are supposed to do?"
At my words, Sannyeo nodded and said,
"The Beggars' Sect is fairly strong at intelligence gathering, but they're an organization that specializes in spreading rumors. Once those beggars start swarming around and spreading false rumors, even a perfectly decent person turns into human garbage in an instant. Aren't they the bastards who specialize, above all else, in punishing 'evil' and upholding righteousness and chivalry?"
Sannyeo's voice was full of mockery. I agreed with her words, but I decided to forget about the Beggars' Sect for now. An organization that spread false rumors to turn anyone they didn't like into a freak — I didn't like the fact that bastards who did such wicked things claimed to be orthodox.
Rather than dealing with bastards like that, I'd rather deal with the Hao Sect, who gathered intelligence on orders...
"Hm?"
When I frowned, Sannyeo asked,
"What is it? Did something occur to you?"
"I was just thinking — do we really need to compete fairly with Mount Hua Sect to find the Hao Sect?"
Sannyeo's eyes widened. She looked at me with an enigmatic expression, as if she were both smiling and not smiling. I said,
"No, hear me out. Why should we compete fairly with Mount Hua Sect? Their martial level is high, and if it comes down to it, they could cooperate with other sects and catch them in ways we'd never even think of. And how long are we supposed to keep playing the role of subordinates to that Zhuge Yeong-yu and the imperial household?"
Sannyeo leaned in. Our eyes met like two people cooking up a sinister scheme, our faces close together.
'Our' dream was different from the imperial household's. They wanted peace in this land, but I wanted to become the strongest man in this land. And Sannyeo wanted every sect in this land smashed to rubble.
"So what are you thinking of doing?"
Sannyeo asked. I raised my hand into the air and said,
"We look further ahead. Think about it. Can we take down the Beggars' Sect with our own strength? Is it possible to grab the Beggars' Sect leader and elders by their weaknesses and bring them down? Would Zhuge Yeong-yu agree to a request to deal with the Beggars' Sect? From the imperial household's perspective, the Beggars' Sect is like a beehive — no problem at all as long as you don't poke it."
The Beggars' Sect was bottom-rung beggars. Put another way, they were a breed whose numbers inevitably shrank when the world was at peace. No matter how enormous the Beggars' Sect was, they had no power to stop beggars from leaving once they found a livelihood. From the perspective of the imperial household and the Zhuge Family, there was no need to pick a fight with an organization that had no control over the world and simply drifted with the currents of the times.
"But what if we placed the Hao Sect beneath us? If we use this opportunity to swallow the Hao Sect whole, and make them dance to our tune — if we can use the Hao Sect's intelligence capabilities — wouldn't we have a fighting chance even against the Beggars' Sect?"
It wasn't just about fighting the Beggars' Sect. If I could devour the Hao Sect's leadership, I'd have an organization beneath me capable of taking on even Mount Hua Sect, and even if the Zhuge Family stabbed me in the back later, I'd have a foothold prepared for recovery.
In an organization like the Hao Sect, the leadership and the subordinates didn't even see each other face to face. If we succeeded in secretly seizing the leadership, swallowing the entire organization wasn't a fanciful notion.
Sannyeo covered her mouth and said,
"So, how are you thinking of doing it?"
"First, we ride along. We move in step with Zhuge Yeong-yu and the Embroidered Uniform Guard's plan, but we find the Hao Sect's leadership first, strike them, and seize control."
Sannyeo's reaction was lukewarm.
"Well, I've heard the Hao Sect's martial level isn't that high, but still, the sect leader is the sect leader. I heard even the previous sect leader was a peak-level master, and no one knows what level the current sect leader is. Besides, they're people who specialize in movement techniques and grappling, so catching them won't be easy either."
At Sannyeo's words, I shuddered for a moment. A peak-level master — I had reached a certain realm by mastering Taijiquan and the Mount Tai Axe Technique, but a peak-level master was still a daunting opponent. A first-rate fighter I could figure out how to tackle, but a peak-level master was too much.
Especially considering that this time it had to be done silently — that made it even more so.
I discreetly gauged her reaction and asked,
"...You won't help me?"
"How unmanly."
Sannyeo laughed as she said it.
"I want to help, but I'm not just a companion setting out in search of a dream — I'm also your master, you know. A master who simply indulges her disciple's unreasonable whims... that's not good, is it?"
She was right. No matter how much it was for revenge, a master couldn't only guide her disciple down easy paths. If you kept blindly throwing yourself forward thinking someone else would handle the difficult parts for you, a person was sure to end up ruined.
If it was something I couldn't resolve on my own, it was right to stop there.
But that didn't mean I could give up here.
I was the type of person who couldn't be satisfied unless I got everything — all or nothing.
I would get the Hao Sect, stop Mount Hua Sect's schemes, and earn the Zhuge Family's trust.
To do that, I had to defeat the Hao Sect's sect leader.
"...Let's give it a try first. Whatever direction we go, we'll be cooperating with the Zhuge Family for now."
So for now, I decided to learn more about the Hao Sect's sect leader and then think it over.
Fortunately, there was still time to think, and time to train.