Chapter 61
Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: The Reason for Nicknames
Why do people call others by their nicknames instead of their names?
The reason was simple.
'Because it's more intuitive and easier to remember.'
To common folk uninterested in the martial world, the phrase "Lecherous Demon took the virginity of the World's Greatest Beauty" resonates far more than "Mok Jimyeong took Cheon Suyeon's virginity."
Only when it sticks in people's memories do rumors spread, allowing one to gain fame or infamy.
So, how are nicknames created?
'They have to be talked about by people.'
No matter how exceptional one's martial prowess, if others don't know about it, will a nickname form?
An incident must occur, and the story must circulate among people for a nickname to truly be born.
'The prime example is the Martial Emperor.'
Did Cheon Seonwoo earn his nickname by suddenly growing strong?
No, he was already a fully realized martial artist.
But he acquired the title of Martial Emperor three years later.
It came from defeating the Murim Alliance Leader and the Four Black Alliance Leader, thereby concluding the Righteous-Demonic Great War.
Like this, a renowned anecdote acknowledged by others is what forges a nickname.
In that sense, Moyong Hui naturally had an anecdote that circulated widely.
'Black Tiger Gang.'
The story was of her annihilating the Black Tiger Gang, a safa organization based in the Hebei region.
About three years ago, Moyong Hui—who had run away from the Moyong Family—met a young child in Hebei.
The child was selling wild herbs at the market in place of their parents when thugs kicked over the wares and bellowed for stall fees.
Moyong Hui disciplined the thugs to protect the child. The beaten men fled, gathered their comrades, and came back at her... and it escalated until she ended up clashing with a place called the Black Tiger Gang. A classic tale.
However, the Black Tiger Gang turned out to be a much larger and more infamous force than expected.
Even I was shocked when I first received the intel from the Shadow Gate Sect.
'Red Serpent Sect was under the Black Tiger Gang.'
The very sect I'd been part of, where the bad blood with the Eun Merchant Group began.
These days, the Red Serpent Sect has absorbed the remnants and grown to a similar size, but back then, the Black Tiger Gang was the Red Serpent Sect combined with four other sects.
In any case, that notoriously wicked Black Tiger Gang was obliterated one day.
By a young woman just past her early twenties.
And stunningly beautiful to boot?
It was only natural for rumors to spread like wildfire.
This was precisely the origin of Moyong Hui earning her nickname, Sword Phoenix.
"...That's how it was. It was actually pretty dangerous at the time, but once I killed their gang leader, everyone scrambled to flee."
Moyong Hui droned on about facts everyone already knew.
But I put on an expression of amazement and chimed in.
"Wow, what a story... You must have gone through so much, Lady Moyong. Ah, what happened to that child from the market back then?"
"I saw them on my way back last time. They were living healthily."
Her "way back" referred to when she was dragged from the Murim Alliance to the Moyong Family.
She didn't say it outright, but she'd surely gone out of her way, despite the ordeal, just to check on them.
This confirmed it for me.
This was the key to freeing her from the shackles of family-first loyalty.
'Her chivalrous spirit.'
Moyong Hui sought to help those in hardship and the weak.
In fact, even after the Black Tiger Gang incident, similar events occurred a few times, and each time, she righteously stood by the side of the underdog.
'Something I could never do.'
No—more precisely, something I'd absolutely never do.
Moving for the sake of commoners out of sympathy and pity, with no personal gain?
Even among the righteous faction, there were precious few like that.
That's not why I casually call the righteous faction a bunch of hypocrites.
But Moyong Hui was the genuine article.
'That's why she died in my memories.'
Recalling my past life, Moyong Hui had married that bastard Cheon Woojin and set aside her Sword Phoenix title.
Then, one day, the name Moyong Hui vanished from my memories.
'Well, that was inevitable.'
By then, she'd probably already impregnated with Cheon Suyeon, while I was freshly kicked out of home, wandering destitute and alone.
Just as she faded from my memory—and everyone else's—that incident occurred.
'The Blood Cult Uprising.'
After the Righteous-Demonic Great War ended, a group called the Blood Cult appeared out of nowhere. They steadily grew in power and began piling up heinous deeds.
Truthfully, I don't know much about the Blood Cult or the uprising.
I was too busy surviving back then, and the uprising happened in Zhejiang Province—right on the opposite side from Shanxi or Hebei.
In any event, the Blood Cult's infamy reached even my ears, and one key reason was their leader.
'Blood Demon.'
The Second Demon among the Ten Strongest Under Heaven.
Before I earned my Lecherous Demon title, this guy had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Heavenly Demon in the rankings. He was the Blood Cult's leader.
There were even murmurs that the Central Plains martial world might split into four factions: righteous, evil, Demonic Cult, and Blood Cult.
Yet, despite the hype, the Blood Cult quickly vanished into the annals of history.
Because of the Moyong Hui standing before me.
Of course, it wasn't like she'd single-handedly wiped them out as she did the Black Tiger Gang.
The Blood Cult was far too massive for that.
She had fought them to protect the common people, only to be slain by the Blood Demon. That prompted the Cheon Household—no, the Martial Emperor Cheon Seonwoo himself—to take direct action.
I don't know the details after that.
At the time, I wasn't the Lecherous Demon Mok Jimyeong; I was just a lowly Red Serpent Sect warrior named Mok Jimyeong. I only vaguely remembered the previous Sword Phoenix, Moyong Hui, because my second sister had inherited the title.
In any case, the Blood Cult crumbled, and the Blood Demon fell to the Martial Emperor.
From that point on, the custom arose of ranking the One Emperor above the Second Demon.
'Come to think of it, what happens to the Blood Cult in this timeline?'
This life, Moyong Hui has no connection to Cheon Woojin.
Thus, no reason for Cheon Seonwoo to get involved.
'No—before that, Moyong Hui won't even die.'
Would I let the woman who's to be mine get killed by some Blood Demon?
Hold on.
Does that mean I have to kill the Blood Demon?
If the Blood Cult rampages, her personality would make her try to stop them, entangling her with the Blood Demon in the end...
'Am I seriously turning into a righteous faction poster boy?'
I involuntarily let out a hollow chuckle as I imagined the future.
In truth, the Blood Cult Uprising was still years away.
'Roughly six or seven years left?'
I couldn't recall precisely, but it was about that much time.
I hadn't even claimed the Moyong Hui right in front of me yet, so worrying about that distant future was ridiculous.
"Mok hero? What's wrong?"
Moyong Hui gave me a puzzled look at my sudden laugh.
I hurriedly schooled my expression and offered a natural excuse.
"You're just so impressive, Lady Moyong. Risking your life against an entire gang over a child you met by chance... You even said it was truly dangerous."
"Oh come on. For someone born into the righteous faction elite, upholding justice and chivalry is just natural, isn't it? Surely you wouldn't do any differently, Mok hero?"
"Of course I would. I think I'd act just like you. But you can't equate someone like me who only thinks about it with someone like you who actually does it."
I praised her with as much sincerity as possible.
Perhaps sensing my genuine admiration, Moyong Hui blushed.
"Thank you. I wasn't saying it to fish for compliments..."
"Not at all. Anyone would say the same. There's so much to learn just from hearing it. Lady Moyong, do you have any other similar stories?"
"Uh... similar stories? I have a few more, but..."
Shy at my request but still launching into another tale.
As I'd noticed yesterday, she had a very talkative personality.
'Her liveliness is a plus.'
Just being near her made everything feel brighter somehow.
Especially when she talked about topics she cared about—her large, beautiful eyes sparkled, making it a sight to behold.
Her voice was lovely too.
I nodded along attentively, listening to her for a good while longer.
"...Something like that? Ah, it feels embarrassing, like I'm gilding my own face, hehe."
"Nonsense—what's there to be embarrassed about when I asked? That aside... Are there no similar stories here in Shenyang?"
Pretending ignorance, I tossed out the question I'd prepared in advance.
"No. There are no such vile safa sects in Shenyang."
Moyong Hui answered with utter confidence.
But her response nearly made me burst out laughing.
'No vile safa sects?'
As if.
Those scum exist even in Beijing, where the Emperor resides.
Of course, their methods vary slightly by group.
If thugs like the Black Tiger Gang or Red Serpent Sect act brazenly insane, in righteous-stronghold areas like this, safa operate more cautiously, minding their step.
But they're still just hiding it—once the truth comes out, someone brimming with chivalry like Moyong Hui could never accept it.
'I've heard several just from the brothel madam last night.'
Still, there was a reason she thought this way.
'Her family taught her that, and it's all she's ever seen.'
This Shenyang was the Moyong Family's home turf.
Their influence even extended to the local authorities.
Safa trying to survive here would be most wary of the Moyong Family.
Avoiding the eyes of a direct descendant like Moyong Hui was par for the course.
Of course, they couldn't escape the Moyong Family's notice just by hiding.
The local operators had ties—overt or covert—to both the Moyong Family and the officials.
But I didn't let on, simply agreeing with her.
"I see. Now that you mention it, villains like that wouldn't dare exist in Shenyang with the Moyong Family around. Shall we get going?"
"Yes. That was delicious. Now, let me show you around Shenyang."
What reaction would she have if the Moyong Family—the one she valued above all—strayed from justice and chivalry?
'I wonder if that bastard Cheon Woojin is doing well.'
It was time to go check the results.
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