Chapter 158
Chapter 158
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: Jeok Sa-goeng (1)
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As the outcome of the duel between the Fist Star, Nameless, and Ouyang Jue rocked the martial world.
Jeok Sa-goeng was looking at Nangong Cheon with a discontented expression.
“Was this the future of the Martial Alliance you spoke of?”
“…”
“Is this why you urged me to send the Black Wind Unit back?!”
The Martial Alliance's recent actions were not what Jeok Sa-goeng had hoped for.
No, in truth, he had been displeased even before that.
It had abandoned the smaller, nearby sects and had only sent a handful of moderately skilled individuals to deal with the Black Dragon who had appeared on Mount Mo.
While it paid lip service to upholding the laws of the martial world, the Martial Alliance had never once shown its true strength, even in such perilous situations.
But what about now?
Jeok Sa-goeng’s eyes widened as he recalled Nangong Cheon’s drastically changed attitude.
“Are these the principles of the martial world you wished for? Where have the righteous principles you once championed gone?”
“How strange.”
Nangong Cheon murmured in a quiet voice.
“Since when has the martial world ever moved for the sake of the weak? I never expected to hear such a novel idea, and from you of all people, not some Taoist master.”
“That's not why I created the Black Wind Unit!”
*Thump!*
As Jeok Sa-goeng slammed his fist on the table, Nangong Cheon looked up at him with sharp eyes.
“What is this insolence?”
“Insolence?”
For a moment, Jeok Sa-goeng flinched, his hand moving to grab his signature weapon, the Silent Spear.
No matter how furious he was, he couldn't fight to the death here.
A single misstep, and it would look as though the Martial Alliance and its subordinate organization, the Black Wind Unit, were fighting amongst themselves.
Jeok Sa-goeng ground his teeth.
“After the war with the old Demonic Cult, wasn't the Martial Alliance created to uphold the principles of the martial world in place of the late Great Hero Peng Yu-jong?”
“…Is that what you thought?”
A strange smile played on Nangong Cheon’s face as he briefly closed his eyes and opened them again.
“Do you believe what the Great Hero Peng Yu-jong cherished were the righteous principles of the martial world?”
“If not righteous principles, then what else could it be! Wasn't that why we eradicated the old Demonic Cult and brought order to the martial world?”
“I'm not sure what you mean by 'order'.”
Leaning back comfortably in his chair, Nangong Cheon asked in a low voice.
“Eradicating the old Demonic Cult, suppressing the unorthodox factions that pop up everywhere, keeping watch over the dark forces trying to succeed the Black Dragon Gang. We are expending many martial artists on those tasks alone. No, we *have* expended them.”
“…”
“But have I ever told you to summon the Black Wind Unit? On the contrary, I believe you are the one who misunderstands.”
Nangong Cheon stared at Jeok Sa-goeng.
“Is it just my imagination, or are you, the man who swore never to be tainted by the politics between sects, gradually changing?”
Jeok Sa-goeng couldn't help but flinch at those words.
‘Am I becoming impatient?’
After sending back the members of the Black Wind Unit, had he grown afraid of his own standing diminishing as the Martial Alliance grew stronger by the day?
Jeok Sa-goeng quietly looked down at his Silent Spear.
The martial arts he had trained in, the deeds he had accomplished, the body he had always honed.
He had strived without neglecting a single one. He was proud to say he had never once succumbed to laziness.
That was why Jeok Sa-goeng squared his shoulders and looked confidently at Nangong Cheon.
“My body may be growing old and my spirit weak. But I must say what needs to be said.”
Nangong Cheon nodded lightly.
“Speak.”
“After the war with the old Demonic Cult, the Martial Alliance gathered the orthodox sects and swelled its ranks. Since then, has it ever once upheld true righteous principles?”
Jeok Sa-goeng recalled the past couple of years.
“Dealing with the Black Dragon Gang, a group that should have been eradicated, was left to the declining Mount Hua Sect. Instead of helping, the Martial Alliance was wary of them. Of course, I admit I was also displeased because of my connection with Ha Jin-ak.”
“…”
“But as the union of the orthodox martial world, the Martial Alliance should have helped the Mount Hua Sect. Weren't there a few martial artists who advised you to do so?”
“There were.”
Nangong Cheon answered, still leaning back comfortably.
“But they met an untimely end on Mount Mo.”
Mount Mo—that was where the demonic being, the Black Dragon, who was said to have been killed by Ouyang Jue, had been.
Jeok Sa-goeng’s eyes hardened, and he gripped his Silent Spear tightly.
“What do you mean by that? Are you saying you allowed the Black Dragon to kill them?”
“Of course not. They went of their own volition.”
A look of regret flickered across Nangong Cheon’s face.
“If Alliance Leader Peng had provided additional support, at least not all of them would have died… It's a shame.”
“…”
At those words, Jeok Sa-goeng pressed his lips together tightly.
‘Peng Cheon-u, what in the world is that man doing!’
Despite holding the weighty position of Martial Alliance Leader, he was often absent from his office, leaving most of his duties to Nangong Cheon.
Jeok Sa-goeng, thinking he might be venting his frustrations with Peng Cheon-u on Nangong Cheon, pounded his chest in exasperation.
“Haven't rumors been spreading that the Martial Alliance is expanding its power under the pretext of eradicating the Eight Evils?”
“It's true.”
As Nangong Cheon replied expressionlessly, Jeok Sa-goeng’s eyebrows twisted strangely.
“Are you also aware that because of this, you are being branded as two-faced hypocrites?”
“I don't have time to listen to rumors circulating in the marketplace.”
“…Do you know why I truly paid heed to those words?”
Jeok Sa-goeng’s grip trembled, as if he might swing his Silent Spear at any moment, but Nangong Cheon maintained his composure.
“Tell me.”
“Who was it that showed the righteous principles of the martial world that we, the Martial Alliance, should have shown?”
Jeok Sa-goeng glanced for a moment at the wall where the White Robe Division often entered and exited, then spoke.
“Ouyang Jue, who just six months ago was considered a disciple of a half-ruined sect, and the Taoists of the Mount Hua Sect, are setting an example throughout the martial world.”
“…”
“The Black Dragon Gang, which was the scourge of Huguang, and the demonic Black Dragon that appeared on Mount Mo! Haven't we essentially passed the buck on all of them?”
At those words, Nangong Cheon inwardly realized that Jeok Sa-goeng was overestimating the Mount Hua Sect and Ouyang Jue.
However, it was true that the Martial Alliance's recent actions were not good, making it difficult to point that out.
Nangong Cheon gazed at Jeok Sa-goeng’s flushed face and replied in a cold voice.
“Anyone hearing this would think we were playing around. I understand why you feel that way, but why don't you cool your head a bit?”
“You always…!”
“The Martial Alliance.”
Nangong Cheon sat up straight and picked up a brush that was resting on the writing desk.
*Crack!*
The ink-laden brush snapped, splattering black ink onto a corner of Nangong Cheon’s cheek.
If his cheek was in such a state, could the paper have fared any better?
It was similarly stained black, ruined to the point that its original contents were indecipherable.
Nangong Cheon wiped his cheek with his finger, then pointed that same finger at the ink-stained paper.
“Is a place that must always be on guard against the Demonic Cult and unorthodox factions that may be hiding somewhere, so that the martial world does not become stained black.”
Nangong Cheon’s gaze was exceptionally cold.
As Jeok Sa-goeng seemed ready to listen quietly, Nangong Cheon continued.
“I understand what you are saying and what has disappointed you. But when you watch over the grand scheme of things, the great pillar that is the martial world, from above, you come to realize something.”
“And what is that?”
At that question, Nangong Cheon’s expression hardened.
“The Martial Alliance must not lose. And even if it does, word of it must not spread outside. If we reveal even the slightest wound, yes… just as this brush snapped and splattered ink, the stray dogs will gather.”
Nangong Cheon’s gaze shifted to the ink-stained paper.
“Even if you wipe the ink from your face and clean up the broken brush, it's only a matter of time before the inkstone is overturned. Righteous principles—those are certainly fine words, but only when the Martial Alliance is invincible can orthodox sects like Mount Hua uphold true justice.”
“…”
While Jeok Sa-goeng remained silent, Nangong Cheon continued to voice his usual thoughts.
“From your perspective, it may seem like an empty invincibility, a hypocrisy. In fact, you might even be right.”
*Tap.*
Nangong Cheon snapped his fingers, and a member of the White Robe Division who had been on standby appeared.
In his hands were writing implements.
If not for the narrow wall, he might have brought the entire writing desk, given the quantity.
Nangong Cheon’s lips parted slightly.
“But even that hypocrisy is necessary for the orthodox martial world to maintain its power.”
“Hah.”
“Is that a satisfactory answer?”
As Nangong Cheon looked at him without a word, Jeok Sa-goeng relaxed his grip on the Silent Spear.
“My apologies. I was too caught up in idle talk.”
“Most of the martial world probably thinks the same way, so how could I possibly blame a friend? It is all due to my own lack of virtue and ability. If I could, I'd go to the Peng Clan and grab the Alliance Leader by the scruff of his neck myself.”
Nangong Cheon let out a light sigh.
“But the timing is not right, and if you actually did it, there are too many factions that would spin it into a tale of internal strife within the Martial Alliance. I'm telling you just in case, but don't do it.”
Jeok Sa-goeng’s shoulders twitched at those words.
His dissatisfaction with Peng Cheon-u had been growing steadily.
As Jeok Sa-goeng scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, Nangong Cheon gave a faint smile.
“I was just thinking it was about time we cleared up this misunderstanding. If this helps you understand, then I am grateful.”
“I must have caused you unnecessary trouble when you're so busy. I'll be on my way.”
“Don't drink too much.”
At that, Jeok Sa-goeng let out a short laugh and left the office.
Soon after, Nangong Cheon, now alone in his office, mercilessly smashed the writing desk with his bare fist.
“…Now I feel a little better.”
“I have brought a new writing desk, Vice-Leader.”
*Swoosh.*
A member of the White Robe Division placed a desk made of ebony in the center of the office, and Nangong Cheon waved his hand dismissively.
“You must not take your eyes off that man and the other sects for even a second. Return to your post quickly.”
“Understood.”
*Rustle.*
As the member of the White Robe Division disappeared over the wall, a sinister energy flickered in his eyes for a moment.
* * *
“Dammit. I wanted to be a martial artist who didn't care for things like politics...”
A white puff of breath rose from Jeok Sa-goeng’s sigh as he walked back to his quarters.
‘Since when did I start living my life worrying about what others think?’
The heart that had beaten ceaselessly just ten, no, five years ago, now seemed to have settled, just waiting for the day it would break down.
They say that when you stop fighting, laziness clings to your thighs and belly. Now, he was so covered in it that he was no different from a villain in a folktale.
“That fellow Ha Jin-ak supposedly didn't give up the path of the warrior even after coming back from the dead… but somewhere along the way, I've become no different from a walking corpse.”
Unable to return directly to his quarters, he spent the night wandering and pondering.
Staring blankly at the moon reflected in the well, Jeok Sa-goeng cast his gaze upon his Silent Spear.
“What about you?”
Naturally, there was no reply.
But seeing the moonlight shimmering on the tip of the spearhead, Jeok Sa-goeng came to a realization.
*Whoosh!*
Just by wringing out every muscle in his body and swinging the Silent Spear for a single moment, he felt alive.
Since when had proving his existence become so difficult?
It was enough to simply live this life, joyfully engaging with the world, and then depart.
*Thump, thump—*
His heart pounded.
He felt a sense of relief and exhilaration, knowing that Jeok Sa-goeng the martial artist had not withered away.
“…Ah!”
Freed from his turmoil, Jeok Sa-goeng returned to his quarters and left behind a single letter.
-I intend to shed the shell of Jeok Sa-goeng, Commander of the Black Wind Unit, and return to being the Silent Spear. Please do not resent me too greatly.
I do not even wish for a formal retirement.
It would be a troublesome and trivial matter for all of you. Therefore, please do not intervene, no matter what becomes of Jeok Sa-goeng, the free man.
However, there is a martial artist to whom I must apologize, and I intend to visit him first.
Should you have any business with me, please come to the Mount Hua Sect.