107. Seungdeok Manor (2)
Seungdeok Manor (2)
107. Seungdeok Manor (2)
The declaration of war was over. I had no intention of waiting any longer. The elders were clearly first-class masters—users of Martial Aura. On our side, only the Four Heroes could use Martial Aura, while the enemy had five users. Just as the Flame Emperor had taught me from the beginning, landing the first blow was what mattered most in a fight.
The plan was to launch all four of the Heroes at once from the start, each engaging one opponent while I, having formed Sword Threads, protected everyone from the last elder's attacks. But as if mocking my strategy, not even these lunatics could have imagined that someone would actually launch a real attack against this many Peng Clan warriors in the middle of Hebei territory. The four elders, who should have been stronger than Peng Mu, were helplessly cut to pieces—just like the final moments of Heuk Cheon-gyeon, who had been struck down in the past before he could even attempt anything. Even the last remaining elder stood paralyzed, unable to even draw his blade, horrified by the four swords thick with immense Martial Aura.
Idiots. In truth, if the four elders had tied up the warriors and the Heroes, and the remaining one had charged at me, they would have had a chance at victory. But the moment these bastards laid eyes on the Heroes, they abandoned even the thought of resistance. In a similar situation, the leader of the Black Heaven Association had shown the judgment to break through Flame Emperor and Geo Am's attacks and close in on me. Though called first-class masters, they were ultimately flowers in a greenhouse—no, trees. What good was it to grow into a great tree, a first-class master, if all you did was swell in size within the greenhouse of being a Peng Clan elder, untouchable by anyone?
Our split-second judgment gave us the initiative, but I had still prepared for the possibility that they would make the correct choice. Sword Threads could not suppress Martial Aura, but if I devoted my now fairly polished Taiji entirely to defense, I could endure until the Four Heroes arrived. Yet both sides had miscalculated. They underestimated my martial prowess, and I had never imagined they could be so stupid.
One warrior, grasping the situation faster than the elders, raised his saber and closed in on us swiftly. I prepared Taiji with my Sword-Thread-wreathed blade to meet him, but a rock—like a cannonball—suddenly flew from behind me and stopped his advance dead. The fist-sized stone burrowed so deep into the ground that it vanished from sight entirely. It was Lee Eun-ha, who had simply poured immense internal energy into a rock and hurled it, martial arts be damned. If she had truly meant it, the projectile would not have landed in front of his feet as a warning shot—it would have pierced straight through his skull.
Lee Eun-ha. After smashing a human skull with a steamed bun last time, I saw she had now decided to just commit to that tactic.
Another warrior, having given up on getting close after Lee Eun-ha's stone-throwing, tried a long-range attack by firing Saber Qi from a distance. But mere Saber Qi—not even a direct attack—was perfectly deflected by the Taiji of Master and Jeong-hyang, who hadn't even reached Sword Qi. In the end, a few warriors did rush at us, but I, capable of forming Sword Threads, was at least the highest-ranked among second-class masters. While I habitually traced the Taiji that Heosan had drawn tens of thousands of times and casually redirected their attacks back at them, the situation was completely settled in an instant.
While the Peng Clan stood aghast, the Heroes had already toppled every elder and were now dispensing mortal terror to the remaining rank-and-file warriors. I had thought this before—those old codgers secretly really enjoyed slaughtering the rank and file.
In the end, despite a preposterous disparity in forces—eighty-five against six, with five first-class masters no less—the Peng Clan, boasted as the fourth pride of Hebei, was reduced in under five minutes to nothing but blood-soaked stragglers rolling in the dirt of Hebei.
The Heroes were, after all, orthodox-faction martial artists. Though their feelings had been hurt, they did not deliver killing blows to fellow orthodox warriors of the Peng Clan. Yet the sight was gruesome. Those struck by Flame Emperor suffered terrible burns. Those struck by Moon Immortal were left with countless fine cuts covering their bodies like a net. Geo Am had crudely snapped an arm or a leg outright, and even the most moderate Heosan had turned the Peng Clan's own saber strikes back at them, leaving them in the ugly state of having been wounded by their own weapons.
"H-how... how can this be... Is this the martial prowess a human can possess?"
Even flat on the ground, an elder still denied reality. In the martial novels I had read, victims on the receiving end of this kind of treatment usually whipped up public opinion by calling it sorcery. Though, honestly, the existence of such sorcery was a far harder claim to believe than that I was a legendary master. Still, in things like game tournaments, when an unknown rookie breaks the system's limits and beats a champion, aren't people supposed to be suspicious, asking, "Is that bastard hacking?" But seeing the elder's face sprawled on the ground, I understood why I had never once heard that famous line. In his current state, saying something like that right then would have been the perfect way to get himself killed.
Actually, I really was using a hack.
"How laughable, Elder. A man who cannot distinguish when to surrender and when to fight is an elder of the Peng Clan? This is why the Peng Clan, with all its wealth and connections, has been unable to surpass the Murong Clan for hundreds of years."
Peng Gang spoke coldly, sneering at the elders rolling on the ground. Even though he himself had nearly been killed messing with me.
"Now what will you do? The five elders, the Peng Clan's strongest fighting force, have fallen. And now no agreement remains to block Yeongsan Sect. If Yeongsan heads to the main house now, they will surely arrive far faster than the warriors currently away in Henan. Do you intend to place this burden, the greatest crisis in Peng Clan history, onto Elder Peng Seok, who now regards Yeongsan as benefactors, and the Clan Head, who lost all face by breaking an agreement in barely three days?"
Despite the mockery from Peng Gang—young enough to be their grandson—the elders could say nothing. Because that was simply how it was between victor and vanquished.
And as always, the one who would resolve all this arrived belatedly, as if on cue. Two figures flew in like arrows. Forgetting even the dignity of the Top Hundred Masters, the two old men came rushing in desperation, panting and drenched in sweat, yet stood speechless at the devastation before Seungdeok Manor.
I felt a touch of regret. The Peng Clan Head was a good-hearted, cheerful old master who had liked us, and Peng Seok had long been known as a warrior of scholarly refinement. The ways of the martial world, after all, could not be sustained by personal relationships alone.
"What is the meaning of this?"
The Clan Head's voice sank quietly.
"I asked what is the meaning of this!!!"
At the Lion's Roar that burst forth, the Medicine Immortal's iron rice paddle—which had remained silent until then—rose into the air and, as before, created a Qi Barrier in front of us.
"I... I am sorry, Clan Head. We misjudged the opponent."
One elder, collapsed on the ground, barely managed to speak. But the Clan Head glared at him and burst out in indignation.
"You wretches are unworthy not only of being elders of the main clan, but even of being called martial artists. You have hidden behind the main house's prestige all this time, becoming first-class martial artists without a single real threat in all your years growing old. Did you think yourselves some grizzled old experts of the martial world? I, too, can hardly believe the martial prowess of the young master before my eyes. That he appears a mere youngster at the peak of the second class—Old Man Murong and I saw him the same way!
"But if you have a head on your shoulders, shouldn't you at least try to think? A first-class martial artist can reveal as much of his prowess as he wishes. The higher that prowess, the more precisely it can be disguised. Is it absurd that he is a peerless expert at his age, but somehow reasonable that he reached the peak of the second class? In all my long and useless years of living, have I even once seen a man of that age reach the peak of the second class—not in our main house, nor in Wudang, Shaolin, Mount Hua, the Nangong Clan, or the Murong Clan!"
The Clan Head's cry cut like frost. Honestly, I was indeed not a true master but an unbalanced cheat user, so it was true I caused confusion. But the Liaoning Branch Head who had witnessed me with his own eyes, and Murong Hyeok-jung as well, did not deny my power. Because there was simply too much clear circumstantial evidence to see me as nothing more than a second-class brat. Even if our ages were similar, unlike Jeongmyeonggeom, the Murong Clan Head, or the Peng Clan Head himself, they were elders of the Five Great Clans—rash, far too rash.
"We did exercise caution even against the slimmest chance. With this level of force, we believed we could subdue even a Top Hundred Master."
The elder stammered, looking at the Clan Head and barely mustering a defense. At the sight, the Peng Clan Head shouted at him in a voice even more charged with fury.
"Was that the problem? If you wretches had not misjudged, and Yeongsan had truly been weak, would it have been acceptable for the Peng Clan to simply discard the Clan Head's agreement? Since when did the Peng Clan become such scoundrels—an unorthodox sect that despises the weak?!"
At the Clan Head's furious roar, not a single warrior dared speak.
"Yeongsan Sect Leader. This is not a matter that mere apology can settle, but I am sincerely sorry. Now do as you wish. If you desire a final confrontation with the Peng Clan, I will await you at the main house with the remaining family members. If you demand recompense from the Peng Clan, I shall provide any compensation whatsoever."
The Clan Head who had spoken jokingly before, as if doting on a granddaughter, was gone. Truthfully, even I did not know what to do from here. I was merely the sword of Yeongsan Sect, whatever my master desired.
"As I have said repeatedly, Yeongsan desires nothing. We merely set out for Jianghu on our first journey toward Henan. A quarrel broke out because things went awry, but none of us have been harmed. Let us end this quarrel now and proceed to Henan."
A peace accord. A conclusion befitting Master, and the most realistic one. If a war truly erupted with the Peng Clan, no matter how strong I was, that would be absurd. Fundamentally, the Peng Clan was a pillar of the Martial Alliance. Attacking the Peng Clan would mean having to contend with the Martial Alliance, yet we, already the sworn enemies of the Black Heaven Association, could not possibly join the Ten Great Evil Factions either.
Well, of course, by guerrilla tactics—
It was not that we wouldn't have a chance if we went around destroying each sect, but I naturally had no intention of making those women walk such a bloody path. All we wanted was to settle down happily in a remote corner of Liaodong's mountains with our transcendent martial arts.
"I thank the Sect Leader for her repeated mercy."
The Peng Clan Head gave a formal cupped-fist salute. He must have felt a chill down his spine, too. The Peng Clan would have also dispatched a great many warriors to Henan right now. If they asked the Martial Alliance for help merely to deal with six martial artists, then the pride the Peng Clan had built up all this time would crumble entirely.
"Peng Gang. Have you decided to stand with that side?"
Standing beside us, the only unscathed person among the Peng Clan, Peng Gang was asked by the Clan Head in a tone of regret.
"I am sorry, Clan Head. I have already decided to leave the Peng Clan. My older brother said he would entrust Seungdeok Manor, which he has seized, to me. I intend to start over from the beginning here, as a subordinate sect of Yeongsan Sect."
"Then I am no longer the Clan Head to you, am I? From now on, call me Grandfather."
"Yes, Grandfather."
"I have always felt sorry toward you. Yes. Perhaps the Peng Clan could not be a good family to you after all.
"Yeongsan Sect Leader. I have a proposal. No matter how cherished a grandson he is, one who abandons his clan or sect must normally have his martial arts crippled and be cast out. But at this moment, what is more important is that a dangerous conflict has arisen between the Peng Clan and Yeongsan Sect. I will not cripple Peng Gang's martial arts and will permit him to pass them on to his descendants. In return, I wish to make him and the small band that follows him a buffer between the Peng Clan and Yeongsan."
"A fine idea, Clan Head."
Master, who had grown fond of Peng Gang and his wife over these past three days and had been worried about them, immediately agreed.
"Gang. Let this old grandfather give you one last piece of advice. Have you ever thought about why the clan supports Il-su over you as heir?"
"It must be because of my half-sisters. And Father also favors Lady Kang over my mother."
"That is not it. Since this is the last time, I'll tell you. Il-su truly is a better candidate for successor than you."
Peng Gang was deeply shocked by his grandfather's sincere words.
"You mean I am inferior to Il-su? In scholarship, martial arts, or character—truly, was I inferior to Il-su?"
"No. You are a promising talent yourself. But you have spent your life staring at the shadow of the dead Peng Jeon, still believing the position of Young Clan Head belongs not to you or Il-su, but to Peng Jeon's empty seat.
"Think about it. Before you met Yeongmok, what effort did you make to become Young Clan Head? You felt uncomfortable in the main house, so you stayed here in Seungdeok, did you not? And now that you have found an older brother to replace Peng Jeon, have your forgotten ambitions not returned? The retainers judged Il-su the better choice than you because you had no ambition. Your father thought the same."
Peng Gang was staggered by his grandfather's dispassionate explanation.
"I do not intend to hold you responsible for this absurd affair, but think on it. Why did your father and the elders, who had kept quiet all this time, commit such an extreme act? As you guessed, before I could even make a decision as Clan Head, these fools were already setting Il-su up as the successor and preparing the next generation of the Peng Clan. To them, you—who rarely showed your face at the main house and spent your time with Seok and Peng Mu—must have seemed a laughable figure.
"But the moment Yeongsan Sect arrived, you ignited with ambition. You emptied your coffers to fill the empty manor, and you, the legitimate grandson of the Peng Clan, together with your wife, voluntarily took the role of manor steward. Those actions must have triggered a sense of crisis in them. It is difficult to find information on Yeongsan Sect, but if it is the Yeongsan of Liaoning—isn't that the very place where the White Tiger Sect is now swelling in momentum? A young master who appeared like a comet, and the White Tiger Sect's abrupt turn to the orthodox faction. It would be hard to imagine the two sects beneath Liaoning's Yeongsan Mountain are unrelated. Those fools probably jumped to the conclusion that you had drawn in the White Tiger Sect's power and entered the succession struggle."
At the Peng Clan Head's explanation, the pieces of the incomprehensible situation slowly fell into place. Those men had never cared about Yeongsan Sect. Peng Il-su was already the de facto successor, and they believed the Clan Head was using this affair to strengthen Peng Gang. To them, this was not a conflict with outsiders but an internal Peng Clan power struggle. The Clan Head was a great man, but at his age retirement was already near. They must have believed everything would work out if they could win over the Young Clan Head who would soon succeed him.
"But perhaps you, just as you are, may become the Peng Clan's hope. The balance of the martial world will be turned completely on its head before long. When that time comes, the one most feared will not be that Daoist Yeongmok, but the Yeongsan Sect Leader who commands him. But like our elders, countless others will, upon seeing her youthful woman's face, rashly commit discourtesies and pay the price.
"You have no talent for standing above others, but you possess a talent for serving someone. Since you even serve your wife, you should be able to serve the Yeongsan Sect Leader well. The Peng Clan will soon enter a period of decline. But if you, serving beneath the Yeongsan Sect Leader, can make your name renowned throughout the world, then even if you have left the Peng Clan, so long as your surname remains Peng, our prestige will survive in the martial world."
The Clan Head gazed at Peng Gang with a tender smile.
A period of decline.
Every great clan eventually entered a period of decline. Unlike ordinary sects, hereditary clans could not escape the pain of generational transition. The Hebei Peng Clan had already deteriorated to the point that even the elders, symbols of authority, defied the Clan Head's orders. The succession struggle had become so heated that a smooth transition was impossible, just as I had feared at the Baek Clan Estate. Peng Gang's father was that inept and reckless a Young Clan Head. Murong Sang, detestable as he was to me, would never have done anything like this. When the capable Peng Clan Head retired and Peng Gang's father succeeded him, the Peng Clan's decline was easy to foresee. The Baek Clan Estate was the same. When my capable father stepped down and Dan-yeong became the new Estate Head, our family would also enter a period of turmoil, even if not to the same degree. How quickly Dan-yeong overcame it would be the true test of his ability.
And what of Yeongsan Sect's later generations? We'd built this failing sect up this much; they could figure out how to live well enough on their own.