Shanxi (1)

131. Shanxi (1)

Henan and Hebei were, as their names suggested, adjoining lands to the south and north. We could have left Hebei and headed straight into Henan, but Shaolin Temple and the Martial Alliance were quite close to Shanxi Province, so the Shanxi route was faster. Having now traveled through the martial world up to this point, I realized once again that Liaoning was actually a fine place. Liaoning, near Beijing and Hebei, was a reasonably prosperous region, and it was a quiet, peaceful place.

The Hebei we had passed through was an arena where the Beggars' Sect, the Peng Clan, and the Eon Clan contended fiercely enough to hold their own anywhere in the martial world, and the Shanxi we had just set foot in was home to no fewer than three of the Ten Great Evil Factions. Hebei and Shanxi. The Orthodox and Unorthodox factions had each consolidated into their own territories, so there was no direct combat, but precisely because their spheres overlapped, the behind-the-scenes war of nerves over influence was no joke. Compared to that, Liaoning was peaceful. The Murong Clan, the number-one power in Liaoning, and our Yeongsan Sect, the number-two power, had long since had Murong Hyeok-jung come and negotiate with our Master to pledge friendship.

Looking back, I thought the same was true of Peng Clan Head. The men who led the great clans were not merely masters of high martial arts; they were men who could read the shifting currents of the times and respond boldly. That was why the competition for succession was so fierce in every clan.

"Do you understand? Shanxi is a land where the unorthodox factions are strong. So everyone must be careful. If a dispute breaks out with an unorthodox faction, it won't end with the same restraint as a dispute among orthodox factions."

As soon as we entered Shanxi Province, Master firmly warned us. As she said, conflict with an unorthodox faction would not end easily until one side or the other was finished. The Peng Clan dispute at Seungdeok, an internal matter among orthodox factions, and the subtle friction with the Gongsun Clan in Beijing had ultimately been resolved through dialogue. But if we ever clashed with one of the Ten Great Evil Factions, they would fight us to the bitter end simply to defend their pride on their own home ground.

Now that I could use martial aura, my combat strength had greatly increased, but waging an all-out war against a massive sect all by myself on foreign ground was impossible. The victory at the Peng Clan was thanks to the absence of Peng Clan Head and Peng Seok, as well as their inadequate handling of the situation. The results against the Peng Clan and Black Heaven Association had come about because neither committed enough power, but the Unorthodox factions in Shanxi, being on their own home ground, could commit enough power, and what was more, the three sects could even unite and surround us. Besides, unlike the Orthodox powers, who had now dispatched many warriors and leading elders to Henan, the unorthodox factions would be at full strength.

Not long after I reached the first-rate realm, the Flame Emperor once again offered advice for my renewed arrogance. The Four Heroes had ranked among the ten greatest martial artists of their era, but he said their current strength, lodged within swords, fell far short of what they had possessed in life. I found that baffling. Now that they had transcended the flesh, they could perform absurd sword techniques like the Rearward Turning Slash and unleash powerful ultimate techniques without worrying about internal energy, drawing on my Unlimited Magic Power. Naturally, I had assumed they were stronger now.

But he said martial arts were complete only when mind, energy, and body worked as one. The spirits still possessed mind and energy, but without bodies they could not equal their living strength. One representative example was the stamping step used when bringing down a sword. Adding the transfer of body weight to an attack was among the most basic principles of swordsmanship. Once such fundamentals collapsed, even vast internal energy could not produce one's true ability. The Flame Emperor said Lee Eun-ha, whose practical combat ability was inferior to Cho-ryeong's, was a good example. A martial artist's battle was not merely a firepower contest of endlessly hurling powerful ultimate techniques.

The Flame Emperor also brought up the Black Heaven Association Leader we had dealt with before. The man had broken through the combined attack of the Flame Emperor and Geo Am and succeeded in reaching me. Although I had immediately responded with Heosan, the fact that he reached me at all meant the Flame Emperor alone could never have stopped him. Objectively, one of the Four Heroes acting through the Spirit Vessel Art was weaker than a highest-level master such as Murong Hyeok-jung or the Black Heaven Association Leader, but stronger than an ordinary first-rate master such as Peng Mu or a Peng Clan elder. That practical limitation was why the Flame Emperor, a battle fanatic and true martial artist, had ambushed and disposed of Heuk Cheon-gyeon.

The fortunate point was that, uncharacteristically for highest-level masters, the Four Heroes had no aversion to pincer attacks and, rather, their teamwork was exceptionally good. Masters possessed pride as high as the heavens. A pincer attack against a lesser opponent was something they could not even conceive of, but the Four Heroes had chosen that very method against Goshifa Lama and took pride in having saved the martial world through it. That was why they were lending me their strength now, just as they had then.

Ultimately, if an opponent brought six or more first-rate masters, I could not guarantee my advantage. Even so, the fact remained that I had captured the Black Heaven Association Leader, one of the highest-level masters, without suffering a wound. Together with the Four Heroes, I was still a powerhouse capable of overwhelming a highest-level master, and one outlier like me was equivalent to a strategic weapon in a war between sects.

Besides, Yeongsan Sect was not the same as it was then, and neither was I. If a situation of full-scale war arose, the sixty warriors of White Tiger Sect, the fifty warriors of Red Flower Pavilion, and, though few in number, Peng Seok, one of the Top Hundred Masters in the world, would join our forces from Seungdeok Manor. And though we were not the Martial Alliance, we were on the Orthodox side. In a dispute with the Orthodox Faction, the Martial Alliance would be our enemy, but as Drunken Beggar had said, in a war against the Unorthodox Faction, they would surely help us.

Since the other side could not be unaware of this fact either, even one of the Ten Great Evil Factions would need considerable resolve to wage a full-scale war against us. So, if our journey through Shanxi Province just passed quietly, there would be no particular problems.

"Master! Will Ji-yeon be in Shanxi?"

Cho-ryeong asked, clutching at Master's sleeve. Ji-gyu and Geum-hyang. And Gang Ji-yeon. The sect and shoe shop of just the three of them, Star-Moon Sect, was, I'd heard, located in Shanxi. Since Ji-gyu had come to that region in Liaoning to see his mother-in-law, they must have returned to their sect long before us, who had spent so much time in Seungdeok, Beijing, and Shijiazhuang.

"Would they not be there by now? Do you miss your friend very much?"

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had always thought this, but Master was invariably like a mother when dealing with Cho-ryeong.

"I miss Ji-yeon, and I miss Peng So from Seungdeok Manor. I miss Seungho and Jin-ah from Beijing, and..."

Cho-ryeong was reminiscing about the many bonds she had formed during this short journey. She was not the only one. Jeong-hyang had become friends with Geum-hyang, Lee Eun-ha had become sisters with Do-hwa, and Son Yeong had reunited with her younger sister Jang Ga-yeon. The reason the journey to Henan was enjoyable was perhaps partly due to the elation of being drunk on victory and partly due to having freely spent money, but surely the most important reason was that new bonds were piling up along the way.

The first village in Shanxi Province. As we arrived at a quiet little village, a woman came toward us at the entrance.

"You are the Yeongsan Sect members, correct? I am Choo Sang-yeon of the Hao Sect."

A woman who greeted us not with a cupped-fist salute but with an amiable smile. A woman roughly in her mid-thirties, with an ordinary impression of the sort you might see anywhere in the market streets.

"I am Yeongmok of Yeongsan Sect. What business does a Hao Sect member have with us?"

We had worried about unorthodox factions all the way here, only to encounter the Hao Sect the moment we arrived. Though its headquarters were probably in Guangdong, the Hao Sect was known as the unorthodox counterpart of the Beggars' Sect, the largest unorthodox organization by sheer headcount, and one of the Ten Great Evil Factions. Faced with contact from them, all of us, including Master, stared at the woman tensely.

"I was asked by the Red Flower Pavilion Mistress. It being difficult to get an inn room in this village, the Pavilion Mistress has rented a manor. She asked me to guide you there."

Unlike us, she spoke lightly with a face free of tension.

Red Flower Pavilion. Their martial arts were meager enough to ask to be placed under our subordinate command, but I'd heard the profits of a pleasure house that was thriving in Beijing exceeded all imagination. A consummate hospitality professional beyond even Peng Gang, she had gathered intelligence on our movements and boldly even rented a manor. Truly incredible. Master also already knew about the intelligence dealings between Red Flower Pavilion and Hao Sect. Though they were one of the Ten Great Evil Factions, at the words 'a request from the Red Flower Pavilion Mistress,' we set aside some of our tension and followed her into the village.

"You don't have to be so wary. Not everyone in the Orthodox Faction is friendly, you know. If there can be Orthodox factions that are like mortal enemies, it's not strange at all for there to be an Unorthodox faction that's like a friend. You of the Yeongsan Sect may not be aware, but actually, the Hao Sect and Yeongsan Sect are on quite good terms."

Noticing our wariness, Choo Sang-yeon spoke lightly.

"We're on good terms?"

"First, under the Yeongsan Sect's command is the Red Flower Pavilion, with whom we have long traded. And the underworld black market that the White Tiger Sect still uses is also a Hao Sect business. What's more, you crushed the Peng Clan in Hebei, and the Hebei Branch of the Hao Sect is finally breathing easier because of it. How about that? Quite a decent relationship, isn't it?"

Choo Sang-yeon spoke with a smile. With a very ordinary feel, she was rapidly erasing our wariness. She was a face that lived up to the Hao Sect, which was said to exist everywhere under heaven.

"Actually, I am the Shanxi Branch Head. Normally, someone in my position wouldn't move personally at the Red Flower Pavilion Mistress's request, but I came to greet you because I wanted to see the members of Yeongsan Sect for myself. My martial arts look too shabby for you to believe I'm a branch head, do they not?"

She said it with a bright laugh. Amazing. It seemed she possessed considerable skill in erasing a person's wariness. Carelessness invited destruction. Therefore, someone capable of making others lower their guard was an exceptionally formidable person in the martial world. Of course, when it came to that kind of talent, we had one such person in our own Yeongsan Sect.

"Speaking of martial arts, I am the Sect Leader, yet I am the weakest, you know?"

Master answered with a smile.

"Let's be on friendly terms, as the weakest. Actually, the Hao Sect and Yeongsan Sect are Orthodox and Unorthodox, but both are a little ambiguous, aren't they? Yeongsan Sect hasn't entered the Martial Alliance, and has even taken in two Unorthodox factions. We also almost never get involved in Orthodox/Unorthodox fights. Because we're weak. Besides, we're the exact opposite. Yeongsan Sect is a small, elite group, while the Hao Sect has no masters but has members so numerous they're impossible to count. Since our respective interests don't overlap, even if an alliance is too much to ask, we should be able to maintain friendly relations."

The Hao Sect and Yeongsan Sect. Indeed, their positions were completely different, and their regions were very far apart. Moreover, the White Tiger Sect and Red Flower Pavilion were already their long-time trading partners, so we could maintain far more friendly relations than with rival Orthodox powers.

"We would also ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like to get along well."

Master said with a smile. Choo Sang-yeon looked satisfied at Master's amicable demeanor.

"If the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions become too close, we'll incur glares from the martial world, so from now on, through the White Tiger Sect and Red Flower Pavilion, we'll put a little more care into securing the items and information the Yeongsan Sect needs. I would like the Yeongsan Sect never to persecute any Hao Sect member you happen to meet in the martial world. Though we are called one of the Ten Great Evil Factions, the Hao Sect is a group formed by people living a truly arduous life, banded together to survive."

Choo Sang-yeon said with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a wry smile. If Yeongsan Sect, which by now had gained a fair amount of notoriety, openly maintained friendly relations with the Hao Sect, one of the Ten Great Evil Factions, it could invite unnecessary misunderstandings from both Orthodox and Unorthodox factions. So her statement that she would provide what we needed through Byeok-geum and Lee Yeon was rational.

Moreover, her mention of Hao Sect members living an arduous life. I also agreed with her words. The Hao Sect was always compared to the Beggars' Sect, but with their lives as shop clerks, porters, peddlers, and prostitutes, gritting their teeth and surviving tenaciously like weeds, I liked them far more than the Beggars' Sect.

"Persecuting Hao Sect members, how could we? Exactly what kind of rumors about Yeongsan Sect are circulating in the martial world right now?"

Master's face fell at Choo Sang-yeon's remark. Choo Sang-yeon did not answer and simply smiled quietly. Her smile made Master's face fall even further.

Following Choo Sang-yeon's guidance, we arrived before a large manor that the Red Flower Pavilion Mistress had supposedly rented, and she handed Master a small wooden token.

"A gift. You can commission various tasks at Hao Sect branches across the world. Of course, they aren't free; you must pay the commission fee, but it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠will be much more convenient than you think. For information requests, you can only commission third-grade intelligence or below, so if you desire information above that, please go through the Red Flower Pavilion. Actually, more so than information requests, things like delivering correspondence or simple errands will be truly convenient."

Delivering correspondence. With the Hao Sect densely spread out across every region, it was an excellent postal network that could be used anywhere in the Central Plains, even if it took a little time. It wasn't an incredible wooden token, but giving a service membership token to us, an Orthodox faction, probably had to be seen as considerable evidence of goodwill. I could also understand her sentiments. The ones who suffered the most when a powerful Orthodox martial artist occasionally emerged in the martial world like a comet were not the brutal leaders of the Unorthodox Faction, but the grassroots Hao Sect members.

Choo Sang-yeon smiled and bade us farewell before the manor gate, and by the time we entered the manor and were unpacking, white snow was silently falling from the sky.

A tumultuous year was drawing to a close. It had been the most intense year of my fifty-two years, including my past life, and also the most enjoyable. There had been countless meetings and countless changes. I should ask Hwangseong to tell my fortune and see what kind of year the next one would be.