Chapter 313 - The Cutting Winds of Late Winter

The Murim Alliance's Black Martial Pavilion and Disciplinary Pavilion descended upon Hwangcheon County.

It was on an entirely different level from when the Alliance members of the Hefei Branch had come to investigate fifteen days earlier.

The stern and imposing Black Martial Pavilion and Disciplinary Pavilion raided the Dok-a Sect without warning, and the Dok-a Sect disciples, who had been savoring victory now that their sole rival had vanished, were struck by a bolt from the blue.

"W-what is the meaning of this! The Dok-a Sect is a proper ally of the Underworld Alliance..."

"Ah, yes, I know. So you don't have to say the rest."

"What nonsense...! Are you saying you do not care if the Murim Alliance and the Underworld Alliance go to war?"

"We're not here because we have business with you lot. I hear the Jeondeung Sect brats are here."

"H-huh?"

"Here is the cooperation notice sent by the Underworld Alliance. We are investigating those who learned sorcery, so we ask for your cooperation."

The Dok-a Sword's fists trembled at the words of the Black Martial Pavilion's Vice Pavilion Master, who patted his shoulder and walked past.

They said they were asking for cooperation, but their attitude and methods showed no trace of caution whatsoever.

What reason could there be to examine the Dok-a Sect's documents just to investigate the Jeondeung Sect's people?

However, because of the aura and atmosphere they gave off, he could not act rashly.

"I-if this were not a matter related to the peace of Jianghu, you would not have returned alive!"

At the Dok-a Sword's words, spat out as though through clenched teeth, the Black Martial Pavilion's Vice Pavilion Master nodded readily.

"Well, I am sure that would have been the case."

"..."

"Ah! I really do think you would have done it. So stay still."

The Vice Pavilion Master passed by the Dok-a Sword and headed toward the Jeondeung Sect disciples.

Regardless of the Dok-a Sword's feelings, the Jeondeung Sect disciples felt as though they had fallen into hell when they realized they had been accused of learning sorcery.

"W-what are you talking about! Sorcery? I have never heard of or seen such a thing! I only entered the Jeondeung Sect to become an escort warrior!"

"Really? Then why did you scrape together every coin in your family and offer it to the Jeondeung Sect? Why did you go into debt to give money to a place you entered to earn money?"

"T-that is... that is... W-why did I do that?"

"That is something we will investigate in due time, so do not worry too much."

"In due... time?"

The Vice Pavilion Master tilted his head, then slowly curled the corner of his mouth upward.

"Hm? Naturally, you have to come to our Disciplinary Pavilion, no? We cannot investigate you here. The basement of our building is cozy, so it is perfect for investigations."

At those words, the Jeondeung Sect disciples' faces turned deathly pale.

A place where once you entered, you could not come out whole, and even if you did come out, you could never return to the person you had been before.

That was the basement of the Disciplinary Pavilion, a place from which countless ghost stories poured forth.

The Murim Alliance members who had descended upon Hwangcheon County like a storm returned to the Murim Alliance with eight iron carriages in tow.

The matter of the Jeondeung Sect began to spread throughout all of Jianghu.

At first, upon learning that the Jeondeung Sect was a sect connected to Qingcheng, Qingcheng and its lay sects rose up like wildfire.

It was a time when powerful sects were struggling for influence over the world.

If subsidiary sects with even the slightest connection were attacked, it became a matter of a sect's influence.

"Are you looking down on Qingcheng right now!"

"Sorcery? A disciple of our Qingcheng would never do such a thing!"

"This is a political scheme by forces trying to restrain Qingcheng's power!"

The people of Qingcheng, who had not even known where the Jeondeung Sect was in the first place, stormed into the Disciplinary Pavilion and stirred it into chaos, while the lay sects continued raising objections.

However.

After Deung Gohyeon's corpse, frozen in Hefei and delivered to the Murim Alliance, was shown to Qingcheng, people's attitudes flipped completely.

Two unmistakably black eyes with no whites.

At that strange form, one that could not be explained except by sorcery, those who had been raising their voices for so long had no choice but to wipe the foam from the corners of their mouths.

"Ahem... Strictly speaking, the Jeondeung Sect was not affiliated with Qingcheng."

"That is true. He once studied briefly at the Wind Fragrance Sect, but he was not a formal disciple either."

"From what I hear, he paid money and learned a little martial arts. That makes him a mere student, not someone who can be regarded as a formal disciple, no?"

"He was practically a stranger, so this cannot be called a matter related to Qingcheng."

"Indeed, that is exactly right."

As though they had never acted otherwise, they severed every connection with the Jeondeung Sect and cut away all relevance to Qingcheng in this matter.

With Qingcheng's restraint gone, the Disciplinary Pavilion was able to begin the investigation with ease.

Unlike previously known sorcery, this was a clearly exposed form of heaven-defying reversal.

It made those who walked the Orthodox path feel fear.

How greatly had a single powerful evil art or demonic art thrown martial arts into confusion in the past?

Chaos always brought the destruction of the existing order, and destruction brought a new order.

Those who did not wish to be swept up in that destruction guarded their surroundings more sharply than ever, and those who desired something new also did not stop discussing through the night how they might use this matter.

"It will be difficult to link this to Qingcheng, won't it?"

"Qingcheng is not just any Qingcheng. They must know their own position as well. They will be guarding themselves thoroughly."

"But is it not a little regrettable to simply let it pass?"

And those who desired to climb higher had greater ambition than those in lofty positions who never doubted their place.

"What about using the one who uncovered the Jeondeung Sect's secret this time?"

"You mean that bastard Jin Sowoon of the Taiyi Sect? Come now. Do not speak nonsense. He is already moving however he pleases after becoming the top student of the academy. What will happen if we raise him up even further here?"

"Hoho, you know one thing but not the next. That bastard's influence must grow for the authority of the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Five Great Noble Clans to be dampened, no? Frankly speaking, he discovered a 'forbidden art' while holding the status of an academy student, did he not?"

"Ahem..."

"Imagine if the Nine Sects and One Gang or the Five Great Noble Clans had done this. They would be saying a hero had appeared or whatever else... They would have caused an uproar throughout Jianghu."

Until now, Qingcheng had been condemning Jin Sowoon for attacking the Jeondeung Sect, which was also an Orthodox sect, and killing its Sect Leader.

People seized upon that point.

"What reason do they have for regarding Jin Sowoon as a thorn in their eye? Is it not because he keeps shaking their position?"

"So you are saying we should raise him up? What if that uncontrollable bastard grabs us by the topknot and shakes us?"

"Is he not alone? However talented that whelp may be, how far could he climb?"

"Then what reason is there for us to go out of our way to raise him up?"

The person who had been advocating for raising up Jin Sowoon lowered his voice and grinned.

"He will become a small hole."

"A hole?"

"They say the embankment of a reservoir collapses because of a small hole, do they not? Jin Sowoon will become that small hole."

"Oh..."

"Moreover, think about it. The Nine Sects and One Gang have symbolic figures in Yong So-ah and Ilmyeong. The Five Great Noble Clans have Tang Seo-hee and Namgung San. But we have no one who can stand shoulder to shoulder with them, do we?"

Discomfort seeped out at that cruel truth.

"Ahem..."

"Goodness, why must you crush the children like that?"

"It is not as though our children are particularly lacking, is it?"

"Exactly! That is what I am saying. If that boy Jin Sowoon stands shoulder to shoulder with the previous generation's dragons and phoenixes, then naturally the names of that previous generation's children will fade, will they not?"

As a clear plan took shape in their minds, the corners of people's mouths crept slightly toward their ears.

"Let us proceed step by step. They will not collapse in a day or two. We can simply think of all this as part of the process."

"Then what should we do first?"

"For now, send people to the Taiyi Sect to congratulate them on this matter..."

While those aiming for a higher place.

For a still higher place, continued their discussion in a secret room.

"Hmm..."

Deep within the Murim Alliance, this incident was being viewed seriously from a different angle.

Alliance Leader Hyuk Mugang spoke with a face full of concern.

"What does the Cheonmok Pavilion say?"

"They say they are tracking the past of Oh Ilsik, who is most closely connected to Deung Gohyeon for now. If anything meaningful comes up, they will report to you immediately, Alliance Leader."

"If we think of those who appeared in the Tianshan Mountains, should we say this is the first time in a hundred years?"

Zhuge Somyeong took his mouth from his teacup and said,

"Since the Blood Cult also shows a connection to them, we should say it is the first time in half a year."

"Half a year and a hundred years... That is too wide a gap."

Hyuk Mugang remained silent until the steam rising from the tea cooled, then raised his head again.

"What do you think? Should we assume they have... entered our interior as well?"

"I cannot say for certain."

At Zhuge Somyeong's words, Hyuk Mugang let out a faint laugh.

"You are usually so pessimistic, so why are you so optimistic today?"

"..."

"Then again, it must be because this is such a grave matter that you are being careful."

At Hyuk Mugang's bitter expression, Zhuge Somyeong spoke in a clear voice.

"We need to approach this matter very conservatively."

"..."

"There are already people trying to create a situation where we suspect one another internally."

In troubled times, winds of treason always blow in Beijing.

Framing someone is a way to reliably eliminate an enemy and secure one's own interests.

The Murim Alliance is no different.

Because it has become a single political group.

The only difference is that if winds of treason blow in Beijing, then winds of forbidden arts blow in the Murim Alliance.

Moreover, among forbidden arts, demonic arts are the fiercest and most fearsome wind.

"We may count it fortunate, at least, that the word 'demonic art' has not yet been mentioned."

"Everyone must be cautious. They know how powerful the repercussions that word will bring are."

For strong winds often call forth headwinds.

Everyone stops short of crossing the final, perilous line.

Of course, no one knows how long that patience will last.

"Still, the reason no vehement voices have yet been heard... must be thanks to the first person who raised the issue writing the report euphemistically with the word 'sorcery,' no?"

"That bastard's head does work well when it comes to petty schemes."

"..."

Zhuge Somyeong read Hyuk Mugang's expression.

It was a face filled with some uneasy worry.

"What displeases you?"

"Ah, no. It is just... I was thinking that so much happens to this child, Jin Sowoon."

"He is a bastard who goes around stirring up everything everywhere, so he creates these matters himself."

"... For some reason, it reminds me of my own youth."

"..."

Because Zhuge Somyeong had spent those hot-blooded days together with Hyuk Mugang, he knew better than anyone what kind of life he had lived.

Zhuge Somyeong threw out a joke to try to change the mood.

"Again, again. If you keep subtly bringing up a successor like that, the bastards of the Nine Sects and the noble clans will rise up."

"..."

Hyuk Mugang looked at Zhuge Somyeong and gave a dry smile.

"There is a saying that trials make heroes."

"Hoho! Goodness! You keep doing this. Why? Do you think that bastard will become a hero?"

Though Zhuge Somyeong forced himself to make a joke to change the mood, Hyuk Mugang's voice was still grave.

"If one must overcome trials to become a hero, then I am not a hero. In the end, I ran away at the very end."

"That was because you, Alliance Leader..."

Zhuge Somyeong, who had been continuing his words, firmly closed his mouth.

Because he knew better than anyone just how painful and lonely it had been for him at the time.

Hyuk Mugang's self-mocking voice continued.

"And in the end, I changed nothing."

"Much has changed, Alliance Leader."

But Zhuge Somyeong's consolation did not reach Hyuk Mugang.

"That is why I am worried about that friend. It feels as though fate keeps taking an interest in him."

Because sometimes he himself knew better than anyone how cruel that fate could be.

"The trials that will befall that friend seem, for some reason, as though they will not even compare to mine."

Hyuk Mugang turned his head and looked out the window.

It was already the time when spring should have come, and yet the snow outside the window had still not fully melted.

"I wish warm spring would come soon. This winter feels especially long."

That sight looked so desolate that Zhuge Somyeong could no longer open his mouth.

#

Life is never easy by nature.

I had already realized that in my previous life.

So I had worked hard not to repeat it in this life.

With all my might.

"Now, I will give them to you one by one, so stand in place."

The training ground where the young disciples of the Taiyi Sect had gathered.

Seriousness rested on the faces of the children lined up in left and right rows.

Even the Hall Leaders of each hall could not relax their solemn expressions today.

"The spiritual pills to be distributed this time are different from the Jeongsimdan you took last time. Changes will probably come to your Dantians immediately, so you must begin circulating your qi at once."

The spiritual pills made from Five-Spirit Immortal Flower Milk had been completed a week ago, and the adults of each hall had taken them first and seen their effects.

And now, it was the young disciples' turn.

Including Saryeon and the Geum-eun-dong Brothers, Yuseong and the existing disciples were all sitting with tense expressions that would not loosen.

Wang Soso had nearly been excluded because of her special constitution, but by changing several medicinal ingredients, Sama Jeong had made it possible for Wang Soso to take the spiritual pill as well.

At last, the time they had longed and longed for had arrived.

The Hall Leaders of each hall could not take their eyes off this moment.

"The brats probably do not even know what is going into their mouths, do they?"

"It would be a disaster if they knew. If that happened, who knows what might happen with Zhongnan, so it must be kept absolutely secret."

"Still, once their Dantians are made a little sturdier with the spiritual pills for now, I do not think there will be any great problem with taking spiritual elixirs in the future either."

"The External Hall Leader will be busy."

The Hall Leaders looked at Father with shining eyes, and Father, perhaps feeling awkward, turned his head, then looked at me with sullen eyes.

"Why is your mouth still sticking out far enough to hang a basket from it?"

"What about me?"

"You said it would be useless even if you ate one anyway. That is why your share was given to the Hall Leaders, was it not?"

"... Did I say anything?"

Before taking the spiritual pills, Sama Jeong had taken the pulses of every person in the Taiyi Sect.

And in the middle of that, I heard the thunderbolt-like news that even if I took the Five-Spirit Immortal Flower Milk, it would be of little use.

'No, even so, would it not become medicine for me later if I just ate it for now?'

That was right.

In the end, I had not been able to eat it.

The Five-Spirit Immortal Flower Milk.

Damn it.

The disciples of the Taiyi Sect put the spiritual pills into their mouths in one bite.

And one after another, they began circulating their qi.

There were children who circulated their qi quietly, children whose martial robes swelled while they circulated their qi, and even children whose hair stood on end.

'Are they roughly standing at the starting line now?'

Compared to the prestigious great sects, it was only a single step, but now the children of the Taiyi Sect had also established their foundation as warriors.

Together with the Hall Leaders, I carefully took in the sight until every child had finished circulating their qi, as though afraid to miss even a single thing.

And the children who awakened one by one could not hide their astonished expressions as they looked at their own hands and feet.

Kang Chaeseok quieted the surroundings in a low voice.

"Those who have awakened, quietly step aside. There are still others circulating their qi."

In that way, the people of the Taiyi Sect could not leave the training ground until night fell.

As though they did not want to miss even a single moment of the transformation.

#

That night.

At Sama Jeong's summons, I headed to the medical hall.

"You seem very disappointed."

As if I would merely be disappointed.

But I pretended not to know and played innocent.

"What do you mean?"

Sama Jeong tilted his head.

"To be honest, I do not know why you are so greedy for more internal energy."

Isn't more always better?

In any case, I also had to prepare for the Demonic Cult, and perhaps it was because I still held a grudge from living without eating enough in my previous life.

"Ah... My apologies. It is because I have such an exceedingly greedy nature."

"Tsk tsk. How will a man accomplish great things with such a narrow heart?"

"I would prefer to live doing mostly small things."

"Hah!"

Sama Jeong shook his head, then tossed over a small wooden box.

THUNK!

It was a wooden box that fit perfectly in the hand, just like the spiritual pills the children had received.

"What is this?"

"Can you not tell by looking? It is the spiritual pill you are so crazy about."

"..."

"It is a different spiritual pill from what the others ate."

What? If the Five-Spirit Immortal Flower Milk is not in it, then it is useless.

"The materials for that were so scarce that I could only make one."

Then did that mean it was the only spiritual pill he had made? Sama Jeong had?

In that case, the story changed.

Sama Jeong gave an unnecessary cough and gestured at the wooden box with his chin.

"For you, that will be better than the Five-Spirit Immortal Flower Milk."

"... If that was the case, you should have said so from the beginning."

Why make a person's insides ache for no reason?

When I grumbled, Sama Jeong let out a faint laugh.

"Have you calmed down a little now?"

"I was never upset. The people of my sect are my own family, after all."

"The corners of your mouth that had drooped down rose all the way to your ears, though?"

Good grief, what was he talking about?

To a person with a naturally "smiling face," no less.

In my previous life, I had lost count of how many times people picked fights with me and beat me up, asking, "Are you laughing at me?" because of this face.

Letting Sama Jeong's teasing go in one ear and out the other, I opened the wooden box.