novelraw Chapter 58 : It's War
Chapter 58 : It's War
"The number of Daoist temples is four in total. They are based in Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan, and Sichuan, respectively, and are named the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple in the north, the Vermilion Bird Daoist Temple in the east, the Black Tortoise Daoist Temple in the south, and the White Tiger Daoist Temple in the west. Each Daoist temple has a total of one hundred officials, and it is said that the next-generation talents of the Nine Sects, the Five Great Families, and the minor sects and families existing in each region have gathered."
Ju Cheon's gaze, which had been tilting his teacup while listening to Mu Yu's report, sank low.
"What is your opinion, Grand Commander, on the reason why they have established Daoist temples and have gathered the next-generation talents in one place?"
At Ju Cheon's gaze, which was looking at him, Mu Yu's pupils, which had not wavered in any situation, trembled slightly.
'The Alliance Leader is testing me.'
There was only one condition to become the Grand Commander of the Heretic's Path Alliance led by Ju Cheon.
That was proof.
He had to prove to the Alliance Leader that he had the ability to lead the Heretic's Path Alliance and achieve the great cause, and now was the moment of proof.
'It can be different, but it can't be wrong.'
Although he could give an answer that was different from the Alliance Leader's thoughts, he could not give a wrong answer.
Mu Yu, who had grasped the situation in the blink of an eye, answered without hesitation.
"The Daoist temples were established early on. I believe the reason the Martial Arts Alliance established the Daoist temples was to nurture a kind of elite. It would be to nurture outstanding martial artists who would swing their swords and stomp their feet for the Martial Arts Alliance."
"So you're saying that the Daoist temples established in the central part of the Central Plains are unrelated to Bud Crushing."
"They are not unrelated, but even if Bud Crushing had not broken out, the Martial Arts Alliance would have already completed a list of the next-generation talents to be nurtured as elites with the help of the Beggars' Sect. After that, when Bud Crushing broke out and the fire fell on their feet, I believe the Martial Arts Alliance hurriedly called the next-generation talents they cherished to each Daoist temple before they lost them to Bud Crushing."
"Hmm."
Ju Cheon nodded lightly and then lifted his teacup to wet his lips.
"The first step of the great cause was quite successful. You've worked hard, Grand Commander Mu."
"Thank you."
'I wasn't wrong.'
Mu Yu stroked his chest and was relieved that he had succeeded in his proof.
"Mu Yu."
"Please give your order, Alliance Leader."
"If the emperor locks the granaries, stops trade between merchants, and then gathers iron and grain as he pleases, and gathers the young people to train them as soldiers... what does this mean?"
Since it was a very simple question, Mu Yu answered before he even thought.
"It's war."
"Yes. That's right. Then, what would be the reason for the Martial Arts Alliance to establish Daoist temples and nurture their own elite martial artists?"
The gaze of Mu Yu, who had raised his head, and Ju Cheon's gaze met.
Ju Cheon was smiling.
As if he had ended a moment of painful patience.
***
"It's war."
At the words of the Grand Commander of the Martial Arts Alliance, Dokgo Jeokmyeong, a silence fell on the supreme council chamber.
The word that everyone had only kept in their hearts and had not dared to utter had flowed from the mouth of Dokgo Jeokmyeong, who was in charge of the great and small affairs of the Alliance along with Zhuge Goun.
"What other reason would there be for them to commit Bud Crushing? They have planted young children with strong suggestions all over the Central Plains early on. And those seeds have finally sprouted and have swallowed up the young and competent next-generation talents of the orthodox faction."
Dokgo Jeokmyeong's voice became more and more agitated.
"Is there anyone here who has heard the news that the unorthodox faction has suffered damage from Bud Crushing?"
Only silence flowed in the council chamber.
"Yes. You must not have heard. The target of Bud Crushing is only the Orthodox Martial World, and they are destroying the Hundred-Year Plan of the Orthodox Martial World. No, they have already destroyed it."
"So we have established Daoist temples to safely protect and educate the next-generation talents, haven't we?"
At the question of Gwak Dohu, an elder from the Cheongseong Sect, another Grand Commander of the Alliance, Zhuge Goun, stepped up this time.
"The Four Divine Daoist Temples are not yet completely finished. The original purpose was designed to accommodate and teach at least five hundred to a maximum of one thousand people, but due to the unexpected outbreak of Bud Crushing, we have forcibly called the next-generation talents to the unfinished Four Divine Daoist Temples."
The four Daoist temples established in the central part of the Central Plains, the Four Divine Daoist Temples, were in an unfinished state.
Because seven-tenths of the design had not been built, the number of people that could be accommodated had been reduced to one-tenth.
"We have lost about 3,600 elite martial artists. Those children would have played a big role in the war against the Heretic's Path Alliance that would have occurred later."
The plan had been moved up much earlier than expected, and the Four Divine Daoist Temples, which could have accommodated 4,000 people, could now only accommodate 400.
"It is a very painful thing. But now is not the time to be frustrated. We must properly nurture even the 400 officials and prepare for war."
At the answer of Maeugyeom, an elder from the Huashan Sect, the other elders also nodded and expressed their agreement.
But the thoughts of the two Grand Commanders of the Alliance were different.
"The reason we have opened the supreme council is because we have something to say to the elders gathered here."
At Dokgo Jeongmyeong's even heavier voice, the elders swallowed dryly and waited for the next words.
Soon, Dokgo Jeongmyeong continued.
"The Martial Arts Alliance will select one of the four Daoist temples... and will use it to lure the Heretic's Path Alliance."
"Lure the Heretic's Path Alliance? What do you mean by that?"
At the question of the elders who did not understand, Zhuge Goun caught his breath once and then explained.
"The Heretic's Path Alliance is not a fool. They will surely know that the officials of the Four Divine Daoist Temples will become a threat to them in the future. Just as they assassinated the next-generation talents with extraordinary methods, they will aim for the officials of the Four Divine Daoist Temples this time too, without caring about the means and methods."
"So you're saying we should lure the Heretic's Path Alliance to another Daoist temple to protect the other three Daoist temples? By drawing the attention of the Heretic's Path Alliance?"
"That's right."
"That's absurd...!!"
The one who stood up in anger was Peng Ogeol, an elder from the Hebei Peng Family.
Although he was from a branch family and not a direct line, he was the younger brother of the current family head of the Hebei Peng Family, Peng Oseong.
He, who had known early on that his nephew, Peng Xiaofeng, had entered the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple, could not accept the Grand Commander's argument to use the young next-generation talents of the Daoist temple as bait.
It was the same for the other elders from the Five Great Families.
"I can't accept it!"
"This is telling them to die!"
"Is the Martial Arts Alliance trying to use those young martial artists as scapegoats!?"
As the opposition from the elders became severe, the gazes of the two Grand Commanders naturally moved to one side.
The place where their gazes reached was the seat of the Alliance Leader, the highest seat in the supreme council chamber.
"Calm down."
The voice of the Alliance Leader, Gwak Doyeop, was gentle and soft, but the power contained in it was by no means soft.
At the voice imbued with internal energy, the elders realized that the air was becoming heavy.
This was not the pressure created by the Alliance Leader raising his internal energy to intimidate them.
It was the pressure created by the existence of the Alliance Leader himself.
"The reason we were able to win the fight against the Ming Cult and protect the Central Plains martial world was not because we were the orthodox faction. Just as a sword has no eyes, there is no good and evil in a war between humans."
Gwak Doyeop said this and then swept the table with one hand.
"The reason the Orthodox Martial World won was simply because we were a little stronger."
"But...!"
"We know, and the Heretic's Path Alliance also knows. That's why the orthodox faction established the Hundred-Year Plan, and the unorthodox faction established the Ten-Year Sinister Plot to destroy it. And the winner of the two schemes is... the Heretic's Path Alliance."
Gwak Doyeop's words made everyone fall silent.
"The main axis of the war is the share of the outstanding masters of the martial world and the old masters like us, but the ones who are responsible for what comes after are the young next-generation talents of the martial world. What's the use of the current victory without protecting the future?"
"But to sacrifice the innocent next-generation talents is..."
"Of course, it will be dangerous, but the next-generation talents of the Daoist temple will not be killed one-sidedly. Each Daoist temple will conduct the highest level of education and training, and the masters of the Alliance will be deployed to protect the selected officials of the Daoist temple."
At Gwak Doyeop's subsequent explanation, the elders, who had been somewhat convinced and had let out a sigh of relief, all sat down.
"Then, how do you plan to select the Daoist temple that will be the bait for the Heretic's Path Alliance among the Daoist temples?"
As Peng Ogeol, who had barely calmed his excitement, asked about the selection of the Daoist temple, Dokgo Jeongmyeong explained on behalf of the Alliance Leader.
"One year from now, we plan to select the representatives of each Daoist temple and hold a martial arts tournament, and the Daoist temple that wins the tournament... will become the special selection team that will lure the Heretic's Path Alliance."
After the supreme council ended, while Zhuge Goun was finalizing the contents of the meeting, Dokgo Jeongmyeong had a private meeting with Gwak Doyeop in the Alliance Leader's office.
He scanned the list of the martial artists who had entered each Daoist temple and said as if he didn't understand.
"I don't know about the other places, but I don't know the reason why the White Moon Divine Lord meekly let his two cherished children enter the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple."
The White Moon Divine Lord, Cheon Yushin.
He, who had proved his strength by single-handedly killing the Young Cult Master of the Ming Cult, Dan Yegang, had since then wielded a power that could be called the number one under heaven and had proved that he was the strongest martial artist in the Central Plains in front of everyone.
After that, he had established the White Moon Palace and had taken a stance of being the only one under heaven, building a wall not only with the Martial Arts Alliance but also with the Orthodox Martial World.
Then one day, not long after Bud Crushing had started, a letter had arrived from the White Moon Palace.
The content was close to an order to let Cheon Gaseong and Cheon Yerang enter the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple, which would soon be established.
"How can we know the true intentions of the White Moon Divine Lord? For now, we can only be glad that the White Moon Palace has not let go of its connection with the Orthodox Martial World. More than that, are those all the next-generation talents we should keep in mind?"
"There is a slightly unusual brat."
"An unusual brat?"
"Yes. His name is Jin Sohyun, and he is a young martial artist from a merchant family called the Jin Family."
"What's the reason that person is unusual?"
"According to the rumors, he is a great lazy bum, to the extent that he has been called the Slothful Young Master since he was young, but his master is the Flying Sword Hero, Kang Cheon. He learned martial arts from him for 6 years, and it seems he has made a great contribution to the Bud Crushing luring operation that occurred in Anhui recently."
As Dokgo Jeongmyeong spoke uncertainly, unlike his usual self, Gwak Doyeop's interest was piqued.
"You're saying it seems he has made a contribution?"
"The maidservant who came to the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple with Jin Sohyun is said to have had the Benefactor Plaque of the Namgung Family, the Silver Dragon Plaque. Of course, it wouldn't be the maidservant's, so the original owner of the Benefactor Plaque would be Jin Sohyun. That means he has made a contribution worthy of being called a benefactor of the Namgung Family. Of course, the exact details are not yet known."
He already knew that Namgung Muhyeok had visited the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple first, instead of the Vermilion Bird Daoist Temple where his children had entered.
Gwak Doyeop looked at the three characters of Jin Sohyun's name and had a light smile.
"The number one lazy bum in Shanxi... the disciple of the Flying Sword Hero, and a benefactor of the Namgung Family... an unusual brat."
***
"Kkeueueung—!!"
Jin Sohyun, who had finished his dinner, sincerely wanted to return to his family estate.
The daily life here was very tiring for him, a lazy bum, to endure.
"You can still swallow your food?"
Jong Ryeo'ak walked behind Jin Sohyun, who was returning to the guest house after finishing his meal.
"Then do you swallow it through your nose?"
At Jin Sohyun's words, Jong Ryeo'ak's face crumpled.
'Why is this brat not affected at all?'
Many of the officials of the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple had not been able to eat their dinner properly.
The reason was because of Dang Hocheol's test that had taken place at lunch.
Since the martial artists of the prestigious sects and families, who valued their pride as much as their lives, had run to the outhouse, having forgotten their dignity, and had begged for it to be over quickly, the fear of poison had been deeply engraved in their hearts.
Thanks to that, they had not been able to eat their dinner properly, and most of them had to go hungry for dinner.
But Jin Sohyun was different.
He had neatly finished his plentiful dinner and even the refreshments that came after.
"Damn brat."
Just looking at his face made his annoyance soar, but since they were sharing the same room, he had to face him even when he was sleeping, so Jong Ryeo'ak was having a very hard time.
He had tried to change rooms several times, but the head of the Daoist temple, Gwak Myeong, had never allowed it.
'Shall I just stomp on him while he's sleeping?'
Jong Ryeo'ak looked at Jin Sohyun, who was falling asleep as soon as he lay down on the bed, with hateful pupils and then turned his body away.
His pride as a martial artist of Jongnam did not allow him to launch a surprise attack while he was sleeping.
'One day, I will properly crush your high nose.'
Jong Ryeo'ak, who was burning with hatred for Jin Sohyun, lay down on the bed and immediately fell asleep because he had had a tiring day.
That late evening, when everyone was asleep.
Black-clad men wearing black masks appeared on the roof of the dormitory where the officials were sleeping.
They took out palm-sized, elongated objects from their bosoms, held them in their hands, and stared at each other.
"The targets are the neck and the glabella. Failure is not tolerated."
"Yes."
Under the dark sky where the clouds had covered the moon, the black-clad men, who had finished their preparations, secretly infiltrated the inside of the dormitory.
(End of Chapter)