Chapter 115 :

Chapter 115. Night March of the Dark Faction (5)

"What kind of nonsense is that?"

Daoist Myeonghyeon spoke without even remembering that he was inside the Elder Hall.

Twenty-eight elders were attending the regular legislative meeting.

Considering that the meeting had far exceeded the quorum, with eleven alliance laws requiring approval, four budget proposals awaiting review, and two grand plans for the following year under discussion, it would have been normal for them to ignore any other report entirely.

However, upon hearing the urgent report, Daoist Myeonghyeon could not stop himself from cursing.

"So... Jin Sowoon is moving together with members of the heretical faction?"

"...Yes, that is correct."

Seeing the alliance member speak as though he himself had committed a crime, Daoist Myeonghyeon reacted dismissively.

"Then simply disqualify him."

"You may leave now."

"Do you not understand what kind of meeting this is?"

Despite being ordered to leave, the alliance member remained visibly restless.

"It is not as simple as it sounds."

"Good grief."

"Do you truly not understand how important this regular legislative meeting is?"

"Why do you insist on continuing?"

"Cough..."

The alliance member was so agitated that he looked as though his life depended upon this matter.

At that moment, Moyong Cheong spoke.

"Let us hear him out first, Daoist Myeonghyeon."

"This is no trivial matter."

"No matter how important the official martial examination may be, could it be more important than this legislative meeting?"

"There must be a reason he interrupted such an important meeting."

After Moyong Cheong spoke and Daoist Myeonghyeon reluctantly gave his permission, the alliance member carefully continued.

"Jin Sowoon and his companions are heading toward the academy."

"However, large groups from Four Emperors Peak, the Mado Sect, and the Cheuksa Gang have surrounded them, preventing the other examinees from approaching."

"Four Emperors Peak is one thing, but why are the Mado Sect and Cheuksa Gang involved?"

"No, more importantly, how dare they interfere in an event hosted by the Martial Alliance?"

"They claim that they are not protecting Jin Sowoon and his companions."

Daoist Myeonghyeon furrowed his brow deeply, unable to comprehend the current situation.

"They say they are holding a nonviolent demonstration to commemorate the warriors who died unjustly on Maling Plateau."

"A nonviolent demonstration?"

Members of the heretical faction were not merely holding a demonstration, but a nonviolent one?

What kind of nonsense was this?

"Yes."

"They have all disarmed themselves, dressed in black martial uniforms, and are marching south while carrying an enormous funeral bier."

"No one forced them to enter Maling Plateau."

"Who exactly are they demonstrating against?"

"They claim that the casualties increased because the Martial Alliance, which is responsible for maintaining peace throughout the murim world, failed to act in time..."

Daoist Myeonghyeon and most of those gathered in the Elder Hall were utterly dumbfounded.

Had the heretical faction not been the Martial Alliance's primary enemy ever since the Demonic Cult disappeared?

"A-Anyway, what about Jin Sowoon and his companions?"

"They are moving at the very center of the crowd, so the examinees cannot approach them."

"They have already crossed Henan Province and entered Hubei Province."

"The examiners do not know how to handle this matter."

"What do you mean, how to handle it?"

"Obviously, they should be disqualified!"

"My opinion differs."

Daoist Myeonghyeon's head snapped around.

It was Moyong Cheong, the man who had interrupted the meeting earlier.

"Did he request assistance from the members of the heretical faction?"

"Four Emperors Peak claims that this has absolutely nothing to do with Jin Sowoon and his companions."

"Then did he pay and hire them?"

"Four Emperors Peak claims that this is purely an event of the heretical faction's murim."

"Then... there is no problem at all."

"Jin Sowoon and his companions merely happen to be standing there, do they not?"

Daoist Myeonghyeon stared at Moyong Cheong in disbelief.

"Are you in your right mind?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Did that child named Jin Sowoon violate any rule?"

"You call that an argument..."

"..."

"More importantly, if Four Emperors Peak, the Mado Sect, and the Cheuksa Gang have begun moving, what are the other heretical sects doing?"

"People are gradually gathering around them."

"This may become quite serious."

Moyong Cheong rose from his seat.

"Let us cancel this regular meeting."

"It appears that a matter requiring our immediate attention has arisen."

With those words, ten people led by Moyong Cheong left the Elder Hall.

Only the members affiliated with the Righteous Path Association and the representatives of the Hundred and Eight Peaks remained behind.

#

The funeral procession had begun at the Dabie Mountains with eight hundred people.

By the time it crossed Mount Longzhong and entered Uiseong, its numbers had tripled.

There were not only sects that had begun moving after receiving plaques.

There were also people directly or indirectly connected to the Maling Plateau incident, as well as those who had long harbored hostility toward the Martial Alliance.

Half-baked fools followed in hopes of spreading their names far and wide.

Others tagged along in hopes of making money from the movement of several thousand people.

At this point, it was less a memorial procession and more a complete mess.

"Hey! You! Think you can fight?"

"Do you even know who I am?"

"Delicious bamboo-leaf liquor!"

"Bamboo-leaf liquor for sale!"

"You bastards!"

"Do you not know that only black clothing is allowed in this procession?"

"How dare you appear at a funeral procession wearing yellow?"

"You truly are a hopeless bastard through and through!"

That was not all.

The examinees who had originally targeted me had now become like dogs staring up at me after I climbed onto a rooftop.

As the number of people from the heretical faction continued to increase, they grew increasingly frightened and impatient.

"I am only asking you to let me pass for a moment!"

"One of the bastards in there has something that belongs to us!"

"He is an actual thief!"

"If you want to catch a thief, go to the government office."

"You cannot pass."

"Damn it!"

"Why is a worthless heretical bastard talking about the government office?"

"You bastard!"

"If we were not in the middle of a nonviolent demonstration, I would have cut your head off with a single strike!"

"How does a nonviolent demonstration even make sense for heretical bastards in the first place?"

Arguments both large and small continued to erupt.

Several nearly developed into major fights, but whenever that happened, supreme experts from the heretical faction stepped forward and prevented the conflict from escalating.

After all, martial artists did not become nonviolent merely because they carried no weapons.

Furthermore, there was hardly anyone in the heretical faction who did not possess some underhanded method.

Neither the examinees nor the warriors traveling alongside them could afford to act rashly.

"Those ignorant bastards really are coming here of their own accord."

Beside me, the master of Four Emperors Peak could not conceal the broad smile covering his face.

A stage had finally appeared where he could bring his greatest lifelong desire, the Heretical Alliance, into public discourse.

Through this incident, Four Emperors Peak, the Mado Sect, and the Cheuksa Gang had obtained the justification to become the center of the Heretical Alliance.

They had also gained an opportunity to lead that alliance in the future.

There was no reason for him not to be satisfied.

"Is this not all because they heard of your usual bold and generous nature, Peak Master, and chose to follow you?"

I mixed in the proper amount of flattery while desperately hoping that this leading figure of the heretical faction would not become offended midway through and throw us to the righteous faction wolves.

"No, no."

"This is all thanks to the Bloodflame Dragon."

"No!"

"Peak Master, if you say such things, people will misunderstand!"

Was this man already determined to ruin the promising future of a rising star of the righteous faction?

"Very well, very well."

"Until you enter the Martial Alliance, rise to a high position, and hand the entire Alliance over to us, I will keep it a secret."

"..."

What was this insane leader of the heretical faction talking about?

"I knew it from the moment you spoke of the hundred-year grand plan for the Heretical Alliance."

"A place where people are evaluated solely by ability, regardless of status."

"In the end, are you not trying to build a paradise for the murim world?"

"I now understand just how deeply the Taeul Sect has suffered from the oppression of the murim world."

This man was saying increasingly dangerous things.

"Excuse me."

"Please stop there."

"Do you know how many misunderstandings I have already suffered because of the nickname you gave me?"

"Kahahahaha!"

Cha Seokdu laughed heartily for a long while before abruptly erasing all amusement from his face.

"It will only become worse from now on."

"What?"

"What I just said."

"There will soon be people who say those exact words aloud."

I knew that.

The first place where Cha Seokdu's claims would spread in the near future would not be the heretical faction's murim.

It would be the righteous faction's murim.

More specifically, it would undoubtedly begin within the Martial Alliance itself.

To the politicians of the Martial Alliance, whose experience had been built upon slander, schemes, and false accusations, someone like me was nothing more than a delicious morsel.

"You should prepare yourself carefully."

"In the worst case, you may be branded as a spy for the Heretical Alliance."

"..."

This was only the second time I had met Cha Seokdu.

Both encounters had happened in ways neither I nor he had intended.

Even so, the advice he gave me was on an entirely different level from that of the many Martial Alliance officials I had met in my previous life.

Even without him saying it, I could clearly tell that he was worried about me beyond matters of ideology or belief.

"I will remember that."

"Good."

"If you are branded as a spy, do not concern yourself with it."

"Simply join the Heretical Alliance."

"I will reserve good positions for both you and your sect."

"..."

"Ah, right."

"When the Heretical Alliance is established, I will place your name on the list of guests invited to celebrate its founding."

"By then, perhaps I will even see you attending as the representative of the Martial Alliance."

I take back what I said about him being worried.

As expected of a leader of the heretical faction, this man was filled only with thoughts of corrupting a rising star of the righteous faction by any means necessary.

#

On the final day of the official examination, the examiners waiting at the entrance of the academy to greet the final successful candidates could not conceal their bewilderment at the sudden arrival of the heretical faction.

"They have finally come all the way here."

"..."

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Bells rang as men dressed in black martial uniforms walked forward slowly.

At their center was a massive funeral bier symbolizing that it contained several coffins.

Behind it, people dressed in black martial uniforms continued without end.

"Whose funeral is this supposed to be for it to be so grand?"

"They say it is to commemorate those who entered some place called Maling Plateau and died there."

"Were the people who died there not all heretical bastards who committed evil deeds?"

The people watched the unusual procession passing before their eyes with great interest.

At the same time, they could not conceal their surprise that most of its members belonged to the heretical faction.

The typical image they held of those from the heretical faction was that of ignorant thieves who did nothing but plunder, like mountain bandits or pirates.

However, the people before them moved solemnly in matching attire and with proper ceremony.

They could not imagine them as common bandits.

The procession that began at the Dabie Mountains passed through Uiseong and Tianmen before reaching Wuhan.

When the end of the enormous procession finally reached the Martial Academy, the people in black martial uniforms slowly began surrounding the entrance.

My companions and even the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers were too overwhelmed to speak.

Thinking back, they had not spoken much throughout the entire journey from the Dabie Mountains to the academy.

"...Sigh."

"I wonder what Grandfather will say."

"Will they even let us enter in the first place?"

"Rather than being humiliated at the entrance like this, it may be better to return to the family."

Nearby, examinees and warriors from the Nine Great Sects who had followed the procession watched us with hostile eyes.

As various dissatisfied comments emerged, Seong Moran stepped forward.

"It is better to receive the beating first."

Seong Moran dropped the admission plaques she had obtained in front of the examiner.

After sorting through the plaques, the examiner announced:

"Seong Moran of the Iron Sword Sect, passed!"

"Oh!"

"Waaah!"

As the warriors of the Iron Sword Sect simultaneously shouted three cheers, the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers approached the examiner together.

I threw them the admission plaque I had received from Jegal Somyeong.

Moyong Jaehwa stared at the plaque with a puzzled expression at first.

Then his eyes widened.

"B-Brother, this is..."

"Even without the plaque from the Three Gates Sect, that should be enough to pass, should it not?"

"Ah... Ah..."

Moyong Jaehwa was so flustered that he had no idea how to react.

That was understandable.

The admission plaque he held was a precious treasure that could not be purchased even with money.

They presented their admission plaques.

"Geumpyo of the Taeul Sect, passed!"

"Eunho of the Taeul Sect, passed!"

"Dongryong of the Taeul Sect, passed!"

The three brothers embraced one another and began weeping with emotion.

Meanwhile, Namgung Seonhwa received notice that she had passed.

Now, only Moyong Jaehwa and I remained.

"Brother, I will always support you."

"...What?"

Moyong Jaehwa was preparing to leave with the warriors of his family.

"It is unfortunate that I cannot enter the academy with you."

"However, thanks to my journey with you, I have realized the path I must follow."

Moyong Jaehwa proudly displayed his bow.

Baek Wongak scratched his head worriedly.

"Will you be all right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Will your grandfather forgive you for taking up the bow?"

"...Ahem."

"That is why I was actually considering wandering for a while instead of returning directly to the family..."

"You are still young, and every moment is precious."

"How can you speak so casually about wandering?"

"Instead, enter the academy with me."

"What?"

"No, what are you saying...?"

Even though I had willingly offered it to him, Moyong Jaehwa remained unable to decide what to do.

Watching him in frustration, Baek Wongak immediately spoke.

"Young Master Jin, thank you for granting us such a great favor."

"N-No, Captain Baek."

"This is far too valuable to dismiss so casually..."

"Young Master, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Young Master Jin has given you."

"Will you truly let this opportunity pass?"

Faced with Baek Wongak's desperate expression, the wavering Moyong Jaehwa tightly closed his mouth.

"Understood."

"Captain, Brother."

"I, Jaehwa of the Moyong Family, hereby declare that I will establish my own legacy through the bow."

"...Young Master, should you truly decide your entire future so hastily...?"

Worried that the Moyong Family's direct line might end with him, even I tried to stop him.

"Yes, you should think about that carefully after entering..."

"No."

"My brother illuminated the path for me and even showed me how to walk it."

"How could I betray that?"

"I will do it."

"I absolutely will!"

"I will become a man whose name is renowned through the path of the bow!"

After saying that, Moyong Jaehwa handed the admission plaque to the examiner.

"Moyong Jaehwa of the Moyong Family, passed!"

Then it was my turn.

"Thank you all for your hard work."

I bowed once to the warriors who had traveled with me.

They answered by clasping their fists.

"May martial fortune accompany you on the path ahead, Young Master Jin."

I turned my bundle upside down in front of the examiner.

Clatter!

The checkpoint plaques poured from the small bundle.

The eyes of the disciples from the Nine Great Sects watching nearby gleamed brightly.

Two examiners began counting the checkpoint plaques.

After comparing them against the names on the list, one of them announced:

"Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect..."

The examiner stopped speaking.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally forced out the words.

"Failed."