Chapter 60
Qinghai.
Specifically, the western Border.
An old Pavilion where the Demonic Cult’s territory could be seen with the naked eye.
Three men were sitting there.
One of them, Mayu, the Strategist in Charge of the Murim Alliance’s Dark Hall, let out a heavy sigh.
“Haa.”
“…Mayu.”
Seeing this, Jegal Tak, the Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance, scolded him.
“Do not show weakness. The enemy camp is right in front of us.”
“…I apologize. The situation is just so frustrating.”
Though he scolded him, Jegal Tak also understood why Mayu had sighed.
If he had his way, he would have liked to sigh himself.
And for good reason…
“What is with this sudden chaos? First the Green Forest rises up in the South, and now the Demonic Cult in the North…”
“…Tell me about it.”
When the Green Forest first killed the Murim Alliance’s spy, it felt somewhat extreme, but it wasn’t considered a major threat.
Bandits were the weaklings of Jianghu.
They thought the Dragon Slaying Squad, one of the Murim Alliance’s Extermination Squads, would be more than enough to suppress them.
However, not long after the Dragon Slaying Squad departed, news arrived that they had all been killed or captured.
That alone was enough to cause an uproar in the quiet martial world, but it was nothing compared to what followed.
An elder of the Demonic Cult had cut down the Kunlun Sect Leader’s Right-hand Man.
If the Dragon Slaying Squad was just one of the Murim Alliance’s martial forces, the Kunlun Sect Leader was one of the greatest powers in the Righteous Murim.
For a mere elder - not the Cult Leader, the Deputy Cult Leader, or even the Grand Elder of the Demonic Cult - to fight and defeat a Sect Leader of the Nine Great Sects and One Alliance meant…
[The World Order led by the Murim Alliance could be reorganized into a new Power Structure.]
If the Demonic Cult were to use this incident to Rise to Power and become a pillar that divided the world in two.
[There cannot be Two Suns.]
It would mean the outbreak of the Righteous-Demonic War.
To prevent this, the Murim Alliance had moved a rather excessive amount of their forces to Qinghai.
And…, right now, three representatives of the Murim Alliance have arrived early at the Meeting Place to hold talks with the Demonic Cult’s Representative.
Since it was not yet the appointed time, the three men waited tensely for the Demonic Cult’s Representative to arrive.
As the tedious time dragged on, Mayu quietly opened his mouth.
“It is chaos internally right now. In particular, the Kunlun Faction’s anger is hard to handle. The Kunlun Faction is shouting to charge straight into the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.”
“…That is foolish talk, Mayu. Did you expect an elder of the Demonic Cult to be above the Kunlun Sect Leader?”
“…No. Not at all.”
“Invading the enemy’s stronghold when we haven’t even grasped how much military strength they have is no different from stepping into a demon’s den. Above all…”
Jegal Tak gently closed his eyes and continued.
“The Alliance Leader desires peace.”
“…”
While the Murim Alliance Leader’s word might not be absolute in the world, the Murim Alliance ultimately had no choice but to move as he wished.
And…
Desiring peace wasn’t exactly the wrong choice, either.
“Our goal in this meeting is to stop any further conflict, even if it means bending a little.”
“However, Chief Strategist, even if we bend, shouldn’t we know what it is they want? If you happen to have any guesses…”
“…I have absolutely no idea.”
“…Pardon?”
Though Jegal Tak was praised as the second coming of Zhuge Liang, Mayu thought he looked quite foolish shaking his head tensely.
“If they had intended to occupy or burn down Qinghai, they would have charged straight for Kunlun Mountain the moment the Sect Leader’s Right-hand Man was cut down. But how could I possibly know the thoughts of lunatics who just cut off an arm and went back?”
“…You are right.”
The ones who made such a smart gentleman look like a fool were none other than those Demonic Cult bastards.
As they lived with bated breath until now despite having such strong power, and crossed the Border just to cut off someone’s arm and return - the thoughts of fanatics truly were incomprehensible.
“And I am worried not only about those fanatics but also the bandits in the South.”
Saying so, Mayu recalled Dokgoyeong, the Squad Leader of the Dragon Slaying Squad who had died this time.
He had been a good friend, and it was truly a pity that he had died so easily.
“It is a place one step removed from the Murim Alliance’s reach, so I wonder if those Bandit bastards might use this incident as an opportunity to Rise to Power…”
“Do not worry too much. The Righteous Sword Knight-errant has gone to Hunan.”
“Ah…! The Righteous Sword Knight-errant…? Then I am relieved…”
“Enough.”
“…!”
Just as Mayu was about to continue, a voice that had remained silent until now rang out.
It was Hyeonjin, an elder of the Wudang Sect, who had attended this gathering as an escort for the two strategists.
Having kept his eyes closed in meditation ever since arriving at the Pavilion, he slowly opened them and spoke.
“Please refrain from speaking any further, you two.”
“Does that mean…”
“Yes.”
Hyeonjin’s eyes quietly faced forward. To be exact, his eyes were looking far off into the Demonic Cult’s territory.
And over there…
Step-.
“One person is coming this way right now.”
…An old man wearing a black robe was walking toward the Pavilion.
Approaching slowly, step by step, without even using a Lightness Skill, he appeared reminiscent of an ordinary old man rather than a Martial Artist, but…
“…”
…Hyeonjin, who had the highest martial prowess in this place, quietly placed his hand on his Sword, as if he had felt something.
Step-, step.
With every step the old man took, the two strategists also felt a growing chill and swallowed hard.
“…right, let’s find out now what those fanatics want.”
* * *
Eventually, when the old man stepped right up to the front of the Pavilion, the three men stood up and offered a Cupped Fist Salute. Then, Jegal Tak, standing at the very front, spoke as their Representative.
“I am Jegal Tak, serving as the Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance. Behind me are Hyeonjin, an elder of the Wudang Sect, and Mayu, who came as my Adjutant. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“…”
The old man from the Demonic Cult merely stared at them blankly.
[Is he ignoring us?]
Mayu thought so upon seeing him not return the Cupped Fist Salute.
In Jianghu, not returning a Cupped Fist Salute to an opponent who offered one was tantamount to declaring that one would not show him or her any courtesy.
At this, Mayu briefly wondered if the Demonic Cult was ignoring the Murim Alliance, but…
Rustle-.
“…Ah, my apologies. It has been so long since I last saw a Cupped Fist Salute… Please understand that Our Cult does not have such etiquette, so I am unaccustomed to it.”
“It is fine, so please do not mind it too much.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
…Perhaps the old man had only been staring because he wasn’t used to the Cupped Fist Salute, as he soon returned the gesture with an awkward posture and bowed his head.
All three men couldn’t help but be a little flustered by the old man’s friendly attitude.
After all, when Righteous Faction members thought of the Demonic Cult, they only imagined people with eccentric and ominous temperaments.
However, while the Aura of the old man before them might be bizarre, there was no ominous feeling whatsoever from his appearance or impression.
“What should we call you?”
“Hmm…, Our Cult calls me the Black Wild King, so you may call me that.”
The Black Wild King…
It was an alias that did not suit his neat appearance. Furthermore, the title of king…
In the Righteous Murim, it was a title attached as a compliment to those who had reached an exceptional state unlike others, but he had heard that in the Demonic Cult, it was a mandatory title attached to Elders.
If so, that meant this old man was an elder of the Demonic Cult…
The Leadership ranks of the Demonic Cult were divided into the Cult Leader, the Deputy Cult Leader, the Grand Elder, and the Elders, who all held equal power.
Since the Cult Leader and Deputy Cult Leader did not step forward for external affairs, an elder coming meant that a rather high-ranking figure had arrived.
At this, Jegal Tak cut straight to the chase without dragging things out.
“This incident was clearly excessive on your part. What do you think of this matter?”
“…”
Seeing the usually relaxed great Strategist come out so urgently, Mayu could catch a glimpse of his will to resolve this matter quickly.
In contrast…, the Black Wild King…
“Hmm…”
…showed a relaxed attitude, stroking his beard like a Daoist immortal.
Eventually, his mouth slowly opened…
“Regarding this matter, Our Cult…”
…Jegal Tak and Mayu waited tensely for the words that would come out of his mouth.
* * *
“Muyeon, the Beggar's Sect has sent a message saying it will mediate this matter.”
“Phew…, thank goodness. Fuck…”
In truth, the core of this matter was the Beggar's Sect. Without the Beggar's Sect’s help, it was obvious we wouldn’t even be able to attempt a conversation with the Murim Alliance.
But fortunately, Munseok had managed to draw out the Beggar's Sect’s mediation.
“Anyway, you’re quite competent, aren’t you, Mister?”
“Haha…, with just this much?”
“Hmm?”
For some reason, Munseok’s expression was triumphant, like a child wanting praise.
“I’ve found out who will be coming as the Murim Alliance’s Representative for this matter.”
“Ooh!”
Know yourself, know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles.
I had also asked Mister for detailed information on who would be coming from the Murim Alliance.
Honestly, I didn’t think it would be an easy task, but he managed to pull this off as well.
“Ahaha-! This is the first time in my life I’ve wanted to kiss a Mister over forty! So! Who is it? Who’s coming here as the Representative!”
It wasn’t that I knew the Righteous Faction masters well, but I had the knowledge of the Original Novel.
If someone I knew came by any chance, I would be able to prepare to some extent.
However…
“Mmm…, about that…”
…Munseok’s face, as he was about to speak again, began to turn subtle.
That Mister seems to be doing that a lot lately.
“What is it this time? Why, is the Murim Alliance Leader coming in person or something? Ah, you said that gentleman went to Qinghai.”
“Well…, maybe not the Murim Alliance Leader, but someone with a similar seniority to the Murim Alliance Leader is coming, I suppose…?”
“What? The same seniority as the Murim Alliance Leader?”
…Then someone quite high-ranking is coming?
“Besides, the person coming this time is someone who has a connection with you…”
“A Righteous Faction Master with the same seniority as the Murim Alliance Leader has a connection with me…?”
…I don’t know anyone like that, though?
“So who is coming?”
“That is…”
Eventually, Munseok opened his mouth.