This Central Plains had long worshipped the martial way.
Countless Daoists were scattered about, and although those who raised and believed in them differed,
in the end, even the Daoists, under the name of enlightenment, were no different in governing the martial way.
They harbor qi in the dantian, contain it in the flesh, and awaken.
Thus, breaking free of the limits called human, they ceaselessly repeat the act of climbing higher as martial artists.
They climb a steep wall.
And as they climb and climb again,
'A higher cliff awaits.'
It is inevitable to face a cliff far steeper and rougher.
There is no end.
Martial arts were said to be such a thing from the start.
'Truly fucking bullshit.'
If one becomes content and settles, one falls; if one tries to climb, one must suffer all manner of hardship to ascend.
Does a summit truly exist at that place one has climbed to?
Even if it exists, would I be able to see it?
I had no confidence.
If meaning lies in the climbing, and that itself is called the martial path,
'Why the hell would I do such a thing?'
Other martial artists would have raged at those words, but
from the first moment I thought of this, my mind had not changed in the slightest.
Once, the Sleeping Dragon of my previous life had said,
'You are somewhat alien to be called a martial artist.'
I thought it was correct.
I do not worship the martial way.
I have no interest in climbing cliffs, and if I wished, I am fully ready to stop and fall at any time.
Even having reached the Hwagyeong, that thought had not changed.
I simply do it because I must.
To me, martial arts were just such a thing.
There was no meaning greater or lesser than that.
'But still.'
Just what do those people like so much that they praise martial artists so?
I simply could not understand.
"Pa-Paeng Clan! The Four Great Clans are here!"
At the sound that had quieted slightly only to grow loud again, I poked my head out.
From afar, the largest carriage I had seen to date was entering.
A red flag with a black border was visible atop the carriage.
It was the flag symbolizing the Paeng Clan, called the Taido Clan.
Most likely, inside that carriage…
'The Paeng Clan head must be inside.'
Saber King Paeng Jeou.
I think I had met him briefly in Henan before.
'A man whose face looked like that of a lofty deity.'
The situation in which we met was simply shitty.
For a clan head of a prestigious family, his eyes were unusually saturated with ambition.
Ambition and greed exist in anyone, so it was not that strange, but
'a clan head should know how to conceal such things.'
Perhaps he had no intention of hiding his true nature; the Saber King's demeanor was truly unspeakably pathetic.
'For all that, his children grew up quite well.'
When I thought of Paeng Ahui and Paeng Ujin, it was nothing if not ironic.
His skill was likely not bad, given he bore the byname 'King,' but
'I sensed a heart demon.'
An unidentifiable heart demon was glimpsed in him.
According to rumors, after losing to the Sword Immortal in the competition for the position of Alliance Leader, he had been staying in seclusion…
'So why has he come this time?'
He had obediently come to the Martial Arts Festival. How curious. I thought he would not come, being so furious.
'Surely he isn't participating.'
As the Saber King and clan head, he would attend but not participate directly.
Thinking so, I nodded.
Just as I was about to take a sip of tea,
"So it's the Paeng Clan. Their presence is truly grand."
"Well, they are none other than the Four Great Clans."
The sound came from the partitioned neighboring space.
It seemed to be other guests.
However,
"Oh, people still call them the Four Great Clans?"
A slightly grating remark was heard.
"The Dang Sect fell out long ago; how dare you call them the Four Great Clans?"
Thud—!
At those words, I saw Dang Soyeol, who was sitting in front of me, flinch momentarily.
"Ah, right… this just doesn't stick to the tongue."
"If you speak like that somewhere, you'll be scolded. Be careful. How dare you bring up the Dang Sect."
I then looked out the window and did not look at Dang Soyeol.
What kind of expression was she making?
What kind of reaction would she show?
I was curious but deliberately did not look.
Because I knew that was what she wanted.
I was simply turning my gaze away, pretending not to know, when
"I still shudder that such a filthy place wears the name of the Righteous faction."
Crack—!
A dry leaf crumbled in my mind.
Though it should still be long before the leaves fall.
"The Alliance Leader must have shown mercy out of pity. How could they be called righteous?"
"Brother Ju, please calm down a bit."
"Calm my ass—! I heard the blood descendants of the Dang Sect have appeared at the Martial Arts Festival. Have you heard this?"
"The Poison Phoenix, you mean?"
Flinched—!
A presence was felt.
It was Dang Soyeol.
"Yes, how brazen of them to come all the way to the Martial Arts Festival."
"Are the rumors truly true?"
"I'm telling you, I heard it. You know, Mr. Bang, who goes to the reception desk every day. He said he saw her."
"Oh my…"
The reaction was cold. It kept scratching at my insides.
"Snatching parentless children and committing terrible acts, and then where do they get off…"
Grr.
Listening to those words, I rose. My head was cold, but my insides grew hotter until I could not stand it.
Then,
Clutch.
Someone carefully gripped my hand.
It was Dang Soyeol once again.
"You mustn't…"
"…You."
Dang Soyeol spoke to me with trembling eyes.
"Young master… you mustn't… please don't."
"…You."
"You know. This is something I must bear. So I'm fine."
"…"
"They aren't wrong. So I'm fine. So…"
She had not done it herself.
The clan head had not known; it was the elders who did it.
Seen that way, it could be said she was wronged.
Dang Soyeol merely had a little moisture in her eyes, speaking no other words.
The Poison King had been the same.
Whether one knew or not, if it happened in the clan, the clan head had to bear it.
This was the same for blood relatives, so Dang Soyeol likely felt the same.
"…"
Looking into those eyes of Dang Soyeol, I sat back down again.
What more could I do when she herself said she was fine and stopped me?
The moment I tried to look out the window again to cool my head,
"Excuse me."
A voice came from an unexpected place.
Someone was speaking to the men who had been talking.
I opened my eyes wide, looking at the perpetrator.
It was none other than Moyong Huia.
What's she doing all of a sudden?
"I know it's a good day, but please lower your voices. There are other people here, aren't there?"
Moyong Huia, who had risen at some point, spoke to the men with a smiling face.
"What?"
The man who had been heatedly angry furrowed his brow and looked at Moyong Huia.
"Who are you to butt in—!"
"Ju, Brother Ju!"
The man next to him hurriedly stopped the man about to lose his temper.
"Why are you acting like this! This woman right now…!"
"Woman! Watch your words, Brother Ju! Her waist, look at her waist."
"What…?"
Hearing those words, the man opened his eyes wide.
He looked at the sword at Moyong Huia's waist.
She was wearing a veil, so Moyong Huia's face could not be seen, but seeing that, one could guess she was a martial artist.
"Hup…"
The man pressed his lips shut at the sight of the blade.
Judging by his reaction, the man did not seem to be a martial artist.
"Th-that is…"
"Please be a little quieter. You can do that much, can't you?"
"Ah, y-yes…"
The man stammered and nodded.
Moyong Huia returned to her seat and sat down.
Seeing that, I had to let out a hollow laugh.
"Didn't you hate this kind of thing?"
What she had just done was truly surprising to me.
Moyong Huia hated actions without justification.
Noise in an inn was natural, so Moyong Huia's words were close to unreasonable.
Then was it because talk of the Dang Sect grated on her?
That was what I found curious.
'It's not even her business.'
Since it was the Dang Sect's matter, it had nothing to do with Moyong Huia.
In fact, as Dang Soyeol said, the man's words were not wrong.
It was simply curious that Moyong Huia had gone out of her way to intervene.
"I do hate it."
At my question, Moyong Huia nodded with a peculiar expression.
"I hate it… I was just a bit annoyed."
An emotional answer devoid of any rational explanation.
Coming from Moyong Huia, it was truly hard to believe.
Seeing that, I burst out laughing and said,
"Well done."
Hearing this, Moyong Huia looked at me as if bewildered.
"You never praise me in my whole life, but you praise me for this? Goodness…"
"…When have I never praised you?"
"You have no conscience. If you have no tact, you should at least have a conscience."
"…"
"Just be quiet."
"…Yes."
At her blade-like words, I firmly shut my mouth.
It's not easy. She's always scary.
Just then, Dang Soyeol looked at Moyong Huia and was about to open her mouth to say something,
"You don't have to say thank you. I really just did it because I was annoyed."
"…"
"And don't even say sorry. I think that would feel bad too."
Moyong Huia cut her off first.
Blocked from speaking entirely, Dang Soyeol pouted her lips miserably.
Seeing Dang Soyeol's slightly crumpled appearance, Moyong Huia suddenly let out a sigh.
"Get a grip. Straighten your back. You're small enough as it is; you look even smaller now."
"…"
"If you've decided to bear it, hold your head high. That's the only way you can endure."
"…Yes."
Dang Soyeol nodded.
Watching the two, I turned my head.
Martial artists were still passing by on the street.
Listening to the reactions, it seemed several famous figures had passed by as well.
Slurp.
Just as I took another sip of tea like that,
"Oh!"
I pricked my ears at the sound.
"It's the Hwangbo Clan!"
I sent my gaze.
A yellow flag fluttered as another carriage entered.
It was a carriage that was entirely yellow, not just the flag.
'They've come.'
Yes.
The reason I had bothered to come and watch had arrived.
I had been waiting for the Hwangbo Clan to arrive.
As I followed the yellow flag with my eyes, a voice was heard by my ear.
'We have arrived.'
It was not Nahi's voice.
A much deeper and lower voice. This, too, was a voice I had been waiting for.
'We shall meet at the location as commanded.'
Hearing this, I immediately rose.
As I moved, Wi Seola, who was beside me, stood up as well.
I grabbed her shoulder and made her sit back down.
"I'll go first. Come slowly."
"Huh? You won't watch anymore?"
Moyong Huia said, scrunching up her eyes.
"You're leaving again in the middle."
Her eyes were so scary that my breath caught for a moment. But I had to endure it.
"…I have business. Sorry. I'll eat dinner with you."
"I have business in the evening."
"…"
I'm screwed.
Moyong Huia turned her head away as if sulking.
Well, I had abandoned her several times like this, so I could understand that reaction, but
I had no choice.
"The Namgung Clan hasn't arrived yet; is it alright for you to go without seeing them?"
"They'll manage to come on their own. Besides, that house's daughter hasn't even come yet."
Namgung Bia was at a point where she was refraining from moving about since treatment was her priority.
Therefore, she could not accompany them here.
'No, even if she came, she probably wouldn't have gone to see her own clan anyway.'
She had not looked particularly interested either.
Lately, she seemed to be spacing out more often for some reason.
'It seemed she had gained some enlightenment.'
It looked that way, but one never knows.
It was because I had not paid much attention.
'Because that's more helpful.'
My indifference was necessary for Namgung Bia's blade to grow sharper.
It was an action born of that judgment.
In the first place, since everyone around me was a genius, leaving them alone would be much more helpful.
'Even if not, I have a lot of things to do myself.'
Less than two days remained until the Martial Arts Festival began.
It was time to settle the last matter within that time.
"See you later."
After greeting the group, I moved my steps.
The destination was the lodgings where I was staying.
********************
It was a time when the sun still had a long way to go before setting.
Having escaped the noisy clamor, I returned to my lodgings.
Though it had been full of people's voices until just now, the lodgings were eerily quiet.
Thanks to that, my ears were comfortable, but my heart was somewhat heavy.
Thud.
I took one step.
Wooong—!!
At that moment, a sensation brushed past my body.
A qi barrier was spread across the lodgings.
And an extremely intricate and dense qi barrier at that.
Feeling this, I held back a smile.
"You punk. You've improved."
The thickness and intricacy of the qi barrier had increased greatly compared to when I first saw it.
It had not been at this level at first. To have raised it this far while I hadn't seen him meant he had talent.
'Well, the Seong family name is no joke.'
Thinking of the punk's real name, it would not be strange regarding qi barriers.
Without stopping, I continued walking and approached the lodgings.
Silent.
Not a single sound was heard.
Meaning it was eerily quiet.
Feeling a sense of dissonance, I grabbed the door and opened it.
Screeeeak—!
As the closed door opened, the one inside came into view.
He was a gaunt young man who looked somewhat pallid.
I waved my hand at him.
"Long time no see."
"Yeah…"
Cheoljiseon.
The punk who was a descendant of the Jegal Clan and bore the real name Jegal Jinseon.
He nodded upon seeing me.
Having met after roughly several months, his face was laden with exhaustion.
"Is your body alright?"
"No, it's not alright…"
"That's a relief. You'll be able to work even harder from now on."
"…"
I cracked a joke, and Cheoljiseon's face contorted oddly.
It was a face that said, 'Then why did you ask?'
"It's a joke, a joke."
"…It doesn't sound like a joke."
"I told you it's a joke. Don't believe me?"
"…No, I b-believe you…"
Though he still looked intimidated, I knew that was not actually the case.
'He says everything he wants to say while acting like that.'
He acts frightened and hesitates, but says what he wants to say.
You could say he had more guts than one would think.
'That's why I entrusted him with the work.'
If he had no guts, would he really have gone to Hubei and rolled around alone?
I looked at the qi barrier spread throughout the room and asked Cheoljiseon,
"Your level has risen a lot. You've been working hard?"
"Yeah, not bad, right?"
Perhaps pleased by the praise, Cheoljiseon grinned broadly.
The guy's smile was simply foolish.
To be so happy at brief praise.
However, the praise was sincere.
Because the qi barrier he seemingly crafted was truly of an outstanding level.
'Is it based on a formation?'
It did not seem to be woven from qi alone.
I was suddenly curious about the principle and almost took a closer look, but held back.
Because if I unraveled it wrong like with the Cheonra Daekju last time, it would become a hassle.
Thinking that I should focus elsewhere rather than this right now, I looked at someone other than Cheoljiseon.
In the direction I looked was a figure behind him. Another person had entered the room as well.
Someone was kneeling, looking toward me.
I took one step toward him.
"Have you been well?"
I greeted him simultaneously. The figure responded to that greeting.
"…Yes…"
It was the same voice that had sent a voice transmission to me earlier.
A massive frame reminiscent of First Elder or Dang Deok.
Muscles packed tightly without a gap in that frame.
He was clearly a strong man and looked to be a martial artist of the combat type.
A rough and rugged aura could be felt.
Such a man slowly raised his head to me.
"I greet the great Cult Leader."
Purple eyes symbolizing a demon gleamed.
Beneath them, the yellow martial uniform he wore could be seen.
This was the martial uniform symbolizing the Hwangbo Clan.
In particular, the white embroidery on the yellow uniform was embroidery that only one person in the Hwangbo Clan could wear.
"Yes, welcome."
These words meant only one thing.
"Fierce Tiger Nine Fists" Hwangbo Yeolwi.
It meant the man before me was the clan head of the Hwangbo Clan.
Furthermore,
"Are you prepared to rise to the Four Great Clans?"
It meant he was a demon whom I had corrupted.