Chapter 36
To the Alliance (1)
Chief Strategist Zhuge Hyeon was once again in the Strategic Command Center, analyzing reports arriving by the hour.
Most concerned the movements of the Cheokcheon Alliance, and the contents had grown increasingly ominous with each passing day.
It’s the same as before.
The signs that had appeared before the last war.
As troops were deployed to the front lines, the number of martial artists being recruited by the Cheokcheon Alliance increased. The intensity of their strike teams’ training rose dramatically, while the production of weapons and the stockpiling of provisions in the regions they controlled also expanded.
They were unmistakable signs that war was approaching.
Of course, the Murim Alliance had not remained idle either.
They had likewise intensified their training, reinforced their forces, and increased weapons production.
Just then, Strategist Sima Iljung hurried into the room.
“A carrier pigeon has arrived from Zhejiang Province.”
There was a reason for the unusual urgency in his voice.
“Martial Artist Baek Socheon sent it from the Pugang Branch.”
“Pavilion Master Baek—no, Martial Artist Baek did?”
Zhuge Hyeon had become so accustomed to addressing Baek Socheon as Pavilion Master that he still occasionally made the mistake.
He quickly accepted the message and read it.
It contained an account of the recent events involving Shinhwa Gang.
It explained that the Cheokcheon Alliance had been behind the organization, and even described how Baek Socheon had gone to meet the Master of Shinhwa Gang only to encounter the Lord of the Cheokcheon Alliance himself.
Naturally, everything involving Cheongeuk had been omitted.
Zhuge Hyeon was stunned by the revelation that the Lord of the Cheokcheon Alliance had appeared in person.
“My God.”
Hyeoncheon Pavilion had also been investigating Shinhwa Gang.
Since they were closely monitoring Baek Socheon, Shinhwa Gang had naturally become a subject of investigation as well.
However, they had not yet uncovered any connection to the Cheokcheon Alliance.
Hyeoncheon Pavilion oversaw not one or two sects, but hundreds.
From the major sects of the Central Plains to those aligned with the Cheokcheon Alliance, the number exceeded several hundred.
As a result, they had not yet begun a thorough investigation into Shinhwa Gang.
Even had they done so, they likely would not have discovered its connection to the Cheokcheon Alliance.
No one could have imagined that the Cheokcheon Alliance was planning to construct a fortress in a remote corner of Munseong, Zhejiang Province—the deepest part of the Murim Alliance’s rear territory.
Had Baek Socheon been assigned anywhere else, the truth might never have come to light.
“This cannot continue.”
Zhuge Hyeon abruptly rose from his seat.
“I’m going to the Alliance Leader’s Hall.”
“Yes, sir.”
He strode out of the Strategic Command Center.
Sima Iljung could tell that Zhuge Hyeon intended to force some kind of decision from the Alliance Leader.
I don’t know what you have in mind, Pavilion Master, but please make certain it is accepted.
***
Baek Socheon and the Murim Alliance martial artists returned to the Munseong Branch.
Throughout the journey, Baek Socheon remained deep in thought.
Now that he could feel war approaching with his own skin, his heart was far from calm.
He had personally witnessed the horrors of war from its very front lines.
He could tolerate many things, but he sincerely wished never to hear the word again attached to war.
After returning to the branch, he immediately met with Jeong Pung.
“I thought that even if no one else knew, you at least should.”
Jeong Pung drew a deep breath.
He had expected something serious.
He had not expected anything this serious.
“The Cheokcheon Alliance was behind Shinhwa Gang.”
“...!”
Jeong Pung could not even manage a short gasp.
It was beyond anything he had imagined.
Only now did he understand Baek Socheon’s behavior at Shinhwa Gang’s headquarters.
“Then the martial artist in red who was there...”
“I think you are better off not knowing. I’ll tell you if you truly wish to know.”
“No. That’s enough.”
There was no need for that broad, blazing red back to turn toward him.
“Shouldn’t the main headquarters be informed?”
“I sent a carrier pigeon to Hyeoncheon Pavilion on the way back.”
“What should we do now?”
“Shinhwa Gang is gone. We return to our ordinary lives.”
Everything that had happened here felt like a dream to Jeong Pung.
Would he ever again find the courage to do something so momentous in his life?
At the very least, he was grateful to Baek Socheon for giving him the chance to experience it.
“I’ll return to the division now.”
“Take care.”
Jeong Pung turned to leave, then looked back.
There was so much he wanted to say, yet now that the moment had arrived, nothing came to mind.
Later, he would probably remember all the things he should have said.
That always seemed to happen as he grew older.
“Even after you return to headquarters... come visit from time to time.”
“Didn’t you tell me to come back only when I was about to die?”
“Come anyway.”
Without waiting for a reply, Jeong Pung turned and left.
Watching his retreating figure, Baek Socheon said quietly,
“Very well.”
***
Once Jeong Pung and the division martial artists departed, the branch returned to normal.
Under ordinary circumstances, the Taejeong Faction would have risen again.
But with Shinhwa Gang gone, Im Chung uprooted the Taejeong Faction completely.
Overjoyed, the marketplace merchants—including Old Man Go—brought food to the branch.
“We’re truly grateful. You men accomplished something tremendous.”
“It was simply our duty.”
Im Chung and Beon Saeng felt a deep sense of fulfillment.
Yes.
This was why people like them existed.
As Baek Socheon had said, if they intended to turn their backs on these people’s lives, then they should live as something other than Murim Alliance martial artists.
After finishing their work for the day, they ate, drank, and enjoyed themselves with the marketplace merchants.
Baek Socheon, meanwhile, devoted himself to martial arts training.
Lately, his training consisted of repeatedly practicing the first through third forms of the Nine Fists of Burning Heaven.
Again and again.
He intended to continue until every movement had become completely ingrained in his body.
This was the training method he had chosen for the Nine Fists of Burning Heaven.
Baek Socheon knew that enlightenment came in many forms.
It could arrive suddenly one day like a gift from the heavens.
It could come through a particular experience.
Or, as with his current training, it could be born from repetition.
When one repeated the same thing over and over, there came a day when one simply realized it.
One discovered that enlightenment had already taken place.
There were even enlightenments without a discernible moment of realization.
That was the enlightenment repetition provided.
It was something he had experienced long ago while training in swordsmanship.
Fortunately, he clearly understood the first three forms of the Nine Fists of Burning Heaven, so he encountered no particular difficulty in practicing them.
While he was in the midst of training, Im Chung and Beon Saeng arrived.
Seeing that Baek Socheon was practicing a martial art different from before, Im Chung quickly said,
“We’ll come back later.”
“No. You may watch. I’m almost finished.”
Im Chung and Beon Saeng stood behind the wooden platform and watched his training with reverence.
Baek Socheon moved slowly, repeatedly adjusting each technique as though an instructor at a martial arts school were demonstrating forms to his students.
Sometimes he raised the angle slightly, then lowered it.
Sometimes he narrowed the space between his feet, then widened it.
Until now, the two men had only ever learned fixed martial arts forms.
What they saw now left a deep impression on them.
Martial arts were supposed to be performed exactly as written in a manual or taught by one’s master.
Neither had ever once questioned that principle.
Yet Baek Socheon appeared to be adjusting the martial art to suit himself.
It was as though a manual might say to kick the opponent’s jaw, but he could alter the technique to strike the chest or abdomen instead.
Of course, they understood that attempting such modifications without sufficient skill would ruin everything.
When Baek Socheon finished one round of training, Beon Saeng—who had been restraining himself until then—immediately began firing off questions.
“Are you learning a fist art?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve heard the sword is the king of all weapons. That’s why I learned swordsmanship as well. So why are you practicing fist techniques instead of swordsmanship?”
“I learned swordsmanship too.”
“I knew it!”
When Beon Saeng had first met Baek Socheon, he had naturally assumed that Baek Socheon was a swordsman and had even mistakenly thought he was carrying a sword.
Perhaps he had sensed some indescribable quality possessed by a master swordsman.
“For me, this is swordsmanship now. It is a fist art meant to return me to the sword.”
Whether it was fist arts, spear techniques, movement techniques, or anything else, every form of training Baek Socheon undertook was part of the process of returning to his former self.
He sought to grasp the ultimate principles of martial arts and recover his internal energy.
Naturally, Im Chung and Beon Saeng understood none of this.
“I’m not sure what you mean...”
“You don’t need to.”
As they continued discussing martial arts with Baek Socheon, a certain desire began to grow in Beon Saeng’s heart.
“I’m only asking just in case, but... you wouldn’t happen to be willing to teach me martial arts, would you?”
“No.”
Compared with Beon Saeng’s cautious question, the rejection was immediate and absolute.
“Of course not.”
Yet his lingering hope naturally made him continue.
“Still... if your younger brother were stronger, you’d have less to worry about.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why? You wouldn’t have to worry about us getting injured or killed.”
“Why would that matter? So what if you die?”
Beon Saeng pouted.
“Of course. Somewhere in the Central Plains, martial artists are probably dying even at this very moment. Why should it matter if the younger brother riding in the hundredth cart dies? No, you don’t even consider me a younger brother, do you?”
Im Chung, who had been listening, stepped in.
“Squad Leader Beon, the transmission of martial arts is something handled carefully even between family members.”
“I know that.”
Baek Socheon suddenly spoke.
“That isn’t the reason.”
“What isn’t?”
“It has nothing to do with how close we are. I wouldn’t be teaching you my personal martial art anyway. I’d only show you a few things suited to your level. It wouldn’t be difficult, nor would I lose anything.”
“Then why won’t you teach me?”
Baek Socheon gave an answer Beon Saeng had never expected.
“Because you would die young.”
Beon Saeng stared blankly for a moment.
“What does that mean?”
“You tolerate injustice now, don’t you? Imagine you became stronger than you are today. Would you still tolerate it?”
“...Probably not.”
“All the resentment you’ve suppressed until now would likely explode at once.”
Beon Saeng could not deny it.
The moment he became stronger, he might very well hang a banner reading A Master Has Been Born across Munseong’s marketplace.
“You step in once, then twice. Once you begin interfering, one day your luck runs out and you die.”
“Couldn’t I simply judge carefully when to act and when to withdraw? Besides, I’m an orphan and still unmarried. There’s no one who would be heartbroken enough to fall apart if I died young.”
Beon Saeng was whining.
He knew he should not be acting this way, yet he still wanted to plead.
Even if it meant dying young, he wanted to become stronger than he was now.
He felt pathetic for developing such a desire only at this point in his life, but he wanted to grow stronger and truly live in the martial world.
Baek Socheon was the one who had infected him with this fever.
“I’m good at using my head. I won’t charge in like an idiot and get myself killed. I promise.”
“Even if you don’t act recklessly, you’ll eventually die for another reason.”
“What reason?”
“Grudges. Someone will inevitably swear revenge against you.”
“Then I’ll simply train harder.”
“Do you think they’ll try to kill you through ordinary means? What if they bribe an inn servant to poison your food or drink? What if they break in while you’re asleep and cut your throat? What if they launch a hidden weapon at your back? How will you stop them?”
The examples alone made Beon Saeng’s chest feel constricted.
“Just endure and live quietly. That’s how you live a long life.”
Beon Saeng thought for a moment before speaking.
“My thinking was wrong.”
“That’s a good conclusion.”
“No. I meant that my entire way of thinking was wrong.”
“What?”
“Instead of thoughtlessly asking you to teach me martial arts, I should have trained on my own and shown you that I was changing first. I should have made you think, ‘That fellow might be worth teaching.’”
There was already a mountain of training he could do by himself, yet he had gone searching for a shortcut first.
Right. Even I wouldn’t want to teach someone like that.
Beon Saeng bowed deeply, then ran off.
“Thank you for granting me enlightenment, Big Brother!”
Perhaps the repeated chances people received to make resolutions in life were not meant to shame them for their weak will.
Perhaps they were signs that a new opportunity had arrived.
That was how Beon Saeng chose to think.
He intended to train diligently.
He did not know whether he would truly change, but he would genuinely try to transform his life.
Instead of being the fool who only buys medicine from a quack, I’ll become the quack myself.
Watching Beon Saeng’s retreating figure, Im Chung smiled.
“I’ve already begun training.”
“You have?”
“Yes.”
When he had massaged Baek Socheon’s shoulders and felt the heat radiating from his body, he had been seized by the desire to train like that himself.
That day, Baek Socheon had told him that when he was Im Chung’s age, he had once been unable even to rise from bed.
Im Chung believed him.
Baek Socheon was not the kind of person who would lie at a moment like that.
From that day onward, Im Chung had quietly begun training on his own.
“I may not have Beon Saeng’s enthusiasm, but I should still make an effort.”
Unlike Beon Saeng, he had no grand ambition to change his entire life.
Im Chung was satisfied with the life he already had.
His purpose was to protect his family.
He never wanted to experience another moment like the one when Cheuksu had nearly murdered them.
“Then I’ll be going as well.”
After both men left, Baek Socheon looked toward the rear of the building.
“You’ve listened long enough. Come out now.”
A man stepped out from behind the structure.
“It somehow feels hotter here than in the Strategic Command Center.”
The man who appeared was none other than Chief Strategist Zhuge Hyeon.