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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Shrine
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“The line is so long~”
“For a city of this size, they need to be thorough with their inspections.”
Given the nature of Wuhan, where the Wulin Alliance was located, they had no choice but to take inspections seriously. If even one incident occurred due to lax security, many people would have to face the consequences.
If an infiltrator from the demon cult or an evil sect managed to slip through an inspection and cause trouble, those responsible would certainly not be safe.
In the worst case, the heads of the guards might end up displayed in the square.
Neither the government nor the Wulin Alliance wanted such a situation, so it was natural that the inspections here were stricter than somewhere else. Therefore, we waited for our turn without any complaints.
“We’ve been walking for a long time, and now we have to stand for a long time~ Even though we’re from one of the Nine Great Sects, isn’t there a way to pass through quickly… Ouch!”
“Hagyeong. Stop saying unnecessary things and stay quiet.”
“Yes…”
Hajin sighed as he smacked Hagyeong on the head, then looked ahead. It was fortunate that a disciple of a renowned righteous sect only got a smack for saying such things.
Hagyeong, displayed his particularly frivolous personality that made him unique among the Haenam Sword Sect disciples, grumbling as he usually does, making excuses “It was just a joke, why be so sensitive…” He seemed likely to get hit on the head again at this rate.
If only he could stay quiet like Mu-guang or Geonsam, he’d at least be considered acceptable.
“Since the Wulin Alliance gathers martial artists from the Nine Great Sects, we’ll be able to observe sword techniques from other sects. Aren’t you looking forward to it, Sir William?”
“Sword techniques, huh. I am looking forward to it.”
I nodded at Mu-guang’s words, recalling the sword techniques of righteous sects from wuxia novels.
The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique.
The Taiji Graceful Sword.
The Demon-Subduing Sword.
The Azure Cloud Crimson Mist Sword.
It was a great opportunity to see the sword techniques of the Nine Great Sects with my own eyes.
A chance to experience various sword techniques and hone myself.
After all, to overcome barriers, one needs numerous experiences, so it was important to cross swords with as many people as possible.
I hoped to have good luck in the matchups.
Going around and requesting duels individually would look a bit odd.
“Mister, look over there. Those are martial artists from the Azure Star Sect.”
At Hye-ryeong’s words, I turned my head to look to the side and saw a group approaching from afar. As mentioned in the original work, this group of martial artists were dressed in green clothes. They were now walking behind us, seemingly to join the line.
“The Azure Star Sect…”
They were the sect famous for the Azure Cloud Crimson Mist Sword, right?
To be honest, I didn’t know exactly what kind of sect the Azure Star Sect was.
From the start, they were a sect with so little presence in wuxia novels that they rivalled the Kongdong Sect or Kunlun Sect in obscurity. Even in the original work, they barely had 1000 characters worth of content about them across 200 chapters.
So there was probably no need to pay much attention to them.
“Ah, the Azure Star Sect is famous for their Azure Cloud Crimson Mist Sword and Flowing Stream Step!”
“Flowing Stream Step?”
“Yes! It’s a famous footwork technique that enables its users to move as freely as if they are riding the wind!”
…Even if you say that, I don’t really understand what kind of technique the flowing stream step is.
At least I now know they’re a sect with an excellent footwork technique.
“Seeing the martial artists from the Azure Star Sect makes me realize we’ve really arrived in Wuhan.”
Hye-ryeong’s eyes sparkled as she spoke excitedly like a child. She had a certain innocence about her, one could say. I subtly moved to block Hye-ryeong’s side view with my body from the people around us and folded my arms.
Where are they looking?
Is this the first time they’ve seen a woman?
“Hehe…”
A laugh tinged with joy tickled my ears from behind. Perhaps she was somewhat aware of the men’s gazes after all.
I had thought she would be used to it, being a beauty who attracted attention wherever she went. I didn’t think my simple act would make her this happy.
“Ho ho…”
We continued chatting while waiting for our turn.
It was about half an hour later when we finally faced the guards at the inspection point. The guards examined us closely, then looked at us with surprised faces and asked:
“Are you disciples from the Haenam Sword Sect?”
Is this how different the holy land of martial artists is?
As soon as the guards here identified us, the guards made a cupped-hand salute and showed a friendly attitude.
This was a first.
It wasn’t like martial artists generally had a good reputation.
No matter what, martial artists were ultimately people who used unauthorized force. Even if a person was polite and good natured, someone carrying a sword inevitably inspired fear.
The law was far, but the sword was near.
While martial artists from righteous sects tended to be careful with their actions, those from evil sects were nothing but a huge danger to others, so it was hard to say if martial artists had a good reputation.
The Haenam Sword Sect was different since they were essentially in charge of maintaining order on Haenam Island. People had a certain level of trust for them.
“What brings you here?”
“We have business with the Wulin Alliance.”
“I see… Is the person wearing the bamboo hat also part of your group?”
The guards’ attention turned to me. I slightly lifted my bamboo hat, made a cupped-hand salute, and spoke:
“My name is William Marshall. I’m known as the Blue-Eyed Lion in the martial arts world.”
“…Ah, the Blue-Eyed Lion. I’ve heard of you.”
“I heard you defeated the Iron Wind Fist in one move.”
“The rumors are exaggerated. We exchanged moves for quite some time.”
After I gave a modestly humble response, the guard nodded and stepped aside.
“Well then, we hope you have a pleasant day.”
We were able to pass through the inspection point without any rigorous checks.
This is why having connections is important.
While martial artists without backing had to go through troublesome identity checks, we got a free pass just by showing the guards we were from the Haenam Sword Sect.
“Wow… Mister, look over there! The buildings are so tall!”
“…Wow, a five-story building?”
A five-story building in medieval times?
The scale was impressive. And it wasn’t just one or two; at least three such buildings were visible at a glance. It seemed the reputation of Wuhan as the most prosperous city in Hubei Province was no exaggeration.
“So this is Wuhan…”
Mu-guang’s voice brushed past my ear.
Looking around, I saw that the others’ reactions weren’t much different.
Thinking about it, it was natural.
Coming from the rural Haenam Island, the farthest they had traveled was probably Seomun County, and even though Seomun County was a prosperous city, it wasn’t on this scale.
There weren’t many cities this large even in the Western regions.
Constantinople was large, but… somehow the atmosphere there didn’t quite fit the atmosphere I expected of a large city..
Maybe it’s because I was Asian before my transmigration.
Jerusalem was called a holy city, but it was practically half in ruins, far from being majestic.
I couldn’t understand why they kept fighting wars to claim ownership over it.
Of course, all religious wars were fought for non-seneschal reasons like that, so it wasn’t strange.
“Ho ho, don’t get distracted and follow me. It’s easy to get lost with so many people around.”
“Hehe, Mister. Did you hear that?”
Why is she asking this like that?
I took Hye-ryeong’s hand, which she had extended as if demanding I hold it immediately. When I took her hand, Hye-ryeong gripped my hand tightly as if she would never let it go.
“How is it? Is your heart pounding?”
“I get it, just look ahead.”
“Tch.”
What’s with that ‘tch’? I walked holding Hye-ryeong’s hand, feeling like a parent leading a child.
We walked together towards the Wulin Alliance.
Due to the sheer size of the city, it took another half hour for us to reach the gates of the Wulin Alliance.
In total, It took us two hours from the inspection point to reach the Wulin Alliance.
The structure of the Central Plains really made it inconvenient to travel without learning qinggong.
Once we settled our lodgings at the Wulin Alliance, I would have to practice qinggong while searching for the protagonist.
“Mister, look over there! It’s the Wulin Alliance!”
Even if you say that, all I can see is an absurdly long wall.
I rolled my eyes as I looked at the entrance of the Wulin Alliance, which was relatively less crowded compared to other places. Even the sentries seemed to be quite skilled martial artists. As expected of the center of the righteous sects, even the guards were on a different level.
They looked to be at least at the veteran-level.
We approached the sentry there directly. The sentry, who had been looking ahead, noticed us approaching and made a surprised face before making a cupped-hand salute.
“Aren’t you sword disciples from the Haenam Sword Sect? Have you come for the martial arts tournament?”
“That’s right.”
“Welcome to the Wulin Alliance.”
He welcomed us with a voice full of pride and stepped aside to push open the gate.
Finally, the massive gate began to open, revealing the interior of the Wulin Alliance.
“Wow…”
Sounds of amazement came from all around. I too had the same reaction, my mouth agape.
Just the sight beyond the gate was enough to make us speculate that the scale of the Wulin Alliance was beyond imagination.
“So this is the Wulin Alliance… the place where all the disciples of the righteous sects gather…”
“Ho ho, it’s too early to be amazed.”
“Really?”
Hye-ryeong looked up at Elder Baek with an excited voice. He nodded with a pleased smile.
“What you see here is just a drop in the ocean.”
“Haha, everyone who visits the Wulin Alliance says that it’s as if there’s another Wuhan within Wuhan.”
…It’s understandable why such words would come up.
Even the space visible beyond the gate seemed endless.
“Well then, let’s go in.”
We followed behind Elder Baek as we stepped into the Wulin Alliance.
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I am exited to know if the Wulin alliance will live up to its name.
🍿🍿🍿