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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Regardless of what this world truly was, one question still bothered Namgung-Woo.
“Does the martial world truly just do what the Imperial Court says?”
As he’d mentioned before, his understanding of the relationship between the government and the martial world was one of mutual non-interference.
Neither side wanted to get too involved with the other; the cost was simply too high.
Frankly, if a top-tier martial artist decided to assassinate the emperor, the resources required to stop them would be astronomical.
Instead of answering, Pyeong Cho-yul countered with a question of his own.
“Do you know how the Nine Great Sects were formed?”
“How they were formed? Aren’t they simply a collective term for the most reputable martial arts sects within the righteous factions?”
Was there some hidden meaning he was missing?
Namgung-Woo’s puzzled expression prompted Cho-yul to lower his voice.
“The Nine Great Sects are the ones who cooperated with the Imperial Court in exchange for support.”
“Cooperated?”
“Before the Ming Dynasty, when the Yuan still ruled, the Shaolin Temple aided the Hongwu Emperor in his rebellion. It wasn’t the first time either; they’d also helped Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty. In any case, the Hongwu Emperor, having received their aid, likened himself to Li Shimin, which he rather enjoyed.”
Namgung-Woo recognized these historical figures.
The Hongwu Emperor was Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty. And Li Shimin of the Tang was famous for his war against Goguryeo, which left him with one eye.
“The Yongle Emperor, following his father’s example, sought to bolster his legitimacy, which was somewhat shaky, through religious support. Specifically, the Wudang Sect.”
The Yongle Emperor had seized the throne from his nephew in a coup known as the Jingnan Campaign. Around the same time, something similar had happened in the neighboring Joseon Dynasty, with Grand Prince Suyang’s coup.
The Hongwu Emperor had supported Shaolin, and the Yongle Emperor had backed Wudang. Two of the most prominent righteous sects owed their rise to Imperial patronage—a thought that didn’t sit well with most martial artists.
But who wouldn’t want their sect to flourish and gain renown?
Other sects couldn’t just stand idly by while Shaolin and Wudang prospered under Imperial favor.
“They, too, sought out the imperial court. And so, seven additional sects and one major martial arts faction received imperial favor.”
And so, the Nine Great Sects were formed.
The foundation of the righteous martial world, granted Imperial support in exchange for protecting the common people from those who practiced unorthodox techniques.
“Of course, over time, other sects received Imperial support, and the composition of the Nine Great Sects shifted due to various events in the martial world.”
“So there’s a hidden history there.”
“Ha. It’s not exactly hidden. It’s common knowledge. But you’re right. While the martial world is comprised of the Ming Dynasty’s citizens, it doesn’t owe allegiance to the emperor.”
However, if the Imperial Court intervened to end the Righteous-Unorthodox War, it was clear they would support the righteous sects, their allies.[1]
The moment the Imperial Court signaled its intention to intervene, the unorthodox factions immediately sought peace.
.“The righteous sects were furious, since the unorthodox factions had started the war, but there was nothing they could do. The Black Martial Union cleverly seized the moral high ground, and the righteous sects were forced to agree to a truce.”
“A diplomatic end to the war.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
Cho-yul shrugged, implying there were other reasons as well.
Namgung-Woo wanted to press for more details, but Cho-yul seemed unwilling to elaborate.
“We’ll be arriving in Gu County soon. Let’s get ready.”
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After spending a night in Gu County, adjacent to Lin Fen, the caravan continued its journey.
Namgung-Woo had hoped to chat more with Cho-yul, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Unlike Namgung-Woo, who was merely a passenger, Cho-yul, as the caravan leader, had countless responsibilities to attend to.
Namgung-Woo found himself looking forward to the discussion.
He was determined to uncover the truth about the Righteous-Unorthodox War and the fall of the Namgung Family.
Fortunately, it was Cho-yul who initiated the conversation.
“You said this is your first time traveling with a caravan?”
“Yes, it is.”
“You said the martial world avoids the Imperial Court. Do you know what caravans fear the most?”
The question seemed out of the blue, but Namgung-Woo, having learned Cho-yul’s conversational style, simply responded calmly.
“Bandits, I presume?”
Cho-yul’s eyes widened, as if he’d heard something absurd, and he burst out laughing.
“Bandits? Haha! Well, they’re certainly an obstacle, but they’re not particularly frightening. They’re wary of the Imperial forces, you see. A reasonable toll is usually enough to get through.”
Namgung-Woo frowned. Not out of offense, but because this contradicted his expectations.
‘Isn’t it usually the other way around?’
There was a saying, “People are the most dangerous.”
But Cho-yul’s perspective was completely different.
“‘People are the most dangerous.’ Well, there’s some truth to that, I suppose. But at least you can reason with people. They’re human, after all.”
“You make it sound like there’s something more terrifying than humans.”
“There is. Far more terrifying.”
Once again, Namgung-Woo realized he was on the verge of encountering a facet of this world that he didn’t yet understand.
But just as he was about to ask further, an interruption came.
“Leader! Up ahead…”
“Ah, bandits? Right on time. I’ll handle this.”
Bandits were expected in the Taihang Mountains, the natural border between Shanxi and Northern Zhili.
Cho-yul wasn’t entirely sure they were truly “bandits,” but that’s what everyone called them, so he went along with it.
He prepared to leave the carriage.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
“I’ll come with you. You might need an escort.”
“No, it’s fine. Your presence might agitate them. If you’re feeling restless, you can step outside and watch.”
As if to prove his point about bandits not being a real threat, Cho-yul confidently went out alone.
Namgung-Woo’s enhanced vision revealed that Cho-yul had some martial arts training, but it was rudimentary, far less developed than even Song Chae-ji’s.
Yet, Cho-yul exchanged a few words with the bandits blocking the road and returned unharmed.
“This is… problematic.”
“The bandits…?”
“No, not that.”
Namgung-Woo’s hopeful tone, anticipating a confirmation of his assumption, was immediately shut down.
“The bandits were no trouble. We paid the toll, and now we can pass through the mountains without any issues. They’re surprisingly efficient… they even take care of the wild animals in the area.”
Namgung-Woo found this setup oddly familiar.
‘They’re like… highway robbers who maintain the roads and charge for their services.’
Of course, if even the martial world was wary of the Imperial Court, outright banditry would be suicidal.
No matter how skilled the bandits were, there were plenty of stronger martial artists in the world.
They wouldn’t want to become fodder for some wandering hero, like in those typical martial arts stories.
Namgung-Woo decided to accept this reasoning and refrain from challenging the common sense of the martial arts world unnecessarily.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Well, remember how I said humans aren’t the scariest threat?”
“I do.”
“It seems you might soon experience firsthand what truly is the most feared enemy during an escort mission.”
The most feared enemy.
Not human.
Namgung-Woo could guess what that meant.
The bandits had taken care of the wild animals, so there was only one possibility left.
‘They have those here too, huh?’
Monsters.
Or, in Eastern terminology, yokai.
Not human.
Incapable of reason.
Unconditionally hostile.
In a world where martial arts existed, where supernatural feats were commonplace, the existence of monsters wasn’t so far-fetched.
“A Ghost Gate… has opened nearby.”
Cho-yul’s voice was heavy with apprehension, but Namgung-Woo remained unfazed.
Monster hunting was his specialty.
‘Time to earn my keep.’
It was time to show this world what true strength looked like.
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[1] [T/N: Black Path = Unorthodox; I will use them interchangeably depending on the context.]
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