Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 148

148. Martial Arts Tournament

Having finished cleaning, Unhyun walked down to Dengfeng County with Dokgo-rang.

The early morning mountain path had its own charm, allowing Unhyun to enjoy a leisurely stroll for the first time in a while.

Of course, the taciturn Dokgo-rang wasn’t much of a conversationalist, but just having someone next to him was enough for Unhyun.

‘The Great Revitalizing Pill, huh.’

Unhyun slowly replayed the events of yesterday.

The Great Revitalizing Pill of Shaolin; it was truly an astonishing thing.

‘Master Bulyeong, too. What on earth were you thinking giving it to me…’

It was none other than the Great Revitalizing Pill, Shaolin’s sacred medicine.

Why would he entrust such an incredible item to him, without even a word?

‘Is that why Great Hero Yeongho-jun called it karma?’

Lost in thought, Unhyun sighed.

After all, his protests wouldn’t work on Divine Monk Bulyeong.

‘That aside, how am I supposed to transport the Great Revitalizing Pill? Will Shaolin assign more guards?’

Dokgo-rang was a master, but he couldn’t be asked to protect Shaolin’s Great Revitalizing Pill alone.

Unhyun thought that perhaps Shaolin’s warrior monks should accompany him as escorts.

Before Unhyun’s eyes, Dengfeng County, shrouded in the dawn twilight, slowly revealed itself.

Arriving at an inn in Dengfeng County, Unhyun bought some decent tea and went back up to the hermitage.

But what greeted Unhyun was the deeply furrowed face of the Reclining Buddha.

“What is this?”

“Yes?”

Unhyun, who had gone to the Reclining Buddha with the tea pouch, heard an unexpected question.

“What do you mean, ‘What is it?’ This is…”

“Sniff.”

The Reclining Buddha flared his nostrils.

“This isn’t Longjing tea [Dragon Well tea, a famous green tea], is it? When it comes to tea, it’s naturally Longjing. Don’t you know that, being an educated man?”

“Yes?”

Unhyun was dumbfounded.

Putting aside his prejudice against tea, shouldn’t he have said something beforehand?

“No, if you wanted something, you should have said so earlier…”

“Sigh.”

The Reclining Buddha suddenly sighed as if the ground was sinking.

“This old monk is weakened from a thousand days of fasting and wanted to taste a little tea, but even that is being criticized. Is it so difficult to accommodate one small preference of an old monk who will soon enter Nirvana [Buddhist concept of enlightenment and liberation]? Sigh.”

Muttering in a sorrowful voice, the Reclining Buddha even closed his eyes and chanted a Buddhist prayer.

“To think I was going to give the Great Revitalizing Pill to someone like this; I am truly the greatest fool in the world.”

“No, you’re not.”

Unhyun quickly said to the Reclining Buddha, who was lamenting himself as a fool.

“I’ll go buy it right now. Just wait a moment, just a moment.”

It would be a disaster if the Reclining Buddha changed his mind.

As he hurriedly turned around, Unhyun heard the Reclining Buddha’s voice behind him.

“You’ll have to go to Nanyang Tea House.”

“Yes?”

Unhyun turned around.

The Reclining Buddha, with his eyes tightly closed, said with a straight face.

“I’m saying you can only get Longjing tea at Nanyang Tea House in Dengfeng County. There’s nowhere else that sells it.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Unhyun quickly hurried away.

Even in the midst of all this, he couldn’t help but tilt his head.

‘For someone who has fasted for a thousand days, isn’t he a bit too energetic? No, can a person even fast for a thousand days?’

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on such things.

Unhyun quickly moved his feet.

He briefly thought about asking Dokgo-rang, who knew how to use lightness skill [Qinggong, a technique to make the body lighter], for a favor, but he soon gave up since he had already said he would do it himself.

Being carried by Dokgo-rang was even more unthinkable.

With his clothes fluttering, Unhyun diligently moved his steps.

The feeling of a leisurely stroll was long gone.

***

In the Martial Alliance’s Grand Assembly Hall, Jinheo, the representative of Shaolin, spoke with a rather angry expression.

“Negotiations and compromises with bandits! What are you saying?”

It was very rare for Jinheo, a Shaolin monk, to raise his voice.

But he had just heard something he couldn’t simply ignore.

“Master, please calm down. The Hyeokryeon Clan’s intention is…”

Jegalyeon of the Jegal Clan attempted to mediate with a calm voice.

But Jinheo’s anger didn’t subside.

“They are bandits! How can the principles of the Jianghu [the martial world] still be alive if they are not punished, and how can the Martial Alliance say it protects the Jianghu martial world?”

“Putting aside whether the Martial Alliance protects the Jianghu or not.”

A rather clear voice echoed through the Grand Assembly Hall.

Dang Seol-ryeon, the Snow Flower of the Dang Clan, Dang Mun-seolhwa, said with a cold smile.

“I don’t know since when Shaolin has set the standard for Jianghu morality. If such a thing is decided, would you please let me know next time?”

It was a clear sarcasm.

Dang Seol-ryeon looked at Jinheo and continued.

“This is the Martial Alliance. If you want to enforce your will, shouldn’t you first listen to what others have to say?”

Jinheo’s expression stiffened.

But Dang Seol-ryeon’s point was correct.

The expressions of the representatives in the Grand Assembly Hall were all unfavorable.

It meant that no one agreed with Jinheo’s opinion.

Muttering a Buddhist prayer inwardly, Jinheo continued.

“Miss’s words are correct. But there are things in the world that are okay to compromise on and things that are not. The Dang Clan is a prestigious orthodox sect, so how can you live under the same sky with such bandits?”

Jinheo’s words were firm.

However, Dang Seol-ryeon sneered.

“Amazing. Since when has Shaolin considered our Dang Clan a prestigious orthodox sect?”

The Dang Clan was a poison clan.

Therefore, the orthodox sects subtly distanced themselves from them, placing them in a position between the orthodox and the unorthodox.

Jinheo was speechless at Dang Seol-ryeon’s pointed remark, which openly criticized the behavior.

“We would also like to ask.”

Muk Hyeol-yeop, the representative of the Black Dao Society, said in a heavy voice.

“Does Shaolin mean that it will not live under the same sky with anyone other than prestigious orthodox sects?”

The Black Dao Society was not a prestigious orthodox sect.

It could be said to be a representative of the emerging sects that were branded as heretical during the past Orthodox-Unorthodox War.

Also, there were quite a few sects in this place that, like the Black Dao Society, did not call themselves prestigious orthodox sects.

“Th, that is…”

Master Jinheo realized that he had made a slip of the tongue.

It was then.

“What’s important now is not that.”

Cheongjin, the representative of the Wudang Clan, said in a heavy voice.

“The question is whether we will leave the Janggang River Bandit Alliance as it is. The answer to that should already be out, shouldn’t it?”

“Of course, we can’t leave it as it is.”

Hyeokryeon Pil of the Hyeokryeon Clan took Cheongjin Taoist’s words.

“However, the problem is the level and method of response. At least I cannot agree to the all-out subjugation that Shaolin is advocating.”

As Jinheo of Shaolin was about to say something, Cheongjin of Wudang asked first.

“What is the reason?”

Hyeokryeon Pil answered as if he had been waiting.

“First, there is no justification. This matter is just a dispute between sects. The River Bandit Alliance has made it clear that they have no intention of antagonizing the Martial Alliance, haven’t they?”

“That’s the bandits’ trick!”

Jinheo of Shaolin couldn’t bear it and blurted out a word.

However, Hyeokryeon Pil ignored him and continued.

“Second, the timing is not good. The River Bandit Alliance has a large number of members and is scattered throughout the Janggang River [Yangtze River]. If we engage in an all-out war with them now, we will have to endure great losses for a long time.”

“And? Is there more?”

Cheongjin of Wudang asked with patience.

“Third, the backing is too unclear.”

Hyeokryeon Pil said with a rather serious expression.

“The Janggang River Bandit Alliance is only a visible part. As we have seen, the power of the Dark Heaven Demon Emperor cannot be taken lightly. In this situation, embarking on a full-scale subjugation is a rash decision.”

“Hmph. How come you don’t mention that the Hyeokryeon Clan can gain great profits from the Janggang River in the meantime?”

At the words of Jinheo, the representative of Shaolin Temple, Hyeokryeon Pil’s face contorted.

But Jinheo didn’t stop.

“Isn’t the Hyeokryeon Clan the one that benefited the most from the fall of the Namgung Clan? The Janggang River Bandit Alliance has just been formed and said that they will not antagonize the Martial Alliance, so isn’t the Hyeokryeon Clan trying to expand its influence in the Janggang River at this opportunity?”

“Master Jinheo!”

“It’s not just that!”

Blocking Hyeokryeon Pil’s words, Master Jinheo said as if shouting.

“You are giving all sorts of reasons, but in the end, doesn’t it mean that you will act according to the situation and circumstances? If you abandon the principles of the Jianghu and only pursue profits, how can you…”

Master Jinheo bit his lip.

And he barely changed the word ‘prestigious orthodox sect,’ which had risen to his throat, to another word.

“Can you be called the Eighteen Great Sects of the Martial Alliance!”

But there was no one who didn’t guess what he originally intended to say.

The atmosphere of the Martial Alliance’s Grand Assembly Hall cooled down again.

And Jegalyeon of the Jegal Clan knew exactly what to do at times like this.

Sighing softly, Jegalyeon said.

“We will take a recess.”

A recess means taking a short break from the meeting.

But no one will really rest.

From now on, behind-the-scenes negotiations between the sects will unfold fiercely.

***

“What are you doing here?”

Meihwa Sword Yeongho-jun, who was drinking tea on the second floor of the pavilion, turned his head at the familiar voice.

Dang Seol-ryeon, the Snow Flower of the Dang Clan, was standing there looking at Yeongho-jun with her unique sharp eyes.

As the title Dang Mun-seolhwa suggests, even that appearance is very attractive.

But Yeongho-jun sighed instead of praising.

“You always appear only when I’m in trouble.”

Dang Seol-ryeon frowned.

“In trouble?”

Yeongho-jun said with a gentle smile.

“That’s right. I don’t have a silver spoon right now [meaning he can’t afford it].”

Dang Seol-ryeon quickly realized what that meant.

But instead of answering that boring joke, Dang Seol-ryeon took a seat opposite Yeongho-jun.

Rustle.

“Hmm.”

Yeongho-jun frowned.

“If you sit this close, I’ll be in trouble, you know?”

Ignoring Yeongho-jun’s seemingly sly voice, Dang Seol-ryeon opened her mouth.

“There’s something I want to ask.”

“I don’t know what it is, but I don’t think it’s something I can easily answer.”

“Instead, I’ll answer one for you.”

“Okay.”

Yeongho-jun accepted immediately.

Getting an answer from Dang Seol-ryeon wasn’t an opportunity that could be easily obtained.

“Is Shaolin ultimately planning to issue a sect convocation order [a call to all affiliated sects for a unified action] no matter what?”

The sect convocation order is the most powerful and final means of the Martial Alliance.

At the same time, it meant declaring the Janggang River Bandit Alliance as a public enemy of the martial world.

“Shaolin isn’t a place that goes that far. Master Jinheo isn’t a reckless person either. He knows well enough that it’s realistically impossible.”

Yeongho-jun, the representative of Hwasan, is very close to Shaolin, Wudang, and Emei.

If Yeongho-jun said so, it must be true.

“I see.”

Dang Seol-ryeon continued calmly.

“Then what are the prestigious orthodox sects who can’t stand injustice going to do? They won’t just stand by, will they?”

Those who are proud and obsessed with justification will not back down like this.

“Ah, that’s…”

Yeongho-jun smiled.

“Cheongjin Taoist of Wudang came up with a pretty good plan…”

“A plan?”

A strange light flashed in Dang Seol-ryeon’s eyes.

Yeongho-jun pretended not to see it and continued.

“The Jianghu has been very peaceful for the past few decades. To the point of being bored to death. Don’t you think so?”

Dang Seol-ryeon didn’t agree with that. But Yeongho-jun didn’t care.

“Thanks to that, the blood-boiling young people who want to make a name for themselves are frustrated to death. Isn’t it obvious when you see the insignificant Dragon-Phoenix Gathering becoming an object of envy? Martial artists will jump out of bed even in their sleep if they can make a name for themselves.”

“So what are you trying to do?”

Dang Seol-ryeon urged Yeongho-jun to answer.

Yeongho-jun shrugged.

“They’re going to hold a martial arts tournament.”

“A martial arts tournament?”

Dang Seol-ryeon’s eyes wavered.

Being clever, she immediately realized what kind of repercussions that word would bring to the Jianghu martial world.

“Oh, my!”

With an expression as if she had been hit, Dang Seol-ryeon bit her lip.

Yeongho-jun said with a smile.

“That’s right. It will probably become a hot topic in the entire martial world at once. It’s a martial arts tournament held by the Martial Alliance, not somewhere else, so doesn’t your heart flutter just hearing the name?”

This is clearly an opportunity.

An opportunity that no martial artist who wants to raise their name can ever miss.

“And the Janggang River Bandit Alliance will naturally be nervous.”

If a martial arts tournament is held at this time, anyone will guess the intention.

The tension between the Martial Alliance and the River Bandit Alliance will surely increase in an instant.

Depending on the case, it is entirely possible for the winner of the martial arts tournament to stand at the forefront of the River Bandit subjugation.

“Master Jinheo of Shaolin had a very touching expression. Isn’t it a much more natural method than a sect convocation order? Even if I think about it…”

Clatter.

Dang Seol-ryeon stood up from her seat with a stiff expression.

“Oh, there’s something I wanted to ask too…”

“Next time.”

Dang Seol-ryeon said briefly.

If Yeongho-jun’s words were true, she had to comprehensively review the secret agreements she had made with other sects.

Swish, swish.

Dang Seol-ryeon disappeared, fluttering her collar.

“Gee, she’s always been so headstrong, she hasn’t changed at all?”

Yeongho-jun caressed the teacup with a bitter expression, but he didn’t drink the tea.

As he said earlier, he didn’t have a silver spoon right now.

“Anyway.”