Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 327

327. The Blue Wolf Raises the Flag

“Hoo.”

Jo Hoseon feigned a sigh and turned to face Do Gwanbaek.

“Yes, you’ve made a good decision. How could I not know your heart?”

Jo Hoseon said, patting Do Gwanbaek’s shoulder.

“But in the end, the strong survive. Why has our Mount Hua been driven into such a corner? Isn’t it because we lack strength?”

Jo Hoseon continued in a rather solemn tone.

“Of course, the elders of the sect will not be pleased. But what does it matter if we can become stronger? Besides, once we become strong…”

Jo Hoseon whispered.

“What worry would there be even if we were to leave Mount Hua?”

Do Gwanbaek flinched.

“L-Leave Mount Hua!”

“That’s just a saying. A saying… Who said anything about leaving Mount Hua?”

Swish.

Jo Hoseon reached into his robes.

A small wooden box appeared in his hand.

Do Gwanbaek stared at the box with tense eyes.

“You must be extremely careful.”

Jo Hoseon said with a serious expression.

“If you take this pill, you will experience tremendous effects. But you must never be greedy and exceed the prescribed amount. Otherwise, you could ruin your body.”

Do Gwanbaek swallowed hard.

He reached out with trembling hands and received the wooden box.

“Remember, one pill a day.”

“Y-Yes, Senior Brother.”

The palm-sized box was so light that it felt weightless.

Could there really be an amazing pill inside?

Could it really raise his level?

As if reading Do Gwanbaek’s thoughts, Jo Hoseon smiled and said.

“Your swordsmanship will improve by two stages.”

“Huk.”

Do Gwanbaek gasped in surprise.

Two stages would take ten, no, twenty years of training.

Could he achieve that just by swallowing a pill?

“H-How could you get something like this…”

That was no ordinary pill.

Even the Shaolin Temple’s elixirs wouldn’t have that kind of effect.

“Isn’t Mount Hua originally superior to the Heroic Alliance in the art of alchemy?”

Jo Hoseon said with a smile.

“It secretly came from a secular family with ties to Mount Hua, so don’t try to find out more. There are still many who don’t like this kind of thing.”

There were places within Mount Hua’s secular families that specialized in alchemy.

If they had obtained an elixir used by the Heroic Alliance, it was a plausible story.

The reason for not revealing the pill was also understandable, considering the rigid elders of Mount Hua.

“…Um, Senior Brother.”

“Why?”

Jo Hoseon frowned as Do Gwanbaek asked.

“What do you want from me?”

A resolution could be seen in Do Gwanbaek’s eyes.

“Heh, you.”

Jo Hoseon said as if he were impressed.

“What I want is to open up a new future for Mount Hua with you.”

Do Gwanbaek looked dazed.

He never expected to hear such an answer.

But Jo Hoseon patted Do Gwanbaek’s shoulder and said.

“I hope you have good achievements. And be sure to keep my words in mind.”

Jo Hoseon left the spot as he was.

As he disappeared, Do Gwanbaek looked down at the wooden box in his hand.

And with trembling hands, he opened the box.

Click.

A unique medicinal fragrance flowed out as if overflowing.

Inside the wooden box were small, jet-black pills.

“T-This is…”

Do Gwanbaek’s eyes gleamed.

He could vividly imagine his future, commanding the Jianghu [the martial arts world] Murim [martial arts organizations and communities].

***

Outside Chengdu, Sichuan Province, the residence of the North Sea Ice Palace.

The Great Palace Lord, the master of the North Sea Ice Palace, sat alone in her office with only one candle lit.

“Palace Lord.”

At the low voice, the Great Palace Lord said.

“Come in.”

Rustle.

Without the door opening, a person appeared.

A warrior of Snow Shadow Unit wearing light white martial robes bowed to the Great Palace Lord.

“A message from Mount Emei.”

The Great Palace Lord raised her head.

Her face, flickering in the candlelight, was even desolate.

“The result?”

“Dang Seol-yeon was defeated at Emei, and the Grand Peace Alliance’s attack on Emei has failed.”

The Great Palace Lord frowned.

“Failed? Didn’t Bingseol go?”

“The Third Palace Lord has another urgent report.”

The warrior said clearly.

“The Blue Wolf has raised the flag.”

The Great Palace Lord’s eyes shook greatly.

And at the same time, she knew.

Why the Grand Peace Alliance’s attack on Emei had failed, even with Bingseol present.

“Tell me in detail about the situation that led to the Grand Peace Alliance’s retreat.”

“Bingseol was suppressing the Emei experts as planned. However, the Blue Wolf stopped the martial arts contest and declared the establishment of the Azure Dragon Alliance on the spot.”

The Great Palace Lord was silent for a moment.

The flag raised by the Blue Wolf was the Azure Dragon Alliance.

“…And?”

“The North Sea Ice Palace immediately withdrew from the martial arts contest, and Inspector-General Jo Gwan defended the Azure Dragon Sword Lord and made threatening remarks to the Grand Peace Alliance. As a result, the Grand Peace Alliance eventually abandoned its attack on Emei and withdrew.”

“Dang Seol-yeon didn’t retreat because of the Inspector-General’s words.”

The Great Palace Lord said with a smirk.

The Great Palace Lord already knew what kind of person Dang Seol-yeon was.

She was not a woman who would back down due to the Inspector-General’s threats.

The Great Palace Lord hesitated for a moment and asked the Snow Shadow Unit warrior.

“…The others?”

“Yes?”

“Weren’t there others accompanying him?”

“Plum Blossom Sword Yeonghojun of Mount Hua and a man named Hyecheon of Shaolin joined the Azure Dragon Alliance. And the Namgung Family sent a letter…”

“That’s enough. Stop.”

The rest of the details could be heard after the Third Palace Lord returned.

The Great Palace Lord waved her hand irritably.

The warrior bowed and immediately disappeared.

Rustle.

The candle on the desk flickered quietly.

The Great Palace Lord bit her lip.

‘In the end.’

The Blue Wolf has raised the flag.

It was something she had been expecting for a long time.

But why was her heart shaking so much?

“Haa.”

A sigh escaped from her red lips.

“In the end, it’s coming to this.”

The Great Palace Lord said quietly.

The candle on the desk flickered greatly, like her heart.

***

Mount Emei, Sichuan Province.

Sitting in a pavilion within the Emei Sect, Unhyeon looked out at the scenery and said admiringly.

“It is truly a beautiful place.”

“It becomes even more beautiful in the fall.”

Beopyeong said, raising her teacup.

“The ambiance of the snowy dawn is also an indispensable spectacle.”

“Ah, is that so? I would definitely like to see it sometime.”

“You are welcome to visit anytime, Alliance Lord.”

The two exchanged gentle smiles.

“Ahem.”

Plum Blossom Sword Yeonghojun cleared his throat.

“I don’t want to disturb your noble elegance, but there are many people waiting, so shouldn’t we proceed with the discussion?”

Unhyeon and Beopyeong were not the only ones in the pavilion.

Inspector-General Jo Gwan and his party, Plum Blossom Sword Yeonghojun, and Hyecheon of Shaolin were also seated together.

The same was true for the Emei Sect.

The oldest Cheonsu Shinni, Jisim who had regained consciousness, and the Twelve Immortals of Emei were filling the seats.

They were all looking only at Unhyeon and Beopyeong.

Of course, Cheonsu Shinni was leisurely savoring her tea.

“I am grateful once again for saving Emei, even though it feels redundant to say it again.”

Beopyeong bowed her head with a Buddhist gesture.

The other Twelve Immortals, actually eight monks, also bowed to Unhyeon.

Especially in the case of Jisim, she even shed tears.

“It was something I had to do. Please don’t mind it.”

Unhyeon replied politely.

Beopyeong smiled and said.

“Now that we have become one alliance, what should Emei do?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Yeonghojun quickly interjected as Unhyeon was about to say something.

“I will explain. Is that alright? Alliance Lord.”

“It’s alright. But that title is a bit…”

“Yes, that won’t do. It’s a matter related to the dignity of the alliance.”

Yeonghojun firmly rejected Unhyeon’s words and said to Beopyeong.

“Let’s start by sharing our understanding of the current situation. Emei’s situation is similar to that of Mount Hua or Shaolin, right?”

Beopyeong nodded with a bitter expression.

“That’s right. According to what you two have said.”

After escaping Hangzhou, Sect Leader Hyewol was seriously injured, and three of the Twelve Immortals passed away. The sacrifice of promising young monks was also significant.

With the collapse of the Murim Alliance, the Emei Sect suspended all external activities.

Pilgrims were allowed, but disciples were prohibited from leaving the sect.

“If it weren’t for these circumstances, the Grand Peace Alliance wouldn’t have dared to do something like this to Emei today.”

Anger flashed in the eyes of Beopyeong and the Twelve Immortals.

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about.”

Yeonghojun said.

“The Alliance Lord and I think differently.”

“What do you mean…”

“The Murim Alliance collapsed, and the Heroic Alliance took over the Yangtze River, so the Grand Peace Alliance is indiscriminately swallowing up the ownerless territories. Is that what everyone thinks?”

Beopyeong nodded.

Wasn’t that the truth?

“But what if the Tang Clan had initially condoned or even aided the collapse of the Murim Alliance?”

Aiding meant secretly helping.

Beopyeong was greatly surprised.

“T-Then…”

Yeonghojun nodded.

“It’s not that the Tang Clan is coveting Emei because of these circumstances, but that the Tang Clan intentionally created this situation. That’s why they tried to swallow Emei.”

Jisim asked with a stern expression.

“Do you have any evidence?”

Yeonghojun looked at Jisim and smiled.

“Unfortunately, I don’t. But it’s clear. Military Advisor Dang Seol-yeon never gets dragged around. She is a woman who is only satisfied when she has the initiative.”

Since the basis was very personal, Jisim’s expression changed strangely.

Yeonghojun continued without paying attention.

“Therefore, the Alliance Lord’s intention is as follows.”

Unhyeon, who was listening, had an awkward expression.

“Um, that title…”

“‘I will tear down what the Grand Peace Alliance has gathered and cut off what the Heroic Alliance has connected! The Azure Dragon Alliance will change the world!'”

Yeonghojun even clenched his fist.

It was a somewhat exaggerated expression, as if giving a speech, but the Twelve Immortals of Emei were moved.

“Ooh.”

“That is indeed the case.”

“Indeed, he is the Alliance Lord.”

The Twelve Immortals admired, nodded, and their eyes sparkled.

They were on the verge of destruction due to the threat of the Grand Peace Alliance, so how refreshing must Yeonghojun’s words have been?

“So, everyone, first focus on resolving the chaos in Emei, centering around Abbot Beopyeong, and selectively resume external activities. Actively using the name of the Azure Dragon Alliance will make things much easier.”

The presence or absence of power in the Jianghu [martial world] Murim [martial arts community] makes an absolute difference.

No one would ignore the Azure Dragon Alliance, which included Shaolin, Mount Hua, and even the Namgung Family.

“Uh, but if a dispute actually occurs, we don’t have the capacity to intervene.”
Damssoha suddenly said.

Yeonghojun smiled.

“That’s what people who have never been involved in politics think, Little Brother. The important thing is that people believe we can intervene at any time. A sword exerts more power when it’s in its scabbard than when it’s swung. Have you heard of deterrence?”

“So, you’re just bluffing?”

“Similar.”

“And you’re only doing external activities in situations where that bluff is likely to work?”

“That’s what I mean.”

“It’s not ‘what you mean,’ it’s just that, isn’t it?”

Yeonghojun said with a smile.

“Little Brother is very smart. How about working with me? The Azure Dragon Alliance is short of talent anyway.”

Damssoha flinched, but it was already water under the bridge.