Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 261

261. After That Day

The news of the Martial Arts Alliance burning down spread like wildfire.

From large cities to small inns along quiet roads, people talked only about the tragedy in Hangzhou, calling it the “Hangzhou Bloodbath.”

“The Black Faction Lord, Great Warrior Jin Muryang, is dead?”

“Hey, it’s not just Jin Muryang! The Hyeonryeon Family Head was also seriously injured. The heads of the rising Ohdae Family [Five Great Families], the Danmok Family, and the Namhae Sword Sect are also in bad shape.”

“No, but who did this?”

Perhaps it was the drink with lunch that loosened their tongues.

The conversation between the two merchants was unusually chatty.

“It’s said to be the Iron-Blooded Death King, Yeom Jungbu.”

There was a subtle fear in the low voice.

“Iron-Blooded Death King!”

The merchant listening was also surprised.

He quickly lowered his voice and said.

“No, why would that old monster…….”

“Do you think that’s all?”

The merchant sitting in front shook his head.

“The Shaolin, Wudang, Emei, and Hwasan sects also suffered tremendous damage. Countless first-rate disciples lost their lives. All in just one night.”

“Oh, my god…….”

“The heads and family leaders of those noble, giant sects abandoned their dying disciples and fled all night. That says it all.”

To ordinary people, the Hyeonryeon Family or the Black Faction were beings above the clouds.

Not to mention Shaolin or Wudang, two of the most revered martial arts sects.

For them to abandon their dignity and run away was unimaginable.

“Good heavens…….”

The situation of the giant sects that escaped the Martial Arts Alliance was devastating.

The damage to Shaolin, Wudang, Hwasan, and Emei was particularly severe, even worse than the rumors suggested.

Surrounded by the Black Spear Cavalry and the Hwangcheon Squad [Yellow Springs Squad, a notorious group of assassins], and attacked by the Iron-Blooded Death King Yeom Jungbu, they managed to escape, but lost most of their elite disciples.

It was truly a disgrace.

“So, does that mean the Martial Arts Alliance really lost?”

“Hey, what era are you talking about…….”

The merchant boldly downed his drink and said.

“The Martial Arts Alliance burned down a long time ago. Now, the Hero Alliance has taken its place in Hangzhou. Right where the Martial Arts Alliance used to be.”

“Hero Alliance?”

“Yes, the Hero Alliance.”

A new martial arts group has emerged in Hangzhou.

Claiming to be heroes who have broken down the tyranny of the Martial Arts Alliance and saved the Kangho [martial arts world], they are the Janggang Waterway Union, the New Green Forest [a Robin Hood-esque group of bandits], and the Iron-Blooded Death King Yeom Jungbu.

“Thanks to that, Lee Mu-shim of the Waterway Union is having a field day.”

“Lee Mu-shim? Then the Hero Alliance Leader is…….”

“Hey, you.”

The merchant frowned and said.

“With the Iron-Blooded Death King around, would Lee Mu-shim dare to step up?”

“Then is the Hero Alliance Leader the Iron-Blooded Death King?”

“Well, yes, but…….”

The merchant subtly lowered his voice.

“They say the real owner of the Hero Alliance is someone else.”

“W-Who is it?”

The listening merchant’s voice also grew smaller.

“Blood Prince Mun Wang.”

No one saw him, but the rumors spoke of him.

The Blood Prince, Mun Wang, a man with a face as beautiful as a painting and a cruel nature, was the one who burned down the Martial Arts Alliance and the hidden owner of the Hero Alliance.

“Rumor has it that the Dark Heaven Martial Emperor is also under the Blood Prince. Well, that’s why the Blood Prince could control the Hwangcheon Squad at will.”

Clang.

The conversation between the two merchants was interrupted by a sudden sound.

A young man eating next to them had dropped his chopsticks.

‘What?’

The merchants frowned and looked at the next table.

Ragged clothes, hunched shoulders, dirty hair, an unwashed face, and a timid demeanor that couldn’t even meet their eyes.

He was the typical image of a failed scholar.

“Tsk.”

The two merchants lost interest and returned to their conversation.

But they couldn’t remember where they had left off.

After a moment of silence, the merchant who had been listening suddenly said.

“Ah, so what are they going to do about the Martial Arts Alliance now?”

“The Martial Arts Alliance is gone.”

“What?”

The merchant frowned.

“Gone? What does that mean? If they were attacked like that, they should be seeking revenge…….”

“Don’t say things you don’t know.”

The merchant who had been scolding him chuckled as if he himself was dumbfounded.

“They’ve established the Taepyeong Alliance [Great Peace Alliance].”

“Taepyeong Alliance?”

“Let’s see. So, the Tang Family and the Jegal Family are at the center, and…….”

The merchant continued, thinking hard.

“The Hyeonryeon Family, Gongson Family, Danmok Family, Namhae Sword Sect. Ah, right, the Moryong Family.”

The merchant, who had even counted on his fingers, said.

“These seven great families have gathered to form the Taepyeong Alliance.”

“Taepyeong Alliance……. So, are they going to take revenge?”

Pfft.

The merchant scoffed.

“Look at the name. Do they look like they’re going to take revenge?”

The Taepyeong Alliance did not declare an all-out war against the Hero Alliance, which had burned down the Martial Arts Alliance.

Rather, the Taepyeong Alliance officially declared that it would not interfere in the interests of the Janggang River and its basin.

They said that no more unnecessary blood should be shed in the chaotic Kangho martial world.

But people knew.

They were just avoiding a clash with the Hero Alliance.

The Taepyeong Alliance was acting as if the Martial Arts Alliance had not fallen and the Hero Alliance had not taken control of the Janggang River.

“No, but how could the Martial Arts Alliance disappear so quickly? It’s not like all the sects were annihilated…….”

The merchant’s question was natural.

Even though the family heads were injured and the elite disciples were killed, the power of the giant sects was still great.

But how could the Martial Arts Alliance disappear so quickly?

“In the end, it was a fight over rice bowls [a metaphor for power and resources].”

The merchant replied with a sneer.

“Revenge? It would be nice if they did. But everyone is just watching, who would step up first? And think about it. If you were given one out of eighteen, or eight were taken away but you got two out of the remaining ten, which would you prefer?”

The merchant who had been listening tilted his head.

“Eighteen? Ten? What are you talking about?”

“Tsk tsk, how can you be so slow at calculating…….”

The merchant clicked his tongue as if he was pathetic and continued.

“The Martial Arts Alliance has collapsed, but from the Taepyeong Alliance’s point of view, their share has actually increased, that’s what I’m saying.”

“Is that so?”

The merchant who had been listening shrugged his shoulders.

In fact, he didn’t care about the calculations of the giant sects.

He was interested in something else.

“Anyway, the Janggang River is then…….”

“Yes.”

The merchant said.

“Now the Janggang River is the Hero Alliance’s world.”

The Janggang River, which runs through the continent, has now become the territory of the Hero Alliance.

Every ship that travels the Janggang River pays protection money to the Hero Alliance, and the carriages that travel the roads connected to the Janggang River must also pay tolls.

Numerous martial arts centers and small to medium-sized sects in the Janggang River basin cannot escape the influence of the Hero Alliance.

It has truly become the world of the Hero Alliance.

“You should avoid going near the Janggang River as much as possible. It’s best to avoid the Hero Alliance at all costs. They’re just a bunch of thugs, so they’re very reckless.”

“Damn it. My wife’s family is there, so I have to go every year…….”

“You should have married better.”

The conversation between the two merchants was now turning into trivial personal matters.

Clang.

The young man sitting next to them carefully got up.

And slowly approached the innkeeper.

“……Excuse me.”

The innkeeper, who had been yawning lazily, glanced at the young man.

And frowned.

An insecure expression, hunched shoulders, ragged scholar’s clothes, and a worn-out backpack.

He was clearly a scholar who had failed the civil service exam and was returning to his hometown.

Thinking it was a stroke of luck that he had received the food payment in advance, the innkeeper said curtly.

“What do you want? I don’t have any jobs.”

Every year, there were a few people like this.

They wasted all their assets studying despite their poor circumstances, and when they failed the civil service exam, they didn’t even have the face to return home.

“It’s not that, I was wondering if there’s a carriage here that goes to Gwangju…….”

The young man’s voice was fading.

The hesitant tone and guilty, insecure manner were also common traits of failed scholars.

“You’re such a frustrating person.”

The innkeeper said, annoyed.

“How do you expect to find a carriage to Gwangju in a place like this? You have to look for that in a big city.”

This is a cheap inn on a quiet road.

No matter how much Gwangju is the capital of Guangdong Province and the largest trading city in South China, there’s no way there would be a carriage to Gwangju in a place like this.

“I, I see.”

The innkeeper felt sorry for the young man, who seemed to have lost his spirit at his words, and cleared his throat.

“Wait a bit, and ask a passing carriage to take you to the village up ahead. There won’t be a direct route to Gwangju from there either, you’ll have to go to a bigger town.”

“Thank you.”

Watching the young man bow and turn around, the innkeeper clicked his tongue.

‘Tsk tsk. He looks like he’s been through a lot, he should have come to his senses sooner and sold some land.’

The innkeeper muttered, fanning himself.

“Ugh, these young people these days are just…….”

Ignoring the innkeeper’s nagging, the young man left the inn.

The dazzling midday sunlight and the heat of the heated road rushed in.

Swish.

The wind stirred up dust and passed through the empty road.

There was nothing moving in this quiet place.

As if time had stopped, the world was so quiet and desolate.

Thud.

The young man slumped down on a large rock under the shade of a tree.

He had just finished eating, but his body felt heavy.

Swish.

The young man looked down at his hands.

His empty hands were trembling like an old man’s.

He clenched his fists tightly, but he couldn’t muster any strength.

“Hoo.”

Letting out a long sigh as if the ground was sinking, the young man raised his head and looked at the road.

His eyes didn’t seem to be focusing properly, as even places not far away looked blurry.

But it didn’t matter if he couldn’t see.

After all, he was a meaningless existence.

“Hoo hoo.”

Letting out another deep sigh, the young man dropped his shoulders.

Even the afternoon sunlight falling on his shoulders felt too much for him.

Like someone who was nothing, the young man sat there powerlessly.

Clink.

Setting down his glass, the merchant said.

“Oh, right. Now that I think about it, I forgot to mention something earlier.”

His face was already red. He had emptied more than six bottles of alcohol.

“There was a strange incident during the Hangzhou Bloodshed.”

“Hangzhou Bloodshed?”

The merchant across from him, whose face was also red, asked back.

“Ah, come on. You know, when the Martial Arts Alliance was completely burned down, that thing.”

“The one we were talking about earlier? But why?”

“At that time, they say there was someone who stopped the Iron-Blooded Death King?”

“What? Who?”

“Who was it…….”

Gathering his hazy mind, the merchant recalled.

“The one who can stand against the Hero Alliance is……, the one who can stand against them is……. Ah, that’s right.”

He said.

“The one who can stand against the Hero Alliance is the Azure Dragon Sword Master.”

“Azure Dragon Sword Master?”

The merchant nodded.

“Yes. Not only did he stop the Iron-Blooded Death King, but his disciple……. Burp.”

After letting out a long burp, the merchant said.

“They say he saved countless martial artists from small to medium-sized sects near Hangzhou?”

“Really? Then isn’t that person the real hero?”

“Thath’s right.”

With a slurred voice, the merchant said.

“So, isn’t that why there’s a saying going around in the Janggang River? The one who can stand against the Hero Alliance! Is only the Azure Dragon Sword Masterrrr. That kind of thing.”

“Really? Then where is that Azure Dragon Sword Master. Hic, right now?”

“Where is heee?”

After pondering for a moment, he smiled with half-closed eyes.

“Well, I don’t know that eitherrr.”

With a drunken voice, the merchant smiled and said.

***

Thump.

The middle-aged man who had been dozing off woke up as the carriage shook.

“Ahem.”

The middle-aged man yawned and looked around outside the window.

“Oh my, it’s already Cheongwon, Gwangju must be soon. Ughahaam.”

The middle-aged man twisted his body as if he was stiff.