Emperor’s Sword [EN]: Chapter 45

46. Where is the Demonic Lotus?

My consciousness, devoid of any clear distinction between good and evil, was yanked from a murky abyss and thrust onto a hill of blatant desire. It wasn’t a question posed by an external force, but rather an isolated image, and it wasn’t something within me, but rather, it was me.

It might seem irresponsible to say that I became acutely aware of the ego within me, which I had never truly felt before, through the embodiment of the Heavenly Demon and Hyeneung [a revered Buddhist monk], but it was an undeniable truth. I don’t know what the Southern Alliance Lord, who has lived for eighty years, has been seeking and struggling for, but now his eyes shone with a new hope that transcended all his past values. Within them, there seemed to be a considerable amount of respect and gratitude towards me.

‘In the future, the martial world will be swept away by a force that individuals cannot withstand. No martial sect will be exempt from this, and it seems they will take drastic measures for their own survival. It won’t be about justice or evil, but only the law of survival will dominate the martial world.’

At my words, his eyes trembled with intense agitation, anxiety, and an inexplicable complexity. He spoke to try and conceal it.

‘What I have protected so far was righteousness and justification. Seeing all those values collapse in the face of a stronger power, I realized how much I had been struggling in a fantasy. The justice of the powerless was no match for their ambition.’

The figure of the Lion King, who had regained his former health thanks to the Medical Sage, exuded the dignity and authority of a sect leader, but it was soon overshadowed and extinguished by the immense wall that was Pa Cheon. He himself held a kind of awe for Pa Cheon, so it came across as completely natural and not at all awkward.

I picked up the teacup in front of me and took a sip. The fragrance that lingered on the tip of my tongue stayed for a moment and then disappeared, stimulating a new sensation, and soon gave me an inexplicable pleasure that provided a moment of coziness and peace. It wasn’t difficult to feel that I was alive even from a single sip of tea. If I focused with a little attention, it would soon enter me, become a part of me, and impart its own unique essence.

I put down the teacup and looked at the Lion King, who was intently watching my movements.

‘Aren’t you curious what kind of request I will make?’

‘You’ll find out anyway.’

‘What if I make an unreasonable request?’

‘An unreasonable request… Haha, what kind of unreasonable request could there be for someone who has already given up on life? Since I have already abandoned all greed, any request is fine. Even if it means becoming an enemy of the martial world.’

His words were somewhat self-contradictory. The reason he had endured without taking his own life was to avoid tarnishing the values and honor he had protected over the years, but now, having been revived, wasn’t he making a statement that diminished his motivation for clinging to life?

Is his inner mind as conflicted as mine, like the situation of the martial world, or like the inherent nature of humans? The struggle of someone who has not yet decided which path to choose makes those around him uneasy, and it inherently contains danger.

‘I will soon leave the Southern Alliance. Their power is greater than I thought, so I felt it was premature to provoke them yet. I’m sorry, but please remain in this state for now.

But it will be very different from before. Cheonhyang Okbong [a powerful female warrior] has already become one of us, and she will help you a lot. I will leave as soon as the treatment for your son is finished.’

‘Then I just have to act like an actor in a play. It won’t be difficult to deceive their eyes… What I’m curious about is your identity, Great Hero. Or rather, let’s call it your intention. As I mentioned earlier, I will do anything you ask. If I may speak my mind, I don’t think you are simply someone who inherited the teachings of Shaolin [a famous Buddhist monastery]. It’s not that I’m ignoring the power of Shaolin, but I just have a feeling. Can’t you be honest with me?’

It was a confirmation of his struggle to be given at least a minimum of justification for what he was doing. There was no need to trouble him by letting him know the truth. It was enough to reassure him.

‘It is true that I inherited the teachings of Master Hyeneung, and it is also true that I have another identity as you pointed out. And it is also undeniable that I have some power. Would it be an answer if I said that the person who treated you was the head of the Golden Frog Trading Company?’

This was enough to show him a lot. With this alone, he would have a basis to organize his own views, and it would make him recognize me in a new way. If it’s the Golden Frog Trading Company, it’s a huge power in the Upper Realm, so he won’t have any other doubts or speculations, and it will give him a sense of stability in his mind, so he will follow my instructions without suspicion afterward.

There is a clear standard for me to have subordinates. There are those who I show everything to and who follow me with complete loyalty, and there are those who I only show a part of myself to and who I use their talents, positions, or power appropriately. So far, the former has been the majority, but in the future, the latter will become more numerous. They only see the parts I show them, so their thoughts and positions on me will be different. But that doesn’t matter to me at all. It’s enough if I get what I want from them. In that sense, the Lion King will be the first subordinate in the latter category.

Even when the Pa Cheon group, leaving the Southern Alliance, saw the Southern Alliance become as small as a piece of Go [a strategic board game] on a Go board while riding the Golden Eagle, even after feeling that it was too small a world compared to the city of Muchang, and even when all traces of people and artificial feelings had completely disappeared from the high sky, they remained silent without saying a word.

If it weren’t for the occasional exclamations of So Gun and the gestures of Dan Jang-hwa tying up her hair fluttering in the wind, no one would have felt each other’s presence, as they were so immersed in their own thoughts. I don’t know if this is just my thought or everyone’s feeling, but one thing is clear: they have begun to feel what I feel.

The unease of encountering an unexpected enemy in a place we didn’t know shook their inner minds, and it was nothing more than a clearer premonition of the upcoming bloody battle, but this would not be a great burden. Perhaps it is not self-esteem, but rather faith and trust in me that triggers it.

The majesty of the Yangtze River was as clearly recognized as the fluctuations of the blood vessels flowing through the body. In the parts of the river that stretched to the west, there were lives, and within them, there would be small stories. In some places, a bloody battle might have taken place, and in others, the resentful screams of those who lamented their weakness and breathed their last might have echoed. Beneath the blue of Dongting Lake, which was just beginning to appear, there would be passionate demonic martial artists hiding, soothing their wounded hearts and dreaming of revenge.

Dongting Lake is one of the two great lakes in the Central Plains, where the waters of the Xiang River, Zi River, Yuan River, and Li River flow into. It has been a favorite place for poets, scholars, idlers, Confucian officials, and martial artists since ancient times, and it flows into the Yangtze River through the northeast of Yueyang, which is located on the right side of Dongting Lake. Its area was so vast that it looked more like a sea than a lake.

The Dongting 18 Camps in Gunsan of Dongting Lake belonged to the Demonic Lotus, so at first, the Martial Alliance’s surveillance was severe, but they also disappeared without a trace one day, like the Demonic Lotus headquarters, so now the Martial Alliance’s Yueyang branch only monitors them formally, without any special attention. They never imagined that the Demonic Lotus headquarters would be located underground here.

Only the Medical Sage had left on the Golden Eagle, and the rest were all wandering around Dongting Lake. Judging from what Zhuge Cho-hong said, their eyes and ears would be hidden in this area, and our descriptions would be reported to the higher-ups by them. Then, wouldn’t they approach us first in some way?

Pa Cheon’s thoughts were inevitably being revised from the beginning. Was Dongting Lake a bit too wide?

No approach from the Demonic Lotus came for a whole day. They had no choice but to enter Yueyang. Even after unpacking their luggage at the inn, while having dinner, and even while having a simple drink afterward, they tried not to miss anything around them, but nothing special was felt anywhere.

I regretted not having clearly learned how to find the place when I parted with Zhuge Cho-hong.

She wasn’t a foolish woman who wouldn’t have guessed this, so why didn’t she tell me?

Before I knew it, Pa Cheon had transformed into the Heavenly Demon Scholar, and the other members of the group had returned to their original appearances. Their appearances were so distinctive that they caught the eye everywhere, and meaningless gazes would occasionally linger on them. They should have been immune by now, but the group was still bothered by the attention around them.

‘What are you planning to do?’

At Gwangmajon’s question, Pa Cheon answered lightly, as if it were nothing.

‘Let’s wait and see. Or we can search this entire area thoroughly, or we can catch those who look like demonic martial artists among the passing martial artists? Something will come up.’

There must be a reason why Zhuge Cho-hong was using such a cumbersome method. There was no need to be impatient about something I would find out later anyway.

‘Hey, did you hear the news?’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘The news of the Southern Alliance’s martial arts competition in Muchang this time.’

‘Ah, who doesn’t know about that?’

Perhaps because it was a relatively close area to Muchang, the news of the Southern Alliance was widely known here, and the attention of the martial artists was entirely focused on that story. Even if they didn’t want to hear their talk, it was about them, so they couldn’t help but hear it.

‘The One Below All, the One Above All is a subordinate of the Jade Faced Divine Dragon, so what does that mean?’

‘Ah, what does it mean? It means the Southern Alliance has fallen into the hands of the Jade Faced Divine Dragon.’

‘The Four Dragons have suddenly become Two Dragons.’

‘So, even a reputation that shakes the world is useless. When you think about it, isn’t it a dog’s death? They died young, so it’s better to hide in a corner and live like we’re dead, like us. That’s the shortcut to longevity.’

‘Still, I envy them. I’m sick of the lives of nameless nobodies like us. I wish I could make a name for myself in the world, even for just one day.’

‘Well, if you’ve set foot in the turbulent martial world, you should try to stir up a storm at least once to be called a man.’

‘That’s all useless talk. Are we from a prestigious family? Do we have a clear master? Do we have enough wealth to get in line with a prestigious sect? Unless we get a lucky encounter and get a supreme secret manual like someone else? It’s better to drink cold water and come to our senses. It’s better for our mental health.’

‘Tch, this damn world, why doesn’t it just turn upside down? Only then would guys like us have a chance to grab an opportunity.’

‘Don’t say that. Didn’t Gwak Sam join the escort agency last month? It feels like yesterday that we drank and celebrated… When I went the day before yesterday, I heard he went on his first escort mission and met an unfortunate end. Even now, we don’t know, but the outside world is said to be brutal. Everywhere, from Tibet, the Northern Sea, India, the Tatars, and Qinghai, they are gathering forces and causing chaos. Moreover, strange deaths are already occurring in several places in Sichuan, so isn’t all of that a sign of a bloody disaster? If the world becomes noisy and the world of blood comes, we, the ignorant, will be the first to die. Do you know that?’

‘Ah, that’s for the Martial Alliance or martial artists who belong to a specific group. What does it have to do with us, the 3rd-rate lives without affiliation?’

‘It’s best to just take care of our own families and live comfortably.’

‘Yeah, I guess so.’

The stories that the three of them exchanged contained a comprehensive overview of the current state of the martial world, although not in detail. Such inns and taverns were the easiest places to learn about public sentiment and the state of the martial world.

The man with the red wart among the three lowered his head and muttered in a small voice.

‘Hey, did you guys hear that?’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘There’s a rumor going around that if the Jade Faced Divine Dragon joins the Martial Alliance, the martial world will be turned upside down.

It seems that the Nine-Star Alliance and the Five-Alliance are already supporting him, and since he has even taken the Southern Alliance into his hands, there is a movement to promote that person, Great Hero Moon, as the leader.’

‘What? Then what about the current leader?’

‘So isn’t that a problem? Is the Peerless Divine Sword an ordinary person? Would he give up his position as leader with his eyes wide open? So, wouldn’t there be a big commotion? That’s why the atmosphere in the Martial Alliance these days is said to be unusual.’

‘Are those people out of their minds? How are they going to stop the invasion of foreign forces if there is internal division at this time?’

‘That’s what I’m saying. Well, we’ll see when Great Hero Moon enters the Martial Alliance… It won’t just pass by.’

‘Me as the leader? That’s unexpected.’

The others also heard those people’s words, so they stared blankly at Pa Cheon.

‘Hmm, if you’re done eating, let’s go.’

As Pa Cheon got up to leave, they also got up. It was when they were about to disappear outside.

‘Die!’

‘Ugh!’

‘Aah!’

Screams were heard from behind them. When they reflexively turned their heads, they saw a man in the innermost part stabbing a sword into the abdomen of a middle-aged man in his 40s, and next to him, a woman in her early 20s was screaming, covering her face. The eyes of the man who was stabbed in the abdomen were filled with the light of resentment, but he soon died.

‘Father, aah!’

The screams of tearing silk, the murmurs of the people around, and the shouts of the murderer were mixed together, creating a strange scene. Pa Cheon’s gaze was enlarged as it alternated between the flowing blood and the face of the screaming woman, and it gave him a sense of thrill.

‘Hehehe, you, I didn’t think this day would come for you. You’ve been running away well so far, but didn’t you know I was in Yueyang?

‘You, you villain, die!’

The woman drew a dagger and rushed towards the chest of the man who had killed her father. However, her gesture was futile, as she was restrained by the man’s hand, and his rough hand grabbed her wrist.

Clang.

Her eyes, looking at the dagger falling to the floor, were filled with sorrow, and the gaze she turned back to the man was filled with fierce murderous intent.

‘Why did you kill my father? Why, why?’

Her screams, as if she were struggling, shook the hall. Several martial artists were watching the scene, but no one dared to step forward. They were just watching the situation carefully.

‘Do you know what kind of person your father was? He was the one who killed my father, his friend, to take my mother. Do you know how much I’ve been grinding my teeth for this day? Because of your father… my… my family was completely destroyed. My mother hanged herself, and I, as a child, had to wander the streets.’

‘Lies, don’t lie.’

She shook her head violently as if trying to deny his words, but the man’s eyes were telling her that everything was true.

‘You want to deny it, right? But it’s true. I’m going to sell you to a brothel so that your father will regret it in the afterlife. Let’s go. Even if it’s his daughter, she has to pay off the debt your father owes.’

He grabbed the woman’s wrist and dragged her away. The woman was struggling as if she didn’t want to go, but she couldn’t overcome the man’s strength. One of the people around them stepped in front of him.

‘I’ve heard your story, sir. The revenge is already over. It doesn’t seem fair to pass on the sin to a descendant who knows nothing about it.’

Was he in his late 20s? Judging by the energy he exuded, he seemed to be a master, and judging by his words and actions, he seemed to be a disciple of a prestigious family.

‘Who are you? Get out of my way. Don’t you know that it’s an unwritten rule of the martial world not to interfere in other people’s affairs?’

‘It’s also a law of the martial world that power is law.’

A man of a similar age, who seemed to be a member of the one who stepped forward, got up and was picking his teeth with a toothpick. He was wearing a short-sleeved leather outfit, and his dark skin gave him a strong impression. He also had an unusual energy.

When the two men blocked his way, the man seemed to take a step back, but then he shouted even more fiercely.

‘I am going to be the son-in-law of the Moon Gong family, who is under the patronage of Lord Kyung, the head of the Martial Alliance’s Yueyang branch.’

That was what he shouted.

‘What? So, in the end, you’re not related to them at all. And even if you’re an official of the Martial Alliance, it has nothing to do with this. Put that woman down and get lost.’

The man, who was still holding a small toothpick made from a cut bamboo chopstick in his mouth, spat out the words indifferently.

‘You, you guys. Do you think you’ll be safe after doing this? You look like wanderers, but how dare you interfere with the affairs of the Moon Gong family… Aren’t you afraid of the consequences?’

‘Consequences… I don’t know where the Moon Gong family is, but as I said before, even if you’re an official of the Martial Alliance, you can’t stop us from doing what we’re doing.’

The opponent’s confident voice seemed more than enough to make the man shrink back, and soon the man roughly threw away the hand he was holding the woman with, as if he had no choice.

‘Just you wait, you guys! If I leave you alone, I’m not a man.’

After saying those words, he took a step outside, and then he bumped into Pa Cheon’s group, who were still standing at the entrance.

‘Get out of my way, you guys.’

He brushed past Pa Cheon and Gwangmajon, bumping their shoulders.

It was then. One of the people who had been talking among themselves next to Pa Cheon and the others approached the two young men.

‘Hey, young heroes… You look like strangers who are new to this place… If you just hang around here, you’re likely to get into trouble. That guy from earlier is nothing, but the Moon Gong family is still a mid-level martial family in Yueyang. Moreover, they are actively supported by the head of the Martial Alliance’s Yueyang branch, so no one can touch them in Yueyang. So, leave before you get into trouble.’

At his words, the man with a relatively gentle impression bowed politely and smiled softly.

‘Thank you for your words, but you don’t have to worry. We have the power to protect ourselves, so please don’t worry too much.’

He looked like a hero from every angle. Then, he approached the woman who was crying in front of her father’s corpse.

‘Miss, crying won’t solve everything. We’ll help you with the funeral, so please get up. You have to be strong to take revenge, don’t you?’

At his gentle voice, she finally got up and only gave her thanks without saying anything.

‘Brother, you know we don’t have much time, right? If we’re going to hold a funeral, let’s hurry.’

‘…Miss, please get up.’

Only then did the woman get up, and the man in the leather outfit gently picked up the corpse and put it under his arm. And the three of them were leaving, receiving the attention of everyone in the hall. For a moment, the man’s movements as he passed by Pa Cheon and the others seemed awkward. Only after they disappeared outside did Pa Cheon’s group head back to the inn where they were staying.

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This is one episode for now.

I will upload another one today.

In the future, I will upload one or two episodes a day without being bound by time, so please understand this. Until now, I uploaded them at a set time, but doing so puts pressure on me as the author, as I am chased by time.

I don’t have a practice notebook. This writing is like a public practice notebook. I don’t know if the readers have noticed, but there is a mixture of viewpoints in my writing. It is an intentional device, but it is not easy to bring it out naturally. It will get better and better.

I believe it will get better as I put in constant effort. Several people sent me criticisms, and I was so happy to receive them. I read them again and again… I read them several times. All of it was helpful to me, so I was very grateful. In the future, if you have any criticism, I will gratefully, truly gratefully, accept it.

Have a good day…