Chapter 57 – Wu and Yue in the same boat (2)
Sichuan Tang
It was one of the Five Great Families supporting the righteous sect of the Martial Arts Alliance and a family that was the true pinnacle of poison. Even those who knew nothing about the martial arts world.
They might not have heard of the Namgung Family, but they would have heard of the Sichuan Tang. That’s how it was said. At least in terms of reputation alone, they could be said to surpass even the Namgung Family.
One might think it is strange they primarily using poison would have such a high reputation. But there is a decisive difference that separates Sichuan Tang from other evil sects.
That is the Sichuan Tang’s commandment. Sichuan Tang handles poisons with particular strictness and absolutely never creates poison that cannot be neutralized or cause immediate death.
Moreover, being knowledgeable about poisons means being able to neutralize poisons. They even possessed knowledge and abilities surpassing most best royal physicians.
Based on this, they used their skills to save common people who had fallen ill. Of course, Sichuan Tang’s reputation could not help but be high. After hearing the explanation, Mu-myung tilted his head.
‘The setting here is better than I expected. Usually in martial arts novels, they appear as somewhat strong villains.’
Perhaps because they specialize in poison, they inevitably fit the role of villains. Anyway, they aren’t villains here, so that’s fortunate amid misfortune.
However, suspicion is unavoidable. Setting aside the image of Sichuan Tang that appeared in martial arts novels he had read so far, how many times had he been backstabbed already?
“But why does the head of Sichuan Tang want to see me?”
“Sichuan Tang has also suffered much damage from the Sword Demon. That’s why they cannot help but hesitate to join hands.”
“I see, so they want to see me in person before making a decision, is that it?”
“That’s correct.”
Mu-myung nodded as if he understood. Indeed, it’s not a bad move. Mu-myung himself also wants to meet the head of Sichuan Tang in person to gauge their character.
Sua, who had been quietly listening to the conversation beside him, quietly looked up at Mu-myung. Seeing the question in her eyes, Mu-myung nodded in response instead of answering verbally.
“There is one thing I’m curious about.”
“What is it, Miss Murong Sua?”
“The Namgung Family is clearly a family belonging to the Righteous Sect, so how could they become so rotten?”
Well, precisely because they’re the righteous sect.
Mu-myung barely swallowed the words that had risen to the tip of his throat. In martial arts novels, the righteous sect is mostly portrayed as rotten to the core. It’s like stagnant water rots.
However, he couldn’t explain it to Sua in that way. Besides, this place is not rotten of all the righteous sect. The Murong Family is an example.
But one might say that the Namgung Family alone is rotten to the core. Of course, He was certainly curious about the reason, so Mu-myung focused on Mu-wol’s explanation. Mu-wol showed an understanding expression.
“What you say is correct. Even within the Namgung Family, there were quite a few who tried to reform the family. No, there were rather many.”
“Then why is the Namgung Family still rotten?”
“That’s because the Namgung Family has the Dark Sword. A heartless killer who mercilessly cuts down even his own blood relatives according to the family head’s will, that is the Dark Sword.”
Only then it made sense somewhat. The head of the Namgung Family used other supreme masters, including the Dark Sword, to quietly dispose of those who opposed him one by one.
“Of course, there were certainly those who cornered the Dark Sword. But their problem was that they were too clean compared to the Dark Sword who did not care about the means and methods.”
“And surely the family head also covered for the Dark Sword.”
“Yes, and they completely blocked any chance for other families to intervene by leaving absolutely no evidence. If they rushed in without finding anything, it could backfire.”
“I understand.”
“But Sichuan Tang didn’t care about such trivial matters. If something seemed suspicious, they just rushed in first and asked questions later. Thanks to that, even the Namgung Family had to be somewhat cautious.”
He was gradually beginning to understand how things had flowed. No matter how powerful the Namgung Family was, they couldn’t completely ignore Sichuan Tang, a member of the Five Great Families.
“Then where should I go? Do I have to go to Sichuan Tang myself?”
“No, that’s not necessary. Fortunately, Roo-ju Yang Mi-yeon has agreed to lend us a venue.”
“We should help each other as members of the same sect. Of course, I’m also expecting some small rewards along the way.”
“That’s fortunate at least. I didn’t want to travel far again.”
Because last time, on the way from Hanam to Shandong, I was attacked by the Evil sect. Of course, I had no intention of letting it happen again, but there was no need to create unnecessary trouble.
Moreover, if all goes well, he could gain a powerful ally in Sichuan Tang.
Could things possibly get any better than this?
◇
A meeting with Sichuan Tang was arranged. They decided to hold a banquet at the Cheongok Pavillon in about half a month, which I would attend. Of course, they used a birthday celebration as a pretext on the surface.
The reason for choosing such a cumbersome method was due to the surveillance of the Namgung Family. The greatest beneficiary of the past Sword Demon War was the Namgung Family.
Thanks to this, the Namgung Family was able to firmly maintain their position as the leader of the Righteous Martial Arts Alliance. Furthermore, with enormous resources and manpower, they succeeded in producing numerous supreme masters.
Just to name a few, there was Namgung Cheon, the head of the Namgung Family and the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance, and Namgung Seon-wi, the Dark Sword and the darkness of the Namgung Family. Besides them, there were numerous other renowned masters whose names alone were known to all.
“I’m sorry. I never imagined the Namgung Family would be this rotten.”
Having heard the full story of the events, Namgung Yeon bowed his head to me with an expression of shame. Well, what fault could a young person like you have? It’s all the adults’ fault.
“It’s alright. I’m not blaming you.”
“What power could you have? If you had made a wrong move, you would have been abandoned by the Dark Sword.”
“But even so, for Elder Chiljangro to go that far…”
“They tried to kill not one but two of the hundred great masters selected by the Righteous Martial Arts Alliance. What’s the big deal about your life?”
“That’s enough, Sua.”
I immediately restrained Sua, who was pecking at every opportunity. Look at him, making a face like he’s about to cry from Sua’s pecking. I sighed and opened my mouth.
“What power could Yeon have? But I am curious about something.”
“Please ask anything, Master.”
“Are there truly no single person with righteous intentions in the Namgung Family?”
“One thing is certain… Brother Namgung Baek definitely has righteous intentions.”
“You mean that young warrior we met before.”
Indeed, that Namgung Baek we met before had a different feeling from the Dark Sword. His energy was fresher, and in any case, I didn’t get a bad impression of him either.
“Master!! Please watch my swordsmanship!!”
“Seolhwa, how many times have I told you to show respect to the Master…!!”
“It’s alright. Yes, Seolhwa. What are you curious about?”
Oh dear, I unconsciously keep speaking like an old man. It seems I’m being influenced because the Sword Demon exists in my mind. Even shaving my beard and tidying up my hair isn’t easy.
At first, I resolved to do it several times, but when I actually tried to do it. For some reason, I kept giving up. It felt as if someone was blocking my hand.
‘Surely this isn’t also the influence of the Sword Demon, is it?’
If that’s the case, I should somehow absorb the Sword Demon’s memories as quickly as possible. I can’t keep being treated like an old man forever. Anyway, let’s move on.
My disciples and I prepared in our own way to attend the banquet hosted by Sichuan Tang. Instead of the shabby clothes we had been wearing, we spent good money.
We chose clothes that weren’t excessively flashy but still conveyed elegance and depth. Of course, unlike me, my disciples chose the most expensive and best clothes. They had a lot of money.
Honestly, there was no room for the Evil Sect to interfere this time. The Namgung Family was also quiet so far, perhaps due to the influence of the Dark Sword losing one arm. However, it was somewhat unexpected.
‘To boldly invite me, who cut off the Dark Sword’s arm, to a banquet. I’ve heard people say I’m being too bold, but isn’t it just too much courage?’
I heard that Sichuan Tang was almost the only one among the Five Great Families and the Nine Schools, belonging to the Righteous Martial Arts Alliance, that didn’t bow to the Namgung Family, but this was indeed surprising.
Well, from the beginning, the opponent is the Dark Sword. The sword that exists but doesn’t exist. If they were to bring up the Dark Sword, it would be admitting all the crimes committed by the Dark Sword so far.
“I’m looking forward to the banquet!”
“Are you that excited about the banquet?”
“Yes! I heard there’s a lot of delicious food at banquets!”
“Of course. The banquet hosted by the renowned Cheongok Pavilion will surely have plenty of delicious food.”
Until just a few days ago, we were preparing to attend the banquet without any worries. That is, until today, when the Martial Arts Alliance arrested Yang Mi-yeon, the mistress of the Cheongok Pavilion.
