Chapter 11 No way, here…

Chapter 11 No way, here…

Regardless of the true nature of this World, Namgung-woo still had unanswered questions.

“Does the Martial World really just obey when the Imperial Court tells it to stop?”

As he’d mentioned before, Namgung-woo perceived the relationship between the Imperial Court and the Martial World as one of mutual non-interference, almost as if they existed in separate spheres. Neither side could afford the significant costs of becoming too deeply involved with the other.

Frankly, if a Peerless Master from the Martial World truly set their mind to assassinating the Emperor, the resources required to stop them would be astronomical.

Instead of answering Namgung-woo’s question, Peng Choyul countered with one of his own.

“Do you know how the Nine Great Sects and One Alliance came to be?”

“‘How?’ Namgung-woo asked, puzzled. ‘Isn’t it just a collective term for the highly renowned Great Factions of the Righteous Martial World, used by the common people?'”

Was there any particular intention involved in that process?

Namgung-woo wore a bewildered expression, clearly not understanding. Seeing this, Peng Choyul subtly lowered his voice.

“The groups that received support from the Imperial Court in exchange for their cooperation were collectively called the Nine Great Sects and One Alliance.”

“Cooperation, you say?”

“Before the Great Ming was established, when the Yuan Dynasty ruled this land, Shaolin assisted Emperor Taizu Hongwu in resisting the Yuan. It’s not a new phenomenon; Shaolin Temple also aided Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty when the Sui Dynasty fell. In any case, Emperor Taizu Hongwu quite enjoyed likening himself to Li Shimin of Tang, having received Shaolin Temple’s help.”

Names familiar to Namgung-woo came up one after another.

Emperor Taizu Hongwu, who founded the Ming Dynasty, was Zhu Yuanzhang, and Li Shimin of Tang was famous for losing an eye in a war with Goguryeo, wasn’t he?

“The succeeding Emperor Yongle, following his Imperial Father’s example, sought to bolster his lacking legitimacy through religion. That was the Wudang Sect.”

Emperor Yongle ascended the imperial throne through a Coup d’état, overthrowing his own nephew. This event is known as the Jingnan Campaign.

Around the same time, in a neighboring country, an uncle also ousted his nephew from power—that was the famous Gyeyujeongnan Coup by Grand Prince Suyang.

But back to the point.

Emperor Taizu Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang, who supported Shaolin Temple.

Emperor Yongle Zhu Di, who supported the Wudang Sect.

The notion that the two Great Factions, revered as the Pillars of the Righteous Martial World, had grown strong thanks to Imperial Court support was quite an uncomfortable truth for martial artists to hear.

But who wouldn’t want their own sect/school to flourish and gain renown? As they watched the two sects grow steadily under the Imperial Court’s patronage, it was unthinkable that other sects would simply stand by.

“They, too, sought out the Imperial Court. And so, seven more sects and one faction received the Imperial Court’s grace.”

That was how the Nine Great Sects and One Alliance were formed.

In exchange for Imperial Court support, they were tasked with protecting the Common Folk from those who practiced wicked martial arts, forming the foundation of the Righteous Martial World of that era.

“Of course, some other sects were included in the Imperial Court’s support later on, and the composition of the Nine Great Sects changed a few times due to various events in the Martial World.”

“So there was such a secret history,” Namgung-woo murmured.

“Hahaha, it’s hardly a secret history. Everyone knows about it openly. But your point, young hero, is also correct. While the Martial World is made up of the Great Ming’s people, they are not a subordinate group that pledges loyalty to the Emperor.”

However, if the Imperial Court were to intervene to end The Great Righteous-Demonic War, it was obvious they would support the Righteous Faction, with whom they had a cooperative relationship.

The Unorthodox Faction immediately declared their intention to end the war the moment the Imperial Court signaled its intent to intervene.

“Since the Unorthodox Faction had started the war, the Righteous Martial World was furious, but there was nothing else to be done. The Black Martial Alliance cunningly tried to seize the moral high ground, so the Righteous Faction ultimately agreed to end the war.”

“A diplomatic end to the war, then,” Namgung-woo mused.

“That’s also true,” Peng Choyul said.

Peng Choyul shrugged, subtly hinting that there were other reasons besides that.

Namgung-woo tried to probe further, but Peng Choyul seemed disinclined to elaborate.

“We’ll arrive in Guxian County soon. Let’s start getting ready.”

After spending a night in Guxian County, located right next to Linfen County, the Escort Mission continued.

Namgung-woo wanted to converse more with Peng Choyul but couldn’t. Unlike Namgung-woo, who was merely a guest, Peng Choyul, as the Agency Head of this Escort Mission, had many tasks to attend to.

So, Namgung-woo was quite pleased to get back into the carriage.

Namgung-woo had thought this was his chance to uncover the full truth behind The Great Righteous-Demonic War and the secret history of the Namgung Clan’s Annihilation, but this time, Peng Choyul initiated the conversation.

“You said this was your first Escort Mission, didn’t you?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“If the Imperial Court is what the Martial World most avoids, do you know what Escort Missions fear the most?”

It was a somewhat out-of-the-blue question. However, Namgung-woo, having learned from experience that Peng Choyul was often like this, answered calmly without being flustered.

“Bandit gangs, wouldn’t it be?”

At that, Peng Choyul’s eyes widened as if he’d heard something absurd, and he couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Bandits? Hahaha, of course, they are an unavoidable obstacle for Escort Missions, but they aren’t truly fearsome. For one, bandits are wary of the Imperial Army. We can usually get past them with a reasonable toll.”

Namgung-woo’s brow furrowed. It wasn’t out of annoyance, but because there was a significant disconnect between his expectations and reality.

Isn’t it usually the other way around?

There’s also the saying that humans are the most terrifying beings in the World.

But Peng Choyul’s reaction was the exact opposite.

“Humans are the most terrifying, you say? Well, there is that saying. But at least with humans, you can reason with them, can’t you? Because they’re human.”

“You speak as if non-human beings are more frightening.”

“Indeed. Precisely. They are beings all the more terrifying because they are not human.”

Just as he realized he was about to discover yet another unknown aspect of this World, an interruption came once again.

“Agency Head, up ahead…”

“Ah, mountain bandits? It’s about time they showed up. I’ll go myself.”

It was an expected occurrence for mountain bandits to appear once they entered the Taihang Mountains, the vast natural boundary separating Shanxi and Northern Zhili.

Honestly, Peng Choyul wondered if ‘mountain bandits’ was truly the right term for them, but since everyone called them that, he supposed he should too.

Peng Choyul prepared to leave the carriage.

“Young hero, I’ll be back shortly.”

“I’ll go with you. If they’re mountain bandits, you’ll need an escort.”

“Ah, it’s quite alright. In fact, my going alone might provoke them less. If you’re uncomfortable inside the carriage, you can just watch from outside.”

As if to prove his earlier point that mountain bandits weren’t truly fearsome for Escort Missions, Peng Choyul confidently set off alone.

Namgung-woo’s eyes told him that Peng Choyul also practiced martial arts. However, his achievement wasn’t particularly impressive. It was even inferior to that of Song Chae-ji, who was five or six years younger.

Yet, Peng Choyul, without any escort, exchanged a few words with the mountain bandits blocking the road and returned completely unharmed.

“This is troublesome,” Peng Choyul said.

“The mountain bandits, then…?”

“Ah, no, that’s not it.”

Namgung-woo had held a faint hope that his guess might be correct, but his words were firmly denied before he could even finish.

“I settled things well with the mountain bandits. We paid the toll, so passing through the mountain path won’t be an issue. They’re quite worth the money, you see. The wild animals in the vicinity would have already been dealt with by their hands.”

That was a rather familiar setup.

Isn’t that basically a protection racket, clearing the path and charging for it?

Indeed, if even the Martial World is wary of the Imperial Court, then mountain bandits acting recklessly would be nothing short of suicide.

No matter how much martial arts mountain bandits practiced, there were countless stronger individuals in the Martial World. If they acted too brazenly, they’d just end up as disposable mobs, serving as fodder for the protagonist’s performance, as often seen in martial arts novels.

Accepting this with a nod, Namgung-woo decided not to argue with the common sense of a World where martial arts existed.

“Then what exactly is troublesome?”

“Hmm, I mentioned earlier that humans aren’t truly fearsome, didn’t I?”

“You did.”

“Perhaps, young hero, you might get to experience the most dreaded enemies of an Escort Mission.”

The most dreaded enemies.

Given the clue that they weren’t human, Namgung-woo now had a good idea of what they might be.

Since the mountain bandits had already taken care of the wild animals, only one possibility remained.

So they exist here too.

In games, they’re called Monsters.

In the East, they’re called Demon/spirits.

Different from humans, unconditional adversaries with whom no dialogue is possible.

This is a World where martial arts exist. What’s so strange about Monsters appearing in a World where Supernatural powers and strange deities have been proven?

“Not far from here, a Ghost Gate has opened,” Peng Choyul said.

Peng Choyul’s troubled voice didn’t quite resonate with Namgung-woo.

For hunting Monsters was Namgung-woo’s specialty.

Time to earn my keep.

This time, he would finally set the standard for strength in this World.