Chapter 12 Hebei

Chapter 12 Hebei

Wu’an County, Northern Zhili.

The village, nestled close to the Taihang Mountains bordering Shanxi Province, was currently gripped by fear and utter chaos.

“They say a Ghost Gate has opened on North Mountain. We need to escape, quickly!”

“B-but Beijing, where His Majesty resides, is so close! Won’t the Martial Governor’s Office or the Embroidered Uniform Guard do something?”

“Don’t be foolish. Weren’t they deployed to the Gate Closing Battle for the Ghost Gate that opened on Mount Song and Mount Tai?”

Since when?

Since when had another fear been added to the lives of the Common Folk? While there were countless dangers that threatened their existence, this new terror was fundamentally different from all the others.

It was an entity even more terrifying than the Martial Artists, who seemed like Immortals from the clouds, making it hard to believe they were even human.

Taxes that made tomorrow’s life bleak? At least during the spring famine or times of scarcity, they received relief grain, offering some compensation.

Martial Artists who might kill them at any moment? They were still human, and many would offer great help if appealed to with sincerity. Even among Unorthodox Faction members, though fewer in number, if one befriended them personally, there was no one more reliable.

But this new terror was different.

It didn’t speak human language, so one couldn’t beg for mercy. It was a concentrated embodiment of violence that the Common Folk could never hope to resist.

It didn’t covet wealth, so there was no bottom line, no final resort to at least save one’s life.

Neither the government nor the Martial World would kill commoners in large numbers. It was rarer than Beasts and Plagues.

Even if Unorthodox Faction Martial Artists were fierce and lawless, they still had to be wary of the government’s eye. If the populace dwindled, their profits would too, so even when they committed murder, they kept it to a minimum.

Those who practiced bizarre Martial Arts and killed as casually as eating were not even called Unorthodox Faction members. The Righteous and Unorthodox Martial Worlds alike would brand them Public Enemies of the Martial World and cooperate with the Imperial Court to eradicate them.

So, no matter how much the Jianghu Martial World was a Mountain of Blades and Forest of Swords, drenched in blood, the common people regarded it as a separate world, a mere half-step away.

With such a low threshold of fear, the rumor of a Ghost Gate opening was enough to plunge Wu’an County into complete panic.

“The atmosphere is utter chaos.”

It was around this time that Namgung-woo and the Yaoping Escort Agency members arrived in Wu’an County.

“We didn’t see many refugee processions on the way here. It feels less like they’re prepared and more like they don’t know what to do.”

“That’s how it is in Hebei. Since Beijing, the capital, is here, they assume they’re safe.”

At those words, Namgung-woo thought of the term “safety complacency.”

It seemed like a concept not quite applicable to this era, but Peng Choyul’s explanation suggested otherwise.

“The Imperial Court probably won’t stay idle either. A commotion in Hebei, specifically Northern Zhili, is certainly not something they’d want. The army guarding Northern Zhili seems to be at Mount Song and Mount Tai for the Gate Closing Battle, so they’ll at least send the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was like the Emperor’s direct personal guard unit.

However, in this world where Martial Arts were real, it was easier to understand them as an elite special unit of the Imperial Court, all of whom practiced Martial Arts.

“But isn’t Beijing still quite a distance from here?”

“It’s about a thousand li. Even if you change horses at every post station and ride hard, it would take seven days. People are probably fleeing because they don’t know what might happen in that time.”

Indeed, as someone working for an Escort Agency, he was quick with distance calculations.

“Seven days… Is that enough time to withstand the Monsters and Demons coming from the Ghost Gate?”

“Well, the Monsters and Demons that emerge differ from one Ghost Gate to another. Some Ghost Gates can be endured even by Common Folk who don’t practice Martial Arts, while others can wipe out even the elite units of the Nine Great Sects and One Alliance. If there were diviners, they could probably figure it out… but as Young Master Namgung-woo knows, diviners are far fewer in number than Martial Artists, aren’t they?”

I don’t know. Namgung-woo was once again reminded of his own ignorance about this world.

Peng Choyul continued his explanation.

“The problem is the ecosystem of the Hebei Martial World.”

“Ecosystem?”

“Because Hebei is one of the regions with the weakest Martial World powers.”

“Ah… I suppose so.”

From the Imperial Court’s perspective, they would undoubtedly be extremely reluctant to have powerful Martial World powers in their own backyard, the Hebei Region, or Northern Zhili.

Naturally, they must have subtly pressured the Hebei Martial World powers.

Thus, the Hebei Martial World would have been weakened, and Northern Zhili would have fallen completely under the Imperial Court’s influence.

“They’ll probably make do by hastily gathering wandering martial artists. Will you join them?”

Peng Choyul seemed to have already grasped Namgung-woo’s intention to participate in this situation.

“Yes, I intend to.”

“I’m sorry, but…”

As Peng Choyul cautiously began to speak, Namgung-woo nodded, as if he understood everything. This time, it wasn’t a pretense of understanding, but genuine empathy for his situation.

“I understand. The Escort Agency’s priority is to safely transport the escorted goods. That must be your first concern.”

“This is… I feel bad sending Young Master Namgung-woo, who is Chae-ji’s benefactor, into a dangerous place.”

Peng Choyul spoke with genuine regret.

However, Namgung-woo didn’t particularly care. They might feel obligated to treat him as a benefactor because he helped Song Chae-ji, but Namgung-woo felt that he was the one who had received their help.

“On the contrary, I apologize for only receiving and not being able to return anything. Speaking of which…”

Peng Choyul burst into hearty laughter at Namgung-woo’s words.

“Then I’ll look forward to it. I hope to hear your name in Beijing, Young Master Namgung-woo.”

There were only three Martial World powers in Wu’an County. A ridiculously small number compared to other counties. Moreover, they were sects half-heartedly established by various factions to maintain a balance between the Righteous Faction and the Unorthodox Faction.

The only Martial family truly willing to step up for Wu’an County was the Lee Clan Manor, a local influential family.

Claiming Lee Mok, Lord of Wu’an, who was said to have received Wu’an County as his fiefdom, as their ancestor, they were resolved to protect Wu’an County until reinforcements arrived, even if it meant their own deaths.

Therefore, the Lee Clan Manor was also the main organizer for gathering wandering martial artists. Namgung-woo stored his luggage at the Inn Peng Choyul had arranged and immediately headed for the Lee Clan Manor.

Quite a lot, aren’t there?

There seemed to be at least thirty people. Perhaps there were indeed signs of a Ghost Gate. Like Namgung-woo’s group, who had heard rumors from Mountain bandits while crossing the Taihang Mountains, these people seemed to have gathered after hearing separate rumors.

Ghostly treasures obtained from killing Demon/spirits are quite valuable, I heard.

Namgung-woo had received a crash course on precautions from Peng Choyul.

Namgung-woo thought it highly likely that most of the wandering martial artists gathered here had come with the intention of making a fortune from these byproducts.

They were a kind of Treasure Hunter, one might say. Of course, less than half of them were proper Martial Artists.

Still, some of them are quite…?

Namgung-woo’s eyes turned blue as he quickly scanned the assembled individuals.

He saw several people with Martial Prowess similar to Song Chae-ji’s scattered among them.

No Peak Masters?

Perhaps Hwang Mu-tak’s cultivation realm was surprisingly high, as there was no one among the thirty-plus wandering martial artists who could compare to Hwang Mu-tak. This was also true for the Yugeon Sect and Jegam Faction members who were established in Wu’an County, beyond just wandering martial artists.

There was only one exception.

He was called the Lee Clan Manor Lord, wasn’t he?

The grizzled middle-aged man who was personally leading and commanding the situation.

That person was comparable to Hwang Mu-tak.

They seem about even. Hwang Mu-tak might be slightly stronger.

While Namgung-woo was observing and comparing the strength of the people, the line had shortened, and it was soon his turn.

“If you have an identification tag, please show it.”

“Ah, instead of an identification tag, I’m using an escort certificate from the Yaoping Escort Agency.”

“Yaoping Escort Agency? You mean the Escort Agency from Shanxi Province?”

“Yes.”

“Support from the Yaoping Escort Agency, you say.”

The man who was taking notes quickly stood up and performed a Cupped Fist Salute.

“I am Lee U-nyeong of the Lee Clan Manor. Thank you for the Yaoping Escort Agency’s support. Has an Escort come as a representative? We should inform the Clan Head…”

It seemed this man mistakenly believed Namgung-woo had come to convey the Yaoping Escort Agency’s support on behalf of the entire organization. Namgung-woo felt unnecessarily apologetic and said,

“My support is just one person from the Yaoping Escort Agency, so please list me as an individual.”

“Ah… My apologies. We are in a situation where every hand is needed, so I was rude.”

“It’s fine.”

Nevertheless, as a member of a martial family belonging to the Righteous Faction, Lee U-nyeong acknowledged his mistake with hardly any sign of disappointment. It was quite an impressive display.

“My name is Nam-woo. My age is…”

How old should I say I am?

Come to think of it, Namgung-woo had never explicitly stated his age.

Even when he was with the Yaoping Escort Agency, everyone just looked at his face and assumed he was around twenty, then moved on.

If I go by my original age, I’d be 26… but if I say 26 here, it might raise suspicion, so should I lower it a bit?

He was already using an alias anyway. What problem would it be to slightly reduce his age? He wasn’t gaining any advantage by lying about his age.

I seem to look around 20 on the outside, so let’s compromise and say 23.

Having made up his mind, Namgung-woo opened his mouth.

“Twenty…”

Before Namgung-woo could finish his sentence, a small commotion erupted from the wide-open main gate of the Lee Clan Manor.

A man dressed in the Lee Clan Manor’s Martial Robe rushed in, shouting with a booming voice.

“From the Peng Clan! Reinforcements from the Peng Clan have arrived!”

Even if the Hebei Martial World had weakened, its martial potential still remained.

Among the common people, they were known as one of the Seven Great Clans.

The Hebei Peng Clan.