Chapter 323 |
Chapter 323
Jeongmumaeng (political alliance)
To establish Jeongmumaeng, some of those gathered at Wudang left Mount Wudang.
To rebuild the buildings and walls destroyed in the battle, all fifty or so people from Wudang stayed at Mount Wudang, and Cheongsu Dojang also remained there for closed-door training.
This was not much different for other sects.
Since they did not know when they might be attacked by Shinchun like Wudang, it was inevitable that sending out a large number of people would come with significant risks.
The Sichuan Tang Clan and Zhongnan Sect, which had suffered great damage from the recent war, and the Jegal Family, which had already suffered some damage from the previous civil war, decided to send only about fifty people each to Hunan Province.
Fifty from Tang Clan, fifty from Zhongnan Sect, fifty from Jegal Family, and fifty from Wudang.
Additionally, Shaolin was to send about a hundred people to lay the foundation for the newly established alliance.
Mu-jin, Mu-gyeong, and Mu-gung were among those heading to Hunan instead of returning to Shaolin.
"This is getting complicated," sighed Mu-gung after hearing the details of the meeting from Mu-jin.
The term 'So-cheon-ju' or 'Cheon-ju', as well as the mysterious master who assassinated one of the Three Swords of the World, the Taegeuk Sword Saint.
Although Mu-gung himself had undoubtedly grown stronger, the level of masters they had to fight seemed to keep rising.
"Surely, there aren't more masters like that in Shinchun, right?"
"Hmm... there probably aren't that many. If there were, they wouldn't need to work in the shadows like they do now."
Shinchun's goal was not just to unify the martial world but to establish a new imperial dynasty.
"At the very least, they don't have the strength to face both the imperial army and the martial world simultaneously or to fight the martial world head-on and then immediately face the imperial army."
Despite his words, Mu-jin swallowed the negative thoughts he had.
'On the other hand, it means they have enough power to face at least one of them alone.'
Realizing this important fact he had been overlooking, Mu-jin thought, 'But why are they hiding their strength while being so wary of the imperial family?'
It wasn't a question of their objective.
Considering both their revealed and hidden strength, Shinchun's power was formidable.
Yet, they were desperately concealing their strength, mindful of the imperial family.
'Do they know the imperial army's exact strength? Or are they just being cautious just in case?'
The exact strength of the imperial army was not known.
The widely known forces were the 700,000 troops guarding the borders.
There were also the elite guards directly under the imperial family, the Golden Guards, and the secret investigation unit, the Eastern Depot, composed of eunuchs.
However, the exact numbers and strength of the Golden Guards and the Eastern Depot were not known.
There were many rumors about masters within the Eastern Depot or Golden Guards, but their exact level was unclear.
While Mu-jin was pondering these questions, Mu-gyeong spoke with a look of curiosity.
"Could the one who assassinated the Taegeuk Sword Saint be the 'In-ju'?"
"Come to think of it, we did hear that there's a rank higher than 'Dae-ju' called 'In-ju'."
This was one of the pieces of information they had obtained by interrogating Shinchun's Dae-ju and his subordinates.
"So-cheon-ju, Cheon-ju, and now In-ju. Then, is there also a Ji-ju?" Mu-gung speculated.
Mu-gyeong looked doubtful at the suggestion.
"Cheon-ji-in, doesn't that seem a bit too simplistic for names, Senior Brother Mu-gung?"
"Is that so?"
Mu-gung scratched his head awkwardly, but Mu-jin felt that there was some plausibility to it.
"Since they are a secretive organization moving in the shadows, there's no need for elaborate names. They don't need to introduce their organization to anyone. The organization's name itself sounds like a cult; why would their ranks have sophisticated names? The important thing isn't their rank names."
At Mu-jin's words, Mu-gyeong and Mu-gung looked at him.
'Yes, the most important thing isn't their rank names or why they hide their strength.'
After organizing his thoughts, Mu-jin spoke in a calm tone.
"Whether it's Cheon-ju, So-cheon-ju, In-ju, or Ji-ju, the fundamental issue is that we need to reach a level where we can defeat them."
The martial world is ultimately a place where the strong prevail. To confront them, fundamentally, they needed to become stronger.
'…Everyone has become stronger much faster than in the novel.'
Gu-yang Pae and Dao Yuetian were at much higher levels than they would have reached at this point in the novel, not to mention Jegal Jin-hee, who didn't even appear in the original story, and Cheongsu Dojang, which had little significance, were also growing rapidly.
Additionally, there were Mu-yul and Mu-gung, who didn't appear in the novel, and Mu-gyeong, who was a minor villain.
The busy actions during the years after Mu-jin awakened in this body had not been in vain.
However, conversely, because he had interfered with their plans, the timeline for the emergence of Shinchun's main forces had accelerated.
Although Gu-yang Pae and Dao Yuetian had reached heights higher than originally planned, they were still not at the level of the complete Heavenly Demon or the Supreme Emperor in the novel.
Therefore, ultimately…
'We need to fill the gaps.'
He and the Muja Trio had to fill the gaps, especially he, who had accelerated the events, needed to compensate for it.
The problem was…
'It's almost the limit to grow my external energy.'
Mu-jin's physical strength had already reached the limits of human capability.
Though he maintained a well-balanced muscular physique thanks to the effects of the Jade Vajra Technique, the truth was that considering his monstrous strength, he should have had the physique of a muscular beast.
'While maintaining the perfection of my body, I need to refine my martial arts.'
Mu-jin recalled the Invincible Divine Fist left as a final gift by Hyeongwang.
Mu-jin's Invincible Divine Fist was not complete. Compared to what Hyeongwang used, it was like a child's play.
The problem was that it was impossible to perform Hyeongwang's Invincible Divine Fist exactly.
Honestly, it was such a high level that he couldn't even grasp how it was performed.
Instead, Mu-jin set his sights on a slightly lower level.
'Still, the actual combat experience wasn't meaningless.'
There were problems he realized while fighting Wi Ji-hak and So-cheon-ju.
Though he didn't know if it was possible, Mu-jin believed that solving these problems would advance his martial arts to the next level.
* * *
After several days of repeated travel, they arrived near Dongting Lake.
"We've been expecting you."
Waiting for them at Dongting Lake was none other than Ryu Seol-hwa.
As soon as the news of the alliance's creation decision was relayed to Cheonryu Sangdan, they quickly purchased a large estate located on the outskirts of Dongting Lake.
Additionally, they bought the nearby land and began additional construction.
The estate would be slightly remodeled to be used as an inner hall, including the leader's hall, and new buildings and large walls would be built nearby to be used as the outer hall.
After Ryu Seol-hwa finished roughly explaining the estate and surrounding land, Hyun-cheon, who had become the first leader of the alliance, smiled gently and said,
“Hahaha. We've become heavily indebted to Cheonryu Sangdan.”
Ryu Seol-hwa, with a soft smile that showed no signs of her former timid self, replied,
“Hahaha. Indebted? That's not right. This is an ‘investment’ from our Sangdan.”
“If it's an investment, does that mean you'll be expecting a return later? Hahaha.”
“Of course. Given the amount we've invested, we hope that after the alliance is completed, all the food, clothing, bedding, and other necessities used by the alliance will be exclusively purchased from our Cheonryu Sangdan.”
“Hahaha... Please don't overcharge us, thinking that martial artists are bad at math.”
“Our Cheonryu Sangdan does not make money in such underhanded ways.”
The two shared a brief conversation, lightly laughing at each other.
Hyun-cheon, experienced and wise, knew that Ryu Seol-hwa's words were to ease his burden.
Even if the alliance purchased all their necessities from Cheonryu Sangdan, it wouldn't compare to the cost of buying the land, the estate, and constructing new buildings for the alliance.
Moreover, necessities were things that had to be bought anyway. It was simply spending money at Cheonryu Sangdan.
After a brief explanation and exchanging greetings with Hyun-cheon, the leader of the alliance, Ryu Seol-hwa's workers from Cheonryu Sangdan guided the martial artists to their resting places.
Mu-jin also headed to his assigned place to take a brief rest when a guest arrived at his quarters.
“Mu-jin, are you inside?”
Even before hearing the voice, Mu-jin knew who it was approaching his quarters and responded calmly,
“Yes, please come in, Shiju-nim Seol-hwa.”
As soon as Mu-jin finished speaking, the door to his quarters opened gently, and Ryu Seol-hwa entered with a calm expression.
“It's been a while.”
“Since you've been so busy, it's been difficult to see your face.”
Although her words were sharp, Ryu Seol-hwa was smiling subtly, and her tone was more playful than critical.
‘...Indeed.’
She had changed so much that it was hard to recognize her former self. While it indicated change, it wasn't a negative connotation.
The girl who once seemed like a timid student had now become a mature socialite.
Although she was two years older than Mu-jin, it was only in physical age.
From the perspective of Choi Kang-hyuk, who was thirty-seven when they first met, she was always just a ‘girl.’
But now, she felt like an equal adult.
Thus, Mu-jin also smiled softly as he replied,
“Hahaha. Though I've been busy, Shiju-nim Seol-hwa, haven't you been just as busy as I?”
“That's hard to deny.”
She answered with a subtle smile, and Mu-jin asked again,
“Honestly, I'm worried you're overworking yourself.”
“If that's your concern, you don't have to worry. Thanks to some kind person's exercise routines, I don't get tired no matter how much work I have. Sometimes, when I have too much work, I think, 'Ah, maybe if I faint from exhaustion, I can rest for a couple of days?' But the next day, I wake up feeling completely refreshed.”
Mu-jin laughed awkwardly.
He knew very well who the kind person was that taught her the exercises.
“Are you still exercising regularly?”
“Of course. One of my businesses is a musculoskeletal treatment clinic, and a manager can't afford to look out of shape, right?”
Ryu Seol-hwa said this proudly, rolling up her sleeve just below her shoulder to show off her biceps.
Though her attitude was vastly different from her past self, Mu-jin, due to his professional habit, focused more on examining her arm than her confident demeanor.
“Indeed, it shows you've been maintaining it well. Hahaha.”
Her arm wasn't overly muscular but was firm and well-toned without any flab.
It was the kind of balanced shape that he would want to show female gym members as an example.
Ryu Seol-hwa, observing Mu-jin's tone and expression, chuckled lightly.
“Really, Mu-jin, your love for muscles remains unchanged.”
As Mu-jin awkwardly scratched his head at her comment, Ryu Seol-hwa lightly teased,
“It's not just my arms that I've maintained. I'd love to show you my abs and thighs too, but I can't show such things to another man, even if it's Mu-jin who only objectively 'evaluates muscles.'”
“Ahem.”
Feeling even more awkward, Mu-jin cleared his throat and changed the topic.
“When I expressed concern about overworking, it wasn't just about health. I was worried Cheonryu Sangdan might be overextending to help us.”
Instead of answering right away, she suddenly took out two coins from her pocket and placed them on the floor.
“Currently, Central Plains is divided into two major forces. The alliance you're forming and Shinchun. Although Sa-doryeon exists, they are just a subsidiary of Shinchun.”
Mu-jin nodded silently, and Ryu Seol-hwa continued.
“We had three choices. To align with the alliance, to align with Shinchun, or to remain neutral.”
“...So Cheonryu Sangdan chose us?”
“That's right. As a merchant, choosing the safe path is an option, but there are times when you have to take a gamble. Among the two remaining choices.”
She pushed away the coin that represented Shinchun and said,
“This one is too dirty. Both I and the leader of our Sangdan believe it would bring disaster in the future.”
“Dirty money...”
Mu-jin murmured, following her words, and Ryu Seol-hwa smiled softly.
“As monks, it might seem funny that merchants discriminate against money, but we too have a final line to consider.”
“Ahem. That wasn't what I meant.”
“I know. I know Mu-jin isn't that kind of person. It's just something I tell myself. We haven't always made money doing only good deeds.”
Saying this, she picked up the coins from the floor and put them back in her pocket, then continued.
“We may use force or harm others to protect what we have, but we never do such things to take what belongs to others. We make money by buying and selling various goods, sometimes overcharging or buying at low prices, but we don't deal in human trafficking or drugs. That's the final line Cheonryu Sangdan has set.”
Mu-jin nodded in understanding instead of adding more words to her explanation.
Ryu Seol-hwa, gazing steadily at Mu-jin's serious face, smiled gently and teased,
“So, we chose the alliance. So please, do your best. If the alliance wins this war, we hope to rise from one of the five major Sangdans to the best in the world, the Supreme Sangdan.”
Understanding her last comment as a joke to lighten the mood, Mu-jin also laughed lightly and replied,
“Hahaha. We will do our best.”
It was a peculiar feeling.
Mu-jin, who felt a slight burden when Ryu Seol-hwa visited due to a past event in Jiangxi Province that was almost like a confession, now genuinely felt comfortable laughing with her.
Before awakening in Mu-jin's body, Choi Kang-hyuk, who lived up to thirty-seven, felt like she was leading the conversation more maturely than him.
It was only natural.
As a socialite, Choi Kang-hyuk was mature.
From the time he lived as Choi Kang-hyuk until his awakening as Mu-jin and the years he spent active, he had spent over twenty years single.