Chapter 324 |
Chapter 324
Jeongmumaeng
Looking at Mu-jin, who now seemed much more comfortable than at the beginning, Liu Seol-hwa smiled softly.
"It's getting late, so I should be going now."
"Yes, please take care, Lady Seol-hwa."
After exchanging brief farewells with Mu-jin, Liu Seol-hwa spoke her final reserved words.
"Please do your best so that Jeongmumaeng can win. And most importantly, Mu-jin, you must survive."
With those words, she clasped her hands together in a respectful gesture and left Mu-jin's quarters.
* * *
The first to arrive in Hunan Province were busy helping with the construction of the Alliance or immersing themselves in training, waiting for others from Zhongnan Sect, Tang Clan, and the Jegal family to join them later.
Mu-jin was about to start his training when Jegal Muhwan came to see him.
"What brings you here so early in the morning, Chief Commander?"
With the official discussion of the Alliance's establishment, various positions naturally began to emerge.
While not all the military units or positions were finalized, the role of Chief Commander naturally fell to Jegal Muhwan.
Following the now defunct Murim Alliance, Jegal Muhwan was to assume the Chief Commander position in the newly established Jeongmumaeng, making him an unusual figure in the martial world.
This unusual figure, as always, smiled as he spoke.
"Soon, many energetic warriors will gather here, Fist Emperor."
Being called the Fist Emperor by Jegal Muhwan gave Mu-jin an involuntary shiver.
‘…Will I get used to this nickname with time?’
Or, Mu-jin worried, he might end up with an even more embarrassing nickname in the future.
"Ahem. I am aware, but did you come here just to remind me?"
"I came to explain more precisely."
Saying that, Jegal Muhwan folded his fan and made a tapping gesture in the air, as if hitting an invisible bell.
"Warriors from Shaolin, Wudang, Zhongnan, the Jegal family, and the Tang Clan will gather here. Also, those from the former Murim Alliance who have aligned with us will come. On top of that, countless warriors from across the Central Plains will flock here."
Seeing Mu-jin's expression of 'why are you repeating what I already know,' Jegal Muhwan unfolded his fan with a pop and continued.
"And to lead this disorganized group, a central figure is necessary."
"...If you mean a central figure, isn't the Alliance Leader already present?"
"Hehehe. A king does not go to the battlefield. If the king falls, everything ends. The central figure I speak of is not for 'decision-making.' It's a central figure for the battlefield."
"Are you talking about a commander? Like a general?"
"It's a bit different. Strategies will be devised by me or the soon-to-be-formed Military Council. The battlefield's central figure I’m referring to is a 'hero' whom everyone can trust and follow. In simpler terms, a hero whom the soldiers can believe in, thinking, 'If we follow this man, we will win. We will survive.'"
Being called both Fist Emperor and hero made Mu-jin's skin crawl. If it were anyone else, it might have sounded like a compliment, but coming from Jegal Muhwan, it felt like there was an ulterior motive.
"So, you're asking me to become that hero?"
"Hahaha. You don't need to become a hero."
"???"
Jegal Muhwan pointed his folded fan at Mu-jin's puzzled face.
"Because you already are a hero. An unparalleled genius who, at such a young age, single-handedly defeated the leader of the Murim Alliance, known as the Fist King. A brave general who overcame the combined assault of the leaders of Emei Sect, Qingcheng Sect, and an elder of the Jeomchang Sect to win the battle. That is the evaluation of you, Fist Emperor, by the world."
"…"
Momentarily speechless from the endless praise, Mu-jin let out a deep sigh and asked.
"Enough with the pointless flattery. What do you want from me?"
"It's simple. Since the young warriors will naturally follow the hero they admire, we plan to form a military unit from those young warriors coming to the Alliance. We want you, the Fist Emperor, to take command of that unit."
Declining the position of Alliance Leader led to being offered the command of the military unit. Feeling it would be hard to refuse this time, Mu-jin sighed and asked.
"What would my responsibilities be? If it involves organizing the members or devising strategies, it doesn’t seem like a good fit for me."
"No need to worry. Hehehe. I’m well aware that the Fist Emperor is not suited for brainwork."
"…"
Mu-jin couldn't tell if Jegal Muhwan was here to recruit him or mock him.
Ignoring Mu-jin's baffled expression, Jegal Muhwan continued with his characteristic smile.
"But your intuition and decisiveness are outstanding, making you well-suited as a 'field commander.' All we ask of you is to unify the diverse young warriors who will gather here."
"It sounds easy in words, but how am I supposed to unify them?"
Seeing Mu-jin's skeptical reaction, Jegal Muhwan shrugged lightly.
"Well, you could gather the young warriors for drinking parties, or offer advice on martial arts and help with their training. The Fist Emperor’s reputation is well-known throughout the Central Plains, so many will value your advice like gold."
"Hmm."
Mu-jin pondered for a moment.
'There will be a continuous influx of warriors for some time, so drinking parties are out of the question.'
As he needed to improve his skills to confront Shinchun, he couldn't afford to spend days drinking.
"Oh, right. You mentioned that warriors from Zhongnan and the Jegal family will also come soon, correct? Will they be under my command too?"
"Yes, the young warriors will be. Is there any issue with that?"
Mu-jin shook his head at Jegal Muhwan's words.
"No, it’s actually good news."
It meant that capable recruits were coming to him on their own.
* * *
Jang Han-sung.
He was a young warrior from Sanggo County in Jiangxi Province.
As the second son of Ho-geommun (Tiger Sword Sect), which has a deep tradition in Sanggo County, he dedicated his days to martial arts training and spent his evenings discussing the future of the martial world over drinks with young friends from neighboring sects.
One day, he happened to see a poster.
It was a poster announcing the establishment of a new alliance to drive out Sa-doryeon and other demonic forces disrupting the Central Plains.
Eagerly preparing himself, Jang Han-sung set out for Dongting Lake in Hunan Province.
The reason was simple. His heart burned with the ambition to eradicate the vile demonic forces, and most importantly, because the Fist Emperor was there.
Despite being around his age, the Fist Emperor was already considered one of the top martial artists in the Central Plains.
With an excited heart, Jang Han-sung arrived at Dongting Lake and soon reached the Jeongmumaeng headquarters.
There, they were conducting an examination to select members for the alliance, and Jang Han-sung passed it with ease.
‘As expected. My skills are recognized here as well.’
He brimmed with pride.
Growing up only in Sanggo County, he had feared he might be a big fish in a small pond, but passing the member examination dispelled those worries.
However, a few days later.
When he visited Jeongmumaeng on the official gathering day after passing the examination, he realized his thoughts had been arrogant.
Looking at the scattered martial artists, dressed in various attires like himself, he thought.
‘…None of them are pushovers.’
Judging by their aura and presence, there were only a few he considered less skilled than himself.
But what was even more serious were those wearing uniformed martial attires.
Shaolin, Wudang, Zhongnan, Jegal family, Tang Clan.
The martial artists of his age, wearing their distinct uniforms, exuded a more formidable presence than himself.
As Jang Han-sung began to feel intimidated by their aura.
Thud. Thud.
With heavy footsteps, a new figure entered the training ground.
Naturally, all eyes turned towards him.
‘…I don’t feel any special aura from him?’
Though his stone-like muscles radiated strength, martial arts ultimately relied on internal energy. Jang Han-sung didn’t consider the man to be a master.
Contrary to Jang Han-sung’s impression, the man confidently climbed the dais and spoke with a voice full of deep internal energy.
"Greetings. From today, I am Mu-jin of Shaolin, appointed as the captain of Jeongmumaeng's new military unit, the New Star Unit."
"!!!"
Jang Han-sung looked at Mu-jin with a shocked face. Most others who didn’t know his identity reacted similarly.
‘Is that man the Fist Emperor?’
He didn’t feel any special aura. But upon reflection, the internal energy in his voice moments ago was indeed profound.
‘They say you can’t gauge the strength of someone far beyond your level, and it turns out to be true.’
While Jang Han-sung pondered this, Mu-jin spoke again with internal energy.
"Although I will lead your training as the captain, given the diverse martial arts each of you has learned, the training will focus more on external energy than internal energy."
Jang Han-sung showed a disappointed expression at Mu-jin’s words.
He had expected to learn from an incredible master, but it was just external energy training.
"Understood!!"
"Got it!!"
But surprisingly, the responses came loudly from those he thought were top-notch, like the disciples from Zhongnan Sect, Jegal family, and Tang Clan.
When the startled Jang Han-sung looked towards them, they were all gazing at the Fist Emperor with eyes full of anticipation.
‘…What is this?’
While Jang Han-sung was feeling confused, the Fist Emperor spoke again.
"Given the number of people gathered here, we will assign instructors to facilitate smooth training."
As soon as Mu-jin finished speaking, the disciples of Zhongnan Sect leaped into action as if pre-arranged.
"Understood!!"
With an unidentifiable shout.
As the disciples of Zhongnan Sect spread out across the training ground, the Fist Emperor continued.
"I will demonstrate and explain the external energy training techniques, and the Zhongnan Sect instructors will follow suit. You will mimic their postures."
"Understood!!!"
With another loud shout from Zhongnan Sect, the Fist Emperor frowned.
"Ahem. Instructors, since today’s training is ‘ordinary,’ there's no need to uniformly shout ‘Understood.’"
"Train as in battle! Battle as in training!"
"Whether in training or battle, we will endure with spirit! Understood!!"
"…."
The Fist Emperor bowed his head in resignation at the resounding shout of the Zhongnan Sect disciples.
Letting out a big sigh unnoticed by others, Mu-jin continued the training as if giving up.
"Since it’s the first day, I will teach you exercises focused on the lower body and core muscles, which are crucial for a martial artist."
Using sandbags prepared around the dais, Mu-jin taught various bodyweight exercises.
Due to the hastily decided training schedule, they hadn’t yet prepared enough weights for the hundreds of young martial artists gathered here.
However, having taught numerous bodyweight exercises using sandbags at Shaolin, Mu-jin had an endless repertoire of movements to teach.
And whenever Mu-jin demonstrated the movements.
"Understood!!"
The Zhongnan Sect disciples mimicked the movements, shouting bizarrely.
But once training began, the weirdness wasn’t limited to Zhongnan Sect.
"I am!"
"Happy!!"
With each squat, the Jegal family disciples also shouted bizarrely.
"I am!"
"Understood!"
"Happy!"
"Understood!!"
Caught in the surreal duet of Zhongnan Sect and Jegal family, Jang Han-sung looked around in disbelief.
‘…Is this really meaningful?’
Having come to the capital with high expectations, Jang Han-sung began to fear that he might have made a wrong choice.