Chapter 351 |
Chapter 351
Localized Conflict
On the second day of following the traces of the Branch Chief from the remnants left on the mountain.
"Should we return at this point?"
Mu-jin found himself pondering this question.
At first, the traces left on the mountain were blatant, but the further they pursued, the fainter the traces became.
The effort to find the increasingly faint traces and deduce the enemy's movement route caused continual delays, and now the traces had nearly disappeared.
Feeling that continuing like this would make it nearly impossible to catch the enemy, Mu-jin made a decision.
"We will abandon the pursuit. It seems better to return to the alliance."
Though their faces showed regret, no one voiced any objection.
All of them realized how difficult it had become to find any more traces.
Mu-jin, surveying the faces of those who had been working tirelessly for two days without sleep, shouted.
"Since the ambush is now impossible, we will stop by the nearest county to rest for a day before returning to the alliance."
"Understood!"
Even though they had failed the mission, they had done their best.
Though they had failed to assassinate the Branch Chief, there were no injured or dead among them, so the atmosphere wasn't too bad.
Disguised as members of Noklim and the Beggar Sect, they headed to the nearby county.
Fortunately, the county was large enough to accommodate nearly two hundred people without much trouble.
However, no matter how large the county, it couldn't host all two hundred people in one place, so they split into groups and chose different inns.
Mu-jin, along with Mu-gyeong, Mu-gung, and several warriors from the Jegal family, headed to a relatively large inn.
Among the two hundred warriors were also disciples from the Muja Group, but Mu-jin purposely chose a separate inn for them.
"What's the point of this hardship if we can't even eat our fill?"
Staying at the same inn as the Shaolin elders and their disciples would mean no meat or alcohol, making it highly inconvenient.
Upon entering the inn, Jegal Jin-hee asked Mu-jin.
"What will you do, Mu-jin monk?"
She was asking whether he would bathe first or eat.
"Get some rooms and rest first. We will eat first."
Nodding at Mu-jin's suggestion, Jegal Jin-hee, along with the warriors from the Jegal family, moved inside with the guide from the inn.
nn
Disguised as members of the Beggar Sect while moving with Mu-jin had been a concern for Jegal Jin-hee, so a bath was her top priority.
As soon as the Jegal family members headed inside, Mu-jin ordered food from another attendant.
"Bring out your best seven dishes and three bottles of Bamboo Leaf Green."
"Yes, sir!"
Despite their beggarly appearance, the attendant responded heartily to the generous order.
Of course, the enthusiastic response was likely due to the silver coins handed over with the order.
With no one to worry about, Mu-jin eagerly awaited the food and drink, his face filled with anticipation.
Though Mu-gyeong and Mu-gung didn't show it outwardly, faint smiles played on their lips.
Not wearing the distinctive robes of Shaolin for this covert mission, Mu-jin couldn't help but chuckle.
"These monks have become quite the gluttons."
Soon after, a table full of meat and seafood was laid out before the three monks, along with bottles and glasses of alcohol.
Mu-gung, trying to maintain his dignity, stuffed enough food for three bites into his mouth at once, while Mu-gung, unable to break his habit, stealthily grabbed meat and gulped down alcohol like an assassin.
Meanwhile, Mu-jin...
Munch, munch.
...was voraciously devouring his food.
The patrons at the neighboring tables left.
"Bring the same dishes again, and this time, three bottles of Xiao Hong Wine!"
New patrons took seats, but Mu-jin continued to order more food and clear the remaining dishes.
Deeply enjoying the delicacies he had missed, Mu-jin couldn't ignore a conversation from the next table.
"Have you heard the news?"
"Ah, that news... It must be about the Jeongmumaeng."
"Seems you've already heard."
"My friend, how can a merchant not be aware of such news while traveling?"
While still shoveling food and drink into his mouth, Mu-jin's ears naturally focused on their conversation.
If there was recent commotion involving the Jeongmumaeng, it meant something significant had happened while they were on their mission.
Having been unable to receive updates from the alliance while chasing traces, his curiosity was piqued.
Fortunately, the two men provided exactly the information Mu-jin was curious about.
Unexpected and entirely unwanted news.
"Indeed, it's quite surprising."
"It is. The alliance formed by the Nine Great Sects and Five Noble Families couldn't even last a year before collapsing."nn
"Not a year, barely three months. And rumor has it, it was a single person who brought down Jeongmumaeng."
Before the man could finish speaking, a loud cough echoed through the inn.
"Ku... Ugh..."
Mu-gung, who had been eating meat with pretended elegance, choked.
On the other hand, Mu-gyeong, who had been stealthily picking at his meat, froze in place.
As the noisy cough drew the attention of the inn's patrons, Mu-jin sighed and stood up.
He approached the two merchants at the next table and spoke calmly.
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help hearing since we are so close. Could you tell me more about the Jeongmumaeng incident? I will compensate you generously."
Mu-jin's offer, along with the silver he handed over, made the two merchants eagerly spill their stories.
A rumor rapidly spreading throughout the Central Plains.
The buildings of Jeongmumaeng had been utterly destroyed, two-thirds of its members killed, and those who survived, including the leader, had fled.
And as they had mentioned earlier, it was said that a single man had single-handedly brought down Jeongmumaeng.
The merchants, thrilled to earn unexpected money, excitedly continued their tale until they noticed the three warriors' expressions.
The man who had given them the silver, the man who had been noisily coughing, and the previously quiet man—all stood in stunned silence, their faces dark.
Realizing that these three were martial artists, the two merchants nervously glanced at them, fearing any potential trouble.
The Muja Trio had no time to consider the merchants' concerns.
* * *
The trio, after receiving shocking news, were paralyzed with indecision for a while.
While they were on a brief mission, their place to return to had vanished.
Of course, the Muja Trio could return to Shaolin, but with their diverse backgrounds, they had no place to return to "together."
"First, let's confirm if the rumors are true."
Mu-jin suggested that the rumors mentioned by the merchants might be false.
However...
"Kwon Je-nim!! The Alliance, the Alliance has collapsed!"
People resting in another inn rushed to find Mu-jin, their faces conveying the shock of the news they had just received.
Since everyone was saying the same thing, it seemed highly likely that the rumor was true.
Even if the rumor was false, it appeared something had indeed happened to the Alliance.
"Since we can't ascertain the exact situation immediately, let's rest for the day."
In a situation where it was hard to make any decision, and everyone was already exhausted from several days of pursuit, Mu-jin decided to command a rest.
The next morning, whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, a visitor came to see Mu-jin.n
He was a middle-aged man dressed like a beggar.
No, he was a middle-aged beggar.
"I am Chwi-geolgae, the Dangju of Ogyul from the Beggar Sect."
Mu-jin staying behind with over two hundred people to rest turned out to be a stroke of luck.
Their large group attracted attention, leading the Beggar Sect to quickly make contact.
Chwi-geolgae briefly explained the situation of the Jeongmumaeng.
As the rumor suggested, Jeongmumaeng had indeed collapsed. He also informed that Hyeon-cheon and Jegal Muhwan had escaped and started to reorganize the Alliance.
"They are reorganizing the Alliance at the old site of the Murim Alliance in Weohyeon, Shaanxi."
"...So, how bad is the damage? Did really a third of the people get massacred as the rumor says?"
In response to Mu-jin's question, Chwi-geolgae nodded gravely, finding it difficult to answer.
"It is said that Cheon-ju moved directly."
"..."
Hearing Chwi-geolgae's explanation, Mu-jin finally understood the situation.
'Damn it. Was it a mistake to assume they wouldn't act due to fear of the royal court?'
However, there was no time for regret now.
"We will make preparations immediately and head to Shaanxi!"
After resting for a day, Mu-jin and his group, feeling lighter, set off for Shaanxi.
Despite their lightened bodies, their hearts felt heavier than ever.
* * *
After several days of travel, they arrived at Weohyeon in Shaanxi.
There, reconstruction work was underway to rebuild the collapsed Murim Alliance.
However, the atmosphere was quite different from when the Alliance was first established. It was as if they were remnants of a defeated army.
Strangely enough, the gloomy atmosphere brightened somewhat with Mu-jin's arrival.
"It's Kwon Je!"
"Kwon Je has returned!"
Those who had been working and overseeing the reconstruction with grim faces welcomed them as soon as they saw Mu-jin.
Not only Mu-jin, but...
"Anti-Demon Monk!"
"Great Hero Geumgang and Jeolhwa Jegal Young Master have also returned!"
n
The people cheered the titles of those who had returned with Mu-jin.
Amid the wonder, Mu-jin and his group dispersed and headed towards the heart of the new Alliance.
There, they were met by Hyeon-cheon and Jegal Muhwan, who had heard of Mu-jin's return.
"Leader!"
"Mu-jin. I'm glad you're safe."
Hyeon-cheon, whom they met after ten days, looked like he had aged ten years.
While Hyeon-cheon, who seemed to have suffered greatly, remained silent, Jegal Muhwan and Mu-jin shared their experiences.
"I am sorry. In the end, we failed to capture the Branch Chief."
"Their response was just too quick. It's actually fortunate you gave up the chase quickly. If you had continued to pursue the Branch Chief and lost contact with us, you might have been in danger, just like the Alliance."
Mu-jin understood what Jegal Muhwan was implying.
Since Cheon-ju had begun to act openly, if Mu-jin had chased the Branch Chief for too long, he might have faced an attack from Cheon-ju, similar to what happened to the Alliance.
"So, what do you plan to do now?"
Having roughly grasped the situation, Mu-jin asked. The collapse of the Alliance had already happened; now it was time to discuss what came next.
"Their rebellion will now likely become more pronounced."
"Rebellion? Are you saying they will rise in revolt?"
"Not a full-scale rebellion, but they will aim for unification under their rule."
"???"
Seeing Mu-jin's puzzled expression, Jegal Muhwan elaborated.
"From the news about the Alliance, you can tell that Cheon-ju's martial arts have reached an extraordinary level. No one can deny that he is the greatest martial artist in the world. However, his ultimate goal is to become the emperor of the empire. The position of 'emperor' cannot be attained by martial prowess alone."
"Is it because of the imperial army?"
"He needs people to carry out his orders. No matter how great his martial arts, how can he rule this vast Central Plains alone?"
"..."
"Probably, his reason for planting spies in various sects and operating under the guise of small sects was not just to hide his strength. It was to establish forces that could exert his influence throughout the Central Plains after the war with the imperial court."
"...So, you're saying that the spies and subordinates of Shinchun, who have been scheming everywhere, will now start operating openly."
Jegal Muhwan nodded.
"Since Cheon-ju has openly shown himself, they can no longer delay. However, the secret operatives and subordinates alone cannot handle the vast Central Plains. Like the Black Path, Shinchun's martial artists will try to devour nearby sects and establish their dominance."
Mu-jin's mind naturally pictured the scenario.
A battle between Shinchun trying to absorb nearby sects and those resisting them would ensue.
"Are we facing regional wars across the Central Plains?"
Wars that would paint the vast Central Plains in blood.