Chapter 501

“When is it?”

On the way back after parting ways with Zhuge Pung, I suddenly asked. Jin Wi-gyeong answered in a low voice.

“A month and a half from now. Songshan, Henan Province.”

“Songshan… the very place where the great Shaolin Temple, the beacon of the martial world, stands.”

Just three months ago, the Starfall Grand Banquet, the grand gathering of all martial artists, had taken place there. That was when Dark Heaven had brought forth a storm of bloodshed. And now, at that very site, the New Martial Alliance was about to be born.

Considering the symbolic weight of Songshan and the Shaolin Temple, it was a fitting place for the first step in reviving the Martial Alliance after fifty long years.

But the fact that only a month and a half remained…

“It was already decided, wasn’t it? Since the time you came to Sichuan.”

Contrary to my expectations, Jin Wi-gyeong shook his head slightly.

“It wasn’t?”

“Why do you think Wi Paeng just happened to be in Henan?”

“Then the reason Grandmaster Wi came here was…”

“The True Dragon Squad is the finest elite force of the main house. As the Young Lord, I wouldn’t summon half of them just to serve as porters. Not even if they were carrying the Emperor’s seal itself.”

“So the timeline was moved up?”

“Dark Heaven’s movements have been more aggressive and swift than expected. The Sichuan Bloodbath was the tipping point.”

To catch up with an advancing enemy, one had to move even faster.

The storm of blood that swept through the Shaolin Temple had spread to Sichuan, and now it had reached Hubei. The leadership of Henan had to make a choice.

“Uniting the entire martial world under one banner is no easy task. But it seems those in power have finally made up their minds.”

With a quiet murmur, Jin Wi-gyeong took out a sealed letter from his robe and handed it to me.

“This is…”

“A letter Wi Paeng brought from Henan.”

“If it’s from Henan, then it must be from the Martial Alliance?”

“You already guessed it.”

“I figured as much. I saw you giving one to Grandmaster Zhuge earlier.”

Even at a glance, the letter was different from an ordinary missive.

But what made it truly special were the three bold characters written on the cover in powerful strokes: *Martial Alliance (武林盟).*

“Read it yourself, youngest.”

“I’m already reading it, so stop talking. You’re distracting me.”

“…Ah, mm.”

Ignoring Jin Wi-gyeong’s crestfallen look, I quickly scanned the contents of the letter.

The message began with a grand declaration:

– “To all the martial world…”

The contents were brief and forceful. In fact, summarizing it in three lines was almost too easy.

– Listen up, everyone, this is serious. Dark Heaven is a bunch of absolute lunatics.
– You remember the Great Demonic War? We must stop this, no matter the cost.
– You all know where Songshan is, right? Be there by this date. If you don’t show up, you’re basically siding with Dark Heaven.

…Somehow, summarizing it like this makes it sound really unimpressive.

Of course, the actual letter wasn’t written that way.

The calligraphy, written by an unknown master, flowed like drifting clouds, and each word carried a solemn weight that stirred the soul.

Honestly, I kind of wanted to show this to Dark Heaven’s leader.

‘If he reads this, even he might consider joining the Martial Alliance.’

If that happened, it would be a happy ending for everyone.

But the odds of that happening were about as likely as finding a speck of dust in Hyeok Mu-jin’s earwax.

“One way or another, the Martial Alliance is about to be born.”

“In a month and a half, the martial world will gather under the banner of the Martial Alliance.”

Jin Wi-gyeong paused for a moment, then added a correction.

“Rather, I should say that the orthodox martial world will gather.”

I already understood the meaning behind his words.

‘Indeed… calling the orthodox faction the entire martial world isn’t quite right.’

At present, the dominant force in the martial world was undoubtedly the orthodox sects, led by the Nine Great Sects and the Five Noble Houses.

However, they were not the only ones who had survived the Great Demonic War.

“The unorthodox factions.”

The words slipped from my lips, and Jin Wi-gyeong nodded.

“That’s right. They cannot be ignored.”

The martial world is like an ocean—not all the fish within it are the same color.

Compared to the orthodox sects, they might seem small, but the unorthodox factions had carved out their own territories. And then there was the underworld, the *black path*, which ruled the streets.

‘I used to wonder why they hadn’t just wiped out all the heretics when they had the chance.’

But everything happened for a reason.

The unorthodox sects that still existed today had only survived because, during the Great Demonic War, they had sided with the orthodox faction.

The problem was, their allegiance hadn’t come from goodwill.

“Do you know why the current unorthodox factions sided with the orthodox martial world back then?”

“Did you forget who I’ve been traveling with for the past year?”

“Ah, so Grandmaster Jeok told you.”

“I picked up quite a bit from him.”

There’s an old saying: ‘Birds of a feather flock together.’

When the Demonic Cult surged past Qinghai and invaded the central plains, the unorthodox factions immediately threw their support behind them, chanting praises to their Lord.

Part of it was because the Demonic Cult’s strength was overwhelming. But they also saw them as kindred spirits and wanted them to rule the martial world.

However, things were different for the unorthodox sects that had already established themselves in the central plains.

‘If they didn’t side with the orthodox factions, they would’ve been slaughtered before they could even flee.’

I still remembered Jeok Cheon-Gang scoffing as he spoke those words.

“They say it was like swallowing a dumpling while crying.”

“I wasn’t alive back then, but from what I’ve verified, that’s exactly how it was.”

“Verified?”

“After you left for Sichuan, I stayed in Henan and dug through old records. I found countless documents, including those related to the unorthodox factions.”

The Martial Alliance had disbanded once peace was restored. But the memories of those who had fought in the Great Demonic War, as well as the records of that time, remained.

Which made sense.

In the long history of the martial world, fifty years was barely half a century.

“What did the records say?”

“What do you think?”

“I had a feeling, but hearing it confirmed is still unsettling.”

“I don’t know exactly what Grandmaster Jeok told you, but most of it is likely true.”

“…If that’s the case, it’s pretty messed up.”

From the start of the Great Demonic War through its later stages, the unorthodox martial artists who had sided with the orthodox faction repeatedly betrayed them.

Considering what Jeok Cheon-Gang had told me about the Martial Alliance leadership debating whether to completely eradicate all unorthodox sect members within their ranks, it must have been severe.

“But in the end, they fought hard, didn’t they?”

“That’s because the outcome of the war became uncertain. Grandmaster Song of Hidden Shadow Pavilion imposed an ironclad surveillance, and sensing that the leadership was getting serious, the unorthodox factions cut off their own traitorous members before things got worse.”

Just because the orthodox faction represents righteousness doesn’t mean every one of them is virtuous, and just because the unorthodox faction is labeled as such doesn’t mean they’re all villains.

However, unlike the orthodox faction, the unorthodox had no hesitation in severing their own when necessary.

The moment someone was suspected of being a demonic cult infiltrator, their throat was slit without a second thought.

“In the end, those who cut off their weak links survived and cooperated with the orthodox faction to claim victory.”

The remnants of the unorthodox faction managed to endure under the shadow of the orthodox giants, but naturally, they could no longer flaunt their power as before.

Their reputation was already stained, and their history of siding with the Demonic Cult countless times didn’t help.

If not for the Martial Alliance leadership recognizing their contributions and granting them a place, the hardcore righteous factions would have dragged them out and torn them limb from limb.

Even after the war ended, the stigma against them persisted like an unshakable tradition.

That in itself wasn’t an issue. The real problem started now.

“…But now we have to fight alongside them.”

“Exactly. If they’re not with the Martial Alliance, they’ll side with Dark Heaven.”

“Bringing them in feels uneasy.”

“They’re not exactly the kind of people you’d want watching your back in battle. Not only do they have a history of betrayal, but their resentment over post-war rewards has been simmering for decades.”

“What if we told them to remain neutral?”

Jin Wi-gyeong smirked.

“If the Martial Alliance starts losing, and you were an unorthodox martial artist, what would you do?”

“…Well.”

I hesitated, but ultimately answered.

“I hate to say it, but I’d side with Dark Heaven.”

“And why?”

“If the Martial Alliance wins, it’s just back to the way things are. But if Dark Heaven wins, then the power balance shifts entirely in their favor.”

“Exactly.”

“And there’s no way Dark Heaven would just leave the unorthodox factions alone. Instead of appreciating their neutrality, they’d see it as betrayal and wipe them out.”

“Correct. That’s why the unorthodox factions are ‘chicken ribs’—not particularly useful, but too valuable to throw away.”

Chicken ribs. A fitting analogy.

They’re not incredibly beneficial, but tossing them aside would be a waste. Keeping them close is uncomfortable, but abandoning them would only strengthen Dark Heaven.

Even a brittle bone can still cause damage when thrown.

“That means letters must have already been sent to the unorthodox factions from Henan as well.”

Jin Wi-gyeong nodded slightly.

“Without a doubt. If we must choose between one side or the other, we must bring the unorthodox factions to our side.”

For mere ‘chicken ribs’, they certainly had plenty of meat on them.

Even low-tier back alley assassins fell under the unorthodox umbrella, and right now, every extra blade mattered.

More importantly, keeping them close with a leash was far better than letting them slip away to Dark Heaven.

‘Wait a second… the underworld?’

A thought suddenly struck me, and I frowned.

“What is it?”

“Just remembered something. Didn’t we purge the underworld forces in Hubei over this Water Dragon incident?”

“We did.”

“…Then the unorthodox factions might not be too happy about that. After all, we accepted the authorities’ proposal and wiped out their own people.”

It didn’t look good.

This could be enough for the unorthodox factions to reject the Martial Alliance’s invitation.

However, Jin Wi-gyeong remained calm.

“You’re mistaken on two points.”

“…Excuse me?”

“First, the unorthodox factions have been fractured ever since the war. Those we wiped out weren’t ‘their’ people—they were ‘competitors’.”

He continued in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Hubei’s underworld had grown unusually large. We merely created a vacancy, and another unorthodox faction will take their place soon enough. To them, this is an opportunity.”

“We’ve given them enough to feast on. They’ll be satisfied. And as they hear what happened in Hubei, they’ll realize—this was a warning.”

We had given them food while tightening the leash of fear around their necks.

That was how the Martial Alliance tamed the unorthodox factions.

“And second, the authorities didn’t propose this plan—we did.”

Jin Wi-gyeong’s voice was dry and sharp.

“I made the proposal first. The authorities merely accepted.”

“…Would the authorities agree so easily?”

“Hubei’s Provincial Administration Commission holds sway over an entire province. But while people know the new commissioner once served in Shanxi’s Six Ministries, they don’t know he was one of King Sangsan’s closest confidants.”

A memory surfaced.

Back when we first arrived in Hubei, the hostile stares of the people…

And Jin Wi-gyeong, questioning the official who had surrounded the dock with soldiers.

“By the way, do you know someone named Hong Cheon?”
“T-The Commissioner? He was recently appointed… do you have a connection with him?”
“We’ve shared drinks a few times. I helped him when he needed it.”

Jin Wi-gyeong’s gaze met mine, warm yet laced with a hidden blade.

It was the look of a strategist—a politician.

But as soon as I noticed it, it vanished.

“Don’t worry. Everything will work out.”

‘Tap, tap.’

His hand on my shoulder carried firm reassurance.

I studied Jin Wi-gyeong for a moment before suddenly asking.

“Young Lord… no, what kind of man was my father?”

The faint smile on Jin Wi-gyeong’s lips disappeared entirely.

“…We were having a good conversation. Why bring *him* up?”

“As you know, I hit my head back then. My memory’s fuzzy.”

“Good. Keep it that way. Just erase him from your mind! *I* am your father now!”

I had a feeling, but clearly, there was a lot of history there.

Jin Wi-gyeong’s fists trembled, likely recalling past bureaucratic nightmares.

“…But why ask?”

“Just thought about how lucky we are that you took over the family instead of him.”

“…Youngest. Don’t cross the line.”

I simply shrugged and turned away.

Jin Wi-gyeong called after me, complaining about my lack of affection, but I didn’t bother turning back.

“A month and a half, right? I’m going to prepare for departure.”

It was time to leave Hubei behind.

To move forward, alongside those who had stood with me—and those I wished to stand with in the future.

“I think I’ve given them more than enough time… Don’t you?”

My whispered words faded into the surrounding noise.

I scratched my chin as I gazed at the towering cliff ahead.