Episode 197. The Prelude to War
Namjikryeoseong.
Nanjing.
Justice League.
The Justice League is not a single building.
It covers such a large area that it can almost be considered an independent village.
There is a ‘special residential area’ for the Chilpai clan and the Murim clan, and a ‘general residential area’ for the regional leaders and the prestigious political factions under their influence.
Miscellaneous sects that could not even enter that area had to use inns or private houses.
The Namgung Se-ga people were staying in a special residential area.
But if you look closely, you can see that it is different from the other four great schools.
In the five buildings where Namgung Se-ga resides, there are only Namgung Se-ga people. There are no servants or maids to run errands, so they literally have to sleep.
The difference between a special residential area and a general residential area is only one thing. If the Justice Alliance assigns workers to it, it is special, and if not, it is general. So Namgung Se-ga is being treated as a general residential area in a special residential area.
Early moning.
Three old monks walked into the residential area of the Namgung family, who were being treated so poorly.
These are the Kunlun Three Immortals.
In front of the largest hall, the sage Taeeul raised his voice.
“Are you there?”
Namgungcheon Cheon, the Blue Cloud Sword, opened the door and came out and asked cautiously.
“Who are you?”
“We are from Kunlun. We have come to see you, my lord.”
“Oh, please come up.”
Namgungcheon guided Kunlun Samseon into the room.
King Namgung Byeok, who was sitting at the head of the table, stood up when he met the eyes of the three senior masters.
“Welcome. This is Namgung Byeok.”
Namgung Byeok was so polite that he didn’t seem like the head of the Namgung family. He naturally felt respect for the Kunlun Samseon’s unworldly prayer.
“The frequency is Taeeul… ….”
Taeeul Seonin was embarrassed to call himself a Seonin, so he only introduced his Doho (道號).
When the great master Taeeul did so, the other two Taoist masters also briefly revealed their Taoist temples.
“It’s Taemu-oe.”
“My name is Tae-ryeong.”
Namgung Byeok, who felt embarrassed to sit at the head table, moved to sit in front of the three Taoist priests.
“Please sit down. Yeon-ah, you should go and get some tea.”
At Namgung Byeok’s words, Namgung Yeon quietly got up and went outside.
Since there were no workers or assistants, Namgung Se-ga had to do everything himself.
“You came from the Kunlun sect?”
Namgung Byeok looked at the three Taoist priests with curious eyes.
I had only heard about the Kunlun sect outside of Saewoo, but this was my first time actually meeting it.
Taeeul Seonin smiled and nodded.
“Haha. That’s right. I was wandering around the world under the orders of Jang Moon-in, and ended up here.”
“Oh, I see what’s wrong?”
Taeeul Seonin winked at Taeryeong Seonin.
Then, Taeryeong Seonin took out the Chuma Palgwae board from his bosom and showed it to Namgung Byeok.
As Namgung Byeok looked at the Chuma Palgwae board with a puzzled look, the sage Taeeul told him what had happened.
“… … I helped Yeon Gongja defeat the monsters at Daebyeolsanchae in Hwangsan and came to Jeongui Maeng. However, no one in Jeongui Maeng said anything about the danger of the monsters.”
“Yes, the musketeer spoke of the sorcery of the Left-Way Visit.”
“I heard. It seems that only Namgung Se-ga in the world knows the true nature of the monster.”
“We have to believe it because the children of the poor witnessed it while accompanying Yeonjeokha for a year.”
“I heard the story. I heard that Cheongungeom Sohyeop and Hwayongdoksim Sojo accomplished something difficult.”
“But I felt a little frustrated because the Chilpaimun and the martial arts world didn’t trust me because I didn’t have much experience in martial arts.”
“That’s true. We are Taoists too, but we were skeptical until we saw the monster.”
“Actually, I don’t completely believe it either. I’m trying to believe it because it’s what my children say.”
The hermit Taeeul, who was looking at Namgung Byeok with calm eyes, spoke cautiously.
“Our Kunlun sect is outside the city walls, but we intend to help as much as we can for the peace of the world. But today, we are organizing and going on a campaign, aren’t we?”
“Yes, we will divide into four groups in the morning and leave by noon at the latest. The general opinion is to break the momentum of Yumingyo before the first snow falls.”
“Even if we unite as one, it won’t be easy, so I’m worried about splitting it into four. The demons are not the sorcerers’ magic, but real forces. To destroy the demons’ magic, you need magical power or a magical treasure. The Justice Alliance didn’t make any separate preparations for that, right?”
“I think other people will be able to destroy it with the martial arts of Chilpaimun.”
“So, does that mean that the Chilpaimon did not invite any monks this time?”
“That’s right.”
“Three corpses are destroyed, nine insects are destroyed, and the form of Shabah is destroyed…”
The frustrated Taeeul seonin habitually recited the Okchugyeong Guryongsamjeongju spell, which states, “If you eliminate three obstacles, nine types of bugs will disappear.”
Namgung Byeok observed the expression on Taeeul’s face and asked quietly.
“Can’t the pure power of the Seven Paimon or the three martial arts families be used to fight against the demons?”
“Since they are called Manryuguijong, it may be possible for those who have reached the extreme. However, how many of those people are there? Just think about how many of those people will die while dealing with the demons.”
“Would it be difficult to easily deal with the demons with the combined efforts of the ten greatest martial artists in the world?”
“If it’s a dirty monster, it might be possible to cut it in two with a single sword. However, the monsters we saw were not easy opponents. Even for the ten greatest masters in the world, it would take at least half an hour.”
“You’re saying it takes half an hour to deal with just ten horsemen?”
“That’s only possible if there are no other obstacles. If the famous cult members help the demons, it may take longer or they may not be able to deal with it.”
“Are you saying that celebrities and demons can work together?”
“I don’t know what the demons are thinking, but wouldn’t the famous cultists help the demons for their own survival? They would think the demons are a transformation of the Ten Horsemen.”
“That could be the case.”
Namgung Byeok realized that things were not easy.
Among the ten greatest martial artists in the world, four, including himself, participated in the Justice Alliance. The Shaolin Temple’s Won-gong Seonsa and the Wudang Sect’s Tae-heo Jin-in were old and living in seclusion.
The remaining four are Sapa’s masters, so having them around won’t help. To be honest, they’re enemies you’ll be lucky not to get hit in the back of the head.
Namgung Byeok, who had been worried, carefully opened his mouth.
“You three said that you dealt with the demons in Hwangsan. I don’t know much about magic or Dharma treasures, so I’m asking, but how long did it take?”
The Taoist hermit understood the meaning behind his words.
It seems that they are curious about how quickly the sorcerers can handle something that would take even the ten greatest masters in the world half an hour.
“The three of us brothers are skilled in both martial arts and magic, so it took about 20 minutes. If we were only skilled in magic, it would take longer than that. Of course, this is assuming that our magic treasures are excellent.”
“ah!”
Namgung Byeok felt like he was seeing a new world.
It’s amazing that these three old masters can deal with monsters faster than the ten greatest masters in the world.
If the Chilpaimon learns of this, they will be anxious to bring the three old monks with them.
Namgung Byeok felt like asking for help was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Because he was treated as a leftover food in the Justice League, he was embarrassed to reach out to others.
***
People who had finished breakfast gathered one by one in the square in front of the gun platoon.
As soon as the leader’s greetings were over, General Shin Gi-su, Jegal Seung-un, climbed up onto the podium.
“Dear fellow martial artists! From now on, in order to move efficiently, we will divide into four groups. I will introduce the leaders of each group, so please move to the desired location. The leader of the Cheokmadae will be Uicheon Geomjon. The leader of the Myeolsadae will be Mugeuk Sangin, the leader of the Uigidae will be Geomwang, and the leader of the Cheonchudae will be Musang Doje.”
“Wow!”
People cheered at the mention of the ten best masters in the world, who are usually hard to meet.
The warlords were excited as if they had already won before even fighting.
“Your Majesty, please move to the front of your respective flags.”
At Zhuge Liang’s words, the four greatest martial artists in the world slowly began to walk forward.
The Cheokmadae, Myulsadae, Uigidae, and Cheonchudae were existing organizations. Naturally, thirty or forty elite masters were already gathered under their flags.
But the area around the flagpole was empty.
This is because the redeployment has been postponed since the members of the medical team were massacred in the Milky Way.
The warlords murmured lightly as they watched Namgung Byeok standing alone under the flag of the royal guard.
The destruction of the Namgung family and the annihilation of Uigidae seemed strangely intertwined and ominous.
In fact, the word ‘curse’ was occasionally heard among people.
It’s understandable that such a thing would come to pass, since it has been destroyed twice since its creation.
When the four lords took their seats, Zhuge Liang spoke again.
“It is now time for you to apply for the four guilds. As I said before, the Justice Alliance has decided to leave it up to each sect to choose freely. Please move to the front of the guild you wish to apply for.”
As soon as Zhuge Liang’s words were finished, the warlords looked around for a moment.
To gauge the actions of the great lords and the sects related to them and find the safest place.
As the warlords were calculating, Zhuge Liang nodded slightly toward Zhuge Liang.
Then, thirty of the masters of the Zhuge family moved in front of Cheonchudae as if they were watching.
Cheonchudae Daeju Musangdoje glanced at Jegal Seungun and smirked. It was as if he had officially recognized Cheonchudae as the best among them.
The warlords flocked to Cheonchu-dae after seeing the choice of Jegal Se-ga, who was considered the most intelligent.
The Chilpai clan and the martial arts world’s powerful factions did not move an inch until the regular factions had settled down.
Has it been about half an hour?
About nine hundred martial artists lined up in front of four platforms.
The corners of Zhuge Liang’s mouth slightly went up as he checked the number of people in the four groups.
About three hundred martial artists gathered in each of the three groups.
That means there are no applicants for the position.
In fact, the person who pushed for voluntary support and got it through was Zhuge Liang.
The cause was good.
He said, ‘Let’s fight with people we can trust and follow.’
No one objected to the commander leading the war. They thought, ‘It doesn’t matter anyway since he will assign tasks according to each unit’s ability.’
Jegal Seung-un, who was looking at the royal guard, nodded as if he had expected this.
In front of the flagpole of the royal palace, there were only twenty-five people from Namgung Se-ga and three old Taoist priests.
Compared to the other three hundred or so, it looks extremely shabby.
‘Tsk! Why don’t you just quietly step aside and try to be treated like a high-ranking official in the martial arts world?’
But Namgung Byeok’s complexion was bright outside and inside.
I thought he would be discouraged by the obvious result, but he even ended up laughing.
Jegal Seung-un believed that it was Namgung Byeok’s last bluff.
‘You may still believe in the nonpartisan faction, but… … It is not an easy path to take if you only believe in the nonpartisan faction.’
Immediately after, the Chilpaimon and the martial arts world that had been just watching slowly began to move.
Uicheonmun, Cheongseongpa, Jeonjinpa, and Pengga joined Cheokmadae.
The Hwasanpa, Gongdongpa, Jeomchangpa, and Dangga went to extinction.
Shaolin Temple, Wujimun, and Murong Family moved to Cheonchu-dae and stood next to Zhuge Family.
There were no special changes as the clans that were in charge of the existing units went to their respective positions.
Jegal Seung-un, who was checking the final results, frowned slightly.
Seonwoo Sega, who thought he would go to Cheonchu-dae, was standing under the flag of Uigidae with the Mudangpa.
It is understandable since she is a shaman and got married to Namgung Byeok.
But I don’t understand why Seonwoo Sega makes such a foolish choice.
‘Tch! The head of the Sunwoo Dam family was talking about loyalty last night, but he still caused an accident.’
Jegal Seung-un, who was clicking his tongue inwardly, quickly raised his attack power and shouted.
“Dear fellow martial artists! Let’s punish that evil cult that sacrifices people! Let’s restore the fallen martial arts spirit with our own hands! Let’s defeat the evil!”
“Eliminate the evil!”
“Eliminate the evil!”
The warlords responded enthusiastically, their blood vessels rising to the surface.
And so the prelude to war began.
Wuxia,
