Chapter 130
Three days after the wedding, Namgung Ho and the Great Namgung Family’s marriage delegation left Wenzhou. However, they left ten warriors behind under the pretext of being Hyun-Ah’s guards. Considering the Baek Sword Sect had more than enough forces to render such actions unnecessary, Baek Mu-Gun easily guessed that the reason the Great Namgung Family left some of their warriors behind was to monitor the Baek Sword Sect. Nevertheless, Mu-Gun decided to leave them alone for now. Visible surveillants were much better than ones in hiding.
Meanwhile, the Baek Sword Sect made preparations to wipe out the Black Sword Gang, mobilizing a hundred warriors each from the Baek Sword Corps and the Heavenly Martial Hall. Baek Sword Sect Patriarch Beak Cheon-Sang and four of the five Baek Sword Corps squad leaders, excluding Baek Jin-Won, who was tasked to be the head instructor at the Sea Dragon Archipelago, also decided to take part in the operation.
The Black Sword Gang was the largest evil sect in Zhejiang Province, but it was not powerful enough for Cheon-Sang and four of their sect’s squad leaders to take action. Yang Tae-Seok, the Black Sword Gang Leader, was known to the public as an Upper Peak Realm master, and the four Black Sword Squadron captains, the Black Sword Gang’s combat division, were allegedly Peak Realm masters. The four Baek Sword Corps squad leaders would have been enough to overpower all of the Black Sword Gang’s martial arts masters.
However, the Black Sword Gang also had four hundred warriors. Even if the warriors of the Baek Sword Sect and the Heavenly Martial Hall individually had excellent skills, they could still suffer considerable losses because the enemy outnumbered them two to one. To eliminate that numerical disadvantage, Cheon-Sang decided to personally join the battle.
Five days after the wedding, Cheon-Sang led the Baek Sword Sect’s forces to war via Wenzhou Port. Following his lead, the rest of the Ten Clans of Zhejiang also deployed their forces to wipe out the respective evil sects that they had been assigned to.
When Cheon-Sang left with the forces tasked to wipe out the Black Sword Gang, Mu-Gun noticed the severe power imbalance within the Baek Sword Sect. The Baek Sword Sect had many martial arts masters, but they lacked ordinary martial artists. If the Heavenly Martial Hall didn’t send warriors to help, the entire Baek Sword Corps would have been mobilized. That made Mu-Gun realize just how urgent they needed to increase the number of the Baek Sword Corps’ ordinary martial artists.
They had reserve members training on the Sea Dragon Archipelago, but it would take at least four to five years for them to be strong enough to join the sect’s active forces. Until then, the Baek Sword Sect had to recruit more people to eliminate the imbalance in power. The simplest method Mu-Gun could think of was to recruit wanderers who were currently active practitioners but had no particular enemies. Wanderers usually applied based on potential monetary gain and the sect or clan’s fame. With the Baek Sword Sect’s reputation and financial power, it would not be difficult to swiftly recruit two to three hundred wanderers.
However, that posed two problems. The first one was that few wanderers were high-caliber martial artists. Only a hundred martial artists at most would likely pass the Baek Sword Sect’s competence verification test. The second problem was that it would be irrational to expect them to be loyal to the Baek Sword Sect. Since they joined the Baek Sword Sect due to money and fame, they would likely leave as soon as they were presented with a better opportunity. Hence, the Baek Sword Sect would likely find it difficult to trust wanderers.
It could also serve as a gateway for clans wary of the Baek Sword Sect, including the Nine Celestial Demons Sect, to plant a spy within their ranks. For those reasons, recruiting wanderers to increase the number of their forces required careful consideration.
After pondering alone, Mu-Gun visited the Four Peerless Wanderers to see if they could think of a good solution to his problem. They started out as wanderers as well, after all.
“Why don’t you recruit the Ten Wanderers? If you do, the other wanderers who worship them will naturally follow suit,” Hwang Rei suggested.
Known to be Upper Peak Realm masters, the Ten Wanderers were the most outstanding martial artists among the wanderers. Instead of settling down, those battle junkies jumped from one battlefield to another with the considerably large group that followed them.
“That would be great, but will it be easy to attract the Ten Wanderers’ attention?”
“It will probably be difficult. They cannot live without combat. If they stay here, they would probably be so bored out of their minds that they would run out on their own,” Yang Cheol-Gon answered.
“How about taking advantage of the Four Peerless Wanderers’ reputation?” Mu-Gun asked.
“That would probably work in the past. Unfortunately, our reputation doesn’t work anymore.” Jin Yoo-Sung smiled bitterly.
“We should still give it a try. We have nothing to lose anyway.”
“Why don’t we recruit those who were in the army before instead?” Han Baek, who was listening quietly, suddenly suggested.
“The army?” Mu-Gun asked, sounding surprised.
“I heard that the imperial family could not properly pay the monthly salary of the martial artists they employed due to a hole in the imperial finances. As a result, many martial artists left the army and began knocking on the doors of murim’s martial clans.”
“Where did you hear that?” Hwang Rei asked in astonishment.
“From a gisaeng at a brothel. No place is as good as brothels when it comes to passing around information.”
Han Baek indulged in the pleasures of women, so it was quite fitting that he obtained information through a brothel.
“When it comes to loyalty, martial artists from the army are certainly better than wanderers.” Yoo-Sung nodded in agreement.
“I’ll have to look into it. Anyway, thank you for the information.” Mu-Gun got up from his seat.
“Are you going to the Flower Honor Manor?” Han Baek asked with shining eyes.
“If I am?”
“I’ll come with you,” Han Baek delightedly said.
“Are you going to go see Seo Seol again?” Hwang Rei asked.
Seo Seol was a Flower Honor Manor gisaeng whom Han Baek had recently fallen for.
“I can’t get married like someone here. The most I can do is bed a woman.”
“I’m not even surprised anymore.” Mu-Gun shook his head. Unable to stop him, he went to the Flower Honor Manor with Han Baek.
As soon as they arrived, Mu-Gun immediately met with Cheon Yu-Hwa, the Heavenly Secret Hall Leader.
“Did your marriage go according to plan?”
“Yes, it proceeded without issues.”
“I’m sorry I could not attend and congratulate you,” Yu-Hwa apologized.
“It’s fine. You can just congratulate me twice as much when I marry Lady Dan.”
“You intend to marry Seol-Young?”
“Of course. It will be difficult to do so immediately, but I will take her hand in marriage within three months at the latest.”
“I’m relieved to hear that. Now, what brings you here today?”
“I want to confirm something, so I came looking for you.”
“Go ahead.”
“I heard that a large group of martial artists has left the army. Is that true?” Mu-Gun asked, revealing his agenda.
“It is. I received news that many martial artists have left the army despite their devotion to the empire due to the delay in their monthly salary. Why do you ask?”
“I’m thinking of recruiting them into the Baek Sword Sect as warriors.”
“Well, the Baek Sword Sect does lack warriors,”
“Speaking of which, can you put up recruitment posters for former army martial artists in the major cities of the Central Plains?”
“That can be easily arranged. Just provide me with the details you want to be included on the poster, and I will have it up accordingly,” Yu-Hwa willingly agreed.
“Thank you.”
“Think of it as a wedding gift, Young Master Baek.”
Mu-Gun wrote down the details that should be included on the poster and handed it to Yu-Hwa. Under normal circumstances, he would have had to obtain Baek Cheon-Sang’s permission. However, since Cheon-Sang had gone to battle at Shaoxing, Mu-Gun decided to proceed with this matter and report it later. After his meeting with Yu-Hwa, Mu-Gun visited Dan Seol-Young.
“Welcome back,” Seol-Young greeted.
“How have you been?”
“I’ve been well. How is your newlywed life with Lady Namgung?”
“Ehem, that’s a difficult question to answer,” Mu-Gun hesitated.
“That means it’s going great.”
“Does that disappoint you?”
“No. I just want to spend a happy newlywed life with you as soon as possible as well, Young Master Baek,” Seol-Young admitted.
“Please wait just a little bit longer. I will take your hand in marriage soon.”
“I can wait. However, don’t even think about touching me until then,” Seol-Young replied firmly.
“What do you mean by that? Are you perhaps trying to use that to rush me?” Mu-Gun asked, displeased.
“I am not that petty. I simply think it’s disrespectful to Lady Namgung if we make love to each other before I officially become your wife.”
Finally understanding her reasons, Mu-Gun nodded in agreement. “I see what you mean. I should marry you as soon as possible so I can embrace you again, then.”
“Is it just my imagination or does it sound like you simply want to marry me for my body?” Seol-Young asked.
“I only feel this way toward you, never to anyone else.”
“Fine, but won’t Lady Namgung scold you for coming here?”
“All I have to do is get up immediately and come to you, then,” Mu-Gun said playfully.
“Tsk, don’t say something you don’t mean.”
“My missus has accepted your presence in my life, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
“That’s a relief.”
Mu-Gun had a simple cup of tea with Seol-Young before leaving the Flower Honor Manor and returning to the Baek Sword Sect.
* * *
Seven days after leaving Wenzhou, the Baek Sword Sect’s punitive force arrived in Shaoxing, immediately declared war on the Black Sword Gang, and demanded their surrender. As they did, they listed each of the crimes that the Black Sword Gang had committed. They also made it clear that this act of aggression was justified and was for the sake of murim’s righteousness. Naturally, the Black Sword Gang disagreed.
“Those dishonorable righteous sect bastards! They stayed silent when they had no power, but now that they have grown just a little stronger, they come running to us talking about justice and revealing their greedy ambition.” Enraged by the Baek Sword Sect’s declaration of war, Black Sword Gang Leader Yang Tae-Seok smashed the table in front of him.
“Please calm down, brother! This is no time to curse at the Baek Sword Sect. We have to discuss countermeasures!” Black Sword Gang Vice Leader Yang Tae-Chun, Yang Tae-Seok’s younger brother, attempted to snap Yae-Seok back to reality.
“What countermeasures can we even prepare? With our current forces, we are definitely no match for the Baek Sword Sect. To make things worse, their patriarch, an Absolute Realm master, is currently leading them. Fighting those bastards would be like trying to break a rock with eggs! It’s impossible!” Tae-Seok countered.
“Still, we can’t surrender, can we? If we do, the Baek Sword Sect will send us to the labor camp and leave us there to rot for the rest of our lives. Do you want that to happen?” Tae-Chun made his brother face the harsh truth.
“We can’t do that. If we die, then so be it.”
“That’s my point exactly. We certainly cannot defeat the Baek Sword Sect in terms of power. However, we might just yield a different result if we fight with no fear of death,” Tae-Chun explained.
“I agree, but the resolve to fight to the bitter end alone won’t be enough. We need something that can take the wind out of their sails.”
“I can’t think of any. The best we can do is carry out a surprise attack at dawn. They wouldn’t be as wary around that time,” Tae-Chun suggested.
“We don’t have any other choice but to at least give that a try. Let everyone know that we will attack the Baek Sword Sect at inshi[1].”
“Understood.”
As Tae-Seok instructed, Tae-Chun ordered the Black Sword Gang’s warriors to prepare for a surprise attack. The Black Sword Gang’s warriors were greatly shaken upon hearing that they would have to fight the Baek Sword Sect, which boasted a strong combat force as the Zhejiang Martial Alliance leader. However, when they learned that surrendering meant losing their martial arts and spending the rest of their lives in a labor camp, they began to prepare for the surprise attack at dawn, having decided to fight with the resolve to die.
However, the Baek Sword Sect, who had the Black Sword Gang’s headquarters surrounded, was already expecting a surprise attack. They knew full well that their opponents wouldn’t just obediently surrender and that a surprise attack was their only viable option left in the current circumstances.
Predicting how the Black Sword Gang would react, the Baek Sword Sect prepared accordingly. With the world around them still filled with the darkness of night, the fully armed Black Sword Gang warriors sneaked out of their manor and moved in to attack the Baek Sword Sect warriors around them. However, having already anticipated their surprise attack, the Baek Sword Sect warriors took action before the Black Sword Gang could even begin their offensive.
The Black Sword Gang was taken aback, but they could no longer retreat now that they had come this far. Determined to fight to their deaths, they attacked the Baek Sword Sect warriors. Not intending to back down either, the Baek Sword Sect warriors charged toward the Black Sword Gang outlaws. The latter initially dominated the battlefield with their superior numbers, but the tide of the battle swiftly changed when the Baek Sword Sect’s martial arts masters came to the forefront.
The Baek Sword Sect took complete control of the fight when Cheon-Sang defeated Tae-Seok in one blow, and when the Black Sword Gang’s four squad captains fell as well, the outlaws finally lost all their will to fight. Well aware of the fate that awaited them if they surrendered, they decided to flee instead. Despite their best efforts, however, the Baek Sword Sect’s martial artists still managed to catch and kill them. Realizing escaping was futile, the outlaws gave up on escaping and began to fight back once more in one last fit of rage.
An hour into the battle, the Black Sword Gang suffered total annihilation, and the Baek Sword Sect and the Heavenly Martial Hall sustained fifty casualties. Considering the Black Sword Gang had over four hundred warriors, the two factions only suffered minor losses. Having achieved flawless victory, the Baek Sword Sect seized the Black Sword Gang’s headquarters and ripped its members of all their rights and authority.
As the Baek Sword Sect annihilated the Black Sword Gang, the rest of the Ten Clans of Zhejiang also toppled the evil sects that they were tasked to eliminate. They then naturally absorbed their opponents’ territory, which was their right as the victor.
1. inshi refers to the time between 3 am to 5 am. ?
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