Chapter 249: New Justice Association (4)
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The Embroidered Uniform Guard—famed for having the power to shoot down even a bird in flight. Since they were known to actually intercept and shoot down the letter hawks carrying secret messages to read their contents, the saying was truly fitting.
As the Commander-in-Chief, the head of such an Embroidered Uniform Guard, made his appearance, the opening ceremony venue was instantly thrown into chaos.
“Nobody move!”
People stood up here and there, casting off their cloaks as they shouted. Underneath the cloaks were garments with the character ‘Jin’ (錦) embroidered on the shoulders. They were the guards of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
When the Commander-in-Chief appeared alongside the Embroidered Uniform Guard guards, fear began to creep into the pale faces of the crowd. If even I wavered here, the people would only grow more terrified.
“Welcome. I hope the meal is to your liking.”
I asked as naturally as possible. Seo Jong-haeng nodded in satisfaction.
“Ah, indeed. It was delicious. You seem to have hired quite a talented chef. I heard the Wudang Sect was struggling financially, but it seems that is not the case.”
“Of course, the Namgung Clan sponsored it. Where would we get the money?”
While Wudang was Wudang, the other sects of the Nine Great Sects were equally impoverished. The Nine Great Sects, which were generally based on religious or monastic foundations, tended not to accumulate wealth. Therefore, whether it was Zhongnan, Dian Cang, or Emei, their situation was only slightly better than Wudang’s, but fundamentally the same.
“Speaking of which, Clan Head Namgung. I am disappointed. To think you would participate in a gathering of such lawless rabble. This action utterly betrays all the goodwill the Imperial Court has shown the Namgung Clan so far.”
Seo Jong-haeng rebuked Namgung Jin-hyeon. Namgung Jin-hyeon slowly lowered his eyes and replied.
“The grace the Imperial Court has bestowed upon the Namgung Clan… I certainly have not forgotten it. However, the current policy of the Imperial Court toward the martial world is not easily understood.”
“If you did not understand, you should have requested a private audience. I understand your anxiety in these times of change, but I expected the Namgung Clan to handle this more wisely.”
“We could have handled it more wisely, indeed. However, that would not be the path of chivalry.”
“In the end, you too cannot escape the limitations of a martial artist, Clan Head. To think you would cry out for chivalry, something that has neither meaning nor substance.”
“Chivalry does not find its meaning in the results, but in the process of pursuing it. To those who cannot see that, it must only look like chasing a futile dream.”
“We cannot communicate, it seems.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
And with that, the dispute between Namgung Jin-hyeon and Seo Jong-haeng came to an end.
One who affirmed chivalry, and one who denied it. Their words were bound to run on parallel lines. Any further argument was useless.
“So, what brings you here?”
I clapped my hands, drawing everyone’s attention to the platform.
“Why else would I come? I came because I heard a gathering of unruly martial artists was being established.”
“So the principle of official-martial noninterference has truly become a thing of the past. The Embroidered Uniform Guard is openly interfering with the creation of a martial world power.”
“It is not interference. We simply came to watch.”
Seo Jong-haeng took a step back. I felt a slight twinge of disappointment. If the Embroidered Uniform Guard had tried to oppress us here, it would have provoked a strong backlash from the other martial artists. After all, solidarity is usually forged through external pressure.
The martial world is vast. It is not comprised solely of the Nine Great Sects, the Five Great Families, and the Martial Alliance. Moreover, all martial artists firmly believe in official-martial noninterference as if it were an absolute law.
Under these circumstances, if the Embroidered Uniform Guard violated official-martial noninterference and suppressed us, countless minor sects and rogue martial artists would naturally align themselves with us.
In fact, I had kept that possibility in mind when planning such a grand event, but as expected, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was not so foolish.
Hiding my disappointment, I spoke up.
“Then have you enjoyed the spectacle?”
“Indeed. It was quite entertaining.”
“Are you leaving now, then?”
“No. We did not come solely to watch, either. We cannot fail to return the favor for such an entertaining spectacle.”
Seo Jong-haeng said. A heavy tension settled over the crowd’s gazes.
Whatever it was, if it involved the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the people had no choice but to be on edge.
Just then, a guard slowly walked up to the platform, reaching inside his robes as if to draw something.
The sect leaders standing behind me immediately placed their hands on their sword hilts. My own hand nearly reached for my hilt as well, but I held back with all my might. I was now a person representing a major martial power. I could not afford to act rashly.
Glancing at Seo Jong-haeng, I saw a flicker of disappointment cross his face. He had likely hoped for me to overreact.
But regardless of myself, I trusted the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If they were to attempt to assassinate me here, the public opinion of the entire martial world would swing completely in favor of the New Justice Association. They would never commit such a foolish blunder.
“Please accept this.”
As expected, what the guard produced was an ornate letter embroidered with gold thread. Puffing out my chest as much as possible, I accepted it with a dignified posture.
On the very front of the letter, the words ‘Jecheon Palace’ (濟天宮) were written.
“Jecheon Palace?”
“Open it.”
As I stared at the letter with a suspicious gaze, Seo Jong-haeng urged. I naturally coated my hands with internal energy to protect myself and opened the letter.
—Jecheon Palace. Opening of the Sect.
The letter contained only those brief words. It seemed a new power called Jecheon Palace was being established.
“Is this an invitation?”
“Indeed it is. The Imperial Family plans to establish a martial world power called Jecheon Palace. To save the world under heaven. Quite a fine name, is it not?”
“This is a move that completely denies the principle of official-martial noninterference.”
“No, Jecheon Palace will operate strictly as a power of the martial world. Does the Imperial Family not have a duty to protect the people’s livelihood? Since we deemed there was no mechanism to restrain the lawless actions of martial artists against the people, this place was newly created.”
A martial power created by the Imperial Family. It was practically pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes, but the justification itself was so solid that we had no room to contest it.
‘They played their cards well.’
Though they were my enemies, I had to hand it to them. A policy like official-martial noninterference, which had persisted as an unwritten law, could not be overturned overnight without provoking massive backlash. The standard approach was to gradually dilute the noninterference principle using an entity like Jecheon Palace.
“Are we permitted to attend?”
“Is the New Justice Association not a martial power as well? Of course you must be invited.”
“Who is the Palace Master?”
“You will see when the time comes. Haha.”
I didn’t know who it was, but they must have prepared someone remarkable. The Imperial Palace had made a bold move.
Then again, if the Imperial Palace openly pressured the New Justice Association, it would be tantamount to admitting they feared us.
The Imperial Palace must always remain a supreme and lofty heights. By magnanimously acknowledging the New Justice Association while simultaneously creating Jecheon Palace, they inserted their influence into the martial world.
“Of course, you do not have to come. His Imperial Majesty hopes you will attend, but that is a separate matter.”
“Since we received an invitation, we must go.”
My gaze clashed with Seo Jong-haeng’s. In that instant, our hidden schemes crossed.
Doubtless, at the opening ceremony of Jecheon Palace, the New Justice Association would be subjected to humiliation, or in the worst case, completely buried. They must have laid such a trap.
Even so, the New Justice Association could not refuse to go. If we didn’t, we would surely be branded as cowards.
“I see. I will see you then, then.”
Seo Jong-haeng and the Embroidered Uniform Guard guards turned to leave. But I could not let this opportunity slip by.
“Please wait a moment. You are in too much of a hurry.”
“Do you have more to say?”
“Yes. Originally, I intended to speak of this when the atmosphere grew riper, but since things have turned out this way, I must announce it here.”
The eyes of the crowd converged on me.
“The New Justice Association plans to host a tournament.”
“A tournament? Do you mean something like the Gathering of Dragons and Phoenixes?”
“Precisely.”
I grinned. The curiosity in the crowd’s eyes was piqued.
“The Gathering of Dragons and Phoenixes, which was primarily hosted by the Martial Alliance, was a clash among younger generation talents. However, we intend to establish new tournaments divided by age groups so that as many martial artists as possible can participate. The true purpose will be a grand assembly of all martial artists.”
“Amusing indeed.”
“Of course, there must be rewards.”
I paused briefly. It was a minor theatrical trick to maximize the crowd’s suspense.
“The victors will receive incredible treasures.”
I stepped down from the platform for a moment and brought up several luxurious caskets made of lacquered wood. The sweet, fragrant scent of lacquer drifted below the stage.
“What you are about to see now are the prizes for the martial tournament hosted by the New Justice Association.”
I opened one of the caskets. A sword radiating a brilliant luster emerged. Anyone could see at a glance that it was a legendary sword. I immediately introduced it.
“This is Azure Radiance, one of the Eighteen Famous Swords. It was previously possessed by the Namgung Clan.”
“Ooh!”
The moment I mentioned the Eighteen Famous Swords, the crowd’s reaction turned passionate.
Even though many commoners had attended, it wasn’t as if there were no martial artists among the crowd. From the start, many rogue martial artists and warriors who disregarded the authorities had also gathered. To them, a weapon on the level of the Eighteen Famous Swords was an immense allure.
“Next is Wudang’s Supreme Clarity Pill.”
“Whoa!”
I continued to display the treasures, and the crowd’s response grew hotter with each reveal. As Seo Jong-haeng watched, his expression grew increasingly sullen.
I smiled inwardly. He had likely planned to steal the spotlight of the opening ceremony with the news of Jecheon Palace’s opening, but I had prepared a countermeasure of my own.
The sect leaders of the Nine Great Sects and the Namgung Clan Head nodded from behind me. Only then did they grasp my intention.
To capture the attention of martial artists using the treasures of the Nine Great Sects and the Namgung Clan. In truth, this was the core purpose of the opening ceremony.
At the end of the day, a martial power could only survive if it commanded the attention of martial artists. To achieve that, such a festival was essential.
“Wow, is it really alright to offer such things as prizes?”
“The scale of the New Justice Association is truly grand.”
Though several martial artists whispered among themselves, they could not tear their eyes away from the treasures I had presented.
“Of course, we have also prepared tiered rewards for the lower ranks, so please participate in large numbers and spread the word to other martial artists.”
The success of this tournament would likely determine the standing of the New Justice Association. However, seeing such a passionate response even when the crowd was mostly comprised of commoners, it was clear that this was a tournament capable of tempting every martial artist in the Central Plains.
“Furthermore, as a special benefit, martial artists who distinguish themselves in this tournament will be given the opportunity to join the New Justice Association. For those who wish to walk alongside the New Justice Association from its very beginning, I highly encourage you to participate.”
“Whaaaa!”
Now, the crowd cheered no matter what I said. Through this, I could naturally expand our influence and martial strength. Even to my own eyes, it was an excellent move.
Treasures kept close to one’s chest are ultimately nothing more than ornaments. In a crisis like this, clutching onto treasures yields nothing. Rather than doing that, it was far better to use them boldly to forge a way out.
I, too, had faced numerous crises while raising the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company to a Great House. Each time, I put forward the things I cherished most, and because of that, I was able to survive.
“The detailed schedule will be posted throughout the Central Plains later, so please look forward to it. Thank you all for coming.”
With that, I bowed my head deeply. The thunderous cheers of the crowd echoed. At the very least, it was we who had landed the first blow against the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
—It will not be easy.
—Likewise.
Sending a voice transmission to me, Seo Jong-haeng quietly descended Wudang Mountain, leading the guards of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Amidst the ocean of cheers, no one paid them any attention.