Chapter 58: Chapter 58
The Dragon and Phoenix Society.
It was a social gathering that only the most outstanding members from a batch of the Martial Alliance could join. Plainly, that was how it began.
However, though called a social gathering, its tradition was considerable, and many of the high-ranking officials in the Martial Alliance hailed from the Dragon and Phoenix Society.
From below, the most outstanding juniors staunchly supported them, and from above, the most successful seniors pulled them forward.
It was a deep-rooted evil among deep-rooted evils, but it was a society that even the Alliance Leader, who loathed such things, could not disband. That was how immense the influence wielded by the Dragon and Phoenix Society was within the Martial Alliance.
The man who had delivered the letter to Cheon Woo-jin and Song Yi-yeon was enthusiastically explaining something to someone.
Pretending to crumple the paper and toss it behind him, he fluttered two fingers to express how the letter had flared up and burned away.
And then he stomped on the floor with his foot several times.
It was such a vivid depiction that even those who were not present felt the illusion of seeing the figures of Cheon Woo-jin and Song Yi-yeon.
“So that is how it was?”
“Yes, they were extremely insolent bastards. We must pressure the Black Tortoise Squad immediately to strip them of their mission authority.”
“Tsk, do not cross the line.”
Doing such a thing would merely give justification to the anti-Dragon and Phoenix Society faction. As the current Alliance Leader viewed the Dragon and Phoenix Society with distaste, there was a need to be careful.
The man who received the report shone with a deep-green gleam in his eyes. They were eyes that only the chosen ones within the Sichuan Tang Clan could possess.
“Even so, we cannot leave them like that. We should keep a close eye on those fellows for the time being. And…”
The man’s gaze turned toward the person sitting at the edge of the round table. He was a recruit who joined the Dragon and Phoenix Society this time, but he wore a bored and indifferent expression.
Even so, no one considered him insolent.
It was because he was the Young Patriarch of the Namgung Clan and a talent who would lead the Dragon and Phoenix Society in the future.
“Shouldn’t you pay more attention? You are peers, after all.”
“If they refuse, what am I supposed to do?”
Namgung Jin looked straight at Tang Bi-cheon, the current president of the Dragon and Phoenix Society. At any rate, because the Dragon and Phoenix Society was a gathering of rising stars, upon reaching a certain age they handed down the presidency to a junior and stepped down from the front lines.
If it were the usual Tang Bi-cheon, he would not have tolerated a challenging gaze directed at him.
However, Namgung Jin was an uncomfortable existence for Tang Bi-cheon as well. Although there was quite a gap in their batches so they were in the relationship of president and youngest recruit, privately they were of the same status as young patriarchs of the Five Great Clans.
As the two engaged in a staring contest, everyone merely watched their moods.
No matter how great a gathering the Dragon and Phoenix Society was, no one wanted to get caught in a battle of wills between the Namgung Clan and the Sichuan Tang Clan.
“Is that so.”
Tang Bi-cheon nodded his head.
Soon the tension that had gripped the room vanished.
Tang Bi-cheon had stepped back.
Namgung Jin merely snorted and turned his head away.
“At any rate, the power of the Dragon and Phoenix Society comes from outstanding individuals gathering in one place. If those who do not join the Society appear one by one like this, the Dragon and Phoenix Society will lose its power in the future. It is not something to be taken lightly.”
Tang Bi-cheon offered a grandiose reason to everyone and warned them once more. However, the reason he acted this way was actually simple.
Originally, he did not particularly invite those fellows named Cheon Woo-jin and Song Yi-yeon because they did not please him.
However, after completing their first solo mission, the merits they achieved quickly spread through the Martial Alliance.
To simply ignore them, the two, particularly that fellow Cheon Woo-jin, were truly monstrous beings.
If he failed to recruit such a person into the Dragon and Phoenix Society, his competence as president would be questioned by the seniors.
Thus, he bent his pride and sent an invitation, yet they threw it away. And not just simply throwing it away, but crumpling, burning, and even stomping on it.
It was indeed an affair that hurt his pride.
Tang Bi-cheon’s deep-green ocular light burned low. That gaze was deeper and darker not only than his younger sister Tang So-yeon’s, but even than that of Dok-ra-su, a senior master of the Tang Clan.
* * *
Song Yi-yeon dug his ear.
“Is someone talking bad about me?”
“They seem to be cursing me as well.”
Cheon Woo-jin nodded his head in agreement.
His ear was not particularly itchy, but news of what happened to the Dragon and Phoenix Society’s invitation must have been relayed by now.
He did not particularly care.
In the world his two masters taught him, there were only the Dark Emperor and his disciples, the Alliance Leader, the Demonic Cult Leader, the Lord of the Black Overlord Castle, and those counted among the heads of the Five Great Clans and Nine Great Sects and One Clan.
Because there were only such people, and child’s play like the Dragon and Phoenix Society did not exist.
In that manner, the two headed to the dining hall. Alliance members without missions freely resolved breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the dining hall at designated times.
Putting rice and food onto wooden trays, they sat down at a table.
Song Yi-yeon spoke with interest.
“To think that even the people cooking meals in the Martial Alliance are martial artists. It is truly wondrous.”
Cheon Woo-jin nodded his head.
In truth, preparing enough food for a crowd of the Martial Alliance’s scale three meals a day was utterly impossible with an ordinary person’s strength and stamina.
It was even said that those who traditionally managed the Martial Alliance dining hall compiled stances advantageous for preparing food, which in the present era had developed into a type of martial art, making it quite an extraordinary feat.
Cheon Woo-jin put rice into his mouth and chewed thoroughly. The flavor of the Martial Alliance food had reached the pinnacle. He felt it would be fun to learn a culinary martial art if an opportunity arose someday.
It was then.
The atmosphere in the dining hall turned strange in an instant.
Sensing this, Song Yi-yeon looked around, while Cheon Woo-jin merely ate his food as if he had no interest.
“Young Hero Cheon, it seems we have been properly targeted.”
At Song Yi-yeon’s words, Cheon Woo-jin finally raised his head. The group entering the dining hall were martial artists of the Dragon and Phoenix Society led by Namgung Jin.
Because there was an unspoken order to using the dining hall, most of those gathered now were rising stars.
Everyone looked at the Dragon and Phoenix Society martial artists with eyes of admiration, while the Dragon and Phoenix Society martial artists glared at Cheon Woo-jin and Song Yi-yeon with displeased eyes.
Cheon Woo-jin shrugged his shoulders. Because it looked as though he was asking what they could do by staring, Song Yi-yeon also chuckled and finished eating his food.
It was then.
“May I eat with you?”
Song Yi-yeon and Cheon Woo-jin raised their heads simultaneously.
It was Jin Un, wearing a cleaned hero headband around his forehead. The plum blossom pattern distinctly set amidst the jet-black hair draping over the hero headband was impressive.
Cheon Woo-jin had no other words, while Song Yi-yeon nodded his head as if welcoming him.
“Ah, Young Hero Jin Un. Is your body feeling alright?”
“It is thanks to you two. I almost died at the hands of such bandits…”
As if ashamed upon thinking of it again, Jin Un’s face flushed slightly red. As a promising swordsman of Mount Hua, almost falling victim to mere wandering bandits was indeed a shameful matter.
It was only because he was saved by Cheon Woo-jin and Song Yi-yeon that it remained as an experience through which he could grow once more; otherwise, he had almost truly died.
“Don’t mention it. But is it alright for you to eat with us?”
Song Yi-yeon turned his head slightly. Over there stood Namgung Jin and the martial artists of the Dragon and Phoenix Society with very displeased expressions.
Jin Un let out a bitter smile.
“Do not pay it any mind. Ah, if it is uncomfortable because of me, though…”
“It is fine.”
The moment Jin Un was about to get up, Cheon Woo-jin spoke briefly.
His gaze remained fixed on the food tray.
Smiling warmly, Jin Un sat back down.
The three ate their meal while talking about this and that.
It was largely in the manner of Jin Un and Song Yi-yeon conversing, while Cheon Woo-jin nodded or shook his head.
Just as their trays were nearly emptied.
Cheon Woo-jin suddenly sprang up holding his tray and chopsticks, then took a step to the side. At the same time, massive arm muscles like boulders filled the empty space.
Unable to dodge in time, Song Yi-yeon groaned with his face trapped between the arm muscles of Black Tortoise Squad Leader Cheol Ji-ak.
“Keuhk! S-Squad Leader…!”
Cheol Ji-ak laughed loudly and looked at Cheon Woo-jin.
“Do you have eyes on the back of your head? You sure dodge well.”
Cheon Woo-jin merely continued eating while standing. At that sight, Cheol Ji-ak burst into laughter as if it were truly amusing.
“Hahaha! You rascals. As soon as you were out of sight for a while, I worried whether you were carrying out your mission properly or dying to a blind blade somewhere.”
“F-First please let go of this…”
Song Yi-yeon thrashed frantically, but he was powerless against Cheol Ji-ak’s physical strength. Protecting his neck with the Black Tortoise Iron Leg Art to secure his airway was all he could manage.
“Yet what do you know? You did far better than expected. It is a problem because you did too well. I heard from the Heavenly Righteousness Division Head. He is a fellow who normally spares praise, after all.”
Surprisingly, the Heavenly Righteousness Division Head and the Black Tortoise Squad Leader were batchmates.
Anew, it struck home that Cheol Ji-ak’s nickname was the perennial squad leader.
Suddenly, Cheol Ji-ak’s gaze turned toward Jin Un sitting across.
Greatly startled, Jin Un sprang up from his seat.
“Ah! Black Tortoise Squad Leader! I am Jin Un of the Heavenly Tiger Squad…”
“Sit down, sit down. Why do you jump up in the middle of eating? Anyone looking would think I was terrorizing people.”
“I-I apologize.”
Feeling awkward, Jin Un sat down. At that sight, Cheol Ji-ak chuckled.
“It was a joke, kid. Enjoy your meal.”
“Y-Yes…”
Jin Un nodded with a dazed expression. Compared to his own squad leader, the Black Tortoise Squad Leader was a man who reeked so much of human warmth that one felt almost suffocated.
Cheol Ji-ak released his arm and ruffled Song Yi-yeon’s hair vigorously. Regrettably, because Cheon Woo-jin had not lowered his guard, that was impossible with him.
“Did you make a friend in the meantime? I thought you would remain outsiders among your peers forever.”
Having said so, Cheol Ji-ak’s gaze turned toward Namgung Jin, who was watching from afar. Cheol Ji-ak had already grasped the hierarchy dynamics among this batch.
Naturally, the Dragon and Phoenix Society centered around the Young Patriarch of the Namgung Clan was the mainstream, and the two recruits who had stood out by unexpectedly choosing the Black Tortoise Squad would be targets to check.
“At any rate, finish your meal and return straight to the Black Tortoise Pavilion to make a formal report. You rascals should have come straight to find me as soon as you returned, yet you sit here comfortably eating. Back in my day…”
Cheol Ji-ak’s words dragged on and on. Absurdities he experienced, discipline, deep-rooted evils, patience, etiquette, and so on; amidst rapidly shifting topics, his speech never paused.
Cheon Woo-jin deployed an energy barrier to protect his ears, thinking it was an extraordinary oratorical skill.
Having chattered for quite a while, Cheol Ji-ak was about to turn around when he suddenly pulled out three bright-red apples from his robes and handed them over.
“Eat one each.”
Song Yi-yeon and Cheon Woo-jin received them casually, while Jin Un sprang up as if overwhelmed with gratitude and received his respectfully with both hands.
Song Yi-yeon asked.
“Why apples all of a sudden? They weren’t on the menu.”
“That punk Seo-hwi’s family runs an orchard, you see. He sent some over saying this year’s apples were good quality. They are tastier than expected, so you eat some too.”
Seo-hwi referred to White Dragon Squad Leader Jang Seo-hwi.
Soon Cheol Ji-ak turned and walked away without lingering, as if his business was finished.
Gazing at his receding back, Cheon Woo-jin spoke softly.
“…Where on earth were the apples kept?”
“Don’t you see the muscles bulging even over those clothes? They probably came out from somewhere around there.”
Come to think of it, the apples seemed slightly warm.
Furrowing his brows slightly, Cheon Woo-jin looked at the apple with an utterly disgusted expression and handed it to Jin Un.
“Eat plenty. It is good for your health.”
“…”
Jin Un looked back and forth between the apple, Song Yi-yeon, and Cheon Woo-jin.
‘Should I have chosen the Black Tortoise Squad?’
Of course, that was an impossibility. Because the elders of Mount Hua would never sit idly by and watch that happen.
Jin Un let out a bitter smile.
* * *
A pavilion located in the deepest part of the Martial Alliance.
“Alliance Leader. It is a big problem because there is no suitable person to send on this mission. It seems preferable to request support from the Five Great Clans, though.”
At the words of Chief Strategist Sima Hwi, Alliance Leader Bukli Cheon let out a low groan.
“Are there truly no talents like that?”
“There are plenty of talents. But isn’t it like this because this mission is that important of an affair? Sending the Heavenly Tiger Squad would be suitable, but they must soon be dispatched on another mission, and the Poison King Squad doesn’t fit the disposition…”
A deep furrow formed between the Chief Strategist’s brows. Dispatching forces for a mission was always difficult.
Too much is waste; too little is failure.
Of course, waste was better than failure, but currently even forces to waste were lacking.
“So, which martial squads can be sent on the mission now?”
“…There are the Black Tortoise Squad and the White Dragon Squad. If you intend to send one of the two, you must exercise prudence in your choice. It will be a mission playing a critical role in the division head promotion four months from now. There will probably be those who mistake the Alliance Leader’s choice as a political opinion.”
Alliance Leader Bukli Cheon snorted.
“What politics when handing down missions to squad leaders in the Alliance? It is simply a matter of sending the children who seem most likely to accomplish it best.”
“Though those are correct words…”
Alliance Leader Bukli Cheon also spoke that way, but he knew. In every organization, there exists a flow of power.
Even in clans formed of bloodlines, bloody winds blew to seize power, so what more needed to be said of the Martial Alliance formed by gathering martial artists from differing backgrounds?
Pondering for a moment, Alliance Leader Bukli Cheon opened his mouth.
“How long has it been since Ji-ak sat in his current post?”
“Fifteen years have passed this year since he obtained the position of Black Tortoise Squad Leader.”
“Haha…”
Only an empty laugh came out. Usually, within ten years at the latest after becoming a squad leader of headquarters, one sees results.
Those lacking capability would be transferred to branches, while those who proved capability were promoted to headquarters division head or occasionally hall master rank.
Yet, to remain a squad leader for as long as fifteen years.
“That rascal, if he just toned down his temper, he would be fine.”
There was no room for doubt regarding Cheol Ji-ak’s martial might or mission execution capability. However, perhaps in the Unorthodox Path, but in the Martial Alliance, that was not everything.
Below, he had to encourage and embrace juniors, and above, he had to gain the trust of superiors.
In Cheol Ji-ak’s case, the former was splendid, but the latter was the problem.
“Squad Leader Cheol Ji-ak has his fiery temperament and bullheaded honesty combined bizarrely, so the superiors he has headbutted against exceed twenty people alone. There is no way his performance evaluations could come out well. Of course, you could promote him to the division head post through the Alliance Leader’s prerogative, but…”
“That cannot be done. Did the other children bow to their superiors because they had no alternative paths?”
“Yes, I thought you would say so.”
Sima Hwi nodded his head.
Who was Alliance Leader Bukli Cheon? He was a man who proved his own capability without any background, paved his path, and ultimately rose to the pinnacle of the Righteous Path.
There was no way such a person would tolerate special promotions using power.
Of course, Sima Hwi shared the same view.
From division head onwards, it belongs to managerial positions. The capability to operate and manage an organization becomes extremely important, but speaking coldly, Squad Leader Cheol Ji-ak had no such thing.
“In a situation where the Demonic Path and Unorthodox Factions have not been destroyed, the discipline of the Alliance must be maintained firmly. In that regard, actions disregarding superiors cannot be condoned.”
Alliance Leader Bukli Cheon nodded his head. In an armed organization, obeying orders from above was essential, and mutiny was strictly punished.
Rather, that he still maintained his post as a headquarters squad leader even after clashing with more than twenty superiors could be considered remarkable.
Alliance Leader Bukli Cheon pondered for quite a while, then finally nodded his head.
“Yes, let us entrust this mission to those rascals. Isn’t this year a bit different?”
Chief Strategist Sima Hwi narrowed his eyes.
“This year is different… Are you referring to the youngest recruits?”
“Likely so. Furthermore, there is also justification that this mission ought to go to that fellow.”
Sima Hwi was about to say something, but closed his mouth and rose from his seat. At any rate, he was someone who followed the Alliance Leader’s command in almost all circumstances.
In the hand of the standing Sima Hwi was held a mission scroll, upon which was written:
‘Secure the Treasure Map of the Three Eccentrics of the Righteous Path.’
Cheon Woo-jin’s master, the White Flower Sword Immortal, was precisely one of the Three Eccentrics of the Righteous Path.