“When martial artists engage in a duel under the name of Martial Prohibition, it’s a given that there should be no interference.”
“That’s correct. Given Great Hero Wi’s status, a private meeting with the Alliance Leader is virtually impossible. However, by applying for a succession duel, he can secure a time to have a private meeting with the Alliance Leader.”
Succession Duel.
The solution proposed by Zhuge Hyeon-sang.
It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was the best course of action I could take in the near future. After all, having a private audience with the leader of the Martial Alliance — the core of the righteous sects — was an extraordinary opportunity, and not just anyone could achieve it. I was aware of this difficulty, but I had simply asked him to explore any possible solutions.
Though it wasn’t a perfect answer, he had succeeded in providing a surprisingly satisfactory option.
…If we play our cards right, this could even help us smoothly counter the Demonic Sect’s invasion.
“So, can we apply for this Succession Duel immediately?”
“Well… it’s not that simple. As you know, the leader of the Martial Alliance is one of the top figures in the righteous sects. It wouldn’t be wise to give just anyone the opportunity to challenge him, right?”
That’s true.
If anyone could challenge the Martial Alliance leader, the leader would’ve been assassinated long ago. In fact, it’s quite puzzling that the Succession Duel even exists.
“So why does this Succession Duel exist?”
“…Back when the Martial Alliance was first established, the second leader sought to consolidate all power in preparation for a war against the Demonic Sect. This led to a dangerous situation where the righteous sects themselves were at risk of fracturing into two factions before even engaging the Demonic Sect.
“However, the renowned Changgong Sword Emperor Nam-gung Jin-cheon challenged him to a duel over the position of alliance leader. After a bloody half-day fight, he emerged victorious and became the third leader of the Martial Alliance.”
…So this is a rule that only existed shortly after the Martial Alliance was created?
This piece of information, which wasn’t even hinted at in the original story, was fascinating. The original narrative only covered the events after the Martial Alliance leader’s death, focusing on his entanglement with Seo-ryeon, the Demonic Sect’s master plan spanning decades, and the eventual collapse of the Martial Alliance due to internal division. Honestly, calling the Martial Alliance entirely incompetent might be a bit unfair, but the original story was written to intentionally undermine their authority.
It seemed the story was meant to have the protagonist rebuild the Martial Alliance to fight against the Heavenly Demon, but the early ending led to the Martial Alliance being forgotten altogether.
To avoid the same ending as the original story, I have to warn the current leader privately about an impending danger and prevent his death.
For that, the only feasible solution Zhuge Hyeon-sang brought up is to execute the Succession Duel.
“…Since then, the duel between the second and third Martial Alliance leaders has become a formalized tradition called the Succession Duel.”
“Are you saying I have to do this?”
“Yes. Though this custom is nearly obsolete, the current leader will not refuse if all conditions are met. He is also interested in meeting Great Hero Wi.”
“Does he want to recruit me again, like last time?”
“The Martial Alliance would welcome you with open arms if Great Hero Wi wanted to join. The meeting would be much easier. But that’s not what you want, right?”
True.
A peak martial artist is already a valuable resource, but a supreme martial artist, like yourself, rises to the level of leader or top expert of a major sect. It would be quite extraordinary.
“So, the goal is to meet the conditions for the Succession Duel and challenge the leader. So what are those conditions?”
They won’t be easy.
After all, it’s a direct challenge to the Martial Alliance leader. The conditions must be quite stringent.
At my question, Zhuge Hyeon-sang cleared his throat a few times and, with a serious expression, replied,
“…You’ll need the testimony of at least three major sects from the Nine Sects and One Hall or the Five Great Families.”
“…If I already have the blessing of Hainan Sword Sect, I only need two more then. But how am I going to find them?”
“Difficult as it may seem… it may be easier than you think.”
“Hmm?”
“The Pang family of Hebei might be willing to testify for you. However, you’ll have to discuss it directly with them…”
“The sweat-stinking one’s family?”
“They’re renowned for their straightforwardness, being the most bold in the Central Plains. If you charge in boldly, there’s a reasonable chance they will respond favorably.”
That sounds like saying they’re simple-minded and easily persuaded. With that, I facepalmed listening to this assessment from an insider of another Great Family.
“And if that doesn’t work?”
“What else can we do but try another place? Wudang Sect could be a decent choice. Or, we could approach Mount Hua, which has an indifferent relationship with the leader.”
“Why does Mount Hua have a poor relationship with him?”
“The current leader’s rivals for the seat of leadership were Mount Hua and the Sichuan Tang Family.”
“Then how about approaching the Tang Family?”
“Their deviousness makes them not the best choice.”
Their evaluation is rather harsh due to their use of poison.
“What about the Je-ga Family?”
“…I wouldn’t recommend it entirely, but as a secondary option, it’s not bad.”
“You said two more sects were needed. Who would be the remaining candidate?”
After hesitating for a moment, Zhuge Hyeon-sang replied,
“…Shaolin.”
——————-
“Uncle, why does your face look so strained? Did something happen?”
“It’s just that I have a new headache-inducing problem.”
Let’s say we’ve settled on the Pang family of Hebei.
But Shaolin?
Aren’t we making the barriers unnecessarily steep?
My headache didn’t go away due to this sudden obstacle.
How in the world am I going to persuade Shaolin?
The Pang family would likely do most of the work themselves if they want to watch me fight the Martial Alliance leader, but Shaolin would instantly reject the proposition.
Worse still, we might just get a scolding and be thrown out depending on the circumstances.
The problem is that I can’t easily divulge my reasons.
Because I chose the duel as a means to privately warn the leader of the Martial Alliance about an assassination attempt. I can’t just plainly state that.
It’d be easier if I had some evidence, but the person in question has been playing the part for over 20 years for just the right moment to kill the leader. There’s probably no weight in what I have to say as an outsider, so persuading them through words alone would be difficult.
Should I check if there are any infiltration techniques in the Mu-yeong Sin-t’oo secret manual?
Presenting evidence might improve things.
In the original story, after the Martial Alliance leader’s death, the protagonist began an investigation following unusual clues and eventually uncovered the culprit. If I can find the clues, I might be able to obtain the evidence.
The issue though is that I’m terrible at infiltration like in the original story, and it would be too risky to delegate such a task to Mok-kyeong for now.
Still, I need some factor to add credibility, so I should search through all the clues I can remember from the original while devising a method.
…Should I raid a branch of the Demonic Sect instead?
There might be some information buried in there somewhere.
“Would you like to rest a bit? I’ll be your footstool!”
“Where did you learn such an offer?”
“Mother said men like to rest their heads on women’s knees!”
…Wasn’t she the one who passed away when you were young?
“No, it’s okay.”
“You don’t want to rest on my knees?”
Hye-ryeong looked down dejectedly, clearly disappointed. I sighed deeply and spoke to her,
“…It might not be bad to try once.”
“Yay! Come lie down!”
Hye-ryeong confidently patted her knees. However, my eyes couldn’t help but be drawn not to her knees but to the mass above them which threatened to press against my face.
…Should I recite some Bible verses?
“Alright!”
“Alright. Stop pestering.”
Cautiously leaning my head onto her knee, I felt a soft, fluffy sensation much different from a pillow, encasing my head.
…
The pink hues coloring my life are good, but my mind isn’t functioning well, having lived most of my life in bloodshed and now faced with this situation.
Is it because I’ve never been in a romantic relationship?
“Hummm…”
Thrilled by the fact I was resting my head on her knees, Hye-ryeong hummed a little tune as she looked down at me—or rather, made a guess.
Given her ample chest obscured my view of the sky, I could barely see even the edge of it.
I kept trying to focus on my thoughts while deliberately ignoring her chest hovering precariously close to my face.
“Blessed are those who endure trials…”
Continuously muttering Bible verses I knew.
