Chapter 54

The relationship between the martial world and the royal family is both simple and complicated.

During the time when the first emperor of Deng, Huaguang, was still a general of the Song Dynasty, he found himself surrounded by enemies on all fronts.

In front of him were the Jin Dynasty and the Mongols, while behind him was the Song royal family.

To the emperor, Huaguang was merely a hunting dog to repel the Jin and Mongols, and a potential rebel who could threaten his throne at any moment.

Even though Huaguang was a demigod with divine blood, he was alone, with no support from the palace.

Even his own mother, the empress, kept her distance, wary of his demigod status.

The only friend he had was his own shadow reflected in the fire.

If things continued this way, it was only a matter of time before he would be discarded like a used tool.

So, Huaguang decided that since he would be executed as a traitor after the war anyway, he might as well commit real treason.

“Hey, your boyfriend just passed by.”

“Ah! Really? No way!”

The cold stares and humiliating words since his childhood ignited a fire in Huaguang’s heart.

“I haven’t done anything wrong… yet they discriminate against me. Damn bastards, I’ll really rebel.”

No matter how strong one is, as long as they have a body, they need to eat, sleep, and relieve themselves. Gaps are inevitable.

Thus, Huaguang first sought a force that would protect him and serve as his loyal followers.

That force was religion.

Not all, but many martial artists in the martial world were also religious scholars, and in times of need, they could be used as excellent warriors.

The ancient sages were all highly respected, and by studying their teachings, one naturally learned advanced martial arts.

In any case, Huaguang invited Taoist priests and monks from the Quanzhen and Shaolin sects, which were the leading martial schools and had high religious status at the time, to be his masters.

When the famous general and demigod with divine blood bowed and asked for their teachings, Quanzhen and Shaolin were pleased and praised Huaguang for his virtue.

Sensitive to such rumors, other Taoist and Buddhist martial artists also gathered around Huaguang.

…But unfortunately, this was not enough.

While the Taoist and Buddhist martial artists were strong, their religious limitations meant they were not skilled in strategy or military tactics.

At the time, Huaguang’s subordinates were all appointed by the emperor, so while he could command, he had no real military power.

Huaguang needed people with experience in politics, strategy, and commanding private armies.

Coincidentally, in the regions, there were warlords who took advantage of the chaos to suppress bandits, occupying territories and collecting taxes in place of the government, building their own private armies.

These were the martial families: the Namgung Family, the Huangbo Family, the Jiegal Family, the Sichuan Tang Family, the Hebei Peng Family, and the Jinzhou Yan Family.

“Hey, you guys, become my comrades.”

The scary thing about fire is that if it’s not extinguished in time, it can consume everything and grow uncontrollably.

It becomes an unstoppable force, an unquenchable flame.

“His Majesty the Emperor is hereby deposed.”

After going through various unpleasant processes, Huaguang successfully carried out a rebellion, deposed the emperor, and installed a puppet emperor he could control.

He also filled the palace officials with his own people.

…Later, after destroying the Jin Dynasty and the Mongols, Huaguang received the formal abdication from the puppet emperor, who praised his virtue as reaching the heavens.

On the day the Song Dynasty’s flag was lowered and the Deng Dynasty’s flag was raised in the capital, Huaguang sat on the throne, smiling at the civil and military officials and the martial artists who helped him succeed in the rebellion.

“I can sit here today thanks to my masters and brothers.”

Having nearly been discarded by the Song emperor, Huaguang disliked purging his meritorious officials and generously granted them many exemptions and benefits.

In fact, the emperor himself proclaimed that they would not be punished for most offenses.

This marked the beginning of the era of martial artists, where the martial world and the royal family were inseparable.

Thus, even when a prophecy emerged from the divination fire that a girl from the Namgung Family would become king, it was unthinkable to kill all the girls in the Namgung Family.

Killing the descendants of meritorious officials based on a single prophecy was not a good look.

Moreover, martial artists didn’t use titles like Sword King or Fist King.

The Hua imperial family, though uneasy, decided not to stir up trouble and let it go.

In response, the Namgung Family, to appease the royal family, dressed their daughter Sososo as a boy and raised her as one.

The young head of the Namgung Family, Namgung Seon, and the princess of the North Sea Ice Palace, Seol Wonhwa, believed that as time passed and the ominous prophecy faded from people’s memories, Sososo could return to living as a girl.

…However, when Sososo turned twelve, she drew a sword that should not have been drawn, and the prophecy became fate.

***

The heavy rain turned out to be just a shower, and the play was set to resume in the evening.

However, one problem arose.

The next scene involved Jeoseokcheon, who had defeated the evil dragon, ascending to the heavens with a fairy who came to greet him.

The rope mechanism they planned to use for this scene had broken.

“Excuse me, are you martial artists? Would you mind stepping in as actors?”

The festival guide, who was also part of the theater troupe, bowed to us and Sososo, asking us to participate in the play.

Indeed, with our lightness skills, we could ascend to the heavens without the need for the rope mechanism.

“Well, this could be an interesting experience. If you pay us, we’ll do it.”

With my straightforward agreement, the guide’s face brightened, and he eagerly awaited Sososo’s decision.

Sososo, who had been quietly listening, blushed slightly and asked with anticipation, “Does that mean… I can play Jeoseokcheon?”

The guide, who had intended to cast her as the fairy, was taken aback by her ambition to play the lead role.

In the end, I took the role of Jeoseokcheon, and Sososo played the fairy.

There were no costumes that fit Sososo for the role of Jeoseokcheon.

She looked adorable, like a girlfriend borrowing her boyfriend’s shirt, with the clothes flowing loosely.

The guide was worried Sososo might not help, but she agreed, saying it wouldn’t be right to back out after agreeing.

However, she refused to wear women’s clothing and only wore the head ornaments.

In any case, Sososo didn’t seem to mind playing the fairy role and fiddled with the red silk headpiece she was given while exploring backstage.

She looked like a child visiting a special effects movie set.

***

The part we had to act in the play was when Jeoseokcheon, distracted by women in a hot spring, didn’t return to the heavens.

Unable to bear it, the fairy danced under the beautiful moon at dawn, enticing Jeoseokcheon, who, captivated by her beauty, chased her all the way to the heavens.

Fortunately, since this was a masked opera, there was little risk of being discovered even if the actors changed mid-performance.

Thus, we only had to jump onto the stage like stuntmen after the actors finished their lines, perform the chase, and then fly up.

In other words, it was an easy job where we just had to show off our lightness skills at the end.

…However, my plan fell apart when I saw Sososo’s dance.

Under the beautiful moonlight and the intense gaze of the audience, the swordswoman, enticing the god, spun and performed a sword dance.

It was a truly noble, pitiful, and upright sword dance.

Was it the festival’s excitement? Or the swordswoman’s allure?

Saliva rose in my mouth, and something hot flowed from my heart.

Greed surged.

‘…Why am I just standing here?’

I gripped my cane. Moved my feet. Approached Sososo.

From behind, I heard someone say it wasn’t time to go out yet, but that didn’t matter anymore.

Dog Chasing Stick Technique – Flicking the Dog to the Sky – Using the stick to strike the dog and send it flying into the sky.

The stick and sword clashed.

The sword was sent flying high into the sky by the upward strike of the stick.

Taking advantage of the opening, Jeoseokcheon reached out towards the swordswoman.

…But the swordswoman, unfazed, used her footwork to create distance.

As if daring him to catch her, she danced around Jeoseokcheon in circles.

The stick and sword clashed again.

They chased and clashed with each other.

Like two white herons dancing in a circle.

Perhaps moving my body calmed my mind. I saw the signal from backstage that it was time to exit.

The act was over. It was time to return from the lustful Jeoseokcheon to the sensible Sima Mantian.

Sososo also saw the signal and moved to withdraw her sword.

And at that moment, Mantian’s left arm greedily hooked Sososo’s slender waist and pulled her into his embrace.

Caught off guard, Sososo visibly panicked, and Mantian lightly dropped the cane he was holding.

Clatter-

As the sound of the cane falling on the stage echoed, the audience’s attention focused on the two.

“M-Master Sima, this isn’t in the script… And there are many people watching… Please let me go.”

Embarrassed by the situation, Sososo whispered quietly, but Mantian lifted his mask slightly with his right hand and smiled mischievously as Mantian, not Jeoseokcheon.

“Let them watch to their heart’s content.”

After all, improvisation makes a play more exciting and fun.

“Under the dim moonlight at midnight.”

Sweet words echoed on the beautiful evening stage under the rising moon.

“Only the two of us know what’s in our hearts.”

That day, Mantian tore up Jeoseokcheon’s stage.