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Chapter 3: Back to Square One (3)
At the same time, inside the Hyeoncheon Pavilion of the Murim Alliance:
Led by Grand Strategist Jegal Hyeon, the Hyeoncheon Pavilion served as the brain of the Murim Alliance. It collected and analyzed information from across the Jianghu, issuing directives to various divisions of the Alliance.
It had been three years since the truce with the Black Heaven Alliance.
Lately, however, dangerous signs were emerging once more, the Black Heaven Alliance was engaging with the Blood Cult from beyond the borders and reorganizing the Seven Evil Clans. As a result, the mission of the Hyeoncheon Pavilion had become exceedingly critical.
Grand Strategist, it’s Iljoong.
Come in.
Sima Iljoong, a military strategist of the Strategy Department, entered Jegal Hyeon’s office.
A direct descendant of the Sima Clan, he was intelligent, possessed sharp judgment, and worked with dedication, making him the most prominent young strategist in the Hyeoncheon Pavilion.
Baek Socheon packed his belongings and returned to his residence. Early tomorrow morning, his reassignment order will be delivered to his home. His destination is the Munseong Branch in Zhejiang Province.
Jegal Hyeon nodded slowly at Sima Iljoong’s report.
I still don’t quite understand, Sima Iljoong remarked. “Why any of this is happening.”
He was, of course, referring to Baek Socheon and the disciplinary actions against him. When Sima Iljoong first joined the Alliance as a strategist for the Hyeoncheon Pavilion, Baek Socheon was at his absolute peak as the Secret Pavilion Master.
What followed, however, was a relentless fall from grace.
He broke the Alliance laws, disobeyed orders, and acted with reckless aggression. He had even gone so far as to assault a superior officer.
Understanding someone is no easy task, Jegal Hyeon said softly.
Do you understand him, Grand Strategist?
I…
Jegal Hyeon trailed off, unable to complete his sentence. It was impossible to tell whether he meant he didn’t understand, or if he simply preferred not to speak on the matter.
Tell me, have you been granted access to the Strategic Command Center yet?
Not yet, sir. My clearance comes through next month.
To enter the Hyeoncheon Pavilion’s Strategic Command Center, one had to have been with the Alliance for at least five years.
I will exercise my discretion and move it up by a month. Follow me.
Yes, sir.
Jegal Hyeon led Sima Iljoong out of the office.
Following behind, Sima Iljoong’s heart pounded in his chest. There was a saying that one became a true strategist of the Hyeoncheon Pavilion only after gaining entry to the Strategic Command Center.
Jegal Hyeon led him down to the third basement level.
The further down they went, the more dilapidated everything appeared, from the hallways to the wooden doors lined up along the way.
Yet Sima Iljoong knew better.
In this seemingly deserted, shabby corridor lay a tight network of lethal trap mechanisms capable of repelling any master intruder. It was said that only someone with martial arts on par with the Murim Alliance Leader himself could force their way through.
The two arrived at a supply storage room at the end of the third basement level hallway. The rundown room was packed with miscellaneous clutter. Walking ahead, Jegal Hyeon randomly adjusted the beads of an iron abacus resting on a shelf. As he continued forward, he laid a standing broom down on its side and lightly tapped a spiderweb on the wall. At a glance, it looked like a normal web, but it wasn’t, it was a delicate thread spun from Thousand-Silk Steel.
Once that final step was completed, a wall in the corner slid open.
Beyond the wall was a small space with room for a few people to stand. Once both of them stepped inside, it automatically began descending.
Clank…
How far down had they gone?
When the door opened, another long hallway stretched out before them. Two high-level martial artists stood guard at the entrance. Even though Jegal Hyeon visited daily, they meticulously exchanged the secret password for the day.
They walked through yet another corridor hidden with traps.
Opening the door at the far end, the scene within unfolded before them.
Ah!
Sima Iljoong gasped the moment he looked inside.
In the vast hall, dozens of military strategists were busily at work.
Through dozens of pipes connected to the ceiling, bamboo cylinders containing message scrolls descended continuously. These scrolls had arrived from every corner of the Central Plains, ranging from standard dispatches to top-priority emergency alerts. Here, they were meticulously sorted and categorized based on importance.
When Sima Iljoong glanced at the far wall, his footsteps froze. Reading the text displayed there, he turned cold as stone.
Written from top to bottom were the names of martial artists.
At the very top stood a single line,
The Murim Roster of Preeminence.
It was the definitive ranking of the Jianghu, researched and compiled by the Hyeoncheon Pavilion.
It really exists!
The rumor that the Hyeoncheon Pavilion analyzed and ranked the martial capabilities of top masters across the Central Plains was indeed true. Even after five years in the Hyeoncheon Pavilion, he was only now discovering that its existence was real. Though they shared meals and drinks, his senior colleagues had never uttered a single word about this.
And at the absolute pinnacle of the roster stood a proud, illustrious name:
Rank 1 in the Murim: Ak So-gun, the Murim Alliance Leader.
Rank 2 in the Murim: Yeom Hwa-shin, the Black Heaven Alliance Leader.
Rank 3 in the Murim: Yang Jin, the Sword Emperor
Rank 4 in the Murim: Beom Cheong, the Mad Fiend.
Rank 5 in the Murim: Yu Bae-ryeong, the Universal Faction Master.
…
Jegal Hyeon stood side-by-side with Sima Iljoong, gazing up at the roster. From Rank 1 to Rank 100, these were masters whose names shook the entire Murim.
Leaking what you see here results in execution without exception, Jegal Hyeon warned.
Understood, sir! I will never speak a word of it.
Not even in your sleep.
Understood, sir!
Seeing him so stiff and tense, Jegal Hyeon chuckled.
Haha, I’m joking. Why would I execute you over a little sleep-talking? Besides, who would actually believe these rankings?
Pardon? Ah, yes.
Sima Iljoong felt a strange sensation.
He had no idea how accurate those rankings truly were. Perhaps on the Black Heaven Alliance’s own roster, their own leader occupied the number one spot.
Yet if there was one thing Sima Iljoong knew better than anyone, it was that the Hyeoncheon Pavilion gathered only the most extraordinary talents in the land. To be merely called a genius meant you were only fit to sweep the floors here.
Then, Jegal Hyeon voiced something entirely unexpected.
Do you know who used to be at the very top of that list?
At that meaningful question, Sima Iljoong flinched in shock.
Could it be…?
There was only one name that came to mind in this situation.
Baek Socheon?
Correct. For several years right up until he was injured, he held the Rank 1 spot. Back then, it was written like this:
…Rank 1 in the Murim: Baek Socheon, Secret Pavilion Master of the Murim Alliance.
Was he truly Number One?
Is that your way of asking, ‘Is our Hyeoncheon Pavilion completely incompetent?’ Or perhaps, ‘Grand Strategist, are you a liar?’
Ah, no! Forgive me, sir. It was a slip of the tongue.
With a gentle smile that revealed he was only teasing, Jegal Hyeon pointed to the very bottom of the roster.
Look down there.
At the bottom of the board, past Rank 100, Baek Socheon’s name was inscribed:
Ranking Pending: Baek Socheon. Iron Sword Corps, First Unit, Third Squad Leader.
Out of respect for him, we haven’t erased his name yet.
Ah…!
Sima Iljoong’s heart trembled.
Learning such a hidden history at this moment made Sima Iljoong truly feel that he had finally become a genuine strategist of the Hyeoncheon Pavilion.
Just then…
Ring, ring, ring
At the chime of a bell, everyone turned their eyes toward a single spot.
Out of all the tubes connected to various organizations, it was the chime from the most special tube, the one delivering commands directly from the Murim Alliance Leader.
The responsible strategist quickly retrieved the cylinder and brought it to Jegal Hyeon.
After reviewing the order, Jegal Hyeon summoned the internal martial artists of the Hyeoncheon Pavilion. They were elite guards assigned to protect the strategists within the pavilion.
Jegal Hyeon issued the command:
Retrieve the Ghost Shadow Sword from Baek Socheon. If it’s the Alliance Leader’s command, he will hand it over obediently.
Understood, sir.
The guards departed immediately.
The Ghost Shadow Sword was a precious blade bestowed upon Baek Socheon directly by the Alliance Leader.
In a trembling voice, Sima Iljoong asked, “Is this… a complete severance of ties?”
Sima Iljoong’s mind raced with questions. Forgetting that questioning the Grand Strategist so directly was disrespectful, he found himself completely swept up in this momentous piece of history.
Who knows? Even I cannot say for certain.
Though Jegal Hyeon prided himself on knowing everything under the sun in the Central Plains, the inner thoughts of Baek Socheon and the Murim Alliance Leader remained a mystery even to him.
—
A short while later, the guards returned with the Ghost Shadow Sword.
Did he hand it over willingly? Jegal Hyeon asked.
The lead guard shook his head and replied, “No, sir. At first, he refused and told us to get lost.”
As if he had expected as much, Jegal Hyeon chuckled softly. “And then?”
The Alliance Leader’s command didn’t work on him, so we begged him. We told him we’d all be executed if we failed to bring it back. Only then did he finally yield.
Why did you do that? You could have simply returned and reported that he defied the Alliance Leader’s order.
Hesitating for a moment, a mix of nostalgia and gratitude crossed the lead guard’s face.
…During the last war, Martial Artist Baek saved my life. Though he probably doesn’t even remember me.
Ah, I see.
Indeed, it wasn’t just this guard, countless people owed their lives to Baek Socheon.
What did he say when he surrendered the sword?
How did you know he said something, sir?
Because of you, he handed it over, but with his temper, he was bound to spit out a word or two.
Well… it’s…
It’s alright, out with it. Repeat it word for word, exactly as he said it.
After a moment’s hesitation, the guard relayed the message verbatim:
‘How petty can you get, giving a gift and then taking it back? Screw this, I’m done using swords anyway. I’ll just wander around empty-handed until some Black Heaven Alliance bastard kills me, so tell him to stop squirming like an anxious fool! Make sure you deliver every single word! Ptui, ptui!’
Hahaha!
Jegal Hyeon burst into loud laughter, though no one else dared to join in.
Deliver it to the Grand Alliance Hall exactly like that. Leave out the spitting, though.
Pardon?
Do you think those words were directed at us? They were meant for him, so pass them along intact. Since the sword has been reclaimed, the Alliance Leader might as well take back those final words as well.
Understood, sir.
Taking the sword, the lead guard departed to deliver the report.
Jegal Hyeon turned to Sima Iljoong.
Shall we head out as well?
Yes, sir.
Sima Iljoong’s mind was in total disarray from processing so much information in such a short span. What he had said to Jegal Hyeon before coming here still reflected his true feelings:
*I still don’t quite understand. No, now I understand even less.*
At the same time, a single pressing question rose in his heart:
Just what on earth happened between Baek Socheon and the Alliance Leader?
However, the question stopped at the back of his throat. He did not dare speak the Alliance Leader’s name aloud.
As he exited the Strategic Command Center alongside Jegal Hyeon, a senior strategist happened to be updating the entry at the very bottom of the Murim Roster of Preeminence.
Baek Socheon’s previous title as Third Squad Leader was erased and replaced with new text:
Baek Socheon. Murim Alliance, Zhejiang Branch, Munseong Office, Rank-and-File Martial Artist.
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