The Four Divine Generals
“Shaolin! How dare you!”
The Taoist priests of the Jeomchang Sect, who had approached, seed ready to draw their swords at any mont. It was, perhaps, understandable. When the Shaolin monks appeared in Nanman, Jeomchang had sent a hundred swordsn to the Five Poison Sect. None of them returned from the trip to Nanman. From Jeomchang’s perspective, a hundred of their fellow disciples had vanished in Nanman, their lives lost.
Of course, this was only Jeomchang’s side of the story. To Mu-jin, the situation was absurd. Jeomchang had ddled in the power struggles of Nanman for their own gain, and now they were enraged that their disciples had died in the process. Did they expect no one to die when they involved themselves in such a dangerous affair?
However, Mu-jin chose to respond differently instead of pointing this out.
“Why are you suddenly angry with us?”
He decided to play dumb.
“Are you really going to pretend you don’t know what you did?”
“Is it a cri to say we don’t know what we don’t know? Please, tell us. What wrong have we committed?”
Mu-jin’s retort made the old swordsman’s face flush red with anger.
“Do you think we wouldn’t know you interfered with our business in Nanman?”
“What are you talking about? Nanman? We’ve never been to Nanman.”
Mu-jin’s brazen attitude made even those from Shaolin and other sects who were supporting him struggle to hide their expressions. They feared that Mu-jin’s lie might be exposed because of their reactions.
Regardless of their hurried attempts to mask their expressions, Mu-jin continued unapologetically.
“Where did you hear such rumors that made you think we were in Nanman? And why would it be a problem for Jeomchang if we were?”
“Are you mocking us with wordplay?”
When the old swordsman couldn’t hold back and shouted, drawing his sword, the other Jeomchang swordsn also drew theirs, emanating a murderous intent. Those who were protecting Mu-jin prepared to respond, drawing their weapons or assuming stances, ready for a confrontation.
At this tense mont, when a battle seed imminent:
“Stop! Whoever initiates an attack will be considered a spy for the Demon Cult!”
A commanding voice, infused with profound internal energy, echoed through the training ground. Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned towards the source of the voice, where a man exuding a powerful aura was walking.
It was Wi Ji-hak, known as the Fist King and the leader of the Murim Alliance.
“Are you saying that Jeomchang intends to start a civil war at a gathering convened to track the traces of the Demon Cult?”
Wi Ji-hak’s stern question made the old swordsman of Jeomchang blush with anger.
“Are you oppressing Jeomchang now?”
“Are you, Elder Am-pyeong, trying to oppress the leader of the Murim Alliance?”
The two glared at each other montarily. Then Wi Ji-hak, slightly softening his tone, spoke persuasively.
“Whatever your reasons for being angry at Shaolin, shouldn’t this matter be addressed after dealing with the Demon Cult? Fighting among ourselves now only aids the Demon Cult.”
“Tch. We will see how you handle this matter after dealing with the Demon Cult.”
Elder Am-pyeong sheathed his sword, trying to maintain so dignity after Wi Ji-hak’s tily intervention.
Though a fight had been averted thanks to Wi Ji-hak’s diation, Mu-jin silently clicked his tongue in disappointnt.
‘Tch. I thought I could get sothing out of this.’
Mu-jin had not played dumb to avoid conflict. He knew that pretending ignorance would only fuel the anger of those who were already furious. He had hoped to provoke Jeomchang into revealing so information or to see if anyone would side with them, thus gathering useful intel. However, now that any further commotion would label him a spy for the Demon Cult, such opportunities seed unlikely to arise for a while.
As Mu-jin consoled himself, Wi Ji-hak, having diated the situation, ascended the podium in the training ground and began to speak.
“I first want to thank the heroes of the Murim who responded to the Alliance’s call and gathered here so swiftly!”
“Woaaaah!!”
The warriors from small sects and those affiliated with the Murim Alliance cheered fervently at his words. In contrast, many of the warriors from the Nine Great Sects and the Five Noble Families showed indifferent reactions, especially those aligned with or against Shaolin. The Murim Alliance’s neutral stance had left them unimpressed.
Wi Ji-hak’s position might be seen as precarious. Despite his outstanding martial skills, earning him the title of Fist King, he lacked real power. He had been elected leader as a compromise to prevent any single faction or family from gaining too much control. They had chosen him over giving the position to soone with a solid background and significant influence.
Nonetheless, Wi Ji-hak stood his ground proudly. He faced not only the enthusiastic crowd but also the indifferent and skeptical gazes with unwavering resolve.
“I am aware that tensions have been rising among the heroes gathered here. However, we all know that our greatest enemy is the insidious Demon Cult.”
As he spoke, he directed his gaze towards the warriors from the Nine Great Sects and the Five Noble Families, as if to say:
‘Restrain yourselves until the matter with the Demon Cult is resolved.’
Wi Ji-hak continued his speech.
“Of course, I understand that, as martial artists, resolving conflicts through martial prowess is natural. I do not intend to deny this. However, while we fight among ourselves, the Demon Cult grows stronger. If we exhaust our strength in these internal conflicts, the innocent people of the Central Plains will suffer at the hands of the Demon Cult!”
“Woaaaah!!”
“Indeed! This alliance considers the recent movents of the demonic cult a turning point, and aims to form four martial units to oppose them! The heroes gathered here today will beco mbers of these four units and will stand at the forefront of the war against the demonic cult!”
In essence, it was a declaration of war against the demonic cult.
Following the spirited speech, the warriors cheered montarily. Soone shouted a question to the leader.
“What will the nas of these units be?”
“They will be nad after the Four Guardian Deities that protect the Middle Kingdom: the Black Tortoise, the Vermillion Bird, the Azure Dragon, and the White Tiger. Collectively, they will be called the Four Divine Units!”
* * *
After the leader’s speech ended,.
The gathered individuals dispersed under the guidance of the Martial Alliance mbers.
This was a precaution to prevent any further conflicts by ensuring that rival factions did not encounter each other on their way out.
The next day proceeded similarly, with each faction heading to the Martial Alliance at different tis.
If the previous day had ended with a simple speech about forming the Four Divine Units, today was about finalizing the roster based on the attendees’ records from the previous day.
To check the roster posted within the Martial Alliance, Mu-jin and the Shaolin monks arrived at the scheduled ti.
Upon seeing the roster, Mu-jin inadvertently cursed under his breath.
“Were they drunk when they made this?”
The roster was astonishing.
It wasn’t biased towards any particular sect or faction. If anything, it was fairly equitable.
More precisely, it was an arrangent that seed designed to spark conflicts everywhere.
mbers from all sects and factions were distributed evenly across the four units.
For example, in the Qinglong Unit where Mu-jin was assigned, there were only three Shaolin mbers, including Mu-jin.
Even Mu-yul and Mu-gung were assigned to different units.
Furthermore, the Qinglong Unit included three swordsn from the Wudang Sect who were eager to kill Mu-jin, along with a few martial artists from the Ei Sect, Qingcheng Sect, and Huashan Sect.
Conversely, there were a few mbers from sects friendly to Shaolin, as well as several neutral martial artists.
In short, the current fragnted state of the orthodox factions was ignored, and the roster was a chaotic mix.
While Mu-jin was cursing the absurd arrangent, a familiar voice ca from behind.
“It might look like a drunken arrangent.”
Startled by the sudden voice, Mu-jin turned around and found himself flinching unconsciously.
There stood the Martial Alliance Leader, smiling mysteriously at Mu-jin.
It was akin to being caught gossiping, but Mu-jin quickly composed himself and spoke confidently.
“I apologize for my harsh words. However, I truly do not understand this arrangent.”
The Martial Alliance Leader, Wi Ji-hak, stroked his still-gray beard and replied.
“There are two main reasons. Firstly, it is to help the younger generation adapt to a new environnt. If each sect were grouped into a single unit, they would naturally band together. This would make it difficult for the unit to function cohesively as a whole.”
“And the second reason?”
Wi Ji-hak replied with a gentle smile.
“To foster camaraderie among the younger generation.”
“Camaraderie?”
Mu-jin almost blurted out that Wi Ji-hak must be mad.
Gathering people who might kill each other and promoting camaraderie seed absurd.
“Haha. I understand your concerns. But that’s precisely why this arrangent is necessary. The Four Divine Units are not just for the present. In the upcoming war against the demonic cult, you will continue to fight under the na of the Four Divine Units. Hence, we specifically requested reinforcents primarily from the younger generation.”
Seeing Mu-jin’s puzzled expression, Wi Ji-hak elaborated.
“There will certainly be friction initially due to existing conflicts among the sects. However, as you fight together against a common enemy, the demonic cult, camaraderie will naturally form. You’ll need to protect each other. Although there will be many issues at first, I believe that frequent battles and gatherings will reduce conflicts.”
“So, the first reason is also a foundation for the second reason?”
“Haha, you are perceptive.”
Mu-jin, after so contemplation, asked the most crucial question.
“Then why have you been rely observing without intervening until now?”
“Because I lacked a pretext. As you know, even though I am the Martial Alliance Leader, I cannot command the Nine Great Schools or the Five Noble Families. Haha.”
Wi Ji-hak’s laughter carried a hint of bitterness as he acknowledged his half-figurehead status.
‘So, Wi Ji-hak wanted to diate from the beginning but was waiting for the right opportunity due to his position…’
The demonic cult’s movents provided that opportunity, and Wi Ji-hak seized it to resolve the conflicts among the factions, using the common enemy to his advantage.
Through this conversation, Mu-jin sowhat understood the rationale behind the absurd roster arrangent.
But this also raised another question.
“Did you explain this to everyone from the various factions?”
How many would stop fighting out of gratitude for such a plan?
Instead, most would likely be angry, wondering why such a troubleso arrangent was made.
In response to Mu-jin’s question, Wi Ji-hak shook his head.
“I am sharing this only with you and the Shaolin disciples.”
Mu-jin didn’t need to ask why. Wi Ji-hak explained on his own.
“I believed that Shaolin would understand my intentions. And I thought you, in particular, would be able to execute my intentions best.”
“?”
“Who else? You might soon earn the title of the Fist King. Haha.”
With a hearty laugh, Wi Ji-hak then spoke seriously to Mu-jin.
“So, please lead the Qinglong Unit well. I believe you can unite the orthodox factions.”
With that, Wi Ji-hak turned and left the training ground, as if entrusting the next generation with what he could not achieve himself.
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