The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#194 Scholar Juyul (17) - Success Depends on Heaven "The success or failure of affairs depends on heaven. However." *** There is a saying called "non-interference between government and martial arts." The court and its subordinate agencies do not interfere in martial world affairs, and the martial world likewise does not intervene in government or political matters. Thus they respect each other's domains. However, some of those who know this country's history dared to assert this. That this is all merely excuses and hypocrisy. From the very beginning, the origins of the country called Liu Empire were like this. Dragons with horns and tails of various kinds dwelt in human bodies, and they fought each other for dominion over the world until the victor monopolized everything. Only the bloodline of dragons with white horns was noble, so they became the imperial family. Those who were under the white horns received rewards and roles after the war ended, so they became bureaucrats and military officers. The losers hid in the forest called the martial world to avoid the eyes and swords of such winners, and the winners either subjugated those losers directly themselves, or gave fame as payment to those who subjugated them, using them as hunting dogs. In other words, at least in the early days of Liu Empire, the martial world and the government were absolutely not unrelated. No, those who wielded swords according to the government's will were called orthodox sects, and those who opposed this were called heretical sects whether they had political connections or not, so the expressions "government-martial unity" or "martial subordination to government" were more accurate. But was winning too decisively the problem? When the losers' forces shrank to the point where they no longer posed a threat to national affairs, the winners no longer devoted themselves to subjugating the losers. Subjugating powerful beasts is an essential matter for securing survival rights and high honor, but pulling weeds is merely bothersome chores. The white-horned imperial family checked other white horns instead of rooting out other dragon bloodlines, the elite military became pigs with bellies full of fat, and scholars used learning not as a means to achieve a golden age but as a means to satisfy their vested interests and vanity. Amid such strife and complacency, the world gradually became chaotic, and using this as nourishment, the heretical sects that had once fallen regained their prosperity. The Orthodox-Heretical Great War was a war that was no different from a symbol of this. Descendants of the defeated, marginalized classes who could not approach power, religions branded as heretical, criminals who made light of legal judgment. Truly, all kinds of troubles existing in the country called the empire raised their banners of rebellion in human form, and the weak and incompetent imperial family could not properly deal with this. Non-interference between government and martial arts. Using the excuse that martial world affairs should be resolved by the martial world itself. "It was truly a foolish act. No matter how much time has passed and the relationship between orthodox sects and the imperial family has become nominal, their origin is the loyal dogs from the founding era." "It is truly a fortunate thing for us. No matter how weak and lazy they have become, the imperial family is still the imperial family. If they had concentrated their power on the orthodox sects instead of indulging in luxury, pleasure, and power struggles, the Orthodox-Heretical Great War would have ended not in mutual destruction but in a one-sided defeat of the heretical sects." A five-story wine house from which one could look down on the surrounding area. Two men were facing each other. One was a man black as if ink had been poured from head to toe, and the horns on his head emitted a strange luster as if proving the man's bloodline. The other was a scholar-type man wearing a navy blue robe, and his immortal-like long flowing beard and black feather fan gave off a luxurious impression. Heaven-Breaking Lord and Ghost Mountain Strategist. The warrior currently regarded as the strongest of the heretical sects and his strategist continued their conversation while sharing drinks. "Yes, mutual destruction. That fight where the leaders of orthodox and heretical sects killed each other was truly fierce. I too overcame several crises of death." However, Heaven-Breaking Lord added. "That was the last chance for the imperial family and those orthodox sect bastards. Next time we will win." If the orthodox sects had heard this, they would have been outraged asking what nonsense this was before even fighting, but Ghost Mountain Strategist readily agreed. It was not simple flattery toward his lord, but rather a plain truth. "Yes, that's right. Even when a ship breaks, there's still a bottom, but this time they've consumed even that bottom. Most of those who valued great causes, righteousness, and loyalty have been swept away, and what remains are only petty people who watched from behind when others fought earnestly. Even if the Martial Alliance is rebuilt, it would be nothing more than a rotten fruit basket that only looks decent on the outside." The orthodox sects will also struggle to raise a new generation in their own way, but now that it has been proven what became of those who devoted themselves to others in the Orthodox-Heretical Great War, those willing to walk the same path cannot easily increase. In contrast, the heretical sects are those who act according to personal greed and resentment without any interest in great causes from the beginning. As long as the imperial family lacks virtue and the world is chaotic, they are a group that can only continue to emerge and grow stronger. Of course, there was the flaw that they could not easily unite as one, but neither Heaven-Breaking Lord nor Ghost Mountain Strategist considered this a problem. Even the previous generation's Samaryeon, did they gather for some grand cause? Not the way of kings, but the way of hegemony. By crushing with overwhelming power and fear, and as long as one can present a common enemy, any amount of influence can be achieved. The moment when the heretical sects gather under Heaven-Breaking Lord's name. The orthodox sects that struggle to pretend to be decent with whatever alliance they form will be trampled in an instant, and the fat pig called the imperial family behind them will also be slaughtered. Only one obstacle remains. "—So, what do you think that bastard Oh Ga-myeong intends to do?" "With his mouth he says he'll think about it more, that he's persuading the others so please wait a bit longer... but it's probably a lie. He's just making various excuses to buy time, he has no intention of submitting to us. Isn't it that he's afraid that if Samaryeon is rebuilt, the Hao Sect will probably be the first to be used as a sacrificial pawn?" Tsk tsk, Heaven-Breaking Lord shook his head from side to side. Judging by his face and gestures, he seemed to sympathize with Oh Ga-myeong for acting foolishly based on groundless assumptions, but the words that actually came from his mouth were different. "What's so important about mere fortune tellers and courtesans? We would naturally treat him and his close associates well, but he's doing foolish things because of those petty people." "The nickname 'Chivalrous Man of the Five Masses' wasn't given for nothing." "So what's the point? No matter how much he plays the chivalrous hero protecting his underlings with his name and skills as a shield, the orthodox sect bastards won't even acknowledge them as anything but a dirty and lowly bunch. ...Are the other two the same?" "Drunken Dreamer sent back an answer saying 'This isn't a situation to worry about such things, so get lost.' In Lady of Trampling Fire's case, there was no response at all." "That's unexpected. Given that woman's personality, she would have sent back an answer that was worse than Drunken Dreamer's if anything, not better." "That is..." "Hmm?" At the rare sight of Ghost Mountain Strategist trailing off his words, Heaven-Breaking Lord showed a puzzled expression. Ghost Mountain Strategist let out a hollow laugh and said. "She's become more well-behaved than before, it seems." "Who?" "Lady of Trampling Fire. That damned temper of hers has calmed down, and her verbal abuse and violence have greatly decreased. Especially in front of her master, she acts as dignified as a noble lady... Let me say in advance, I also suspected whether it was just false rumors, so I pressed my informants several times and confirmed it repeatedly. So please don't look at me like I'm insane." "I'm sorry, it's just such unbelievable news." That's understandable, Ghost Mountain Strategist agreed. Although Ghost Mountain Strategist had never directly faced Lady of Trampling Fire, he could fully guess her personality just from the stories that came through rumors. After hearing more recent news about Lady of Trampling Fire, Heaven-Breaking Lord clicked his tongue as if he couldn't believe it. "That Lady of Trampling Fire acting obedient and virtuous. I can't imagine it. So, did you look into this man called Juyul who changed that woman like that?" "I apologize. We continue to investigate him, but the details are still unclear. They say he's like someone who was suddenly born from thin air. The most likely hypothesis at present is that the orthodox sects or the imperial family were involved, but..." "No, never mind. No need to struggle to find out more. We can just ask him directly." "My lord." Heaven-Breaking Lord rose from his seat. With a height of nine feet that far exceeded the empire's average and a sturdy build. Combined with the natural aura flowing from his body, the space that would normally be adequate for dozens of people to hold a banquet seemed to be filled entirely with Heaven-Breaking Lord's presence alone. "It would be strange if not a single drop of decent blood was shed in unifying the heretical sects. To tame wild wolves, there needs to be an example showing what happens to those who defy." Ghost Mountain Strategist knew. Despite speaking like that, Heaven-Breaking Lord had already spilled countless blood in the process of establishing his power. As they had discussed all along, if they simply submitted when told to submit, they wouldn't be heretical sects. But that didn't mean Heaven-Breaking Lord was making contradictory statements either. It's just that the standards are different. Compared to the blood that will flow in the future Heaven-Breaking Lord envisions, on the path he will take, the blood spilled so far is nothing more than something so insignificant it wouldn't even be acknowledged as 'a single drop.' "Prepare for deployment. I will go directly to finish them off and declare the establishment of Samaryeon... no, Heaven-Breaking Alliance." At his lord's command, the strategist simply prostrated himself and received the order. *** The stirring of the forces led by Heaven-Breaking Lord immediately struck the entire martial world. They were neither particularly swift nor secretive. Rather, as if saying "try to stop us if you want," they advanced very leisurely and boldly toward the land where Juyul's group was located. The wanderers' eyes lit up, saying the moment they had been waiting for, the opportunity to make a name for themselves as martial artists, had come. The Hao Sect members were terrified, but knowing that the reason Oh Ga-myeong chose to fight against Heaven-Breaking Lord instead of submitting was because of them, they harbored courage despite their fear. What remained were only the academy's students, who could be called Juyul's original disciples. At first, Juyul advised them to leave. It wasn't the first time he said this either, but advice that had been repeated several times since the academy began to get seriously involved with the martial world. Saying this was a proper martial world matter that had no connection to the students, so there was no need for them to get involved. However, the students did not retreat. "Our lives were like weeds. When someone trampled on us, we could only be trampled, and even if we wanted to bloom as beautiful flowers, we had to live as nameless weeds because we knew nothing, learned nothing, and had no outstanding talents." "However, you gave us the power to stand against injustice, the knowledge and wisdom to choose our own path, and most importantly, self-respect." "If we retreat from here, we may be able to ensure our physical safety for now, but an indelible eternal wound will remain in our hearts. Therefore, please allow us to stay with you!" To this, Juyul looked up at the sky and spoke as if sighing, and the content was as follows. "It is people who plan affairs, but it is heaven that determines success or failure, so people can only calmly accept the results." "However, my cultivation is insufficient to become a complete scholar, so I shall try to change this, even by force." People tilted their heads, not understanding the meaning of those words, but Zhang Hualing felt an inexplicable sense of unease.