Chapter 152
The vast information network of the Hao Sect was fully mobilized.
It was like an invisible hand, spreading across the Central Plains like a spiderweb.
The members of the Hao Sect hidden all over, errand boys, courtesans, and merchants all began to move at once.
Luoyang, Kaifeng, the capital, Hangzhou, Chang'an...
Not only the major cities of Central Plains, but also remote small villages.
Correspondence was distributed simultaneously in all directions.
On the bulletin boards of inns, on the walls of markets, at the main gates of government offices, even at the entrances of various medium and small orthodox factions.
Tens of thousands of pieces of correspondence were posted throughout the martial world.
The message of those letters was shocking.
[Proclamation to All Under Heaven (天下告)]
—The Hebei Peng Clan and Sichuan Tang Clan have manufactured a drug called Soul-Bewildering Powder and distributed it throughout the pleasure districts of the Central Plains.
—Because of this, tens of thousands of innocent people have become addicted and are suffering, and thousands have either died or become ruined.
—Amazingly, this heinous crime was carried out under the direct orders of the Murim Alliance Leader, Namgung Cheon-rui.
—A secret letter sealed with the alliance leader's seal will serve as evidence among the venerable noble clans of the martial world.
—See clearly the hypocrisy of those who call themselves the orthodox faction and pretend to uphold chivalry!
Alongside the public letter, copies of the Murim Alliance Leader's secret order were distributed as well.
Though only a copy, the form of the seal and the handwriting were so precise and elaborate that it was nearly indistinguishable from the original.
The Ink Masters of the Hao Sect had spent all night producing these results.
At the same time, rumors began to spread like wildfire.
From mouth to mouth, the truth sprouted wings.
"Did you hear? The Hebei Peng Clan distributed drugs!"
"No way ... a renowned orthodox clan would do such a thing? That's impossible."
"Impossible? Here's the proof! There's even a letter showing that the alliance leader himself gave the orders!"
"Good heavens... To think the people calling themselves 'orthodox' have been doing such things behind our backs!"
The rumor became a wildfire, then a massive blaze.
In the market square of a certain village,
An old woman, reading the letter, wailed and pounded the ground.
"Oh no... My daughter... My daughter died, addicted to Soul-Bewildering Powder... And it was their doing!"
At the sound of her cries, people began to gather around.
"My niece went mad suddenly while working at the Red Light District. The physician said it was some kind of poison... So it was Soul-Bewildering Powder!"
"There are several families in our village that have fallen apart because of Soul-Bewildering Powder... Selling their daughters to pay off debts, fathers hanging themselves...."
People's gazes began to change.
On the streets, the looks directed at orthodox martial artists became cold.
"Hey, taoists! Are you in league with them? Did you sell the drug that killed our daughter?!"
Villagers shouted at some passing Mount Hua Sect Taoists.
As a result, members of Mount Hua found it difficult to even come down from their mountain.
Even among medium and small orthodox factions, anger erupted everywhere.
"It was like this during the Seven-Star Cloud Blade incident as well, but is Leader Namgung Cheon-rui truly an orthodox man?!"
Sima Qing, an elder-level expert of the Blue Dragon Hall in Jiangsu Province, lamented.
"So this is the true nature of the orthodox faction! Raising the standard of justice while pushing the common people into death's arms behind their backs!"
Liu Jianbai, leader of Jade Peak Sword Estate in Zhejiang Province, exploded in anger.
"The name 'orthodox' is meaningless! They speak of chivalry while sucking the people's blood dry—what revolting hypocrisy!"
Yue Feiyun, the sect leader of Taishan Sword Sect in Shandong, slammed his fist on the table in frustration alongside a similar outburst.
"The Murim Alliance we believed in and followed all this time did such a shameful thing! Master Eternal Divine Physician was right! There is no justice or chivalry in today's Murim Alliance!"
They were not the only ones angry;
Among the Nine Sects-One Union, those who were not involved in this matter all rose up in unison.
Not just Mount Hua Sect or the Beggar's Union, but also Emei, Diancang Sect, the Kongtong Sect and more.
Martial clans unrelated to the Soul-Bewildering Powder incident now viewed the Murim Alliance with suspicion.
* * *
At Mount Hua, main base of the Mount Hua Sect in Shaanxi Province.
Sheer peaks soared, piercing through clouds—boasting the majesty befitting the so-called world's greatest sword sect.
Yet today, sounds of hurried footsteps shattered the stillness, ill-matched with the noble peaks.
"Sect Leader! Sect Leader! Something terrible has happened!"
A second-generation disciple, breathless, ran into the residence of the sect leader, the Purple Mist Pavilion.
Usually, such impetuousness would earn a harsh rebuke, but when the Mount Hua Sect Leader—Plum Blossom Swordsman, Feng Qingyun—saw how pale the disciple's face was, he set down his brush.
"What's this? How can a disciple of Daoism act so carelessly?"
"P-Please... look at this!"
The disciple, hands trembling, held out a crumpled piece of paper.
It was the circular distributed by the Hao Sect.
Feng Qingyun accepted it with a puzzled expression.
But the moment he read the first line, his brow furrowed sharply.
With each line he read, his eyes widened, until at last they brimmed with shock.
"... Are you saying this is true?"
Feng Qingyun's voice trembled thinly.
He looked at his disciple, as if unable to believe it.
"Based on reports from returned disciples, this letter has already been posted all across the martial world. Inns, government offices—everywhere."
"Hoh..."
With a sigh, Feng Qingyun examined the attached copy of the secret letter.
His eyes, despite presbyopia, shone sharply.
More than anyone, he knew the handwriting and seal of Murim Alliance Leader Namgung Cheon-rui.
They had worked together for decades for peace in the martial world.
Still, try as he might to deny it, the red seal on the letter was real.
That energy, that form—even the habit of the brushstrokes.
This was incontrovertible evidence that could never be forged.
"Hebei Peng Clan... Sichuan Tang Clan... and even Alliance Leader Namgung..."
The letter dropped limply from Feng Qingyun's hand.
Unable to believe what he'd read, he walked to the window.
The beautiful scenery of Mount Hua, for once, looked heartbreakingly forlorn.
"Is this... is this truly all our justice comes to?"
His voice echoed with deep betrayal and disappointment.
The Murim Alliance, created to protect the people and stand against the Demonic Cult, had instead become a tool to sicken the people and pocket profits.
For a swordsman who had devoted his life to chivalry, this blow was almost too much to bear.
"Sect Leader, what should we do? The disciples are restless."
"... The Murim Alliance no longer has the right to uphold justice."
Feng Qingyun turned.
His eyes were now icy cold.
"Summon the Plum Blossom Swordsmen. I will go to the Murim Alliance myself and demand the truth. If this is real..."
He paused, clenching his fist tightly.
"Then, from this day forth, Mount Hua will sever all ties with the Murim Alliance."
* * *
Headquarters of the Beggar's Union.
"Call for an emergency meeting! Gather the elders immediately!"
The Beggar's Union's union leader, the Drunken Hero, Meng Hojul, roared, shaking the hall.
His usual drunken, easygoing demeanor was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, a tiger-like presence poured from him, overwhelming everyone present.
Soon after, the elders of the Beggar's Union gathered in a hurry.
Their expressions were equally grave.
On the table lay the infamous letter.
"Union leader, is this truly the case?"
Hong, the senior of the nine grand elders, asked heavily.
"It could just be more of the Hao Sect's scheming, couldn't it? Those rats are infamous for lies and manipulations."
The other elders nodded.
To them, the Hao Sect was as untrustworthy as rats, and the Murim Alliance Leader was a revered hero.
It was difficult to accept such a shocking claim at face value.
"I thought so too at first,"
Meng Hojul said, raising a copy of the letter.
His eyes flashed sharply.
"But look at this seal. And this handwriting."
He pointed to the end of the letter.
"Namgung Cheon-rui always drags the final stroke when he writes. And this seal ink... It bears the special 'Red Dragon Sand' mark, ink used only by the Namgung Clan. Moreover, information gathered by our Hebei branch leader confirms Soul-Bewildering Powder was secretly flowing out of a Peng Clan cavern."
The elders started murmuring.
"Does this mean... the alliance leader really...?"
"He made Soul-Bewildering Powder, sold it, and drove the people to death?"
The elders' faces flushed red.
The Beggar's Union might be a gathering of beggars, but it prided itself on upholding chivalry and protecting the weak more than anyone.
The idea that their revered leader would do such a thing was tantamount to denying the very purpose of the Beggar's Union.
"We must ask Alliance Leader Namgung directly."
Meng Hojul sprang to his feet.
His old, tattered robe fluttered fiercely.
"The Beggar's Union stands for justice. We may beg for food, but we won't sell our pride! If this is true, we may have to sever ties with the alliance. No, not just sever ties..."
Fierce light flashed in Meng Hojul's eyes.
"We'll have to take their heads ourselves! That is true chivalry!"
"We shall follow the union leader's will!"
The elders all slammed their great cudgel staves against the floor in unison.
The Beggar's Union's fury was boiling over.
The martial world was in turmoil.
The Plum Blossoms of Mount Hua trembled; the beggars of the Beggar's Union raged.
Other Nine Sects-One Union clans were thrown into confusion as well.
The small spark that Jaseong had struck was now blazing as a great fire demon, set to engulf the entire martial world.
The prestige of the orthodox faction lay in the dust, and the Murim Alliance was facing the greatest crisis in its history.
At the center of this chaos, Jaseong gazed coldly, preparing his next move.
'It's only begun. That immense tower of hypocrisy you've built—I'll topple it with my own hands.'
* * *
Meanwhile, deep within Sichuan.
At Heavenly Poison Pool, the stronghold of the famed poison and hidden-weapon sanctuary known as the Sichuan Tang Clan, suffocating tension filled the air.
DANG! DANG! DANG!
A massive, heavy bell shattered the sky above the Tang Clan.
It was the sound of the emergency summon bell, the Myriad Poisons Bell.
It only rang when the very fate of the clan was at stake; at its dire and ominous sound, all direct blood relatives and core executives dropped what they were doing and gathered at the main hall.
The atmosphere was heavy in the main hall.
Dozens of candles burned, but even their light could not dispel the dense darkness.
At the seat of honor sat the clan head, the Myriad Poisons King, Tang Tian-yue.
His face was cold and stiff; his gaze radiated a baleful murderous intent.
"Tang Jin-ryong is dead."
Tang Tian-yue's low, heavy voice filled the hall.
Like a pronouncement of death from Death himself.
"The young head... is dead?"
"Who had the audacity to kill the Tang Clan's successor?!"
Murmurs rippled through the gathering.
Tang Jin-ryong had been designated the next clan head.
The news of his violent, untimely death was enough to shake the entire Tang Clan.
"And behind this... is the Hao Sect."
Tang Tian-yue's words widened the eyes of the elders.