Surprisingly, the Central Plain has been living in a sitting lifestyle for ages. They sleep in beds and sit on chairs.
The cross-legged position that martial artists take is quite different from the traditional “yangban” seating that people from Qing’s hometown talk about, where both feet rest on the opposite thigh—more like a circus stunt.
In short, it’s an incredibly uncomfortable position. Why would anyone choose to sit like that? Well, it’s actually some torturous way to avoid dozing off during meditation.
The cross-legged position originally comes from Buddhism, with its ancient roots in self-harm.
So, for the warriors from Hyun Gaek Hall, even if it’s a bit uncomfortable, it’s manageable.
Being independent—basically a ronin—doesn’t mean they are wandering around without studying inner strength. Thanks to a strict character assessment from the Martial Alliance, they’ve earned a name locally.
Because of that, the Dorai-man lying on the floor alone looked pretty uncomfortable.
“Lady Seomun? Can’t I just sit down too?”
“Ah, just lie back and relax. Don’t worry—young heroes like you deserve special treatment!”
How on earth can this be comfortable!?
Except for a few, the independent warriors from Hyun Gaek Hall sat cross-legged in the room, and it was just the Dorai-man sprawled on the floor.
This isn’t special treatment; it’s practically torture! It feels like they’re throwing evil pills at me, full of spite.
“So, everyone has had the Parasitic Sect’s medicine, huh? Well, what can we do about things that have already happened?”
At this, the independent warriors averted their gazes.
Qing continued speaking.
“The human elixirs will be discarded after the rituals are performed. Now, let’s bring it out—what did the one who handed it over look like? How about we start with their physical features—”
“That’s not right. Why should the Young Lady be collecting anything?”
“Huh?”
Qing looked up at the warrior who stood up indignantly.
This was Wang Nofil, using a chair as a weapon.
“What’s that? So you’re saying you’d keep taking that cursed concoction made from people?”
Wang Nofil hesitated for a moment.
“Isn’t it already a finished product? It’s unfortunate for the sacrificed victims, but wouldn’t they prefer that someone uses it instead of it being wasted for no reason?”
What kind of twisted logic is that?
Qing felt her irritation boil over.
“What kind of grand, righteous act do you think this is? Is eating that shady red medicine just before the martial arts tournament something to boast about? Do you really believe that junk handed over by a suspicious person from the Parasitic Sect is a legitimate product?”
“That’s…”
“Let’s be honest here. Stop with the nonsense about how Merchant Shintu gave it, and how you believed him. Did that guy even wave around an official Merchant Shintu certificate? Don’t you all feel a bit guilty, gathered here, sitting in uncomfortable positions? Ah, Dorai-man, feel free to keep lying down. I said relax.”
The warriors looked away, and poor Dorai-man tried to get up awkwardly, then sank back down uncomfortably.
From what Qing calculated, each medicine raised bad karma by thirty points.
But is it not a sin if you ate it without knowing?
No one slipped it to them while they were sleeping or threatened with knives.
Listening to Nanya’s words, that red medicine was considered ominous and to be avoided, yet these fools happily gobbled it down when it was shoved in their faces by someone they didn’t even know.
Merchant Shintu? That was just an excuse. They wanted to believe it was good medicine so they could perform well at the martial arts tournament.
Was the source suspicious? Absolutely.
Was the medicine suspicious? Completely.
Was their usage acceptable? Not at all.
Given all this, wouldn’t it be fair if the bad karma increased?
At that moment, Wang Nofil bellowed.
“Young Lady wouldn’t understand! Growing up comfortably with elixirs and mastering divine skills, how could you possibly understand our plight as ronins? This martial arts tournament means a lot to us! Right, everyone!?”
At Wang Nofil’s misty-eyed words, the other warriors’ expressions hardened.
There were two primary ways to anger someone. The first involves cutting off your speech abruptly, and the second—
However, the above methods apply to daily life and aren’t really effective in arguments or debates.
In practice, the best way to infuriate someone while simultaneously causing them frustration and anger, blocking their speech, and triggering a serious blood pressure spike, is to have a moral high ground and pressure their flaws.
Qing suddenly realized her blunder.
Ranting in irritation wouldn’t cause them to feel shame; it would just provoke more resistance. She needed to approach them with empathy.
Or, money.
But Qing preferred the approach of strength.
So, calming herself, she decided to coax them and shift her method.
“I understand everything—you can see I’m here trying to resolve this quietly, right? Honestly, I’m not here snitching to the high officials of Zhengpai about the Parasitic Sect or the tournament, am I? I totally get how desperate all of you are.”
“Ha. Understand? That’s rich! What do you know, Young Lady? How could you possibly understand the humiliation of wandering without even a decent background, being tossed around like trash, as a disciple of the Divine Maiden Sect?”
“Well, I’m also a ronin, you know. It was just a few years ago that I was fighting with beggars over scraps, surviving on whatever scraps I could find.”
“…? So you’re saying you’re not a ronin but a beggar—”
“Eh. A ronin or a beggar—it’s only a difference of standing with a blade in hand to take, or not. Isn’t that right? Everyone has been beaten up on the streets, and they get excited if they find meat in the discarded food scraps, right? And also…”
As she spoke, the anguish she held within burst forth.
Who else would she pour this out to if not now?
Thinking she had finally found someone who could empathize, Qing poured out her sadness.
The expressions of the other ronins awkwardly shifted.
“Well, um…”
“If you catch a rat, it’s a feast, but not wanting to get robbed by those lowly beggars, you’d eat it raw. It’s infuriating to think about it. I should have burned something down before leaving Gun-Pyeong. Maybe I’ll do it after the Martial World Tournament.”
The warriors exchanged looks.
No matter how much of a ronin you were, you wouldn’t be reduced to that level. Even among low-level warriors, they’d at least earn a meal and a comfortable place to sleep.
“Y-you’ve been through a lot…”
“What? Why’re you looking at me as if I’m pathetic? Aren’t all ronins like this?”
“Ugh, but we’re not beggars, we’re—Um, no, Young Lady, you have indeed suffered a great deal.”
As Wang Nofil almost said something, he got poked in the side by a comrade and changed the subject.
So, Wang Nofil’s stirring up emotions backfired.
Instead, hearing Qing’s filled-with-sorrow tale brought a sense of relief to them, realizing that for someone like her to be in such a pitiful state wasn’t the end of the world.
After all, anyone capable of showing off martial skills enough to establish a name in their hometown must have experienced hardship, but it wasn’t that much of a train wreck.
In the end, boxes piled up in front of Qing.
When she opened them, she found they all contained two pills each, with two compartments empty.
Seemed like they had been diligent about taking two doses so far in the tournament.
“Hmm? Who’s the one who only took half? Did someone eat a half and leave?”
Then, she spotted one single half pill and asked.
“That was originally a half. They say first-time users of the Parasitic Sect should start with a half, so one was made as half from the start. I’d had it once before…”
The warriors nodded in agreement.
Originally, it was a three-and-a-half pill box instead of four pills.
What’s this? They even adjusted the dosage for the first timers? Quite generous for someone pulling such shady tricks.
Despite being a wicked elixir, they say its effects are great with hardly any side effects.
Thinking there really are bizarre folks in this world, Qing finally got to the point.
“From now on, we need to catch that bastard behind this cursed medicine and deal with him.”
“Are you talking about Merchant Shintu? How could we…”
“That horrific thing was thrown around deliberately—whether it’s Merchant Shintu or not, do you think they did it out of kindness? They’re not trying to ruin your bodies, they want to save face.”
“Save face?”
“Even if the independent warriors achieved good results in the tournament, if someone jumps up and says they used a concoction made from people to win, your reputation will be dragged down, as well as the Martial Alliance’s. This is my thinking—what do you say?”
It was Qing’s take, being a master in putting others’ faces on the chopping block.
Because she’s so good at piercing through others’ schemes, the warriors’ expressions grew serious.
There’s no such thing as a selfless act.
Given that Merchant Shintu was a weird guy, there might be a twist behind this.
But in truth, the independent warriors wanted to believe that this strange scenario could lead to a glorious comeback in life.
Listening to Qing’s words, they realized that what they believed in was ultimately groundless fantasy.
“As I mentioned earlier, I understand your desperation. Honestly, I don’t want to say whether one with skills achieved through elixirs or one who lowers their lifespan to reach that level is that different. I don’t want to make a moral judgment. As long as that Parasitic Sect’s product isn’t something made from people.”
The warriors nodded solemnly.
“Therefore, I hope this incident doesn’t come to light and you’re not pointed at. You’ve worked hard and made it this far without any background. Even in your hometown, you’re known as reputable martial artists.”
One pill raised karma by thirty points, so after deducting sixty points of bad karma, your good deeds would outweigh it.
With the sixty points added, not a single one crossed one hundred, confirming the Martial Alliance’s thorough vetting process.
As for Orthodox warriors, they’re not exactly easy people to live righteously.
But for those struggling with life (not as severely as Qing thinks), maintaining virtue is a challenging feat.
Thus, it shouldn’t be meeting scorn and finger-pointing if these folks fell for a moment of temptation.
That’s how Qing saw it.
“Therefore, whether it’s one bastard or a group, we need to catch them and deal with this so you can rest easy and sleep well, right?”
The warriors nodded once again.
Qing then used a gentle voice.
“Let’s brainstorm together, how we can catch and deal with them.”