Nine Great Sects & One Alliance.
In the Martial Arts World, the top ten sects belonging to the righteous path are referred to as the Nine Great Sects & One Alliance.
Depending on the martial arts context, the “one alliance” of the beggar sect is often excluded, and the nine sects change frequently. However, there are two sects that never change.
The great pillars of the Martial Arts World. Northern Pine Shaolin. Southern Respect Mount Wu. It’s none other than the Shaolin Temple, founded by the Great Master Bodhidharma, and Mount Wu, initiated by the immortal Zhang Sanfeng.
Nestled in the northwestern part of Hubei Province at Mount Wu, this sect can be considered the pride of Taoist factions in martial arts.
Yet, right at that moment, one book was on the brink of causing a stir within the Mount Wu sect.
“Brother Cheong-won, can I see that book too?”
It all started when the disciple who accompanied Cheong-won to the bookstore spoke up.
Cheong-won’s behavior had been peculiar in the last few days. He had bought a book from the bookstore and had been reading it for days on end. If it were a thick tome or a study book, that might be understandable. But this was just a storybook that one could finish in a day!
Moreover, the way Cheong-won read that book looked suspicious.
When he read, he wore an expression as if he was caught in a life-and-death struggle.
It seemed he was starting over from the beginning every day, yet he would get sad at the same parts, angry at the same bits, cheer at the same points, and be shocked at the same lines.
Seeing that, Cheong-won’s disciple couldn’t suppress his curiosity anymore.
“I think you should read it at least five more times.”
Cheong-won responded lightly and ignored the disciple’s words while flipping to the next page.
“Brother! You’ve been reading that book for days. How fun is it really?”
“Do you think I’m just reading it for fun?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I want you to show it to me.”
“I have to finish it today, so I don’t have time.”
If he wanted to finish ten readings before sleeping, he was short on time. Cheong-won realized he had no time to argue with his disciple and decided to ignore him.
“Brother, is it that you don’t want to show me because the book is boring?”
“Are you saying Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes is boring?”
Cheong-won whipped his head around to glare at his disciple. His eyes were wide with disbelief.
“Wow. I’ve never seen that expression on you before. It’s a bit scary.”
“Isn’t it because you’re spouting nonsense?”
Cheong-won responded, awkwardly managing his expression.
“Brother! If it’s that fun, let’s read it together. If more people have read it, we could chat about the story, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Then please lend it to me. I want to know how fun it is and I’ll tell you my thoughts after reading!”
“…Sure. This book is too good just for me to read. All right! I’ll lend it to you. But the paper isn’t great, so be careful. It might get damaged if you’re not careful.”
Cheong-won carefully closed the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes he was reading. Like handing over a precious treasure, he gently handed the book to his disciple with both hands.
“I’ll take good care of it! Once I read it, I’ll let you know how amazing it is!”
“That book is for you to evaluate… Never mind. Just read it once.”
Cheong-won couldn’t help but worry as his disciple lightly handled the precious book. Still, it was a reader’s desire to share the content of a good book.
Once read, he would likely regret treating the book so lightly. Cheong-won suppressed his discontent with his disciple, imagining how they would discuss the book’s content after he finished reading.
————————
“Brother, what on earth is that book?”
A few days later, the disciple approached Cheong-won with a surprised expression. Seeing this predictable reaction, Cheong-won smiled and opened his mouth.
“Did you think it was a boring book, just as you said?”
“Boring? It’s the first time I’ve ever seen such a novel!”
“I’ve never read a novel like this in my entire life either.”
“I didn’t expect such a book to exist. When Un-hyeon smashed the leader of the kids who were bullying him, I screamed without realizing it!”
“I heard that your screams woke other disciples in the room at night.”
“Haha, I didn’t think I would shout while reading a novel at night either.”
The disciple scratched his head, feeling embarrassed as he recalled his shouting in the middle of the night.
“I also can’t express how refreshing that part was every time I reread it.”
“Exactly. In these types of books, the protagonist usually endures through hardships, right? They keep emphasizing loyalty and filial piety while enduring, only to die in the end sometimes.”
“Right. But in Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes, whenever hardships come, there’s always a refreshing scene following it. It’s a whirlwind of emotions!”
“Sigh. It genuinely felt like my soul was being sucked out.”
The disciple sighed softly. Cheong-won saw the disciple as if his soul was actually leaving his body.
“Haha. So, do you have any other insights?”
“It’s fun, but… Isn’t there a bit too much to have a cave on a cliff? If it’s a person, they should eat to live, so why would they hide in such a cave?”
Falling off a cliff and gaining a destiny? The disciple thought it was definitely intriguing but deemed it a stretch.
“Are you denying the arrangement of the fifth generation’s sect master and Un-hyeon’s destiny?”
Cheong-won suddenly frowned, lowering his voice.
“B-Brother?”
“If the sect master is at that level, they must be a master at Light Body Movement too. It stands to reason there must be such places if they wanted to avoid interrupting their training.”
“Brother! Breathe and speak. Breathe!”
Cheong-won’s sudden outburst caused the disciple to panic and intervene.
“Ah! I lost the heart of a sage in an instant.”
“Now that I think about it, there could be caves on cliffs. That would be a perfect place for training!”
Recently, the disciple had been continually surprised by Cheong-won’s new side. It seemed that people could change when it came to books. Still, how many years had he been Cheong-won’s disciple?
Years as a disciple would naturally make one perceptive. The disciple immediately negated his previous opinion.
“Yeah, those places indeed could exist. I’m glad to help my disciple’s understanding.”
Cheong-won didn’t realize he was coerced into accepting an understanding rather than actually being understood.
“Haha. Thanks to you, I feel like my insight is broadening.”
How many times had he been caught looking at illustrations while browsing at the bookstore? Cheong-won had always protected him, so the disciple thought this much was understandable.
“Yeah, do you have a particularly moving point?”
The joy of sharing a story known only to him with others. Cheong-won wanted to keep feeling that.
“Brother… About good deeds. Is it real?”
The typically light-hearted disciple asked in a serious tone.
“Well, I’m not sure. I can’t speak freely about that part since it shocked me too. I thought we should live rightly while cultivating, but calling it good deeds…”
“But Un-hyeon believes in that and carries on the fifth generation sect master’s will to uphold righteousness.”
“Yeah. While it belongs to Mount Wu, it carries the sword art that isn’t theirs.”
“The Eight Trigrams Swordplay created by the fifth generation sect master. I can’t believe he left such a sword art for the common folk.”
“Isn’t a real sword art, though? It’s probably just a martial art the author made up.”
Cheong-won’s guess was correct.
In this world, there were also Mount Wu martial arts like the Taiji Sword Technique. Kang Yoon-ho, who had never properly written a martial arts novel, didn’t want to be criticized for inconsistencies. Yet, he also couldn’t use entirely outlandish sword arts.
Thus, he took the time to create the Eight Trigrams Swordplay.
When the concept of Taiji is mentioned, it’s often associated with the Eight Trigrams. In novels with Mount Wu protagonists, while the martial arts are usually not mainstream, the Eight Trigrams Fist does get mentioned sometimes.
What if he created a sword art based on the Eight Trigrams?
The setting alone is easy to create. Kang Yoon-ho infused the Eight Trigrams Swordplay with a backstory.
While Taiji is close to the Tao, it is far removed from the mundane. This sword art was created by the fifth generation sect master in pursuit of change and transformation.
“Isn’t it actually a real sword art? This book knows too much about Mount Wu. I can’t help but have doubts.”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing while reading this book. What if it was written by someone related to Mount Wu?”
A book that was left untouched and practically abandoned finally found its way to his hands.
What if it was someone’s design related to Mount Wu? The more he read, the more Cheong-won’s heart filled with chaos thinking that.
“It doesn’t seem like a book one can simply call entertaining. It’s a miraculous book. A miraculous book.”
“I think so too. By the way, where is that book?”
They had been so engrossed in discussing the contents of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes that they didn’t notice it was no longer in the disciple’s hands.
“That is… Haha.”
The disciple awkwardly scratched the back of his head and smiled.
“???”
Cheong-won couldn’t predict at all what actions the disciple, who was so moved by the book, would take afterward.
————————————
“What’s up, Brother Cheong-won!!”
Ten days later, a bearded disciple sought out Cheong-won.
“What’s going on?”
“Lately, there’s been a rumor among the Mount Wu disciples about a certain miraculous book circulating. I’ve heard that it started with you.”
“Oh, that’s….”
As soon as Cheong-won heard the disciple’s words, he felt a headache coming on.
It was true he wanted to share the tales of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes with his disciple. But could it be that the disciple wanted to share it with other disciples too?
Since it wasn’t just a simple book, this could become a problem. With that thought, Cheong-won sought out the whereabouts of the Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes circulating among the disciples and confiscated it.
However, the situation had already escalated beyond his control.
‘Brother anticipated this and has already copied it!’
‘Copying Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes during study hours has become popular among the disciples!’
The copies of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes were circulating within the Mount Wu sect. Even at this moment when he was talking with the disciple, someone could be copying it right now.
“If the content of the book is the problem, I’ll immediately reprimand the disciples and confiscate it.”
The disciple standing in front of Cheong-won was known for being extremely strict.
Among the lay disciples, a few had brought illustrations to Mount Wu, showing it among the disciples, only to be caught by the strict disciple. He mercilessly punished them and locked them in the punishment hall for a month.
Moreover, one disciple who brought illustrations for those in the area was punished even though he was the son of a wealthy benefactor who donated a lot to Mount Wu.
To think that disciple would come to him?
Cheong-won couldn’t help but feel tense.
“That’s not the reason I came.”
Cheong-won’s strict disciple waved his hand dismissively, dispelling Cheong-won’s misunderstanding.
“Then what brings you here?”
“Well, um… Ahem.”
Cheong-won’s strict disciple wore a different grin than usual, but it somehow felt awkward. He seemed to try to say something only to again stop speaking.
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh… Do you happen to have the second volume of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes?”
“…Huh?”
