Chapter 95
After visiting the Flower Honor Manor to get information about the Seventy-Two Strongholds of Lulins movements, Baek Mu-Gun returned to the Baek Sword Sect with Baek Mu-Ok. They then immediately met up with Baek Cheon-Sang and informed him that the Seventy-Two Strongholds of Lulin were gathering at the Fury Tiger Stronghold.
Cheon-Sang couldnt help but be surprised by the combat forces that the Seventy-Two Strongholds of Lulin had mobilized.
So many martial arts masters are making a move?
Theyre probably trying to make their strength clear to everyone to make sure nobody messes with them again.
Afterward, Mu-Gun explained that the Seventy-Two Strongholds of Lulin could target the other members of the Zhejiang Martial Alliance, then expressed that they should consider joining hands and fighting alongside the entire Zhejiang Martial Alliance.
As you said, its not a bad idea to take this opportunity to show the great cause and unity that the Zhejiang Martial Alliance is striving for. That assumes the other clans will cooperate with us, though.
Theres certainly a chance that they would refuse to make a move if they find out about the forces that the enemies have deployed. However, disclosing that the Four Peerless Wanderers have joined us should change their mind.
Shouldnt we get permission from them first?
You dont have to worry about that. The Four Peerless Wanderers will be the first to step up if the Baek Sword Sect is under threat.
Drinking all night with and befriending the venerable elders seems to have allowed you to get to know them quite well.
You should spare some time to have a drink with the venerable elders too, Father.
I definitely should.
But didnt you say we should keep the venerable elders existence in our sect a secret for as long as possible? Mu-Ok asked.
I did, but this situation doesnt leave us with much of a choice.
Mu-Ok nodded in agreement. Mu-Gun was right. Fending off their enemies right now was of the utmost importance.
In that case, please explain the situation to the venerable elders and request their assistance, Mu-Gun. I will inform the Zhejiang Martial Alliance about the current situation and request their help in fighting Lulins forces.
Understood. We should order the Baek Sword Corps to prepare for battle as well so they can be mobilized at a moments notice.
I already plan to summon the White Dragon Squad Leader and give him my orders.
Noted. Ill meet the venerable elders now, then.
Okay.
Mu-Gun left Cheon-Sangs office and immediately headed to the Four Peerless Wanderers residence, finding all four of them engrossed in their martial arts training, which they had neglected while living in seclusion. Although that didnt mean they hadnt done any martial arts training at all since then, they werent as enthusiastic as they used to be when they were still playing an active role in murim. Hence, they couldnt help but lose their touch to a certain extent.
In fact, Thunderous Wind Palm Han Baek had already shown the effects of that. He could have easily stopped the Heavenly Killer Sects first surprise attack. However, having lost his touch from his prime while living in seclusion, he faced a dangerous situation instead. The other three werent much different.
Having returned to the world of murim as venerable elders of the Baek Sword Sect, they now had to keep themselves in peak condition. To do that, the Four Peerless Wanderers put passion into their martial arts training again.
Mu-Gun, who was feeling pleased by their enthusiasm for training their martial arts, gathered them.
Why did you make us stop training and gather us here? Did something happen? Han Baek grumbled.
I apologize for doing this as soon as you joined the Baek Sword Sect, but I think we need your help.
Whats going on? Jin Yoo-Sung asked.
I doubt it. Baek Sword Sects patriarch probably didnt come to Hangzhou. Ho-Ik shook his head.
Do they really not know that the Lulin Battle King is moving with us, then?
Even so, I think theyre confronting us too confidently. They probably have something else up their sleeves.
Im not so sure about that. I doubt the Zhejiang Martial Alliance is hiding anything like that. Kang Mu, the Black Bear Claw, belittled the Zhejiang Martial Alliance.
I dont think we should make light of this matter, Ma Yong-Seong, the middle-aged man sitting in one corner, intervened.
Although he wasnt from Lulin, the Lulin Battle King personally brought him over. After all, he was one of the Seven Blood-Crazed Tyrantsthe Blood-Crazed Clans martial arts masters who were on the level of Demonic Monarchs. The Twelve Commanders of Lulin did not know his true identity.
Do you perhaps know something we dont? Lee Ja-Gyung, the Lulin Battle King, asked.
It didnt spread across murim, but the Baek Sword Sects patriarch and his party had once been ambushed by two Absolute Realm masters and four Upper Peak Realm masters ambushed amid their travels. The attackers got wiped out, which should have been impossible to do with the power of the Baek Sword Sect alone. Taking that into consideration, an unidentified martial arts master likely made a move. Wont that same master join them again this time?
If they do, are our forces strong enough to fend them off? Ja-Gyung expressed his concerns.
Even with Yong-Seong and the other martial arts masters joining him, and despite having more Upper Peak Realm masters than when the Baek Sword Sect wiped them out, their forces still werent that superior.
If the martial arts master who supported the Baek Sword Sect back then joined this battle, it could pose a threat to them even with their current army.
Its certainly hard to feel at ease. We should prioritize getting an accurate grasp on the Zhejiang Martial Alliances combat forces first.
The Zhejiang Martial Alliance could try to attack us before we can do that. What should we do then?
If we spread rumors and exaggerate the number of forces we have here, they will likely find it difficult to take the initiative.
Doing that will make them try to grasp the number of our forces too, which is what you want, right? That would give us the room to gauge them out, after all.
Thats correct.
Thats a good idea. How much should we exaggerate our forces?
Saying two of the Three Kings of Lulin and eight of the Twelve Commanders of Lulin had been mobilized should be enough. If the Zhejiang Martial Alliance makes a move even after hearing that, that would mean they definitely have a master they rely on. If that time ever comes, we have to boldly step down.
Completely agreeing with Yong-Seong, Ja-Gyung ordered the four Commanders of Lulin to leak information regarding Lulins forces to the Zhejiang Martial Alliance. However, the four Commanders of Lulin did not like the fact that Yong-Seong, someone whom they did not know, could decide on the matters regarding Lulin.
However, the aura that Yong-Seong was unknowingly exuding was so strong that even Ja-Gyung, the Lulin Battle King, could not thoughtlessly deal with him. The four Commanders of Lulin dared not reveal their inner thoughts when they noticed that. As instructed by Ja-Gyung, the four Commanders of Lulin overstated the forces that Lulin had mobilized and leaked that information to the Zhejiang Martial Alliance. At the same time, they put all their efforts into gauging the exact power of the Zhejiang Martial Alliance.
* * *
The information leaked from Lulin soon reached the Zhejiang Martial Alliances ears and was soon delivered to Mu-Gun. If not for the Heavenly Secret Halls information, there was a chance he would have believed it. However, Mu-Gun believed in the Heavenly Secret Halls information, so he doubted it instead. The details of the information obtained by the Zhejiang Martial Alliance were too unnatural in the first place.
Mu-Gun judged that Lulin intentionally leaked the information to the Zhejiang Martial Alliance, but that begged the question of why. Did Lulin overstate their power simply in hopes that the Zhejiang Martial Alliance would be afraid of Lulins power and step down?
Lulin couldnt be so simple-minded. Mu-Gun thought that they likely lied about their strength and leaked it to sound out the Zhejiang Martial Alliances power. The fact that the Zhejiang Martial Alliance was willing to fight an all-out war against Lulin instead of backing down probably bothered them. Hence, to gauge the Zhejiang Martial Alliances power, they deliberately inflated the number of their forces. If the Zhejiang Martial Alliance still did not back down or instead even went on the offensive after learning about their opponents exaggerated numbers, that would show that their mobilized forces were at least greater than that.
If Mu-Guns hypothesis proved right, there was a high possibility that Lulin would back down without a fight if the Zhejiang Martial Alliance did not retreat or instead launched an attack. He did not want that to happen. Mu-Gun intended to put a definite end to Lulins forces that were gathered at the Fury Tiger Stronghold now. To do that, the Zhejiang Martial Alliances forces had to avoid intimidating their opponents and make them retreat.
Mu-Gun decided to use the information leaked by Lulin to his advantage. He planned to make it look as if the Zhejiang Martial Alliance was frightened by ordering the Ten Clans of Zhejiangs forces gathered in Hangzhou to return home. Doing that would make Lulin think that the Zhejiang Martial Alliance ran away out of fear of their power.
Mu-Gun called in the patriarchs of the Ten Clans of Zhejiang to discuss this matter. Soon after, it was decided that all the other clans except for the Byeok Sword Manor and the Clear Sun Sect would return to their respective homes.