CLS-Chapter 631

Chapter 631:

“I’d have to say he was terribly dense.”

Sagan sighed.

He had roughly expected something like this would happen. Whenever power structures are reorganized, problems always follow. Those who have power don’t want to give it up, and those who have newly gained power try to take away the authority of those who already have it.

Wei Yan-ho wasn’t someone who coveted others’ power, but because of the upheaval his actions caused, it was inevitable that things would turn out this way.

Rather, because Wei Yan-ho didn’t step forward to sort out the situation, others had no choice but to cause even more problems.

“That’s just the kind of person he was.”

Guwangqushen chuckled as he spoke.

“Rather than being dense, that person simply didn’t know Wei Yan-ho at all. Coming up from Hainan, he was a bit behind on information. So Wei Yan-ho’s strength and how others treated Wei Yan-ho didn’t match up.”

“…Most people wouldn’t usually think that way.”

“War is an opportunity.”

Guwangqushen spoke in a cold tone.

“War is a sad thing for everyone, but actually, it’s not always that way. As someone who studies history, you’d know that there are always those who succeed through war.”

Sagan nodded his head.

War produces countless casualties. And in the midst of it, there are those who achieve merit. And during war, the re-establishment of class hierarchies inevitably occurs.

In the end, war is just another word for securing rights through force.

“The major sects actually want to avoid war. They already have a lot to lose.”

“But don’t the major sects fight more wars?”

“You can’t call that war. It’s plunder.”

“…Ah!”

Guwangqushen shrugged his shoulders.

“What those major sect bastards do is obvious. If they really wanted war and wanted to become supreme through war, wouldn’t it make sense for the Nine Sects to fight each other?”

“That’s true.”

“But they build solid walls between themselves, saying they’re all prestigious schools and whatnot, then only beat up the easy targets. That’s what’s called the Nine Sects and One Alliance supremacy.”

Sagan looked at Guwangqushen with slightly surprised eyes.

He had already felt that this person had no hesitation in criticizing others, but he hadn’t expected the blade to turn toward his own faction.

The Nine Sects and One Alliance included the Beggar’s Sect, which was Guwangqushen’s own sect. Moreover, Guwangqushen was the former sect leader of the Beggar’s Sect, a position of supreme status.

“How solid must the wall they built be for the name Nine Sects and One Alliance to have continued for hundreds of years.”

“But their martial arts are so exceptional…”

“Martial arts?”

Before Sagan could finish speaking, Guwangqushen cut him off.

“Did you say martial arts?”

“…Did I make some mistake?”

“Do you know how many sects throughout history have had martial arts superior to the Nine Sects and One Alliance?”

Sagan tilted his head.

Looking at the long course of history, it wasn’t that there hadn’t been sects that had fame surpassing the Nine Sects for brief moments. But considering the long flow of history, that was literally just an instant.

“Tsk tsk, you have a face that says you can’t accept it. Then what about the Ten Thousand Swords Hundred Families?”

“…Ah!”

It was such an obvious name that he had failed to think of it.

“That’s not all. There have been plenty of people in the world who surpassed the fame of the Nine Sects. But they ultimately couldn’t overcome the solid wall of the Nine Sects. The first-mover advantage is that terrifying.”

Guwangqushen spoke in a bitter tone.

“Hainan is called one of the Nine Sects, but it’s not actually a fixed Nine Sect. Places like Kunlun or Hainan are sometimes recognized as Nine Sects depending on the situation, and sometimes not. The Nine Sects and One Alliance doesn’t refer to exactly ten sects.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“So the Sect Leader of Mount Bai probably wanted to use this opportunity to solidify his sect’s position. I can understand that feeling.”

“But he touched the wrong person.”

“That’s right. There were many other methods he could have used, but of all things…”

Guwangqushen scratched his head vigorously. Seeing lice falling like rain, Sagan stepped back slightly.

“So Hainan’s current inability to exert power…”

Guwangqushen shook his head.

“No, no. Of course unpleasant things happened, but Wei Yan-ho didn’t particularly harm Hainan. Wei Jeong-han was too solid for that.”

“Ah…”

Guwangqushen’s eyes became slightly distant as he thought of Wei Jeong-han.

“That person was… how should I put it? Looking back, there was no greater hero than him. Usually, those called heroes are sensitive to small things while staying silent on big matters. But he was the opposite.”

“The opposite of his son?”

“It’s a bit much to call it opposite… In any case, Wei Jeong-han truly deserved to be called a hero. If it weren’t for him, just thinking about how much havoc Wei Yan-ho would have wreaked, that fact alone is enough for him to deserve being called a hero.”

Guwangqushen truly thought so.

Though his life had been far from short, no one had ever heard the word “hero” from his lips until now. Only one exception – if you excluded Wei Jeong-han.

It was true that Wei Jeong-han had lost his original upright appearance after Wei Yan-ho began running wild, but because of this, Guwangqushen valued Wei Jeong-han even more highly.

Chivalry doesn’t speak of results.

Chivalry speaks of the will to uphold justice. In that sense, Wei Jeong-han had never failed to uphold chivalry for even a moment.

Even though he could have made things easier for himself by riding on his son’s power, he never chose that path.

Rather, Wei Jeong-han was the one who constantly worried that his child might cause trouble for others. While this might not be difficult for ordinary people, it was extremely difficult for someone with a son like Wei Yan-ho.

Naturally, Guwangqushen also lacked the confidence to do the same. Having a son like Wei Yan-ho, yet scolding that son and being mindful of others’ feelings – how could that be easy?

Moreover, while Wei Yan-ho was someone who complained verbally, he had never actually refused anything Wei Jeong-han ordered him to do.

If you had such a son, wouldn’t your shoulders naturally gain strength? But Wei Jeong-han had never once tried to gain personal benefit through Wei Yan-ho.

That was a more remarkable thing than one might think.

“While it’s true that Wei Yan-ho was most influenced by Baek Mu-han, Wei Jeong-han’s influence cannot be ignored either. Actually, Sword Emperor Baek Mu-han was an extremely practical person. He had no concept of chivalry whatsoever. But Wei Yan-ho at least knew what chivalry was.”

Guwangqushen chuckled.

“That’s probably why, even while finding it distasteful, he still helped people in his own way. If it weren’t for Wei Jeong-han, such things would never have happened. Wei Yan-ho being born as the son of that hero was a blessing for the martial world.”

“So it wasn’t because he was born in the Guangdong Wei Family that he became so twisted?”

“…Of course, one could think that way.”

Guwangqushen flinched as if hit right on target.

“But that’s not something Wei Jeong-han could have controlled.”

“Isn’t properly educating one’s child also a parent’s responsibility?”

“Every person has both merits and faults. If causing trouble is a sin, then cleaning up that trouble well could be called a merit. So shouldn’t we acknowledge that part?”

Sagan made a sullen expression.

Seeing this, Guwangqushen quickly moved on to the next story.

“Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now. The White Sword Castle is attacking.”

“…I’m not sure why hearing that story is so urgent, but fine, I’ll let it pass for now.”

“That’s right.”

“So the White Sword Castle’s attack on the Righteous Alliance’s main base happened much faster than expected. I thought some time had passed.”

“It’s both yes and no. Three days isn’t that short a time. Everything is relative, isn’t it? What’s certain is that the time felt shorter to those facing the situation than what you’re thinking now.”

Sagan nodded.

War doesn’t usually happen in a short period. Even wars that barely left a single line in history took place over several years. Even the history of the Three Kingdoms period, summarized in just one book, discussed nearly a hundred years of war upon war.

Once a war begins, it never proceeds quickly. Moving large armies is that difficult.

So in the midst of war, three days is really just the time it takes to blink an eye. It takes at least a month just to tend to the wounded, treat them, and reorganize units.

If the White Sword Castle had finished preparations and attacked again in just three days, everyone would have been thrown into complete panic.

“So that’s when that incident began.”

“What do later generations call it?”

“The Ultimate Gamble.”

Sagan had no choice but to express it that way. There were countless words discussing that war, but no other word would be appropriate except that one.

“The Ultimate Gamble… Yes, that phrase is perfectly accurate. That was truly a war worthy of being called the Ultimate Gamble. Actually…”

Guwangqushen scratched his head awkwardly.

“It’s a bit much to call it a war. Right?”

“Even so, it deserves to be called a war. War doesn’t necessarily mean many people fighting. If it’s a battle between forces over the world, no one could object to calling it war.”

“Your words are correct. Clear.”

Guwangqushen narrowed his eyes.

“Wei Yan-ho had caused many incidents. And at that time, Wei Yan-ho’s fame was already spreading across the four seas. But this battle was the decisive blow.”

“The brilliant achievement of the Radiant Martial Sovereign?”

“Yes. Of course, this wasn’t the end, but how could we discuss that fellow without this battle? It was the battle where Light Sword Wei Yan-ho received recognition as the undisputed greatest martial artist under heaven.”

“Certainly…”

Guwangqushen’s eyes became distant.

“My feelings toward that fellow are quite complex, but regarding this battle alone, I can say with certainty: that fellow at that time was… how should I put it… he didn’t seem human. A heavenly god. Yes, he was like a heavenly god. I had never imagined that a human could be that strong.”

“The Radiant Martial Sovereign rose up resolutely. With one sword he split mountains, with another he cut the heavens. The multitude of white swords dared not even look upon his blade.”

“Grand words. But…”

Guwangqushen chuckled.

“This time, even that expression falls short. The divine power I witnessed with my own eyes is something I’ll probably never forget until I die. So…”

Guwangqushen shook his head.

“It’s difficult to explain simply. Yes, let’s begin. The story of that war on that day.”