792 - I Am This Murim’s Crazy B*tch

"You see, as an inspector, I'm just stating the facts, am I not? The position of the Twelve Provinces Inspector-General is not one to be taken lightly." The Twelve Provinces Inspector-General is considered the final conscience of the Central Plains administration and the minimal safeguard for governance. This was due to the unique structure inherent in the governance of the Central Plains. Basically, having a governmental position in the Central Plains comes with a very modest base salary. Unless you choose to live in poverty (like a beggar), even maintaining the minimal dignity the position entails for oneself and one's family is barely covered by the salary. So what about the rest? You cover it yourself. But how many officials are there in the Central Plains who live poverty-stricken lives? Most dwell in grand estates, living lavishly, and all that wealth comes from resources they gather themselves. The problem is that this is illegal. They protect the wealthy, exploit the people's share, and make the rich richer, while the poor remain in perpetual suffering! Where in the world can you find a country that codifies such laws? Simply put, there isn't a single official from whom you can't find a fault if you dig deep enough! Thus, saying there are no decent human beings among the Central Plains' officials wouldn't be inaccurate, but still. Moreover, under such conditions, these crimes can easily become treason in the eyes of the imperial court. Therefore, the imperial court can execute almost any official at will. And being treason, it wouldn't just be the individual; their entire family and relatives could be slaughtered altogether. This allowed the Central Plains to maintain a powerful centralized governance despite its vast lands. Amazingly, this distinct system of the Central Plains, By encouraging and neglecting corruption among all officials and keeping it as a weak point, it constructed a system where the emperor can purge anyone with extreme penalties, like execution, at any desired time. Thus, the imperial court doesn't necessarily need to root out corruption among officials; in fact, pretending to ignore or even encouraging it suits them better. The more corrupt the officials, the stronger the authority and power of the ruler become, although it makes life increasingly miserable for the people. But so what if they're suffering? This is precisely the spirit of the Central Plains. Surprisingly, this efficient and traditional governance system is maintained as a spirit by the Central Plains people even in Qing's hometown. Therefore, the Inspector-General is the last conscience of this governance system and serves as a minimal safety device to prevent peasant uprisings. The role involves traveling across the Central Plains, identifying those who are problematic—not necessarily needing purging but rather problematic—and delivering a warning: 'You've crossed the line. Keep it moderate. Otherwise, next time, I'll have the executioner's sword ready.' Hmm. Listening to this, it seems the country is in an utter mess. But in the Central Plains, there remains the world's most brutal curse left by Qin Shi Huang, the horrific legacy of 'One Central Plain.' If it ever splits, an unprecedented catastrophe would ensue. There's an inexplicable notion that the Central Plains must remain unified under one entity, while they let things slide with the barbarians. The emperor serves as the living sacrifice to prevent this curse. The idea that they are 'graciously governing' the Central Plains isn't entirely wrong. Even the emperor themselves doesn't appear particularly happy. "So you see, even for me, this Sima, it's a challenging matter. What exactly could the imperial court's motives be? Based on past precedents, one might say firstly, the moment the Heavenly Sword Flower wields this inspection, it could justify an attack on Murim." "Hmm." However, Qing's perspective was slightly different. After listening to ChunBong's explanation, he believed he might get a sense of their intended scheme, or perhaps he understood what they were scheming. When the Great Celestial Martial Emperor once shook the emperor by his collar, didn't the emperor say, 'Then go and become the emperor yourself,'? Perhaps the current emperor, too, thought the same. Qing, speaking on behalf of the Murim Alliance, would say that due to the country's chaos, the righteous martial artists are contributing to the Central Plains' peace. If the officials governed the people well, would the Murim Alliance have been popular or praised as chivalrous? The rightful factions are walking the right path in place of the government, so there's no need to meddle unnecessarily. To which the emperor replied, 'Then I'll grant you the authority of the Twelve Provinces Inspector-General, so you go and capture those officials yourself.' Yet their true intent remains obscure. Is it the emperor's cold sneer? 'If that were possible, I'd have done it myself. I struggle just to keep intact what you're seeing as the emperor, as an all-seeing, all-powerful ruler.' Or could it be an unspeakable affection towards Yeon Sul Princess? 'Seeing the state of the country, stop enduring unnecessary stress, and I'll give you the power to wield it freely,' he might have said. To Qing, the emperor appeared closer to the former. But according to Princess Harin's assertion, the latter couldn't be dismissed either. "Hmm, I'm not sure." If you're uncertain, isn't it best not to act? Truthfully, for me, as long as I can ensure the safety of myself and those precious to me, that's enough. How the people of Central Plains live isn't for me to concern myself with. However, now I have the authority to legally make a fuss if the government acts wrongfully, making it quite the gift in a way. "Ah, by the way, would you be willing to prepare a congratulatory speech for the upcoming graduation ceremony?" "What? Me? On what grounds...?" Qing scratched her head. Wasn't she someone who had been coming and going for personal affairs throughout the academic year, barely doing anything as an instructor? "Oh dear, Heavenly Sword Flower. Firstly, praise from those extraordinary, seemingly otherworldly geniuses like us, whom normal mortals can't even compare to, serves as a lifelong achievement and source of pride for those inferior beings. This gives the common folk the strength to walk tall throughout their lives, doesn't it?" "You always have something to say about expressions like 'like us,' don't you?" "And, objectively, your accomplishments in swordsmanship are the most outstanding. Traditionally, the graduation speech is given by an instructor who has demonstrated the highest achievements." "It's not so much about what I did well; it's more that because I was frequently absent, the students worked hard." "Heh, dear Heavenly Sword Flower. Humility is a virtue of ordinary people, like a deadly poison that incites jealousy and inferiority for those inferior ones? The 三路劍 (Three Paths Sword Technique) you created astounded even the alliance's soldiers, unparalleled in practice, remarkable in combat, and even endowed with depth. Just for that alone, you are more than qualified to give the speech. In fact, the Rightful Orthodox Martial Academy's speech should permanently be your responsibility." Laid bare with such blatant flattery, Qing felt hot-faced, making it hard to graciously accept. "The sword technique wasn't made solely by my efforts. Sword Brother and Miss Moyong helped..." "A true leader gathers subordinates and channels their efforts into results. That is our fate, born to lead the inferior. No one would attribute 三路劍 (Three Paths Sword) to anyone but you, Heavenly Sword Flower. There's no reason to remember the names of ordinary folks." If not for Sima ChungBong's inherently kind nature, helping others being her destined duty, she might have walked the path of a yet-to-be-born mustached dictator. Qing replied awkwardly. "Well, that's true. I suppose I should be grateful for the opportunity they gave me to develop the Three Paths Sword." "At last, you understand your position a little, Heavenly Sword Flower? So, will you prepare the speech?" "No. It should be you who does it, Chun Bong. I was away for too long, after all." Despite everything, giving a speech didn’t sit well with him. To this, Sima ChungBong looked surprised. "Me? Well, considering I've been overseeing the entire academy, it does seem like a responsibility that falls on me." ---- With the level of the students significantly improved, Qing found there wasn't much left for him to fix or correct, as he had done before. As the academic term neared its end, a time formally known as the end of the semester, Qing felt a swirl of emotions. That visit to the imperial palace left him feeling off. Still, he had achieved the significant feat of now definitively declaring he was not Yeon Sul. And he realized that the Forbidden City, while not as malevolent as expected, was nevertheless a frightening ruling elite that cared nothing for the people. Aside from that, he gained ample insight into the path of the Divine Maiden Sect and mastered deadly techniques in direction-finding. However, the sense of wasted time remained, as the one who visited the Forbidden City was not the martial hero Ximen Qing, but always the princess Yeon Sul while within the palace. Even when von Yaokung betrayed him unexpectedly, Qing felt neither hung-up nor angry because naturally, he wasn't Yeon Sul. An old man he scarcely knew, suddenly drawing a sword, was all it seemed. What unsettled Qing was the realization of his own insignificance and helplessness when faced with a martial artist from the Profound Realm. He knew beings of the Profound Realm were monsters, but not even he, at the Pinnacle of Transformation, could stand against them. He heard von Yaokung's martial art was the Supreme Taiji Divine Skill, the Great Pranja Taiji Sword of Wudang. Specialized in receiving, deflecting, and countering, with footwork meant to defend against the enemy's approach. If it were an aggressive martial art, hadn't it been truly perilous? He might have been grateful even if only his neck was left unwounded. However, due to its defensive nature, Qing found himself running, unable to retaliate. Even under the siege of numerous palace martial artists, he stood strong and broke through. If von Yaokung had mastered a more aggressive martial art, they might have had a chance to face off. But beyond matters of defense and attack, what could Qing do if he faced another from the Profound Realm? He hadn't known the old man was such a being, nor could he know how many more silently hid their identities so thoroughly. Suh Moon-Soorin warned him, but experiencing it firsthand was a harrowing revelation. Still, capturing what it would take to reach the Profound Realm wasn't coming to him, and thus strengthening his power was vital now. Power, he needed power! Tremendous power! One option was completing the Lone Nine Swords Technique. Even von Yaokung seemed uneased by the appearance of its ultimate move. Though what he had shown was merely an imitation of the Throwing Sword style, not worthy of "Without Venom, No True Man(無毒不丈夫)." He needed to quickly gather the remaining sword forms. The Great Celestial Martial Emperor had recommended the Wudang Sect next, adding that visiting Yun-nan while the Master was away would be wise. And, well. Qing opened the mission window. It was a window he opened only in advantageous moments. Ultimate Martial Path, Northern Nirvana Divine Art. Gathering all Ten Great Demonic Arts and mastering the Reverse Tendon Hand Washing Sutra. Blinding Light that Shatters Steel Qi, 108 Asura Sword, Heart-Seizing Technique, Lesser Demon Technique, Self-Rotating Demon Technique, Thunder Wheel Demonic Catastrophe, Black Slaughter Demon Formation. Having already mastered seven of the World's Eleven Great Demon Arts, three remained. Half-Body Tribulation Sword, Heaven-Rending Slaughter, Heaven-Shattering, Blood-Overturning, Heart-Piercing Decisive Strike. Even with merit exchanges considered, all three would be challenging to acquire. The exchange records called for 6,000 merit points, and the next exchange could rise by 2,000 to 8,000 points, 3,000 to 9,000 points, or even ascend by 4,000 to the daunting 10,000 points. Nevertheless, it seemed possible to exchange for two of them, yet rushing to acquire them through merit exchanges might not be the best course. If, by chance, I were to obtain a secret manual for a Demonic Art later, it would mean missing the immediate opportunity to complete the mission. Therefore, instead of passively hoping to stumble upon the World's Eleven Great Demon Arts, perhaps it's time to actively seek them out...