Martial King's Retired Life

Book 15: Chapter 103

The orthodox sects’ faction provided figurative big trees to shelter the next generations, and the resources they provided made growth readily accessible. The unorthodox sects’ faction ruled independently, but they provided other unorthodox faction members with a sense of backing. Both factions had been competing against each other forever, though it had reached a stalemate in the last century until Divine Moon Cult’s rise.

With a lack of balance came an abundance of opportunity. It was only natural for every animal and whatever else would come out to divide the body of a fallen titan. By extension, the power balance gradually skewed in the orthodox sects’ favour more and more over time following Demon Sect’s fall.

Nobody expected the vacancy left behind following Divine Moon Cult’s fall would be so significant. Save for those who the orthodox eliminated, survivors of Divine Moon Cult took refuge with the three remaining unorthodox sects.

League of Assassins never made any moves, and business carried on as usual. The only change was that they didn’t have to kill Divine Moon Cult’s members. They remained as dangerous as ever.

Sky Realm Palace never showed up. They were basically off the radar ever since You Shili returned to Demon Realm. Not a soul alive thought for a second that they just weren’t interested in competition. If one looked close enough they’d see traces of what was called “sadclouds”, which was the image of a crying cloud that Sky Realm Palace liked to sew onto their garments.

It was Valley of Villains that suddenly became active across the lands after Divine Moon Cult’s demise. No matter if it was an escort company, a gang, or whatever other entity that recruited manpower, someone or some people from Valley of Villains would join. While their skills did their backgrounds justice, they never mentioned a word of their time in the valley as if a curse was placed on them. It didn’t blow anyone’s mind that some new faces start popping up, but the death of over two thousand bandits of Shanxi’s biggest gang overnight was big news. When Emperor’s Entourage’s agents were dispatched to investigate how a group that the imperial court couldn’t stop in years was decimated overnight, they couldn’t find anything besides a new rock tablet outside of the den that read, “For good or evil, it is all evil. Hidden in Valley of Villains.”

Thanks to the text on the tablet, Valley of Villains became a topic in everyone’s mouth once again. Later on, the tablet would show up frequently across the lands, and a group would be wiped out wherever the tablet was found. In the three following years, innumerable warriors from all sorts of backgrounds met their ends and earned a tablet for themselves, totalling five digits worth of bodies. As a result, Valley of Villains were on track to replacing Divine Moon Cult.

It was the second time Valley of Villains made such a big move. The first time was seven years ago, which was when they became acknowledged as one of the four great unorthodox groups in the unorthodox faction. Before then, they were considered a mythological existence.

It was said that Valley of Villains was paradise, a place where they only experienced spring all year round. There were no conflicts, no tall tales, and no oppression. They’d toil when they sun came out and rest when the sun went down. Supposedly, it was such a great place for the soul that nobody wanted to leave once they visited. Irrespective of your past, irrespective of your character, there was a place there that you could call home in the valley, the utopia for villains. Anybody in their right mind would’ve considered the claims as authentic as the underwater dragon kingdom.

There weren’t any universally unique characteristics that could be used to identify a member of Valley of Villains. Some had passion in their eyes; others sounded bright. In fact, plenty of them showed no signs of being villainous; “insane” would’ve been a more apt description.
At the time, the world had known peace for decades, but the conflict between the orthodox and unorthodox factions was more intense than the present. Both factions had numerous mighty representatives, ingraining the period in history as one to remember. Kids under ten years of age would know all their stories; nobody compared them to myths. Nevertheless, everything changed when Wudang’s Hong Yanzi returned to Mount Wudang resembling a beggar and incessantly mumbling, “Valley of Villains, Valley of Villains, heh, hahaha.” That implanted “Valley of Villains” into the martial world as if they were a curse.

Hong Yanzi was arguably the second best, if not the best, Wudang swordsman and displayed potential for martial arts on par with his seniors. As a representative of Wudang in the pugilistic world, he was known for his upright character, vast knowledge, intellect and talent. If someone of his calibre could turn insane, then the culprit could’ve turned anyone else insane. Due to the gravity of the situation, Wudang’s elders restricting him to the back of the mountain, censored any pertinent information, and only discussed it among themselves. All the elders were in support of keeping Hong Yanzi’s condition a secret, but their patriarch insisted that they couldn’t withhold information for personal reasons if that meant putting the rest of the world at risk. On top of asserting they needed to warn others, he decided to pay Shaolin’s Abott Wuchen to seek advice. The elders respectfully followed their orders.

On the same day, the tablet with the text, “For good or evil, it is all evil. Hidden in Valley of Villains,” was delivered to the foot of Mount Wudang, and Wudang’s patriarch body was finally found the next morning.

Following that incident, whenever the tablet appeared in the pugilistic world, if the leader of a group didn’t die, it was someone as important as a sect patriarch dying. There was no discrimination in terms of location. Anyone who was trained in martial arts was a candidate to receive the stone tablet. The situation only escalated, even targeting Divine Moon Cult’s leader in the Central Plain.

Demon of Demons had always been one to consider himself the ultimate authority and the greatest ever, so he even went in search of Valley of Villains when they announced he was their next target. Still, even he fled once they demolished him, and he only escaped because he managed to find refuge on a mountain with few buildings. Nobody dared to ever disparage his skills, but he was the first person to survive being hunted. By that point, every martial artist started worrying for their own lives.

Shaolin’s Abott Wuchen decided to set aside differences and lend a hand to Demon of Demons, intending to combine both factions’ might to put an end to the massacre. Abott Wuchen assembled the various sects and, over eighteen days of discussion, selected the vanguards as well as hundreds to accompany them. Supposedly, the hundreds of members were elites that Abott Wuchen personally picked out to circumvent any Valley of Villains’ members infiltrating their ranks, so it took him ten days to form the final team. All the chosen members were elites in terms of martial prowess, intellect, and character.

On the day they sallied forth, their lineup consisted of Abott Wuchen, the Blade King, Demon of Demons, and Ku Hai. There was no doubt that a lot of blood would be shed, corpses left strewn, and a triumphant return with Valley of Villains’ heads on stakes as war trophies, but there’d also be decorated graves afterwards to commemorate the warriors for their noble sacrifices. Even if their campaign ended in failure, they would’ve met their demise with honour on the battlefield and then continued to serve nature in the capacity as noble spirits. If they failed, either their disciples or some respected elder would have survived to tell the tale.

In the worst-case scenario, in the scenario that the heroes were annihilated, the villains of Valley of Villains should have finally emerged and led a group the world had never seen before to sweep up the world into their reign of terror. In their final battle, they would face off against the imperial court, which would have created the opportunity for the rise of a new star, a new prodigy, or an elder leading a resistance force to do battle. In that case, the world would have had known despair.

Strangely, nothing happened. Nobody knew anything. Everything after the meeting got shrouded in a veil of mystery. No news on the group that marched out was ever heard. Violence was an everyday occurrence in the pugilistic world, but since when was there ever a fight that took the lives of that many warriors of that calibre? Thus, Valley of Villains became the worst nightmare for the martial world without anyone being able to explain what made them so fearsome.

Though the stone tablets stopped showing up ever again, nobody was relieved. Nobody was hoping for the death toll to continue increasing; however, it also meant that there were no clues left. Even though it was as though the events and deaths never took place, it was a fact that the people who disappeared and died once existed. Alas, nobody was ever able to find a speck of relevant information. Despite disappearing from the picture, Valley of Villains left an inerasable mark of fear.

The next time the stone tablet showed up in the martial world thirty-two years later, another wave of anarchy kicked off. Its return took the lives of two new bright stars. Although the two of them didn’t get along, their lives were full of highlights. It was also the first time someone managed to infiltrate Valley of Villains and lived to tell the tale.

It was said that there were ten top-dog villains in the valley, and the leader of the valley was qualified to compete for the top spot in martial arts. When people dispatched teams to said valley, however, there was nothing aforementioned to be found.

Once again, Valley of Villains managed to disappear from existence as if they were just an urban legend.

“… All I can say is, Valley of Villains isn’t innocent. I’ve never stopped trying to pry information out of the old man. It was evident that he didn’t know anything about the missing money. That said, he wouldn’t have been kicked out of the valley if there wasn’t trouble in the valley. I fed him hallucinogens every day, and he started having trouble distinguishing between reality and hallucinations. When he had too much to drink one night, he told me, ‘You need not ask, Young Master. I will not tell you. Who would dare to divulge affairs in the valley, huh? Who?’.

“I asked him, ‘I am not asking you about what happened in the valley. I asked why you left the valley when it is cosy. That is not an internal affair, is it?’

“He spaced out and smiled, then answered, ‘Master accepted a deal… to kill someone… to kill someone… We cannot stay in the valley any longer. Let us go…’

“I hurriedly told him, ‘You have had too much to drink.’

“He grabbed my sleeve and raged, ‘To kill! To kill! To kill!’

“He then passed out soon after with a ghastly pale face. He didn’t remember what happened after he woke up the next day, but I learnt another piece of information that increased the risk to my life.” 𝙧

Ming Feizhen scanned Feng Jiutian. “You seem really bent on convincing me that Valley of Villains is involved.”

“Even if the missing sum wasn’t enough to hire Valley of Villains’ master, they are definitely involved. Besides, how many people in the world are able to hire him notwithstanding the number of years he’s been ranked in Black Reflection? The portents of Valley of Villains’ return are only becoming more evident. Assuming they wait thirty-two years between intervals of bringing out the stone tablet, then the tablet should start appearing a year from now. Don’t you think it’s all connected?” Feng Jiutian originally only spilt the beans to save his own hide, but he now couldn’t stop himself spilling more as if he was trying to get it off his chest.

“You’re implying that Valley of Villains’ master wanted money for a future plan?”

“There is one thing you said before that I can fully get behind. Everything in life requires money; the bigger the task, the more money needed. If it costs money to kill one Ximen Chuideng, how about two or three Ximen Chuidengs? How much would it cost to kill all the elites of the martial world?

“I don’t believe in miracles that fall out of the sky; everything has a root cause. Your martial prowess is inexplainable. However, my inability to understand something doesn’t mean that there is no explanation. It’s merely a sign that I don’t understand enough. You yourself or your teacher would know for sure. A group capable of wiping out killing Shaolin, Wudang, and Demon Sect can’t be a mere myth. There has to be an enormous network we’re unaware of. Whether it’s development of a network, an organisation, hiring muscle, or means of escape, all these preparations and resources require funds. To pull off the stone tablet and kills would require more money than my family spent, not less.”

Ming Feizhen touched his chin. “What do they gain from wiping out all martial elites?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t need to know. The most important lesson I learnt from doing business all these years is that, no matter what the item is, no matter how odd it is, there is a demand for it somewhere and for whatever reason. You may not comprehend why they covet it, but there is unquestionably someone who desires it.”

Ming Feizhen analysed everything he heard again, then nodded. “You’ve saved half of your life.”

Feng Jiutian wiped his forehead. “You finally believe me.”

“I believe what you said, not the entire story.”

“Can you elaborate?”

“Simple. If Valley of Villains’ master was so capable, he wouldn’t need people.” Ming Feizhen shrugged. “They worked as a team and needed to bribe people into spying for them. Doesn’t that make them a joke?”

Feng Jiutian wasn’t knowledgeable on Demon Sect, so he didn’t care who took Ximen Chuideng’s life. Valley of Villains was a nightmare he couldn’t shake off, which was why they were the first thought that came to mind when Ming Feizhen asked about the battle at Lawless Cliff. As a matter of fact, he spoke before he even knew for certain if they were connected. In the scenario that Ming Feizhen was right, the money used to incite betrayal in Demon Sect and the sum Feng Clan used to hire Valley of Villains wasn’t the same sum, which meant…

“I believe you in that I believe your clan wasn’t involved in it and hired Valley of Villains. That said, one transaction can only achieve one goal. I don’t believe the mastermind was able to hire Valley of Villains’ master and would spend even more money to achieve the same goal.”

Ming Feizhen couldn’t even be sure if there was one mastermind at the battle or multiple. If one of them was Valley of Villains’ master, then Ming Feizhen was proud of Ximen Chuideng. After all, that’d mean that Ximen Chuideng basically fought everybody worth fighting.

“Didn’t expect to miss, again.” Ming Feizhen got to his feet.

Seeing as Feng Clan bribed Valley of Villains at that particular point in time, Valley of Villains was involved in the matter one way or another. Was searching for clues pertaining to Valley of Villains the best course of action? No. There was no reason to hate someone for fulfilling a commission. It was the mastermind who needed to face the repercussions.

“Against this kind of competitor,” Ming Feizhen sighed, “I have to give you credit for not breaking down.”

Feng Jiutian bitterly smiled. He had to feign ignorance at all times for the last three years and show no interest without appearing so foolish that he’d lose his standing in the clan and the business world. Having spent six years telling endless lies had blurred the line for where “normal people” lied.

“It’s suffocating to live on a tightrope; I don’t know if I’ll ever see another day. I’m always searching for ‘power’, be it the imperial exams, the blackice walls, the qingluan blood arrows and so forth. I even… wanted to recruit you.”

“That explains why you seemed more intent on capturing me than killing me.”

Feng Jiutian shrugged. “But I failed.”

Ming Feizhen nodded. “If you weren’t this sort of character, I wouldn’t be here speaking to you.”

“This sort being…?”

“Simply speaking, you’re a bad guy.”

“You flatter me. Bad people last. I must be bad if I want to live long.”

“But going as far as turning your cousin into that monstrosity is excessive.” Ming Feizhen tugged up a corner of his lips. “Don’t forget: I said you saved half of your life.”

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