They say the Lord of the Black Alliance and Sama Yuryeon are to be wed soon.
It's a political marriage born of necessity, but it's still rather startling in many ways.
"My word. If what the young hero Cheon says is true, Lady Sama only headed to the Black Alliance after delivering the secret vault's goods to the Tang Clan. That means she hasn't even known the Alliance Lord for a full month yet…"
"Indeed. In less than a month, she wrapped up the Sama Clan in a neat package and handed it to the Alliance Lord. There's no doubt this was something she'd been preparing for a very long time."
"Huh? Ah, no. That's not it. I was merely surprised that the marriage came so suddenly."
"If it's a sudden marriage, aren't we in the same boat? It ended as a betrothal because she wasn't of age, but I recall Sama Yuryeon is fairly old."
I recall that Sama Yuryeon is a bit older than Tang So-wol. Though martial artists are generally free from the constraints of marriageable age, she's not exactly young.
Depending on the case, some even already had several children.
"But isn't the Lord of the Black Alliance also quite old?"
"The Lord of the Black Alliance is young for a Harmony Realm martial artist… Well, in any case, this is a political marriage. The age gap probably isn't that important."
The Sichuan Tang Clan is peculiar, and Tang So-wol is an even more special case within it, but most prestigious families pursue political marriages.
The matter between the Paeng and Eon Clans became a huge topic in the martial world precisely because rumors spread that, despite being bitter rivals, the two had eloped purely out of love for each other.
That's how rare it is to marry because you fell in love first. Most marry out of necessity and build feelings afterward.
Above all…
"…If it's Sama Yuryeon, she's probably hopping around with joy by now."
"Huh?"
Tang So-wol tilted her head as if she couldn't understand what I meant. Well, if I hadn't known the two of them before my regression, I would have reacted the same way.
"Do you remember the conversation we had when we entered the secret vault? The one where Sama Yuryeon said she preferred ambitious men."
"Ah, we did talk about that."
"The Lord of the Black Alliance is the most ambitious man I know."
He's said to take good care of his people, but at his core, he's a petty, greedy, typical Unorthodox martial artist.
His personality is so blatant you'd catch it after getting just a little close, yet the reason he could found and maintain a massive organization like the Black Alliance is simple.
Because he can carry others along with his grand ambition.
Those who stand with the Lord of the Black Alliance are, with high probability, moved by him and come to look in the same direction.
Add to that a personality that cherishes his own people fiercely, and once someone has attached themselves to the Lord of the Black Alliance, they all swear loyalty to him without exception.
Setting aside my personal feelings, if he had been born in an age of chaos, he is the kind of man who could have founded a nation.
"Is that so? What kind of ambition does he harbor, exactly…"
"What else would an Unorthodox martial artist want? Wealth and Glory."
"Huh? He charms people with something as trivial as that?"
"Not just any Wealth and Glory. It's the kind that can only be obtained by grasping everything in this world in one's hands."
"Ah."
Building one's own clan and establishing a single sect is a goal that is difficult to achieve, but it can be accomplished if effort and talent align.
Some will encourage those who challenge it, some will envy and be jealous, and some will treat them as obstacles to their own affairs and become hostile.
It is impressive, but that is all it is.
However, what if the goal were the conquest of the Central Plains?
No one would envy or resent that. They would simply shake their heads and call the person insane.
Thus, only one type remains by one's side: those who are genuinely moved and wish to join in that absurd undertaking.
"The Lord of the Black Alliance is exactly that kind of person."
"Good heavens. You mean to say he seeks to achieve such a goal purely for his own self-interest?"
"Isn't it precisely because he's that kind of person that the unorthodox martial artists follow him?"
Moreover, it's not just words—his ability is equally impressive. He built the Black Alliance from nothing, and right up until the Demonic Cult's invasion, he had even absorbed half of Haomun, seizing half of the Central Plains' martial world in his rise. A truly self-made figure.
The Murim Alliance, which divides the Central Plains' martial world alongside the Black Alliance, also has an Alliance Lord, but he feels like little more than a representative of the Five Great Families and the Nine Great Sects and One Gang.
The Black Alliance, however, is an organization that exists solely for its Lord—the concentration of power is fundamentally different.
It's no wonder that Sama Yuryeon, before the regression, was utterly captivated by the Lord of the Black Alliance, and upon hearing of his death, was so heartbroken that she took her own life.
To her, the Lord's goal was essentially her own.
The reality of his death. And the despair of knowing that the Heavenly Demon had felled him—a man strong enough to contend for the top among Harmony Realm martial artists—with such ease. She must have been unable to overcome that despair.
I suspect that this time, too, Sama Yuryeon was the one who actively approached the Lord of the Black Alliance… but what surprised me was something else entirely.
Even if it was a political marriage, the fact remained that the two were to hold a wedding ceremony.
"Do you know something? The Lord of the Black Alliance built a force of this scale and never once took a concubine in all his years."
"I knew he hadn't married, but are you saying he even kept away from concubines?"
"That's right. When a man favors someone, a part of his power naturally shifts to that person."
Isn't that a common thing? A man who once commanded the world groveling before a single woman, and in some cases, letting his judgment go astray.
That was why the Lord of the Black Alliance, though he enjoyed the company of women, was wary of giving too much attachment to any one person.
And that same Lord was now getting married. It was true that the Sama Clan was an unusual noble house among the Unorthodox Sects, one that had maintained its line for generations—but was it worth that much?
Or perhaps it wasn't the Sama Clan he saw value in, but Sama Yuryeon herself?
Either way, since I'm not the Lord of the Black Alliance, I can't know for certain. It's all just speculation.
For example… perhaps it's because the current Black Alliance isn't as solid as the one in my memories.
Surely the Lord of the Black Alliance and the Alliance itself will grow stronger than they are now. So much so that a decade or so from now, voices of worry will arise, asking whether the Jeongsa War is about to break out again.
But what about now? The Black Alliance is certainly recognized in the martial world, yet it hasn't united all Unorthodox martial artists under its banner.
The Alliance's territory extends only as far as Zhejiang Province. Beyond that, there are those who exist not as subordinates of the Black Alliance, but as loose allies bound to it.
Under ordinary circumstances, that would be fine. The Imperial Court hasn't fully subjugated the martial world, and the Murim Alliance is merely a coalition of Orthodox Sects centered on the Five Great Families and the Nine Great Sects and One Gang—not a ruler over them.
But the Lord of the Black Alliance doesn't want a simple alliance. He wants complete subjugation under his banner.
In that sense, the Black Alliance as the Lord envisions it is still in a precarious state.
His attempt to recruit Seomun Hwa-rin, and his complete absorption of the already-allied Sama Clan, were likely extensions of that same reasoning.
Perhaps the Lord of the Black Alliance planned to use this incident as an opportunity to bring the prestigious Unorthodox Sects that had yet to kneel under his banner to their knees, one by one.
…Of course, there's also a fairly high chance that he genuinely took a liking to Sama Yuryeon.
The moment she heard that the Lord of the Black Alliance didn't give his heart to any woman, Sama Yuryeon—bold enough to endure all sorts of hardship to become the Alliance's Chief Steward just so she could see his face every day—was nothing if not persistent.
If he'd wanted to, the Lord of the Black Alliance could have cast her aside at any time. The very fact that he didn't was proof that he, too, secretly regarded Sama Yuryeon as someone special.
Before the regression, their strange relationship had been maintained primarily because Sama Yuryeon was careful not to cross the line, and the Lord of the Black Alliance tacitly allowed it.
When he explained the parts he couldn't say outright due to the seal, in roundabout terms, Tang So-wol finally nodded with an expression of understanding.
"I understand. Then, what do you intend to do, young hero Cheon?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"At present, our bodies are in no condition to move, but… the two of you are both acquainted with young hero Cheon, are you not?"
"Tch. I was thinking I ought to make a visit anyway, and now I've been handed an excuse I can't avoid."
The Lord of the Black Alliance was generous to his own people, but always petty with everyone else.
As long as I had no intention of placing myself under his command, it would be wise to avoid meaningless conflict.
Above all, since I planned to unite the Murim Alliance and the Black Alliance against the Demonic Cult earlier than in my previous life, I had reason to maintain a cordial relationship.
"Very well. I cannot attend the wedding while I am recuperating, but I will write a letter stating that I shall visit once I have recovered."
"I shall go along as well, shall I not?"
"Surely you weren't thinking of sending me alone?"
"Heh heh. Surely not. I was merely a little curious to see the Black Alliance, a place that is practically off-limits to Orthodox martial artists."
"What could you possibly expect from a place that serves as the headquarters of the Unorthodox world?"
"Setting aside good and evil, aren't they all people who are honest about their desires? The food should be good."
"…I can't deny that."
Although meat was not forbidden, the Buddhist sects were wary of overindulgence. The Daoist sects had training methods that often subsisted on vegetarian meals alone, claiming that cooked food over fire clouded one's energy.
And then there were the many prestigious families, where every member of the direct line was precious, and they fed their people properly balanced meals.
For an Orthodox martial artist, a meal was itself a form of training.
That meant that even when one tried to eat as deliciously as possible, the ingredients themselves were often simply tasteless.
Even in the Tang Clan, a variety of meat dishes appeared at every meal without fail… but just as much, there were plenty of greens as well.
Some of them were even made with medicinal herbs, giving them a rather unpleasant, bitter taste.
On the other hand, for the Unorthodox Sects, a meal was just a meal. It wasn't part of training, but rather an act closer to satisfying the desire to eat something more delicious, something more extravagant.
Just as the entertainment districts had developed further in Unorthodox territory than in Orthodox territory, so too had the food culture advanced much further on the Unorthodox side.
To be precise, one could say they had become connoisseurs of luxurious cuisine.
"Since things have come to this, why don't we properly get a good meal out of the Black Alliance? Sister Hwa-rin, Hyang-i, how about we all go together?"
"I'm all for it. With Senior Seomun Hwa-rin and me there, even if something happens, we should have no trouble getting out with our bodies intact."
His nod of agreement barely lasted a moment. Speak of the tiger, and it shall appear.
For some reason, Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin, who frequented my room as if it were their own, flung the door open with a loud bang.
Bang!
"Cheon Hwi! I went to the market street up ahead with Sister Seomun, and there was a new shop, so I went to check it out!"
"The tea was nothing special, but their snacks were absolutely incredible! So I brought a few candies. Let's eat them together."
Seol Ri-hyang, who giggled over a piece of candy just like a girl her age, and Seomun Hwa-rin, whose age I couldn't guess but who seemed delighted nonetheless.
At the sight of the two of them, Tang So-wol and I exchanged a glance and let out a small chuckle.
"Sure. My mouth was feeling a bit empty anyway."
"Then I'll go brew some suitable tea."
It was the kind of thing I could have ordered a servant to do, but I decided to do it myself.
After all, when you're cooped up in a room with nothing to do, this made for a fairly decent pastime.
***
It was only after nearly a month had passed that my body recovered enough for me to hold a sword again.
Tang So-wol, who had been permitted to use her poison art once the poison in her body settled, reached Transcendent Peak in less than a week.
…And that was when I finally understood exactly how my Bone-Exchange Rebirth differed from the ordinary kind.
"Wow! Immunity to All Poisons!"
"Strictly speaking, isn't your Immunity to All Poisons limited to poisons weaker than yours, Tang So-wol?"
"The Heavenly Poison Sect was exterminated by young hero Cheon's hand, so in this day and age, the only person who uses poison stronger than mine is Father."
"…"
The fact that I could still be poisoned by my father-in-law's poison—that was the most important truth of all.