Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign Novel - Chapter 521 (New)

“How ominous.”

Jin Yeohoe, who served as a protector for the Zhejiang regional office of the Righteous Martial Alliance (정무맹) in Hangzhou, scowled at the heavy shroud of mist that pressed in on him.

Hangzhou was a city of such boundless wealth and beauty that the common saying went, “Heaven is above, but Suzhou and Hangzhou are below.” Every luxury imaginable flowed through its gates, and the vibrant clamor of the populace usually echoed through the streets at all hours.

Yet, on this particular day, Hangzhou had fallen into an unsettling silence.

The vapor was so thick that visibility was reduced to nothing, morphing the familiar city into a landscape that felt entirely alien.

“This day feels remarkably oppressive.”

“When is it ever anything else?”

Guo Sa (곽사) gave a mocking snort in response to Jin Yeohoe’s grumbling.

“Is a little fog really such a novelty to you?”

“It isn’t just fog… it feels different today. There’s a weight to it that makes me restless.”

“It is your own heart that lacks stillness, boy. The world is only as turbulent as the person looking at it.”

Jin Yeohoe took a moment to reflect.

Could his companion be right?

Fog was certainly no stranger to the streets of Hangzhou. He had witnessed similar weather before, even if today’s blanket was notably more profound. Logically, there was no reason for this level of internal agitation.

“Mmm…”

“In times of such widespread disorder, it’s only natural for even the smallest things to set us on edge.”

“You really think that’s all it is?”

“We are all enduring the same strain.”

Guo Sa shook his head slowly.

“If I am being honest, it feels wrong to me as well.”

“Even to you, Older Brother?”

“Why should I be the exception?”

Guo Sa let out a long, weary breath. No matter how much he attempted to maintain a stoic front, the current state of affairs wouldn’t permit it.

The Demon Cult (마교), Baekgeom Fortress (백검성)… the world seemed to be unraveling. The Demon Cult had made its presence known once more at Mount Hua (화산), and the whispers suggested that Baekgeom Fortress was somehow entangled with them.

It was madness!

What possible benefit could a place like Baekgeom Fortress find in a pact with the Demon Cult?

They were among the most celebrated and respected martial institutions.

While the prestige of the Shaolin Temple reached the heavens, and the Wudang Sect and Mount Hua Sect reigned over the Central Plains (중원), any youth worth their salt would choose Baekgeom Fortress without a second thought if given the chance to join a sect.

They were the absolute pinnacle.

Indeed, the title of the world’s finest did not belong to the ancient halls of Shaolin or Wudang; it belonged to Baekgeom Fortress.

Though their lineage was relatively brief and they hadn’t yet earned the reverence that comes with centuries of tradition, isn’t true greatness a thing constructed over time?

If the current trajectory held, Baekgeom was destined to become the primary face of the Central Plains and the most dominant force in the martial world. Why would they sabotage such a glorious destiny by shaking hands with the Demon Cult?

It defied reason. It was utterly beyond the pale.

It made no logical sense.

Yet, as the ancient proverb warns, “When three people claim there is a tiger in the market, everyone begins to believe it.”

The absurd rumors were being repeated by more people every day, reaching a point where they could no longer be dismissed as mere tavern talk.

Why haven’t the higher-ups offered a clarification?

Even the regional branch leader only gave a vague “I am not certain” when questioned.

Of course, a crisis of this scale was far beyond their local jurisdiction. Only the grand masters at the central headquarters would be privy to the ultimate truth.

“I wish someone would just tell us exactly what is happening.”

“Every one of us is wishing for the same thing.”

Guo Sa offered a grim, bitter smile.

And what would our lives look like even if we held that knowledge?

There are times when information is a weapon, but there are other times when not knowing is the only way to find peace. Prying into the truth out of simple curiosity can often be the shortest path to a grave.

Baekgeom Fortress conspiring with the Demon Cult?

Suppose it were true—what could they even do?

Would they march against the Fortress this instant?

The idea was laughable.

Baekgeom was not an adversary one could take lightly. If the Righteous Martial Alliance diverted its entire strength to the east to deal with them, the Demon Cult would simply surge through the western borders. The world would collapse.

Qinghai, Sichuan, and Gansu would be turned to ash.

“Tell me something, Yeohoe.”

“What is it, Older Brother?”

“If the Demon Cult actually launched an assault, what would your move be?”

“What a strange thing to ask. I would fight, obviously.”

“Fight…”

Guo Sa tightened and released his grip, looking at his own hands.

If the solution were that simple, there would be no cause for this dread.

Guo Sa had never personally experienced the fangs of war. He had been a mere child when the previous conflict erupted, and he was forbidden from approaching the front lines. Though he had boasted loudly back then that he could hold his own, his heart was secretly a nest of terrors.

His older brothers, men of immense strength and talent, had marched off with absolute confidence that they would crush the Demon Cult. They were never seen again.

When the broken remains of his kin began to return in piles, Guo Sa finally grasped the true, hideous nature of war.

It is a thing that can only be understood by those who have tasted its bitterness.

Humans can still feel the weight of one or two lives lost, but they become numb as the tally grows.

Ten deaths or a hundred are a tragedy; but when the count reaches thousands or tens of thousands, they fade into mere data on a scroll.

Without living through it, you cannot truly know.

The sheer terror, the absolute depravity.

And now, the cycle was beginning anew.

Those who were currently shouting brave slogans of resistance would soon find out exactly what war demanded of a man.

“No matter how terrifying the Demon Cult claims to be, we are the Righteous Martial Alliance.”

“Indeed. Heh.”

“In the end, we have always emerged as the victors. This time will be no different.”

Guo Sa remained silent.

Victory…

What did that word truly signify?

If he were forced to choose between a defeat that allowed him to keep his life or a victory that required his death, which would he pick?

It wasn’t a matter of winning or losing.

In a true war, there are no winners. Every participant is a loser in their own way.

Perhaps it was better not to know.

If the end was already set in stone, maybe it was better to simply let the future arrive on its own terms.

“You speak as if you’re almost eager for the fighting to start.”

“If I am being honest, I won’t deny that a part of me feels that way.”

“Are you serious?”

“Don’t look at me like I’ve lost my mind. I’m not some reckless fool.”

“Then why would you say such a thing?”

Jin Yeohoe stared at him with a look of genuine confusion.

“Older Brother.”

“Speak your mind plainly.”

“If things just keep going on like this, how far do you think I’ll ever actually go?”

Guo Sa replied with a touch of irony:

“I am a low-level guard stationed at a branch office gate. That is my reality. What changes in a decade or two? I’ll just be an elderly guard.”

“That… almost feels like a personal jab at my own future…”

“That wasn’t the goal! There is nothing wrong with it. Providing for children and living a life of quiet peace is a good thing. But, as men, shouldn’t we at least nourish one great ambition?”

“An ambition?”

“The chance to be a hero.”

Guo Sa couldn’t suppress his skepticism.

“The old chronicles say that heroes are forged in the fires of chaos.”

“Listen to yourself! You think just anyone can be a hero?”

“Are heroes marked by fate from the moment they are born?”

“You need overwhelming power to claim such a title. Do you honestly believe you have that in you?”

“Who can say for sure? Perhaps I’ll stumble upon the right moment. Besides, it isn’t only the strongest who can earn that name. You’ll see. When my moment comes, I will take it.”

Guo Sa clicked his tongue.

While it was true that times of upheaval created heroes, those legends were usually the ones who had spent every waking moment in preparation.

“Mark my words, those ‘moments’ don’t just fall into anyone’s lap.”

“I have faith that mine will.”

Just as Guo Sa was preparing a retort, a serene voice cut through the air:

“Perhaps your moment is right in front of you.”

Guo Sa spun around, his hand flying to his weapon.

How long had someone been standing there?

He hadn’t felt a single ripple in the air.

Despite the fog, he didn’t rely on his eyes alone to sense a person’s presence. How had he missed this arrival?

A true master!

Guo Sa’s features hardened with tension.

It wasn’t unheard of for a master to visit this location. This was a regional office of the Righteous Martial Alliance, a frequent stop for many illustrious figures.

But Guo Sa could not let his guard down.

Legitimate masters had no reason to mask their approach. Only those harboring dark intent moved in such silence.

“Who goes there! State your business!”

Guo Sa bellowed the challenge. His voice was raised not just to demand an answer, but to signal to the warriors inside that a formidable threat was at the gate.

“I already told you: I am the one who brings you your opportunity. Didn’t you say you wished to be a hero?”

A silhouette began to take shape within the gray mist.

That… that insignia!

Guo Sa’s pupils contracted in shock.

The figure was a man in his middle years, clad in a simple white robe with a blade resting at his hip.

The emblem stitched onto the left side of his chest—a long, elegant sword—made his affiliation unmistakable.

“What business does a disciple of Baekgeom Fortress have here?”

The man gave a mocking, thin-lipped smile.

“I will say it once more: I have come to provide you with your opportunity.”

“What opportunity?”

The man completely ignored Guo Sa, shifting his gaze to Jin Yeohoe.

Yeohoe felt a cold shiver race down his spine as their eyes met. It felt as though his very soul was being lanced by a whetted blade.

“Did you truly wish to become a hero?”

Jin Yeohoe found himself unable to utter a sound. The sheer derision in the man’s voice seemed to freeze the air in his lungs.

“Very well, I shall grant you that wish. Pay close attention: a catastrophe is descending upon the Righteous Martial Alliance and the rest of the world. This gates shall be the beginning of it. If you actually manage to hold us back, the world will remember you as a hero.”

The sound of multiple footsteps began to echo from behind the stranger. More shapes began to materialize out of the fog.

It isn’t just one or two…

Guo Sa ground his teeth.

The unthinkable was unfolding right before their eyes.

“Try your best to stop us. Perhaps this truly will be the birthplace of a new legend. It would be a profound honor to see it happen… assuming, of course…”

The man’s smile turned razor-sharp and cold.

“…that you actually survive long enough to do it. Otherwise, this is where your story ends.”

Guo Sa grabbed his alert horn and blew with every ounce of air in his lungs.

Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

The high-pitched wail pierced through the silence of the city, yet the man in white made no move to interfere with the alarm.

“How very discourteous.”

He reached down and slowly unsheathed his sword.

“It matters little. Soon, there will be no need for pleasantries between us.”

The warriors of Baekgeom surged forward out of the mist, advancing with the lethal speed of arrows in flight.

“Leave no one alive.”

The man’s face was a mask of frozen, heartless resolve.

Would you like me to describe the opening exchange of the battle at the gates, or perhaps detail the response of the Righteous Martial Alliance as the alarm echoes through the branch office?