Chapter 899: Night Parade of a Hundred Demons (1)

The first thing you do when you visit as a guest is, of course, greet the host.

Why? For what reason?

Honestly, you don’t need an explanation for that.

When you visit someone else’s home, greeting the owner is universal human common sense across every culture—past, present, and future—East and West alike.

But the question itself isn’t wrong.

Because asking why the obvious is obvious is the foundation of investigating nature, and that is the bedrock of civilization’s development.

For countless millennia, the Central Plains stood at the peak of the most advanced science and technology in the world, leading nearly every field of innovation.

But in Qing’s hometown history, the center of that scientific progress moved to the West—human fate changed by a single person.

A great giant who altered human history itself.

Someone who witnessed an apple falling by chance and wondered: why does an apple fall downward? Why doesn’t it shoot upward, or fly off sideways?

From the moment someone asked “Why?” about that most obvious fact, humanity’s true dawn began.

Of course, the East might feel wronged.

Because “Don’t question what’s obvious” was, originally, the most convenient method for rulers to control the ruled.

Take Eastern philosophy represented by Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism.

Confucianism is the principle of unconditional loyalty.

Conditional loyalty isn’t loyalty, so you must follow the orders of your parents, teachers, and lord without asking or arguing.

Daoism is the Way of effortless naturalness—meaning unconditional compliance.

The natural state is the best state, so you observe nature and memorize its phenomena, but why it is that way doesn’t matter; you just believe it and follow it.

Buddhism is the principle of obedience by promising an afterlife.

This life is already ruined, so bet on the next one.

Suffering? Hey, idiot, what life on earth isn’t suffering? Living is suffering. But if you live kindly, the next life will be a bit better, and if you keep at it, you’ll eventually be reborn into a world with no suffering and be happy forever.

Loyalty, compliance, obedience.

A perfect trinity of the highest tools of control.

Meanwhile, look at those hook-nosed foreigners from the Western Regions.

They questioned the obvious, and look what happened to them.

Nobles are noble and commoners are base.

Why? How? We’re the same people, so why are they nobles and we’re commoners? And that’s already infuriating, but why do we have to be obedient?

Wait. Thinking about it makes me mad?

No, this won’t do. Burn it all first! Can you hear the people sing?

Anyway.

As part of investigating nature, you could also investigate why a guest must greet the host.

If I had to put it into words, back in some primitive, ancient tribal society—

In the distant past, when the gap between bandit and guest was very thin, and the gap between bandit and host was also very thin.

So the guest would have had to prove they were harmless, set down their weapon, approach first, and offer a greeting—saying, I’m not a bandit, so you must not be a bandit either—and then demand to be treated as a guest.

And from the standpoint of a community’s survival, anything that shook the leader’s authority could obviously cause a fatal crisis to the community’s continuity.

So you could infer that a guest showing courtesy to the host first was behavior favorable for survival, right?

Mm. Yep. Liberal-arts brain still hasn’t gone anywhere.

I’m proud! Liberal arts are the best! The best best best!

It’s because I’m liberal arts that I’m living so respectably, earning a name under heaven as some absurdly top-tier master and receiving everyone’s respect.

If I’d been one of those science guys?

I’d have been dead in a minute.

What is this place? Did I come here after dying? Then if I die, do I go back? Then, dying first is the scientific way to think. I’ll die.

Even if not, same thing.

Would I have even learned martial arts properly?

Even if I carved the martial arts into my brain, I’d go, “But why do I have to circulate internal energy like this? Can’t I run it backward? Scientific thinking! Let’s try it!”

And then it’s, “What the hell is deviation,” and you die.

And even if you survive, so what.

Sell soap or something?

The Central Plains already has soap and printing presses and fire-strikers and cannons—everything.

Qing keeps thinking about other things.

Why is Qing thinking about other things?

Because she’s bored.

Why is she bored?

Because the host still hasn’t appeared.

Usually, making a guest wait when they’re trying to offer greetings is classic rudeness—and also a power play.

A process of stamping in the gap between us, your place and mine, to crush the guest’s spirit.

When she went to the imperial palace, how many days did she wait just to see the Son of Heaven’s face once?

But the Elder Sun-and-Moon Qing had seen didn’t seem like the type to do that.

What is it? Elder Sun-and-Moon is late....

At this rate, I—

CLICK!

“Ah, my apologies. Did you wait long? But when the Provincial Governor came in person, I couldn’t exactly run out the moment I heard a guest had arrived, could I? So you’ll have to be a little understanding.”

Ah, if it’s the Provincial Governor, then it can’t be helped.

Qing understood immediately.

Provincial Governor—he must mean the Liaoning Provincial Governor, which would make them the top boss overseeing Liaoning Province’s administration.

Turn away the Provincial Governor because they want to see Qing?

What happens to the Provincial Governor’s dignity, and wouldn’t that resentment obviously end up aimed not only at the Moyong Family, but even at Qing?

Of course, you’d have to hear the Provincial Governor’s side too.

If the Provincial Governor found out, they could feel very, truly, insanely wronged.

“You’re keeping the Princess waiting because you’re dealing with me?” For almost one moment? “Agh, are you trying to get me killed! Princess! I have committed a crime worthy of death! Please have mercy! But I don’t think this is my fault, my lady! Please!”

“If it were up to me, I would’ve run over immediately. Because compared to the Provincial Governor, you’re a far more welcome guest.”

“Of course. If the Provincial Governor came in person—and if someone that important showed up—wouldn’t they be here to ask for some unpleasant favor? There’s no way you’d be happy to see them.”

The one with the byname Elder Sun-and-Moon, called Lone Barbarian Sword by the Martial Alliance peers he’s close with, called Two-Blade Drifter by the peers he isn’t close with, ranked ninth among the Ten Great Masters Under Heaven, the one my master says is barely at the threshold of the Transcendent Realm, the father of Moyong Juhee and Moyong Jun—Moyong Seongik—smiled softly.

“Thank you for saying so.”

“What are you saying. This unlearned junior, Seomun Cheong, greets Elder Sun-and-Moon.”

“Yes. How long has it been? Even after two years, it seems like time passed you by—you look unchanged. Mm? Well, you reached a realm at such a young age.”

Moyong Seongik nodded as he satisfied himself, then spoke in a gentle voice.

“So. Is there anything you’ve been stuck on in your studies? Since Yeogwang—no, since Senior Aunt—has been away, it must’ve been difficult. If there’s anything like that, don’t hesitate to ask. We could spar later as well.”

It was truly tremendous goodwill.

Even if it wasn’t his intention, he felt sorry for making her wait—and also because she helped his precious daughter reach the level just below the peak.

“So, what brings you all the way here? Did you come to see the child?”

“That too, and I also wanted to see Jun and escort him back. He told me himself he ran away from home.”

“Ah, yes. That little Ajun has been in a foul mood lately, hasn’t he—his spirits must’ve dropped hard. So I pretended I was going into seclusion and told him to go out and get some air.”

“Huh, why not just tell him to go have fun?”

Moyong Seongik grinned.

“Sneaking out is much more fun than leaving with permission, isn’t it. And since the Green Guard went with him, there’s nothing to worry about. Ajun isn’t at a level where he’ll go around getting beaten up.”

And in Liaoning, who would dare lay a hand on the Moyong Family’s son? That calculation was there too.

After exchanging brief greetings, Qing brought up the main point.

“I was actually on my way to Changbai Mountain. Have you heard anything about the suspicious figure at Changbai Mountain?”

Even without Moyong Jun, Qing would’ve had to stop by the Moyong Family anyway.

Changbai Mountain, narrowly speaking, meant the sacred mountain of the Korean people rising in Jurchen land—Baekdu Mountain.

But broadly speaking?

It could also refer to the entire Changbai mountain range.

The Central Plains people had this weird culture where they called a mountain a mountain, but also wrote a mountain range as a “mountain,” confusing people.

The land was so vast that if you didn’t live nearby, maybe there was no need to distinguish between a mountain and a mountain range.

Or maybe “mountain” is three strokes—draw it three times and you’re done—while “range” is annoying to write, so they just shortened it.

Either way, in context, one “mountain” character was usually enough to tell whether it meant the mountain or the mountain range.

But in this case, Qing only asked around for rumors at the Seol Family Merchant House, so it was hard to tell from context whether it was Changbai Mountain or the Changbai mountain range.

So the plan was to go to the area and ask around. And the western part of the Changbai range was Moyong Family territory, and nobody was as plugged into information as they were.

So Qing felt her heart thumping with anticipation.

If it was nearby, she wouldn’t have to go all the way to Changbai Mountain after all.

Sure, since she’d come this far, she still kind of wanted to see the scenery once, but sightseeing and rummaging around because you’re hunting someone were worlds apart.

Moyong Seongik answered.

“Ah, that?”

Qing’s expression brightened instantly.

He knows something!

“Do you know anything about it?”

“It’s always loud around this time of year. But which suspicious figure are you looking for?”

Qing’s face immediately went blank.

Huh. Which suspicious figure?

There’s more than one? There are suspicious figures at Changbai?

Qing’s face was so honest that Moyong Seongik asked again right away.

“Mm? You came without knowing? Let’s see. For the suspicious figures around here, there’s Rakshasa, Yaksha, Hungry Ghost, Xingtian, Taotie, and Tree Spirit, and the Joseon barbarians have Tiger-Leech, Nine-Tailed Fox, White-Faced Egg Ghost, and what was it... Dogabi? And as for Arasa, I don’t even know. It’s all twisted speech—you have to be able to understand it. What was it? Baekbaek Hungry Ghost?”

Rakshasa, Yaksha, and Hungry Ghost were Buddhist monsters.

Xingtian was the monster with no head, with eyes, nose, and mouth on its chest; Taotie was something like a hungry ghost; Tree Spirit meant a tree monster.

Tiger-Leech—three kinds of leeches stuck to a tiger—maybe it meant some tiger demon?

Nine-Tailed Fox was a nine-tailed fox.

White-Faced Egg Ghost? An egg ghost?

Dogabi sounded like some kind of phonetic word—maybe a goblin?

And what the hell was Baekbaek Hungry Ghost? He said it was Arasa twisted speech, so it must be phonetic too.

But what is this, a monster festival?

She asked about a suspicious figure at Changbai Mountain, and now a whole line of monster names is pouring out.

Is this that thing people call a night parade of a hundred demons?

But... do monsters actually exist?

Sure, there’s the cosmic mystery of chi and people flying around and beam swords and whatever, and so on.

Then yeah, monsters could exist too.

Qing swallowed.

“Are you saying real monsters appear?”

“Oh dear. Looks like you came without knowing. If it were monsters, people would call them Changbai monsters—would they call them Changbai suspicious figures?”

Moyong Seongik gave a bitter smile.

“I mean the bands of bandits crawling all over that Changbai range. They hide their identities and play at being monsters. Most of them are eastern barbarians. Jurchens, Central Plains men, Arasa Greenwood Demons, and sometimes even bald men from Wa join in—it’s a mess.”

From long ago, raids by vicious eastern barbarians around the Changbai range were famous.

But after the eastern barbarians began serving the Central Plains as their superior state, national law made it so their people couldn’t invade the superior state’s lands, didn’t it?

And yet, from ancient times through now and into the future, one truth always held.

A crime you don’t get caught for isn’t a crime!

When the law blocked them, the eastern barbarians started disguising themselves as monsters and went raiding anyway.

And since it looked effective, every ethnic group in the area started wearing the monster disguises everyone recognized and going out on bandit runs, until the whole region became a demon realm where monsters robbed monsters.

“Yes. It really is a sight that’s no different from a night parade of a hundred demons.”

“A night parade of a hundred demons” was a phrase used in the Central Plains too.

Its meaning was slightly different from the night parade of those Wa barbarians—it referred to a horrific chaotic age where villains no different from monsters sprang up everywhere, like the troubled times of the Five Barbarians and Sixteen Kingdoms.

Qing blinked.

What the...

This is a total dumpster fire.