The Imperial Government, being one of the Four Heavenly Factions, was a powerful organisation with absolute jurisdiction over a quarter of the Central Plains. With great wealth came great responsibility, and this responsibility was shouldered by thousands of exceptional scholars and martial artists who aimed to reach the pinnacle of their respective paths.
What came as a problem, great enough for the Imperial Government to maintain a huge army of martial artists, were the other constituents of the Four Heavenly Factions, namely, The Orthodox Murim Alliance, The Unorthodox Union, and The Heavenly Demonic Cult. They too, like the government, controlled vast stretches of land, over which they established unquestioned and absolute authority.
For centuries, out of fear of collapsing the intricately built peace which overshadowed the depths of envy and contempt they had against one another, they chose not to step into any major conflicts. Most issues were resolved relatively peacefully up until this point in history, but then, all hell broke loose upon the once graceful Central Plains when The Four Front War broke out.
Thousands marched to the long-standing borders and crossed into enemy trenches, essentially breaking all treaties previously signed. This was a turning point in history that led to numerous man-made calamities. The man-made calamities were catastrophic enough to have killed millions out of starvation and millions more in bloody battles. The Murim had submerged under a vast Sea of Blood, drowning deeper as time passed.
The whole war stemmed itself from one person, and it was my son, whom all sides desired with great passion. They were willing to go to any lengths.
And remember what happens when absolutist authorities all unanimously desire one particular thing? Conflict.
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Having found my origins in an agrarian family, I was not provided with sufficient funds or facilities for my hobbies or dreams as a child. I was always disgusted by the idea of sects and conflicts. Martial Arts was a different thing, that path, though opposing mine, had none of my contempt. It was only the greedy old senile and egoistic men, who proclaimed themselves as just and righteous to run sects out of taxing peasants, whom I wholeheartedly resented.
At the age of ten, I decided to give a shot at the Scholar's Examination but failed. I was no genius, and one must factor in that the minimum age to partake in this grand free examination was as tender as ten, but the youngest successful attempter required three decades of experience.
My standing in the rankings wasn't bad considering that it was my first attempt, and I was motivated by fellow passionate village dwellers who stemmed from similar circumstances as mine.
It was then that I decided to walk the noble path of a scholar.
As it was, years passed by with numerous failed attempts. Eventually, at the age of thirty-seven, I managed to clear my lifelong ambition. But at this point, most of my competitors had given up due to the bloody path being more attractive and easy in comparison to mine.
I pulled my family out of the countryside and settled in a fairly developed town where I was appointed, and managed to find a bride for myself who was a charismatic woman finding her interest piqued by pets. Having consummated with my wife shortly after our marriage, I managed to make a 'Cute Pet'.
Time passed on, and when I turned fifty-seven, I decided to retire from my profession and live the remainder of my life in peace. But peace was a far-fetched utopia.
When my son turned eighteen, he decided to walk the bloody path as he didn't inherit the wits I possessed. Having been a liberal parent, I consented to his decision without much friction.
If my memory serves me right, The year was One-Hundred on the Imperial Calendar, and my son met a martial master on one of his ventures into Murim. The master was a renowned elder of the Martial Segment of the Imperial Government. He saw through my son's exceptional body constitution and improving aptitude for martial arts. The elder went as far as to say that he could gain unparalleled power.
The news spread like wildfire. More and more attention gathered around this one man.
'He must be talented to have sparked the elder's interest, right?' That was what every Faction thought, before sending their representatives to scout out my son.
The rumours were confirmed true after thorough inspections. It was prophesied by various masters who paid visits, that a new star was birthed into this era, and that this star's brilliance was unparalleled.
All Four Factions sent their respective dignitaries to recruit my little genius, and their proposals were quite eye-catching. The Orthodox Sects concentrated on the greatness of their supposed martial arts, whilst the Unorthodox Union was in disapproval of the Orthodox Sects' claim, trying to establish themselves as superior.
The Imperial Government offered immense wealth along with a marriage proposal to the current princess in line. The heavenly demon on the other hand offered his successorship but on one condition, it was that my son would do anything that was asked of him.
I was far from all the affairs but was updated on the various scenarios unfolding.
This part of my memory is pretty vague, but from what I remember, my son joined The Heavenly Demonic Cult as he was keen on becoming a successor to the much acclaimed Heavenly Demon who possessed great influence.
The contempt amongst the power-struggling Factions escalated.
Two years passed by, as all the factions were searching for reasons to call for blood. A small territorial dispute broke out between the Heavenly Demon and the Imperial Government.
"That Heavenly Demon bastard has gotten arrogant, Something must be done! He dares provoke the Government just because he managed to steal your son away!"
I was summoned by the Emperor to the Imperial Palace, where he whined about me not persuading my son to join the Imperial Government.
"Only one possibility remains," And thus the war was declared by the Government.
My son was assassinated under strange circumstances, and his death remained shrouded in mystery. His death was accounted for by the Government later on. We mourned at the beginning, but nothing changed. He was forgotten pretty quickly, as the Four Front War ensued. Chaos was commonplace.
At first, it was a conflict between The Government and The Heavenly Demon, but it escalated far beyond what was considered the worst-case scenario. The other two factions joined in expecting an easy win but were met with disastrous losses.
Immediate results were bloody conflicts, but by the time the war ended all the factions collapsed.
Murim turned into a lawless place.
I was seventy-two when the war ended, and at this point, I lost all motivation whatsoever. At the crest of Erad, I decided to spend the remainder of my life. But as soon as the war ended, angry peasants marched to my house and brutally killed me, as I said, it was a lawless place.
After all, it was my son's talent which had the potential to shake up the power balance that caused this war, it was natural for them to be enraged by my presence. I couldn't bother to reason with them and accepted what came for me.