Overview
The Jianghu underworld in The Bustling World contains multiple secret organizations that operate outside official government control. These underground factions run everything from gambling operations to martial arts schools, and players can interact with them in a variety of ways.
Faction types
Underground organizations fall into several categories, each offering different services and opportunities.
Type | Description |
|---|---|
Underground gambling dens | Illegal gambling operations where players can risk their money |
Secret banks | Financial operations running outside official channels |
Outlaw strongholds | Bandit hideouts and criminal bases of operations |
Secluded martial arts schools | Hidden training grounds that teach unique fighting techniques |
Named factions
Three named underground factions have been confirmed, each drawing from classic wuxia fiction traditions.
Beggar Gang (丐帮): One of the most recognizable organizations in Chinese martial arts fiction. The Beggar Gang is a network of beggars who share intelligence and operate across cities.
Sunflower Sect: A faction with its own martial arts techniques and organizational hierarchy.
Red Clothes Sect: Another faction operating within the Jianghu underworld.
Faction services
Each underground faction offers different services depending on its specialty.
Sell stolen goods: Some factions act as fences for items obtained through theft or robbery
Teach martial arts: Secluded schools teach unique fighting techniques unavailable anywhere else
Provide information: Certain factions have intelligence networks that can reveal secrets unknown to anyone else
Player interaction options
Players have considerable freedom in how they engage with underground factions. The available options include the following.
Trade with the faction for goods and services
Obtain unique martial arts techniques only available from that group
Uncover hidden secrets through the faction's information network
Manipulate the faction for personal advantage
Join the faction and become a member
Eliminate the faction entirely through force
Rebuild a destroyed faction under new leadership
These options connect underground factions to the game's other systems. A player pursuing the dark side path might rely on factions to fence stolen goods and hide from the wanted system. A martial artist might seek out secluded schools to learn rare techniques. A faction leader might work to eliminate rival underground groups to consolidate control over a region.