Tangled Together
A Commander and a Guest Elder were not received as equals.
A Guest Elder of the Yongcheon Sect was afforded honors on par with an elder of an ordinary martial faction. For the Red Snow Ice Demon, such treatment was more than deserved—if anything, it still fell short.
So this is where the threads meet. The Yongcheon Sect invited both the Red Snow Ice Demon and the Shaanxi Four Fiends, which means our roads ran the same way and simply overlapped. As I thought—this is no coincidence. But when I wrote the novel, I never invited Jeong Geum-sik, the Red Snow Ice Demon, to serve as a Guest Elder.
Jeong Geum-sik's banter showed no sign of winding down.
"The Shaanxi Four Chivalrous Heroes, serving as mere Commanders of some faction? You ought to be received as Guest Elders. Heroes of the Unorthodox path who drove off the Undying Demon, no less."
"You flatter us. A Guest Elder of a great faction like the Yongcheon Sect is a seat far more fitting for someone like you, Brother Jeong."
"Hahaha! Kind of you to say so, even if it's only words."
The party traded easy, good-humored talk with Jeong Geum-sik, but Hak Yu never once let down his guard. Long years in the assassin's trade had taught him the scent of a truly dangerous man, and the fellow who called himself Jeong Rang reeked of it. A martial artist who hid both his identity and his strength stirred a visceral refusal in him.
The one mercy, as Hak Yu saw it, was that Jeong Geum-sik did not appear to have approached them with any particular design. At first he had watched the man with painstaking care, wondering if he might be one of the Slaughter King's men—but no subordinate of the Slaughter King would ever possess so cheerfully unbuttoned a nature.
And when he realized that Seo Joo-cheon, for all his smiling replies, was studying the man just as sharply, Hak Yu eased a little inside.
As expected. Hero Po has enough Jianghu experience not to trust that one completely.
Jang Hyeon-nam, however, was another matter. Hak Yu judged him still a newcomer to the martial world, not yet able to tell a dangerous man from a harmless one.
Well. He took in someone like me without a second thought. He may have a chivalrous heart, but he hasn't got an eye for people.
Jang Hyeon-nam's nature was so open and forthright that suspicion simply never occurred to him. Jeong Rang's presence was anything but ordinary, and Jang Hyeon-nam had to be feeling the press of that aura—yet he paid it no mind at all, sinking happily into the man's stories. That very purity was what drew people to him. To Hak Yu's eyes, though, he looked like a child left playing at the water's edge. It was a comfort, at least, that Sang Ryo—rich in Jianghu experience—stood at his side to shore him up.
"Then let us go to the Yongcheon Sect together," Jeong Geum-sik urged, all eagerness.
Seo Joo-cheon fell silent for a moment, turning it over.
If Jeong Geum-sik takes up the post of Guest Elder at the Yongcheon Sect, we stand to gain a great deal. With his skill, he'll rank among the foremost of their Guest Elders. Growing closer on the road can only help our next moves.
He accepted without hesitation.
"Very well. We'll soon be eating from the same pot at the Yongcheon Sect—no harm in becoming better acquainted. Travel with us. That said, we have a few places to stop before we enter the sect. Will that be all right?"
Jeong Geum-sik nodded as if it were nothing.
"It's no trouble. I have to track down the hidden culprit tomorrow, so let's move together starting then."
"Agreed."
Ham Cheon-yeong and Dokgo Ho-in watched the two men fall into step so readily, worry in their eyes. But Big Brother's judgment of people was far too keen for them to do more than keep silent and watch.
"You said you'd found that hidden culprit. Who was it?"
What Jang Hyeon-nam wanted to know was the identity of the man who had been raping and murdering women.
"I only learned it a few days ago myself. Turns out there were accomplices. That's why I'd been chasing the wrong trail all this time."
Seo Joo-cheon, of course, already knew the culprit.
They aren't from the heretical path, so of course Jeong Geum-sik had trouble finding them. Originally this was Jang Hyeon-nam's story—he was the one who was supposed to uncover them and bring them to justice. It seems Jeong Geum-sik has stepped in and will handle them instead.
Seo Joo-cheon had written the culprits as chivalrous swordsmen of the Orthodox path, not heretics of the Unorthodox. Promising young talents with names of some repute, at that. Small wonder the hunt had gone in circles.
The culprits are the brothers Gi Don and Gi Heum, rising stars of the Shanhu Gate, which keeps its seat in Xi'an. And in the end, Jeong Geum-sik found them.
Jang Hyeon-nam chimed in, hanging on every word.
"Ah, so that's how it was. And then?"
"I was fortunate enough to catch the accomplices. After I questioned them, I was the one who was shocked. They turned out to be sons of a famed Orthodox house."
"Good heavens! Is that true?"
"Even you, young brother, will have trouble believing it once you hear who they are."
"Did the accomplices truly confess? Can their words be trusted?"
Jang Hyeon-nam was fast becoming the most ardent member of the audience.
"They can. This Jeong may be lacking in many respects, but I did learn the Soul-Captivating Technique handed down in my family. Once it takes hold, even a great master has no choice but to speak the truth."
"Oh! I see."
It was not only Jang Hyeon-nam. Jeong Geum-sik told a tale well enough that every ear in the party had turned toward him. He swept a look around the circle, then opened his mouth.
"I expect you'll be more than a little surprised when you hear the accomplices' names. Some of you may even know them."
"Is that so? Who, then? Who are the accomplices?"
"Hold on a moment. My throat's gone dry—hard to get the words out."
"Ah. Forgive me. I was so caught up I started pressing you. Coachman, bring us some wine, if you would."
They passed him a flask bought from the inn. Jeong Geum-sik set the mouth of the gourd to his lips and drank as if he meant to inhale it.
"Ahhh! That's the stuff! It's been too long since I've had a proper drink."
A man as wealthy as Jang Hyeon-nam was never going to buy cheap fiery liquor.
"Now then—where was I?"
The way he inflated the curiosity and expectation of everyone present, one would have thought a professional storyteller had taken a seat by the fire.
"You said we'd be surprised if we knew the accomplices."
"That's right. The accomplices, you see, were the brothers Gi Don and Gi Heum of the Shanhu Gate."
"What?"
"Mm."
The Shanhu Gate was a martial house of considerable standing in Xi'an. Among its disciples, the brothers Gi Don and Gi Heum were known as the Shaanxi Twin Dragon Swords—rising stars whose names the Shaanxi Four Chivalrous Heroes and Jang Hyeon-nam alike had heard more than once.
"Is that the truth?"
"It is."
Seo Joo-cheon was startled too—but for an entirely different reason.
What? Gi Don and Gi Heum aren't the principal culprits—they're accomplices? I distinctly set those two brothers as the criminals. And now he's saying the true mastermind is someone else?
This was not a story going slightly off-script. This was a story running off the road altogether.
"When I learned the true culprit through the Soul-Captivating Technique, I was even more astonished."
The man knew how to tell a story. He even layered in a performance of troubled hesitation, as if the next words cost him something.
"It may even have something to do with all of you."
"With us?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Jang Hyeon-nam asked, and Jeong Geum-sik answered with a long silence. He watched the sparks leap and crack from the campfire, then broke the quiet at last.
"Can't you tell us now?"
Already sunk deep in the tale, Jang Hyeon-nam burned to know who the mastermind was. That the man might have some connection to their own party only sharpened the hunger.
"Forgive me. I can tell you after I've confirmed it tomorrow. I can't speak rashly as things stand."
Jang Hyeon-nam understood the position Jeong Geum-sik was in.
"You mean to name the culprit only once you're certain."
"That's right. I could end up accusing an innocent man."
"I understand completely."
It was a pity, but Jang Hyeon-nam set his curiosity aside there.
"Then I suppose we have no choice but to follow you tomorrow, Hero Jeong. If only to see the true culprit with our own eyes."
"Hahaha. Tomorrow, I expect, you'll have quite a show to watch."
Jang Hyeon-nam lay down to sleep, but he spent the night turning over the identity of the mastermind Jeong Geum-sik had dangled before them, and rest never came. Seo Joo-cheon was more curious than anyone. The culprits he himself had written as the author were merely accomplices, and the true mastermind was someone else—he was dying to know. On top of that, tomorrow he had to find the Southern Splendor Immortal Art. One thought piled on another, and sleep would not come easily.
Seo Joo-cheon rose early and hurried through his preparations to leave. By tomorrow morning they would arrive at Hwang Manor in Seokcheon. Before that, they had to find the mastermind Jeong Geum-sik had spoken of and recover the Southern Splendor Immortal Art—and a single day might not be enough.
The party broke their fast on simple dry rations and set out. Jeong Geum-sik, unbothered by such things, cheerfully took the seat beside the coachman. Watching a martial artist of Peak caliber behave that way, it was perhaps no wonder the Demon Ice Palace had never been able to keep him caged.
"This way."
Jeong Geum-sik vanished for a short while, then reappeared and pointed toward the true culprit. The direction led to a village—and the Southern Splendor Immortal Art was bound up with that same village. They would not even have to take a detour to claim it. Seo Joo-cheon was more than glad of that.
It was a village of typical farmhouses. Because the official highway ran through it, however, it also had a fairly bustling main street.
"Let's take the midday meal at an inn."
After a full day of dry rations, Jang Hyeon-nam was longing for something hot. The rest of the party agreed, and they made for an inn on the main street.
"Go on and eat without me. I have somewhere I need to go."
At Seo Joo-cheon's words, the Shaanxi Four Chivalrous Heroes, who had been heading into the inn, turned back.
"You lot eat. I've got something to take care of."
"I'll come with you."
"No. I have an old connection in this village. I'll only be a moment."
When Big Brother put it that way, it was White Snake business, and the other brothers knew better than to interfere. The assassins were nowhere to be seen, and there seemed to be no great danger, so Ham Cheon-yeong nodded.
"Big Brother—at least tell us the direction."
He meant to go looking, should Big Brother fail to return.
"I've got business in the hamlet at the foot of that mountain."
"Understood."
"It won't take long. I'll probably be back before you've even started eating."
"Understood. Then we'll order your meal as well."
"Right. And the chicken, too."
"Yes, Big Brother."
Seo Joo-cheon asked Jang Hyeon-nam and Hak Yu's pardon, then ran for the mountain's mid-slope.
Jeong Geum-sik was busy in his own right. He moved about in a flurry, making inquiries—stopping passersby to ask questions, stepping into shops to ask more.
"Is it all right for him to ask around so openly?" Kang Chu-mi muttered. "I thought this hidden criminal never left a trace."
"He's got his reasons," Ham Cheon-yeong answered. "That fellow may not look it, but he's tremendously strong."
"How would you know that, Second Brother?"
"Big Brother was on his guard. He treated him the way you'd treat a truly formidable master."
"Did he? Why didn't I notice?"
"Because you were too busy stuffing your face."
"Tsk! That's not true."
"No, wait—you were too busy staring at his face."
Jeong Geum-sik had the looks of a man who could easily be called handsome. When Dokgo Ho-in teased her, Kang Chu-mi bristled.
"He's not my type, I'll have you know."
"Hahaha. Fine, if you say so. You'd look even weirder if you started hissing like a she-cat."
"Oh, really? Want to find out how sharp a she-cat's claws are?"
Kang Chu-mi raised both hands and curled her fingers. Dokgo Ho-in hunched his neck.
It took him roughly the time of one incense stick to reach the mountain's foot by qinggong.
Tucked against the slope was a tiny village that might have stepped out of a painting of the Immortal Realm. Its name was Zhuangzhou. When he had written the novel, he had named the village after Zhuangzi—whose personal name was Zhuang Zhou—so that it would be easy to recognize.
In Zhuangzhou Village, Seo Joo-cheon went looking for a martial hall. The Soyo Martial Arts Hall was little known to the world at large, but it had been founded by descendants of Zhuangzi who had cultivated the martial arts.
Keeping the hall on his left, he climbed the mountain. Everything was exactly as he had described it, so finding the place where the Southern Splendor Immortal Art was hidden was no great difficulty.
He had not climbed far before he came upon a small pavilion perched on a jutting knoll of rock. This was the place where Zhuangzi's descendants had often climbed to lose themselves in meditation, a site the heirs of the Soyo Martial Arts Hall held sacred. The villagers regarded it as a kind of shrine.
Seo Joo-cheon pried up a wooden plank from the center of the pavilion, dropped down through the opening, and lifted away a stone slab set into the rock beneath. So many years had passed that no one would think to imagine the pavilion had been built atop living stone. Time had worn the join so fine that even a close look would not have revealed the slab was there at all.
Beneath the slab there was supposed to be a wooden casket, and inside it the Southern Splendor Immortal Art, stored away by Zhuangzi's descendants.
Originally this was a place of fated opportunity—somewhere Jang Hyeon-nam would discover later, after forming a bond with the people of the Soyo Martial Arts Hall. Until then it was never meant to surface in the world. Only Seo Joo-cheon, the author, had known it existed.
The slab came free with a dull clack.
It's gone?
A chill ran through him from head to heel.
Someone already took it. Who? Who could it be, that even the creator doesn't know?
Cold sweat slid down Seo Joo-cheon's spine. The Southern Splendor Immortal Art was the fated opportunity Jang Hyeon-nam needed. Through it he was supposed to grasp enlightenment, reach an absolute realm, and rise as a hero of the martial world.
Damn it. Who took it? Could the people of the Soyo Martial Arts Hall have found it by chance? The only ones who ever come here are the hall's own descendants.
His thoughts began to tangle.
Where am I even supposed to start looking?
Then, all at once, he remembered. He had written that if one climbed farther back, a cave long hidden from the world would come to light. Jang Hyeon-nam was supposed to claim the Southern Splendor Immortal Art at the pavilion and then find his enlightenment in that cave.
Right. I might have left it there and simply mixed up the place.
Now and then even his own settings blurred, and he mistook one for another.
He found the cave, and let out a breath.
It isn't here either.
The cave was empty. The only thing that met him was dust, piled thick by the long years.
While he stood there turning it over, he felt a presence approaching near the cave. Most likely someone from the village. The thought of the hidden cave's nature coming to light sat poorly with him, so Seo Joo-cheon decided to withdraw for now.
There's still time. If I can't manage it today, I can stay at the Yongcheon Sect and come back to look into this. I can make inquiries through the people of the Soyo Martial Arts Hall as well.
What rankled was the simple fact that putting the Southern Splendor Immortal Art in Jang Hyeon-nam's hands was going to take time. Seo Joo-cheon swallowed the disappointment and started back toward the inn.