A Radical Plan

"I heard about the clan's situation yesterday, and it weighs heavily on me."

Jang Hyeon-nam glanced around the pavilion once more, confirming they were alone, then continued in a low voice.

"It's worse than I thought. The Yeosan Sect has raided our merchant caravans several times already."

Seo Joo-cheon nodded. The assault on the Jang Clan would begin with the Yeosan Sect — that much he already knew.

"And from what I've gathered, it seems the Yeosan Sect is looking to form an alliance with the Jangan Sect."

The scenario was unfolding exactly as Seo Joo-cheon had expected.

"If those two sects join forces, our clan will be in real trouble. Neither the Yeosan Sect nor the Jangan Sect is some ordinary mid-sized faction anymore. We'd have to steel ourselves for heavy losses. I suspect that's why they called me home."

Seo Joo-cheon thought to himself, Right. And that's exactly why the Yeosan Sect sent Jeo Pung, the White Salt Blade, to kill you.

Jang Hyeon-nam pressed on.

"They haven't sealed a full alliance yet, but I hear the talks are underway. It probably won't be long."

His mouth had gone dry. A cup of tea would have eased the thirst, and he found himself faintly regretting that he hadn't ordered any.

"This is strictly confidential. That's why, as of yesterday, my sister arranged to travel with a merchant caravan carrying cargo to the Mount Hua Sect, to request their aid. If anyone can talk Mount Hua around, it's her."

Seo Joo-cheon nodded along, stroking his chin. Everything Jang Hyeon-nam was saying was proceeding according to the original setting.

"And then?"

Seo Joo-cheon's brow furrowed slightly. He's not about to ask me to escort her, is he? Wait — if he does, that'll trigger another Karma Generation.

Once Karma Generation activated, the penalties for failure would leave him no choice but to carry out the mission. He could not afford to hear that request. He was on the verge of cutting Jang Hyeon-nam off when—

"So this time, I'm going to escort her myself."

"Huh? O-oh. Is that so?"

Seo Joo-cheon had startled at his own assumption, then let out a private sigh of relief. But isn't this even worse?

Jang Hwa-lim was supposed to be assassinated on the road to the Mount Hua Sect. If Jang Hyeon-nam went with her, he might well share her fate.

"I don't think that's a particularly good plan."

"But we have no other choice. Our clan's strength alone can't hold against their alliance. We have to bring in another power."

"The problem is that getting help from the Mount Hua Sect will take far too long. Between the journey there and back and the time they'd need to reach an internal consensus, you're looking at thirty days at the least."

"Then what do we do?"

"Have you asked the various sects here in Xi'an for help?"

"Of course we have. But as you well know, they barely have any First-Rate martial artists among them. What we need are elites. First-Rate masters."

The Jang Clan housed no small number of martial artists as guest retainers, but true First-Rate experts among them were vanishingly few.

"Your sister is the one directing this, isn't she?"

"How did you know that, Hyung-nim?"

"Your sister is rather famous, isn't she?"

"Well, that's true, but—"

"Listening to you, I find I'd like to meet your sister and discuss a few things. Would you arrange an introduction?"

Color bloomed across Jang Hyeon-nam's face. The thought of Seo Joo-cheon stepping in filled him with a strange, solid reassurance. He had always marveled at the decisiveness and cunning Seo Joo-cheon had shown in the fight against Bulsama.

"Hyung-nim, shall we go to her now?"

"Let's. Time is short — we move at once."

"This way, then."

Jang Hyeon-nam all but tugged Seo Joo-cheon along by the sleeve.

Jang Hwa-lim had been turning the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clan's crisis over in her mind for so long that a headache had bloomed where none had been before.

What had begun as scattered friction with the Yeosan Sect had curdled into open hostility. As the sect expanded its influence, it collided more and more with the Jang Clan's commercial interests. The two sides had already clashed three or four times by force of arms, and relations had frozen to the point that a full-scale war would surprise no one.

The only place we can put our faith in is the Mount Hua Sect. Jang Ho trained there as a lay disciple, and Hyeon-nam aided them recently — we have more than enough justification to ask for their help.

That was why she intended to visit the Mount Hua Sect in person and request their aid. The problem was that if the Yeosan Sect made a move in the meantime, there would be no one left to answer it.

Jang Ho is here, but that temper of his is all fire — he'd want to fight no matter what.

Even in such a dangerous hour, Jang Hwa-lim had judged it better to slip away while the Yeosan Sect's activity had gone quiet, reach the Mount Hua Sect, and return as quickly as possible.

It's a risk. But if we can bring Mount Hua in, this fight is ours without question.

How many sects in the world could stand against the elites of the Mount Hua Sect and win? That was why Jang Hwa-lim was prepared to brave the danger. The Nine Great Sects preferred not to involve themselves in worldly affairs; sending just anyone would never get the job done.

"Sister, it's Hyeon-nam."

Jang Hwa-lim had been gazing at the orchids by the window. She turned her head.

"What is it?"

"May I come in? I've brought a guest."

"A guest?"

She spoke quietly.

"Show him in."

Jang Hwa-lim studied Seo Joo-cheon as he entered with her brother, her gaze steady and unhurried. She turned over in her mind what reason he might have for seeking her out.

"Hero Po, please come in. And you — why have you brought Hero Po to my quarters?"

She asked because she did not believe her brother would have led Seo Joo-cheon here without cause.

"I told Hyung-nim about the clan's situation, and he said he had something to discuss with you."

Jang Hwa-lim shot her brother a sharp look.

"And why, exactly, are you going about leaking the clan's private affairs?"

Seo Joo-cheon stepped in.

"Please don't be too hard on my sworn brother. His face was so drawn that I pressed him with questions, and that is how I came to hear of your clan's circumstances. The fault is mine — blame me, if you must."

Jang Hwa-lim called toward the door.

"Bring tea."

It was a roundabout way of granting the two of them an audience.

"What is it you wished to say to me?"

She went straight to the point. Seo Joo-cheon looked at her and smiled faintly.

"Let us speak once the tea has arrived."

Jang Hwa-lim realized she had been too impatient, and the tips of her ears flushed pink. When she was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠embarrassed, it was never her face that colored — only her ears.

Seo Joo-cheon ran a Character Search, curious whether she remained the character he had originally designed.

She was exactly the character he had written. Seo Joo-cheon allowed himself a quiet breath of relief. Tampering with someone like her was more than he could have handled.

The first half of the epithet, Snow Skin, referred to a complexion as white as snow, drawn from the old phrase for a woman of snow-white skin and flower-like features. Falling Goose came from the classical image of a beauty so stunning that fish sank beneath the water and wild geese dropped from the sky. He had given Jang Hwa-lim that name because her skin was fair and her figure slender — fashioned, quite thoroughly, after his own ideal. Looking at the beauty he himself had designed, Seo Joo-cheon felt an oddly smug swell of pride.

True to a clan that was more a merchant house than a martial one, the hanging scrolls throughout Jang Hwa-lim's quarters were all famous maxims of the commercial world.

That last one, though, was interesting — the sort of scroll only a strategist would hang. The famous original ran, Man proposes, Heaven disposes: a person may lay the plans, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but whether those plans succeed is up to Heaven. Jang Hwa-lim's version made both the scheming and the success a matter of human will. It was a glimpse of her pride in herself. She had wanted, perhaps, to say that if a plan were crafted perfectly enough, even Heaven would have no choice but to follow.

While he was still studying the scrolls, a maid brought the tea, and Jang Hwa-lim poured ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Seo Joo-cheon's cup with her own hands. The care she took to observe the courtesies of a host was unmistakable.

"I shall enjoy it."

She filled Jang Hyeon-nam's cup and her own as well, then fixed Seo Joo-cheon with a level stare. The tea had been served. The silent pressure to speak was considerable.

"Might I offer a word, even if it oversteps my place?"

"On the contrary, I would like to hear Hero Po's considered opinion. Please speak freely."

"Then I shall. Requesting aid from the Mount Hua Sect is a superior strategy. But Young Lady Jang going there in person is an inferior one."

He had deliberately framed the conversation in the language strategists favored, knowing how much Jang Hwa-lim loved that kind of talk.

"I already know that. But as things stand, Xi'an has no sect with the strength to aid our clan. I chose this method because I had no other. They're all much of a muchness — even if they sent us warriors, it wouldn't amount to real help."

"The best course would be to send a messenger pigeon to the Mount Hua Sect requesting aid, and dispatch the cargo under escort. You'd save time, and you wouldn't bleed any of your own strength."

"The Mount Hua Sect is not an institution that moves for a pigeon. They have the pride of a Nine Great Sect. Even if our clan head went in person, there is no guarantee they would lend us their masters."

Seo Joo-cheon slid the next question in deep.

"Have you asked the Oh Family Manor for help?"

"You seem to know a great deal about our clan's private affairs."

Jang Hyeon-nam started and waved his hands in alarm.

"I never said a word about Mother's family."

"I know. Hero Po has already more or less deduced our situation. That's why he came to see me."

Seo Joo-cheon caught the sudden edge in Jang Hwa-lim's gaze and let it slide past.

"You came because you have a clever stratagem, didn't you? Stop dragging it out and tell me."

Coming from anyone else, the tone would have been insufferably arrogant — but he knew that was simply how Jang Hwa-lim spoke, and it didn't offend him in the least. If anything, hearing his own creation's personality come through so faithfully filled him with a peculiar fondness.

"If I were Young Lady Jang, I would think a little differently."

"Go on."

"You say the Yeosan Sect and the Jangan Sect are forming an alliance. I would form an alliance of my own with another sect, and meet them with that."

"As I said a moment ago, Xi'an has no martial house of any real capacity — nothing but small martial halls. And we have already requested help from the Oh Family Manor. They've agreed to dispatch as many experts as they can spare. But even that won't be enough."

The Oh Family Manor wasn't called a manor for nothing. A force of that scale would hold a few dozen warriors at most. Even if they sent half, that would be fifteen or twenty men at best — nowhere near enough to stand against two sects of such size.

"If it were me, I would ally with the Yongcheon Sect — the last remaining mid-tier faction in Xi'an."

It was a proposal Jang Hwa-lim had never once considered. She stopped with her teacup half raised, and tea dripped onto the saucer.

An alliance with the Yongcheon Sect?

Watching her reaction, Seo Joo-cheon continued.

"You said the Yeosan Sect and the Jangan Sect are seeking an alliance. If they pull the Yongcheon Sect in as well, then even if the Mount Hua Sect sends its masters, it will be no easy fight. Three sects together would field a number of experts no one could afford to ignore. To keep those three from ever joining hands, the Jang Clan must ally with the Yongcheon Sect first. Do that, and the other two won't dare provoke you so freely."

"You're talking about a balance of power."

The moment Seo Joo-cheon finished, the sound of Jang Hwa-lim setting down her teacup rang through the room. She felt as though she'd been struck across the back of the head.

"It's a good strategy. But if we ally with the Yongcheon Sect, the Mount Hua Sect will not add its strength to ours. In their eyes, it would look as though Mount Hua were joining hands with the Unorthodox. Their leadership would oppose it."

Seo Joo-cheon nodded. That was more than plausible.

"If the Yongcheon Sect refuses the alliance, then you don't move the Mount Hua Sect — you move the Baekjak Alliance."

"We've already considered that strategy, but moving the Baekjak Alliance would take even longer. The reason I want to go to the Mount Hua Sect is precisely to shorten that time."

Seo Joo-cheon offered no reply. He simply drank his tea.

"Time can be bought."

"How? The Yeosan Sect is moving quickly. They mean to attack our clan and finish us before either Mount Hua or the Baekjak Alliance can stir."

Seo Joo-cheon released a thread of inner energy, sweeping the surroundings for any presence. His sensory field widened, and he felt every stirring within thirty yards.

Jang Hyeon-nam and Jang Hwa-lim both sensed the qi rolling off him and swallowed quietly.

Where does Hyung-nim's strength even end? Every time I think I've found the edge, it recedes another step.

Jang Hyeon-nam could not tell whether Seo Joo-cheon was still advancing, or whether he had already reached this level and had simply been hiding it.

Jang Hwa-lim, having taken spiritual medicine and accumulated more than half a Gapja of inner energy, could feel Seo Joo-cheon's qi with stark clarity. The way my true energy is trembling — he's already surpassed One Gapja.

She had suspected as much, but confirming it with her own senses made Seo Joo-cheon look like a different man.

"Forgive me. I loosed my inner energy to be certain no one was nearby. I had no wish to make you uncomfortable."

"If Hero Po is being this cautious, I take it you have an extraordinary measure in mind?"

"I do. There are two ways to weaken their alliance and delay their attack."

Jang Hyeon-nam's eyes had gone so round that Seo Joo-cheon very nearly reached out and ruffled his hair.

"What?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Cries of shock burst from both of them at once. Jang Hyeon-nam was still blinking, stunned into silence, but Jang Hwa-lim's mind was already turning the plan over, testing whether it could work in the real world.

Run the simulation, and the answer will present itself.

The tip of Jang Hwa-lim's tongue brushed across her lip — a gesture of startling allure.

"The sect leader of the Yeosan Sect is known as a Peak master. Can a man of that caliber truly be assassinated?"

She asked because she thought it might be possible. That was the only reason the question left her lips.