White Path Martial Alliance (4)
It took nearly half a shichen just to travel from the outer castle to the inner castle entrance. Even at peak speed without rest, a supreme expert might cover it in about one gak. The inner castle wasn't as vast as the outer, but it was still expansive. As the Martial Alliance's most vital stronghold, the buildings were arranged in a more strategically dense and ornate layout.
"This is where we'll be staying."
The Yeon family quarters in the inner castle were the Pa Gun Pavilion. The structures had an especially antique and sturdy appearance.
After unpacking, Yeon Wi said, "I'll head straight to the Mu Seong Jeon. You rest up."
"Take care."
"And no causing trouble."
"I won't."
Yeon Wi glanced at Gadeuksang. The beggar was pacing outside the building, hands behind his back, smacking his lips and circling restlessly. He looked genuinely anxious.
Yeon Hojeong cleared his throat loudly. "I'll keep him in check."
After a moment's hesitation, Yeon Wi said, "Use force if necessary."
It was a warning to subdue him immediately if the man went berserk.
Yeon Hojeong chuckled. "He's not that lacking in decorum. Don't worry."
"Fine. Then I'll trust you and go."
"Yes, sir."
Yeon Wi departed from Pa Gun Pavilion. As Yeon Hojeong saw him off, he frowned and muttered, "He's gonna spin himself dizzy. Why's he acting so restless?"
Gadeuksang hurried over. "Let's drink! Booze! I haven't touched a drop in half a year."
"Sure, we'll drink, but..."
Yeon Hojeong eyed him up and down. "You've changed a ton in just half a year, huh?"
He was acting like a bit of a fool, but Gadeuksang's aura was worlds apart from what it had been last summer.
His internal energy has surged.
Conservatively, it had at least tripled or quadrupled since their last meeting. An astonishing amount—rivaling Muk Bi's latent reserves. In terms of raw energy alone, calling him a supreme expert wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Of course, he could only properly utilize half of it. A lack of enlightenment held him back.
Transferred power. The Open Gang leader must've passed on some of his own energy.
That seemed likely. The unrefined portions were wildly ferocious, but the refined parts were of exceptionally high quality—beyond what elixirs could produce.
And it's not just the internal energy.
Crucially, the depth of his emanating aura had changed. In just half a year, he'd likely endured hellish days.
Yeon Hojeong suddenly felt a spark of competitive spirit. "Spar before we drink?"
Gadeuksang bellowed, "You lunatic! I bolted from training to escape that crap—why the hell would I spar? Set up the booze first!"
"Ain't your house, you know. Don't you think you're being a bit too brazen?"
"Gimme booze! Booze!"
"Spar with me first."
Gadeuksang grabbed Yeon Hojeong's fist and smacked his own face with it—thwack, thwack. "Ow! I lose! You win! Damn you, Yeon Hojeong—you're too strong! I can't beat you!"
He flopped onto the ground, clutching his face and rolling around dramatically.
Yeon Hojeong felt his steam deflate—not out of pity, but because the guy seemed utterly unhinged.
"Damn it, let's go inside."
"Heh heh heh."
Gadeuksang scampered into Yeon Hojeong's quarters ahead of him, acting like he owned the place.
Watching from the side, Muk Bi said with a troubled expression, "The jianghu really is full of weirdos, huh?"
"He's the cream of the crop. Hard to find another nut like him."
"Excluding family, everyone you know is a total freak."
"Yeah. You're no exception."
"What'd I do?!"
"Whatever. You want a drink too?"
Muk Bi shook her head in disgust. "Deal with that godawful hangover? Pass. I'm resting."
"Just drink in moderation."
"No thanks."
"Fine. Rest up."
"See ya."
"Don't forget to wash up before bed."
"I'm way cleaner than you!"
Muk Bi grumbled as she headed to her room. Yeon Hojeong grinned. Teasing her never gets old.
A short while later, a modest drinking setup was prepared in Yeon Hojeong's quarters—courtesy of the chefs and servants from the Seven Stars Pavilion, now quarters for the Six Great Families, who carried it right inside.
"Here, have a..."
As he went to pour, Gadeuksang snatched the bottle and chugged it straight—glug glug glug.
What the...?
That was some pretty potent stuff. Wasn't he worried about wrecking his stomach? Then again, with a gut that could digest twelve jin of pork, he probably could handle it.
Grumbling, Yeon Hojeong filled his own cup. "You always been this crazy for booze?"
"Ugh! Name one beggar who doesn't love the stuff!"
"Still, that's extreme."
"Whatever. Whew, downing a whole bottle at once hits hard."
Gadeuksang leaned back in his chair, his neck gradually flushing red. He was clearly suppressing his internal energy on purpose.
Yeon Hojeong smiled. "You look healthy, at least."
"Healthy body's all well and good? My mind's the one that's wrecked."
"Yeah, you weren't this insane before."
"..."
"What's up?"
"You've changed a fair bit yourself, not seeing you for a while."
"Have I?"
"Used to stab with a sword—now you slap while smiling."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Both suck!"
Gadeuksang grumbled. "Anyway, you seem healthy too. Pulled off some insanely risky crap with that Myeong family, huh?"
"Hm?"
"Snagged Myeong Heo-rim, crushed Moyong Yeonhwa, skewered those assassins, wrecked the Zhejiang trade guild—what else was there?"
"You knew everything, huh?"
"'Course. Why d'ya think I gave you that messenger pigeon? My kids came in handy, right?"
"Made things a lot easier. Thanks."
Gadeuksang's face turned serious. "Let's talk about what happened."
He'd thrown that booze fit just to get a proper chat, it seemed.
"First thing I wanna ask."
"Shoot."
"That girl who came with you—is she from the Anhui Blood Bow?"
Better not hide the truth from Gadeuksang. "Not exactly. But she is from Gwanil Valley."
"Explain."
Yeon Hojeong recounted Muk Bi's—no, Baek Hyang's—past in full detail. What Gwanil Valley was, how the Anhui Blood Bow infamy had spread.
Gadeuksang's eyes widened. "Kill God Cult? Damn, the jianghu's still got plenty of mysterious sects we don't know about."
"Heard it's more like a religion than a sect."
"So? You borrowed swords from the Namgung family to smash Gwanil Valley and stop 'em?"
"Yeah."
Gadeuksang clicked his tongue. "How many lives'd that cost? Messing with the Namgung like that—you'd have been in deep shit if they'd caught on!"
"They didn't."
"...Tch, can't argue with that."
"And I didn't lie. The Anhui Blood Bow was behind someone from the Ye Sin Hap Jeon five years ago. Jinjian Gate got dragged into that bizarre life-and-death tournament and wiped out too."
"Tch."
"Ended up good for the Namgung too—they got the Blood Bow."
Gadeuksang nodded. "Mystery solved. The archers who killed our branch guys were from Gwanil Valley, then."
"Sorry about that. But I couldn't let her go."
"It's fine. Can't turn resentment on her just 'cause she was one of theirs. And she killed the culprit herself—makes me grateful more than anything."
Times like this showed Gadeuksang was no ordinary man. Holding a hotter heart than most, yet settling grudges cleanly—that wasn't easy.
"That was my biggest hang-up. Makes sense now."
Only then did Gadeuksang pour himself a cup. "What about the assassins? Told the kids to investigate, but couldn't pin down where they came from."
"No clue. Probably operating out of Hubei, but nothing solid."
"Hubei? How'd you figure?"
"Just a hunch. Too late to investigate now anyway."
"True, but..."
Draining his cup, Gadeuksang's eyes gleamed. "The Moyong family?"
"Leading suspect. But no proof."
"Figures. With that bastard's piss-poor personality, he's got enemies galore."
"My head hurts."
"I'm not one. Don't get it twisted."
The two burst into laughter. Even amid serious talk, they exuded ease.
But it didn't last. "Speaking of the Moyong..."
"Yeah?"
Gadeuksang's face hardened—no longer the booze-crazed beggar. "Tell Yeon Wi to watch out for them."
"No kidding."
"Some of the Myeong high-rankers locked in the Alliance prison have vanished."
Yeon Hojeong's eyes sharpened. "Not certain, but seems like a few from the Nine Schools and Six Families snuck some out."
"As allies?"
"Probably."
Yeon Hojeong nodded. "If they can swing it, why not?"
Gadeuksang scowled. "You call that smart? Alliance rules say every Nine Schools affiliate goes straight to the prison, no exceptions—punishable under alliance law. Even a pillar of the White Path can't just spring convicts in secret. That's a grave crime."
"Sure, grave crime. But who's gonna report it?"
"..."
"Alliance's provisional right now. They might rebuild it, but without proof, pushing too hard just gets blood on our hands."
Gadeuksang sighed deeply. "That's why I'm frustrated. Talent shortage or not, bypassing procedure like that..."
"Greed trumps law and order. Why no law's ever perfect—even after millennia, it'll keep changing."
"Hah."
"And I got a win out of it too."
"Huh? Win?"
Filling his cup again, Yeon Hojeong said, "Day of the assassin attack, a pretty strong expert hit me too."
"Expert? If you call him that..."
"Used Point Cang's Four Sun Sword Method."
"...!!"
Gadeuksang's eyes bulged. "For real?"
"Real. Muk Bi made it easy, but with my skills back then, a head-on fight might've been tough."
"...!"
"Late thirties, early forties. Reeked of blood—probably killed more people than we can count."
"Mong Ui."
"Hm?"
Thud! Gadeuksang slammed the table. "Gotta be Mong Ui. Eldest disciple of the previous Point Cang sect leader, got the Four Sun Sword Method, killed his master and vanished."
The two locked eyes. Yeon Hojeong spoke. "Myeong family affiliate?"
"Not confirmed, but headquarters thinks so."
"Hm. Mouth like a vault. Still in the main prison, I hear."
Gadeuksang's gaze chilled. "Trace who took Mong Ui, and we find who sent the killer after you."
"Yeah."
"I'll start digging today..."
"Nah."
"Huh?"
Yeon Hojeong smirked. "If Moyong Gun sent him, all traces are gone. Poking around just puts him on alert."
"Might not be Moyong Gun. What if it's a new enemy?"
"Cross that bridge when we get there. Who knows? Might find another use."
Gadeuksang thumped his chest. "Still got that reckless streak. Listen! Moyong Gun just got his hands on a powerful treasured sword! It's like giving wings to a tiger on his back—gotta clip 'em at least!"
"Wings?"
"Moyong Woo! The Moyong hidden genius! Even that monster ex-Zhejiang branch chief's under him now!"
"Oh yeah?"
"You don't know Moyong Woo? Guy's a genius among geniuses the world doesn't know. Like doubling Moyong Gun! 'Course, natural talent being what it..."
"..."
"...What? You knew?"
"That's what I wanna ask. Didn't know? Your Hangzhou branch chief made things easy for me."
"Never heard that. He really teamed up with Moyong Woo?"
Yeon Hojeong sighed in relief, leaning back. "Guess I don't have to worry anymore."