Gale (5)
“Young Master, are you all right?”
“……”
“Young Master?!”
“Hm? Oh, were you calling me?”
“Yes. I was just worried if you were feeling okay……”
“I'm fine. What would be wrong when I haven't even loosened up properly?”
“I-is that so.”
A look of bewilderment crossed Sin Mo's face.
Yeon Hojeong spoke with an apologetic expression.
“I went and caused a scene for no reason, putting you all in a tough spot. Sorry about that.”
“N-no, sir! How could you say such a thing?”
“I've got a lot on my mind today too. I'll buy you a round of apology wine tomorrow.”
“Apology wine? You mustn't say such undeserving words, sir.”
Sin Mo bowed his head.
“I'm relieved to hear you're all right. Please rest well.”
“You too, get some rest.”
“Just in case, I'll station some Chaeng-eungdae warriors around the inn.”
Yeon Hojeong, about to say it wasn't necessary, nodded instead. If he didn't set up some precautions, Sin Mo would only worry more. He didn't want to burden anyone further.
“Appreciate it.”
“Then I'll take my leave.”
As Sin Mo exited the room, Yeon Hojeong turned his gaze to the window.
The banquet, which had started just past noon, was canceled in less than half a shichen. The day was still bright.
Gazing out the window, Yeon Hojeong's eyes darkened with a sharp chill.
The Myeong family, huh?
He had put on a nonchalant show to seal the incident, but his senses had been locked on Myeong Horim the whole time.
It's the same with the Jegal or Paeng families—no certainty yet. But……
A bit premature, perhaps, but Yeon Hojeong trusted his instincts. He relied on his gut.
There had been a strong sense of incongruity in Myeong Horim's internal energy. More precisely, it was utterly unlike the energy emanated by his family's vicious hounds.
If you only considered the similarity in temperament, it was a completely different martial art.
Yet Myeong Horim's internal energy deviated from the path of Central Plains martial arts entirely. It was like a wolf draped in sheepskin, introducing itself as one of the flock.
You could say it was a wild, ferocious aura meticulously refined to fit Central Plains sensibilities.
Internal energy takes on hues based on the cultivator's nature, but Myeong Horim's felt fundamentally not of the Central Plains.
A shame. If I'd pushed him harder, I could've seen his true power.
Yeon Hojeong let out a sigh, then suddenly tilted his head.
“But how did the Myeong family fall, anyway?”
After learning martial arts from his master and descending the mountain, when he had unified the black path and turned his eyes to the wider world—that was when the Myeong family had already vanished.
Not like the Yeon family, exterminated by some foe, but their house had declined in an instant, crumbling apart in less than three years.
Yeon Hojeong stroked his chin with a puzzled look.
“How in the world?”
A family on the level of the Nine Provinces Great Clans falling wouldn't have escaped his notice, especially as he began shaking up black path history back then. His ears should have caught wind of it.
Yet he had received zero information on the Myeong family.
He'd been swamped laying the foundations of Heukje-seong, true, but even so, this was too much.
“Did someone suppress the information?”
The black path's intelligence network was sharper and swifter than the righteous sects'. In the early days of Heukje-seong, Yeon Hojeong had personally overseen it as chief of intelligence.
No one in the black path who toyed with information could evade his eyes.
From the righteous martial world, perhaps?
One thought led to another, impossible to shake off. He didn't care if the Myeong were vicious beasts or not—what mattered was the nagging pull of his mind.
Yeon Hojeong was deep in contemplation when—
“Young Master.”
Sin Mo's voice came from outside the door.
“Yes?”
“The eldest daughter of the Jegal family is here. What should I do?”
Even with personal ties, Sin Mo drew clear lines.
Yeon Hojeong nodded.
“Let her in.”
Creak.
As if she'd been waiting, Jegal A-yeon entered. Changed from her vibrant green robes into practical attire, she looked even more spirited.
“What're you doing all by yourself? Staring out the window again.”
“Why'd you come?”
Jegal A-yeon grumbled.
“A guest shows up, and you can't even say 'have a seat'?”
“Sit.”
“Tea?”
“Brew it yourself.”
“So prickly.”
Jegal A-yeon plopped down with a thud, seeming a bit languid.
“How's your body?”
“Fine.”
“Yeah, you look perfectly okay—makes me feel silly for worrying. Though I never imagined you'd toy with that Tang family brat like that.”
No matter how naive about the world, Dang Yangseon was the Tang heir apparent. The Tang wouldn't have raised their future head lightly.
Jegal A-yeon studied Yeon Hojeong's face. He was still gazing out the window with that inscrutable expression.
She had so many questions: How had he grown so strong? Why the obsession with Myeong Horim? What was he thinking?
Sigh.
She let out an inner sigh and smiled brightly.
“Next time something happens, I can just hide behind you.”
“So, what's the point of coming?”
“You're as stiff as the stick my old man used to beat me with as a kid. Just came to see your face.”
Yeon Hojeong scowled. As Jegal A-yeon braced for more curtness—
“Thanks.”
“……Huh?”
“I said thanks.”
Jegal A-yeon blinked.
“Thanks for what?”
“For defending me at the right moment. Helped wrap things up. Your doing.”
“……W-what's with the sudden niceness? Gives me chills.”
“Your nitpicking's top-notch. A true Jegal.”
“Nitpicking? Call it rhetoric, pretty please.”
“With that three-inch tongue, you could aim for fame and fortune.”
“Praise or insult?”
“Gratitude.”
“Argh, enough! Ptoo! Better not to thank me at all!”
“Then pretend I didn't.”
“No way in hell.”
Yeon Hojeong turned away. His vibe screamed he was done talking.
Jegal A-yeon's cheeks flushed a bit. She'd blurted it out in fluster, but truthfully, she felt good. She knew he wasn't one to thank others lightly.
She'd come to console him in his stuffy mood, and got this unexpected courtesy instead. Though he hadn't brought it up, the atmosphere felt right for a word or two.
“Be more careful from now on.”
“Got it.”
“……Heehee.”
“What's with that sly laugh?”
“Sly?!”
She bristled, then deflated with a sigh.
“Tch, you're stronger than me, so I can't even smack you…… Ah!”
Jegal A-yeon's face turned a touch serious.
“One thing I wanna ask.”
“What.”
“Back at Choseong-ru. That Lightning Fire Hall Leader guy.”
“What about him?”
“Been meaning to ask forever—how'd you hurt him?”
Yeon Hojeong cocked his head.
“Is there a special way to injure someone? Just smacked him with killing intent, that's it.”
“Not that…….”
Hummm.
Strong internal energy surged from Jegal A-yeon's hand. At the same time, a magnolia scent filled the room.
“My family's Hyunwonjeon Dan Singong is one of our rare secret techniques. And my strike landed clean on his gut.”
Even without loading internal energy, the abdomen's a vital spot. Packed with organs, a solid hit could immobilize or kill.
“But he didn't drop, didn't even flinch. And his internal energy wasn't leagues above mine.”
“Difference in qi attributes.”
“Huh? Attributes?”
Yeon Hojeong said it like it was nothing.
“The Yeol Yang Gong he cultivates is at a high level. Meaning his internal energy inherently carries fire qi. But yours centers on wood qi.”
“……?!”
“Toss a log on a roaring bonfire—does the fire go out? Nah, it blazes hotter.”
Jegal A-yeon was dumbfounded.
“Even if the root attributes differ, the martial arts gap was clear……”
“His art isn't some minor trick. It's one once called the world's best.”
“What?”
“The Um Hwa Hong Ryu, famed as one of the Yin God's twin ultimate arts alongside the Um Han Baek Ryu—that's what he practices.”
Yin God? Um Hwa Hong Ryu?
Jegal A-yeon frowned.
“Never heard of it.”
Of course not. Yeon Hojeong himself only learned of the Yin God after becoming lord of Heukje-seong.
The Yin God was the king of assassins. The one during his Heukje-seong days was post-succession, with a murky record. But the previous Yin God was mythic—ninety-nine assassinations, all successes save one.
After that sole failure, he vanished to groom a successor.
“Even so, no impact at all……”
“That's 'cause your attainments are low.”
“Huh?”
“Even at the pinnacle, ignoring attributes is tough. There's a world's best, but no invincible. Heaven never allows sole supremacy.”
“……”
“Well, he hasn't even grasped three-tenths of Um Hwa Hong Ryu, let alone Um Han Baek Ryu.”
“Three-tenths……”
Jegal A-yeon's face grew grave.
“Just three-tenths, and he's that strong.”
“Three-tenths or full mastery—depth within your limits matters most. He's just skimmed the surface of a divine art, same as you.”
“Don't lump me with him—feels gross.”
“Not my problem.”
“Tch.”
Jegal A-yeon sighed deeply. She'd come out of worry and concern, but now felt oddly deflated.
“World's best exists, but not invincible? True enough.”
“Business done? Then……”
“But isn't there one guy?”
“What?”
“The one called invincible in martial history.”
Yeon Hojeong tilted his head.
“If you mean Shaolin's founder Dharma……”
“Not Dharma. Three hundred years ago, martial world's golden age—the legendary warrior who quelled the Blood Sect Uprising.”
“Three hundred years ago? Who?”
“You don't know?”
“Nope. Too busy surviving now—three centuries back? No clue.”
“You're such a weirdo. Thought you pierced worldly truths like a ghost, but you don't know that famous guy?”
“Hate history.”
“Figures.”
“So, who was this amazing fellow?”
Same tone as before, but to Jegal A-yeon, it sounded mocking. She snorted.
“Bet you'll go 'oh' when you hear.”
“Who is it?”
“Sabanmuje.”
“Sabanmuje?”
“You really didn't know? Impressive, you.”
“What a childish moniker.”
“Don't say that. To us righteous folk, he's rated higher than even Dharma. If he hadn't quelled the Blood Sect back then, the world'd be hell now.”
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“World's hellish enough already.”
“Eek, so gloomy. You really are a dark one.”
“Shut it.”
“Anyway, if Sabanmuje's skills match the legends, invincible fits. Mastered four arts to the limit, they say.”
“Four arts?”
“Yeah. Unmatched in offense, defense, evasion. Even wielded yin-yang dual qi?”
Yeon Hojeong's eyes flashed.
“Offense, defense, evasion… and yin-yang qi?”
“That's the tale. Though he's so mythologized, some exaggeration's likely. Later called Yellow Dragon Emperor for summoning a golden dragon? Overkill, even for me.”
“……”
“Anyway! Don't live so drearily. Life's full of fun surprises if you……”
“……”
“Jeong-ah?”
Jegal A-yeon panicked. First time seeing Yeon Hojeong spaced out.
Sabanmuje? Golden dragon?
Perfect offense, defense, evasion. Yin-yang qi. And a golden dragon?
“Um…… Not sure why, but did I say something……”
“Tell me more.”
“Uh, y-yeah?”
Lightning struck in Yeon Hojeong's eyes.
“Everything you know about this Sabanmuje.”