Shaking the Board (8)
The sound of rustling paper filled the room as Jong Myeong set the documents down and removed the spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose.
“The catch this month has dropped noticeably.”
“It has, sir.”
“Reason?”
His adjutant, Sang-gak, lowered his head.
“We are still investigating, but it appears a disturbance has broken out in the southern districts.”
“A disturbance? Don’t tell me those Japanese or Western Region bastards are interfering with the fishing again?”
“That does not seem to be the case.”
“Of course not. If they had shown up, the Regional Military Command would have already dispatched troops. Then what is the cause?”
“It appears… to be because of martial artists.”
Jong Myeong’s eyes deepened.
“Martial artists?”
“Yes, sir. A significant number of the White Path Orthodox sects responsible for maintaining public order in southern Guangdong have been wiped out.”
“Wiped out, you say.”
Jong Myeong leaned back in his chair. His expression barely changed, yet his mood had soured considerably. Again with the martial world. He had never cared for that breed of people.
It wasn’t that he bore a personal grudge. His family had never been harmed by them, nor had he suffered any direct losses. In other words, he did not hate martial artists.
What Jong Myeong rejected was their very existence.
The reason was simple. They operated largely outside imperial law and could not be controlled.
From the state’s perspective, that was an extremely dangerous variable. It was only thanks to the absurd non-aggression pact between the empire and the martial world—and the fact that the Orthodox sects had contributed greatly to public safety—that he had kept silent until now.
They are outlaws. They cross the line.
It was true that the White Path sects filled in the gaps the empire could not manage. Moreover, they regularly sent talented individuals to the imperial palace to help bolster military strength. In that sense, they could even be considered indispensable.
Even so, the fact that subjects of the empire could live beyond the reach of the law was a serious problem.
Even high officials who had rendered great service to the nation had to endure fierce debate before being granted special privileges. Yet these martial artists, without having achieved any comparable merit, lived almost entirely outside the bounds of the law.
If they ever decided to rise up in rebellion, the current empire would suffer a devastating blow.
Of course, the probability of that happening was low. A war between the state and the martial world would inflict heavy damage on the empire, but the martial world would face an existential threat in return.
Still, the mere fact of their existence was a threat.
What household would raise a wolf to guard the home instead of a dog? A hungry dog would never bite its master, but a hungry wolf would devour its owner.
Martial artists were the same—terrifying outlaws whose behavior could turn at any moment.
I suppose it’s time to clean them up once and for all.
Jong Myeong let out a quiet inner sigh.
If only I could move freely.
While the Seungseon-pojeongsasa oversaw the administration of the province, it held no military authority.
Governance, military affairs, and justice were divided among separate institutions that did not interfere with one another. They treated each other’s business as if it belonged to an entirely different household.
If I were the Regional Military Commander instead of the Left Governor, I would have persuaded the Five Armies Commandery to erase every martial sect in Guangdong.
“Erase” did not necessarily mean slaughter. Simply driving them out of the region would have made controlling Guangdong Province far easier.
After sinking deep into thought for a long while, Jong Myeong clicked his tongue.
What am I even thinking?
Perhaps because his mind had been so troubled lately, increasingly radical ideas kept surfacing—ideas he would never have considered before.
“They must have started fighting among themselves again. Never mind. It’s not as if this is the first time they’ve beaten each other bloody.”
“That may be true, but…”
“Whatever the case, while the common people will suffer in the short term, it isn’t necessarily bad in the long run. If they annihilate each other in the process, all the better…”
Suddenly, Jong Myeong tilted his head.
“Wait. You said the southern districts?”
“Yes, sir.”
“The southern districts… that would be where the Eun clan resides?”
Sang-gak let out a sigh.
“Fortunately, the Eun clan was not destroyed.”
“……”
“Hmm. That is a relief.”
Though he could not tolerate the existence of martial artists, the Eun clan was an exception.
No, they were more than acceptable. The Eun clan might be a martial family now, but a hundred years ago they had been a scholarly house that had burned their lives away in service to the empire.
After nearly being uprooted by a certain incident, they had coincidentally obtained a martial arts manual and transformed into a martial family. Yet their loyalty to the empire remained unshakable.
In other words, it was thanks to the Eun clan that the martial world in southern Guangdong had remained peaceful without major incidents.
Jong Myeong had even planned to recommend the head of the Eun clan to an imperial military administrative post in the future. With that level of character and martial prowess, the empire would surely welcome him with open arms.
“But what exactly happened that so many sects were suddenly wiped out? The Eun clan should have mediated properly.”
“I do not know the details yet, sir. We are continuing the investigation. If the head of the Eun clan cooperates, we should be able to determine the cause within three or four days.”
“I see.”
It was then that a frantic voice rang out from beyond the door.
“M-My lord!”
Jong Myeong frowned.
“What is it? I gave orders not to be disturbed during work hours.”
“It’s an emergency!”
Both Jong Myeong and Sang-gak stiffened.
It was rare for such urgency to color a man’s voice unless the situation was truly dire. Come to think of it, this was the first time the captain of the guard—who had protected this place for years—had ever sounded so desperate.
“An emergency? Has something happened?”
“An unidentified rider is currently charging toward this location at terrifying speed along the main road! Many soldiers who approached to identify him have been injured!”
“A rider?!”
“Yes, sir! He rides a crimson divine horse rarely seen in this world, wielding a massive axe as he barrels straight toward us!”
Jong Myeong’s eyes trembled.
“A rider? You’re saying he’s not a martial artist?”
“I cannot be certain, but his breakthrough power is extraordinary! Everything we throw in his path is smashed aside, and the strength behind his axe swings does not seem human!”
Sang-gak asked urgently, “Setting that aside, are you certain he is heading here?”
“At every fork in the main road, he has taken the shortest route toward this residence! There is a ninety percent chance his destination is this very office!”
“T-This is bad!”
Sang-gak turned to Jong Myeong.
“My lord! You must evacuate at once!”
Jong Myeong’s gaze deepened.
“This is my dwelling. It is the house and workplace granted to me by the state to carry out my duties. Where exactly do you expect me to flee?”
“My lord! If that man’s target is you…!”
“It obviously is.”
“What?!”
“The fact that the guard captain is panicking like this means our forces here cannot stop him. Moreover, if he knows the shortest route to this residence, running now would only delay the inevitable.”
Jong Myeong closed his eyes.
“If fleeing could truly save my life, I would do so a thousand times over. But I have no desire to show a pathetic sight to some unknown brute who has already come this far.”
“My lord!”
“Besides.”
His eyes snapped open, blazing like flames.
“I want to see for myself. I want to know why he is targeting me. Though I have not lived as virtuously as the ancient sages taught, I can say with confidence that I have never lived by harming others. I am curious what grudge this man could possibly hold against me.”
Sang-gak fidgeted anxiously.
“Please stand up right now! The opponent is most likely a martial artist! Those people cannot be controlled…!”
“Do not worry.”
The corner of Jong Myeong’s mouth rose in a complex smile laced with bitterness, anticipation, and exhaustion.
“If word spreads that an unidentified martial artist killed the Left Governor, the empire’s view of the martial world will hardly be favorable.”
“……”
“Are you… deliberately choosing to stay?”
“I value my own life as well. I am not remaining here simply because I dislike showing a shameful appearance.”
“My lord! Please reconsider, even now…!”
“His target is clearly me, but I doubt he actually wants me dead.”
“What?!”
His workload had long since become chronic fatigue.
Yet even in urgent moments, Jong Myeong never lost his characteristic sharpness. Regardless of his personal ideology, he was a legendary figure who had risen from the very bottom to the position of Left Governor of Seungseon.
“A man with that level of skill would not charge in on horseback in broad daylight if he truly wanted my life. If he had sneaked in and attempted assassination, that would be different.”
Sang-gak was momentarily speechless. Jong Myeong’s words made sense.
Jong Myeong spoke toward the door.
“Captain of the guard. Open the way. Do not cause unnecessary casualties.”
“Y-Your command will be obeyed!”
How much time had passed?
“Halt! This is the official residence of the venerable Left Governor of Seungseon! Dismount and identify yourself…!”
“Move!”
BOOOOM!
A tremendous explosion shook the earth.
The shockwave was so powerful that even Jong Myeong, seated in his office, felt his body tremble once.
His eyes shook violently. Impressive.
The distance from here to the main gate was considerable. Yet the deafening roar had reached them clearly, and the impact had traveled all the way inside.
Just how much power would be required to produce such an effect? What kind of martial art could display such overwhelming breakthrough force?
A moment later—
CRAAAASH! BOOM!
Shock appeared on Jong Myeong’s face.
One of the distant walls collapsed, and a young man stepped through the breach.
…!!
The pressure he exuded was overwhelming.
Black-gray iron chains wrapped around his upper body, and he wore light armor over his entire frame. In one hand he held a double-bladed axe as large as a grown man’s torso. Its ferocious aura was beyond description.
Jong Myeong rose from his seat.
The young man—Yeon Hojeong—asked him directly.
“You are Left Governor Jong Myeong, correct?”
“I am. And who are you to commit such rudeness?”
“I will reveal my identity later. For now, come with me immediately.”
“Nonsense! Not only have you broken into the Governor’s residence, you have injured the empire’s soldiers and now dare to…!”
It was then that Yeon Hojeong, who had been about to cut him off, caught sight of a column of red smoke rising far beyond the window.
The smoke was rising from a considerable distance away. Despite the wind, it climbed straight into the sky. For it to be this clearly visible from here, it meant an entire mountain was spewing smoke.
And the direction was the southern region where Muk Bi and Sama Hyeon had headed.
…?!
Yeon Hojeong sharply expanded his senses. The Yeon Family Divine Elixir spun at high speed, sweeping over the entire area.
Nothing.
There wasn’t a single suspicious presence. Unless Yayul Jeok was deliberately using stealth techniques, no assassin in the world could escape Yeon Hojeong’s perception.
Then what…?!
At that moment, Yeon Hojeong caught the look in Sang-gak’s eyes.
The expression that had been filled with fury and bewilderment had turned ice-cold in an instant, and both eyes were now tinged with faint killing intent.
And Sang-gak’s position was directly to Jong Myeong’s front-left.
“……”
A strange silence fell for a split second.
SHIIING!
Sang-gak drew a dagger from his waist and swung it with terrifying speed.
His target was Jong Myeong’s throat.