Inevitability Forged by Chance (4)
“Well, well? What brings a beggar like you all the way up here? Finally got kicked out as gang leader?”
“How many times have I told you the seat of the Open Gang Leader isn’t one you get chased out of by someone else?”
“Kekekeke.”
“Quit laughing like some freak. It’s grating on my ears.”
“If you don’t like it, don’t come.”
“You little punk, young as you are and your mouth’s got no filter.”
“Didn’t you say the days of picking friends by age are over?”
“There’s a limit to that crap, you know. You haven’t even hit zhī tiān mìng yet.”
“Then should I call you big bro Beggar? Where’s this bullshit coming from?”
“Keep it up and you’ll really get smacked.”
“Hit me then.”
Pow!
“Ack! You actually hit me!”
“Shut up and bring out some booze. Damn, I’m beat to hell. What’s a lazy bum like you building a Taoist shrine on this damn high mountain for?”
The Taoist grumbled as he got up. Listening to his mutters on the way to the kitchen was quite the spectacle.
‘Coming to a shrine and asking for booze—what the hell?’
‘But how’d he know I had booze?’
‘Gotta see that dog bastard croak before I die.’
‘That beggar’s got nine lives, I swear.’
All manner of blood-pressure-spiking nonsense.
Hwajincheon endured it. Well, the world’s greatest beggar was bound to be like this. Even if he was the king of beggars, he was still a beggar at heart. Without patience, this friendship wouldn’t last.
He marveled anew at his own endurance that had weathered the years.
Moments later, the Taoist brought out the drinks.
“Oh? I said bring booze, what’s that?”
“What else? Dried meat, you filthy mutt.”
“You’re really a Taoist?”
“Shut it.”
“You knew I was coming?”
“How else am I supposed to make a living off divination?”
“No one comes for divinations anyway.”
“Ugh, just take the damn drinks! My back hurts!”
Soon after, the two set up the table in the clearing before the shrine and poured each other’s cups.
The Taoist, Tongcheon Jin-in, asked, “So, what brings you here this time?”
Hwajincheon snorted. “Why do you think I’d seek out a fortune teller? To find something out.”
“Crazy. Aren’t you the head of the world’s greatest gang? Don’t you have the whole world’s intel locked down? What do you need to divine?”
“You think intel and divination are the same?”
“You got the fee ready?”
“Greedy bastard with all that wealth.”
“That’s different, you punk!”
“If you want something, just say it. I’ll send the kids.”
The playfulness slowly faded from Tongcheon Jin-in’s face. The shift from his mischievous grin to utter seriousness was stark—like he’d become a different person entirely.
“It’s about the Kyujuga, right?”
Hwajincheon’s eyes gleamed. As expected, this guy knew. He was the type who sat atop a high peak and peered into the world below.
“The Kyujuga’s involved, sure. But what I want to ask is a bit different.”
“Must be that young tiger leading the charge to topple the Kyujuga?”
Seriousness settled on Hwajincheon’s face.
“Yeah, that’s who I came about. More precisely, it’s weirding me out how the world’s unfolding differently from what you said.”
Tongcheon Jin-in. They said the martial world had three eccentrics in this era. Each mastered a field to heavenly heights, earning the title Tongcheon—Piercing Heaven.
The Three Eccentrics of the Rivers and Lakes. Or the Three Sages of Murim.
Tongcheon Jin-in was one of those three—and the hardest to meet, the supreme eccentric.
“I know your divination has reached heavenly heights. And that it shows only strictly limited insights.”
Tongcheon Jin-in peered into the world’s currents and truths. He occasionally foresaw the future or revealed one’s fate.
But it was an extremely constrained gift. Almost no one had ever met him, and even if they did, some days the fortunes wouldn’t come depending on the day’s luck.
One thing was certain, though: once spoken, his divinations never failed. Not a single word from his mouth had ever been wrong.
Tongcheon Jin-in shook his head. “Heavenly heights? Ridiculous. I was just thrashing about to avoid death because my innate divinity was too strong.”
“Whatever.”
“I merely peek through heaven’s cracks—I haven’t mastered it. If I had, I’d be an immortal by now.”
“Do immortals even exist?”
“They do for believers; not for skeptics.”
“Enough with the Zen koans.”
“How’s this a koan?”
“Shut up.”
“Damn beggar, you’re impossible…”
“Just spill it. Why’s it changed? Or rather, why were you wrong?”
A shadow crossed Tongcheon Jin-in’s face.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? The great Tongcheon Jin-in?”
“Not mocking me, are you?”
“No jokes. Be straight.”
“Tch, I really don’t. Like I said, if I knew everything, would I be human? I’d be immortal.”
“Hm…”
“But there’s one thing that bugs me.”
“What?”
Tongcheon Jin-in downed his full cup and belched immediately.
“Sometime last year… yeah, around autumn, I think. That’s when something shifted.”
“Last autumn?”
“Heaven’s Mechanism or Heaven’s Qi—hard to say. Something indescribable twisted up massively on the horizon.”
“Heaven’s Mechanism…”
“Didn’t know what it was then. Still don’t exactly. But I suspect that shift was the starting point for a future diverging from my past predictions.”
“…Complicated.”
“Not complicated, but here’s some despairing news.”
“What?”
Tongcheon Jin-in said bitterly, “You won’t be coming here anymore.”
“What’s that mean?”
“I can’t see it. Not since then.”
“…What?”
“Can’t divine it. Tried everything.”
Hwajincheon’s face filled with shock.
“What do you mean? Can’t divine?”
“Yeah. Nothing.”
“…No way? Wait! You knew I was coming today! You knew the Kyujuga became a public enemy and vanished, knew the identity of the guy leading their fall!”
Tongcheon Jin-in scoffed.
“You really the Open Gang head? When did you turn this dumb?”
“Huh?”
“The Kyujuga being public enemies is all over the world—how wouldn’t you know? Every trip to town for basics, it’s all anyone talks about. And that guy, the Yeon family’s eldest son?”
“Yeon Hojeong.”
“Yeah, him. Stories keep rolling in. Young tiger of Gangdong, reincarnation of Sun Ce and Lu Xun in one body. Now they call him the Bi-san Lake Lord or something?”
“Y-yeah?”
“Living high up doesn’t mean I’m cut off from the world. You know all this.”
Hwajincheon asked urgently, “Then how’d you know I was coming?”
“That?”
Tongcheon Jin-in smiled wryly and pulled a thin booklet from his robe.
“Wrote it down here.”
“What’s that?”
“It didn’t vanish all at once. It faded slowly, bit by bit. Wrote down everything I could see, just in case.”
“…!”
“And.”
Tongcheon Jin-in tossed the booklet casually. It flew far, caught by the wind, and tumbled over the cliff.
Hwajincheon’s jaw dropped.
“Wh-what the hell?!”
“Your visit was the last line in that book.”
“Damn…”
Tongcheon Jin-in chuckled.
“Why so shocked?”
“No… I never thought you’d lose your divination.”
“Why make such a fuss over divination?”
“What?”
“Divinity made me a Taoist, and I’ve refined my upper dantian. But I’m just a Daoist at heart. I had a knack for divination and shared what I saw, but even that wasn’t picking and choosing.”
“…!”
“Does a monk abandon Buddha for losing an arm? Does a Taoist quit the Dao for going blind? No need to pity me.”
Hwajincheon sighed. “Lost a prime intel source.”
Tongcheon Jin-in burst into laughter. “You’ve leaned on it too much. Confession: even when I clearly saw you coming for divinations, I held back plenty.”
“What? You crazy Taoist fooled me?”
“Telling’s easy, but it’d warp heaven’s mechanism.”
“…?!”
“Don’t underestimate your influence. One slip from the Open Gang Leader shakes the world. Teaching fate or foretelling the future to you? That’s defying heaven itself.”
Hwajincheon was speechless.
Tongcheon Jin-in sipped his booze plainly. “Life has no answer key. Not knowing the future makes today precious. That’s living. Relying on divination’s no good.”
“Damn, reciting poetry now, Taoist?”
“Hahaha!”
Tongcheon Jin-in’s laugh was truly pleasant. Losing his godlike divination didn’t faze him. If anything, he seemed relieved of a heavy burden.
Hwajincheon gave a wry smile. He saw it as a loss for both, but if the man himself was thrilled, what could he do? Join the joy.
“I’ll visit more often from now on.”
“Oh? Comforting me?”
“Nah. Planning to hand the gang to my disciple soon. Don’t want lonely retirement—be my drinking buddy.”
“That rascal’s grown that much already? Feels recent.”
“Still green as hell. But his sense of justice and loyalty? Solid.”
“If you say so, he’s prime material.”
“Just needs proper martial training—then he’s set.”
Hwajincheon stood.
“Gotta head out. Busy day.”
Tongcheon Jin-in waved. “Come anytime.”
“I’ll build a room next door soon—don’t chase me off.”
“Hahaha!”
* * *
“Hm.”
Another busy day. A martial master wouldn’t tire from mere daily work, but the mental drain was real. And he’d done this for over a decade.
Yeon Wi rubbed his neck. It wasn’t stiff, but the motion soothed his mind.
I Baekhyeon, watching from the side, sorted documents.
“I’ll handle the rest. Rest up, family head.”
“Alright.”
“Oh, and the chief steward? Time to appoint someone.”
Yeon Wi glanced at him. “If you’re up for it, why not you?”
“M-me?”
I Baekhyeon waved his hands frantically.
“How could someone like me be the Yeon family’s chief steward? I’m content assisting.”
“You’re doing plenty well.”
I Baekhyeon hiccuped involuntarily. He never dreamed of such high praise from the family head. Flustered, his face paled.
“I-I-I absolutely can’t… I-I lack the ability…”
Yeon Wi shook his head. “Go on.”
“Gasp! Yes, sir!”
I Baekhyeon bolted from the family head’s quarters. He moved like he’d seen something he shouldn’t.
Yeon Wi leaned back in his chair. Tired, but fulfilling. Business in Jiangsu stabilized, family affairs smooth—especially his second son’s growth amazed him.
He hoped tomorrow matched today. Tiring yet rewarding, full of hope.
Second son’s meditation hasn’t ended. First state of no-self—makes sense it’d take time.
Yeon Wi closed his eyes. Circulating qi to melt away the day’s fatigue.
His son faced a major hurdle and opportunity in battle. As family head and father, he too must push on.
How much time passed?
“F-Family head!”
Yeon Wi halted his circulation, eyes still shut. “What is it?”
“The eldest young master is here!”
Yeon Wi’s eyes snapped open. “Hojeong’s back?”
“Yes! B-but…”
“What?”
I Baekhyeon’s words were the kicker.
“He brought a pretty young lady with him!”