Chapter 206: Plan
Chapter 206: Plan
Before the cave located on a remote mountain in Guangxi Province.
In that place where Inparang had breathed his last, Brother Jeung Chil and Brother Pung wore strange expressions for a moment.
The cause of those expressions was none other than the plan I had just spoken of.
Brother Pung suddenly stammered and asked.
"S-so... Jin, my brother, you're saying you'll become Inparang?"
I grinned and answered.
"Yes, to be precise, I'll be pretending to be Inparang."
Brother Jeung Chil then blinked and asked.
"No, since you look so much like him, you could certainly do that... but why? What are you trying to do by doing that?"
It was a good question.
Because there would be a great many things I could do by becoming Inparang.
First, I decided to explain the plan before the reason.
"Now, listen. Henceforth, I will take up the name Inparang and carry out a solitary path of revenge for his unjustly deceased father."
Brother Jeung Chil then asked hastily, his eyes startled.
"No, wait! A solitary path of revenge? You mean all by yourself, youngest?"
For some reason, his expression was unusually serious for Brother Jeung Chil.
Perhaps he was a bit worried about me moving alone.
I suddenly felt a pang as I realized I was now receiving concern from my sworn brothers that I had never once received from my blood siblings.
In order to reassure Brother Jeung Chil, I smiled with composure and explained the reason.
"Yes, hyungnim. But you need not worry. The reason I am doing so is..."
But it was then.
Brother Jeung Chil scowled deeply and shouted.
"You insolent fellow! Are you trying to cut your hyungnims out and have all the fun by yourself?!"
Kulreok!
I could not continue speaking for a moment.
It felt as if I had heard something shatter inside my head.
That was likely the sound of my earlier sentiment shattering.
No, setting aside the sentiment, I was astonished that his train of thought could even develop in such a way.
Me carrying out a solo revenge is because I want to have fun alone?
I was so dumbfounded that I couldn't speak for a moment.
I was so utterly flabbergasted that I couldn't even begin to gauge what to explain or how.
It was then that Brother Pung opened his mouth.
"Certainly, rather than us, who are complete outsiders, avenging Inparang, it would create a far greater impact if Inparang himself were to reappear and carry out the revenge himself. If he personally declares the Haenam Sect and the Hengshan Sect to be his enemies, people would believe it without question."
Hearing those words, my body and mind suddenly felt at ease.
As expected of Brother Pung.
To have thought that far without me even explaining... compared to that, Brother Jeung Chil was...
I looked at Brother Jeung Chil with a disapproving gaze.
He flinched and hastily retorted.
"No! I wasn't saying anything against that! It's just that since the youngest said he'd move alone..."
Upon hearing that, Brother Pung also suddenly asked me with a puzzled expression.
"Now that I think about it, is there a need to move alone? We could disguise ourselves and move together, couldn't we?"
Brother Jeung Chil then shouted with an indignant face.
"Yeah! That's what I was saying!"
It didn't quite seem like that was what he was saying, but anyway, I explained the reason.
"It is to make them let their guard down."
"Them?"
"Let their guard down?"
I laid out the reason in detail to my hyungnims, who were asking with puzzled expressions.
"Yes, if I carry out the revenge, the Haenam Sect and the Hengshan Sect will move. That is, of course, if the Hengshan Sect is indeed behind it all. And as we experienced last time, the Haenam Sect are not to be taken lightly."
Brother Jeung Chil then snorted and interjected.
"Hah, that was only because we fought in the water..."
But when I frowned, he quickly fell silent.
"I was just talking to myself. Go on. Hmph, hmph."
I continued speaking.
"The Hengshan Sect is also not likely to be easy. Therefore, we need to show them my skills at a low level as much as possible. For the same reason, it is also necessary to conceal the existence of you hyungnims."
At my explanation, the hyungnims now nodded as if they understood well.
Brother Jeung Chil spoke in admiration.
"In short, you're going to sucker them in while they underestimate you and then smack them in the back of the head. As expected of our youngest!"
Brother Pung then suddenly asked.
"However, in order to pretend to be Inparang, wouldn't you have to use the martial arts of the Haenam Sect as well? There's no way the people of the Southern Sea wouldn't recognize the martial arts of the Haenam In Clan, after all."
That was an entirely obvious point.
I grinned and answered.
"That is why I intend to learn them starting now. Conveniently, we do have the secret manuals, do we not?"
The hyungnims stared blankly at the secret manuals left behind by Inparang, following my pointing finger.
In the books Inparang had left behind were not only his journals, but also all of the martial arts of the Haenam In Clan and the Haenam Sa Clan.
Brother Jeung Chil then made a strange expression and asked me.
"You're going to learn... those? Starting now?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"...By when?"
"Well. About a week, wouldn't it be?"
Brother Jeung Chil suddenly burst out in anger and shouted.
"Eek! You rascal! No matter how much you trust your own talent, do you think the martial arts of the Haenam In Clan are some Three Calamities Sword Technique?! That martial art is nothing less than the martial art of the Namhae Sword King, In Jeung-ho, who was once the greatest under heaven! You're saying you'll learn it with only secret manuals and no teacher?! And in just a week?! Eek! Say something that makes sense!"
Listening to his scolding, I smiled calmly rather than feeling flustered.
Because Brother Jeung Chil's words were clearly sound reasoning.
The higher the level of a martial art, the harder it was to learn.
And learning a martial art only through books was also an incredibly difficult task.
So my words about learning the martial art of someone who was once the greatest under heaven just from secret manuals were certainly close to impossible.
And I had even said I could do it in just a week.
It was perfectly understandable that Brother Jeung Chil was so flustered.
Indeed, how flustered must he have been, for even Brother Pung could not bring himself to take my side this time and wore a serious expression.
I smiled at Brother Jeung Chil and said.
"Then, how about making a bet with me, hyungnim?"
At that, Brother Jeung Chil, who would spring right up even from sleep at the mention of alcohol or a bet, immediately perked up his ears.
"A bet?"
"Yes, we bet on whether or not I can master the secret manuals of the Haenam In Clan within a week."
At those words, Brother Jeung Chil's expression began to be increasingly tempted.
"Hoh, a bet like that? It seems I would be far too favored, though?"
"If you think so, is there any reason to hesitate?"
Then, now completely drawn in, Brother Jeung Chil rubbed his palms together and asked me.
"Hmm, if it's a bet, there must naturally be a wager. What are we betting?"
"Hmm, well. How about the loser grants the winner three requests? Regardless of what they may be."
At that, Brother Jeung Chil could no longer hide his joy and burst into laughter, offering his fist.
"Huhuhuhu, a man's word is his bond?"
I too lightly bumped my fist against his and said.
"Heavier than a mountain."
Once our bet was established, Brother Jeung Chil seemed to be in a tremendously good mood, smiling brightly and springing to his feet.
"Well now, I can't exactly make the youngest do unreasonable things. I wonder what I should make him do, hahahahaha!"
He looked as if he had already won the bet.
I looked at him with a soft smile, then silently asked Elder Mukrang in my heart.
'Elder, do you happen to know the martial arts of the Haenam In Clan as well?'
Elder Mukrang gave a scoff and answered.
- Ha, you're asking me if I know the martial arts of the Haenam In Clan? I am the very one who helped that thunder-naked one create them back in the day. In fact, you could say I made seven-tenths of them. So, when shall we start? Shall we do it right now?
I looked at Brother Jeung Chil and grinned.
I felt sorry for hyungnim, but I had never once said I would learn them alone with only secret manuals and no teacher.
It seemed I would have to think carefully about what to make Brother Jeung Chil do.
It was then that Brother Pung suddenly asked me.
"Learning the martial arts of the Haenam In Clan aside, is there another reason you wish to disguise yourself as Inparang, Brother Jin?"
I answered his question with a faint smile.
"Of course. When I looked into it through the last incident, there seemed to be enormous internal conflict within the Haenam Sect. Most likely, it's a conflict between the forces of the Haenam Demon Sword Jin Tae-do and those who oppose him."
At my words, Brother Pung nodded.
It seemed my hyung-nim had gotten the same impression as me.
"The side with the larger forces right now is, naturally, the sect leader of the Haenam Sect, Jin Tae-do. Though Dragon King's Palace Yu Hae-eung and One Blade Killing Edge Oh Ik-deok are transcendent peak masters, they still could not match the forces of Jin Tae-do, who is both the sect leader of the Haenam Sect and one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World. But... what if Jin Tae-do's legitimacy as the sect leader of the Haenam Sect were called into question?"
Brother Pung's eyes sparkled as if he had realized something, and he asked me back.
"Jin Tae-do's legitimacy is questioned... For example, something like the world learning that he cowardly assassinated the family head of the Haenam In-ga, and his son publicly declaring revenge?"
I beamed and nodded at that clear-headed example.
"Exactly. That's precisely it."
Brother Pung was now wearing the expression of a complete scoundrel as he smiled.
Though I hadn't seen my own face, I could fully predict that I was likely making a similar expression.
It really seemed like this was going to be a very entertaining affair.
***
Haegu Port, located at the northern tip of Haenam Island.
With dozens of ships at anchor, this place, along with Sampyeong Port to the south, was one of the two representative ports of Haenam Island.
A beautiful port where the clear sky, gentle waves, and the soft blue seawater lapped transparently down to the deep bottom.
And now, ten ships were just entering that very Haegu Port.
It was the fleet of Dragon King's Palace Yu Hae-eung, the family head and greatest master of the Haenam Yu Family, and One Blade Killing Edge Oh Ik-deok, the family head and greatest master of the Haenam Oh Family.
As the ships neared the port, the two men flung themselves into the air and landed on the dock before the ships had even fully anchored.
Padak!
At once, the martial artists of the Haenam Yu Family, clad in black martial robes embroidered with white birds, and the men of the Haenam Oh Family, clad in red martial robes embroidered with black horses, who had been lined up, saluted them with clasped fists.
"You have returned, Family Head!"
"You have returned, Family Head!"
At their greeting, which rang out as a single voice, Yu Hae-eung, a man built like a towering iron pagoda, simply nodded with a solemn expression.
And Oh Ik-deok, who sported a magnificent beard like Gwan Un-jang, smiled contentedly and spoke to them.
"You have worked hard coming out here. Has there been any trouble?"
The warrior hesitated a moment before answering.
"It is said that not long ago, we clashed with the fleet of the Demonic Mirror, and several ships of the Naval Force were damaged."
At his report, not only Oh Ik-deok's face but also Yu Hae-eung's stiffened minutely.
"Again?"
"Yes, this is already the third time this month."
Oh Ik-deok looked at Yu Hae-eung and said,
"When we get to the council, Jin Tae-do will make a fuss again. He'll claim we must further increase our forces."
Yu Hae-eung, who had nodded slightly, said curtly,
"Let's go."
At that, a warrior of the Haenam Yu Family hastily bowed his head and said,
"I have prepared a carriage, Family Head!"
Yu Hae-eung simply nodded and strode unhesitatingly toward the carriage, while Oh Ik-deok grinned and patted the shoulder of the bowing warrior.
"You worked hard. Preparing the carriage, and also serving a gentleman who's built like such a block of stone—both are trials."
The two of them had just returned to Haenam Island to attend the Council of Family Heads of the Hainan Twelve Clans.
The Haenam Sect had always made all important decisions through this Council of Family Heads.
Even selecting the sect leader of the Haenam Sect was done through the Council of Family Heads, and even if a sect leader was chosen, they could not act arbitrarily without the council's approval.
But recently, things had been gradually changing.
The stature of the Council of Family Heads was not what it used to be, and decisions made unilaterally by the Haenam Demon Sword Jin Tae-do without the council's approval had been steadily increasing.
As they rode together in the carriage, Oh Ik-deok suddenly asked,
"Are you thinking of pressing the issue about the Naval Force, Elder Brother?"
Yu Hae-eung silently gazed out the window and nodded.
This time, he intended to properly confront Jin Tae-do about the Naval Force's recent raid on a village of ordinary civilians.
It was because the Naval Force, created by absorbing pirates, had been committing atrocities for quite some time now.
In truth, part of the reason the council's authority had weakened was because the Naval Force's strength had grown excessively large.
Nominally, it was the military might of the entire Haenam Sect, but there was no one who didn't know that it was practically Jin Tae-do's personal armed forces.
Consequently, Yu Hae-eung had been advocating for the reduction or dissolution of the Naval Force for a while now.
But Oh Ik-deok spoke with a dark expression.
"It won't be easy. On the contrary, he'll likely bring up the clashes with the Demonic Mirror and argue for expansion."
Yu Hae-eung remained expressionless and gave no answer for a moment.
Ever since the Haenam Sect had seized control of the southwestern seas, clashes with the Southern Sea Demon Sovereign Man Hak-sung, based in Daenam Island to the southeast, had been incessant.
This was a natural phenomenon, as it was akin to two dragons living in one sea.
Generally, the world assessed the military strength of the Haenam Sect and Man Hak-sung as follows:
In terms of fleet strength, the Haenam Sect held the advantage, and in terms of individual martial prowess, Man Hak-sung, one of the Four Demons Under Heaven, held the advantage.
But the leadership of the Haenam Sect knew all too well.
They knew what an individual's martial prowess truly meant in the martial world, let alone the martial might of an absolute being who had transcended the Transformation Stage.
Oh Ik-deok said,
"Jin Tae-do will surely say it again. That if the Demonic Mirror, one of the Four Demons Under Heaven, were to ever set foot on Haenam Island, we would never be able to stop him. Therefore, to prevent him from ever setting foot on Haenam Island, we must further increase the Naval Force's strength."
His words were an undeniable fact.
Although the Haenam Demon Sword Jin Tae-do, the sect leader of the Haenam Sect, was one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World, any transcendent peak master knew the enormous gap between the Thirty-Six Stars and the Fifteen Absolute Masters.
Honestly, the only reason they were maintaining a standoff was that the demon sovereign Man Hak-sung was currently tied down by the Bokgeon Yong Family and the Southern Sea Saintess and couldn't move freely. If he were able to act at will, the Haenam Sect could instantly find itself in dire straits, like a lantern flickering in the wind.
Oh Ik-deok continued,
"And... you know, don't you? The family heads will side with him again."
At that, Yu Hae-eung, who had been listening silently, finally opened his mouth.
"I will try to persuade the Myo Family. If they support Jin Tae-do once more, I intend to tell them that our Yu Family might just secede from the Haenam Sect."
Oh Ik-deok cried out, utterly startled.
"What?! Secede?!"
"Yes. If I go that far, they'll at least think about reconsidering."
"Ah..."
The reason Jin Tae-do's personal power had grown so excessively strong was certainly partly due to the extreme expansion of the Naval Force, but in truth, the bigger reason was that the Hainan Twelve Clans themselves were not what they used to be.
Currently, among the Hainan Twelve Clans, the Haenam In-ga and the Haenam Saga were in a state of annihilation.
When the family head of the Haenam In-ga, In Gye-un, had disappeared, the family heads of those two clans, along with their direct descendants, had also gone missing.
And out of the remaining ten clans, four could no longer be called independent families.
This was because the Chuk Clan, the Mi Clan, the Sul Clan, and the Hae Clan had all become subordinated to Jin Tae-do's Haenam Jin Family.
The reasons varied.
Some clans had at some point tilted so far in power that they surrendered themselves to the Jin Family, and some clans had been absorbed after clashing with the Jin Family alone.
Thus, at the current Council of Family Heads of the Twelve Clans, the five families including the Jin Family were already practically one bloc.
And with the opinions of five families already determined as one, proper decision-making was impossible.
If even just one of the remaining families sided with Jin Tae-do, all motions would pass without issue.
Oh Ik-deok asked with a dark expression.
"The Myo Family... I'm not sure. They claim to remain neutral, but from what I can see, they seem almost entirely on the Jin Family's side."
The Haenam Myo Family was a wise clan that had served as the Haenam Sect's strategists for generations.
Even after Jin Tae-do became the leader of the Haenam Sect, they had maintained balance without leaning too far to one side, sometimes supporting Jin Tae-do and sometimes supporting the other families.
But when it came to strengthening the Haenam Sect's power, the pragmatic family had always sided with Jin Tae-do.
And as a result, Jin Tae-do's forces had grown bloated and huge.
At that, Yu Hae-eung, still looking out the window, murmured,
"We'll have to trust them. Trust that, being wise, they will make a prudent judgment."
But the expression on Yu Hae-eung's face as he said that was just as dark.