Chapter 71: To the Qingcheng Sect-3
Chapter 71: To the Qingcheng Sect-3
When I heard that the women's kidnapping was likely the work of Jeonghyeopbang, the first thought that came to mind was, 'Then shouldn't we have to rescue them?'
But Jeonghye Sojeo shook her head with a grave expression.
"Regrettably, we cannot afford to dwell on this matter right now. If those people truly are the same as the ones from back then, they will be thoroughly hidden this time as well, and finding them would require a great deal of time. Jeong-in saje... would not be able to wait for that long."
Having said that, Jeonghye Sojeo bowed her head deeply.
The one who had to say such things looked utterly miserable.
I could understand her heart.
Of course, rescuing her precious saje had to take priority, but as a disciple of the great Ami Sect, one of the pillars of the orthodox faction, speaking the words that she must turn away from others in order to save her own saje could not have felt honorable.
So we did not speak further about that decision.
We only asked about the events of that time.
"Could you tell us a bit about what happened then? How did you manage to catch the tail of Jeonghyeopbang?"
At that, she gave us this account.
"That was actually... something I can only describe as being blessed by heaven's fortune."
When the kidnapping incidents began recurring periodically, the Ami Sect dispatched one elder and numerous disciples to investigate.
However, for over a month they failed to catch any trace, until the two young ladies who had secretly snuck out of the training hall in defiance of their sect elders' orders, accompanying Ami Sword Peak Jeong-in, happened to pass by and witness a kidnapping in progress.
"I suspect they had already completely read the movements of our investigation team. That is why they didn't know our intelligence—because we moved differently from the investigation team—and were ultimately discovered."
Jeong-in Sojeo tried to rush out immediately after witnessing the kidnapping, but Jeonghye Sojeo held her back.
It was in order to shadow them all the way to their base.
And after tailing the kidnappers, the two of them were appalled.
"The place the kidnappers entered was a place called Gwaneumjang. It was a long-standing prestigious house of the orthodox faction, and moreover, a subsidiary sect of the Ami Sect itself."
Because Gwaneumjang was the most respected establishment in the vicinity and also maintained good relations with the Ami Sect, they could not recklessly force their way inside.
So they decided to withdraw for the time being and investigate further.
And they went to the nearby Hao Gate to inquire about intelligence regarding Gwaneumjang's recent activities.
Through that, they were able to learn that Gwaneumjang had not engaged in any notable external activities for about a year, and that the master of Gwaneumjang had also not shown his face.
They also learned that right before Gwaneumjang became that way, it had received a visit from the White Jade Dragon Gu Yu-sang of Jeonghyeopbang.
"Moreover, even recently, figures from Jeonghyeopbang were said to be visiting Gwaneumjang periodically. Even though Gwaneumjang was not carrying out any other external activities. Jeong-in saje and I became certain right then that Jeonghyeopbang was behind it. After all, the very reason Jeong-in saje had been issued the confinement order in the first place was because she had denounced the way Jeonghyeopbang was steadily gnawing away at Ami Sect's territory. The region where Gwaneumjang was located was also one of those territories."
But just when they had confirmed that Jeonghyeopbang was the mastermind and were about to investigate the interior of Gwaneumjang, they were suddenly attacked by unidentified figures and all captured.
I murmured as if talking to myself.
"It must have been the Hao Gate. They provided the intelligence."
At my words, Jeonghye Sojeo nodded heavily.
"I also thought the same while I was imprisoned. But I cannot understand it. Why on earth did the Hao Gate do such a thing? Could they have been recruited by the Blood Cult as well?"
At her question, I shook my head and answered.
"Considering the scale of the Hao Gate, which is spread across the entire martial world, it wouldn't go that far. However, a deal was likely made with that branch. 'If there are people digging up intelligence about us, let us know.' That sort of deal. The Hao Gate does not discriminate among its clients, after all."
At that, Jeongan Sojeo spoke with an angry expression.
"That is truly too much! No matter how unorthodox they are, to cooperate with the Blood Cult's ilk!"
"Well, to them, righteousness and evil are not such significant values. Anyway, what happened next?"
From the story so far, it was not possible to be certain that Jeonghyeopbang was behind the enemies.
So if they were definitely Jeonghyeopbang as Jeonghye Sojeo was convinced, I thought there must be some other evidence.
And sure enough, Jeonghye Sojeo's next words contained that evidence.
Among the attackers, that man had been present.
Namely, the one called the Foremost Young Master of Sichuan—Jeonghyeopbang's White Jade Dragon Gu Yu-sang...
"He was wearing a mask, but Jeong-in saje, who had met him several times before, recognized him immediately. She must have recognized his build and the shape of his eyes. When saje shouted the name of that man—Gu Yu-sang—he removed his mask, grabbed saje by the hair, and spoke greedily. He said he would make her regret recognizing him."
Having spoken that far, Jeonghye Sojeo trembled faintly as if the events of that day were coming back to her, and could not continue.
We did not press her to speak further and had her go up to her room to rest.
Afterwards, when I came up to the room with Bi Sa-yeong, I was lost in deep thought for a long while.
Then Bi Sa-yeong asked me.
"You, what are you thinking about?"
At the bastard's question, I grinned and answered.
"The same thing as you?"
At that, Bi Sa-yeong shook his head side to side and let out a sigh.
"Yeah, I figured as much. But I do want to save them too—only, given what Jeonghye Sojeo said, wouldn't it be difficult? We have no intelligence to go on, you know? And hearing what she said earlier, it did seem like rescuing Jeong-in Sojeo quickly was the right call."
It was just as he said.
We were not in a situation where we could spend time rescuing the women here.
But... what if we didn't need to spend much time?
For instance, if we could get it done within tonight, then wouldn't it matter at all?
Besides, I had one more reason that made me unable to ignore them.
Namely, that test that the one called Mukrang had spoken of.
I couldn't know precisely what that test was, but after thinking about it continuously, every time his voice had been heard was when I had moved to save someone.
If so, might that test also be related to a cooperative spirit, or to rescuing someone?
Moreover, he had clearly said that among all the candidates he had met so far, I was the one he liked best.
That surely didn't mean that among all those who had used the Mukrang Sword so far, I was the greatest master.
There was absolutely no way that was the case.
So, clearly...
Having thought that far, I opened my mouth to Bi Sa-yeong.
"Of course, we have to rescue Jeong-in Sojeo quickly, so we can't spend time here. But if we only move tonight, it wouldn't matter, would it? How about it? Is your body still in bad shape?"
At my question, Bi Sa-yeong made a slightly startled expression, then soon gave a scoffing laugh and answered.
"You've thought of something again, huh? As for me, I'm perfectly fine now. If anything, after having vomited everything out earlier, my body feels lighter than it's been in a while. So? You've got a sense of something?"
Having a friend whose thoughts aligned with mine truly was a fine thing.
I grinned and began to speak about what I had been thinking.
"After hearing what Jeonghye Sojeo told us, what I thought was this—those bastards probably seize the most trusted sect in a region and use that place as a base for kidnapping women. So if it's the same bunch that did this, wouldn't their methods be similar?"
At my reasoning, Bi Sa-yeong nodded.
"Hmm, that could be. But how would we know which sect is the most trusted in this region? Should we ask people?"
At the bastard's question, I smiled faintly and told him.
"We heard it from that man earlier, didn't we? That as soon as his daughter went missing, there was a place he went to right after the government office?"
"...Gwageommun?"
"Yeah. If it's trusted to that extent, wouldn't you say it's the most trusted place?"
We decided to examine only Gwageommun without the young ladies' knowledge, and if it turned out not to be the place, to give up without lingering attachment.
Then we put on our clothes, opened the window, and went outside.
Bi Sa-yeong landed lightly on the ground first and darted forward, saying,
"We need to be quick, so let's pick up the pace... Huk! Th-that's Lady Jeong-an?!"
Bi Sa-yeong startled and came to an abrupt halt.
I was the same.
Outside the window, Lady JeongYeon and Lady Jeong-an were already standing there as if waiting for us.
Lady Jeong-an beamed brightly and said,
"See, Sajeo? Didn't I tell you the two of them definitely wouldn't stay put?"
I couldn't help but be genuinely shocked.
***
About half an hour later, we were hiding in the shade of a tree near the Gwageommun, watching its main gate.
Lady Jeong-an asked in a hushed whisper, her face flushed with excitement.
"What do we do now? Are you going to charge in through the front and demand they hand over the kidnapped women?"
At her words, which were somehow brimming with anticipation, I struggled to suppress a dumbfounded expression — one that wanted to say 'Of course not' — and explained.
"No. First, we need to quietly enter and confirm whether the women are there. It hasn't been definitively proven that the Gwageommun are Blood Cult members, has it?"
"Ahh."
She nodded as if she understood, then immediately asked again.
"So we sneak over the walls and infiltrate? Like thieves or assassins?"
Lady Jeong-an's eyes were sparkling as she asked this, almost to an unsettling degree.
At that, Lady JeongYeon, who had been catching her breath beside us — perhaps finding it a bit difficult to keep up — explained.
"My samaé has had a bit of a fantasy for a long time about carrying out secret missions or doing covert chivalrous deeds. Please understand."
At those words, Lady Jeong-an nodded vigorously and said,
"That's right, that's right. I've always wanted to do something like that. So I was really looking forward to infiltrating the Gwaneumjang with Jeong-in Sajeo, but then we got attacked and captured before I could even try anything, and I was so disappointed, you know? I thought I was going to die without ever experiencing that kind of heart-pounding chivalrous adventure."
Chivalrous deeds and covert infiltration were probably different things, though...
This young lady seemed to have read some strange novels and built up her dreams from them.
She was certainly unique.
I suddenly wanted to see Bi Sa-yeong's reaction and glanced at his expression. The guy was gazing at her with a look of pure adoration.
My head shook involuntarily.
But aside from all this, it was none other than this Lady Jeong-an who had predicted back at the inn that we would sneak out.
'That really caught me off guard.'
It wasn't the ever-calm and wise-seeming Lady JeongYeon, but the somewhat eccentric and childish-looking Lady Jeong-an who had accurately predicted our actions. I had wondered if she might actually be as exceptional as Lady CheongYeon and I was just misjudging her based on outward behavior.
But it seemed that wasn't the case.
'Looks like she just wanted to do some chivalrous adventuring so badly that she pinned her hopes on our actions.'
The reason I had originally planned to come only with Bi Sa-yeong, without the two ladies, was to give them time to recover their stamina.
But they had been waiting for us and firmly expressed their intention to follow.
'We are disciples of the Ami Sect. We can't be left out of something like this! And my nickname in the Ami Sect is "Swift Swallow." I'm quite confident in my movement technique, so you needn't worry that I'll slow down the mission.'
That was what Lady Jeong-an had said.
'Actually... I was so ashamed earlier when I said I had no choice but to turn away from those women to save my Sajeo. I doubted whether someone like me was even qualified to be a disciple of Ami. My Sajeo would probably be angry if she found out I abandoned other women for her sake. I'm not as exceptional in movement technique as my samaé, but I'll do my utmost not to be a hindrance to you two. Please, let us come with you.'
After hearing something like that, I couldn't tell them not to follow.
So in the end we came together, and the Gwageommun we finally arrived at was a manor that was fairly massive in scale, though not quite as large as the old Heuksangbang.
And on top of that, the security was quite thorough.
Not just from the gate guards at the main entrance, but the presence of warriors patrolling behind the walls could be felt here and there.
Bi Sa-yeong asked,
"Security's pretty tight. What's the plan? Should we do like last time — one person draws their attention while the others infiltrate?"
At those words, Lady Jeong-an's face lit up brightly.
Just hearing the word 'infiltrate' seemed to make her happy.
But even that didn't quite feel right.
It looked like we'd ultimately have to go with Bi Sa-yeong's suggestion, but drawing their attention didn't seem like it would be all that easy either.
Plus, the scale was so much larger than I'd expected that without intelligence, I couldn't imagine being able to find where the women were being held inside.
We needed information...
But we couldn't use the Hao Gate either.
Hmm, should I force the issue like I did with Bae Jong-gwan before — claim I want to join the Gwageommun?
While I was thinking such thoughts, Lady JeongYeon suddenly spoke up.
"What if I approach them alone? If they really are Blood Cult members, wouldn't they try to kidnap me as well?"
"Huh?"
Her suggestion was undeniably compelling.
If she deliberately let herself be captured as bait, we could not only find out whether they were Blood Cultists or not, but also discover where they were holding the captured women much faster.
But...
I shook my head and answered.
"It's too dangerous. We don't know what might happen to you if you're captured alone by them, and if the enemy's strength is greater than expected, we might not be able to rescue you — you could end up becoming a hostage instead."
"Ah, that's true."
But after dismissing Lady JeongYeon's idea, no suitable alternative came to mind.
Time just kept passing.
Then Bi Sa-yeong suddenly offered an opinion.
"Lady JeongYeon's idea itself isn't bad, but the worry is that it's too dangerous, right? So what if instead of Lady JeongYeon, you disguise yourself as a woman?"
"What? Me, disguise myself as a woman?"
I frowned with a face that said 'what nonsense are you talking.'
My body, trained in external arts alongside Bae Jong-gwan, wasn't quite bulky, but it had long since become solid and muscular.
Unless they were fools, who would be fooled by someone with this body pretending to be a woman?
But Bi Sa-yeong wasn't finished speaking.
"You know, that thing? The Bone-Shrinking Art you showed us last time. Couldn't you use that?"
"...Bone-Shrinking Art?"
Among the miscellaneous techniques I'd learned in my father's study, there was one concerning the Bone-Shrinking Art.
I'd never had any particular use for it, but I had shown it to Bae Jong-gwan and Bi Sa-yeong once while fooling around, and apparently he'd remembered.
Hmm, use the Bone-Shrinking Art to reduce my frame and disguise myself as a woman?
It didn't seem entirely impossible...
"No good. Even if I can reduce my build, I'd be found out the moment I show my face or say a single word. I don't know how to change my voice."
At that, Lady Jeong-an, whose eyes had gone round upon hearing the words 'Bone-Shrinking Art,' hurriedly spoke up.
"Not at all! With a face like yours, Seonwoo Gongja, I think you'd pull off pretending to be a woman quite well! You're so handsome, after all!"
Well, I appreciated being called handsome, but even so, the voice...
Then Lady JeongYeon said,
"If Seonwoo Gongja were alone, you'd inevitably be discovered, but wouldn't it work if you came with me? We could say that Seonwoo Gongja is injured and unable to speak."
"Well, that's..."
At that moment, Bi Sa-yeong answered with a bright face.
"That's brilliant. If the two of you go together, you can help each other, so it'll be less dangerous. And if we say Jin-i is injured, they'll be less wary of him too."
A cold sweat ran down my back.
At this rate, I was going to have to disguise myself as a woman without even getting to try anything else.
"No, wait. I don't think that's a very good idea. A better idea would be..."
Bi Sa-yeong smiled meaningfully and asked me,
"A better idea? Like what?"
...Damn it.
Of course there was no such thing.