Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: The Stone Hibiscus Stash
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"The wounds are severe. First, we need to stop the bleeding..."
"My well-being is of no concern."
The man answered firmly, only to let out a groan of pain moments later.
His body seemed unable to keep up with his indomitable spirit. Yet the man mustered his willpower. In a halting stutter, he conveyed vital information.
"The cargo we were tracking... the bandits' goods... they're stored here."
"What do you mean by 'cargo'?"
"Check beside the prison cell. They frequented that spot."
The man lost consciousness again. Yuk Jin-yang pressed the acupoints near the wound to finish staunching the bleeding. Yu-baek's voice came from behind.
"I'll handle the rest. Senior, why don't you go with the youngest?"
The two nodded and rose to their feet. Just as the man had said, there was a small iron door beside the prison cell. They had overlooked it while checking on the prisoners.
"Hmm."
"Of all places."
Yuk Jin-yang and Won-yeong both frowned at the sight of the iron door. Unlike the prison bars, the keyhole was replaced by a cylindrical mechanism etched with numbers.
Won-yeong examined the cylinder first and shook her head.
"Looks tough to open without the code. We could probably smash it, but..."
"We have to consider the possibility of traps. Force it open, and we might trigger something nasty."
The basic principle of such devices was entrapment. Especially the poison mist varieties, infamous for claiming even masters' lives if one let their guard down.
Won-yeong got the point and stepped back without protest.
"Yeah, makes sense. It looks too elaborate not to be rigged."
"Let me take a look first."
"What? Without the code, it's pointless."
Yuk Jin-yang answered with action instead of words. As he approached the bars, Won-yeong gave him a dubious look but sidestepped anyway.
He carefully inspected the device. Fortunately, it was a familiar mechanism. Turning the cylinder according to the code would shift an internal pillar clockwise, disengaging the latch.
Squatting down, Yuk Jin-yang placed his hand on the device and sent a thread of qi into it. His sharply honed qi sense traced the flow of true energy through the mechanism.
Once he grasped the structure, it was straightforward. Yuk Jin-yang rotated the cylinder without hesitation. Won-yeong watched from behind, tilting her head.
"Do the Yuk Clan teach trap mechanisms these days?"
"Haha..."
He tried to brush it off with an awkward laugh, but just then, a metallic click echoed from the lock.
Opening the door revealed the hidden space within. Sacks were neatly stacked to the brim. Ritual vessels and ceremonial tools were also abundant.
Yuk Jin-yang drew his sword and cautiously sliced open a sack.
Gray powder spilled from the tear. The grains clashed and scattered, billowing into a thick cloud of dust.
Won-yeong leaned in to sniff it, then hurriedly covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve. She backed away, warning Yuk Jin-yang to circulate his inner energy.
"These scum... Stone Hibiscus?"
"What's that?"
Yu-baek, having finished tending the warriors' wounds, asked from behind.
"Simply put, an elixir made from poppy."
Yu-baek grimaced at the explanation.
"So they really meant to play merchant. But who would even buy that stuff? No sane person would ingest something like it."
"Plenty would. The world isn't as beautiful as you think. And it's not plain poppy—it's poppy powder mixed with Five Minerals Powder and various spirit herbs to mimic a true elixir."
"Huh."
"My guess is they planned to sell it to the Yangtze river pirates. If it boosts martial prowess, even madness would be a small price."
Stone Hibiscus was familiar even to Yuk Jin-yang.
Chronic use endangered life, but a single dose granted temporary inner energy enhancement—an elixir, or perhaps a poison.
In later years, it became readily available even to common folk.
The court tried everything to suppress it, but all efforts failed. They overlooked people's desperation and greed for martial arts. Its extreme addictiveness ensured measures fell flat.
Even Yuk Jin-yang hadn't known the White Lotus Cult distributed it. It had become that ubiquitous. Tracing its origins was near impossible.
Rare elixirs retained their provenance, but weeds from the backyard? No one cared about their roots. It was the same principle.
'As time passes, the jianghu grows ever more precarious.'
The vague sense he'd felt since the Four Great Families' meeting sharpened into clarity.
The current jianghu martial world was the pinnacle of the ancient clans and the Great Ming Empire. Decay and corruption set in with time.
The Zhejiang Yuk Clan's expulsion from the Five Harmony Alliance proved it. After Yuk Mu-hyeok's death, disaster struck under his heir Yuk Seo. His grandson Yuk Ju-jin had even fully defected.
Perhaps they never filled the power vacuum that created.
Or maybe other reasons. Something graver than Prince Yan's rebellion.
"Youngest, sniff that powder wrong and you're in deep trouble?"
Won-yeong's light tone snapped him back. Yuk Jin-yang quickly exited the storage room with the others.
Yu-baek's treatment had worked well; the fainted prisoners' complexions looked decent.
Won-yeong spoke up.
"Let's head back."
It was time to return.
Even after leaving the cavern, the group was stuck for days. The Alliance warriors' injuries were too severe for long travel. They needed time to recover.
During their stay in Unhyeon, Ji-hyeon spared no hospitality. He opened the magistrate's warehouse and even dipped into his private funds for daily banquets and drinking parties.
"I wonder if this is alright."
One afternoon, warm sunlight bathed the ridgeline.
In the rear garden of the magistrate's office, the group enjoyed another lavish meal. Sipping wine atop a serene pavilion, admiring the view—it felt like an immortal's revelry.
Yet Yuk Jin-yang worried about Ji-hyeon's attitude. Not suspicion, but concern he might suffer backlash for such overt overtures.
"What is?"
Won-yeong, tilting her cup beside him, turned her head. Her cheeks were faintly flushed. Her posture relaxed. Far from circulating qi to dispel the alcohol, she was fully indulging.
A breeze toyed with Won-yeong's hair. The silvery strands gleamed brighter in the sunlight, captivating the eye.
Noticing his gaze, Won-yeong's lips curved gracefully.
"What, curious?"
"A bit, yes."
"It's the profound art of the Southern Yuan Clan. My hair turned silver young, and it upset me then. Now? I rather like it."
Fiddling with her hair, Won-yeong cocked her head.
"Anyway, what were you saying?"
"Isn't the hospitality excessive? It could give them pretext for an investigation."
"Our youngest worries a lot, huh?"
Won-yeong replied leisurely, toying with her cup.
"I doubt the Imperial Guards' eyes reach here. In normal times, maybe. But they're short-staffed now too."
"Quite right."
Ji-hyeon's voice came from right behind. He approached calmly and sat with the group.
"The court must be in chaos by now. General Gyeong Byeong-mun is marching north to clash with Prince Yan."
Yuk Jin-yang set down his chopsticks, face hardening.
Won-yeong's complexion had paled too, her earlier flush gone.
Even Yu-baek, feeding fish in the pond, drew near for details.
Ji-hyeon recited the intelligence he'd received, unconcerned with secrecy.
"General Gyeong's forces number around three hundred thousand. With reinforcements, likely five hundred thousand."
Overwhelming violence. A number showing the court's resolve.
Worried for the north, Yuk Jin-yang also found Ji-hyeon's candor odd. He pressed on.
"No word on the battle's outcome yet?"
"None."
"Just moving troops—does that mean anything?"
"Probably a warning. The court's view of local officials has soured lately."
Ji-hyeon snorted derisively.
"They're terrified of losing control over the provinces."
"Indeed. Recall the rebellion of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang in the Qin Dynasty. After the First Emperor's death, the six states' remnants rose. Who supplied their arms and grain?"
"Qin officials."
"Correct. When Second Emperor Huhai indulged in debauchery, neglecting state affairs, they abandoned the court. Not debauchery—the emperor abandoned his ministers."
An apt comparison, mirroring recent events like the late Qin-early Han.
"One doesn't need to rise alone for glory in chaotic times. Far more latch onto others for advancement. That's what the court fears."
Ji-hyeon gulped down his wine.
"And I? One such petty opportunist."
"Not afraid of five hundred thousand imperial troops?"
"No. I doubt the Alliance will sit idly by Prince Yan's fall."
Ji-hyeon grew bolder, voicing his sentiments on the emperor and court.
"If the sovereign abandons his vassals first, mustn't they seek their own paths?"
Yuk Jin-yang glanced at Won-yeong. Silent till now, she finally spoke.
"Planning to defect?"
"Yes. Though just a county magistrate, I fancy myself useful. Half-exiled to wander provinces, but once an Inner Cabinet scholar."
"We'll pass it along. But don't expect miracles. Even if accepted, nothing dramatic."
"Sufficient. They know my station well enough."
The next day, the group prepared to depart. Most wounded could walk. Heavies would go by stretcher.
Ji-hyeon saw them off personally.
"My name is Ha Won-gil. I'll await good tidings."