The Mountain Spirit Spade
When martial artists thought of Hubei Province, the first name that rose to mind was the Wudang Sect. To ordinary folk, however, the most famous place was naturally the provincial capital itself—Wuhan.
East Lake, the vast body of water lying east of the city, was especially renowned. Its scenery was so exquisite that countless poets had left their verses behind in praise of it. Because the lake also connected to the Yangtze, commerce thrived, and Wuhan was forever overflowing with people.
Settlements naturally formed not only within the city walls but outside them as well, and among those outer dwellings stood a famous manor. Its renown came from producing the finest medicinal herbs in all of Wuhan. One could purchase the highest-grade materials there, and the refining techniques used to process them were peerless; wealthy men of means came and went without end. For that reason it was known as the Hubei Medicine King Manor.
Its lord was Chae Geon-a—the very man who had spearheaded the revival of the Chosan Assembly.
“Today is the final meeting.”
Breakfast had ended, and the morning still held a brief stretch of leisure. Men who had been exhausted to the bone only the day before gathered once more in the central pavilion of the village. Everyone arrived on time, yet none of them looked upon the outcome of the conference with any real hope.
Still, they attended to the very end for a reason.
I must find a suitable partner and found a new organization.
Each man nursed a different dream.
“Shall we begin?”
As always, it was Chae Geon-a who announced the start of the meeting.
“Lord Chae. Why not keep it short today and reach a conclusion?”
The northern overseer, who commanded the greatest force among them, twitched thick eyebrows that resembled a tiger’s as he made the proposal.
“Very well.”
When Chae Geon-a agreed at once, the others exchanged puzzled glances—then nodded as if they understood.
He’s given up at last.
He’s done all he can. Time to quit.
Everyone assumed Chae Geon-a had abandoned the cause. Sensing it, the tiger-browed man rose first.
“To rebuild the Chosan Assembly we need a powerful ally and a solid force. You all know I am the one who meets those conditions. Entrust me with that responsibility. In return I promise that in one year’s time we will formally elect a new Assembly Lord.”
“What guarantee is there that the election a year from now will be fair?”
The southern overseer countered at once. A mole near the corner of his mouth drew the eye; he was the largest medicinal merchant in the south. His gathered strength fell short of the north’s, yet in capital and connections he was by no means inferior.
Naturally the two of them clashed hardest, and every negotiation had ended in deadlock. Today was no different.
“Are you questioning me now?”
“If we ally with a martial force we become nothing more than their lackeys. That is not revival—it is subjugation.”
“The Green Forest are mountain folk like us. What of you, who have taken the hand of the Golden Dragon Merchant Guild? You will only fatten their purses, not ours—is that not obvious?”
“How dare you call Green Forest the same as us! How can you equate us with mountain bandits who rob others for a living!”
The western overseer had allied with several unorthodox coalitions, foremost among them the Black Wind Corps. The eastern overseer was the only one who still sat relatively pure. Both were weak, and so both were forced to choose a side. If they returned empty-handed they would have nothing to say to the people who had trusted them.
The same held true for the central overseer, Chae Geon-a.
“Enough, both of you.”
Even Chae Geon-a’s attempt to restrain them failed; the quarrel only grew louder.
“You mean to hand us over to bandits!”
“Has the Golden Dragon Guild ever treated us fairly? They drive down the price of herbs! They call our goods inferior for no reason and slash the value! And you want us to cooperate with men like that?”
Bang!
At last Chae Geon-a slammed his palm onto the table and rose. Because he had always shown a mild face until now, the other four were understandably startled.
“I see neither of you has any real interest in rebuilding the Chosan Assembly.”
“Lord Chae! What are you—”
“What nonsense is this!”
Thud.
Without a word Chae Geon-a set an object upon the table. Time itself seemed to freeze. Then the eastern overseer—white-haired and oldest of them all—hurriedly dropped to his knees.
“We serve the green mountains! We follow the earth! The breath of the mountains guides us! One with our comrades, we live and die like the wind!”
It was the slogan of the Chosan Assembly.
“The Lord’s sacred relic…”
The western overseer also fell to his knees and bowed.
The Mountain Spirit Spade.
It had belonged to the previous Assembly Lord. Because it had never been used as a weapon, it remained clean and gleaming—and that luster was unchanged even today.
“Is this truly the Mountain Spirit Spade?”
“Confirm it yourselves.”
He had verified it several times the night before; he could speak with certainty. In the end the northern and southern overseers examined the inscriptions with their own eyes and likewise knelt.
Chae Geon-a surveyed the room once, then took the Mountain Spirit Spade in his hand.
“The Assembly Lord said this: ‘He who holds the Mountain Spirit Spade has been chosen to convey my words—obey him as you would obey me. But if he issues unreasonable commands, he is our enemy, and you must cut him down without fail.’”
The Spade thus carried two meanings: successor—or executioner.
Chae Geon-a issued his command.
“I have received the Mountain Spirit Spade. Begin the verification.”
“Why did you not tell us sooner?”
“I will take no questions. On the authority of the Mountain Spirit Spade I hereby declare the reconstruction of the Chosan Assembly. If you judge this order illegitimate, then by the Lord’s own command—execute me.”
At the wholly unexpected declaration every mouth closed.
“You have until midnight tonight. After that I will entertain no further objections.”
With those words Chae Geon-a left the hall, Spade in hand.
Back in his quarters, Chae Geon-a let out a long breath that felt as though it expelled a century of dust.
“Haaah…”
The tension he had held so tightly finally snapped; even his legs trembled.
“My lord!”
Supported by a retainer, he barely managed to sink into a chair—and saw Ja Gangcheon standing before the bed.
“I did exactly as you advised.”
“Anyone overhearing that would get the wrong idea. I only said I supported the reconstruction of the Chosan Assembly. The method was entirely yours and your man’s.”
“True enough.”
Ja Gangcheon’s expression remained easy.
“Now it’s time for the next stage.”
“Will it work this time as well?”
“If the two of you have heads about as good as Cheongu’s, it will succeed.”
“Who is Cheongu?”
“Ah. A friend of mine, and the chief manager of my manor. If he were here things would have been easier—pity he isn’t.”
The plan they were about to execute had been drawn up by Chae Geon-a and his retainer. It rested, however, on a single premise.
Draft the plan on the condition that I can defeat every person present and that I will never betray Lord Chae.
They had built the scheme under that condition, yet even looking back it still felt like a reckless gamble.
Should I stop even now?
He fretted, yet the step had already been taken; there was no turning back. Evening arrived while the worry still sat in his chest.
“There’s a lot of talk circulating outside. I think it’s time we start.”
Ja Gangcheon approached Chae Geon-a.
“Act with confidence. Nothing will endanger you, my lord.”
Honestly, looking only at Ja Gangcheon’s age, the words inspired little trust. The next sentence, however, left them no choice but to follow.
“If you have a better method, use that instead.”
At that, Chae Geon-a and his retainer forced themselves to believe.
There is no other way.
Sometimes a single remaining choice is enough to erase all hesitation.
Ja Gangcheon stepped outside and, unlike the tense Chae Geon-a, carried out the plan without the slightest hesitation. In the exact center of the village—right in the open square before the pavilion where the meeting had been held—he dragged three chairs into place. When he coolly claimed one and sat, every eye naturally turned toward him.
“Who are you?”
The tiger-browed man, still sour from the earlier proceedings, strode up.
“I’m Lord Chae’s escort.”
“You? An escort?”
Tiger-brow barked a laugh of pure disbelief and glanced around. The men at his back wore the same expression.
“I wondered what made Lord Chae suddenly change his mind… so he placed his trust in you, did he?”
Open mockery was directed straight at Chae Geon-a.
“He always acted pure as a solitary crane. Well then, let’s hear it. A young fellow like you must have some special story.”
“A story? I do. I intend to help rebuild the Chosan Assembly and buy the medicinal herbs we need.”
“A merchant guild?”
“Just a medicine house that makes elixirs.”
“So in the end you came for profit as well.”
“That’s right. Unlike you, though, I don’t intend to pocket only my own share.”
“What did you just say?”
“I’ve written down the goods I want and the prices I’ll pay. I have a purpose, yes—but I never planned to enjoy special privileges the way you do.”
Ja Gangcheon openly displayed the contract terms he desired for all to see. He had moved in order to overcome a crisis; he had no intention of driving the prices down unfairly.
“Is that really all?”
The offered price for the herbs was only one-tenth lower than what they had previously sold for—yet the volume was enormous. At that scale the price was more than reasonable, and it was a full three-tenths higher than what the Chosan Assembly’s herb-gatherers currently received from the merchant guilds. That alone proved how much the guilds had been gouging them.
“There. I’ve proven my intent. Now it’s your turn, uncle.”
“I too have nothing to be ashamed of. In fact I can grant that young man everything he wants, so stop meddling in others’ affairs and step aside.”
“Seems to me the one meddling in others’ affairs is you, uncle.”
“What?”
Ja Gangcheon looked past the tiger-browed man to the figure standing behind him.
“That uncle over there is from the Green Forest. And beyond the fence there will be even more of them.”
“There’s a Green Forest stronghold nearby, that’s all. They’re here to protect every one of us—you should be grateful.”
“I’m asking why the Green Forest is guarding the Chosan Assembly at all. By your own words they’re outsiders.”
Ja Gangcheon gave the sharp-eyed middle-aged Green Forest man a sidelong glance, then returned his attention to the tiger-browed overseer.
“Or did you hire the Green Forest yourself? In that case they should obey your orders, correct?”
The Green Forest man’s face twisted.
“No? Don’t tell me the Green Forest is controlling you instead.”
“Nonsense! We are equal partners in every respect!”
“Is that so? Then you must know exactly how many Green Forest men are nearby.”
“Why in the world am I even having this conversation?”
At last the tiger-browed man exploded. The moment he did, the light in Ja Gangcheon’s eyes turned ice-cold.
“Answer me. How many Green Forest men do you think are out there? I’m giving you a chance right now.”
Killing intent thickly layered the low voice. A heavy pressure settled over the gathering and forced silence upon it. In that stifling stillness only Ja Gangcheon spoke freely.
“Speak.”
Under the relentless prodding the tiger-browed man snapped, voice rising.
“A hundred or so! That many would be needed to protect this place, wouldn’t they?”
He still did not understand why he was answering, yet he raised his voice simply to cast off the oppressive weight.
“Just as I thought—you lied.”
“What did I lie about?”
“Not you. The bastard behind you.”
Ja Gangcheon stated the reason for the question.
“The number I confirmed is five hundred.”
“What?”
“Far too many for mere escorts—unless the plan is to seize every single person here.”
“Insane nonsense!”
The tiger-browed man spun around. The Green Forest man who had come with him offered no denial; he simply fixed Ja Gangcheon with a freezing glare.
“The little brat has a long tongue.”
With that single line the tiger-browed overseer finally realized what he had done.
“Did a half-dead Chosan Assembly truly expect to stand as equals with our Green Forest? We will kindly give you time to grow nicely under our shade. That is a promise specially made by the Chief Escort Master himself.”
“That is not what you said!”
“We said we would help, and we are helping. Did we promise anything else?”
The tiger-browed man could only tremble; no words came. Then another figure stepped forward.
“The Chosan Assembly does not desire the Green Forest’s aid. Leave this place at once.”
It was Chae Geon-a.
“You strut far too boldly for a man trusting a single greenhorn. Must blood be spilled before you understand?”
“We have no intention of standing with those who steal what belongs to others.”
Those were words one must never speak to a Green Forest man. Being actual bandits, they flew into a rage the moment they were called bandits.
“You dare!”
As expected the Green Forest man moved, his hand shooting toward Chae Geon-a’s throat. In the sudden assault no one else could even react.
Tak.
That hand was seized by another and stopped dead in midair.
“Think carefully about what you just tried to do.”
Crack!
Ja Gangcheon twisted the Green Forest man’s arm and shattered it.