The White Point's Shadow
With her mouth agape, she froze, her eyes darting left and right like a lazy frog waiting for a fly to wander in. Then Mu-hak suddenly raised his voice.
"You, child, you, you!"
"Yes? Did I make a mistake? Ah, perhaps the ink hasn't dried properly and smudged—"
"That's not it. You know Sanskrit?"
Sanskrit was difficult. It was originally the script used by monks, and the monks of Tianzhu were true nobles who treated the common people like beasts of burden. Here, "beasts" was no mere insult—it meant actual filthy animals. If a commoner so much as brushed against a monk, they would be executed for the crime of a filthy beast defiling a priest. That was why the monks' language had to be special. Since filthy beasts must never dare to read or write it, the script had been deliberately made impossibly complex: Sanskrit.
For starters, there were no spaces. Not only that, but every sentence had to be written as a continuous string of characters, so the basic forms of the letters changed entirely depending on whether they appeared at the beginning, middle, or end of a word. This created horrifically complicated transformations, with different verbs and tenses for each subject, and nouns, verbs, and adjectives all having separate masculine, neuter, and feminine forms, plus singular, dual, and plural distinctions. On top of that, as a phonetic script, it had to be written exactly as it was pronounced. If one were to write the curse "You acted like a dick, you dick" in Sanskrit, it would become something like "Niga-jokkachi-gureotjjana-jokkatne."
Thus it was said that proper speech took ten years, reading alone took ten years, and writing took ten years. As a result, even the scholarly monks of Shaolin only began studying the Sanskrit scriptures after white frost had settled on their heads. For a twenty-year-old girl this year to be able to use it so cleanly was nothing short of astonishing.
Was she perhaps a princess of Tianzhu? Those large, protruding eyes that looked ready to pop out if poked did give off that sort of feeling. Or not? But her skin was as white as snow, so she clearly couldn't be from there.
"Ah, am I not supposed to use Sanskrit? Still, I added annotations for each sentence in Chinese……"
The original text was written in Sanskrit, with annotations in Chinese. The Sanskrit characters were distinct and clearly separated with no confusing parts, while each Chinese character seemed to pulse with inner power. The small, uniform script, as neat as if printed with movable type, was itself a remarkable feat. However, the content would need to be examined more carefully.
Mu-hak frowned.
"You didn't write your name as the compiler?"
"Is there any need to stamp my name on it? If it's something to be passed down through the generations, wouldn't it look strange to have an outsider's name plastered all over it?"
As she smiled gently, Mu-hak felt a sudden pang of embarrassment. She had no interest whatsoever in the honor of leaving her name in the Scripture Pavilion and being remembered forever as Shaolin's benefactor. Mu-hak had been seriously considering asking her to write a plaque right then and there. Just what were these characters that they stirred such base desires?
Of course, Cheong simply didn't know because she was an uneducated wench. Besides, it wasn't as if she'd obtained it through legitimate means, so it was embarrassing too.
"Here. Write this down. 'Disciple of the Goddess Sect, Seomun Cheong, has, through karmic connection, transmitted the techniques she learned to Shaolin for restoration.'"
Mu-hak thrust forward a fine brush and a portable ink bottle, urging her on. Unable to refuse, Cheong wrote the phrase, and Mu-hak watched, entranced, as the bold and vigorous calligraphy unfolded in real time.
When he received the book, Mu-hak straightened his robes, knelt, and respectfully accepted it with both hands. Cheong, startled, returned the courtesy as well. For that moment, the atmosphere was truly solemn.
"Here. It's a Great Rejuvenation Pill. For now, I've only brought one in case of emergency. I'll have the rest sent to the Goddess Sect through someone later."
"Hehe, giving me something like this……"
Even as she said that, she carefully tucked it away into her robes. Then a thought suddenly occurred to her.
"Ah, right. I heard women aren't allowed to enter Shaolin……"
"Do you wish to see Shaolin? But the precepts are strict. Even I cannot bend them."
Mu-hak wore an apologetic expression. But what was forbidden was forbidden. No matter how great a benefactor she was, he could not break Shaolin's greatest precept to entertain her.
"No, that's not what I meant. Then, does that mean women can't see the Sword-Carving Cliff either?"
"Ah, so you wish to see the Sword-Carving Cliff. That would be no problem. The Heavenly Emperor Mucheon carved it on the southern peak, separating it from the temple, precisely with this in mind. Come anytime and say so. I will guide you."
Mu-hak's expression brightened. Since Shaolin was located on the northern peak of Mount Song, women could freely come and go on the southern peak. It wasn't as if they could ban women from the entire vast expanse of Mount Song anyway.
"Thank you for your consideration."
"Think nothing of it. It is only proper to show the legacy to a hidden dragon who possesses the righteousness of the orthodox sects."
----
The Military Affairs Department of the Murim Alliance was a subordinate division where the brains of the alliance gathered. Originally, a military strategist referred to someone who led campaigns through military tactics and political strategy, but in these peaceful times of the Murim, there was no such need. Thus, they were simply the practical paperwork handlers who operated the Murim Alliance, a gathering of clever people.
The head of the Military Affairs Department was the Murim Alliance's Chief Strategist. Beneath the Chief Strategist were the Strategist Aide and Deputy Strategist, and beneath the Deputy Strategist were the Deputy Strategist Aide and Military Scribe positions. And the current Deputy Strategist Aide of the Murim Alliance was none other than the famous Wisdom Flower, Sama Chun-bong.
Wisdom Flower meant a wise flower with a bag of wisdom. She was a female strategist called a "wisdom bag" because it was said that all the wisdom of the world was contained within her. According to the evaluations from the Dragon-Phoenix Conference, her arrogance was excessive, making her difficult to deal with, and she was a very unpleasant opponent to certain factions. Also, her name was rather rustic. However, regardless of the Dragon-Phoenix Conference's politics, the evaluation from the Murim Alliance's Military Affairs Department was similar. They often nagged that her pride was too excessive.
However, there was a difference in that the Military Affairs Department treated Sama Chun-bong like a daughter or younger sister. Of course, they still thought her name was a bit rustic.
Sama Chun-bong did not accept this evaluation of her as arrogant, because she had never once put on airs in her entire life. Sama Chun-bong felt wronged. It wasn't that she was putting on airs—it was simply that her excellence was so overwhelming that it inevitably leaked out. Yes, it was a fragment of genius!
Well, how could ordinary people understand a genius? This outstanding self would have to endure it, wouldn't she?
And so today as well, the young super-genius super-beautiful girl (in her own opinion) Sama Chun-bong, as the next youngest Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance (in her own opinion), was diligently doing things she hadn't even been asked to do.
Investigating the Kaifeng serial murder case caused by the chain self-destructions of the Lonely Queen was one such task.
In Sama Chun-bong's view, this was clearly a very vicious conspiracy by some hidden force trying to plunge the peaceful Murim world into sorrow!
The Deputy Strategist called out to Sama Chun-bong, who was lost in her imagination.
"Hey, Chun-bong. Did you finish rearranging the seats for the final match?"
Sama Chun-bong suddenly turned her head.
"Oh my. A butterfly?"
"I'm asking if you finished……"
"This summer will be scorching. The butterflies are already powerless, so the world will be plunged into sorrow by the heat wave. What should we do?"
"Haa. Look here, Lady Sama. Did you finish rearranging the seats for the final match?"
Only then did Sama Chun-bong acknowledge him.
"Oh my. Did you really think I would spend even a moment on such trivial chores? I've already finished and submitted it, so please check."
"Is that so. If you've finished all your work, then adjust the win-loss odds or something. Or just leave for the day. Why are you hanging around?"
"Deputy Strategist, I was thinking of looking into the Kaifeng serial murder case a bit more."
"I told you to drop that case. Do you have so little to do? Then please, go to the Dragon-Phoenix Conference and mingle with your peers. Huh? Make some friends. Aren't you being ostracized?"
"Hmph. It's just that I don't associate with them. How could a phoenix mingle with sparrows?"
"That's an elitist attitude."
"An elitist attitude? I'm a very unpretentious genius with no such elitist attitude. Of course, the incompetent ones wouldn't recognize it."
The Deputy Strategist let out a deep sigh.
"Chun-bong."
"Oh my, the leaves are already drooping like this. This summer will be truly harsh."
"Lady Sama."
"Did you call me?"
"If you have nothing to do, go wash your feet and sleep."
At that, Sama Chun-bong shouted loudly.
"Aish, I'm saying I'll look into the Kaifeng serial murder case for you! This very body! The future Chief Strategist Sama Chun-bong! With an unparalleled brain!"
"You left out all the words you don't like. And wouldn't it be unfilial for you to do it when the Chief Strategist is perfectly fine?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Anyway, let's wrap up that case. What good would digging into it do when the Murim Tournament is in full swing? It was already neatly resolved with the Lonely Queen's unlimited self-destruction anyway."
"But! There's a hidden force behind it!"
"It was identified as the Blood Sect, wasn't it……"
"A massive conspiracy!"
"They discarded the secret line and withdrew……"
"This is an opportunity to resolve it and elevate the name of Strategist Sama Chun-bong!"
"Yeah. You only move when it benefits you. Hmph. Anyway, the Chief Strategist has already received the Alliance Leader's approval. Drop it."
Honestly, the Deputy Strategist didn't expect much even as he said this. It was because she was originally a girl who never listened to others.
"Hmph. There shouldn't be a problem with investigating it in my personal time, right? I've already caught their tail, so I'll resolve this case splendidly, clearly, and wisely!"
"No, the case is already resolved. Huh? What did you say, you caught their tail?"
Sama Chun-bong displayed a triumphant smile and declared confidently.
"Of course! Just watch! I'll thoroughly, in detail, and beautifully uncover the entire story of this incident!"
She wouldn't listen even if he tried to stop her anyway. The Deputy Strategist merely let out a deep sigh.
----
Black Point Guild Leader Jang Eun-chae ground her teeth at the mysterious Eon Yeonyeong impersonator, but she couldn't properly express that resentment. Because bad news kept pouring in one after another.
"This fucking shit! What the hell is White Point! Have those demonic cult bastards gone crazy!? What kind of scheme is this!?"
All the Black Point branches in northern and western Gansu Province had been destroyed, and their places had been completely taken over by people calling themselves White Point.
White Point's logic was simple. White Point protects merchants. White Point protects customers. White Point kills human scum. They caught human traffickers, fences, and producers, processors, and distributors of human flesh on sight, stripped them naked, and tied them up in the streets. Then they carved the charges—human trafficker, fence, cannibal, contract killer, etc.—onto their bodies. Passersby would throw stones for fun, brand them with fire, or beat them with clubs.
As a result, the underground markets in the northwestern Central Plains were on the verge of extinction. They had charged in, shouting that these bastards dared to touch Black Point and encroach on their territory, only to be annihilated without even toppling a single flag when renowned demonic cult experts suddenly appeared en masse.
In other words, it was the work of the demonic cult bastards! Though they hadn't seemed to have any intention of hiding it in the first place.
Now Black Point had been destroyed in the southeastern Central Plains, and the northwestern region as well.
"If you remove all the underground market stuff, why would customers even come! If they want to run a normal marketplace, people would just go to the neighborhood market—who would bother seeking out White Point!"
Jang Eun-chae shouted.
The reason the Black Market had flourished was because it was a place where hard-to-obtain and officially prohibited goods could be traded. Or so she had thought.
"Apparently it's thriving beyond expectations. In White Point's territory, even martial artists must show courtesy to customers, and they say that in the name of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, they will never forgive any violations, so merchants are flocking there, and the merchants themselves are the same."
White Point protects merchants. White Point protects customers. They would kill human scum, which included those who ran off with goods without paying and scammers. As a mediator for both sides, they guaranteed safe and comfortable transactions, so whether customers gathered because merchants gathered or merchants gathered because there were many customers, business was going extremely well.
"Fuck! Why! Why me! Why is this happening! Why are they doing this to me!"
"For now, it seems you should lie low and hide. There are rumors that assassins have been looking for the Guild Leader lately……"
Requests could succeed or fail. But a request that was impossible to succeed from the start, one that pushed someone into a deadly situation, was a form of fraud. And Jang Eun-chae had already had her name properly added to the assassins' kill list.
"Ha. Fuck. Just watch. Did you think I'd sink like this? I clawed my way up from the back alleys to snatch the position of Black Point Guild Leader. I won't die like this. Ha. I'll bow my head for now, but if an opportunity shows itself……"
Jang Eun-chae muttered ominously. Of course, whether an opportunity would come or not was something no one could know.