The Wisdom Flower's Great Flow
Sama Chun-bong believed every event in the world followed a grand, sweeping current. Or, to be more precise, she insisted that the world itself moved along a vast invisible flow, one that only a tiny handful of geniuses could perceive. And because Sama Chun-bong considered herself not merely part of that elite group but its foremost unrivaled supreme beauty, she naturally assumed that while others saw only isolated fragments of any incident, she alone could illuminate the greater tide connecting them all.
She had therefore collected every scrap of information from the Murim Tournament, cross-referenced it meticulously, and singled out those whose movements prior to the Kaifeng serial murders remained suspiciously vague. After focusing on the links between these individuals, she reached a single, inescapable conclusion: the entire group of rogue martial artists who had advanced to the main bracket was extraordinarily suspicious.
The reason was simple. After reaching the main tournament, these penniless beggars—who had previously spent every day bouncing between cheap eateries, drinking and carousing like there was no tomorrow—had suddenly severed all contact with the outside world. They had holed up inside the Murim Alliance, and every record of them leaving the premises had vanished without a trace.
In truth, Sama Chun-bong was genuinely intelligent. The title Wisdom Flower had not been granted lightly. It was not some half-hearted decision made simply because the Five Flowers of Murim each needed a distinguishing trait and someone had shrugged and said, “Well, she’s from the Sama clan, so strategy, right? Let’s just call her the Wisdom Flower.” No, she was a brilliant blossom of exceptional intellect. The name itself might have been a little rustic, but that was beside the point.
At a young age, and as a woman no less, she had taken on the role of Vice Strategist of the Murim Alliance. She handled her assigned duties with ridiculous ease and still had plenty of energy left over for her own schemes. Having accurately seized the tail of this incident, Sama Chun-bong let out a dark, sinister chuckle.
By revealing the truth behind this case, she would take a massive step toward her grand ambition of becoming the first female, and youngest-ever, Supreme Strategist of the Murim Alliance. And as it happened, the rogue warriors had recently resumed their visits to those cheap eateries. She had just received confirmation of that fact from the guards at the main gate today.
“Yes. It was strange from the very beginning,” Sama Chun-bong muttered like a madwoman. Of course, she firmly believed that vocalizing one’s deductive process was the mark of a true sage, which was why she constantly muttered to herself.
“No. It is impossible. This must be connected to some shadowy force attempting to plant spies within the orthodox Murim. Therefore, I, the Wisdom Flower Sama-rang, shall expose this vile and treacherous conspiracy and make my brilliant mind known throughout the world. Yes. Precisely.”
Her intentions and methods were utterly impure, but Sama Chun-bong had nevertheless pierced straight through to the truth. Dressed elegantly and even wearing makeup, she set out for the location in question. Even from outside the cheap diner called Yoo Yoo Eatery, the raucous noise of boisterous conversation spilled into the street.
“The beauty trap is practically the destined secret art of a woman born as a sage. Let us go, Sama-rang. To guide this world overflowing with fools using the light of wisdom, this Chun-bong shall endure the humiliation of flattering those pathetic creatures.”
To this solemn and grave monologue, a passing child offered his honest impression.
“Mom, mom. That big sister is talking to herself.”
“Shh. That’s not nice. Some people have headaches, you know. Tsk tsk. Such a pretty girl, too. What a shame.”
Having steeled her resolve, Sama Chun-bong reached for the noren curtain at the entrance, then froze.
“Wait. Can this be real? How strange. A trap, perhaps? How could anyone possibly eat in such a filthy pigsty? This is supposed to be a restaurant? Could it be a front company established by some shadowy organization? Suspicious. Highly suspicious.”
Sama Chun-bong hesitated for a moment. She had heard the mysterious rumor that the common people of the Central Plains could live for a month on just a few silver coins, but no matter how poor, dirty, or stupid they might be, she doubted even they would eat in such a disgusting place.
“No. I can do this. I must.”
For the peace of the Murim. No—for the honor of the Wisdom Flower!
“There is no such thing as a completely safe operation.”
With the resolve of one making a grand strategic decision, Sama Chun-bong carefully lifted the dirty noren curtain with an iron grip, taking extreme care not to let it touch her body as she infiltrated the suspicious establishment.
The eatery had already been completely taken over by the rogue warriors. The moment she entered, every eye in the place snapped toward her. Since her lower body had been hidden behind the curtain while she hesitated at the entrance, they had all been staring curiously to see who it was.
And so, when a woman as beautiful as a flower appeared—though her eyes were rather fierce and her gaze sharp enough to look somewhat vicious and wicked—the rogue warriors all dropped their jaws in unison.
Basking in their gazes to the fullest, Sama Chun-bong offered a polite greeting.
“Oh my. You must be the heroes of the Hidden Dragon Tournament… well, perhaps not quite heroes yet, but individuals with the potential to become renowned in the future… or maybe not even that. Um. You are the young masters, yes?”
At her rather polite greeting, the expressions of the rogue warriors grew subtle. What is this? Is she picking a fight?
“Excuse us, but who might you be, miss…?”
“Ah, yes. This girl is called Sama. The comrades of Murim, in their wisdom, have seen fit to call this unworthy one the Wise Flower, or Wisdom Flower.”
And then, one by one:
“The Wisdom Flower!”
“Sama Chun-bong!”
“The Threefold Beauty!”
Sama Chun-bong’s eyebrows angled even more sharply. Among those titles, the only ones she acknowledged were Wisdom Flower, Sama, and Beauty. Threefold Beauty was one of her many nicknames, and she detested it. With so many titles to her name, being called the Threefold Beauty implied only three areas of excellence, which was utterly ridiculous. It should have been Ten-thousand-fold Beauty or All-fold Beauty. Moreover, one of those three was her intellect while the other two were insulting jokes she refused to even think about.
A few other minor nicknames had been mixed in, but she deemed them unworthy of attention and pretended not to hear them. Originally, if Sama Chun-bong disliked something, she would simply act as if she had never heard it in the first place.
“You flatter me. Wisdom Flower is quite sufficient. Or you may call me Miss Sama.”
In response, Ma Young-jeon—the de facto leader of the unaffiliated martial artists and a high-level expert—asked on their behalf.
“Hmm. Though I apologize for being rude, are you truly her? You seem somewhat… different from what I had heard.”
“Yes. That was extremely rude.”
Sama Chun-bong snorted and continued.
“Since we will soon be part of the same orthodox Murim family, why would this Wisdom Flower deceive you? If you truly doubt me, you are welcome to visit the Military Affairs Department and request an audience with the Vice Strategist. Of course, humble individuals such as yourselves would never dare to do so.”
“Hmm. Your appearance is a bit different, but you certainly sound like the famously sharp-tongued Miss Sama.”
Her reputation as the greatest verbal assailant in the world was well-known, and her manner certainly fit the bill. Moreover, people said she was as fierce in appearance as she was with her words, so her villainous beauty was strangely convincing. As for her most distinctive feature, well… that was something one could hide if one wished.
“So then, what brings someone like you to a gathering of humble young masters like us?”
The rogue warriors’ reactions were rather chilly. Sama Chun-bong was taken aback. Why? Shouldn’t they be falling to their knees before this beauty, ready to lick the ground like dogs?
In truth, it was all because of Cheong. Had they not witnessed Cheong’s heavenly beauty, they might have thought, Well, a pretty girl can be a bit rude, I suppose, and let it slide. But after becoming friends with an even greater beauty, they felt no particular longing.
“Ahem. Ahem. This Wisdom Flower has always been rather direct in speech, so I hope you can understand with generosity. Truth is often bitter, after all.”
“Khm.”
“Now, now, there’s no need for that. Did I not come today specifically to congratulate you humble young masters on successfully becoming proper members of the orthodox Murim? It is truly like a dragon rising from a ditch. You won’t remain humble forever, will you? Though the probability is low.”
Her manner of speech was completely hopeless, but since she claimed to have come to celebrate, it was difficult to treat her coldly. Besides, the Wisdom Flower was widely considered the top candidate for the next Supreme Strategist of the Murim Alliance. This was an excellent opportunity to build a connection.
Ma Young-jeon swept his gaze over his comrades with exactly that intention. The rogue warriors also signaled their agreement with their eyes.
“This is a shabby place. We apologize.”
“It really is quite shabby, isn’t it?”
“……”
Nevertheless, they welcomed her warmly. She personally filled everyone’s cups, and despite her rude words, her behavior was polite and her face beautiful. When a woman of high status approached first to pour drinks, their initial displeasure melted away like snow.
This was the benefit of fame, they realized. They truly felt like they had become part of the orthodox Murim now. And so, with a surprisingly ordinary toast—“For all our success!”—they drained their cups, when—
“Oh my! Everyone, put down your cups immediately! The liquor is sour, reeks terribly, and tastes absolutely horrible! It would be better to drink dog urine! This is clearly poisoned!”
There was no way the liquor they had been drinking all along was suddenly poisoned.
“…We apologize. It is cheap liquor.”
“Good heavens. How is this possible? Just what kind of tragic life must one have lived to be able to drink this—this sewage water that doesn’t even deserve to be called liquor?”
“……”
The rogue warriors began to regret their decision. They should have just refused and kept drinking among themselves. However, that regret soon vanished.
“Haah. At this rate… Today, this Wisdom Flower shall teach you humble young masters from lowly origins what proper liquor truly tastes like. First, let’s discard this pigsty—whether by tearing it down or throwing it away—and go to a proper tavern.”
Her speech was utterly ruined, but the declaration that she would treat them was crystal clear. The rogue warriors burst into cheers in unison.
Sama Chun-bong smiled wickedly. As expected. Their origins were base and their minds simple, so they were easily led. Now was the time to dig out every truth related to the incident.
And Sama Chun-bong achieved her goal.
However, it would be unfair to call the rogue warriors loose-lipped. In truth, the only thing they revealed was ninety-nine percent praise for Cheong—stories they had already coordinated and embellished in advance. When a beauty buys expensive liquor and food while asking about the person you want to repay a favor to and shout praises for, well… Even if you feel like crying, if someone slaps your cheek, you have no choice but to say, “Sigh, this is a secret, but…”
----
Gongson Yoye seemed busy again today. Meanwhile, Namgung Sinjae and the Paeng siblings never seemed to have anything to do. Especially when Namgung Sinjae and Paeng Cho-ryo trained together, the heat of their training reached its peak. By the time the sun set, Cheong was already drenched in sweat.
Dang Nan-a, who was neither particularly busy nor idle, handed over a towel and grumbled.
“Ha. She’s still at it. Doesn’t she ever go home? Can she even walk properly yet?”
Moyong Juhee was still crouched in the corner by the wall, head buried between her knees. Her toenails hadn’t fully regrown yet, but the Tang Clan’s mysterious medicine had healed the wounds nicely. Having four molars pulled might sound like a lot, but since they were the innermost ones on the upper and lower jaws, it wasn’t particularly noticeable.
Seomun Su-rin had suggested that the Moyong clan ought to know about it, but Cheong had opposed the idea, saying it was something the person herself should decide. Everyone had things they didn’t want to reveal, and sometimes those things were even harder to tell family. Seomun Su-rin had stroked her head, saying she didn’t know how her disciple could have such a kind and thoughtful heart.
However, Dang Nan-a still found it extremely displeasing. Even if she had been tortured and suffered mental trauma, that didn’t give her the right to take it out on others. And why the chest, of all places? Come to think of it, perhaps it wasn’t the chest specifically, but because Moyong Juhee was the Golden Light Sword Flower that she had taken it out on her chest.
Cheong smiled awkwardly.
“Hmm? Moyong So-jeo? Don’t be like that. Moyong So-jeo is hurting, you know.”
“Hmph. Why don’t you show me that kind of devoted care?”
“Nan-a, you’re already past that stage. We’re old friends who share a true bond, aren’t we? Why would we stand on ceremony and act all stiff with each other? We’ve eaten together, bathed together, slept together—we’ve done it all.”
“Khm. Well, if you put it that way…”
Dang Nan-a turned her head in embarrassment. How can she say such things without even blushing?
That line of thought led Cheong to a sudden realization.
Dang Nan-a was one of the Five Flowers of Murim. So was Moyong Juhee. Jin Seol was incredibly revealing with her fashion, and while Cheong wanted to get closer to Seol I-ri, she hadn’t had the chance yet… Which meant one spot was still empty, wasn’t it?
“Hmm. Speaking of the Five Flowers, I haven’t met the one called the Wisdom Flower yet. What’s she like?”
“Her? Excess is worse than deficiency?”
“You mean the evaluation that having too much is worse than not having enough? Why?”
“No, that’s one of her nicknames.”
“What on earth is she like? What’s overflowing?”
“Her breasts, apparently. They say hers are this big.”
Dang Nan-a made a hugging motion around a tree. Her fingers barely met, indicating an enormous circumference.
“What? For real?”
“I’ve only heard about it. She hates it so much that she wraps them up so tightly she can barely breathe. I’ve only seen her twice, so in clothes she doesn’t look particularly… outstanding.”
She continued.
“Threefold Beauty. The three things she excels at are her head, and then these two places. They call her the Wisdom Flower, right? Wisdom Pouch, apparently. Pfft. She carries at least ten thousand volumes’ worth of wisdom. She knows it herself and hates it, so she always tells people to drop the ‘Wisdom’ and just call her Flower.”
“No, just how big are they that people say things like that?”
Hmm. Just what scale were they on for such rumors to spread? Hmm. I really want to see them. I want to see them so, so badly.
Cheong swallowed hard.