The Viper Basks in the Hot Springs
You told me to come out and play, didn't you? To Jayu, it was as if he had already died once. If not for Cheong, he would have burned to death somewhere amid the flames, or been slaughtered by soldiers beforehand. Even if he had been extraordinarily lucky, the odds of a frail scholar surviving the wild mountains and escaping alive were practically zero.
Why did things turn out this way? Jayu ground his teeth once more.
There was no chance the information about his secret mission to Guangxi Province to seek allies had leaked from the Deokhyun Prince's residence. He had already enforced strict discipline after the Sichuan incident. He had also delayed revealing his departure for as long as possible. Therefore, even if spies still lurked within the Deokhyun Prince's residence, the Emperor would not have had enough physical time to mobilize the northern troops and set up an ambush.
Yet there was one person who had known about Jayu's covert journey well in advance: Susi Chinwang in Nanning.
Susi Chinwang must have reported Jayu's secret mission to the imperial court, and the court, seeing an opportunity, had driven the troops forward. Considering the time required to mobilize an army, he had to have sent the message the instant he received the letter, without a moment's hesitation.
Jayu had clearly included a grave warning in his letter: His Majesty's attitude was extremely dangerous, and he could not guarantee the lives of the princes.
Had some lingering loyalty to the Emperor remained? Or had Susi Chinwang simply assumed that in the barren border province of Guangxi, with its sparse population, the Emperor would not bother touching him and had viewed the matter as someone else's problem?
If so, Jayu would simply have to make certain it was no longer someone else's problem.
Jayu was already half a traitor. In Sichuan he was manufacturing gunpowder, while the Tang family poured out ever stronger shells—poisoned shells, glowing shells, and other powerful explosive rounds.
But he could not simply sit and die. If the Emperor desired his death, he could not meekly surrender his life. To survive, he had no choice but to bare his thorns.
Older Brother Susi, why don't you have a taste of treason yourself? It's more comforting than you think.
However, if Susi Chinwang was truly colluding with the imperial family, entering Nanning without precautions would be dangerous. He would either hide somewhere and wait for his subordinates from the royal residence, or boldly ensure that every citizen of Nanning learned of Prince Deokhyun's visit so no one would dare touch him recklessly.
This was precisely why Jayu had received a massive collective greeting from the Sadoryeon upon his surprise appearance at the new year.
To the people of the Central Plains, watching martial artists fight was the light and salt of life—the most delightful entertainment imaginable.
Thus the Nanning citizens who had been trailing behind the Sadoryeon, watching the situation, ended up paying their respects to Jayu alongside the Sadoryeon warriors.
Thanks to that, news of Jayu's arrival spread throughout Nanning.
The Sadoryeon bastards, who had looked ready to fight to the death, all bowed deeply in unison. Then, while still kneeling, they listened to his blessings before stupidly withdrawing.
It had not been Jayu's intention, but as a result the Sadoryeon became quite the laughingstock.
Salt Gang Leader Yo Hwan-cheol was beside himself with anxiety now that a major obstacle blocked his lifelong ambition.
The leaders of the three combat units could not possibly act arrogantly toward a prince either.
The only thing that kept bothering them was old Bo-yeol of the Sasa-ui Medical Academy, who kept chuckling slyly while saying something interesting would happen soon.
"What exactly is this interesting event? Let's enjoy it together."
"You'll know when you see it. It's no fun if you know beforehand. Hehe. If I must give a hint, it would be that a viper that quietly seeps into the bed is the dangerous one."
At that the unit leaders' faces soured. The hint might as well have been a full confession. It meant he had bribed someone or was attempting to administer poison through some means, and with near certainty of success.
Incidentally, that lethal viper—the snake that was supposed to quietly seep into the bed—was currently enjoying a hot spring bath with its fangs hidden.
And it planned to keep enjoying itself tomorrow and the day after, using recovery from injury as an excuse.
Sluuuurp.
"That bastard Deokhyun!"
The man with drooping eyebrows that gave him an especially frail appearance exploded in frustration.
Physiognomy is statistics. Considering that a person's face gradually sets into the expressions they most often make, even a layman could guess that Susi Chinwang's nature was timid and weak-willed.
That was why he had fallen out of the previous emperor's favor to begin with.
"If you're going to die, die alone! Why drag me into it!"
"Your Highness. You must make a decisive move."
The man beside him was the Provincial Administrative Commissioner of Guangxi Province.
A provincial commissioner was originally the highest authority in a province. But in a province ruled by a prince, he was a powerless figurehead who could do nothing on his own discretion—even needing permission to breathe.
Thus the commissioner of Guangxi, whose authority had been completely stripped away, rather liked it. Being a figurehead was the best! This was the universal opinion of all commissioners.
With no duties or responsibilities, receiving a massive salary, and only needing to greet the prince and act as an advisor—it was the sweetest of sinecures.
"Decisive move?"
"When the Hegemon-King held a banquet for the Founder of Han, if Fan Zeng's scheme had succeeded, the ruler of the world would have changed."
It referred to Xiang Yu inviting Liu Bang to a welcoming banquet in order to kill him. But Liu Bang, sensing the intent, had prostrated himself and flattered him to an absurd degree—calling him brother, offering anything, even licking the dust from his shoes.
Seeing this, Xiang Yu decided there was no need to kill such a pathetic flatterer. Inviting and then killing someone so base would only damage his own reputation.
That scene of ministerial loyalty contests, sword dances, and clashing wits is considered one of the finest moments in the Chu-Han Chronicles.
It holds a position similar to the Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
The commissioner's "decisive move" referred to this exact scene. Since the prince had come to Nanning, invite him. And then dispose of him.
"Hmm, that seems a bit much."
"Your Highness, Prince Deokhyun has already fallen completely out of His Majesty's favor. Haven't you heard that the fire demon descended? Do you think the fire demon came for no reason? You know what kind of man His Majesty is—if he decides to act, he acts."
The last remark was euphemistic, but it essentially meant You know how nasty that bastard's temper is, right? Getting dragged in and earning the same hatred would not end with a mere fire demon.
A shadow fell across Susi Chinwang's face.
"I only wanted to live quietly."
Why had he volunteered to go to the remote border of Guangxi? Simply to preserve his life and live in peace.
If he had known, he should have asked for Yunnan or Qinghai. Still, those places were truly too remote and rural, so he had chosen Guangxi as the most livable option.
"Prepare a banquet and send an invitation. But the invitation..."
At that, deep wrinkles formed on Susi Chinwang's brow.
Did he really have to send an invitation for the man to come?
No matter how much he had reported to His Majesty, he had never imagined the Emperor would mobilize even a fire demon to kill him.
He had only expected a warning at worst, or to be dragged to the capital and confined somewhere like the Namgung family.
Yet the man had entered his brother's house without showing his face, without sending a single letter of greeting. He had not even considered what he himself had done, and Susi felt unreasonably resentful.
Thus an invitation flew to Prince Deokhyun.
I'm sick from drinking, so I can't attend. Kkuk, sorry.
The reply that returned was this.
The writing was rather ornate and polite, yet if summarized it all came down to a single line.
This bastard!
Susi Chinwang's face twisted violently.
Mun Jeong-yeok secretly sought out Jo Gwang-ang.
"Hey, Pilpae Byeongbeop."
"Ahem. What is it? Are there mosquitoes in winter now?"
Jo Gwang-ang pretended not to hear.
Mun Jeong-yeok spoke again with a sour expression.
"Hey, Jo Gwang-ang."
"What do you want?"
"Are you going to be this petty? Refusing to accept the outcome?"
The bet had been a victory for Bokju Je-il-geom Mun Jeong-yeok.
A few days later, there was no longer any need to post guards at every entrance of the Gyerim Sword Sect, large or small.
The soldiers of Guangxi were standing watch in their place.
If it were a fake prince, there would be no reason for soldiers to be spread throughout the Gyerim Sword Sect as escorts.
"By the circumstances, it's close to the real thing, but it hasn't been clearly confirmed as genuine, has it?"
"Why does the military text say to insist you didn't lose even when you did? I didn't think Sunzi was such a petty man."
"In war one should not—"
"Enough. What does that beloved military text of yours say? When you've invested time and effort and are on the verge of capturing the prize, only for some unrelated bastard to snatch it at the last moment."
"Hmm."
Jo Gwang-ang recalled the military texts he had read. But while they taught how to become the unrelated bastard and swallow the prize just before capture, they did not teach how to defend against such tricks.
"Hmph. The military texts are all useless."
"No, there is the Wu-Yue alliance! The Wu-Yue alliance exists!"
Jo Gwang-ang suddenly shouted.
It meant enemies from Wu and Yue riding in the same boat—temporarily joining forces against a common enemy.
"That old man Bo-yeol is obviously planning poison. A viper that secretly seeps into the bed is dangerous, you say? But if you know about the viper in advance, it's not scary at all."
"So, should we warn the Gyerim Sword Sect?"
"What's there to stop us? Have someone send an anonymous letter. Who would know who sent it? Once you prepare for poison, there's nothing to fear."
It sounded reasonable.
But Mun Jeong-yeok soon shook his head.
"On second thought, is there really any need to go that far? We're on the same side anyway, so we can yield a little credit. And even if we prevent the poisoning, the prince will still remain here. It's not as if we have any real solution. I'll just drink with the men and head back."
"What? Aren't you frustrated? It's not like we called in some idle person for a mission. If I can't have it, no one can. I can't just let this go. No, I won't."
Jo Gwang-ang ground his teeth.
"Well, you're still better than that old man Bo-yeol. So I'll pretend I didn't hear anything. I didn't hear a thing. What were we talking about?"
At that, Mun Jeong-yeok inwardly cheered and carefully hid his sly intentions.
Simple fool. One little push and he's jumping all over the place.
A deadly viper had infiltrated the Gyerim Sword Sect!
Moreover, it carried Blood Death Poison—one of the more famous extreme poisons that occasionally appeared on the list of the Ten Great Poisons under Heaven.
A horrific toxin that caused the body to rot while still alive.
Thus that viper was currently enjoying a hot spring bath with an innocent, unsuspecting senior sister.
For ten whole days, no less.
It was a truly diligent record of perfect attendance.
"Hyung-nim! Aren't you tired of the hot springs yet? As expected, for a martial artist it has to be mountains! When it comes to mountains, it's Cheongsu-san! When it comes to Cheongsu-san, it's Nanning! Shouldn't you loosen those melted, itchy muscles?"
"Nah, I'm not going. I'm not tired of it at all."
"Is that so..."
U Na-ram was unusually dejected.
It was a rare sight that would shock the disciples of the Gyerim Sword Sect if they saw it.
"I'm a patient, you know. A patient."
"Cheongsu-san is perfectly fine! The highest peak is less than a hundred zhang—it's just a low hill! It will definitely help with Hyung-nim's rehabilitation!"
"Hmm. I appreciate the thought, but..."
For over ten days U Na-ram had stuck to her like glue, unable to stay still.
Even in the hot spring she swam about with great splashes, and when she left the water she would swing her arms and legs, demonstrating martial forms. When her body cooled in the winter air she would dive back in and swim again.
Seeing this temperament, she clearly enjoyed hiking.
Leaving the cloud-wrapped mountains to the west and suggesting a mere hill was her way of considering Cheong's injuries.
But hiking was a bit much. Especially low mountains.
There was no reason to seek out low mountains in the Central Plains, because even in Cheong's homeland the terrain might be gentle but the scenery was superb.
Whether it was from ten days of playing and eating, the excellent efficacy of the hot springs, or Cheong's body simply possessing absurd recovery speed, the swelling in her side had gone down by half.
If she rested another fifteen days like this, the injury would likely heal completely.
Her eyesight had also recovered enough that she could read text at close range.
"In about ten days I'll be fully healed. What did you call it? Damingshan?"
"You know Damingshan! Damingshan means Nanning! Nanning means Damingshan! And then we go further south to Yiling Rock! If you don't see Yiling Rock, you can't say you've truly visited Nanning!"
"Yeah, yeah. Once my body is completely healed, let's do everything our Na-ram wants to do."
Cheong, officially twenty-one years old this year, spoke.
To which U Na-ram, officially thirty, answered enthusiastically.
"Yes! Hyung-nim! This girl will wait for that day with her neck stretched out!"
And so another day passed. Cheong returned to the Gyerim Sword Sect with wrinkled hands and feet, giggling all the way.
What greeted Cheong upon entering the guest hall was yet another letter from the Sasa-ui Medical Academy.
Just when are you going to keep your promise? Do I truly have to reveal your identity to the entire world?
Cheong snorted. Reveal it if you want, or don't.
She tossed the letter into the brazier with a plop.