The Howling Curse and the Cold Tea
On the hill overlooking the plains sat one sack of rations and two hammers. Cheong asked in a voice brimming with laughter, "Why are you crawling out from under a woman's bed like a rat? Isn't the lecherous demon your senior brother?"
"T-That is..."
Cheong looked down at Hammer fidgeting helplessly and added one more word.
"Answer."
It was a truly manly statement. A real man conveys his will in a single word. Overwhelmed by that force, Hammer slammed his forehead to the ground at once.
"I have committed a sin deserving of death!"
Among the warriors of the Jin Family, some wore unusually refreshed expressions. They looked light and unburdened, as if they had cast off a heavy load, like men greeting a bright new morning.
And because they felt so refreshed, screams—not mere cries but true screams—echoed far and wide that night from the Civil Engineering Fairy's shrine.
Those who quickly bought the drinks and listened to the tale then took their turn, saying "Hey, did you hear about that?" while offering to buy the next round. Of course, plenty of people simply eavesdropped on other tables without spending a single coin.
That was exactly why, in the Central Plains, a rumor could spread through an entire city in a single day.
As a side note, rumors rarely traveled beyond city walls. First, the person carrying the story had to actually leave the city. Besides, people weren't all that curious about news from other neighborhoods, and the storyteller found it difficult to make the tale interesting.
There was a shaman in our neighborhood who served the Civil Engineering Fairy—the one who worships the warrior Xiang Yu—but before that, I should tell you about the Jin Family tragedy. It went like this...
Anyway, the topic burned hot with talk of the Civil Engineering Fairy versus the Jin Family curse. Before long, betting tables sprang up everywhere, with people wagering on whether the fairy or the curse would prevail. Such was the way of the Central Plains.
With so many idle people chattering noisily during this idle winter, it was only natural that the news reached Salwol-pa.
"What the hell? Fuck! Call Wang U over here, that son of a bitch!"
The moment Salwol-pa General Manager Wang U stepped inside, an inkstone flew at his head.
Dodge it? Or take it?
Wang U hesitated for a split second, then simply tucked his neck in and braced for impact. An inkstone wasn't a brick; it was something he could endure.
Crash!
An inkstone was the vessel that held the water for grinding ink. Naturally it had been full, so the liquid inside sprayed everywhere as the stone shattered.
Right after came Lee Wang-chul's blue-faced roar of fury.
"You! You bastard! What the hell are you doing? I told you to go handle it yourself! Now that you're general manager your ass has gotten too heavy to move? Since when do you only send the damn brats while you sit on your hands?"
"...My apologies."
Wang U lowered his head. The water that had soaked his hair trickled down his forehead, gathered at the tip of his nose, and dripped steadily.
Even though Wang U was a respectable expert, his tough scalp didn't split from a mere inkstone, but the feeling was still utterly disgusting.
If self-improvement books existed in the Central Plains, Lee Wang-chul wouldn't have pulled such a stupid stunt. Questioning subordinates this way only bred resentment and rebellion; there was no chance they would truly reflect.
Anyone from Cheong's homeland would understand. Countless office workers thought Fuck, this is disgusting yet endured it because they had to eat and live. If imagination could kill, more than a few would have died a thousand times over in their own heads.
So Wang U felt genuinely upset. Quite apart from having disobeyed orders, this kind of interrogation accomplished nothing.
Fuck. Isn't this honestly too much? He had lost seven of his own brothers, yet instead of comfort he received this shabby treatment. Moreover, the boss knew perfectly well how much he cherished Hammer. The strategist Bang's faction was already growing steadily. At a time like this, when his right arm had lost an arm, shouldn't he at least offer some consolation?
"Please calm yourself, Sect Leader. The general manager must have issued orders to a trustworthy subordinate. Isn't that right, General Manager Wang?"
"...It is."
Wang U wondered for the briefest moment why this bastard was taking his side, but the thought lasted only a second. The man was pretending to help while quietly stabbing him in the back.
"He sent seven men and not one returned. Doesn't that suggest the enemy was no pushover? It's possible even General Manager Wang would have been defeated. Of course, if the general manager had gone personally the outcome might have differed. If his skills were lacking he would have died. If they were outstanding he would have succeeded. Yet the fact that he remains safe suggests he was preserving his own life, doesn't it?"
"Ha! He should have gone and died instead! Get out! I don't even want to look at you!"
Wang U burned with a sense of injustice and rage.
After the general manager withdrew, Lee Wang-chul grabbed the strategist Bang Jeom-myeong.
"Listen, Strategist Bang. Was that Civil Engineering Fairy bitch truly such a high-level expert? It couldn't be that she has some master or sect behind her seeking revenge, could it?"
Only after poking the hornet's nest and failing did the Murim proverb come to mind: in the Murim, one must be careful.
However, Bang Jeom-myeong shook his head.
"More likely, the Jin Family intervened."
"What? Then that means the Jin Family bastards have noticed our scheme!"
"There is no particular need to worry."
"They must have already harbored suspicions from the start. Now they've obtained physical evidence, but what can they actually do? You know nothing about this, Sect Leader, correct?"
"Hmm?"
"Wasn't it General Manager Wang acting on his own initiative? Did you order it, Sect Leader? Or did I?"
Lee Wang-chul's face lit up with understanding.
"That's right!"
It wasn't something I ordered. Wang U made his own judgment and acted arbitrarily.
"We can resolve this favorably by handing over General Manager Wang. We can no longer use the curse, but we've already enjoyed its benefits thoroughly."
Then Strategist Bang let out a sinister giggle.
"The Jin Family cannot attack us anyway."
"Why not?"
"The Jin Family has no warriors. Even if only their direct-line experts come, there are only about ten of them. If they attack, the Jin Family will certainly be destroyed."
"Then won't we be destroyed as well?"
"Didn't the Geumjeok-bang and Gwangju Seonbang join the operation together? If three prestigious families of the Unorthodox Faction combine their strength, what can the Jin Family Head do even if he is a master of the Harmonious Realm?"
"But if the Murim Alliance moves in response..."
"At that time you must trust our Sadoryeon. The Sadoryeon holds very high expectations for you, Sect Leader. You can tell simply from the fact that they dispatched me to the Salwol Sect, can you not?"
Strategist Bang was a man sent by the Sadoryeon. Otherwise, no matter how capable, how could a frail scholar blend in without facing resistance? No matter how much the leader protected him, a weak man would inevitably be harassed, but no one could treat carelessly someone backed by the Sadoryeon.
"As expected, you are truly my Zhang Zifang!"
"Hehe, you flatter me."
Zhang Zifang's real name was Zhang Liang, the strategist of the Chu-Han period. He was regarded as the greatest tactician of all time, even a cut above Zhuge Liang. Therefore, telling someone "You are like Zhang Zifang to me" was the highest praise a strategist could receive in the Central Plains.
Those fuckers are just sitting around playing.
Beyond the paper door, hidden beneath the eaves, Wang U ground his teeth as he eavesdropped. It had been heavenly luck that he alone had overheard their conversation. Otherwise he would have been handed over to the Jin Family as a disposable tail without knowing anything. That was why they said birds hear daytime talk and rats hear nighttime talk—one must always be careful.
Now that the interrogation of the Unorthodox Path bastards was over, the Jin Family Head's complexion was deathly pale.
What on earth was he looking at?
How, in this world, how could such a thing be?
In his more than fifty years of life he had never witnessed such a horrific sight.
He had only thought that his Heavenly Flower Sword was an outstanding, polite, and truly excellent child. How could this be?
The act was so cruel and terrible that Jin Ja-gang could not continue speaking; his lips merely twitched.
Cheong gave him a bright smile.
It was a truly lovely smile, yet as an elder of the Righteous Path he had to say what needed to be said.
"Ahem. Heavenly Flower Sword. Tea should be drunk hot, you know. How can you drink it cold?"
"Ah. But cold tea has its own appeal."
"Cold tea is not tea. You must not make real tea into cold tea."
Although the term existed, strictly speaking it was not made from actual tea leaves. Only imitation teas brewed from fruit syrup, flowers, or roasted grains could be served cold. Tea properly brewed from real leaves should never be drunk cold.
"Ehh, it's really fine though."
"Ahem."
Even the gentle Jin Ja-gang could not handle it and turned his head away.
They said no one was perfect in this world. To think that a junior perfect in martial arts, character, and appearance possessed such a horrific quirk.
Or perhaps it was precisely because she carried such a terrible flaw that such an outstanding divine dragon could be born!
Why would the heavens bestow such a horrific preference upon such a wonderful child!
Jin Ja-gang lamented, resenting the heavens.
Regardless, Cheong asked, "Then, will you settle the score once the Murim Alliance's support troops arrive?"
"Mm. Unfortunately that will not be possible."
Jin Ja-gang shook his head.
"But those Unorthodox Path bastards killed innocent people and blamed it on some pointless curse."
The Jin Family Head gave a bitter smile.
"We already knew from the beginning that it was their scheme. Adding a witness now changes nothing. At best they will simply cut off their own tail, claiming those men acted without orders."
Jin Ja-gang explained for Cheong's benefit. The conversation in the Salwol-pa leader's chamber had been exactly the same. A patriarch of a great family was naturally well-versed in such political maneuvers.
"Then are we simply going to let them be? Those bastards?"
Jin Ja-gang gazed at the indignant Cheong with warm, gentle eyes.
She was furious on their behalf. How touching, how grateful, how admirable.
If he could, he would have taken her as a daughter-in-law, but honestly none of his sons were worthy, and he felt too ashamed to suggest it. Nor could he adopt as a foster daughter the disciple whom Senior Yeo Gwang-gyeon cherished like his own.
"They will no longer be able to interfere with the restoration work. In time the Jin Family will regain its former glory. They say a man's revenge is never too late no matter how delayed. When that time comes, I too will stand at the vanguard and grind every last one of those Unorthodox Path bastards into dust."
Cheong recalled the interrogation of the Unorthodox Path men. Those bastards had no loyalty to speak of. They had spilled everything long ago; the Jin Family had simply continued venting under the pretext of verifying the truth.
Hmm. It was quite fun. I hadn't expected the Jin Family people to enjoy it so much.
Yet Cheong still felt deeply regretful.
Seeing her expression, Jin Ja-gang smiled. The passion of youth viewed by an old man was always this dazzling.
"When the Murim Alliance support unit arrives, we could launch an attack. But if we do, won't the Murim Alliance warriors suffer casualties? We cannot force the precious talents of the Murim Alliance to bleed for the Jin Family's grudge."
They were truly excellent words. The sight of her grinding Unorthodox Path bastards with her bare hands had been magnificent, but an all-out war would inevitably produce casualties.
But who was Cheong? She was the greatest villainess under heaven, more persistent and vicious than anyone when it came to making evildoers suffer.
"Family Head. Instead of charging in, I have one idea..."