Borrowing a Tiger's Skin
"Fellow Daoist Jekyeong, let us speak frankly. In truth, a life like Son Seong's is of no consequence to us. However, regardless of whether the wretch deserved to die, his name was still registered under Gyeongwang Palace. Even if he was destined for death, it should have been Gyeongwang Palace that executed him."
Jekyeong understood exactly what Makgye was getting at. The seahorse Yao was talking about pride—specifically, the pride of Gyeongwang Palace, which had been dragged through the mud of Yangseo Lake's deepest depths following their crushing defeat in the war.
"I understand your point, but Son Seong has long since settled in my stomach. Not a single shred of flesh or drop of blood remains."
"Haha. Do not worry. I have no intention of making unreasonable demands." Clearing the air with a light chuckle, Makgye's tone turned solemn once more. "Fellow Daoist Jekyeong, your slaying of Son Seong is a matter that can be viewed as either trivial or grave. I will not hide it from you: Gyeongwang Palace is currently facing dire straits, both internally and externally. Internal matters can be resolved with a swift hand, but external issues are not so easily managed. Especially when it comes to prestige and authority... They are so easily shattered, yet so incredibly difficult to rebuild."
Until now, Makgye had spoken with blunt directness, but now he was beating around the bush. Jekyeong sensed that the main point about to follow would be far from simple.
"Fellow Daoist Jekyeong, if you were to enter Gyeongwang Palace and offer even a formal apology, this matter could be put to rest immediately."
"...Enter the palace?"
His suspicion had hit the mark perfectly. In response to the proposal to enter the palace, Jekyeong replied that he would consider it and sent Makgye on his way. Perhaps Makgye had not expected an immediate answer either, as he withdrew without a fuss, merely stating that he would await good news.
They've got me in a corner, Jekyeong thought.
Entering the palace? It was no different from crawling straight into the maw of the Jansu Whale King on his own two feet.
Is this the Whale King's idea?
Most likely not. The Jansu Whale King currently had no leisure to fret over such trivial matters. It was far more probable that this was the brainchild of Makgye and the other high-ranking officials of Gyeongwang Palace.
Still, Jekyeong found one aspect of Makgye's words highly plausible: the Jansu Whale King's authority had suffered a significant blow in the recent war, and by extension, Gyeongwang Palace's standing had been severely compromised.
When those words had come out of Makgye's mouth, Jekyeong had been mildly surprised. Makgye was a Great Yao at the late Foundation Establishment stage, a direct subordinate of the Jansu Whale King, and a core pillar of Gyeongwang Palace. Yet, he had gone out of his way to bring up what could be considered his master's weakness.
Perhaps he had laid it bare because it was an obvious truth that could not be hidden anyway, but even so, the sheer candor was startling.
Pride, Jekyeong mused.
Pride was a strange thing. In one light, it wasn't worth half a copper; in another, it was more precious than a thousand pieces of gold.
Previously, Gyeongwang Palace had no need to worry about pride. In the demon territories of Yangseo Lake, they were the law and the order. But now, the situation had shifted. A rival faction, the Court of Demons, had emerged, and the defeat in the war had shrunk their territory to an unprecedented degree. In these uncharted waters, Gyeongwang Palace was forced to adapt.
And this, too, is likely not the Whale King's concern.
Though his pride had been bruised multiple times in this war, the Jansu Whale King remained the undisputed strongest entity among the beast race of Yangseo Lake. The Simjeon Demon King was out of the question, and even the exploits of the powerful experts of the Heumwon clan seemed somewhat lackluster when compared to the Whale King. In other words, the Jansu Whale King had nothing left to prove.
But Gyeongwang Palace was different. Looking back, until the Court of Demons arose, it was Gyeongwang Palace—not the Jansu Whale King himself—that represented the beast race of Yangseo Lake and ruled over the demon territories.
This was merely his personal speculation, but Jekyeong believed it held considerable weight. Before the Simjeon Demon King, Mu-ara, allied with the Heumwon clan and betrayed the Jansu Whale King, the Whale King had been the absolute, uncontested sovereign of Yangseo Lake's beast race. No matter how wild and unruly the nature of the beast race was, if the Jansu Whale King had set his mind to it, completely subjugating the entire Yangseo Lake territory would not have been impossible.
Yet, the Whale King had chosen not to. If it wasn't a lack of ability, then it was a lack of desire. Jekyeong recalled the stories Jang Yeong had told him about the Jansu Whale King. Though most of it was malicious slander and disparagement, Jekyeong believed that while Jang Yeong might have exaggerated and twisted the truth, he wouldn't have fabricated outright lies out of thin air.
Stripping away the layers of exaggeration and distortion, two objective facts about the Jansu Whale King remained clear. First, he had actively taken measures to prevent the birth of another Demon King. Second, despite possessing more than enough power to do so, he had never actively policed the Yangseo Lake territory, choosing instead to let it remain in a state of lawless neglect.
Judging by this, the Jansu Whale King is... a sort of isolationist, lacking in grand ambition.
If this hypothesis was correct, it was highly likely that the Whale King didn't care much about Gyeongwang Palace either. It was like a colossal tree that merely grew its branches; it did not ask for the countless small creatures to gather beneath it to enjoy its shade.
Viewed in this light, Makgye's sudden proposal for Jekyeong to enter the palace made sense. Now that the mighty tree that had stood firm for so long seemed to be wavering, those taking shelter beneath its boughs were beginning to panic.
It's all well and good that they want to salvage their pride, but why must they try to squeeze it out of me?
He didn't feel wronged. It was simply a stroke of terrible luck. He had essentially slapped someone who was already on the verge of tears, looking for any excuse to throw a tantrum. Jekyeong would have preferred to describe it as a gentle nudge rather than a slap, but the fact remained that he had laid a hand on them.
What should I do?
His honest inclination was to refuse. Since it was framed as a proposal, declining wouldn't trigger an immediate catastrophe—at least, not until the post-war chaos settled down to some degree.
But that was merely a temporary band-aid. If he was going to refuse, it would be better to keep his mouth shut and delay his response until Makgye's patience wore thin. While the ultimate outcome would be the same as a flat-out refusal, it would at least buy him some time and delay the moment Gyeongwang Palace turned hostile toward him.
To avoid future trouble... the simplest way is indeed to join the Court of Demons.
Doing so would earn him the absolute enmity of Gyeongwang Palace for his insolence, but that was a burden he could easily bear. However...
I really don't want to do that.
The sole reason Jekyeong had avoided aligning with any faction until now was to preserve his freedom and avoid being dragged into pointless conflicts. To join the Court of Demons now? The mere thought repulsed him. Yet, if he didn't join them, there was no other viable way to escape this predicament...
I need to think on this further. Makgye won't press me too hard just yet.
Until Jekyeong made his stance clear, Makgye would maintain a veneer of respect. After all, Jekyeong was a Great Yao at the late Foundation Establishment stage—and one rumored to be a Gyoryong, at that.
Pushing the option of joining the Court of Demons to the absolute back of his mind, Jekyeong began to ponder other alternatives. Yet, the more he racked his brain, the more he realized he was at a dead end. First of all, Gyeongwang Palace held the moral high ground—or at least, the pretext. On paper, he had offended Gyeongwang Palace, and their invitation to enter the palace was a generous gesture to allow him to apologize. Of course, even a moment's thought revealed that this "offense" was highly contrived, but there was nothing to be done. A weakling's excuse is just an excuse, but a strongman's excuse is law. Is that not how the world works? Because Jekyeong understood this truth all too well, he felt neither victimized nor frustrated by it.
In Yangseo Lake, there is no one who can help me besides the Court of Demons.
Though his options were narrowing, Jekyeong did not give up. He still had one last card up his sleeve.
Ever since Jekyeong had reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, the Mansi Assembly had ceased to be of much help to him. It had been a long time since he had learned all the basic knowledge of the cultivation world, and discussing cultivation with the cultivators of the Mansi Assembly yielded little fruit. It wasn't because their standards were low, but because they walked different paths. The Path of the Fire Dragon that Jekyeong trod was distinctly different from the other five elements, and even differed significantly from the standard path of fire with which it partially overlapped. Thus, the insights he could gain from discussions with other cultivators were limited. Despite having almost nothing to gain, Jekyeong did not neglect the Mansi Assembly. Instead, he gradually expanded his interactions with other cultivators outside of the assembly. The cultivator he was currently speaking with was someone he had met through this process.
"Oh? You've caught the eye of a Demon King?" Han Gyeong-un's gaze swept over Jekyeong. The emotion in his eyes was, to Jekyeong's perception, half surprise and half amusement. "You really are something else."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It is quite something. Getting targeted by a Demon King isn't something just anyone can manage, is it?"
Jekyeong let out a sigh. "Please stop teasing me. I am quite serious."
"Mhm. Of course you are. Ha! A Demon King, of all things."
"Is there no good way out of this?"
Han Gyeong-un was one of the few people Jekyeong interacted with relatively frequently in Bulmangwon outside of the Mansi Assembly, and he was extraordinary in many ways. For starters, he was a young cultivator at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and his master was none other than a Gold Core cultivator. Furthermore, judging by the occasional hints he dropped, the sect he belonged to was a major one. Thus, Han Gyeong-un possessed the most illustrious background among all the acquaintances Jekyeong had made so far.
"Well, there are plenty of ways, but given your current situation..." When they had first met and established their friendship, Jekyeong was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, so Jekyeong had addressed Han Gyeong-un as "senior" while Han Gyeong-un called him "junior." Although the situation had changed now that Jekyeong had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, Jekyeong had not altered his respectful attitude. This humility on Jekyeong's part had earned Han Gyeong-un's favor. Soon, he cast aside his playful demeanor and began to seriously ponder the matter on Jekyeong's behalf.
"It's tricky. To escape the wrath of that Demon King, you'd normally have to submit to another Demon King, but you don't want that. The only other option is to flee, but you don't want that either... Aren't you being a bit too greedy?" As Han Gyeong-un chided him, Jekyeong replied with a wry smile.
"I am simply trying to see if there is a way first. If one doesn't have to give up, who would want to?"
"Heh, true enough." After contemplating for a moment, Han Gyeong-un offered a solution. "If nothing else works, then you have no choice but to face it head-on."
Jekyeong was momentarily taken aback by such a simplistic and reckless suggestion. However, Han Gyeong-un had not spoken without a plan.
"Of course, I am not telling you to stick your head into a Demon King's maw without any preparation. Put up a bluff. Make it so he cannot easily lay a hand on you."
"What kind of bluff are you talking about?"
"It's simple. To pressure a Demon King, you must borrow the authority of someone of a similar status. In other words, ask another senior of the Core Formation realm for help."
"...If it were as easy as it sounds, would I be here pouring my heart out to you, Senior?" When Jekyeong shot back with a mix of exasperation and resentment, Han Gyeong-un chuckled.
"You've shrunk back too much. You are not as insignificant as you think. Just look at this situation. You are merely at the late Foundation Establishment stage, yet you are already promising enough to catch the eye of a Demon King, are you not?" Han Gyeong-un spoke in a meaningful tone.
"This is Bulmangwon. The seniors here are different from the terrifying seniors out in the real world. They are remarkably generous to promising juniors like us. Once they take notice of you, they won't turn a blind eye to your minor troubles."
"Mmm." Jekyeong hesitated at those words. The suggestion to seek help from the Core Formation seniors of Bulmangwon sounded highly plausible, and he was tempted. Yet, a part of him felt slightly uneasy. It wasn't that he doubted Han Gyeong-un's words, but rather that he firmly believed there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
"I know what you're thinking." Seeing Jekyeong's hesitation, Han Gyeong-un spoke in a deeply meaningful tone, still laced with a hint of amusement. "Do not worry. Even if you receive their help, the price you have to pay will be nonexistent, or at least negligible."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I know that the price they desire is not anything material, but rather good karma itself."
Since Han Gyeong-un showed no intention of explaining further, Jekyeong tactfully refrained from pressing the matter.
"At any rate, this is the best method I can think of. You said that Demon King is at the mid-Yao King stage, correct? In that case, ask a senior at the mid-Core Formation stage or higher to place a Divine Sense Brand on you. Hmm... though, since you belong to the beast race, a human Gold Core senior might be slightly inappropriate." Han Gyeong-un muttered, looking troubled.
"Actually, if you're willing to swallow a bit of your pride, it wouldn't hurt to ask a human Gold Core senior. Since you're already misunderstood as a Flood Dragon, why not lean into the misunderstanding a bit more? For instance, what if you claim you were originally a spiritual beast belonging to some great sect, but seized an opportunity to escape?" Jekyeong ignored Han Gyeong-un's words—unsure whether they were a joke or a serious suggestion—and fell deep into thought.