Those Who Scheme (1)
Cheonma's daughter has Blocked Meridian Syndrome. The Murim Alliance Leader had made a shocking declaration, but it was information I already knew.
'But "daughters," plural? Isn't it just one?'
The eldest princess. Officially, Cheonma has only one daughter. And she had Blocked Meridian Syndrome—I knew of that one daughter of Cheonma's who suffered from it. Was there an unofficial illegitimate child I didn't know about?
"Wh-what do you mean? Cheonma has three daughters...? And all three have Blocked Meridian Syndrome...?"
Sinseung, who had been in the dark, stared at the Alliance Leader with a face full of betrayal, but the Leader merely shrugged his shoulders in response.
"Intelligence from Kunlunpa, Sinseung. He fathered three daughters against a supreme expert of ice arts, and all but the youngest—the current eldest princess—'died.'"
Died. A phrasing that implied they hadn't, in reality.
"Officially, yes. But that was solely due to Cheonma's ruthlessness. In truth, they are very much alive. Cheonma abandoned all but his current eldest princess, but they undoubtedly survived."
Ah. Abandoned.
In that instant, the faces of two women flashed before my eyes.
"And those two women seek revenge. Even as they suffer from their own Blocked Meridian Syndrome, they crave vengeance against the Cheonma who discarded them."
Keeping only the most talented girl, denying parentage to the rest and—
'Throwing them into a cave, perhaps.'
Cheonma was deadly serious about cultivating his sleeper agents. Among the sleeper agents meant to destroy various sects, those two orphans had been personally discarded by Cheonma himself. They'd survived with ruthless tenacity and carved out positions for themselves. Just as I'd established a base in Moyong Sega, the others had done the same.
Sleeper agents recognize each other. They know who's infiltrated where. Especially in my case, where my past hadn't been thoroughly laundered and I'd essentially revealed myself as I am—some of those core courtesans scattered across the pleasure houses, the so-called 'Yo-ma' (Demonesses), must know I'm a disciple of the Demon Physician.
Of course, I wasn't worried. There was enough offset from everything I'd been through and all I'd accomplished as a physician to prevent anyone from harping on my Magyo origins.
'Besides, it's not like the era where being from Magyo gets you killed on the spot.'
What were Magyo origins these days? Just the label of the era's losers. Ever since Cheonma's one-sided defeat at the hands of Sword Saint Geomseong, Magyo was a name in name only—a faction sickly declining, its power waning until it had no choice but to close its gates. Nothing more, nothing less.
But even so.
'Cheonma turned his own daughters into sleeper agents?'
Something nauseating welled up inside me at the thought of the man called Cheonma.
"In truth, this one is not uninvolved with Blocked Meridian Syndrome either."
"You mean...?"
"My grand disciple—the grand disciple of Kunlunpa—is the eldest of Cheonma's three daughters."
"......."
Sinseung gaped in shock, while Geomhu and the imperial representative openly scowled. Those who hadn't known reacted with disbelief—How could that be?—while those in the know seemed to think, Why bring it up now?
My heart sank too. At that astonishing revelation, even the Godok nestled in my heart must have perked up its ears in surprise, listening intently.
"Practicing extreme yang arts, which men primarily cultivate, can suppress the pain of Blocked Meridian Syndrome to some degree. Thus, I will not beg Physician Seok here for kisses or beddings or anything of the sort to alleviate my grand disciple's symptoms. I will not."
Was it my imagination, or did the hostility Moyong Seol directed at the Alliance Leader soften slightly at his firm declaration?
"The reason I reveal this is not as the sect leader of Kunlunpa—the faction closest to Magyo and thus first to suffer if they rampage—but as the Murim Alliance Leader, who must consider the peace of all Murim."
"...Even while taking one of Cheonma's abandoned daughters as your grand disciple?"
"Sinseung, broaden your view. Born of ma though one may be, if they cultivate the Dao and walk the path of Buddha, do they not become a Daoist or monk?"
Even against Sinseung's blatant disgust, the Alliance Leader quelled him with unassailable logic.
"Frankly, even if Magyo rampages, can they immediately overrun Shaolin where you reside? Or even pierce through Hwasanpa in Shaanxi to begin with?"
"...No."
Sinseung answered in a pained voice.
"What this one fears transcends the orthodox-evil divide. It is the pleas of countless Blocked Meridian Syndrome patients reaching out toward Physician Seok. Just as that Ja Geommun sect leader over there."
The Alliance Leader turned his gaze to me.
"Physician Seok. Will you kiss not only Cheonma's daughters, but every woman suffering from Blocked Meridian Syndrome?"
"I have absolutely no intention of doing so."
My reply came sharp as a blade to the Alliance Leader's words.
"Kisses are reserved solely for Lady Moyong Seol. The 'medicine' flowing from me can be transmitted through indirect means as much as needed."
"Precisely. That is the point. With that in mind, this Taesangjingun has a proposal...."
The Alliance Leader pointed at the ceiling.
"For now, let's deceive the world. We'll say you've developed a new medicine, suitably."
"Alliance Leader."
"It won't harm Moyong Sega either. Lady Moyong, what say you? Shall we stuff medicine into patients' mouths under the pretext of a new drug, or let other women—"
"Sticking tongues in is something I absolutely cannot tolerate."
Moyong Seol gripped my hand tightly as she answered.
"Better to deceive the world with a lie."
We were already deceiving it, so there was no real burden. At least it was better than women coming to me begging to be stuffed.
—Don't forget. This favor... I'll repay it with my body.
...In that moment, several sleeper agents flashed through my mind, but I forcefully suppressed the thought.
—In this hell, you alone saw me as a person.
Even if they turned out to be Cheonma's daughters.
* * *
Late evening. In a bustling inn packed with people, conversations were inevitable—and naturally, the hot topic was the latest Murim gossip.
Yet the inn was deathly silent.
Not a single empty seat, so crowded that ordinary patrons turned tail with an "Aigoo!" the moment they saw the door. But make a single sound, and it felt like someone might drop dead—the silence was that profound.
"That."
Someone cautiously opened their mouth.
"Is Blocked Meridian Syndrome... really curable?"
That sparked the explosion.
"You believe that? Moyong Sega must be hiding some incredible medicine, so they're spinning this tale."
"No, come on. Can you really say they 'slept together' like that?"
"Think of all the proposals flying at Moyong Sega's precious pearl. This is Sword Saint's strategy to block them at the source."
The inn's patrons buzzed with talk of the "Blocked Meridian Syndrome cure."
And on the upper floor, in a space off-limits to commoners, a black-haired woman occupied an entire table. Dressed in Kunlunpa Daoist robes, she demurely picked at her little dragon buns with chopsticks—Jin-hyeon, grand disciple of Murim Alliance Leader and Kunlunpa sect leader Taesangjingun.
With a little dragon bun in her mouth, she gazed downward with slightly flushed eyes, then withdrew her gaze.
Thud, thud.
A woman approached Jin-hyeon. Even as the woman stared openly, Jin-hyeon kept eating her little dragon buns, eyes fixed below.
"Sister."
"......How far do you intend to drop all pretense with me, grand disciple of Jeomchangpa?"
At that single word—"sister"—Jin-hyeon paled as if chilled to the bone, answering without looking up.
"I'm eating. Even dogs don't bother you then."
"Woof woof."
"...Heard you defied Sword Saint. Looks like you've gone fully mad, bitch."
"If Soyeonjeok's mad, then so are you, sister."
Jin-hyeon frowned at Soyeonjeok's blunt words. If anyone saw them, they'd think the two women looked alike somehow—like sisters.
"So, what's your excuse for coming here?"
"What are we gonna do? Just let Mu Wol get devoured by Moyong Seol like that?"
"Devoured.... Too proud to use any other word?"
Jin-hyeon picked up another little dragon bun.
"Why? The girl you thought would die soon stole Mu Wol away, and now your hands and feet are trembling in rage? Hmm?"
"Sister."
"You planned to whisk Physician Seok away from Moyong Sega to Jeomchangpa, keep him by your side, forge that intimate bond—and now that it's ruined, your insides are boiling with a thousand regrets?"
"Whose story is that? Mine, or sister's?"
At Soyeonjeok's jab, Jin-hyeon set down the bun she'd been about to eat.
"Anyone hearing might think I fancy Mu Wol like you do."
"Don't you? Your lifesaver. You've been trying to steal Mu Wol away even before he joined Moyong Sega. Even disguising yourself as Kunlunpa's grand disciple for it."
"Ha."
Jin-hyeon squinted, shredding a little dragon bun with her chopsticks.
"Don't go blabbing carelessly. This is the heart of the orthodox sects—plenty of ears listening."
"Sleeper agents in Murim sects aren't few and far between. The ignorant stay ignorant, but those in the know all know."
"Everyone hushes it up because tripping over it means they'd fall flat themselves. Even Jeomchangpa accepting you, Second Princess Soyeonjeok, is ultimately for their gain, right?"
"......."
"Harness Blocked Meridian Syndrome's yin qi in reverse, and you can forge a supreme yin arts expert in mere years."
Jin-hyeon pointed alternately at herself and Soyeonjeok with her eyes.
"Kunlunpa secretly took Cheonma's eldest as a disciple to hold leverage, but Jeomchangpa aims to build the world's greatest sect on Cheonma's bloodline through his second daughter. To raise a swordmaster surpassing even the grand disciple slain by Sword Saint Moyong Cheon."
Jin-hyeon jabbed mockingly with her chopsticks.
"Take Physician Seok as your husband, have him advance Jeomchangpa's medicine, bear his child—not some other Jeomchangpa man's—and raise it into a supreme expert. Am I wrong?"
"And you, sister—shouldn't you just hole up in Kunlunpa playing hostage quietly? Why drag yourself all the way to Yodong Castle? Had some hunch?"
"No, not at all. I'm being straight with you because you're you, but all plans are shot to hell."
Jin-hyeon sighed deeply.
"Wondered how to get an elixir nurturing yang qi from Physician Seok, but turns out it's his bodily fluids we need."
Jin-hyeon rolled up her sleeve. No blood color from her fingers to her arm—just pallor.
"Same for you, but we need extreme yang arts... inner cultivation methods nurturing yang qi to keep our blood flowing. And linked with 'demonic arts.'"
"......."
"Kunlunpa seeks to perfect a Taiji dual-energy method through me, while Jeomchangpa banks on your pure talent and spirit. Either way, we'll drop dead by thirty... no, forty at latest."
"You...."
"But now things have changed. What to do, my little rival? Jeomchangpa's sect leader isn't about to order you to his bedchamber, is he?"
"Watch your mouth, you mad bitch."
Soyeonjeok gripped her teacup, but Jin-hyeon calmly picked up another little dragon bun, face cold as ice.
"Sister—"
"Little sis, splash me with that and you're dead."
As Jin-hyeon's eyes flashed gold for an instant, Soyeonjeok set the teacup down.
"......."
"Just stating facts. Things have changed. Think they'll sit idle? Magyo took in Cheonma's daughters on the sole merit of 'Hyeongyeong expert bloodline' potential despite being a hollow shell now—and you're throwing away that protection for a Moyong Sega man?"
"My life...."
"Don't forget: Magyo may be a toothless tiger now, that bipolar coward too scared to descend Cheonsan, but a Hyeongyeong expert is still a Hyeongyeong expert."
"......No holding back against your birth father, huh."
"Shut it."
Jin-hyeon popped a little dragon bun into her mouth whole.
"So, what's your plan? Scale Moyong Sega's walls and pounce?"
"That's...."
"Ho, extra edition!!"
A man kicked open the inn's entrance.
"Official declaration from the Murim Alliance Leader!"
Everyone in the inn perked up at the man's voice—even Cheonma's two daughters in orthodox sect robes focused intently.
The remedy for Blocked Meridian Syndrome lies in the Extreme Yang Protection Pill, refined by Divine Dragon Physician Seok Mu Wol with his own true qi!
"...Ha?"
"......."
Soyeonjeok tilted her head, Jin-hyeon furrowed one brow.
"What the...? He said sleeping together was the fix, now suddenly it's some pill? Then the 'sleeping' part was...!"
"Could've just said the truth, but they're packaging and disguising it. Master's will, probably."
"What do you mean?"
"Disguise."
Jin-hyeon made a circle with her fingers, then stabbed it repeatedly with her chopsticks.
"That's the real deal, but too awkward to announce publicly, so they're euphemizing."
"But... if they say that, Mu Wol will...."
"Mu Wol was bound to draw attention anyway. Little rival, coming from someone who shared the womb with me."
Jin-hyeon stabbed the last little dragon bun.
"You think it's pure coincidence that Blocked Meridian Syndrome plagues the Central Plains, just another Murim disease, with Mu Wol as its sole cure?"
"Sister."
"I...."
"Acting all suspicious, but in the end, you want Mu Wol too, don't you, sister?"
"No. If Mu Wol loves... Moyong Seol or whoever, I don't care who he chooses. Except one person."
"Who, me?"
"As if."
Jin-hyeon shrugged.
"Any other woman, fine. But not the youngest... no, Magyo's 'eldest princess' stealing Mu Wol."
* * *
The news flew in, reaching even Cheonsan Magyo.
"Oh my."
A white-haired girl, childish as a child, received the carrier pigeon's message and smiled lewdly.
"Brother slept with some woman named Moyong Seol."
"Eldest Princess, that's not the point now. This concerns Magyo's very survival...."
Crumple.
"......Hehe."
"E-Eldest Princess...! Withdraw your Cheonma Singong...!"
The girl crumpled the paper in her fist, her red eyes sparkling.
"A hag four years my senior... stole brother's first time...?"