Found You, Young Lady
The next day. From early in the morning, Seol-hwa came to visit.
“You should be resting in the morning.”
“It seemed urgent enough to deliver right away. I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize… I’m saying you should think about your own body, Seol-hwa. So, what exactly did you find?”
“The place where Elder Cheongpung is in seclusion.”
“…!”
The terrible emotions from yesterday had been blown away by the cold poison. Even so, she couldn’t erase the memories themselves, so both her body and mind remained quite low today as well. Her head throbbed, and her body felt numb as if she had caught a severe cold.
“Where is it?”
Even in that state, it was very welcome news. Elder Jin Mu-gak of the Cheongpung lineage had been present at every site connected to Baek Un-hyeon’s misfortune. He wasn’t merely someone with deep suspicions like Jin Cheong-myeong; he was a target that absolutely had to be eliminated. The fact that he had conveniently isolated himself under the pretext of seclusion meant there was no reason not to go after him.
“Are you planning to go immediately? Wouldn’t leaving a trail make you suspicious later?”
“To think you believe I must leave no trace. Are you that certain I will kill him?”
“I have not yet heard the reason why you are searching for him, my lady. But I know the depth of your intentions.”
She openly mentioned what Ok-yeon intended to do. Was this a sign of discontent? The fact that she hadn’t revealed her full intentions even to an ally. She had told Seol-hwa everything except the truth that she had once been Baek Un-hyeon. Because of that, Bing Ok-yeon’s goals must have seemed vague to her. She could only vaguely infer that it was somehow related to revenge against their enemies. There was certainly enough reason for it to breed resentment.
Yet looking at Seol-hwa’s expression, there was no hint of such intent. She was simply stating her thoughts straightforwardly, as an upright person would. It was not a good habit—distorting another’s intentions.
Seol-hwa was not the type to show discontent to others.
“…You’re right. I do intend to kill him if possible. Do you have a plan to conceal my movements?”
“How about using a body double?”
“A body double, you say.”
“Since you always wear a veil, it shouldn’t be difficult.”
“Who would be suitable? You, Seol-hwa?”
“As it happens, Chwiwol has the day off today.”
Chwiwol, the top courtesan of Hwahongru. There was no way she would be resting at a time when Kaifeng burned bright through the night. Seol-hwa must have deliberately cleared her schedule in advance. As expected, she had not been expressing discontent. She was simply inferring what Bing Ok-yeon needed to do and faithfully preparing the groundwork. She truly was a capable person.
Once she had a little more mental leeway, perhaps she could tell her the truth. No—even then, she could never reveal that she had once been a man. She would stop at revealing some of the secrets surrounding the Baek family massacre. Last night she had indirectly confessed to Yi Cheon-woo, an unrelated party. As a fellow disciple of Hong Mae, she owed Seol-hwa the truth as well.
“…”
“Is something wrong, my lady?”
“No, I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
To think she had said and done such things to Yi Cheon-woo of all people. He was one of the most suspicious figures, too. Perhaps because she knew his childhood and because he had erected the memorial stele for her, she had let her guard down. She must never make such a mistake again. The fact that her physical condition had been poor was no excuse.
“Do you think Chwiwol is the best choice for my double?”
“She is the only one who can even imitate the grace you carry, my lady.”
“You couldn’t do it?”
“That would be utterly impossible.”
Seol-hwa answered firmly. As expected of someone so serious. A mischievous impulse suddenly stirred.
“Chwiwol learned from you, but I learned from Mother alongside you, Seol-hwa. Then wouldn’t that mean anything I can do, you should be able to do as well?”
“You are the daughter and foremost disciple of the Pavilion Master. Someone like me could at best only be considered an anonymous disciple.”
“Are you saying Mother taught you poorly?”
“…Pardon?”
“Mother always told me this: Among all the children she had taken in, Wol-yeong, Hwa-ran, and Seol-hwa were the best, and of them, Seol-hwa was the one who touched her heart the most.”
“Such words…”
“Mother acknowledged you so highly, yet the person in question keeps saying she is inadequate. Then Mother must have been wrong after all.”
“N-no! No matter who you are, my lady, I cannot tolerate anyone speaking ill of the Pavilion Master!”
“What? But it was you who said it, Seol-hwa.”
“Ah…”
Seol-hwa’s face showed clear panic. It was an expression she had never seen since the day they first met.
“You could do it, couldn’t you, Seol-hwa?”
“That is… I, I… well, that is to say…”
Her eyes darted around as she desperately tried to figure out how to escape this predicament. If she pushed forward, it would be tantamount to denying Hong Mae. If she accepted it outright, she would run into the wall of reality.
“I was joking.”
“…”
She pursed her lips slightly and made a displeased face. So she could make expressions like that too.
“Seol-hwa is much taller than me, so the risk of being discovered would be greater.”
“…Yes, that is correct. Indeed…”
The difference in build between Ok-yeon and Seol-hwa was similar to that between So-yeon and Ok-yeon. Anyone with a sharp eye would inevitably sense the discrepancy.
“Cancel all my schedule except for the absolutely necessary appointments and call Chwiwol for me. Will a few days be enough?”
“You may use her for as long as you wish. Chwiwol will be delighted to be able to act on your behalf.”
“By the way.”
“Please speak.”
“Still, it’s a shame. If only I were a little taller, I could have entrusted it to you, Seol-hwa.”
“…”
A faint sound of teeth grinding could be heard.
“Damn it…”
After spending a sleepless night agonizing, Yeom Seo-rin had come to the Eunpa Merchant Group. She shuddered as she looked at the branch manager who greeted her and the veiled woman standing beside him.
“She really is… an incredibly annoying woman…”
No matter how she looked at her, the veiled woman was not Bing Ok-yeon. Originally, nothing could be felt from Bing Ok-yeon. If she had to describe it, it felt like lying still in the middle of a northern blizzard. On the other hand, the woman standing there gave off ordinary energy. This was something she could tell thanks to her family’s unique martial art, which made her extremely sensitive to other people’s energy.
To summon someone and then disappear herself. How typical.
“Well… it’s not like she ordered me to come today, but…”
Still, it pissed her off. She felt self-loathing for having stayed up all night worrying about this.
“Ancestors of the Yeom family, I’m sorry. This unworthy descendant is tarnishing the name of Yeom.”
Yet she did not turn back. Because she truly needed the money.
Elder Jin Mu-gak of Cheongpung. A middle-aged Taoist who had not yet reached sixty and should still be vigorously active if he were an ordinary martial artist. In his youth, he had made a name for himself as a Plum Blossom Sword Hunter, slaying countless demonic humans. And now here he was, living in seclusion in a small town.
Most high-ranking orthodox figures who retired from the Murim Alliance usually returned to their original sects. However, Jin Mu-gak had not gone back to Mount Hua. The place he had chosen for seclusion was a town located southwest of Kaifeng. It wasn’t particularly developed, but it was relatively close to the center of the Central Plains. With large cities nearby, even a rural area had everything one might need. Therefore, it was certainly not a bad place to live in retirement.
“Damn it all…”
But that was only from an outsider’s perspective. To Jin Mu-gak, who had been half-forced into seclusion, this place was no different from exile.
“That bastard Sama Ryung!”
‘There have been a flood of accusations against you, Elder. We recommend you temporarily step back and avoid the situation.’
“Bullshit!”
Who on earth would dare accuse him? It was impossible. Had he lived so cleanly that accusations were unthinkable? Of course not. No one who held the position of elder in the Murim Alliance could live with clean hands. He had lived without caring how dirty his body became. He had dirtied his hands to accomplish what needed to be done. And he had completely silenced the mouths of everyone who had witnessed it.
“No one can accuse me! That greenhorn Sama Ryung! How dare he!”
It was a classic case of discarding the hunting dog once the rabbits were caught. It had to be one of Sama Ryung’s schemes, wary of how much power he had gained.
“Aaaargh! Sama Ryuuuung!!”
He hurled everything in the room. It was the only way to vent his rage. After throwing a tantrum for quite some time, Jin Mu-gak finally sat down, breathing heavily, his belly heaving with each gasp.
“What the hell is that bastard Cheong-myeong doing…”
In truth, half the reason Jin Mu-gak had been ousted was Jin Cheong-myeong’s fault. To clean up the incident from over ten years ago, Jin Mu-gak had mobilized too much power. As a result, there had been significant leaks, giving Sama Ryung the opening he needed to scheme. Therefore, Jin Cheong-myeong—who could now be considered the face of Mount Hua—should be the one moving. Yet there had been no word from that bastard at all.
“The grand plan is not far off.”
Anger surged once more. He had devoted his entire youth to reaching that position. He had poured everything he had into it.
“Goddammit…”
After the anger came anxiety. He bit his fingernails. There was still no news, but he had no idea when ‘they’ might come looking for him.
“Damn it, damn it, damn it…!!”
This time he clutched at his hair. His anxiety had reached its peak. To relieve the suffocating feeling, he headed outside.
“Elder Cheongpung!”
“Good day to you!”
“…Hehe, you all work so hard.”
He returned fabricated smiles to those who greeted him. It wasn’t that he particularly liked the simple people of this place. It was merely a habit built up over decades that made him act this way. Of course, he did need to maintain his cover.
“Thanks to you, Elder, the village feels so much brighter!”
“Does it? That’s good to hear. By the way, I am no longer an elder.”
“But your title is still Elder, isn’t it? Hahaha!”
“Well… I did devote my whole life to the Murim Alliance, after all. Hehehe.”
“Elder! Please have this!”
“Oh, thank you.”
A young woman in her prime brought vegetables she had apparently grown herself. Jin Mu-gak’s eyes gleamed. This town, situated between countryside and city, had people of various types. The woman before him was normally the kind he wouldn’t even glance at, but today his eyes were drawn to her. She had a healthy beauty, less tainted by the usual rural grime, and possessed the fresh vitality of youth. She was quite an attractive woman.
‘Hmm.’
His old habits reared their head. He had just obtained the medicine he wanted as well.
“How should one eat this?”
“Pardon? Oh, you can eat it as is, or stir-fry it, or boil it.”
“I’m not sure. Would you mind cooking it for me?”
“Would that be alright?”
She agreed easily. Of course—who was he, after all? To the ignorant, the mere mention of a Murim Alliance elder made them tremble and obey.
‘I should bestow some grace upon her.’
“I would be grateful. I’m not very good at such things.”
“Hehe, then I’ll come by this evening!”
‘This evening? So this wench wants it too.’
A lewd smile spread across his face. It seemed coming outside had been the right choice. His foul mood had improved somewhat.
“Then, since I’ll need to prepare a few things… I should go for a walk.”
Jin Mu-gak clasped his hands behind his back and headed toward the town center. He needed to gather a few items to prepare for the long night ahead.
“…”
After walking and swinging his arms for some time, Jin Mu-gak suddenly stopped dead in the middle of the road. It was an empty trail. Insects chirped and birds sang, but his senses were ringing alarm bells.
“Hmmm…!”
Movements surprisingly agile for his bulky frame. He moved with lightning speed.
“Who’s there!”
In his hand was a sharp stone. The stone that had flown at him like an arrow. Even though he had caught it, there wasn’t a single scratch on his hand.
“Don’t tell me…”
Suddenly, a possible identity for the one who had thrown it came to mind, and cold sweat broke out. How should he respond? He was at a loss.
“Hup!?”
Another stone flew at him. He caught every single one with ghostly skill.
“It can’t be them… Who are you! Show yourself!”
The stones he had caught slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. He couldn’t guess the opponent’s identity. He had sensed killing intent, but not murderous aura. If it had been thick with murderous aura, the small animals would have reacted first. The stones had been fast and accurate, indicating that the thrower’s skill in projectile arts was no ordinary level. There had been a faint trace of inner energy, forcing him to exert considerable effort to catch them all. It must have been the minimum amount of power released to hide their true identity.
“Come out, I said!”
But no one revealed themselves. Jin Mu-gak grew furious.