Chapter 215
Chapter 215
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 215
Chapter Title: Zhuge Seolji's Letter (2)
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I glanced over the letter once more before turning to Yong-myeong.
"Yong-myeong."
"Yes, brother."
"Go ask Father if this is all that came."
"Just like that?"
"Yeah. Ask if there were any packages or containers with it."
"Got it."
As I firmly assigned the task to Yong-myeong, Jeong-hyeon spoke up cautiously.
"Young Master Eon. Is there something wrong with the letter?"
I handed the letter to Jeong-hyeon.
"See for yourself."
Jeong-hyeon took the letter I offered.
My other younger brothers gathered around Jeong-hyeon as well.
Cheon Jang-ho skimmed through it and looked at me.
"Isn't it just a greeting?"
"Look at the sender. It's Lady Zhuge. Don't you find that odd?"
"...Hmm."
Jeong-hyeon and U So-rung nodded.
"Now that Young Master Eon mentions it, it does seem strange. Lady Zhuge Seolji isn't one to lack eloquence, yet the content doesn't flow clearly at first glance."
"And there are simplified characters, which is unlike her. Silver Sister might use them, but Lady Zhuge doesn't, right?"
"True. She always used standard script during Murim Alliance duties, perfectly spaced. Come to think of it, the spacing here is off too."
"You're right. She even matches the margins precisely."
"I still have no idea what you're talking about. You too, right, Cheon Jang-ho?"
"...Even if I don't get it, staying quiet keeps me in the middle. Why drag innocent me into this?"
Laughter erupted here and there thanks to Paeng So-cheon and Cheon Jang-ho.
At that moment, U So-rung turned to me with a question.
"So, what message did Lady Zhuge hide in the letter?"
"We'll know once Yong-myeong gets back."
Speak of the tiger, and he appears.
Just then, Eon Yong-myeong returned from his errand.
"Brother. I asked Father, and he said nothing came with it. The tube holding the letter was just a standard one tied to a messenger bird's leg."
"I see."
"Yes. You were so insistent, so I went, but why did you want me to check?"
I nodded toward Jeong-hyeon, signaling to pass the letter to Yong-myeong as well.
And I explained.
"It seems Lady Zhuge hid a separate message, so I thought it might be the pa-ja method with a letter-combining rod and had you check."
There were various ways to use codes or ciphers in this era.
In an age where birds or people carried letters, getting caught meant the contents fell straight into enemy hands, so securing sensitive information required ingenuity.
One common method used special inks or paper that revealed or hid messages when dipped in water or exposed to fire.
However, rubbing it by hand showed the paper and ink were ordinary.
That's when I thought of the pa-ja method.
The pa-ja method involved disassembling characters and wrapping the letter around a rod of specific width and angle to reveal them.
For example, scattering the components of mu and ja separately, then wrapping around the right rod to form yi.
But there was no combining rod.
I stroked my chin, furrowing my brow.
"It's unlike Lady Zhuge to use so many simplified or radical-heavy characters, and the subtle margins too. It has to be the pa-ja method."
"The frequency suggests it."
"Yeah. How did Lady Zhuge expect us to figure it out and send it like this?"
Jeong-hyeon chimed in agreement to my mutterings, while U So-rung sighed.
Something flashed in my mind at U So-rung's sigh.
...How to figure it out?
Combining rod.
A rod with a unique angle.
And one I rarely part with.
At the same time, my eyes fell on Regret hanging at my waist.
Srrrng-
I immediately drew Regret.
Then, carefully aligned Zhuge Seolji's letter to its hexagonal blade.
Several characters folded exquisitely, forming new ones.
It's a match.
From there, I boldly wrapped it.
The letter creased and aligned along Regret's blade.
The scattered characters converged perfectly near the right edge.
"Route through Shangju Office, as the Young Masters of the Evil Path show unusual signs?"
Zhuge Seolji's hidden message revealed itself.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ As I used Regret as the combining rod to decipher Zhuge Seolji's letter, my younger brothers erupted in excitement.
"Whoa!"
"Wow!"
"Oh?"
"I thought it might just tear the paper to shreds with nothing to show when you brought it to the blade after mentioning a code. Who knew that was the key? Anyone without guts wouldn't think to press paper to a sword edge."
"He trusted Young Master Eon. But routing through Shangju means changing our return path, right?"
Jeong-hyeon was correct.
We had planned to retrace our steps along the Yellow River to Luoyang, then head south back to Dangang-gu.
But via Shangju meant heading south using the Yangtze.
I nodded.
Then Eon Yong-myeong spoke with a dark expression.
"Is it because we wiped out the Southern Alliance? Brother got targeted for trying to make an example of them for the safety of our family and Jinju..."
I shook my head firmly.
"Absolutely not. Think about it. The Southern Alliance vanished just two days ago. Whether the Evil Path Young Masters or Hubei, the news just reached them."
"Ah, true. Then why are we targets?"
"No idea. The hand might be Lady Zhuge's, but the idea seems from the Alliance's Grand Strategist. We'll know at Shangju."
"I see."
"Yeah. The key is to hurry."
The conversation ended there.
I stood and said,
"We need to inform Mother and Father now. Yong-myeong, go to Plum Blossom Hall and fetch Mother."
"Yes!"
"The rest of you, pack up."
I headed straight to the Family Head's Quarters and showed Mother and Father the letter from Zhuge Seolji.
I burned it before them, explaining the urgency.
"Please don't investigate this yourselves. Act like we're still staying at Pearl Eon Family."
"Already leaving without finishing your stay in Jinju?"
Mother seemed disappointed we weren't staying the full time in Jinju.
But she knew the priorities.
"No, no. I shouldn't say that. Yes, you must hurry."
Father felt the same, offering,
"...What if I accompany you?"
I shook my head at Father's proposal.
"Doesn't the Alliance Leader have tasks for you? With discipline restored, you need to rein in the elders too. For the Southern Alliance takedown to serve as an example, Father should hold steady in Jinju for a while. I'll handle it."
"...Right. You're correct. I was shortsighted. I forgot you're a full-fledged warrior with a nickname in the jianghu."
As I declined Father's offer,
Mother asked,
"When exactly do you leave?"
"I told the others to pack on the way, so we'll depart as soon as we return."
It was faster than expected; Mother's eyes widened.
But she soon nodded slowly.
"Yes. Moving quickly is the safest path... Mother won't be sad."
Father took Mother's hand and nodded.
"...Send a letter to Mother upon safe arrival."
"Write one to Father too while at it. One for both is fine."
"...Ahem."
I bowed to them.
"I'll be back.... No, I'll go and return."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The road from Jinju to Shangju was the same one I'd taken when cast out from home.
Not our first time, so my brothers and I made swift progress south.
Our request to act like we were still at Pearl Eon Family seemed effective—no pursuers tailed us.
Thus, we reached Shangju.
"Ugh. I ran so hard my guts nearly spilled out my mouth. Whew. Hey, Yong-un brother. Thinking about it, the letter only said via Shangju Office—no specific destination. Where to now?"
True.
Zhuge Seolji's letter only specified routing through Shangju Office.
Not comparable to Beiping, Kaifeng, or Jinling, but Shangju was a major city.
Yet our destination was clear.
Approach it the same way as when deciphering the letter.
Stories shared with my brothers about Shangju.
The only talk of Shangju with my brothers was from when Yin Xia Lian and I first met—nothing else.
"To the Silver Radiance Merchant Group's Shangju branch."
Of course, we didn't enter the branch.
Zhuge Seolji's letter seemed to mean rendezvous with Yin Xia Lian and Sword Queen Professor.
I knew Yin Xia Lian wouldn't enter the branch upon receiving the same letter.
"Come on in!"
"Window seat on this floor."
As we took seats at an inn overlooking the Shangju branch clearly,
Two female experts in veiled bamboo hats caught my eye.
- It's Ha-yeon and Sword Queen.
Looks like it.
Yin Xia Lian and Sword Queen Professor had arrived at the inn before us.
"We're with those two over there."
"Oh, really? I'll bring extra plates and cups."
Given the situation, we skipped formalities and old tales.
"I figured Young Master Eon would come here instead of the branch. My guess was right."
"So you thought? We only got 'come here'—no more details?"
We exchanged brief nods and cut to the chase.
[The Evil Path Young Masters moving to capture Young Master Eon, sourced from Grand Strategist Zhuge Hye?]
[Evil Path Young Masters aren't that unified—who exactly is after me?]
[Sorry. That's all I know now.]
Indeed, Yin Xia Lian's sect was Botam Temple on the Zhoushan Islands across the sea from Zhejiang.
Even with Silver Radiance Merchant Group's reach to Nanjing, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, hiding her identity from the islands to Shangju meant no detailed intel.
[No need to apologize.]
I crossed my arms, pondering.
Sturdy with Sword Queen Professor joining, but...
The Evil Path Young Masters were, simply put, the black path's version of the Murim Alliance.
But those thriving in black path dynamics prioritized personal gain.
Unlike the Murim Alliance—old fogeys who planted grand ideals before budging—theirs wasn't a well-united group.
But can't underestimate them.
Yet if they ever united, their numbers dwarfed the white path's Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families several times over.
Their core forces could match several major sects.
Thus, subjugation wasn't avoided out of choice, but impossibility.
The white path was strong, but clashing head-on with black path would incur massive losses.
...They know reckless provocation risks uprooting, so even bold black path folk don't glare at white path murim lightly... Which of the Evil Path Young Masters' many factions did this?
...Demonic Cult?
The ones I struck couldn't seize the Evil Path Young Masters so soon.
As thoughts swirled,
A woman in a veil and shabby cotton robes approached with a basket.
"Young master, buy a rice cake. I lost my husband, do odd jobs by day, sell these by night..."
I grabbed her sleeve.
"Didn't stop you thinking you untrained, but these aren't laborer's hands?"
She didn't panic, whispering instead.
"...The Evil Path Young Masters' Left Army is personally moving to capture you."
She lifted her veil slightly with her free hand.
"Chun-aeng?"
I recognized her face.
She was the courtesan who guided me to Toe Village when seeking Master at Taihu.
Swish-
Swipe-
In my surprise at the sudden encounter,
She dipped her finger in a water glass on the table, writing the dirty on the tabletop.
She was from the Beggars' Sect.