Chapter 138
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: 39. Time of Dogs and Wolves (1)
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*Time of Dogs and Wolves: At the cusp of sunrise and sunset, it's impossible to tell if the figure visible beyond those hills is a friendly dog or a fearsome wolf. This period is known as the "Time of Dogs and Wolves." It also symbolizes the "uncertainty" at the boundary between light and darkness.
Mount Yo Sword Go Dan-o recounted the tale.
Seven years ago, the highly acclaimed Jin Ga-yong had fallen into the early stages of qi deviation. That's why he'd secluded himself, spending most of his days agonizing in the meditation chamber to overcome it. It was the reason the Shaanxi Province's top late-stage prodigy had suddenly cut himself off from the world.
It took him a year and six months to fully recover, and even after that, he'd shied away from outside activities. He'd even sat out the battles against the Martial Qin Alliance, so taking the position of squad leader in the Face Pursuit Squad marked his first official public appearance in seven years.
Anyway, though he'd made a full recovery, there must've been some lingering aftereffects from the healing process. Go Dan-o claimed that Ma Yeop had mistaken those for demonic qi.
"An interesting story. But does that even make sense?"
"How unpleasant. Are you saying I'm lying?"
"Do you think the Qingcheng Sect is a joke? Or that your Zhao Family Manor is that impressive?"
"How could I mean that? I'm merely blaming that rude dog, Ma Yeop."
"Listen here. The Qingcheng Sect is a Taoist sect with a long, respected history acknowledged by all. A mid-tier expert trained and raised there is that rude priest."
"Hmph. Looks like they skipped lessons on manners. Or maybe the sect gave up on him."
Flying Tiger recalled the day he'd first met Ma Yeop and smirked. They'd probably taught him, and he'd known it well enough. The problem was that revenge had consumed him and made him discard it all.
"Maybe that's how it was. But that's not the point. After that, Ma Yeop spent years hunting down demonic cultists. He's from an orthodox Taoist sect, has plenty of jianghu experience, and deep knowledge of demonic matters. For someone like that to sense traces of demonic qi from your senior brother—leaving aside whether he's rude or not, whose words do you think hold more weight? Hm?"
"That's..."
"If you're not a complete blockhead, spit it out. Even you must think Ma Yeop the priest's words are more credible than yours, right?"
"No!"
Oh? He's flustered?
Flying Tiger figured Go Dan-o was too rigid to lie. It showed plainly on his face. But... why was this guy yelling again? He raised his fist to strike once more, then slyly lowered it. Seeing Go Dan-o flinch made him think that might be going too far.
"Ahem. Your strong denial suggests you had your suspicions too. Maybe wondering if your senior brother, who'd fallen into qi deviation, hadn't secretly dabbled in demonic arts to fix it?"
"No."
"And if there's any demonic art-related item in your Zhao Family Manor, it'd have to be something like the Mask of Ghosts."
"No!"
"Why are you so sure? It's a reasonable suspicion."
"Hmph. I'm done talking."
"Ah! I see. You mustered the courage to ask your senior brother Jin Ga-yong directly. He denied it, of course, so you believed him unquestioningly to ease your mind. That's what your senior brother means to you."
"Uh... how did you know?"
Flying Tiger scratched his chin thoughtfully. Why bother torturing a simpleton like this? Just a little prodding, and it all spills out.
Tch, idiots.
"Shall we talk about something else?"
"I'm not talking."
"Fine. But you know, did your late eldest senior brother resent Jin Ga-yong? Makes sense—he was a genius swordsman praised from childhood, gathering the trust of his juniors and everyone around him."
"Don't talk nonsense! The two shared a deep bond. And though overshadowed by Senior Brother Jin, Eldest Brother was an outstanding swordsman too."
"Hm, a martial simpleton? No social savvy like that must've frustrated your manor lord. So did the manor lord treat your Senior Brother Jin harshly because of it?"
Go Dan-o flinched.
So things weren't smooth after all.
Alright, time to dig deeper?
First, circle around Jin Ga-yong and those close to him to pry. That gets Go Dan-o riled up, defending them. Once his mouth opens, ask everything before it shuts again.
That was the general approach.
And the information gleaned was this.
一. Originally, the master Jo Ban-san and Jin Ga-yong shared a bond like father and son. But after that day seven years ago when he seemed to fall into qi deviation, things gradually soured.
一. Especially before the duel at Yeonman Plains, when Jo Ban-san chose the eldest senior brother over Jin Ga-yong himself to bring along, he was deeply resentful and disheartened. That became the decisive factor, leaving their relationship in ruins by the end. Caught in between, the eldest senior brother just sighed constantly, watching their moods.
一. From what he said of their senior-junior dynamics, Eldest Brother Jo Muk embraced his juniors like a mother hen, while second brother Jin Ga-yong was strict even with himself. Everyone respected and feared him for it. So only the eldest could treat Jin Ga-yong casually, and Jin Ga-yong often followed his lead.
一. Jin Ga-yong's swordsmanship differed from Go Dan-o's or Jo Baek-bing's. The reason? From some point, he favored the swift swords of the Jin Family Manor—where he'd been born and raised, now erased from the jianghu—over the Zhao Family Manor's heavy swords. But he could wield anything proficiently when needed, he added.
一. Go Dan-o said he'd never seen the Mask of Ghosts, one of Shaanxi's Three Treasures. He suspected it had been lost generations ago. If it truly existed, someone like him—who'd spent over half his life in the Zhao Family Manor—or his senior brothers should've at least heard of it once.
一. Flying Tiger also asked about the serial killer Mask of Ghosts stirring up Shaanxi lately. What did he think? Go Dan-o was greatly displeased. So Flying Tiger pressed: "No, honestly, shouldn't you be glad? Most of his victims were traitors who'd turned against the anti-Martial Qin Alliance, starting with your Zhao Family Manor." He clamped his mouth shut.
Flying Tiger listened to various other trivial matters too. In exchange, he shared what he knew about Chao Er-jin.
Trust sprouts from such exchanges.
Some in the Martial Qin Alliance had apparently gathered their own faction, and they hated your Zhao Family Manor. Maybe that's why they banded together. And he was a ronin warrior hired by them.
"Thanks. I learned a lot thanks to you."
"No. You weren't even listening."
"I was. Want me to recite it back?"
"You don't believe me anyway. I can hear your scheming from here. If humans talk but distrust each other, how is that a conversation?"
"Ha~ Such deep misunderstanding. Fine. Out of gratitude, I'll tell you the truth based on what you shared."
"What truth?"
"You're an idiot! Your senior brother Jin Ga-yong lied, and though you suspected, you fooled yourself into believing him."
"What nonsense!"
"No, listen. From what I heard, Jin Ga-yong stands out oddly among your brothers. Just because he's exceptional? Noble character? I don't think so. There must be a reason he doesn't fit in. You ignore it, but deep down, you feel it too."
"Impossible."
"It's possible. Maybe he never fell into qi deviation at all. Perhaps he was just pretending to hole up in the meditation chamber while busy wearing the Mask of Ghosts and scurrying about?"
"Why would my senior brother do that?"
"Why? Your master told him to. 'My son-like disciple, won't you don a ghost mask and dance with swords for your master?'"
"You mad..."
Go Dan-o glared furiously at Flying Tiger, then sighed. He asked in a dry voice,
"Why make up such absurd lies?"
"Hm, too much of a leap? Well, you must've had similar suspicions once. Anyway, even you could see plenty of secrets between Jin Ga-yong and your late master, right?"
"...!"
Clap.
Flying Tiger nodded and applauded. That was enough for now. If it was a secret he'd take to the grave, killing him wouldn't help anyway. Thanks to the talk with Go Dan-o, he'd gained much insight into Jin Ga-yong and several key facts.
So he'd roughly formed a hypothesis, and now just needed confirmation from Jin Ga-yong himself.
"Good. Now spill some info on the Zhao Family Manor. Constructive stuff. Like who the visiting dignitaries staying there are."
"You think that'll come from my mouth?"
"Yeah. You will."
Flying Tiger pulled a ring from his bosom and placed it in Go Dan-o's hand.
Go Dan-o looked shocked. Clutching the ring, he bowed his head and trembled. Then in a cracked voice, he asked,
"What... happened to her?"
"She entered the Zhao Family Manor safely. I sent her back unharmed."
"Huh?"
Go Dan-o looked up at Flying Tiger in surprise, eyes brimming with tears.
A grown man...
Flying Tiger panicked visibly and barked at him to wipe his tears before he smacked him.
Afterward, Flying Tiger revealed that Visiting Dignitary Yang Ji was a traitor, borrowed from this dwarf at his request. But how could Go Dan-o believe it?
"She said to pass this along with the ring: 'Do you know how I feel?'"
"Ah!"
Do you know how I feel?
Those were the words Go Dan-o had uttered as he'd given the ring to Yi Jin-ok, confessing his love. A sweet secret known only to the lovers. Proof that Yi Jin-ok had willingly handed over the ring.
Flying Tiger added words worth pondering.
"I hold no grudge against the Zhao Family Manor. But given my position, I might have to kill you someday. So prove your worth. Think carefully and speak. We need info helpful if Chao Er-jin's side finds out you're targeted. But that doesn't mean betray your manor."
"Sigh— What kind of nonsense is that? You spared her, so it's awkward to resent you. Better just kill me cleanly then."
Thwack.
Flying Tiger could endure no more and soundly smacked Go Dan-o's thick skull.
"Is your head just there to be hit? Think!"
"Damn it. Where's anything like that..."
"I gave examples, and you still don't get it? Visiting Dignitary Yang Ji."
"...?"
"That rat. Anything he knows has probably reached Chao Er-jin's side already, right? So not core secrets known only to you brothers and key figures. Just internal info that even guests might know, hard for outsiders to learn. Spill a few."
"...!"
A moment later.
As Flying Tiger finished questioning and picked up his bundle to leave, Go Dan-o haltingly spoke.
"You said it yourself? This is mental torture."
"...And?"
"If things become unavoidable, can I ask you?"
"Got it. I promise. When that time comes, I'll end it in one swift blow, no pain."
Creak.
As Flying Tiger opened the warehouse door and stepped out, it was well past midnight. He planned to wrap up this commission before the night ended. If Jin Ga-yong came as expected, it'd be do or die.
"If not... I'll use up every last day. It'll be tiring, but oh well."
Flying Tiger muttered while gazing at the pitch-black night sky. But his instincts whispered that Jin Ga-yong was coming soon.
So stay sharp and focused!
Where would Flying Tiger's blade point?
That remained to be seen.