Empathy Extends From the Self
It was a question that couldn't be answered easily.
To be precise, it was the intent behind it that I was curious about.
"Does this require some thought?"
"Yes."
"I suppose so. Our Sambong Branch Master never intended to stay in the Asura Sword Sect for long in the first place."
It wasn't that I was underestimating Dokgo Dan-ya. This was a man who had hidden his own realm, after all — meticulous beyond doubt.
And yet he had behaved as though he had all but let go of the sect's affairs, which meant there had to be a reason for it.
This business was no different.
Using Neung Don to draw in the Pacheon Fist Sect? Setting a trap?
Too ambiguous.
This was a man who had raised the sect to its present height.
Beyond that, another design surely lay hidden.
Perhaps he wasn't aiming at the Pacheon Fist Sect at all, but at a 'different figure' entirely.
I didn't know the details either.
I had no intention of digging that far. He would handle it himself.
"As I mentioned before, I understand it thus."
"Which was?"
"That as long as I remain in the Asura Sword Sect, I will treat the sect's interests as my own."
"That's right."
"And I have acted accordingly. You must have ears everywhere, so you already know what I've done."
Dokgo Dan-ya smiled faintly.
"I do. You cleaned up Cheonrim, meddled with Jangan Commandery, and even threatened the Cheonjeong Sect on top of it... it's astonishing. Did you write that report yourself?"
"One of my subordinates wrote it."
"Your subordinate?"
"Yes."
Dokgo Dan-ya burst out laughing. Truly, what a man of laughter he was.
"Independence is all well and good, but may I offer my personal opinion?"
"I am but a mere Branch Master. Why would you ask my permission?"
"Still, one must say what needs saying. Because it's a matter of that much importance."
I nodded. Seeing this, Dokgo Dan-ya spoke.
"Let's say — hypothetically, truly hypothetically."
He met my eyes directly.
"If an enemy appeared, one so overwhelming that your current strength could not stand against them — what would you do?"
"An overwhelming enemy, you say."
"It would be splendid if you could settle it in a duel of life and death, but suppose that proves difficult?"
"I understand what you're getting at."
"Oh?"
"Yes. In the murim, few of the strong are without a faction of their own. Make an enemy of them, and you must face their entire organization as well. In the end, those with factions can dig traps in advance or throw numbers at you until the odds collapse. Which means, from the very start, the fight is fought on unfavorable terms..."
"At the very least, you'd need a faction of equivalent standing to make things comfortable."
"Yes."
"Haven't the wise men of the world proven the necessity of factions a thousand times over? Whatever you mean to do, many hands beat one. The path you walk cannot help but draw followers to it."
"So that's why you asked about the Young Sect Master position."
"Close enough. At first I thought of you as the next Asura Pavilion Master, but you're too large a vessel for that. Frankly, I don't believe even the Young Sect Master seat can hold you."
I did not protest that it was too generous an assessment.
Because it was true.
Nor did I much care that his speech had, at some point, grown familiar. I found that register comfortable too.
Dokgo Dan-ya pointed to his own chest.
"How would you like to aim for this seat?"
"There cannot be two suns in one sky. If I were to aim for that seat, the Sect Master would have to be dead."
The corner of Dokgo Dan-ya's mouth twitched.
"...Truly... how is it that even the way you speak pleases me so."
"......"
"I'm not asking you to decide now. Think it over slowly and send word later. I'll make the preparations on my end."
"Before that, may I ask one favor?"
"And what favor would that be?"
"The affairs I'm stirring up in Sambong-hyeon will grow considerably noisy from here on. I wish to deal with the Pacheon Fist Sect alone."
"You want me to flush out the schemers working from the shadows, like Neung Don, before they become a problem?"
"Yes."
"Very well. Don't worry yourself over that. Just as we discussed before — do everything you wish to do."
"Thank you. Then I will take my leave."
I offered a fist-in-palm salute and turned to go.
Behind me, Dokgo Dan-ya added one thing.
"The direction of that report was good, too."
I turned back.
"To be honest, I simply wrote down what happened."
"There were a few parts I rather hoped would turn out to be true."
I smiled faintly.
"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."
Dokgo Dan-ya laughed as well.
"The more I think on it, the more I'm certain the Young Sect Master seat would suit you."
My brow creased slightly.
Dokgo Dan-ya.
He knew too much.
That remark, together with our earlier exchange, settled it. This was something I needed to address at least once.
"Myeong Hyeon is one of my subordinates."
"Heh heh. Even that sect's elders wouldn't dare keep the Yacha of the Imperial Sword Sect as a subordinate — but then, you clearly stand above those elders, don't you?"
Myeong Hyeon's efforts had meant something after all.
I would stake everything I had on this: aside from Dokgo Dan-ya alone, not a single soul in the Asura Sword Sect would have noticed.
Dokgo Dan-ya.
More entertaining a man than I'd expected.
I answered flatly.
"It's true he learned demonic arts, but the arts he learned are ones that can be controlled. Once he reaches the Realm of Harmony, the side effects will vanish entirely."
"And will the Sword Emperor simply stand by and watch until then?"
"Hard to say. We shall have to wait and see, won't we?"
"It's a considerable risk... but very well. I'll trust him to you. And on your way out, stop by Uigyeong Pavilion and collect thirty Asura Pills."
"Yes."
"You should hurry. I hear the Fist Masters of Jangan Commandery have been pulling some schemes of their own."
With that, I left the Sect Master's hall.
I let out a long sigh inwardly.
I stopped walking and looked straight ahead.
Six men and women stood there.
I hadn't known them long, yet they were familiar.
The elders of the Elder Council.
Setting aside Neung Don, and Myo Man-li in his seclusion—
Six remained.
Among them, an elder with a stern face stepped forward. I stared at him, and a strange silence settled over us.
A man.
Elder Chodong spoke.
"Will you not show respect?"
Respect.
"Am I not showing it right now?"
"...What?"
"Raising my speech for you is, by my standards, very nearly the highest courtesy I can offer."
"Stiff-necked, aren't you."
"I hear that often. And yet."
I swept a cold gaze over the six of them.
"Why are you blocking the road? Have you lost your way?"
"...You joke, too."
"I'm perfectly serious. If you haven't lost your way, then kindly step aside."
The five elders besides Chodong bristled. They looked ready to lunge at me at any moment, killing intent leaking off them besides.
I lifted my head and looked at Chodong. Our eyes were roughly level.
"I hear you're the heart of a faction. Please tell them to move."
"...However much we displease you, we are elders. You are nothing more than a Branch Master."
I couldn't help but snort.
"Unofficially, I am the direct protector of the Great Elder. As I understand it, within the main sect my rank is considered equivalent to that of an ordinary elder. Am I mistaken?"
"......"
"I once told my subordinates this: no matter how much we may dislike someone, they hold high office within the sect, and so we must treat them accordingly."
"And so?"
"And so — this is me treating you accordingly. If you were not elders, I would have no reason to exchange words with you at all, no reason to deign to speak to you with honorifics, and above all, no reason to let you go on standing there holding your heads so stiffly high in front of me."
"......"
"You're radiating killing intent right now. No doubt you've already given a warning — that if you don't clear off by the count of three, you'll be cut down."
"...Heh..."
"And haven't I been indulging you this whole time? Isn't that treatment enough? I imagine even my subordinates would be quite satisfied."
I took a step forward, until Chodong and I stood nearly nose to nose.
"Whatever you elders did in the past, I don't care. But tell me — do you want respect?"
"......"
"Empathy extends from the self. If you wish to be respected, then act in a way that earns it. Don't go wasting your scheming in pointless corners like that fellow Neung Don or whatever his name is."
Surprisingly,
Elder Chodong did not rage.
What dwelled in his eyes was interest.
It stood in stark contrast to the five elders fuming behind him.
"You won't step aside?"
I entertained no thought of turning back or walking away.
Why should I turn back?
I look only forward. It is the ones blocking my path who should vanish of their own accord — I have no reason to retreat.
Elder Chodong wore an unreadable smile, stepped sideways, and cleared the way. I walked on slowly. And now the five elders barred my path.
My patience was wearing thin.
I am a busy man.
There is work waiting for me in Sambong-hyeon.
I have no time to stand here dallying.
I laid my hand on the Cloud Dragon Sword. The elders flinched.
"Move."
"...The insolence of this... it's gone too far..."
"I am not the Sect Master. He spared Neung Don's life; I would have killed him on the spot. And right now, every one of you looks no different from Neung Don to my eyes. I'll say it one final time. Move. Before I kill the lot of you."
The Pure Earth Qi surging up through my dantian amplified as it rode my qi rings. My hair billowed.
Strength gathered in my grip. The five elders flinched — yet still they did not move.
As I once told my master, I intend to live without regrets.
My chances of walking away from this alive? There were some.
Could I kill all five Harmony Realm elders? I could.
Even with Chodong behind them, making it six, nothing would change.
I would take damage too, and might need months to recover — but the important thing was that they could die. The aftermath could be dealt with when it came.
Just as I was about to draw the sword,
an answer came from behind me.
"Let him pass."
It was Chodong.
At his word, the five elders split to either side.
What did that signify?
It spoke to Chodong's influence.
I suppressed my killing intent. As I glared at the five elders and made to move,—
"A moment."
I turned my head at Chodong's voice.
He did not look away from my gaze.
"Do you think we are walking the wrong path?"
"You know the answer better than I do, don't you?"
"......"
"I feel no sense at all that we are headed to the same place. Surely you don't believe otherwise?"
"......"
"I won't object to you building factions and lining your own pockets — but even that has its lines. There are things that must be buried, and things that must not be. As I said in the Sect Master's hall, elders ought to set an example. Don't shame the people beneath you."
Chodong said nothing.
He only watched me with an unreadable smile.
Unexpected.
I had taken him for an easier man, but looking closely, he seemed to think rather more deeply than I'd assumed.
No further than that, though. If he reformed himself, things might change — but for now, I had no desire to join hands with him, no desire to place him 'beneath' me, no desire even to share words.
It was a waste of time.
I turned and left.
And so I returned to the Sambong Branch.
Of course, before leaving, I stopped by Uigyeong Pavilion and collected my thirty Asura Pills.
The looks they gave me were far from pleasant — but what could I do?
It was the Sect Master's order.
* * *
It took another full day before I could return to Sambong-hyeon.
The moment I arrived, I felt stinging gazes upon me.
It grated a little.
No doubt one of the Pacheon Fist Sect's schemes that Dokgo Dan-ya had mentioned.
It didn't matter.
I would listen first, and judge for myself.
Two men greeted me as I headed straight for the Sambong Branch: Myeong Hyeon, his eyes a little glazed, and Un Dohyeon, spine straight as ever as he offered a respectful fist-in-palm salute.
"I will report on all that occurred while you were away, my lord."
I raised a hand briefly.
"Before that — Myeong Hyeon."
"Yes?"
"You undid your blood pathways again?"
"...Yes."
"Why?"
"Members of the Pacheon Fist Sect's Jangan Branch came swarming in. I had to be prepared for bloodshed."
I stared at the fellow for a long moment.
Honestly, what a strange creature he was.
"Good work. Now close them again. I'm here — no need to draw on demonic arts."
"...I've been meaning to ask. Where in the world does that confidence of yours come from?"
I ignored him, took my seat, and gestured to Un Dohyeon.
"Report."
"Yes. First of all..."
Aside from a few spirit elixirs and treasured swords stripped from Cheonrim, every last item we seized there, together with the tribute the Hong Clan caravan of Sambong-hyeon had given me, had been sent up to various parts of the Kingdom of Jeok through the Woon Trading Company's upper merchant network. Thirty century-aged ginseng roots had been delivered from Cheonrim, and so on, and so forth.
What came next was the important part.
"Pung Bi-chang of the Jangan Branch came here and threatened every family in Sambong-hyeon."
"Threatened?"
"Yes. He told them that unless you arrive in Jangan Commandery and kneel within a week, you will behead the family heads as you did before. The sects of Sambong-hyeon, having heard this..."
"Are frightened?"
"Yes. This is the list."
The document Un Dohyeon handed me was a thick dossier.
I read through it in silence.
"A fair number."
"Some were ringleaders, some were simply swept along — but more than half of the sects hope you kneel to the Jangan Branch."
Wasn't that a truly fascinating situation?
"Why, it's almost as if this Sambong-hyeon were the Pacheon Fist Sect's territory rather than the Asura Sword Sect's."
"My lord — may I dare offer an opinion?"
"Go ahead."
"I don't believe you need to respond personally."
"The reason?"
"Make an example of a few leading families and the agitators, and it will die down on its own."
"Die down?"
"Yes. Leave it to me. I'll go and sort it out."
Sort it out...?
"You intend to go alone?"
"...I was thinking of using the Woon Trading Company's resources."
I burst out laughing.
Myeong Hyeon said what I was thinking for me.
"Our junior here has gone soft."
Un Dohyeon looked at Myeong Hyeon. Sitting there slouched and slanted, receiving reports like some lordling — my brow did crease for a moment, but I could make sense of it as a side effect of the demonic arts.
"What exactly is soft about me?"
"Junior. When a matter has a deadline like this one, you can't end it with a mere example. Why? Because sooner or later, those people will turn around and defy you again."
"......"
"But neither is wiping out entire families an option — though knowing our Branch Master, he'd be perfectly capable of it. And you wouldn't be doing it alone anyway; dragging the Woon Trading Company in only complicates things needlessly. Did you even think about what comes after?"
It would certainly grow complicated, no question.
But from Un Dohyeon's standpoint, I understood perfectly well what he was really saying.
Un Dohyeon was worried about me. Main sect to Sambong-hyeon.
He had covered that vast distance, there and back, in a mere two days.
His own judgment that his internal energy must be badly depleted had, in the end, turned into worry for me — and this was how it expressed itself.
I rose from my seat and patted Un Dohyeon's shoulder.
"It was a good opinion. And your heart came through clearly."
"...My lord..."
"But my decision to refuse stands. Besides, your words aren't entirely without merit. What can I do, when these are people who waver at a single threat?"
I would do it my way.
Perhaps reading something in my resolute expression, Myeong Hyeon rose from his seat.
Un Dohyeon spoke.
"They say a summit is being held tonight at the hour of the rooster."
"A summit?"
"Yes. Every family head on that list you're holding is attending it."
"Certain?"
"I confirmed it before you even arrived, my lord."
"Good."
Un Dohyeon, too, was waiting for my order. So I gave it.
"Move out."
The two men saluted with fists clasped.
"By your command."