Monopolizing Fortunes (165)
Monopolizing Fortunes (165)
The Jang Yeon-seon who had returned was not the powerless little girl who had once left. Amid the will radiating from her entire body, even a venomous intensity was visible.
Do Tong-dal poured tea into Jang Yeon-seon's cup.
"It's a shame you're not old enough to drink yet."
Do Tong-dal's cup clinked against Jang Yeon-seon's raised teacup.
"I'll be counting on you from now on, Sect Leader."
"And I on you, Master."
"I'll be counting on you too."
"Same here."
Everyone present clinked cups with Jang Yeon-seon. Each time a cup touched hers, Jang Yeon-seon's chest swelled a little more. The title of Sect Leader, which had seemed like a mirage, now surged toward her as reality.
* * *
Something that had seemed impossible had happened.
"Are you telling me three Plum Blossom Swordsmen actually came back seriously injured at the hands of a thug?"
Elder Yeom Je-cheong asked again, unable to believe it. Baek Su-hyeon, the Plum Blossom Sword Lord who led the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, answered with his head bowed.
"How could he be a mere thug? I believe he was only disguised as one."
"Either way, it is clear that Mount Hua Sect has been disgraced."
And what a disgrace it was. The words "Mount Hua Sect Retard" had been carved in blood across a lay disciple's chest, and the three Plum Blossom Swordsmen sent to punish the culprit had instead come back beaten.
"We cannot simply let this pass. If word of this spreads, it will become Mount Hua Sect's shame."
He had said "if word spreads," but in Luoyang there was already no one who did not know, and the wordless rumor was busily carrying Mount Hua Sect's shame to even more distant places.
"I will go."
"No. I will go myself."
Baek Su-hyeon was startled.
"What? You mean you will go personally, Master? This is no different from using a butcher's blade to slaughter a chicken."
"Whether that fellow is a cow or a chicken, I will only know once I meet him. One thing is certain: whether he is a cow or a chicken, his neck will be cut all the same."
He had no intention of letting the man live. Anyone who put even the slightest scratch on Mount Hua Sect's honor should expect no forgiveness, no matter who they were.
Mount Hua Sect, which stood upon a pool of blood beneath its feet, had to be that way.
* * *
"What brings you here on such a precious visit?"
Jang Bu-ok's legs still went weak whenever he saw Won Jin-u. No matter how courteous Won Jin-u's attitude was, a snake that is kind to a frog is still a snake.
"I came rushing over out of concern, because something worrisome seems to be happening at Hwangdae Merchant Company."
"Something worrisome?"
"You are unaware, Company Head. This matter seems to be something I should discuss with Protector Bae."
Do Tong-dal, who had been summoned, arrived just then. Won Jin-u's visit was unexpected for Do Tong-dal as well. He had known someone from the Revenge Society would come, but he had not expected the Young Society Leader to move personally.
"I greet the Young Society Leader."
When Do Tong-dal offered his respects, Won Jin-u also inclined his head slightly. Won Jin-u immediately got to the point.
"I hear you have gotten into a dispute with Mount Hua Sect?"
To be precise, it was Wang Du-sik, but Won Jin-u had grasped that Do Tong-dal was behind it.
"A close brother of mine got caught up in the incident. There was friction with a lay disciple, and somehow the matter grew out of hand."
"Three Plum Blossom Swordsmen were taken down, so Mount Hua Sect will not sit still. What do you intend to do?"
"I cannot just sit back and take it, so I will have to find a way."
Won Jin-u, who had been staring at Do Tong-dal, asked.
"It seems you have already found a way?"
"In truth, I am already moving forward with something. I had been meaning to inform the Revenge Society anyway, and since the Young Society Leader has come here in person, I should tell you now. I am thinking of founding a sect."
"A sect? You mean founding a martial sect?"
"Only if I have a force of my own will Mount Hua Sect be unable to touch me recklessly."
"You should have informed the Revenge Society first about something so important."
At Won Jin-u's pressing, Do Tong-dal bowed his head.
"I was so flustered that I failed to inform you. I apologize."
Since Do Tong-dal even apologized like that, Won Jin-u could not press further. He was also curious about the plans after founding the sect.
"Even if you do found a sect, Mount Hua Sect will not simply back down."
"That is why I am thinking of declaring ourselves an orthodox sect. If we are also orthodox, Mount Hua Sect will not be able to move against us recklessly."
"As far as I know, there is no orthodox figure in Hwangdae Merchant Company."
Do Tong-dal, of course, and the Three Beyond the World as well were far from the orthodox path. Wang Du-sik went without saying.
"As it happens, Seo Yeon-dok, the eldest of the Three Beyond the World, has gone to recruit someone."
"That man knows an orthodox figure? I heard he lived his whole life in the outer world."
"I have not heard the details either. He only said that when he brings the person, I will nod in approval."
"Even if you do found an orthodox sect as Protector Bae intends, that wicked Mount Hua Sect will not back down easily."
"If I am given time, I will be able to resolve it through negotiation somehow."
Won Jin-u's upper body leaned slightly toward Do Tong-dal. It was a movement of less than an inch, but Do Tong-dal did not miss the language his body was speaking.
'He's found something he desperately wants.'
Won Jin-u's voice also lowered slightly, as if confiding a secret.
"How about fighting Mount Hua Sect while you have the chance?"
Do Tong-dal put on a startled expression.
"What? Fight Mount Hua Sect? How could a sect that has just been founded fight Mount Hua Sect, which contends for the top rank among the Nine Great Sects?"
"The Revenge Society will support you."
"But......"
"You said you would resolve it through negotiation, but that is not certain, is it?"
Do Tong-dal deliberately let out a voice without conviction.
"Of course that is true, but fighting Mount Hua Sect would be like striking a boulder with an egg, would it not? Surely you are not unaware of the Nine Great Sects' strength?"
"How could I not know them? I am the very person who knows Mount Hua Sect better than Mount Hua Sect itself."
"And yet you are telling me to fight Mount Hua Sect?"
"The one who started this fight is Protector Bae, not me."
"That is true, but I have not even considered an all-out war with Mount Hua Sect."
"What would you do if you could win by fighting?"
Do Tong-dal shook his head.
"There is no possibility of defeating Mount Hua Sect."
"Do you know the Revenge Society's military strength?"
"How could I know that?"
"With the strength Protector Bae possesses and the forces the Revenge Society dispatches, you could put up a sufficient fight against Mount Hua Sect."
Do Tong-dal smiled inwardly, but outwardly he contorted his face into a grimace.
"So you are telling me to stake my life without even the confidence of certain victory?"
"Since Protector Bae is not someone who would listen just because I called it an order, I will not say such a thing. But think of the fruit if you were to win. You defeated Mount Hua Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects, in battle. What would that sect's prestige be in the martial world?"
"We would stand shoulder to shoulder with the Nine Great Sects in a single leap."
"A reputation that would take hundreds of years to build could be won in a single fight."
It was talk that would make any ordinary martial artist's mouth water. Of course, Do Tong-dal the thug had nothing but other thoughts in his head.
"If an all-out war with Mount Hua Sect breaks out, the Revenge Society will also take heavy damage. I will say this in advance: without sufficient support from the Revenge Society, I will not even start this fight."
The word "sufficient" was subjective, but since the enemy in question was Mount Hua Sect, Do Tong-dal's and Won Jin-u's scales would be similar.
"The Revenge Society's support will not be lacking."
"As far as I know, the Revenge Society's goal is the annihilation of the orthodox sects. Is it all right to pour this much strength into Mount Hua Sect?"
At that question, Won Jin-u's eyes wavered. It was not something like regret over this decision. Rather, it was something like hope, which made it strange.
"I...... want to end this fight of the Revenge Society quickly."
Only then could Do Tong-dal read Won Jin-u. For him, there existed a "something" as desperate as revenge itself.
Won Jin-u spoke.
"And I heard a strange rumor."
"A rumor?"
"I heard the Branch Chief visited this place."
There was no way a rumor could have spread about the Branch Chief's secret visit. As expected, the Revenge Society was thoroughly monitoring Hwangdae Merchant Company.
The answer to that came from Jang Bu-ok.
"An official I had formed a connection with long ago was recently promoted into the imperial palace. I sent word, and he sent the Branch Chief."
"Oh-ho, is that so. What post does he hold in the imperial palace?"
"I heard he went to the Gaksananjung of the Ministry of Personnel. He is of the senior fifth rank, so not a very high official."
"But since it is a post that handles practical affairs, his power should be considered far greater than that of officials who are merely high in rank."
"That is true."
Won Jin-u asked with subtle interest.
"Can you move that Gaksananjung?"
Do Tong-dal smiled inwardly. Won Jin-u had taken the bait. Well, he had no choice but to take it. Under attack from the imperial palace as they were now, an official of the imperial palace was like an oasis to a traveler who had not drunk a drop of water for three days.
Jang Bu-ok put on a thoughtful expression. To Do Tong-dal's eyes it was perfectly transparent, but to others it would look like a face deep in deliberation.
"Since we are under attack from the imperial palace, I too have considered whether I should ask that person for help. But he has only just entered the imperial palace, and I worry that if I make such a request, even the relationship we worked so hard to build might be severed."
Won Jin-u knew well that in unsettled times like these, officials kept their heads down regardless of whether their posts were high or low.
But at present, the Revenge Society was in a situation where the fire at its feet was blazing up its entire body.
"Approach him carefully. Everyone has something they want, do they not?"
"I will send word, but do not expect too much. If it seemed likely to work, I would have told you first."
"Understood. I will trust you, Company Head Jang."
And so Hwangdae Merchant Company expanded its stake within the Revenge Society.
* * *
Every time the acrobats performed their feats, the people inside the tent cheered.
Walking a precarious tightrope at a height of five jang, leaping from swing to swing, and throwing knives at a person while blindfolded—these were spectacles no one could help but enjoy.
Won Dae-yeon watched the acrobatics performed by twelve acrobats in silence from the very back.
With no cheers, no admiration, he only sent a wistful gaze, as if tracing through the past.
At the announcement that all the feats were over, the people let out regretful exclamations and trickled away one by one. Then the only audience left in the tent was Won Dae-yeon.
"Sir, the performance is all over."
A man in his mid-twenties with dozens of knives tucked at his waist spoke to Won Dae-yeon. Won Dae-yeon looked at the scar running from the man's temple to the end of his lip and asked.
"You must be Yeon Cheong-seok."
Yeon Cheong-seok flinched in surprise and stepped back. With his hand on the knife handle at his waist, Yeon Cheong-seok's tone was icy.
"Who are you? There is not a single outsider who knows our names."
"It's not that there isn't a single one."
Just then, a thick voice cut in between the two.
"Cheong-seok, stand down. He is someone you could not handle even if three of you attacked at once."
"Big Brother."
The man called Big Brother was a sturdy man in his mid-forties with round eyes, a bulbous nose, and a bushy beard.
"It's been a long time."
The sturdy man Jo Seong-un's voice in reply was cold.
"Indeed. How many years has it been since you went mad with revenge, abandoned chivalry, and lived as a madman?"
"Ten years as a madman, and this is the second year I've lived a life far removed from chivalry."
Jo Seong-un's brow furrowed.
"That sounds like you are saying you have given up on revenge."
"Not given up. Finished it."
"You found that bastard and killed him?"
"With the help of a certain benefactor."
Only then could Jo Seong-un see that Won Dae-yeon's expression was more at ease than ever before.
"If you have finished your revenge, congratulations. Now please leave."
"Are you not even going to ask why I came? Junior Brother."
"Do not call me Junior Brother! Twenty-five years ago, you clearly told me with your own mouth that there was no such thing as a junior brother to you!"
Won Dae-yeon let out a long sigh.
"You will never know how much I regretted those words. In my youth, I was arrogant. I thought it made no sense for a martial art passed down to a single successor to have a junior brother."
"That is nothing but a shabby excuse. Even after all the time that passed since then, you never acknowledged me as your junior brother."
"It was the result of foolishness mixed with pride. I want to apologize now for my words and actions back then, and for failing to apologize for my wrongs. Junior Brother, I was sorry. I am still sorry."
* * *