Monopolizing Fortunes (91)
Monopolizing Fortunes (91)
"Right. We were definitely there too. All we did was ask a few questions, so how could he have known we weren't the culprits?"
"There's something we don't know. Cheol-hyeon and Seol-rin know what it is."
Namgung Sang-yeon gave a bitter smile.
"I wasn't happy about how much Cheol-hyeon and Seol-rin trusted Do Tong-dal, but it turns out there was good reason for it."
"Exactly. What a strange fellow to have become a son-in-law."
Namgung Sang-yeon was startled.
"What? Do you seriously think of Do Tong-dal as a son-in-law?"
"Isn't someone like Do Tong-dal an excellent match for a son-in-law?"
"But he's an underworld thug, isn't he?"
"If you put it that way, Seol-rin is an underworld thug now too."
Since she had chosen the Red Tiger Society over the Namgung Clan, Namgung Seol-rin was, strictly speaking, an underworld thug as well.
"That's true, but......"
"It's true that his outer shell doesn't match the Namgung Clan's standing. But think about the abilities Do Tong-dal has inside. Is he really an unworthy match for our Seol-rin?"
Namgung Sang-yeon thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Well, that's true. Among the current rising talents of the martial world, those superior to Do Tong-dal can be counted on one hand."
"In my view, there's no one except Cheol-hyeon."
If one factored in things beyond martial arts, he might even surpass Namgung Cheol-hyeon.
"It truly is baffling. How did a mere underworld thug from Hangzhou come to possess such abilities?"
"Seol-rin's eye for recognizing that in Do Tong-dal is impressive too."
"So in the end, you're just bragging about your daughter?"
"Facts are facts."
Just then, a warrior's urgent voice came from outside.
"Clan Head! A guest has arrived!"
Guests came to the Namgung Clan frequently, but a guest important enough to be reported to the Clan Head was very rare.
"Who did they say it was?"
"It is Ha Su-ran, the strategist of the Northern Unorthodox Alliance."
Both Namgung Baek-jung and Namgung Sang-yeon were startled. Namgung Sang-yeon flung open the door and asked.
"Are you certain it's Ha Su-ran?"
"Her face is covered with a veil, so I could not confirm her appearance, but it is certain that she identified herself as Ha Su-ran."
"Did she state her business too?"
"Well...... she said she wanted to meet Do So-hyeop."
Namgung Sang-yeon said to Namgung Baek-jung.
"How did she know Do Tong-dal was here?"
"It seems the Northern Unorthodox Alliance has been keeping an eye on Do Tong-dal."
"Why would the Northern Unorthodox Alliance......?"
"They say an awl in a bag cannot stay hidden. They must have recognized Do Tong-dal's true worth through some channel or other."
Namgung Baek-jung said to the warrior.
"Escort her to the first reception room. See to it that no courtesy is neglected."
Even though they had split into orthodox and unorthodox factions, they merely walked different paths and could not be called enemies. If she was a strategist, she could be considered the second-in-command of the Northern Unorthodox Alliance, so no discourtesy could be permitted.
"I will be meeting with Strategist Ha, so you bring Do Tong-dal."
"Understood."
Having answered, Namgung Sang-yeon moved with hurried steps. Do Tong-dal was strolling through the rear garden with Namgung Cheol-hyeon, who had regained consciousness.
Since it was a reunion after a long time, they were blooming with laughter along with Namgung Seol-rin.
"Puhahaha—! Tong-dal, you rascal, you came back from the dead!"
Namgung Seol-rin glared at Do Tong-dal and said.
"Don't even bring it up. His face turned into half a face overnight."
"Hmph. Don't turn my noble self-sacrifice into a joke. I simply did my best."
"And your best is what's amazing. Eight times? Hmm, it seems Tong-dal's epithet in the martial world has been decided."
At Namgung Cheol-hyeon's words, Namgung Seol-rin asked.
"As what?"
"The Eight-Shot Young Master."
"Pfft!"
Namgung Seol-rin laughed, and Do Tong-dal scowled.
"Don't say such horrible things. If that epithet ever sticks, I'll never show my face in the martial world again."
"Do So-hyeop!"
At Namgung Sang-yeon's urgent voice, the three of them turned. Namgung Sang-yeon, who had come running breathlessly, said.
"Ha Su-ran, the strategist of the Northern Unorthodox Alliance, has come looking for you!"
Do Tong-dal and Namgung Cheol-hyeon were purely surprised, while for Namgung Seol-rin, surprise and anger arrived together.
"Why is that vixen coming to see Tong-dal? No, how did she even know Tong-dal was here?"
"We'll have to meet her and ask. More importantly, have you met Strategist Ha before?"
"Yes. Somehow, for a day or two...... no, was it three days? Anyway, we did spend some time together."
Namgung Sang-yeon's eyes narrowed.
"You spent several days together?"
"Due to circumstances, I was unconscious for most of it, and the time we actually talked didn't exceed one shichen. Probably."
Do Tong-dal scratched his cheek and muttered.
"I've never done anything that would make me an enemy of the Northern Unorthodox Alliance, so there's no reason for her to come looking for me."
"Anyway, hurry up. My brother is meeting with her first."
Namgung Seol-rin shouted angrily.
"Go where! Tell her Tong-dal isn't here! No, just tell her he's dead!"
"Well, that's a bit......"
"Why? Do you want to meet her? Are you happy that a woman who even showed up in your dreams has come looking for you?"
"We should at least hear what she wants."
"It's obvious what she wants!"
"What does she want?"
"She came to wag her tail at you!"
Namgung Cheol-hyeon and Namgung Sang-yeon let out sighs with the same meaning. Namgung Cheol-hyeon said.
"Do something about those love-blinders of yours. As your older brother, I'm thoroughly embarrassed."
At that moment, Do Tong-dal let out an "Ah!" of realization.
"That's it! That possibility is the highest!"
Namgung Sang-yeon asked.
"What possibility?"
"I'll explain on the way."
"Go where! Hey! Do Tong-dal! Stop right there!"
Namgung Cheol-hyeon hastily held back Namgung Seol-rin, who was trying to grab Do Tong-dal by the scruff of his neck. In the meantime, Do Tong-dal said to Namgung Sang-yeon.
"Probably someone in the Northern Unorthodox Alliance has been poisoned with Blue Snake Poison. Most likely the Alliance Leader. If it weren't someone of that stature, Strategist Ha wouldn't have come personally."
"The Northern Unorthodox Alliance Leader was poisoned with Blue Snake Poison? That's hard to believe. A master of that level, poisoned?"
"Unless one is immune to all poisons, poisoning can't be avoided. She must have gotten word that Cheol-hyeon is treating Blue Snake Poison and come looking for me."
Do Tong-dal was nearly certain, and Namgung Cheol-hyeon and Namgung Seol-rin also accepted it with the thought, ‘If Tong-dal says so, then that's how it is.’ The only one who doubted was Namgung Sang-yeon.
When they entered the reception room, Namgung Baek-jung couldn't hide his relieved expression. His time with Ha Su-ran must have been considerably awkward.
Ha Su-ran rose from her seat and gave a light bow. She offered the three of them a perfunctory greeting, but her gaze when looking at Do Tong-dal was different.
"It's been a while."
"Indeed. Have you been well?"
Namgung Seol-rin jabbed Do Tong-dal in the side.
"Why are you curious about that?"
"I...... it's just a greeting."
"You don't need to greet her. Just get to the point."
Namgung Baek-jung scolded Namgung Seol-rin.
"Seol-rin, don't act rashly. Sit still."
With Namgung Baek-jung putting on a stern face, Namgung Seol-rin had no choice but to deflate. She answered "Yes" obediently, but she did not withdraw the sharp glare aimed at Ha Su-ran.
"I think you may now tell us why you came looking for our Do So-hyeop."
At Namgung Baek-jung's words, Ha Su-ran's gaze turned to Do Tong-dal.
"You must have been surprised by my sudden visit. And you must be curious about the reason."
"I was surprised, but I can guess the reason."
"What? You can guess?"
"The Northern Unorthodox Alliance Leader has been poisoned with Blue Snake Poison, hasn't he?"
Ha Su-ran's eyes widened until they could widen no further.
"Where did you get that information? Hardly anyone even within the Northern Unorthodox Alliance knows!"
"I told you. I guessed."
"From the mere fact that I came here?"
"Considering the situation where Cheol-hyeon has been cured of Blue Snake Poison, it wasn't hard to guess."
"I find myself admiring your intelligence once again."
Namgung Seol-rin was about to flare up, thinking, ‘There she goes wagging her tail again......!’ but caught Namgung Baek-jung's signal and backed down.
"That saves us time. Please treat the Alliance Leader."
"I don't see why I should treat a person I don't know at all. Though it isn't me doing the treating......"
"The Makya Blade."
At those three words, everyone except Do Tong-dal was astonished. The shockwave was so great that even Do Tong-dal thought, ‘Should I at least pretend to be surprised?’
"Did you just say the Makya Blade?"
At Namgung Baek-jung's question, Ha Su-ran nodded.
"Yes. The Makya Blade that forms a pair with the Makya Sword. If you treat the Alliance Leader, I will give you that Makya Blade."
Do Tong-dal asked Namgung Cheol-hyeon in a low voice.
"What's the Makya Blade?"
"The greatest under heaven...... no, I should say the greatest blade of all time."
"A good blade?"
"It's not just a good blade. It's said to be so hard it will never break, so sharp it can cut through rock like tofu, and on top of that, it sheds blood on its own."
Do Tong-dal thought for a moment, then said.
"A very good blade that's easy to maintain."
"You can't put it that simply. For a blade-user, it's a priceless treasure they'd value more than their own life."
"The biggest fools in the world are people who stake their lives on objects outside the body."
Ha Su-ran said.
"I'm not asking Do So-hyeop to stake his life."
"That's true, but it's a remedy that was obtained at the risk of someone's life. And someone I want to treat more than the Northern Unorthodox Alliance Leader might appear."
"You're saying someone else could be poisoned with Blue Snake Poison."
"Strategist Ha must have guessed as much too. If both Cheol-hyeon and the Northern Unorthodox Alliance Leader were poisoned, there's ample possibility that other martial artists could be poisoned as well."
Namgung Baek-jung said.
"Between the Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng King incident and the Blue Snake Poison, it seems an invisible hand is moving within the martial world."
"To uncover that invisible hand, you must treat the Alliance Leader. Has the Namgung Clan caught the culprit?"
"We identified them, but they had already fled, so we couldn't learn who was behind it. What about the Northern Unorthodox Alliance?"
"We haven't yet either. We investigated and interrogated suspects, but couldn't identify the culprit. Once the Alliance Leader's mind returns, we'll be able to uncover it."
Suddenly, Namgung Seol-rin spoke.
"Fine. We accept that offer."
"Huh? Why are you the one deciding that?"
"I went to the Southern Barbarians too, so I have the right."
"But I'm the one who obtained the antidote."
"Oh-ho! So you want to take all the credit yourself, Eight-Shot Young Master?"
Namgung Cheol-hyeon burst out laughing, and Do Tong-dal hastily covered Namgung Seol-rin's mouth. The others simply looked bewildered.
"Why are you bringing up that weird epithet......"
"It's the Makya Blade. I'd stake my life on it, so if I can get it by giving up a measly two antidotes, it's practically free."
Namgung Cheol-hyeon also backed Namgung Seol-rin up.
"And we can uncover who's behind it too. We can't miss an opportunity like this."
They didn't say it aloud, but Namgung Baek-jung and Namgung Sang-yeon also hoped the Northern Unorthodox Alliance Leader's poisoning would be cured. It was a fight Do Tong-dal couldn't win.
"I have a lot to do back in Hangzhou."
"That place runs fine without you. There's no time, so let's leave quickly."
Namgung Seol-rin, who had been disgusted by Ha Su-ran's visit, was now the one hurrying the most.
"To get to Shanxi Province, where the Northern Unorthodox Alliance is, quickly, horses would be better than a carriage, right?"
"The Alliance Leader is in Henan Province."
"What?"
"There was no time, so we brought him to a place close to the Namgung Clan. I hurried even more and came here myself."
Do Tong-dal asked.
"What would you have done if I'd refused?"
"But you accepted."
'So she was planning to kidnap me.'
Do Tong-dal could read that in Ha Su-ran's eyes. She had kidnapped him once, so doing it twice was nothing.
"If we ride horses, we can arrive by tomorrow, or the day after at the latest."
"Let's go by carriage this time."
"Why?"
"We have to think about the physician in black too."
"Ah!"
Namgung Seol-rin had completely forgotten about the physician in black, the most important person of all.
"The physician in black knows how to ride a horse too."
"Even coming from Hangzhou to here nearly killed him, and this time it's farther. In a carriage, we can sleep too, so even if we take the main roads, the arrival time will be about the same."
"I should prepare to leave as well."
Do Tong-dal stopped Namgung Cheol-hyeon, who was saying that.
"You stay here."
"Why?"
"Your energy hasn't fully returned yet. It's better not to overexert yourself."
"But......"
Do Tong-dal whispered.
"Once you recover your strength, you'll come to Hangzhou with me and...... you know?"
"Th...... then shall I do that?"
"Is there no way to shake Seol-rin off?"
"Don't stake your life on trivial matters."
It was absolutely not trivial, but he gave up on shaking Namgung Seol-rin off. And so the journey to Henan Province became a party of five, including the coachman.
"Why do I have to go all the way to Henan Province again!"
The physician in black had every right to feel wronged. And that sense of injustice melted away like snow in spring at the sight of ten nyang of silver.
"Dear customer, I will do my utmost to treat you."
* * *