Chapter 152: Travels in Jiangnan (3)
Chapter 152: Travels in Jiangnan (3)
The most massive city one encounters on the route to Nanjing along the Grand Canal is Huaian Prefecture. It is the point where the Huai River, flowing through Hubei, intersects the canal. On a larger scale, it was counted among the Four Great Canal Prefectures, alongside Yangzhou, Suzhou, and Hangzhou.
As a major stopover on the Grand Canal and the seat of the Director-General of Grain Transport, it is the very heart of the canal. Huaian is also considered the most important city within Southern Zhili.
Naturally, this meant a Hao Clan courtesan house was bound to be there.
“Hmm... You’re saying the Fourth Sister isn’t here?”
“Y-yes, Branch Master Dan.”
“When was the last time she was confirmed to be at the Nanjing branch?”
“T-that, I also...”
Jeong Seok-wi, the administrator of Huaian, stammered while breaking into a cold sweat. Looking like an ordinary middle-aged man with a stout build, he bowed his head repeatedly with an expression full of guilt and fluster.
Dan So-hye fell into thought, her arms crossed.
The Fourth Sister. Kang Yeo-hee, the Nanjing Branch Master, was not a woman foolish enough to leave her post recklessly during such a critical time. At one point, she was even rumored to be the closest to becoming the next Hao Clan Leader, second only to the Second Sister.
The First Disciple—the Eldest Sister—and Brother Baek had no interest in the position of Clan Leader. Those two truly followed the Hao Clan Leader as their parent.
Thus, the succession competition naturally unfolded between the Second and Fourth Sisters. It was a rivalry between the Second Sister, who acted as the proxy for the July Society’s leader, and the Fourth Sister, who hailed from the Jiangnan White Forest Society and had cultivated deep ties with the world’s merchant guilds.
And now, at a time when all contact with the Hao Clan Leader had been severed.
‘Both of them have cut off communication with the Hao Clan branches.’
Dan So-hye tapped the table and looked at the man before her. The Huaian administrator kept his head low, cautiously gauging her mood.
Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed.
Thud, thud.
Someone entered the Igwanho Pavilion. They walked in with unhesitating strides, heading straight behind the administrator.
The Hao Clan warriors lined up around the room flinched and exchanged glances. Ignoring them, Dan So-hye spoke.
“Brother, what about the errand I sent you on? Why are you back so soon?”
“They say Lake Hongze is the finest sight in Southern Zhili alongside Hefei’s Lake Chao, and they weren’t lying. The scenery was breathtaking.”
“You should have stayed and played longer.”
“I started feeling a bit peckish, you see.”
As he spoke, Peng Hyeon-hwi’s hand reached out and firmly gripped the back of the bowing administrator’s neck.
Crunch—!!
He slammed the man’s head straight into the table. Before Jeong Seok-wi could even groan, the surrounding Hao Clan warriors simultaneously reached for their sword hilts. At the very moment they were about to draw, Peng Hyeon-hwi’s voice rang out.
“If you pull those out, you die.”
“......”
“Where do you think you are, interrupting your elders? Do you not understand what it means when two Branch Masters are gathered?”
Every single Branch Master of the Hao Clan was a direct disciple of the Hao Clan Leader. In other words, they were individuals who possessed absolute authority within the clan.
Even a Hao Clan administrator in charge of such a massive city could never stand above a Branch Master. The force pressing down on the administrator’s head was so strong that cracks spiderwebbed across the table.
“Brother, let him go.”
“Yes, Sister.”
Peng Hyeon-hwi released his grip and stepped back leisurely, resting his arm on his sword hilt. Only then did the administrator lift his head; seeing Peng Hyeon-hwi, he swallowed hard.
“So, the Tianjin Branch Master, Blade Ghost Peng Hyeon-hwi, was also present.”
“It’s Blade Earl.”
Blue sparks flickered in Peng Hyeon-hwi’s eyes. He calmly massaged Jeong Seok-wi’s nape as he continued.
“From now on, if a lie leaves your mouth, you won’t survive.”
He had realized something while opening his Middle Dantian and practicing the Hunyuan Cultivation Method. As long as the opponent wasn't a significantly higher-level master, he could judge the truth of their actions.
Breathing, heart rate, pupil dilation, the contraction and relaxation of sweat glands, the direction of tension in facial muscles, and even the subtle pitch of the voice. From the moment one stops missing these minute details, it becomes possible to see through the lies of an inferior unless they have mastered a specialized martial art.
Bluffing wouldn't work against a Hao Clan expert of the Peak Realm or higher. His ability to see through feints during combat would also be greatly enhanced.
He could only say he hadn't known this before because he had lived his entire life as an upright and honest person without lies.
Regardless.
“I-it is true that the Nanjing Branch Master has left her post!”
It wasn't difficult to judge the truth in the words of the panicked administrator, who was dripping with cold sweat. When I nodded, Dan So-hye gave a short laugh and asked.
“Then where is the Fourth Sister now?”
“T-that is...”
When he tried to shut his mouth again, I placed my sword, still in its scabbard, onto the table. The administrator hiccuped, falling silent, before stammering out an answer.
“She is at... Mount Mao...”
“Mount Mao? The Mount Mao Sect?”
“Yes, Branch Master Dan. It has been nearly a month since she visited the Mount Mao Sect.”
“The Fourth Sister isn't the type of devout person who would climb a sacred mountain to offer prayers.”
The Mount Mao Sect belonged to one of the oldest Taoist lineages of the Shangqing school. It was an ancient martial sect that had been established several generations before the Quanzhen lineage—the origin of the Jongnam and Mount Hua sects—and had maintained its legacy until now.
As such, it had the character of a religious group rather than just a sect of Taoists using Taoist sorcery. It was natural, as Mount Mao had been a Taoist holy land since ancient times.
However, visiting the Mount Mao Sect at this time was far too coincidental.
It was suspicious enough that she had left her post months after the Hao Clan Leader disappeared, at a time when the entire clan was in a state of unrest. By any normal judgment, she should have been seizing control of the Nanjing Hao Clan and attempting to expand her influence over the Jiangnan White Forest Society.
Whether she was preparing for betrayal or not, now was not the time for a Branch Master to be away.
“Why did she go to the Mount Mao Sect?”
“T-that is...”
At Dan So-hye’s question, the administrator stammered, breaking into a cold sweat. Meeting our gazes, he squeezed his eyes shut and answered with a groan.
“A rumor has spread through the Jiangnan Martial World... that the tomb of the Ming King, Han Lin'er, has been discovered.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“I-I know it sounds absurd! B-but regardless of the circumstances, the Nanjing Branch Master had to verify the truth as quickly as possible. If something went wrong, it could lead to a massive disaster...!”
“That may be true, but Han Lin'er’s tomb? All of a sudden?”
Both of us were stunned by the completely unexpected words. Why on earth was that popping up now?
The Ming King Han Lin'er. Known in his time as the Radiant King, he was the most famous White Lotus Cult Leader in history. Among those cockroach-like people who fundamentally loathed coming to the surface, he was a man who had left an exceptionally prominent trail.
Han Lin'er was the figure who rose like a wildfire when the Yuan Dynasty collapsed and fractured, declaring he would establish a solid Han Chinese nation, and nearly succeeded in taking complete control of the Central Plains.
His title at the time was the Radiant King, and the Hongwu Emperor, who was under his command, betrayed him to seize power and found the current Ming Imperial Court.
This happened during the War of Heavenly Mandate. Han Lin'er, having lost the Mandate, eventually disappeared somewhere in Nanjing. The White Lotus followers believed he would return, and the Hongwu Emperor announced he was dead, but both sides continued their claims without evidence.
The era of the War of Heavenly Mandate was a time when our founding ancestor, Peng Dan-san, and the Wudang Sect’s founder, Zhang Sanfeng, were active simultaneously. Along with Han Lin'er, the three were called the Three Venerables of the World, and they competed not for the title of the best of their era, but for the best of all time.
We weren't naive enough to blindly believe that such a titan, who had vanished into thin air, would suddenly have his tomb discovered now, two hundred years later.
Honestly, it was too out of the blue. It wasn't like the tomb of the First Emperor; why would the White Lotus Cult Leader’s tomb be found only now?
“It is said that one of the Mount Mao Sect’s geomancers was scouting for auspicious sites to further his studies when he accidentally picked up a strange object.”
“A strange object?”
“It was a fragment of a sword inscribed with the phrase Sun and Moon Point to Heaven. While examining the geography after finding it, he claimed to have discovered a massive formation within the landscape...”
“Right, right, that’s how rumors usually go. So, is that Taoist at the Mount Mao Sect now?”
“He is dead.”
“...What?”
The characters for Sun and Moon (日月) combine to form the character for Ming (明). And Ming is the current name of the Imperial Court, and further back, it was the symbol of the White Lotus Cult. The White Lotus Cult was also called the Sun Moon Divine Cult or the Ming Cult, and its leader’s title was the Radiant King (Ming Wang).
It was an open secret in the history of the Martial World that the Hongwu Emperor chose 'Ming' as the dynastic name to cover up his betrayal of the White Lotus Cult.
Sun and Moon Point to Heaven—in other words, it meant the Ming Cult that points to the will of heaven. The fact that such a phrase was inscribed was enough to consider it a relic of the White Lotus Cult.
It was also coincidental that the area where Han Lin'er disappeared happened to be near Nanjing in Jiangnan. Though the fact that it was 'accidentally' discovered was suspicious beyond belief.
“It is said that the Mount Mao geomancer hurriedly drew a map of the area and returned to the main sect to report it. After that...”
“The information leaked, and the geomancer was assassinated? The culprit?”
“Unknown. Afterward, the Mount Mao Sect announced that they had lost the map when the geomancer died. Now, the Jiangnan White Forest Society is searching everywhere with their eyes lit up to investigate the situation.”
This would fall under the category of 'treasure map incidents' that occasionally occurred in the history of the Martial World. However, one would have to say the weight of this was on a completely different level.
Generally, most of the commotions involving treasure maps concerned the tombs or secret techniques of one of the former Fifteen Lords. Furthermore, the locations were usually remote mountains or deep valleys in the outskirts.
But this time was different. If what was found truly belonged to Han Lin'er, it was the tomb of a peerless master who had been discussed as the greatest of all time, and the location was near Nanjing, close to an urban center.
Countless people would have already heard this rumor, and an enormous crowd dreaming of a life-changing windfall would be scouring the area. If even a single martial arts manual were found among Han Lin'er’s legacy, it would be more than enough to cause a bloodbath.
“What do you think?”
“It’s a trap.”
I shook my head as I answered Dan So-hye’s question.
This was a trap. There was no other way to see it.
“Why?”
“The absurd rumor of it being Han Lin'er’s legacy has weak evidence. A massive formation witnessed by a single geomancer? If such a thing existed, the Imperial Court should have identified it two hundred years ago when Han Lin'er disappeared.”
The Hongwu Emperor had been so intimidated that he didn't dare declare the dynastic name while Han Lin'er was alive. Only after Han Lin'er’s death was certain could he designate the era name as Hongwu and establish the Ming Imperial Court.
Would a man who lived in such fear have failed to search for Han Lin'er’s remains after seizing the Mandate of Heaven? He surely would have scoured the vicinity of Nanjing.
Something that the full power of a nation's Imperial Court couldn't find was discovered by a mere geomancer? It made no sense.
“Think about it, putting aside the name of the White Lotus Cult Leader from the War of Heavenly Mandate. Isn't the situation too coincidental? This happens just as we move toward Jiangnan, the entire Orthodox Martial World of Jiangnan becomes restless, making our journey dangerous...
And at this moment when the Hao Clan Leader has vanished, the Nanjing Branch Master had to leave her post.”
From the perspective of the Black Path Demonic Alliance, the only means of grasping the trends in Jiangnan was the Hao Clan’s intelligence network.
If the representative of the Jiangnan Hao Clan had to be away while things were already uneasy due to the disappearance of the Hao Clan Leader, it would be nearly impossible to detect information in Jiangnan in advance.
There was no telling how dangerous the journey through Jiangnan had become. If a ship from the Dragon Slaying Alliance were to pass through at this time, it would undoubtedly be viewed with suspicion, regardless of how much friendship they had previously cultivated with the Jiangnan White Forest Society.
This was a time when most of the Martial Alliance’s combat forces had been pulled away due to the bloody incident in Yunnan. At a time when the means to control the numerous Orthodox sects lined up in Jiangnan had vanished—
“Doesn't it seem strange to set such a massive stage just to target us? Is that even possible?”
“This one move has paralyzed the Orthodox sects of all of Jiangnan. We should be seen as the komi (bonus) in the middle of it.”
“You suspect Zhuge Yeon-seon, don't you?”
“There is no one else bold enough to pull off something like this.”
I fell into thought, tapping the table.
No matter what scheme one faces in this world, if you point to the one who benefits the most, that person is the culprit. In this case, it was Zhuge Yeon-seon.
Then, conversely.
No matter what scheme one faces, the one who suffers the greatest loss is the target of the scheme.
Is that me? No, it isn't. Our path passes through Nanjing, but if we assume we ignore the chaotic Nanjing and move by land instead of the canal, it isn't that far to Wuchang.
If we rendezvous with the Alliance Leader in Wuchang and borrow a ship, we can head to Yunnan via the Yangtze River. Our progress might be slowed, but this doesn't act as a decisive danger.
Then who would suffer the greatest loss?
Let’s think in reverse. If an incident of this scale occurred in Hebei, who within the Dragon Slaying Alliance would suffer the most damage?
It’s obvious. My family. The Hebei Peng Family, the leaders of the Dragon Slaying Alliance, would have to shoulder the entire burden of suppressing the situation. Conversely, those playing that role in the Jiangnan White Forest Society are the Namgung Family.
In other words, this scheme is aimed at the Namgung Family.
Which meant.
“I need to meet the Sword Empress.”
It also meant that Zhuge Yeon-seon and the Namgung Family were not working together.
A trap is essentially where the opponent's strength is concentrated.
The more fatal the trap, the more clearly the opponent's objective is revealed.
Zhuge Yeon-seon set the stage to push the Namgung Family into a defensive position.
Because of that, the fact that the Namgung Family and the Zhuge Family were not in the same boat was revealed to me.