Chapter 23: School Ties, Regional Ties, Blood Ties (3)
Chapter 23: School Ties, Regional Ties, Blood Ties (3)
I stepped out of the Plum Fragrance Pavilion and walked along the Street of the Grand Historical Record, scanning my surroundings.
It was still early evening, so the lanterns in the pleasure district hadn't been lit yet. As was typical for an entertainment district just before opening, the atmosphere was a mix of calm and underlying bustle. Laborers from the various brothels and taverns were moving briskly, scurrying here and there.
In the midst of such activity, it was incredibly difficult to sense eyes watching me—especially if they belonged to a hidden master. However, there was one thing I was certain of.
‘There are definitely people tailing me.’
I wasn't the same seven-year-old kid I used to be. I had three years of experience watching and learning under my belt. One thing I’d learned was this: if a direct descendant of the Hebei Peng Family walks the streets of Beijing, surveillance is guaranteed.
For instance, take that beggar behind the alleyway, staring blankly while asking for alms. It wasn't strange to see a beggar in a pleasure district, but this wasn't a peak hour for street vendors. A beggar’s true business hours usually began once people were drunk enough to be loose with their coin. A beggar rattling his tin among laborers who lived hand-to-mouth was unnatural, even for a back alley in the entertainment district.
In other words, he was from the Beggars' Sect.
The fact that the Beggars' Sect was making their presence known to me was actually proof that they had no intention of harming me. If someone being tracked by the Beggars' Sect were murdered, the sect members would be the first suspects.
This area was dense with brothels, and the eyes of the Hao Clan were constantly moving within those pavilions. The truly dangerous person would be a master tracking me without my knowledge. I was actually safer walking where the Beggars' Sect could see me.
I chose to walk along the roadside where the beggars were lying. They wouldn't protect me, but no one would dare try to harm me right under their noses.
‘The Hao Clan must have put someone on me as well.’
At the very least, they would have assigned someone capable of defeating a Peak Realm master. With both the Beggars' Sect and the Hao Clan inadvertently acting as my security, my footsteps felt lighter despite the looming threat of assassination.
—No one knows when, where, how, or how many people will target you.
Dan So-hye was wrong about one thing. I was now in a position to choose the time and the place. All that was left was to fill in the 'how' and the 'who.'
I pushed open the gates of the Yeon-gyeong Academy and stepped inside. After all, in the world of social climbing, school ties come right after blood ties.
"Crossing the threshold of an academy while wearing a blade? The Great Sage would be appalled."
Scholar Yu sat with a teacup in hand, wearing a sly smirk. He looked exactly as he had during the three months I’d spent enrolled here. Since not much time had passed since then, it was only natural.
A guest sat across from him. Though he wasn't visibly armed, his massive build and the faint calluses on his hands marked him as a martial artist. I felt the man’s gaze sweep over me from head to toe as he toyed with his teacup, his expression grim.
"Does the prodigy of the local exams wish to sit for the provincial exams? I suppose mere reading and writing of the classics won't suffice from that point on, as the curriculum expands to include Confucian exegesis and statecraft."
"If you have a guest, I shall wait, Scholar Yu."
"Hm, no, no. There’s no need for that."
Scholar Yu grinned and placed a teacup on the empty seat. Trickle. Clear tea filled the cup, steam rising softly.
"Because I think I know why you're here."
"Is that so?"
Scholar Yu might actually know. This whole mess had started when the neatly packaged head of a Peng Family martial artist was delivered to the front of the academy. There was no way a scholar of this academy wouldn't know about it. If the youngest of the Peng Family showed up at the academy wearing a sword amidst all this, it wasn't hard to deduce the sequence of events.
Confucian scholars are by no means fools. These are people who survive the Imperial Palace using nothing but their tongues and brushes.
I met Scholar Yu’s gaze and then slowly turned to look at the stranger beside him. My look asked: If you’ve deduced everything, why should I share my reasons with this stranger?
Scholar Yu shrugged.
"Should I introduce him? Or would you rather introduce yourself?"
"My apologies. Hyeon-uk."
So Scholar Yu’s name was Hyeon-uk. Useless information.
I toyed with my teacup and stared at the giant of a man. The man scrutinized me slowly and thoroughly before speaking.
"I am Jin Seung-gyeom. A pleasure to meet you, Peng Hyeon-hwi."
"You know my name?"
"Didn't Hyeon-uk just call you the prodigy of the local exams? I should at least know that much."
"Aha."
Despite my response, the man—Jin Seung-gyeom—seemed to realize I wasn't convinced. He gave a thick grin.
"Fine. Beyond that, I’ve been keeping an eye on you. I didn't expect you to come straight here after contacting the Hao Clan, though."
"So you know I contacted the Hao Clan."
I slowly set down my teacup and let my hand drop below the table. My right fingers lightly brushed the hilt of my blade.
"If you draw that sword, do you think you can actually cut me?"
"The Peng Family doesn't usually live their lives worrying about things like that."
"Spirited. Just as someone your age should be."
"I have yet to hear your formal introduction."
"Commander of the 9th Squad of the Water Dragon Unit."
"I haven't been in the Martial World long, so my knowledge is limited. I’ve never heard of such a sect."
"That’s to be expected. In fact, it would be problematic if you did know us."
Jin Seung-gyeom laughed awkwardly and scratched his head. He looked quite easygoing, but I wasn't naive enough to be fooled by that. I tightened my grip on the hilt.
He wasn't from the Ten Great Sects of the Black Dao, nor the Hebei Dragon Slaying Alliance. He wasn't from an Orthodox sect either. I had truly never heard that name before.
And considering he was here with Scholar Yu, there was no way he belonged to an Orthodox sect. The scholars of Beijing do not hold hands with the Martial World's Orthodox factions.
A group that was neither Black Path nor Orthodox, yet knew me, tracked my movements, and was close enough to share tea with a scholar of the academy...
The Imperial Court.
Screee—!
I immediately gripped the hilt and swung the blade upward. The table split in half as the dark, ink-colored blade revealed itself. With the sound of splintering wood, a long line extended through the gap.
Aiming straight for Scholar Yu’s throat.
And then...
Clang!
The blade stopped in mid-air. A small iron brush blocked the edge. Even with a gleaming blade inches from his throat, Scholar Yu didn't so much as blink. He ignored Jin Seung-gyeom, who was chuckling while holding the iron brush.
I glared at Scholar Yu and spoke.
"Have you joined hands with the Eastern Depot? Has the entire Hanlin Academy turned traitor?"
It hadn't even been a month since the rebellion was plotted, and it had already come to this. Since this was the academy where Cheon U-rin stayed, and since Scholar Yu was the one personally tutoring him, I had assumed he was a member of the Pure Stream Faction.
Was I short-sighted? No, there simply hadn't been any information available to deduce this. Those idiots in the Pure Stream Faction... they had basically handed the key figure of their rebellion over to a traitor.
However, Scholar Yu, looking into my eyes, signaled for Jin Seung-gyeom to pull back his iron brush.
"See? I told you he wasn't an ordinary brat."
"Indeed. Since you knew you couldn't cut me, you shifted your target. Truly a martial artist of the Hebei Peng Family."
Jin Seung-gyeom stepped back, releasing my fist which had stopped right in front of his ribs. Both of my moves had been blocked at once.
"Breaking the table with your blade to distract me, targeting Hyeon-uk instead of me to force my hand, and using that opening to strike my exposed body. Your judgment is remarkable, Peng Hyeon-hwi. Far better than what I read in the reports."
"I’m flattered the Eastern Depot holds me in such high regard."
"Haha, you'll be interesting when you grow up. You'll probably be called one of the Three Peerless Masters or the Three Evils. Your tongue, your blade, and your wits are peerless for your age."
Jin Seung-gyeom set down his iron brush and laughed. I sat back down without hesitation. With the smashed table between us, the sight of Scholar Yu, Jin Seung-gyeom, and me sitting together was quite ridiculous.
"I’d like to clear up this misunderstanding. I’d rather not have my throat slit in my sleep by the Peng Family or the Hao Clan."
"Are you saying you aren't with the Eastern Depot?"
"No, I am. I hold the position of Grand Eunuch in the Eastern Depot. I serve the Lord Admiral Eunuch."
"Then it seems I haven't misunderstood anything."
"That’s not true. Are you martial artists all one and the same? You're divided into Orthodox and Unorthodox. Even the Orthodox are split into sects and clans. The Black Path is even more complicated."
"Which means...?"
Jin Seung-gyeom gave a bitter smile.
"Even the Six Ministries are divided, and the Hanlin Academy, the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Office of Transmission all move independently. We don't all eat from the same pot either, kid."
"Aha. Then, what about you, Excellency?"
"I am always on the side of loyalty to the Imperial Family."
Jin Seung-gyeom closed his eyes for a moment. After a long silence, he nodded. Only after checking for any presence nearby did he speak quietly.
"I am loyal to the legitimate succession of this nation, but my loyalty does not extend to the Noble Consort. You likely know whose hands the Noble Consort and the Crown Prince are dancing in right now."
"Are you saying there is a group within the Eastern Depot that rejects the White Lotus Cult?"
"The Eastern Depot was founded over a hundred years ago, and since then, we have lived and died for the Imperial succession. The cultists have always targeted the Imperial Court, and no one has fought them longer than we have."
"That is hard to believe. Aren't the eunuchs currently loyal to the Noble Consort?"
This was something anyone living in Beijing would know. The Noble Consort enjoyed luxury, and the eunuchs collected bribes to provide her with riches. There wasn't a soul in Beijing who didn't know those wretches were her hands and feet.
"I’ll answer by repeating that we are not a single group. The same goes for the eunuchs."
"Then, do you know who harmed my family members recently?"
"Of course. While it's not certain who did it, I know which group they belong to."
Jin Seung-gyeom crushed a shard of the broken teacup in his hand.
"Recently, several of our men disappeared. At the same time, a few disappeared from the Embroidered Uniform Guard as well. At first, I thought they died in the line of duty. That happens often."
"But it wasn't that?"
"Right. I found three of the missing men. Near Guangqumen in western Beijing, two had been turned into cripples, and one..."
When Jin Seung-gyeom opened his hand, the porcelain shard had been reduced to powder.
"...had become a Peak Realm master."
"I suppose he achieved a great enlightenment in a very short time?"
"The man was second-rate. No matter what enlightenment one achieves, it's impossible to become a Peak Realm master in a single month."
"So, what did you do?"
"I tested him by killing him."
Jin Seung-gyeom brushed the dust off his palm.
"His Middle Dantian was open, and his internal energy control and reactions were those of a Peak Realm master... but his martial arts proficiency was not. He was quite powerful, but he displayed sword techniques that were strictly second-rate. Upon examining the corpse, it was clear his Lower and Middle Dantians were open, which made it even more bizarre."
"Is there a medicinal pill capable of turning a second-rate martial artist into a Peak Realm master?"
"Even swallowing a whole Great Rejuvenation Pill from Shaolin wouldn't do that. The Middle Dantian isn't opened that way. And since that day, I’ve been under surveillance. Have you ever thought about it?"
"About what?"
"The Eastern Depot monitors both the Martial World and the scholars. If so, who monitors the Eastern Depot?"
I thought about it for a moment. I didn't know the detailed organizational chart of the Imperial Court. But one thing was certain.
Masters don't just fall from the sky overnight. An organization with the history and resources of the Eastern Depot couldn't be replicated in a day.
"The Noble Consort and the White Lotus Cult have established a new organization in Beijing."
"An organization that the Hao Clan, the Hebei Peng Family, and the Eastern Depot all failed to notice. They are building a group with the technology to turn second-rate martial artists into Peak Realm masters."
"And once that organization is complete, the throne will change hands at the beck and call of the White Lotus Cult."
"It was established near Guangqumen in western Beijing, and it was likely modeled after the Eastern Depot. We call them the Western Depot. By now, you should understand why I’ve joined hands with the Pure Stream Faction."
I looked back and forth between Jin Seung-gyeom and Scholar Yu. I had become entangled in something much larger than I’d anticipated. I doubted even my grandfather had intended for things to go this far.
I pondered for a moment. How much did the Eastern Depot know? How much had the Pure Stream Faction told them? What about the Hao Clan?
There was no way they had revealed Cheon U-rin’s true identity or the ultimate goals of the Pure Stream Faction and the Hao Clan. Since there were likely spies for the Noble Consort within the Eastern Depot, they would never have let such sensitive information pass to them.
In that case, why did Scholar Yu introduce me to Jin Seung-gyeom here? My goal was simply to catch the ones who killed the Peng Family guards. I didn't need to hear all this, nor should I have. It was too heavy a topic to divulge to a ten-year-old boy.
‘They’re trying to speak to the Peng Family through me. They want to convey the fact that a new organization is being restructured in Beijing. But why?’
Let’s look at it from the perspective of the Hebei Peng Family, not me. The Peng Family is currently pouring massive amounts of capital into every high-ranking official in Beijing. Literally everyone.
This isn't a simple bribe. It’s not money given in exchange for a specific favor. They are simply giving it, as if they were sponsors. And that has been the Peng Family’s most powerful weapon until now.
If you give a bribe and get a benefit, it’s a transaction. But if you give gold without asking for anything in return, it becomes a 'debt.' A debt that must be repaid someday.
Just as the Hao Clan secures authority by holding information and not using it, the Hebei Peng Family secures authority by spreading the vast wealth harvested from the Dragon Slaying Alliance and asking for no favors in return.
Therefore, even if the Hebei Peng Family learned of this 'Western Depot,' nothing would change. Even if the White Lotus Cult were involved, as long as it was an organization directly formed by the Noble Consort, the Peng Family would try not to interfere. That would be more advantageous for the clan.
Unless the Western Depot and the White Lotus Cult attacked the Peng Family directly. And if the Western Depot is an official government body, they cannot launch a preemptive strike on the Peng Family. Every official in the government—for the sake of their own pockets—does not want the Peng Family to fall.
So, in conclusion, there was no reason to tell me this. Even if the Peng Family were informed, they wouldn't interfere. Not if it was a matter of the Imperial Court.
But, what if...
What if it wasn't just a matter of the Imperial Court?
"You said several men from the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard disappeared. The organization must have been built by reassigning them."
"Correct."
"Is that all of them?"
This time, Jin Seung-gyeom looked truly impressed. He stroked his chin for a moment before speaking.
"I thought I’d have to explain at length... I’ve lost count of how many times you've surprised me today."
"Who from the Dragon Slaying Alliance is involved?"
"The Assassination Pavilion."
The Black Path factions are largely divided into three organizations.
In Hebei and along the Yellow River, there is the Hebei Dragon Slaying Alliance, centered around the Hebei Peng Family.
In Chongqing, there is the Chongqing Ten Thousand Ghosts Alliance, centered around the Ten Thousand Swords Hall.
And across the entire Martial World, there is the Black Forest July Society, classified as being between Orthodox and Unorthodox.
Among them, there are three giant sects within the Hebei Dragon Slaying Alliance that belong to the Ten Great Sects of the Black Dao: the Hebei Peng Family, the Heavenly Thunder Alliance, and the Assassination Pavilion.
If the Assassination Pavilion is lending a hand in organizing the Western Depot...
And if the Western Depot killed five martial artists of the Hebei Peng Family...
Then this is no longer just a matter for the Imperial Court. It becomes a matter for the Martial World. It becomes an issue where the Peng Family’s reputation as the greatest sect of the Black Path would be severely tarnished if they failed to respond.
"My grandfather will be furious when he finds out."
"Yes. We should settle this as quietly as possible."
"Tell me what you want."
"You’ve come out alone to draw out the culprits who targeted you, haven't you? You likely planned to receive martial support from the Hao Clan."
It seemed they didn't know the full depth of the alliance between the Hao Clan and the Pure Stream Faction. I nodded silently.
"Then we shall use the strategy of feinting to the east to strike the west. While you act as bait to draw their attention, we intend to strike the Western Depot’s base."
"And that will be a significant blow to the Noble Consort and the White Lotus Cult as well, Peng Hyeon-hwi."
Scholar Yu, who had been listening quietly until now, chimed in. He was speaking about the relationship between Cheon U-rin and us, which Jin Seung-gyeom was unaware of. He meant it was better to deplete the forces of the Noble Consort and the White Lotus Cult as much as possible before the point ten years from now when Cheon U-rin would aim for the throne.
"We will use every means at our disposal to leak to the Western Depot that you are 'alone and defenseless' in a place where 'no one' else is. When they strike, you handle the attackers with the support of the Hao Clan. As... as possible..."
"Loudly."
"Yes, loudly."
The name of the strategy, 'Feinting to the East to Strike the West,' was quite ironic. The idea of making a sound at the Eastern Depot to attack the Western Depot fit so perfectly.
I nodded and thought to myself. Once this was all settled and I brought the results to my grandfather, how many points would I get?
I realized then.
School ties, regional ties, and blood ties really are the best.