Chapter 71: Night in Beijing (1)
Chapter 71: Night in Beijing (1)
"Pavilion Lord! Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"It is fine. Everyone, gather 'round."
Returning to the secret base, Tang Mok-han gathered his retainers, who had stayed awake until the early hours of the morning waiting for him.
These were the people who had volunteered for this dangerous mission to save the Young Lord’s life—the most loyal members of the family.
Tang Mok-han bore the responsibility of bringing every one of them back to Chengdu, Sichuan, alive.
At the same time, he had a duty to save his nephew.
"Gather all the Anti-Poison Wine, cow-hair needle cases, and Flying Iron Coffins we have. Dan-yi, bring out the Hoeyeonseop as well."
"…Does that mean… are you preparing for war?"
The items Tang Mok-han listed constituted nearly all the equipment and poisons they had brought from the family estate. These were things one wouldn't need unless they were about to charge out and engage in a full-scale battle.
And naturally, there was no reason for the martial artists of the Tang Family to launch a group attack on anyone here in Beijing.
A look of grim determination settled in the eyes of the Tang retainers.
The Five Poisons Sect and the Eunuch Bureau had dared to plant a Gu poison in the Young Lord’s body to blackmail them. If they could destroy the heart of those organizations and go down fighting, it would be a meaningful end.
It was an opportunity to save the Young Lord, uphold the family’s dignity, and exact revenge all at once.
However, Tang Mok-han shook his head and spoke.
"An attack is imminent."
"Pardon…?"
"The martial artists of the Peng Family and the secret agents of the Hao Clan have discovered our hideout and will attempt a raid. We will hold this position until the Eunuch Bureau sends reinforcements to support us."
He didn't feel good about lying to his most trusted retainers.
However, since this matter could potentially be framed as treason, the fewer people who knew the truth, the better.
After saying his piece, Tang Mok-han entered his private quarters.
He took a handful of medicinal pills from his travel bag, sealed them in a bamboo tube, and stepped back outside.
He meticulously inspected the weapons and Anti-Poison Wine his retainers had gathered, selecting a few of the highest quality.
"I am going to scout the situation. Everyone, stay alert."
"Yes, Pavilion Lord!"
After a brief glance at his fired-up retainers, he disguised himself as an old servant and limped out of the base.
After walking for a long while, he reached an alleyway.
"I never imagined I would say such words to a blood relative of the Hebei Peng Family."
He approached a young man leaning casually against a wall with his arms crossed at the mouth of the alley and handed him the bag.
"I'm counting on you."
When Tang Mok-han looked at him after saying those words, the young man gave a crooked smile, took the bag, and turned around.
"Let's make sure the terms of our trade are clear."
"A trade, you say? If you achieve your goal and return safely, this cannot be called a trade."
Tang Mok-han whispered quietly to the young man’s retreating back.
"Since you have returned our family’s priceless treasure, no matter what price you bring back, the scales will never be balanced."
Therefore, this was not a trade. It would remain only as a debt of grace.
And the Tang Family never forgets a debt of grace or a grudge.
Tang Mok-han watched the young man disappear into the darkness, gave a slight nod as a martial salute, and turned away.
May the young hero’s will be done.
*
The main base of the West Depot was a ruin located near Guangqumen.
Guangqumen was a gate in the outer wall located right near the border of the Grand Canal, following the main road that led from Chaoyangmen of the Forbidden City.
As its proximity to the Grand Canal suggested, this area was lined with warehouses for large-scale logistics.
Because of the rows of merchant warehouses, ordinary commoners rarely frequented the area.
In modern terms, it would be easiest to think of it as a metropolitan pier like Incheon Port.
There were plenty of laborers for loading cargo, but there was no particular reason for a civilian to go there—unless they were traveling by boat. And since sea travel was restricted in medieval China, it was even more deserted.
In any case.
There were no private houses, no people passing by, and except for the guards or escorts hired by the merchant groups huddling around fires to guard their warehouses, Guangqumen was quite silent at this hour.
"Let's see."
This was the area that supplied logistics to Beijing, the largest city in the world at the time.
The scale of the warehouses lined up along the canal was comparable to those of the modern era.
As I scanned the area, I saw someone creeping toward me from the distance.
"Peng Hyeon-hwi?"
"Yes. Are you from the Eastern Depot?"
"Indeed. I heard from Grand Eunuch Jin. This is as far as we can help you. But… did you come alone?"
"Yes, that’s how it turned out."
"Hmph. To raid the West Depot’s main base alone. For someone of your skill, your decisiveness is certainly worthy of the Peng name."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"Well, enough small talk."
The Eastern Depot official gestured with his chin toward a warehouse located far on the outskirts.
"It’s over there."
"I don't see any guards."
"Publicly, it’s been an abandoned ruin for several years."
The West Depot was not yet an official government organization. No matter what the Eunuch Bureau was doing, they weren't in a position to announce it to the world yet.
Unlike the Eastern Depot’s main base, which existed as a proper government office in a grand building, the West Depot was currently sprouting inside that small ruin.
This was an operation by the Eunuch Bureau, which had many external enemies. Until they were officially authorized to operate, they had to hide their tracks meticulously.
Thus, outwardly, that warehouse remained a ruin, looking exactly as it did seven years ago when the Eastern Depot and the Hao Clan smashed it.
Since it was a waning moon with dim light, the abandoned warehouse without a single light looked quite eerie.
"Then I’ll assume we start at the middle of the Hour of the Tiger (4:00 AM)."
"Right. Take your time getting in, but once you're inside, get out as fast as possible. Even if you try to stall, half a shijin (one hour) is the limit."
The Eastern Depot official said this and vanished as if melting into the darkness.
I watched his trail with my eyes and sat down.
"Shall we see how effective the Tang Family’s goods are?"
I took a small bead from my robe, popped it into my mouth, and smirked.
Crack. With a small sound, the smooth bead was crushed between my molars.
A warm energy flowed from the back of my jaw, feeling as if it were filling my stomach.
I hope no one else used this Anti-Poison Wine bead before. I did wipe it well, though.
Let’s rewind time a bit to when I was brainstorming the plan with the Tang uncle who loved his nephew very much.
"How about the classic 'Sound in the East, Strike in the West' for this one?"
First, let’s look at my current situation.
The proposal to use the Peng Family’s combat units or the Hao Clan’s secret agents to raid the West Depot’s base was scrapped. The repercussions would be too great.
That meant I had to jump in alone, which presented its own set of problems.
Namely, I had no idea how many martial artists were in the West Depot base or how strong they were.
I wasn't such an idiot that I’d just waltz into a place where the Five Poisons Sect—experts in poison—had been settled for a long time.
No matter how hard I prepared, those guys wouldn't be so lax that a mere First-Rate martial artist could walk in alone and come out alive.
Simply put, I needed to disperse their manpower.
"The Five Poisons Sect wouldn't have sent a large number of people."
"Indeed. If their numbers were large and the scale was grand, there’s no way we wouldn't have noticed, no matter how thick the Eunuch Bureau’s veil of secrecy was. At most, two or three. No more than that."
Baek Seo-ui agreed with my assessment.
The Eunuch Bureau was based on eunuchs, so they didn't get caught in the Hao Clan’s intelligence network centered around brothels.
But the Five Poisons Sect members would be different.
In medieval Ming Dynasty, where entertainment was extremely scarce, it was a delusion to expect foreign mercenaries from a distant land to stay quietly tucked away in their rooms.
In that sense, the fact that they had kept their secret for seven years meant their numbers were definitely not large.
It meant only a small number of people, enough for the Eunuch Bureau to control, remained.
Furthermore, while the Five Poisons Sect was an Outer Martial World sect reputed to be superior to the Tang Family in poison arts, they didn't have much of a reputation for anything else.
In the first place, if they were the complete package, the Eunuch Bureau wouldn't have needed to use such schemes against the Assassination Pavilion or the Tang Family.
It meant they were guys who only dealt with poison.
They were so unreliable in other areas that the Bureau had to invite the Tang Family even at the risk of information leaking.
"If the Tang Family were to actively join hands with the Eunuch Bureau, did you plan to resolve your grudge with the Five Poisons Sect then?"
"Hardly. The proposal the Eunuch Bureau gave us was that they would help us remove the Gu poison and completely exterminate the Five Poisons Sect."
"Then the possibility is even higher. That they are barely a handful."
"You are right. According to what I confirmed through the Eunuch Bureau, there is one elder sent directly from the Five Poisons Sect at their secret base. And two disciples he took under his wing. Only those three have remained in Beijing until now."
"Do you know the level of their martial arts?"
"For masters of poison arts, the level of their martial arts isn't very important. What matters more is whether they have achieved the status of a Poison Human or not. Excluding the elder, none of them have reached the Realm of Poison Mastery."
"That’s perfect."
I had heard that the Realm of Poison Mastery roughly meant the Peak Realm among those who followed the poison arts tech tree.
In other words, there was one Peak Realm master and two martial artists at or below the First-Rate level.
Foreign mercenaries who were meant to be used for their poison arts and then discarded.
If their numbers were large, there was a high possibility they would resist fiercely when such drastic measures were taken.
One way or another, the number of Five Poisons Sect masters in Beijing was extremely small.
So, the plan was 'Sound in the East, Strike in the West.'
"I will send word to the Peng Family’s Sanyue Hall. It will be enough for them to show their force in front of the manor where the Tang retainers are staying, without any direct confrontation."
"The Hao Clan will also dispatch personnel. There will be no bloodshed, so there shouldn't be a problem."
If it happened this way, it would be a grudge within the martial world. As long as the Eunuch Bureau knew that the Qingliu faction supported the Hao Clan, they wouldn't try to intervene as long as our actions didn't cross the line.
And from there.
"The Eunuch Bureau won't just abandon the Tang Family like this. They will definitely try to rescue the Tang retainers."
"And they can't use the Eastern Depot. They are secretly rebuilding the West Depot."
"Therefore, the only combat force the Eunuch Bureau can utilize on the spot is..."
The West Depot.
The core martial artists of the West Depot, which was just being rebuilt.
If they left their main base to rescue the Tang retainers...
"Just maintain the confrontation for a short while, and then retreat quietly. That’s all you need to do."
The Eunuch Bureau would focus on the fact that one of the Ten Great Sects of the Black Dao retreated at their single command.
They would believe their authority was so solid that they could even drive away the Peng Family’s combat units within Beijing.
It was a very clean finish. The Eunuch Bureau would likely even praise the Hao Clan and the Hebei Peng Family in return for this.
Regardless, for officials, having their authority respected carried that much weight.
It was the best move to strike directly at the West Depot’s plan while settling things without lingering resentment. This was the first step.
"As soon as the West Depot’s combat force leaves the base, I’ll move in."
"You won't be able to buy more than half a shijin."
"Actually, any longer would be a problem. If we try to stall for an ambiguous amount of time, they might get suspicious. Just compromise appropriately, bow your heads, and withdraw. And Pavilion Lord—"
Tang Mok-han nodded at my words.
"I will ensure those Five Poisons Sect scoundrels can't lay a finger on you."
"I am truly grateful."
*
"They're leaving."
A person hurriedly entered the vicinity of the ruins in the distance, and not long after, a crowd of people poured out.
There looked to be at least a dozen of them, and judging by their stride and speed, none of them were amateurs.
A combat force of that caliber was equivalent to one of our family’s core units.
I suppose that’s what you’d expect from an Imperial government organization. It wasn't a scale that could be raised in just seven years.
Only after they had all left the vicinity of Guangqumen did I tie a mask over my face and stretch.
Rolling the Anti-Poison Wine bead Tang Mok-han gave me around with my tongue, I warmed up my body for a moment.
And then, I ran.