Whispers in the Gisaeng House Private Room
Fengcheonbang's sub-bangju Jo Un-tak grinned at Baek Ho-min from across the private room in the gisaeng house.
It had been nearly twenty days since he'd last seen his friend.
"Had a good trip?"
"What kind of question is that? It's not like it's my first or second time."
"This one took longer than usual. I was worried something happened."
"One of my trading partners vanished, so I had to line up a new one. That's what delayed me."
"...Vanished?"
"It was a clinic we did solid business with, but they bolted."
Jo Un-tak's eyes widened.
"What? Did they scam you and run off with the money?"
"Nah, we got all the advance payments upfront. No, it was trouble with Hyeong-sanpa that made them flee."
"Well, that's a relief, then. But what business would a clinic have with Hyeong-sanpa?"
"You can't breathe a word of this anywhere."
"What is it?"
Baek Ho-min glanced around warily for a long moment before lowering his voice.
"Heard the rumors about demons showing up around Hyeongju lately?"
"Yeah, I heard. They pop up and vanish so quick no one's caught a single one, right?"
"I deal with clinics whenever I'm in Hyeongju. And there's talk going around among the doctors."
"What kind?"
Baek Ho-min's eyes gleamed. He whispered low.
"Rumor has it one of Hyeong-sanpa's warriors is among them."
Jo Un-tak jumped in shock, his voice rising involuntarily.
"What? For real?"
"Shh! You wanna die? Keep it down!"
"...!"
In Nae-yang, under Hyeong-sanpa's heavy influence, they had no choice but to be cautious. Moments later, Jo Un-tak slid over to the seat beside Baek Ho-min and whispered in his ear.
"Is that for real?"
"Word is, that clinic treated a Hyeong-sanpa warrior."
"...So that's why they ran?"
"Probably scared Hyeong-sanpa would silence them. If it's true."
"...Think it is?"
"Who knows."
"Who's the guy who bolted, anyway?"
Something clicked for Baek Ho-min in that instant. He'd gone to Hyeongju a few times with Jo Un-tak—for visits to gisaeng houses, naturally.
"Oh! You've seen him too. Remember Gwak Ho-san? I told you he's a famous doctor in Hyeongju."
Jo Un-tak's eyes nearly bulged out.
Now it hit him.
"Gasp! That guy from earlier!"
"...What're you talking about?"
"He's here. I told you I saw some guy passing by when we came in!"
"...You sure?"
"Positive. You know my eye for faces. That was definitely him."
As Jo Un-tak finished describing the man's appearance, Baek Ho-min felt a throbbing headache coming on.
If we catch him or report him?
He didn't need long to decide. He knew Hyeong-sanpa all too well.
Even they, the only secular family in Nae-yang, couldn't afford to tangle with them.
If it's true, they might silence us too.
Baek Ho-min waved it off.
"Forget it. Best to pretend we don't know."
"...Yeah, probably."
"Isn't it obvious? Cut the dumb thoughts. You know what happens if we get mixed up in that crap."
A sly smile crept across Jo Un-tak's lips, old memories surfacing.
"Heh heh! As if I don't. We saw it with our own eyes."
Baek Ho-min scowled in annoyance.
"Hey! Don't ruin the booze with that story!"
"Ah, sorry! Slipped out."
"Watch your mouth. That guy's probably still alive somewhere."
Cheon Ga-jang's gaju, Cheon Jung-seo, claimed he'd killed Mu Yun out of necessity when the boy suddenly went mad. Then burned the body.
Of course, no one in Chim-ju believed that for a second.
A few also knew Cheon Jung-seo had secretly handed money to Hyeong-sanpa.
These two included.
"Pfft, it's been seven years already. If he was coming, he'd have shown up by now. And if he does? No way to prove it's us."
"They'll suspect us plenty. Just watch what you say!"
"Obviously."
Baek Ho-min waved dismissively.
"Enough headache talk. Call the girls. Let's have some real fun for once."
Jo Un-tak's eyes lit up.
"You brought it?"
"Of course."
"Heh heh, can't get in the mood without it."
Baek Ho-min repeated his usual warning.
"Don't blab about it anywhere. You know what happens if it gets back to your old man."
"Duh! You think I'm crazy? Get banned from this good stuff?"
Meanwhile, Yeon Sa-gu, listening from the next room, pursed his lips.
"No need to dig further. They spilled it themselves."
"Grateful, aren't you?"
Words really had to be chosen with care.
About half a shichen later, as the incense Baek Ho-min lit filled the room...
"That aphrodisiac?"
"Smells acrid, right? Just burn the liquid and it turns into that."
"Look at those idiots' faces. The gisaengs too."
"It's the arousal effect."
Yeon Sa-gu's irritation boiled over. A waste of time, these fools.
"Just grab 'em and beat the crap out of them. Bunch of lightweights."
Mu Yun pondered briefly, his gaze deepening.
The Maelma Dan's three elders would soon enter the city.
If things go well, we can wrap it up in one go.
Staying long in Nae-yang was a trial in itself.
The two exchanged sound transmissions and slipped out quietly.
Mu Yun headed for the Maelma Dan.
Yeon Sa-gu sought the Haomun branch.
They needed to find the doctor those two had blabbed about.
He might hold the key to unraveling Hyeong-sanpa's secrets.
There is no cure.
The only path is to stop taking the medicine and endure for a long time.
All who have taken it must do so.
...Everyone.
＊ ＊ ＊
An shichen later, on the outskirts of Nae-yang.
As the Maelma Dan's three elders neared the base of the mountain...
Hyeong-sanpa's group approached.
"Hey there, daeju. Mind if we travel together?"
"Ah! Elder, you're heading down too?"
"Work's done, so yes. Where are you off to?"
"Staying a night in Nae-yang before heading back up."
"Returning to base, then?"
"Have to. Thought I'd scout more of Honam, but urgent orders came down..."
Elder Geon-cheon let obvious regret seep into his voice.
"Oh no! That's a shame. Was hoping to chat on the way."
"Sorry it worked out this way."
"Then let's at least share dinner. Can't just part like this."
"Sure."
Elder Geon-cheon sighed inwardly in relief.
Good. Was worried he'd poke around Hyeongju.
But his face darkened as he gazed at the distant sunset.
The truth about the medicine plaguing his veins, only recently uncovered.
And today's encounter with Paeng Se-baek had confirmed it.
Definitely the seed of madness. Sigh! If only I'd known sooner...
Dozens in the sect had already taken that drug—including himself, the elders, and first-generation disciples.
Lately, those who'd consumed it were succumbing to madness one by one.
By the time he'd tracked down Jang Dong-baek, the doctor who'd pinpointed the cause, the man was already dead—murdered by someone.
Bitter regret filled Elder Geon-cheon's mind.
It was inevitable.
Sigh! Gwak Ho-san... I should have heeded that doctor.
When the sect's pharmacy couldn't identify the early symptoms' cause, a few disciples had sought him out.
Gwak Ho-san had come straight to him after the examination.
"Elder, you should halt the medicine immediately."
"Why? It brims with pure senqi."
"The senqi is just a facade. We don't know what's inside. Those symptoms aren't to be taken lightly. So..."
Elder Geon-cheon furrowed his brows sharply.
It stung his pride.
"Hmph! Our pharmacy brother Geon-jun already vetted and approved it. Think he'd miss something like that?"
Gwak Ho-san held his tongue.
"...Verify it once more, at least."
"Ridiculous. We'll handle sect matters ourselves—don't worry about it."
Gwak Ho-san, having stated his piece firmly, fell silent.
"...".
He should have listened then.
The next day, Gwak Ho-san vanished.
Leaving only a letter delivered through a disciple.
A deep sigh escaped.
He knew something for sure. Should have listened, sigh!
But vain regrets wouldn't help.
The immediate task was clear.
First, quash the rumors.
Finding a cure and the culprit mattered, but suppressing rumors took priority.
For the sect's sake—and another reason.
The most urgent matter for the sect leader and Geon-cheon now.
Crushing the opposition comes first.
The principle faction, who stressed legitimacy from the start, had opposed the drug.
Their influence was stronger than ever.
Like any sect, Hyeong-sanpa had deep-rooted factions: the principle faction and the pragmatist faction.
The world summed them up in one phrase:
-A sect without legitimacy.
Thus, unfit to stand among the Nine Great Sects.
Their history had forged that view.
Waffling between Buddhism and Taoism, absorbing diverse martial arts and talents to build power—traditional sects and noble houses refused to acknowledge them.
Naturally, Hyeong-sanpa yearned to break free.
There the paths diverged.
The pragmatists, led by the sect leader and Geon-cheon. They sought strength and influence to claim equality with the Nine Greats.
The principle faction, headed by Elder Geon-heo. They craved respect as true Taoist warriors, aspiring to be revered locally like Wudang or Huashan.
Thus, they aimed to embody Taoist values fully.
Their feud had raged for three hundred years.
Suddenly, Geon-cheon's twitching eyes flashed with fury.
Geon-heo, that bastard!
The principle faction's leader, his rival since childhood.
A man he refused to lose to, more than anyone.
Decades of rivalry had forged that enmity.
Foes who weren't quite foes.
Until now, he'd been the victor.
Especially after elevating his fellow pragmatist Geon-su to sect leader—he thought the contest over.
But this incident threatened to unravel a lifetime's work.
It absolutely could not happen.
It won't this time either. No matter what!
In that resolute vow, a faint, inexplicable heat brushed his eyes.
A flicker that, if grown, would seem a chilling glint of madness.
Even he didn't notice.
The smoldering ember of his latent madness had merely flicked its tongue.
Then another purpose for coming here surfaced—beyond the demons.
He'd set aside urgent sect matters and come personally not just to check Paeng Se-baek's similar symptoms.
First on his mind:
Gwak Ho-san—definitely headed south.
He knew the truth better than anyone. Had to find him to learn about the drug.
And also:
Somehow, I have to silence him.
Second purpose.
After years probing his rival Geon-heo's weaknesses, suspicions had grown recently.
If he really has a daughter!
Hyeong-sanpa's motley crew didn't forbid marriage.
But for Geon-heo, champion of Taoist purity, it changed everything.
Proof would force him to step down as elder.
All his talk would ring hollow.
To confirm, start with the Nae-yang gisaeng house where the suspected daughter was born.
Geon-cheon ground his teeth.
He had to leave soon, but he'd brought men he could entrust.
I'll uncover it, no matter what.
The man regretting his errors was gone.
His eyes, now blooming with madness, held only icy killing intent.
Meanwhile, Deputy Leader Paeng Jung-ho sent a sound transmission to Dang Seo-ha.
Hyeong-sanpa's presence made things tricky.
-What should we do? Not sure if we can head straight to where the bangju said.
-True. Per the bangju's plan, Hyeong-sanpa shouldn't matter.
Paeng Jung-ho circled back carefully, to the heart of the decision.
-We trust the bangju, right?
Dang Seo-ha replied firmly. Circumstances, conviction, and faith aligned.
-He said if the plan fails, we'll investigate him ourselves. But I trust what he did in Chim-ju more. And that figure reciting the sutras. Could a man like that be a demon?
-...!
Half a shichen ago, the two had met Mu Yun when he appeared out of nowhere.
And heard a shocking tale.
Even a plan to verify it.