The Gilded Mask Cracks
Something interesting is about to happen, isn't it?
With the arrival of Han Lip — a man blessed with a voice as fine as his face — the scene seemed poised to turn positively electric. Mae Gukhyeong's expression had gone noticeably frosty.
There goes a crack right down his mask.
Mae Gukhyeong was in love with Tang Soso. The direction of that love seemed a little off-kilter, but on the surface he had been maintaining a perfectly composed front. Now, thanks to Han Lip's entrance, that mask was one blow away from shattering.
"A nameless junior, you say? Then surely Tang Soso would never have brought you here herself. Which sect do you belong to?"
Mae Gukhyeong fully intended to call him out openly if he turned out to be from some sect nobody had ever heard of.
He looks utterly unremarkable!
Huh. Pretty well maintained, actually.
Mae Gukhyeong and Sanlong saw very different things. Han Lip's appearance seemed plain at a glance, but look closer and everything spoke of discipline — clothes kept neat and orderly, an ordinary iron sword cared for meticulously, and a posture that was ramrod straight.
At Mae Gukhyeong's question, Han Lip answered calmly.
"I am of the Eastern Twin Dragons Sect, a sect passed down through a single lineage."
"The Eastern Twin Dragons Sect?"
It was so obscure that instead of preparing to ridicule it, the first thought that occurred to everyone was simply — where on earth is that?
Even single-lineage sects that had made a name were known to most people. Why? Because most sects of a single transmission surfaced in every era and shone brilliantly. And why were they so famous? Because to remain unknown was to have vanished without a sound — the ones that survived were the real deal among the real.
Of course, that's both the fatal strength and the fatal weakness of a single transmission.
The strength: raising only one disciple meant the quality could not help but stand apart from everyone else. Think of the difference between private tutoring and a cram school lecture. The weakness: no matter how formidable the skill, if no suitable successor could be found, the entire tradition simply died out.
The great sects didn't raise countless disciples for nothing. Only with many students would someone of exceptional talent eventually emerge, and even if they didn't, the sect could maintain its average and carry on. Single-transmission sects, by contrast? The legends of a great master who wandered the land in search of a worthy disciple and died at a roadside inn were disturbingly common.
And a genuinely legitimate single-transmission sect is hard to find anyway.
Nine out of ten were fraudsters bleeding the ignorant dry.
Even the sect's name reeks of a con, honestly.
The Eastern Twin Dragons. So hopelessly rustic that Sanlong nearly snorted the moment he heard it.
But... something tells me I'd better not treat this guy carelessly.
Anyone who had trained and strived would understand at a glance when they looked at Han Lip — regardless of whether his sect was real or fake, the boy had worked himself to the bone.
Whether that effort was wasted or truly meaningful, well, that's another matter.
As Sanlong finished sizing up Han Lip, Tang Soso spoke.
"He is my elder brother from the same village where I grew up. We only recently reunited."
The moment Tang Soso — who hadn't spared Mae Gukhyeong so much as a glance — introduced Han Lip of her own accord, the young nobleman's gaze turned ugly.
Yes. Inferiority. That was precisely how a face looked when the emotion being expressed through the eyes was inferiority.
That's exactly the face I made back when my inferiority complex toward the kids was at its peak.
With an exceptional older brother and sister, and younger siblings who turned out just as exceptional, his adolescent inferiority had detonated and sent him spiraling off the rails.
Inferiority as seen from the outside... really is hideous.
Should he be grateful to the dead Tang Gihyo? Sanlong found himself thinking it was a mercy after all that his head had been slammed into that marble floor hard enough to bring his past-life memories flooding back.
"Tang Soso, are you aware of the purpose of today's gathering?"
"I am."
Mae Gukhyeong said it flatly, briefly tucking his inferiority out of sight, and Tang Soso nodded as though she understood perfectly.
"Today is the occasion for introducing those who will become new members of the Sichuan Hidden Dragon Society."
Mae Gukhyeong delivered it roundabout, but Tang Soso grasped his meaning without difficulty. In plain terms: why did you drag this rootless, unheard-of nobody here?
"And here I thought you were clever... is this what love does to a person? They said you were remarkable, and yet..."
"Do you even know what love is?"
"This is really not the time for jokes."
Tang Saryeong's response was icy. The members of the Hidden Dragon Society all regarded the two of them with the same expression — openly displeased, convinced that the Society's dignity had just taken a nosedive.
Understanding exactly what was being implied, Tang Soso flushed faintly with agitation.
"I did not bring him here simply because he is someone I knew!"
"Is that so? Then perhaps you'd care to prove it?"
The youth who had been gazing slack-jawed at Tang Soso now looked at her with a faint edge of hostility. Whatever affection he held for her, he seemed to have taken genuine offense.
Tang Soso answered him.
"My elder brother recently descended the mountain. He has yet to build a proper reputation, but..."
She was fumbling for an excuse when Han Lip quietly, gently stopped her. But the way his fist was clenched tight at his side made it clear how much the situation stung. And the sight of the handsome couple standing so tenderly together only made Mae Gukhyeong's face burn redder.
"Tang Soso, have you heard of the Poison Hero? The chivalrous one among those who captured the Ghost Blade Sam Sal, the man who wrought a blood calamity upon Seoksu Village?"
It was Mae Gukhyeong's roundabout way of saying: a place where men like that gather — and a nameless junior like you came along?
Oh, is that right?
A moment ago the man hadn't looked like he intended to show him any courtesy at all, and now he was suddenly name-dropping him? Sanlong smirked at Mae Gukhyeong.
He found it obnoxious that the man had invoked his name, but he could at least understand the room's displeasure at Tang Soso's behavior.
Of course, that would be if they hadn't all wedged their own connections in through the back door themselves.
Sanlong genuinely couldn't tell how the rest of the "new member candidates" differed from Han Lip. Their blatant double standards were exactly why he looked on Mae Gukhyeong and this knockoff dragon society with such a sour eye.
It was at that moment that Tang Soso spotted Sanlong and went white with alarm.
"Young Master San! I pay my respects!"
She bowed with deep formality, belatedly discovering him.
"Hi there~ where do you live, how old are— owch!"
"Save the jokes! Read the room!"
Tang Saryeong dug her elbow into his ribs yet again, and Sanlong writhed on the spot in agony.
"Eat this and keep your mouth shut!"
She stuffed food into Sanlong's mouth.
"Stop! Stop it! Are you serious—!"
He ended up subduing her with a chokehold.
"Poi..."
"Why you little! People are watching, oof!"
"Kgh! Kgh!"
"...the Poison Hero."
The farcical grappling match between Sanlong and Tang Saryeong sent the atmosphere spinning off into something truly bizarre.
Useless brat!
Mae Gukhyeong, who had been trying to marshal public opinion into pressuring Tang Soso through Sanlong and had failed spectacularly, spoke through gritted teeth. If anything, the commotion had made it nearly impossible to carry the conversation forward.
"Ahem. The conduct Lady Tang has displayed here today is, to our Hidden Dragon Soc—"
"You know what? Forget it! Why don't the new member candidates just settle it among themselves, nice and clean!"
Before Mae Gukhyeong could finish, Sanlong flung Tang Saryeong into a corner and cut in.
"The Poison Hero... that is hardly something our Hidden Dra— ow!"
Sanlong didn't so much as glance at him, shouldering the man aside like a sack of rice as he strode toward Tang Soso and Han Lip.
"I'm Tang Sanlong."
"Th-the Poison Hero! I'm honored! My name is Han Lip."
The Cha Eun-woo of the martial world was blushing at the sight of him. Sanlong felt something oddly mixed stir in his chest.
"A pleasure... Ha..."
"The very first thing I heard upon arriving in Chengdu was the tale of the Poison Hero!"
Flushed with the thrill of meeting his idol, Han Lip had spoken more words since entering the hall than anyone else in the room.
"Elder brother..."
Tang Soso had apparently ceased to exist. Han Lip's eyes held only Sanlong.
"And the Flying Dagger Duel of Life and Death at Wolyeong Pavilion a few days ago — that was truly magnificent!"
So he was talking about the day Tang Woo died. Sanlong raised an eyebrow at the name it had acquired.
"The Flying Dagger Duel of Life and Death?"
"It refers to a contest where a single flying dagger decided life or death! Those who witnessed it still trade the story over their drinks to this very day! I saw it myself, and truly—"
"Ah..."
Sanlong had been imitating a cowboy showdown from a Western film in his past life. Apparently it had landed on the locals as refreshingly novel.
"Thank you for your kind words."
"Not at all! Anyone in this room would consider witnessing the Poison Hero an honor! If you ever find the time, might I trouble you to inscribe your name on my gar—"
"Ahem... I'd also, in time..."
"And I..."
Several of the very people who had been eyeing Han Lip with disdain chimed in after him.
This is exhausting.
Just as the oppressive attention was starting to drain him, Mae Gukhyeong shouted.
"Poison Hero! What discourtesy is this?"
"Oh, were you standing there? My apologies."
At Sanlong's shamelessly unrepentant apology, Mae Gukhyeong's face reddened in real time.
"You wish for the candidates to fight? The Hidden Dragon Society does not indulge in such frivolous games!"
"Doesn't everyone here harbor doubts about one brother's abilities? Then what could be more befitting a martial artist than proving it with skill? As it happens, a stage has even been provided over there."
In a corner of the third floor stood a small sparring ring.
"The Hidden Dragon Society is no mere gathering of that sort."
Mae Gukhyeong steadied his breathing and continued.
"Our Sichuan Hidden Dragon Society is a gathering of the rising talents who will one day lead Sichuan. Raw martial skill alone is not enough — other qualifications are required."
There were indeed brilliant scholars among them whose martial arts were mediocre, so the statement wasn't wrong in itself. But the "other qualifications" he meant seemed rather different from what Sanlong had in mind.
"And would those 'other qualifications' be scholarship? Martial prowess? Or rather — the background of a great family or a prestigious sect?"
"Yes."
Mae Gukhyeong answered with perfect composure. No one voiced it aloud, but they all carried an unshakable belief in their own specialness, and so none of them offered any particular objection.
At that, Sanlong picked out one of the candidates at random.
"You. Who are you, and who brought you?"
"Even for the Poison Hero, that is—"
"What was that?"
At Sanlong's savage glare, the young man shut his mouth. Someone beside him squirmed and spoke up.
"...I'm Mo Jayeong, of a merchant guild."
"Never heard of your guild."
"Well... we were mainly active in another region before, not Chengdu, and..."
After much hedging, the gist of it was that he had only recently arrived in Chengdu.
Sanlong's eyes turned razor sharp.
"Excuse me? You call this a gathering of Sichuan's rising talents, yet a merchant from some newly arrived guild that hasn't been in Chengdu for two seasons is sitting here?"
"That is..."
CRUNCH!
Without warning, Sanlong seized the collar of the young man who had brought him.
"Did you vet him properly? Hm?"
"Poison Hero! What is the meaning of—"
Ignoring the man's flustered protests, Sanlong spoke in a low voice.
"You're aware Paedolim has been pushing into Chengdu lately, aren't you?"
"Paedolim?"
"...Paedolim? Don't tell me—"
The moment Mount Emei and Qingcheng reacted with sharp alarm, the young man cried out in panic.
"N-no! No! It's absolutely nothing like that!"
"Why did you bring a merchant from a fledgling guild that only just arrived in Chengdu to this place? If you don't start talking properly, it won't just be the Tang Clan — Mount Emei and Qingcheng won't let this slide either."
"That... that is..."
"Poison Hero! How can you persecute him and smear such suspicion on him merely because his guild is newly established?"
Mae Gukhyeong stepped forward, but the mood in the room was no longer favorable to him. Paedolim had lately been expanding its influence with ruthless aggression, and its push into Chengdu was a matter of acute sensitivity — not only for the Tang Clan, Qingcheng, and Mount Emei, but for every minor sect, merchant guild, and escort agency in the city.
Sanlong released the young man's collar and continued.
"These are extraordinarily sensitive times. I'm no member of the Hidden Dragon Society myself, but the Society is meant to be a gathering of the great families and rising talents who will lead Sichuan in the years to come. Accepting unvetted strangers opens the door to information leaking elsewhere. Even an offhand remark can become valuable intelligence in the hands of a place like Paedolim."
With every word, the faces of the young man and Mo Jayeong curdled. If they couldn't give a proper account here, this would not end as a mere incident at a social gathering.
The terrified young man shouted desperately.
"The truth is... it was the Soc—!"
"Poison Hero!"
Before the words could leave his mouth, Mae Gukhyeong cut in first.
Sanlong looked at his reaction and wore the expression of a fisherman who had just hooked a monster.
Oh-ho. I picked at random and hit the jackpot?
Something was clearly going on between that fledgling guild and Mae Gukhyeong.
Well, well... he's not the only one, is he?
Mae Gukhyeong! True to his scheming little face, he had evidently been maneuvering to seize total control of the Hidden Dragon Society in his own two hands. Judging by his behavior, once he had that influence, he would no doubt twist anyone he fancied or disliked — Tang Soso or otherwise — around his little finger. And from there, he'd run rampant across Sichuan however he pleased.
So this is what they call a "cancer within the ranks."
More than one person in the room wore the expression of a man caught off guard. Mae Gukhyeong caught Sanlong's gaze across the hall, carefully managed his features, and opened his mouth.
"I understand the Poison Hero's concerns. But such worries must not be allowed to injure an innocent man!"
"Oh?"
"And so I intend to grant everyone an equal opportunity to prove themselves. Precisely as the Poison Hero proposed."
"Ah-ha? Really now?"
When Sanlong grinned slyly, Mae Gukhyeong's expression began to rot at speed.