Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Translator: Penny
Chapter 40
Where Did This Wind Blow From? (3)
The specific amounts were finalized.
The top three ranked individuals would receive Five Thousand Taels, those ranked fourth through tenth would receive Three Thousand Taels, and the remaining twenty would receive One Thousand Taels each. The amount was determined based on each faction's ranking.
Green Pine Sect Leader Gwak Tae and Nine Dragons Association Leader Seok Mundo spearheaded the initiative.
Although it appeared they had consulted with various clans to determine the amounts, I was certain this was Ma Jeongsu's pre-determined figure. The speed at which the plan progressed was proof enough.
This was no small sum. When combined, it amounted to tens of thousands of Taels—a massive fortune. The greater concern was that this demand might not be a one-time occurrence.
Since Ma Jeongsu hadn't directly demanded money, he couldn't be held accountable. On the surface, he had merely offered greetings and asked for assistance.
The various sects were naturally displeased. Not only did they resent having to cough up hard-earned cash, but their pride had been wounded. They must have wondered what Ma Jeongsu thought of them to make such a request.
Yet they couldn't openly oppose him.
In such situations, the first to step forward would inevitably bear the brunt of the backlash. Unless they were prepared to openly defy the Heavenly Blade Gate, they had no choice but to comply.
This situation was unprecedented during the reign of the Former Alliance Leader, leaving everyone bewildered about how to proceed.
Song Ugyeong remarked, "This is a natural disaster. Like watching the relentless rain and sighing helplessly."
His father remained silent.
Late at night, the stuffy air in my room drove me out for a walk.
The inner hall of the Byeok Clan Sword School was beautifully maintained. The trees and flowers grew lush and vibrant, a testament to the care of Chief Steward Jong, who managed the grounds. Despite his gruff demeanor, he clearly possessed a meticulous eye for detail.
As I strolled through the garden, I noticed someone standing ahead. It was my father.
"Father?"
"It's late. What are you doing out here?"
"I couldn't sleep. Why aren't you asleep either?"
"I can't sleep either."
My father looked deeply troubled. It must be because of what happened earlier that day—the humiliation he suffered with his own child beside him. No parent wants to show weakness in front of their child.
He must be devastated. More so than any hardship he's endured before.
On top of everything else, Father had to say something he didn't want to.
"We've decided to contribute to the support fund as well."
His voice trembled slightly. I understood why he'd made this decision.
It wasn't because he was afraid of the man's threats. He wasn't the type to cave to such intimidation. But the man's final threat, involving me, must have weighed heavily on his mind. He probably feared that if he alone refused to contribute while everyone else did, I might suffer the consequences.
I smiled brightly and said, "You did the right thing."
Surprised by my reaction, Father asked, "Do you really think so?"
"Yes. Doesn't military strategy teach us that when the enemy is strong, a temporary retreat is the wisest course? Your principles and resolve haven't retreated, have they? This is just a tactical withdrawal."
These weren't just words of comfort for my father. They were sincere, and they applied to me as well.
"Thank you for thinking of me that way."
Because I respected my father so deeply, I could never forgive that man.
Father, please endure. I will definitely avenge you.
If this emotional resolve is tied to my father, then yes, I admit it.
That day, in my surge of anger, I wanted to don a mask and slit his throat immediately.
But I couldn't act rashly. Assassinating him had to be the absolute last resort.
First, realistically, the martial prowess of the Elder Flower Fan and Si Gon, who guarded him, was formidable. Even without that, they had an unidentified female martial arts expert. And Ma Jeongsu himself was no pushover either.
This was a battle where victory required both a strategy of divide and conquer and a surprise attack.
The problem was that even if we created such a situation, we still had to proceed with caution.
First, we needed to determine whether Ma Jeongsu was acting alone or under orders from Ma Bonggi.
Even if Ma Jeongsu was acting alone, killing him would bring the Heavenly Blade Gate's experts swarming down like a pack of wolves to hunt for his killer.
But if Ma Bonggi had ordered the attack, the situation would become even more complicated. The Heavenly Blade Gate would likely join forces with the Martial Arts Alliance's experts.
That was the last thing I wanted. Shandong couldn't afford to draw the attention of those bastards yet.
I needed to focus on building my strength and consolidating my foundations.
"Father, shall we share a drink?"
That night, I drank late into the night with my father. It was one of the rare occasions when he, who rarely got drunk, actually became intoxicated, while I, the more I drank, seemed to sober up.
The money collected from the various Shandong sects was delivered to Ma Jeongsu through the Green Pine Sect Leader.
In gratitude, Ma Jeongsu sent gifts to each sect, each worth about half the amount they had contributed. These lavish gifts softened the sharp criticism against him.
Rumors began circulating that he might not have come solely to extort money. Of course, the most active proponents of this narrative were Green Pine Sect Leader Gwak Tae and Nine Dragons Association Leader Seok Mundo.
Another rumor spread: even if Ma Jeongsu were to establish a sect disguised as a martial arts school here, it would be impossible to stop him. If it's inevitable, wouldn't it be better to cultivate a good relationship with him? Whether by choice or necessity, everyone began watching Ma Jeongsu's every move.
I began to observe him.
He was cunning, adept at wielding his power and manipulating people. This might not have been his own idea alone; even Elder Flower Fan, for instance, was exceptionally shrewd and experienced.
I decided that investigating Ma Jeongsu should be my top priority.
First, I obtained Five Thousand Taels from Gong Suchan, anticipating the need to use an information broker to handle this matter.
Without asking about its purpose, he handed over the money he had saved for emergencies. Combined with my own funds, I now had a total of Six Thousand Taels. I planned to use this money sparingly.
One fortunate circumstance was that Ma Jeongsu was staying at the Yang Association, a place as familiar to me as my own backyard.
First, I spent One Thousand Taels of the money to purchase a high-quality Human Skin Mask. I needed the mask because I couldn't show my face while moving in and out of the Yang Association, and I knew there would inevitably be times when a mask would be necessary.
Wearing the mask and a wide-brimmed hat, I went to the Yang Association. Having notified them in advance, I was able to meet Jeong Yeo in secret.
"A man is staying in the Annex, so I had you brought here instead. My apologies."
"No, it's quite alright."
In fact, this place was even more carefully prepared than the Annex.
It was a small room adjacent to Jeong Yeo's bedchamber. Originally used as quarters for his martial artist guards, they had apparently been moved elsewhere for the past few days. By placing me in the room next to his own, he was demonstrating his complete trust in me.
Not only had the room been thoroughly cleaned, but the teapot, teacups, and even the bedding had been replaced with new ones. He had clearly gone to great lengths to make me comfortable.
"What is Ma Jeongsu doing?"
"He's meeting with people. He's meeting with each of the guests who were invited that day, one by one. He asked for a separate dinner table tonight, so it seems he plans to meet with someone else."
"He's using a divide-and-conquer strategy."
"That seems to be the case."
It was a remarkably clever approach. He had thoroughly intimidated everyone during the initial meeting, then summoned them individually to offer reassurance.
This meant he wasn't just some amateur wastrel extorting money at random. He was clearly intelligent and well-prepared.
"What about you?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"The fact that he's staying here openly means he already trusts you, doesn't it?"
"He's just pretending to trust me. I see it as pressure. Like, 'Don't even think about betraying us, not in our own territory.'"
He wanted me to understand his true feelings.
"If it weren't for Young Master Byeok, I'd be wandering the Martial Arts World, living recklessly. I'd probably have died miserably. I'm not a saint, but I'm not the kind of bastard who forgets his debts."
"I'm grateful you feel that way."
"Don't mention it."
"Keep a close eye on his movements."
"Don't worry. This place is my own home."
"Then I'll be going now."
As I rose to leave, he spoke again.
"Ah, there's one more thing. The Main Association has been trading with an information broker from the Myriad Connections Society for a long time. I thought you might need information about Ma Jeongsu, so I asked him to look into it in advance. Stop by on your way out and check with him. He said he'd send someone, so just take this with you."
He told me the location of the Myriad Connections Society branch nearby and handed me an Iron Plaque.
This was truly a great help. Thanks to Jeong Yeo, I could now obtain information about the bastard without spending a single coin.
I had been worried that the remaining five thousand taels wouldn't be enough to uncover information about him, but that concern vanished in an instant.
"Thank you. I'll share any information I gather with you."
"I'd be grateful for that. I'll instruct my subordinates to treat you as my guest. Show them the Iron Plaque, and you'll have free access to the Main Association at any time. Feel free to stay in this room whenever you visit."
"I appreciate your kindness in so many ways."
He was taking care of me even more than I was trying to be considerate of him.
From a long-term perspective, this would likely be a worthwhile investment for him. After all, I was the kind of person who repaid kindness with kindness.
Half an hour later, I was meeting the Myriad Connections Society's information broker that Jeong Yeo had told me about. Naturally, I was wearing the Human Skin Mask and had my bamboo hat pulled low.
The man shared their findings:
"Ma Jeongsu is one of Ma Bonggi's twenty-two children."
Twenty-two? That lecherous old man really got around.
"Among them, six are considered potential heirs. But Ma Bonggi's absolute favorite is undoubtedly Ma Cheolgun, who currently holds the position of acting Sect Leader of the Heavenly Blade Gate. Ma Jeongsu is widely regarded as the least likely to become heir among the remaining five."
Ma Cheolgun had not only heard of Ma Jeongsu but had met him in person. Unlike his father, Ma Bonggi, Ma Jeongsu was remarkably intelligent and clear-headed, with a decent personality, as far as Ma Cheolgun could recall.
"Though he's been pushed out of the succession race, Ma Jeongsu has reportedly been exceptionally talented in various fields since childhood. His martial arts skills are on par with the other heirs."
"Then why was he pushed aside?"
"His mother was a maidservant of the Heavenly Blade Gate."
"No backing, then."
"Exactly. He's a man who has risen through his own efforts."
In other words, he was the type to harbor deep resentment in his heart.
"Tragically, his mother died in a house fire over a decade ago. Having only given birth to Ma Jeongsu, he now has no blood relatives left except for Ma Bonggi."
"Do you know the real reason he came here?"
"He claimed it was to establish a martial arts school, but that doesn't seem to be the case. It's more likely this is an advance base for establishing a full-fledged power base in the Shandong Region."
Now I asked the most crucial question, the one I most wanted answered.
"Is this Ma Jeongsu's will? Or Ma Bonggi's?"
My direct question made the man hesitate for a moment. Then he replied, "I haven't been able to determine that."
His hesitation spoke volumes. It was clear he was being extremely cautious, given the matter concerned the Alliance Leader.
Ma Bonggi was still in the early days of his term, and it remained unclear how he would govern the Martial Arts World. I suspected that even if they had uncovered something, they might not reveal it to me.
"Finally, who were the masters who followed them?"
He told me about Elder Flower Fan and Si Gon, but admitted he knew nothing about the woman.
"We couldn't find any information about her."
In other words, she hadn't even been detected by the Myriad Connections Society's vast intelligence network.
If she wasn't from the Heavenly Blade Gate, and I knew all the key figures, she couldn't be from the Martial Arts Alliance either. Where could she possibly be from?
"This is all our society has uncovered so far. We'll contact you again if we find anything more."
"Understood. Thank you for your efforts."
Leaving the information broker, I pulled my bamboo hat low and began to walk slowly.
Yes, there's no need to rush. I'll find his weaknesses one by one, severing his lifelines piece by piece. I have the advantage: he's exposed, while I remain hidden in the shadows.
The money he's extorted from various factions amounts to tens of thousands of taels. And that's not counting the funds he brought with him. If he's here to establish a base of operations, he must have mobilized a massive war chest. He couldn't have raised all that money from the Shandong sects alone.
The thought made my mouth water.
The stronger and more formidable the opponent, the richer the prey—the more meat to devour.
I'll suck him dry to the marrow and grind his bones to dust.