What Did You Just Say? (6)
Who was the richest person under heaven?
Some would immediately think of the emperor. After all, there could be no one in the land who possessed more wealth than the Son of Heaven.
But the emperor’s fortune only meant something within the imperial palace. Since he had no freedom to use that wealth as he pleased, there would surely be those who would argue that he could not truly be called “rich” at all.
Others might think of the owner of the Central Plains Exchange, the Golden King Stone Dae-ryeop, Stone Old Master.
Even today, an unimaginable amount of cash and promissory notes were changing hands in the Central Plains Exchange, the largest money house in the Central Plains. Stone Dae-ryeop, owner of that exchange and proprietor of two of the Ten Great Merchant Houses of the Central Plains, was surely the true wealthiest man in the Central Plains.
And yet some would still shake their heads at that claim.
There was more hidden money in the world than money out in the open. Those who truly moved wealth did not dwell in the bright world, but in the shadows.
It was said that even touching smuggled salt without authorization meant the extermination of three generations, and yet the owner of the Black Ghost Fort handled everything from gambling to human trafficking, all manner of dirty money flowing through his hands. He, more than anyone, was the one who touched the most money in the world.
Even if that was a slight exaggeration, no one could deny that the Black Ghost Fort’s master, Man-Geum Daebu, was among the top three wealthiest men in the world.
And yet the office where Man-Geum Daebu lived and worked in Black Ghost Fort was surprisingly plain. No, “plain” was too mild a word; bleak was more fitting.
An old desk polished smooth by years of use, a worn chair bent slightly out of shape, and shelves packed with books and ledgers along one wall—that was all the room contained.
There wasn’t even a cheap hanging scroll, not a single pot of orchids. In that cheerless room, several people had gathered, each of them wearing a grave expression.
Creak.
The old chair beneath Man-Geum Daebu let out a pained groan. His hand, which had been moving across the abacus, came to a halt, as if the chair’s complaint had replaced his own.
Normally, Man-Geum Daebu’s fingers never stopped flicking the beads of the abacus. At least while he sat at this desk, he habitually moved them even when receiving reports or drafting documents.
Even when the Namgung Clan had stormed Maehwado, even when Jang Il-so had personally descended upon the Yangtze River to stand against Shaolin, his hands had not stopped.
And now, at this very moment, those hands had frozen.
“Where, you say?”
A cold voice slipped through Man-Geum Daebu’s lips.
One of the men standing before him answered with a hardened face.
“There are people carrying out massacres in Hangzhou. Based on the information we’ve confirmed so far, they’re probably... members of that Demonic Sect.”
The corner of Man-Geum Daebu’s mouth twitched faintly.
“The Demonic Sect?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“...I can’t say it’s been confirmed perfectly. But that is what the survivor from the Hangzhou branch reported.”
“There was a survivor?”
Man-Geum Daebu’s eyes narrowed.
“If they survived long enough to identify the enemy as the Demonic Sect, then they didn’t just run at first sight. They survived after facing them?”
“It seems they were spared.”
“Strange.”
Man-Geum Daebu leaned back in his chair.
“That doesn’t sound like their way either. Not if the stories we heard about the Demonic Sect in the past are true. You wouldn’t have missed that fact, would you? And yet you’re saying that’s why you judged them to be the Demonic Sect?”
“...That’s what the survivor said.”
“That isn’t an answer—”
“To be precise, it wasn’t the survivor who said it. It was the one who used to be the survivor. They ripped off his face, gouged out his eyes, and cut off both arms, saying no mouth was needed to speak, only to carry the message. And if that still wasn’t enough, they punched holes all through his body and told him that if he wanted to live, he should run forward and never stop.”
“......”
Even Man-Geum Daebu was momentarily struck speechless.
“When the rear guard found him, he had already lost his mind. He kept repeating only one thing until the very end—‘The Demonic Sect. The Demonic Sect has come’—and then he died of exhaustion.”
“...It seems it’s true.”
A sigh escaped Man-Geum Daebu.
To the demonic path, cruelty was not necessarily an insult. In fact, it was often treated as something close to courage.
But this had crossed a line. No faction of the demonic path would kill someone in such a way.
Only those who did not see people as people could commit such a thing.
“So it is the Demonic Sect. Then Hangzhou...”
His fingers settled atop the abacus. Yet even as they twitched several times, they could not bring themselves to move.
“This is badly tangled.”
A self-mocking laugh slipped from his mouth.
“At a time like this... of all times?”
At that moment, Wei Chung gauged the mood and cautiously spoke up.
“Daebu. Forgive me if this is presumptuous, but...”
“Cut the needless preamble and speak. Quickly.”
“Yes, Daebu. The times may have changed, but dealing with the Demonic Sect has always been the business of the entire Central Plains. Rather than taking on the burden ourselves, shouldn’t we announce their resurgence and call for support?”
“That would have been the right thing to do.”
“Pardon? Then...”
“If only the timing weren’t now.”
Man-Geum Daebu’s voice was stripped of all emotion.
“In the past, yes, of course that’s what we would have done. No—there wouldn’t even have been any need for such a troublesome step. If we merely announced that the Demonic Sect had appeared, those righteous sects lounging about in Jiangbei would have rushed here to fight them for the glory of it.”
After all, wasn’t it the righteous sects who had ultimately blocked the Heavenly Demon in the past?
“But not now.”
“Because... ah. The inviolable Jiangnan!”
Man-Geum Daebu nodded.
“That’s one reason. But more than that, Shaolin—the current center of the righteous path—is locked in confrontation with Myriad Man Sect on the Yangtze River. If those people who have been snarling and fighting each other suddenly see the Demonic Sect appear, do you think they’ll simply change their attitude?”
“......”
“If they could do that, they’d be Buddhas or immortals, not men. It would take a great deal of time, at the very least.”
Man-Geum Daebu lightly rubbed his face.
The timing couldn’t be worse.
Jang Il-so’s strategy of remaining entrenched on the Yangtze River and setting everyone against one another had, against all expectations, produced the worst possible outcome.
But who could blame Jang Il-so?
Had there been even a single person in the world who could have predicted that the remnants of the Demonic Sect, who had remained hidden for a hundred years, would suddenly rise at this very moment, in Hangzhou of all places?
If the deadlock on the Yangtze River isn’t broken, and neither side moves its troops... that’s the worst case.
But it was also entirely possible. Both Myriad Man Sect and Shaolin were in a position where it would be difficult to withdraw first. If neither side yielded, they would have to hold their ground until a knife came flying in from behind.
Then Black Ghost Fort alone would have to face them.
The Demonic Sect.
Man-Geum Daebu’s fingers began to flick the beads of the abacus with rapid precision.
“There’s no way the Demonic Sect could have preserved its power as it once was. At most, they’ll have retained thirty percent of it—if that. Their actual strength is probably less than ten percent.”
The reason for that judgment was simple enough. The Demonic Sect of the past, which had turned the Central Plains red with blood, had derived the bulk of its strength from one being alone: the Heavenly Demon.
Man-Geum Daebu naturally believed the existence of the Heavenly Demon had been exaggerated. If all the stories passed down through generations were true, then he would have been something more than human.
But even if one stripped away all those absurd legends, the man known as the Heavenly Demon was still terrifyingly powerful. If that Heavenly Demon no longer existed, then the Demonic Sect now appearing before them could not be the same Demonic Sect they had known.
It had to be so. No, it must be so.
His hand moved faster still over the abacus beads.
“...Daebu.”
Click.
At last, Man-Geum Daebu spread his hand wide and pressed down on the abacus. A sheet of icy resolve settled over his face as he made up his mind.
“...Wei Chung.”
“Yes, Daebu.”
“Gather every useful man you can find.”
Rattle-rattle-rattle.
The abacus beads rattled together with a chilling sound.
Man-Geum Daebu asked in a cold, subdued voice.
“You said they deliberately let the survivor live?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then they must have wanted to announce that they were the Demonic Sect.”
“Indeed... that would be a fair conclusion.”
Man-Geum Daebu lightly pressed at the corner of his eyes.
“To reveal themselves means they have some other purpose. If they intended to get what they wanted through force, they wouldn’t have bothered with such a roundabout method. They intend to talk.”
Wei Chung nodded.
Man-Geum Daebu was right. They must have something they were after, something they intended to obtain. If this were merely simple slaughter, they would not have gone to the trouble of making themselves known.
“Then what do you plan to do?”
“First...”
Man-Geum Daebu nodded as if the decision had already been settled.
“We need to find out what those bastards want. We can’t take a gamble without knowing the cards in their hand.”
Wei Chung looked at him with renewed admiration. It might have sounded obvious in theory, but to hear that the Demonic Sect was slaughtering people in Hangzhou and still calmly assess the situation was no easy thing.
“I’ll go.”
“No.”
At Wei Chung’s words, Man-Geum Daebu shook his head firmly.
“I’ll go.”
“Daebu! It’s far too dangerous.”
Without changing expression, Man-Geum Daebu answered with glacial calm.
“No matter how much they may be vermin crawled out of some antiquated corner of history, if they truly are the Demonic Sect, then someone worthy of that name should meet them.”
“But...”
“There’s no need to be afraid.”
His dark eyes fixed on Wei Chung.
“The Demonic Sect are still human, made of blood and flesh. If they are human and can speak, not beasts that cannot, then there is always room for negotiation.”
When he finished speaking, Man-Geum Daebu fell briefly into thought.
Whether the Demonic Sect was stronger than he expected or had withered away from its former renown, to face them alone would bring only losses.
And if, by some chance, Black Ghost Fort suffered heavy damage while dealing with the Demonic Sect...
Then Jang Il-so’s blade will turn toward us.
For a wounded wolf, the greatest danger is not the tiger that appears from nowhere, but the pack it had been hunting with only moments before. And Jang Il-so was a wolf that never missed the scent of blood.
Then the conclusion was clear.
“Prepare.”
“Yes, Daebu. I’ll carry out your orders.”
Those who had bowed in respect withdrew like the wind. It was a lightness of movement worthy of Black Ghost Fort, where time was treated like gold.
Man-Geum Daebu did not even glance at the people leaving.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
The sound of the abacus gradually faded. At the same time, the sound of his breathing became thinner and thinner.
“They’re not some three-headed, six-armed monster. In the end, they’re still human.”
Humans could not escape desire. No, to be precise, there might be those who could suppress desire, but there was no group free from self-interest.
Then they could always be dragged up onto the negotiating table. Wasn’t that the Black Ghost Fort’s way?
But Man-Geum Daebu did not know.
That in this world there existed people to whom common sense meant nothing at all. And that interpreting such people through the lens of his own common sense was the greatest mistake of all.
The world had forgotten the Demonic Sect.
But soon... it would be forced to remember again.