Chapter 53: Internal and External Arts (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 53: Internal and External Arts (1)
“What? The Dragon-Serpent Pill has been taken out?”
Cheol Jung’s voice was thunderous. The man prostrating on the floor trembled violently.
“Yes, sir.”
“When? When did this happen?” Cheol Jung roared, his voice fueled by uncontrollable rage.
“It has been about half a shijin since then.”
“Half a shijin? Then it’s already…”
Crash!
A flowerpot nearby shattered into pieces. The orchid and the soil it was planted in rained down onto the head of the prostrating man.
“How did this happen? Why on earth did they take that specific elixir when there are only five in the entire Association?”
“I—I do not know, sir,” the man replied, his head pressed firmly against the floor.
Years of experience as an aide had taught him that this posture was far safer than looking at Cheol Jung’s rage-filled face.
Cheol Jung glanced at the sky through the half-open door to gauge the time.
“Where is Father now?”
“He entered his quarters around the hour of the Dog and has not come out since.”
“I’m going there.”
Bam!
The moment he finished speaking, Cheol Jung kicked the door open and stormed out. He leaped onto the roof in a single bound, heading straight for Cheol Mu-jin’s residence.
“Ahem.”
Arriving before Cheol Mu-jin’s room, Cheol Jung cleared his throat to announce his presence.
The Hidden Ones—the guards who protected Cheol Mu-jin—watched from the shadows. These two guards, concealed on the roof, were the only men in the Golden Martial Association permitted to wear masks and black robes. Without the Association Leader’s express permission, they allowed no one to approach.
Even as his own flesh and blood, Cheol Jung would be met with a shower of sword strikes if he tried to enter recklessly.
“May I come in?” Cheol Jung called out.
“Enter.”
Once permission was granted, Cheol Jung stepped inside without hesitation.
“What brings you here at this late hour?” Cheol Mu-jin asked. It was as if he had already known his son would come.
Thud!
Cheol Jung sat down, his expression grim. “I heard that the Dragon-Serpent Pill was taken out.”
“Wahahaha!”
Cheol Mu-jin burst into a boisterous laugh the moment the words left his son's mouth. Yet, for some reason, a hint of regret lingered in his eyes.
“I tried to do it secretly… but I suppose I can’t hide anything from your ears. Yes, that’s right. I found a use for it.”
“Are you talking about that Qingcheng Taoist prick?”
“Hohoho. How did you know that?” Cheol Mu-jin asked, his tone laced with amusement.
Cheol Jung, however, was not amused. He was dead serious.
“Was it truly your doing, Father?” Cheol Jung asked once more. He had heard it with his own ears, but he needed to confirm it.
“It was,” Cheol Mu-jin replied.
“But why? Why do you cherish that boy so much? Don’t you know how difficult it is to refine a miracle medicine like the Dragon-Serpent Pill?”
Cheol Mu-jin responded with a relaxed expression. “Miracle medicines are made to be used when they are needed.”
“And you’re saying now is that time? Why?” Cheol Jung’s emotions were running high, his words coming out fast and loud. “I ask for an explanation, Father. He is the one who provoked you and peered into the very heart of the Golden Martial Association. Furthermore, his duel with Cheol Gun has dealt a blow to our Association’s reputation. It would be strange enough not to take his head immediately—so why are you giving the elixir of elixirs to such a person?”
“Are those all your questions?”
“There is more,” Cheol Jung continued. “Qingcheng is a sect we cannot be close with. Even if you have taken a liking to that boy, the Qingcheng Sect will only be an obstacle to our Golden Martial Association’s future expansion into the Central Plains…”
“He will be a great help.”
Cheol Jung’s brow furrowed. He couldn't understand his father’s logic. Qingcheng and the Golden Martial Association were two tigers living on the same mountain. They were in a relationship where they could never tolerate one another.
“There is a saying: ‘A wily rabbit has three burrows,’ is there not?”
“It means a rabbit digs three holes to ensure its safety when fleeing. One must always be prepared,” Cheol Jung answered.
Cheol Mu-jin’s gaze returned to his son. “Let me ask you. Tell me what we stand to lose if things go well for that Qingcheng Taoist.”
Cheol Jung answered immediately. “Our Association’s standing. Those Qingcheng pricks will make a huge fuss about how they defeated the Golden Martial Association. Not just Qingcheng, but other Orthodox sects—and even the nearby Unorthodox factions—will look down on us.”
“You fool. Does it look to you like that boy is well-treated within Qingcheng?”
“…Pardon?”
“Think back to how Elder Song Hak treated him.”
Cheol Jung recalled the Qingcheng elder he had met a few days ago. Come to think of it, despite being the boy’s Martial Uncle, that Taoist hadn't defended his disciple at all. At the time, Cheol Jung had assumed it was the typical hypocrisy of the Orthodox Faction—pretending to be cold while secretly rejoicing behind the scenes.
“…Is it a factional dispute?”
“Likely.” Cheol Mu-jin nodded. “Therefore, the rumors will not flow the way you think. In fact, they will flow in the opposite direction. That elder named Song Hak will continue to pick fights to ensure the boy ends up in a difficult position.”
“Even so, that doesn't mean there's any benefit for us, does it?” Cheol Jung asked.
“Why wouldn't there be?” Cheol Mu-jin began to explain, as if he had been waiting for this moment. “First, consider when the boy returns to Qingcheng after succeeding. If Seok Myeong leaves a great mark on the Jianghu, we will have a stake in that. Specifically, the Dragon-Serpent Pill.”
“……”
“From that moment on, we will be in a position to make demands with confidence. And to a prominent figure of the Qingcheng Sect, whose pride is the greatest among the Nine Great Sects, no less.”
Cheol Jung’s gaze softened slightly. At first, he had reacted reflexively because he was sick of the Orthodox Faction’s nonsense. But thinking about it, exploiting the internal strife of other sects and driving a wedge between them was the daily bread of the Golden Martial Association—the hallmark of the Unorthodox Faction.
“So you’re saying we don’t need to equate the Qingcheng Sect with Taoist Seok Myeong?” The way Cheol Jung referred to Seok Myeong changed—from "that boy" to "Taoist Seok Myeong."
“Exactly. Just calculate the value of the Dragon-Serpent Pill in advance. We could receive Qingcheng’s unique alchemy methods, or perhaps counter-techniques for other sects’ styles. We might even get the martial arts of sects that could become our potential enemies. Among the Qingcheng disciples, Seok Myeong was under Azure Cloud Taoist, a man who spent his life researching martial arts.”
“I see.” Cheol Jung nodded.
The Unorthodox Faction was a place that, if they granted a favor, would rip out more than double in return. Since they couldn't take back the medicine already given, they simply had to ensure they received something more precious in exchange.
Cheol Jung hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Then why did you have So-yeon accompany him?”
“That is…” As if he had anticipated this as well, Cheol Mu-jin responded naturally. “Does a single hand make a sound when clapping? Besides that prick Song Hak, we are creating our own pretext. A disciple of Qingcheng traveling with the precious daughter of the Golden Martial Association—a woman of the Unorthodox Faction? Now, would such a rumor be troublesome for us, or for Qingcheng?”
“That would… naturally be Qingcheng.”
At those words, Cheol Jung’s eyes softened even more. The Golden Martial Association was a self-proclaimed Unorthodox power. And while Cheol So-yeon was his daughter, she was a child with many sharp edges. Even if a few scandalous rumors were attached to her, it would just be adding one more to the ten she already had.
On the other hand, the Orthodox sects were obsessed with their reputation. If a stain touched their name, they would cause an uproar. Furthermore, Seok Myeong was a Taoist. If word got out that a man of the cloth was traveling with a woman—and an Unorthodox one at that—it wouldn't just be Seok Myeong who was in trouble; the entire Qingcheng Sect would be turned upside down.
“Party Leader, you are old enough now to know, aren't you? In the Jianghu, you never know what will happen. The Jianghu is a world where yesterday’s enemy becomes today’s ally.”
“Are you saying… there is no need to be hostile toward Qingcheng?”
“At least not toward Seok Myeong,” Cheol Mu-jin replied nonchalantly. Then, with a face that looked like he was plotting something, he whispered in a low voice. “Think about it, Party Leader. If we can control Qingcheng’s greatest swordsman—or later, the entire Qingcheng Sect—with a single Dragon-Serpent Pill, isn't this an incredibly profitable business?”
“Ah…”
Something suddenly occurred to Cheol Jung. “Father, did you plan all of this in advance?”
“Hmph. Do you think I would have brought a disciple of Qingcheng here without any thought?”
“So that was it!”
Slap!
Cheol Jung struck his own knee loudly. Until now, he had been hostile out of a vague sense of opposition. But according to the logic of the Unorthodox Faction, the enemy of my enemy can be my ally.
Cheol Gun was more than qualified to be called the strongest among the Rising Stars of the Unorthodox Faction. This wasn't a judgment made because Cheol Gun was his son, but an assessment made as a fellow martial artist. In that case, Seok Myeong, who had fought Cheol Gun to a draw, was also a talent who would be hard to match among the Rising Stars.
“To gain the future greatest swordsman of Qingcheng with a single Dragon-Serpent Pill…” Cheol Jung repeated his father’s words.
And currently, that Qingcheng swordsman was poorly regarded within his own sect. If Seok Myeong ever left Qingcheng, he would never forget the grace shown to him by the Golden Martial Association.
“Even if he remains in Qingcheng…”
“We will be able to obtain something even greater in the future.”
Because it was Qingcheng. They were a place that would hunt you to the ends of hell if you crossed them, but they were also a place that would repay a favor to an excessive degree.
Cheol Jung counted the possibilities on his fingers and nodded. “You truly looked far ahead when you set this board, Father. However, you must be cautious. Flowing water does not always reach the sea. If it takes a wrong turn, it may stagnate in a pond.”
“Indeed,” Cheol Mu-jin agreed immediately. “But Cheol Jung, if it doesn't happen naturally, isn't it our job to make it so? To gain something, there are things one must endure.”
“I understand perfectly what you are trying to say.”
Cheol Jung stood up. A shadow still lingered on his face, but his expression was markedly different from when he had first entered.
Slide.
As Cheol Jung left, Cheol Mu-jin chuckled.
“Well, it’s true I sent So-yeon to create a pretext, but…” He continued to laugh as if something were highly amusing. “Who knows? If a romantic bond forms, that would be the best outcome of all.”
A marriage with a Qingcheng Taoist who had a bright future. That wasn't a bad method either. Especially if it was for the sake of the Golden Martial Association.
“A Taoist son-in-law… Hohoho.”
It was the moment Cheol Mu-jin’s true intentions were revealed.