Temporary Closure - 1
I had set one burden down, but this was only the beginning.
Now that word of Dangga Pungun and the Dokin experiments had reached the Sichuan Dang Clan, a journey to their stronghold was inevitable. If I meant to walk into the tiger’s den and survive the jaws closing around me, I needed to prepare in advance.
I have to make the Medical Pavilion disciples believe I’m the Clan Leader’s illegitimate son.
Shouting empty claims after barging into the tiger’s den would never work. Better to arrive in a flower sedan, escorted by other tigers, and knock on the gate like a cub returning home.
I had no desire just yet to become the black-haired tiger who shoved the Clan Leader off a cliff while yelling, “I’m inheriting the seat, Father!” But once I had decided to play the cub, the preparations had to be thorough.
The Medical Pavilion disciples won’t believe it right away.
The idea that the black-haired barbarian cub whose throat Uigakju had been squeezing moments earlier was actually the Clan Leader’s bastard—and his only true son—was about as absurd as learning that the mysterious hero armed with cutting-edge weapons was really just a publicity-obsessed businessman screaming “I’m going to Mars.”
Even if Dang Pae explained everything perfectly after hearing my full story, it would still be secondhand information.
I already have a way to plant certainty. The problem is timing.
I needed to give every disciple enough time to hear that I was the Clan Leader’s illegitimate son, yet still crush the first sprouts of doubt before they could take root—using my method at just the right moment so it felt natural.
I’ll create the timing myself.
I had no intention of sitting around waiting for the situation to ripen on its own.
Time for some advance work.
“He’s coming down.”
The moment I stepped first onto the attic stairs, the Medical Pavilion disciples waiting on the second floor called out to one another.
Dangerous. One move still left on the board.
The men on the second floor would be Uigakju’s most trusted. He might suddenly order his closest subordinates to seize us.
“Uigakju.”
I called out the instant he started descending, making sure he had no room for other thoughts.
“…….”
Uigakju stopped on the attic stairs and looked at me with an expression that clearly said, What crafty snake-tongue is this bastard about to wave at me this time?
Harsh. No need to look that openly disgusted.
I was going to wave the tongue, though.
“It has been proven that Dang Geoho violated clan law by conducting Dokin experiments. Surely you don’t intend to cover it up simply because he is of the direct line?”
I rapidly circulated the Soyun Shimsanggyeol so my voice would carry not only through the second floor but all the way down to the first.
Lay the insurance first. The words were aimed at Uigakju, yet they were not for him alone.
Creating a Dokin was a crime that brought heavy punishment upon anyone in the Sichuan Dang Clan. Even shielding or concealing the perpetrator was a grave offense.
If Uigakju ordered them to subdue me here, I would make it look as though he were protecting a man who had broken the clan’s greatest taboo.
“What?”
Exactly as I expected, one of the disciples who had started forward at my insolence froze mid-step. They had heard the suspicions against Dang Geoho before we went up, but confirmation that the rumors were true still left them visibly stunned.
I pressed on without pause.
“Even now Dang Geoho may be racing toward Yichang. I have no idea how large his faction is, but he will not come alone if he means to take Hwarin.”
I looked from Uigakju to the startled disciples, smoothly reminding him that his own men could end up bleeding if he stayed silent.
“I was going to say the same even without your prompting.”
Uigakju finished descending the attic stairs and faced his subordinates.
“I hope everyone will put Hwarin’s protection first.”
While I told Uigakju that the people downstairs needed to know as well, I simultaneously informed every soul on the first floor that Dang Geoho had broken the taboo and was coming for his experimental subject, Dang Hwarin.
You all heard that, right? I just delivered good news, so if Uigakju suddenly orders me seized, you had better step in.
“I already said I would protect this child no matter what.”
“A man’s heart can change between the moment he enters the latrine and the moment he leaves it.”
“Barbarians may reverse their words after a simple trip to the outhouse, but a true orthodox martial artist understands the weight of what he has spoken.”
Truly a model of the righteous path.
A racist who still managed to sound like a proper orthodox master. I wondered if this was how modern human-rights activists felt when they discovered the same man kept Black slaves at home.
“Everyone gather on the first floor!”
“Yes, sir!”
At Uigakju’s single command every disciple on the second floor headed downstairs.
“Your tongue is not your only talent that matches a snake’s.”
So he had noticed the meaning behind my actions.
Uigakju shot the remark at me while watching his men descend.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Tsk.”
When I refused to yield even a single line, Uigakju clicked his tongue.
“Hwarin, go down first and introduce yourself to everyone.”
“Huh? Uh… okay.”
Still reeling from the “illegitimate son” bombshell, Hwarin nodded with a slightly vacant look.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“You Murim folk never feel the cold in weather like this, but once the sun is down I need at least a coat. I’m just going to fetch one from the attic.”
I turned back toward the attic stairs.
“I will wait.”
You need to go downstairs. Only then can I create the timing I need.
“There’s only one door down. And you still have words you must speak to the people below.”
I can’t escape anyway, so go introduce Hwarin for me.
“……. I will wait downstairs.”
Uigakju glared at me, then turned and headed for the stairs to the first floor.
“Huh?”
I caught Deputy Pavilion Head Dang Pae as he started to follow, drawing his eyes to me, then jerked my chin silently toward the attic.
You stay. Come with me.
Dang Pae glanced between the descending Uigakju and me heading back up, then finally trailed after me.
The mutt who is supposed to become my loyal dog is still hesitating? This one still needs training.
While I was at it, I would feed him pure-love harem double-mix kibble until he started howling “Nuyaho” like a proper yellow dog.
“What is it, sir?”
Dang Pae entered the attic and asked in a bewildered voice.
“Dang Pae. At the first opportunity, spread the word that I am the Clan Leader’s illegitimate son and the Hopil who wrote Dangga Pungun. No need for long explanations. Just say: that black-haired Hopil is the Clan Leader’s bastard. He produced evidence in the attic, but Uigakju refuses to believe it because of the black hair—though it looks solid to me. Keep it that simple.”
“It involves secret clan affairs. Spreading it freely will be difficult.”
“A lecher’s secrets are secret. The fact that the Clan Leader has a bastard is not.”
A man fathering a child with a gisaeng was common enough. It might earn the Clan Leader a thrashing from his wife, but it was no hidden secret.
“But—”
Dang Pae averted his eyes and hesitated. Dang Pae, you seem to flinch because the story involves a lecher, but this is no time for that.
“But what? Don’t you realize you’re completely isolated right now?”
I pulled on my coat and spoke to him.
“Isolated?”
“Uigakju wanted to snatch my Bulmanghwan and erase the existence of any illegitimate son. You openly defied him and stopped it. If he hasn’t given up, he’ll try to take the Bulmanghwan again—and when that happens, you’re finished too. Understand?”
I jabbed a finger hard into Dang Pae’s shoulder, making it clear I was not the only one in danger.
“Y-you’re right.”
Only then did Dang Pae seem to grasp that the situation was far from over; his eyes flew wide.
“Dang Pae, why are you hesitating? You’ve already boarded my ship. When you’re the first one aboard, what’s the first thing you do?”
“Row.”
“Haa. Why would you row? You need to start recruiting the rowers.”
You’re no ordinary oarsman. You’re the navigator who commands them. I looked at him with a mix of pity and deliberate praise.
“You mean recruit allies?”
“Exactly. Now you’re getting it. Once the entire Medical Pavilion knows my true identity, even Uigakju won’t be able to touch me casually. Find the ones who’ll join my side quickly—prioritize the ones you can trust.”
“I’ll move as fast as I can.”
“Good. Hang in there, Dang Pae. Now that we’ve started, we have to reach the destination together across the open sea. When that day comes, how do you think I’ll treat the first man who boarded my ship, hmm?”
“…….”
They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. For an instant, naked ambition flickered in Dang Pae’s.
Right. You didn’t choose me out of simple concern either. That actually makes you easier to handle. I opened my mouth to dangle the most delicious bait in front of the yellow dog who needed to become my loyal hound.
“When that day arrives, you’ll be the Young Clan Leader’s closest confidant. Aren’t you sick of smelling medicine all day? What do you want to become? Internal Pavilion Head? The Young Clan Leader’s right-hand man?”
“……. With collateral blood I could never become Internal Pavilion Head. I’d like to try for External Pavilion Head.”
If the Internal Pavilion Head managed the direct bloodline’s residence, the External Pavilion Head commanded the clan’s entire military force.
Ambitious, aren’t you? Good. That’s the level of hunger that makes someone worth handling.
“Yes! That’s exactly it. That kind of will is what matters. Later I’ll suggest we all go for a meal. Have the Medical Pavilion people eaten yet?”
“We came in such a rush we barely managed dry rations.”
“Perfect. I’ll propose a restaurant and drag things out so you can take people ahead, secure seats, and tell them exactly what I said. You can handle that, right?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Then let’s do this, External Pavilion Head Dang Pae.”
“Yes!”
When I clapped his shoulder and called him External Pavilion Head, Dang Pae’s face lit up as if he could already see his future; he bowed with a grin.
Making one loyal dog is easier than I thought.
Food is not sold only in inns.
“Welcome to Gukharu. Will anyone else be joining you?”
A Sichuan restaurant in Yichang. Exactly as planned, I delayed long enough that Uigakju, a few disciples, and I arrived late.
“Is the Daseogak manager really…?”
“It does sound plausible, though.”
Whispers from the Medical Pavilion disciples reached me the moment we entered. Dang Pae had clearly done good work.
“Hwarin, did you order yet?”
I sat beside Hwarin, who had been waiting. Uigakju took the seat across from me with a visibly sour expression.
“Not yet. No one else has either.”
“Order ahead next time. They have pretty much every Sichuan dish here. Get whatever looks good.”
I handed Uigakju the menu lying on the table.
“I’ll pay. Everyone order what you want.”
Uigakju lifted the menu and called out to his disciples.
“Really, sir?”
“Ugh, we’ve been living on dry rations racing all the way here. Finally some real food.”
“It won’t match the taste back in Sichuan, but Sichuan food outside Sichuan has its own special flavor.”
“What will you have, sir?”
The waiter approached Uigakju, who looked like the group’s leader, ready to take orders.
I wondered what Uigakju’s tastes ran to. At least he wouldn’t order carbonara in a Sichuan restaurant… right?
After studying the menu with care, Uigakju spoke.
“I’ll have the Sichuan jajangmyeon.”
“…….”
An ice-cold counterattack without a single ice crystal in sight. Every disciple who had been looking at the menu froze solid at those words.
“Gukharu offers mapo tofu, yuxiang pork, kung pao chicken, and our special green-pepper pork. For honored guests of the Sichuan Dang Clan we even have exclusive house dishes—anything you desire!”
Trying to nudge martial artists toward the more expensive options without saying it outright. Even the waiter was a professional.
“Sichuan jajangmyeon.”
Uigakju was not the type to yield.
“Then how about the Sichuan jajangmyeon with sweet-and-sour pork set?”
“Just the Sichuan jajangmyeon.”
“Y-yes, sir. One Sichuan jajangmyeon! And the rest of you?”
“Don’t mind me. Order whatever you like.”
“…….”
No one looked as if they believed Uigakju’s generous offer for a second.
“Sichuan jajangmyeon for me as well.”
“Same here.”
In the end every order except ours became identical.
“We’ll get what we actually want. Hwarin, don’t hold back like you did at breakfast and lunch—order plenty.”
I had no intention of losing this silent power struggle with Uigakju.
“Bullshit. I—I don’t care about that anymore. …… Waiter, do you have anything that isn’t greasy?”
Hwarin denied my words while quietly asking the waiter.
“If you’re watching your figure, how about our house specialty—Illusory Mapo Tofu?”
“Illusory Mapo Tofu?”
“Yes. A mapo tofu made without meat that somehow tastes exactly like meat. Created by a legendary master chef born in Sichuan—someone no true Sichuan native has never heard of.”
“Fine. Give me that.”
“Certainly. And for Manager Kang?”
“I’ll take…”
Since someone else was paying I wanted something expensive, but nothing jumped out at me.
“We recently acquired new equipment and can also prepare the legendary scorched-rice soup. How does that sound?”
“Scorched-rice soup doesn’t do it for me.”
Pretty to look at, but not my taste. While I hesitated, a shadow fell across the seat beside me.
“Sichuan jajangmyeon for me as well.”
Dang Pae sat down next to me and ordered. Taking the seat right beside me—could it be?
I used the menu to block Uigakju’s view of my face, then turned to Dang Pae. Had he succeeded? He met my eyes and gave a small nod.
He told them all. Faster than I expected.
I had thought it would take a day or two. Stimulating his ambition must have accelerated things.
Still half-hidden by the menu, I scanned the room. Every Medical Pavilion disciple was watching me—some openly, some more discreetly, but all of them looking.
Earlier than planned, yet everyone was gathered in one place.
An atmosphere ruled more by shock than suspicion, interest in me at its absolute peak.
Now. Let’s use the method.