Chapter 93
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Weaving a Trap
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“Not long ago, I submitted a report that an old Buddhist statue at the Shaolin Temple was destroyed by Beom Gye-wi.”
“I remember.”
“As it happens, Han Seol-hwa and a boy named Dan Ak-seon were visiting Shaolin at that very time.”
After a slight pause, Jegal Yeon continued.
“The physicians named Ak-gong and Ak-il were also part of their group.”
Staring into Namgung Baek's wavering eyes, Jegal Yeon drove the point home.
“Can this, too, be considered a coincidence?”
“…”
As Namgung Baek remained silent, Jegal Yeon began to report on matters she had previously postponed.
“After Shaolin, they visited Huashan. However, the physicians Ak-gong and Ak-il, despite traveling with the group, did not ascend the mountain. Only the Ice Jade Fairy and Dan Ak-seon met with the sect leader of Huashan. Why didn't Ak-gong and Ak-il go up the mountain?”
Jegal Yeon revealed the conclusion she had drawn.
“Because no matter the disguise, they could not have fooled the True Master Jinmyeong. Cho Ak-ryang, in particular, is one of the Five Absolutes Under Heaven, just like the True Master. They've had run-ins in the past. They would have recognized each other instantly.”
When Jegal Yeon finished speaking, silence fell over the office.
After a long moment…
“So, you're saying they are Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi?”
Jegal Yeon nodded at Namgung Baek's words.
“At this point, you must make a decisive move.”
“A decisive move?”
Namgung Baek retorted, his brows furrowing.
“What do you want me to decide?”
“We must use all our resources to eliminate them. Before it's too late.”
A look of bewilderment appeared on Namgung Baek's face.
Her proposal was uncharacteristically aggressive for her.
Think thrice, act once. She was the one who best embodied the conservative ethos of the Jegal Family.
The circumstantial evidence was strong, but there was still no definitive proof.
There was no solid link proving Ak-gong and Ak-il were Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi.
Then, the last thing she mentioned suddenly bothered him.
“What do you mean, 'too late'?”
“If we leave them be, the very foundation of this Alliance will be severely shaken.”
“…?”
“The outside world believes the Martial Alliance hasn't completed the subjugation of the Ten Great Villains because it uses their existence to justify its own. That is the perception.”
“…”
“Now is the time to clearly demonstrate the Alliance's power. If we eliminate the Blood Hand Honored One and Mang Mountain's Thistle… If we use this to imprint upon them the clear difference in our strength, the Nine Great Sects will no longer dare to challenge the Alliance.”
Namgung Baek's gaze grew deep and somber.
If that happened, the only one of the Ten Great Villains left would be Ak Ho-gun, the Grand Chieftain of the Greenwood.
As he leads the massive force of the Greenwood, his subjugation cannot be finished overnight. This will allow the Martial Alliance to once again take the lead in maintaining order in the martial world.
However, that was something to be done only after definitively confirming the identities of Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi.
Reading Namgung Baek's mood, Jegal Yeon played her final card.
“We are the ones being hunted, not them.”
A look of confusion appeared in Namgung Baek's eyes.
“What is this Alliance being hunted by?”
“Time.”
Seeing Namgung Baek still confused, Jegal Yeon posed a question.
“Aren't you curious why they visited Shaolin and Huashan?”
Namgung Baek tilted his head, signaling for her to continue, and Jegal Yeon went on with her explanation.
“They are collecting signatures for a joint petition from influential masters of the Nine Great Sects, especially those with deep ties to the Divine Physician of Sacred Hands. They are seeking agreement to turn Muwi into a land for fugitives.”
“A land for fugitives?”
“They plan to declare it a kind of forbidden zone, a place where members of the orthodox sects cannot enter.”
“...!”
“If that happens, this Alliance will no longer be able to subjugate the Ten Great Villains. The villains would only need to flee there. Moreover, Hyegong of Shaolin and the sect leader of Huashan have already added their signatures to the petition.”
Namgung Baek fell into thought with a low groan.
If what she said was true, he was facing a rather troublesome situation.
But there was an order to all things.
First, he needed to verify the truth.
“How did you obtain this information about the joint petition?”
Namgung Baek knew the personalities of both Hyegong and the True Master Jinmyeong well.
They would not have volunteered such information.
“I obtained it through an insider.”
Namgung Baek was surprised by Jegal Yeon's unhesitating reply.
“You planted spies in Shaolin and Huashan?”
It was beyond absurd; it was bewildering.
If they found out and confronted him, the Martial Alliance would have absolutely nothing to say for itself.
But Jegal Yeon nodded calmly.
“Are they the only ones? We have ears listening for the Alliance everywhere, from the Nine Sects One Union to the influential small and medium-sized factions of the martial world.”
“Leader of the Heavenly Ear Corps. Are you in your right mind?”
“Everything is for the sake of the Alliance. And that is the reason for the Heavenly Ear Corps' existence.”
“…”
Namgung Baek was dumbfounded.
He was at a loss for words, seeing her state it so openly and confidently.
Namgung Baek was well aware of her ability to grasp an opponent's weakness after just a few words, using it to sway and control them.
It was no wonder that even within the Jegal Family, known for its brilliant minds, she was called the 'Cunning Strategist' and kept at a distance.
Meeting Namgung Baek's complicated gaze, Jegal Yeon spoke again.
“If it becomes known to the world that those two are the Blood Hand Honored One and Mang Mountain's Thistle, the one who will be in the most trouble is you, Alliance Leader.”
Namgung Baek's gaze wavered slightly.
She was right.
If Ak-gong and Ak-il were indeed Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi, his own position would become more precarious than anyone's.
The leader of the Martial Alliance himself would have failed to recognize the Blood Hand Honored One and Mang Mountain's Thistle right before his eyes.
Worse, he had allowed them into the Martial Alliance headquarters and even entrusted his daughter's treatment to them. If the other families rose up to hold him accountable, he would have no defense.
“This is… vexing.”
As Namgung Baek groaned softly, trying to sort through his complex thoughts, Jegal Yeon bowed her head as if in apology.
“My apologies. But loyal advice is often harsh and bitter. Please understand that all of this is for the sake of the Alliance…”
Tapping his fingers on the armrest of his grand chair, Namgung Baek was lost in thought for a moment.
After a long while, Namgung Baek finally spoke.
“I understand. You may leave.”
As Jegal Yeon bowed respectfully, Namgung Baek added.
“However, you…”
“…?”
“Not once did you say any of this was for my sake.”
At those pointed words, the smile on Jegal Yeon's face faltered for the first time.
But she quickly regained her composure as if nothing had happened.
“…Because you, Alliance Leader, are the Alliance.”
Namgung Baek let out a short, dry laugh.
It was a laugh of realization.
“I suppose I am a very fortunate man.”
Namgung Baek said, thoroughly concealing the fury that blazed within him behind a stoic expression.
“To have a subordinate who thinks of me so.”
Watching Jegal Yeon's back as she bowed once more and exited the office, Namgung Baek's gaze sank into an immeasurable depth.
It was truly a day that gave him much to think about.
***
Leaving the Alliance Leader's office, Jegal Yeon looked up at the sky.
Her eyes held an enigmatic smile.
'With this, the Alliance Leader is in checkmate.'
As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows.
It didn't matter whether the Alliance Leader killed Ak-gong and Ak-il or not.
If those two were indeed Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi, the Martial Alliance would have to commit significant forces. This will inevitably lead to considerable casualties.
That, in turn, would clearly lead to the desertion of the factions that support the Alliance Leader.
If public opinion turned toward his resignation, she only needed to give it a little push.
And if he failed, that too would yield a satisfactory result.
It would prove the Alliance Leader's incompetence.
And what if the Alliance Leader refused to subjugate Ak-gong and Ak-il?
From her perspective, that would be the best possible outcome. All she would need to do is prove that Ak-gong and Ak-il are the Blood Hand Honored One and Mang Mountain's Thistle, and everything would fall into place.
How many would follow a leader who protects the Ten Great Villains, prioritizing personal gratitude over the greater cause?
A leader swayed by mere familial affection is not qualified to lead the Martial Alliance.
'It's not fair.'
For her, who had made many sacrifices to reach her current position, she could never overlook the arrogance of a man who sought to have it all.
***
“Are we heading to the Zhongnan Sect next?”
Dan Ak-seon nodded at Cho Ak-ryang's question.
“Yes. After that, I plan to go down to Sichuan and visit the Qingcheng Sect.”
Following the main road south from here, the Zhongnan Sect was three or four days away.
Dan Ak-seon smiled, hugging the joint petition in his arms.
“I'm glad things are going better than I expected. With the petition from Shaolin and Huashan, I think the others will feel more comfortable joining in.”
Dan Ak-seon's expression and steps were unusually light.
Cho Ak-ryang smiled and nodded.
“Yes. Still, let's not rush. We'll take our time. We need to continue your training along the way, after all.”
“I love it. It feels like I'm on a real journey.”
Just seeing Dan Ak-seon so happy was enough to bring a warm smile to the faces of his companions.
It was then that they encountered a group approaching from the opposite direction on the main road.
It was a caravan, with luggage distributed across several carts.
In the moment they passed each other.
Cho Ak-ryang's expression changed.
Because among the flags symbolizing the escort agency, he spotted a familiar mark.
“What's wrong?”
After walking for a while, Dan Ak-seon looked up at the unusually quiet Cho Ak-ryang and asked. Cho Ak-ryang, who had been lost in thought, smiled and spoke.
“I have somewhere I need to go for a bit.”
“Where are you going?”
“It seems someone is worried about me. I should pay him a visit.”
“Ah!”
Dan Ak-seon nodded with a disappointed look.
Seeing this, Cho Ak-ryang smiled warmly.
“I'll rejoin you before you reach the Qingcheng Sect.”
Before he had even finished speaking, Cho Ak-ryang shot off.
Dan Ak-seon silently watched his back as he vanished in an instant, becoming a mere dot in the distance.
When Cho Ak-ryang was finally out of sight, Dan Ak-seon let out a soft sigh.
“Who do you think he's meeting? Maybe I should have asked.”
At Dan Ak-seon's words, Beom Gye-wi scratched his head.
Then, from the haze of his memory, he recalled a conversation he'd had with Cho Ak-ryang long ago.
“That's right. He said he had a friend in Sichuan.”
“A friend?”
Dan Ak-seon asked again.
The word seemed so out of place with Cho Ak-ryang.
Beom Gye-wi gave an awkward laugh.
“I've never met him either. He said it was a friend from his hometown, but I don't remember the details.”
***
Yeomhwa Village was a small town near Dujiangyan, connected by waterways large and small.
On a hill overlooking the town stood a prominent manor.
Twenty years ago.
The manor's master, Yeom Sa-in, had started by personally erecting the pillars and thatching the roof of a single-room hut. Over the years, buildings were steadily added until it grew to a size rivaling any other manor.
In a corner of the manor, which exuded an air of refined elegance.
An old man sitting alone in a pavilion by a pond furrowed his brow.
His neatly combed hair, sideburns, and beard were all snow-white, a clear sign of his advanced age, yet the stubborn glint in his eyes and the strength emanating from his ramrod-straight posture were no less than that of any young man.
Seated on a plush cushion, he had a Go board placed before him.
“He captured my large group with a move like this?”
Yeom Sa-in, replaying a game from long ago, stared at the board with a look of disbelief.
Recalling his opponent's triumphant expression at the time, a fresh wave of anger surged through him.
“Winning with such a cheap trick and then disappearing without a word… The nerve of that bastard.”