The Jade Bamboo Token
“...Very well. Let's call the duel here.”
In the end Seong Jung-hyeok muttered the words low, as if forcing out the fury that had been boiling inside him. Then he snapped his head around and drove a razor-edged stare into Gong Yeo-ak.
“Th-then... we shall declare this duel a draw.”
Gong Yeo-ak hesitated under that gaze before announcing the result in a thin, trembling voice. He made no attempt to hide his fluster; clearly the outcome had blindsided him as well.
Of course Gong Yeo-ak was not the only one left reeling.
“A draw, you say?”
“What...? How...?”
Yu Yeop and Hong Ju-goe, who had just returned with Ju Yu-ryeon, stopped dead the moment they heard the word. Both men immediately scanned the surroundings, trying to piece together what had happened.
Then Hong Ju-goe's eyes landed on Cho-yeong. He jerked as if struck and bellowed,
“Hold on—isn't that woman Cho-yeong, the former vice commander of the Sohyeol Wongeomdae? The one behind the veil was her?!”
Only then did he get a clear look at her face. Shock flooded his features, as though the sight before him simply could not be real.
Yu Yeop turned at the shout. He studied Cho-yeong for a long moment, brows drawn tight, then slowly nodded.
“It is Cho-yeong. About ten years ago the vice commandership of the Sohyeol Wongeomdae changed overnight and she vanished. I assumed she'd been killed in some internal purge...”
He spoke in a low, settled voice, eyes narrowed. Yoo Eunhyeon tilted his head, puzzled.
Someone who was vice commander of the Sohyeol Wongeomdae must have been fairly high up... Why come all the way out here?
He was still turning the thought over when Hong Ju-goe hurried toward him, slightly out of breath.
“Don't tell me Young Hero fought that demoness?”
Hong Ju-goe ran his eyes over the wounds carved across Eunhyeon's body, concern plain in his voice. A thread of suspicion colored the words, yet a flicker of expectation also lit his face.
“Yes. Heaven must have smiled on me—I barely managed a draw.”
“Heh heh. A draw against that demoness... Even I wouldn't have bet lightly on myself. Truly remarkable.”
While Hong Ju-goe was still marveling, Yu Yeop stepped up. He glanced once toward Cho-yeong, then fixed Eunhyeon with a doubtful look.
“But... forgive me for asking—how exactly was the outcome decided? Young Hero is this badly injured, yet the demoness looks completely unharmed.”
They had been too far away to watch with their own eyes, yet both men had felt the clash of auras well enough to know a ferocious battle had taken place. The pressure had been closer to a life-and-death struggle than a mere duel; assuming a clear victor had been reasonable.
Eunhyeon gave an awkward smile and explained.
“In the final exchange I got lucky and knocked her weapon free. Calling it a draw is almost embarrassing, if I'm honest.”
As he spoke he circulated what little inner energy remained. The two men sensed the sudden flow of natural energy and nodded in silent understanding.
“I see... That makes sense. For a martial artist, losing one's weapon is grounds enough to concede.”
Hong Ju-goe laughed heartily in agreement and clapped Eunhyeon on the shoulder.
“Young Hero, you really are something else! Still so young, and no one even knows your name yet... Makes the proud title of Cheonmumaeng's Ji-odae feel a bit shameful.”
“You praise me too highly.”
“Too highly? You just handed those Demonic Cult dogs a solid punch in the face! Tell me, Young Hero—any interest in joining Cheonmumaeng? Someone of your caliber would be worth a thousand gold just to keep close.”
Hong Ju-goe grinned, half-joking, half-serious, and gave Eunhyeon's shoulder another light thump.
Eunhyeon, of course, could only smile awkwardly and shake his head.
“I'm sorry. I'm nothing but a farmer—I have no interest in the affairs of the Murim...”
He refused without a second's hesitation. Hong Ju-goe was just opening his mouth to press further when Yu Yeop's quiet voice cut him off.
“Enough, Hong. We are men of the righteous path under Cheonmumaeng. What matters is whether someone intends to uphold justice in the Murim. If we judge a man solely by his strength and ignore the will he carries, how are we any different from the demonic path?”
With that single remark Yu Yeop turned back to Eunhyeon.
“Young Hero, pay no mind to what was just said. Idle talk, nothing more.”
Eunhyeon offered a sheepish smile and started to step back. Without warning Yu Yeop drew something from his robes and held it out.
“Still, should you ever change your mind, seek us out. If Young Hero ever wishes to raise the banner of justice and pursue chivalry... Cheonmumaeng will not turn you away. Our doors will always be open.”
What he offered was a round token carved from jade. A bamboo stalk was engraved at its center—an object that looked distinctly mysterious.
Precious or not, Eunhyeon had no desire to accept something whose nature he did not even know. He waved both hands and shook his head.
“That's all right.”
But the moment he began to refuse, Yu Yeop's gaze grew strangely heavy. He spoke in a carefully veiled tone.
“It does not carry my will alone.”
“Pardon?”
Yu Yeop did not elaborate. He simply tapped the characters carved into the jade token with one fingertip. The three characters Cheonmumaeng caught Eunhyeon's eye, and at last he understood the intent behind the gift.
“...I understand.”
In the end Eunhyeon furrowed his brow lightly, then accepted the Okjukpa without further protest.
A faint smile touched Yu Yeop's lips. Only then did he look away and give a subtle nod toward Gong Yeo-ak, who had been fidgeting off to the side.
“I hereby declare the martial contest ended in a draw!”
“I-I declare it so!”
Yu Yeop's deep, inner-energy-backed cry rolled across the grounds. Gong Yeo-ak's voice was a pale shadow of it, yet the result was sealed all the same.
Soon Seong Jung-hyeok and Yoo Eunhyeon stepped forward, each holding the documents they had exchanged before the duel. Standing face to face, they tore the papers to pieces as if by prior agreement.
A draw meant every wager they had laid was now void.
“Young Hero. Do not think this ends here.”
And because the agreements had lost their force, the promise not to touch this land had effectively vanished as well. Seong Jung-hyeok delivered the warning with deliberate weight. Yu Yeop cut in at once.
“The rightful owner of this land is Young Hero Yoo. Should you lay a hand on him, Cheonmumaeng will not stand idle.”
His eyes had gone cold, leaving no room for jest. Meeting that gaze head-on, Seong Jung-hyeok finally snapped.
“Damn it! What the hell is on this land that even you righteous bastards show up and act like this?”
“I was about to ask you the same. You started this mess first, didn't you? Don't tell me you're still spouting that nonsense about a gold mine.”
“You don't need to know.”
Even under Hong Ju-goe's taunt, Seong Jung-hyeok clamped his mouth shut. There was no longer any point in denying it. He simply shook his head with a twisted expression.
“We're leaving.”
He turned to Cho-yeong. She had been leaning against a tree in the corner with her eyes closed; she cast one sidelong glance toward Eunhyeon, then followed Seong Jung-hyeok away.
As the two figures disappeared down the winding mountain path, relief softened the faces of Yu Yeop and Hong Ju-goe.
“Lucky that demoness didn't go berserk.”
“Heh heh. From the look of it she never had any real interest in this affair to begin with. Seems she came with some other purpose entirely...”
Yu Yeop's sharp observation made Eunhyeon's stomach drop, but he kept his expression carefully blank.
“Yu Yeop. We should head back as well.”
“One moment.”
Yu Yeop turned and faced Eunhyeon once more.
“Young Hero Yoo. For all his bluster, they will keep quiet for a while. Recover properly, and take care of yourself.”
“Yes. I will.”
Eunhyeon accepted the concern without argument. After a brief exchange of farewells, Yu Yeop and Hong Ju-goe's forms flickered and vanished in an instant.
“Ahh~ that was exhausting. Still, nothing like a good scrap to clear the head.”
Once she was sure everyone else had left, Ju Yu-ryeon stretched hard and muttered to herself. Watching her roll her shoulders and neck as though her body still needed loosening, Eunhyeon answered in a voice that felt a little freer as well.
“Your opponent was looking at you pretty strangely, though. You going to be all right?”
“Hmph. You think the men who chase after me are only one or two? That much is just cute.”
“One of these days Heaven's going to—”
Eunhyeon was about to retort at her brazen attitude when his head suddenly spun and the words died in his throat.
“You should rest first.”
Su Hwa-seon's quiet remark settled the matter. The group turned and headed home.
After that, nothing further happened.
Right after the duel Seong Jung-hyeok had left with threats that suggested he might strike at any moment, yet just as Yu Yeop had predicted, it seemed to have been nothing more than empty venting. He never showed his face again.
So, over a simple evening meal no different from any other night, Yoo Eunhyeon suddenly asked Su Hwa-seon,
“How's the mood in the village?”
“Not good overall. Quite a few people borrowed heavily to expand their businesses, and now the customers have dried up... Everyone's walking around like they're at a funeral.”
According to Su Hwa-seon, who had visited the village, the Black Lotus Merchant Guild had withdrawn almost completely, leaving only a single small branch. With fewer laborers coming and going, the surrounding commerce had naturally stalled as well.
“That's not something we can fix anyway...”
Eunhyeon let the words trail off and rummaged inside his clothes. The big crisis was over for now; it was time to tell them about what Yu Yeop had given him. He steadied his breath with the token in hand, then spoke quietly.
“Actually... I received this. Do any of you know what it is?”
He set it on the wooden table. A dull, solid sound rang out, drawing every gaze to the token.
Su Hwa-seon's eyes widened. She murmured under her breath,
“...The Okjukpa?”