The Advent of Hyeoncheon Sangje
Clang—
Only a shattered wine cup remained where Elder Hyeonsong had been sitting.
In a flash Hyeonsong burst into the room and drew his sword from its worn scabbard. The tip of his blade flashed like lightning through seven directions. In Hyeonsong’s hand the Big Dipper manifested—it was the fifth form of the Taiji Thirteen Swords that the Wudang Sect prided itself upon: the Great Kui Star.
Kaaaaaaaaang—
The daggers of the ronin who had been targeting Young Master Yeong-hwa were stopped cold by the sword path Hyeonsong unfurled. The ronin wore expressions of pure shock at his sudden appearance.
“Damn it!”
With the plan completely ruined, Seok Bu-gang bolted for the door. He meant to flee alone while the ronin bought him time. Having lost their weapons, the heretical ronin gathered inner energy in their palms—red-tinged yang qi and blue-tinged yin qi. The high officials and wealthy men who saw it recoiled in terror.
“Hiiiiiik!”
“Aren’t those the Fire-Ice Twin Evils who have been raiding merchant caravans across Hubei Province?”
“So it was all the work of the Manjeok Merchant Group?”
Even amid the murmurs, Yeong-hwa laughed loudly, covering his mouth with his fan.
“I shall accept the heads of those two as the Wudang Sect’s payment.”
No sooner had the words left his lips than pure white sword energy bloomed along Hyeonsong’s blade. His sword drew two perfect circles. Sensing the ominous pressure, the Fire-Ice Twin Evils poured every scrap of their internal energy into a coordinated barrage of hand qi.
Pabababababat—
Palm techniques charged with extreme yang and extreme yin poured toward Hyeonsong. He stepped half a pace back and prepared a thrust.
Kuuuuuuung—
Hyeonsong thrust his sword with gentle smoothness. A soft yet majestic force swept over them.
Puaaaaaaak—
The twin circles of sword energy tore straight through the storm of palm techniques and simultaneously severed the necks and legs of the Fire-Ice Twin Evils. They died where they stood without even a scream.
Taat—
Hyeonsong roughly stomped the dagger lying at his feet. It sprang into the air. He kicked the hilt.
Peok—
“Kuaaaaaaagh!”
The dagger punched through the door and buried itself in the center of fleeing Seok Bu-gang’s spine.
“Eoooooooh!”
Seok Bu-gang collapsed on the spot. Yeong-hwa pointed at him with his fan and addressed the officials.
“What are you all standing around for? The mastermind behind the murders that have been tormenting Hubei Province has just been revealed.”
Only then did the Governor of Hubei recover his wits and bark orders at his men.
“I… I understand! Arrest that Seok Bu-gang at once!”
Yeong-hwa fluttered his fan with an amused look.
“Your Excellency will of course send a memorial to the court claiming you resolved this affair?”
“Of course!”
“Then be sure to add this as well.”
Yeong-hwa continued at a leisurely pace.
“That Your Excellency persuaded the sealed Wudang Sect to lie in wait at the brothel the criminals frequently visited.”
Color returned to the Governor’s face.
“And that thanks to this you eliminated the criminals with little damage and confiscated the property of the principal culprit, Seok Bu-gang.”
“Exactly!”
Yeong-hwa leaned in and whispered quietly into the Governor’s ear.
“You must not forget to set aside separate shares for the Wudang Sect and myself.”
“Naturally, my man!”
Yeong-hwa spoke with a look of satisfaction.
“This way, Your Excellency’s blocked road to advancement will open wide.”
“Truly as remarkable as the rumors claimed! Remarkable!”
Yeong-hwa merely bowed politely in answer. After that, events moved with the speed of a racing river. Seok Bu-gang was dragged away by the government troops who had rushed to the scene, together with the corpses of the Fire-Ice Twin Evils.
The single remark Young Master Yeong-hwa had made about the Governor’s path to promotion opening had a tremendous effect. At those words the high officials and great merchants of Hubei Province bowed even lower to the Governor than before.
Chak—
Yeong-hwa snapped open his fan and called out loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“Take care, Elder of the Privy Council!”
The Hubei Governor, halfway down the stairs, turned with a booming laugh.
“Young Master Yeong-hwa! Can I truly reach so high a place?”
“If you keep the center between a righteous heart and greed exactly as you do now, of course you can.”
“How can you be so certain that even after I attain that office my present heart will not change?”
Yeong-hwa’s lips curved in amusement.
“Among all the high officials of Hubei Province, the only one who never reeked of the bloody stench of Seok Bu-gang’s money was…”
He pointed his fan confidently at the Governor.
“Your Excellency, the Governor of Hubei.”
At Yeong-hwa’s declaration the officials suddenly found themselves with nowhere to put their hands or feet. Watching them, the Governor looked at Yeong-hwa with genuine amusement and stroked his beard.
“Since you have solved my long-standing worry and even divined my future…”
He called the brothel’s owner, Unchae.
“I ought naturally to offer further payment as well.”
Yeong-hwa simply smiled in reply.
“I shall cover tonight’s entire bill at Cheongwelru.”
Unchae, as though she had been waiting for precisely this moment, added smoothly,
“Your Excellency, the Wudang Taoists are on the first floor. What would you have us do?”
She spoke with a smile that could charm any man.
“They say the Wudang Sect had already taken positions in preparation for today’s events, intending to lend aid.”
The Governor looked up at Cheongwelru in high spirits and called out,
“Elder Hyeonsong!”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“I entrust Hubei Province to you in the days ahead as well.”
“Immeasurable longevity Buddha. May heavenly fortune walk with Your Excellency always.”
The Governor turned to Unchae.
“Tonight I shall rent the whole of Cheongwelru for the Wudang Sect and Young Master Yeong-hwa.”
The cost of renting Cheongwelru far exceeded the Governor’s official stipend.
“Unchae, put it on my account.”
A worried look crossed the brothel owner’s face—until the Governor’s next words made her smile bloom like a flower.
“The bill will be settled by the officials who accepted bribes from Seok Bu-gang and the Manjeok Merchant Group.”
At the entrance he added quietly to Unchae,
“Write a list of everyone who pays and send the letter to the Hubei government office.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“And to any who beg you to keep their names secret, deliver this message.”
The kindly eyes of a moment before grew calm and cold.
“His Excellency says he will spare only their lives if they make a full confession.”
With that the Governor mounted his horse.
“Hyah.”
Holding the reins he regarded the night landscape with quiet amusement.
“It is the full moon of autumn, yet why does it hang so desolate and red?”
The great merchants of Hubei had already mounted and followed. The high officials, however, stood with cold sweat beading on their brows, none of them able to climb into the saddle.
Then it came.
Taat— taat— taat— taat— taat—
First-generation disciple Hagun and the Wudang disciples appeared at the Governor’s side. Hagun clasped his fists in salute.
“Elder Hyeonsong has ordered us to escort Your Excellency home so that not the slightest mishap may befall you.”
The moment he finished speaking, Hagun and every Wudang disciple drew their swords as one.
Chaaaaang—
The cold ring of steel drawn in the night cut deep into the officials’ ears.
“Yes… the final moment of any great enterprise is always the most dangerous.”
The Governor laughed heartily and slapped his own forehead.
“I let my guard down for a moment.”
When he glanced up at the top floor he saw Elder Hyeonsong offering a respectful bow. The Governor returned the gesture in gratitude and urged his horse forward. At the head of the procession he called out in a mild voice,
“Wudang Taoists—any who fail to follow are to be beheaded at once!”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
Thereafter the Governor of Hubei rode not toward his private residence but straight to the government office.
As if the earlier carnage had never occurred, the top floor of Cheongwelru was swiftly set to rights. Yeong-hwa hid his expression behind his fan and watched Elder Hyeonsong see the Governor off into the night.
Tak— tak— tak— tak—
As though sensing Yeong-hwa’s restlessness, the blind musician began to strike the rim of his drum. Yeong-hwa spoke first.
“Please sit.”
Hyeonsong, still standing at the railing and gazing into the darkness, answered quietly,
“How did you know?”
“What do you mean?”
“That Seok Bu-gang’s two sons were the Fire-Ice Twin Evils.”
He turned slowly.
“This time I shall try guessing.”
Yeong-hwa took a seat at the fresh wine table Unchae had prepared. He lifted the bottle and filled a cup.
“How did you see it, Elder Hyeonsong?”
“From the very beginning there was not the slightest love or hate on the faces of those who begged for their brothers’ lives.”
Hyeonsong raised his cup without haste.
“If the eldest son dies, there should at least be hatred, resentment, or sorrow—yet they looked on as if it were a stranger’s affair.”
Yeong-hwa tapped the table with one finger, clearly entertained by the deduction.
“But the strange point is…”
Hyeonsong drained the cup in a single swallow and seized Yeong-hwa’s wrist with the speed of a lightning bolt.
“Whether because of the heretical arts they practiced, even I could not sense the Twin Evils’ presence at all.”
Sharp suspicion glittered in his eyes.
“If we assume you recognized them because you yourself have learned heretical martial arts, then every piece of this puzzle fits.”
One corner of Yeong-hwa’s eye lifted.
“Heretical arts are specialized for ambush and skilled at concealing presence.”
Hyeonsong’s fingertips glowed white as he poured internal energy into Yeong-hwa’s pulse point. Not a single thread of inner force could be found within the boy’s body. Hyeonsong withdrew his hand in disbelief.
“Truly…”
“Do you believe me now?”
Yeong-hwa winced and rubbed the wrist that had been gripped so hard.
“Oof… this is exactly why I avoid dealing with martial artists.”
He glanced at the blind musician. Though the man’s eyes were covered by white cloth, he somehow knew and began to beat the drum.
Tung— tudung— tung— tudung— tung—
“Every time I open my mouth it’s ‘Who sent you?’ or ‘Whose orders are you under?’ I’ve been through that more times than I can count.”
Deureureuk—
Yeong-hwa shoved the chair back and rose. From his waist he drew the five-colored flags of the five directions.
Sswaak— sswaak— sswaak— sswaak—
The flags that had been flowing smoothly stopped dead at black.
“So the Black Tortoise God truly has called me.”
Chwaak—
Yeong-hwa snapped open his fan and began to shrug his shoulders in rhythm.
“When the Black Tortoise God torments me like this, how am I supposed to refuse?”
His trembling body erupted into a wild dance; he began to sing. Fan in one hand and bells in the other wove together into the steps.
Dallang— dallang— dallang— dallang—
Yeong-hwa’s mournful chant spread across the top floor of Cheongwelru.
Upon this altar, upon this high seat today,
Black turtle, blue snake.
Ruler of the North,
Incarnation of cold,
We have invited You to this place.
May Heaven and Earth in every direction answer,
O supreme Earth God of the Five Elements—
Withdraw Your wrath,
And embrace great mercy and compassion.
Yeong-hwa’s eyes slowly closed. It was an autumn night only just past the beginning of autumn; the heat of summer still lingered. Yet goosebumps rose over his entire body from the sudden chill. All manner of cold energies gathered around him. Frost settled upon his clothes. Hyeonsong stared in sheer astonishment. White breath spilled from Yeong-hwa’s lips. He looked as though he were dancing in the heart of a midwinter north wind.
Dallang—
The instant Yeong-hwa’s bells fell silent, the blind musician’s drum also ceased. Around the boy’s limp form, black snakes heavy with yin energy uncoiled and rose. When Yeong-hwa—eyes still shut—stood upright, the killing frost swept across the entire top floor of Cheongwelru. A satisfied smile touched his lips as he felt the cold energy flowing about him.
Taat—
At the sudden, alien change in Yeong-hwa’s presence, Hyeonsong sprang backward and clapped a hand to his sword hilt.
“You… who… are you?”
When Yeong-hwa opened the eyelids he had kept closed, eyes dyed pure black overwhelmed Hyeonsong.