Eyes in Every Shadow
Dan Yeop smirked at the boast.
With anyone else he would have scolded them to stay alert, but he said nothing. Naeng Han-sang possessed the skill to back up his words.
Spring had arrived, yet it brought no feeling of spring. Spring has come but it does not feel like spring.
High officials across the empire were dying like mayflies. It began with Yi Deok-myeong, the deputy protector-general of Anseo Protectorate, followed by the military governor of Nongu Circuit, the prefect of Yeongnam Circuit, the magistrate of Sannam County, the magistrate of Henan County, and the magistrate of Hoeinam County.
In Gangnam Circuit especially, the military governor, prefect, and magistrate had all been killed at one-month intervals.
The emperor immediately appointed replacements, but Gangnam Circuit remained an exception. No one wanted the posting. Everyone knew that Gangnam Circuit now lay under the influence of the Thousand Lotuses.
The sect was cunning. They avoided armed rebellion and instead openly assassinated only the officials the emperor had appointed. When the emperor tried to mobilize troops for suppression, the sect’s cell-based structure rendered the effort futile.
The only high-level expert of the Thousand Lotuses who had been identified was the Blood Emperor, yet he remained as elusive as a whale in the ocean. Even if they somehow captured him, the unease would persist. There was no guarantee that the Thousand Lotuses in Gangnam Circuit consisted of only one man.
The atmosphere inside the imperial palace grew increasingly grim. Yet the eastern and western markets of Chang’an Castle remained as lively as ever. Most commoners had no idea that officials were being slaughtered. Had the wanted posters not been posted throughout the One Hundred and Eight Districts, they might never have known.
It was the beginning of the Si hour—nine in the morning.
On his way to Jipdanhyang as usual, Dan Yeop stopped in front of a notice board. Beneath the portraits of a man and a woman were the words: “Rebels of the Thousand Lotuses who murdered the magistrate of Nak-an County.”
He leaned closer to study the faces when a voice spoke from behind him.
“You look tempted by the fifty-tael silver reward. Keep staring and you’ll end up dead.”
Dan Yeop turned to find a middle-aged wanderer standing there.
“You planning to catch them yourself, uncle?”
“Catch them? Didn’t you hear me? I said you’ll end up dead.”
“Dead where, exactly? You sound suspicious, uncle.”
“Don’t you know the Thousand Lotuses have eyes everywhere? Loiter in front of a wanted poster and you’ll get a knife in the back.”
“So you’re not going to catch them?”
“I don’t have the skill. Do you know how good the Nak-an magistrate was with a blade? He could beat a master from the unorthodox sects. He and three of his officers died in the same spot. What chance would I have? You don’t look like much yourself, so give up the idea. Don’t go showing off and get yourself killed by their followers.”
“They have followers?”
“If the Thousand Lotuses were just one person, do you think they would have survived this long? Nonsense. I’m only saying this because you remind me of my dead younger brother. Take it to heart.”
“Looking at you, uncle, I doubt your brother looked anything like me.”
“I was born of a concubine. My brother was born of the main wife. That’s why.”
“Ah, I see.”
Dan Yeop gave a perfunctory nod and turned to leave. The man’s voice followed him.
“Remember what I said. I’m telling you for your own sake.”
Something about the words felt off. Dan Yeop glanced back, but the man had already vanished.
Chapter 80. Support some talented personnel.
Seonpyeong District.
Jipdanhyang, the main branch of the Jeommun division of Haomun.
An-sik-heon.
The moment Dan Yeop entered, he greeted Branch Leader Baek Cho-gong.
“Branch Leader.”
“Welcome. I thought you were going to rest for a while.”
For the past three months Dan Yeop had taught the True Heaven and Earth Saber Style and the True Hundred Flow Saber Style to the instructors who had once been wanderers, as well as to the branch leader, vice-leader, hall masters, incense masters, and Im Song, the gate guard. He had withheld the True Seven Phases Saber Style, judging it still too advanced.
Greed had no place in martial training.
The two saber arts were fundamentally different from anything the Haomun experts had previously learned. Fortunately, because they already knew the Heaven and Earth and Hundred Flow styles, they had managed to keep up—barely. Without that foundation, three months would have become three years.
“Sitting at home alone makes me restless. Is there anything I can help with?”
Baek Cho-gong scratched his head. The other members felt awkward working alongside Dan Yeop. His rank was absurdly high for his age. Even the rough-and-tumble members of Haomun found it difficult to curry favor with someone young enough to be their son.
“Sorry, but there’s nothing. Everyone else is dying to take a break. Why are you trying to make work for yourself? Just rest. You’ve already worked hard teaching us.”
“Yes, sir. On the way here I saw a new wanted poster. The Nak-an magistrate was killed, wasn’t he?”
“Ah, that. Yes. He was stabbed yesterday afternoon at the Nak-an county office. We don’t know who did it, but it was bold. That’s why the searches and checkpoints have been so strict these past two days.”
“There were portraits of a man and a woman posted.”
“Really? They’ve already identified them. Well, the crime happened in daylight, so of course someone saw. How old did they look?”
“Early to mid-twenties? They didn’t look old.”
“How much is the reward?”
“Fifty taels of silver.”
“Oh, that’s quite a sum.”
“Are you interested?”
Haomun knew the back alleys better than anyone. If they set their minds to it, catching a murderer would not be difficult. Yet Baek Cho-gong shook his head.
“No.”
“Why not? It shouldn’t be hard for Haomun.”
“Absolutely not. You only know one side of the story. If we start handing killers over to the authorities, people will begin to distrust us. That would be a classic case of gaining a little and losing a lot.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Why? Do you want to catch them?”
“You dislike the Thousand Lotuses as much as I do, Branch Leader.”
Ever since their members had been killed by the Blood Emperor, both the authorities and Haomun had come to loathe the Thousand Lotuses.
“Don’t say that in front of others.”
“You’re worried their followers might overhear?”
“An organization that assassinates not only magistrates but even prefects and military governors. If they mark you, you’ll be the one in trouble. That’s why I’m warning you.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m prepared for that much.”
“Haah… This is a calculated remark, but making an enemy of the Thousand Lotuses will also hinder Haomun’s greater ambitions.”
“I have no desire to curry favor with the Thousand Lotuses for the sake of Haomun’s ambitions.”
On that point, Dan Yeop was firm. Unless the Thousand Lotuses severed ties with the Blood Emperor, they were his enemies.
“Looking at you makes me ashamed. I’ve compromised with reality far too much…”
“It’s all right if you have, Branch Leader. You’re the one responsible for the Jeommun division.”
“Haha, thank you. Hearing that is some comfort.”
While the two were chatting, Vice-Branch Leader Mok Un-saeng entered An-sik-heon.
“Branch Leader. Instructor Dan.”
Dan Yeop bowed politely.
“What is it?”
“Well, Lieutenant Do Gyeom from the Jangan County Office has come looking for you.”
“Why would Do Gyeom come here?”
“I don’t know. He says he has something to discuss and that it must be with you, Branch Leader.”
“With me?”
“Yes. He insists it has to be you.”
Baek Cho-gong gave Dan Yeop a bewildered look. Dan Yeop spoke first.
“Go hear what he has to say. I’ll tidy up here in the meantime.”
“All right. It shouldn’t take long. Wait for me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Baek Cho-gong left An-sik-heon with Mok Un-saeng.
Sim-hyang-gak.
Seated in the place of honor, Lieutenant Do Gyeom spoke in a flat voice.
“The day before yesterday the magistrate of Nak-an County was murdered at his office. He wasn’t exactly an incorruptible official, but he didn’t extort the people either.”
“Yes, but why are you telling someone as lowly as me about this…?”
“You know as well as I do that until now the Thousand Lotuses only killed corrupt officials. But now their standards are unclear. I need to find out exactly why they killed this magistrate.”
“I’m sorry, but we don’t accept commissions from the authorities.”
“I didn’t come to commission you.”
“Then what is this about?”
“Recommend someone sharp who knows this world well—someone suited to be a constable.”
Constables investigated cases and arrested criminals, yet they were low-ranking officials who never entered the official register. If Haomun was despised in the martial world, constables were despised within the government. In some ways their treatment was even worse. They could never hold proper office, and respectable families would erase from the family register anyone who became a constable. They were forbidden from using the main gate of the county office and could not sit in the public hall. Violating these rules meant flogging or imprisonment.
Baek Cho-gong blinked in astonishment.
“Did you just say constable?”
“I did. If Haomun refuses official commissions, then at least send someone fit to serve as a constable.”
“Well… wouldn’t the Beggars’ Union be better suited for that than us?”
Constables treated Haomun like a well-laid table. Whenever they ran out of money they would come shake down the shops, and each time Haomun would hand over some pocket money and send them on their way. That was the relationship between constables and Haomun.
“You know why the Beggars’ Union refused. Their clothes alone set them apart, and their attitude is even worse. They have no intention of working for a living. Besides, they consider themselves a prestigious sect. I couldn’t even bring it up.”
Baek Cho-gong nodded. Considering the Beggars’ Union’s reputation in the martial world, becoming a constable was unthinkable.
It’s not a bad offer…
Planting a constable inside the Jangan County Office would bring no harm. They could learn in advance which crackdowns or investigations were coming and avoid them. The problem was that the target was the Thousand Lotuses. Any ordinary expert sent to investigate would surely be killed.
Instructor Dan would be perfect for this…
He already hated idleness, and if the task involved investigating the Thousand Lotuses, he would jump at the chance.
“Give me time to think.”
“How long? I can’t wait forever.”
“I’ll give you an answer by tomorrow.”
“Very well. I’ll say this in advance: you must choose one of the two. Either accept the county office’s commission, or, if you refuse, recommend someone who can work as a constable.”
“Yes. I will definitely choose one.”
“Good that we understand each other. Then I’ll come again tomorrow morning.”
Do Gyeom seemed in quite a hurry; he rose, saying he would come in the morning.
An-sik-heon.
After hearing Baek Cho-gong’s explanation, Dan Yeop answered at once.
“I’ll do it.”
“Do you even know what a constable is?”
“Isn’t it someone who leads the constables around and catches criminals?”
“That’s not all there is to it.”
“Is there more I don’t know?”
“The Beggars’ Union didn’t refuse for no reason. In the government, being a constable is the lowest of the low.”
Baek Cho-gong explained in detail what it meant to be a constable, hoping to prevent Dan Yeop from causing trouble later at the Jangan County Office.
“…Some ill-tempered officials even curse or beat constables.”
“Really? Can they do that to fellow low-ranking officials?”
“Constables aren’t real officials. They only look like officials. Plenty of them are trash. If you can read and write, even someone who’s been to prison can become a constable. Half of them are former criminals.”
“Wow. I didn’t know that.”
“Merchants hate constables the most. They come every other day to squeeze money out of them.”
“What if you don’t pay?”
“They cause trouble or interfere with business, so people end up giving them money—”