Confrontation (2)
There was nothing quite so entertaining as observing people.
That had long been one of Myeonghwa’s firm convictions, and the proof of it was unfolding right before his eyes in the form of Yeonhwa and Jeokhwa’s endless bickering.
External training had ended, and everyone was putting the equipment away. Yeonhwa alone was still flailing, unable to free herself from the sandbags she had been wearing. It was a complete contrast to the girl who had just finished her martial practice without a hitch. Unable to watch any longer, Jeokhwa heaved a deep sigh and stepped in to help her.
“I can’t live like this. Junior Sister, if you can’t even manage something this small by yourself, what are you going to do?”
“It’s fine. You’re right here beside me.”
“I’m not going to be beside you every single time!”
Jeokhwa pounded her chest in frustration and told her to stop saying things that made her clothes burst. She was scolding, yet every word was heavy with worry for Yeonhwa. Yeonhwa knew it, so she simply listened to the lecture in silence. The real problem was that she only ever listened—she never actually fixed anything. That was the fundamental reason Jeokhwa’s heart never got a rest.
Scenes like this could only be seen when the two of them were together. Yeonhwa normally spoke and acted in ways that made it impossible to guess what she was thinking. Yet the moment she was with Jeokhwa she became an ordinary lazy girl who made frequent mistakes. The same was true of Jeokhwa. Born and raised in a fine household, she was a natural young lady with manners etched into her bones. Tangled up with Yeonhwa, however, she became an ordinary girl who said everything she wanted to say while still looking after others.
Because he could witness these transformations, Myeonghwa could never stop observing people.
Ah, this isn’t the time.
Myeonghwa belatedly remembered the task he still had to finish. If he meant to handle it, now was the perfect moment. He gave Cheonhwa’s shoulder a light tap. Cheonhwa looked at him questioningly. Instead of answering, Myeonghwa glanced once at the cart and once at the storage shed, then winked and jerked his chin. Without waiting for Cheonhwa’s reply he called out to Inwol.
“Senior Brother Inwol!”
“What is it?”
“Junior Brother Cheonhwa says he’ll take care of the rest of the clean-up!”
Inwol turned his gaze on Cheonhwa, silently asking whether that was true. Having already grasped Myeonghwa’s intent, Cheonhwa simply nodded.
“Yes. I’ll finish the rest alone.”
At Cheonhwa’s answer Inwol nodded in acceptance.
“Junior Nephew Cheonhwa will handle the remaining tidying. Everyone else is dismissed.”
When Inwol ordered the dismissal, the disciples offered their farewells one by one and left the training ground. Myeonghwa also left a parting word for Cheonhwa.
“I’ll leave the rest to you, Junior Brother Cheonhwa.”
The greeting carried several layers of meaning. As he walked out of the training ground Myeonghwa passed the cart loaded with training gear. In that brief moment he slipped an object from his robe and tucked it deep inside the cart. Task completed, he let out a quiet breath of relief.
I’ve done everything I can. The rest is up to Junior Brother Cheonhwa.
He was still walking when he sensed presences nearby—not one, but several. Thinking that what had to come had finally arrived, Myeonghwa did not break stride. Before long a group blocked his path. At their center stood a boy who looked roughly five years older than the rest, already of the age called “aspiring to learning.” His presence was utterly different from that of ordinary fellow disciples of the same generation. It felt like looking at a carefully maintained weapon of war. The boy fixed Myeonghwa with a gaze as sharp as a sword tip.
Though it felt as if a blade were resting against his throat, Myeonghwa kept a perfectly calm face and spoke first.
“Senior Brother Daehwa himself coming out to greet me—this Myeonghwa hardly knows where to put himself.”
“You intend to ignore the warning?”
The boy disregarded the courtesy entirely. The pressure swelled. Myeonghwa’s face grew pale under the crushing force of that aura, yet he never lost his smile.
“How could I?”
“You didn’t go blabbing anything, did you?”
“No. At most I exchanged a few trivial bits of small talk. If you doubt me, feel free to ask any of the brothers who trained with us.”
The boy—Daehwa—stared at Myeonghwa for a long moment, then turned away.
“We’re leaving.”
He led his group off. Once every presence had completely vanished, Myeonghwa wiped the cold sweat from his brow. Fortunately it seemed they had gotten through without incident. He had expected something like this, yet the intimidation had been harsher than he imagined. Still, the smile never left his lips; at least he had nothing to be ashamed of.
With this, I’ve kept faith with you, Junior Brother Cheonhwa.
In his heart Myeonghwa cheered for Cheonhwa, who by now would be reading the letter inside the storage shed.
Inside the storage shed Cheonhwa examined the object Myeonghwa had left behind. It was a tightly rolled bundle of paper. When he unrolled it, dense lines of writing filled the sheets. What could have been so important that Myeonghwa had gone to such troublesome lengths to deliver it? Cheonhwa began to read in order to find out.
To put it bluntly, I’m being watched. That’s why I had no choice but to pass this letter by such a bothersome method.
The whole affair is complicated and hard to explain briefly, so I’ll go through it in order.
It all started with a certain topic that began circulating among the second-generation disciples.
“Is the third-generation disciple Cheonhwa material for Great Disciple?”
That was a subject Cheonhwa himself had deliberately tried not to think about. He never imagined it was not merely Senior Brother Inwol’s private opinion but a discussion shared by the entire second generation.
Among the third-generation disciples of the Zhongnan Sect there are people who dislike Junior Brother Cheonhwa. You already know that. The entry disciples’ reactions toward you fall roughly into three groups: those who stay close to you or have been influenced by you, those who take no interest, and those who dislike or avoid you. The first group is the majority, yet even if their numbers are small, the ones who dislike you definitely exist. They simply never made it obvious until now.
But the moment talk arose that you might become Great Disciple, the opposition grew fierce. You have always stood at the front of the entry disciples, yet you never claimed the position yourself. You hold no official title; you have only influenced those around you through your conduct. That is why things stayed quiet until now. The mention of Great Disciple changed everything. Even those who had been indifferent began to feel resentment, and some who had once been friendly turned their backs.
As a result they banded tightly together with a single goal: to stop you from becoming Great Disciple. An opposition faction was born. The fact that a mere rumor could form a group shows just how heavy the weight of the Great Disciple’s seat truly is. Within the same generation the Great Disciple stands highest and is granted various authorities. It is also closely linked to the status of Sect Master’s Disciple—the qualification to become the future Sect Master. In the Zhongnan Sect the Sect Master’s Disciple is usually chosen from among the Great Disciples of each generation, because becoming Great Disciple itself is proof that both skill and reputation have been verified. In short, becoming Great Disciple is as good as becoming a leading candidate for Sect Master’s Disciple.
Worst of all, the core figure of the opposition is a heavyweight. That is exactly why I had to contact you in this roundabout way.
His Taoist name is Daehwa. He is the eldest son of the Shinchang Yang Family.
The Shinchang Yang Family is a prestigious clan of Shanxi Province, right next to Shaanxi where our Zhongnan Sect stands. They are not a martial family registered in the murim, but a lineage deeply connected to the military. How deeply? Their ancestral spear art, the Six Harmonies Eight Mother Spear Method, is used as a standard technique in the military gates. Their influence within the military is enormous.
Why would the eldest son of such a family enter the Zhongnan Sect? My guess is that he came to build connections, since so many secular disciples of Zhongnan serve in the military. Plenty of people have entered the sect for exactly that reason. Even I joined to maintain ties with the main mountain.
Senior Brother Daehwa warned me either to join the opposition or, at the very least, to remain neutral and never leak any rumors about them to you. He called it a “warning,” but it was essentially a threat. No matter that my family ranks among the top five merchant groups in Shaanxi, his family is renowned throughout the entire Central Plains. The difference in status is absolute. If we made an enemy of such a great house, I myself might be fine, but my family and the merchant group could be put in danger. In the end I had no choice but to accept the warning.
Even so, I could not simply stand by and do nothing, so I am sending you this letter.
Now for the real point. The opposition intends to pull some kind of scheme against you. They have been holding gatherings, and recently second-generation disciples have been sighted at those meetings. They have almost certainly recruited second-generation disciples who already hold a grudge against you. With some of the second generation on their side they will move far more boldly. Several signs have already appeared.
I have not been able to learn exactly what they are aiming for, but it is clearly related to a martial contest. For that purpose the opposition has been training hard together. Until now they only practiced because the atmosphere forced them to; now they train with a clear goal.
That is all I can tell you. Burn this letter so no one else can see it. I wish you the best of fortune in battle.
Cheonhwa carefully weighed the situation Myeonghwa was in. The reason Myeonghwa had been warned by the opposition was surely because he was close to Cheonhwa. Otherwise there would have been no need to be wary of someone as sociable as Myeonghwa.
Knowing Senior Brother Myeonghwa’s personality, he would have preferred to stay out of any fight.
Yet he still had a sense of loyalty toward the junior brother he had always been friendly with, so he would not have wanted to get entangled with the opposition if he could help it.
He could have simply stayed neutral…
That he had gone so far as to pass secret information by letter just to keep faith made a warm feeling rise in Cheonhwa’s chest. But the situation was too grim for him to linger in sentiment. Cheonhwa sank into thought. The unexpected rumor about the Great Disciple. The fellow disciples of the same generation who rose against it. Even second-generation disciples siding with the opposition. From start to finish it was all beyond anything he had anticipated. Still, one thing was certain.
If they throw the first punch, I will answer with everything I have.
Whatever their reasons, he had not the slightest intention of quietly taking a beating. A fierce light like that of a wild beast flashed in Cheonhwa’s eyes.
That same afternoon, after Cheonhwa had received Myeonghwa’s letter, a visitor came looking for him. It was an entry disciple of androgynous appearance.
“I am called Sohwa. Junior Brother Cheonhwa, someone is looking for you. Would you come with me?”
“Who is looking for me?”
“Senior Brother Daehwa.”
Sohwa made no attempt to hide that this was the opposition; she spoke the ringleader’s name outright.
“May I know why he is calling me?”
“I was not told.”
In other words, he was to come and hear it for himself. Almost certainly this was connected to the scheme Myeonghwa had warned him about. Determined to settle matters with the leader, Cheonhwa nodded without resistance.
“Very well. Lead the way.”
“This way.”
Following Sohwa’s guidance, Cheonhwa walked until they reached the former lodgings of the Yang-generation elders. After the elders had moved to Seondowon, the residence of retired seniors, the empty quarters had apparently been authorized for use. Inside, the opposition members were gathered. At a glance there were already about thirty of them. Every pair of eyes that turned on him burned with hostility. The place was unmistakably the opposition’s stronghold.
At the center of the group stood a boy whose presence remained vivid even among the crowd. The moment their eyes met, Cheonhwa felt a well-refined aura. In terms of pure foundation—body and internal energy—he far surpassed even Yeonhwa, said to be the greatest talent of the Zhongnan Sect. The bearing of a true scion of a great house was unmistakable at a glance. Cheonhwa was certain this was the leader of the opposition.
Sensing the gaze, Daehwa likewise fixed his eyes on Cheonhwa. True to his role as the opposition’s head, the look he gave was thick with intense hostility. They stared at each other in silence until Daehwa spoke first.
“How much do you know?”
It was a question asking how much he knew about the opposition. Without any explanation for the summons, he had thrown the question straight out. Was he probing whether Cheonhwa had received information from Myeonghwa? To avoid revealing that he had, Cheonhwa feigned ignorance.
“I don’t understand what you mean. Though I can tell that the people gathered here don’t think kindly of me. Their eyes are full of hostility.”
“That’s right. Including me, everyone here dislikes you. That’s why we want to stop you from becoming Great Disciple.”
As if agreeing with Daehwa’s words, several members of the opposition nodded.
“We are martial artists. When conflict arises, it is only right to settle it like martial artists—through a duel. That is why I called you here: to propose a wager match.”
“What do I gain by accepting this proposal?”
“If you win the wager, every entry disciple of the opposition will become your subordinates.”
At Daehwa’s gesture Sohwa brought forward a sheet of paper. It was a written pledge bearing the personal seals of every opposition entry disciple—proof of how serious they were about the match.
“Conversely, if you lose, leave the Zhongnan Sect.”
It was a wager that placed both of their lives on the scale. Cheonhwa’s expression hardened. What had been the first reason he had struggled so desperately? To pass the promotion examination and remain on the main mountain. Yet if he lost this wager he would have to walk out of the sect of his own free will. Murderous intent surged up from within, but he forced it down.
Getting angry later is fine.
It might even be a deliberate provocation meant to cloud his judgment. Cheonhwa calmed the boiling emotion and studied the opposition. The stakes they had placed on the wager were enough to decide the course of their lives, yet not a single face among them showed the slightest agitation. That meant the terms had been agreed upon in advance, not decided by Daehwa alone.
Is this empty bluster meant to pressure me, or are they truly willing to risk this much for their goal?
If the latter, he would have to be careful. It would mean the other side was mad enough to stake their entire lives. First he would hear the details of the match they had prepared, then decide.
“Let’s hear the terms of the wager.”
“The format will be a wheel battle.”
A wheel battle was a method in which the many took turns facing the few, rotating like a turning wheel. In the same way, a wheel-battle duel meant one person facing a succession of opponents one after another. The larger side could freely replace fighters after notifying the referee in advance. In effect the opposition would have no limit on numbers.
“It will be a prolonged fight with no set time limit, and forfeiting is forbidden.”
“I can accept that forfeiting is impossible, but is it really all right to stretch the time limit so arbitrarily?”
“It is fine. We already received permission from the martial arts instructors.”
His attitude made no attempt to hide that some of the second-generation disciples were in league with the opposition.
“What are the victory conditions?”
“One side’s surrender.”
A glint of madness flashed in Daehwa’s eyes as he answered. What the opposition wanted was clear: a fierce battle that would continue until one side collapsed from exhaustion. What decided victory was not the outcome of individual exchanges but the sheer will to endure to the very end. After that Daehwa continued explaining the details of the wheel-battle duel. When the rough outline was finished he said,
“That is all the explanation. If you accept the wager, put your seal on the pledge.”
At his gesture the opposition members busied themselves. A table was set before Cheonhwa, and brush, ink, and paper were laid out in order. The sheet already contained every term of the wager. The moment he sealed it, the match with the opposition would be sealed as well. Looking down at the pledge, Cheonhwa thought.
If I refuse their proposal, will the opposition simply give up?
Hardly. On the contrary, they would likely use every means, fair or foul, to force him to accept. The fact that their leader possessed the background to do exactly that made it even worse. Cheonhwa, by contrast, was a rootless orphan with no backing. Their arrogant confidence was surely connected to that difference. When the thought reached that point, laughter burst out of him unbidden.
“Haha… hahahaha!”
It was a hollow laugh born of pure absurdity. He had never laughed so freely since the day he entered the Zhongnan Sect. The laughter clearly grated on Daehwa; his face twisted.
“What’s so funny?”
“How could I not laugh after learning just how serious the opposition really is?”
The smile vanished from Cheonhwa’s face as though the earlier laughter had been a lie.
“Do you know? From the very beginning I never had any intention of becoming Great Disciple.”
He had judged himself unworthy of standing above others. That was why, when Inwol first spoke of the Great Disciple, he had thought it an overestimation.
“Yet until now the opposition never once asked my opinion.”
A simple conversation would have settled everything. Instead they had drawn their own conclusions without ever hearing his thoughts and come at him with such open hostility. The sheer gall of it left him speechless. If they had simply left him alone he would have quietly continued his training. Why were they so desperate to torment him? He could not understand it, and by this point he no longer wanted to.
“Judging by the look of you, even if you had heard my answer you would never have accepted it at face value. If you had possessed that much sense, you would never have bothered someone who was minding his own business.”
In Cheonhwa’s eyes the opposition overlapped with a pack of starving beasts, blindly charging to fill a ravenous hunger. Their true desire—that nothing short of a decisive end would satisfy them—was plain to see. Since they had no intention of understanding him, Cheonhwa decided he had no obligation to understand them either.
“If you choose to regard me as an enemy, then I will do the same.”
He discarded every courtesy due between fellow disciples. The murderous intent he had been suppressing finally lifted its head. In response his aura surged, making the hem of his robe flutter. It was a presence that looked ready to kill someone at any moment. Crushed by that force, the faces of the opposition members turned deathly pale with shock. Only Daehwa remained unmoved; he narrowed his eyes.
“So you were hiding your claws all this time.”
“There was simply no need to bare them. One does not show fangs to family.”
Cheonhwa instantly reined in the wild aura. Then he took up the brush and sealed the pledge.
“We will settle this exactly as you wish. Remember this: you are the ones who started this fight.”
He swept a single cold glance over the entire opposition, then strode out without looking back. Overwhelmed by his presence, most of them could only stare after him, unable to stop him. The first meeting between Cheonhwa and the opposition ended, leaving the worst possible impression on both sides.