The False Moon Evil
Having obtained the information they needed, there was no reason left to remain in Tianyang County.
Cheonhwa prepared to set out for Nong County with Yeonhwa and Jeokhwa, and the people of the Dan Family Manor gathered to see them off.
"Please accept this. It is a letter of introduction prepared at the request of the Tianyang County magistrate. With this, you should have little trouble entering Nong County."
"Thank you for the consideration."
"Compared to what the Taoist masters of the Zhongnan Sect have done for us, this is the least we can offer."
Dan Seong-baek, head of the Dan Family, handed over the letter and clasped his hands in formal greeting. Immediately afterward, the young master Dan Myeong-geuk stepped forward to express gratitude on behalf of the manor's martial artists.
"I will not forget Daoist Cheonhwa's teachings."
When Dan Myeong-geuk bowed his head, the martial artists of the Dan Family bowed with him. It had been only half a month or so, yet the foundations they had learned from Cheonhwa would become the foothold for their growth as martial artists. To those men, Cheonhwa—who had shared that instruction without reservation—was nothing short of a benefactor.
And so Cheonhwa's party set out on the road amid the warm send-off of the Dan Family Manor and the people of Tianyang County.
Nong County and Tianyang County shared a border; the distance was not great. Even so, travelers were nowhere to be seen along that short stretch, and the closer they drew to Nong County the more an unpleasant stillness pressed in around them. To shake off the feeling, the party quickened their pace. Before long they reached the county boundary.
There, yamen constables stood watch for inspection.
"Halt! State your business for visiting Nong County."
"We are disciples of the Zhongnan Sect. We have come following the trail of villains who abducted people from Tianyang County. Would it be possible to deliver a letter to the magistrate of Nong County?"
"Wait a moment."
Not long after the constables went inside, their superior—the head constable—emerged and offered a formal greeting.
"I have verified the letter of introduction. Entering Nong County will not be a problem, but conducting an investigation may prove difficult."
"Because of the murderer?"
"Precisely. At present Nong County maintains constant patrols and heightened security in order to catch the killer."
It was a warning that questioning residents for their own inquiry could easily look suspicious.
"Is there no other way?"
"As things stand, assistance from the yamen is the only realistic path. Fortunately you have brought a letter of introduction from the Tianyang County magistrate—why not speak with him yourselves?"
"Understood. We are unfamiliar with the local roads. Might we ask you to guide us to the yamen?"
"Of course."
Cheonhwa's party followed the head constable into Nong County. The entire atmosphere of the place was heavy and cheerless. With people dying every night, the absence of vitality was only natural.
They crossed the streets, arrived at the yamen, and were shown into a guest room.
"The magistrate is currently out enforcing the crackdown. He should return before long—please wait here."
The head constable spoke and then hurried away. It was not only him; the whole interior of the yamen bustled with hurried footsteps. Outside they had already seen constables and officials on patrol. One could feel, almost on the skin, how desperately the authorities were scrambling to resolve the crisis.
Thinking this, they stepped into the guest room—and found themselves face-to-face with guests who had arrived earlier. The Taoist robes they wore and the well-ordered auras they carried marked them at once as first-class martial artists of a Taoist sect.
Cheonhwa's side offered the first greeting.
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Cheonhwa, a third-generation disciple of the Zhongnan Sect."
"I am Iryeop, a third-generation disciple of the Kongtong Sect."
In answer to Cheonhwa's greeting, their representative stepped forward and returned the courtesy. The Kongtong Sect was a prestigious orthodox school seated in Gansu Province, immediately adjacent to Shaanxi. Nong County bordered Gansu, yet why would Kongtong disciples be waiting inside a yamen in Shaanxi?
"If it is not an imposition, may I ask what business brings you to the Nong County yamen?"
"There is nothing we need to hide. We are pursuing a villain who fled from Gansu Province."
Iryeop explained that a murderer who killed every night had recently appeared in Gansu. The difficulty was that the killer's light-foot technique was no ordinary skill. By the time they followed the trail to the scene, the culprit had already vanished without a trace.
"Because of the nightly killings, the meticulous planning, and the wide range of activity, rumors even spread at first that Wol-ak had appeared."
"Wol-ak—one of the Four Great Evils?"
A murderer who killed on moonlit nights and then disappeared at his leisure. The number he had slain exceeded a thousand. He was a Super Expert who had achieved the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak, capable of covering great distances in a single breath with his superb body-protection arts. From those deeds he had been named the Moon Evil—Wol-ak—the evil of moonlit nights.
"Fortunately it was not the real Wol-ak. Yet because he imitates Wol-ak, people began calling him the False Wol-ak—Ga Wol-ak."
The False Wol-ak had killed at least thirty people, targeting martial artists and ordinary folk alike without distinction. The Taoist masters of the Kongtong Sect had pursued him relentlessly; unable to endure the pressure any longer, the False Wol-ak had finally fled beyond the borders of Gansu.
"This killer is extraordinarily cunning. When he flees he scatters false trails in every direction to sow confusion. Because of that we had no choice but to divide our numbers."
That was why only four of them were chasing a murderer who had already claimed more than twenty lives in Gansu alone. Under normal circumstances they would have sent word the moment they found a trail so the scattered members could regroup—but as one could see, Nong County was sealed, making contact nearly impossible.
"Wait. Does that mean the murderer currently rampaging through Nong County and the False Wol-ak you are pursuing are the same person?"
"That is how we see it."
Iryeop's expression darkened with shame. One could feel the self-reproach that if the Kongtong Sect had not let the killer slip away, the matter would never have reached this point.
"Did you come to the yamen to send word to the Kongtong Sect?"
"That as well, but the magistrate wished to meet with us."
For the authorities—who ordinarily avoided entanglement with the murim—to make the first approach meant the yamen was taking this affair with the utmost gravity.
"Why have the Taoist masters of the Zhongnan Sect come all the way to the border of Shaanxi?"
"We followed the trail of a merchant who abducted people from Tianyang County."
Cheonhwa briefly recounted the events in Tianyang County, yet he made no mention of demonic arts. He still had no certainty that the incidents in Nong County were bound up with demonic cultivation.
I cannot carelessly raise a problem whose full shape has not yet been revealed.
At Cheonhwa's explanation Iryeop nodded as though he found the matter decidedly strange.
"A dark merchant freely coming and going from Nong County—sealed so thoroughly that ordinary travel is impossible—is indeed strange."
"Yes. We thought the same, obtained a letter of introduction, and came to investigate, but..."
Cheonhwa trailed off, glancing at the frantic activity of the yamen. There seemed little room for the authorities to spare attention for their request. Reading the meaning in Cheonhwa's gaze, Iryeop gave a bitter smile.
"It seems that unless the murderer problem is settled, other business will be difficult to handle."
"So it appears."
Just then an official entered the guest room.
"The magistrate has returned. He wishes to see the guests—please come to the office."
"Which guests does he mean?"
"Everyone present in the guest room."
At that answer both Cheonhwa's party and the Kongtong Taoists were taken aback. Choosing to receive both sides together rather than separately meant the magistrate had some further purpose in mind.
What do you think?
We should go for now.
Cheonhwa and Iryeop exchanged glances and decided to accept. Following the official into the office, they found a middle-aged man attending to paperwork at the seat of honor. Fatigue sat heavy on his face; clearly he had not rested properly in some time.
When the visitors entered, the man paused his work and rose from his seat.
"I am Kang Yu-seung, county magistrate of Nong. The matter is urgent, so I will speak bluntly."
He swept his gaze over them once—and then, without warning, prostrated himself fully upon the floor. Everyone present was thrown into confusion by the kowtow that paid no heed whatever to soiling his official robes, yet the magistrate did not stop. He stated his business at once.
"With the yamen's manpower alone we cannot capture the murderer who is throwing Nong County into chaos. I beg you—please lend us your strength!"
The appeal carried raw, desperate feeling. A request flung out without even the courtesy of introductions left both the Zhongnan and Kongtong sides thoroughly unsettled. Ordinarily those who held official posts would refuse to bow their heads to murim people out of pride—yet here was an official casting all face aside and pressing his forehead to the floor. It was enough to make one's head ache.
As if pressing the attack, Kang Yu-seung continued.
"I have heard that the murderer disrupting Nong County drifted in from Gansu. And that the reason is because the Kongtong Sect let him slip away."
"..."
The Kongtong Taoists lowered their heads as one. It was the truth; they had no words to return.
"It was written in the letter of introduction. You are tracking the trail of abducted people? Unfortunately I lack the leisure to help you. However—if you capture the murderer for us, cooperation will be no problem at all!"
This time the magistrate's words turned toward Cheonhwa's party: a heartfelt plea to catch the killer.
"Of course I am not asking for help with empty hands. If you deal with the murderer, I will pay double the bounty on his head. And I will lend my strength however you wish."
Having finished speaking, Kang Yu-seung closed his mouth and waited for his guests' decision.
Having the magistrate's cooperation would certainly make the investigation far more convenient in many ways.
The Kongtong Sect would have no choice but to accept the proposal if they wished to make good their own mistake. The Zhongnan Sect, however, labored under no such constraint. Even if they met difficulties carrying out their mission, it was not as though other methods could not be found. Carelessly helping with the murderer might cause them to lose the merchant's trail entirely.
If I were alone I would step forward at once, but...
Cheonhwa glanced behind him and met the eyes of Yeonhwa and Jeokhwa.
Aren't you going to answer already?
Let's finish this quickly and rest.
Reading the meaning in their gazes, Cheonhwa nearly let a laugh slip free. The two of them had not even considered refusing; his earlier fretting suddenly felt foolish.
I might expect that of Junior Sister Yeonhwa, but Junior Sister Jeokhwa is a surprise. She is the best among us at political judgment.
Perhaps she had decided that, politically, acceptance was the wiser course. Rather than refuse the proposal and sour relations with the authorities, capturing the murderer would serve both the mission and the sect's honor.
Anyone can talk freely about belonging to the righteous path or being a chivalrous hero.
But no matter how freely one spoke, it meant nothing without proof in action. If they wished to call themselves righteous martial artists, stepping forward was the right thing to do.
"The Zhongnan Sect will cooperate."
"With the Zhongnan Sect stepping forward, the Kongtong Sect cannot simply stand by. Moreover, since this matter arose from our own fault, we will gladly lend a hand."
Hearing that, Kang Yu-seung's eyes widened.
"Thank you! Once this matter is settled, I will see that you receive proper compensation and that the chivalrous spirit of the Zhongnan and Kongtong Sects is made known far and wide!"
"So what must we do?"
"It will soon be time for the fellow to begin moving in earnest."
Kang Yu-seung spread a map across the table as he spoke. The map recorded the terrain of Nong County together with the locations of the murderer's crimes.
"Until now I have investigated how the fellow chooses his targets and where he commits his crimes. And I have discovered several patterns."
The murderer was not killing indiscriminately; he moved according to some design of his own.
"The elderly and women and children who are easy to kill are his main targets, yet there are a few exceptions. He has a clear tendency to prioritize those attempting to leave Nong County."
"You mean..."
"There is a way to draw him out."
Jeokhwa, who had been listening beside them, nodded as if she understood perfectly. Confirming that everyone grasped the point, Kang Yu-seung went straight to the heart of the matter.
"We will prepare the bait on our end. You will deal with the murderer we reel in with that bait."