#149. Those Wearing Black Masks (8)
Myriad Mechanisms Master Dang Hyeokjae. A collateral branch member of the Tang family, he had developed the standard hidden weapons Heavenly Thunder Balls and Storm Flower Needles, and was also the inventor of the Tang family's forbidden arsenal, including the Hell Tribulation Flame King Bomb.
But that was only part of it. He was a mad genius famous for nearly dying multiple times while experimenting with flying machines and contraptions that could walk on water. He had never ventured out into the martial world, as he was known to despise traveling outside.
In any case, considering that the Demonic Cult had faltered significantly in Sichuan during the Great War of Righteousness and Evil because of the Tang family's mechanisms and poisons, his current reputation was unfairly low. It was an undeniable fact that he would become one of the pillars supporting the Tang family in the future.
"……."
"Why so silent? You're not going to claim ignorance now about facts that the Sword Immortal himself confirmed in a personal letter, are you?"
And so, it turned out he was the creator of the Baekmo Hwatong I had received from Yang Gunbaek in the past. But his appearance made me feel like a debt I thought I'd settled had resurfaced.
Still, I couldn't help feeling a bit wronged. Hadn't the Creation Sword Immortal sent a letter himself, and hadn't Dang Seohee said to let bygones be bygones?
"That was just saying we wouldn't make an issue of it. But shouldn't you pay for actually using the Baekmo Hwatong?"
"……Wasn't it your fault that such a precious item ended up circulating in the underworld in the first place?"
"Oh? So you acquired the Baekmo Hwatong from the underworld?"
"……."
"Do you know how much it costs to make just one? A whopping five nyang of gold. Five nyang. Surely you understand that's not something we can just overlook?"
"……."
I'd call it an outrageous lie if he claimed a single hidden weapon cost five nyang of gold, but since the Baekmo Hwatong was priced that high, I couldn't help wondering if they could mass-produce it. The price was steep, but the effect was unparalleled. Honestly, if I could stockpile them to prepare for the Demonic Cult, I'd hoard as many as possible.
"Moreover, the Baekmo Hwatong was something I made by selling off my personal assets. Don't you think a proper payment is in order?"
I tilted my head as I listened.
"You made it personally?"
"That's right. Whenever I say I'm going to make something in the family, they oppose it first and ask questions later."
"……Then it remained your personal property even after you made it."
"Of course."
"So how did it end up rolling around in the black market?"
"……!"
Dang Hyeokjae blinked rapidly and scratched his head vigorously.
"That's weird. Doesn't it make no sense for a forbidden hidden weapon designated by the Tang family to be treated like junk in the black market?"
"……Actually, after the family's first test, they blocked me from conducting any real combat trials."
So he snuck it onto the market to test its effects? It was so absurd I was at a loss for words. This guy was clearly not entirely right in the head.
"……."
"Ahem. I spoke out of turn. Anyway, you owed me a debt, so let's call it settled with your exploits this time. Fair, right?"
Not fair at all. But ganging up on a guy who seemed a few parts short of a full machine didn't feel right, so I nodded.
"Fine, whatever. By the way, I heard you hate traveling, so how did you end up as the Murim Alliance branch chief?"
"Lately, there've been some interesting things happening in the martial world. I wanted to meet someone."
"Interesting things?"
"Someone who broke a five-hundred-year-old formation, stole the Golden Dragon from the Jegal family, and uses forbidden hidden weapons like they're toys."
"……Me?"
"That's right."
Mentioning the Jegal family's Golden Dragon meant he already knew about Jegal Cheongi too.
"You know Cheongi?"
"The brightest genius the Jegal family ever produced. It's just that his light is so dazzling no one else can see it."
"If you wanted to see me, you could've just come find me. Why take the branch chief position?"
"Ah, I don't like traveling much. And honestly, I don't like meeting people either. For someone like me to go find you alone would be tough. So I went through the Murim Alliance to meet you, and somehow ended up here."
"……."
Somehow? And why was the person who wanted to meet me in Akyang of all places? It made no sense. If I hadn't come to Akyang, we might never have met.
"Why did you want to meet me?"
"I wanted to ask how you figured out how to use the Baekmo Hwatong."
"……."
"How did you use it?"
I explained the usage with a bit of embellishment and falsehood mixed in. Dang Hyeokjae nodded repeatedly, jotting down notes meticulously on a small piece of paper.
"I designed it to be useless against enemies but helpful to allies, but someone with your keen observation was bound to figure it out."
"Still, I think it's an incredibly useful item. Perfect for large-scale battles."
"Really?"
Dang Hyeokjae suddenly grabbed my hand and shook it up and down.
"Right? Poisons are hard to predict—they flow with the wind or location, inevitably harming allies too. But mechanical hidden weapons are clean, aren't they?"
"……."
"The idiots in the family don't get it. All they care about is poison, poison, poison. Handling poisons is tricky in the first place; they're hard to carry during long marches."
Dang Hyeokjae ranted on, spewing every curse under the sun. It made sense why, despite inventing countless mechanisms for the family, he wasn't treated well. He was a mutant like Jegal Cheongi or Moyong Jaehwa within the family.
"……Ugh, if the blockheads in the family thought like you, the Tangs would be twice as prosperous by now."
"Then prove it. The Tang family isn't some sect that rejects hidden weapons."
"Do you know how much it costs to prove it? The location? The timeframe? Am I making all the mechanisms alone? Where do I find skilled blacksmiths?"
Jackpot. It smelled like rare ingredients treated like weeds.
"What if there's a place where all that is provided?"
"Huh?"
"Plus, the financier footing the bill is quite knowledgeable about mechanisms. You make various ones for him, earn the Tang family's recognition. Of course, under the condition they allow it."
"Of course they'd allow it. Do you know how many engineers we send out every year? But who is this financier?"
I raised my hand, and his curious gaze followed my finger slowly. Pointing to an extraordinary patron.
Tap, tap.
"……You?"
Dang Hyeokjae eyed me suspiciously.
"Hmm, you don't look like you have the money—or the knowledge."
I fired the Flying Dragon Claw from my left hand, extinguished the oil lamp, and reeled it back in.
"What do you think?"
Dang Hyeokjae gaped, speechless.
Nice. Jin Sowoon's treasure chest: one more addition.
# While Jin Sowoon was picking up the eccentric Dang Hyeokjae.
Inside the sealed sect in Hefei, Anhui Province, three people were having a close conversation.
"The merchant group has more or less stabilized. We named it Daecheon Merchant Group, as you suggested before."
Jin Taesan, noticeably slimmer, spoke, and Hong Moon-gi, with equally gaunt cheeks, nodded.
"You've worked hard. Now you can finally rest a bit."
"I'd love to just eat and sleep for a week straight."
Hong Moon-gi nodded at Jin Taesan's words. While he had struggled to learn the Tae-eul Divine Scripture, Jin Taesan had worked tirelessly without rest to stabilize Tae-eul Gate. The elders said he hadn't had a single night without nosebleeds. In any case, seeing the sect's finances improve dramatically showed just how immense his efforts had been—no need to confirm it further.
"You've worked hard. Thanks to you, Tae-eul Gate's future is secure."
"It's not just my merit. You've suffered too, Sect Leader."
Hong Moon-gi had endured no less hardship than Jin Taesan. With mediocre martial talent, learning alone had been grueling, especially without a teacher—he could only cling stubbornly to the arts. Thanks to that tenacity, he'd reached a level respectable enough for his disciples.
"Feels like only you two suffered."
Gang Chaeseok grumbled, earning glares from the other two.
"Frankly, what hardship have you endured?"
Gang Chaeseok snorted at Jin Taesan's sharp retort.
"Don't you know how hard it was giving special training to the kids from the Moyong family? Look—wrinkles on my once-taut skin."
But the wrinkles around Gang Chaeseok's eyes weren't that noticeable. Probably from laughing so much without worries.
"Sure, sure, you worked hard too. Anyway, with everyone in the sect working so diligently, as sect leader, I couldn't be prouder."
Jin Taesan pointed accusingly at Gang Chaeseok.
"Sect Leader, skip praising that guy. How do you think it makes me feel, the one who really suffered?"
"No, I suffered too!"
"Hmph! Then why does your tab keep rising every month?"
"……."
"Why are you drinking three times a week now, when it used to be once?"
"Ahem, well... Yeah! I have so many disciples to teach, I needed to unwind!"
"Hmph! Which of your current disciples even needs your hands-on help? They're all doing fine on their own."
Indeed, Tae-eul Gate's disciples were filled with kids of exceptional talent, incomparable to their masters. Especially those Jin Sowoon brought—they were mostly prodigies who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the later-generation talents of the Nine Great Sects or Five Great Families.
"You wouldn't know—you're just wandering taverns because you have nothing to do."
"……."
Gang Chaeseok just twitched his lips at Jin Taesan's jab, unable to retort much. Finally, Sect Leader Hong Moon-gi intervened.
"Taesan, you know Chaeseok suffered too. Let it go."
Hong Moon-gi tried to change the mood quickly.
"Oh, right—a letter came from Sowoon. He says he's sending disciple candidates."
"Again?"
Jin Taesan frowned, but Gang Chaeseok burst into laughter.
"See? Your son keeps sending candidates without warning—how exhausting for me."
"……."
Ignoring Gang Chaeseok, Jin Taesan looked to Hong Moon-gi.
"Well, the choice is mine, but since it's kids Sowoon sent, we'll accept them."
"Ahem, of course. Their foundations probably aren't solid, so I'll be suffering for a while."
"……."
For some reason, the kids Jin Sowoon occasionally sent were all prodigies. Like sturdy trees taking root anywhere, talented children revealed their skills quickly once their foundations were set. No one matched Gang Chaeseok at that, so Jin Taesan couldn't press him further.
Then, one of the fourth-generation disciples entered from inside.
"Sect Leader... Someone brought a letter from the senior brother."
The three men's gazes intertwined. Wasn't this the disciple they'd just been discussing?
"Alright, since it's come to this, bring them here."
"……Here?"
"Yes. Probably a fourth-generation disciple candidate. Recommended by your senior brother."
"……What? F-Fourth-generation?"
The fourth-generation disciple's face twisted subtly, like a puppy desperate to poop but hesitating. Gang Chaeseok bellowed.
"What are you waiting for? Bring them!"
"……Ah, yes! R-Right away!"
The startled disciple bolted out like a shot. Tae-eul Eight Myriad Divine Steps at proficiency.
The three watched warmly, awaiting the new disciple.
Thud, thud, thud.
Heavy footsteps announced a massive warrior entering.
The three, sipping tea, turned to the giant figure.
"Huh?"
"Who?"
The warrior clasped his hands politely in greeting.
"Greetings. I am Buk Wonpyeong, here on Jin Sowoon's recommendation to become a disciple."
Pfft—drip—
Gang Chaeseok spat out his tea, and tea dribbled from Jin Taesan's mouth.
The "kid" they awaited was a bit bigger than expected.
Three Pure Ones Divine Dragon Buk Wonpyeong. Sowoon's disciple candidate.
"Why'd you take so long?"
Back at Jang Dowon's shop, he had reverted to his usual gruff self.
Better this way.
Jang Dowon puffed his pipe, then went to the back and brought out a large bundle and a long iron club.
"What's this?"
"What else? What you ordered."
"Me?"
I'd asked him to make jewelry from dismantling the Iron Bow for Moyong Jaehwa and the Baekhyang-ok I'd received as representative. But no jewelry—instead, an iron club?
"Whoa! You really made them?"
Geum Pyo opened the bundle with a grin.
"You actually did!"
What the— I turned, and out popped something familiar.
"Flying Dragon Claw?"
It was none other than the Flying Dragon Claw on my left hand. Geum Pyo quickly distributed them from the bundle to Eunho and Dongryong.
"……What's going on?"
"Ah, we asked separately."
"You guys? Money aside, where'd you get the thousand-silkworm silk?"
"Jaehwa had a ton in the family, so we asked him to make ours too while he was at it."
"……."
Jang Dowon scowled deeply.
"Couldn't sleep properly making all that in such short time. I'll charge full price."
"You kids have the money?"
"Huh? Senior brother, I just remembered something urgent!"
"Me too!"
"Brothers, let's go!"
The damn gold-silver-bronze brothers bolted.
"Nice junior brothers you got."
"They have a nice senior brother."
"You're too young to know how great your juniors are."
"Those brats eat four bowls of rice per meal."
"Whatever. Check the other stuff."
"Speaking of, where's the Iron Bow?"
"Right there."
"Huh?"
Jang Dowon handed over a crude iron club.
"See the grooves at both ends? Hook it there. I don't have the strength anymore."
"……."
Even iron would dent or snap if forced, right? But amazingly, it bent as pulled, then sprang back with a ting.
"To wield an Iron Bow, your draw strength needs to match."
Not just any Iron Bow. This was treasure-grade, if not divine. Astonishing he'd made it in half a month.
"What nonsense? How could I make that in so short? It's one I had ready."
"Ah... I see."
"Wasted all my time on the Flying Dragon Claws and necklace. Anyway, it should do."
More than "do"—it surpassed the old one Moyong Jaehwa used.
"Thank you, elder."
"Thanks my ass—pay up proper."
I handed over the five-hundred-nyang gold note I'd prepared. Jang Dowon glanced, startled, then coughed nonchalantly.
"And, uh..."
"Yes."
"Ahem... er..."
Jang Dowon hesitated, unable to speak.
"Speak freely, elder."
After dallying, he finally steeled himself.
"W-Well, I heard from your junior sister you're recruiting artisans for your sect. The pay... decent?"
"Pardon?"
"Learned something from this job. So, what's your sect like? Anyway?"
Makes sense— in his previous life, Jang Dowon ended up joining the Murim Alliance alone. This proved something happened in between. Chaos bred dangers aplenty. Anyway, good for both of us.
"For someone of your caliber, the best treatment, naturally."
Sorry, but now all fifteen divine artifacts are mine. Heh heh heh.