#65. Waiting for the Typhoon: The Great Peng (3)
I had to talk for quite a while to defend myself. Once I explained that I hadn't known the true identity of the Fengbai Sword Breaker, and that I'd only bantered back when the old herb gatherer joked with me first, their expressions eased a bit.
"Your name is gradually spreading through the jianghu. For your own sake, you must be especially cautious in your actions."
"I'll keep that in mind."
I ground my teeth toward the Fengbai Sword Breaker. At the most critical time for Tae-eul Gate, he pulls something like this?
"Next, there's something else I must ask..."
Hong Moon-gi's face quickly turned pained, as if he might burst into tears at any moment.
"Is it truly the advancement of the Tae-eul Sword Sovereign?"
The seasoned elders and division lords all stared at me with the same expression.
"Yes."
"Hoo..."
"Gasp!"
The elders closed their eyes and stroked their white beards. The division lords stared wide-eyed, not even blinking as they fixed on my mouth.
"Where... how did you discover it?"
There were parts I couldn't tell the full truth about, so I spun a tale about entering the Ma-ryeong Plateau, getting trapped in the Muryangbulgolmokhonjin, and stumbling upon it by chance.
"...You entered that dangerous place alone?"
Hong Moon-gi's eyes shook violently.
"...No. In Akyang, I had formed bonds with Seong Moran of the Iron Sword Sect and Namgung Seonhwa of the Namgung family, so we went together."
They looked a bit surprised to hear I'd been with the Iron Sword Sect, but they didn't dwell on it. Still, their faces brimmed with worry.
"Why don't you think more of your own safety? We know no one works harder for Tae-eul Gate than you. But don't you know that no elixir in the world could replace you?"
"..."
Right—this was the kind of sect it was. How much had I resented this sect in my previous life?
"...I'm sorry."
Gang Chaeseok cleared his throat and interjected.
"Sect Leader, isn't today a joyous occasion? Thanks to Sowoon, the Tae-eul Sword Sovereign's advancement—which might have been lost forever—has been passed down."
Hong Moon-gi looked at me for a moment before nodding.
"Indeed... Did you properly pay your respects to Taesajo?"
"Yes. I observed all courtesies. Until the end, Taesajo worried about the disciple left behind in Tae-eul Gate."
"You've fulfilled his final wish. That's the greatest joy right now. I can't help but praise you."
"You're too kind."
Next, I explained how the Tae-eul Sword Sovereign had ended up trapped there. They were shocked beyond measure to learn that the Hell Demon Emperor—who had suddenly vanished from the world—had been buried alongside him, and outraged that it was due to those who ruled the jianghu at the time.
"Who were they? Who trapped the Tae-eul Sword Sovereign in that pitfall?"
I had a rough idea of who it might be, but I didn't say it outright. Tae-eul Gate wasn't in a position to worry about that right now. I alone was enough as the incarnation of vengeance. How excruciatingly painful was a life filled with grudges?
"It's impossible to pinpoint anyone specific. Back then, they feared the Tae-eul Sword Sovereign as much as the Hell Demon Emperor. If anything, all the renowned elders who led the jianghu at the time were culprits."
"..."
"..."
Even though I'd softened it as much as possible, everyone's faces in the hall stiffened. They probably all had names popping into their heads. And they knew full well how massive those figures had become by now. Yet realizing that the humiliation they'd endured for five hundred years stemmed from someone's scheme—that was something they couldn't easily shake off.
To lighten the mood, I continued.
"I think the real priority now is how we take flight from here."
There were too many problems looming in the future to dwell on the past.
Hong Moon-gi nodded at my words.
"You're right."
"Here—this records the Tae-eul Sword Sovereign's advancement. I've written it exactly as is, so it will need editing to become a proper manual later."
I pulled a personally penned book from my bosom and offered it. It passed through the hands of the Busengdang Lord sitting closest and reached Hong Moon-gi. Thicker than an ordinary book, Hong Moon-gi carefully opened it.
I'd only recorded the Tae-eul Sword Sovereign's advancement and final words. I omitted the Hell Demon Emperor's advancement and the secret techniques they created together. The fewer people who knew such secrets, the better. Just the fact that they collaborated on martial arts would create unnecessary pretexts for trouble.
"...Hmm."
After skimming it briefly, Hong Moon-gi closed the book again.
"I've never imagined a situation like this, so I don't know what to do. I ask all of you to share your wisdom."
A powerful martial art suddenly regained. And Tae-eul Gate, too weak to properly digest it. Problems one hasn't experienced are impossible to solve, regardless of age.
"...Well."
"We'll follow the Sect Leader's judgment."
The elders and division lords couldn't offer any real ideas either.
"For now, why not publicly announce the return of the Tae-eul Sword Sovereign's advancement and spread the word through the jianghu? Then incidents like the Yongbong Assembly won't happen again, right?"
Gang Chaeseok couldn't wipe the grin from his face, as if his body itched with excitement. Most of the younger division lords nodded in agreement. But Hong Moon-gi, Jin Taesan, and the elders looked worried.
After some thought, Hong Moon-gi turned to me with expectant eyes.
"Sowoon, what do you think?"
"This disciple will simply follow your words."
Hong Moon-gi let out a small sigh at my answer.
"...But if you'll allow even reckless words, I have one suggestion."
"Yes! You hold the position of great disciple. No opinion will be blamed—speak freely."
I laid out the plans I'd conceived the moment I found the Tae-eul Sword Sovereign's advancement.
"First, Tae-eul Gate seals its gates."
"..."
Heads tilted in confusion. Sealing the gates was akin to surrendering to an unbeatable foe. It meant ceasing to exist as a jianghu sect—a humiliating act to those in the martial world. Moreover, sealing required removing the plaque. Considering how much sects staked their lives on those plaques, sealing was tantamount to death.
"...Sealing the gates?"
With new wings to soar, suggesting sealing naturally raised questions.
"Yes."
"Haven't we just received the Tae-eul Sword Sovereign's advancement?"
"That's precisely why we must seal. And everyone in Tae-eul Gate must master his martial arts as quickly as possible."
"...Couldn't we do that without sealing?"
Even with their meager strength, Tae-eul Gate hadn't sealed once in five hundred years. I could tell how uncomfortable the idea made Hong Moon-gi.
"Thanks to Senior Moyong Gang, we persuaded them at the Yongbong Assembly. With him announcing it personally, no one outside will doubt the Tae-eul Sword Sovereign's martial arts. But will there truly be no one in the jianghu interested in it?"
"..."
"For example—and this is just a hypothetical—the descendants of those who threw the Tae-eul Sword Sovereign into hell with the Hell Demon Emperor five hundred years ago. Do you think they'd dismiss the records as mere rumors? And would they allow us to inherit and practice the real advancement?"
Murmurs of distress rose here and there. They knew how obsessively jianghu folk clung to powerful martial arts. They'd already sensed its might indirectly through me. This was no trivial matter.
"I know how much meaning the plaque holds for all you elders here. But no matter how vital the plaque, it's still less important to me than Tae-eul Gate's elders and young juniors."
It was just an object that would vanish into ash in less than half a day before flames.
"I don't believe possessing a treasure makes one its master. Only those who can protect it truly own it."
"!"
Everyone in the hall turned to me. Their eyes shook violently, just like Hong Moon-gi's.
I drove home the final point.
"The quail that freely flits between the bushes mocks the great peng hunkered in its nest every day. But when the typhoon comes, the peng stakes its life to soar up and blanket the world. Right now, we must wait for that typhoon."
With that, I fell silent. The gazes fixed on me, trembling with focus, soon dropped in self-reproach.
Hong Moon-gi, eyes closed deep in thought from my words, turned to Jin Taesan.
"Outer Hall Lord."
"Yes."
"How about we elect a new sect leader?"
"Pardon?"
"What?"
The sudden words startled the division lords and elders into staring at Hong Moon-gi.
"Our young disciple sees farther and clearer than a sect leader leading the gate. Perhaps it's best to hand Tae-eul Gate to that boy and rest easy in the Elder Hall."
Hong Moon-gi's face was filled with a broad smile. Realizing it was a joke, the others' expressions gradually relaxed one by one.
"Tsk tsk. Don't say such nonsense, Sect Leader Hong. The Elder Hall is too cramped as it is—no space for you and your martial brothers."
"Is that so?"
Hong Moon-gi looked at me and asked.
"What do you say, Sowoon? If you build a new Elder Hall, I'll give you the sect leader position."
I shook my head at Hong Moon-gi treating the sect leader seat like a neighborhood gang leader's spot.
"I'm sorry, but I still need to wander the world sightseeing and playing. Please bear the burden a bit longer, Sect Leader."
"Insolent brat... You were such a diligent, good boy in your childhood..."
The brief jest lightened the mood considerably. Hong Moon-gi spoke with a composed expression.
"Sowoon is right. Rather than announcing it outside right away, isn't the priority how to pass the Tae-eul Sword Sovereign's advancement to our disciples? To do that, we must master it properly first."
"...But Sect Leader, sealing the gates..."
Some elders still harbored reservations about sealing.
"I know what worries you. It was a plaque we never removed even without martial arts, for five hundred years. But didn't Sowoon say it? If the great peng frets over the quail's mockery, it's no great peng."
"..."
"Moreover, Taesajo left us this martial art despite everything. If we fail to protect it properly out of pride, how ashamed will we be later?"
The elder who spoke pondered deeply before nodding.
"You're right, Sect Leader. I misspoke."
With opinions converging, my father doused them with cold water.
"I oppose it."
"Why?"
"Tae-eul Gate has no money right now."
"Ah..."
"Didn't you recently consider truly starting an escort agency, Sect Leader?"
Gang Chaeseok jumped in.
"Isn't money coming from the iron ore mine? That should suffice."
"Do you know how many people reside in Tae-eul Gate now? Mosanpa installed the Geomunjinbeop without charge, but that's only labor costs. We still pay for bricks and their lodging. Besides, Cheonggung Merchant Group hasn't responded about distributing the iron ore. At this point, it's safe to assume refusal. We'll have to rely on the Wang family."
Gang Chaeseok glanced at me.
"As expected, put that boy in the Wang..."
Jin Taesan cut him off and addressed Hong Moon-gi.
"Places needing money will overflow from now on. Gaining martial arts isn't the end. To pass the Tae-eul Sword Sovereign's advancement to disciples, we need elixirs too. We'll have to make money somehow."
"Hmm..."
Hong Moon-gi sank into deep thought, bumping against reality's wall. Then the elders stepped forward.
"What if we go out separately to run an escort agency?"
"...Your hearts are appreciated, but how could we eat and sleep in peace?"
The Elder Hall's average age was in the sixties. These weren't fierce warriors like in other sects—they couldn't work away from their lifelong home.
In this impasse, I cautiously spoke up.
"I think I have a way to solve that."
"Hm?"
"What do you mean?"
Gang Chaeseok, obsessed with martial arts, looked the most pleased. I pulled an envelope, a letter, and two Dae-yeonnan-dan from my bosom and handed them to the Busengdang Lord.
As recompense for saving the granddaughter of the Divine Sword,
we hereby transfer ownership of the Hebi branch of Cheonggung Merchant Group.
In addition, two Dae-yeonnan-dan are enclosed as a token of gratitude.
Namgung Family Seal
Hong Moon-gi, who received the items with a blank expression, opened his eyes wide while reading the letter.
"What in the world..."
"What's wrong?"
"You read it too."
After handing the letter to my father, Hong Moon-gi hurriedly unfolded the deed. His father's eyes bulged like a rabbit's too.
"...H-how did this happen?"
"What does it say?"
Gang Chaeseok couldn't hold back.
"The Namgung family is handing over the Hebi branch of Cheonggung Merchant Group."
"Isn't Hebi the headquarters of Cheonggung Merchant Group? Was there a separate branch?"
"They've redesignated the headquarters as a branch. And they're giving it away."
"Pardon?"
"Eh?"
Everyone looked to me expectantly. I scratched my head and said,
"It's the reward for saving the Divine Sword's granddaughter."
"..."
"..."
All in the hall gaped silently at me. Especially my father, who stared with veins bulging in deep moved emotion—wait, emotion?
'Huh? Is he that moved he's grinding his teeth?'