Return to Anhui
Manhyangru had once ranked among Anhui's finest taverns. That title now belonged to another house — not because Manhyangru had fallen into decline.
"So this is Anhui's finest pleasure house, eh? Ha, not bad at all."
"The wine was always famous here, but the women... every last one of them has skin like silk..."
The pleasure house rang with the loud talk of wealthy wastrels. From the third-floor railing, Ojeong looked down and smiled with satisfaction.
"They say a tavern lives or dies by its wine, and a pleasure house by the beauty of its women. Can't argue with that."
Manhyangru, operated by Hoga Manor, had been transformed overnight. A tavern and a pleasure house were similar, yet different. Both shared the night, but the business itself was another matter entirely. What's more, Manhyangru had long been praised as one of Anhui's finest taverns. Converting a place like that into a pleasure house had, at first glance, looked like madness.
"People started whispering that I'd gone senile in my old age."
"Well, you are at that age."
"What was that?"
"Ah, just muttering to myself."
"...You really are that fellow Sun's subordinate. I can practically smell him on you."
"Ugh, don't even joke about that. Me and that lunatic packing that ridiculous origin story? Please."
Ojeong shuddered as if the mere thought were unbearable. Hoga Jangju stared at him. It wasn't a joke. From time to time, Hoga Jangju caught an astonishingly familiar scent of Sun Wukong on Ojeong — the very man Wukong had assigned to watch him.
Of course he wouldn't stay sane, hanging around a man like that.
And even if he were, how long could it last? Hoga Jangju turned his head. There wasn't a single thing about this situation he liked.
I did all the actual work...
When he'd announced the conversion from tavern to pleasure house, opposition within Hoga Manor itself had been fierce. Conflicts with the existing pleasure-house operators were only the beginning of the problems that needed solving. Of course, those operators couldn't do much about Hoga Manor. In the back alleys — in the world of night — fists were the closest thing to law. And when it came to violence, who else but the Unorthodox Path?
"Still, it wasn't easy, was it? I heard recruiting courtesans took quite a bit of effort."
"Well... yeah. Those bastards who'd been running the other houses banded together pretty tight."
The heart of a pleasure house was its courtesans. How many exceptional women you held determined how far the business would go. When Anhui's pleasure houses closed ranks in earnest, recruiting courtesans had been difficult at first. But that had been nothing more than a last gasp.
"They didn't know we had the Seven Flowers of Shandong."
Even a single courtesan of supreme beauty and talent was enough to set an entire region buzzing. The world never lacked for wealthy wastrels, after all. Even Buddhist monks and Daoist cultivators found it hard to keep their distance from a fragrant blossom. And here there were not one such flower, but seven. The outcome was decided. Word of the Seven Flowers of Shandong spread like wildfire.
"Thanks to that, the courtesans from the other houses ran out of work and came knocking on our door."
"You expanded the business in no time. Your business sense really is something."
Ojeong's words were clearly meant as praise. But Hoga Jangju, whose nature ran toward the contrary, found them hard to take at face value. It might have been because looking at Ojeong made him think of Sun Wukong. More than anything, he couldn't quite accept the compliment.
My business sense? Please... he set the whole board.
Hoga Jangju let out a sigh before he could stop himself. The sight of that shabby old man sighing was almost pitiful.
Converting it into a pleasure house, using the Seven Flowers of Shandong — those were all that bastard's ideas...
In truth, he'd just been running around doing what he was told.
"How's the Hao Clan these days?"
At Ojeong's question, Hoga Jangju's face twisted.
"It's driving me insane. Truly."
It was a short complaint, but nothing more needed to be said. Ojeong listened quietly, then spoke.
"Keep at it. That's more important than the pleasure house."
"...Even if it's just one branch, you think dealing with the Hao Clan is easy?"
"Can't only do the easy things in this world, can you? Hmm?"
Hoga Jangju's neck went stiff.
"You're the head of Anhui's Unorthodox Path, aren't you? Hmm? That much should be well within your reach."
Hoga Jangju considered it seriously. What if I just flip the table?
It was a thought he wouldn't have dared entertain if Sun Wukong had been standing in front of him. But it had been a long time since he'd laid eyes on the man. And now that he'd gained the prestige of being the supreme leader of Anhui's Unorthodox Path, the greed peculiar to that world began to stir. Betrayal was the way of the Unorthodox Path — topple the man above you and climb over his corpse whenever the chance presented itself. His eyes narrowed to slits.
Ojeong's level was considerably higher than expected. Still better than that Sun Wukong fellow, though, right? Taking Ojeong out wouldn't be impossible. It'd be hard alone, but bring a few subordinates and the job would be done. Hmm. The problem is what comes after.
Hoga Jangju's thinning hair practically spun with the speed of his thoughts. Sell them out to the Namgung Clan?
Not a bad plan. The Namgung Clan probably still thought of Hoga Manor as their own hunting dog — except Sun Wukong had snatched it out from under them. The Namgung Clan wouldn't know. Would they sit quietly while Sun Wukong built his own power base in their territory, using the Namgung Clan itself to do it? Tsk. This isn't half bad. If I play the loyal servant to the Namgung Clan and share some of the pleasure-house rights...
That was when Ojeong spoke, his tone blunt.
"What are you thinking so hard about?"
"Ahem, ahem. Just considering how to deal with the Hao Clan leftovers who haven't been pushed out yet."
"Ah, is that all. Your face looked so shifty I thought you were cooking up something shady."
"..."
Ojeong grinned and turned his back.
"Where are you going?"
"What's it to you?"
"..."
"Ah, and put together a report on everything that's happened so far. Soon."
"Huh? I have to report to you?"
Hoga Jangju unleashed his presence. He may have been thoroughly beaten this time around, but he was still a seasoned master who had ruled Anhui's Unorthodox Path for decades. When he released his aura in earnest, the air around them grew dark and heavy. Ojeong frowned.
"Ah, for fuck's sake. What's your problem? When did I say report to me? I was just told to keep an eye on whether you're doing your job."
"Then...?"
"Sun Wukong. That lunatic's coming back, you know."
Hoga Jangju's words died in his throat.
Sun Wukong.
"He's... coming back?"
"Well, of course. There's a massive event happening at the Namgung Clan."
Only moments ago, Hoga Jangju had been hatching a sly scheme. At Ojeong's words, he wiped his mind clean. He could almost see that face before him — the look of someone perpetually annoyed, wearing a mischievous smile. A face so full of laughter it seemed almost harmless. But within it, those golden eyes, faintly tinged with a chilling red light. Those eyes from his memory were staring right at him.
"...I'll have everything ready."
Hoga Jangju abandoned the idea without a second thought. The secret to surviving decades in the Unorthodox Path. His survival instinct had begun to writhe.
The road to Anhui was easy.
"No one dares to block our path."
Muhwa shrugged as if that were a blessing. Seowol, on the other hand, wore a look of utter boredom.
"It's boring."
"Boring is good, Seowol."
"It's still boring."
"Why don't you spar, then?"
"No."
At Muhwa's suggestive remark, Seowol shook her head firmly.
"Master said not to."
Seowol flicked a glance toward Sun Wukong. Draped in a splendid silk robe, he caught her look with casual ease.
"No sparring until you get the force and the killing intent out of that sword."
"How am I supposed to get the killing intent out?"
"If I knew that, I'd have attained enlightenment and become a Buddha already."
"..."
Seowol glared at Sun Wukong as if she meant to bore a hole through him. He paid her no mind and walked on.
Still, she listens well. Seowol does.
Muhwa smiled inwardly. Almost no one in the clan could rein in Seowol, famous as she was for being a handful. Even Namgung Jinbaek had been at his wits' end with her. Muhwa had managed some measure of control, but it had never been easy. And yet here was Seowol, cheeks slightly puffed in discontent, dutifully following Sun Wukong's word.
I never thought she'd obey him this well.
Muhwa smiled faintly. Even her usually sullen face now wore a surprising range of expressions. She's following Teacher Sun's teachings so well. That's a relief.
In truth, Muhwa privately agreed with Sun Wukong. There's too much killing intent in Seowol's sword. Even he, who occasionally sparred with her, had sometimes been so startled he'd wondered if he'd done something to make her want him dead. That was how thickly Seowol's blade was steeped in killing intent.
Sun Wukong had prescribed the most drastic of remedies. Not only fighting — he wouldn't even permit sparring. He'd set her to nothing but cultivation, like a Daoist seeking the Way. Thanks to that, Seowol expressed her restlessness with her entire body.
"It's so boring..."
She'd probably been looking forward to the journey back to Anhui. The group of martial artists they'd encountered before arriving at Wudang. The worry that others who held a grudge against the Namgung Clan might appear again. If a fight broke out, Seowol would have a justification to step in. But on this return journey, not only were there no such martial artists — even bandits failed to show their faces.
"Who in Hubei would dare stand in the way of Wudang's martial artists?"
The Wugok Pavilion Master replied with pride, whether or not he understood Seowol's feelings. The next sect leader himself was traveling with them, and half of the Ten Swords of Wudang followed in his wake. And that wasn't all — two elders had joined the procession as well. Under these circumstances, even those who harbored grudges against the Namgung Clan wouldn't dare block the road.
"Still, aren't you heading to Anhui a bit too early?"
Muhwa had been briefly startled by the Wudang Sect's sudden accompaniment, but after seeing the letter that had arrived from the Namgung Clan, she nodded in understanding.
"The event is supposed to be held when the leaves turn. The flowers are still in full bloom."
Hubei and Anhui were close. Martial artists who put their minds to it could travel between them quickly, even if the journey was a bit hard.
"Haha. We ought to arrive early and observe how the martial world is shifting, don't you think? And more than anything, this is a chance to witness the renowned Heavenly Edge Sword Star. We might even build some rapport."
"That's not really all there is to it, though."
The voice that cut in so suddenly belonged to Sun Wukong. Curiosity flickered in the Wugok Pavilion Master's eyes.
"If that's not all, then you believe we have another purpose?"
Anyone who witnessed this scene would have been quite surprised. The respectful manner of the Wugok Pavilion Master — next sect leader and the current power behind the Wudang Sect. And Sun Wukong accepting it as the most natural thing in the world. Even the Ten Swords of Wudang and the elders following behind wore faintly bewildered expressions, as if they hadn't quite gotten used to it.
Sun Wukong replied with a look of mild annoyance.
"You're also planning to make a big show of the fact that the Namgung Clan and the Wudang Sect are on the same side now."
"Well..."
"Traveling together this openly is basically shouting, 'Look at us, everyone.' From the outside, it's obvious. Namgung and Wudang didn't just make peace — they've gotten close."
"...I see. Teacher Sun really does..."
"And there's definitely a reason you want it to look that way."
Sun Wukong didn't even glance at him as he spoke, but the Wugok Pavilion Master felt a chill, as if the man were looking straight through him.
"That's right. There is a reason."
Just then, they crossed the Hubei border and entered Anhui Province. Martial artists in the uniforms of various sects appeared here and there along the road. These were not the martial factions of Anhui. They were martial artists who operated outside the province. Anticipation gleamed in the Wugok Pavilion Master's eyes.
"Because right now, every gaze in the martial world is fixed on the Namgung Clan."