Is There Anyone in the World Who Knows Me? (16)
Is There Anyone in the World Who Knows Me? (16)
The mountain sun set quickly.
The youngest disciple of the Zhongnan Sect stood in the hallway, holding Jong Yuseop's meal. The room, which had been filled with gloomy murmurs and faint rustling, had fallen utterly silent, as if a ghost had swept through. The youngest disciple leaned the tray against the door and spoke.
"Senior Martial Brother Yuseop. This is your youngest, Do-won. I've brought your evening meal."
No answer came. The youngest disciple Do-won waited for a moment, but he couldn't sense Jong Yuseop's presence. It was strange. No matter how weakened his energy was, it was only natural to emit some presence when called. Yet beyond the door, no presence could be felt at all.
"Senior Brother. Are you sleeping? Elder Jonghwan also said you shouldn't sleep too long. Even after dark, you need to come out briefly, stretch, and take a walk so your energy doesn't weaken."
Even as the youngest disciple spoke to Jong Yuseop, he felt his heart pounding. Something was unsettling. The room was too silent for an occupied room. An unspoken foreboding coiled around him.
"Senior Brother Yuseop?"
He leaned his head against the door and called the name more quietly. He pressed his ear to the wood and listened, but not a sound came—no breathing, no rustle of blankets, nothing stirring.
The youngest drew in a breath.
Faintly,
the smell of blood wafted out.
Wudangtang!
The tray crashed to the floor. The youngest disciple frantically opened the door and checked inside.
"Uh, uhh...!"
The youngest's eyes fell upon Jong Yuseop's corpse, caked in blood, his eyes bulging wide open in death.
"Elder! Elder!!"
The youngest's voice echoed through the room.
It was the first sound to ring out since Jong Yuseop's final death throes.
*******
Jonghwan's face looked as if it had been set with candle wax. It was pale, his expression unchanging, devoid of life. He seemed to have completely lost his emotions at some point.
Those who witnessed the incident at the time recalled how Jonghwan's face came to look that way. When he heard that Jong Yuseop was dead, Jonghwan raged more than anyone. He shoved the youngest disciple aside, shouting at him not to speak nonsense, and rushed into the room.
And when he saw the gruesome corpse on the floor, Jonghwan was as terrified as a man facing a tiger. What brought fear onto the face of a Zhongnan Sect elder was neither a master of the unorthodox sects nor a legendary monster or evil spirit. It was his son's death.
While the disciples were tending to the body, his expression collapsed utterly into a wretched sight. He wept like a child, rammed his head against the railing, and even rejected the comforting hands of the disciples and elders who tried to console him.
Jonghwan wept for a long time, unable to accept Jong Yuseop's death. And as he watched the aftermath unfold over an entire day, his expression gradually settled into blankness. By this time, Jonghwan's face looked as if it had been set with candle wax. It was pale, his expression unchanging, devoid of life.
Even when Jong Yuseop's body left Mount Zhongnan, he merely stood with his hands behind his back, wearing a blank expression. He looked like a cold-blooded man whose tears had dried up, but his haggard face and stooped shoulders plainly revealed the pain he was enduring.
The sect leader of the Zhongnan Sect approached wordlessly and brushed Jonghwan's shoulder. Jonghwan kept his head bowed and drew a ragged breath.
Jonghwan no longer wished for misfortune.
*******
Time passed after Jong Yuseop's death.
Inside a spacious room, the elders and the sect leader of the Zhongnan Sect had gathered, their faces knitted in deep frowns.
They were racking their brains over the malicious rumors that had followed Jong Yuseop's death. Along with the news that Jong Yuseop had died, slander and false accusations regarding his death were spreading throughout Shaanxi province.
Jonghwan wore the darkest and gravest expression among them, his eyes darting as he was lost in thought. The eldest elder struck the table with his palm and spoke.
"Rumors are spreading that the direct disciple of the Zhongnan Sect died because of Venerable Geumbok. The story goes that Venerable Geumbok, seeing him as an obstacle, coldly cast him aside by sending an empty lunchbox. The tale is circulating that Jong Yuseop was shocked by this, suffered a Qi Deviation, and died."
At those words, another elder frowned and said.
"I don't know where this story leaked from. Regardless, it's a serious problem. With rumors spreading that the Zhongnan Sect is being pushed around like that by a mere merchant, we've become a laughingstock. Cooperation with Venerable Geumbok must be halted. From the beginning, incorporating such a madman was never part of the great undertaking to spread the name of the Zhongnan Sect far and wide. If only someone hadn't persuaded us, things would never have come to this."
The elder blatantly stared at Jonghwan. Jonghwan's eyes snapped wide open at the elder's words. Unfazed by Jonghwan's reaction, the elder frowned and continued.
"Elder Jonghwan. Do you think glaring like that will change anything? If not, then you explain. Jong Yuseop received a gift from Venerable Geumbok and died, and the gift was an empty lunchbox. What exactly was Venerable Geumbok's intention in sending that gift? Did Venerable Geumbok send poisoned sweets? Or did Jong Yuseop simply go mad and die while training desperately alone, afraid of being abandoned by Venerable Geumbok?"
"...Watch your words. It has not yet been a full month since my son died."
Even when Jonghwan issued a warning, the elder was undeterred. He acted as if he had seized an opportunity from the news of Jong Yuseop's death.
"Jong Yuseop's death is one thing! The issue now is what to do about Venerable Geumbok! What is Elder Jonghwan's opinion? From all sides, word is spreading that this bastard Venerable Geumbok has arrogantly crossed the line! That he killed our disciple on a whim!"
Jonghwan's face twisted. The time he first met Venerable Geumbok flickered through his mind.
[Elder. Why do you help me like this? I have nothing to give you in return.]
[What importance could that hold? I too went hungry in my youth, so I did not wish to see a young man tottering under the weight of family troubles.]
He gritted his teeth and said.
"It's all slander! Can't you see that? The very act of dragging Venerable Geumbok to Chang'an and then sending an item to Jong Yuseop—it's all slander designed to create this situation! Why don't you understand this? Venerable Geumbok, who can do nothing without us! That elder who raised my son like his own! Why would he send an empty lunchbox? And how could outsiders know these inside details so precisely and spread rumors? It's all a conspiracy, I tell you!"
As much as Jonghwan raised his voice, the opposing elder shouted back even louder.
"Go out there and try shouting that! 'The direct disciple of the Zhongnan Sect did not die from a conspiracy! He just died alone, trembling in fear of being abandoned by Venerable Geumbok! Therefore, we will continue to advance together with Venerable Geumbok!' Go on, shout that! Compliments will pour in from all sides! 'Look at those Zhongnan Sect bastards! They're so afraid of a single merchant that they keep their mouths firmly shut even when their direct disciple dies! They're not a martial sect, they're a bunch of hired escorts!'"
"How dare you say my son trembled to death! Watch your mouth!"
The elder widened his eyes and retorted.
"Then why did he die? Why did Jong Yuseop die? Why did Jong Yuseop, who failed Venerable Geumbok's mission, die? Everyone in Shaanxi knew he was dispirited and trembling at home! So tell me, what was the reason he suddenly died? Go on, say it!"
Jonghwan shut his mouth.
He knew it too: the truth of who concocted the scheme didn't matter.
Whatever the scheme was, in the end, Jong Yuseop died trembling in fear of being abandoned by Venerable Geumbok—and that fact had spread throughout Shaanxi. Continuing with Venerable Geumbok now would be tantamount to admitting they were under a merchant's thumb.
Jonghwan looked around. The elders were either avoiding each other's eyes or coughing dryly, pretending to be distracted. Only the sect leader of the Zhongnan Sect stroked his long beard and eyebrows as he spoke thus.
"Elder Jonghwan. You know it as well as I do. Up until now, while raiding government posts together with Venerable Geumbok, we have clearly learned things."
Jonghwan did not answer.
[My name, Hwan, means 'worry' and 'anxiety.' My father named me that because the mouths to feed had increased. I suppose I am fated to never amount to much. My family is poor, my own skills never improve, and I am only ashamed before your grace, Elder.]
At Jonghwan's silence, the sect leader continued speaking.
"Once a rumor spreads, it cannot be controlled. Venerable Geumbok's plan has failed, and if we do not withdraw now, we will suffer even greater disgrace. We can no longer proceed with this plan. I have already concluded discussions with the other elders."
Jonghwan hung his head.
Venerable Geumbok's face flickered past.
[Are you saying that again? Do not worry. Great Hero Jonghwan will surely succeed. I know nothing of the martial arts, but I have heard that even those born with martial bones have periods of anguish. Yours, Great Hero, is simply a long one. Just you wait. You will become a martial artist so great your name will be known throughout the martial world, and I will become a great merchant who commands the world under heaven.]
Tuk.
Jonghwan slumped weakly into his chair. He kept his mouth firmly shut while staring at the ceiling. He offered no opinion, but it was clear that he had fallen in line with the other elders.
As he let out a deep sigh, a chilly breath spread through the room. The elders nodded as if they understood Jonghwan's feelings.
[Elder. If I rise to an important post in the Zhongnan Sect, I will surely repay your kindness.]
Unbeknownst to anyone, the voice of his younger days echoed within Jonghwan's heart.