The Chase (3)
The Chase (3)
Gwak Ryong's face twisted. His junior martial brother misread that expression and spoke with even greater excitement.
"Yes, he's called Docheol. No one knows where he popped out from, his family background is unknown, and yet he suddenly barged into Venerable Geumbok's business as if he had something solid to rely on, boldly carved out a place for himself, and then, ill-suited to that ambition, has been lying low like a dead mouse. If that bastard isn't the Hao Sect Leader, then who else could be the Hao Sect Leader?"
"Docheol? That's not such a common name..."
Only after hearing Gwak Ryong's tone did the junior brother realize something was off. His tone was too familiar for someone talking about a stranger. It was the tone you use when bringing up someone you've seen somewhere before. Gwak Ryong, stroking his chin and tilting his head, said to his junior brother.
"Do you know his appearance and description?"
"Yes, he looks like a male gisaeng, carries an axe, and..."
At the junior brother's instruction, another man stepped forward and drew a portrait with a brush. The portrait that appeared before Gwak Ryong was fairly plausible, but his face showed no certainty. Gwak Ryong narrowed his brow and said.
"The name Docheol is not such a common name. If the man I saw back then and this bastard are the same person, then truly, you never know how the world turns."
The junior brother asked Gwak Ryong. His face was flushed with the eagerness to move out quickly and catch the Hao Sect Leader.
"What should we do?"
Gwak Ryong looked at his junior brother for a moment. He was a man full of fear, fond of reading the room, and only ever did what he was told. He was the ideal subordinate, but as timber to lead the future of Mount Hua Sect, he was unqualified. Unlike the past, these days all those climbing Mount Hua had this sort of mindset.
They did not lead Mount Hua Sect themselves; they hoped Mount Hua Sect would lead them, and they thought only of burying themselves in Mount Hua's glory. Another junior brother added to the conversation.
"It doesn't make any sense. Unless he's insane, how could he think of challenging Venerable Geumbok's gang? The only way it makes sense is if this bastard has something solid to rely on."
Gwak Ryong heard that opinion too, but did not bother to voice a rebuttal. Adding to the opinion of a common man never turned that man into a great man. Instead of opening his mouth, Gwak Ryong coolly shook his head. When he closed his eyes and opened them again, Docheol's portrait was facing him.
It was exactly the Docheol Gwak Ryong had seen before. A face like a male gisaeng, eyes brimming with greedy intent. And an aggressive, ambitious set to his mouth. Gwak Ryong vividly recalled that image he had dismissed.
[My wish was to be called a great hero.]
He had thought that a bastard without a shred of inner energy was spouting audacious nonsense.
[My dream, so to speak, was for countless people to call me a great hero, cheering for me while I stood on a very high platform. Power and strength. Having it all.]
He had thought that an idiot with no connections to introduce himself and not a single person who knew him was spewing delusional ravings.
But now.
Docheol had become the sect leader of a sect, had become a name known in Shaanxi in his own way. And those called disciples of Mount Hua Sect were spouting the absurd claim that his achievements were impossible and that he must have something solid to rely on—that he was the Hao Sect Leader.
Ridiculous. Gwak Ryong let out a scoff and flipped his hand.
The portrait fluttered like a white flag waving on a battlefield.
"Look for other candidates. In the meantime, I'll go pay this Docheol bastard a visit."
"Huh?"
Doubt filled the junior brother's voice. Gwak Ryong understood the intent behind that voice, which had gulped down a heap of fear.
"If that bastard really is the Hao Sect Leader, I'll record it as your great credit, so don't get so worked up. Are you afraid I might steal your credit?"
"N-No, Senior Martial Brother!"
Gwak Ryong threw open the door and stepped outside. Upon meeting the lofty mountain air, his chest somehow felt more constricted. Talented men had gathered on this majestic mountain draped in a sea of clouds to build Mount Hua—so how was it that people only looked one inch ahead and indulged in such frivolous speech and conduct?
Gwak Ryong faced the peaks for a moment. Then, looking down the mountain path, he slowly moved his feet. He suddenly wanted to meet Docheol.
*******
They narrowed the candidates down to two: the Flying Dragon Sect and the Phoenix Blade Sect. But in the end, nothing had changed. Only the probability of picking the right one had increased; the Hao Sect Leader's location was still not certain. I asked.
"So, which one does the Embroidered Uniform Guard think is the Hao Sect Leader?"
Zhuge Yeong-yu nodded and said.
"At this point, opinion within the Embroidered Uniform Guard is also divided, so I have come to ask the opinion of a great hero with exceptional insight. Currently, they are split fifty-fifty on which side is the Hao Sect Leader."
"What is the basis for thinking it's the Flying Dragon Sect?"
Zhuge Yeong-yu cleared the map and took out one more sheet of paper. Then, after writing the characters for Flying Dragon Sect large on it, he began his explanation.
"The basis for thinking it's the Flying Dragon Sect is that the Flying Dragon Sect has frequent visits from gisaengs and merchants every week, and yet there have been no incidents or accidents. Furthermore, we have a report that the visits from gisaengs and merchants dropped sharply right around the time rumors spread that Mount Hua Sect was looking for the Hao Sect. Crucially, the sect leader had absolutely no trail of activity before founding this sect."
I nodded and then rubbed my chin. Zhuge Yeong-yu wrote a summarized sentence below Flying Dragon Sect.
*The visits of gisaengs and merchants were frequent, but recently the number of people visiting suddenly dropped.
*Compared to the scale of the organization, there are remarkably few incidents or accidents.
*The personal history of the sect leader is unclear.
I asked again.
"Then what is the reason for thinking it's the Phoenix Blade Sect?"
"The Phoenix Blade Sect has similar reasons. Visits by figures for entertainment, including gisaengs, are frequent, yet there are almost no scandals or incidents inside or outside the sect. Moreover, the scale of the organization is not that large, and it does not collect much tax from the surrounding villages, but the internal flow of funds is rather large."
Below Phoenix Blade Sect, these sentences were written.
*Visits by figures for entertainment are frequent.
*There is a suspicious lack of incidents and accidents inside and outside the sect.
*The flow of funds is suspiciously large compared to the scale of the organization.
I pointed at Phoenix Blade Sect and asked.
"So, the visits by figures have not decreased for the Phoenix Blade Sect?"
"That's right. It seems they are not paying much attention to outside rumors. One side argues this is a deception, and the other side argues that it is nonsensical to run a deception given the possibility of being attacked by Mount Hua Sect—that is the situation."
"What are the reasons it might not be the Flying Dragon Sect?"
Zhuge Yeong-yu answered.
"According to what is publicly known, the sect leader injured his leg in a martial contest long ago and has since been completely unable to use movement techniques. In fact, no one has ever seen the sect leader use movement techniques."
I paused, rubbing my chin and sinking into thought. In my mind, I had already reached a conclusion, but organizing it into words was more difficult than drawing the conclusion. Zhuge Yeong-yu looked at me intently and said.
"So, what does the great hero think? Please speak without any burden. I plan to gather the great hero's opinion, then coordinate the internal opinion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard once more before coming to a conclusion. We will not hold the great hero responsible. Do not worry."
I stared at Zhuge Yeong-yu. Zhuge Yeong-yu was looking at me with a smile.
I nodded and said.
"It seems like the Flying Dragon Sect."
Zhuge Yeong-yu unfolded another sheet of paper and asked.
"What is the reason?"
"A man who can found a sect has his own foundation, so how could he have no trail of activity? And if he's someone the Embroidered Uniform Guard can't find any trace of, who the hell would have spread the rumor that he injured his leg in a martial contest? If someone had seen that contest, there would be a trail. It's clearly a deception to make himself look like a pathetic fool."
Zhuge Yeong-yu nodded. He seemed to agree with my opinion.
"That is a reasonable opinion."
Zhuge Yeong-yu wrote down my opinion and smiled with a satisfied expression.
I smiled back at Zhuge Yeong-yu.
*******
And so Zhuge Yeong-yu departed. Even as he left, he expressed gratitude for my having given my opinion. Around the time Zhuge Yeong-yu's figure shrank to a dot beyond the slope, Sannyeo appeared from behind me and asked.
"But if you tell them all that, when are they going to make a preemptive strike on the Hao Sect? That side will strike first now."
I replied.
"It's the Phoenix Blade Sect."
Sannyeo tilted her head.
"Of the two, the Hao Sect is the Phoenix Blade Sect."
Sannyeo asked.
"Why do you think that?"
"Between a second-rate martial artist who scraped and clawed to reverse his life and found a sect, and a Hao Sect Leader who can just change his face and vanish whenever things get suspicious, which bastard is more attached to his sect?"
"The second-rate martial artist, right?"
"Then which son of a bitch would be more desperate to protect his sect, even spreading rumors that he's a crippled moron who can't use movement techniques?"
Sannyeo looked at me and raised the corners of her mouth. She asked.
"So, what's your next plan?"
I stretched and said.
"I'll go have a little talk with the Hao Sect Leader."