Dragon-Phoenix Gathering (2)
Dragon-Phoenix Gathering (2)
"It's been a while, Great Hero."
"Commander, have you been well?"
How many days had passed? As the Dragon Phoenix Gathering drew near, the Zhuge family sent someone. I thought they'd dispatched a servant, but the Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Je Gang appeared in person. He greeted me with an utterly composed expression, yet from the moment I spotted him at the gate, my mind was racing.
Because something felt off.
Was it truly necessary to assign the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to escort me merely to attend the Dragon Phoenix Gathering?
The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard held a high-ranking post. Wherever he went in the Central Plains, he commanded respect, and his abilities were broadly useful. The front courtyard of the Crimson Ring Sect was perhaps the least efficient battlefield on which to deploy an Embroidered Uniform Guard commander's prestige.
They were throwing a key piece into a place like this?
No matter how close the Dragon Phoenix Gathering was, and no matter how quiet Shaanxi currently seemed, wasn't this a waste of manpower?
What were they after?
But there was no need to let my unease show on my face.
He wore a genial smile, but he was still the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He likely already knew I had made contact with the Phoenix Blade Sect, and he would also know that the Phoenix Blade Sect I'd contacted had vanished without a trace, their whereabouts unknown.
If I stiffened my expression now, it would be no different from proving I had something to hide.
"You must be busy, Commander—why come all this way? I feel I'm receiving far too much hospitality for someone so insignificant."
So I had to keep the conversation amiable, pretending nothing was amiss. If I acted before I'd grasped his intentions, I would only confirm his suspicions.
"Not at all. Have you not done your utmost for the stability of the imperial household and the Central Plains? Even this courtesy falls short."
"What do you mean, done my utmost? I couldn't even be of proper help in the operation to root out the Hao Sect Leader. I vowed to always be the ace—I can only regret failing to live up to that. I have no face to show Great Hero Yeong-yu."
"Please don't say that, Great Hero. Your abilities have already been proven through many great undertakings. As they say, a single failure is a common occurrence in war. You need not take it to heart."
Pleasant, hollow words passed between us. We were smiling, but I could see no sincerity in his expression. He likely felt the same. Both of us were smiling like marionettes, hiding our true selves, our eyes busy studying each other.
Two men silently smiling at one another was hardly a pleasant sight. I wanted to end this ominous, awkward silence quickly.
I waved a hand and said,
"Would you at least like some tea?"
Je Gang seemed to feel the same way. He nodded as swiftly as a turtle snapping up food.
"I won't refuse."
"We have a guest—bring us some tea."
At my order, a servant hurried off. Leaving the sound of running footsteps behind, I walked to the guest reception room. It was a room furnished simply, dominated by a large table at its center. Je Gang shut the door with a thud the moment he entered.
Inside the confined space of the room, Je Gang's large build and fierce impression became all the more apparent. Come to think of it, he was still a master whose level I could not yet approach. He was only being cordial because I stood on good terms with Zhuge Yeong-yu.
Just because a man seemed easygoing didn't mean I should treat him lightly.
Especially when facing an opponent whose skill surpassed my own, I had to remain perpetually on guard.
"Please, sit. I'll earn a reputation for poor hospitality if I don't treat you properly."
As soon as Je Gang entered, he fell abruptly silent. He fixed me with a sharp glare, the kind he had masked outside with empty pleasantries, and a heavy, threatening pressure radiated from his body. He was plainly trying to intimidate me.
I knew why he was acting this way.
I also knew why he was making his presence felt so blatantly. He suspected me over the Phoenix Blade Sect affair. The reason he hadn't taken immediate action was that his suspicion was still just that—suspicion—and I still held value for him.
"Why are you staring at me like that? When the commander looks at me with such eyes, it makes me worry I'm suspected of something..."
"Did you make contact with the Hao Sect Leader?"
A direct question flew at me. The servant who had been carefully carrying in tea from outside took one look at the atmosphere in the room, recoiled sharply in alarm, and hurried back out. The bare table, devoid of teacups or refreshments, made the murderous atmosphere feel even colder.
"I don't know what you mean. Who is spreading such slander?"
"Pretending ignorance is pointless. The Embroidered Uniform Guard has already obtained intelligence that Sect Leader Docheol made contact with the Phoenix Blade Sect."
Je Gang said this and struck the table lightly with his fist. He channeled inner energy into it, and the entire room shuddered violently, drawing a short scream from a servant walking in the corridor outside.
"Aigu!"
It sounded like he had tumbled over.
I shrugged and spoke. I must not panic at times like this. Even when delivering prepared words, I must never come across as arrogant. As usual. I had to act as I always did.
"Going to the Phoenix Blade Sect was an unavoidable choice. If you know I went there, you must also know that Gwak Ryong of the Mount Hua Sect stormed into the Crimson Ring Sect. Isn't that so?"
Je Gang nodded. I continued.
In any case, Je Gang couldn't know what Gwak Ryong had done when he stormed in. Even the Embroidered Uniform Guard couldn't know what had passed between Gwak Ryong and me, nor could they deduce the purpose behind my request to accompany him.
"Fortunately, I was able to clear up the misunderstanding with Gwak Ryong, but I lacked information. How could I possibly know how much the Mount Hua Sect knew? I had no idea whom Mount Hua had chosen as their next target, or how much they knew about my relationship with the Zhuge family. What if he came rushing to me in order to reverse-exploit the Zhuge family's intelligence network to locate and ambush a sect? Or what if he meant to make us think they'd taken a wrong step, only to attack the Flying Dragon Sect instead? Commander, can you give a definite answer here? Gwak Ryong is no ordinary man. He's on an entirely different level from me."
Je Gang remained silent. But his eyes were moving rapidly. He seemed to find nothing strange in my words. I pressed on.
"In that situation, I had to make the best choice available."
"The best choice?"
Je Gang echoed. At the hint of curiosity in his question, I smiled.
"To go to the Phoenix Blade Sect. That was the best move I could devise. Since we had decided to target the Flying Dragon Sect, I went to the Phoenix Blade Sect instead, to disrupt any contingencies they might have planned. If my movements struck them as suspicious and they attacked the Phoenix Blade Sect, that would be a gain. Even if they didn't think to check behind me, the action itself served as insurance."
Gwak Ryong's appearance was excuse enough. Je Gang had no personal acquaintance with Gwak Ryong, and he had no idea what conversation had taken place between him and me. He had no choice but to believe what I said.
"The fact that the Phoenix Blade Sect turned out to be the Hao Sect was merely a coincidence. I placed too much trust in my own judgment and mistook the wrong place for the Hao Sect."
But in his heart, Je Gang probably didn't buy the excuse I was peddling. It sounded plausible on the surface, but at the same time, it didn't fully make sense.
Up until now, Docheol of the Crimson Ring Sect had played everyone like a fiddle, yet this time he made a single mistake. Between the Flying Dragon Sect and the Phoenix Blade Sect, he instructed the Zhuge family to strike the Flying Dragon Sect, while he himself, as a feint, ran off to the Phoenix Blade Sect.
And yet that Phoenix Blade Sect turned out to be the Hao Sect.
Of all things, in this situation, he makes such a blunder? He boldly trots out this 'mistake' of feeding them the opposite target?
It didn't add up.
But Je Gang had no proof. No matter how hard he glared at me with suspicion, he couldn't manufacture a justification to act. After the Zhuge family's raid, the accepted narrative was that the Hao Sect had left Shaanxi, and the rumors of the Heavenly Demon's treasure had vanished into thin air.
I had made a 'mistake,' but in the end, Mount Hua had not achieved their objective, and the Hao Sect had disappeared from Shaanxi. Moreover, there was no sign of the Heavenly Demon stirring. And, outwardly, I had gained nothing either.
What the Zhuge family and the imperial household wanted had also been accomplished.
In a situation where everything was proceeding without any real loss, what possible grounds could Je Gang use to move against me?
After a long deliberation, Je Gang opened his mouth.
"....Is that so. It seems I was mistaken."
His expression betrayed no sign of being convinced. He was still smiling, but I knew that smile was far from innocent.
"I'm simply glad we could clear up the misunderstanding. There's nothing more painful than having one's intentions doubted."
"I should have investigated more thoroughly before raising the matter. I apologize."
Laughter filled the room. The conversation concluded with the Embroidered Uniform Guard commander's polite apology. I was pleased to have cleared up the misunderstanding, and Je Gang would investigate more carefully in the future before broaching such subjects again.
It was a favorable outcome for everyone.
We exchanged glances and nodded repeatedly.
And I changed the subject.
"On another note, I'm thinking of bringing my wife to the Dragon Phoenix Gathering. If there isn't space in the carriage or anything..."
"Not at all. There's plenty of room for her."
As the saying goes, it's better to be a servant in a noble's household.