Dragon-Phoenix Gathering (18)
Dragon-Phoenix Gathering (18)
"Euh-heu-heu-heu...."
The man's sobbing died away, and silence descended.
Those seated at the high table, including Hwang Ryong-seong, were studying me as if appraising my worth, but the first-rate fighters among them had stilled like dolls, their eyes round and wide.
"Ho, Docheol Sect Leader of the Crimson Ring Sect has won!"
It was the referee who broke the silence. The man, who had stood there utterly spellbound and forgotten his duty, finally lowered his hand and announced my victory.
"Magnificent!"
"That was a fine spectacle!"
"A tremendous match!"
I picked up the axe from where it was embedded in the floor and acknowledged the applause raining from all directions. I spun around like a circus performer finishing an act, and by the time I returned to the banquet seats, the look in the bastards' eyes had changed.
Some of those in the first-rate seats looked at me with open displeasure, while those at the high table either studied me intently or whispered into Hwang Ryong-seong's ear. Hwang Ryong-seong had abandoned his earlier playful expression and was staring at me.
It was the look of a military officer trying to ferret out a Byeon Jang-han spy.
He furrowed his brow, rubbed his chin, and thrust his head forward.
I was now standing at a crossroads. How would he evaluate me, having beaten his low-ranking member?
Would he see me as a bastard who had impudently smeared the face of the Eight Trigrams Association?
Or would he view me as a gem who could easily claim a seat among the Eight Trigrams Association's lower ranks, one with extensive connections?
"I heard you promised to marry someone from the Taiji Sect, but I did not know you had learned Taijiquan."
His first words were a comment on the sparring. It was an unexpected remark, so I nodded a beat late and answered.
"Isn't the martial world a place where one cannot live on a single skill? I understand that you, Great Hero Hwang Ryong-seong, have also learned Drunken Fist."
Hwang Ryong-seong replied.
"True. But your axe technique, Great Hero, seems far too lacking to put forward while concealing Taijiquan. It is sturdy enough for your inner energy, but it cannot generate truly powerful force. Its movements are simple and easy to pick up, and its trajectories are crudely straightforward—much like the martial arts favored by the Green Forest bandits. You might fool greenhorns with no real combat experience, but you cannot fool experts like me."
His intuition was sharper than I had expected. When he even brought up the Green Forest bandits as the origin of my martial arts, I felt my shoulders prickle. They said he ranked among the best even among peak masters, and indeed, he had analyzed my martial arts in that brief glance and even pinpointed the type of men who would favor such techniques.
I had taken him for a talent-rich, ignorant brute who could not even write properly, but he had a remarkable eye for observing and analyzing martial arts.
"But to put it another way, does that not mean you have survived this harsh world with nothing but an axe? Impressive. I see you in a new light."
Hwang Ryong-seong, having seen through the level of my axe skills, unexpectedly praised me. Hearing praise from the mouth of a man I would have to eliminate for the future of the martial world and myself felt strange.
And it also meant that he had acknowledged me.
Hwang Ryong-seong held out a wine cup.
"Take a cup."
Wine sloshed in the cup. I accepted it and said.
"I will drink gladly."
The cup obscured his face, but I heard his voice.
"It would be good to meet again sometime soon. I will send someone to your quarters later."
I had succeeded in establishing contact with him.
Though it was an unexpected situation.
********
"That was reckless. Even if the Eight Trigrams Association wages a war of public opinion, there is no way they can push the Zhuge Family out of Hubei Province."
The day after the banquet, Zhuge Yeong-yu was angry, which was rare. His displeasure was plain to see, and his fingers tapped the table, betraying his impatience. I could understand his feelings. When I am playing chess, if the pieces do not move as I want, how frustrating would that be?
Moreover, we were on the verge of a critical matter that concerned the rise and fall of the martial world and the imperial household. One impulsive action from me could topple the Hundred-Year Grand Plan.
"I know what you are worried about, but I was born a martial artist. How could I avoid a challenge that was thrown at me?"
"If it was a trap, you would have fallen right into it."
"If they schemed against me by having a low-level Eight Trigram member insult the direct disciple of the Yang Family Taiji Sect, I had no choice but to fall for it. What else could I do? If I had not fought, I could have gotten through that moment safely, but it would have been difficult to prove my worth to Hwang Ryong-seong. After all, to those thug bastards, is not the most important value how well you fight?"
In the martial world, connections mattered too. One's quality of life in the martial world varied according to the strength of one's ties. Anyone with a little leeway naturally wanted to gain even higher-class connections. Fighting this time was partly to pass judgment on the Eight Trigram member who had mocked Hong Ye, but it was also to show Hwang Ryong-seong that I was a connection of a higher order than he might have suspected.
"That is true, but...."
Zhuge Yeong-yu trailed off, his face crumpling. He seemed to accept I was right but still wanted to criticize my actions. I smiled at him and said.
"Great Hero, why are you so worried? If it had truly looked dangerous, I would have fled by any means. Do you really think I would act recklessly while carrying the weight of the Hundred-Year Grand Plan of the Great Hero and the imperial household?"
"...No, that is not it."
Zhuge Yeong-yu averted his eyes. It seemed he had thought that inwardly. I changed the subject. Playing word games about who was worried and who was not was even more pointless.
"By the way, how did my second wife and Miss Im Seo-ryeon react?"
They were the two I had been most concerned about in this incident. Hong Ye had friction with that Eight Trigram member, and Im Seo-ryeon did not seem to like the Eight Trigrams Association at all. So when they heard I had attended a banquet to build ties with the Eight Trigrams Association, they must have been very surprised.
I had left the explanation to Yeong-yu, but if they were not convinced, I was willing to meet them in person and explain again.
"Both gave similar answers. They said they trust what the Great Hero does."
Yeong-yu's expression as he delivered the news held a hint of displeasure, for some reason. Was it lingering resentment from our earlier conversation? Though I always called him Great Hero, he had many unmanly traits.
For example, that hand.
It was far too soft and small to be the hand of a man learning martial arts.
"Of course, they are my wife and the woman who will become my wife. Still, I am happy."
Even as I tried to act composed, I could not hide the corners of my mouth lifting. It was such a pleasant thing, knowing my people trusted me.
"...Envious."
Zhuge Yeong-yu said that. Then he wiggled his fingers, laced them together, and looked at the ceiling.
"So where did you arrange to meet Hwang Ryong-seong?"
"We did not decide on a place. He said he would send word to my lodgings, so I will find out later."
Seeing my carefree demeanor, Zhuge Yeong-yu lowered his voice.
"Great Hero, do not be too careless. This could also be a trap. It is hard to kill a martial artist in the middle of Hubei Province, but easy to do in a secluded alley."
"I will keep that in mind."
But the likelihood that Hwang Ryong-seong would try to kill me was low. Even with the Murim Alliance's backing, Hwang Ryong-seong was neither the Murim Alliance Leader nor the head of an assassin group. If he could kill a well-connected sect leader without any repercussions, he would have swallowed up the Murim Alliance Leader long ago.
Zhuge Yeong-yu slumped over the desk and said.
"If a proper point of contact has been made with Hwang Ryong-seong, try to get as close to him as possible. In the meantime, I will gather as much private information as I can through the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
"What do you mean by private information?"
Zhuge Yeong-yu nodded and said.
"Literally private information. The sort of things the Eight Trigrams Association members like. What kind of women they favor. What food they enjoy, what hobbies they have. What the internal dynamics of the Eight Trigrams Association are like. Things like that."
Private information and closeness to Hwang Ryong-seong.
Putting these two clues together, a fairly plausible picture began to emerge.
"You intend to create internal conflict within the Eight Trigrams Association."
Zhuge Yeong-yu smiled contentedly. It was the face of a teacher looking at a student who had given a perfect answer.
"Yes. When the inside gets noisy, security naturally loosens. Up until now, all that was known externally about the Eight Trigrams Association was that someone was supporting them with a large sum of money, and that their leader Hwang Ryong-seong was a mysterious master who suddenly appeared. Through this opportunity, we will uncover the true nature of the Eight Trigrams Association and destroy them completely."
"A classic tale. A master of unknown identity suddenly appearing."
"He himself said he trained under a hermit master."
I laughed at that. A hermit master was far too convenient an excuse.
One day, Hwang Ryong-seong suddenly appeared in Hubei Province, boasted his martial arts, and began gathering forces. He claimed he had just descended after receiving guidance from a hermit master, and gathered like-minded youths to form the Eight Trigrams Association.
The Eight Trigrams Association created by Hwang Ryong-seong rapidly rose to become the most prominent group of young martial artists in Hubei Province, and received full support from the Murim Alliance.
On this great current, which felt strange upon even a little reflection, Hwang Ryong-seong and the Eight Trigrams Association were sailing smoothly.
The current was far too calm.
Now it was time to capsize the boat.