Eight Corners Society (7)

Even with the information I'd gathered on Eun Ho-seol, I had to move cautiously. Believing you've seized crucial intelligence and then acting rashly is like a fish swallowing the bait—you throw yourself straight into the jaws of death.

For now, I needed time—time for the watching eyes to dwindle, and time to prove my worth as I learned the Heavenly Dragon Axe Technique.

Fortunately, with tournament bouts, fierce battles, and incidents breaking out constantly, no one paid attention to the sect leader of a minor sect who hadn't even entered the Dragon Phoenix Gathering. Hong Ye and Im Seo-ryeon had both departed on long training journeys, and in their absence, I quietly sank deeper into the interior of Hubei Province.

"No. That's not right. It says to tilt the arm farther to the side. Put more strength into the shoulder, and swing as if snatching a bird in flight."

"Like this?"

"That's it. But you're using too much force—your body lurched forward."

In Hubei Province, my daily routine was racking my brains with Zhuge Yeong-yu to learn the Heavenly Dragon Axe Technique. I'd rented a small house with a courtyard on the outskirts and threw myself into training with passion. But since both of us were encountering the Heavenly Dragon Axe Technique for the first time, we spent most of our time scratching our heads and bickering.

"So, if I do it like this, does it work?"

"That's a bit better. If you put force into your back heel to balance it, it should be perfect."

"This is difficult. It'd be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wonderful to learn a martial art where sword qi just pours out the moment you swing an axe."

As I grumbled while tucking my axe back into my waist, Zhuge Yeong-yu chuckled.

"Where would you find such a martial art? The law can't even govern the human heart, so how could you expect to learn martial arts that defy the world's principles so easily?"

"I've always lived with that kind of mindset. If I have the choice, I prefer to find the easiest path and move along it."

"And this business of laying your wicked hands on Hwang Ryong-seong's wife—is that the same kind of thinking?"

"'Laying wicked hands' is a poor choice of words. Call it currying favor. It's the easiest path I can take."

At my words, Zhuge Yeong-yu tilted his head. Seon-go, watching our practice from a short distance, was yawning and nodding off in the sunlight. Zhuge Yeong-yu glanced at her for a moment, then asked me.

"But, wouldn't an ordinary man be wary if another man approached his wife? No matter how much Hwang Ryong-seong pretends to be magnanimous on the outside, if you make a clumsy pass at her, you'll definitely face a fierce backlash."

It was a valid concern. Hwang Ryong-seong was a man who valued his own dignity heavily. He was the type who treated his wife like an object, but the more a man is like that, the less he can forgive others for touching his 'property.' He had no intention of cherishing it himself, but he was even less forgiving of someone else treasuring it.

There were surprisingly many men like that.

"Do you think I'll be clumsy? That's why I asked you, great hero, to gather all information on Eun Ho-seol's close associates, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her past history, and all those trivial details. The more you know, the more the easy path becomes visible."

Where I pointed my finger, the intelligence gathered by Zhuge Yeong-yu's informants and the Embroidered Uniform Guard was bound together in book form. There was quite a lot of usable content inside.

Eun Ho-seol and Hwang Ryong-seong presented themselves to the world as a couple with a bond as strong as glue, but in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠truth, Hwang Ryong-seong regarded Eun Ho-seol—whose Central Plains speech was poor—as a useful chess piece rather than a wife, and even controlled her outings. Far more often than affectionate moments, witnesses saw him unilaterally tormenting her and handling her like a toy. It was said they used separate bedrooms and apparently had no conjugal relations, either.

"Is Hwang Ryong-seong impotent? With such a pretty wife, he doesn't even share a bedroom?"

It was something I couldn't understand. He lived with a blonde, blue-eyed beauty right at his side and suppressed his sexual desires? Zhuge Yeong-yu seemed slightly put off by my brazen language, but nodded and answered.

"The Eight Trigrams Association is admittedly an organization with many issues regarding entertainment and pleasure, but I heard Hwang Ryong-seong himself is surprisingly not a lustful sort by nature. It seems he has something resembling his own personal creed."

"Has he mastered some Celibate Cultivation Art or something?"

"That doesn't seem to be the case. I've heard he often tells stories at Eight Trigrams Association drinking parties about sharing the pleasures of cloud and rain with women."

Since he'd even told me to my face that his wife was pretty, his tastes weren't strange, either. Yet he wasn't impotent, nor had he mastered a Celibate Cultivation Art. He was an utterly incomprehensible bastard. I closed the book and spoke.

"We don't need to figure out why the bastard can't have sex, do we? In any case, now that I know he neglects his wife, I plan to start the operation in earnest. I'll curry favor with his wife, Eun Ho-seol, and make her an internal informant."

"You intend to go right to the lake?"

I shook my head. At a time like this, you must not go straight to the lake. I needed to establish my presence a bit more in Eun Ho-seol's heart before appearing.

"The lake is a place Eun Ho-seol considers her emotional refuge. An affair, on the other hand, is an utterly exhausting and nerve-wracking act that goes against heavenly ethics. If I suddenly show up and try to win her favor, Eun Ho-seol would essentially lose her place of rest. If you bring up exhausting matters in a place of rest, irritation comes first. You must not do that."

Seon-go had woken from her nap and was looking our way. Her eyes sparkled brightly, and she sat up straight, nodding every time I spoke.

"You have to think of the story in reverse. You shouldn't make her think there's a man making passes at her at the lake. You have to make her think that meeting me at the lake allows her to rest even more comfortably."

Zhuge Yeong-yu wore a puzzled expression, seeming not to understand what I was saying. I had no intention of explaining further.

"First, we'll need to prepare a gift. I'd like you to purchase something like an item brought from the North Sea Ice Palace."

Don't they say seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times? Even if he didn't understand now, if he kept watching the progress, he'd definitely understand eventually. Seon-go spoke with an expression full of zeal.

"Docheol, isn't there anything I can help with?"

"Of course there is."

Naturally, Seon-go was scheduled to take on a very important task in this operation.

******

A few days later, the winner of the Dragon Phoenix Gathering was decided: Hwang Ryong-seong, who had shattered his opponent with overwhelming skill. His opponent, a martial artist of considerable caliber, lay sprawled on the ground, gasping ragged breaths, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠while Hwang Ryong-seong returned in triumph, coiling dragon marks left upon the floor.

It was an opportune time for people to offer their congratulations, and I too used this as a pretext to bring the gifts Zhuge Yeong-yu had procured and visit Hwang Ryong-seong's residence.

"Congratulations! Great hero!"

"Aigo, I believed in you all along! Heoheoheo!"

Greedy people gathered in a tacky mansion, and a clamor like a pigsty rang out. The drinking party, studded with golden hues everywhere, emitted a bizarre aroma as the smells of food and liquor intermingled.

"Oh oh! Great hero!"

In the midst of the banquet, Hwang Ryong-seong, who'd already downed several cups of liquor, greeted me with an extremely pleased expression. He waved his arms like a moth from his chair, and that gesture alone drew everyone's eyes toward me. The bastard I'd beaten up last time was crumpled in a corner, while those in the Eight Trigrams Association's upper seats cast favorable glances my way.

As it was a feast, his wife sat beside Hwang Ryong-seong like an ornament, her face scrunched up in a frown.

Everyone chattered boisterously about the future with hearty laughter, but Eun Ho-seol kept her face scrunched up, even though Hwang Ryong-seong had won the tournament. Hwang Ryong-seong noticed his wife's expression and lightly smacked her flank, and only then did Eun Ho-seol manage to force a stiff smile.

Only after that did Hwang Ryong-seong speak to me.

"It's been a while, great hero. What have you been up to that you haven't shown yourself?"

He pretended to be disappointed at my absence while simultaneously gauging the value of the gift I'd brought. The way his eyes darted about was the very picture of a greedy nouveau riche, and I felt the corners of my lips twitch.

This son of a bitch had high martial arts and lots of money, so why was he so overflowing with material greed?

He wasn't even a fucking beggar.

"I was utterly absorbed in practicing the Heavenly Dragon Axe Technique you passed on to me, great hero. Anyway, congratulations on winning the Dragon Phoenix Gathering. The Murim Alliance leader also seized the entire martial world starting from his victory at the Dragon Phoenix Gathering and rose to the position of Alliance leader. Isn't this victory proof that you, Hwang Ryong-seong the great hero, will one day become the master of this martial world?"

As soon as I finished speaking, everyone around him clapped their hands or sent up cheers.

"Euhahaha! The Crimson Ring Sect's sect leader speaks so well!"

"That's right! That's right! Won't our Hwang Ryong-seong the great hero be the next Alliance leader to lead the martial world?"

Hwang Ryong-seong looked around as well, shrugging his shoulders, and then pointed at the gifts again and asked.

"Euhahahaha! I'm grateful for your kind words. But, what are the items inside this box?"

Hwang Ryong-seong was examining the contents this way and that.

"What you're holding right now is a decorative piece carved from jade into the shape of a cabbage, and the one beside it is an ornament crafted by an artisan who came over from the North Sea Ice Palace. Its appearance is unique, so I bought it as a gift."

At the words "North Sea Ice Palace," Hwang Ryong-seong's eyebrows went up.

"Ah ah, the North Sea Ice Palace. So they know how to make items like this over there too."

And Eun Ho-seol, who'd had no interest in the feast, also turned her gaze toward that ornament.

She blinked as she looked at the ornament, then looked back at me.

Those blue eyes stared at me as if piercing right through me, then she picked up the liquor again and poured a cup for Hwang Ryong-seong.