Hongryun Sect (3)
Hongryun Sect (3)
"Who are you? You don't look like you're from the sect."
She was looking at me with wary eyes, but she didn't cry out. That was because she understood, to some degree, what a murim practitioner was. The futile flailing of an ordinary person who hadn't learned martial arts was meaningless. In the moment she drew breath to scream, I would have clamped her mouth shut, dragged her back into the room by force, and then attempted conversation again.
She was the woman abused by the Crimson Ring Sect's sect leader.
The helplessness ingrained by a murim practitioner was giving us an opportunity to talk.
"The Crimson Ring Sect Leader's daughter. Right?"
She nodded. Even with food in front of her, her eyes were fixed on me. Sannyeo was watching how I handled things from the shadows, and the woman once again threw a question at me.
"....What is it you want?"
"I heard rumors that the Crimson Ring Sect Leader is an animalistic son of a bitch, so I've come to pass judgment in heaven's place."
I pointed a finger at the axe at my waist. The sect leader's daughter looked at the weapon I showed her, blinked, and steadied her breathing. Then, clutching the hem of her clothes tightly with her fingers, she spoke.
".....Father isn't here. He went far away, and it will take a month at least for him to return. You've come at the wrong time, so please leave."
"I know."
Doubt colored the woman's face. She didn't open her mouth, but the question 'Then why?' must have lingered on her lips. I nodded and took a step closer. As I approached, staring right at her, the woman grew restless and fidgety.
I bent down in front of her. Sitting down in place and looking up at her, I said this.
"Knowing that, I came here to make a deal with you."
A deal staked on the Crimson Ring Sect Leader's head.
A man who had come to judge the sect leader—the one who had severed her leg tendons and didn't even treat her as a proper daughter.
The woman's eyes wavered.
"....What is it you want?"
******
The atmosphere of the sect was boisterous. They were simply heating up, as if unable to even guess that a deal staked on the sect leader's life was being brokered here tonight. I crouched down, slouching, and spoke to the woman.
"You'd like it if your father died, right?"
She didn't answer. She only frowned and scrutinized my behavior. But since she showed no sign of refusal despite the subject being an act of unspeakable filial impiety, her answer was as good as spoken. I continued talking while looking at the wall.
"He's racked up grudges from all the merchants around here, and all the villagers curse the Crimson Ring Sect Leader, hoping he dies. And he's a fellow with a bizarre obsession with his daughter, so he cut your ankle tendons and made you a cripple. A real piece of shit. No one would blame you if you said you wanted to kill him."
When I gestured with my chin toward her ankle as I said that, the woman lowered the hem of her skirt and hid her ankle, like someone whose weak point had been struck. Then she glared at me and said.
"....So what?"
An account book was placed on the desk. The taxes collected from this village and all the money earned from fleecing the merchants until now were all recorded by her. I faintly inhaled the lingering scent of ink through my nose and said.
"I'd also like it if your father died. And then, I'm going to swallow this Crimson Ring Sect whole."
The woman was waiting for me to continue. She tried to stay silent and feign composure, but she couldn't stop her lips from trembling.
"To do that, I need your help. And... helping me will turn out to be a pretty decent thing for you too."
The woman furrowed her brow and said.
"....To me, why... how would that be decent? What reason do I have to trust you?"
"If you don't help me and keep living like this, do good days ever find you?"
The woman shut her mouth. She then avoided my gaze and made a defiant expression. Her pride wouldn't permit her to answer 'Yes, that's right,' but it was obvious that her life was never going to improve. Outside, rumors were already rampant that the sect leader didn't treat his daughter as a human being, so what kind of treatment could she actually be receiving?
And how much more abuse and humiliation would she endure going forward?
"Even the neighborhood dogs know that the sect leader treats his daughter like a bookkeeping slave. Do you really have something to trust in?"
Her face twisted. She clutched her hair tightly with her fingers, bowed her head, and ground her teeth. With her lips slightly jutting out, she glared at me for a moment, then caught her breath and said.
".....Even so, I'm not stupid enough to help a scoundrel like you."
I didn't refute her. Instead, I brought up a different topic.
"The Crimson Ring Sect wasn't built by the Sect Leader alone. There's a higher authority above it. Even if the Sect Leader dies, I can't just devour the sect. I absolutely need a rock-solid justification that no one above can dispute."
The woman was huddled up, but she was listening carefully to my words. She had leaned away as if trying to avoid me, but because she was pricking up her ears, her posture seemed a little closer than before. I extended my hand to her.
The woman drew back further, swallowing her breath like a wild beast. Not chasing after her, I kept my hand extended and said.
"You are that justification. As the Sect Leader's daughter, the person who marries you can become the rightful owner of the sect."
The woman seemed unable to understand my words. Cocking her head while huddled up, she blinked and tried hard to grasp what I said. Then, her face flushed red, and she leaned forward, raising her voice.
"What...! Mph...!"
I quickly rolled my body and lunged at her. Before she could properly scream, I clamped her mouth shut and rolled with her into the room. The bedding and piles of books muffled the sound of us rolling on the floor, and the people outside were still lost in their boisterous revelry.
"Who is the number one of the martial world!"
"The Crimson Ring Sect! Wuhahahaha!"
The sound of drinking echoed faintly, like the cries of mountain birds.
The night air was cool, and the room smelled of old paper.
The woman was squirming in my arms, but it was impossible for her to break my grip. An ordinary woman might be able to kick her way free, but her legs were unusable.
When I subtly nodded my head, Sannyeo, who was outside, moved into the shadows and slowly closed the door to the room.
The door slid shut before her eyes.
After thrashing a few times, she realized resistance was futile and let the strength drain from her body.
Holding her as if cradling a doll, I brushed her hair back once and said in a low voice.
"If you don't scream, I'll uncover your mouth. We still have things to talk about."
She nodded. Her chest, which had been softly rising, moved rapidly for a moment, but soon calmed and settled into a slow breathing rhythm. When I released my hand, she gulped air and said in a low voice.
"...Marriage, what are you talking about?"
"If I were just some thief aiming for money, I'd hold an axe to your throat and just find the storehouse, and that'd be it. If I were someone with a grudge, I'd just set the sect on fire and be done with it."
I continued my words.
"I need this sect's buildings and influence. You, while writing the account books for this sect, understand the flow of money and know what kind of deals have been made so far. And regardless of how the Sect Leader treats you, you are this sect's one and only legitimate heir."
The woman was blinking. She was understanding the intent of my words. I spoke.
"What I'm saying is, if you help me take over the sect, your life will improve from what it is now. I promise to let you escape the days of being treated like nothing and let you play the role of the sect's mistress."
Then I seized her by the side. As I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close, she unconsciously stiffened. Like a goat that faints from a sudden shock, she failed to react to my sudden action.
"I get that you can't trust me, but are you really going to live like this?"
I held her tightly against me and spoke in a low voice. The woman's face flushed hot, and her hands struggled to push me away. But the force was so feeble it could be ignored.
I asked.
"Do you really want nothing at all to happen?"
"Th, that's..."
The woman couldn't answer.
Pale skin that hadn't seen much sunlight.
Moist black eyes.
Her gaze was wavering, but I let my hands drop and put distance between us.
"Oh..."
The sect leader's daughter looked surprised when I pulled away again. I dusted off my hands, and the door opened as if she had been waiting. I exited the door walking backwards and said.
"I'll come again tomorrow night. Think it over carefully."
She had no veto power.
I slipped out very slowly; she couldn't bring herself to take a firm stand against me.
A single word, 'No,' would have sufficed to express her will, but she merely kept her mouth firmly shut and sat there with a troubled expression, rubbing her knees.
Even just that seemed to let me know what choice she would make.
"See you tomorrow."
Naturally, no farewell greeting of 'Go safely' was heard.