Yellow Dragon Castle (6)
Yellow Dragon Castle (6)
Even after the meeting with Zhuge Yeong-yu ended, there was still plenty left to do. When I returned to the Dongga Lake residence, a man in a bamboo hat was waiting for me. He sat in the shade of a tree, puffing on a tobacco pipe and blowing smoke, a fierce gleam in his eyes piercing through the gaps in his worn hat.
"It's been a while."
"It certainly has. Have you been well?"
It was the Hao Sect Leader. He sat in his chair, looking as if he had been waiting expressly for my arrival. He put away his pipe and spoke.
"The men who infiltrated the Beggars' Sect have finished adapting. They've blended in perfectly, made friends inside, and I hear some have already climbed to fairly decent positions. Whatever the plan is, they'll back it from the inside the moment you give the word."
"There's something else I need you to prepare for me."
"If it's a job that requires a lot of manpower, it'll take some time."
I shook my head at the Hao Sect Leader's words, then said:
"It's nothing that difficult. Find me a few renowned gisaeng from Hubei Province—the fancier, the better. And it would be nice to have some sleeping draughts."
Hearing me out, the Hao Sect Leader seemed to mull it over. He rubbed his chin in thought, then looked at me and said:
"You're going to dose Hwang Ryong-seong with it? That sounds dangerous. If you get caught, it won't just be the gisaeng—an entire brothel could go up in flames. And what if someone inside sabotages the plan while it's happening?"
"There's someone on the inside who'll help. And I'll stage an incident that'll make the bastard want to drink himself under the table, so don't you worry."
The person on the inside who would cooperate was, naturally, Eun Ho-seol. As soon he agreed to help, I planned to pass word to her and set the operation in motion. But the Hao Sect Leader hesitated. You could chalk it up to the caution of an information broker—but in a situation like this, it just came across as maddening.
I said to him:
"Didn't you want to deal a blow to those Beggars' Sect bastards? What exactly were you hoping to gain without putting anything on the line?"
At my words, the Hao sect leader lowered his head. The silence stretched on, and finally an answer burst out with a sigh.
"You're right about that. You're absolutely right. I'll procure them as fast as I can."
With that, all preparations were complete.
I'd had a secret talk with Eun Ho-seol during a stroll at Dongga Lake and secured her cooperation, and Zhuge Yeong-yu had finished his meticulous work tying the Beggars' Sect to the Eight Trigrams Association. Hwang Ryong-seong was, as usual, flaunting his wealth at a lavish drinking party today, and the law-enforcers of the Beggars' Sect were converging on Hubei Province from all directions, money-pouches in hand.
Now the planning stage was over.
All that remained was to wait for the Beggars' Sect's Fund Collection Day to arrive.
******
Early morning.
Members of the Zhuge Family and the Embroidered Uniform Guard scattered and made contact with the law-enforcers arriving from various regions. The law-enforcers they contacted in advance could only ask in disbelief:
"What? You're saying the money we contributed is ending up in Hwang Ryong-seong's pocket? I can't believe it."
"That's not what the money was given for; it doesn't make sense. I'm not exactly close with the Sect Leader, but I know he's not that kind of man."
"Do you have proof? I can't believe it until I see proof."
For those who remained skeptical, Zhuge Yeong-yu offered a simple solution: see it with their own eyes.
"I'll show you proof. Follow me."
The Beggars' Sect law-enforcers first left Hubei Province, changed into the disguise outfits they'd been given, and then returned. This was because the elder only began to move after confirming that the regional law-enforcers had left Hubei.
Since the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Zhuge Yeong-yu already had a firm grasp on the money-laundering route, the law-enforcers quickly caught up to the carts loaded with the money they'd contributed. Given the large sums collected from each region, most law-enforcers had arranged separate carts or boxes for transport.
Even if the cart driver wore a disguise and covered the cart with a cloth, no law-enforcer would fail to recognize his own boxes or cart. And the carts, naturally, headed toward the Murim Alliance, as if nothing were amiss.
"Why is all the money going straight to the Murim Alliance?"
"The money we pay to the Sect Leader isn't meant to fill the bellies of martial world warriors, is it?"
The money paid up to the Beggars' Sect was union fees. It was meant to manage the Beggars' Sect members, provide medical care when their families got tangled up in lawsuits or fell ill, and to feed and shelter those who were destitute. None of the law-enforcers gathered here had known that this money was heading directly to the Murim Alliance.
But it didn't end there.
The cart that went to the Murim Alliance promptly joined a merchant guild procession waiting inside. Smoothly, the cart slipped in at the tail end as if it had always belonged there, and the merchant immediately went to the market and began buying goods. He casually bought up expensive items—carpets from the Western Regions, jewels, ornaments—and paid with the union fees that the Beggars' Sect law-enforcers had scraped together.
"...For crying out loud."
At this point, one of the law-enforcers gnashed his teeth and spat out a curse. Another law-enforcer had fetched a bottle of liquor from somewhere and started guzzling it down, while yet another buried his face in his hands with a deep sigh. The merchant, who had been spending recklessly until roughly half the money on the cart was gone, shoved the purchased goods off to one side.
And the cart leisurely rolled its way toward Hwang Ryong-seong's residence.
The law-enforcers were speechless at the blatant corruption unfolding before their eyes.
"The merchant who just bought those goods frequently does business with Hwang Ryong-seong. He's known for trading in expensive items, and now the source of that money has just been revealed, hasn't it?"
Zhuge Yeong-yu turned to the law-enforcers, whose jaws had dropped, and asked:
"So, what are you going to do now?"
*****
That evening.
Hwang Ryong-seong was holding yet another banquet.
Whenever new goods arrived, purchased with the illicit backdoor money, Hwang Ryong-seong loved to pick out the most boast-worthy item and flaunt it at his banquets. Today's display included a rare carpet from the Western Regions, dazzling jewels, and a gold-gilt incense burner.
"Well, well, thank you all for coming again today! Wahahahaha! Some precious items just arrived, and I simply had to show them off to you all!"
So declared Hwang Ryong-seong, casting a sweeping glance around him. Among the gathered crowd, there were many familiar faces but also quite a few martial world folks he was meeting for the first time. It was a common occurrence. As his power grew, new martial artists constantly appeared at Hwang Ryong-seong's residence.
This time, too, he figured they were just martial artists from some nameless sect, here as usual.
"Here, here! Take a look at this incense burner I've newly acquired! It's adorned with gold, quite splendid—!"
Grinning from ear to ear, Hwang Ryong-seong showed off the incense burner he had "personally" purchased, bragging about it. Naturally, the person who had actually bought this incense burner was a merchant the Murim Alliance had planted for money-laundering purposes, and the funds came from the union fees the Beggars' Sect law-enforcers had paid.
The Eight Trigrams Association members roared with enthusiastic cheers at the sight, and the martial artists eager to curry favor with Hwang Ryong-seong raised their hands eagerly, singing its praises until their throats were dry.
Zhuge Yeong-yu and Docheol had taken seats off to the side, leisurely observing the situation unfold. Docheol chatted with other Eight Trigrams Association members, while Zhuge Yeong-yu, a small bag and a bundle of papers beside him, sat sipping tea with the aloof composure of a clerk.
The martial artists who felt uneasy at this blatant flaunting of wealth stole glances at one another. They were clearly bewildered by the frivolity and vulgarity displayed by the renowned Hwang Ryong-seong.
And the Beggars' Sect law-enforcers in the corner, having forgotten they were even disguised, were trembling with rage. The very goods the merchant had bought at the market were being paraded with pride by Hwang Ryong-seong.
Their faces were so twisted that nearby martial artists sensed something was wrong, and some were clenching their fists and grinding their teeth, looking ready to lunge forward at any moment.
His expression betraying nothing, Hwang Ryong-seong brought out the next piece.
"And now, look at this! A carpet imported from the Western Regions..."
The moment he waved around the very carpet they had seen at the market,
the Beggars' Sect law-enforcer with the fiercest temper could no longer hold back and shouted.
"Chu Du-pal, you goddamn son of a bitch! You're draining the Beggars' Sect of its money and stuffing it all into your own pig belly!"
The moment that roar erupted, the Eight Trigrams Association members, the rubes who hadn't known what to do with themselves at this feast of wealth, and those who'd been cheering to get on Hwang Ryong-seong's good side—all of them froze. Hwang Ryong-seong's face hardened as he stared at the law-enforcer who had yelled, and the Beggars' Sect law-enforcer hurled the hat he was wearing to the ground and raised his voice even higher.
"I am the law-enforcer from Shandong Province! Disciplinary Master Gae! That bastard is not Hwang Ryong-seong! He is Chu Du-pal, the son of the Beggars' Sect Leader! All that talk about leading a new martial world is a lie! He's nothing but a swindler who's sucked our lifeblood dry to fatten his own belly!"
Hwang Ryong-seong's face drained of color. He struggled to keep his composure, but his trembling hands betrayed him. With great effort, he opened his mouth to speak.
"...I am not Chu Du-pal. I have no connection to the B-Beggars' Sect."
"Don't give me that bullshit! We saw with our own eyes how he skims the union fees we pay to the Beggars' Sect to line his own pockets!"
"That's right! We saw it!"
"We saw the money being taken from the cart the elder brought and splashed around at the market, I tell you!"
Even a beggar, if he's neatly dressed, gains some credibility. A law-enforcer of the Beggars' Sect carries weight. Seeing them all shouting the same accusation with such conviction, the people gathered at the banquet began to murmur.
"He... he was a beggar's son?"
"I-Is that really true? He siphoned off the Beggars' Sect's union fees to amass his wealth?"
"So this isn't about leading a new martial world—it's just the old Nine Sects One Gang clinging to their privileges!"
Hostile chatter erupted all around. Everything that had gilded Hwang Ryong-seong's reputation crumbled in the face of the law-enforcers' testimony. Drenched in cold sweat, Hwang Ryong-seong screamed.
"Th-This is a set-up! A set-up, I tell you! It's all a slanderous scheme! A false accusation!"
Hwang Ryong-seong shot up from his seat, shouting.
Docheol glanced at Zhuge Yeong-yu. The bastard was howling about a false accusation, and Docheol was curious what Zhuge planned to do about it. Zhuge Yeong-yu looked at Docheol and smiled, then gestured toward the empty air.
"Uwaaaaahk!"
A man fat as a pig flew into the center of the banquet table and crashed among the dishes of food.
"Aigoo!"
"What in the world!"
Amid the bewildered crowd, the fat man floundered as if taking a mud bath, then slammed his head on the table and wailed.
"Aigoo! Please, s-spare my life! I-I only did what I was contracted to do! I-I'll tell everything! I'm sorry!"
Hwang Ryong-seong recognized the man's face and turned deathly pale. The Beggars' Sect law-enforcers also recognized the merchant rolling before their eyes, and their eyes went wide.
It was that very merchant who had used the Beggars' Sect's money to buy goods at the market. Zhuge Yeong-yu whispered into Docheol's ear.
"Once the Embroidered Uniform Guard catches them, merchants turn into meek little lambs."