Yellow Dragon Castle (8)
Yellow Dragon Castle (8)
"I had no idea that bastard Hwang Ryong-seong was carrying on like that."
Zhuge Yeong-yu sneered at the feigned ignorance in the words just spoken by Gyeong Hwi, the Eight Trigrams Association's second-in-command. There was no way he hadn't known. He might not have known the man was the son of Chu Du-pal of the Beggars' Sect, but there was no way he hadn't known they were receiving money from an unknown source through the Murim Alliance. The sight of a man who had been merrily living off that money all this time, now trying to slip away with a single word of denial, was both pathetic and pitiful.
"Truly, a man who offends both heaven and men. What is a martial artist? Is he not one who aids the weak with chivalrous spirit and stands against the strong? As the ancient sages and heroes did, how could one who embezzles from and exploits those we are duty-bound to protect ever presume to lead the martial world?"
Therefore, Zhuge Yeong-yu had no intention of letting Gyeong Hwi off gently. He had no intention of letting him wash his hands of Hubei Province and flee. He did not want to allow the organization called the Eight Trigrams Association to fizzle out, giving those entangled in it the opportunity to regroup elsewhere.
The look in Gyeong Hwi's eyes shifted at Zhuge Yeong-yu's words. His body, which had been tilted back in his chair as though trying to pull his feet clear of Hubei Province, now leaned toward Zhuge Yeong-yu. He wriggled his fingers as he spoke.
"Indeed. Such a man cannot lead the martial world. Nor could he lead this Eight Trigrams Association, could he? Working under such a man is itself a disgrace — something a martial artist must never do!"
Gyeong Hwi already had something he desired. Zhuge Yeong-yu knew exactly what that was.
"Precisely. He deceived us perfectly. Even if we claim we didn't know, the world pays no heed to such excuses. From the outside, both the great hero Gyeong Hwi and I simply look like another faction of the pack that fleeced the beggars. To tear off that label, what must we do?"
"...We must act."
Gyeong Hwi did not elaborate on what action entailed. But as if the word "action" carried some magic, his shoulders shuddered and he let out a deep breath, then glanced around as though he had uttered something that ought never be spoken aloud. Zhuge Yeong-yu nodded as if impressed by this entirely transparent performance, and raised his voice in feigned excitement.
"Indeed. We must act. Before anyone else. We must strike down the impure elements within the Eight Trigrams Association, become the new leader, and restore the honor of this disordered organization."
"...But can I truly defeat Hwang Ryong-seong?"
Zhuge Yeong-yu suppressed a sneer at the man who had so abruptly lost his confidence. Then, with a gentle expression, he spoke.
"With the Zhuge Family behind you, you fear Hwang Ryong-seong with his strings cut?"
Gyeong Hwi dared not answer. Though he nodded, his expression betrayed a faint unease as he said,
"...But there are rumors that he's the son of the Beggars' Sect leader. If I lay hands on that bastard and the Beggars' Sect comes seeking my life in retaliation, what then? Will the Zhuge Family block that?"
Zhuge Yeong-yu spoke.
"He is a man who embezzled the Beggars' Sect's union fees to fatten his own belly. Could the Beggars' Sect openly shelter him? Could the sect leader proclaim vengeance if he were killed? Would they even dare to spread malicious rumors about the great hero who struck him down?"
The Beggars' Sect could not protect Hwang Ryong-seong. With all the law-enforcers having turned their backs, the sect leader could do nothing, his hands bound. Yet conflict still flickered across Gyeong Hwi's face. The Beggars' Sect was one of the Nine Sects One Gang. How could one not worry about the aftermath of killing the son of such a colossal figure?
Persuading a calculating man was the role of an advisor, and inflating that fear to paralyze reason was the Zhuge Family's art. Zhuge Yeong-yu spoke slowly.
"Will you truly give this up? Because of rumors that he is the sect leader's son, everyone sees his evil deeds yet hesitates to raise a hand against him. They all proclaim righteousness and chivalry, yet grovel like dogs before power. Do you intend to grovel in that same undignified posture? Or will you thrust your head forward and truly become the new master of the martial world?"
"Th-that is...."
Zhuge Yeong-yu's voice seeped in even more softly. Gyeong Hwi's head spun. His heart was pounding — the heart that had once dreamed of being Number One Under Heaven.
"Did you not join the Eight Trigrams Association because you wanted to become one who leads the new martial world? Did you not wish to break free from the grip of the Nine Sects One Gang and become the true master of the martial world? If you kill the one who milked the Beggars' Sect's union fees and ascend as the new leader of the Eight Trigrams Association, who would doubt the sincerity of a great hero?"
A new martial world. That had been the slogan Hwang Ryong-seong had put forward when first founding the Eight Trigrams Association. Though now it was nothing more than a hollow lie, for Gyeong Hwi, who had been drawn in by those words at the time, the ambition still lived. Even if it wasn't a colossal sect on the scale of the Nine Sects One Gang, one could still become the master of the martial world.
We could lead the martial world.
"Think about it. Even if those old and sickly figures of the martial world cough up blood in outrage, Heaven will engrave your name in history. When that wicked man who embezzled from the Beggars' Sect made his move, everyone knew of his evil deeds yet bowed their heads. But then a righteous man appeared among them and struck the villain's neck. And his name, they say, was Gyeong Hwi."
It was not the Eight Trigrams Association that should lead the martial world. Gyeong Hwi himself was the one who deserved to lead it. Within his wavering eyes, the long-festering ambition caught fire once more.
"The world will sing the praises of the great hero's name. All Under Heaven will raise high the name of the wicked Hwang Ryong-seong and the great hero who struck him down. Who would dare lay a hand on such a great hero? Having performed a chivalrous deed that punished the villain of the world, who would cry for revenge and sharpen their blade against such a great hero?"
"Y-yes.... Yes, indeed. Y-you're right, exactly right!"
Gyeong Hwi sprang to his feet. His face was flushed bright red. As if he had already seized the world in his grasp, he was elated, his breathing so ragged that he snorted fiercely through his nostrils. Zhuge Yeong-yu gazed with satisfaction at the sight of the ecstatic Gyeong Hwi.
"Before long, the Eight Trigrams Association will convene an emergency meeting. Strike at Hwang Ryong-seong then, when the opportunity presents itself. We will have sent our people, so seizing control of the meeting should not be difficult."
"Just you wait! Hwang Ryong-seong! No — Chu Du-pal!"
Gyeong Hwi's cry echoed through the room.
*******
"The currents in Hubei Province are shifting. As the great hero Mu Song well knows."
Mu Song, the Eight Trigrams Association's third-in-command, could not hide his uneasy expression at Docheol's words. Mu Song was now a bird whose wings had fallen, a duck's egg dropped in the middle of a river. With the Eight Trigrams Association's reputation in ruins, there was no telling when Docheol and the Zhuge Family might cast him aside. So Mu Song answered in an anxious tone.
"...The currents are shifting, so what exactly has become of things?"
"Why is a man of your caliber acting this way? It has come to light that the leader of the Eight Trigrams Association is a scoundrel who fleeced beggars, so mustn't this situation be swiftly resolved?"
At the word "resolved," Mu Song's mind began to race. Bringing up such talk meant they had no intention of discarding Mu Song just yet. With the Zhuge Family's power, "resolving" things was no great challenge. The fact that they were discussing this with Mu Song, an outsider, meant they intended to entrust him with the role of resolution.
Mu Song asked.
"Resolving the situation... does that mean what I think it means?"
Docheol nodded.
"It does. Who will be the first to strike down Hwang Ryong-seong, the leader of the Eight Trigrams Association and a villain? Who will raise their name high and become the one to lead the new martial world? Great hero Mu Song. Who, do you suppose, will seize this position?"
Mu Song's mind raced furiously. Surely Gyeong Hwi, the second-in-command, was thinking along similar lines. If so, he might strike first, ahead of Mu Song. But Gyeong Hwi had no faction backing him. Mu Song himself had secretly established ties with the Zhuge Family, whereas Gyeong Hwi had no reliable faction besides the Eight Trigrams Association.
Mu Song spoke.
"...I will! I will seize it, of course! If you help me, I shall lead the charge in punishing that wicked, heinously evil villain!"
No matter how extraordinary a master Hwang Ryong-seong was, he was still a man who remained within the bounds of a rising talent. Mu Song himself, though not on the level of Hwang Ryong-seong or Gyeong Hwi, was still an outstanding master, and with the Zhuge Family's backing, he was not afraid.
Docheol said in response to Mu Song's outburst.
"Truly magnificent. Indeed, one can say the Zhuge Family's judgment was correct. A man who makes a decisive choice and steps forward at the most critical moment — every martial artist in Hubei Province will extol the great hero's chivalrous spirit."
Mu Song felt the corners of his mouth twitching upward at Docheol's words. The great undertaking was, ultimately, a matter of who drew their blade first. When the Eight Trigrams Association next convened, Mu Song resolved that he would move before anyone else.
Docheol observed Mu Song's behavior with a satisfied smile.
A few days later, Hwang Ryong-seong, who had been holed up in his estate the entire time, convened an emergency meeting of the Eight Trigrams Association. Each member, harboring their own differing thoughts, made their way to the agreed-upon meeting place — the brothel.
"Ah, uuah...! Uuu...!"
And Hwang Ryong-seong had been reduced to a cripple without a shred of inner energy, tossed like a piece of luggage into a palanquin.
It was Eun Ho-seol who had convened the meeting under Hwang Ryong-seong's name.