Yellow Dragon Castle (12)
Yellow Dragon Castle (12)
The death of Hwang Ryong-seong was not advantageous for everyone. For his wife, Eun Ho-seol, it brought no benefit; indeed, some lay in wait to brand her a traitor and heap blame upon her. Not that these people truly felt any moral outrage over her conduct.
Most of them had been close to Hwang Ryong-seong or had gained much from him, and they wanted to change the subject. It was easier to slander his wife, Eun Ho-seol, than to defend Hwang Ryong-seong's miserable death and the collapse of the Eight Trigrams Association. She had no power base of her own, having set foot in the Central Plains alone, trusting only in Hwang Ryong-seong's name.
But if I took her and returned to Shaanxi right now, those bastards would thrash about like fish in water, spreading the story of Hwang Ryong-seong's death as a scandalous affair between Eun Ho-seol and me, desperately trying to deflect the arrow of public opinion.
Therefore, we sped down the road toward a brief separation. Inside the small carriage, Eun Ho-seol and I held hands tightly as the carriage jolted roughly along the rugged mountain path. Eun Ho-seol stared directly at the jagged shapes of the mountain range, like the teeth of a beast, and tapped her lips.
"It would be best to lie low for a while, until the rumors die down."
"I understand."
Eun Ho-seol answered in an indifferent tone. She said she understood with her words, but dissatisfaction showed on her face. It was incomprehensible. There was a clear villain, yet people with venomous tongues, eager to condemn her, were everywhere.
"The Central Plains have always been such a place. If you are beyond the frontier, you are bound to yearn for it, but once inside, disillusionment comes easily. There is no absolute good, nor absolute evil."
"Are you like that too?"
Eun Ho-seol looked at me and asked. She was scanning my whole body with her round, blue eyes. I shook my head and said,
"I am different."
"In what way?"
"A difference in standards. It is the difference between petty men who act to put others at ease, and one who acts for himself. Do you think those who defame you, madam, do so out of a sense of justice? All they want is a few crumbs. They don't care about right or wrong. They make a fuss so their master won't be discomforted, thinking crumbs will fall to them."
"And you?"
"I do what I believe is right. I was told that neither abandoning you in this storm, nor taking you to Shaanxi right now and covering a villain's death with a scandalous affair between us, is a wise idea at all. Now is the time to keep your head down and observe the situation."
"So, where are we going now? The North Sea is far."
I had no intention of going to the North Sea. That place was too far. Moreover, the moment I sent Eun Ho-seol back, her standing in the North Sea would undoubtedly narrow. Among the places I knew, there was only one where a woman could entrust herself with peace of mind and where martial artists would not pick a fight.
"We are going to the Hengshan Sect. I sent a letter ahead to a direct disciple there. It should be a suitable place to lie low for a while."
While the Beggars' Sect was crumbling piece by piece, I had exchanged letters with Im Seo-ryeon. I thought there would be quite a bit of back-and-forth since it was a difficult favor, but Im Seo-ryeon, before even a few letters had passed, sent word that permission for Eun Ho-seol's arrival had been granted.
[Setting aside the wrongful actions of Hwang Ryong-seong, the fact that there are those who condemn and scheme against his wife is deeply deplorable. The way of Hubei Province has fallen to the ground, and as one who once settled there, I am ashamed. My master also said it is only right to help a woman in difficulty, so I hope you will come without burden.]
"You won't be able to live as luxuriously as before."
"It's fine."
Eun Ho-seol's expression truly seemed fine. She even looked somewhat expectant about staying at the Hengshan Sect from now on. She wrapped her hand over the back of mine and said with a sidelong glance,
"So, when we arrive at Hengshan, will you stay the night?"
"It's a sect that forbids men, so I'll be bidding you farewell at the main gate."
Eun Ho-seol had a slightly disappointed look inwardly, but it couldn't be helped. Men cannot enter the interior of the Hengshan Sect. Conversely, this meant that even those who sought to scheme about Eun Ho-seol's conduct would lose any justification for attack once she entrusted herself to the Hengshan Sect.
"Then. Let's do it a lot before that."
Eun Ho-seol lifted herself lightly and climbed onto me. She spread her legs wide, pressed close against me, and guided my hands onto her buttocks. She bit my earlobe with an excited face and whispered.
"You must come and fetch me."
"I will."
I answered while clutching Eun Ho-seol's buttocks.
********
The Murim Alliance was busy again today. Not a single idle day had fallen to them lately. Massive upheavals kept battering the martial world one after another. In Shaanxi, Venerable Geumbok had fallen, and the Zhongnan Sect reeled. Rumors that the Heavenly Demon was searching for an important item spread, setting every sect on edge and turning everything upside down. The Eight Trigrams Association, which had been riding high in Hubei Province, not only had it been revealed that Hwang Ryong-seong was the son of the Beggars' Sect leader, but they had also turned on each other in a slaughter feud, and even Hwang Ryong-seong himself had died from Qi Deviation.
"This is a scheme of the Zhuge Family."
So spoke the Beggars' Sect leader, his face dyed crimson with rage. He had suffered the most in this incident. Once respected wherever he went, he could now barely show his face at official events of the Murim Alliance; even if he went to another region, he could no longer receive the respect of Beggars' Sect members. His influence had shrunk from the whole world under heaven to just Hubei Province, and the face of the Nine Sects One Gang was in utter shambles.
Moreover, his son had met the most wretched and squalid death possible for a martial artist. Caught embezzling the Beggars' Sect's union fees, he had fallen into Qi Deviation, and the faction he led, the moment its leader was neutralized, fell upon each other in a knife fight and killed themselves. He died proving himself to be a thoroughly incompetent man, with no ability to govern people nor to control himself.
All that remained for the Beggars' Sect leader was to find a target on which to unleash this grudge and rage. But the Murim Alliance leader was rather indifferent to the Beggars' Sect leader's anger.
Several young masters had died in the Eight Trigrams Association affair, and the atmosphere was such that the young people who were to lead the future of the martial world were turning their backs in disappointment at the Murim Alliance. The current mood was dangerous. In the martial world, division is synonymous with death.
"I am telling you, the Zhuge Family used that blonde-haired idiot wench to do harm to my son."
The circumstances were ample. The downfall of the Eight Trigrams Association had begun from the moment the Zhuge Family made contact with them.
"Even so, it is not feasible for the Murim Alliance to lodge a protest or exert pressure on the Zhuge Family based on this alone, is it? Everyone is furious about the true nature of Hwang Ryong-seong, so how could the Murim Alliance step into such a matter?"
"Are you telling me to just take this lying down with my eyes wide open? Is it not possible those Zhuge Family bastards are hatching some other evil scheme to ruin the future of the Murim Alliance?"
"Calm yourself. How could I let this matter slide so easily? Even without that, I have a plan."
The Murim Alliance leader, Namgung Gi-hwan, raised a hand. A man who had been waiting at the back of the conference room stepped forward and unfurled a portrait. A handsome face filled the meeting hall. The Beggars' Sect leader frowned at the sight, and several others tilted their heads in puzzlement.
An elder of the Mount Hua Sect recognized the face and said,
"Is that not Docheol of the Crimson Ring Sect?"
Namgung Gi-hwan nodded and said,
"He is, in a manner of speaking, a chess piece the Zhuge Family employs. Whenever a situation arises where their own direct involvement would draw unwanted attention, the Zhuge Family has always used this Docheol to handle matters. Did Docheol not make contact with the Eight Trigrams Association first in this affair as well? Furthermore, the collapse of Venerable Geumbok also began, first and foremost, when this bastard Docheol seized the Crimson Ring Sect. The precise relationship is unknown, but this Docheol is undoubtedly an assassin or confidant secretly cultivated by the Zhuge Family."
Such detailed intelligence was worthy of the Murim Alliance leader. The Beggars' Sect leader nodded and pressed,
"So! What do you intend to do with him? Eh?"
The Murim Alliance leader, Namgung Gi-hwan, pressed his palm against the table and said,
"There is talk that the followers of the Heavenly Demon cult are continuing their provocations in the Kunlun Mountains. Moreover, signs of a Demonic Cult member running rampant in Shaanxi Province have also been identified. At a time like this, what kind of narrative must we craft to reunite the martial world? What story would suffice to escape problems like the death of Hwang Ryong-seong and unify the martial world's power?"
The Beggars' Sect leader, Chu Wang Pae, shut his mouth. Everyone exchanged glances and nodded.
The Murim Alliance leader said,
"We will use an assassin. We kill Docheol, and disguise his death as the work of the Demonic Cult to guide the martial world toward unity. Once Docheol is dead, the Zhuge Family too will realize what they were meddling with."
One of those seated in the meeting hall asked,
"But, who do you intend to use as the assassin? As expected, the Sichuan Tang Clan? Or perhaps Eon Yuhwa of the Jinju Eon Family?"
"It is difficult to disguise the Tang Clan's poisons as traces of the Demonic Cult, and regrettably, Eon Yuhwa is currently occupied with other tasks. So, I intend to use the renowned assassins of Shaanxi Province, the Bimu assassins. I heard the youngest of those three brothers died at Docheol's hands?"
The elder of the Mount Hua Sect smiled and said,
"Leave it to me. The second one is already sharpening his blade, vowing to kill Docheol with his own hands regardless."