Sichuan Journey - Deepening (10)
Sichuan Journey - Deepening (10)
The tea gathering ended without incident, and evening arrived.
Hong Ye and Docheol faced each other, fidgeting with their fingers, waiting for something. Hong Ye looked at Docheol anxiously, while Docheol smiled leisurely and nodded. The contrast in their expressions grew even more pronounced when footsteps sounded in the hallway. Hong Ye gazed at her husband in admiration, and Docheol nodded as if to say, 'See?' and laughed heartily.
"Excuse me. The elders are calling for you. They say they have prepared a simple drinking table to foster camaraderie."
As Hong Ye heard the servant's voice from outside, she recalled the conversation she had with Docheol at the tea gathering. At that time, Docheol had instructed Hong Ye to feign a state of qi deviation.
******
"Q-Qi deviation... What on earth do you mean?"
"I'm not telling you to actually undergo qi deviation."
"I know what you mean. But isn't it absurd? How can anyone feign qi deviation? Are you telling me to injure myself internally in front of the elders...?"
Hong Ye trailed off. Even as she spoke, she believed Docheol would never demand such a thing. Docheol nodded, understanding her concern, and spoke in a gentle tone.
"How could I ask my woman to do such a thing? Let me explain briefly, so listen carefully. First, suppose the elders force you to take this drug. You and I are sharing the same room right now, so if you fell into qi deviation, could I possibly not notice?"
"...There's no way you wouldn't notice."
There was no way he wouldn't notice. Qi deviation always manifests with visible signs. Even someone ignorant of martial arts would realize, upon seeing bulging veins, a body drenched in cold sweat, and vomiting blood during energy circulation, that they should call a physician or a martial arts expert. Moreover, with a martial artist of similar level nearby, the elders' scheme would be easily foiled.
"Then what would they do? Naturally, they'd try to lure me out of the room tonight, wouldn't they?"
Hong Ye nodded. Docheol continued.
"They'll probably call me out, claiming they want to share a drink or have something important to discuss. Since I've never had a private meeting with the elders, they have plenty of pretext. As the man who will marry the direct disciple, if the elders wish to speak with me, how could I refuse?"
******
It was exactly as Docheol had predicted. Indeed, someone came to invite him for a drink. Hong Ye inwardly marveled at her husband's insight, fascinated as the situation unfolded precisely according to his plan.
She stretched, loosened her limbs one last time, and assumed the lotus position. Through the gap in the slightly open door, she saw several servants lingering outside. They circled near Hong Ye's quarters with slower steps than usual.
*****
"But after that, how do I feign qi deviation? If an elder comes to check, I'll be exposed immediately."
Docheol shook his head and spoke.
"The elders won't check in person. They're the kind of bastards who'd rather dirty their hands by having an outsider administer poison. Do you think they could bear to see their direct disciple vomiting blood with their own eyes?"
"Even so..."
Docheol shook his head and went on.
"And if, on the day the direct disciple collapses from qi deviation, any elder is spotted near her quarters or entering them, rumors will spread that they noticed and did nothing. So the elders will all be with me or elsewhere."
"Then how will they confirm my collapse?"
"They'll send a trusted servant or disciple. Given the nature of the scheme, there aren't many candidates."
Docheol said, stroking the back of his hand.
"And isn't there one cherished disciple of the elders who already communicates with us?"
******
"Has she entered energy circulation?"
"Yes. It seems so."
As she sat in the lotus position, slowly calming her breath, she heard a familiar voice. It was the junior martial sister. Her fierce eyes seemed even sharper than usual as she faced the servant. She glanced around, slipped past the hallway, and crept stealthily into Hong Ye's room.
When Hong Ye opened the old window slightly, the junior martial sister scurried in like a squirrel, lowered her voice, and pressed close. The junior martial sister asked in a whisper.
"Are you ready?"
"...I've never been good at this kind of acting..."
Hong Ye nodded hesitantly, then took a deep breath. After glancing outside, she gave another nod. The junior martial sister carefully shut the door, and Hong Ye gritted her teeth, letting out a strangled sound as if suffocating.
"Uuuuck...!"
Even though Hong Ye's groans were obvious, the servants showed no reaction. About three of them milled around, only watching the surroundings. They seemed more worried about someone overhearing her groans and approaching than about her pain.
Hong Ye circulated her inner energy to raise her body temperature, breaking out in a sticky sweat. She sweated enough to soak her clothes, then finally let out a faint, death-throe-like scream.
Then she collapsed, deliberately throwing her weight to make a loud noise.
Kung!
Due to nervousness, she overexerted her body and aimed her head at the floor, but instead struck the corner of the desk with a loud thud.
"Aeup..!"
Clutching the back of her head for a moment, Hong Ye rolled on the floor. If she cried out now, all her acting would be in vain. She held back the welling tears and lay still.
*****
"After I lie down on the floor, what should I do?"
To Hong Ye's question, Docheol replied,
"The Grand Ghost Breath Method."
"The Grand Ghost Breath Method? The technique for feigning death? I've never learned it."
"Don't worry, I know it."
It was one of the methods in the secret manual of the Lustful Demon Cheonpung for evading pursuers. Cheonpung advised that if you faced an overwhelmingly powerful opponent you couldn't shake off even with the Dark Moon Step, you should take the opponent's first strike loosely, employ the Grand Ghost Breath Method, and offer a prayer to heaven.
"The method is simple. Even before I accumulated inner energy, I could imitate it after reading it once. Close your eyes, focus on your breathing, slowly relax all your muscles, and breathe very slowly. Even after spreading your inner energy throughout your body, keep your breathing very slow. Eventually, you enter a state of apparent death, even stopping your breath. But there's no need to go that far. If you die, the elders will be troubled, too. Just maintain a very slow breath. You'll look like someone who suffered qi deviation—metabolism catastrophically slowed, barely clinging to life."
Hong Ye briefly closed her eyes and followed Docheol's instructions. She took a few quick breaths, then slackened as if falling asleep, her breathing slowing. Then she suddenly opened her eyes wide, like someone waking from sleep, and nodded.
As expected of a direct disciple, she learned quickly.
*****
Still in the collapsed posture, Hong Ye entered the Grand Ghost Breath Method. She did not go all the way to unconscious apparent death, but maintained her breathing at a level where she could still perceive her surroundings. While she regulated her breath with extreme slowness, the junior martial sister took a small bottle from her waist, sprinkled it carelessly on the floor, and also sprinkled some on Hong Ye's face. The liquid was warm and reeked of blood.
It was blood.
*******
Even after hearing all this, Hong Ye asked with a puzzled expression.
"If it's this easy to learn, won't the elders suspect the Grand Ghost Breath Method? And what if they call a physician later? The fact that I used it could be exposed immediately."
"They can't suspect it. They won't even properly examine you, because they're the ones who poisoned you."
"But you said the poison leaves no evidence..."
"From the elders' perspective, it would be disastrous if an outside physician examined you and found any trace of poisoning. Even if the poison leaves no evidence, they won't want to stir up trouble. So they'll simply agree on the story that you suffered qi deviation and cover it up. No physician will be called, no proper examination will take place. As soon as the servants and disciples report your collapse, and I, returning from drinking, see you collapsed, it's over."
Docheol said calmly.
"While the elders drink with the husband, the wife left alone cultivates her inner energy, is seized by a heart demon, cannot overcome qi deviation, and ends up barely clinging to life. That's the picture the elders want."
Those words settled heavily in Hong Ye's heart, and her expression turned somewhat bitter.
******
As dawn approached, the servants had dispersed. The junior martial sister, who had slipped into the room, had long since reported to the elders and vanished. In the empty hallway, a tipsy Docheol walked along in high spirits. No one knew why he was so happy.
Perhaps the talk with the elders had gone well,
or perhaps it was simply time to see his lovely wife again.
And when Docheol hummed a tune and swung the door wide, there lay Hong Ye collapsed on the floor, the ground stained with thick blood. Docheol fell to his knees and let out a cry like a scream.
"Oh, wife!!! Ohhhh! What is this! Wh-what on earth...! Is no one there?! Quickly, someone come!"
When Docheol's cry rang out, the elders laughed heartily, celebrating the success of their scheme.
That everything would now go smoothly,
that only a flowery path lay ahead for the Taiji Sect.
That was what the elders believed.