Journey to Sichuan (4)
Journey to Sichuan (4)
The Grandmaster of the Taiji Sect didn't seem to invest much energy in running the sect. Like a wealthy man who casually keeps fish, he left all minor matters to his disciples and Hong Ye.
Hong Ye spent more time managing the sect and exchanging views with disciples than on personal leisure, while the Grandmaster devoted much of his time to meditation and individual cultivation. The Grandmaster seemed more driven by personal cultivation than by responsibility toward the sect, and Hong Ye seemed more driven by the sect's grand success than by personal achievement.
"Aren't you tired?"
"What do you mean?"
On the tenth day of my Taijiquan training, Hong Ye gave me a puzzled look at my question. We were learning a new stance, and she was demonstrating the posture, so she glanced back at me while holding an awkward position.
I mimicked the stance she had taken and spoke. It was a movement of extending one foot forward while raising both hands side by side.
"As I've been observing the sect, all I see is you working and studying. Even when I'm not paying close attention, that's all that stands out. Don't you ever rest?"
"That's unwarranted meddling."
She cut me off like a blade. I glanced at her posture once more, then adjusted my stance to match her movements. Hong Ye looked at my posture, nodded, and signaled that I had done well.
"I may run a small one, but I am a sect leader myself. I know how hard it is to lead a sect. And I also know that the harder it gets, the more you need to rest along the way."
"Is that advice coming from a fellow sect leader? I'll accept the sentiment."
Hong Ye put up an iron wall. I didn't let her words show on my face, and moved my body into the next stance. When I focused on the postures very slowly, her sharpness didn't shake me.
But unlike my composed expression, my mind was spinning furiously.
Several days had passed, and nothing came of probing directly.
So I had to investigate from a different angle, but how was I supposed to investigate? Where was I supposed to start? I had no connections whatsoever in Chengdu, much less the entirety of Sichuan. Within the bounds of legitimacy, there was nothing more I could uncover.
Within the bounds of legitimacy.
*******
Fifteenth day since entering the Taiji Sect.
Taijiquan training had entered the repetition phase of mastering the stances. Hong Ye gave me a week of autonomous time to become proficient in each stance.
And I, exploiting the gaps when Hong Ye wasn't paying attention to me, came to the front of Hong Ye's room.
She had no intention of giving me information, and I had no connections to conduct inquiries around the area, so the only path I could choose was a frontal breakthrough.
"Elders. When you take this stance, many of you tend to put strength into your lower back. You mustn't do that. Rather than the lower back...."
From a distance, I could hear Hong Ye instructing the elderly people, and the sect's attendants were nowhere to be seen.
The Grandmaster was in meditation, and all the other disciples of the sect were training to learn the stances. Since the sect was fairly large, standing in front of a room didn't look awkward, and Hong Ye hadn't even locked her door, so I could open it wide with just a reach of my hand.
I looked around once more, confirmed that no one was there, and slipped my body into Hong Ye's room.
Deolkeong.
My heart sank pointlessly at the sound of the door closing.
Hong Ye's room, like Hong Ye herself, had no flair for decoration. The only things in the room were books and a few documents. There was also bedding for sleeping and a few pieces of exercise equipment for personal training.
Books were spread open on the desk, most of them dealing with the history of the Nine Sects One Gang. The Expansion of Mount Hua Sect or The Strategy That Allowed Kunlun Sect to Belong to the Nine Sects One Gang. The books were filled with the processes by which a sect grew into a major faction through turbulent eras.
'She dreams big.'
Just from looking at these books, I felt I could tell what kind of thing she was dreaming of. She wanted to make this Yang Family Taiji Sect into a colossal sect that wouldn't bow to the Nine Sects One Gang. Even now, it was making a name for itself as a fairly renowned sect in Sichuan, but that level apparently wasn't enough to satisfy her.
I took my eyes off the desk, then rummaged through other things. Besides the exercise equipment, there was one chest of drawers in the room that stood out conspicuously. As if she had absolutely no interest in decorating the room, the chest of drawers was awkwardly perched in the corner of the room, drawing the eye.
I held my breath for a moment and scanned for nearby presences.
There was nothing perceptible around, so I carefully opened the chest of drawers and checked its contents.
It was letters.
The place was full of letters. I picked one of the letters and read its contents.
[At present, matters unfolding in Shaanxi keep me busy, so talk of marriage seems premature.
I, too, wish to meet your father and pay my respects as soon as possible, but the current situation in
Shaanxi Province is not very favorable, so I cannot easily leave my post.
Elder Venerable Geumbok has once again entrusted me with a heavy responsibility. Once this matter is
safely concluded and Shaanxi Province is stabilized, how about we discuss the marriage
agreement again then?
Marriage is, after all, not merely the union of a man and a woman
but also the joining of one sect with another.
With the land so unsettled, how could I recklessly broach a momentous matter like marriage
and disturb the minds of the elder and your father?
I am sorry I could not keep my promise to greet your father. Hong Ye, I, too, wish to see you soon.
From Jong Yuseop, who loves you.]
"Venerable Geumbok? Why the fuck is that bastard showing up here?"
I frowned. I hadn't expected Venerable Geumbok's name to surface here. I put the letter back in, then checked my surroundings again. From a distance, I could hear the voices of the elderly people chattering. Hong Ye could come back soon, so I quickly opened the window and slipped out of the room.
I came out into the corridor and walked as if nothing had happened. Hong Ye moved toward her room, and the sect's disciples were finishing their training and coming out, tidying up the surroundings or chatting among themselves. The Grandmaster was still in meditation, and the elderly people could be seen milling about in the distance.
Inside my head, clues were falling into place, but no one in the sect noticed a thing. Hong Ye returned outside with an oblivious expression, and the disciples were busy with their own tasks.
Pretending to observe the elderly people, I sat on the steps and sank into thought.
Venerable Geumbok.
Jong Yuseop.
I didn't know who Jong Yuseop was, but if Venerable Geumbok was entangled in this, I could now receive outside help. Because in Shaanxi, there was someone dying to cut off Venerable Geumbok's limbs.
"I'd like to send a single letter."
"Where will you be sending it?"
"Send it to Zhuge Yeong-yu of the Zhuge Family."
******
A few days later, I made an excuse about needing to clear my head during training and went out into the streets.
When I entered the inn I had seen at the main gate of Chengdu, a familiar man in unfamiliar attire was sitting in a corner seat.
"To make a man of the Zhuge Family come all the way to Chengdu on a single letter. Great hero, you are truly a frightening person."
Zhuge Yeong-yu spoke. He had his face covered with a cloth, and had even pulled his hat down low just in case. Even in his disguised state, he joked with a face full of mirth, and I placed my order with the waiter before speaking.
"Let's cut to the chase. I'll ask just one question. Do you know a man named Jong Yuseop?"
"Jong Yuseop? You mean Jong Yuseop the Rock-Shattering Sword of the Zhongnan Sect?"
Zhuge Yeong-yu looked surprised when I mentioned Jong Yuseop's name. He was staring at me with wide, round eyes, and his eyelashes were so long that he looked exactly like he was wearing makeup.
'This bastard. Why the hell is a guy wearing makeup?'
"Is there another Jong Yuseop who would be entrusted with heavy responsibilities by Venerable Geumbok?"
I didn't know what kind of man he was, but if marriage talks were going back and forth with Hong Ye, he had to be a fairly major figure. It was even more certain considering that Hong Ye didn't seem like someone who staked everything on love, and that she was deeply interested in expanding her sect.
Zhuge Yeong-yu nodded and spoke.
"Jong Yuseop is Venerable Geumbok's confidant, and at the same time, the direct disciple of the Zhongnan Sect. He's a peak-level master, so he's someone to be wary of."
He was an even bigger figure than I had thought.
"Why would a peak-level master follow Venerable Geumbok?"
"His father, an elder of the Zhongnan Sect, was deeply indebted to Venerable Geumbok in his youth, and Jong Yuseop himself is said to have been helped by Venerable Geumbok in many ways. I don't know the full story either. I only know that because of that debt, the Zhongnan Sect and Venerable Geumbok have been living in a symbiotic relationship. But why has Jong Yuseop's name come up?"
"Have you ever heard that Jong Yuseop is in a marriage relationship with someone, or that he's preparing a marriage agreement?"
Zhuge Yeong-yu shook his head. His reaction was truly as if he was hearing this for the first time.
"No. With the upheaval you caused in Shaanxi Province, great hero, how could anyone pay attention to such things? Even if there was something, it would have been overturned."
Then he tilted his head and spoke.
"Why are you asking about Jong Yuseop? Have you discovered something?"
I surveyed my surroundings. It was a habitual action before discussing important matters. I hunched my back and lowered my voice.
"The adopted daughter of the Yang Family Taiji Sect seems to be secretly corresponding with Jong Yuseop."
Zhuge Yeong-yu's expression, which had been looking at me slyly, stiffened.