Journey to Sichuan (7)
"By now, Jong Yuseop will be racking his brains in Shaanxi."
Although I had asked him to disrupt the Zhongnan Sect's operations in Shaanxi Province, Zhuge Yeong-yu had no intention of leaving Chengdu. As he explained, wine cup in hand, disrupting Venerable Geumbok's entire business would be problematic, but targeting only Jong Yuseop to harass that business did not seem particularly difficult.
"But you don't need to go there yourself?"
At my question, Zhuge Yeong-yu snorted, as if an ordinary person's question struck him as an amusing joke.
"Venerable Geumbok runs his business as a sect. It's a low-down and insolent idea that only someone who isn't a martial artist could conceive."
"I know something of that business myself. Isn't the sect I swallowed up one of those business offices?"
Venerable Geumbok dispatched martial artists under him to the provinces to form sects, then used those sects to siphon off local profits, weaken the government, and expand his own power. With the Zhongnan Sect standing behind him, no one in Shaanxi could check that tyranny.
Zhuge Yeong-yu's eyes sparkled as he spoke.
"But you don't really know how those business offices are set up, do you? Have you never considered it? The government's power clearly reaches into Shaanxi, so how on earth does Venerable Geumbok expand his influence? How does he weaken the government's power?"
"How does he expand it?"
Because I truly didn't know, I asked again. It was something I was actually curious about. No matter how formidable Venerable Geumbok and the Zhongnan Sect were, they couldn't just smash intact government offices, so was there a separate method for expanding influence?
"Uahahat!"
Hearing my naive question, Zhuge Yeong-yu burst out laughing, showing his teeth. It was the first time I had seen him laugh so heartily in front of me, so I blinked. He shook his head and apologized to me with a smile.
"Ah, my apologies. I burst out laughing because I didn't expect you, great hero, to ask back so promptly. It wasn't mockery."
"I know you, great hero, aren't that sort of person. So, how does Venerable Geumbok expand his influence?"
He immediately reined in his laughter. But his face still looked pleased.
"Simple. They target a region that looks vulnerable, unleash a bandit gang disguised as crazy bastards, and attack the local government troops. When the militia is defeated, a martial artist loyal to Venerable Geumbok steps forward, repels the bandit gang, and becomes the hero of that region. Once the sect's influence has grown in that way, then through additional operations, they make the people trust the sect more than the government."
In cases like the Crimson Ring Sect, where there was no government office nearby, they apparently devoured the village the milder way, merely by establishing a sect.
"So they weaken the government's influence and let the sect fill that gap."
"Once established, these small and medium sects become profitable, and even the government can't touch them recklessly. Dozens of these business offices are spread across Shaanxi, sucking the blood of the regions."
"Dozens? Does Venerable Geumbok have that many martial artists underneath him capable of founding sects?"
I tilted my head and asked. Even if Venerable Geumbok was working with the Zhongnan Sect, could dozens of reasonably skilled martial artists be moving strictly under him? Then wasn't this bastard the Leader of the Murim Alliance?
Zhuge Yeong-yu shook his head at my question.
"Venerable Geumbok isn't the master of those martial artists. Rather, he's closer to a business partner."
"Business partner?"
"After hearing rumors about the businesses Venerable Geumbok was undertaking, martial artists flocked to him from all over. Venerable Geumbok then acted as a broker, creating business offices where these martial artists could act as sect leaders as they pleased, in exchange for paying him a fixed sum. That's how they created dozens of powers."
Venerable Geumbok was ultimately a force that spurred on the corruption of martial artists. Simply by existing, he drew the martial artists of the martial world into the temptation of easy money, causing them to become corrupted and forget their original selves, devoted solely to sucking the lifeblood of the common people.
'That must not be allowed. One man amassing the world's wealth through martial arts—I alone was enough.'
"That bastard needs to die quickly."
'That sort of bastard needed to die quickly.'
Zhuge Yeong-yu nodded and continued.
"When the Crimson Ring Sect declared independence, cracks began to appear in Venerable Geumbok's business model. With the Crimson Ring Sect going independent, others began to wonder: do they themselves have any reason to remain subordinates and pay money to Venerable Geumbok? Since it was revealed that he couldn't even handle a single second-rate sect, the others no longer feared Venerable Geumbok either."
The aftermath of the Crimson Ring Sect's breakaway was erupting here as well. Though it was only a small provincial sect, conversely, it meant that Venerable Geumbok had been unable to do any harm to me even after one of his small sects was crushed.
Zhuge Yeong-yu drained his wine cleanly. Placing the cup, not a drop left, on the table, he spoke.
"They say it can't be helped because of the deal with the Zhuge Family, and you clearly slipped through all the conditions the Murim Alliance set. But in the end, isn't the inability to handle even one Crimson Ring Sect the limit of Venerable Geumbok's power? After talking with you, great hero, I dispatched people by letter. I spread rumors to Venerable Geumbok's business offices all over Shaanxi."
"What sort of rumor?"
He smiled with satisfaction. He looked at me with a pleased expression for a moment, then nodded as if convincing himself of something, and leaned back.
"They say that since breaking away from Venerable Geumbok, the Crimson Ring Sect has been thriving. Disciples are flocking from all directions, and it's enjoying a boom like never before."
I let out a hollow laugh.
"Isn't that too reckless a rumor? Right now, the Crimson Ring Sect isn't accepting any disciples, and I'm not even there. Even if someone visits, all they'll see is my wife drinking tea. How do you plan to prove this boom?"
Zhuge Yeong-yu shook his head. He smiled and said.
"A boom is something you just create."
"Hm?"
Kung! Kung! Kung!
"Excuse me! Please open the door!"
Seon-go, sitting in the Crimson Ring Sect's courtyard drinking tea, tilted her head at the sudden knocking. Sannyeo, who was sitting beside her and enjoying a rest, spoke with a smile.
"Martial artists. Quite a few of them."
Seon-go started in surprise at those words and nearly dropped her tea. Flustered, she fidgeted with her hands and spoke.
"Huh? Co-could it be Venerable Geumbok's...? Wh-what should we do...?"
Sannyeo, unlike the flustered Seon-go, continued in a calm tone.
"Calm down. The mistress of the Crimson Ring Sect shouldn't tremble like that. If they intended to attack, they wouldn't have knocked. In fact, I don't sense any killing intent either."
"...Th-then, are they guests?"
"We'll know if we ask, won't we? Tell them to come in. I'll hide for a bit. If anything happens, I'll protect you. So don't worry too much."
When she blinked, Sannyeo vanished. But Seon-go could feel that Sannyeo was nearby. She straightened her wrinkled clothes and took a deep breath. Then, recalling Docheol's relaxed demeanor, she breathed deeply again, straightened her posture, and spoke to the attendants.
"Tell them to come in."
And Seon-go felt inwardly proud that she hadn't stuttered.
"Excuse us!"
With a booming voice, men in martial uniforms poured in. They each wore weapons at their waists, their eyes glinting, their ki energy fully focused—martial artists through and through.
Their disciplined bearing and orderly ranks gave the impression of soldiers rather than martial artists.
Seon-go blinked for a moment, then reminded herself that Sannyeo was behind her. As she did, she felt the tension that had been rising in her body drain away.
"Who are you, to visit the Crimson Ring Sect like this?"
Then, the large martial artist standing at the very front bowed his head before Seon-go and spoke in a low voice. His voice was solemn, and the way he bowed was like a wooden doll.
"As part of a deception tactic to oppose Venerable Geumbok, we received orders to conduct training here at the Crimson Ring Sect for the time being."
"Deception tactic?"
Seon-go tilted her head.
Sannyeo sighed.
Because somehow, it seemed like she would have to sleep rough again.
******
I stared at Zhuge Yeong-yu in disbelief.
"The intervals between our meetings are irregular because of your training, great hero, and since orders had to be issued quickly, I was late in telling you. They're trustworthy people, so don't worry. They're not even members of the Zhuge Family, so there's no reason for me to arouse suspicion either."
That did make some sense. Since I was receiving Taijiquan training under the name of the Zhuge Family, I couldn't keep skipping training to wander around inns. Even the cycle of a week to ten days was a bit uncomfortable.
It would have been unreasonable for Zhuge Yeong-yu to wait for each of those periods, get my permission, and devise a plan. I frowned and said.
"I understand that. I'm just not sure how my wife will take it."
"You have a wise wife. I sent enough wealth to satisfy her and a note with a reason she could understand, so she won't refuse. She also knows that we are cooperating with each other."
I nodded. Seeing me nod, Zhuge Yeong-yu gave an odd smile. I didn't like that smile, which seemed as if he had realized something.
"Why are you smiling?"
"No, it's nothing."
I couldn't understand his smile.