Is There Anyone in the World Who Knows Me? (10)
Is There Anyone in the World Who Knows Me? (10)
"Jong Yuseop must be feeling like absolute shit. The rumors have spread like wildfire. Jong Yuseop caused a huge incident in Shaanxi, and the innocent Chang'an branch chief was the one who got his head chopped off."
It wasn't as if there were newspapers, but staying in Chang'an meant all kinds of little rumors reached my ears. Lately, the gossip everyone kept bringing up was, naturally, Jong Yuseop's incompetence and the news that Dongjeo had fallen ill. I glanced sideways at Sannyeo and said.
"I told you. You know, a simple thing works better than all that annoying fuss. They can't even suspect something like this. Even if Jong Yuseop does suspect, could he say it out loud? What kind of bastard sneaks into a mansion in the middle of Chang'an, loosens a chair, cracks a teacup, and runs off? He'd just be cursed at for being beyond incompetent—now they'll say he's lost his mind."
Sannyeo remained silent, staring straight at me. At first, it had been hard to read any change in her expression, but lately I felt I could read the intent behind those red eyes. I spoke with a smug expression.
"Ah, that expression. I know exactly what it means. It's the expression of wanting to say something but having nothing to say, and it pisses you off."
Sannyeo blinked. Then she extended her hand and brought her finger to my forehead. As I watched for a moment wondering what she was doing, a sensation like sparks flying before my eyes and a clear, ringing sound echoed.
Ttak!
"Ack! Fuck!"
Sannyeo flicked her hand and said.
"You're right. Still, it's a little irritating."
"....That's why I can't trust you, you bitch."
Sannyeo laughed at my words. It seemed that my cursing actually improved her mood. I clicked my tongue and grimaced, and Sannyeo changed the subject.
"So, what are you going to do next?"
"I have to adapt to Jong Yuseop. I expect he'll take on his next mission to make amends and carry it out...."
For a martial artist, a rumor of incompetence is fatal. It's a matter directly tied to pride. Especially because the incompetence rumors concern a matter involving Venerable Geumbok, whom he reveres like a father. He'll try to make up for it through a new mission, one way or another.
"He could just give up, you know."
Sannyeo offered a pessimistic outlook. I stroked my chin and said.
"If he does nothing and the direct disciple of the Zhongnan Sect just drops out of the operation, that's not bad... But that would be troublesome."
If Jong Yuseop quits the mission with Venerable Geumbok here and suddenly goes off to cultivate the Dao back at the Zhongnan Sect, a lot of things would get tangled up. I hoped that Jong Yuseop was a man with a bit more tenacity than Sannyeo thought.
"Jong Yuseop shouldn't give up so easily. He absolutely has to suffer more at my hands and then die. That's a happy ending for everyone. Huh? I've got his whole life all planned out, and if he runs off without even a taste, what's the point?"
Sannyeo tilted her head and said.
"....That obsession is a little scary."
"What's wrong with a great hero being obsessed with acting chivalrous?"
Jong Yuseop is a villain who squeezed people's lifeblood and slaughtered innocent people just to help Venerable Geumbok live comfortably. Therefore, tormenting him until he dies is exactly what a great hero should do. And I am a great hero.
"....No, nothing."
She said that and averted her gaze. She still seemed to have a hard time accepting the fact that I am a great hero.
I picked up the intelligence report that a contact had just delivered and spoke.
"According to information from other sources, it seems Zhuge Yeong-yu has contacted another influential family in Shaanxi and secured a certain amount of investment. So a task that Jong Yuseop couldn't accomplish, Zhuge Yeong-yu pulled off under even more difficult conditions."
Sannyeo asked.
"Then isn't that just giving Venerable Geumbok a good deal? Even if there was a loss, it's like making up for it from somewhere else."
"Zhuge Yeong-yu isn't a fool. I can't help but think he's got something planned for that part."
I didn't even know how contracts worked in this place, and I'd never dealt with laws or commercial transactions. If I clumsily meddled in such matters, trust in me would drop, and I'd be on the hook if problems arose.
The right answer was to leave it to Zhuge Yeong-yu, who was always busy backstabbing people. A specialist will produce the best outcome under any circumstances.
If he's a descendant of Zhuge Liang, he must have already schemed so that Venerable Geumbok won't get everything he wants.
Because right now, that part wasn't what was important to me.
Zhuge Yeong-yu had easily accomplished what Jong Yuseop couldn't do.
That fact was important.
To Jong Yuseop as well, that fact would be important.
*******
Time passed again. In order to cover up the failure of the previous incident, Jong Yuseop volunteered for a new mission.
This time it was a simpler escort mission. Last time involved meeting and persuading an honored guest, but this time all he had to do was transport goods from Zhongnan Mountain to Yeonan.
"Sir. This time, I will definitely succeed."
"Yes, this time you must succeed."
All he had to do was transport the goods. It was a much easier mission than before, but a tense look hung on Jong Yuseop's face. That was because the goods were quite expensive and the road to Yeonan was treacherous. Especially when going up and down the mountain paths, if the cart tipped over and the cargo fell off, it would be a huge disaster.
Because of this, Jong Yuseop tied the cargo with several layers of rope, reinforced the cart wheels so they wouldn't break, and on top of that, checked the horses' health and made sure the cart drivers and attendants got plenty of rest before departure.
Venerable Geumbok himself was somewhat surprised to see such solid preparations with his own eyes. He stroked his beard and said.
"Aren't you too tense?"
"Since it's important cargo, it's only natural to escort it like this. There must be no mistakes."
This mission was also meant to restore Jong Yuseop's honor, which had hit rock bottom. Succeeding in the escort mission wouldn't suddenly make him a respected figure, but at least he could escape the disgrace of being a man working under Venerable Geumbok who couldn't even earn his keep.
Such disgrace was unbearable. Though he hadn't fully recovered his mind and body, that was precisely why Jong Yuseop volunteered for this operation, and Venerable Geumbok, knowing Jong Yuseop's temperament, could not refuse. Amid everyone's hopes for success, Venerable Geumbok said.
"You will do well."
Hearing those words, Jong Yuseop felt his heart swell. The thought that he must not disappoint Venerable Geumbok, who trusted him so much, circled in his mind.
"Yes. This time, I will not disappoint you."
********
On the route from Chang'an to Yeonan lies Lesser Mount Hua. Sheer cliffs, valleys, and thick vegetation stretched like a wall, making it a troublesome place for travelers. Walking along the bumpy road carved out by pounding the rock face, you couldn't help but tense up, not knowing when remnants of the Green Forest might pop out.
This was the same even for Jong Yuseop, a peak-level master. His face was pale, and he was on guard in all directions.
What if the Green Forest suddenly appeared and shot arrows? What if rocks suddenly rolled down from somewhere? What if a tree fell and crushed the cart?
Possibilities of failure that he'd never considered before kept popping into his head.
The sight of him sweating cold and constantly looking around made even those around him uneasy.
An attendant who had been reading the mood approached him with a sly smile and said.
"Don't worry, great hero. The Green Forest is cowardly and would never touch cargo transported by a major sect like the Zhongnan Sect."
Jong Yuseop looked at the attendant with anxious eyes and said.
"....Still, couldn't rocks fall?"
"Aigoo, if it comes to that, can't you just cut them down with your sword? You are the Rock-Shattering Sword Jong Yuseop, great hero. What is there to be afraid of?"
"A tree could fall and crush the cart."
"Aigo, we will throw our bodies in the way and block it."
The attendant said that and rolled up his sleeves. Seeing that, Jong Yuseop, who had been tense about possibly ruining things, felt his tension naturally ease.
Yes. With such perfect countermeasures in place, nothing could go wrong. Even if something did happen, we'll just block it and that's that.
Jong Yuseop thought that and clenched his fist tightly.
Suddenly, he seemed to feel confident about the transport.
******
"He prepared way more thoroughly than I thought. Do I have to break it by force?"
Jong Yuseop was even more of a coward than I imagined. He had come prepared for everything in case the cargo might break. From the cart wheels to the horses' health, down to the cargo tied tightly—looking at it, it seemed truly difficult to break it by feigning an accident.
Of course, if I set my mind to breaking it, I could still break it.
But if I went that far, it would be too hard to make it look natural; someone would certainly notice interference. I clicked my tongue and said.
"Should I target another location? By feigning a mistake in a village... What are you doing?"
I looked to the side and saw Sannyeo with her hands on the ground, eyes closed, nodding. When I tilted my head and asked, she answered.
"No. I think there is a way. Hmm. This is just perfect."
"Just perfect?"
Sannyeo moved ahead of the party pulling the cart. Since she erased her presence, I followed her using Dark Moon Step. She was walking as if stepping on ice, carefully placing her feet and checking something, then pointed to a spot with her finger.
"There. That spot."
It was a rocky field with nothing there. The spot she pointed to was a little more concave than the surrounding ground.
Jong Yuseop and the cart were far behind us. We had come so far that the party looked like little dots. Sannyeo briefly measured the distance between Jong Yuseop and us with her fingers, calculating something, then thrust her foot deep into the ground. It wasn't just a casual stomp.
She drove her leg in almost up to her thigh, standing in a rather bizarre posture.
In that state, she spoke.
"If you channel internal strength into the flow of the earth veins like this, you can make the water boil rapidly, you know?"
Then she stopped moving, staying still in that posture, and closed her eyes. I couldn't touch her, nor could I ask any more questions, so I just stood behind.
Kurururu
How much time passed? I could see the distant Jong Yuseop and the cart drawing near.
Then, from somewhere, the sound of the ground boiling could be heard. Jong Yuseop must have sensed something odd too, as he stopped the cart and looked around. As it happened, the cart was standing right over the concave basin.
Sweat beaded on Sannyeo's forehead, and her eyes glowed red.
The sunken ground gradually, little by little, swelled into a round shape, and a smile tugged at Sannyeo's lips.
She said.
"Then, like this...."
Peong!
The roundly swollen ground burst and a jet of water shot up.
The cart was pushed up into the air by the water spouting from the ground, then flipped over and slammed back onto the ground.
Kwajik!
Kwadeudeuk!
Ujijik!
Amid the sound of cargo breaking, a geyser shot up into the sky.
Sannyeo pulled her leg back out and caught her breath.
Jong Yuseop, without saying a word,
stared blankly with an expressionless face at the shattered cart.