Someday Soon - Part 1

After watching the girls outside my window for a while, I turned my eyes back down to the documents on my desk.

They were papers Ha-no had sent, detailing the current movements of the unorthodox sects. Some time ago, I had exchanged letters with Ha-no, the Yangwi Fortress branch head of Ha-O Gate, discussing the present situation and how it might be broken. Of course, which of the ideas I shared would be put to use — or whether any would be used at all — was for their side to decide. In the end, it seemed they had used one.

When it came to the doctrine of non-aggression between bureaucracy and the martial world, the authorities and the murim were alike — both paid it the same lip service. And yet there were unmistakable cases where that doctrine simply did not hold.

The first was treason. The moment the word was raised, a bloody wind blew, orthodox and unorthodox alike. Once talk of treason reached the central authorities, every sect from then on had no choice but to keep its mouth shut. Get tangled in it the wrong way, and your entire sect could be wiped out for nothing.

The second was gunpowder. Not quite on treason's scale, but given information and proof of an unauthorized stockpile, the authorities would come crashing in to investigate at once.

There were a handful of other taboos besides — the assassination or abduction of the imperial family, and the like — and among them, Ha-O Gate had chosen gunpowder to strike at the new Alliance Leader's faction. Treason would have blown the affair up far too large.

Of course, among the sects truly in league with the new Alliance Leader, some had managed to hide it. A few had not. But did that matter? From Wang Hwi's standpoint, if war broke out he was doomed to lose, so he had to move to protect himself however he could.

"Haha."

Granted, this would cost Wang Hwi a fair share of his reputation within the unorthodox world. A murim man — the head of the sa-pa coalition itself, no less — had turned to the government. Even so, there would be no great problem. Wang Hwi had used Ha-O Gate as his shield.

Reading Wang Hwi's speech as written in the letter, I laughed bitterly. It was rather funny, him insisting he had only ever trusted Ha-O Gate — his own subordinates. Inside, he must have been whooping with glee.

From Ha-O Gate's standpoint, they might ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠well feel they'd been nothing but used. But the crucial thing was that this affair involved the government. In other words, Ha-O Gate — whose relations with the authorities could never have been good — had extended a hand to them through the Imperial Conscription Department.

The government, still owing Ha-O Gate a debt from the old affair, would support and shield them all the more if only to bury what had happened back then — meaning the ones who took the hit couldn't recklessly retaliate. And hadn't they a flawless justification, besides? Ha-O Gate had simply done work for the Empire.

And someone rages about repaying Ha-O Gate for that? Ha-O Gate faithfully fulfilled its role for the Empire, and because you don't like it, you take revenge? Then the card the government could play was simple enough.

Then you, too, are a traitor.

Which meant the other unorthodox sects would have no choice but to screech to a halt right about here.

In the end, there was no downside. Whether the forces of most of the sects I wanted weakened shrank greatly, or they sealed their gates. Whether the hotheads found themselves in for years of hardship on the battlefield.

What mattered was that the roster of those who would wage war alongside the Iron Blood Dan in Cheonsang Myeongwol had thinned, that Ha-O Gate would gain the government's protection and grow more secure than ever, and that Wang Hwi, whatever else, would find some measure of stability for the time being.

Granted, the new Alliance Leader, the sects that took the blow, and the Iron Blood Dan hoping to exploit them would find it all rather bitter... but that was precisely what I'd hoped for.

In any case, his position had narrowed somewhat with this affair — but given how many places actually turned up gunpowder, and that those where nothing was found were released, Wang Hwi should manage to recover his footing to a degree. Enough, at least, to stall his confrontation with the new Alliance Leader and delay the outbreak of war.

A ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠few months, at minimum.

That would be plenty.

Now, then. Time to prepare the next card...

Tapping the desk, I lit my pipe. Rousing my mind with deep draughts of the thick smoke, I set the pipe down and poured a cup of the Cheon-il Plum Blossom Tea Sa Yun had given me. The tautness in my chest slowly unwound, and my head began to turn again.

One thing remained to be done: getting Geomseong — who scarcely ever engaged in activity beyond her walls — to come out.

Of course, even in Cheonsang Myeongwol, masters of Geomseong's caliber generally avoided the outside world. The Blade Emperor, head of the Moon Lotus Pavilion, moved only within his own grounds unless something extraordinary arose. But considering he at least wasn't the type to never set a single foot beyond his pavilion, Geomseong seemed to take it to an extreme.

When I'd invited the Hongseong Gate disciples over for a meal, and when I'd served Yohwan's medicinal cuisine after her arrival, hadn't Geomseong simply sent her disciples along on their own? Even the Old Man of the South Sea — a master of Geomseong's rank in Cheonsang Myeongwol, famous as a fisherman who kept company with no one — hadn't been this bad.

So there had to be some reason behind it...

But Geomseong dies in the prologue, and what little is known of her surfaces only in scattered fragments — this alone told me nothing for certain. Not that I could ask her disciples like Hong Ryeon or Sa Yun. Still, she had stepped forward without hesitation when I'd begged her help during the duel between Hong Ryeon and Chae Jin, so she didn't seem to shrink from me outright.

"Hmmm..."

"Is something troubling you?"

Just then the door opened and Yohwan walked in, a glass of green juice in hand. Normally it was Chae Jin who brought that. Why was Yohwan carrying it?

"Chang Ju called me over for a moment. Said the new talismans she'd been working on were finished."

"Ah. Is that so?"

"So what's on your mind?"

I studied Yohwan. Come to think of it, she was up in years, and she'd been a disciple of the Emei Sect. And having served in the Imperial Palace, the odds were good that she quietly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠knew a great deal. She might even know why Geomseong never came out.

"Would you happen to know why Geomseong never sets foot outside?"

Yohwan's expression turned grave. The weight of that name was surely not something even she could bandy about lightly. If she didn't know, so be it. I'd just have to charge in and find out myself...

"Hard to say... far as I know, Geomseong stopped her activities in the murim from the day she brought back her last disciple."

Since the day she took Sa Yun in?

"After becoming Sect Leader of Hongseong Gate, she was quite active — so much so that word of her deeds reached even the Imperial Palace. But the moment she had gathered all her disciples, she shut herself away inside Hongseong Gate. People in the palace talked about the reason once. Mm... not that I can vouch for any of it."

"Speak freely, even if it's mere conjecture. Palace talk should hold some kind of answer."

"A while back, the palace's Grand Academician invited her during one of Geomseong's cooperative visits. I overheard it in passing... 'She seems to feel considerable weight at having become Sect Leader'... that is what the Grand Academician said."

What Yohwan had told me stayed with me long after.

Even as the sun sank and evening drew near.

Geomseong felt burdened at having become Sect Leader... come to think of it, there was nothing strange about that. She had never been meant to lead the sect in the first place.

Sitting in the back yard with my pipe, I kept following the thread of thought. And then a bright voice rang out.

"Oh! Innkeeper!"

"Hm?"

Looking over, I found familiar faces: Hong Ryeon, and Sa Yun.

Unlike earlier that day, Hong Ryeon had come down dressed in her Hongseong Gate uniform. She flashed a grin and dipped her head slightly. "We've brought the herbs we promised."

"Ah, right on time. Just give me a moment."

Herbs like these were far more potent when properly processed than when used raw. We carried the neatly packed bundles off the cart, spread them across the back yard to dry, and set about preparing them for processing. While the servants bustled about, Sa Yun came up to me with a sweet smile and held out a silver coin.

"Hm? What's this for?"

"I'd like to buy some Dang-gwa, please."

"Really? You could just take them, you know. These herbs are better quality than I expected."

And I wasn't joking, either. Even the servants kept exclaiming over the quality from every corner of the yard.

But Sa Yun slowly shook her head. "That's true, but... um, for my martial sisters..."

"Your sisters?"

"...And for my Master, too."

"Such a good girl."

Hong Ryeon seemed to think much the same. She ruffled Sa Yun's hair, and at the touch Sa Yun's face bloomed into a smile.

"Oh — and when will you be going to Yangwi Fortress?"

"I'll send someone as soon as preparations are ready. But are you truly all right with it?"

"Right. If you're busy, no need to come. The eldest disciple of Hongseong Gate has plenty to do, doesn't she?"

A voice drifted in from outside. It was Chae Jin, back from Chang Ju's. As she said it with a smile, Hong Ryeon smiled back in answer.

"I'm fine. This is important work too, you know?"

And she ruffled Sa Yun's head again. "My junior sisters are handling their own duties admirably, so there's even less for me to worry about. Oh — unless it's a burden on you?"

Burden? Not at all. It made no difference to me. When I shook my head, Hong Ryeon preened as if to say see that?, and Chae Jin heaved a long sigh and came around to my side.

"So what's all this, then?"

"Medicinal ingredients Hongseong Gate is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠delivering to us."

"Hm... quality's good."

"Isn't it, though?"

After that brief remark, she turned her eyes on Sa Yun. Then she crouched down, beaming from ear to ear.

"If anything's ever hard on you, you just say the word, all right? Your eldest senior sister is a tough one."

"Yes! I think so too! But still, wouldn't it be even better if we could help her? She used to be busy every single day, but lately she smiles so much, and she's even found some breathing room. So we want to work even harder."

"Hmmm... I see. Must be nice, hm?"

"Jealous?"

"...Can't say I'm not. Whew. Getting squeezed from one side and pecked at from the other, maybe I should just come play with the Innkeeper instead."

As Chae Jin came closer, grinning, I pointed at the medicinal herbs.

"No time for games. Grab those and help me sort them out."

"Ohohoho~! Yes~!"

"...I'll help too."

"Oh! Me too!"

Extra helping hands were nothing but a boon to me.