The Reason for Trust — 7
Moon Lotus Pavilion was a truly massive estate, just as I had seen it in Cheonsang Myeongwol.
As we were escorted inside toward the meeting hall, Chae Jin sidled up close to me and spoke in a low voice.
"Innkeeper, are you all right?"
"Whatever do you mean?"
"Well... you know."
She had apparently already heard the whole story. It was true that I could feel stares from all directions, glancing our way as we walked.
But what could I do about it?
I shook my head, and she took up a position just beside me and said, matter-of-factly,
"Whatever happens, I'll protect you."
"Much obliged."
"It— um— it's my job as your escort, that's all."
She gave a small bow of her head, then walked on with her back straight and proud. The place we were led into was a rather large hall within the estate grounds.
The moment we stepped inside, I could sense the tension thick in the air. Well, of course it would be, after what had happened.
I took my seat, and Chae Jin settled in beside me. How long did we wait like that?
Everyone in the room rose to their feet.
The great doors at the far end of the hall swung open, and in strode a single man.
Big. That was the only word that truly fit him. Tiger-like eyes, a thick black beard, and shoulders that spread impossibly wide.
With a presence like living stone, this man dominated the entire hall merely by entering it.
Doje.
One of the ten strongest under heaven, a man who had even been granted the honorary title of Lord of Cheongho by the Empire.
Perhaps because I was involved in this whole affair?
The moment he entered, he fixed me with a glare like lightning, and since I had no particular reason to look away, I met his gaze head-on.
"Let us begin."
After a moment of holding my stare, he took his seat, and everyone else followed suit.
It was Chae Ryeon who opened the proceedings. Perhaps because she had been briefed on the way here, or perhaps because she'd taken charge of handling this matter—
the assembled members of the hall listened in silence as Chae Ryeon laid everything out.
"I see. And so? Why is the eldest disciple who punished Chae Jeok-yo saying nothing? Chae Jin. Do you intend to stay silent?"
Chae Jin rose under the weight of countless stares, and she was trembling ever so slightly. Nervousness?
She glanced once at me, drew a long, deep breath, and clenched her fists tight.
Then, no longer shaking, she spoke in that confident voice so characteristic of her.
"Chae Jeok-yo..."
She stumbled slightly here and there, but her account was precise.
That Chae Jeok-yo had targeted Yo Hwan, and that she had intended to exploit the situation to study the Emei Sect's martial arts.
That in her single-minded pursuit of power she had stained Moon Lotus Pavilion's name, and that as the eldest disciple, she herself had punished her for it.
When she had said everything, Doje, who had listened in complete silence, bared his teeth in something like a grin.
"I see. Does Byeokroemun have anything to say for itself?"
"...Nothing. I never imagined that child would go so far. Even so, it was I who took her in and made her my daughter. It was I who taught her and raised her. So as her father, I must take responsibility for this matter. I will set aside all my current duties and step down from every post I hold in Moon Lotus Pavilion. Furthermore... Byeokroemun shall seal its gates for five years and cede everything to Moon Lotus Pavilion."
The man whose face had been darkening for some time now, who had sighed repeatedly with every word Chae Jin spoke, delivered this with a melancholy that was plain to see.
So he'd been like this when Chae Jeok-yo died in Cheonsang Myeongwol too. So that part stayed true in this world as well.
"Brutal, isn't it? Granted she was adopted, but his own daughter just died, and he doesn't offer a single word in her defense..."
"Well, isn't that what taking responsibility means?"
He was the one who had accepted Chae Jeok-yo, taught her, and raised her—so I supposed he was accepting the consequences of that.
I gave this answer to Chang Ju, who had been muttering behind me.
"Whew..."
Chae Jin, who had plopped back into her seat, was still flinching. A flush had risen to her face, and her body was still trembling with the aftermath.
"You all right?"
"...Yes. Thanks to you."
"I didn't do anything."
"You did something."
As we murmured quietly back and forth, the conversations of the others drifted over to us.
No one was suggesting they forgive Chae Jeok-yo or sweep the matter under the rug—quite the opposite, the prevailing opinion was that this incident absolutely could not be allowed to pass unaddressed.
If they had proposed letting it slide, or trying to end it with nothing more than cutting off the offending limb, I'd been prepared to say something myself. But since that wasn't the case, I kept quiet.
"Then we shall conclude the handling of this matter here. And one more thing."
Doje rose from his seat. Then he walked all the way over to where we sat.
"As head of Moon Lotus Pavilion, I offer my sincere apologies for failing to properly instruct my disciple."
And he bowed deeply at the waist.
Chang Ju and Yo Hwan, watching this, nearly leapt out of their skins, but I simply returned his bow.
"I am grateful for Moon Lotus Pavilion's judgment."
Slowly, he straightened. He stared at me fixedly for a long moment, and then burst out laughing.
"Seomhwachon—that's where the Hongseong Sect resides, yes? The Sword Saint. Have you met that young thing?"
Young thing?
Well, come to think of it, according to the lore, when everything went up in flames at the Hongseong Sect and Na Yerin was left all alone to become its Sect Leader, elder, and sole disciple, she was still in her late teens.
Considering she took on disciples from Hong Ryeon all the way down to Sa Yun in the years after that, she could only be in her thirties at most...
With talent overflowing to the point of excess, she had tempered her body into immense inner power and supreme martial skill. And perhaps because she'd always been young-faced, her appearance was youthful too—plus her actual age was younger than Doje's. To him, "young thing" was probably perfectly accurate.
"Yes. I've had the honor of meeting her several times."
"Is that so..."
Had he wanted to say something more? Uncharacteristically, he hesitated, staring at me for a moment—but then he simply shook his head.
"You will be properly rewarded for this matter. I don't know if it will satisfy you, but if there is anything you desire, speak to Chae Ryeon."
And with that, he was done. He flashed a grin at Chae Jin, who sat beside me, and then roughly ruffled her hair.
"Well done."
With that as his parting word, he strode out of the hall. Chae Jin patted at her tousled hair, then broke into a small smile.
The moment he left the meeting hall, Yo Hwan and Chang Ju collapsed into their seats like deflating balloons.
"Hoo... haaa."
"...Truly beyond words. But say, innkeeper—are you all right?"
Doje's glare had been rather sharp back there, but I was hardly the sort to be cowed by a mere look.
I shrugged, and in the meantime Chae Ryeon came over to us.
"You heard everything, right? If there's anything you'd like, just write it down for me. We'll do our utmost to repay you. Now then! Let's get your lodgings arranged. Everyone should go rest."
And so, the eventful journey to Cheongho was drawing to a close.
The next morning.
Laid out before us as we gathered for breakfast were the very things we had submitted yesterday.
"Oooooh..."
Chang Ju was trembling with emotion over a single red brush.
The Blood Flower Brush—a spiritual artifact. Crafted from the fur of a magical beast called the Chonghwa. In Cheonsang Myeongwol, talisman masters who possessed the Blood Flower Brush could inscribe considerably more powerful talismans.
And in Yo Hwan's hand gleamed a small dagger, no bigger than a palm. It looked utterly ordinary at a glance, but it too was an artifact—Pao Ding's Trace.
Many may wish to wield it, but only a chosen few may hold it.
In Cheonsang Myeongwol, medicinal cooks who possessed this gained a boost to the effects of their healing dishes—so for my purposes, it was nothing but a boon.
And in my hand rested a silver plaque.
"I never dreamed they'd actually hand over the Moon Watching Plaque."
One of the ten mightiest under heaven.
This was the plaque that could let me command the services of Doje himself, at least once.
Even in Cheonsang Myeongwol it had only ever appeared as a special event reward, and for me it was a powerful card—enough to let me escape even a worst-case scenario once.
Truthfully, I'd planned to demand a fine elixir as compensation if they refused to hand it over.
Getting more than I expected had taken even me by surprise.
"Father and Mothers both said it was only right to give it to you."
"Honestly, I expected you to refuse."
"Ahaha. Father said it himself, didn't he? That you'd be properly compensated for this matter."
"One could request personal favors of Doje with this. Are you certain?"
"Hmm, who's to say? From where I'm standing, you don't exactly seem like the type to use that plaque for personal gain—and Father must have seen that too, or he wouldn't have approved it. Anyway! You're leaving today, right? Shouldn't you be getting a move on?"
She had a point.
I would have liked to pay my respects to Doje before leaving, but apparently he was busy dealing with the aftermath of this whole affair.
Told only to come visit again someday, we climbed into our carriage.
On the way here, Chae Jin had sat alone on the back bench. On the way back, we were four.
I was looking at the group huddled together on the rear seat, reaching for the reins...
Hm?
Why are there four?
I looked back again, and addressed the unexpected occupant—Chae Ryeon.
"What are you doing back there?"
"Oh! I didn't mention it? It just so happens I'm planning to challenge a secret realm."
"And?"
"It's a secret realm a little farther down past Yangwi Fortress... since we're headed the same way, why not travel together? You are taking the imperial highway, aren't you?"
Chae Ryeon drew a single sheet of paper from the bag at her side. Good heavens. Wasn't that even more precious than the one I had?
"The perks of Moon Lotus Pavilion. Moon Lotus Pavilion. Something like an Official Road Pass is easy enough for us to have issued."
With that, Chae Ryeon gave a light round of applause. At once, the white-robed warriors waiting outside.
the elite Moonlight Squad of Moon Lotus Pavilion, swiftly took up their positions.
"We double as your escort. What's not to like?"
"I have Miss Chae for an escort."
"Haha. True enough. But traveling together is still nice, isn't it?"
As Chae Ryeon beamed and said this, Chae Jin let out a long, long sigh.
Since we were taking the imperial highway, there was hardly any real danger to speak of.
Not that magical beasts or bandits never appeared even on the imperial roads—but imperial soldiers regularly patrolled the highway's perimeter.
Because of that, the number of beasts and bandits was dramatically reduced compared to ordinary roads.
All the same, the Moonlight Squad members accompanying us on this journey were decidedly excessive—yet they were quite dutiful about their task.
We traveled on in safety, and by evening, when we reached a campsite along the imperial road, our party came to a halt.
Dinner came first, and just as I was about to prepare the campfire, one of the Moonlight Squad members stepped forward and swiftly built one for me.
"Thank you."
"Not at all."
The squad member bowed politely and withdrew. After that, the others busied themselves with setting up camp.
Hm. Looks like there's nothing for me to do.
Feeling a bit awkward, I gazed up at the reddening sky.
It was just about time for training, after all...
"Well then. Shall we have another fun day of training?"
"Let's."
Sure enough, Chae Jin came over, stood before me, and settled into her stance.
In the meantime, Chae Ryeon, who had been giving the Moonlight Squad their camping instructions, cocked her head curiously and began making her way toward us.
"I heard from my sister. You're learning Chae Family Tai Chi Chuan?"
"That's right."
"Study hard. My sister's skills are the real deal."
And with that, she plopped down beside the campfire.
She watched us with that signature fox-like grin plastered across her face, which was admittedly a little distracting. But so what.
"Let's begin. We'll start with Circle of Flowing Light."
Chae Jin, seemingly unbothered, stood before me as usual.
Her outstretched right hand was light, as if holding a teacup. At the same moment, she twisted her right wrist and slowly extended her left hand from her hip.
Mirroring her, I extended my right hand as well—and it naturally met Chae Jin's.
"...Ngh!"
The instant fingertip touched fingertip, Chae Jin's hand shot up toward the sky. Huh? That's not how Circle of Flowing Light goes.
I looked at Chae Jin, and her face was plainly flustered as she fumbled.
"S-sorry about that."
"No, is something the matter?"
"Hooo... it's really nothing. Now. L-let's try again."
Her right hand extended once more. Her hand met mine, and this time it didn't fly away. But her fingertips were trembling, unlike usual. Apparently she meant to teach me a new technique today.
"...Shall we not?"
"We must! Now! Stillness Rooting the Fire. Tai Chi always moves in pursuit of stillness. That momentum may be fierce and violent as a tiger's, but what follows it is, in the end, softness—yù. Think carefully of the way a willow moves."
Her voice was a bit higher pitched than usual, but Chae Jin's instruction was as clean as ever.
The movement of a willow. Like something swaying on the wind, Chae Jin's right hand rippled—and my hand, pressed against hers, rippled in answer.
Slowly, but surely.
Her movement and my movement flowed into one.
"This is called softness conquering hardness, as the river eternally returns. A mighty river, despite all its force, flows on with effortless calm. That is flow—yù—and it leads in turn to softness—yù. In the end, you may say that Chae Family Tai Chi Chuan aims for movement like the river itself."
"Seeking softness within strength, then?"
"Yes. You know the saying—the highest good is like water. Water adapts itself to everything and changes freely. It is nothing less than the very essence of softness."
Even as she spoke gently, Chae Jin's hand was moving swift as anything.
Swift as a river.
Strong as a river.
Soft as a river.
Since a single motion had to carry countless layers of meaning, even with a master instructor like Chae Jin—the premier lecturer of Chae Family Tai Chi Chuan—the training was never easy.
But she simply smiled as she always did, and taught.
"Ugh."
"From here you can chain into another technique. It's a form of seizing-hand art... called Three Origins Capture. It's a seizing technique with wonderful synergy with Chae Family Tai Chi, so make sure to pick it up when you can. Watching you fight before, your seizing hand seemed a bit weak."
"That's because I never learned it."
"Hehe. I'll keep teaching you, so don't worry. I told you before, didn't I? I can't let you leave the mountain until you've reached a skill level I approve of."
Chae Jin was clearly enjoying herself, a smile blooming across her whole face, and from then on the training proceeded as it always did.
During a brief pause in the training, I turned my head toward the campfire, feeling a gaze on me.
Was she amused? Surprised? Or just dumbfounded?
With a face that was impossible to read one way or the other, Chae Ryeon sat with her mouth hanging open, staring blankly at Chae Jin.