The Way Forward - 1
A martial artist who neither ponders nor thinks is as good as dead.
That is what Master told us during our period of intensive training.
Perhaps that is why I find myself thinking so much more these days.
To tell the truth, before I entered Hongseong Gate, I don't believe I thought very much at all. The only thing on my mind was the instinct to survive — how would I get through today?
And so, upon coming to Hongseong Gate, I learned how to think, and I have pondered constantly ever since, so that I might judge right from wrong.
These days, I am thinking about this sword you gave me, Uncle.
Master looked at it and said only that it was a fine sword — and so did Eldest Senior Sister.
But lately, the sword has begun to change in a rather mysterious way.
In the middle of a spar with Master, the blade gave off a faint light, if only for an instant. A very brief moment, but still.
While everyone stood startled by that light, Master stroked my head.
Ponder, she said. And think. About why this sword gave off light.
But perhaps because I am still so lacking, no answer comes to me.
Of course, you must already know the reason, Uncle... and yet I would like to try a little harder and find it on my own.
Could it be that the reason you never gave this sword a name was so that I would learn to think for myself?
I turn over the things you send me every single day, pondering them again and again.
Who could my Uncle be? What sort of person might he be?
But I suspect the reason you never tell me is that you believe this, too, is something I must think through and puzzle out for myself.
Then think I must.
And ponder I must.
Even if it takes a long, long time — I will. Without fail.
The weather has grown very hot of late.
I pray every night that it does not wear upon your health, and I hope this prayer reaches you, so that you remain well and free of any troubles.
P.S.
In a few days, I am to visit Changungwan together with Eldest Senior Sister Hong Ryeon and with Innkeeper Yu Wol — the master of the Seomhwa Inn, who has given our Hongseong Gate so much help.
Do you know of Changungwan, by any chance? I had only ever heard tales of the place, but according to the senior sisters who have been, it is beautiful beyond words.
A very long time ago, eight Immortals descended and dwelt there, and afterward the Daoists who received their teachings raised a monastery to honor the eight Immortals who had departed.
According to Senior Sister Yu Hui, those who pass certain trials there are granted a splendid dharma artifact. Might you have need of one?
Of course, even without taking the trials, those venturing into the jianghu for the first time are said to pray there to the eight Immortals for a journey through the murim free of mishap.
I will be going to Changungwan this time as well, and I should like to offer a prayer to the eight Immortals.
They say there is a plaque one receives through such prayer — and that carrying it brings health and draws good fortune.
When I go, I will pray for you, Uncle. Please do accept the plaque.
And please — do not feel burdened by it.
I lifted my eyes from the letter Sa Yun had sent.
Praying for me, of all things...
Burdensome? Hardly. If anything, I was grateful.
Of course, the plaque itself held no particular power — but the heart behind it, that I was thankful for.
Chuckling, I rapped the letter lightly with my knuckles and picked up my brush. There was little of substance to write: enjoy yourself while you're out, and if there's anything you want to eat or have, use the allowance I sent and see to it yourself. That was about the whole of it.
I would send it off tomorrow. By the fastest courier, she would have it in hand before she departed.
Tucking Sa Yun's letter away into my safe, I returned to my work.
How long had I been at it?
Tap.
Something had struck the window. I poked my head out and found a beauty standing in the back yard, her red hair spilling down like poured silk. She wore a provocative smile, and waved the moment she spotted me.
Hong Ryeon, the eldest disciple of Hongseong Gate.
"I'll come down shortly."
"No need. I'll come up."
With that offhand remark, she kicked off the wall and sprang skyward. A blur of movement carried her to my window in a blink, and there she grinned and asked, "Back in one piece?"
"Indeed. More to the point, how was your closed-door cultivation? You came out sooner than I expected."
"Mm. It went quicker this time."
"That's a relief. And did you gain anything from it?"
She had announced she would seclude herself for training while I was away at Cheongho. Perhaps because my own level was simply too low, I couldn't tell what had changed in her — but Hong Ryeon looked quite self-assured, as though she had come away with something.
"I'll show you later. I promise."
"Personally, I'd rather there be nothing to show. If you're fighting, that means danger has found its way to you — doesn't it?"
"...Is... is that so?"
Hong Ryeon cleared her throat awkwardly, then let her gaze wander casually about my room. I smiled and said, "Won't you step inside for a moment? At least stay for a cup of tea."
"Huh? Oh. Er... no. You were in the middle of work, weren't you? I'd feel bad keep interrupting."
Her eyes slid toward my desk, where the work that had piled up during my trip to Cheongho lay heaped in stacks. For some reason she regarded it with a contented air, then shrugged.
"I just came by because I heard you were back. I should be heading in myself soon, anyway."
"Busy, I gather?"
"This and that. Ah — the herbs should be just about ready soon, too. Sounds like the kids have been working themselves ragged."
"Is that so? Good to hear."
"Right?"
Leaning lightly against the window frame, Hong Ryeon beamed. Then she drew a short breath and produced something from within her robe.
"And this would be?"
"Just a little something I made when I had time to spare."
In Hong Ryeon's hand was a brush. It was no talisman-craft implement like Chang Ju's, of course — but it was certainly an unusual piece, fitted with a stopper whose chamber could be filled with ink so it could be carried about and used on the go. The sort of brush favored by those who worked out in the field.
I owned a few of the like myself. But this one appeared to be handmade?
"You can craft these too?"
"Uh... yeah. Some time ago I hunted down a Blood Fox — a Hyeolho. I kept its pelt as a memento. You do know that Hyeolho fur makes superb brush hair, don't you?"
"Of course I know that."
"Hehe. See? It's not as though you work here and here alone. You're forever running hither and thither."
"True enough."
My work did not begin and end at the inn. There were goods to be added for the trading company, paddies and fields to visit, trips out to inspect the newly reclaimed wasteland — plenty to be done beyond these walls.
"So I made you one. It came out of my breaks and spare moments, so don't let it weigh on you."
Was it because it came from Hong Ryeon's deft hands? It certainly looked the part. The red lotus pattern engraved on the ink chamber especially caught my eye — the very same design as the one on my own pipe — and that alone lent the piece no small worth.
"Thank you. I'll put it to good use."
"Hehe. Mm. Carry it with you always. If it breaks, I'll simply make you another. And by the look of it, you haven't been carrying that sachet around..."
"Wouldn't it feel a touch careless, wearing a gift everywhere I go? I'm saving it for a special occasion."
I thought of the sachet the Hongseong disciples had given me a while back. Had it been something that would spoil sitting unused, I would have used it straightaway — but as it was not, surely it deserved to be kept with care.
At my words, Hong Ryeon chuckled low in her throat.
"I gave it to you so you would use it, you know. If you insist on being stubborn, then start with mine. The moment it runs dry, I'll refill it as often as you like."
"Well... I'll consider it."
"Mm. Then I'll be off. Don't work too far into the night. Overwork is nothing to take lightly."
"Advice from someone who's learned that firsthand?"
"Naturally. Well then, I..."
"One moment."
"Hm?"
Hong Ryeon, poised to leap down, stopped. Well-timed, since she was here anyway. I held out the bundle of gifts I had bought for the Hongseong disciples.
"I went to Cheongho this time, and you all came to mind, so I bought these."
What I offered was cloth — one of Cheongho's local specialties. Hong Ryeon turned it over this way and that, then smiled gently.
"What's this for, then? So I'll sew you a sachet?"
"No. Have new training uniforms fitted for the Hongseong disciples. I'll provide separate cloth for the sachets."
"...Huh?"
"If the sachets become a matter of passing fashion, the crowds coming to seek out Hongseong Gate will thin once the trend fades, won't they? I know your sect prizes frugality — but I trust you understand that the meaning of frugality can shift depending on how people perceive it."
"Er... we already have uniforms, though."
"I know. This cloth is sturdy enough to hold up even through training, so use it for their everyday wear. I brought a generous amount, so don't fret about running short."
I had never sewn a garment in my life, so I couldn't judge for myself — but the cloth merchant had insisted this much would outfit twenty-five people.
She stared at the cloth in my hands without a word, then smiled a wry, helpless little smile.
"I'm forever in your debt."
"From here on, I intend to owe you far more often, so don't you worry."
There was no shortage of favors I meant to ask of Hongseong Gate, after all.
"...Heheh! Okay!"
Beaming, she gathered the cloth into her arms. The bundle had to weigh a fair amount, yet she lifted it easily on arms that looked thinner than mine — a master really was a master.
I watched her vault away and dwindle into the distance, then returned to my desk.
How much time had passed since I buried myself in work again? A knock sounded at my door.
"Come in."
"Come on! Time for training!"
Was it that hour already? I glanced out the window and saw the sky bleeding red with dusk.
"Let's go."
Chae Jin, who had drilled me until I was dead on my feet, reached a hand down to where I lay sprawled. The moment I took it and rose, she pressed the water she had prepared into my hand.
"I'd say you're just about ready to move on to the next stage of Chae Family Tai Chi Chuan."
"Oh? Does that mean I've finally earned your recognition?"
"As if. Just you look forward to what comes next!"
I was looking forward to it, all right. So much that my very flesh trembled.
And so, with training over and a quick wash behind me, just as I was settling in to deal with the day's remaining work, a servant knocked at my door. The guest I had been expecting had arrived.
I went down at once, and sure enough, there was the Magistrate, beaming ear to ear, flanked by two military officers.
"Innkeeper Yu. Hard travels, I trust. I hear from Chang Ju that you had any number of matters to see to."
"Haha. Was there anything worth calling hardship? If anything, the trip was more comfortable thanks to you, Magistrate."
It was no lie. Had we been unable to use the official roads, the journey would have taken far longer.
"Come, let's head inside."
I left the two officers to enjoy a drink out in the common hall and followed the Magistrate into the parlor reserved for honored guests. We were trading small talk when Yo Hwan's dishes arrived; he chewed with the air of a man savoring a long-awaited feast, then burst into applause.
"Haha! This is truly remarkable! I hear you've taken on a royal chef from the Imperial Palace..."
"She came into my service by chance."
"Where is there ever such a thing as chance? From what Chang Ju tells me, this too is the fruit of your virtue, Innkeeper Yu."
"What virtue could a humble innkeeper claim? Come, have a drink."
It was a warm, convivial gathering. But after the drinks had gone around several times and we had eaten our fill, the Magistrate glanced about as though worried his voice might carry, and lowered his tone.
"By the way — have you heard the news?"
"Has something amusing happened?"
"Hmm. Less amusing than... something you would do well to know as well, Innkeeper Yu."
His voice dropped lower than before, utterly grave.
"There are factions moving to depose the current leader of the Four Black Alliance and raise up a new one in his place. It has set the Alliance at odds with itself... and mishandled, war could well break out among the unorthodox sects."
The clash between the incumbent Alliance leader and the pretender. This was the backdrop on which Part One began — the struggle between the new Alliance leader, backed by the Iron Blood Dan, and the old. And the turmoil born of that struggle would, in the end, drag Seomhwa Village into the very flames of war.
Of course, so long as Hongseong Gate stood unharmed, the odds were low — but in the scenario we had drawn up, we judged that even granting that, the fire of war could well reach this place. The reason lay in Mount Hongseong.
It was something from around Part Three, if I recalled rightly — the main storyline of Yura, the story's other protagonist. White Fairy Lake, where she had trained, was likewise a place where spirit energy converged. But because that place lay calm and stable, its energy could not easily be driven berserk — and so the Iron Blood Dan had instead herded the streams of fleeing refugees toward it, massacred the countless souls resting there, and with that blood and death defiled White Fairy Lake, sending its spirit energy raging out of control.
Which meant that, by the same logic, even without touching Hongseong Gate, simply drowning Seomhwa Village in blood might suffice to rupture Mount Hongseong's spirit energy. Granted, it would be a weaker outcome than erasing Hongseong Gate outright — but from the Iron Blood Dan's standpoint, even this would have to do...
And so the first scenario we had devised was built entirely around blunting this very attack.
"My thanks for the valuable intelligence. Though I must ask — where does one come by information of that caliber?"
The Magistrate answered as though it were nothing at all.
"An old classmate of mine from our commissioning class, whom I happened upon a couple of days ago, serves in the Imperial Military Inspectorate — he's the one who told me. The Empire is moving to prevent it as well, but better to keep your guard up all the same. I expect an official directive will come down before long. Just keep it in mind for now."
The connections of officials truly could not be underestimated.