Chapter 93
Song Sogeol had a dream.
"Where is this?"
A very familiar training ground came into view before Song Sogeol's eyes. Hidden among decoy buildings, it was a place no outsider could find. It was where he had spent his childhood training.
A little girl and a handsome middle-aged man stood there.
"Father? And... me?"
"Daddy, why do I have to learn this?"
The little girl, Song Sohee, looked up at Song Kang, a small dagger clutched in her hand.
'Dagger arts. I remember. It was the first martial art I learned—small enough for a child to hold.'
Song Sogeol watched the dream before him with a wistful pang as memories resurfaced. He figured this must be one of those lucid dreams people sometimes talked about.
"To avoid dying."
Song Kang's eyes were cool as he answered his young daughter's question. Undaunted by her father's stern expression, Song Sohee simply fidgeted with her tiny fingers and asked, "Why would I die?"
Song Kang replied with the same icy demeanor. "Because you're weak."
"Who would kill me?"
"The world."
Song Kang closed his eyes for a moment as if lost in thought, then opened them and continued in an earnest tone. "Daughter, the world is a place that devours the weak. The world we live in today is one where the strong feast lavishly on the blood spilled by the vast majority of the powerless."
Young Song Sohee's eyes lit up with a spark.
"Is that why you take in those weaklings, Daddy?"
Song Kang flinched at his daughter's words. The stern look he'd prepared for disciplining her softened into one of pride.
"Yes. Our Haomen exists to help such weak souls survive amid the logic of the strong—by aiding one another."
"But there are bad uncles among them too."
Song Kang could no longer maintain his strict father's mask. He smiled and stroked his daughter's hair.
"True enough. Even this father worries about that. But what we seek is survival, not chivalry."
"Hmm..."
Song Kang gazed at his young daughter. She was stroking her chin like an adult, her hand delicate as a fern frond. He thought that no matter how clever she was, she was still too young for such profound discussions.
Clap!
Song Sohee suddenly clapped her tiny hands and declared, "Daddy! Then make Haomen the strongest force in the murim. So the world can't touch us easily."
Song Kang dismissed it as the impulsive fancy of a child.
"Haha! That sounds nice."
The young Song Sohee planted her adorable little hands on her hips. "Hey! I'm serious. To do that, Haomen needs to step out into the light first."
"Into the light?"
"Yes. There are reasons."
Intrigued by his daughter's earnest expression, Song Kang prompted her. "All right, then. Tell me your thoughts freely."
The young Song Sohee straightened her posture and said, "First off, lots of people don't even know Haomen exists or understand our value in helping the weak survive."
"And?"
Song Kang chimed in eagerly, getting into it. Emboldened by her father's attention, young Song Sohee pressed on excitedly. "Spread the word about Haomen far and wide so everyone knows we exist. No need for some grand proclamation. Instead, give real benefits to the weak."
"How?"
Young Song Sohee raised her index finger proudly. "Hire them based on their abilities."
Song Kang smiled at her cute display and echoed, "Abilities?"
"Yes. For someone who knows meat inside out, open a butcher shop and put him in charge as manager."
"So, don't control everything—just invest?"
Young Song Sohee nodded. "Exactly. For cloth experts, a fabric shop; cooks, an inn; horse handlers, a stable; number-crunchers, a merchant caravan; performers, a tavern. Invest according to their talents."
"And what do we gain from that? Won't we just lose money?"
Young Song Sohee smiled. "Information."
A hush fell.
"...Information?"
Song Kang stared blankly at his daughter as if struck on the head.
"Information... information..."
He mulled over her words.
"A network for collecting information—dense connections everywhere."
Song Kang paced the training ground, dragging his feet along the ground to sort his thoughts.
"The weak gain ways to survive and share the information they pick up along the way. We process it and sell to those who need it."
His steps quickened.
"For everyone in the world, medicine, food, and shelter aren't choices—they're necessities. Unless you're living in the heavens, all information flows from below."
Excitement surging, Song Kang rubbed his palms together.
"Those cast aside by the world won't have much reason to betray us, the ones who gave them a foothold in life. And the initial investments won't be that burdensome once they're past the startup phase."
Song Kang glanced at the corner of the training ground. An ant was protecting an aphid from a ladybug.
"Just as the ant guards the aphid in exchange for its honeydew, Haomen can play that role."
More ants swarmed to join the first one. The ladybug, no longer able to indulge its greed, flew off in retreat.
"Make up for lacking power with numbers, and use money and information to build allies as needed."
Song Kang looked up at the sky. Amid the clear weather, small white clouds clustered cozily, reminding him cutely of his daughter.
"Hahaha!"
Song Kang laughed heartily at the heavens.
"The jackpot was right here!"
He scooped up his young daughter in his arms.
"Haomen's future is right here!"
Song Kang spun around with young Song Sohee hugged tight to his chest.
"Daughter, what do you want? Father's in such a good mood—I'll grant anything!"
Beaming with her father's joy, young Song Sohee replied, "Someday, before I turn twenty, I'd love to see the world."
Song Kang paused and set her down. He'd thought her merely precocious, but now he realized her wisdom surpassed even genius. He couldn't dismiss the idea lightly.
"See the world? Why that, all of a sudden?"
Young Song Sohee clasped her delicate hands as if in prayer.
"I read Romance of the Three Kingdoms, compiled by Luo Guanzhong. I want a fateful encounter like the Peach Garden Oath of Liu Bei's brothers."
"Peach Garden Oath?"
"Yes! The friendship of true men! It's so beautiful."
Young Song Sohee clenched her fist in what she thought was a heroic pose, but to Song Kang, it was simply adorable. He wondered if it was normal for a girl to yearn for men's camaraderie, but today, everything was forgivable.
"All right, all right. When the time comes, we'll do just as you wish."
Song Kang smiled back at his daughter, who grinned radiantly.
Song Sogeol had been quietly observing the pair as if peeking into an old memory. Suddenly, his vision blurred.
Startled, Song Sogeol looked around. The surroundings had changed.
'Here...?'
It was the unforgettable site of their fateful meeting—beneath a maple tree with red leaves drifting in the wind, three figures stood.
"Whoa! Looks like I get to share in a bond like this too. A pledge under the maple tree—how about we call it the Phongha Oath?"
"Sounds good."
Song Sogeol cried out happily at Tian Ailang's bright smile—it felt like ages since he'd seen it.
'Brother! Oh right, this is a dream.'
In his hollow shout, Song Sogeol sheepishly scratched his head.
'Scratching my head when embarrassed—that's a habit Brother Ailang does a lot.'
Song Sogeol's gaze shifted to Chanh Ho beside Tian Ailang, wearing a faint smile.
'Huh? Brother Chanh Ho smiled back then.'
He noticed a detail he'd missed at the time.
Suddenly, the world flickered, and the scene shifted again.
Song Sogeol accepted it calmly this time, enjoying the memory tour with delight.
'Brother Ailang's love for dumplings is legendary, gotta give him that.'
Song Sogeol laughed at the sight of Tian Ailang stuffing his mouth full yet ordering more.
'Didn't notice back then, but Brother Chanh Ho was smiling at me?'
Chanh Ho had started off so prickly that Song Sogeol thought he hated him. Now he eyed him with surprise.
'Brother Chanh Ho's pretty handsome too—not quite like Brother Ailang, but still.'
Song Sogeol chuckled to himself.
'If I stared like this in reality, he'd definitely curse me out.'
The scene changed along with his playful laughter.
'Huh? Hahaha!'
Song Sogeol burst into belly laughs at the scene before him. It was the moment they escaped after hunting for Red Cliff's treasure with his sworn brothers—Tian Ailang scuttling like a cockroach, himself flailing like a dog swimming, and Chanh Ho last, wriggling on the ground like an earthworm.
'It felt like life or death back then, but watching now, it's pure comedy.'
The three, having barely escaped, lay sprawled on the ground like starfish, chatting.
'Hm?'
He hadn't noticed while lying down, but Chanh Ho was grumbling yet shooting him worried glances.
The scenes flashed by rapidly once more. Every journey after meeting Tian Ailang and Chanh Ho played out in quick succession—the fateful encounters and travels he'd dreamed of since childhood. The unforgettable joy from them filled Song Sogeol's heart with happiness.
'So happy.'
But something puzzled him.
'I never realized with Brother Chanh Ho always bickering...'
Unlike his curt tone, Chanh Ho had always gazed at him with warmth and concern.
The scene shifted again.
Song Sogeol waited expectantly for another happy memory.
'Ah, this place.'
It was the formation set by Juwonjang, where Tian Ailang fussed protectively over his brothers until it nearly sparked a fight. Now Song Sogeol saw Chanh Ho subtly positioning himself to shield him.
'Nah, no way.'
Before his small doubt could grow, the scene changed.
'Ah!'
Song Sogeol panicked. There he was, collapsed in Tian Ailang's arms as if dead. Tian Ailang was howling at Chanh Ho.
'Why? Why are they fighting?'
Song Sogeol felt extreme bewilderment. He and Chanh Ho bickered often, but Tian Ailang never fought with any sworn brother—especially not Chanh Ho, with whom he shared an unbreakable bond like old war buddies. The clash looked utterly alien to Song Sogeol.
And he'd never seen Tian Ailang so furious and grief-stricken. Even knowing it was a dream, Song Sogeol trembled at the terrifying surge of qi.
Then, immense demonic qi erupted from Chanh Ho's body, along with the silhouette of an Asura.
'The De...monic Cult?'
As Song Sogeol reeled in shock, the surroundings plunged into deep darkness. Unlike the quick flashes before, the blackness stretched on endlessly.
Song Sogeol drifted through it, gripped by inexplicable dismay.
'Why Brother Chanh Ho?'
Chanh Ho's eyes clearly brimmed with tears as he turned and withdrew with the Demonic Cult warriors.
Song Sogeol lay adrift in a fog of confusion, losing all sense of time and space.
Suddenly, a glowing rope appeared before him. Dazed, Song Sogeol grasped it. His body was yanked forward with dizzying speed.
In the bewildering rush, he opened his eyes to a familiar face—not angry like in the dream just now, but wearing a warm expression. It was Tian Ailang.
For some reason, his mouth felt unbearably heavy as he forced it open.
"Brother...?"