Murong Clan (1)

39. Murong Clan (1)

Liaoning Province.

It was a place I thought I might have heard of somewhere in my past life, but I didn't know exactly where it was. However, when it came to the Liaodong region, which appeared countless times not only in world history but also in Korean history, even I, who had given up on studying, knew about it. Just as Seoul is divided into Gangnam and Gangbuk by the Han River flowing through it, in Liaoning Province, the great river called the Liao River separated Liaodong and Liaoxi.

In the very distant past, this land was the territory of Gojoseon, but after Gojoseon fell, the Gongsun clan of the late Han dynasty seized this land, and it became the domain of Gongsun Zan from the Three Kingdoms period and other lesser members of the Gongsun clan. Well, the Three Kingdoms era was already more than a thousand years ago. It was also the land where Gongsun Yuan established the Kingdom of Yan to resist the Kingdom of Wei, only to be utterly slaughtered eventually by Sima Yi. In the end, the Gongsun clan abandoned Liaodong and relocated their base to the Beijing area, near Yijing Tower where Gongsun Zan had died.

Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Sun Quan.

There were many charismatic rulers during the Three Kingdoms period, but after they fought fiercely against each other, the ultimate victor was Sima Yan, who founded the Jin dynasty. But even that Jin dynasty quickly split into the Sixteen Kingdoms. At that time, what seized this area was the Murong tribe of the Xianbei. They established the Former Yan and Later Yan and ruled this land until they were eventually destroyed by the Sui Dynasty. However, the Murong clan, who were the royal family of the Xianbei, maintained a massive powerbase as the local gentry and remained the Murong Clan even up to the present day. For reference, the Sui Dynasty, which destroyed Yan and unified the Sixteen Kingdoms, attacked Goguryeo right after unification and then collapsed at the speed of light. After that, the Tang Dynasty, and then Balhae, seized this land.

Because it was at the very edge of the Central Plains, it was a land that had changed countless masters: Han, Yan, Jin, Liao, Jin, Yuan, Song, Ming. Not only Han Chinese, but numerous foreign peoples such as the Xianbei, Dongyi, Khitan, Jurchen, and Mongols occupied it in turn. A land where masters changed overnight, and the new masters too would fall before long. To the residents of Liaoning Province, who knew their history vividly, the Murong Clan, the longstanding local magnates, were still no different from royalty, just as they had always been. Well, even to my eyes, Murong Rin seemed like a princess with a nasty personality.

Anyway, fortunately, Yeongsan Sect was in the Liaodong region, just like Shenyang where the Murong Clan was located. If it had been in the Liaoxi region, the journey there would have been rough and arduous. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Murong Rin didn't seem to have any intention of cutting ties with me yet, and the Murong Clan's estate was only a week's journey from Yeongsan Sect.

To build the Yeongsan Sect I envisioned, I needed several things: powerful masters, strong martial arts, and the protection of a major sect. Since this expedition ceremony was a birthday gift for Murong Rin rather than a formal request, I couldn't accept payment. If I performed it well, however, I might secure the most difficult condition of all—the protection of a major sect.

But still, Murong Rin. Why did she entrust such an important expedition ceremony to me, a freshly minted Daoist? No matter how diligently I prepared, without the cheat key that was Elder Hwangseong, I would surely make a mess of the Murong Clan's expedition ceremony.

"Reverend. It's time to eat."

I had been lost in thought in the cargo cart for some time when Escort Captain Jeon's voice rang out. The cart had already stopped, and the escorts and porters had cleared a space, lit a fire, and begun preparing a simple evening meal. It was only a comfortable rock, but Escort Captain Jeon guided me to the best spot, unmistakably the seat of honor.

"Here, please take this. Reverend. I hope the prepared grain wine suits your palate."

Escort Captain Jeon subtly handed me a bottle of liquor with a sly look on his face.

"Isn't drinking prohibited during an escort mission?"

"Of course. But you aren't an escort, Reverend."

"That's true, but everyone is working hard and they all probably want a drink. Drinking alone feels a bit..."

"Heh heh. To tell the truth, this is a gift I dare offer along with a request, Reverend. As you know, I have decided to marry the woman you met last time. If you would divine an auspicious date for us, I, Jeon U-hyeong, and my family will remain grateful for the rest of our lives."

Wow. This man really was a master of hospitality. Honestly, he knew better than anyone that I was someone who had never once glanced at Daoist studies during my whole life at the Baek Clan Estate, yet he was asking me—a person who had become a Daoist less than a month earlier—to divine an auspicious date? He simply wanted to flatter me and offer a bribe of liquor under a suitable pretext.

"What are your and the woman's Saju pillars?"

When I asked him while accepting the liquor bottle, he gleefully chattered on, listing his and her dates of birth, names, times of birth, and so on.

—Old man. Did you hear that?—

—The first day of the ninth month. The time when the sun stands high. However, a minor illness appears in the woman's Saju, so a jujube branch and a red fish must be placed on the table. Any fruit will do, but the number of pieces must be odd.—

When I repeated the old man's words exactly, Escort Captain Jeon looked stunned. He had probably already obtained an auspicious date from a competent Daoist, but he had asked me as a courtesy. When I answered precisely and even identified the woman's destined illness, his shock became genuine.

I opened the bottle, which was tightly sealed with straw cord and oiled paper, and enjoyed the aroma and distinctive charm of cheap local liquor despite its poor quality. Damn this world. Chili peppers had already arrived, so why had no one invented the bottle cap? It was a little regrettable, but after drinking exactly half, I gave the old man his share of the fee as well.

—Old man.—

—Oh! Right. Indeed, you are someone who knows propriety. The principle of the Dao—if one doesn't know the Dao's logic and propriety, one simply cannot dare to call oneself a Daoist!—

To him, a Daoist held a precious value that couldn't be compared with anything else. It seemed he was giving me the highest praise he was capable of. Without even needing to recite the incantation for the Soul Descent Art, the old man used the Spirit Possession Art to inhabit my body and drink the remaining half bottle. He was the one drinking, but since we shared senses, it wasn't like I was at a loss anyway.

"A-amazing, Reverend! I had already asked a famous Daoist in Shenyang for an auspicious date. He also gave the first day of the ninth month and said she carried a fate of illness, but he couldn't tell me the exact time or how to avert it."

"I studied it through Daoist texts, but the person who left that learning to me was no ordinary Daoist. Reverend Hwangseong was the direct disciple of the final Sect Leader of Maoshan Sect and a grandmaster of Daoist studies."

"I see! With my dull mind, I couldn't understand why the Young Master—no, Reverend—went there to study, but there was a profound reason after all!"

This time, Escort Captain Jeon's admiration was pure rather than flattery. Well, though a slight pang of guilt hit me, it wasn't a big deal since the old man was genuinely happy because of the high praise.

"R... Reverend! It's pear blossom wine! I... I also have a request. My third older brother is a skilled chef. But every place he opened a shop was ruined several times by an earthquake, flood, or plague, so he has to move his shop again. My brother's Saju is..."

An escort who had been trying his best not to speak to me, the VIP, suddenly approached, thrust a bottle of pear blossom wine at me, and chattered on about his brother's Saju.

"If he moves, he should go south. A place about ten days' journey south of your ancestral graves is auspicious. This time, don't hold an opening ceremony. A memorial rite to appease spirits would be better. Chicken is inauspicious, so offer a pheasant. You say your brother committed no crime, but did one of your ancestors not go to war and achieve great merit? That may have returned as a deep grudge."

The escort's face brightened instantly. At the sight, the other escorts and porters fumbled open their bundles, while those who had bought no liquor in advance sighed softly. I didn't know whether the old man's Saju divinations were real, but in any era, a skilled professional didn't starve.

The escorts might have money, but the porters could not possess much. When they cautiously offered one or two taels of silver while watching my reaction, I simply heard their troubles for free. It was entertaining, and Hwangseong secretly enjoyed himself too, chattering out answer after answer. Professionals usually valued their skills highly and disliked giving them away cheaply, but Hwangseong, perhaps because he truly had a Daoist's nature, loved using his learning to resolve other people's worries.

Just as I depended on them during this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠journey to Shenyang, the Yongrim Escort Agency would be useful to me later. Without their help on my previous trip or when sending letters home, things would have been exhausting. They treated me with such care because I was Baek Eun-hyeok, eldest son of Baek Clan Estate. But my future had already been decided at Yeongsan Sect, not Baek Clan Estate. I decided to regard winning their favor not as the Baek Clan's eldest son, but as Yeongmok, a Daoist of Yeongsan Sect, as an investment in the future.

The trip to Shenyang was more enjoyable than expected. When the sun set, they quickly set up camp, lit a fire, and prepared for sleep. Since it was a path they had traveled hundreds of times, traces remained showing this spot had been used as their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠camp many times before.

"By the way, Reverend. Did you hear the news? They say Heuk Cheon-gyeon has entered Liaoxi."

"Heuk Cheon-gyeon?"

Just as I was about to lie down beside the campfire, Escort Captain Jeon spoke to me in a notably friendlier tone.

Heuk Cheon-gyeon.

Speaking that name before the man himself could get not only us but every member of Yongrim Escort Agency—and perhaps even Baek Clan Estate behind them—slaughtered. His original epithet was Black Heaven Wolf. He had been the chief disciple of the Black Heaven Association Leader, one of the Ten Great Evil Factions, and was himself a man from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠another realm who had earned a place among the Top Hundred Masters. The Black Heaven Association fell short of the Nine Great Sects and the Beggars' Sect, but it was one of the Ten Great Evil Factions powerful enough to oppose them. The orthodox side ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠boasted the Nine Great Sects, the Beggars' Sect, and the Five Great Clans. The unorthodox side had greater numbers but weaker organization and countered them through the Ten Great Evil Factions and the Unorthodox Wanderers. Yet to people like us, his reputation as one of the Top Hundred Masters sounded even more astonishing than the name of the Black Heaven Association.

The current balance of the martial world was commonly described as orthodox four, unorthodox three, and Demonic Cult two. A simple calculation was unreliable, but it would place only thirty unorthodox martial artists among the Top Hundred Masters. Among millions of unorthodox martial artists, no more than twenty-nine would then be stronger than him. Why had such a man come to Liaoxi?

"The Black Heaven Association Leader decided to retire soon. Everyone naturally expected Heuk Cheon-gyeon to succeed him, but instead he handed the position to Bloodslaying Sword, a junior brother ten years younger, and abruptly became independent with only about fifty Black Swordsmen."

Was he insane? If he had reached the Top Hundred Masters at barely fifty, he couldn't have been forced to acknowledge the limits of his talent and give up as I had. Yet he abandoned leadership of the Black Heaven Association, one of the Ten Great Evil Factions, with more than five hundred disciples.

"Because of that, the Liaoning martial world has been shaken badly. Not only local unorthodox factions such as White Tiger Fortress of the Green Forest Eighteen Fortresses and the Amjang Sect, but even the Murong Clan sent Beautiful Madness to meet Heuk Cheon-gyeon."

Ah... Murong Rin. Come to think of it, knowing her personality, there was no way she would have arrived five days early just for the feast of the Seven Fingers Sect leader. I had been wondering why she had arrived so early, and it turned out that the Seven Fingers Sect was just a side note, and she was on her way back from meeting Heuk Cheon-gyeon.

"For now, nothing serious appears likely. They say Heuk Cheon-gyeon intends only to live quietly. If he meant to overturn Liaoning, he'd not remain in a small manor with only fifty Black Swordsmen. The Murong Clan remained doubtful, but decided that even someone as formidable as Heuk Cheon-gyeon could do little with fifty men, so they will instead watch the Black Heaven Association in Shandong closely."

As expected of escorts, they were deeply familiar with the state of the martial world after traveling through so many regions. They did not realize it themselves, but unlike ordinary people, they had one foot in that world, and their information was enormously valuable.

"After the Murong Clan visited, the surrounding orthodox and unorthodox factions watched one another and rushed to Heuk Cheon-gyeon's manor to pay their respects. The Seven Fingers Sect Leader from your area has probably set out for Liaoxi just as we have."

Indeed. I had wondered where such a large group was going with its Sect Leader in tow; they were on their way to meet Heuk Cheon-gyeon. My feelings grew complicated. Had this been Baek Clan Estate, we too would have discreetly paid our respects to a powerful martial force newly established nearby. Yet the declining, fifth-rate Yeongsan Sect was not even important enough to watch such developments and had been completely unaware that Heuk Cheon-gyeon had entered Liaoning. We were like a corner shop carrying on obliviously while a giant corporation opened a department store and entered a standoff with the existing ones.

It made me a little sad.