The True Hangzhou Ghost
The martial world divides its sects into the Orthodox and the Heterodox.
Where the martial artists of the Orthodox path steadily lay foundations and pursue ever-higher enlightenment, those of the Heterodox take the efficient road — seeking strength alone, and seeking it fast.
Men who will gladly clasp hands with the underworld if it means growing stronger. Naturally, such heterodox disciples swarmed through Hangzhou as well.
Hangryonghoe
And at the end of that road, they stood.
Among the countless heterodox and underworld outfits that lived by the blade in Hangzhou, the Hangryonghoe was a name that the unqualified never even properly learned to recognize. What had begun as a modest gathering in Hangzhou had, by now, become one of the Six Great Heterodox Sects — a force whose renown rang across the whole of the Central Plains.
Knock, knock.
Their influence over Hangzhou was formidable as well. That the Hangryonghoe had, at some point, become the supreme power governing Hangzhou's shadows was evident even here, in this very room.
"…The Association Leader has arrived."
A bearded middle-aged man rose from his seat and gestured toward the place across the tea table. Toward him, smiling as he entered, came a white-haired old man — the same one with whom he had shared tea and conversation at a wine house not long ago.
"Have you been well?"
"Haha. Didn't we just see each other recently?"
"For an old man who scrapes by one day at a time, even that short while feels long."
"Aigoo — don't say such dreadful things, Association Leader."
"Heh heh heh."
The bearded middle-aged man lightly fielded the joke of the white-haired elder — the Hangryonghoe Leader, who governed Hangzhou's darkness. The Leader's next words made the man's identity plain.
"Still, thanks to Your Honor the Prefect, I have at least one more pleasure left in life. I'm grateful for that."
"Oh, come now."
His Honor the Prefect could only laugh at the Leader's banter.
Indeed. One reason the Hangryonghoe could govern Hangzhou's darkness was this: people with whom they had once formed ties sometimes returned to Hangzhou as officials. In a city this large, underworld outfits hungry for illegal profits never stopped pouring in. For a prefect charged with ruling such a place, the existence of a great shadow that kept order in the dark was, in its way, useful.
"At any rate, time is short, so let's get straight to the auction. How is the preparation coming along?"
"Straight to business, is it?"
"Heavens. Anyone listening would think we want that secret auction more than you do, Association Leader."
"Ha ha ha!"
The Hangryonghoe Leader laughed off the Prefect's complaint — and held his tongue.
The secret auctions the Hangryonghoe arranged under the government's tacit approval were, in truth, a regular ceremony for tuning the order among the large and small underworld factions and outside forces that stirred beneath this great city. The reason he did not say so you benefit from this as much as we do was simple.
"Heh heh. This old man only wanted a little more time with Your Honor. Please don't misunderstand."
"Aigoo. I can't beat you with words."
That, of course, was something the Prefect already knew perfectly well — which was why he could only shake his head with a dry chuckle.
Across the tea table, the gazes of the two great men intertwined. Even as he bantered, the Hangryonghoe Leader was about to launch into the matter of Hangzhou's secret auction when —
"Ah. Before that, there was something I meant to mention."
An unexpected remark slipped from the Prefect's mouth.
"Yesterday, I met with someone from the Seoho Gwak Family."
"The Seoho Gwak Family?"
"Yes."
Curiosity lit the edges of the Hangryonghoe Leader's eyes.
The Seoho Gwak Family. Among Zhejiang's openly established martial clans, they were second to none — and until now, they had never dealt with the Hangryonghoe face to face. Unlike those who lived veiled in shadow, the Prefect could freely meet any martial family in an official capacity. Wondering what business he could have had with the Seoho Gwak Family of late, the Hangryonghoe Leader's expression shifted.
"On what matter — ah. Don't tell me."
"That's right."
At the Prefect's following words, the Leader's head bobbed up and down in clear understanding.
"It was because of the second son, Gwak Yeon — the one people have begun calling the Hangzhou Ghost."
Hangzhou, thronging with hundreds of thousands of people.
It was a city where strange new things happened every day, and surprise was rarely warranted — yet the change of late was more than enough to set tongues wagging.
At some point, the nightly chaos of underworld outfits fighting over territory under the self-proclaimed banner of the Hangzhou Ghost simply vanished.
And that was not all. The pavilions and manors where those men had coiled in turn to run their illegal enterprises — a few head constables leading squads of runners would come and go, and soon the places were cleaned out with surgical neatness. As if an invisible hand had swept through.
Every dens that had changed masters again and again, reeking of something foul, was scrubbed clean. And in a single stretch of time, every disturbance of the past few months disappeared as if it had never been.
"Did you hear?"
What remained was the renown of a single chivalrous warrior.
"They say His Honor the Prefect went and met the Family Head of the Seoho Gwak Family himself."
"Well now."
"So even the government was deeply impressed by a matter of the martial world?"
"This wasn't merely a martial-world affair."
"Right — it was those underworld bastards who only ever tormented ordinary folk, wasn't it?"
"He acted with chivalry. That's something that deserves praise."
"That's exactly what I'm saying!"
"The second son, was it? The young master of the Seoho Gwak Family who wiped out all those fake Hangzhou Ghosts this time."
"That's the one. Young Master Gwak Yeon, I heard."
"Honestly, it feels good all the way down!"
"Same here! Those garbage scum, pretending to be the Hangzhou Ghost and doing filthy things all over the place — it wasn't just once or twice!"
"Heaven was angry! They got what they deserved!"
"Heaven sent that Young Master Gwak down for us!"
"Wait… doesn't that mean the second young master himself has become the real Hangzhou Ghost?"
"Hmm?!"
"Of course! Originally, the Hangzhou Ghost meant a spirit that made Hangzhou's villains so terrified they fled!"
"That makes sense!"
"Right — Hangzhou's ghost that even the underworld trembles before! Who fits that epithet better than Young Master Gwak right now?"
Whenever the talk arose, countless people agreed. The Hangzhou Ghost. Gwak Yeon, who had cut down so many underworld men who disrupted the lives of common folk, was the one who truly deserved the name.
"Yes — the Hangzhou Ghost! That second young master is the true Hangzhou Ghost!"
And it was not only so on the streets.
At the main estate of the Seoho Gwak Family, the faces of the many clan members who came and went these days were full of pride and quiet satisfaction.
"I've brought the kitchen ingredients, Chef!"
"Hmm? What's with these chickens?"
"Ah! Old Man Cheon just told me to take them!"
"What? That tightwad?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Why all of a sudden?"
"Well! He said to get some proper nourishment into the second young master's body—"
"Ah!!"
And it was not only the kitchen.
"Hall Master! The Geumhwa Money House says they won't charge interest!"
"They threw in two extra bolts of silk! And they asked us to be sure to pass their thanks to the second young master—"
"Yuseong Tea House sent us tea!"
One by one, people outside began sending gifts of every kind to the Seoho Gwak Family, asking that their gratitude be conveyed to the Hangzhou Ghost.
"Man, these days I look for any excuse to go shopping!"
"The moment you say you're from the clan, everyone jumps—"
"My shoulders go right up!"
"Makes working feel good."
"Who would have guessed the second young master would raise the clan's face like this…"
It was all thanks to Gwak Yeon.
For some time now, the second young master of the Seoho Gwak Family had been cutting down underworld men who posed as the Hangzhou Ghost and committed evil across the city. It was chivalrous conduct almost beyond belief. Day and night without rest, Gwak Yeon had moved without pause to strike down Hangzhou's villains — and to those who watched, he was the very picture of a chivalrous hero. More than enough to become the Hangzhou Ghost that even the city's wicked feared.
"More than that, I've had to rethink Warrior Cheon, too."
"Same here."
"These days they say even if it isn't the second young master — just seeing that Cheon Gang fellow on the market street is enough to make the merchants' mouths curve up."
"Hey now! 'That fellow,' is it?"
"Anyway, I've reassessed him. At first, when he went from Biryongdang to Iyeongak, I figured he just couldn't adjust to clan life—"
"He must have seen something in the second young master."
"You mean he already knew Young Master Gwak would grow this strong?"
"Who knows — but a martial artist has his eye for people, doesn't he?"
"Well now."
"At this rate, Iyeongak will be overflowing with people soon."
"Should we put in for a transfer too?"
"Forget the martial skill — you ready to risk your life doing chivalrous work?"
"Ah. Never mind, then."
"Heh heh."
Even Cheon Gang, who had gone about with Gwak Yeon crushing the fake Hangzhou Ghosts, was drawing people's eyes at this point.
"…Young Master."
At Samho-gak — that is, among the martial artists of the Seoho Gwak Family who followed Gwak Ho-shin — everyone was burning with urgency.
Gwak Yeon's many exploits of late had been more than enough to erase the suspicion and distrust that had clung to the master of Iyeongak, the one to whom no one on the streets had ever entrusted work. On top of that… commissions had begun trickling into Iyeongak under Gwak Yeon's lead. Some of them even came from people who had previously hired Samho-gak — so for Samho-gak, the mood could hardly be pleasant.
It was family custom that the heir would be chosen from whichever pavilion among the three young masters posted the best results. That those who followed Gwak Ho-shin would take such an attitude was only natural.
"Those shameless people asked us if we could put them in touch with Iyeongak! At this point we should cut them off entirely—"
"Shh."
The deputy hall master cut the Samho-gak warrior short. He, too, was fully aware of how hard Samho-gak needed to strive in this situation — yet he said no more.
Huuuk.
Right now, Hall Master Gwak Ho-shin of Samho-gak was snorting steam through a terrifying face. Looking at that expression — past mere drive, as if filled even with rage — the deputy hall master decided they would not need to step in at all.
…No need to stick a word in at all.
A corner of the mouth twisted as if in scorn; eyes that seemed filled with killing intent; and from the center of that ice-cold face, a strange, heated smile blooming.
He's beside himself. That the second young master would dare aim for the seat of heir…
It was already enough. There was no need for them to act. Gwak Ho-shin looked as if he were burning with the will to produce results beyond anything Gwak Yeon had shown. Facing the most fearsome expression he had seen from the man in recent memory, the deputy hall master swallowed dryly in admiration.
Blood-chilling. Well — without resolve like this in a succession struggle, you'd be in trouble.
But of course, he did not know.
Thump!
Inside the heart of Gwak Ho-shin, wearing that ferocious face, a thought utterly different from what anyone hoped or feared was unfolding.
Brother really has… earned quite a fine epithet!
.
.
.
"The Hangzhou Ghost, is it!"
In the great hall of the Seoho Gwak Family, with the many hall masters who steered the clan watching Gwak Yeon from either side —
"You've earned quite a fine epithet!"
"Thank you."
"Kha-ha!"
From the mouth of Family Head Gwak Seo-ryong, a great laugh bloomed — the kind rarely seen of late.
"Well done. Well done!"
The chivalrous deeds Gwak Yeon had performed these past days. Through them, he had confirmed the boy's own attitude toward the wicked — and, on top of that, had even secured an unexpected improvement in relations with the government.
"His Honor the Prefect was pleased as well! Said a proper chivalrous warrior has finally appeared in this Hangzhou!"
"I only did what needed doing."
"Haha — no need for modesty!"
The Seoho Gwak Family was, after all, still a rising clan. No matter how strong their martial might, there were things strength alone could not grant — businesses under their banner, long-cultivated ties with central officials, forces across the vast Central Plains who would come running at a call. Such things could not be built overnight.
But now that the Prefect had taken notice of the second son as well as the first, Gwak Seo-ryong believed the Seoho Gwak Family's name would shine all the brighter in the next generation.
"Ah — look at this!"
As he nodded with a face full of satisfaction —
Whoosh!
— something appeared from somewhere in the hall.
It was the formal payment for the merchant expedition, sent by the Cheonhae Merchant Group to the Seoho Gwak Family after settling the accounts from the last caravan.
"This is a gift the Cheonhae Merchant Group is giving to you!"