“Huuu!”
Hu Gae’s {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} sigh spread through the entire main hall of the guest residence.
Jin Cheongha, who was sitting across from him like a sinner, carefully opened her mouth.
“Sub-Branch Master, please eat even one bite. You have to go to the Jadeite Pavilion for work, don’t you?”
The food that filled the table had long since gone cold without a single spoonful being touched.
“Huuu!”
Hu Gae let out another sigh, then said,
“Sister Jin, I’m sorry for making you worry. And after you went to the trouble of preparing a meal too...... I just can’t get it down.”
Seeing Hu Gae, the Beggar Clan’s successor, who valued meals more than anyone else under heaven, refuse a feast, Jin Cheongha felt a powerful sense of déjà vu.
Remembering that something similar had happened at the guesthouse tavern in Aju County, Jin Cheongha’s heart grew uneasy.
Back then, too, Taoist Kwak had shut himself inside the inner room and refused to move, while she and Hu Gae had been fidgeting outside just like this.
Now, the situation was several times more dangerous than it had been then.
The moment Jin Cheongha saw that Kwak Yeon’s eyes and bearing had clearly changed after he returned from the outer fortress, her heart had dropped.
She had seen that kind of look often enough from the demons of Ghost Night Castle, so she had immediately recognized Kwak Yeon’s state.
That kind of inner demon was something he had to overcome himself, so she understood Hu Gae’s earth-sinking sighs.
Jin Cheongha herself was barely holding back the sigh that wanted to burst out, and was sighing only inside.
“Whew.”
“......”
That was when one person was sighing outwardly, and the other inwardly.
Thump, thump, thump!
After the sound of someone knocking on the guest residence’s front gate, the gate guard’s voice came.
“Sub-Branch Master, I have brought a guest. Please open the gate. It is a Taoist from Mount Wudang.”
Hu Gae had locked the guest residence’s front gate out of concern that random people might come and go and disturb Kwak Yeon’s mental state.
But if a Taoist had come from Wudang Sect, he could not refuse to receive him.
“Sub-Branch Master, I will bring him in.”
Watching Jin Cheongha rise quickly and go outside, Hu Gae let out another heavy sigh.
“Huuu!”
What use would it be in this situation for some Taoist who was merely a first-generation disciple of Wudang Sect to come?
If he had come to summon Kwak Yeon, it would only backfire instead.
If that was the case, Hu Gae intended to drive him away without asking right or wrong, and so he picked up his Tagu Staff.
*****
“Hah. How strange.”
Martial Alliance Leader Cheol Gun-ak broke the silence that had filled Righteous Heaven Hall.
“I cannot understand the Sword. Chief Secretary Kwak is merely from Wudang’s Taoist-immortal line, Samryeong Palace, and only a resident Taoist at that, yet you make a plea in the name of the Sword of Wudang.”
Martial Alliance Leader Cheol Gun-ak tilted his head, then continued.
“Surely the Sword does not intend to set aside the brilliant disciples of Wudang’s Seven Palaces and make a mere resident Taoist of Samryeong Palace, a Taoist-immortal line, the successor-apparent to the Sword of Wudang.”
“......”
“......”
When Uncheon Zhenren gave no answer no matter how long he waited, Martial Alliance Leader Cheol Gun-ak felt a prick of alarm and looked into Uncheon Zhenren’s eyes.
“......!”
“......”
Silence settled again inside Righteous Heaven Hall, but this silence did not last long.
“Oh! It seems this old man has said something pointless. Sword, let us pretend that question was never asked.”
At Martial Alliance Leader Cheol Gun-ak’s words, Uncheon Zhenren firmly shook his head.
“No, Alliance Leader. How could I deny a heart I have revealed? That is correct. This humble Taoist intends to have my martial nephew Kwak inherit the place of the Sword of Wudang.”
Martial Alliance Leader Cheol Gun-ak’s expression hardened stiffly.
“Sword, although this old man is an outsider to Wudang Sect, this time I cannot help saying one word.”
“I will listen with cleansed ears.”
“After treating Chief Secretary Kwak worse than some discarded object all this time, is it not rather shameless to suddenly change like this?”
“......”
“Do not struggle too hard to explain it. This old man looked into Chief Secretary Kwak’s past. You paid three silver coins to bring him to the training ground, were disappointed in his talent and tried to drive him out, and in the end sent him away to Samryeong Palace as a Taoist errand boy. Is that not so?”
Uncheon Zhenren’s face reddened slightly.
“That is so.”
“And now, after seeing his realm, you covet him. I worry that all under heaven will laugh at Mount Wudang’s frivolity.”
When Martial Alliance Leader Cheol Gun-ak suddenly spat out one twisted remark after another, Uncheon Zhenren, who had been listening, was struck by a sudden thought and abruptly asked,
“Alliance Leader, did you perhaps have some other intention when you made my martial nephew Kwak Chief Secretary of the Alliance Leader’s Office?”
“......”
Seeing Martial Alliance Leader Cheol Gun-ak, who had been answering everything without hesitation, tightly close his mouth, Uncheon Zhenren’s eyes widened.
“......?”
Venerables of the Entrance-to-Divinity Realm did not hide their inner thoughts, so that silence meant that there truly was another intention.
“......!”
“......”
A strange tension flowed between the two as they remained silent.
“Damn it!”
When Martial Alliance Leader Cheol Gun-ak suddenly spat out a vulgar curse, Uncheon Zhenren confirmed the Alliance Leader’s true feelings.
“Sword, I apologize for blurting out such frivolous words. But there was no better way to express this old man’s disappointing inner thoughts.”
Uncheon Zhenren readily nodded.
“I understand.”
“This old man had the thought of entrusting Chief Secretary Kwak with this position.”
Uncheon Zhenren had guessed as much to some degree when he learned that the Martial Alliance Leader had investigated Kwak Yeon’s personal history in detail, so he was not particularly surprised.
“Sword, to be honest, has this old man not served as Alliance Leader long enough? In truth, Martial Sage and the Wudang Sword Sovereign forced the position onto me, so I had been doing it reluctantly.”
“......”
Uncheon Zhenren was one of the few people in the martial world who knew of the somewhat peculiar relationship among the Martial Sage, the Wudang Sword Sovereign, and the Martial Alliance Leader, the Martial Supreme Venerable.
“I intended to step down from this wretched Alliance Leader position once I finished cleaning up the Demonic Eight Divisions this time. After all, the Demonic Eight Divisions were revived because of this old man’s mistake.”
When Martial Alliance Leader Cheol Gun-ak said that he would resolve what was his responsibility and then step down himself, Uncheon Zhenren, as a later student, had nothing in particular he could say.
“I held the All-Under-Heaven Heroes Assembly for that purpose as well, but I could not find a suitable person. Just as I was disappointed, I found a proper piece, but now someone appears late and acts as that piece’s owner. How could I feel at ease?”
Uncheon Zhenren knew that the reason the Martial Alliance Leader was grumbling at such length was that he wanted him to yield Kwak Yeon.
Martial Alliance Leader.
There were many seats praised as positions for the greatest masters under heaven, but there was only one throne that commanded the martial world as the Formless Supreme Venerable of the orthodox martial world: Martial Alliance Leader.
But since Uncheon Zhenren had already selected Kwak Yeon as the successor-apparent to the Sword of Wudang, he could say nothing this time either.
“......”
When Uncheon Zhenren, with a stiff expression, once again showed refusal through silence, Martial Alliance Leader Cheol Gun-ak openly furrowed his brow.
“Sword, stop making that face. One cannot pull out another household’s main beam without the owner’s permission, can one?”
“Alliance Leader, I apologize for disappointing you, though it was not my intention.”
“There is no need to apologize so much. This old man was merely drooling over him by himself.”
Cheol Gun-ak shook his head briskly, shaking off his regret, then continued with a solemn expression.
“More importantly, it is not difficult for me to grant the Sword’s request. But this old man’s unique method of controlling inner demons is extremely dangerous. Are you truly all right with that?”
Uncheon Zhenren said,
“I have heard from the Supreme Patriarch that although the Alliance Leader’s unique martial art is unusual, it is exceptional at driving out demons and destroying evil.”
Cheol Gun-ak nodded.
“It will certainly show an effect in suppressing an inner demon. However, if by any chance the person himself lacks the will to escape the inner demon and resists to the end, matters may go wrong.”
“......?”
When Uncheon Zhenren flinched and looked at him with widened eyes, Martial Alliance Leader Cheol Gun-ak said in an icy voice,
“I mean he may die.”
*****
Taoist Hyeonam’s heart felt as heavy as if a house-sized boulder had been placed on it as he looked at Kwak Yeon’s pale face.
“Junior Brother Kwak, your mind must be unsettled, so I am sorry for coming so suddenly.”
“Not at all. I was feeling guilty for having left so disrespectfully yesterday.”
Remembering that he had rebuked Kwak Yeon without even knowing that he had fallen into an inner demon, Taoist Hyeonam felt as though his heart had been stabbed by an awl.
“Junior Brother Kwak, there is absolutely no need to feel guilty over yesterday.”
Taoist Hyeonam shook his head, then continued.
“Martial Uncle Uncheon ordered the entire sect not to trouble you. Even so, the reason I came to see you is because there was a request from the Clan Master of the Jegal Family.”
“......?”
“I am on my way back from the Jegal Family manor, where I went on an errand for Martial Uncle Uncheon.”
“I see.”
“It seems the Fire Dragon of the Jegal Family’s internal injuries are quite severe. The Jaso Pill is certainly a remarkable spirit medicine, but the proud Jegal Family accepted it without a single show of refusal.”
“......!”
Kwak Yeon knew that Uncheon Zhenren had stopped the dispute with the Jegal Family for his sake while looking far ahead, and had even sent a precious Jaso Pill.
After all, if the gratitude and resentment with the Jegal Family were resolved in blood, the result would become an enormous burden for the Sword of Wudang, who would have to lead the orthodox martial world in the future.
Even so, his hurt did not go away, and neither did his anger.
Rustle.
Taoist Hyeonam took a sealed letter from inside his robes and placed it on the tea table.
“The Clan Master of the Jegal Family insisted that this be delivered directly to you.”
If not for that, Taoist Hyeonam would have handed the sealed letter to Hu Gae, who was glaring at him while holding a Tagu Staff, and quietly gone back.
“Junior Brother Kwak, since I have already seen your face, I will say a few things before I leave.”
“I will listen.”
“I heard from the Clan Master of the Jegal Family that those involved in the Hidden Dragon Command’s illicit silver mine were beheaded regardless of rank. They also compensated the families of the commoners who suffered harm, in addition to confiscating the Hidden Dragon Command’s assets, he said. That does not bring the dead back to life, but for a martial family to make that much effort is, in truth, extremely rare.”
“......!”
Seeing Kwak Yeon’s eyes darken, Taoist Hyeonam continued.
“This may sound somewhat cold to you, Junior Brother Kwak. But in the martial world, where blades are drawn as a matter of course, one cannot judge the position of a Clan Master, who is responsible for every member of his family, by the standards of an ordinary person.”
Taoist Hyeonam thought Kwak Yeon’s inner demon had originated from anger toward the Jegal Family, so he relayed what he had heard without hesitation.
He hoped it might soften Kwak Yeon’s inner demon even a little.
“It seems the Clan Master of the Jegal Family felt it would be unseemly to put forward such things in that place yesterday, and there was also one point that weighed on his mind, so he did not manage to explain those details. He said there was one person involved in that incident whom he could not punish properly.”
“......?”
“That one person was Jegal Deok, the father of the Hidden Dragon Command Lord, and the Clan Master of the Jegal Family’s uncle.”
Taoist Hyeonam gave a bitter smile and continued.
“The Clan Master of the Jegal Family said he could not bring himself to behead his uncle because of human bonds and affection, so he punished the man by imprisoning him in a dungeon.”
With those words, Taoist Hyeonam rose from his seat.
“I have been rambling for too long. I will return now.”
Standing before the inner room door, Taoist Hyeonam spoke as if something had suddenly come to mind.
“This may be unnecessary, but I heard that the Fire Dragon of the Jegal Family knew nothing at all about those detailed circumstances.”
Tap!
Looking at the closed door of the inner room, Kwak Yeon felt a small warmth blooming in one corner of his cold heart.
It was warmth born because he had been feeling all along the heart of Taoist Hyeonam, who had deliberately gone to learn the Jegal Family’s internal circumstances and tell him for his sake.
But that did not mean his anger receded.
The Fire Dragon of the Jegal Family and the Jegal Family had merely triggered it; it was anger not only toward them, but toward humanity as a whole.
Kwak Yeon looked at the sealed letter on the tea table.
It felt as though a very faint warmth remained there too.
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