Episode 53. The Bracket Is Wrong.
As I ate, I glanced at Hongsin and Geumhae from time to time. I wondered if they were enjoying their meal, and whether the rice went down smoothly when eating with me.
Hongsin and Geumhae shoveled down their food as if they were digging into the earth.
Some people work all day just to have this one meal, and I wondered with what mindset these two, who had thrown themselves into the murim, were eating.
But I didn't ask.
Because it might simply end up as another meaningless meal eaten day after day.
I wasn't devouring food to the extent that Geumhae was, but I ate aggressively like a soldier on the battlefield while praising the maids' cooking skills.
"This is delicious, and that is delicious—everything is delicious."
"Indeed."
Hongsin's appetite was formidable as well. Having resolved her diarrhea.
I didn't know what each of them was thinking, but in any case, the three of us polished off the meal the maids had prepared without leaving a scrap.
Shortly after, as if we had reached a temporary lull following a battle, the three of us sat there doing nothing but breathing.
'You worthless wretches...'
Hongsin asked, as if curious.
"What do you plan to do now, Senior Brother?"
"I have to fight Baekyu, but it doesn't mean much to me."
Since I'm planning to kill Daenachal, what would I gain by becoming one of the Four Divine Generals?
"Recite for me whatever wicked deeds you know of Daenachal. For some reason, hearing them makes me feel like my martial arts will improve by leaps and bounds."
Hongsin replied.
"Hearing about wicked deeds will make your martial arts improve by leaps and bounds? Why?"
I glanced at Hongsin sidelong as I answered.
"To fight well, you have to put your emotions into it. You have to get so furious you're on the verge of going mad."
"Then you might make a mistake."
"In that state, you consciously douse yourself with cold water. If I get excited, I'll lose. Calm your mind. You lay the emotion of anger at the bottom of your heart, then cover it for a moment with a frozen blanket. Ice and flames coexist in your heart, just as extreme yang and extreme yin harmonize."
Geumhae asked with a bewildered expression.
"Have you mastered extreme yin martial arts as well?"
I didn't know why my stomach dropped every time this wealthy young master asked a question. It was because, being the son of a merchant guild, his network was inevitably wider than anyone else's.
I replied cautiously.
"No? I very much want to learn, but I haven't had the chance yet. Do you know of a good method?"
Geumhae spoke.
"Martial arts of the extreme yin lineage are indeed rare. What I know is..."
I looked at Geumhae, lending him my ear.
"There was a time when the woman who had been the Saintess of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult declared independence and founded the Okhwa Palace. It consisted solely of women, but all of them had mastered ice arts, and the Palace Mistress was exceptionally outstanding, so the force was quite powerful. Immediately after the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult resolved its complicated power struggles, the first thing they did was move to destroy the independent Okhwa Palace. Okhwa Palace requested help from the Righteous Path. Forces that responded advanced to Okhwa Mountain, and the Okhwa-Righteous Alliance was formed. It was about twenty years ago when this alliance clashed with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."
Oh?
As it happened, this was a story from around the time I was born, so naturally I didn't know it. Because there was no one to kindly explain such murim history to an errand boy.
"And then?"
"Both sides suffered catastrophic damage, but the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult won. Okhwa Palace was engulfed in flames, and the Righteous Path retreated. There were survivors. Fearing they would be dragged back as Saintesses, they all married into various families of the forces that had participated in the Okhwa-Righteous Alliance. The lineage of Okhwa ice arts was not severed. It is not a beautiful story. There were even disciples who entered households as concubines in order to lose their qualifications as Saintesses, or so it is said."
To my knowledge, Gwangmyeong Jwasa is from a collateral branch.
I asked the most important question.
"Is there anyone famous from among those origins?"
"Not yet. They must be thoroughly hiding their ice arts. After all, they inflicted catastrophic damage on the Righteous Path, and to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, they would be children of heretics."
So Gwangmyeong Jwasa was the child of a heretic who had defected to the Demonic Cult?
From the Demonic Cult's perspective, a descendant of the Saintess had returned along with their ice arts, so they wouldn't have casually turned away someone seeking to join.
In that case, Gwangmyeong Jwasa would be an illegitimate son born of a concubine, from heretic origins, and a descendant of Okhwa Palace which had inflicted catastrophic damage on the Righteous Path.
He would receive scathing glares from the Righteous Path and be treated as a heretic by the Demonic Cult.
He would have been treated as an illegitimate child at home, so it seemed the twisted bastard had grown up in an environment where his personality was bound to become warped every which way.
He was a very isolated, problematic figure.
But whether the bastard was twisted or not, I had no intention of letting him carry out his perverted acts this time either. Since he had been in his late twenties when cornered by his crimes of harassing women, he likely hadn't started his perverted activities yet.
I had to kill Daenachal, stop the pervert, and avoid the previous generation's Mad Demon.
I felt that these were truly thrilling and busy days.
This is why a murim warrior must become strong.
If I were weak, I wouldn't be able to kill Daenachal, the pervert would harass women, and the previous generation's Mad Demon would grab me again to go see the fish of Zhejiang.
Damnable fish, turtles, sea fishing.
Watching a monk do sea fishing makes you ponder the origin of all creation. Hearing him say he was curious about the fish of Zhejiang, wanted to smell the flowers of Mount Hua, or wished to seek out the Great Peng in person, I nearly wanted to beg him to chant sutras instead. Each time, the previous generation's Mad Demon only repeated that he was a fallen monk and had forgotten his sutras.
"Junior Sister, Junior Brother."
"Yes, Senior Brother."
"You must become strong. There is nothing more miserable in the murim than being weak. Do you two know what kinds of fish live in the waters off Zhejiang?"
"We don't."
"How different could they be?"
Just as I was about to bring up a story that the two of them wouldn't believe, the great hall doors opened and Sogunpyeong appeared.
"My Lord, the Divine Generals Hwang-o, Baekja, Hyeonchuk, and Jumi have arrived outside."
"Out of the blue? Was I found out?"
"I do not know yet."
"Troops?"
"Only the Divine Generals came."
I asked Geumhae for his opinion on what was going on.
"Why would they swarm here like this?"
Geumhae answered.
"Perhaps it might even be Divine General Baekyu arriving. The rest seem to have come to watch because it's the Four Divine Generals' duel."
"Let's go."
I said to Geumhae and Hongsin, who were getting up.
"You don't have masks, so slip in among my subordinates later and watch."
"Understood."
* * *
The sight of the Yellow Horse, Black Ox, White Rat, and Red Sheep gathered together and chatting amicably was like watching a masquerade.
When I appeared wearing the Black Cat mask, the four of them performed a martial salute simultaneously.
"Senior Brother Myo."
"It has been a while."
There was no tension at all in the four men’s tones. In that case, I thought Baek Yu really must be on his way. Then, out of nowhere, one bastard sneered.
“Will one of the seats among the Four Divine Generals finally change hands today? I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Without bothering to answer that nonsense, I said to So Gunpyeong,
“Do not act rashly. Stand by like a mountain.”
“Isn’t the Gang Leader stronger than Divine General Baek Yu?”
He meant there might not even be a chance for them to step in.
I looked at the worthless Divine Generals acting all relaxed and replied,
“It doesn’t feel like that’s the mood. In any case, keep that in mind.”
“Yes.”
They were all wearing masks, so I couldn’t read their expressions. A short while later, a Divine General wearing a white mask engraved with a rooster’s comb pattern landed atop the wall.
The bastards who had given me only perfunctory greetings now showed Baek Yu proper respect.
“Greetings, Senior Brother Baek Yu.”
Baek Yu waved a hand once and ordered the four of them,
“Clear out the center.”
As the people scattered, a space for the martial contest opened up on its own.
Baek Yu sat down atop the wall and said to me,
“Junior Brother Myo, have you been well?”
I answered briefly.
“Same as ever. And you, Senior Brother Rooster?”
“Nothing much has happened.”
Seeing Baek Yu seated on top of the wall, I was certain. The atmosphere suggested there were more visitors coming.
The officers of the Black Rabbit Gang had taken their places behind me, and the worthless Divine Generals had positioned themselves around the walls of the inner courtyard.
Then someone would surely take the spots atop the walls in the other directions as well.
So Gunpyeong seemed to have noticed too.
“It looks like all of the Four Divine Generals are coming.”
“Seems that way.”
A short while later, Baek In, Cheongjin, and Jeok Sa, whose presence was even greater than Baek Yu’s, arrived almost simultaneously and took their places atop the wall.
It looked as though they had claimed the best spots to watch, and also like they were arranged to keep watch so no one could flee.
In any case, every one of the Twelve Divine Generals still alive had gathered.
The lesser Divine Generals were busy greeting them this way and that whenever one of the Four Divine Generals appeared. Yet the Four Divine Generals themselves either did not acknowledge the greetings or merely gave a slight nod.
Without greeting the Four Divine Generals, I stared straight ahead.
The sound of the Black Rabbit Gang’s main gate being flung open rang out, followed by the outer courtyard’s main gate opening wide. Then, as even the inner courtyard gate opened, my field of vision stretched straight through along the central road as if it had been cleared in one line. Most likely, attendants had arrived first and opened the gates.
A gaunt man with black hair abruptly appeared at the main gate.
His hair hung long and loose, and his right sleeve fluttered in the wind. It looked as though his right arm had been severed around the middle.
His face had many small contours.
His lips were thick, his cheekbones protruded, his eyes were like a crucian carp’s, and his forehead bulged as well.
Overall, his face looked slick with grease, but the light in his eyes was sharp.
I could not tell from first impression whether he was wise or foolish, but anyone could see that he looked stubborn.
He appeared to be at least over fifty years old.
All in all, he looked like a pitch-black rhinoceros beetle walking toward us.
At last, when the Great Rakshasa entered the inner courtyard, all of the Twelve Divine Generals showed their respect.
“Greetings, Master.”
Since I was a man who knew manners too, I cupped my fist, then lowered my hands.
When the attendant who had followed him in presented a chair, the Great Rakshasa sat down heavily without even looking at it.
The Great Rakshasa stared directly at me and said,
“I was bored, so I came. Fight.”
“Yes.”
After answering, I descended the steps of the platform. At that, Divine General Baek Yu, who had been scheduled for the martial contest, rose from the wall.
The Great Rakshasa said to Baek Yu,
“Fourth.”
“Yes, Master.”
The Great Rakshasa shook his head and said,
“He is not an opponent you can handle. Sit.”
Baek Yu gave a dry cough, then sat back down atop the wall.
Meanwhile, I stood in the center of the inner courtyard and stared quietly at the Great Rakshasa. The Great Rakshasa pointed at me and said,
“The matchups were wrong. Baek In.”
“Yes.”
“Cheongjin.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Jeok Sa as well… The three of you will face him at the same time. This should be somewhat worth watching.”
The three who received the Great Rakshasa’s order descended to the center of the inner courtyard without raising a single question.
The Great Rakshasa spoke in a hoarse voice.
“Today, the Fifth, whose martial skills have advanced by leaps and bounds, will face three of the Four Divine Generals at once. The format of the martial contest is a life-and-death duel, so die or kill. The other disciples are not to interfere.”
Hearing the Great Rakshasa’s words, I could not help but be impressed.
Look at this sly old jianghu veteran.
I did not know how he had sensed the disturbance and appeared, but outwardly, he had taken the form of coming to settle an internal matter. Sweeping in all at once, surrounding us from all sides, and, as if that were still not enough, having the commander move personally as well—every part of it was appropriate. It was a coincidence, but it was rather striking that I had used the phrase “advanced by leaps and bounds,” and the Great Rakshasa had mentioned it too.
I raised my hand and lodged an objection.
“Master?”
The Great Rakshasa still did not ignore my words.
“Yes, our Fifth. What shameless thing do you have to say?”
I answered with both hands respectfully clasped.
“The matchups are a little wrong.”
“Are they? Shall I reduce it by one? Or should I add Baek Yu as well? Do as you please.”
I raised my voice.
“Ah, shit. Tsk.”
“……”
This time, I spoke in a lecturing tone.
“That’s not it. If it’s a life-and-death duel, Master should come out personally. You old bastard, you just don’t understand words. How irritating.”
Silence settled over the place.
The atmosphere had become so quiet that I looked around while wearing the black rabbit mask.
There really wasn’t a single bastard even opening his mouth.
I twitched my shoulders and laughed alone. It was a bit awkward since no one laughed with me, but with the feeling that one had to laugh when something was funny, I laughed as long as I could. Later, I laughed half-heartedly in a bored manner and said to the Great Rakshasa,
“Caught red-handed, huh. It was fun, though.”
I gave the Great Rakshasa a smiling look with my eyes.