Chapter 150 :

<Those Wearing Black Masks (9)>

Once things had settled down, we decided to take our vacation as promised.

The Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers wore the new clothes they’d had made on the first day.

It was their first time wearing such fine outfits, and perhaps because they felt awkward, they walked with their backs ramrod straight and their chests puffed out. They drew amused smiles from passersby.

Namgung Seonhwa, Seong Moran, and Hong Saryeon strolled through the streets looking as dazzling and beautiful as they had the last time I’d seen them.

Their outfits were even more dazzling than Yueyang’s glittering night streets, and they became the envy of every man around.

A few Young Masters Hwahwa came over with smiles.

“If you don’t mind, may I escort you ladies tonight?”

“I’m the eldest son of the Nam Family Estate. I’m no suspicious character, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Come now, everyone enjoys a good time. Why don’t you join us?”

Each of them had some standing of his own. They tried to use their status or martial arts to force the women to go with them.

But before Namgung Seonhwa or Seong Moran could reveal their backgrounds or act on their own, the Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers stepped in front of them.

“Kids, get out of the way!”

“Where did you nobodies come from, daring to stand in our way?”

“Do you have any idea who I am?”

The three brothers all looked at me at once, asking with their eyes what they should do.

I answered firmly.

“Have I ever been picky about who I take on?”

It didn’t take long.

The three of them unleashed the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist at once. Their opponents couldn’t even put up a proper defense before they were sent flying three jang into a street stall.

Once we’d chased off those pesky flies, no more Young Masters Hwahwa came sniffing around.

“Yueyang seems livelier than usual.”

As Seong Moran said, Yueyang felt a little different from normal.

Even though the moon had risen high, groups of warriors in martial uniforms were moving about. Far from the entertainment district, we could see fires and hear screams.

“Now that the mountain tiger is gone, all that’s left is to fight over its place.”

After it came to light that Yuwol Gate was behind the kidnappings in Yueyang, Diancang’s influence had weakened in an instant.

Diancang declared that it would not forgive anyone who took advantage of this incident for personal gain, but no one listened. The sect had lost its justification for controlling Yueyang.

Then the heretical factions, led by Cheukbu Palace and Mukhyul Gang, rose up. Naturally, their first target was Yuwol Gate.

The sect had amassed a tremendous fortune under Diancang’s protection. It had effectively served as Diancang’s branch in Yueyang, making it a target the heretical factions couldn’t ignore.

But Diancang wasn’t about to let others take what it considered its own.

Before even a day had passed since the incident, Diancang attacked Yuwol Gate, and the sect vanished from history.

Having lost the tempting prize of Yuwol Gate, the heretical factions began looking for other targets.

With Wudang driven out and Diancang retreating, Yueyang was effectively without a master.

No heretical faction wanted to let such a good opportunity slip away.

“Still, it’s a shame. Yuwol Gate’s fortune must have been enormous, and they could have become the masters of Yueyang’s vast commercial district.”

“How about the Iron Sword Sect expanding into Yueyang?”

“Huh? What nonsense are you talking about?”

Exactly. You shouldn’t put something in your mouth if you can’t swallow it.

We ignored the commotion around us and headed for the pier.

There, we ran into some unexpected people.

“Huh?”

“Oh?”

They looked just as flustered to see us there.

I spoke first.

“This doesn’t seem like a fitting place for a monk.”

“…”

Ilgak of Shaolin was waiting for a boat at the pier with members of the Righteous Path Association.

If I had to name the moment I’d enjoyed most in my past life, it would be when someone was caught with their dirty laundry exposed.

In those moments, no matter how much I sneered or taunted them, all they could do was clench their fists.

If they punched me, they’d reveal their pettiness. If they ignored me, it was as good as admitting I was right.

It was the only chance someone powerless like me had to mock another person.

And that pleasure hadn’t changed even after I’d become strong.

“Oh? Do monks these days preach in the entertainment district too?”

“Then again, the Buddha’s compassion reaches everywhere. There’s no reason you couldn’t come somewhere like this. My apologies.”

“I’m here only for a regular meeting.”

“Even so, you’d think they’d make special arrangements with a monk among you. Does the Righteous Path Association not care about Shaolin at all?”

By then, the faces of the other Association members were hardening one by one.

I loved this moment.

Seeing them hesitate over whether they should do something always felt fresh and thrilling.

“The Righteous Path Association holds meetings in a place like this to worry about the future of the murim. What a fascinating group. If I’d known, I would’ve joined ages ago.”

“…”

Ilgak’s face turned dark as soot. At this rate, he might really end up in hell.

“Monk, there’s something I’ve always wanted to ask you.”

At my one-sided question, the Association members’ attention gradually shifted toward me.

“How do you stand it when you hold your meetings in a pleasure house?”

“This brat has gone too far…”

One of the Association members beside Ilgak flared up and stepped forward.

Ilgak stopped him with a stern look and tried to change the subject.

“Academy representative, what brings you here?”

“Unlike the Righteous Path Association, we’re here to enjoy our vacation.”

“I see…”

Ilgak turned his head slightly, as if he meant to slip away.

I wasn’t about to let him escape.

“You still haven’t answered my earlier question. When you hold meetings in a pleasure house, do you consider it part of your training?”

“…”

The Association members seemed to have had enough. They began to raise their killing intent.

Our group answered in kind, and the atmosphere near the pier grew so hostile that a fight could break out at any moment.

“Young man, you have a truly wicked tongue.”

At the sound of a deep, resonant voice, the Association members withdrew their killing intent and stepped back.

Ilgak, who had been standing stiffly at the front, moved aside and bowed respectfully.

“I heard the dark faction had raised a new star. Is that rumor true?”

A bald, middle-aged man in the same uniform as Ilgak.

I’d never met him in this life, but he looked much as he had in my previous one.

“Are you swayed by such heretical rumors, Venerable?”

“You know who I am and still speak that way?”

Golden Buddha Hyeseong.

He was the current abbot’s junior brother and the leader of the Vajra Unit. He wielded enormous influence within the Martial Alliance and was one of the key figures leading the Righteous Path Association.

“Could anyone in the murim world not know Venerable Hyeseong?”

“You have a sharp eye as well as a sharp tongue, young man.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“But you haven’t answered my question. I hear you’re closely connected to the dark faction. Is that true?”

“The Taeul Sect has been a blood ally of the Martial Alliance for the past five hundred years. We’ve never once fallen outside the Hundred and Eight Peaks.”

“That’s exactly why I’m suspicious. If you were raising a spy, where better than the Taeul Sect? And I hear the sect’s martial arts have improved by leaps and bounds lately.”

Hyeseong spoke with a faint smile.

Years of cultivating an unshakable mind, along with the political savvy he’d gained in the Martial Alliance, had made him a schemer capable of matching even the most seasoned statesmen.

Still, he was no match for the Sojeong Unit.

Those guys were closer to criminals than warriors. How many years had I spent dealing with the likes of them?

I put on a serious expression and asked, “Did you insult Elder Sword Breaker?”

“...What?”

“Elder Sword Breaker acknowledged that the Taeul Sword Emperor’s martial arts were indeed his. If you call them the dark faction’s martial arts, the Moyong Family won’t let it go.”

Hyeseong’s smile twisted slightly.

“I’ll have to send a letter right away. I wonder if Elder Sword Breaker will simply let this pass.”

“Do you think Shaolin fears the Moyong Family?”

“Would the Shaolin of all sects be afraid? But I’m sure Elder Sword Breaker frightens you, Venerable. Isn’t that right?”

Laughter escaped from my companions. They tried to hold it in, but couldn’t.

Hyeseong composed himself and said, “You’re an audacious brat.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Hyeseong had only just managed to regain his composure when his face crumpled again.

“So, did you come here to take a boat?”

“I promised my companions I’d give them the best vacation possible.”

“Then why not board our boat, as I suggested? There’s plenty of room on the one the Righteous Path Association rented.”

Hyeseong pointed to the boat waiting for them. It was a large vessel with two roofed decks, rented by the Association in its entirety.

“The Righteous Path Association certainly has impressive clout. Thank you for the offer, but I’ll have to decline. We’ve already rented a boat.”

“Wouldn’t this be better than a little skiff?”

“It isn’t a little skiff. Oh, there it is now.”

I pointed to the enormous pleasure boat approaching the pier.

It had four decks.

“We paid a fortune to rent it, so it would be a waste not to enjoy it. If you like, would the Righteous Path Association care to come aboard too?”

Hyeseong’s face twisted as if he’d tasted something foul.

I felt wonderfully refreshed.

Once we boarded the pleasure boat, my companions couldn’t contain their excitement.

We were the only ones who could fully enjoy the most dazzling boat on Dongting Lake.

“Are you really all right with this, Young Hero Jin?”

Seong Moran had been exclaiming over the night view of Dongting Lake for a long while. Then she suddenly seemed to remember something and asked me.

“What do you mean?”

“Diancang wasn’t punished in the end. The Righteous Path Association is still carrying on as if nothing happened.”

“Ah... You mean that. Of course I’m all right with it.”

“What?”

“Everyone who needs to know about the incident already knows what happened. They all know Diancang was behind it.”

“Right.”

“And they know Yuwol Gate was sacrificed too. From now on, the sects under Diancang will start weighing their options carefully: whether to stay with Diancang or leave.”

“But Diancang’s name still carries weight…”

“Of course. For now, pretending not to know and staying will be more profitable than leaving. But after a second incident, then a third, they’ll have no reason to stay.”

“You think something like this will happen again?”

“Why wouldn’t it?”

I looked at the many boats floating like stars on Dongting Lake.

“A giant power like Diancang won’t fall because of one or two people’s corruption. Diancang itself is already a vast living creature.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“It’s simple. We break it down little by little, step by step, savoring each one.”

“Diancang?”

I turned to Seong Moran.

“Diancang, and anyone else who gets in our way.”

“I really don’t understand you, Young Hero Jin.”

Seong Moran shook her head.

“Anyway, Yuwol Gate must have had a fortune. It’s a shame to think Diancang swallowed the whole thing, even if it originally belonged to them.”

At the pause in the conversation, Namgung Seonhwa hurriedly joined in. She looked uneasy, as though she felt out of place.

“Is this really all right, Young Hero Jin?”

Namgung Seonhwa pointed toward the deck.

“It looks like we’re the only ones on this boat.”

“Didn’t I tell you? If we’re going to have fun, we should do it in style.”

“Still... This is a bit much. There’s no one else on this enormous boat.”

Even Namgung Seonhwa had apparently never spent this much money so extravagantly.

As she said, I’d rented the biggest boat on Dongting Lake. But she was wrong that we were the only ones aboard.

“Oh, that’s hurtful. Have you forgotten about me?”

Haeryeong appeared as she spoke.

The Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers had been ordering food like mad after hearing there was no limit. They stopped dead and stared at her.

Her golden crown and flowing silk garments suited this luxurious boat better than anyone else’s clothes.

“Lady Haeryeong…”

“Master of Manbin Pavilion…”

Not only Seong Moran and Namgung Seonhwa, but even Saryeon, who was meeting Haeryeong for the first time, stared at her in a daze.

“Everything’s ready, Young Hero Jin.”

“As expected, you’re excellent.”

“Shall we enjoy the banquet after we finish the rest of the business?”

“Let’s do that.”

My companions tilted their heads, confused by our conversation.

I looked at Seong Moran.

“You said it was a shame Diancang swallowed all of Yuwol Gate’s wealth, didn’t you?”

“Hmm? Yes…”

“If you come with us now, I don’t think you’ll feel that way anymore.”

“What?”

Seong Moran and Namgung Seonhwa exchanged puzzled looks.

We headed below deck.

Haeryeong led the way between the storerooms piled with all sorts of goods, and we followed.

After winding through a maze of passages, we reached one of the storerooms.

My companions’ mouths fell open.

“...Why is that person here?”