“Are you saying the Hae Nam Pa? The Hwanggeum Gaju is going?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Jong Ri Un felt as if lightning had struck out of a clear sky. A sudden urgent message had flown in from Biyeon-gak.
It turned out that Muk Hyeonhak had sent a letter via Cheol Chwi Shin Eung. The content was that Gold-necked Hwan was planning to head to Hae Nam Pa.
Biyeon-gak had asked Jong Ri Un to prioritize any information about Gold-necked Hwan, so the letter was sent without delay.
“…Hoo. Is there any way to stop him from going?”
“I’ve thought about it, but there’s no good justification. After all, isn’t it true that that friend uses the Namhae Sibigeom?
He has to formally join Hae Nam Pa. I think that’s his purpose for going.”
He shouldn’t have learned that martial art for nothing.
Jong Ri Un grumbled with frustration. Jegalheon couldn’t help but laugh. If the Hae Nam Pa Jangmunin overheard these words right now, it could very well lead straight to a life-or-death duel. The idea of a clash between masters of the previous and present generation—well, it sounded entertaining.
Now that Jeok Yuyeop, who’d already passed a hundred, was considered a master of the previous generation, the reputation of Gwangrang Geom still remained vivid in the Gangho. His love for fighting and hot-blooded personality had earned him that nickname. He even liked the moniker himself.
“…Ahem, I misspoke. If Senior Gwangrang Geom were to hear, he’d show off the trick of slicing through all twelve forms of Namhae Sibigeom in one go.”
“That’s right.”
There was a clear reason why Jong Ri Un was this cautious. The sharp-tempered Jeok Yuyeop wasn’t close with other Gupailbang, but he was still a Jangmunin of one of them.
Considering Gold-necked Hwan’s talent, it was certain Jeok Yuyeop would be unable to resist. No matter how prickly Gwangrang Geom’s personality might be, as a Jangmunin, it was only natural for him to want to take in a promising Hu Gijisu.
Who knew what Gold-necked Hwan would do there? If he drew attention again, it would become a headache. No matter how remote Hae Nam was in Zhongyuan, words had wings.
“But doesn’t the Hwanggeum Gaju have some idea of his own abilities? Would he really show off so openly?”
“He didn’t seem to be hiding it at all. Considering he immediately showed Talmyung Pyo Pung to Elder Mok, don’t you think?”
“…That’s true. Still, I can’t help but feel uneasy.”
Jong Ri Un rested his chin on his hand and absentmindedly tapped his index finger. Truly, for a Hu Gijisu to shake up even the Geomjon like this… Jegalheon was dumbfounded. What was even more surprising was that, as an advisor, he found it perfectly reasonable.
“Well then, for now, we can just assign someone to follow him to Hae Nam. If someone from the Murim Alliance tags along, both parties should behave themselves and slip out of Hae Nam quietly.”
That makes sense. It’s not as if the Hwanggeum Gaju is going there to officially enter the Hae Nam Pa.”
“Exactly. And if we give the excuse that the Gupailbang is currently watching the Hwanggeum Family closely, it’ll be enough reason to worry.”
“But that’s a lie, isn’t it?”
“It’s fine. It’s going to happen anyway.”
Jong Ri Un felt both amused and exasperated by Jegalheon’s words. In the Gangho, such minor lies and trickery were considered cute. Jong Ri Un accepted Jegalheon’s suggestion.
“Who should we send?”
Jong Ri Un immediately asked the next question. If they were going to send someone, who would it be? It had to be someone familiar with Gold-necked Hwan, someone who wouldn’t make him uncomfortable. Of course, Jegalheon had already prepared the answer before the question was even asked.
“Remember that kid who served as the Gaju’s attendant at Biyeon-gak last time? They seemed fairly close.”
Jong Ri Un’s face brightened. Indeed, that kid had accompanied Gold-necked Hwan when discussing strategy last time. While he hadn’t known they were personally close, now he understood.
To Jong Ri Un, anyone who was personally close with Gold-necked Hwan was already a valuable asset.
“Myung Jaehee, was it? That friend?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then let’s have that friend… Ah.”
Jong Ri Un was about to immediately give his consent, but paused mid-sentence. It seemed he was considering something else.
“Could we send Yu-wol along as well?”
“Yu-wol?”
At the sudden mention of Gal Yu-wol, Jegalheon tilted his head. Jong Ri Un quickly offered an explanation.
“Didn’t Yu-wol lose badly to the Hwanggeum Gaju in their recent match… Ah. So, I figured it would broaden Yu-wol’s perspective, and since the child spends too much time inside the Murim Alliance, their temperament is getting a bit strange… Oh, well, something like that.”
Jong Ri Un kept making odd noises as he spoke, but Jegalheon paid it no mind. Lately, he’d heard many complaints about sore shoulders. That aside, Jong Ri Un often said baffling things.
“Of course not. Are you joking?”
Jegalheon immediately retorted. His job was to speak plainly when judgment seemed clouded.
“It’s only because Yu-wol is living inside the Murim Alliance and being doted on by all the Elders. The child’s personality is a mess. And you want to send them to someone as eccentric as the Hwanggeum Gaju? The kid thinks they’re unbeatable just because the older folks always let them win. Well, at least with someone their own age like the Hwanggeum Gaju, they’ve gotten quieter recently. Still, their nature is—”
Jegalheon stopped talking. Like a ghost, Gal Yu-wol had silently appeared beside Jong Ri Un’s desk. The look in her eyes was filled with resentment, no different from that of a vengeful spirit.
When did this child sneak in? Apparently, the Murim Alliance Leader’s odd noises earlier had been because Gal Yu-wol was tugging at his sleeve.
Getting caught gossiping is always embarrassing. Even more so when it’s about a child. Jegalheon closed his eyes and eventually gave in to guilt.
“It would be fine to send them together.”
***
Gwangdong Gwangju. It was one of the busiest cities at the heart of trade along the Central Plains’ seas. If Hanam, where the Taesan Bukdu and Soryeom were located, was the spiritual center of Murim, then Gwangdong was the hub of the Sanggye. Anyone looking to do business could never skip over Gwangdong.
“Come, come! Original charcoal-roasted pigeon! It’s delicious!”
“Freshly roasted young pigeon! Just cooked—get it while it’s hot! Hey, sir! What cute siblings you have! Wouldn’t pigeon be the perfect dish for such adorable children?”
The robust man selling pigeon skewers slung a tray over his shoulder and called out. Despite the sword at his waist marking him as a Murim-in, the merchant paid it no mind.
Experienced merchants could tell at a glance whether someone was a decent martial artist or not. These kids were definitely from a Noble Family touring Gwangdong.
There was one boy and two girls, all dressed in clean silk. From the merchant’s seven years of experience, he could tell it was expensive fabric—definitely Noble Family. Nobles, of course, were less likely to bully merchants.
“…Want to eat?”
The burly man looked at the children as he spoke. See? He might look rough, but he was clearly a warm-hearted father.
The merchant grinned as he approached, his expectations confirmed.
Curiously, however, both the “father” and both girls were looking at the boy. The handsome boy seemed to hesitate for a moment, then looked up at the merchant.
“Sorry, but we don’t have any coins.”
The merchant clicked his tongue inwardly. No matter how wealthy you are, who goes around carrying only silver ingots? Of course, there were plenty who made excuses not to buy, so he wasn’t bothered.
“Aha, in that case…”
“Can’t we have some? It looks tasty.”
As he was about to turn away, the merchant paused. The lively voice belonged to one of the girls. Looking more closely, all three children were cute and pretty, but they looked nothing alike—hard to believe they were related.
The quiet girl had piercing eyes, while the boy had the features of a handsome young man. It was hard to believe they came from the same sect; after all, each sect and family had distinct attire and features, especially the Noble Families.
“Then, give us four.”
The boy immediately pulled out a silver ingot and held it out. Even in the noisy marketplace, people had a sixth sense for the smell of money and their gazes converged.
Silver at a street stall? One ingot was worth five hundred coins. Buying simple skewers that cost only a few coins with an ingot was bound to draw attention.
The merchant’s mouth went dry. Had he just gotten himself into trouble? What if accepting the money would result in his hand being chopped off for “greed is a sin”? There were plenty of crazy martial artists who did such things.
“Aren’t you giving it to us?”
“…Ah, yes. Coming right up.”
But once started, there was no backing out. The merchant handed over the pigeon skewers first. The boy took them and handed over the ingot.
He gave it away as if it were nothing, completely opposite of what the merchant expected. It was as if he were handing over a few coins. The merchant was dumbfounded. The group simply took the skewers and strolled away.
“You’re not taking the change?”
“No.”
The girl who’d asked for the skewers apologized to the boy, but the boy only replied quietly.
What a strange combination. So that burly man wasn’t their father? And yet, the boy seemed to be the center of the group.
Suddenly, the merchants all flocked towards the group. Someone who spent an ingot for four skewers was not to be trifled with.
But the burly man blocked their way and barked, “Gal (8)!” The shout echoed through the Gwangdong Gapangeori. It was the sign of someone with profound inner strength.
The merchants quickly scattered like dust, and the group strolled off again. The merchant watched their backs in a daze before returning to his stall.
He remembered his son, who had thrown a tantrum this morning, wanting roasted piglet and Soh Yu Jeo (priced at 38). He’d firmly refused, as it cost a hefty twenty coins, but now he thought maybe he could have bought it for him.
***
“It’s tasty.”
“Yes, it is.”
In response to Myung Jaehee’s comment, I nodded.
Right now, I was moving together with Gwak Jindo, Myung Jaehee, and Gal Yu-wol. As Gwak Jindo had said, it wasn’t because of the reasons mentioned in the letter, but rather because they wanted to keep an eye on us.
But I had nothing to hide, and it was actually good for me to get closer with the Murim Alliance, so I accepted.
I could understand sending Myung Jaehee, but I couldn’t make sense of the decision to send Gal Yu-wol. Ever since coming to the Hwanggeum Family, all she’d said was a brief “hello,” and she rarely spoke.
Even now, she was focused entirely on her pigeon skewer, eating quietly. Whatever she was thinking, it probably wasn’t important.
“In the end, if you’re generous with merchants, they’ll just think you’re a pushover.”
Gwak Jindo grumbled beside me. Of course, I too was a merchant, the leader of the Hwanggeum Sangdan and the Hwanggeum Family. Still, I understood Gwak Jindo’s complaint.
So we ate our pigeon skewers and boarded a boat to Haenam. With so many people traveling between Haenam and Gwangju, it was a fairly large vessel. The rowers were as muscular as martial artists.
It was a novel experience for me. I was seeing the sea for the first time, and this was my first time on a boat. Watching the waves, maybe I’d find some enlightenment.
“We’re departing now!”
We must have arrived on time, for the boat set off soon after. I watched as the prow cut through the water.
“What are you looking at?”
“The sea.”
“Still the same, huh.”
“It hasn’t been long, after all.”
Myung Jaehee laughed. Behind us, Gwak Jindo and Gal Yu-wol were surveying the surroundings. Besides us, there were quite a few others on the deck.
The sky was clear today, and the sea was calm—it was perfect weather for sightseeing.
Myung Jaehee joined me at the rail, gazing out at the sea. I also watched the water churning at the bow, seeing ahead to where it would soon break apart.
As I gradually lifted my gaze, I saw that the sun was setting, coloring the sea with the glow of dusk. The rising and falling waves sparkled sharply and then smoothed out.
Could this sea be what’s meant by Yukchosik, or Susegwangdae? Now that we were out at sea, it was water in all directions. If Suyeonmanbeom spoke of the state covered in water, then perhaps Susegwangdae meant the flow of water leading on and on to the sea.
The sea seemed to have nowhere left to spread, yet was still filling something, somewhere. Realizing with the mind and realizing with the body—those were two very different things.
I’d always thought I’d have to visit Hae Nam Pa one day, just to formally join. It seemed like a good experience.
While I was absorbed in pleasant contemplation, a loud voice suddenly rang out from behind.
“Hey, Gwak Jindo. What’s someone from the Sanggye doing here?”
“…Mok Song. Why aren’t you holed up in the hall, what brings you to Haenam?”
A rough voice, and then Gwak Jindo’s gruff reply. Myung Jaehee turned at the commotion.
“I’m just escorting my descendant on a tour of the Central Plains. How’s business at the Hwanggeum Family’s Jonggwan?”
“None of your concern, Mal Ko.”
“Ah, so is it true? That rumor about taking in some child from the Hwanggeum Family as a disciple. Must be a lie, right?”
I ignored them and kept watching the sea. Now my gaze reached the horizon. No matter how much I focused my neigong or narrowed my eyes, the boundary between sky and sea was ambiguous. I felt as if the ultimate secret of the Namhae Sibigeom might be hidden in that ambiguity.
The commotion behind me kept growing, but I was too busy staring at the horizon. It felt as if I was about to grasp something, but it always slipped away.