Chapter 120: Chapter 120
Dark Dragon No. 5 walked behind Jang Geon, glancing back over his shoulder.
The warriors guarding the Tribal Alliance’s encampment were looking this way in the exact same manner as at first, appearing just like pillars of pitch-black shadows. Because it was too dark and too far, he could not make out their eyes, but Dark Dragon No. 5 was certain they were watching this way.
Gulping down dry saliva, he muttered loudly enough for Jang Geon to hear.
“It’s so chilling, how could anyone visit again… even after we filtered out a traitor for them…”
Just as intended, Jang Geon leading the way could hear that muttering. However, he did not reply. He was currently thinking about the scene where he had executed acupoint strikes upon Blunt Horn.
If Blunt Horn had been someone who practiced ordinary martial arts, he would not have suffered such an impact from the acupoint technique Jang Geon unfolded. Jang Geon’s strike had merely stimulated a few acupoints and lightly stirred his internal energy. If it were another martial artist, it would have ended in slight bewilderment rather than such an extreme reaction.
This indicated that the very swift and ferocious aspect of demonic arts concealed immense instability beneath the surface. It was not a very surprising fact. Jang Geon had already encountered several demonic practitioners, fought them, and experienced their demonic arts. Expecting a martial art that plucked out and devoured human hearts to be stable was an absurdity from the start. Moreover, as a natural guess, the higher the grade of the demonic art, the more such instability would decrease.
However, what captivated Jang Geon’s thoughts was his own state rather than the nature of such demonic arts. Specifically, his own senses that had instinctively perceived that Blunt Horn was practicing demonic arts.
To uncover an opponent’s precise martial prowess or mastered martial arts, one normally had to fight them directly or observe them unfolding their martial arts from beside them. There was certainly an impression felt from their visible posture or momentum, but it was not exact. That was merely rough guesswork.
However, earlier Jang Geon had merely looked from a distance, and solely by looking at Blunt Horn’s expression, planted foot, standing posture, hand position, and overall attitude and momentum, he had felt that he had mastered martial arts, and further, that he was concealing demonic arts. That was conviction rather than guesswork.
The problem was that even Jang Geon did not know exactly why he had felt such conviction. He could say he just had good intuition, or consider that he had felt it half-instinctively as a fellow martial artist.
However, Jang Geon was a martial artist, and a martial world figure who created and reproduced martial arts himself. He had thought that he fully understood his own martial arts and senses until now, but that was wrong.
From the standpoint of someone looking toward greater heights, this was an issue where he could not advance if he failed to properly sort it out, and for Jang Geon personally, it was a blow to his pride since he had failed to properly grasp the power he possessed.
Moreover, when he met San-san of The Palace, he had not sensed such an aura. This might simply be because of the gap in skill between her and Blunt Horn, but it could also mean his senses were operating unevenly. From the perspective of Jang Geon, who could freely control his five senses, a sense operating outside that control was not very welcome.
“…Where are we heading now?”
Realizing that Jang Geon wouldn’t even pretend to listen if he muttered to himself, Dark Dragon No. 5 eventually asked directly. Without looking back, Jang Geon answered.
“They say there is a tea plantation called Cheonglim south of Plateau City. I don’t know whether it’s a teahouse or an actual tea field.”
“It’s a teahouse. There are no tea fields in Plateau City. It is a shop frequented by Central Plainsmen… Do you believe Blunt Horn spoke the truth?”
“He wasn’t someone trained to endure such things. If not, we can simply return and spend more time with him.”
At those words, Dark Dragon No. 5 wore a slightly disgusted face, perhaps recalling the crunching sound that had come from Blunt Horn’s body.
“What kind of martial art is that?”
“Muscle-Bone Separation.”
At the gruesome name, Dark Dragon No. 5’s body shrank back. Trembling alone like that, he soon opened his mouth again.
“Do you intend to head straight to Cheonglim Tea House right now? Because the night is late, the tea house should have closed its doors as well.”
“We go there tomorrow. Because we must target when that man named Scholar Im is staying there.”
“…Then where are we going right now?”
Jang Geon’s steps halted. He slowly turned around, looked at Dark Dragon No. 5, and spoke.
“The night is deep, so we must rest.”
“…Rest? Where?”
Jang Geon looked at him silently, then lightly gestured with his chin. That chin gesture was pointing at Dark Dragon No. 5. Dark Dragon No. 5 pointed his finger at himself with a lukewarm expression.
“…At my house?”
* * *
The place Dark Dragon No. 5 guided him to while making his reluctance blatantly obvious was an old two-story house occupying a corner of a dark alley within Plateau City. Because land was narrow, it was a house naturally built upward.
Opening the door and stepping inside, he spoke to Jang Geon.
“Well, I’ve organized everything in my own way, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make a mess for no reason…”
Stepping inside while listening to his words, Jang Geon raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. Dark Dragon No. 5’s safehouse was completely filled with books and bundles of paper. Packed tightly into a house that was not very spacious, even walking inside was not easy.
“There are many books.”
At Jang Geon’s brief impression, Dark Dragon No. 5 smiled awkwardly.
“Rather than books, they’re just records. They aren’t proper books.”
“Records?”
Picking up bundles of paper blocking the path and carefully clearing them aside, he continued.
“The discovery of the New Continent and the founding of this Plateau City took place surprisingly long ago. It was built around a similar time when the other three great cities were being formed. Had it grown properly, Plateau City would have become the heart of New Continent transportation.”
Dark Dragon No. 5 diligently cleared the corridor packed with books and papers to make a path. Jang Geon quietly followed behind him.
“…Among those who crossed over in the early days of the New Continent, there were many who simply wished to escape the Han Empire’s influence, not to mention declining ancient noble clans. To get as far away from the eyes of the Imperial Army as possible, they crossed even Plateau City and pushed farther and farther east. Most of them failed to adapt to the new land, but there are also those who remained like legends, said to have departed for the truly far-off east. Stories about them remain fragmented among eastern native tribes, and I am stubbornly gathering them.”
“Why? Is it a Dark Dragon Corps mission?”
At Jang Geon’s question, he turned around with an armful of books and papers he was clearing.
“…No. This is not a Dark Dragon Corps mission. Of course, in that process, there is the secondary benefit of detecting movements concerning The Palace and eastern natives. There is actually intelligence that The Palace’s headquarters might be somewhere in the east as well. But I… no, this is just a hobby.”
Judging by the mountains of piled paper for a mere hobby, he seemed to be pouring his whole passion into it, but Jang Geon did not ask further. It had only been about half a day since the two met. They did not know each other well enough to deliberately drag out stories held deep within their hearts.
“You can rest over here. I’ll bring you a blanket.”
Having arranged a spot by clearing one side of the first-floor room, Dark Dragon No. 5 held miscellaneous items in his arms and spoke like that, about to head up to the second floor. Just then, Jang Geon spoke.
“I do not know your name yet. I am Jang Geon.”
“…I am Son Gang.”
Jang Geon nodded, unfastened his blade, and sat on the floor. The scabbard rested across his knees.
A moment later, Son Gang, who went up to the second floor and brought a blanket, felt somewhat bewildered seeing Jang Geon sitting in lotus posture with both eyes closed. Circulating qi and regulating breath was something done when with people one could truly trust. No matter that he was of the Imperial Army’s Dark Dragon Corps and that the Dark Dragon Corps had frequently cooperated with Jang Geon, he thought to himself wondering if he could be trusted this much.
Of course, Jang Geon was not circulating qi to regulate his breath, but had entered meditation. He had sat in lotus posture to briefly organize the thoughts he had contemplated while leaving the Tribal Alliance’s encampment.
Watching Jang Geon with strange eyes for a moment, Son Gang set down the blanket beside him and went back up to the second floor, dodging bundles of books and papers.
He also needed time to rest and organize his thoughts. Did The Palace know that the Dark Dragon Corps was involved as a broker when they killed the Plateau City magnate Yang Gae-yong, had The Palace intercepted the contacts he sent to the west, could The Palace’s eyes have pinpointed his location, and so on. For the Dark Dragon Corps’ easternmost agent Son Gang, it was a night where only his head grew complicated.
* * *
Son Gang woke from sleep not long after. Without even knowing when he had fallen asleep, he had dozed off and suddenly snapped awake. Hurriedly raising his head, he saw the window brightening outside. He jumped up and scrambled downstairs. Cheonglim Tea House opens early. He had to go and catch The Palace’s contact before he obtained new information and vanished.
Having come down to the first floor like that, he rubbed his eyes with a surprised expression. Jang Geon, sitting in lotus posture, remained seated in the exact same posture as last night.
Staring at that for a moment, Son Gang opened his mouth thinking he should wake him.
“Excuse me…”
Just then, Jang Geon naturally uncrossed his legs and stood up. In the exact same state as last night, he strapped the blade he had unfastened to his waist and looked at Son Gang.
“What is it?”
“…Nothing. Were there any discomforts?”
“There were none. Let us go.”
At the sight of Jang Geon stepping out of the safehouse with unhesitating strides, Son Gang forgot even clearing the sleep from his eyes and hastily grabbed his coat.
“Are you heading straight to Cheonglim Tea House?”
“Is there another clue?”
“…Well, no.”
Jang Geon stopped and looked at him as if asking why he asked then. At that gaze, Son Gang awkwardly scratched his head.
“Lead the way.”
“Pardon? Ah, yes.”
With Son Gang leading the way, Jang Geon raised his head to the cool air of Plateau City’s streets. He saw a clear sky with white clouds and the mountain ranges filling one side of his vision far off. The perennial snow of the high mountain peaks was glittering in the radiant sunlight of the newly risen sun.
Walking along the street, people of Plateau City beginning their day started to appear sparsely. Passing those who looked busy, Jang Geon and Son Gang soon came to a halt before a building. On the signboard of the spacious two-story building, the characters Cheonglim were written in large, magnificent calligraphy.
As Jang Geon and Son Gang stood before the entrance, a young man who was sweeping the roadside with a broom approached them.
“Welcome. Shall I guide you to a seat?”
At the words of the young man appearing to be a clerk, Son Gang stepped forward.
“Mm, please do so. After all, one should start the day by drinking a cup of warm tea in the morning. Don’t you think so?”
Son Gang spoke naturally as if he had come to drink tea, even engaging Jang Geon in conversation. Jang Geon merely chuckled dryly and nodded.
“I shall guide you this way.”
Bowing, the clerk propped his broom to one side and led the way. Following inside, despite the early morning, quite a few patrons were seen drinking tea alone or in pairs and trios within the teahouse. The teahouse was shaped like a Siheyuan with a square opening in the center, and thanks to that central courtyard, sunlight entered and illuminated the interior brightly. Scanning them, Jang Geon broadened the smile at the corners of his mouth.
The clerk seated the two at a bright spot on the second floor.
“What tea shall I prepare for you?”
“Mm. Do you have green tea?”
The clerk chuckled sheepishly as if troubled.
“We have black tea and dark tea. Green tea will only arrive next month.”
“Then black tea.”
The clerk answered with a yes-sir and trotted away. Having ordered and sent the clerk off, Son Gang looked across the interior just as Jang Geon had done, chuckled heartily, and spoke to Jang Geon.
“So, you said you arrived in Plateau City yesterday, right? Did you do some sightseeing?”
– How do you plan to find that Scholar Im now? Are you just going to grab anyone and ask?
“It seems there’s no particular need for that.”
Son Gang, who had been speaking in a voice beneath his voice, was slightly flustered by Jang Geon’s answer and continued.
“Well, true… Plateau City doesn’t have many sights to see. Still, because there are many New Continent native customs, if you’re looking for something exotic, there’s not nothing to see.”
– Martial Artist Jang, there’s no need to let others hear our conversation, is there. Last time I saw you use a technique similar to ventriloquism; let’s converse with that.
Jang Geon didn’t answer, crossed his arms with a peculiar smile, and leaned back against the chair. Wondering why this man was acting like this, Son Gang was flustered for a moment, but tried to open his mouth to continue the conversation.
Just then, the clerk brought teacups and a teapot, arranging them on the table where the two sat. Because there was a prepared kitchen on one side of the second floor, preparation hadn’t taken long. Coughing to clear his throat because of that, Son Gang tried to speak again only after the clerk moved far away. However, Jang Geon picking up his teacup and opening his mouth was faster.
“I don’t think there’s any need to search for that man named Scholar Im.”
“…Pardon?”
Son Gang looked at Jang Geon sipping his tea with incredulous eyes. They had come to this teahouse to find Blunt Horn’s contact, yet he was flustered because Jang Geon spoke nonsense so loudly without caution.
Setting down his teacup, Jang Geon rose from his chair and looked down into the teahouse from the second-floor railing. Seven or eight patrons who had been quietly drinking tea raised their heads at the sight of Jang Geon looking down upon them.
Looking at them, Jang Geon spoke.
“It is nothing short of a viper’s den.”
“What? What? A-a den of what?”
Son Gang asked back without understanding the meaning of his words, but far from answering, Jang Geon leaped lightly downward. Son Gang scrambled to the railing in shock.
Landing lightly atop a table in the center of the teahouse, Jang Geon scanned the patrons looking at him. He spoke.
“I am Jang Geon. In the Gamsan Castle region recently, I smashed all of your plans. And it seems I will be doing the exact same thing here in Plateau City.”
The patrons, who had been looking around among themselves in bewilderment at Jang Geon jumping down, came to an abrupt, eerie halt. Immediately after, their eyes looked at Jang Geon simultaneously.
One middle-aged man among them opened his mouth.
“…Appearing alone like this and provoking us in the center of enemy territory. Tremendous confidence. If you truly knew us, you couldn’t do that.”
As his mouth opened, all the other patrons rose smoothly with expressions cold as wax dolls, beginning to surround Jang Geon in the center of the Siheyuan.
At that sight, one might well feel a chill, but Jang Geon smiled faintly instead and slowly drew the Azure Dragon Blade.
“Let us get to know each other from now on.”