Chapter 155: Chapter 155
* * *
Carrying Seom Ji-young on his back, Jang Geon advanced far in the opposite direction of the Je Clan Manor, then circled around broadly to arrive at the grassy thicket near the manor. The distance covered was considerable, but Jang Geon’s lightness art was so fast that only enough time to drink a cup of tea had passed.
Concealing himself in the thicket, Jang Geon watched the guard warriors patrolling the manor walls. It was to catch a suitable moment and cross inside.
Soon, catching that moment, he slowly raised his body.
Just then, Seom Ji-young spoke up.
“Wait, wait a moment. Once we go inside, we must separate immediately and return to our respective places.”
At the whisper from behind his back, Jang Geon sat back down. And looking forward, he spoke.
“Then what were you going to do without returning?”
“If we go in right away, it will be hard for the two of us to meet separately for a few days. So we should sort out the situation right now.”
“Very well. I’m listening.”
From behind his back, a *tap-tap-tap* sound could be heard. Glancing back, Seom Ji-young had her eyes closed and was tapping her forehead with her finger. She did so for a moment as if organizing her thoughts, then soon lowered her hand and continued speaking.
“I remembered the affiliation of that collateral warrior. He is one of the martial artists of the Outer Hall. And that Outer Hall is managed by Brother Sang-cheon’s uncle. Outer Hall Master Nine Swords Flying Eagle Je Yong-wol. Also, I was flustered earlier and didn’t recall, but there is a rumor in the Je Clan. That there are warriors who move only for the Je Clan in the shadows of the clan, and their identities are known only to the clan elders and the clan master. If we synthesize those two pieces of information?”
“…Even assuming that white mask earlier was truly such a shadow warrior, thinking that his superior is definitely the Outer Hall Master seems a leap in logic.”
Seom Ji-young slowly shook her head.
“There is a motive. Hall Master Je Yong-wol was a figure who often stood at odds with the late clan master. He was the leader of the faction advocating a return to the Central Plains based on prosperity here in the New Continent—in other words, the representative of the elders. But the clan master never accepted their opinions… Also, the clan master passed away in his personal cultivation room. It was a clan master-exclusive cultivation room that most clan members didn’t even know how to enter, known only to the clan master, Brother Sang-cheon, and a few elders…”
Jang Geon did not interject into her deduction and quietly listened. But simultaneously, he felt she had deliberately hidden that story about the cultivation room until now. A clan master-exclusive cultivation room where no one could easily enter. Then naturally Je Sang-cheon would also be included among the suspects. And that remained true even now.
“…The ones who discovered the clan master’s corpse were the elders holding the position of guardians. And those people announced the clan master’s death as qi deviation… If so…”
“That’s not good.”
Seom Ji-young muttered as if spellbound.
“…What if the elder faction centered around Hall Master Je Yong-wol assassinated the clan master? What if after that, they intend to make Brother Sang-cheon, who still lacks experience, into a puppet clan master?”
“And amid that, you called me. Then naturally it would be worth placing watching eyes on you.”
She continued her inference.
“…As long as rumors that the clan master was assassinated remain in the dark, Brother Sang-cheon cannot become a complete clan master. He will always be swayed by collateral branches and elders. Then they will be able to proceed with their plan to return to the Central Plains as they wished. But, good grief… to assassinate the clan master… no matter how much it is the clan’s long-cherished wish…”
“It is still unknown whether the entire elder body did so.”
“Pardon?”
Jang Geon pulled a bundle of cloth from his breast pocket. And he unfolded it to show her. Inside, the slender needle taken from Clan Master Je Gung-wol’s corpse glinted faintly. If that needle had not glinted in the moonlight, it would have been hard to verify in the dark of night because it was so slender, and it was bent here and there.
“It’s a hidden weapon that was inside the corpse. As you see, it is so slender that it was likely buried inside the body, swept along by the tearing blood flow during qi deviation. Unless it were a master physician capable of tracing qi and blood marks, or someone like us digging up a corpse after long time passed, it would have been hard to discover.”
“…What does that mean?”
Wrapping the needle neatly again and tucking it into his breast pocket, Jang Geon continued.
“If the elders who discovered that corpse had used this needle, there would be no reason to leave it behind. Because it would later become evidence that could be found. Just like us right now. Rather, it makes more sense that it remained because they did not know of the needle’s existence.”
“Then Hall Master Je Yong-wol alone?”
“The one who carried out the deed might be him. Afterward, the elders might also have turned a blind eye for the sake of the clan’s long-cherished wish that you mentioned, even after noticing that fact. The worst case is if a third party stepped in and incited that man, Hall Master Je Yong-wol.”
Seom Ji-young shut her mouth. She seemed shocked by the idea that the clan elders might have kept silent even after knowing the truth. But Jang Geon guessed that even if the culprit was not Hall Master Je Yong-wol, the elders mostly knew the truth. It was because he had already experienced the chicanery of old martial artists in the Martial Alliance.
“This needle alone cannot serve as evidence. We must know exactly who used it. And the ones lacking clear evidence to catch the two of us are the Je Clan elders as well. That collateral warrior failed to catch us, and the people who rushed over afterward failed to catch us either. So dragging time by meeting a few days later will not be a good method. It gives them time to plot schemes.”
“Then… what should we do?”
“For tonight, we should stay where we ought to be. And come find me early tomorrow morning. Grandly.”
Seom Ji-young wore an expression of not knowing what he was thinking.
“Grandly? What are you trying to do?”
“You said you know that collateral warrior’s face. We must go find him.”
“Pardon? That kind of… will he obediently spill what he knows?”
“If he doesn’t want to die, he will spill it.”
At that radical statement, Seom Ji-young’s mouth opened wide. Jang Geon stood up once more and readjusted her on his back.
“It cannot be helped. In matters like this, moving leisurely will net us nothing. So if you want to quit, say so now. From the moment we visit that fellow tomorrow, we truly won’t be able to stop, and even if we quit, I can just eat the food at the feast and leave.”
After contemplating for a moment, Seom Ji-young unconsciously gripped Jang Geon’s clothing tightly, then flinched and released her grip. And to hide her embarrassment, she quickly opened her mouth.
“Understood. I will come to visit you straightaway tomorrow morning.”
“Good.”
The next instant, Seom Ji-young had to pull her head forward as it was jerked back, just like when she was first carried on Jang Geon’s back. By the time she barely regained her senses at that sudden movement, she had already crossed the Je Clan’s wall, entered far inside, and landed on the roof of a pavilion.
[Get off now. I will head to my room.]
Listening to Jang Geon’s voice echoing only in her ear, Seom Ji-young barely nodded and stepped down. Jang Geon then offered a nod of farewell to Seom Ji-young and vanished over the roof beyond with a leap. Standing on the roof watching Jang Geon’s departing back for a moment, Seom Ji-young placed her hands on her knees, let out a deep sigh, and moved stealthily to return to her own room.
Long after the two disappeared from the pavilion roof did the people who had rushed to the sanctuary tomb return, making the Je Clan’s main gate slightly noisy. Those who had recklessly pursued in the direction Jang Geon fled returned after finding no traces whatsoever.
However, that level of commotion did not break the tranquility of the vast Je Clan Manor. For that, too many events had been experienced by them over the past several hundred years.
* * *
“…I am sorry, Hall Master.”
In a room lit by only a single lantern, a man knelt on one knee with his head bowed. Before him at the desk, a stern-looking middle-aged man was holding his forehead.
That middle-aged man spoke.
“You couldn’t even strip off their face masks?”
“…Yes.”
At the terse answer, curses leaked from the middle-aged man’s mouth.
“Ha, truly. He wasn’t called Azure Dragon Saber or Horse-Slaying Hero for nothing. It wasn’t empty fame. I understand he has no ties to ancient clans or the imperial army…”
He rubbed his forehead irritably, then asked again.
“So, did something actually come out of the late master’s corpse?”
“That… I could not verify…”
The middle-aged man nodded.
“Right, since he brushed you aside and fled immediately. I don’t know if he had time to verify anything. But since they were caught once, they won’t try to inspect the corpse again. In any case, you did reduce that cheerful girl’s range of activity.”
The warrior with bowed head lowered his head even deeper. It looked as if he was apologizing for failing to complete the mission properly, but in truth, it was to hide his expression.
When Jang Geon and Seom Ji-young left the sanctuary to avoid the rushing crowd, he also regained his senses immediately. Originally, the plan went awry as the two who should have been subdued by him and caught by the crowd to pin the blame—whether illicit love or grave robbery—disappeared.
He, Je Gyu-sang, possessing identities as a shadow warrior, collateral branch, and Outer Hall warrior, felt right then that he was screwed. Neither he nor Je Yong-wol, who sent him, had imagined Jang Geon’s martial arts would be so extraordinary. If arrogance of an ancient clan was a problem, that was it. No one would have guessed a rootless swordsman would be that fast. Originally in this land, it was common for people to gain fame far beyond their skill only to get stabbed and die in some back alley.
Je Gyu-sang could not bring himself to confess after returning that he had been knocked out in a single strike without accomplishing anything.
Therefore, he merely reported to Je Yong-wol that they had brushed past him and fled.
“By the way… was there truly some trace left on the corpse?”
Just then, Je Yong-wol spoke with a doubtful expression. Je Gyu-sang covertly watched his reaction and answered.
“Even if there were a trace, that cannot become evidence. In the first place, it is not evidence obtained properly under the witness of others. Even if something is there, they will be able to do nothing with that alone.”
“Hmm. Right, good. Then they will stay quiet for a few days trying to roll their brains. In that time, I must find a way to oust that man named Jang Geon.”
Je Gyu-sang bowed his head once more and replied.
“This subordinate shall take his leave.”
Je Yong-wol nodded, and Je Gyu-sang, the shadow warrior of the collateral branch, carefully departed the room. Even after he left, Je Yong-wol remained sitting slanting in his chair, gazing at the flickering lantern flame, lost in deep thought.
* * *
The next day, Seom Ji-young truly came to find Jang Geon at Birak Court very early in the morning. Behind her stood Warrior Yong and two other martial artists.
“These are martial artists who followed me from my clan. Right now, they are the swordsmen I can trust the most. They will be able to lend a hand.”
Stepping out dressed in his outer coat and bamboo hat, Jang Geon silently nodded. And he offered a nod of greeting to Jin Seo-ha and Jin Gyeon who were looking this way from the second-floor railing. Jin Gyeon nodded back, and Seo-ha reached her small hand through the railing gap and waved.
Watching that exchange of greetings briefly, Seom Ji-young continued.
“Are we moving right away?”
“Do you know where his affiliation is, and where he would be right now?”
“Yes. Just in case, I even verified with the maids.”
Jang Geon lightly adjusted Azure Dragon at his waist and replied.
“Let’s go right away.”
Thus the five people, having skipped breakfast, moved unhesitatingly toward the Je Clan’s Outer Hall. Midway they encountered servants and martial artists, all of whom glanced at them while greeting, seemingly thinking it an odd combination.
“…Please make the interrogation as fast as possible. Warrior Yong will block other interventions as much as possible, but in the end, that time can only be very short. If there is no usable testimony, we might all be detained as we are.”
Seom Ji-young spoke in a subtly trembling voice even while striding forward. It was natural. She was turning upside down the household where she would marry and live in the future. Even to her, who was young, it must feel like turning the world upside down.
“It will not take long.”
Jang Geon said only that. At that plain tone, Seom Ji-young felt trust surging.
They soon arrived at the Outer Hall. As a place responsible for the clan’s external housekeeping, even early in the morning, many people, goods, carriages, oxen, and horses were coming and going. In a way, it looked like a continuation of the main gate on the first day.
And the laborers and martial artists working there showed bewildered expressions upon seeing Jang Geon, Seom Ji-young, and the others who suddenly arrived. Among them, some covertly moved to find the hall master, thinking some problem had arisen.
Just then, Seom Ji-young’s finger pointed to a corner spot.
“There!”
Jang Geon’s eyes also followed that finger, and standing there was Je Gyu-sang, holding a writing board and a small brush, looking this way with disbelief.
“No… Where do you think this is… How dare you without fear…”
“Those aren’t words I want to hear.”
“What?”
He asked back blankly at the sight of Jang Geon, who had stridden over in an instant. And Jang Geon raised his right index finger and showed it to him.
“…What’s that?”
The next instant, Jang Geon’s hand blurred as it struck several dozen acupoints on Je Gyu-sang’s body. At that shock, Je Gyu-sang flew backward through the air and tumbled inside a closed warehouse door, almost smashing it.