It’s not like I’m doing it for you. (1)
‘It was my mistake to rely on Taoists in the first place.’
With his mask pulled firmly down over his face, Jwa Gohak flattened himself against the roof of the pavilion and let out a deep sigh.
He admitted it. They weren’t bad people. Not at all.
From what he had heard during his life as a Confucian scholar, Taoists were the sort who deceived innocent commoners with empty words and sullied the world with bizarre practices in the name pursuing immortality.
They would suddenly appear in villages where ordinary folk had been living perfectly well, pocket money under the pretense of curing illnesses, extort more by insisting that talismans were necessary, and eventually even clean out the last grain left in their storehouses with promises of performing rites to pray for their good fortune.
Even if they were not that kind of people, it was difficult to look kindly upon those absurd fools who shut themselves away in remote mountains and secluded valleys, claiming they intended to become immortals.
But the Taoist monks of Hwasan whom he had actually met were vastly different from the ones he had imagined.
In other words, they were…
“Far more frivolous, foul-mouthed, and violent, and they enjoy tormenting people…”
No, that wasn’t it.
“Hm?”
At the words he had unknowingly muttered aloud, one of the guards beneath the eaves looked up. Jwa Gohak flattened himself against the roof again.
‘That’s right. Honestly, they are all kindhearted.’
Though there was something about them that made it difficult to tell whether they were kindhearted or simply stupid. Of course, there were a few unquestionably stupid ones among them, but every group was bound to have one or two fools mixed in, wasn’t it?
Jwa Gohak’s honest feelings towards the disciples of Hwasan were close to goodwill. No, perhaps they were even closer to affection than goodwill.
‘But even so, a Taoist monk is still a Taoist monk.’
The greatest difference between a Taoist and a Confucian scholar. It was whether one could see the greater picture. So long as they placed their individual path to immortality [선도(仙道)] first, they would ultimately be unable to see anything greater.
Why could they not understand? That for the sake of all the people under Heaven, there had to be a place where they could live. And that for the commoners, that place could ultimately be nothing other than their country.
Learning and attaining enlightenment, and through it making the nation what a nation ought to be – that is the way to bring peace to the world. That was the answer Confucius found after living through a long age of turmoil.
‘Why do I keep dwelling on this? What lingering attachment do I have?’
This was originally a problem for Confucian scholars, and for the Confucian circles. He ought to be grateful to them simply for helping this much.
And yet, the fact that he kept having other thoughts meant… that Jwa Gohak had expected something more from them.
It was just as Jwa Gohak was about to let out another heavy sigh.
Clatter.
The merchant guild’s firmly closed gates swung wide open. Soon, a group of masked men entered.
Hidden on the roof, Jwa Gohak held his breath.
Step. Step. Step.
Narrowing his eyes, Jwa Gohak studied the men as they walked inside. Two things immediately stood out.
‘They know this place.’
Despite their restricted vision from wearing masks, they headed towards the warehouse piled high with crates without the slightest hesitation. That would have been impossible unless they had already carried out the same task time and again.
And then.
‘Those footsteps…?’
There was no doubt about it. They were clearly trained men. No one walked with such measured precision without having undergone rigorous training. Jwa Gohak’s suspicions grew even stronger.
At that moment, the men who had entered opened the warehouse and began swiftly carrying out the crates.
Holding his breath, Jwa Gohak watched the entire scene unfold.
The moment all the crates had been loaded onto the carts visible beyond the main gate, the gate closed without a sound, and the neighing of horses and the creaking of cart wheels began to echo through the night.
‘These bastards…?’
Anger surged through him. Jwa Gohak had thought they would move more discreetly. Even under cover of darkness, moving this much cargo through Beijing while avoiding people’s eyes could not possibly be easy.
But what was this? Horses, and even carts?
‘Chung Myung Dojang was right.’
They had never intended to keep this hidden in the first place. Even if they were discovered, they were confident they could smooth things over as they pleased.
Once again keenly aware of just how powerful the enemy he was up against truly was, Jwa Gohak bit down hard on his lip.
‘Don’t make me laugh.’
But he was not afraid. Hadn’t he set out from the beginning with the goal of fighting them, restoring the country, and bringing peace to the realm?
Thud.
Jwa Gohak carefully climbed down from the roof and began sprinting silently. He had to be stealthy, but he also had to be fast. He could not afford to be discovered, nor could he afford to lose them.
In the distance, Jwa Gohak spotted a procession of carts racing along a road lit by lanterns.
‘Quite a brazen sight.’
Grinding his teeth, Jwa Gohak forced himself onward and pursued them. In the meantime, the procession of carts quickly reached the Southern Gate.
Though it was the middle of the night, the city gate stood wide open, and not a single soldier guarding it was anywhere to be seen. The carts swiftly passed through the gate, which was quite literally left completely undefended.
Jwa Gohak, watching the situation, frowned.
There were no soldiers at the gate for now, but the moment all the carts had passed through, troops would obviously emerge from somewhere and bar the gate shut. It would be impossible to follow them without a confrontation.
Jwa Gohak quickly made his decision and headed for the city wall instead of the gate. He raced up the stairs leading to the wall and climbed it as swiftly as he could, putting all his strength into it.
‘Damn it, I should have practiced my lightness technique more.’
He had thought that if he could properly master even the Ten Thousand Swords, he would have no equal beneath Heaven. But the world he had actually encountered was not a place one could overcome with a single sword technique.
Jwa Gohak quickly reached the top of the wall and looked down. The carts that had passed through the gate were splitting up along three different roads.
‘Damn it!’
This was exactly why he had said he couldn’t do this alone.
‘What should I do?’
It was just as Jwa Gohak was struggling to make a decision.
“Who goes there?!”
At the shout from behind him, Jwa Gohak gritted his teeth. He immediately kicked off the city wall and threw himself down beneath it in a single swift motion. Drawing his sword, he drove it into the wall and slid down along its face.
Thud.
The moment his feet finally touched the ground, Jwa Gohak made his choice. The middle road. The one the greatest number of carts had taken.
Jwa Gohak sprinted after them at full speed, and before long, the procession of carts came back into view.
As he watched the carts charging ahead, a strange suspicion began to take shape in Jwa Gohak’s mind.
‘How far are they going?’
Farther away? That couldn’t be.
If the procession moved farther away, it might actually be a better outcome for Jwa Gohak. But that was impossible. If the Chief Eunuch was plotting something in the Imperial Capital, he would not send those weapons far away.
‘Surely… somewhere around here.’
It was at that very moment.
The speeding carts abruptly began to slow down. Then they left the main road and entered the forest.
‘That’s it.’
Having confirmed that his guess had been correct, Jwa Gohak stealthily followed behind the carts.
Although their pace had slowed considerably, the carts continued along the forest path without stopping.
‘No, this isn’t an ordinary forest path. Carts have already traveled through here countless times.’
Jwa Gohak quietly held his breath. Somewhere ahead was likely the place where Do Hyeon stored his weapons and where his private soldiers trained. It was undoubtedly a tiger’s den, but that didn’t matter. To catch a tiger, one had to find its den, after all.
‘First, I’ll confirm what’s here and withdraw. Then, as soon as day breaks, I’ll mobilize the scholars of the Hanlin Academy…’
Unless the Chief Eunuch was prepared to kill every scholar in the Hanlin Academy, he would be unable to contain the situation. Even if he made such an extreme choice, it would not matter. In that case, the lives of the Hanlin Academy scholars would become the spear that brought down the Chief Eunuch.
‘If only one or two of the Six Ministries* would move, things would be easier.’
Even if that was not the case, it did not matter. Either way, the moment the scholars arrived here would spell the end for the Chief Eunuch…
Fweeeee!
At that moment, Jwa Gohak instinctively sensed something flying towards him and swung his sword reflexively.
Clash! Clatter!
His Ten Thousand Swords created countless sword shadows, knocking away the incoming objects one after another.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Four gleaming daggers were sent spinning through the air. The instant Jwa Gohak saw them, he knew something had gone terribly wrong.
“Strange.”
At the same time, faint footsteps began to reach Jwa Gohak’s ears.
‘I’m surrounded.’
A chill ran down Jwa Gohak’s back.
Because he had been discovered? No. He realized it instinctively. These men had already been waiting for him here.
“….A trap.”
Jwa Gohak’s face flushed bright red.
He had remained cautious, considering the possibility that the enemy might try to lure him out. But the moment the carts turned into the forest, just as he had predicted, and he thought he might be able to strike at the Chief Eunuch’s weak point, his concentration had wavered.
‘Did I really make such a careless mistake?’
It was just as Jwa Gohak, overwhelmed by self-reproach and anger, was at a loss for what to do.
“There’s no way there’s only one.”
Step. Step.
The Eastern Depot squad leader, Bang Hwi, slowly approached as though tightening a noose around Jwa Gohak and narrowed his eyes.
“Besides, he doesn’t seem to be the same fellow who went on that rampage before… Did they go after the others?”
“No. The only person who has been tracking us from the beginning is that man.”
“Hmm. Then were we wrong in thinking they were hiding in the Gahwa Merchant Guild?”
Large beads of sweat ran down Jwa Gohak’s chin.
‘These bastards, from the very beginning…’
He had thought the darkness beneath the lamp would keep him safe, but apparently that was not the case. At this point, it would be no exaggeration to say that he had been dancing in the palm of their hand.
‘So this is the Eastern Depot…’
He had always prided himself on being second to none in the world when it came to using his head, but after leaving Yurim, he began to wonder if he had done nothing but remain a frog in a well.
“I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
Bang Hwi, who had been silently staring at Jwa Gohak, gestured towards him with his chin.
“Take him alive. I’ll flay him myself and find out who is behind him.”
Jwa Gohak’s grip around his sword tightened.
Suicide? What a ridiculous idea.
People thought that suicide was a way of sacrificing oneself, but if the people before him were the Eastern Depot, that notion was completely mistaken.
The moment he died, they would identify his status from his face alone, and once that happened, his family would be branded as traitors, and no one would survive.
He had to escape somehow, no matter what!
‘First…’
But before Jwa Gohak could devise a plan, flexible swords came flying at him from every direction. Ominous green liquid glistened along the flexible swords distinctive to the Eastern Depot.
‘Poison!’
Jwa Gohak swung his sword desperately.
But Jwa Gohak realized yet another flaw in his technique.
Ten Thousand Swords, which perfectly blocked opponent’s attacks. Even though Baek Cheon had managed to counter it, it was certainly not a sword technique that could be taken lightly.
But that was only when facing a single opponent.
Every time another opponent is added, the number of possibilities he has to calculate increases exponentially.
The same held true even if his opponents were not particularly skilled. When facing multiple people, Ten Thousand Swords could hardly be called an outstanding martial art.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Jwa Gohak’s sword knocked away the enemies’ swords one after another. But before they had exchanged even a handful of moves, his sword began to falter.
‘Damn it!’
A situation he had failed to anticipate, the mistakes he had made in rapid succession, and the composure he had lost as a result robbed Jwa Gohak’s swordsmanship of its precision.
And the price was small, but fatal.
Slice.
A flexible sword, swaying and bending, lightly grazed Jwa Gohak’s arm as it passed. It was barely a scratch. A wound that did not even need to be staunched.
But no sooner had the wound appeared than Jwa Gohak’s vision began to sway violently.
“Ugh……”
He staggered heavily and sank to the ground, bracing himself with one hand. As Jwa Gohak struggled to force himself back to his feet, Bang Hwi coldly declared.
“One drop is enough to kill even a large water buffalo instantly. There’s no point trying to endure it. But you needn’t worry. You won’t die, after all.”
Despair washed over Jwa Gohak’s face.
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*육조(六曹) – Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Rites, Ministry of War, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Labor (Works).
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