Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 105

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 105. The Five Evil Sword Sect has become far too political these days
That afternoon.
Before leaving his post, Do Gyeom, the Hyeonwi, sought out Jo Mujin, the Hyeonryeong, carrying a portrait of Hong Jin.
“A Buddhist monk named Hong Jin. He apparently approached Dan Bulwi the Pokwae and attempted to lure him toward Cheonryeon.”
“Lure him? After we suffered such massive losses because of Dan Bulwi the Pokwae?”
“These people typically target Corrupt Officials, do they not? Dan Bulwi the Pokwae has committed no crime, and he is quite capable besides—it seems they covet him all the more for it.”
“A fair point. And what was Dan Bulwi the Pokwae’s response to such overtures?”
“He continues to harbor deep hatred for Hyeol Je and Cheonryeon.”
“Because of the woman Hyeol Je murdered?”
“Yes. Unless Cheonryeon restores that young lady to life, Dan Bulwi the Pokwae will never be swayed toward them.”
“Hmm. Even so, keep close watch on Dan Bulwi the Pokwae. Not because I distrust him, but because we must quickly see through Cheonryeon’s schemes.”
“Understood.”
“And send Hong Jin’s portrait to the Western Peak Huashan Sect through the Pokwae’s people. It will reach the Central Peak Shaolin Temple faster through them than if we sent it directly.”
The Eastern Peak Taishan Sect, the Western Peak Huashan Sect, the Southern Peak Hengshan Sect, the Northern Peak Hengshan Sect, and the Central Peak Shaolin Temple together comprise the Five Evil Sword Sect, and they used the Postal System to communicate among themselves.
Since the Western Peak Huashan Sect had a station within the city, he meant to use them as intermediaries.
“Understood. But what became of the proposal to entrust Cheonryeon’s subjugation to the Five Evil Sword Sect? I heard such talk from court some time ago, yet it has gone quiet.”
“According to what I heard from Minister Seol, the Five Evil Sword Sect’s response has been lukewarm—they are moving slowly.”
“They consider it not their responsibility?”
“More likely, there are no few common folk who support Cheonryeon, so they find the matter burdensome. Martial World figures set great store by public opinion.”
“Then the Five Evil Sword Sect will take no action for the time being?”
“For now they watch and wait. When we request their cooperation, they will dispatch their masters. But Chivalrous Conduct is a relic of the past. The Five Evil Sword Sect has become far too political these days.”
“Is that not what happens when one manages the Martial World?”
“Precisely—which is why it was wrong from the start. Why should the Five Evil Sword Sect manage the Martial World at all? What is Jianghu? Is it not a place where people gather to live freely, beyond the reach of official power? And now those same people rule the Martial World? Does that not strike you as absurd?”
“Now that you speak of it, yes. Freedom was merely a pretty excuse—they refused to be the dragon’s tail and became the serpent’s head instead.”
The two men—one an official, one a martial artist—finding rare accord, continued their sharp criticism of the Five Evil Sword Sect long past the hour when they should have departed.
***
At the same moment.
Daeanbang.
Jinbo Trading House.
Early evening.
A man staggered forward to the main gate and, with great effort, knocked upon the door.
Moments later, the gatekeeper emerged and cried out in alarm.
“Good heavens! Manager Yi! What in the world has happened to you?”
The gatekeeper supported the man he called Manager Yi and ushered him inside.
Shortly after, voices rose in commotion as people gathered in the inner chambers.
Yi Jin, the Manager, struggled to speak before the assembled staff of Jinbo Trading House.
“……Our proprietor personally sealed a supply contract with the Blue Water House and the White Moon House in Jeoksuchen, Monghwabu, in Namunseong. We deliberately avoided Hwaryeongbu to prevent friction with the Taehwa Trading Company and aimed directly at Monghwabu from the start. Negotiations with the Silver Moon House, the foremost faction in Monghwabu, concluded favorably, and we needed only to transport the White Moon House goods we had contracted for initially and return…….”
Manager Yi’s voice trembled with emotion, and he could not continue.
The managers of Jinbo Trading House waited for Yi Jin to compose himself.
“Then the Wax Sea Gate suddenly intervened and overturned everything. They claimed Monghwabu fell under their jurisdiction, so any agreement not made through them was void. They said Jinbo Trading House had shown them disrespect and must pay the price, and they seized our proprietor and all our managers. When the guards’ attention lapsed, Shin Manager and I escaped, but Shin Manager was struck down by an arrow soon after. I alone barely managed to flee.”
When he finished, Yu Manseok, the Senior Manager, quickly asked:
“The Silver Moon House simply stood by and did nothing while things reached such a state?”
“The Silver Moon House carries some weight in Monghwabu, but the Wax Sea Gate, together with the Blue Orchid Gate, divides Namunseong between them—they are a vast faction. When the Wax Sea Gate moved, the Silver Moon House simply withdrew from all involvement.”
“Tsk! Just like those barbarians—no integrity whatsoever.”
“In White Moon, the blade comes before honor or law. I never imagined such a powerful faction would commit banditry in broad daylight. As soon as I escaped, I sought out the Joyang Trading House branch in Hwaryeongbu to lodge a complaint, and they told me that White Moon is simply that sort of place.”
“Did you request the Joyang Trading House’s assistance?”
“They said they had no one who knew the Wax Sea Gate and demurred.”
Na Bugang, who had been listening to the exchange between Yu Manseok and Yi Jin, interjected.
“Manager Yi, is there truly no other place we might appeal to for aid?”
“The manager of the Joyang Trading House said that the Taehwa Trading Company experienced something similar last year. Since the Taehwa Company resolved it well, he suggested we inquire with them instead.”
At that, Na Bugang leapt to his feet.
Time was of the essence, and he meant to seek out the Taehwa Trading Company at once.
In the end, Yu Manseok also rose from his seat.
A matter between trading houses could not be left to the young master.
“Young Master, settle yourself. I shall go now to meet Yi Wonbang, the proprietor of the Taehwa Trading Company.”
“Thank you. Please, let me accompany you. I beg you.”
“Very well.”
Yu Manseok and Na Bugang hurried from the trading house before any further delay.
***
The Ascending Heaven House in Jwa Seong (same time, regional branch).
Taehwa Trading Company.
The guest reception hall.
Yu Manseok, the acting manager, laid bare to Yi Wonbang, the company’s proprietor, the ordeal that Na Jingeum, the branch manager, and his staff had suffered in White Moon Country, and sought his assistance.
“……I heard from the manager of Joyang Trading House. You experienced something similar to what happened to us last year, I understand. I would be grateful for your counsel on how Jinbo Trading House should proceed.”
“There’s little counsel to offer. We simply followed procedure, and fortunately things worked out well—nothing more than that.”
“Please explain that procedure in detail.”
Yu Manseok, grasping at straws, bowed his head.
“It was truly unremarkable. A caravan led by Seol Gyeongmun was abducted at White Cliff Valley, and we sent out a rescue party to retrieve them. That’s all there was to it.”
“Who led the rescue party?”
“Baek Jingang, our chief of guards. And Seol’s close friend came seeking to help as well.”
Yi Wonbang spoke as though it were of no great consequence.
He resented Haowen’s intrusion into Taehwa’s achievements.
“Who was this companion?”
“Dan Bulwi of Haowen. He joined the rescue party with his own disciple.”
“Thank you for the information. Since I’ve come this far, I would like to meet Captain Baek Jingang, if that is possible.”
“You can find him at Cheongpunggak, where the guards are housed. Sim Manager.”
At Yi Wonbang’s summons, Sim Jeon, the manager standing behind, responded.
“Yes, proprietor.”
“Escort our guest, the acting manager of Jinbo Trading House, to Cheongpunggak at once.”
“Understood. Please follow me.”
At Sim Jeon’s words, Yu Manseok and Na Bugang took their leave of Yi Wonbang and hurried after him.
***
Cheongpunggak.
Baek Jingang recounted to Yu Manseok and Na Bugang what had transpired in White Moon Country.
“……Neither Song Mu nor I witnessed it directly, so I cannot say with certainty, but it is clear that Dan Bulwi and Dan Yeop did something. The two of them went to meet the masters at White Cliff Valley, and after that, Seol Gyeongmun and his company were released.”
“Where might I find Seol Gyeongmun? I wish to meet with him.”
Baek Jingang answered Yu Manseok’s question.
“After that incident, he left the company altogether. He lives now at Gosan Estate with his daughter.”
After learning the location of Gosan Estate, Yu Manseok departed from Taehwa Trading Company.
As Yu Manseok and Na Bugang made their way toward Gosan Estate, they heard from a distance the tolling of the bell announcing the closure of the gates.
The two had no choice but to hurry back to Jinbo Trading House.
***
The following day.
After breakfast, Yu Manseok, Na Bugang, and the siblings Na Geumryeong made their way to Gosan Estate, asking directions along the way.
Gosan Estate.
The inner hall.
Yu Manseok laid bare the predicament facing Jinbo Trading House and beseeched Seol Gyeongmun for his aid.
“……Right now, Seol is the only person Jinbo Trading House can trust and rely upon. I have no excuse for speaking so bluntly to someone I meet for the first time, but I earnestly beseech you to help us.”
Seol Gyeongmun opened his mouth, his expression troubled.
“If it is something within my power to help, I would naturally do so. But to be honest, I have done nothing myself. Without my dear friend and his disciple, I would not be standing here.”
“You speak of Dan Bulwi and his disciple?”
“That is correct. The ones who rescued me and the merchants from the masters of White Cliff Valley were Dan Bulwi and Dan Yeop.”
In that moment, the expressions of Na Bugang and Na Geumryeong stiffened slightly.
The instant they heard Dan Yeop’s name, their hearts lurched.
Yu Manseok asked, his face puzzled.
“Had Haowen and White Cliff Valley had prior dealings with one another?”
He had assumed that Dan Bulwi and Dan Yeop had persuaded White Cliff Valley through negotiation.
After all, Haowen was not the sort of people to resolve matters through martial prowess.
“No. It was the result of Dan Bulwi and Dan Yeop fighting the masters of White Cliff Valley.”
“That is truly difficult to believe. The White Moon branch is renowned for its brutality—how could Haowen possibly…….”
“Ha! That is only because you do not know the martial skill of Dan Bulwi and Dan Yeop. I have witnessed the master and disciple spar a few times, and it was truly fearsome.”
Yu Manseok remained uncertain about the martial prowess of Dan Bulwi and Dan Yeop, but he accepted as fact that the two had rescued Seol Gyeongmun.
“Seol, if I may venture a difficult request—I must ask you this. Please help Jinbo Trading House!”
Seol Gyeongmun gazed at Yu Manseok, his expression bewildered.
He lacked the means to do so.
“Manager Yu, I understand your frustration and desperation, but I am merely one of the merchants who was abducted and then released.”
“I understand. I wish to meet Dan Bulwi and Dan Yeop—these two men. If you would arrange such a meeting, I will never forget your kindness.”
Na Bugang and Na Geumryeong, who had been hesitating, quickly bowed their heads.
“Please arrange a meeting for us.”
“We beg you.”
When Yu Manseok and the siblings Na Bugang and Na Geumryeong bowed their heads, Seol Gyeongmun could refuse no longer.
“I’ll do what I can, but I cannot promise results.”
Yu Manseok nodded vigorously.
“That alone is more than we could ask. We won’t forget this kindness.”
Shortly after, Yu Manseok and his party departed Gosan Estate.
Noticing the darkened expressions of the siblings, Yu Manseok asked, “Your faces have been grim since we left. Is something troubling you?”

“No.”
“Nothing at all.”
Na Bugang and Na Geumryeong denied it.
What had passed between them and Dan Yeop weighed heavily on their minds, but they could not bring themselves to speak of it to their manager.
***
Back at Jinbo Trading House, Yu Manseok gathered the managers and relayed Seol Gyeongmun’s words.
The atmosphere of despair that had hung over the trading house transformed at once into hope.
“We should hire Dan Bulwi and Dan Yeop.”
“They’re from Haowen—raise the price and they’ll jump at it.”
“And how. A Haowen member who doesn’t love money is a dead one.”
“Let’s assemble an investigation team even larger than what Taehwa Trading Company put together. There are plenty of unemployed warriors in Jangan City—we can make up any shortfall from their ranks.”
“Even if the Wax Sea Gate is large, they’re merely a frog at the bottom of a well. This is our chance to show that Jinbo Trading House plays by different rules.”
The merchants’ necks stiffened with excitement.
To judge by their fervor, there seemed no obstacle to rescuing Na Jingeum.
While the merchants chattered animatedly, Na Bugang and Na Geumryeong slipped quietly outside.
Na Geumryeong, walking with a shuffling gait, spoke with worry clouding her face. “Brother, what if Dan Yeop refuses?”
“Then perhaps we’ll have to prostrate ourselves before him.”
“Don’t jest about such things.”
“What other way is there to persuade Dan Yeop?”

Na Geumryeong did not answer.
Prostrate themselves before Dan Yeop? No matter how desperate things became, she could not bring herself to do that.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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