Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 61

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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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Chapter 61. Beat the Master While the Dog Still Rages
Human nature runs in similar channels.
Dan Bulwi also taught the True Three Major Saber Techniques to the masters of Amun.
The first method he drew forth was the True Chilsang Saber Technique, Amun’s signature art.
Yet here was the puzzle: despite lifelong cultivation of the Chilsang method, none of them made progress.
Unable to bear it, Dan Bulwi shifted his teaching to the relatively simpler True Heaven-Earth Saber Technique.
Fortunately, Amun’s masters followed the True Heaven-Earth Saber Technique without undue strain.
Around the same time as Dan Yeop, Dan Bulwi returned to teaching the True Chilsang Saber Technique.
Having broadened their vision through cultivating the True Heaven-Earth Saber Technique, they absorbed it faster than before.
Of course, faster than before meant only that—the pace remained sluggish.
By the end of the twelfth month, they were still laboring over the First Wound Yin Void alone.
***
The first day of the first month.
The Jwaseong district, Grand Safe House.
The Hwawolru Separate Building.
Early evening, around five o’clock.
The Sect Leaders and Vice Sect Leaders of Yukmun gathered one by one in the separate building of Hwawolru.
Where the main hall thrummed with musical instruments and the singing of courtesans, the separate building lay silent as a tomb.
Six tables were arranged in a circle within the separate building, each hosting a Sect Leader or Vice Sect Leader of Yukmun.
At the seats of Gimun, Amun, and Jeommun, additional figures were present.
Un Junggaek, Han Wol Geom, Go Geom Haeng, Dan Bulwi, and Dan Yeop—these were they.
Yet while Un Junggaek, Han Wol Geom, and Go Geom Haeng stood behind Sect Leader Ha Soran, Dan Bulwi and Dan Yeop occupied seats at Amun and Jeommun respectively.
Sect Leader Ha Soran fixed Sect Leader Baek Chogong of Jeommun with a ravenous stare.
“Sect Leader Baek, I never took you for a great man who speaks with forked tongue. You appointed a Kyodu in Jeommun as well?”
Sect Leader Baek Chogong laughed awkwardly in reply.
“Much has transpired since then. It is not that I spoke with two tongues, but rather an adaptation to the changing times.”
Sect Leader Hong Sogwang of Amun chimed in with a hearty laugh.
“The changing times—a perfectly apt phrase! One need only examine the history of Haowen in our district to see it proven. Once, we harbored no ambition to unite the Six Routes of Haowen, yet now that very goal has become our paramount objective. To achieve such unity, the Chonggyodu, Kyodu, and Martial Masters are absolutely indispensable.”
Sect Leader Ha Soran, grinding her teeth as she listened, countered at once.
“Bah! I too acknowledge the necessity of Chonggyodu, Kyodu, and Martial Masters—which is why I recruited the Martial Masters. But did not the Chonggyodu and Kyodu overstep the line? Did the Sect Leaders of other factions ask you and Sect Leader Baek to appoint them? Whose will was that, precisely?”
Sect Leader Hong Sogwang shot back shamelessly.
“Sect Leader Ha independently recruited three Martial Masters—what then prevents Amun and Jeommun from doing the same?”
“What did you say! I recruited the Martial Masters as provisional Grand Sect Leader! And both of you agreed to the notion of recruiting external Martial Masters!”
“True, we agreed in broad strokes, but we had no hand in the recruitment of Un Junggaek, Han Wol Geom, and Go Geom Haeng. Did Sect Leader Ha not independently bring these three Martial Masters into her fold?”
“That’s sophistry! If you agreed to welcoming Martial Masters—”
“I asked whose will it was to appoint Chonggyodu and Kyodu. At that time, was there no mention of Kyodu and Chonggyodu alongside the Martial Masters? Just as Sect Leader Ha unilaterally established her Martial Masters, so too did we establish ours.”
“That is—”
Sect Leader Ha Soran’s face went slack with disbelief as she fixed her gaze upon Sect Leader Hong Sogwang.
When they had resolved to recruit Martial Masters that day, they had spoken in passing, each adding a word or two.
―We begin with Martial Masters and cultivate gradually from there.
―Just so. After Martial Masters come Kyodu, and after Kyodu comes Chonggyodu.
―Indeed. Is there some law forbidding the Five Peaks Sword Faction from having Kyodu?
Clearly, the talk of Kyodu and Chonggyodu that day had been mere fancy, a distant vision.
Yet now Sect Leader Hong Sogwang was wielding it as though it were a binding accord.
“You are truly shameless. How could you place that on the same footing as the recruitment of Martial Masters?”
Sect Leader Hong Sogwang drove the wedge deeper with a thin smile.
“Had Sect Leader Ha sought my counsel when recruiting the three Martial Masters, I would in turn have consulted with her before appointing Chonggyodu. Would I not, Sect Leader Baek?”
As Sect Leader Hong Sogwang suddenly drew him in, Sect Leader Baek Chogong reluctantly inclined his head.
Once mounted upon the tiger’s back, there was naught but to ride it to the end.
“Sect Leader Hong’s words ring true.”
The moment Sect Leader Baek Chogong sided with Sect Leader Hong Sogwang, Sect Leader Ha Soran issued a contemptuous snort.
The Sect Leaders of Chamun, Gakmun, and Seonmun merely watched the three-way quarrel unfold.
Within Haowen, the Six Factions’ standing shifts according to geographic advantage.
In the Guannei district, Amun ranks strongest, followed in order by Jeommun, Gimun, Gakmun, Chamun, and Seonmun.
With the first, second, and third ranks contending for dominion, the lower-ranked factions could only observe.
Yet neither could they stand idle like spectators watching a fire across the river.
Sect Leader Ma Yeongdal of Chamun broke the silence and stepped forward.
“Was the recruitment of Martial Masters not a matter delegated to Sect Leader Ha by all of us, the Yukmun Sect Leaders?”
He, caught up in marriage alliance negotiations with Gimun, sided with Sect Leader Ha Soran.
In that instant, the atmosphere, which seemed to be settling, flared up anew.
Hong Sogwang, cornered, resorted to making excuses.
“I delegated it, but still—I should have told you what I knew. Ha’s personal interests might have influenced the recruitment process.”
At that, the Martial Masters who had been silent until now spoke up one after another.
“Hong, did you just say personal interests? That’s an insult to us Martial Masters. Can you take responsibility for that?”
“Hong Sogwang! You’re making us out to be dupes of Ha’s selfish schemes! Do you really want to die?”
“White Night Ghost! Don’t run your mouth just because it works. You might end up shitting blood from both ends.”
The atmosphere plummeted in an instant.
Hong Sogwang had certainly misspoken, but the Martial Masters’ reaction was excessive.
This was not the way to speak to a Sect Leader of another faction at a meeting of six faction leaders.
***
One day earlier.
Useong, Jangnakbang in the western city district.
Gimun Headquarters Sosaungru.
Hour of the Pig—nine o’clock at night—four people sat facing each other in an inner chamber.
Ha Soran, the Gimun Sect Leader, and the Martial Masters Un Junggaek, Han Wol Geom, and Go Geom Haeng.
When the first round of drinks had circulated, Ha Soran spoke with a bitter expression.
“After Amun, Jeommun has unilaterally appointed a Kyodu as well. It seems Hong Sogwang and Baek Chogong have joined hands.”
Un Junggaek asked a question.
“Who is Jeommun’s Kyodu?”
“A young upstart named Dan Yeop from Terracotta Army Tomb. He’s Dan Bulwi’s adopted son.”
“Hell! It looks like the old man has Haowen in his palm. But why go that far? I can’t fathom Baek Chogong’s intentions.”
Han Wol Geom added his thoughts.
“It’s a sign that he’s taking sides with Hong Sogwang. If Dan Yeop came from Terracotta Army Tomb, they wouldn’t have appointed him based on martial skill alone.”
Since the matter of Black Tower had not yet spread beyond their circle, everyone nodded in agreement.
Ha Soran spoke with firm resolve.
“Tomorrow’s meeting—they’ll try to make the Chonggyodu and Kyodu appointments a done deal. We need to overturn their scheme.”
The Martial Masters listened in silence.
All of them, not being of Haowen origin, were cautious.
“You three don’t need to step forward from the start. Hong has a loose tongue—he’ll definitely slip up tomorrow. When he does, that’s when you step in. Then no one will be able to blame you for it.”
Go Geom Haeng, who had been listening all along, finally spoke.
“You’re saying to create justification before we fight.”
“Exactly. I know it’s an unreasonable ask, but if you three are to establish yourselves in Haowen, this is something you’ll have to go through eventually anyway. We can’t have a Chonggyodu and Kyodu standing over your heads, can we?”
Go Geom Haeng’s gaze shifted to Un Junggaek and Han Wol Geom.
Un Junggaek and Han Wol Geom nodded.
The three of them serving under Dan Bulwi and Dan Yeop made no sense.
“Understood. Since we’ve committed ourselves to Haowen, we’ll fight for Haowen.”
Among the three, Go Geom Haeng possessed the highest martial skill.
The moment he accepted, Ha Soran’s face brightened.
“Hong has a shameless face—he’ll try to smooth things over no matter what. Don’t give him a chance to backpedal. Press the advantage.”
Han Wol Geom spoke with a cold laugh.
“Heh, beat the master while the dog’s still raging.”
Of course, the dog was Dan Bulwi and the master was Hong Sogwang.
“Right. Don’t forget—the target isn’t Hong, it’s Dan Bulwi the Chonggyodu. Tear into Hong until Dan Bulwi shows himself.”
“Fair enough. But we have conditions too. If we suppress Dan Bulwi as you wish, you must promote us to Kyodu.”
“If you neutralize the Chonggyodu, you naturally deserve to become Kyodu. Even the other faction leaders won’t object then.”
The four of them, now in perfect accord, raised their cups in a toast.
***
Present moment.
Hwawolru Separate Building.
Faced with the biting threats of the Martial Masters, Hong Sogwang was left flabbergasted.
True, he had misspoken first.
But that was no reason for the Martial Masters to say such things, was it?
No matter what, he was one of the six faction leaders.
Meanwhile, the station of a Martial Master was far below.
A Martial Master ranked only as high as a Chief of Associates in Haowen’s hierarchy.
Hong Sogwang was deeply displeased, but he showed nothing.
Un Junggaek, Han Wol Geom, and Go Geom Haeng were all masters superior to himself.
Though the gap was perhaps half a level, he would certainly lose in a fight.
Knowing that, he couldn’t point out their wrongs.
“Ah, I didn’t mean it that way…….”
Yet Un Junggaek and Han Wol Geom, resolved as they were, refused to listen.
“Silence!”
“Hong Sogwang! We’ve no interest in your excuses!”
…….
Only then did Sect Leader Hong Sogwang perceive that the Martial Masters’ behavior was far from ordinary, and he turned his head toward Sect Leader Ha Soran.
‘Damn it all!’
Seeing the composed face of Sect Leader Ha Soran, it was clear this had been orchestrated.
Such humiliation, right before the Sect Leader and Vice Sect Leader of Yukmun!
Cornered, Sect Leader Hong Sogwang found himself looking toward Chonggyodu Dan Bulwi.
At last, Dan Bulwi’s lips parted.
“So our Martial Masters insult the Sect Leader of Yukmun? Where did they learn such manners? Ronins or not, even they should know the codes of a faction—or so one would think.”
…….
Silence fell over the room.
A broad smile spread across Sect Leader Ha Soran’s face.
Un Junggaek did not let the opportunity slip away.
“Dan Bulwi! So you became Chonggyodu by sweet-talking Sect Leader Hong Sogwang with that serpent’s tongue of yours? We may not know Haowen’s codes, but we know Kangho’s well enough. Do you believe you deserve the title of Chonggyodu?”
Han Wol Geom pressed harder, ensuring Dan Bulwi could not avoid the fight.
“Dan Bulwi! We cannot acknowledge someone we’ve never heard of as Chonggyodu. If you want to bear that title, prove it with skill, not with words!”
The confrontation between the ‘Martial Masters and Sect Leader Hong Sogwang’ naturally transformed into one between the ‘Martial Masters and Chonggyodu Dan Bulwi’.
At their words, Dan Bulwi let out a soft laugh.
He’d anticipated a clash with the Martial Masters at today’s gathering anyway.
Unless Sect Leader Ha Soran and the Martial Masters were fools, they would never readily accept a Chonggyodu and Kyodu without question.
“Very well. Let us abide by Kangho’s codes. Should I fall, I’ll surrender the Chonggyodu position. But should you fall—what then?”
When Han Wol Geom hesitated, Dan Bulwi continued with a smile.
“I won’t ask you to surrender your Martial Master positions—Haowen needs them. Instead, apologize to Sect Leader Hong. From what I’ve seen, his words don’t seem wrong at all.”
It was a shameful proposal, but Han Wol Geom could not refute it.
After exchanging glances with Un Junggaek and Go Geom Haeng, Han Wol Geom replied.
“So be it. But can you handle all of us alone? You’re welcome to join forces with Kyodu Dan Yeop—if he has the courage for it.”

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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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