I doubted my own ears, and no matter how many times I went over it, the conclusion was the same. That monk from back then was an inner energy master. Looking back on it now, it was a bit strange.
In the dead of night, in a dark forest, was it really possible to strike down dozens of hidden weapons unleashed by the Vice Lord of the Tang Clan’s Extermination Hall with a single Buddhist saber? The saber technique the monk showed that day is still clearly etched in my mind.
It was a realm where it seemed he was drawing lines, not cutting with a blade. Could he produce that much power simply by having outstanding forms and high martial ability? He must have used inner energy.
Why couldn't I tell back then? It was too dark, and with poisoned hidden weapons flying about, it was a deadly situation. I had no time to observe.
It was before I had learned inner energy, and I had never seen a master use it. It would have been stranger if I had recognized that he was using inner energy.
I don't know what level of internal arts training is required to seal the Hidden Force inside another's body in their energy core through a direct transmission of true energy. However, it was clear that it was a realm so far beyond me that I wouldn't even dare to imitate it now.
Why would such an absolute master be playing the part of a house guest for the Underworld Information Clan in the Western Village? What is his true identity… Could he be a warrior monk from Shaolin?
Not everyone who shaves their head and wears a monk's robe is from Shaolin. There were many other famous temples and warrior monks in the Central Plains. Shaolin, among the Nine Great Sects, was a famous righteous sect that vied for the top spot with the Wudang Sect.
If he was a high monk from Shaolin, he would hold a high position even on Mount Song. There was no reason for him to waste his inner energy and time saving the head of a dark path faction in a rural village like this. Could he be pretending to be a monk to hide his school?
That sounded more plausible. Among the wandering swordsmen, there were often guys who dressed like monks. They would eat meat and drink liquor to their heart's content, only putting their hands together in prayer and chanting the name of Guan Yin when it was time to kill someone.
Could this monk be one of those corrupt monks? Strangely, the monk didn't seem to recognize me. Since I was looking through the gaps of my straw hat, my face might have been blurry.
But even after hearing my voice, there was no sign of surprise or unease. Does he not remember me? I had never spoken to that monk, but I had heard his voice.
In the pavilion master's residence, when the Tang Clan members arrived. He must have heard my voice too…
"Did Master Jeok happen to wake up in the middle of it all?"
At the monk's question, I quickly shook off my thoughts and opened my mouth.
“Yes, he opened his eyes for a moment, but he fell asleep again soon after.”
"Did he say anything?"
"He asked who I was, so I told him I was helping him find shelter at Squad Master Bok Ha-gyu’s request.”
“Anything else?”
“I don’t know what you mean, but that’s all. Nothing else happened. How much has Master Jeok’s condition improved?”
The monk remained silent for a moment, as if carefully mulling over my words, before he spoke. From his perspective, it was reasonable enough to suspect that I might have done something to Jeok Chu-yeong.
“The Hidden Force in his energy core is a bit more stable than before. The flow in his meridians has also eased slightly.”
“…Could it be because he got some fresh air for the first time in a while after being bedridden for so long?”
"Fresh air? Hmm..."
It was nonsensical babble, but the monk seemed to be seriously contemplating even that possibility. His attitude toward Jeok Chu-yeong's Hidden Force was extremely careful and cautious. It felt like he was putting in considerable effort, more than what would be expected for simply helping someone for a fee.
What is his relationship with Jeok Chu-yeong that he would go this far? The monk, who had been lost in thought for a long while, broke the heavy silence and waved his hand.
"I understand. You may leave now."
It was unexpected. I thought he would question me, asking if I had performed a direct transmission of true energy. I had been inwardly tense, thinking he might even draw his sword to check if I could use inner energy, but his reaction was far too calm.
This won't be the end of it. He must mean to put me at ease and then watch me. If this monk continues to stay at the Deep Fragrance Pavilion, we're bound to run into each other again.
Bok Ha-gyu, who had followed me out the door, called for a servant to guide me.
"Go wait in the guest room. I'll be there shortly."
The guest room was attached to the back of the Crouching Dragon Hall. With its own wall and garden, it was practically a detached house. Tang Hye-seo was in the garden, looking up at the sky with her arms crossed.
As I approached, Tang Hye-seo pointed to the sky.
"Look over there."
Beneath the blue sky, a large hawk was circling, searching for prey. It was a common sight, nothing particularly remarkable.
“It’s possible someone might have intercepted the carrier pigeon midway.”
Wondering what she meant, I looked at the hawk and then suddenly realized.
“You mean, by using a hawk?”
Tang Hye-seo nodded.
"It happens from time to time. Hawks are the natural enemies of carrier pigeons. That's why the military releases dozens of them at once when sending urgent messages."
"Are you saying that hawk over there is the culprit that intercepted the pigeon?"
Tang Hye-seo looked at me as if I were absurd and let out a dry laugh.
“Is that the only hawk in existence? It would have been a trained hunting hawk.”
"I heard the Underworld Information Clan also uses carrier pigeons."
“They probably do. The Tang Clan also used them when we stayed in the Western Village before. The hawk didn't intercept them then.”
“Then it seems it wasn’t a hawk?”
“They must have released the hawk at the time the carrier pigeon was expected to arrive. It wasn't about capturing all carrier pigeons indiscriminately over a wide area.”
"Who would do such a thing, and why?"
Tang Hye-seo shrugged. “That's what we need to find out from now on." A short while later, Bok Ha-gyu came to the guest room.
Sitting around the table, sandwiched between the Black Night Gang and the Tang Clan, my nerves were so on edge I couldn't tell where the tea was going. I thought the atmosphere would turn hostile, but surprisingly, it remained calm and proceeded in a sensible manner.
Tang Hye-seo mentioned the carrier pigeons sent by the Sichuan black market merchant around this area. Bok Ha-gyu, of course, shook his head, saying it was the first he’d heard of it. The Black Night Gang didn't use things like carrier pigeons.
“I’ve never even seen a carrier pigeon in my entire life. Most martial artists probably haven’t either.”
I quietly nodded my head in agreement. I had only heard stories; I didn't know what a carrier pigeon looked like either. It was only natural.
Carrier pigeons were an expensive means of communication used only by the military, the imperial court, or the great sects. Ordinary people would never see or use one in their lifetime. Tang Hye-seo tried to probe and catch him off guard, but she didn't pick a fight or use the Tang Clan's name to pressure him.
Contrary to my worries when we first entered, we left the Black Night Gang's headquarters without any raised voices.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s nothing. I was just wondering if the conversation was sufficient. It seems there wasn’t much of a gain.”
Tang Hye-seo gave a strangely satisfied smile and looked back at the Black Night Gang’s headquarters.
“It doesn’t matter. I just came to test the waters today. The walls of the Black Night Gang are higher than I thought, aren’t they? The passages between the pavilions are also quite complexly twisted. They’ve put a lot of thought into preparing for an external attack…”
A chill ran down my spine, and I stopped in my tracks without realizing it. Only then did I realize Tang Hye-seo's true purpose in bringing me along to visit the Black Night Gang. It wasn't to meet Bok Ha-gyu.
She had come to scout in advance, preparing for the one-in-a-million chance that they might have to launch a night raid on the Black Night Gang. Thanks to me, Tang Hye-seo had achieved her goal with great ease. She had comfortably entered through the main gate and surveyed the area around the master’s residence.
"Are you suspecting the Black Night Gang?"
There was no chance that the Iron Arm Guards leaked from the Tang Clan had flowed to the Black Night Gang through the black market. If Bok Ha-gyu, Im Ja-gyeon, or Seon Do-mu had possessed the Iron Arm Guards, one of them would have used it during our recent clash.
But no strange contraption that fired hidden weapons or spewed poison had appeared anywhere. Tang Hye-seo's thoughts were different.
"It's about not ruling them out as suspects."
"What about the Dragon Sky Escort Agency?"
"It's the same for them."
"I heard the agency master is a former lay disciple of the Qingcheng Sect. Wouldn't that mean he has ties to the Tang Clan?"
“It’s not like there are none. Let’s go get some tea.”
As I walked alongside Tang Hye-seo, my mind was a complicated mess. The people of the Tang Clan had begun to make their move in earnest in the Western Village. I couldn't even begin to guess how things would unfold.
Screeeech!
The sharp cry of a bird of prey echoed through the deep mountain valley. A large hawk spread its wings wide and slowly glided towards the ground. Its speed was too slow to be targeting prey.
Flapping its wings, the hawk landed not on a tree or a rock. It landed on the thick leather glove wrapped around the left arm of a black-robed figure.
"Eung-jo, you've worked hard."
The black-robed figure confirmed that there was nothing in the hawk's talons or beak and took out a hood. Holding the now calm, hooded hawk in his hand, he hurried down the slope. On one side of the valley, three large carriages were hidden.
The black-robed figure headed for the one at the very front.
"Escort Leader Pung. I've retrieved Eung-jo."
The rear door of the carriage creaked open, and Pung Kang-ik stepped out. Frowning with bloodshot eyes weary from fatigue, he asked.
"What are the results?"
"We've scoured the direction of Hubei, but we haven't caught anything."
Pung Kang-ik let out a weary sigh. They had finally caught the opium merchant who had caused a stir in the Western Village and shaken him down until he was on the verge of death, but nothing of substance had come out.
It was common knowledge that a conflict had arisen between the Manichaean and White Lotus followers, who divided the Heavenly Mountains, over their interests. The real Murim Alliance Inspector, Pyo Hol-deuk or whatever his name was, had been running amok through Qinghai and Gansu. Then he caught the tail of a Manichaean opium merchant and ambushed him.
Underestimating his opponent, he was killed in return, and his identity was stolen. The opium merchant didn't know how much the real Pyo Hol-deuk had found out or how far up the chain he had reported. Pung Kang-ik stared blankly at the hunting hawk perched on the falconer's arm.
On the battlefield, he had trusted the comrades by his side and entrusted his life to them. That's how he had survived. How far could he trust this mute beast?
It had been helpful a few times before, so would it be again?
“Take turns resting and keep an eye on the Hubei direction. The Murim Alliance will make a move soon." "They will surely send a carrier pigeon to the Deep Fragrance Pavilion before that. We must secure it.”
“Yes. I will do so.”
As the falconer withdrew, Pung Kang-ik prepared to return to the escort agency. There was a mountain of work to be done; he couldn't just stay cooped up here forever. Amidst his busily moving subordinates, someone galloped up on a horse.
“Escort Leader. Something has happened at the agency.”
"What is it?"
"They say people from the Tang Clan have arrived."
Pung Kang-ik's face contorted.
“The Tang Clan? You mean the ones staying at the Deep Fragrance Pavilion?”
“Yes. A middle-aged woman is leading the Tang Clan warriors.”
There was only one middle-aged Tang Clan woman at the Deep Fragrance Pavilion. The Sichuan Venomous Beauty.
Tang Jo-hui.
In her youth, she was a renowned beauty in Sichuan and a hot-blooded, magnanimous heroine. Now, she was a proper master of the Tang Clan, deep in her schemes and merciless in her actions against those who had wronged her. An ominous feeling churned in his chest.
Pung Kang-ik nervously swallowed dry saliva and turned his head in the direction of the agency. It felt as if screams and the smell of poison would ride on the biting wind that brushed past his ears at any moment. Did she come because she knows something?
With Tang Do-hun having smuggled out the Iron Arm Guards, the atmosphere in the Sichuan martial world was extremely tense. The reason Pung Kang-ik, who had left for Sichuan last summer as part of a large escort mission, had rushed back with the Chief Escort Leader was also because of the Tang Clan.
Surprised by the news that a group from the Tang Clan had been dispatched to the Western Village, they had ridden through the night to get ahead of them. It had been quite some time since they had settled in at the Underworld Information Clan’s Western Village branch, so why was Tang Jo-hui only making a move now?
No matter how he thought about it, it didn't seem like she had caught their scent. If she had, she would have struck the agency as soon as she arrived in the Western Village. The relationship between the Sichuan Tang Clan and the Dragon Sky Escort Agency was neither particularly good nor bad.
When the agency master first opened the Dragon Sky Escort Agency in Sichuan with much difficulty, no one requested an escort mission. The connections and influence of the already established escort agencies were like an iron fortress, making it nearly impossible to break in.
The fact that Agency Master Gam Hu-jeong was a former lay disciple of the Qingcheng Sect was of no help at all. All the other escort agencies in Sichuan also had the backing of Qingcheng, Emei, or the Tang Clan. The first to entrust them with goods was the Sichuan Tang Clan.
It was thanks to Tang Jo-hui lending her strength. But that too ended after one or two times. In the end, unable to overcome the territorialism, they had to turn their backs on Sichuan.
As his thoughts drifted to those days, a face suddenly came to mind.
"Is the Chief Escort Leader at the agency?"
"Yes, he is."
"That's a relief."
The thought that he wouldn't have to entertain the difficult Tang Clan members himself made his heart a little lighter. Du Ja-ryeom was more than capable of handling Tang Jo-hui. After all, the reason Tang Jo-hui had given the Dragon Sky Escort Agency work was purely because of Du Ja-ryeom.
Perhaps she had come to see Du Ja-ryeom under the pretext of Tang Clan business.
“We’re returning to the agency.”
As Pung Kang-ik climbed into the carriage, a black-robed figure took the reins at the driver's seat.
"We will depart now."
“Yes. Let’s go slowly. Slowly.”
If they went too fast, they might run into the Tang Clan members. He didn't want to disturb the two as they caught up after a long time apart. What was that saying… a fox dies facing its home hill.
The saying that even a fox, when it dies, lays its head toward the den where it lived. For those who once sought to be a home for each other, it was impossible for the regrets piled up over the years to be resolved so easily.
"Hometown..."
Through the window of the swaying carriage, the sky of the Western Village was a cloudless, brilliant blue. In the north, the first snow would have fallen by now. The north also has spring, summer, and fall.
But what always came to mind was only the winter, when snow poured down as if the sky were collapsing. Beautiful, yet harsh and impoverished… There were times he missed it, but he would not go back.
When he put down his spear, his ties with the north also ended. All that remained was his life as an escort leader of the Dragon Sky Escort Agency, living by the sword. Still, the color of the sky was better in the north…
While Pung Kang-ik was lost in fleeting thoughts, the carriage left the narrow, winding mountain path and entered the main road. As it rounded a large bend in the mountainside, the Dragon Sky Escort Agency came into view in the distance.