Chapter 40
“Gwan-yeong.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“Dokgo Ryeong is an impostor.”
“…Pardon?”
Eun Yak-byeok took out another book.
Gripping her brush, she began writing something in the book as she spoke calmly.
“Dokgo Ryeong said she was born near Mount Hua in Shaanxi.”
“…I was listening.”
“But no matter how hard I search my memory, I can’t recall Mad Demon Dokgo Jin ever staying in that area twenty-some years ago.”
“…”
If Dokgo Ryeong heard this, she might argue that ‘memories inevitably grow hazy,’ but unfortunately, her counterpart was Eun Yak-byeok, the Hao Sect Leader.
Her memory was never wrong.
It was entirely thanks to Eun Yak-byeok that the Hao Sect had grown from a mediocre small sect into an intelligence organization comparable to the Beggars’ Sect in just one generation.
“Well… It’s not impossible that he spent a night with a woman he happened to meet on the road, but the problem is that Dokgo Jin was weak at the time.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Dokgo Jin is a martial artist who rose to stand shoulder to shoulder with the masters of the martial world through nothing but his desire for revenge. That may sound simple, but few people in the martial world can bear such intense rage. That’s why he reached the pinnacle. He wasn’t the sort to get distracted.”
Eun Yak-byeok glanced up at Eun Gwan-yeong.
“Besides… Someone who acted as if he had nothing to lose turns out to have a blood relative?”
“…Could he have simply not known about her?”
“I considered that, too, but it makes even less sense.”
Eun Yak-byeok tossed the book she had been writing in to Eun Gwan-yeong.
“Read it.”
“This is…”
“It’s the record of the last conversation I had with Dokgo Jin.”
Just as she said, the book contained every word Eun Yak-byeok and Dokgo Jin had exchanged.
“His eyes were damaged by the Tang Clan’s Poisonous Jiangshi. The Tang Clan really is something, isn’t it? They thought to add intensely yang energy to a being that defies the laws of nature, like a jiangshi.”
“…So that’s why you mentioned the Ice Palace’s sacred treasure.”
“Yes. Since the foreign martial world is something we’ll have to destroy someday anyway, I thought I’d take the opportunity to erase the Ice Palace while also healing our guest’s eyes.”
As Eun Gwan-yeong read the book, Eun Yak-byeok continued speaking.
“Until that point, there’s no mention of a daughter—not even a hint of one.”
“…That is strange.”
“If he’d happened to find a daughter he hadn’t known about for twenty years, his personality being what it was, he wouldn’t have left her on her own. He was endlessly soft-hearted toward anyone who didn’t know martial arts.”
Eun Yak-byeok began speaking faster.
“On top of that, I heard she’s ill. Dokgo Jin knew the Divine Doctor, so he would have gone straight to him.”
“…”
“And yet, our guest went missing while searching for a medicinal herb. Then someone suddenly appeared there claiming to be Dokgo Jin’s daughter, and the Martial Alliance issued a kill order. If she’d been hidden for twenty years, she was exposed far too carelessly.”
Eun Yak-byeok pressed her temples.
“Haa… This is fun. So much fun.”
“…”
“Dokgo Jin was a piece on the board who would soon kill the Poison Venerable and plunge Sichuan into chaos. And of all times, he disappears now, at this crucial juncture. Ha!”
Eun Yak-byeok said it was fun and let out a hollow laugh, but Eun Gwan-yeong began to feel a cold sweat trickling down her back as she watched her.
That was because Eun Yak-byeok’s voice was growing more and more irritable.
“What annoys me most is Dokgo Ryeong’s very existence.”
“…What about her…?”
“She’s too much like his daughter.”
“Pardon?”
Thump!
Eun Yak-byeok slammed her hand on the table and spoke.
“That arrogant, ill-mannered way of speaking, that attitude as if she looks down on the world, that competitive streak that makes her snap up any challenge tossed her way, and those eyes that make you think of a blazing fire just by looking at them! She seems so real, doesn’t she? But no matter how I think about it, she’s a fake.”
“…”
Only then did Eun Gwan-yeong realize the source of Eun Yak-byeok’s irritation.
No matter what situation she faced, the Hao Sect Leader always came up with the right answer.
That was how she had led the Hao Sect to become a major sect in such a short time.
But now, she was experiencing a conflict between the answer she considered ideal and reality.
Dokgo Ryeong clearly seemed like an impostor.
But when she actually met her, Dokgo Ryeong really did seem like Dokgo Jin’s daughter.
“Gwan-yeong.”
“…Yes.”
“Is the agreement between the Jade-Faced Young Master and Dokgo Ryeong genuine?”
“It is.”
“Then she knows the Shura Rakshasa Saber Art and the Nine Yang Divine Art, too. Have their authenticity been confirmed?”
“Hero Wi said he confirmed the Shura Rakshasa Saber Art. There’s a high chance it’s genuine.”
“…The Jade-Faced Young Master has crossed hands with Dokgo Jin before. Haa… This is driving me crazy.”
Eun Yak-byeok leaned far back and rested her feet on the stack of books.
Watching her relax a little, Eun Gwan-yeong realized just how exhausted the Sect Leader truly was.
“It’s been a long time since something has made me think this hard.”
“…Would you like me to massage your feet?”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“Yes, ma’am…”
Eun Gwan-yeong quickly moved to Eun Yak-byeok’s side and began pressing her feet.
“…I’m sorry, Sect Leader. You’re already so busy, and now you have to handle this matter yourself, too…”
“Gwan-yeong, I’ve told you before, haven’t I? Beneath the surface of a swan gliding gracefully over the water…”
“We must remember that its feet are paddling diligently below the surface.”
“You remembered that well, Gwan-yeong. We’re an intelligence organization. Our guests come to us to buy information.”
“…Yes.”
“That means we must never be ignorant of anything. We must never let on that we don’t know something, nor let our clients see how much effort it takes to find out what we don’t know.”
“That’s how our guests come to hold us in awe.”
“Exactly. You remember well.”
When Eun Yak-byeok sat up again, Eun Gwan-yeong returned to her original place.
Eun Yak-byeok opened another book and began reading.
“Gwan-yeong.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“Prepare to receive our guest. Tea, clothes, and the records of our observations of Dokgo Ryeong so far.”
“…Are you going to speak with Dokgo Ryeong?”
“Yes. No matter how I look at it, it’ll be easiest to meet her face-to-face and talk. If she’s genuine, she’ll know about the promise between your father and me, so I can win her favor. If she’s a fake, I can interrogate her on the spot.”
“Understood.”
Just as Eun Gwan-yeong was about to leave the inner chamber, she paused.
“Um… Sect Leader…”
“What is it, Gwan-yeong?”
“Well… It’s about Miss Dokgo… There’s a bit of a problem.”
“What problem?”
“…Her manners are a little…”
“That’s all right. I’ve already seen what she’s like. It doesn’t matter, as long as she can still tell right from wrong.”
“…She’s quite good at telling right from wrong…”
“…”
At Eun Gwan-yeong’s hesitation, Eun Yak-byeok sighed again.
“Haa… I’ll keep that in mind.”
“…Yes.”
“Oh, and Gwan-yeong.”
Eun Yak-byeok smiled faintly as she asked her,
“Could you bring me a qin (琴)?”
“Ah…! Yes!”
Eun Gwan-yeong left with a brighter expression.
After watching her go for a moment, Eun Yak-byeok picked up her brush again and opened the book.
*
Meanwhile, unaware of what the two of them had been discussing, Dokgo Ryeong was spending time with Baekri Sohyeon.
After swinging her sword, Dokgo Ryeong asked Baekri Sohyeon.
“So, like this. What do you think?”
“…”
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“Sis Ryeong.”
“Yeah.”
“…Are you really a genius?”
Baekri Sohyeon’s mouth fell open.
“H-how did you know? Did you really come up with the final technique just from the formula?”
“Doesn’t it just come to you when you look at it?”
“…”
“Anyway, you try it. I managed to copy what Big Brother did, but I can’t figure out how to circulate my inner energy.”
“Okay. So…”
As the two of them devoted themselves to mastering the final move of the Sun-Shooting Sword Art, the Houyi Shoots the Sun, Eun Gwan-yeong came to see them.
“Miss Dokgo.”
“Oh, you’re back? I thought you had something to take care of…”
“Could you spare me a moment?”
“…Did you eat something bad? Why are you being so polite?”
“If you’ll come with me, you should bathe first.”
“…”
Watching Eun Gwan-yeong suddenly greet her so formally made Dokgo Ryeong feel uneasy.
“…Is it something important?”
“Yes.”
“Haa… Blockhead, let’s pick this up later. We were stuck anyway, and weren’t getting anywhere.”
“Okay. See you later, Sis Ryeong. I’ll stay here a little longer.”
“Fine. Lead the way, Hao Sect.”
“Yes.”
“…”
Eun Gwan-yeong led her along without responding, making Dokgo Ryeong even more uneasy.
‘Wait, is something really going on?’
The first people that came to mind were Eunho and perhaps the Shandong Branch Leader.
She figured they probably just wanted to meet her because she’d claimed to be Mad Demon Dokgo Jin’s daughter, and assumed it would be a simple courtesy call, so she wasn’t particularly worried.
It was only when she entered the bathhouse that she began to realize something was seriously off.
“…What the hell?”
“Make sure she’s thoroughly washed.”
“”Yes!””
Around fifteen people were waiting for Dokgo Ryeong in the bathhouse.
“Hey…! Hao Sect! What are you…!”
“My, what beautiful hair you have.”
“Your skin is so soft, too…”
“Hh…! Wh-where are you touching me?!”
“Look at this. Her hair is pink. Isn’t that fascinating?”
“Huh? Wasn’t it red earlier?”
“Kyaaaak!!”
After being put through the wringer by the fifteen or so women and thoroughly bathed, Dokgo Ryeong found herself surrounded as they combed her hair and tried various outfits on her.
“How about this color?”
“I think this one looks prettier.”
“No, just give me anything…”
“You can’t just throw on women’s clothes carelessly!”
“…”
After enduring all that for quite some time, Dokgo Ryeong was finally released just as her hair, which had turned light pink once, changed back to red.
When she saw Eun Gwan-yeong again, Dokgo Ryeong glared at her.
“Hey, Hao Sect. What the fuck is this?”
“It’s because you’re going to meet someone important. Even if you can’t mind your manners, you should at least dress properly.”
“Even if the Martial Alliance Leader or the Demonic Cult Leader showed up, I wouldn’t go through this shit.”
“…”
“What? Did one of them actually show up?”
“Please follow me.”
“…”
Watching Eun Gwan-yeong keep her mouth firmly shut, Dokgo Ryeong’s heart began to beat faster.
Her qi sense started sounding an alarm.
‘…Am I crawling into a tiger’s den?’
When she looked back, wondering whether she should make a run for it, the ten or so women who had helped her dress earlier were smiling as they blocked her way.
“Please go ahead.”
“…Shit.”
Grumbling, Dokgo Ryeong stepped forward.
She felt uneasy, but at the same time, there was one thing she could rely on.
The Hao Sect.
A sect that had been with Mad Demon Dokgo Jin for nearly thirty years.
She might have grumbled, but the Hao Sect she had dealt with all these years was, at the very least, a sect that understood loyalty.
“…This way.”
“Hey, Hao Sect… Seriously…”
“Please follow me.”
“…”
As they headed down the stairs instead of up to the brothel’s upper floors, Dokgo Ryeong’s confidence quickly vanished.
Those who knew the Hao Sect only vaguely knew that the owner of a brothel lived upstairs, but those who truly knew the Hao Sect understood that its real master resided below.
There was no way Dokgo Ryeong didn’t know about their habit of putting a stand-in upstairs to meet guests while the real master made the decisions underground.
‘Wait… Who could they be taking me to meet?’
As she wondered whether Eunho was more important than she’d thought, Eun Gwan-yeong stopped in front of a door.
“She requested a private audience. Please enter alone.”
“…What, am I about to meet the Hao Sect Leader or something—”
Mid-sentence, a flash of lightning struck through Dokgo Ryeong’s mind.
‘The Hao Sect Leader! Did Eun Yak-byeok come herself?’
Only then did she grasp how serious the situation was.
Come to think of it, the Hao Sect Leader knew both Wi Ilcheong and Dokgo Jin.
There was no reason she couldn’t come in person.
‘Fuck… I’m screwed.’
They must be searching everywhere for her, eyes blazing, since she’d vanished without a word.
And now someone claiming to be Dokgo Jin’s daughter had appeared, so there was no reason the Sect Leader couldn’t come herself.
When that thought crossed her mind, Dokgo Ryeong suddenly clutched her stomach.
“Um… My stomach’s a little…”
“…”
“By the way, where’s the toilet? I’ll just go for a moment…”
Creeeak.
The door, which no one had touched, opened, and the sound of a qin being plucked came from within.
Then Dokgo Ryeong’s body shot into the room, as if someone had suddenly shoved her.
“Gah!”
“Sorry. It looked like you were trying to run away.”
“…”
When she lifted her head toward the voice, she saw a woman with a familiar face plucking a qin.
As her fears came true, Dokgo Ryeong’s face twisted.
“Hehe. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Dokgo Ryeong—the ‘self-proclaimed’ daughter of Dokgo Jin.”
“…”
“People call me the Sound Venerable (音尊), or even the Lust Venerable (淫尊), but this is how I most like to introduce myself.”
After pulling Dokgo Ryeong into the room with her telekinetic skill, Eun Yak-byeok set aside the qin and rose to her feet as she spoke.
“I’m Eun Yak-byeok, the Hao Sect Leader.”