Chapter 297

“Young Master Kwak, I did not invite you and your wife here because I had any particular design in mind.”

The white-haired Jo Ilsan, the Golden Mountain Guild Master, wore an easy smile as he continued.

“The two of you looked so utterly carefree that I found myself unable to concentrate on my work.”

There seemed to be something rather contradictory in Guild Master Jo’s words, so Kwak Yeon asked,

“May I ask how the sight of my wife and me at ease caused you discomfort, Guild Master Jo?”

“Young Master Kwak, you have likely spent your life inside the walls of the Kwak Estate with your nose buried in books, so you may not know this—but the world beyond those walls is not always kind. There are even more dangers one must guard against while traveling.”

Kwak had introduced himself as a scholar from the Kwak Estate near Wuhan. Playing the part of a scholar with little experience of the world, he asked again,

“I would be grateful if you explained what you mean.”

Guild Master Jo looked at him with concern.

“Young Master Kwak, have you ever heard the saying that flaunting treasure invites thieves?”

“Of course.”

“Then why have you not taken greater care?”

“...?”

“River pirates from the Black Dragon Stockade of the Yangtze Waterway Alliance frequent this stretch of the Han River. They usually collect a toll and leave, but there are times when greed gets the better of them.”

Guild Master Jo paused, then glanced at Jin Cheongha beside Kwak with a troubled expression.

“I hesitate to say this in front of your wife.”

Jin Cheongha replied calmly,

“You mean to help us, Guild Master. Naturally, I am prepared to hear it.”

“Your wisdom is every bit the equal of your beauty.”

Guild Master Jo nodded in satisfaction before continuing.

“Then I will speak plainly. The master of the Black Dragon Stockade is a lecherous man, and women have fallen prey to him more than once. Yet although your wife’s exceptional beauty has drawn every eye aboard this vessel, the two of you have remained completely at ease. Even an old merchant who measures everything by profit found himself growing anxious on your behalf.”

“...!”

“In any case, I thought it best that you begin exercising caution, which is why I asked you here. I will give you one of the cabins reserved by our guild. Settle your belongings there and stay inside.”

Kwak gave a clasped-hands bow.

“I am deeply grateful that you would show such consideration for my wife and me, though we have only just met. We will, of course, pay the cost of the cabin.”

Golden Mountain Guild Master Jo Ilsan shook his head.

“You need not burden yourself over it, Young Master Kwak. My business may not be a grand one, but I have been able to trade safely all my life and build a household of my own only because of the grace I have received from the world. Being able to meddle a little on another’s behalf, as I have today, is a pleasure for this old merchant.”

Kwak bowed his head at Jo Ilsan’s modest words.

“You may call it a small kindness, Guild Master Jo, but it is a great help to us. We will not forget what you have done today, and we will live with our eyes open to the wider world.”

Kwak meant every word.

No one understood better than he did that a small kindness, offered almost without thought, could become the spark that lit a lamp within another person’s darkened heart.

What did it matter whether that kindness came from a sudden pang of compassion or from an impulse to meddle that had occurred only that day?

The more often such sparks appeared beneath heaven, the more lamps would be lit—and the less room there would be for dark and malignant forces to cast their shadows.

Embarrassed by Kwak’s heartfelt gratitude, Jo Ilsan smiled.

“Young Master Kwak, you thank me so earnestly that you are making this old man blush. That is enough formal courtesy. Let us have the simple meal I prepared.”

The three of them had just settled before the modest but neatly arranged table and were about to begin eating.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

A knock sounded at the cabin door, followed by Chief Steward Jeong’s voice.

“Guild Master, it is Chief Steward Jeong.”

“Come in.”

Chief Steward Jeong entered the cabin and addressed Kwak.

“Young Master Kwak, I believe you should go up on deck. Your servant is looking for you and says the matter is urgent.”

Kwak rose and gave Jo Ilsan a clasped-hands bow.

“I regret that we must take our leave.”

Golden Mountain Guild Master Jo Ilsan nodded readily.

“There is still plenty of time before we reach Danjiangkou, Young Master Kwak. We can share a meal on another occasion.”

When Kwak and Jin emerged onto the deck, Hu Gae was waiting by the cabin entrance, his face twisted into a terrible scowl.

“Brother, what happened?”

Hu Gae glanced around before answering.

“This isn’t something we can discuss here. Hell, I don’t even know how to explain it.”

“...?”

“Just follow me.”

Without another word or explanation, Hu Gae led Kwak and Jin toward the bow.

So much cargo had been piled across the deck that the passage between the freight and the railing was barely wide enough for one person.

Kwak passed through first and stepped onto the bow of the Cloud-Drifting Boat, only to stop short.

“...Brother Cheongmu?”

Taoist Cheongmu was sitting with his back against the cargo, clutching something tightly to his chest.

Jin, who emerged after Kwak, also started in surprise.

“Taoist Cheongmu...?”

Cheongmu looked at them and smiled brightly.

“Little Martial Uncle, Sister Jin. You’re here.”

Unable to believe his eyes, Kwak turned to Hu Gae.

“Brother, how did this happen?”

Hu Gae’s eyes bulged at the question.

“That is exactly what I want to ask you.”

“...?”

“You should be able to guess how that man—no, how Taoist Cheongmu managed to get aboard this boat.”

Hu Gae’s observation struck directly at the heart of the matter.

It was inconceivable that an ordinary Taoist of the Taoist-immortal line could secretly board a Cloud-Drifting Boat. Moreover, Taoist Cheongmu’s presence on this particular vessel could not possibly be a coincidence.

“Brother Kwak, before you explain this situation, let me give you some context. A moment ago, that... Taoist Cheongmu nearly broke my neck.”

“Brother, what do you mean...?”

“Sub-Branch Master...?”

Both Kwak and Jin flinched and stared at him.

For Hu Gae, Sub-Branch Master of the Beggar Clan, to claim that a mere Taoist had nearly broken his neck was difficult to believe.

Hu Gae’s face contorted further.

“That man—no, Taoist Cheongmu—appeared behind me out of nowhere and grabbed me by the neck. His grip was so strong that every ounce of strength drained out of my body...”

A shudder ran through Hu Gae as he recalled the harrowing moment.

A chill had crawled over the back of his neck. When he spun around, he found himself staring into two eyes burning with venom.

He instantly judged the figure to be an ambusher who had been hiding among the cargo and threw himself backward, but he could not evade the lightning-fast surprise attack.

For one instant, he thought a single lapse in vigilance had doomed him to die like a dog.

“Give it back, big beggar! That’s Little Martial Uncle’s! Give it back!”

Then he had heard the supposed ambusher shout those utterly absurd words.

Hu Gae pointed at the cloth bundle Taoist Cheongmu was clutching.

“When I threw that thing down, he finally released my neck.”

Perhaps remembering the humiliation, Hu Gae ground his teeth before continuing.

“Brother Kwak, you and I need to talk.”

He seized Kwak by the arm and all but dragged him to the edge of the bow.

“Tell me honestly. This claim that Samryeong Palace belongs to the Taoist-immortal line—it’s a deception Wudang uses to fool outsiders, isn’t it?”

“What are you talking about?”

Kwak stared at him in bewilderment. Hu Gae narrowed his eyes.

“I am asking whether Samryeong Palace secretly preserves Wudang’s hidden martial arts. Something like Shaolin’s secret hermitage. Otherwise, how could both disciples of Samryeong Palace have reached the Flower Realm?”

Even Wudang’s seven martial-line palaces, whose disciples devoted themselves to the study of martial arts, could not easily produce a single Flower Realm expert. Hu Gae’s suspicion of Samryeong Palace was therefore understandable.

“Brother, it is an undeniable fact that Samryeong Palace belongs to the Taoist-immortal line. And you are giving Taoist Cheongmu far too much credit by placing him in the Flower Realm.”

“You think I saw it wrong? That grappling-hand technique was unquestionably at the Flower Realm!”

Hu Gae was certain that nothing short of a grappling-hand technique executed at the Flower Realm could have rendered him completely helpless.

Kwak firmly shook his head.

“That was probably a Plucking Force technique Taoist Cheongmu developed from pressing oil every day.”

Hu Gae stared at him incredulously.

“He presses oil with Plucking Force?”

“Yes. I have watched him do it countless times.”

The certainty in Kwak’s answer made Hu Gae instinctively draw his neck in.

Had he not thrown down the cloth bundle immediately, Taoist Cheongmu’s terrifying grip—the same grip he used to press oil barehanded—might have crushed the bones of his neck to powder.

“Whatever the case, Taoist Cheongmu has clearly attained an extraordinary level.”

When Hu Gae still refused to abandon his suspicious look, Kwak said,

“Did I not tell you last night that Taoist Cheongmu once suffered a deviation? He originally trained in one of Wudang’s seven martial-line palaces, so naturally he is capable of using martial arts.”

“So the lasting damage from his deviation was the reason he was sent to Samryeong Palace?”

“That is correct.”

“Ha! Then his martial attainment before the deviation truly was that high.”

“I know you are curious, Brother, but it would be best for you to leave it at that.”

“Understood.”

Hu Gae nodded at Kwak’s words. A promising disciple suffering a deviation and being left a ruined man would have been a deeply painful wound for Wudang.

“Fine. Let us say Taoist Cheongmu possessed enough martial skill to hide aboard the Cloud-Drifting Boat. But how do you explain his choosing this particular vessel?”

“That was my mistake.”

“What?”

“I forgot how keen Taoist Cheongmu’s five senses are, and I spoke too freely with you last night.”

Hu Gae stared at him.

“You are saying Taoist Cheongmu overheard our conversation in the main hall of the guest residence while he was inside the inner room?”

“That is correct.”

“Brother Kwak, that is impossible! Do you know how far the main hall was from the inner room? The inner-room door was closed as well. It might be possible if Taoist Cheongmu possessed the supernatural faculty of Heavenly Ear, but otherwise...”

“I do not know precisely what the supernatural faculty of Heavenly Ear entails, but Taoist Cheongmu does possess an unusual ability. He can even hear flowers whispering.”

“What? Flowers whispering?”

At Hu Gae’s incredulous stare, Kwak realized that he had repeated Cheongmu’s own expression and quickly corrected himself.

“I mean the sound of flowers blooming.”

Hu Gae’s round eyes grew even wider.

“He can hear something like that?”

“Yes.”

Kwak remembered Taoist Cheongmu taking him by the hand and leading him away to watch a flower bloom.

He, too, had been skeptical at first. But after seeing flowers open exactly as Cheongmu had predicted time and again, he had been unable to doubt him any longer.

“Then it must be true. Good heavens. The supernatural faculty of Heavenly Ear!”