Chapter 16

Thud. Thunk.

Jeong Yeo-gwang’s head hitting the ground echoed across the silent Duel stage.

They saw it—the headless corpse. A cry rose, then a scream.

Just as the people’s screams were about to burst out, Yeon Mujin shouted, “Everyone, stop.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the crowd like a dagger.

Those watching the duel froze in terror and confusion. An assassination of a superior had just taken place before their eyes.

No one at Flying Swallow Manor could have expected this. Even Housemistress Wang Ga-hwa sat like a stone, staring at Yeon Mujin.

Yeon Mujin took something from his bosom and raised it above his head.

“…A voucher?”

“This voucher was found in Guard Head Jeong Yeo-gwang’s room. It’s proof a large sum of silver was being paid to Jeong Yeo-gwang every month. However…”

Yeon Mujin thrust the voucher toward Wang Ga-hwa.

“Housemistress, I’ll ask only one thing. Does Flying Swallow Manor’s stipend get paid with vouchers like this?”

“…No.”

“Then aside from the stipend, was there a special payment being given to Jeong Yeo-gwang? You oversee the household affairs, so you should know.”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“Then finally, Housemistress, are you connected to this voucher?”

Wang Ga-hwa glared at Yeon Mujin with poisonous eyes.

This bastard knows. He was asking her as if interrogating, fully aware of everything.

There was only one answer she could give.

“This is a voucher I’ve never seen before.”

“You seem to be answering without looking properly.”

“It’s not that…”

“Very well. Saying Lady Wang is not involved would mean this voucher is not connected to Flying Swallow Manor. Isn’t that so?”

“I don’t really know.”

Yeon Mujin sneered.

“No one doesn’t know that you, the Housemistress, watch over all internal affairs of Flying Swallow Manor. If you don’t know, then no one knows about it. Isn’t that so?”

“…I suppose so.”

“Then how did this happen?”

Yeon Mujin toyed with the voucher and strolled leisurely across the Duel stage—an almost casual gait unbefitting a man with a corpse at his feet.

“The amount written on the voucher is considerable. There’s only one place in the land that could pay such sums—the Bukgung Family, right? But it’s not Flying Swallow Manor. What could that mean?”

By now the crowd had forgotten Jeong Yeo-gwang’s corpse and followed Yeon Mujin’s words instead.

He naturally captured everyone’s attention and, as the crowd’s curiosity ripened, continued.

“What was found in Jeong Yeo-gwang’s quarters wasn’t only the voucher. Letters recording the young lady’s movements and copies of ledgers and registers were also found.”

“…!”

Faces turned to shock.

Yeon Mujin turned and asked Wang Ga-hwa once more.

“Housemistress, what do you think this means?”

It was an obvious question with an obvious answer. Wang Ga-hwa flinched.

Is it real? Or a bluff? Could Jeong Yeo-gwang have been so sloppy? Might there be evidence that implicates her? In any case, the situation was bad—very bad. If she wanted to survive, she had to cut off the tail.

Wang Ga-hwa clenched her teeth and forced out an answer.

“Perhaps… Guard Head Jeong Yeo-gwang seems to have been a collaborator with another manor.”

Yeon Mujin pretended to be startled.

“What, you say! A collaborator! I didn’t think that far, but indeed, Housemistress, your deductive skills are amazing!”

If she could, Wang Ga-hwa wanted to strangle him.

Yeon Mujin shouted without averting his eyes from her.

“Dongnyang!”

“Yes! No—yes?”

Even the dignified Yang Gwan-wol answered without meaning to. He didn’t know why, but the atmosphere made formality feel necessary.

“What is the proper punishment for a retainer who betrayed his lord?”

“…Beheading. Nothing less would suffice.”

People instinctively looked at Jeong Yeo-gwang’s severed head. A beheading—grim, but fitting.

Yeon Mujin softened his tone and addressed the crowd with a formal proclamation.

“Bukgung Family’s Guard Yeon Mujin, under the authority of Bukgung Yoon, appointed by the family lord of the Bukgung Family, executed the manor collaborator Jeong Yeo-gwang by beheading.”

Then he bowed his head toward Bukgung Yoon.

“Given the circumstances, I apologize for not informing my lord in advance. Jeong Yeo-gwang and his backer’s influence was strong, so I couldn’t consult with you beforehand. If punishment is to be handed down, I will accept it. The remaining decision lies with the young lady.”

Yeon Mujin stepped back as if his role were over. The crowd’s gaze naturally turned to Bukgung Yoon; like water flowing, he had handed her the initiative.

Bukgung Yoon looked at Yeon Mujin with astonishment. How long had she awaited this moment—the day to reclaim the manor’s power? She took a step up onto the Duel stage.

Her retainers watched her: the martial men of the guard unit, the women of internal affairs, even Wang Ga-hwa’s tight-lipped face—everyone of Flying Swallow Manor’s retainers looked at her.

With a few words from Yeon Mujin, she could finally become the manor’s lord. Truly astonishing.

Bukgung Yoon spoke.

“Until all investigations into the collaboration that Yeon Mujin the guard accused are completed, the movement of retainers is strictly forbidden.”

Her voice was calm.

“I delegate full investigative authority to Guard Yang Gwan-wol. Guard Yang, report to me immediately if any new facts emerge.”

Yang Gwan-wol bowed and accepted her order.

“Discipline for Guard Yeon will be deferred until all facts are revealed. However, he will be held accountable for acting rashly without the Manor Lord’s permission.”

Yeon Mujin bowed without objection.

“All of Flying Swallow Manor’s internal staff are to leave their duties and await in the internal affairs department. There is a possibility of concealing the incident. Even Housemistress is not exempt.”

Wang Ga-hwa’s expression twisted, but she had no choice but to obey.

She composed her face and forced a smile.

Bukgung Yoon took a moment to steady her breath and looked around. The martial men in the guard unit nodded with stern faces; the women of internal affairs averted their eyes in tension.

Yeon Mujin watched Bukgung Yoon from a step back, a satisfied smile at the corner of his mouth.

Bukgung Yoon suppressed the tremor in her voice. A short silence followed.

She wondered how long it had been since she’d last spoken this sentence—something so long ago she scarcely remembered.

Her voice trembled slightly as she uttered the final words.

“I command as the Manor Lord of Flying Swallow Manor.”

“We greet the Manor Lord!”

The guards standing outside the confinement room saluted Bukgung Yoon.

“How is the inside?”

“It’s quiet.”

“Has the physician been in?”

By Bukgung Yoon’s order, Yeon Mujin had been confined to a solitary cell. Though framed as imprisonment, it was really an isolation measure to detoxify him.

“Yes. But he was strongly unwilling to have his pulse felt. The physician shook his head and left.”

“He refused a pulse diagnosis? What is his condition?”

“He’s fine. He’s as quiet as a mouse.”

Bukgung Yoon suddenly worried about Yeon Mujin’s state. He had to be alive to be disciplined or thanked, after all.

“I should take a quick look.”

“I’ll go in with you.”

“No. Being alone will do.”

“You can’t. It’s dangerous.”

Bukgung Yoon tilted her head at the guard’s words.

“Are you saying my personal bodyguard, appointed by the family lord decree, is a danger to me? Must I even fear my own guard?”

The guard, at a loss for words, hesitated and then opened the door.

Yeon Mujin sat cross-legged, practicing qi cultivation.

Bukgung Yoon remembered the nickname she’d heard—Sitting-Zen Vagabond. Yang Gwan-wol had mentioned that Yeon Mujin slipped into cultivation whenever he could. It is rude to disturb a martial artist in cultivation.

As Bukgung Yoon slowly inspected the cell, Yeon Mujin spoke with one eye half-open.

“A distinguished guest comes to this shabby place.”

“Weren’t you cultivating?”

“I was.”

“Then how did you know I came?”

“Living as a wanderer teaches you various little arts. If you focus on cultivation like you’re blind, you’re asking to be stabbed and killed by others.”

“You can continue. I’m not dangerous.”

“In the murim world I’ve lived in, those who say that are the most dangerous.”

Yeon Mujin unfolded his legs and added,

“You imprison me as a criminal one moment and come to tease me the next?”

“I’m sorry. It couldn’t be helped given the circumstances.”

“You did well.”

“… ?”

There was no trace of resentment in his eyes as he looked at her.

“You did well. Favoring those on your side and shunning others won’t set discipline straight. Rewards and punishments must be handled strictly. Even a benefactor who helped you must be cast out when the time comes.”

There was bone in his words.

“…You sound like you’re saying Guard Yeon is my benefactor.”

“Isn’t that so?”

Yeon Mujin asked provocatively. This was a different demeanor from the polite man he’d shown earlier.

“Yes. It’s late, but I will thank you.”

“Then will you release me?”

“That cannot be. You just said rewards and punishments must be strict.”

Yeon Mujin nodded as if to say she was right.

“How petty.”

“…”

His every word was unpredictable.

Bukgung Yoon pressed on.

“I have something to ask.”

“If you don’t release me, I won’t answer.”

“Then I will issue a formal chastisement under the Manor Lord’s decree.”

“Are you threatening me now?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll reluctantly answer you obediently.”

At times it was hard to tell whether he was serious or frivolous.

“Why on earth did you come to Flying Swallow Manor?”

“I think I’ve already answered.”

“You came to make me the Bukgung Family’s lord? Not that pleasant-sounding reason—what’s your real reason, Guard Yeon?”

Bukgung Yoon stared directly at him.

“Even Jeong Yeo-gwang and Wang Ga-hwa came to Flying Swallow Manor at first with plausible pretexts. Because I was too young to manage the manor, they said they’d help. But they had other intentions, didn’t they? Guard Yeon surely also has true motives. Tell me. What is your real reason for coming here? Did you want to become a second Jeong Yeo-gwang?”

Yeon Mujin snorted with a laugh.

“That trivial Head of the Guards post? I wouldn’t take it even if given.”

“Then what? I’ve seen how you handled Guard Head Jeong. I don’t know martial arts, but a warrior of your caliber isn’t common. You could get far better treatment anywhere than here.”

“Curious about it?”

Yeon Mujin wiped the smile from his face.

“Yes.”

“My true purpose is…”

Bukgung Yoon’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “It’s a secret.”

“…”

“I’ll only say that making you the family lord of the Bukgung Family lies along the line of my purpose.”

An absurd answer. To promote her to the Bukgung Family’s lord—the greatest family in the land—and still have a greater purpose?

“Do you take me for a fool? Do you think I would believe Guard Yeon’s words obediently? After being fooled once, would I be duped again?”

“No. Don’t be deceived.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t trust them either. Don’t trust anyone’s words, yours truly included. Thoroughly suspect everyone around you. Trust no one but yourself, young lady. Do not give your heart to any person.”

Yeon Mujin said this with a very serious face. Listening to him, she felt she ought to follow that advice.

“To become the family lord of the Bukgung Family, you must do so.”

Bukgung Yoon felt conflicted and spoke words she normally would not.

“Do you know what I was thinking? I knew Guard Yeon was fighting while poisoned. Yet I didn’t stop the duel. I calculated that if Guard Head Jeong caused an incident and took Guard Yeon’s life, I could use that as a pretext to take back real power from Guard Head Jeong and Lady Wang. I used Guard Yeon that way. You could have really died.”

It was a confession spat out like vomit, but Yeon Mujin’s face remained calm.

“You did well.”

“…”

“Continue to do so. Even if you mire those around you in filth, you must walk a path of flowers. Tread on others’ shoulders and rise. That’s the image befitting this house’s family lord.”

Where on earth had such a person come from? The more he spoke, the more he seemed to thrive on it.

There wasn’t a trace of illness on his face, as if he’d willingly locked himself in this cell.

Yeon Mujin met her gaze and put his hand into his chest. Bukgung Yoon flinched reflexively.

“No need to be startled.”

“What are you doing?”

“A gift.”

Yeon Mujin drew out another bundle of papers. Bukgung Yoon’s brows rose as she examined them.

“This can’t be…?”

“It’s evidence that Wang Ga-hwa collaborated.”

It was true. Yeon Mujin possessed evidence not only against Jeong Yeo-gwang but also proof of Wang Ga-hwa’s betrayal.

Bukgung Yoon was stunned.

“Why are you showing me this only now?”

“Because it’s the young lady’s share.”

Her share? A question flickered in Bukgung Yoon’s eyes.

“Eradicating the root. You didn’t think that one head was the end of it, did you? When something must be done, it must be done decisively.”

Bukgung Yoon’s gaze wavered.