Chapter 73

Bukgung Mok-min, the Fifth Young Master, visited Flying Swallow Manor.

“Well, Flying Swallow Manor—it’s been a while. Was it always this rundown?”

He bounced around like a mischievous boy, inspecting the manor’s main gate.

There was nothing in that behavior to suggest he was the Master of the Drunken Flower Manor, who claimed dominion over all drinks and flowers. If not for the eight women guarding him, he would have looked like nothing more than a playful youngster.

They were called the Eight Guardian Flowers—his personal bodyguards, Bukgung guards who followed the Lord of the Drunken Flower Manor wherever he went. All eight wore veils that covered half their faces.

Rumor had it that, save for the Lord himself, no one had ever seen the Eight Guardian Flowers unmasked. The veils did little to hide their beauty; the manor guards stood half-dazed at their graceful figures.

Bukgung Mok-min met the gaze of a guard stationed at the gate. He grinned.

“Pretty, isn’t she?”

“Ah, no!”

“Shall I give her as a gift?”

“…What?”

“In exchange for a night, I’ll take payment with your throat. How about it? You want her?”

The guard’s spine stiffened.

Mok-min laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. “Just kidding.”

He slid his arm around the guard and whispered in his ear.

“Will you tell Yoon inside? Her brother who adores his sister has come, so tell her to come out.”

“…No.”

“No? Why not? Is it because of my joke? Or were you, by any chance, actually eyeing one of the Eight Guardian Flowers?”

“It’s not that…”

“If it’s not that, then what? When a brother calls, she comes out. Looks like that Yoon can’t see a thing. How about we cut the throats of these two and call again—would she come out then?”

“It’s not that, she can’t be called!”

“…?”

“The Lord is not at the manor right now!”

Bukgung Mok-min let go of the guard and returned into the arms of the Eight Guardian Flowers, muttering, “So, did I just get stood up?”

At that moment, Bukgung Yoon’s carriage came to a halt.

Disguised in plain clothes, she stepped down and looked up at the signboard: Ten Flowers Guesthouse.

It was a neat, tidy guesthouse that looked recently built.

“We’ve arrived.”

Jang Chun-sik, who had been driving, guided her down. Yeon Mujin also stepped out, eyed the entrance, and whistled.

“Chun-sik, you’ve done well for yourself. The guesthouse looks neat and pleasing.”

The only answer was a sharp stare.

“Why are you looking at me with such impure eyes?”

“Wasn’t it built because of Lord Yeon?”

“Me? What about me?”

The original Ten Flowers Guesthouse had been smashed to pieces by members of the Lonely Claw Troops after following the trail left by Yeon Mujin. As Jang Chun-sik’s lips moved, Yeon cut him off.

“Ahem, Chun-sik. Being attached to past events prevents one from having grand ambitions. In the end, didn’t everything work out because of me?”

“Damn! Can’t you just speak?”

“Chun-sik, I can hear the voice of your heart. Always be on guard.”

“Thank you for providing the space, Chief Jang.”

Bukgung Yoon bowed her head and expressed her thanks. The grim look on Jang Chun-sik’s face relaxed into a wan smile.

“It’s nothing, Manor Lord. Please rest comfortably while you stay. My men will guard the guesthouse entrance in shifts around the clock.”

“With Captain Yeon here, excessive security isn’t necessary.”

“No, Manor Lord. From what I see, that one is the most dangerous.”

Jang Chun-sik inevitably received a slap for that.

“Enough of that. Bring three meals a day without fail, and if there’s any news from Flying Swallow Manor, report it immediately.”

“…Do you think I’m one of your subordinates?”

“It’s an order from the Manor Lord.”

“I will follow the order.”

Bowing his head, Jang Chun-sik relayed the morning’s news.

“Actually, there was a guest at Flying Swallow Manor this morning. They say the Lord of the Drunken Flower Manor visited. There was a small commotion at the gate, but when they heard the manor lord wasn’t home, they left.”

Those words made Yeon Mujin and Bukgung Yoon exchange glances.

“Quick, weren’t they?”

“That was quick.”

“As expected, Mok-min oppa moves first.”

“Just as we predicted.”

Bukgung Yoon nodded. “We don’t have time for this either. Let’s go inside quickly.”

“First, we need to map out the power structure of the Bukgung Family.”

Bukgung Yoon said this while hanging a map of the central plains on the wall. The map marked the strongholds and influence of the Bukgung young masters, color-coded by region.

Goodness, when did she even prepare something like this?

“Using the Yellow River as a reference, the north—Huabei—is under the Family Lord’s influence; we’ll set that aside. The region between the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers, Huazhong, is the stronghold of our eldest brother, Bukgung Kang-geon.”

“We shouldn’t just divide by region; we must look at which factions support the Crown Prince.”

Bukgung Yoon nodded at Yeon Mujin’s suggestion. “That’s right. The grand manor lord is backed by forces like Wudang, Shaolin, the Namgung Family, and others.”

Yeon Mujin agreed.

Though common knowledge, it was necessary to make sure Bukgung Yoon had a clear grasp of it.

“The grand manor lord has the strongest claim and backing. The most likely next Family Lord is still the eldest brother.”

“I see.”

“Next is the second brother, Bukgung Yeong-noh. His sphere of influence is south of the Yangtze, Huanan.”

“Which factions support the Second Young Master?”

Bukgung Yoon touched her chin and considered. “It’s hard to explain. Although the second brother’s base is Huanan, he maintains an independent military force. I’ve heard many renowned fighters in the murim world support him.”

“Then his supporters likely include many mercenaries who operate beyond strict righteous-or-evil distinctions.”

“Correct. If we count only military strength, no other candidate can match the second brother. His followers are fanatics of martial skill and power.”

“Next is the fourth brother?”

“No, let’s talk about the fourth brother first. His domain is here: Sichuan.”

Bukgung Yoon pointed to Sichuan and Gansu with a pointer.

“The fourth brother, Bukgung Yun-ram, has secured the silk route through Sichuan and possesses the greatest financial power. That’s why his nickname is the Hidden Golden Dragon of Sichuan. I’ve heard he’s amassed far more wealth than he shows.”

“He must have many enemies. Historically, great fortunes breed adversaries.”

“That’s right. Although he holds the most wealth, many in the central plains’ merchant guilds and envoy houses dislike the fourth brother. Rumor has it he uses his wealth to exact absurdly high profits.”

Especially in Shaanxi, the Fourth Young Master was almost treated like an evil god; forces in Shaanxi often clashed with the Bukgung Family.

Bukgung Yoon drew the pointer down from Sichuan. “Next, the Third Young Master, Bukgung Dam-deok.”

This time she indicated Yunnan and Guizhou, known as Yonghui—considered the frontier of the central plains and long home to many eccentric figures.

“The forces supporting the third brother are peculiar. They follow him almost like a religion. I’ve seen his supporters before; they treated him like some kind of cult leader. It gave me chills.”

Yeon Mujin clicked his tongue and swallowed. The time he had spent under the Third Young Master were memories he preferred not to recall. He could say with certainty that among Bukgung Cheon’s children, the Third Young Master was the craziest.

“A tightly knit internal cohesion often appears exclusivist from the outside. We must remember the Third Young Master will find it difficult to expand his following beyond his current scope.”

“You have good insight, don’t you?”

“This is nothing.”

It was actually Yeon Mujin who wanted to say that.

“Finally, the fifth brother, Bukgung Mok-min. His territory is Xiangdong.”

“What is the Fifth Young Master known for?”

“He’s called the Dragon of the Tai Lake, the King Among Flowers. The younger brother uses Tai Lake as his base and is deeply involved in the underworld of the central plains.”

“It’s likely not just rumor. Outside Taiyuan, the Fifth Young Master’s name is perhaps the most often heard.”

“Have you heard the rumors about him?”

“Living as a wanderer, one picks up many stories. It’s no exaggeration to say that every brothel, every black market, every killer in Xiangdong falls under the Fifth Young Master’s influence.”

Bukgung Yoon sighed. “Not a single one of them is easy to deal with.”

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this family had the world at its feet.

Yeon Mujin asked, “Then which neutral regions lie outside the young masters’ spheres?”

There were exactly two places Bukgung Yoon’s pointer did not touch: Shaanxi and Shandong.

“There are two places we can approach as bases for support.”

“Can we take both?”

Bukgung Yoon shook her head. “It’s difficult. They’re separated east and west, and trying to catch both risks losing them both. It’s better to concentrate on one.”

Yeon Mujin agreed.

“Then which of the two is better?”

“Each has pros and cons. Shaanxi is the safer choice—geographically close and beyond the Bukgung Family’s influence. Shaanxi also hosts martial arts matches with Mount Hua and the Southern Edge.”

Yeon tilted his head. “Weren’t those ruined?”

“…That’s right. I’ve heard both sects have weakened greatly. It’s because of the fourth brother, who blocks trade routes into Shaanxi.”

“Then taking it wouldn’t yield much benefit?”

“We’re not even sure Shaanxi’s forces would side with us, and those two sects alone wouldn’t be enough to stand against the other brothers.”

Yeon nodded. For now, Shaanxi was like a spare rib—too good to give away, but not appetizing to swallow.

So in the end, there was only one choice.

“So it’s Shandong. It has the Nanzhao base, and the Zhuge and Hwangbo families have fallen into disarray.”

“But Shandong has its problems too: competitors.”

Three spheres of influence border Shandong: the Family Lord in Huabei, the grand young lord in Huazhong, and the Fifth Young Master in Xiangdong. The Family Lord and grand young lord pay little attention to the frontier of Shandong; it’s not worth the effort.

But there was one person who had long eyed Shandong greedily.

“The Fifth Young Master?”

“Yes. Solitary Cloud Manor and the Drunken Flower Manor have been enemies for a long time. Mok-min oppa has long wanted to expand his power into Shandong. Although the Fifth Young Master rules Xiangdong, that’s about as far as it goes. To the west he’s blocked by the Crown Prince’s realm, and to the south by the Second Young Master’s forces. His power alone couldn’t break through either. The most vulnerable target was Shandong to the north.”

“With Solitary Cloud Manor fallen and a power vacuum created, the one most coveting Shandong was the Fifth Young Master. In other words, if Flying Swallow Manor makes Shandong its base, collision with the Fifth Young Master is inevitable.”

“Very well.”

Having summarized the situation, Yeon Mujin rose from his seat. “Let’s end today’s meeting here, Manor Lord.”

“…?”

“Now it’s time to refresh our thinking. Let’s go out and seek patronage.”