#19: My Way (4) — The Patriarch of Sichuan

Even past midnight, the streets were lively.

It was quite different from the streets near the Divine Iron Merchant Clan. That place was moderately bustling, but shops closed at night. Though foot traffic was decent, people went to bed early and woke at dawn.

Every district, every village had its own atmosphere. Even within Sichuan, the differences could be this stark.

‘At some point, that man stopped noticing such things.’

The Eight Wastes Alliance Leader was a man who conquered the world. In the process, he had seen countless villages.

In the beginning, he clearly recognized that people and moods differed from region to region. He thought that ruling required policies suited to each place.

But as time passed, he stopped caring.

Srrk.

Jin-hyeon stopped walking.

‘Why was that?’

He looked up at the moon and frowned.

‘The memory’s fuzzy.’

He didn’t know why. Maybe, merged with the Eight Wastes Alliance Leader, he too had stopped paying attention—and so forgot.

It was strange.

Things he himself had seen or experienced he often forgot within days. But the Eight Wastes Alliance Leader’s memories were mostly vivid.

Yet since those were dreamlike, some were oddly blurred.

After staring at the sky for a while, Jin-hyeon shook his head.

‘He must’ve grown too indifferent.’

Jin-hyeon didn’t live relying solely on the Eight Wastes Alliance Leader’s memories. He digested countless things they’d felt together as his own.

If not, he wouldn’t have fought so against the likes of the Five Bamboos and the others.

That was enough. There was no need to lean too much on memory—or obsess over what he couldn’t recall.

As he resumed walking, he suddenly spotted a modest dumpling shop.

The sight of dumpling steam billowing thickly made him hungry. He went straight there.

“Welcome!”

A man in his mid-thirties greeted him with a warm smile.

Jin-hyeon smacked his lips.

“How much for a tray?”

“Five nyang.”

“Five, huh.”

He pulled a pouch from his chest. It was the spoils taken from the Black Society’s Five Bamboos.

“Here.”

“Yes, thank you! Will you eat here?”

“Do you have seating inside?”

“Ah, it’s standing only. As you see, the shop is very small.”

“Then I’ll stand.”

The man placed a tray of steaming dumplings before him.

Jin-hyeon blew on one, popped it in his mouth—and his eyes went wide.

‘Delicious!’

It was twice as good as the ones he’d had with Seol So-ha and Do-min—and cheaper by one nyang.

‘A hidden gem.’

He glanced around.

Old, but well-kept. The floors and walls were spotless, clearly cleaned with care.

Jin-hyeon smiled.

After spending time with those gloomy bastards, coming back and eating delicious dumplings at a fine shop seemed to wash all the bad feelings away.

Of course, moods were moods, and worries were worries.

‘Gwak Pyeong…’

Chewing, Jin-hyeon recalled Il-juk’s words.

‘The easiest place for Black Society foot informants to infiltrate is a merchant guild. A big one like Mighty Tiger is harder, but still far easier than a martial clan or sect.’

‘I’m close with one low-level informant inside Mighty Tiger. The second son planted him there for the Black Society. Thanks to him I learned the name Gwak Pyeong. Of course… I don’t know whose orders he takes.’

Clumsy beyond belief.

No matter how generously you looked at it, the organization’s management was downright sloppy. If they handled their underlings that poorly, the Black Society would soon be in for a rough ordeal.

So had it been with the Eight Wastes Alliance as well.

In the end, the Eight Wastes Alliance Leader’s downfall also stemmed from his failure to control the lowest ranks.

‘It won’t be easy.’

Either way, the die was cast. Within five days there would be an answer. Topple Black Society, or meet its leader.

If Dam Jun wasn’t a fool, he wouldn’t touch him in that time.

‘He did seem a bit dumb—but at least he didn’t cling to pointless pride.’

Thinking it wouldn’t be so bad to be targeted instead, Jin-hyeon spoke.

“Care for one? For the hard-working guardian of public order, burning the midnight oil?”

“Perhaps I will.”

Seol So-ha had come up beside him, face shaded under a bamboo hat as she’d worn in the marketplace.

Jin-hyeon passed her a dumpling.

She bowed her head and bit in.

She jolted—he couldn’t see her eyes, but they must have gone round.

“This is excellent?”

“Right? I was surprised too. If I’d known about this place, I’d have come sooner.”

Seol So-ha looked around the shop.

“Strange. I feel like I’ve seen it, but I have no memory of it.”

“It’s tiny—easy to miss.”

Just then the owner came rubbing his hands together.

“Hello! Welcome!”

His face brimmed with smiles—like “kindness” was written on his brow.

If that overdone courtesy was because even a bamboo hat couldn’t hide So-ha’s looks, well… that stung a bit, Jin-hyeon thought—and ordered more.

“A tray for the lady hero as well.”

“Ah, certainly. Oh? Then…?”

The trailing tone clearly asked, Who’s paying?

As So-ha reached for her purse, Jin-hyeon pressed six nyang into the owner’s hand.

“I’ll be back often. These dumplings are superb.”

“Thank you! Er—sir? You’ve given one nyang too many.”

“In commemoration for me finding a good place to eat.”

“Ha ha, thank you. I’ll accept, then.”

The shopkeeper set a tray down before Seol So-ha and quickly slipped back inside the shop. It seemed there were plenty of other tasks waiting for him.

So-ha glanced at Jin-hyeon.

“That’s a pouch I haven’t seen before, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“I could have paid.”

“You treated me before. A debt should be repaid.”

“You don’t have to.”

“It’s my choice.”

Picking up another dumpling, he asked,

“It’s well past midnight, where are you coming back from? An errand for the Patriarch?”

“I visited the master of the Red Haze Daoist Temple. I stop by every two or three days.”

“Do you even study the Daoist scriptures?”

“I… have my reasons.”

He didn’t press. He had a feeling he knew.

“Don’t come and go so late for a while.”

So-ha looked at him.

“Because of the Mighty Tiger Merchant Guild?”

“Yeah.”

“You said before that they wouldn’t draw their blades.”

“Still, you never know.”

She nodded.

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Good.”

They ate in silence for a while.

So-ha spoke first.

“Are you returning from home?”

“Home?”

“My father said we should invite you today.”

“Ah, something came up. I’ll go tomorrow.”

“I see. Although it couldn’t be helped today, I’ll be there tomorrow.”

“Why? Is there something important like an event?”

“Not an event, but someone high-ranking from the Heavenly Will Alliance is visiting.”

Jin-hyeon’s eyes brightened.

“The Heavenly Will Alliance?”

“Yes. Until last year he served as deputy head of the Sichuan branch’s Investigation and Defense Pavilion.”

The Heavenly Will Alliance’s Investigation and Defense Pavilion.

The Investigation and Defense Pavilion was organized for public security and spread across the Central Plains.

Since the Eight Wastes Alliance Leader’s rebellion weakened the throne, the Heavenly Will Alliance took de facto power—assuming functions once the bureaucracy’s, with imperial sanction.

In regions with powerful local clans its power is checked, but most civilian cases fall to the Inquest.

A deputy head is second-in-command, so in a province as large as Sichuan, that’s considerable authority.

“Whew, the Patriarch’s connections are impressive.”

So-ha answered, a touch wry,

“He’s a good man. Though he was practically demoted.”

“Demoted?”

“He was sent to be Chief Instructor at the Loyalty and Righteousness Academy.”

Jin-hyeon frowned.

“What’s this Loyalty and Righteousness Academy?”

“You don’t know?”

“Nope.”

That surprised her.

Few people are unaware of the Heavenly Will Alliance’s training institute, the Loyalty and Righteousness Academy.

Of course, those with no interest in Murim might well be ignorant of it. But since the one that in practice governs the world is the Heavenly Will Alliance, it was a name impossible to miss for anyone with even a passing concern for the world.

“It takes time to explain. In short, the Loyalty and Righteousness Academy is an important organization too. But going from deputy head of the Investigation and Defense Pavilion to chief instructor… is not a promotion.”

Jin-hyeon grumbled,

“They’ve sliced the organization to ribbons. How’s anyone supposed to live with this mess.”

“True enough.”

“Either way, why’d the Patriarch invite me?”

“The Chief Instructor asked about you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. He must’ve heard about the affair with the Mighty Tiger.”

“Curious about everything, is he.”

“That too, but my father genuinely wants to introduce you. He’s a very good man.”

“I see.”

Popping the last dumpling into his mouth, Jin-hyeon thought,

‘Sounds tiring.’

He had no strong view of the Heavenly Will Alliance.

But having lived the Eight Wastes Alliance Leader’s life, it was hard to feel any real fondness. Not that there was any particular reason to hate them, either.

‘Still, I said I’d go—so I should drop by.’

He set his chopsticks down, then eyed So-ha’s tray—three left.

So-ha asked,

“Want more?”

“Just one.”

Snatching one, he raised his voice for the owner to hear.

“Could you pack three trays to go?”

“Yes! Just a moment!”

So-ha cleared her throat.

“If you’re very hungry, take mine…”

“No. That one was just enough.”

“Are those for tomorrow?”

“For Min and the others working. It’d feel wrong to hoard a taste like this.”

“Ah…”

So-ha felt her cheeks warm for no reason.

Soon, receiving the bundled dumplings, Jin-hyeon set down twenty nyang.

“Sir! That’s far too much.”

“I’ll be back often. Give me one on the house someday when I’m broke.”

“Ah… yes, understood. Thank you.”

“Then we’ll be off.”

He waved to So-ha.

“I’ll head back.”

“Ah, yes. See you tomorrow.”

Carrying the bundle, he sauntered off.

Watching quietly, So-ha noticed his steps were far steadier than before.

‘Teacher Jin has definitely learned martial arts.’

That was certain. He’d crushed Lee Yong-do’s ankle with his grip alone back at the inn.

No matter how strong, breaking a grown man’s bone barehanded is hard without internal energy.

The more she learned, the less she knew. His fated arrival—and handing over the long-lost Tianshan arts—was strange from the start.

Was it fate, or chance?

What was Jin-hyeon’s true intent? Was he truly giving those treasures to help the Seol Clan out of pure goodwill?

‘Just how high is Teacher Jin’s level?’

After staring a long time at where he’d vanished, So-ha turned to the owner.

“Could you pack ten trays?”

“T-ten trays?!”

“Yes. Here’s fifty nyang.”

“Ah… understood! Please wait a bit!”

The owner, who’d stayed open past midnight for “just a little longer,” struck gold on that gamble.

The next morning.

After circulating his Body-Refining Qi, he realized his Body-Refining Art had advanced a stage.

‘That’s fast?’

It was only natural.

Unlike the Eight Wastes Alliance Leader, he was learning a complete Body-Refining Art—and alongside it, the Soul-Refining Art, which multiplied its progress.

Even so, another rise in mere days was beyond expectations.

‘Is it because of my internal energy?’

For unknown reasons, he’d awoken with some internal energy.

Not untyped natural qi, but true qi built along the mnemonics of the Body-Refining Art.

His mastery was lower than his qi reserves, so the art was naturally rising to match it.

‘Body-Refining can advance through harsh physical training alone—because inner and outer work are one.’

He stroked his chin.

‘Training helped too.’

Only ten days, but the intensity was over a month’s worth.

Keep this up and he’d soon achieve great success in the Body-Refining Art.

He rose, washed, changed, and left his quarters.

“Hey, Master! I’m coming too!”