Negotiation (3)
The second son, Mok Eun-pyeong, had grand ambitions.
Since childhood, he had not only mastered the sword techniques of Yeonmok Sword Manor but had also become proficient in the martial arts of his mother's family, the Huibeok Clan. His talent in martial arts was exceptional.
Naturally, he believed that he would become the next head of Yeonmok Sword Manor.
Mok Yeong-ho, the eldest legitimate son, was greedy and indulgent in women and wine, making him unfit as a successor. Thus, Mok Eun-pyeong considered himself the natural choice.
However, that was a miscalculation.
Mok Yu-cheon.
The Lord's favor was directed at the youngest son.
It was understandable. At just fourteen, Mok Yu-cheon had already mastered all the martial arts of Yeonmok Sword Manor and had reached the level of a top expert — a truly gifted individual.
As Mok Yu-cheon began to shine, the Lord delayed announcing a successor.
Mok Eun-pyeong was convinced it was because the Lord favored Mok Yu-cheon.
I can't miss this opportunity.
He saw the Lord's critical condition as a chance.
Fortunately, Mok Yu-cheon was the son of a lowly concubine, with no power backing him.
Unless the Lord himself declared Mok Yu-cheon the successor, it would be nearly impossible for him to ascend by his own strength.
Thus, the real key was to eliminate the other candidates.
When it comes to them, none can match me.
The others were utterly incompetent.
The eldest son, Mok Yeong-ho, was only good for indulgence, and the third son, Mok Gyeong-un, was an incapable coward.
However, behind Mok Yeong-ho stood Lady Seok, his influential mother from the powerful Seok Clan of Geumhwa.
Moreover, many retainers still supported the principle of primogeniture.
Mok Gyeong-un…
Among the brothers, aside from his face — which resembled a courtesan's — he was lacking in every way. Yet, for some time now, he had begun to covet the position of successor.
Lady Seok looked down on him and paid him no attention, but Mok Eun-pyeong thought differently.
There's that guard… Kam, was it?
Mok Gyeong-un had one protector who seemed too capable for him.
This man called Guard Kam — when Mok Eun-pyeong first saw him, he had even requested the Lord to take him as his own bodyguard, suggesting his martial skills were exceptional.
Intrigued, Mok Eun-pyeong had investigated him and found some rather interesting — or rather, concerning — information.
Because of this, Mok Eun-pyeong decided he couldn't afford to be careless with Mok Gyeong-un's side either.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Could it be that heaven was helping him?
"You want to become my man?"
Mok Eun-pyeong barely managed to suppress the twitch at the corner of his mouth.
The man kneeling respectfully before him was none other than Guard Kam — Mok Gyeong-un's personal bodyguard.
The man he had so desperately wanted had come to him of his own accord.
And at such a perfect time, too.
"Please accept me, my lord," Guard Kam said.
Mok Eun-pyeong stroked his chin and spoke.
"You want me to accept you... How very tempting."
Hearing those words, Guard Kam thought to himself, A good start.
Originally, he had intended to observe the Lord's condition and the surrounding situation a bit more before deciding. But ultimately, he chose to side with Mok Eun-pyeong.
The eldest son, Mok Yeong-ho, was too influenced by Lady Seok, and the youngest, Mok Yu-cheon, had nothing but his own martial prowess.
"Cunning, but easier to handle."
Thus, Guard Kam chose Mok Eun-pyeong as the next best option after the real Mok Gyeong-un had died.
Although Mok Eun-pyeong was crafty and suspicious by nature, he also had a strong desire for capable people. Guard Kam was confident he would be accepted.
However—
"Still, the situation is just too convenient," Mok Eun-pyeong said.
"Pardon?"
"I value you highly, Guard Kam. But asking to be accepted at such a critical time in the succession race… it's suspicious."
As expected.
Guard Kam nodded slightly, having anticipated that Mok Eun-pyeong wouldn't trust him so easily.
"I understand. However, I have a reason why I can no longer serve Mok Gyeong-un."
"A reason you can't serve him?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
"I cannot tell you immediately."
At that, Mok Eun-pyeong let out a scoffing laugh.
What meaning did a reason hold if he couldn't even reveal it?
As Mok Eun-pyeong looked at him with disbelief, Guard Kam smiled gently and said,
"It's because the reason concerns one of Mok Gyeong-un's weaknesses. If you accept me, I will tell you everything."
"Ha! Are you trying to bargain with me?"
"Please understand my situation."
"Understand…? Fine, let's set that aside for now. Can you tell me another of his weaknesses, then?"
"Of course."
"And what is it?"
"Mok Gyeong-un is currently unable to use any martial arts."
"What?"
One of Mok Eun-pyeong's eyebrows twitched with interest.
"Is that true?"
"Not a shred of falsehood."
"Did he suffer from Qi deviation?"
"...Something similar."
In truth, it was because the current Mok Gyeong-un was a fake and had never learned martial arts at all.
But Guard Kam couldn't reveal this and risk exposing the impersonation and death of the real Mok Gyeong-un, so he glossed over it.
"Ha!"
Hearing this, Mok Eun-pyeong's face lit up.
And with good reason: Yeonmok Sword Manor was a martial family.
If the head could not use martial arts, it was essentially disqualifying.
"So he's lost his martial arts, huh."
Originally, he had no martial talent to speak of, but now that he couldn't use martial arts at all, the situation had changed.
He no longer even qualified to compete for succession.
As Mok Eun-pyeong struggled to hide his joy, Guard Gam spoke up.
"If you would accept me under your service, I can offer you even more valuable information."
Pretending to deliberate for a moment, Mok Eun-pyeong then broke into a sly smile and said,
"I wondered if Gam Guard was playing the role of Huang Gai at Red Cliffs."
A ruse of self-injury.
In the Battle of Red Cliffs, Huang Gai, a vassal of Sun Quan of Wu, feigned torture and falsely surrendered to Cao Cao of Wei — a famous stratagem.
Mok Eun-pyeong, aware of how much he had coveted Gam Guard, had considered the possibility that Mok Gyeong-un might have sent him as a spy.
At this, Gam Guard chuckled and replied,
"I feel ashamed to speak ill of my former master, but Mok Gyeong-un is simply not capable of concocting such a scheme."
"Hahaha. That's believable."
"So, will you accept me?"
"Of course. How could I let a talent like you slip away?"
At Mok Eun-pyeong's words, Gam Guard bowed his head in gratitude.
"Thank you for accepting me."
"No, it's I who should be grateful to Gam Guard for making the right decision for the sake of Yeonmok Sword Manor. But… I'm sorry to ask something right after you've joined me, but could you handle a little task for me?"
At those words, Gam Guard pounded his chest and answered heartily,
"Command me as you wish."
For now, he had to win Mok Eun-pyeong's favor.
But then, something unexpected came out of Mok Eun-pyeong's mouth.
"I believe someone like Gam Guard, once an assassin, could easily pull it off."
'!?'
Gam Guard's expression hardened.
He hadn't expected it, but Mok Eun-pyeong had investigated his past.
He knew Mok Eun-pyeong was cunning, but he had underestimated him, thinking he was still just a greenhorn.
Late at night, near the end of the hour of the Rat (around midnight).
It was a time when everyone was asleep, and even the guards stationed in front of the pharmacy were nodding off.
-Creak!
'Oh?'
When he opened a drawer labeled "Ohyang" (梧凉), a hidden entrance revealed itself.
Perhaps because it was a secret mechanism, it made less noise than he had worried.
Mok Gyeong-un, holding a lantern, stepped into the hidden entrance.
-Rustle, rustle!
He carefully descended the underground stairs.
The staircase led deeper than he had expected.
'It's really deep.'
It wasn't just one level — it went down the depth of at least two floors, which made him suspicious.
It seemed unusually deep just to hide the manor's seal and a secret martial arts manual.
Around the depth equivalent to three stories underground, he came upon a cavern about a third the size of the pharmacy.
'Ah!'
Inside the cavern, there were four stone doors that appeared to lead to different tunnels.
Above each stone door, characters were carved: Gap (甲), Eul (乙), Byeong (丙), and Jeong (丁).
[Pharmacy... underground... Jeong (丁) stone... inside...]
Mok Gyeong-un recalled the words of the Manor Lord.
He had said it was behind the Jeong (丁) stone door. There was no need to inspect the other tunnels — he should head straight for it.
Mok Gyeong-un approached the Jeong (丁) stone door.
When he opened it, a straight cave passage appeared.
'About twenty steps?'
That was roughly the distance.
He was about to step inside when he suddenly stopped mid-movement.
He had noticed something above the cave passage.
'What's that?'
Above the uneven cave ceiling, there were small holes — big enough to fit two or three fingers — drilled into it.
Not just one hole, but a series of them stretched in at regular intervals deeper into the passage.
Feeling suspicious, Mok Gyeong-un looked around.
He spotted a few fist-sized stones in one corner of the cavern.
'Just in case.'
Picking up a stone and tapping it lightly in his hand, he then tossed it down the passage.
-Clack!
The stone barely hit the floor before—
-Papapapak!
Suddenly, sharp, spear-like spikes shot out from both the right and left sides of the floor.
If he had just walked in blindly, his legs or thighs would have been impaled.
Seeing this, Mok Gyeong-un lifted the corner of his mouth in a smirk.
'How amusing.'
Were they worried someone might steal the seal and secret manual?
It seemed a bit excessive for that purpose.
Was there really a seal and a secret manual hidden inside?
Staring deeper into the cave, Mok Gyeong-un opened and closed his hands repeatedly.
'Well, I'll find out soon enough.'
He figured he had no choice but to go in and see for himself.
Mok Gyeong-un clamped the lantern handle between his teeth, then, without hesitation, leapt upward and inserted three fingers into one of the holes in the cave ceiling.
-Snap!
Ordinary people would have difficulty supporting their body weight with just two fingers, but for Mok Gyeong-un, it wasn't that hard.
-Slip! Snap!
He reached forward with his left hand, inserting his index and middle fingers into the next hole.
Like that, Mok Gyeong-un moved about two steps along the ceiling.
'Just as I thought.'
As expected.
If he moved by sticking his fingers into the holes in the ceiling without touching the ground, the traps wouldn't activate.
Having realized this, Mok Gyeong-un advanced without any hesitation, inserting his fingers into the holes and progressing forward swiftly.
-Snap! Snap! Snap!
After traveling about twenty paces this way, the tunnel ended, revealing a space about seven pyeong (roughly 23 square meters) in size.
As Mok Gyeong-un entered, something unusual caught his eye.
'What is this?'
Inside were several sack-like bundles, and the space was covered in countless marks.
'Footprints?'
The deeply indented floor was filled with footprints, and the walls bore many signs of impacts and damage.
Mok Gyeong-un walked over and peered into one of the sacks.
Inside were small pellet-like items. Sniffing them, he quickly recognized what they were.
'Byukgokdan?'
Byukgokdan.
It was a kind of survival pill made from pine pollen and various grains, used by Taoist practitioners during secluded cave training to maintain minimal nourishment.
Besides supplementing minimal sustenance, depending on the recipe, it could also help cleanse impurities from the body.
Having extensive knowledge of herbs, Mok Gyeong-un had often eaten the Byukgokdan his grandfather made as snacks.
'Why are there sacks of Byukgokdan here?'
It seemed like someone had prepared to stay here for a long time.
Perhaps someone had been training martial arts alone here?
While toying with the Byukgokdan in the sack, Mok Gyeong-un turned his gaze elsewhere.
One wall had something like a cabinet, with several wooden boxes inside.
'Could it be that?'
Mok Gyeong-un approached and opened one of the more noticeable wooden boxes.
Inside was a single book.
[Yeonmok Seonggeomgyeol ]
'Is this the secret manual?'
He pulled out the book and skimmed through its pages.
Inside were numerous detailed descriptions of sword techniques and movements.
Even without formal martial arts training, it was obvious that this was a manual on swordsmanship.
'Seems like it.'
He wasn't completely sure if this was the secret manual the Lady was after.
He didn't even really know what the martial arts of Yeonmok Sword Manor were supposed to be, after all.
Mok Gyeong-un opened another wooden box.
-Click!
Inside, he found another book titled:
[Yeonmok Hwaseonbeop (然木化心法)]
Flipping through it quickly, Mok Gyeong-un nodded.
It seemed to complement the previous book, containing detailed methods on breathing techniques and internal energy cultivation.
'I should take this too.'
He proceeded to open the other boxes one by one.
The rest didn't contain martial arts manuals, but there were a few other interesting things.
However, the Manor Lord's seal was still nowhere to be seen.
'Only one box left.'
There was nothing else around.
Mok Gyeong-un pulled out the final box, located near the floor.
Unlike the others, this box had an old piece of paper with a symbol pasted across its opening.
Judging by the torn paper, it looked like a warning not to open it.
Without thinking much of it, Mok Gyeong-un opened the box.
He naturally expected to find the Manor Lord's seal inside, but—
'!?'
Mok Gyeong-un tilted his head in confusion.
Instead of the seal, the box contained a tattered old book wrapped with red prayer beads, emitting an intensely pungent smell.
What shocked him most was the book's cover:
'Is this... human skin?'
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed to be made from human skin.
Most people would have recoiled in horror at the realization, but Mok Gyeong-un showed a look of curiosity instead.
'What could this be?'
Just as he was about to reach out his hand—
-Swish!
Suddenly, something like smoke seeped down through the ceiling.
It was none other than Ma Seung.
He had been assigned to keep watch above, like Guard Go Chan, and his appearance here meant someone was approaching the pharmacy.
-...…
Sure enough, Ma Seung seemed to be trying to say something.
But the moment he saw what Mok Gyeong-un was holding in the box—
-!!!!!
He began trembling all over,
-Thunk!
And then he flattened himself onto the floor, bowing deeply with an expression of overwhelming reverence, raising both hands high above his head.