Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 16

The second young master, Mok Eun-pyeong, had grand ambitions.

From a young age, he not only mastered the sword techniques of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor, but also the fist techniques of the Hwe Beichang family, his mother Lady Jang’s maternal family, demonstrating his exceptional martial arts talent.

Therefore, he was confident that he would naturally become the next leader of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor.

The eldest legitimate son, Mok Yeong-ho, was greedy and indulged in Desires, lacking the qualities of a successor, so Mok Eun-pyeong believed that the order of succession would naturally fall to him.

However, that was a miscalculation.

‘Mok Yu-cheon.’

The leader’s favor was with him, the youngest son.

It was understandable, as he possessed innate martial arts talent, mastering all the martial arts of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor at the mere age of fourteen and reaching the level of a first-rate expert.

As Mok Yu-cheon stood out, the leader kept delaying the decision on the succession.

Mok Eun-pyeong was certain that the leader’s heart was swayed towards him.

‘I can’t miss this opportunity.’

He considered the leader’s life being in danger as an opportunity.

Fortunately, Mok Yu-cheon was the son of a lowly concubine and had no power around him.

Unless the leader directly declared him as the successor, he was in a position where it would be difficult for him to become the leader with his own strength.

Therefore, the key was to eliminate the other candidates for succession.

‘If I only consider them, no one can match me.’

Both of them were the epitome of incompetence.

The eldest young master, Mok Yeong-ho, only knew how to indulge in Desires, while the third young master, Mok Gyeong-un, was an incompetent coward.

However, behind Mok Yeong-ho was the First Madam, Lady Seok.

As she was from the Jinhua Seok family, she held considerable power.

Moreover, there were still many old fools among the retainers who advocated for the priority of the eldest son.

‘Mok Gyeong-un…’

Among the brothers, the one who was inferior in all aspects except for his face that resembled a courtesan’s companion had been coveting the position of successor for some time.

The First Madam looked down on him and paid no attention to him, but Mok Eun-pyeong was different.

‘Was it Guard Gam?’

He had an escort who was beyond his station.

He was called Guard Gam, and when Mok Eun-pyeong first saw him, his martial arts skills were extraordinary enough to request the leader to make him his escort.

So, out of curiosity, he investigated his background and discovered quite an interesting fact.

No, it should be called a fact that required caution.

Because of this, Mok Eun-pyeong came to believe that he shouldn’t carelessly let his guard down around the third young master, Mok Gyeong-un.

However, an unexpected event occurred.

Was the Luck is on my side ?

“You want to become my man?”

Mok Eun-pyeong barely managed to calm the corners of his twitching mouth.

The man kneeling on one knee in front of him, paying his respects, was none other than Mok Gyeong-un’s escort warrior, Guard Gam.

The man he had wanted so much had come to him on his own.

At a very opportune moment.

“Please accept me, Young Master.”

Seeing Guard Gam like this, Mok Eun-pyeong stroked his chin and spoke.

“Accept you… It’s quite tempting.”

At Mok Eun-pyeong’s words, Guard Gam inwardly thought that it was a good start.

Guard Gam, who had planned to observe the leader’s condition and the surrounding situation before making a decision, ultimately chose the second young master, Mok Eun-pyeong.

The eldest, Mok Yeong-ho, was too influenced by the First Madam, and the youngest, Mok Yu-cheon, had nothing but his own martial prowess.

‘Although he’s cunning, he’s actually easier to handle this way.’

Therefore, he chose Mok Eun-pyeong as an alternative to the dead real Mok Gyeong-un.

Mok Eun-pyeong was cunning and suspicious, but Guard Gam was confident that he would accept him due to his greed for talent.

However,

“But you know, the timing is quite exquisite.”

“Pardon?”

“As you know, I have a high regard for Guard Gam. But for you to ask me to accept you right before the succession competition, it makes me suspicious.”

‘As expected.’

At Mok Eun-pyeong’s words, Guard Gam slightly nodded his head.

He had already guessed that Mok Eun-pyeong, who was naturally skeptical, wouldn’t believe him right away.

“I understand. However, I have a reason why I can no longer serve Young Master Mok Gyeong-un.”

“A reason why you can’t serve Mok Gyeong-un?”

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“Yes.”

“What is it?”

“I can’t tell you right away.”

At those words, Mok Eun-pyeong scoffed.

What was the point of not revealing the reason why he couldn’t serve him anymore?

While Mok Eun-pyeong found it absurd, Guard Gam smiled brightly and said,

“That’s because it’s one of Mok Gyeong-un’s weaknesses, so it’s difficult for me to tell you right away. If you accept me, I can tell you as much as you want.”

“Ha. Are you negotiating with me now?”

“Please understand my situation.”

“Understand… Then, let’s consider what you just said as something for the future. Can you tell me about his other weaknesses?”

“Of course.”

“What are they?”

“Young Master Mok Gyeong-un currently cannot use martial arts at all.”

“What?”

One of Mok Eun-pyeong’s eyebrows twitched with interest.

“Is that true?”

“There’s not a shred of falsehood.”

“Did he suffer from a mental disorder?”

“…You could say it’s similar.”

In fact, since he was a fake, he couldn’t have learned martial arts in the first place.

However, he couldn’t publicize the fake Mok Gyeong-un’s death by revealing this fact, so he glossed over it.

“Ha!”

At Guard Gam’s words, Mok Eun-pyeong’s face brightened.

That was to be expected, as the Yeon Mok Sword Manor was a martial arts family.

If the person who was to become the leader of a group that cultivated martial arts couldn’t use martial arts, it was no different from losing the qualification to be the leader.

“You’re saying that he lost his martial arts.”

He already lacked talent in martial arts, but if he couldn’t use martial arts at all, the situation was different.

He didn’t even have the qualifications to participate in the succession competition.

To Mok Eun-pyeong, who couldn’t hide his joy, Guard Gam said,

“If you accept me, I can provide you with even more useful information.”

At his words, Mok Eun-pyeong pretended to contemplate for a moment, then smirked and said,

“I thought Guard Gam was playing the role of Huang Gai at the Red Cliffs.”

Desperate strategy.

In the Battle of Red Cliffs, there was a story of Huang Gai, a retainer of Sun Quan of the Wu Kingdom, pretending to be tortured and falsely surrendering to Cao Cao of the Wei Kingdom.

Mok Eun-pyeong had thought that Guard Gam might be a spy sent by Mok Gyeong-un, knowing that he had coveted him for a long time.

In response, Guard Gam chuckled and said,

“I’m embarrassed to say this about my former master, but Young Master Mok Gyeong-un doesn’t have the capacity to even think of such a strategy.”

“Hahaha. That’s probably true.”

“Then will you accept me?”

“Of course. How can I let go of such a talented person?”

At Mok Eun-pyeong’s words, Guard Gam bowed his head in gratitude.

“Thank you for accepting me.”

“No, I should be the one thanking Guard Gam for making the right decision for the Yeon Mok Sword Manor. But I’m sorry to ask you for a favor right after you’ve joined me.”

At those words, Guard Gam tapped his chest and spoke heartily.

“Please give me any order.”

For now, he had to make a good impression on Mok Eun-pyeong.

However, unexpected words came out of Mok Eun-pyeong’s mouth.

“I thought Guard Gam, who was once an assassin, would be more than capable of doing it.”

‘!?’

Guard Gam’s expression stiffened.

He had suspected it, but he didn’t expect Mok Eun-pyeong to have investigated his past.

He knew Mok Eun-pyeong was cunning, but he had considered him still a novice, so it seemed he had let his guard down.

***

Late in the hour of the zhu hour (11 PM to 1 AM).

It was a time when everyone was asleep, and even the escort warriors guarding the front of the infirmary were dozing off.

-Clatter!

‘Oho.’

When he opened the medicinal herb drawer labeled ‘O-yang,’ a hidden entrance was revealed.

Perhaps because it was a secret space, it didn’t make as much noise as he had worried.

Mok Gyeong-un entered the hidden entrance with a lamp in hand.

-Crunch crunch!

He quietly descended the underground stairs.

The stairs extended quite deep, more than he had expected.

‘It’s deep.’

It wasn’t just one floor, but it went down more than two floors deep, which made him suspicious.

It was quite deep for a space created to hide the leader’s seal and a secret manual.

When he had entered to a depth of about three floors,

A cavity about one-third the size of the infirmary came into view.

‘Ah!’

In the cavity, there were four entrances that looked like stone doors.

And above the stone doors, the characters “甲乙丙丁[1]” were engraved.

[Medicinal… Hall… Underground… (丁, jeong)… stone… door… inside…]

Mok Gyeong-un recalled what the leader had said.

Since he had said it was inside the Jeong stone door among the four passages, there was no need to examine the other passages first. He could just enter that one.

Mok Gyeong-un approached the Jeong (丁) stone door.

When he opened the stone door, a straight tunnel passage was revealed.

‘About twenty steps?’

That was roughly the distance.

Mok Gyeong-un, who was about to step inside, put his raised foot back on the ground and stopped.

It was because he suddenly noticed something on the ceiling of the tunnel passage.

‘What is that?’

On the bumpy ceiling of the tunnel passage, there were holes large enough to insert two or three fingers if he reached out his hand.

If there was only one, it might not have been noticeable, but they were located at regular intervals along the passage, extending all the way inside.

Puzzled by this, Mok Gyeong-un surveyed his surroundings.

He noticed a few fist-sized stones on one side of the cavity.

‘Just in case.’

Mok Gyeong-un picked up a stone and tapped it on his hand, then threw it inside the passage.

-Clack!

Before the stone could even roll on the ground,

-Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

At that moment, sharp spears shot out from the right and left sides of the floor.

If he had entered without knowing, his legs or thighs would have been pierced by the spears.

Seeing this, Mok Gyeong-un raised one corner of his mouth.

‘Interesting.’

Did they install such traps because they were afraid that someone might steal the seal and the secret manual?

It seemed quite excessive for that purpose.

Was the seal and the secret manual really inside?

Mok Gyeong-un, who had been staring into the tunnel, clenched and unclenched his hands repeatedly.

‘I’ll know when I see it.’

For now, he had to go inside to find out.

Mok Gyeong-un bit the handle of the lamp with his mouth and, without hesitation, jumped up towards the holes visible on the tunnel ceiling and inserted three fingers.

-Grab!

An ordinary person would find it difficult to support their body with just two fingers, but it wasn’t a challenging task for Mok Gyeong-un.

-Swish! Grab!

Mok Gyeong-un reached out his left hand to the hole in front and inserted his index and middle fingers.

In this way, Mok Gyeong-un moved about two steps along the ceiling.

‘I was right.’

As expected, his guess was correct.

If he inserted his fingers into the holes on the ceiling and moved without touching the ground, the tunnel’s traps wouldn’t be triggered.

Realizing this, Mok Gyeong-un advanced without a moment’s hesitation, inserting his fingers into the holes on the ceiling in front of the passage.

-Grab! Grab! Grab!

After moving about 20 steps like that, the tunnel passage ended, and a space of about 7 pyeong (approximately 23 square meters) came into view.

Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes flickered with interest as he entered.

‘What is this?’

Inside, there were several sacks, and the surroundings were filled with numerous traces.

‘Footprints?’

In the deeply worn-out parts of the floor, there were numerous footprints, and there were also many traces of impacts on the walls.

Mok Gyeong-un walked over and looked inside the sacks.

There were small pellets inside, and after sniffing them, Mok Gyeong-un realized what they were.

‘Pill for Abstaining from Grains (Bigeokdan)[2]?’

Bigeokdan.

It was a pill made by mixing pine pollen and various grains, used by Taoist practitioners for closed-door cultivation in places like caves.

It was meant to supplement the minimum amount of grain energy, but depending on the combination, it could also help expel toxins from the body.

Mok Gyeong-un, who had extensive knowledge of medicinal herbs, had often eaten bigeokdan made by his grandfather as a snack.

‘Why are there sacks of bigeokdan here?’

It seemed to be for the purpose of staying here for a long time.

Had someone been practicing martial arts or something here alone?

Mok Gyeong-un, who had been fiddling with the bigeokdan inside the sack, soon turned his gaze elsewhere.

On one side of the wall, there was something like a display case, and inside it were several wooden boxes.

‘Is that it?’

Mok Gyeong-un approached it and opened one of the eye-catching wooden boxes.

When he opened it, a book was inside.

[Ignited Wood Sword Formation] –see notes at the end of this chapter for explanation

‘Is this the secret manual?’

Mok Gyeong-un took out the book and flipped through it quickly.

Inside, numerous sword techniques and movements were described in detail.

Although he hadn’t learned martial arts, he could at least tell that this was swordsmanship.

‘Is this it?’

He wasn’t sure if this was exactly the secret manual that the First Madam was after.

In the first place, he had no idea what the martial arts of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor were, so there was nothing he could do about it.

Mok Gyeong-un opened another wooden box.

-Click!

When he opened the box,

[Ignited Wood Heart Transformation Technique] – see notes for explanation

A book titled Ignited Wood Heart Transformation Technique was inside. Mok Gyeong-un took it out, flipped through it quickly, and nodded his head. It seemed to be a pair with the Ignited Wood Sword Formation in front, and it contained detailed descriptions of breathing techniques and qi circulation methods for gathering and controlling internal energy.

‘I should take this too.’

Mok Gyeong-un opened the other boxes in order. The other boxes didn’t contain any books related to martial arts, but there were a few unexpectedly interesting items.

However, the leader’s seal was still nowhere to be seen.

‘This is the only box left.’

There was nothing else around.

So Mok Gyeong-un took out the box that was near the floor.

But unlike the other wooden boxes, this box had an old paper with patterns drawn on it attached to the opening part.

Judging from the paper torn in half, it seemed to have been attached as a sign not to open the box.

Mok Gyeong-un opened it without much thought.

He naturally thought that the leader’s seal would be inside, but,

‘!?’

Mok Gyeong-un tilted his head.

Inside, there was no manor master’s seal that should have been there, but an old book surrounded by a red rosary, emitting an extremely pungent smell.

But what was surprising was that the cover of the book,

‘Is this… human skin?’

No matter how he looked at it, it seemed to be made of human skin.

If an ordinary person had realized that this was made of human skin, they might have been frightened, but Mok Gyeong-un showed a quite intrigued expression.

‘What could this be?’

He was about to reach out his hand at that very moment.

-Swoosh!

At that instant, something appeared like smoke, penetrating through the ceiling.

It was none other than the Demonic Monk.

Mok Gyeong-un had made him keep watch above, just like with Guard Go Chan, so his appearance meant that someone was approaching the infirmary.

-…

As expected, the Demonic Monk was trying to say something.

But when the Demonic Monk saw the item inside the wooden box in Mok Gyeong-un’s hand,

-!!!!!

He trembled all over,

-Thud!

He down himself on the floor and began to perform something like a bow with a face full of reverence.