Episode 54. We Dug Up Crap
There was no way the cunning Hwa Cheon-woon hadn’t noticed Jo Bang-un’s betrayal. He must have kept him alive for some future use.
Won Seung paused to think, then asked the warrior,
“Are the honored guests perhaps Sword Pact Sect martial artists?”
The warrior said nothing, but his silence was as good as an admission.
Jo Bang-un snapped to attention. The arrival of Sword Pact Sect martial artists was valuable information. He cleared his throat and nodded.
“Hmm. I suppose it can’t be helped.”
Jo Bang-un turned and shook his head at Won Seung.
“Master Seung, as you just heard, it seems now isn’t the time for a meeting.”
“I have important business as well, so I can’t just leave,” Won Seung replied, pulling a sealed document from his robes and handing it to the warrior.
“I’ll be in the outer garden. Please deliver this.”
Jo Bang-un’s eyes sparkled as he saw the document.
When they reached the guesthouse in the outer garden, Jo Bang-un personally served tea to Won Seung, then casually asked,
“That document from earlier—what is it, exactly?”
He tried to sound offhand, but his eyes betrayed a desperate curiosity.
‘Spit it out, you bastard!’ His gaze was so intense, he looked ready to wring the answer out of Won Seung by force.
Won Seung savored the tea before replying,
“Chief Jo, I think you could use some more practice brewing tea. Now, what did you ask? Ah… that? It’s a proposal to solve the Xiangyang Murim’s current dilemma.”
*
Hwa Cheon-gang’s office.
At the head of a rectangular table sat a middle-aged man, sharp as a drawn sword. His neatly trimmed mustache, smooth brows, and still-jet-black hair made him look barely in his thirties, though he was nearly sixty.
To his left sat three men. Closest to him was a handsome man in his early twenties, whose occasional piercing gaze radiated martial energy. Beside him, two men in their mid-thirties stared ahead with expressionless faces.
Across from them sat Clear Water Sect’s Hwa Cheon-gang, Hwa Cheon-woon, and Hwa Cheon-baek’s eldest son, Hwa U-cheon.
Behind them stood four disciples, faces blank, eyes alert to their surroundings.
A heavy silence filled the room as everyone waited for the man at the head to speak.
At last, Yang Gwan, the Twelfth Elder of the Sword Pact Sect, broke the silence with a cold glint in his eyes.
“You three brothers have done well until now.”
His voice was icy as well.
“But to think you couldn’t handle a mere groundskeeper from the Dosan Forest, forcing this elder to come in person. I’m deeply disappointed. Well, you all are…”
Yang Gwan trailed off, sneering.
Hwa Cheon-gang clenched his fist in anger, but Hwa Cheon-woon reached under the table and placed his hand over his brother’s, stopping him.
Hwa Cheon-woon sighed inwardly.
He’d heard the Sixth Elder was supposed to come, but instead, the Twelfth Elder, Yang Gwan, had arrived.
The Sword Pact Sect’s main branch disciples treated the outer disciples like dirt under their nails, and Yang Gwan was the worst of them.
Yang Gwan wasn’t much older than the Hua brothers—probably about the same age as the eldest, Hwa Cheon-baek.
Yet he treated them as inferiors, and with good reason—he had the strength to back it up.
Hwa Cheon-woon didn’t need to hear Yang Gwan’s next words to know what he was thinking.
‘You three dug up crap.’
Whether Cheon Il-hae had really swept the courtyard at the Dosan Forest or not, it was true the Hua brothers had dug up crap in the Sword Pact Sect.
Yang Gwan was mocking them for it.
Memories of his years in the Sword Pact Sect flashed through Hwa Cheon-woon’s mind.
Born the son of a Xiang River boatman, he’d been on the water before he could walk. His father worked hard but was stubborn.
When the Yong Family seized control of the Xiang Pier labor, his father opposed them—and one night, never came home. The next day, his bloated corpse floated up in the river, with clear strangulation marks on his neck for all to see.
Yet the authorities claimed he’d drowned drunk. When his mother protested, an official broke her ribs with a club. She lingered for days before dying.
The day after her funeral, people came to evict them. What they’d thought was their father’s house, they learned, actually belonged to the Yong Family.
The man who came to throw them out told the wailing brothers,
“Leave. I don’t want to stain my hands with blood.”
In that moment, the Hua brothers felt the terror of death. They knew if they kept protesting, they’d be killed.
Orphaned and with nowhere to turn, the Hua brothers fled Xiangyang in fear. Vowing to learn martial arts and take revenge, they eventually joined the Sword Pact Sect—starting out cleaning latrines.
While they trained as outer disciples, fate smiled on them. The eldest, Hwa Cheon-gang, with his imposing build, caught the eye of a main branch elder and was taught martial arts.
He passed what he learned to his brothers. They trained like madmen, but their humble origins barred them from becoming main branch disciples.
Yang Gwan had joined after them, but immediately became a direct disciple. There were even ranks among main branch disciples, and the difference was vast. Yang Gwan was blood kin to the prestigious Yang Family of Shanxi, and had paid a hefty sum for his position—it was only natural.
Even then, Yang Gwan had looked down on the Hua brothers, mocking them as “the latrine cleaners.” So his current arrogance was no surprise.
And… he had the strength to back it up.
Not just anyone could become an elder of the Sword Pact Sect’s main branch.
Hwa Cheon-woon pondered for a moment.
Why had it changed from the Sixth Elder to Yang Gwan? Would a man with not a shred of decency, a noble to his bones, really care about the Clear Water Sect’s safety? Impossible.
Was this the main branch’s intent, or Yang Gwan’s own move? He wondered, but for now, surviving the immediate crisis was more important.
“Cheon Il-hae is no match for us, of course. The real problem is the five masters of the Dosan Forest. The Yin-Yang Twin Blades and the Three Mountain Heroes are core members of Dosanrim and formidable opponents.”
“Hmm. Their saber skills are indeed impressive. That’s why I came myself. Besides, the Sect Leader has even sent a specially favored disciple, so there’s no need to worry.”
Yang Gwan glanced at the handsome man on his left, who merely smiled calmly.
Hwa Cheon-woon felt uneasy.
That man was Byeok Gyo-woon, the Sect Leader’s Third Disciple. As a direct disciple, his skills must be exceptional. But in the treacherous Murim, martial prowess alone didn’t decide everything.
If something happened to Byeok Gyo-woon… the backlash would be unimaginable.
Yang Gwan, oblivious to Hwa Cheon-woon’s concerns, continued arrogantly,
“Let’s drive out the Dosan Forest first. The rest can wait.”
‘The rest?’ Realizing Yang Gwan had come with an agenda, Hwa Cheon-woon’s heart sank.
Trying to drive out wolves, he might have invited a tiger.
Yang Gwan gave a strange smile.
“You’re still the schemer, I see. Careful, too much plotting will sap your energy.”
His sarcasm was obvious, but Hwa Cheon-woon replied calmly,
“There’s never a shortage of troubles in the main sect. My mind is always busy.”
“No need to worry anymore. For now, just accept the Martial Arts Duel from that so-called Descendant of the Yong Clan. How could you refuse a duel from someone seeking revenge? Even if he’s just an outer disciple, you shouldn’t tarnish the main branch’s honor.”
Yang Gwan looked at Hwa Cheon-gang.
“You’re not going to lose, are you?”
Gritting his teeth, Hwa Cheon-gang wanted nothing more than to beat Yang Gwan to death right there.
To be treated like a common thug, when he was counted among the Hundred Great Experts of the Central Plains!
Again, Hwa Cheon-woon reached under the table to calm his brother.
“Of course not,” Hwa Cheon-gang forced out, grinding his teeth.
“You’ve come a long way. Please, wash up and rest first,” Hwa Cheon-woon offered.
“Very well.”
“I’ll show you the way,” Hwa U-cheon said, rising to lead Yang Gwan and Byeok Gyo-woon to the guest quarters.
“That bastard… It kills me that I can’t smash his face in,” Hwa Cheon-gang muttered, watching Yang Gwan’s retreating back.
“I think Yang Gwan has come with ulterior motives,” Hwa Cheon-woon said, his face grim.
“Ulterior motives?”
“He might be after the Clear Water Sect’s business.”
When they first founded the Clear Water Sect, they managed just one ferry crossing on the Xiang River. But after toppling the Yong Family, they took over the lower Xiang River, and business boomed. The Hua brothers personally cleared out bandits and pirates, organized the Pier Labor Association, and greatly expanded logistics and shipping. Now, it was a prize everyone coveted.
“If that’s true… I’ll kill that bastard myself,” Hwa Cheon-gang growled, but Hwa Cheon-woon’s unease didn’t fade.
No one knew the strength of a Sword Pact Sect main branch elder better than Hwa Cheon-woon. And now, with the Sect Leader’s Third Disciple here too… the main branch’s intentions were suspicious.
Just then, a warrior rushed in from outside.
“Master Seung has arrived. He asked me to deliver this envelope and said he’ll wait for a reply in the guesthouse.”
Hwa Cheon-woon opened the envelope and frowned at the document inside.
“A Three-way Martial Arts Duel?”
He handed the document to Hwa Cheon-gang, who scowled after reading it.
“They’re planning a joint attack.”
“No. If it were that obvious, they wouldn’t present it so openly,” Hwa Cheon-woon mused.
“Perhaps… we might not need Yang Gwan’s help after all.”
He then instructed the warrior,
“Tell Master Seung I’ll see him.”
*
Jo Bang-un tilted his head and asked,
“A dilemma in the Xiangyang Murim?”
“You know about the struggle for control of the Xiang River between the Descendant of the Yong Clan, the Clear Water Sect, and the Heavenly Observation Pavilion, right?” Won Seung explained about the Three-way Martial Arts Duel, and Jo Bang-un feigned admiration while secretly scoffing.
‘As if anyone would accept such a duel.’
But then Won Seung’s next words caught his attention.
“The magistrate said he’d oversee it fairly, so all three parties will have to accept. Yong Jo-woon has already signed. That’s his signature on the Three-way Martial Arts Duel Agreement.”
“The magistrate is pushing for this duel?”
“It seems the Four Great Families of Xiangyang suggested it to resolve the chaos. I’m just the messenger.”
Jo Bang-un was baffled. It was unheard of for the authorities to meddle in Murim affairs, but more than that, why was this man delivering the magistrate’s will?
“On the day of the duel, two people will die,” Won Seung sighed.
“I came in person today to warn the Second Elder not to accept the duel, no matter what. Please make sure he gets the message.”
“!”
“In fact, it seems the magistrate has already chosen the winner for that day.”
Jo Bang-un was shocked. He glanced around, then lowered his voice.
“Do you know who the magistrate favors?”
“I can’t say,” Won Seung replied, gazing into the air with a pained expression.
“What am I supposed to do…?”
“……?”
“As you know, I’m friends with Hua Yeo-wol. No matter how great the cause, I can’t just stand by while my friend’s family is in danger.”
“Of course,” Jo Bang-un replied half-heartedly.
“So please, persuade the Second Elder to support Seongwang House. If you do, I might be able to change the magistrate’s mind.”
“!”