Mok Eun-pyeong, the second son, had always been ambitious. From a young age, he had excelled in martial arts, mastering not only the swordsmanship of the Yeonmok Sword Hall but also the fist techniques of his mother's family, the Hoebuk Zhang clan. Naturally, he believed he would be the next leader of the Yeonmok Sword Clan.
He had dismissed his elder brother, Mok Yeong-ho, as unworthy due to his greed and fondness for wine and women. However, Eun-pyeong had miscalculated. The sect leader's favor lay with the youngest son, Mok Yu-cheon, a prodigy who had mastered all the sect's martial arts by the age of fourteen and reached the realm of first-class experts.
As Yu-cheon's talent became apparent, the sect leader had been delaying the decision on his successor. Eun-pyeong was certain this was because the leader was leaning towards choosing Yu-cheon. "I can't let this opportunity slip away," Eun-pyeong thought, seeing the sect leader's precarious health as his chance.
Fortunately for Eun-pyeong, Yu-cheon was born to a lowly concubine and had no powerful backing. Without the sect leader's explicit declaration, Yu-cheon would struggle to claim leadership on his own. The key was to outmaneuver the other potential heirs.
"Compared to me, none of them stand a chance," Eun-pyeong mused. Both his brothers seemed incompetent in his eyes. The eldest, Yeong-ho, was only interested in wine and women, while the third brother, Gyeong-un, was a cowardly weakling. However, Yeong-ho had the support of Lady Seok, the first madam from the powerful Jin Hua Seok family. Many old-fashioned elders in the sect also favored primogeniture.
Eun-pyeong had noticed that Gyeong-un, despite his apparent weakness, seemed to be harboring ambitions for leadership. While Lady Seok dismissed Gyeong-un, Eun-pyeong was more cautious. He had been particularly intrigued by Gyeong-un's bodyguard, Gam, a man of considerable martial prowess.
Investigating further, Eun-pyeong had uncovered some interesting - or rather, concerning - information about Gam. This discovery had made him wary of underestimating Gyeong-un's potential threat.
Then, an unexpected turn of events occurred. Was heaven favoring him? Gam, Gyeong-un's formidable bodyguard, had come to pledge his loyalty to Eun-pyeong.
"You want to become my man?" Eun-pyeong asked, barely containing his excitement.
Gam knelt before him, bowing respectfully. "Please accept my service, young master."
Eun-pyeong stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Accept you... How tempting."
Inwardly, Gam was pleased with this initial response. After carefully observing the sect leader's condition and the political climate, he had decided to align himself with Eun-pyeong. The eldest son was too influenced by Lady Seok, while the youngest had nothing but his own martial prowess.
"Though cunning, this type might be easier to manipulate," Gam thought to himself. He was confident that Eun-pyeong's ambition and desire for talented subordinates would lead him to accept the offer.
However, Eun-pyeong's next words caught Gam off guard. "You know, the timing is quite peculiar. Under normal circumstances, I'd welcome someone of your caliber without hesitation. But with the succession race looming, your sudden desire to switch allegiances raises some suspicions."
Gam nodded slightly, having anticipated this reaction. Of course, someone as cautious as Eun-pyeong wouldn't trust him immediately.
"I understand your concerns," Gam replied. "However, I have reasons why I can no longer serve young master Gyeong-un."
"Oh? And what might those reasons be?"
"I cannot disclose them at this moment."
Eun-pyeong scoffed. What was the point of mentioning reasons if he couldn't reveal them?
Seeing Eun-pyeong's skepticism, Gam smiled and added, "It's one of Gyeong-un's weaknesses. If you accept me into your service, I'd be more than willing to share this information."
"Ha! Are you trying to bargain with me?"
"I ask for your understanding of my situation."
"Understanding, huh? Well, let's set that aside for now. Can you tell me about any other weaknesses?"
"Of course. Currently, young master Gyeong-un is completely incapable of using martial arts."
"What?" Eun-pyeong's eyebrow twitched with interest.
"It's the absolute truth."
"Has he fallen into qi deviation?"
"...You could say it's similar to that."
In reality, the impostor Gyeong-un had never learned martial arts to begin with. But Gam couldn't reveal the truth about the fake Gyeong-un without risking exposure of the real Gyeong-un's death.
"Ha!" Eun-pyeong's face lit up at this news. The Yeonmok Sword Clan was a martial arts family. For a potential leader to be incapable of using martial arts was tantamount to losing the qualification to lead.
"So he's lost his martial abilities," Eun-pyeong mused. Gyeong-un had never been particularly talented, but to be completely incapable of using martial arts changed the situation entirely. It effectively disqualified him from the succession race.
Unable to contain his joy, Eun-pyeong listened as Gam continued, "If you accept me into your service, I can provide even more useful information."
Feigning contemplation, Eun-pyeong then grinned and said, "I thought you might be playing the role of Huang Gai at the Battle of Red Cliffs."
He was referring to the historical incident where Huang Gai, a general of Sun Quan, pretended to defect to Cao Cao's forces as part of a ruse. Eun-pyeong had considered the possibility that Gam might be a spy sent by Gyeong-un, knowing of Eun-pyeong's desire to recruit him.
Gam chuckled at this. "Forgive me for speaking ill of my former master, but young master Gyeong-un lacks the capacity to devise such a strategy."
"Haha! I suppose you're right."
"So, will you accept me into your service?"
"How could I pass up such a talented individual? Of course, I accept."
Gam bowed his head in gratitude. "Thank you for accepting me."
"No, thank you for making the right decision for the Yeonmok Sword Clan. However, I hate to ask this of you right as you join me, but there's a task I'd like you to perform."
Gam beat his chest confidently. "I'm at your command, young master."
He knew he needed to make a good impression on Eun-pyeong immediately. However, Eun-pyeong's next words caught him completely off guard.
"I believe someone with your background as an assassin should be more than capable of handling this."
Gam's expression froze. He had never imagined that Eun-pyeong would have investigated his past so thoroughly. He had underestimated the young master's resourcefulness and cunning.
Meanwhile, in the dead of night, when everyone else was asleep and even the guards were dozing, the impostor Gyeong-un was making his move. He carefully opened a hidden entrance concealed behind a drawer labeled "Oyang" in the medical hall.
Holding a lamp, he descended a surprisingly deep staircase. "This goes deeper than I expected," he thought. It seemed excessive for merely hiding a sect leader's seal and a secret manual.
At the bottom, he found a cavern about a third the size of the medical hall above. Four stone doors marked with the characters for "Gab," "Eul," "Byeong," and "Jeong" stood before him.
Recalling the sect leader's words, Gyeong-un approached the "Jeong" door. Behind it lay a straight tunnel about twenty paces long. As he was about to enter, he noticed small holes in the ceiling at regular intervals.
Suspicious, he picked up some nearby stones and tossed one into the tunnel. Immediately, sharp spears shot out from the walls, which would have impaled anyone walking through.
"Interesting," Gyeong-un smirked. Was this excessive security just for a seal and a manual? Or was there something more valuable hidden here?
Undeterred, Gyeong-un gripped the ceiling holes with his fingers and made his way across the trapped tunnel. At the end, he found a space about seven pyeong in size, filled with sacks, footprints, and signs of intense activity.
Investigating further, he discovered the sacks contained beolgokdan, pills used by Taoist cultivators for extended meditation retreats. "Why are these here in such quantities?" he wondered.
He then turned his attention to a set of wooden boxes on a shelf. Opening one, he found a book titled "Yeonmok Sacred Sword Technique," seemingly the secret manual he was searching for. Another box contained "Yeonmok Transformation Heart," a complementary text on internal energy cultivation.
As he continued searching, he found several interesting items, but the sect leader's seal was still nowhere to be seen. Finally, he opened the last box, which had a torn paper seal. Inside, instead of the seal, he found an old book wrapped in red prayer beads, emitting a pungent odor.
To his surprise, the book's cover appeared to be made of human skin. While most would recoil in horror, Gyeong-un was intrigued. Just as he was about to touch it, his spectral monk appeared, warning him of someone approaching the medical hall above.
However, upon seeing the book in Gyeong-un's hands, the spectral monk's demeanor changed dramatically. It trembled violently, then prostrated itself before the book, raising its hands in a gesture of extreme reverence and worship.