The Brothel and the Zither (琴) - 2
"What do you mean by meeting the wrong season?"
"Right now, chrysanthemums are growing quickly, and since it's summer, the days and nights are quite hot, so this drink..."
Gukwang took another gulp of his drink and continued speaking.
"No matter how well it's stored in a cool underground place, after being brought out for a while, it warms up and loses its flavor. This drink is best when served slightly chilled."
"How do you know that?"
"I found something lacking, so I've tried it warm, cold, and in various ways. In the end, it tastes the best when served a little chilled. Would you like to try it that way?"
"Let's do that."
"Then, let's empty our cups."
Gukwang personally poured the drink.
"Drink it before the coolness fades."
"Indeed... The flavor is much better. Excellent."
Chuwol was startled when she discreetly grasped the bottle in front of Gukwang and found that it was very cold. She looked at him in surprise.
"So, it turns out you're skilled in the Yin Technique?"
"Well, it's not much of a Yin Technique; I just cooled the bottle. That's why we should drink it before it warms up again. It's troublesome to keep chilling it after every glass. Hey, why don't you come over and have a drink too?"
The woman named Hyeyoung, who had been playing the zither, came and sat next to him. Gukwang poured her a drink.
"You've worked hard playing the zither, so drink up."
"Thank you."
"No need to thank me. The one paying the bill is him..."
At his blunt words, Hyeyoung seemed to slightly furrow her delicate eyebrows, but she said nothing and drank the cup in one go.
"How is it? Does the drink taste good?"
"Yes."
"Then, since the purpose of drinking is to get drunk... can you explain why there's hangover powder sprinkled on those appetizers?"
She momentarily froze in shock, then quickly composed herself and replied sternly.
"That's because if we become too intoxicated, we can't serve properly, so we prepared something to sober up. It wasn't meant for you, my lord."
"Is that so? Alright, I'll take it as that."
When Gukgwang poured himself another drink and downed it, Chiwol spoke.
"My lord, if Hyeyoung isn't to your liking, I can bring someone else…"
Gukgwang shook his head from side to side.
"No, this one is enough. Hyeyoung, give me the zither."
"Here it is."
Suddenly asking for the zither, Ok Youngjin grew curious and asked.
"Have you learned how to play the zither in the meantime?"
"No, I just want to try it out."
Mookhyang plucked the strings of the zither as he pleased. Unable to watch any longer, Hyeyoung began to give Gukgwang a brief lesson on how to handle the strings. Soon enough, Gukgwang began plucking them more naturally. As time passed, the random plucking turned into a melody.
At first, the two women thought he was pretending to be bad at playing, teasing them. But as time went on, they grew more astonished. After about an hour, Gukgwang's skill had reached the level of a rare virtuoso. As he expressed his emotions through the strings, tears welled up in Hyeyoung's eyes. Then, suddenly, Gukgwang stopped playing. Everyone, lost in the music, looked at him in surprise. He handed the zither back to Hyeyoung and spoke.
"It makes a truly beautiful sound."
"I never knew you could play so well. I'll gift you a fine zither next time."
"There's no need for that."
At that moment, a woman's voice was heard from outside.
"Excuse me."
The door opened, and a beautiful woman carrying a zither entered.
"Hyeyoung, you may leave."
The woman bowed deeply to Gukgwang.
"I apologize for not recognizing a master and failing to greet you properly. My name is…"
"Your name doesn't matter. Why are you sending her away? Did she make a mistake?"
"Hyeyoung hasn't done anything wrong. It's just that she doesn't have the strength to properly serve you, my lord. I should…"
"I'm fine with Hyeyoung. You can leave."
"But this is the rule of our establishment…"
"Is it a rule that you must personally serve me?"
"It's not a rule of the establishment. However…"
"I don't like it when my drinking companions change. Call her back."
"But in terms of playing the zither, I am better than Hyeyoung. Would you like to hear?"
"I'm not interested in zither skills. Hyeyoung has only learned leg techniques, so there's little chance of me being ambushed. But if someone like you were next to me and an ambush happened, I'd have a hard time dealing with it."
The woman holding the zither turned pale. Ok Youngjin was also startled and asked,
"Are you saying that girl knows martial arts?"
"Of course. The reason I said I wouldn't unsheathe my sword was because this establishment is full of skilled individuals. If anything were to happen, my modest skills alone wouldn't be enough to protect you without my sword. But this place still allows for easier escape, which is why I followed you in."
"I didn't know. I never would have guessed there were skilled martial artists here…"
"That's not your fault. When a man learns martial arts, the Taeyang point tends to protrude, but that's not the case for women. Plus, there are many ways to hide one's internal energy or level of martial arts, aren't there? Hyeyoung deliberately avoided learning hand techniques, so just looking at her hands, face, or eyes, it'd be hard to tell."
"And what about you?"
"Me? It's hard to explain… It's more like a feeling. From the moment I entered this place, I could sense there were many skilled people. And when those girls came in, I felt they had martial training as well. Especially the one sitting next to me; she's learned only leg techniques… Hey, you can leave. I enjoy music, but I'd rather drink in peace."
The woman left without another word, and Hyeyoung returned. She felt a mix of gratitude for being called back and anxiety about this mysterious man, who seemed to be an extraordinary martial artist. Though many people drank at this place, no one had ever noticed that it was run by martial artists. Gathering her courage, Hyeyoung spoke to Gukgwang.
"My lord, you're truly a mysterious man. At first, I thought you were a military official brought by Lord Ok…"
"Why do you think I'm not a military official?"
"People in government aren't that skilled in martial arts."
"Then who do you think I am?"
"Could it be… that you belong to some martial sect?"
"No, I'm merely Lord Ok's subordinate, nothing more. But why did you only learn leg techniques?"
"In our establishment, everyone starts by learning leg techniques. If you start training your legs from a young age, they become slim and firm, which pleases the customers."
"Oh… So, once enough energy accumulates, you begin learning hand techniques to avoid damaging the shape of your hands. But why would a woman from a courtesan house learn martial arts?"
"It's mostly for self-defense and beauty."
"It seems a bit excessive for self-defense… but we'll leave it at that. Speaking of drinking, chrysanthemums come to mind. Do you happen to have any here? Even a single flower would do. If not, even a painting of one would be fine."
"That won't be difficult."
Hyeyoung went outside and returned with a single chrysanthemum in a vase. When she placed the vase on the table, Gukgwang gazed at the flower, lost in thought, sipping his drink with peaceful eyes. As Gukgwang drank only alcohol, Hyeyoung offered him some food.
"Drinking without eating is bad for your health.
You should have some food…"
"I don't eat food with my drink.
Tell the guy on the roof that if he doesn't leave now, it'll be hard for his head to stay attached to his body."
"What?"
"Oh, never mind. He's already run away, so there's no need to deliver the message.
It's really hard to enjoy a drink in peace around here."
Gukgwang continued to drink vigorously. Neither Hyeyoung nor the other women in the establishment had ever seen someone drink like this. Gukgwang drank nearly ten bottles by himself. The liquor he consumed was called Miyokju, an aromatic and delicious but incredibly strong drink. People often lost consciousness after drinking it due to its potency. Yet, Gukgwang didn't expel the alcohol from his body using internal energy like most martial artists, but just kept drinking. The women were astonished that he could handle more than six bottles without using any inner strength.
Hyeyoung spoke up.
"Please, slow down.
Miyokju is a very strong drink."
"It doesn't matter.
I have a good friend to settle the bill, and great alcohol, so what's there to hesitate about?
Besides, when else would I get the chance to drink something like this?"
"You seem to like this drink.
I'll get a few barrels for you to take home."
"Oh, there's no need for that.
Any drink will do.
And the best thing is not drinking at all.
Alcohol isn't good for the body."
"Despite saying that, you're drinking an awful lot."
"How do you assess him?"
"He's a remarkable master.
We must make every effort to recruit him into the organization."
"I'll try, but it's nearly impossible.
He's only under General Ok Youngjin because of a debt for saving his life.
The only way to separate him is to get rid of Ok Youngjin, but that's no easy task."
"Give it a try."
"I already did.
I sent one of our top assassins after him."
"And yet, Ok Youngjin is still alive?"
"Yes, when the assassin tried to infiltrate at night, he suddenly felt an intense killing intent from behind, and before he knew it, a cold blade was pressed against his neck.
The assassin didn't even sense his approach and was so terrified that he fled without thinking."
"No pursuit?"
"No, he just chased off the assassin without taking further action."
"That man must have nearly animal-like instincts."
"Yes, if he becomes an enemy, he'll be a formidable opponent.
That's why I believe even the leader of the Demonic Sect wants him gone."
"Keep a close watch on him for any changes.
Send someone to offer him information about his past as bait, and see if he's willing to join the organization.
Also, assure him that we'll fully support him in his quest for revenge.
By the way, is the Demonic Sect still in the same state?"
"Yes, the power struggle continues.
Any trigger could cause an incident."
"Who has the advantage?"
"The vice leader, Jang Ingeol.
He used extremely underhanded methods to eliminate the renowned master Mookhyang, which has caused many of the sect's top martial artists to turn against the sect leader or adopt a neutral stance.
Since Jang Ingeol directly fought Mookhyang from beginning to end, the assassination hasn't damaged his reputation much.
The Elders hold the most power when it comes to deciding who will be the sect's leader.
Whether they continue to observe or side with someone will likely determine the outcome."
"Is there any chance the former sect leader might intervene?"
"The former leader announced that he would remain neutral, viewing the current situation as a result of the sect leader's cowardly ambush.
In my opinion, he won't get involved.
He might even dethrone the current leader and install the young sect leader, but the young leader's martial skills are still far too lacking to compete with the vice leaders."
"Whoever becomes the leader will determine the future of the martial world, so keep a close eye on things.
From what we know so far, Jang Ingeol is the worst possible choice.
He's known to be highly aggressive, and since he's absorbed the martial arts of the Blood Sect before, he won't hesitate to use any means necessary to achieve his goals."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Goddess of Fortune - 1
A large map, detailing everything from the central plains to the border regions, was spread out on the table. Upon it were small models of horses and people, each with a tiny flag bearing numbers or letters. Several aging generals gathered around the table, engaging in conversation, including the grand general Okyeongjin.
"Can't we reinforce the border with Yo? Their power is increasing with each passing day," requested Grand General Marong of the Northeastern Marshal's Office, a towering man even in his seventies.
Jingilyeong, the commander of the Supreme Military Council, spoke with a regretful expression.
"If someone like you, stationed on the front lines, is asking, I would love to comply. However, we simply don't have the forces to spare. I understand you haven't been here long for the operational meeting, but there are already 200,000 soldiers from the Northeastern Marshal's Office and 120,000 from the Central Marshal's Office stationed at the border with Yo. You would have to inform the Yingjing Royal House to mobilize local troops, as sending more elite troops is impossible."
"Then what about the Imperial Army?"
"Hahaha... Do you think the Imperial Army exists to guard the borders? Even Yingjing's local forces alone have already mobilized over 200,000 troops. Are you saying that's still not enough?"
"We are doing everything we can at the Northeastern Marshal's Office to prevent war with Yo. It's a stretch to think 520,000 men can hold them off. Yo is preparing a fresh army of 500,000. We don't know where they'll strike. Their elite cavalry vastly outmatches our local infantry. If battle breaks out, our local troops will merely be numbers on paper."
"Even so, we cannot withdraw the remaining 80,000 troops from the Central Marshal's Office for this."
"We also can't withdraw the forces from the Northern Marshal's Office, as Mongolia is showing suspicious movements."
"What about elsewhere?"
"As you know, the Western Marshal's Office is busy guarding the trade routes near Tianshan, and they've been struggling lately with the increased bandit presence. They can't spare anyone either."
"If we pull 50,000 troops from the outlying defense forces of Nanjing and Dongjing under the Southeastern Marshal's Office, that could help. But it would require the approval of Marshal Jeongjinnam."
Despite Marong's plea for reinforcements, Jingilyeong continued to refuse, hardening the expression of the elderly general.
"Do you know how many troops Yo has stationed at the border with the capital? 800,000. Yes, eight hundred thousand soldiers are waiting to devour the heart of Song."
"I understand the difficulty of your situation. However, the campaign against Yo will begin soon. Until then, you must hold the line with the forces you have. Do you think we are withholding troops because we want to?"
"Then when will the campaign begin? The emperor hasn't even issued an edict yet. And now, you're pulling the elite front-line troops away to assemble near Beijing for the campaign, leaving the border even more vulnerable."
"It will start soon. General Lee Changhae, would you care to explain?"