Chapter 26
Chapter 26: Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven
As Yanghwi remained immersed in his reflections, Zhuge Seon broke the silence.
“Setting that aside, Hyung-nim, it is about time I explained the true purpose behind my visit to the Baek house.”
“Now that you mention it, Little Brother, you previously hinted at needing an indulgence. Tell me what is on your mind.”
“Would you grant permission for my retinue and me to lodge at the Baek Estate for several months?”
Zhuge Seon’s objective was to comb Gokyeol Mountain in pursuit of the Sound Empress. Securing a base within practical striking distance was essential for replenishment and rest, making the Baek Estate the most fitting location.
“You are welcome to remain for however long you wish. That hardly constitutes an imposition.”
“My deepest gratitude, Hyung-nim.”
“Between brothers like us, why bother with gratitude over a matter so minor?”
In reality, Zhuge Seon’s entreaty brought significant advantage to the Baek house. The young heir of the renowned Zhuge family, flanked by his personal elite guard, would be quartered on their grounds as treasured guests.
Now we won’t have to worry about trouble from the Gyojin Gang.
Moreover, throughout Zhuge Seon’s stay, not a single faction in Ak’an County would dare challenge the Baek family. It provided them an unobstructed path to broaden their authority without fear of retribution.
“Ah, I must ask one additional favor, Hyung-nim.”
“Name it, Little Brother.”
“Could you provide someone capable of leading us from the Baek Estate up to Gokyeol Mountain—or more specifically, someone who knows every nook and cranny of Gokyeol Mountain itself?”
The instant Zhuge Seon finished speaking, Yanghwi stepped in without hesitation.
“I felt rather restless merely following along without a dedicated task, so this suits me perfectly. Uncle, allow me to act as your guide.”
“Oh? You, Yanghwi?”
“Indeed. As you are aware, prior to being welcomed as my father’s son, I lived as a beggar. Wandering exposed to the elements, there are few places my feet have not touched, and I know the surrounding terrain of Gokyeol Mountain like the back of my hand.”
The circumstance could hardly have been more ideal. Assuming the role of guide meant he could direct the course of their expeditions. Leveraging the memories preserved from his prior incarnation, he could effortlessly veer their party away whenever catastrophe loomed.
“If that is so, searching for an outside guide is entirely unnecessary. I entrust this to your capable hands, Yanghwi.”
“I will dedicate my whole heart to it, Uncle.”
Turning his attention toward Zhuge Seolha, Yanghwi addressed her gently.
“Seolha, please treat me well throughout our journey.”
…Nod.
“Hm?”
“What?”
Yanghwi gave a start of astonishment, while sheer bewilderment swept over Zhuge Seon’s countenance. Zhuge Seolha had actually acknowledged Yanghwi’s words. Remarkably, this marked the very first occasion she had reacted to anyone other than Zhuge Seon ever since setting foot on the grounds of the Baek Estate.
“Seolha, did you truly just nod?”
“…”
Overwhelmed by their concentrated attention, Zhuge Seolha promptly pressed her face into Zhuge Seon’s chest.
Thus, the expedition took form—an assembly embarking to seek out none other than a supreme sovereign of the martial world, the Wave-Piercing Sound Empress of the Ten Paragons Under Heaven.
Come morning, with all preparations finalized, the expeditionary force comprising Yanghwi, the Zhuge father and daughter, and ten seasoned bodyguards rode out from the Baek Estate. Rather than delegating the task to one of the escorts, Yanghwi willingly climbed onto the carriage box transporting Zhuge Seon and Zhuge Seolha.
“Yanghwi, how could I permit my hyung-nim’s son to handle the reins? Enter the carriage and sit beside us.”
“Prior to claiming the privilege of your nephew, I enlisted as your guide. To fulfill my obligation faithfully, it is only proper that I guide the horses.”
Persuaded by the young man’s conviction, Zhuge Seon experienced a surge of admiration and declared, “In that case, this uncle shall share the driver’s bench with you. We can ride side by side and enjoy an agreeable conversation.”
It was a transparent, stubborn attempt to coax Yanghwi within the cabin, but Yanghwi merely smiled subtly and inclined his head. He knew with absolute certainty that the moment Zhuge Seolha showed the slightest sign of weariness, Zhuge Seon would immediately retreat back inside.
“By the way, Uncle, may I ask the basis for your assumption that the Wave-Piercing Sound Empress is in Gokyeol Mountain?”
“Ah, the moment has come to share that. These are pieces of intelligence our main clan’s information network extracted through immense labor.”
Zhuge Seon began detailing the facts.
To begin with, the Sound Empress’s public whereabouts abruptly vanished after her final confirmed presence in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province.
Second, coinciding with that disappearance, she had made discreet inquiries through personal contacts regarding a quiet hermitage.
Lastly, the third piece of evidence.
“Word spreads of a dragon nesting deep within Gokyeol Mountain. Rumor says that whenever rain falls, the rumble of thunder resounds from the mountain’s deepest recesses.”
Yanghwi showed a thoughtful countenance.
“Thunder naturally accompanies rain, so a booming sound alone would not be unusual…”
“However, when aligned with the initial two findings, it presents a compelling premise.”
The Sound Empress reigned as an unmatched master of acoustic martial principles. An abnormal rumble of thunder might easily represent the reverberations of her sonic techniques.
“Then how specifically do you plan to conduct the search?”
“Regarding that…”
Zhuge Seon exhaled a subdued breath. Even possessing the intellect expected of the Crouching Dragon Zhuge family’s young master, an ingenious method eluded him.
He doesn’t have a concrete plan after all.
It was only natural. They were attempting to track down a member of the Ten Paragons Under Heaven. A trivial undertaking it certainly was not.
“For the present… I plan to sweep across Gokyeol Mountain thoroughly, leaving no stone unturned, ferreting out any residue the Sound Empress might have left behind.”
Precisely as anticipated, no genuine strategy existed. Beyond that, his uncle’s clarity had clearly suffered. With his precious daughter’s very existence in the balance, such frantic desperation was entirely forgivable.
“Uncle, Gokyeol Mountain is far too vast to search with only ten warriors.”
“Hm? How vast could a mountain in Jiangxi Province possibly be?”
The predominant landscape of Jiangxi consisted of low plains intertwined with waterways and canals, prospering through commerce and transit. Zhuge Seon’s preconception was understandable, but still.
“It is deep and rugged enough to warrant the name Gokyeol.”
The characters of Gokyeol implied a chasm so sheer it tore the sky. Relative to the rest of Jiangxi, Gokyeol Mountain loomed remarkably massive and perilous.
“Hah. Perhaps I should have brought more warriors along.”
“No, Uncle. I do not think that would be wise.”
“Why is that?”
“Because our objective must not be simply tracking down the Sound Empress.”
Though momentarily blinded by worry, he remained the young patriarch of the Zhuge clan, celebrated for supreme acumen. Zhuge Seon absorbed the underlying truth of Yanghwi’s statement instantly.
“Ah. Thank you, Yanghwi. This uncle almost committed a grave discourtesy against the Sound Empress.”
“Not at all, Uncle.”
The Wave-Piercing Sound Empress stood among the Ten Paragons Under Heaven, figures who had long broken through ordinary mortal boundaries. Were they to organize a dragnet over Gokyeol Mountain to corner her, how would she perceive it? No sovereign looks kindly on uninvited trespassers vaulting their outer wall.
“In the first place, unless one is an equal among the Ten Paragons, finding the Sound Empress is practically an impossible feat to begin with.”
“You are right about that as well. Though we set out to search, if our clumsy efforts could expose her whereabouts, she would not be one of the Ten Paragons.”
The secret to encountering the Sound Empress rested upon a fundamental reality: not uncovering her tracks, but opening her heart. Viewed in that light, their efforts required an entirely different philosophy from a routine manhunt.
For now, I can’t think of anything special either.
Even after scouring the furthest recesses of his past-life recollections, he possessed no private insight concerning the Sound Empress. At most, he simply recalled that roughly two decades hence, a young martial artist proclaiming to be her direct heir would step into the world.
Still, that proves beyond doubt that she is looking to take a disciple.
Because they had arrived to plead with her to take Zhuge Seolha under her wing, he already held the single most critical revelation. Had they endured tremendous suffering only to discover she refused to instruct anyone, every shred of their labor would have been squandered.
“No good method comes to mind.”
“I am in the same position, Uncle.”
While pondering ways to earn her favor, the carriage reached the base of Gokyeol Mountain before they realized it. Cradling Zhuge Seolha, who was dozing off from exhaustion, Zhuge Seon looked across toward Yanghwi.
“If you know of an inn nearby, please take us there. We should relieve Seolha’s travel fatigue and get something to eat.”
“A settlement lies a short distance away, though an establishment sits even closer right along the mountain road.”
“Then the mountain pass is better.”
“Understood.”
Directing the horses along a broadening curve of the trail for the duration of a standard meal, they came upon a structure displaying a board inscribed with Hugok Inn.
“Uncle, we have arrived.”
Stepping onto the dirt with Zhuge Seolha cradled against him, Zhuge Seon surveyed the front of the tavern and remarked, “Wailing Gorge Inn… quite an unusual name for a tavern.”
The moment they walked through the entrance, a server bustled over to greet them.
“Welcome. Have you come for a meal?”
Seeing a company of armed martial artists abruptly spill into the room, the attendant stiffened with visible alarm. Recalling how he had once shrunk in fear before armed pugilists during his vagrant years, Yanghwi stepped in smoothly.
“Brother waiter, I’ll place the order.”
“Calling me ‘brother’ is far too generous for a mere waiter, Young Master.”
“The Five Relations clearly teach respect between elder and younger, so why should it be too generous? What is good here, Brother?”
Sensing Yanghwi’s warm, unassuming demeanor, the server’s tension visibly melted away.
“In an establishment like ours, one must try the dumplings and wheat noodles. Our cook never cuts corners on the fundamentals.”
“Then bring out one steamer of dumplings and a bowl of noodles for every two people.”
When Yanghwi glanced back over his shoulder, Zhuge Seon reached within his robes, drew forth an ingot valued at ten silver nyang, and tossed it forward.
“Keep the change.”
“W-Whoa, thank you, my lord!”
The complete tally amounted to roughly five silver nyang, turning the transaction into an astonishing bounty for the attendant. However, Zhuge Seon had not scattered his coin carelessly. Throughout their meal, he kept the grateful worker nearby, posing continuous inquiries and carefully weighing every answer.
The final realization proved sobering.
“It seems finding the Sound Empress will be no simple task.”
The realization that a server stationed on the primary pass possessed zero useful knowledge confirmed that mundane inquiries would yield nothing.
“Was that not what we expected from the beginning?”
“Even so, it is still disappointing.”
Zhuge Seon cast an affectionate, sorrowful glance upon Zhuge Seolha, who was slowly chewing on a dumpling within his embrace. Watching them in silence, Yanghwi offered a suggestion.
“In that case, Uncle, what if we try this? Offering devotions to the Sound Empress just as one would to a mountain spirit.”
As expected, Zhuge Seon comprehended the implication instantly.
“That is not a bad idea. First, I will order the guards to sweep away all the bandits and dark-path thugs in the area.”
They held unshakeable confidence that she dwelled somewhere within the region.
“After demonstrating our sincerity by looking after the people’s welfare, I will climb Gokyeol Mountain every day with Seolha to offer devotions.”
“As the guide, I will accompany you, Uncle.”
Proving unyielding reverence by scaling a formidable mountain day after day alongside two youths—the aim was to stir the Sound Empress’s compassion, or at least coax her into lowering her guard.
Ten days passed.
Even after systematically cleansing every bandit cell and dark-path outfit in the surrounding wild, ascending the peaks without missing a single dawn, not a trace of the Sound Empress manifested. After spending yet another grueling day navigating the cliffs with Seolha in his arms, Zhuge Seon released an exhausted sigh upon descending.
“Whew. With no word from the Sound Empress, I cannot even tell if this method is working.”
“Devotions are founded on a baseline of a hundred days. Let us keep at it until a better idea comes to mind.”
“Yes, you are right. Let us head to the inn.”
Over recent days, the company spent their nights at the Baek Estate while returning to Hugok Inn daily to dine. Even though the distance was manageable, the round-trip journey consumed four hours, making a meal before departure far more sensible.
“Brother waiter, we’re here again… Hm?”
Announcing their arrival with familiar warmth as he entered, Yanghwi abruptly halted. Today, rather than the familiar attendant they had befriended, an unfamiliar young maiden was tending to the seating.
“Are you acquaintances of Brother Wang Pal? Welcome. Brother Pal is unwell today and taking a rest.”
A maiden appearing no older than fifteen bowed respectfully toward Yanghwi. Given that tavern work was almost universally assigned to young boys, the situation stood out as rather peculiar…
Wait.
The instant that thought flickered through his mind, an epiphany hit Yanghwi like a bolt of lightning.
Ha, the devotions paid off after all.
Yanghwi was blessed with an extraordinary perception of internal energy that could only be labeled peerless under heaven. He could deduce an expert’s internal cultivation purely from the most minute traces of breath escaping their dantian. Beyond even that, he possessed the rare gift to detect the fundamental life force coursing through every living entity.
Yet radiating from this young girl, not a single trace of qi could be felt.
That impossible void pointed to a singular, undeniable reality.
No wonder asking around and scouring for traces never had a chance of succeeding.
The explanation was painfully obvious: the outward persona they had constructed in their minds had been entirely flawed from the very beginning.
They always say in the martial world to beware women, the elderly, and children.
An awe-inspiring entity embodying all three warnings simultaneously—an absolute sovereign who had achieved rejuvenation—stood directly before him.
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