328 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

Geomun – 4 "Your pace is slow." Mojiyakjo. How are the clues given by the Master of Mamun related to Im Hayeon's situation? Geomun Master, while nonchalantly observing the Master of Simun, couldn't suppress his curiosity. "If you were going to provide an emotional revelation, you should have invited me in a flower palanquin carried by courtesans. It’s too much for a person who's forgotten his age and running around with sweaty feet. I've shared pricey information for free." "... Come visit the gisaeng house when you have time next." "Haha. Will you be hosting personally...? Alright, alright! I won’t say anything more." As Geomun Master furrowed his brows, the Master of Simun waved his arms, as if drained of spirit, and spoke. They seem to be closer than I thought. "Why is that damn Mojiyakjo coming up again after ten years?" Geomun Master, still with a frown, inquired of the Master of Simun. "That damn promise has stirred up another messy affair." "That can't be possible." "To attempt the impossible, one must be mad." What are they talking about? I can't keep up with the tempo of the conversation. "Um... What exactly is this Mojiyakjo?" I carefully asked the Master of Simun for an explanation. "Where should I begin? Do you know what Moji is?" "I know Moji. It's where the Haomun Lord is located, right?" "Correct. Mojiyakjo is a promise made by the Haomun Lord to the Masters at Moji." "A promise from the Haomun Lord?" What on earth is Mojiyakjo? What could it be that tormented Im Hayeon and led to the massacre of the courtesans at the gyo-bang? The identity of Mojiyakjo, revealed by the Master of Simun, was unexpected. "It is Mangju. It's the right to become the disciple of the Haomun Lord and a position that allows one to reign as the leader of the Masters. It is a promise regarding the Mangju position." ———- "Have you ever found it odd that while there is a branch head in the branch office, in Wuhan, which should oversee the entire Hubei province Haomun, there is no branch head but only a Master?" Before I could digest the information about Mangju, the Master of Simun immediately questioned me. "I assumed it was because the influence was so vast, that it had to be managed by splitting it." One cannot oversee the courtesans, gamblers, coachmen, and innkeepers of Hubei province alone, so I thought it was managed by several Masters under a sort of oligarchic system. "Originally, above the Masters, there was the Mangju." Geomun Master cleared the ash from within his pipe and spoke to me. "Yes, just as Geomun Master said, there used to be a position called Mangju reigning above the Masters, like the branch head in each city. The Masters had to completely obey Mangju, and Mangju was a position where all the information and authority of Haomun were centralized." "Why doesn’t that position exist now then?" "What do you know about how someone becomes a Master in Haomun?" "I understand that if someone, like Master Simun, rises to prominence through exemplary achievement, they are elected." Haomun is an assembly of lives lived in lower society. Simply having a high level of martial prowess doesn’t make one a Master. An assortment of former Masters’ influence, reputation, standing within Haomun, and capability within one’s field is evaluated to become a Master. "Exactly. Be it Mamun or Geomun, when a former Master retires, whoever is most outstanding in their field is elected Master. But Mangju was different." "In what way?" "It was a seat occupied by the disciples of the Haomun Lord. Isn’t it ridiculous? Having struggled for decades to achieve the position of Master, they had to bow down to even a finger flick from a young boy." "Resentment was inevitable then." It would be like an employee who devoted his life to a company finally making it to executive director, only to be bossed around by the chairman's young child. "Exactly. So ten years ago, Masters who harbored dissatisfaction gathered and staged a revolt." "I’ve heard a bit about it." "The number of experts was greater on the Haomun Lord’s side, but there were many holding grievances. After a drawn-out civil war, eventually, the Haomun Lord resorted to a trick." "Are you referring to Mojiyakjo?" "Right. If someone receives the agreement of four out of the five Masters, they could ascend to the position of Mangju. Furthermore, one elected to Mangju is given the right to become a disciple of the Haomun Lord. That’s Mojiyakjo." A Haomun Lord's disciple can become Mangju, and someone who ascends to Mangju can become the Haomun Lord's disciple. It seemed like a good deal to pacify the rebel forces. "How is that a trick? Didn’t it happen as they wished?" Granting the right to even become the next Haomun Lord seems like a significant concession from the Haomun Lord. "If only one could receive agreement, then a Master could ascend to Mangju." "No way..." Too much privilege sometimes leads to complications. "The rebellious factions began fighting amongst themselves. This included here in Hubei province." So it was. "Can I ask what happened?" The Master of Simun shifted his gaze towards Geomun Master as if wanting him to provide the answer. Does he mean Geomun Master can offer a clearer explanation? With that, the Master of Simun, along with a cloud of smoke, opened his mouth. "Sigh. An old widow embraced her greed. The former Geomun Master wished to become Mangju." So Geomun was the leader of the rebellious faction. "The Master of Mamun lost his son and grandson taken hostage during the fight, and I stood my ground until my wife died from poisoning. The former Domun Master was watching the situation and joined sides." Though the Master of Simun recounted this with nonchalance, a fleeting sorrow brushed past his eyes. "..." Truly, Haomun has its notorious ways. They show no hesitation in kidnapping, murder, poisonings, and crime. "While an old widow was chasing the whereabouts of other Masters who vanished, she rallied the internal forces of Haomun and subdued the former Geomun Master." "I smashed that foolish skull myself." Geomun Master, only raising one corner of his mouth as if it were amusing, swung his pipe, appearing a bit intimidating. So, did Geomun Master carry out the succession of the Master’s position 10 years ago? "But how does this relate to Im Hayeon?" I understand the background of Mojiyakjo and the rebellion from ten years ago. However, it doesn’t seem particularly connected to Im Hayeon and Domun’s affairs? The Master of Simun shrugged at me and continued his explanation. “Since then, it became commonplace for Masters to clash with one another. For instance, I know that Kang Yunho is the illegitimate child of the Dang family head, but the other Masters remain unaware until I choose to disclose it. We hide information from one another. This prompted the Haomun Lord to implement an additional measure.” “Since having a Mangju would make supervision easier for Haomun Lord, he attached another clause. If a majority of branch heads, not Masters, agree, they can recommend someone for the Mangju position,” added Geomun Master. Wait, branch heads? Before the attack, wasn’t the branch head of the Wusan Haomun under Geomun’s allegiance? If that's the case... “If Domun Master is aiming for the Mangju seat, the attack on Wusan could have been to facilitate a branch head replacement.” A means to secure a majority, perhaps through physical dissuasion. This explanation makes sense of the situation. “That’s odd. Recently, many branch heads have shifted to Domun, but they haven't reached a majority,” Geomun Master concurred before looking at the Master of Simun. “I've acquired information from Mamun. Domun has been carefully coaxing branch heads from other allegiances for quite a while. It seems they've recently secured a majority.” “…They’ve managed to pull off such deeds unnoticed,” Geomun Master scoffed incredulously. “So, they tried to silence Im Hayeon to avoid exposing Domun’s attempt to ascend to the Mangju position.” There's a saying that power is like a drug; once tasted, one will chase it relentlessly until death. In Hubei’s Haomun, absolute power is held by the Mangju. With a majority, one could become the Mangju, who commands the Masters with a flick of a finger and possibly ascends to be the next Haomun Lord. It was perhaps a madness worth pursuing for Domun Master. "…. " Why is the atmosphere so uneasy? Wouldn't this be a massive crisis for the Masters with a potential Mangju being established above them now? “Is there something I’m missing?” “A Mangju can’t be established with just the branch heads’ consent,” the Master of Simun shook his head. “Didn't you say they can be recommended if they secure a majority?” “They can only be recommended for Mangju; getting the Masters' approval remains necessary. Even with a majority, it’s treated as only two votes. Each Master can vote for themselves, which counts as one vote. But how will they secure the remaining vote?” “They could persuade someone…” “Mamun, Simun, Geomun. All of us were present during the takedown of the former Geomun Master's tyranny ten years ago. Every one of us shudders at the thought of a Mangju. Who would nod in agreement?” Just like a bill approved by the House must pass the Senate to take effect. How many branch heads are replaced in internal strife wasn’t of much concern to the Masters. No one supported the Mangju seat from the start anyway. “It’s incomprehensible. While we understand the rash actions of a madman chasing a seat they can never hold, to slaughter one’s own sect members for it?” Unable to rein in his anger, Geomun Master bit down on his pipe again, frustration still clear on his face. "Mamun Master said he’d never back such madness." “At least knowing the full story now is a relief, isn’t it….” A slight sense of relief filled the room with Geomun Master’s smoking tobacco. Even if it’s a mad foal, it can be controlled as long as it wreaks havoc within its pen. Without the other Masters’ approval, Domun Master cannot become Mangju. Is everyone assuming nothing more will escalate? Is that really the case? Something doesn’t feel right. Would someone really commit atrocities against their sect without any solid plan? No matter how tempting power might be, it seems irrational, even in the murky waters of the underworld. An individual might succumb to madness, but a collective must do so logically. There’s something we’re missing. “May I ask one more question?” I decided to probe with a hint of suspicion, turning towards the Master of Simun. “Go ahead.” “Why five?” “Hmm?” “Geomun, Simun, Domun, Mamun. Aren’t there four Masters and not five?” Currently, there are four Masters in Wuhan's Haomun. So why does it require four out of five Masters’ votes? “Didn't I just tell you? There’s another Master who disappeared.” “Disappeared, you say?” “This person went into hiding but never declared retirement nor was succeeded by a new Master. So, technically, they still hold their position.” “Who might that be?” This feels oddly familiar. A memory tucked away now surfaces. "The leader of the thieves." "The leader of the thieves?" "Tumun (偸門). Tumun Master. It's Muyoung Shintu." "……." The old man at the fabric shop. Muyoung Shintu, who vanished ten years ago. Im Hayeon's father. “The legendary thief suddenly vanished ten years ago. That prevented Geomun Master from gathering four votes and becoming Mangju.” I am drawing closer to solving the problem. Calming my racing heart, I knocked on the door of the issue one more time. “Do you two know about Im Hayeon’s parents?” “Hmm? Isn’t she the daughter of a courtesan?” Seeing the puzzled expressions on the faces of the two Masters, I turned to look at Im Hayeon. Were my suspicions correct? It seemed like a mutual understanding. As Im Hayeon met my gaze, she nodded in affirmation, knowing exactly what I was thinking. ‘I had misunderstood the problem.’ Misguided by the intentions of the questioner. All this time, I thought Domun's dogged pursuit of Im Hayeon was merely a perpetrator seeking out a witness. I misunderstood the problem from the beginning; hence, could not find the answer. “What if,” I proposed, “Muyoung Shintu, the Tumun Master, had a daughter…” “Hmm?” The connection between Domun and Im Hayeon wasn’t merely that of a perpetrator and witness. “What if Muyoung Shintu, the Tumun Master, had a daughter, and that child was kidnapped…? Then, would Muyoung Shintu cast a vote?” The relationship wasn’t one of a kidnapper and victim; it was more sinister.