Ch 362 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

Two Paths - 2 "They mentioned that the leaders of Hubei Province were instructed to gather in ten days." Upon hearing the intriguing news from Gi Mon, Ha Yeon and I promptly sought an audience with the Leader of Gi Mon. "Gather?" Ha Yeon, officially in hiding at Gi Mon, seemed as bewildered as I was since the news from Tu Mon is usually relayed through Gi Mon. "I understand there's a ceremony held when a new leader is inaugurated at Tu Mon. Perhaps they're gathering for that." "Are you saying there's more to do?" Banditry, sending warning letters, being a phantom thief, and even robbing corrupt officials to their cores—is there truly more left to accomplish? "I've heard it's a formal introduction of the new leader to the members of Tu Mon. I don’t know about Tu Mon, but in Ma Mon, the new leader takes the predecessor on a carriage ride through Wuchang." "It sounds like some sort of coronation." So it’s like a gathering among thieves. "Yes, it's fitting to view it as such. And once the ceremony concludes, they become the leader." "Is it confirmed...?" I asked with a tone that lacked certainty. Just how impressive does the Shadow Phantom have to be before recognizing them as the leader of Tu Mon? After countless days and nights of planning and leaping over walls, not hearing back has been utterly frustrating. It felt like walking through an endless tunnel, wondering if it was too early to hold hope for the flickering light seen in the distance. "You both have worked hard." The Leader of Gi Mon acknowledged us with a proud gaze. Really? Is Ha Yeon truly becoming the leader of Tu Mon? "Finally! Ha Yeon! It's all over now." With a wide smile, I clasped Ha Yeon's shoulders. "You... really... we're really..." Don't cry. Even Ha Yeon, finding it unbelievable, seemed on the verge of tears. "Whew. It's too early to rejoice. There's still a problem." The Leader of Gi Mon dampened the heated atmosphere, exhaling smoke from his pipe. Of course, there wouldn’t be no issues. "Is it Do Mon?" "The rumors of a new leader are already widely spread. Even the Leader of Do Mon must know." "And they must suspect that the Shadow Phantom is Ha Yeon?" "They can't be certain." "What? Didn’t Tu Mon announce it?" When announcing the appointment of our leader, isn't a brief introduction of their credentials standard? "If thieves do not keep secrets, why belong to the same order?" That’s true. Revealing one’s identity would indeed hinder business. "Does Do Mon not have an accurate grasp of the new leader of Tu Mon?" "The only confirmed information is that the Grand Thief Shadow Phantom has been recommended as the new leader." "If we can just endure until then, everything will be resolved." Just ten days. I feel like telling the Leader of Do Mon to wait quietly for ten nights until I return. The problem is that the Leader of Do Mon is not the type to sit idly by. "A gathering of the Hubei Province Ha Om Mon leaders is scheduled. In 8 days. Two days before the inauguration ceremony of the leader of Tu Mon." As expected, the final hurdle remained. ————— "When you say a gathering of leaders?" To calm the exhilarated atmosphere, I took a sip of the tea the courtesan provided and asked. "It's a meeting held when the selection of a new leader is almost confirmed. It’s meant to commemorate the outgoing leader and celebrate the birth of the new one." "Is it a meeting Ha Yeon must attend?" Was this a mandatory welcome party for all new recruits? "That's the purpose." So it is. "Can’t we just claim to be busy and postpone the meeting? Meeting after Ha Yeon becomes the leader works just fine." Forcing a company-wide celebration is outdated. Have separate team gatherings. Let Tu Mon’s team meet separately. I’ll cover the first round at Un Gi Tavern. Leave after one round if you want. I’ll even cover the carriage fare. If we’re entering a new era, gatherings should adapt accordingly. "When I had to personally dismantle the former order of Gi Mon and rebuild all of Hubei’s Gi Mon, I still had to attend." "No exceptions, huh." "That's how ceremonies are. Irrational as they may be, you follow them." So, Ha Om Mon is a black company. Seems like joining a just sect is necessary for decent benefits. "With the three leaders, can't you create a new rationality?" "We’ve already suggested postponing it. The Leader of Do Mon disagreed." "Even with equal authority, can’t the opinion of one leader be overruled by the others?" "There are external martial artists from Do Mon moving toward Wuchang." News I didn’t want to hear. "Are we heading for a civil war?" "Who knows what that mad horse might do. He must suspect who the Shadow Phantom truly is." The Leader of Do Mon isn’t entirely sure that Ha Yeon is the new leader of Tu Mon. However, he doesn’t seem like the idle type who does nothing without certainty. "If Ha Yeon appears at the gathering, he’ll take action, won’t he?" Even by force, he’ll try to capture Ha Yeon, and all our efforts thus far would be wasted. "The same holds if she doesn’t appear. It would seem we’re acknowledging it." If it’s not Ha Yeon, there'd be no reason to refuse the meeting. It’s a deadlock whether we attend or not. "If I appear at the meeting, they’ll try to capture me." Ha Yeon, realizing how the situation is unfolding, wore a troubled expression. "If things go awry, blood will inevitably be shed. With 60% of the Hubei Ha Om Mon supporting Do Mon, we must prepare for that." It might appear to be a one-sided struggle of three against one, but in reality, the Leader of Do Mon could dominate the strength of all three. A dilemma indeed. It's like finally seeing the marathon's finish line, only to find a madman rushing in at the finish line runner. The Leader of Do Mon, just give it up already. You've tried every possible trick, and now it's time to concede. Just stop at faking the Shadow Phantom... Wait a moment. "What about a fake Shadow Phantom?" An idea suddenly came to mind, and I proposed it to the Leader of Gi Mon. "A fake Shadow Phantom?" "More accurately, it's presenting a proxy for the Shadow Phantom. There won't be any outsiders at the leaders' gathering. If you three pretend not to notice, we could deceive the Leader of Do Mon." As the saying goes, if three people insist there's a tiger, anyone would believe there's a tiger. If all three leaders claim a fake is the Shadow Phantom, the Leader of Do Mon can easily be fooled. "It's a good idea, but the representatives at Tu Mon will likely oppose. Isn’t this supposed to introduce the leader of Tu Mon?" I thought only the leaders would be present. Should I give up? No, even the Leader of Gi Mon acknowledged it's a good method. There’s just one hurdle to overcome—a way to override Tu Mon's representatives’ objections. What could it be? Aha. "What if we say it's the wish of the leader of Tu Mon?" There’s a way to override the opinions of Tu Mon. "What do you mean by that?" "I’ll step in. As Ha Yeon's proxy." I revealed a black coin from my pocket as I spoke. The symbol of the Shadow Phantom’s decree. The Black Coin. ————————————————— "You? You would be the proxy for that child?" "You're saying you'll take the stand?" I nodded in response to their surprised faces. "I am the current Shadow Phantom's proxy of Tu Mon. There is no one in Hubei who represents the leader of Tu Mon more than I do." I can do it. The leader of Tu Mon has granted permission. They told me to pretend to be the Shadow Phantom for a day. What, evidence? Doubting my words as the proxy is akin to ignoring the word of the Tu Mon leader. What's your name? I’m the retiring leader's proxy and the new leader's lover. "Remarkable... But the Black Coin alone won't be enough to convince Tu Mon that you're the proxy." The leaders might easily trust due to their relationship with Ha Yeon, but Tu Mon’s people will be different. If I claimed to be the current leader's proxy, it would surely take significant effort to convince them. Unless, of course, there was undeniable proof everyone could agree on. "I have learned the Shadow Spirit Technique. It's a martial art exclusive to the clan." No clan would teach their unique martial arts to outsiders. Especially not the Shadow Spirit Technique, which is the highest of arts. Only someone as trusted as the leader's proxy would be able to learn it. "You’ve mastered the Shadow Spirit Technique? Is this true?" Even the Leader of Gi Mon was surprised to learn I had trained in the Shadow Spirit Technique, nearly dropping his pipe in disbelief. "Yes, I've mastered it for quite some time. Since Yichang, it should be enough to convince the people of Tu Mon." "Across the central plains, martial arts on par with your father's movement technique are few and far between. The family taught their martial arts to a man. Planning to settle down, were they?" "That..." Under the Leader of Gi Mon’s incredulous gaze, Ha Yeon’s face turned red, unable to lift her eyes. "It's not entirely false to claim I am the Shadow Phantom. In essence, I am the planner behind every escapade, even if Ha Yeon is the one vaulting over walls at night." "Yes, that's right." Ha Yeon nodded, aligning with my point of view. If you consider the shares in achieving the title of Shadow Phantom, I should claim about 30%. If there's a future settlement of rights, I think I could stake a claim to two sets of Ha Yeon's upper and lower shares. No, maybe 30% isn’t enough to claim ownership over all of it. "Both of you are the Shadow Phantom..." "In reality, it takes both of us combined to make the Shadow Phantom, doesn’t it? Right, Ha Yeon?" I asked once more for Ha Yeon’s agreement to reassure the contemplative Leader of Gi Mon. "A combination? Are you seriously saying that in front of the Leader of Gi Mon?!" "Ouch!" A slap, laden with Ha Yeon's embarrassment, landed on my back. That's not what I meant. Haven’t you heard of combining? It means two become one. Wait. Without combining robots, ‘combining’ does only have that one meaning, I guess. "Save your lover’s quarrels for home." "Ha ha, sorry." "We apologize." We bowed our heads at the Leader of Gi Mon’s chilly gaze. “Under the order of the former leader, the proxy of the leader attends the meeting in place of the leader’s lover and ally... It’s a reasonable pretext if there's evidence to back it." While Ha Yeon rubbed my back apologetically for my strange suggestion, the Leader of Gi Mon nodded in understanding. "Then..." "The problem remains: how do you deceive the Leader of Do Mon? He might recognize your face." "It's not unusual for thieves to use disguises, is it?" Maybe just a simple mask will do. "Excessive disguise could arouse suspicion." "We don't need to fool them completely. Just cause enough confusion." In this case, perfection isn't needed. "Just confuse them?" "From now on, it's a race against time. Two days after the leader's meeting—or even one and a half days if the meeting extends past midnight—Ha Yeon will become the leader of Tu Mon." "So long as you can deceive them just enough, that’s what you’re aiming for." I nodded in agreement with the Leader of Gi Mon. "Yes. The Leader of Do Mon will be in thought: ‘Is the true leader of Tu Mon Im Ha Yeon? Or is it a new figure? Can I persuade this leader to join my side? What should I do?’ As this unexpected individual appears, time will pass by while the Leader of Do Mon ponders." Few know I am the proxy of the Shadow Phantom. Should I appear claiming to be the Shadow Phantom, it’ll take time for them to verify the truth. "Two days. We just need to hold out for two days." "And once the moon rises two more times..." I gazed at the prominent moon outside the gisaeng house's window as I spoke. "That child will become the leader." "Yes. Ha Yeon's problem with escaping from the courtesans and the Do Mon leader's machinations will come to an end." The Leader of Gi Mon and I looked ahead, envisioning the future leader of Tu Mon in ten days' time. The cold winter when I first met Ha Yeon has passed, and spring has given way to summer, whose heat is now slowly fading away. Just ten days. After such long days, now only ten remain. For Ha Yeon, the leaders, and myself, it was enough time to muster our final reserves of strength.