Twisted Fate
After finishing their conversation, the two quickly went to visit Baek Ga-ryeong and Baek Ga-hwan.
After Ryu Seol-hwa explained the entire situation, Mu-jin shared his plan.
“How about using both the carrot and the stick?”
“I’ve never heard that expression before.”
Mu-jin almost showed a surprised expression when Baek Ga-hwan, who was known for his intelligence, said it was a new expression for him.
‘Is the carrot and stick a Western proverb?’
Mu-jin wondered how to explain this, but it turned out Baek Ga-hwan and Baek Ga-ryeong didn’t need an explanation.
“But I think I understand what it means.”
“恩威竝行 (Eun-wi-byeong-haeng).”
Their response left Mu-jin needing to ask a question.
“What does 恩威竝行 mean?”
“It means to show both grace and majesty together.”
“Ah! That’s exactly the approach I was thinking of.”
“If they don’t join the alliance, we pressure them by saying that the Zhongnan Sect will fall due to the alliance between Hwasan Sect and anti-Shaolin forces, while simultaneously promising a sweet future.”
“Exactly, Baek Gong-ja. If they join the alliance, we could promise to give all the wealth and privileges of the Hwasan Sect to the Zhongnan Sect once we win the war.”
“Though it’s a common wartime strategy, it is effective. After defeating the enemy, we split the spoils together.”
Seeing the two exchange ideas so quickly as if they had planned it beforehand, Ryu Seol-hwa was amazed.
The idea of using both appeasement and hardline tactics wasn’t extraordinary to her; it was a common method used by merchants.
But coming up with a solution immediately after hearing the situation wasn’t easy.
‘How did they think of the same solution as Mu-jin right after hearing the explanation?’
It wasn’t an easy feat to come up with such an idea so quickly.
But most surprising was:
‘How did Mu-jin find such people?’
It was incredible that Mu-jin found such talents hidden in obscurity.
The famous Liu Bei went to recruit Kongming three times, but at least Zhuge Liang was somewhat known as “the sleeping dragon.”
But her amazement was a bit premature.
“Inadequate. Predictable.”
“It does seem like the other side might anticipate such a move, as Ga-ryeong said.”
Before Mu-jin could even praise his plan, they pointed out its flaws.
“Hmm. They might anticipate it, but what could Hwasan do about it?”
“They might offer a sweet bait just like us. They could form an alliance with those nearby to secure their rear, defeat the Shaolin side together, and split the gains.”
“Would Zhongnan, who doesn’t get along well with Hwasan, believe that?”
“Even if they don’t trust it, they might still be swayed by greed.”
“What do you mean?”
“After defeating the Shaolin side and splitting the gains, they might consider turning against each other.”
“Ah…”
While Mu-jin was exclaiming in admiration, Baek Ga-ryeong and Baek Ga-hwan continued speaking.
“機不可設 (Gi-bul-ga-seol).”
“機不可設 means that we cannot create the enemy’s actions at will. People’s psychology is so varied that if Zhongnan people are greedy or Hwasan’s temptation is strong, they might fall for it.”
“What do you suggest then?”
“It would be good to add a scheme to Mu-jin’s plan.”
“A scheme?”
“Yes. Ideally, a scheme that makes them mortal enemies, or at least makes them distrust each other. That way, even if Zhongnan joins their side, they would keep forces at Zhongnan Mountain out of distrust.”
After hearing Baek Ga-hwan’s explanation, Mu-jin fell into thought.
‘A half-hearted scheme won’t be helpful.’
Even if Zhongnan and Hwasan distrust each other, if Zhongnan joins the other side, it would be a failure for Mu-jin.
Mu-jin’s true enemy wasn’t the anti-Shaolin alliance but the shadowy forces behind them.
He didn’t want to see Shaolin warriors dying like puppets fighting against orthodox martial artists.
So what he needed was clear.
‘A bait that would turn Hwasan and Zhongnan into mortal enemies…’
In the original story, Zhongnan and Hwasan were destined to be mortal enemies a few years later.
For now, they were just unpleasant neighbors, but in a few years, Hwasan would plunder Zhongnan’s treasures and kill their disciples, becoming ruthless bandits.
‘Telling them this would happen in the future wouldn’t work… Wait? Such future events wouldn’t happen without some signs, right?’
As Mu-jin thought this far, his mind began retrieving deeply buried memories.
The event that marked the beginning of Zhongnan’s downfall. And later revealed to be a scheme by Hwasan and the shadowy forces.
It might not have happened yet, but…
‘Wouldn’t they already be preparing for it by now?’
If he could just find that evidence!
“Seol-hwa Shiju-nim, could you investigate the Mansang Gate in Shaanxi Province?”
“Mansang Gate?”
“Yes. There might be copies of Zhongnan Sword Manuals.”
“Zhongnan Sword Manuals? What are they?”
“They are manuals that describe the features and vulnerabilities of Zhongnan Sect’s sword techniques.”
“!!!”
Martial arts are the foundation of a sect.
Manuals detailing the techniques and their weaknesses exist solely to annihilate the sect.
While true masters transcend specific techniques, the number of such experts is limited even in renowned sects.
Naturally, from a certain point, Zhongnan disciples started dying rapidly in battles.
Later, it was revealed that these manuals were distributed by Mansang Gate, and Zhongnan Sect destroyed them, but by then, the manuals were too widespread.
The Hwasan Sect dealt the final blow to the already weakening Zhongnan Sect.
It was later revealed that Hwasan and the shadowy forces had been analyzing Zhongnan’s techniques and creating those manuals together.
Mansang Gate was also a subordinate of the shadowy forces.
“Does that manual have anything to do with Hwasan Sect?”
“Specifically, it’s related to Hwasan and the shadowy forces I mentioned before.”
“Then, just finding that manual through Mansang Gate is as good as securing Zhongnan Sect in our alliance!”
Baek Ga-hwan exclaimed in amazement but then realized something and asked Mu-jin.
“But how do you know such a great secret, Mu-jin Sunim?”
Mu-jin, quickly thinking on his feet, came up with a reasonable answer.
“I discovered it in a confidential document while tracking their traces in Guangxi Province.”
Everyone knew about the havoc he caused in Guangxi, so this explanation would be believable.
‘I should use this more often.’
This was indeed a lifesaver for Mu-jin, who had been struggling to explain the information he knew from the novel.
* * *
About two months after Mu-jin began muscle rehabilitation.
“Are you leaving now?”
Ryu Seol-hwa asked Mu-jin, who was preparing to depart.
“My preparations aren’t perfect, but I can’t delay any longer, so I must leave now.”
He had spent fifteen days unconscious and another month lying down for treatment.
He lost a significant amount of muscle mass from not exercising and barely eating for a month and a half.
It was nearly impossible to regain all the muscle mass in just two months, but his body remembered enough to partially recover.
‘I’ll have to compensate for the lack of strength with the internal energy I’ve gained.’
As Mu-jin thought this, Ryu Seol-hwa spoke to him.
“Then I must prepare to return to Henan Province. With the negotiations with Zhongnan Sect nearing completion, I’ll go with Miss Baek and Baek Gong-ja.”
After Mu-jin provided the information, Cheonryu Sangdan managed to find the Zhongnan Sword Manuals at Mansang Gate in a month and a half.
The efforts of Baek Ga-hwan and Baek Ga-ryeong were significant.
They analyzed the opponent’s moves based on reports from people on the ground and freely applied both hardline and appeasement tactics to Zhongnan Sect while pulling a tug-of-war with Hwasan Sect.
But half of this was a deception to attract the enemy’s attention while investigating Mansang Gate and employing the strategy of attacking in different directions.
Additionally, they used complex tactics to retrieve the Zhongnan Sword Manuals from Mansang Gate.
‘I’m glad I found Baek Ga-hwan and Baek Ga-ryeong.’
Without them, Mu-jin would have had to run around Shaanxi himself.
If that had happened, his plans might have been delayed, causing problems.
But this success wasn’t solely due to those two.
“Thank you for your hard work. Without you, Seol-hwa Shiju-nim, it wouldn’t have been resolved so easily.”
Ryu Seol-hwa was the second most instrumental person after them.
She managed the flow of information between the field, Baek Ga-ryeong, and Baek Ga-hwan, ensuring swift communication.
In fact, without Cheonryu Sangdan’s information network and financial power, none of this would have been possible.
As Mu-jin and the leader of Cheonryu Sangdan expressed their gratitude, Ryu Seol-hwa smiled softly and replied.
“I should introduce Miss Baek and Baek Gong-ja to my father and the elders of each sect. They all think I’m a genius, believing I came up with everything.”
Mu-jin smiled lightly at her final joke before parting.
He knew she received such misunderstandings to keep Mu-jin’s presence hidden
even from the Shaolin side.
“I’ll finish one last task and then head back to Henan Province.”
Mu-jin had multiple tasks planned when he left Shaolin.
Like visiting Baek Yangmun and several strongholds of the shadowy forces mentioned in the novel.
Places where children were brainwashed and taught martial arts, places like Paedobang where children were kidnapped, and places like Bukpoong Escort Agency used for storing and transporting items.
His plan was to raid such places, but his injuries cost him nearly four months, so he intended to finish the last task he had postponed.
As Mu-jin thought of the unfinished tasks, he suddenly remembered something and asked Ryu Seol-hwa.
“Oh, and has there been any message from Jegal Family?”
“Jegal Family? Do you mean Jegal Jin-hee’s letter?”
“Yes.”
“There hasn’t been any. And since the Jegal Family has openly sided against us, it would be difficult for her to send a letter, wouldn’t it?”
“It might be difficult, but if her letter arrives, it could be an opportunity to bring the Jegal Family to our side.”
If Jegal Jin-hee were alive, it would mean the Jegal Family hadn’t yet fallen to the shadowy forces.
In other words, the Jegal Family stood against Shaolin and Wudang only due to past grudges, not because of the shadowy forces.
With the shadowy forces already a formidable opponent, it would be advantageous to ally with such families if possible.
But this was from Mu-jin’s perspective, knowing the future from the novel. Ryu Seol-hwa seemed less convinced.
Understanding Mu-jin’s request, Ryu Seol-hwa agreed.
“Understood. If Jegal Jin-hee’s letter arrives, I’ll make sure to get it to you immediately. But shouldn’t I know where you’re going first?”
When Ryu Seol-hwa asked about his destination, Mu-jin answered with a faint smile.
“It’s a place called Cheon Seom Moon in Gojang-hyeon, Hubei Province.”
Mu-jin’s final task was to change Dao Yuetian’s future.
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