Chương 13: Confession

"You are proposing we use my successor as bait." Kang Hyeon-je's voice was calm, his expression unreadable. Chae-ha kept her head lowered and her arms raised in a deep, deferential bow as she responded.

"Sect Leader, your direct disciple is the target of an assassination contract. Remaining within the sect did not protect him last time, and it is only a matter of time until they try again. Forcing the next attempt to happen on our own terms is the safest option for him."

"So, you ask to have him accompany you to Yangliu – in order to deliberately give the Hundred Ghost Pavilion an opening."

"Yes, Sect Leader. The services of all three suspects will be needed when initially outfitting the convoy. We will provide each of them with a modified passenger manifest, showing the young master in three different locations. But in reality, all of the marked wagons will just have a pair of guards inside…and your successor will be in the safest place possible. Seated directly next to Elder Ma." Chae-ha raised her head slightly as she continued.

"When the assassins strike, where they attack within the convoy will confirm the identity of the traitor. And afterwards, we will send a bird to the Obsidian Palace with the results."

"I ordered you to bring me a confession before you left. This plan does not achieve the goal I set you."

"It does not, Sect Leader. But this plan provides iron-clad proof – and has the additional merit of proactively dealing with the next assassination attempt. I believe it is better to use this as an opportunity to lure out the Ghosts, rather than to arrest a suspect today and be left wondering when the next strike might happen."

"And you, Mu-cheon? Do you agree with this absurdity?" The young man squared his shoulders.

"Yes, Sect Leader. Although I don't agree that it is absurd. I'm happy to play my part." A cold smile spread across Hyeon-je's face as he stood, the man's mountainous form making the spacious study seem somehow small. His voice echoed through the room once more.

"Well done, Inspector. Your plan is approved. You may both leave now. Mun-su, my friend – please remain behind." Once Chae-ha and Mu-cheon had left, Hyeon-je turned to Elder Gwak.

"I ordered your subordinate to bring me a confession before she left. Instead, she brought me a plan that goes outside of that timeline – while addressing an issue I did not ask her to resolve." The Archive Elder bowed deeply.

"I apologize for her insubordination, Sect Leader."

"She was something far worse than 'insubordinate.' She was correct. Her plan is better than one that followed my timeline would have been." Hyeon-je paced as he spoke, before turning to look directly at the old man.

"I am beginning to realize that her mind is an asset this sect cannot afford to lose. As a civilian, it is too easy for her to leave – or be poached by another group. If the girl succeeds with this plan and acquits herself well in Yangliu – as I suspect she will – I would like you to take her as a direct disciple."

"Doing that will encourage the boy," Elder Gwak murmured, although his heart beat faster at the suggestion. Outwardly, he continued to project an aura of total calm and detachment. The Sect Leader waved his hand dismissively.

"As long as he doesn't do anything that would endanger his marriage to the Cheok family, it doesn't matter – even if people whisper. He can eventually take the girl as a consort, or not, as is his preference. Either way, Mu-cheon will make for a stronger leader with a hero for a wife and a skilled strategist as his shadow." The Archive Elder placed his hands in his sleeves, raised his arms respectfully, and bowed.

"As you command, Sect Leader."

"Then upon her return, let her become a disciple once more. Give her a name and a house to replace the one that was dissolved. Restore her honor, and in so doing, bind her to us forever." That afternoon, Mu-cheon was already waiting in the secluded courtyard when Chae-ha arrived for their practice session. In his hand was a wooden training sword, a recent addition to their routine that had proven much more difficult for the young girl to avoid.

And to make things even more unfair for her, the martial prodigy had been starting to see through her illusions. Today, however, she was supposed to be showing off some new tricks. Chae-ha had insisted that if he was able to see through her illusions, it just meant they weren't good enough yet. And she was probably right; there was surely still plenty of room for her techniques to improve. Mu-cheon smiled warmly as he saw her approach.

The young girl was carrying a bulky bundle of cloth, which she set down once she reached the edge of the courtyard. The Inner Disciple called out to her.

"So, how about it? Did you finish your seventh step yet, little sister?" Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Chae-ha smiled back.

"Why don't you try me, and find out?" The young girl stepped aggressively towards him. The foot positioning she chose was identical to one she had been using before, perfectly disguising a changed hip motion. Mu-cheon went for a wide swing, but her swivel drew her away from the strike and then back in, following behind the blade. She flicked her wrist towards his upper arm, mentally trying to match the location of the radial nerve to an imaginary needle.

Unfortunately for her, Mu-cheon had learned to expect his swings to miss. Rather than being pulled off balance by the lack of resistance, he carefully controlled the recoil and used it to spin away from her. He could see Chae-ha fall into the beginning of her fourth step in response, a pattern he knew led to a safe retreat.

"Very nice," the young man remarked.

"I thought for sure that was the third step. Your new seventh one looks just like it."

"That wasn't the seventh step," the young girl replied, still moving.

"It was the ninth." The expected retreat never materialized. Mu-cheon was shocked to find her somehow gliding past his side. Chae-ha had used his own knowledge of her steps to deceive him, by creating a new forward-moving step that began with the same initial motion. He quickly pulled the hilt of his training sword across his body to shield his vulnerable arm, only to see her change levels and aim at his leg. The young man reflexively pulled his knee up and away in an attempt to dodge the imaginary needle.

Almost simultaneously, Mu-cheon dropped the pommel of his training sword to try and strike at her exposed back. Of course, by the time the blow actually arrived, she was no longer there. The pommel missed its target, swinging through empty air and dragging the blade down with it. The Inner Disciple fought to alter the angle of his wrist, barely managing to change the trajectory of the swing to horizontal at the last moment.

As Chae-ha spun gracefully away, her momentum carried her ribs directly into the adjusted path of the practice sword. Mu-cheon winced at the loud thunk that echoed through the courtyard before she plopped herself down on the ground.

"Ouch." The Young Master ran over to her, concern evident on his face.

"Are you okay, little sister?"

"I'm more than okay," Chae-ha responded, grinning up at him.

"Did you see that? I had you totally fooled, senior brother!" Mu-cheon smiled back in relief, and the two training partners agreed to a short break to give her a chance to recover. Chae-ha's stamina had been slowly improving, and the short spar didn't seem to have badly winded her. After a few breaths, she stood up, walked to the edge of the courtyard, and retrieved a few of the fabric samples she'd brought with her. The young girl held up a pair of mottled silk sheets stitched together with fine thread.

"Can you tug on one end of this while I hold the other one? I need to see which of these stay connected, and which ones break." The Inner Disciple shrugged and gave the closer piece of fabric a sharp tug. Both sections came tumbling out of her hand, still connected to each other. They repeated the process with the other samples, and Chae-ha made notes about which ones tore and which ones held. Mu-cheon didn't really understand what this was for, but he didn't really care that much, either.

Something else was on his mind. The young man fidgeted with his sword for a moment before deciding that this was the time to finally tell her, choosing to act before his courage faltered.

"The Sect Leader…my father…is sending matchmakers to the Cheok family. Cheok Yeong-ji is apparently a talented martial artist, and negotiations for our engagement are set to begin next month." Mu-cheon looked away as he spoke, unable to meet her eyes and feeling terrified of her response.

"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner." Chae-ha snorted.

"Really?! That's the best news I've heard all month. Our forces are facing odds of nearly two to one in the Laiwu valley; we've been losing ground there almost daily. Support from a professional military family could help turn the tides." Mu-cheon's head whipped around in disbelief.

"You're not…upset?"

"Upset? Senior brother, you're talking about potentially securing us a major alliance. This could change the course of the entire war!"

"I'm talking about my life, Chae-ha. My future. Don't you care for me at all?" A look of bewilderment crossed the young girl's face.

"Of course I care. That's why I'm telling you to marry her. The Cheok family represents two thousand soldiers. Real, professional soldiers! It changes the math of the entire engagement." The young man slammed the tip of his wooden training sword into the stone tile beneath him in frustration, sending splintered chips of white oak scattering across the courtyard.

"I never cared about the math!" he barked, the sound echoing off the courtyard walls.

"I thought that we…that you…" Mu-cheon choked a little on the words, the end of his broken practice sword trembling against the stone as he looked down in despair.

"I thought that maybe there was something between us." Chae-ha's face slowly fell, her excitement crumbling before a growing storm of complex emotions.

"I see," she whispered after a moment, also choosing to look at the ground.

"That makes sense. You're the direct disciple of the Sect Leader, and his named successor. I'm…nothing. Less than nothing. I've sometimes wondered why you've been so willing to help me. I guess romantic interest does explain it."

"That's not…I didn't…" Mu-cheon took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"It doesn't matter who I am. And you're not nothing, Chae-ha. You're an amazing person."

"No," the young girl replied softly, "I'm not. I have no house, no family, no meridians, and no future. I have exactly one friend, and I've somehow managed to misunderstand and offend him." Her lip quivered slightly as she continued.

"Even worse, I just take and take and take from him. I steal his time, abuse his generosity, and even use him as bait – all while driving myself ever deeper into his debt. A debt I've always known I will probably never be able to repay. I am a horrible person, Mu-cheon. A horrible person who's not…fit for a prince."

"How can you say that? How can you not see all the value you've brought to the sect? To me? You saved my life!" She shook her head vigorously in response.

"I haven't saved anything. All I've done is delay the inevitable. Your life is still in danger; the assassination contract is still there, and more Ghosts will be coming to claim it. Even if the plan I came up with works, nothing really changes." Chae-ha looked directly into his eyes before continuing, her carefully crafted mask beginning to crumble.

"Not only is my worth as a person not much, it is literally negative. I owe three blood debts, any one of which dwarfs whatever positive contributions I've made. I am a debtor, senior brother. That is who – and what, and all – I am. An empty vessel, purchased on credit." Mu-cheon grabbed her shoulders and shook her, as if trying to wake her up and bring her back to reality.

"You are so much more than that! You are clever, resourceful, and beautiful. You routinely make the impossible seem ordinary. You do things that no one else can!" The young man closed his eyes in final desperation.

"Why can't you understand my feelings?!"

"I owe you so much, senior brother," Chae-ha whispered, a crooked smile on her face beneath eyes that had gone dead.

"If you desire my body, you can have it. It's a pittance, compared to what you've given me. But I'm sorry, Mu-cheon," she said, tears beginning to stream down her face.

"I can't give you my heart." The young girl's voice broke as she told him the reason.

"I have no heart left to give."