Chương 22: Ash and Bile

The morning sun had barely started to peek over the compound's walls when Administrator Seo arrived at the medical suite, a fresh sheen of nervous sweat already glistening on his forehead. In his hands, he clutched yet another stack of requisition forms that he already knew the brutish Young Master was not going to appreciate. The man raised a hesitant knuckle and tapped lightly on the thick oak door.

"Excuse me, Young Master? It's Administrator Seo. I've brought the morning logs, and I just wanted to check on the High El–" The door unexpectedly burst open. Before the administrator could even register what was happening, a huge hand clamped onto his silk robes. He was hoisted off his feet and hauled bodily inside the room. The thick oak doors slammed shut behind him, with the metallic click of the lock sounding as final as a headsman's axe.

The massive hands released him, and the portly man stumbled, dropping his stack of papers across the floorboards. Then he looked up, his lip quivering at what he saw. Mu-cheon towered over him, the Inner Disciple's face twisted into a sneer of pure contempt. His arms were crossed, his posture was hostile, and the oversized sword on his back loomed large in the room.

"You have a lot of nerve showing your face here."

"Y-Young Master, I –""Shut your mouth!" Mu-cheon exclaimed, slamming his fist into the wooden wall right next to the man's head. The entire suite rattled.

"You stinking, leprosy-infected weasel! I'd cut you apart and feed you to the hounds right now, if I didn't think your rancid corpse would poison the dogs!"

"Please!" Administrator Seo whimpered, sliding down the wall until his knees hit the floor.

"I don't understand! What did I do?!"

"What did you do?" a calm voice echoed from the shadows. Chae-ha stepped into the light. The young girl looked completely unbothered by Mu-cheon's explosive rage.

"You loaded two hundred extra-heavy barrels of 'salt' onto Black Ink Consortium wagons in the dead of night. You prepared an extravagant banquet for a Salt and Iron Commissioner who is supposedly arriving to conduct a rigorous audit. And you stamped a manifest that included a gratuitous, explicit payout for an 'Imperial Expediting Fee.'" Administrator Seo's face drained of all color. His eyes went wide while his mouth opened and closed silently, like a fish pulled from the river.

"High Elder Ma woke up last night," Chae-ha continued relentlessly.

"He is drafting a message to the Obsidian Palace as we speak. Smuggling iron and bribing Imperial officials…that isn't just corruption, Administrator. It is treason against the Tai-shan sect."

"No, no, no," the sweaty man babbled, his hands shaking wildly.

"You don't understand –" Mu-cheon grabbed him by the collar again, hauling him halfway up the wall.

"I understand perfectly! When he hears of this, my father is going to order the execution of every single person involved in this rot! You, your wife, your children – three generations of your family, wiped from the earth because of your greed!"

"It wasn't my idea!" Administrator Seo screamed, tears, spittle, and sweat flying about the room as he struggled.

"It was Branch Head Yu! He forced me to do it! If I didn't follow his orders, he would have had me killed! Please, you have to believe me!" Mu-cheon looked back at Chae-ha, feigning hesitation, as he slowly set Seo back down. The young girl stood up and approached the terrified man.

"If that is true, administrator, then there is exactly one way for you to survive this week. You are going to cooperate with our investigation – and help us catch Branch Head Yu."

"Yes! Yes, of course!" Seo nodded frantically, clasping his hands together.

"I'll testify, I'll show you the hidden account books, whatever you want!"

"Good," Mu-cheon sneered, "but I can't trust the promises of a traitor." Before the cowering man could react, the Young Master's hand shot out, his powerful fingers pinching the administrator's jaw and forcing his mouth open. With his other hand, Mu-cheon shoved a small, dark pill into the back of the man's throat, before immediately clamping Seo's mouth shut and tilting his head back. The sound of the administrator's involuntary swallow hung in the air like a death knell.

The portly man gagged, dropping to his hands and knees the moment Mu-cheon released him. He coughed violently. The sensation was vile – a mixture of rancid vinegar, bitter gentian root, and crushed alum that Chae-ha had scraped together that morning. It was harmless, but it tasted like ash and bile.

"What…what did you just give me?!" Seo wheezed, his eyes wide with horror.

"A specialized, slow-acting poison from the High Elder's personal supply," Chae-ha lied.

"It is currently burying itself in your meridians. In three days, your organs will begin to liquefy." The administrator clutched his stomach, hyperventilating.

"Why?! I told you I would help you! Why would you do this to me?!" This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Chae-ha looked down at him with eyes devoid of pity.

"Because we needed to ensure your compliance – and you were a dead man anyways. You have been from the moment you stamped that Consortium manifest." She knelt down so she was at eye level with the weeping administrator. Her voice suddenly lost its sharp edge, softening into something dangerously reasonable.

"But you don't have to die, administrator. If you do exactly as I say, I will give you the antidote. Think about the reality of your situation – Branch Head Yu is finished. His downfall is inevitable. When the dust settles, someone is going to have to step up and take over this compound." Seo's breath caught in his throat. He looked up at her, a desperate glimmer of hope fighting through his terror.

"Help us uproot this corruption," Chae-ha whispered, "and you can do more than just survive. You can become a hero of the sect – the man who exposed a traitor. An obvious candidate for promotion. The alternative, however, is for both you and your legacy to be erased." She stood back up, looking down at the broken, miserable man trembling on the floorboards.

"So tell me, Administrator Seo. Do you want to be a Branch Head – or do you want to be a corpse?" Seo stared at the floor in disbelief. The vile, bitter taste of alum lingered on his tongue, a constant reminder of his mortality. Still quivering, he pressed his forehead against the wood, offering the deepest, most submissive bow of his life.

"Anything. I'll do anything! Just tell me what to do…" Branch Head Yu was completely taken aback when his second-in-command came bursting through the doors of his private study, shaking in horror and throwing himself at his feet.

"It's terrible, sir! We've been found out! The main sect knows!" The Branch Head's face drained of blood, and a shiver worked its way through his body as the words echoed within the quiet room. He stood frozen for a moment, his mind struggling to process the news, before he finally snapped out of it and viciously kicked the sweaty man away from his feet.

"Slow down, you idiot. Take a deep breath, calm yourself, and then tell me exactly what happened." Administrator Seo looked up from the floor, unfeigned hysteria obvious in his eyes.

"It's our own Guard Captain Hwang! No, wait – let me start from the beginning. The High Elder woke up last night! And this morning, when I went to check on him – I saw the Guard Captain entering his room…" The nervous administrator gulped, finally managing to gasp in some air.

"I listened at the door! And I heard him say…I heard the Guard Captain say…" The words trailed off, prompting Yu to follow up, although he was certain he already knew the answer. His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"What exactly did Captain Hwang say?"

"He said he would testify about the entire smuggling operation…in exchange for amnesty from the sect! He was there to cut a deal! Branch Head, sir – what do we do?" The devious man began pacing back and forth, his mind racing. After a few cycles, he paused.

"Wait just a moment," Yu said, an idea dawning.

"Did you get a chance to see the High Elder? What did he look like?" Seo's stomach did a nervous flip. The frightening girl from the medical ward had predicted this exact question. He forced himself to swallow hard and deliver the rehearsed response.

"Yes, they let me in to see him. He was awake – but he still looked very weak. They were trying to hide it, but…I don't think he could walk." A look of grim finality crossed Branch Head Yu's face.

"The Commissioner is coming tomorrow. We need this wrapped up today." He looked at the administrator, ready to give the most consequential orders of his career.

"Ready my personal guard. They're the only ones who can be trusted with this. They'll be outnumbered, so surprise is of the essence." Administrator Seo continued to tremble on the floor.

"Ready them to do what, sir?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"To capture and execute Guard Captain Hwang," the Branch Head ordered, his voice dropping to a secretive whisper.

"And then storm the medical wing…and finish off the High Elder." Yu looked down at his shaking hands. It was a risky gamble, but he had no choice.

"It must be done now – before word can be sent to the main sect. If either of them manages to send a bird, we're finished."

"Young Master…Kang? What are you doing here?" Guard Captain Hwang looked up from his desk, unsure what to make of the unexpected intrusion. Their 'guests' were supposed to be contained in the medical wing, but he couldn't think of a polite way to ask them how they'd gotten out.

"There's no time for pleasantries, captain," Chae-ha said, stepping out from behind the hulking young man.

"The main sect knows about the iron smuggling, and Branch Head Yu got wind of it. He's decided to pin the blame on you to protect his own skin." Guard Captain Hwang's face paled.

"Who are…why do you…I mean, what –" Mu-cheon put a hand on the man's shoulder.

"The Branch Head's personal guards are headed here right now to arrest you. But we know who the real villain is – and we're ready to stand with you. The sect will give you amnesty if you help us take him down." The Guard Captain brushed the young man's hand off.

"Listen, I don't know what you think you've heard, but there's no way –" Thud. Crash. Thunk. Clank. The unmistakable sounds of a violent struggle exploded from in front of the barracks.

"Sounds like they've arrived," Chae-ha muttered, as Captain Hwang pushed his way past the two of them in a sudden panic. Mu-cheon and Chae-ha followed closely behind him. When they arrived at the entrance, the group found a mix of main sect and branch warriors trying to barricade the door, as Branch Head Yu's elites continued trying to force their way in.

"Let us through!" one screamed.

"We have a warrant for the Guard Captain's arrest!" Mu-cheon watched as Captain Hwang's face fell, and then slowly contorted into a look of seething anger. The young man pulled the Dae-jik-do out of the holster on his back and strode towards the door.

"Why don't you go and round up the rest of your men? We'll hold them here." The Guard Captain spun around on his heel and stormed off into the barracks, shouting. Chae-ha nodded to herself as she watched him go.

"How long until the guards that were encircling the medical ward fall upon these guys from behind?" Mu-cheon asked her.

"Less than a ke. They may not have believed us when we first came out with Administrator Seo and warned them, but they will now. And as the attackers get louder and more desperate, any hesitations they had will disappear." The young man let out a deep breath as he went to join his men and their allies in barricading the door.

"This is going to be a slaughter, you know." Chae-ha nodded.

"The beginnings of one, yes," she replied.

"Don't forget to retrieve the two caskets from the wagon when you're done."