Chapter 151. Internal Cultivation Method

Beneath the wall where the crimson sunset had descended.

The branch of a peach blossom tree, stretching over the wall, swayed in the wind.

Rustle.

Zhuge In-hwi stopped in his tracks.

That was because the fragrance of peach blossoms was tainted with a smoky stench.

He slowly raised his hand. A soft current of energy wrapped around his forefinger, rode the air, and surged straight ahead. At once, the encroaching smoke receded like a tide pulling back.

Zhuge In-hwi waited until the lingering trace disappeared.

Soon, the surroundings were filled only with the pure scent of peach blossoms.

Only then did Zhuge In-hwi move again and approach the entrance.

He reached for the wind chime hanging from the eaves and slipped his finger into the casing. Warm ash brushed against his fingertip.

Hanging the chime back in place, Zhuge In-hwi's face darkened.

'It seems this is not merely about announcing the reopening of the headquarters.'

Entering the quarters, he saw the Alliance Leader sitting in the pavilion. The Alliance Leader was perched on the railing, reading a book. Without lifting his eyes, he spoke, as if he had already noticed Zhuge In-hwi's arrival.

"Everyone's making a fuss. I'll have to open the gates soon. If I keep listening to that nagging any longer, I might just throw away being Alliance Leader altogether and return to Kunlun."

The Alliance Leader shook his head as though fed up.

He spoke sincerely, in his usual manner. He was like the Alliance Leader from before the journey to Jin Yin Mountain.

Zhuge In-hwi, too, answered in his habitual emotionless tone.

"Yes. I will make preparations so that the headquarters may be reopened."

"Good. Not right away—just have everything ready. Make it as grand as possible. If word spreads that the gates are about to open, it should keep things quiet for a while."

"Yes. I will do so."

Zhuge In-hwi could only agree, like a man absent of spirit.

The Alliance Leader found nothing strange about Zhuge In-hwi's demeanor.

Rather, it was he himself who acted oddly, issuing peculiar commands.

"And review all the information on Tang So-hwa stored in Summer Pavilion."

"... Yes, I will do so."

"Details on the Tang Clan Head or her birth mother's disgrace are fine as well. Also, look carefully into her dealings with the Namgung Clan and the Anguk Merchant Group. We must find any grounds possible to justify confining her in the Four Seasons Hall."

"Yes."

"How long do you think it will take?"

"Three days should suffice."

At Zhuge In-hwi's quick reply, the Alliance Leader let out a long breath.

"Good, three days is acceptable. Ah, don't you have anything to report to me? If the Alliance members are making such a commotion lining up to see me, they must have hounded you quite severely as well."

Zhuge In-hwi spoke at once, as though without deliberation.

"The Wudang Sect asked if you would be holding an awards ceremony."

"Wudang Sect? Ah, yes. A disciple of Wudang took the victory. They must be asking when will the Cold Iron be given."

"Yes, that is correct."

The Leader clicked his tongue.

"An award ceremony at a time like this? How could a banquet even be considered? None of them has any sense. None at all."

It was not a true rebuke, for a laugh followed at the end of his words.

"That kind of complacency is enviable beyond measure."

The Alliance Leader set down his book and raised his eyes.

"So, what do you think should be done? You are a wise one—give me a wise answer."

In a calm voice, Zhuge In-hwi gave his thoughts.

"Since the item must be awarded anyway, delivering it quickly does not seem a bad choice. Rumors say the ceremony is being delayed out of fear that an infiltrated Blood Sect member might seize the Cold Iron. But if we bestow the Cold Iron upon Wudang Sect, it will send the impression that all internal inspections are complete."

The Alliance Leader was silent for a while.

At length, he let out a hollow chuckle.

"You prefer certainty, so I expected you would say not to send the Cold Iron out of the headquarters. But you answered this way... it seems that this is truly the wise answer your mind came up with."

The Alliance Leader nodded to himself.

"Very well, let us conclude the Martial Arts Tournament with that. This year, we shall forgo the award ceremony and deliver the Cold Iron directly to the Wudang disciple. Prepare for the reopening of the headquarters with the goal set for four days hence."

Like a man sweeping away matters of little interest, the Alliance  Leader settled the affairs of the Martial Arts Tournament in one stroke.

Zhuge In-hwi raised no objection.

He only answered with the formulaic words the Alliance Leader wanted and expected.

"Yes, I will do so."

***

Zhuge In-hwi descended into the underground of Summer Pavilion.

The Four Seasons Hall was a simple, single-storied building, yet its underground reached endlessly deep. The vast basement spanning the entire hall was its treasury—a warehouse storing items collected in the Summer Pavilion and confiscated in the Autumn Pavilion.

Zhuge In-hwi had come alone to verify the goods transported from the Hubei branch.

Standing before the solid stone wall, he lifted his gaze to the ceiling. His clean, gray-blue eyes reflected the red glow of a night pearl. Slowly, his gaze fell again.

He approached the door and raised his hand.

Pure energy drawn from his dantian flowed through his body, altered course, passed the Taiyang and Jingming acupoints near his eyes, then rose to Baihui atop his head. Centered on those three points, his internal energy circulated, pulling the qi at his fingertips upward into his mind.

Then the surrounding aura climbed his nape, sketching a picture inside his head.

It was a mysterious internal cultivation method of unknown origin

It was by awakening to this that he had lost his sight.

Yet, he had never regretted it.

If by forsaking sight one could perceive the essence of all things more clearly—who would not make that choice?

Thin wood had been fastened over the door, concealing it from the naked eye. But to the Four Seasons Hall Lord, the formation hidden beneath was tangible.

Zhuge In-hwi's brows furrowed.

The surface was intact, but the inside of the wood was intricately carved.

And by some irony, only the section covering the formation he himself had designed had been damaged.

He focused, reading through the entire formation engraved upon the towering door, twice his height.

If there were destructive martial arts that could imbue a sword with energy to cleave rock or topple entire buildings, there were also opposite martial arts that left the outside untouched but shattered the internal organs.

This was one of the reasons that, when a man was found dead in the Murim, they investigated whether he had enemies.

For though it appeared sudden death, cutting the corpse open often revealed a heart torn to pieces or organs rotted by poison.

But as such arts required the use of internal energy, what mattered was not only talent but the years of cultivated energy.

Within the headquarters, there was only one person capable of channeling qi so subtly as to unravel a formation in secret.

‘One who knows me... and one who desires what lies within.’

Zhuge In-hwi's gaze lifted upward.

The unraveling had been completed about seven-tenths of the way before it was halted.

Whatever the reason, the formation had not been fully broken.

‘Only three-tenths remain. Next time, the door will be opened…’

Zhuge In-hwi no longer felt disappointment in the Alliance Leader.

Expressionless as a stone idol, he grasped the handle. Warm heat seeped from his palm into the wooden grip. Energy pooled within the stone wall hidden by wood, flowing like water along the thin engravings.

When the complex formation was fully filled and the current returned to his hand—

Click.

As the qi withdrew, the door opened.

Inside, the vast storage was piled high with chests. Spotting five crates divided to hold rare minerals, Zhuge In-hwi gauged their quantity.

Thankfully, there were no signs of tampering. The amount was the same as when he had first entered.

The Alliance Leader thought he was in the Summer Pavilion to uncover Tang So-hwa's disgraces, but Zhuge In-hwi was doing something else entirely.

Lately, strange records had frequently arrived at the Summer Pavilion under anonymity. Information of unknown origin—dark arts.

At first dismissed as nonsense, he had gone back today to review those records.

Among them was information about a powder that clouded the mind.

Burned into smoke and inhaled, it forced obedience to the first voice one heard—like brainwashing.

The intoxication of the smoke usually faded within an hour, but depending on the person's constitution, it could last more than three days. Other details were also noted.

Those intoxicated for the first time regained their memories within a month at most. The second exposure delayed recovery to two months, the third to three. Yet repeated exposure permanently damaged the organ governing memory, making recovery impossible.

Zhuge In-hwi had come to see the Five Minerals Powder again, wondering if he might feel reluctant to give it up.

But instead of greed, fear took hold.

This was something that should never exist in the world.

He had long thought himself knowledgeable. Four Seasons Hall, to which he belonged, had fostered that illusion.

Yet Zhuge In-hwi realized his arrogance. The unknown was vast beyond reckoning, and the enemy possessed immeasurable stores of information.

He could not believe that even in righteous hands, such a dangerous thing would ever be put to good use.

For even the one he trusted most upright had stood with the Blood Demon.

At last, stripping away even the smallest doubt, the Four Seasons Hall Lord made his decision and closed the door to the treasury.