The Silent Corner — It Comes Without Waiting
Though the pavilion appeared abandoned from the outside, the tea setting upon the black table was precise and orderly.
The old man's hands moved slowly, like time long accumulated, and within each motion flowed an unseen current—elegant and unwavering.
"When did you arrive?"
"Two or three days ago."
"You brought the children with you, I trust."
"Yes. We must head north again with nothing. At the very least, I had to bring the children."
"And their progress?"
"They have grown further, thanks to your consideration."
"Your words give this old man some sense of reward."
"And among them, was there none exceptional?
One who surpasses the rest… I imagine there must be."
Jin Mugwang knew the man was referring to Sowoon.
The Compendium had been given by this old man.
Mukeoja was the old man himself.
Jin Mugwang hesitated briefly.
Should he speak, or not?
It was not unrelated to the affairs of the Imperial Palace.
If possible, he wished to conceal it.
Yet he could not lie to an old companion.
The tone of the question already suggested knowledge.
The emergence of a master at the level of Hwagyeong!
There was no way the old man would be unaware of rumors known throughout the world.
The old man lifted his teacup and waited.
He did not press.
His gaze did not waver.
Only Jin Mugwang's answer remained.
"The boy had martial foundations already.
He is the son of Lord Yu of Taewon.
He came to Haran last winter and stayed with us throughout.
His progress has been the greatest."
A faint smile touched the old man's lips.
Only the corners lifted slightly.
"I know.
He grew enough to kill the Emperor and the elder of the Black Blade.
Indeed. That boy was remarkable. In a single evening, he slew three at the core of power."
There was a blade hidden in the old man's words.
It seemed casually spoken, yet its direction was clear.
Though he lived as though confined in this ruined pavilion, the lines that brought him news from outside remained intact.
Mukeoja knew that the one who shattered the core of power was Sowoon.
Whether it was inference or certainty was hard to judge.
Jin Mugwang let out a short breath.
It was already past.
He believed it proper that it remain hidden.
Nothing would be gained by revealing it—yet one cannot avoid arrows already loosed.
So he knows.
Jin Mugwang steadied himself.
He spoke neither affirmation nor denial.
"Why? Does he interest you?"
"I am curious—how far his attainment reaches. Truly curious."
The old man did not hide his intent.
He did not circle the matter but went straight to its center.
In youth, his temperament must have been sharper still.
Age had come, but the edge of his words had not dulled.
The question of attainment did not seem political.
At least, not on the surface.
"Attainment… You seem already to know. The young commander spoken of in the streets—that boy is Lord Yu's son. The talk of a master's emergence refers to him."
Mukeoja nodded slowly.
It was the expression of one who connected scattered rumors with known facts.
His eyes deepened briefly.
It was clear that, within his mind, the threads had joined.
"I see. So it is… Lord Yu's child…"
The old man's eyes narrowed, thin as a sharpened blade.
He recalled Lord Yu—
upright to the point of stubbornness,
appearing simple like a country official, yet possessing great spirit.
No one had ever dared belittle him.
Decades felt as near as yesterday.
Time's depth seemed to vanish.
Lord Yu's son had taken the Compendium and studied it.
In a short span, he had reached Hwagyeong.
Then he struck down the core of power.
Written in a sentence, it sounded simple.
But the time and process between were not light.
Within the old man's mind, a conclusion clarified.
Simple—yet heavy.
Jin Mugwang spoke first, clearly shifting the subject.
"That book… I distributed it to the entire White Dragon Unit. Thanks to it, they have grown greatly. It is truly an excellent work."
He attempted to move the center of the conversation, crediting the Compendium.
Yet Mukeoja's gaze did not shift.
His interest remained fixed.
"The path to Hwagyeong is not written there."
The old man lifted his tea and continued slowly.
"And yet the boy has touched that path. How did that come to pass? Was there some catalyst?"
Steam rose thinly from the cup.
His tone was calm, but the question deep.
Such attainment was too great to dismiss as coincidence.
The old man's eyes pressed into the gap.
What Mukeoja truly wished to know was clear.
How had one reached Hwagyeong through the martial teachings of the Compendium?
Yet Jin Mugwang himself had little to offer in explanation.
He had watched from near, yet could not grasp a single decisive cause.
The boy was pure.
Diligent.
He held to things until the end.
At times so straightforward he seemed almost foolish.
Raised with much affection, he knew how to give to others.
But Jin Mugwang knew such traits were insufficient to explain Hwagyeong.
Temperament alone cannot account for that realm.
"I do not know."
He chose his words carefully.
"There was real combat. There was concentration. There was caution. There was time endured alone. Many conditions overlapped."
He shook his head.
"But even so, to reach Hwagyeong in such a short time is nearly impossible. I myself find it hard to believe."
"We used your book to accelerate the martial development of the White Dragon Unit. The result was unforeseen. I do not know what brought it about. I am not hiding anything. I truly do not know. Is that what you wish to understand—his attainment?"
His voice was low, but without concealment.
There was no excuse within the admission of ignorance.
Mukeoja exhaled softly.
"Hm… indeed."
He set down his teacup.
His gaze remained distant.
"Do you know which part of the Compendium it was? What he practiced… which passage?"
The question was simple, yet it burrowed into a single point.
Which line of the book led to Hwagyeong?
His interest had moved beyond the boy to the text itself.
His eyes sought the possibility hidden within the written word.