Bait (1)
Tak So-pyeong and the Hocheon Corps followed the Jeokgeum Merchant Group at a careful interval. It had to seem like a mere coincidence that they shared the same destination. On top of that, the humiliating defeat they'd suffered at Gu Cheon-woo's hands back at the inn was a lingering concern. If he caught on to their pursuit, things could go south in a hurry.
"It's probably over by now, right?"
"There's no way those two great heroes would fall for sorcery."
If they could just prove it was sorcery, the Jeokgeum Merchant Group wouldn't exist come tomorrow. Smearing them as thieves to tarnish their reputation was one thing, but branding them as a sinister cabal plotting in the shadows would be far more effective. That would drag not just the merchant world into it, but the righteous martial realm as a whole—a far graver matter.
Did I really hate the bastard enough to want him dead?
Tak So-pyeong had never liked Gu Cheon-woo, his rival from a competing merchant group, but he'd never gone so far as to wish him dead. Yet when he'd laid eyes on him this time, a vague, boiling murderous urge had surged up unbidden.
Either way, your luck ends here.
The reasons hardly mattered anymore. Gu Cheon-woo had to die as the sacrificial lamb to bring down the Jeokgeum Merchant Group. If this plan went off without a hitch, he could earn his father's trust and solidify his position as a sub-leader of the group.
Let's see if you can stay so composed in the face of death.
The humiliation from the inn wouldn't leave his mind. He'd been utterly outplayed by a wretched nobody he'd dismissed as less than a handful of dirt. Shame was only natural. If he didn't repay this disgrace, he might carry it for life.
The scene he'd anticipated was drawing near. There, midway up the mountain slope, waited the Jeokgeum Merchant Group.
Once the Red-White Twin Heroes had been exposed by the Storm Rain Sword, the Jeokgeum group had no escape. It wasn't some peerless divine blade, but the Storm Rain Sword was still a top-grade weapon forged from dark iron. A pity to lose it, but worth it if it meant wiping out the Jeokgeum Merchant Group.
Playing it off as a chance encounter along the road, Tak So-pyeong approached. They'd arranged to send a letter to Seo-an, so there'd be no cause for suspicion.
He headed toward the caravan.
Hm?
The closer he got, the stranger it felt to Tak So-pyeong. They didn't look like merchants who'd been cornered and outed as thieves by the Red-White Twin Heroes. If anything, they seemed to be waiting for him.
What the hell?
Thrown by the unexpected atmosphere, Tak So-pyeong cautiously scanned the surroundings. Staring too openly might give them something to latch onto.
Where are they?
The Red-White Twin Heroes were nowhere in sight. If they'd arrived, there should've been chaos by now. And these merchants, who should be quaking in fear, were instead radiating clear hostility.
Did those bastards run off with just the sword?
Tak So-pyeong knew more than the public about the Red-White Twin Heroes' true nature, which didn't match their heroic fame. Through steady dealings with the caravan, he'd long sensed they weren't upright vigilantes.
No, that doesn't add up!
If they'd decided to steal just the Storm Rain Sword and bolt, it wasn't impossible—but why risk it? If they hadn't come at all, that hypothesis held, but those greedy swine wouldn't leave treasure behind.
Tak So-pyeong kept his expression as neutral as possible. The plan hadn't gone off, but he couldn't show it. He needed to wrap this up as a chance meeting first, then assess the situation.
But Gu Cheon-woo was one step ahead.
"Looking for something?"
"Haha, looking? No idea what you mean. Brother Woo here just happened to pass this way delivering a letter to Seo-an. Seems the scuffle at the inn bred some deep misunderstandings."
"This, maybe?"
"Keep saying weird things...?"
Tak So-pyeong, who'd been insisting on coincidence, fell silent as a bundle flew in an arc and unrolled on the ground.
Roll... thump!
Two severed heads, tongues lolling long in terror-stricken faces.
Shudder!
Tak So-pyeong, his deputy leader, and even the rank-and-file trembled, eyes wide in shock. Beyond the unforeseen, it was a reality too absurd to accept.
"...Impossible!"
Caught off guard by the sudden turn, Tak So-pyeong lost his composure. The heads were the Red-White Twin Heroes'.
It defied all reason, leaving his mind blank. Who could've imagined these Peak Experts, masters of joint techniques, would meet such a pathetic end?
...A trap?
There was no scenario where the Twin Heroes died fighting the Jeokgeum group head-on. They were Peak Experts, unbeatable by peers without their synergy. And yet, here they were dead. The only plausible explanation was an ambush.
Did I dance right in the palm of this bastard's hand?
Stunned by the Twin Heroes' deaths, Tak So-pyeong still played dumb. Admitting anything could backfire. Fortunately, the world didn't yet know their ugly side.
That's it!
Trapping and killing vigilantes went against martial sensibilities—they'd never survive the backlash. Better yet, it handed him ironclad justification. This severed ties with the Twin Heroes too, eliminating loose ends.
Spotting the loophole, Tak So-pyeong flipped his expression on a dime. Two-faced hypocrisy was a merchant's stock in trade.
"Those men were the heroes who purged demonic outsiders and upheld justice in this era. You think the Jeokgeum Merchant Group can get away with luring the great Red-White Twin Heroes into a trap and slaying them?!"
"And you think you can?"
The words hit like a demon's growl from the abyss.
Tak So-pyeong, about to threaten with the caravan's fate at stake, swallowed dryly. A flash of killing intent—Murderous Annihilation—brushed his mind.
Thinking it a chance to provoke, he'd overplayed. He didn't know the trap's nature, but if it felled the Twin Heroes, it wasn't ordinary. Rash move.
Clang!
Pure survival instinct. Refusing to stand defenseless, Tak So-pyeong and the Hocheon Corps drew their swords. They'd been caught off guard by sorcery before, but prepared, they wouldn't fall easily.
What if... they fell to sorcery too?
If the Twin Heroes succumbed to sorcery, it had to go public. That would seal the justification. The question was surviving long enough to spread it.
"Kill us, and the Jeokgeum Merchant Group's vile deeds will spread far and wide!"
"Will they?"
"The caravan knows we're headed here! No use trying to silence us with murder!"
"Even this?"
Tak So-pyeong's pupils quivered again at the item in Gu Cheon-woo's hand. It shouldn't be there—the Storm Rain Sword.
That meant they knew everything. And sure enough—
Thud!
A figure dragged out from behind a cart, bound and thrown face-down. Jang Gye-gwang, the Jeokgeum row manager.
"Spare me! Young Master Tak So-pyeong threatened that he'd kill me if I didn't do as he said!"
With the gag removed, Jang Gye-gwang spilled the truth in terror. Having witnessed the Twin Heroes' beheading up close, it was inevitable.
The story was straightforward. Jang Gye-gwang had gambled, racked up debts, and Tak So-pyeong from Hwajeong had approached. Pay off the debts, do as told.
It started small, but escalated over time. Excuses aside, it was karmic retribution. He shouldn't have taken Hwajeong's help—even if in debt, steady work would've paid it off gradually. No such intent, he protested innocence, but he'd brought it on himself.
Tremble!
The more Jang Gye-gwang babbled for his life, the fiercer Tak So-pyeong's killing urge boiled. That mouth had to be shut. But Gu Cheon-woo stood in the way, exuding menace. The Storm Rain Sword twirled like a toy, its edge chillingly sharp.
"Do you admit your guilt?"
"...Don't slander without proof! It's all that worm's lies."
"The Red-White Twin Dogs said the same."
"Don't insult those great heroes. They're not for the likes of you to name!"
With things turning, Tak So-pyeong recast the Twin Heroes as paragons. They had to be. Only then could he muddle through. Gu Cheon-woo's "evidence" was just a gambler's word. Deny it, and done—even if Jang claimed proof, dismissal sufficed. The martial world would make much of the Twin Heroes' deaths. No one would believe Gu Cheon-woo killed them fairly. Proof of sorcery would pin it all on him and Jeokgeum.
"The young master's right! Who'd believe a gambler's ravings?!"
The deputy backed him, countering. He knew full well—if this played out as Gu Cheon-woo wanted, survival was slim. The caravan lord's wrath was secondary; public scorn terrified him.
"Deny it all you want—sin doesn't vanish. Hwajeong Merchant Group must pay the price."
"Hah! You call that justice? We're innocent! You should answer for killing those two great heroes!"
Circumstances, evidence, witnesses might pose issues, but the Twin Heroes' deaths would bury it. Grasping this new lifeline, Tak So-pyeong deflected smoothly again.
Gu Cheon-woo wasn't fazed—he'd seen it coming. Over 100 regressions, Tak So-pyeong-types always chose the same path.
"Pathetic vermin."
"Watch your tongue. For Young Master Gu's sake and our ties, I might keep quiet."
Merchant-like, Tak So-pyeong didn't push too hard. Unsure of Gu Cheon-woo's hidden cards, he needed an out.
"No need."
"You seem naive from youth, but reality isn't won by brute force. Don't do anything you'll regret forever... Stay back!"
As Gu Cheon-woo advanced, Tak So-pyeong and the Hocheon Corps tensed. If it took down the Twin Heroes, his sorcery's wickedness was unpredictable. Keep distance. Sorcery built like inner power—range limits surely applied.
Grind!