Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Suspicious Hostage Negotiation
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“How dare you hit my little brother!”
Pow! Pow!
Pow! Pow! Pow!
Sly Wolf Yuk Jangseo was beating Sa Daegi, Ju Okga, and Mak Daechil indiscriminately.
That's when I stepped in.
“Which bastard dares hit my little brothers!!!”
I flew at him in an instant and smashed my fist right into his smug face.
Whoosh!
Thud!
Crash!
Yuk Jangseo flew back a full zhang, rolling across the ground three full times.
Still, he was no slouch—he kicked off the dirt and sprang right back up.
“You... who the hell are you?”
“Their big brother.”
“No way... could you be the Romantic Sword Rogue, Great Hero Jin?”
“That's what people call me.”
I flashed him a grin.
Yuk Jangseo's face fell in dismay.
I gave him one more smirk, then turned to Sa Daegi and the others.
But these guys...
Damn it.
Driving me nuts.
I shouldn't laugh, but looking at them, I just couldn't hold it back.
All three of them, beaten to a bloody pulp in no time, faces swollen like baseballs.
Kneeling side by side, staring up at me with big, sparkling eyes.
No good.
If I keep looking, I'm really gonna burst out laughing.
I turned back to Yuk Jangseo.
He'd gotten over his initial shock.
He was holding it in, barely swallowing his rage.
Humiliated in front of his little brother and his friends.
He knew he couldn't touch me right now, but he was definitely plotting revenge.
Guys like that? Creating bad blood just leads to headaches.
Better wrap this up neatly.
“So you're Sly Wolf Yuk Jangseo?”
“That's me.”
“I heard you're a true righteous hero who can't stand by when injustice rears its head. Looks like I got some bad intel.”
“Wh-what do you... mean...”
Probably the first time he'd heard that one.
Hell, I'd never heard it either—I just made it up on the spot.
Whatever.
He shrugged, face flustered again.
“Word is, your little brother and his friends jacked up the commission fee from some poor country bumpkin farmer. So my brothers gave them a lesson. Sure, they went a bit overboard, but I figured a great hero like Sly Wolf Yuk would chew them out himself...”
For a split second.
Yuk Jangseo flinched.
His eyes darted to his fallen brother and the others.
“Great Hero Jin... is what you're saying true?”
“It, uh... Bro! We're sorry!”
His little brother's friends all admitted it at once and apologized.
Yuk Jangseo had no choice but to follow suit.
I'd handed him the perfect out.
A justification to back down. A reason to bend the knee.
And sure enough...
“Sigh. Great Hero Jin. I didn't know the full story and went too hard on your brothers. My apologies.”
“No need. My brothers got carried away too. But the misunderstanding's cleared up now— that's what matters.”
“I thank you for your magnanimity, Great Hero Jin. And I'll make sure my brother never pulls any more crap.”
“I trust a great hero like Sly Wolf Yuk will handle it. Well, I'll be off.”
“Yes, Great Hero Jin!”
And just like that, it was neatly wrapped up.
No grudges sown, and I even got an apology.
“What are you lot doing? Get up.”
“Yes, bro!”
At my word, Sa Daegi, Ju Okga, and Mak Daechil—with grins splitting their faces—jumped up and trailed after me like puppies.
Sa Daegi, Ju Okga, and Mak Daechil naturally accepted the job.
Thus, our team for the hostage negotiation was complete.
Me, O Makeong, Wang Dal, Yin-Yang Monk, Mak Daechil, Ju Okga, Sa Daegi.
Seven in total.
Wang Dal had already received 20 gold taels from Wang Buho as an advance.
We didn't waste time and set off for the hostage negotiation right away.
Gosa Temple ruins—an old hermitage a full half-day's ride from Chang'an.
A long-abandoned temple, now just crumbling ruins.
No one ever visits, and it's surrounded by dense thickets—perfect for a quick getaway.
We ate a hearty breakfast and headed straight there.
But... ah!
Is this what it's like?
Is this how masters constantly scan their surroundings?
No.
Sure, compared to the entire martial world, there are far greater masters than me.
They're probably sensing everything with even sharper ki perception than mine, right?
Man.
Even my ki sense right now is this hypersensitive, precise, and incredible.
How far, how deeply do those true masters perceive?
I kept clicking my tongue without realizing it as we walked.
The 32 Rogue Arts, second stage mastery.
Plus half a cycle's worth of inner energy built up.
After that, my ki sense had become ridiculously acute.
I'd gained detection abilities beyond anything I'd imagined before.
The subtlest shifts in the wind.
A single blade of grass swaying differently than usual.
I could sense it all.
And one more thing.
The whole way to Gosa Temple.
From the moment we left until now.
Something weird kept pinging on my ki sense.
“Great Hero Jin. Shall we take a short break here? Gosa Temple's just ahead, but better to top off our stamina just in case.”
“Good idea. Let's do that.”
“Alright! Everyone, short break here!”
At O Makeong's call, we all halted.
They started heading for shady spots under the trees.
Then Wang Dal gathered them.
“Uh, everyone, come over here a sec. I have something to say.”
Not O Makeong, not me—Wang Dal calling them over.
Sa Daegi, Mak Daechil, and Ju Okga frowned a bit.
But they gathered without complaint.
I wondered what Wang Dal had to say.
He hemmed and hawed with a dark expression for a good long while before speaking.
“Lord Wang Buho said... if we kill all the kidnappers, he'll pay an extra hundred silver taels.”
A bit of a bombshell.
But Mak Daechil reacted instantly.
He slapped a hand on Wang Dal's shoulder, face lighting up.
“Wang Dal, you sly dog—you nailed it! Double the money, double! Haha! Knew I liked you from the start, hahaha!”
For the record, Wang Dal's a good ten years older than Mak Daechil.
Mak Daechil turned to me right away.
“Bro! What's there to think about? Those scum kidnapping women! Who knows what they've done to that poor young concubine already. Martial world justice means chopping their heads off, right? Let's do it! Justice served, money doubled!”
Sa Daegi and Ju Okga jumped in with enthusiastic agreement.
But O Makeong, Wang Dal, and Yin-Yang Monk looked uneasy.
O Makeong spoke to me.
“We need to decide carefully. We don't know what masters they might have. And the hostage's safety comes first.”
Wang Dal chimed in right after.
“Lord Wang said the promised hundred gold taels are guaranteed as long as we bring back the concubine safely. Killing the kidnappers or not is up to Great Hero Jin. Even if we turn down the bonus, there'll be no penalty.”
So it all came down to me.
“No, bro! Why hesitate? No need to even think—money or no, those bastards deserve to get their heads chopped or balls cut off or whatever!”
“Please decide carefully, Great Hero Jin. No matter the payout, we can't afford casualties. Above all, the hostage's safety is priority. If she dies, we get nothing.”
Opinions split down the middle.
Cautious side: O Makeong and crew.
Wipe 'em out side: Mak Daechil and crew.
I thought it over carefully before speaking.
“Hostage safety first, obviously. We don't know who they are, how many, or what masters they've got. So we'll secure the hostage first, then play it by ear on site.”
Decision made.
Mak Daechil looked a tad disappointed, but everyone went along with it.
We took a quick breather, then headed out again for Gosa Temple.
Midway up Azure Bamboo Mountain.
The Gosa Temple ruins—so decayed you couldn't tell it was ever a temple.
We'd arrived.
Six kidnappers in total.
Five were third-rate or second-rate at best.
But one was seriously formidable.
An old man—strong enough that even I couldn't guarantee victory without crossing blades first.
But what the hell?
The hostage should look haggard, shrouded in gloom.
Wang Buho's concubine.
She looked perfectly fine.
Hell, heavy makeup to boot.
Were the kidnappers treating her well?
Well, 20-gold-tael hostage—makes sense, maybe.
“Oh! Right on time. Come on in.”
The kidnappers.
Cocky as hell.
Probably banking on their one master.
Speaking of which, that guy.
The one who'd been with Wang Buho's concubine, now stepping forward to greet us.
Something... off about him?
Handsome, too.
The kind who could pass for a woman in drag—pretty boy gisaeng material.
“Who'll be speaking for you?”
“I'm leading this group on behalf of Lord Wang.”
O Makeong stepped up.
He's better at this stuff than me.
Plus, I needed to stay alert for surprises.
Like that old master among the kidnappers.
“Have a seat here. Table, chairs, even tea—we're all set. Hahaha!”
“Very well.”
The negotiation between O Makeong and the pretty boy gisaeng went smoothly.
Just pay up and take the hostage—nothing complicated on the surface.
But... huh?
What's with that old geezer?
While O Makeong and the gisaeng haggled over the hostage...
The old master sidled up behind the concubine.
I watched closely—what was he up to? Dangerous? Up to no good?
And then...
You crazy old pervert!
Grinning sleazily as he groped Wang Buho's concubine's ass... ah!
His hand was moving like lightning.
But even more shocking? Her reaction.
She pouts like 'Oh nooo!' acting all coy and reluctant.
She's signaling 'don't,' sure.
But not exactly fighting it off.
And even as the old man's hands kept wandering, her eyes and focus stayed glued to O Makeong and the gisaeng's negotiation.
When O Makeong said he'd brought the full ransom, she even cracked a sly smile.
Ah!
What the...?
What's going on?
But that's not all.
The four scruffy ones.
Besides the old master and the gisaeng pretty boy.
Just standing there like props.
Their faces and eyes went beyond weird—straight-up creepy.
No, lecherous?
Watching the negotiation like they loved it.
Then smirking lewdly when the old man groped her ass.
Exchanging knowing glances among themselves.
Even chuckling now and then.
What?
Are they all insane?
“Perfect! Let's do that, then!”
“Yes! I'm all for it.”
Negotiation over.
Agreed to swap ransom and hostage simultaneously.
O Makeong came back to us and grabbed the pouch with the 20 gold taels.
The gisaeng pretty boy returned to his seat too.
Right next to the concubine.
Leaned in and whispered in her ear... huh?
The gisaeng grinned ear-to-ear, whispering happily.
The concubine squirmed like her ear was ticklish, giggling along.
That's... just a couple, isn't it?
And those two lovebirds.
Holding hands behind their backs—fingers interlocked, even.
This whole hostage scene.
Everything's suspicious as hell.