Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Double Commission
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Mak Daechil, Sa Daegi, Ju Okga.
And even the Yin-Yang Monk and Wang Dal.
At the mention of 400 silver taels, everyone stared at O Makeong with wide eyes full of shock.
"I'm sorry. I meant to tell you sooner, but... I missed the chance amid all the chaos..."
"What exactly happened?"
"Last night, Bong Sukyeong—the real power behind Golden Phoenix Manor, Wang Buho's wife."
"Yes."
"One of her trusted aides came to me in secret. The commission he offered... If I bring him Wang Buho's concubine, no matter how much Wang Buho offered, he'd pay double without question... I'm truly sorry."
A double contract.
The sum was huge, but it was also a fatal issue that could shatter a rogue's trust.
"Jin, sir! For now, we need to save that woman first..."
O Makeong said urgently to me.
He was right.
Save the concubine first, then figure things out.
I quietly turned my gaze.
It was the moment two vagrants raised their blades to sever the concubine's neck.
"Please... please!!! Spare m— Aaaah!"
The concubine's scream reached its peak, and just as the two vagrants' blades swung toward her neck.
I hurled myself forward with all my might.
Slash!
Slash!
Huh?
The two vagrants dropped dead simultaneously.
But I hadn't killed them.
The two vagrants.
They had slashed each other's throats and, even with their necks severed, stared at one another in utter disbelief.
And just like that, they died.
This was pure insanity.
I hadn't lifted a finger, and it was done—like picking my nose without using my hands.
Still, it was so absurd, maddening, incomprehensible... all of it.
"Waaah! Waaah! I-I just wanna go back to Lord Wang! Waaah!"
Wang Buho's concubine collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably with tears and snot smeared across her face.
Only then did O Makeong, Mak Daechil, Wang Dal, and the others creep closer.
They couldn't hide their bewilderment either.
At any rate, we'd secured the concubine safely.
The real problem started now.
"Yin-Yang Monk."
"Yes, Jin sir."
I called to the Yin-Yang Monk and gave him a look.
He was quick on the uptake.
Understanding what I wanted, he flashed a gentle smile and approached the concubine.
"Oh dear, miss. You've been through so much. It's all okay now. You're safe. Hand that pouch over to me first. There you go. Now, have a sip of this tea. It'll calm your nerves... Down it all at once. That's it. You'll be asleep soon."
"Huh? Why would I get sleepy...?"
That Yin-Yang Monk.
He carried all sorts of poisons with him.
Everything under the sun, including knockout drugs and aphrodisiacs.
I'd once asked O Makeong if he used them for vile acts on women, but he swore it wasn't like that.
Apparently, women flocked to him without needing such things.
Anyway, once I confirmed the noisy, wailing concubine had fallen into a deep sleep.
Without me even calling, everyone gathered around.
The mood was grave.
I could practically hear their brains churning.
Take the concubine to Wang Buho: 200 silver taels.
Take her to Bong Sukyeong: 400 silver taels.
No need to overthink it.
On the surface, at least.
Naturally, the simple-minded ones like Sa Daegi, Mak Daechil, and Ju Okga should've pushed hard to go to Bong Sukyeong.
But even those idiots weren't jumping at it.
Why?
A double commission meant betraying the original client.
It wasn't a moral issue.
Dragging a woman involved in an affair for pay wasn't exactly moral to begin with—hardly something a rogue could claim ethics on.
Talking about morality or conscience with rogues was laughable.
But this broke trust.
No one hires a rogue they can't trust.
No jobs at all.
At minimum, you'd be done working as a rogue in Chang'an.
Grab a huge payday and lose your livelihood forever.
Or scrape by steadily as a rogue.
That was the dilemma.
"Jin sir..."
"Yes, O sir."
"Lady Bong promised to keep any rumors from leaking out."
"Hmm..."
"I haven't accepted her commission yet. She proposed it, and I said I'd check with you first before deciding."
400 taels.
What if we split those 400?
No small sum.
Even if I took 30%, then O Makeong and Wang Dal next, and split the rest.
Still, it was money they'd have to risk their lives dozens of times to earn.
So they all watched me anxiously.
They wanted me to decide.
Whatever I chose, they'd follow—that much was clear.
And now.
Time to decide.
I slowly stood up.
Then shouted in a loud voice.
"What will you do?!"
For a moment, everyone stared at me like I was insane.
Yelling like that in an empty mountain—anyone would think I'd lost it.
But I shouted even louder.
"I've asked what you'll do!"
O Makeong immediately rushed over, flustered.
"Jin sir! Why are you suddenly—? Are you unwell or...?"
I gently pushed O Makeong aside with my hand, then bellowed again.
"Here's the deal! They want solid proof of this woman's affair with Wang Buho, right? We'll make it ironclad! We'll set it up so they catch her and Wang Buho in the act!"
O Makeong, Sa Daegi, and the rest.
Now they looked around with dawning realization.
But no response from anywhere.
So I continued.
"Last chance. No answer this time, and we'll pretend we never heard your commission. We'll hand this woman over to Wang Buho in secret. If you're tailing us, one of us— you or me—will see blood..."
Whoosh!
A light rustle.
A shadow burst from the woods using incredible lightness skill, landing before me.
O Makeong reacted instantly.
"Gasp! That's... the one who came to me last night, Lady Bong's trusted aide..."
Bong Sukyeong's man.
A top-tier expert.
Ignoring O Makeong, he glared at me for a long moment before speaking.
"When did you know?"
"Is that important right now? Deciding how to handle this seems more pressing. Your mistress is waiting for an answer too."
"Hmph... I'll check with Madam and get back to you."
"Tch."
I smirked.
A mocking sneer.
Bong Sukyeong's aide's brow twitched.
I addressed him directly.
"We've wasted time. If Lady Bong sent you here without authority to decide, she's not all that trustworthy. Forget it—we never heard your offer."
"Wait!"
"...?"
"Tch. Fine. We'll do it your way. But! If we don't catch them properly in the act, not a single coin. Remember that."
"Tell Lady Bong she'll witness something scorching hot."
With that, he vanished.
As soon as he left, my crew stared at me, utterly baffled.
Especially Sa Daegi, Mak Daechil, and Ju Okga—they looked completely lost as they approached.
"Bro! So what happens now?"
"What do you mean? We take 200 to Wang Buho, then another 400 from Bong Sukyeong. Simple."
"Hahaha! Bro, you're a genius!!!"
After reaching the Insight Realm of the 32 Rogue Arts' later stages.
And gaining half a jia's worth of inner energy.
My senses had sharpened incredibly.
I'd detected Bong Sukyeong's tail from the moment we left Chang'an.
"No slacking till the end. Let's move!"
"Yes, bro!"
Late at night, Wang Buho's secret villa.
I had no idea there was such a lavish retreat on the outskirts of Chang'an.
Wang Buho had siphoned funds from Golden Phoenix Manor to build it in secret.
We slipped the concubine in under cover of darkness and handed her over, then left the villa.
The Yin-Yang Monk had even given Wang Buho a "special" gift.
Outside Wang Buho's secret villa, over a dozen figures already lurked in the shadows.
Bong Sukyeong and her aides.
As we emerged, the man from earlier approached me.
"How'd it go?"
"Handled perfectly. Raid in one shichen."
"One shichen? Why not now?"
"One of our rogues gave Wang Buho a gift—a tonic for... ahem, male vigor. Potent enough to last the night. Even if you barge in hours later, you'll catch them red-handed."
"Hmph. We'll trust you. Finding this villa alone counts as success. Here."
We'd already gotten 200 taels from Wang Buho.
Now another 400 on top.
Total: 600 taels.
This commission was a jackpot.
We split the 600 silver taels.
I stuck to our deal—taking 30%, or 180 taels.
But they insisted my contribution was absolute and pushed me to take 70%.
After arguing, I settled for 50%: 300 taels.
Now we were heading home.
To Martial Mystery Village.
Walking?
Nope.
Riding oxen.
We'd bought two at Chang'an's ox market.
The youngest, sturdiest ones.
O Makeong had connections there, so we scored two prime beasts cheap—no scams this time.
Whoa!
After days of walking and running, riding oxen felt great.
Bit slow, though.
Took a full three days.
Horses would be nice.
But as I said before, a good, sturdy horse costs at least 5 gold taels.
Over five times an ox.
Way beyond my means for now.
Still, this was something.
Riding beat everything—pure bliss.
I was thrilled, but...
Thinking of how happy my neighbor would be made me even more excited.
Not one ox, but two.
What if he fainted from joy?
Imagining his reaction, I rode those oxen straight to the village over three days.
He always startled me on my returns.
This time, I'd shock him.
Village in sight.
I went straight to show off the oxen... Huh?
"Neigh!"
"Neeigh!"
Clop clop!
Clop clop!
Crash!
Smash!
Chaos in the village.
Wild horses... Horses?
Why horses in our village?
Dozens of them?
And in the midst of the rampaging herd.
My neighbor had lassoed one around the neck and was calling out precariously.
"Hey! Village Chief! Come help a bit!"
My neighbor was wrangling wild horses.