Chapter 24: What is Meant to Happen, Happens.
Chapter 24: What is Meant to Happen, Happens.
I had some time before my formal inauguration as the Huangquan Pavilion Master. In the meantime, I decided to take care of one pressing matter.
I intended to provide the best possible treatment for the Ghost Shadow Squad warriors who would soon be under my command. I wouldn't grind them down under the hollow pretext of loyalty; instead, I would reward them with a monthly salary befitting their skills.
Whether they squandered their gold on a life that could end at any moment or bought land and houses to prepare for retirement, I didn't care—as long as they didn't gamble it away.
To do that, I needed a massive amount of capital, and I knew a way to make a fortune around this time.
After leaving a note for Lee An saying I was going out for some fresh air, I secretly departed from the Cult.
My life was lived with the future in mind—a life shaped by regression.
Though I had spent most of my previous life exhausted and busy searching for materials for the Great Regression Art, I made sure to remember the things that mattered. I knew exactly what events had occurred in the Murim over the decades—specifically, which ones I could exploit, and exactly when and where they would take place.
This time, the event was set to occur in a village near Wuyi Mountain in Fujian Province. An incident I absolutely could not afford to miss was about to unfold there.
To get some training in, I sprinted toward the location using the Rapid Speed Step of the Wind God Four Steps. Though I was only at the beginner stage, the more I ran, the more I became absorbed in its profundity.
When I rested, I would gaze at the distant plains and lose myself in old memories. When the wind blew from the horizon, bringing clouds of sand and dust, I would spring up and start running again.
I adjusted my pace to match the date of the incident, running with excitement one day and taking it slow the next. Finally, I arrived at the village at the foot of Wuyi Mountain.
There was a story I had heard from an old ronin back when I was wandering as one myself.
He said he had once run a Ronin Office and made a living taking commissions. The incident that happened then—the one he would always start with a sigh and the words "It was a gruesome affair" whenever he got drunk—was going to happen here today.
I asked a merchant for directions and found the local Ronin Office.
At the edge of the marketplace, in a dilapidated building, was the gathering place for the ronin.
Stepping inside, I found about a dozen ronin sitting in a suffocatingly cramped space. Some were dozing against the walls, others were maintaining their weapons, and some were chatting in small groups. A few glances drifted toward me before scattering, finding nothing of interest.
I walked over to a middle-aged man sitting at a corner desk, writing something.
Seeing him made my heart swell with emotion. This was Im Chu, the man who had told me about today's events during my days as a ronin.
"Is there any work?" I asked.
At my question, Im Chu looked up. "A new face. Who recommended you?"
"Seo Gwang told me to come by."
"What's your relationship with Martial Artist Seo?"
"We worked together once."
"On what?"
"I helped him with a job at Mount Heng."
"The Su Dongpo case?"
"No, it was the Namak Sect."
I could tell he had asked the wrong question on purpose, even though he knew the answer. Since this was a place where all sorts of people gathered, Im Chu was being cautious in verifying my identity. However, I had come prepared.
"If Martial Artist Seo recommended you, you're trustworthy. Can you work today?"
"Of course."
"You've come at the right time; we have a big job today. Go over there and wait. We need more people to gather."
I went and sat where he pointed. A few ronin glanced at me, but I didn't give them a second look.
About two hours later, the full roster for the mission had gathered. There were fifteen of us in total.
In my past life, Im Chu had said fifty ronin were mobilized for this job. Ronin and their tall tales at the tavern, I swear.
Regardless, fifteen was still a large-scale mission. Usually, ronin jobs involved two or three people, maybe six or seven at most. Unless it was a truly dire situation, they didn't employ so many of those living a rough, wandering life.
"Martial Artist Yang will be leading today," Im Chu announced.
The man introduced to us, Yang Dang, was a veteran whose bones had grown sturdy through years of living as a ronin.
"The pay is high, but the mission is dangerous," Yang Dang barked. "Anyone who acts like an idiot will die by my hand first, so keep that in mind."
After warning the group, Yang Dang approached me. "You were recommended by Martial Artist Seo?"
"That's right."
"Can I trust your skills?"
"Who do I have to cut down to be recognized?" I countered. "You?"
If I acted too humble, I wouldn't look like a ronin, so I took a reasonably aggressive stance.
"Hey, don't get cocky. In this world, your head can drop like morning dew if you're not careful."
I sensed he was trying to use me as an example to establish discipline among the ronin, so I didn't bother picking a fight.
"I'll follow orders well enough, so don't worry. I'm just here for the money."
"We'll see about that."
With that, the fifteen ronin set off on prepared horses and a carriage.
Only after confirming the final location through several secret contacts did we meet the woman and the boy. They looked so much alike that anyone could tell they were mother and son.
Only after meeting them did Yang Dang explain the mission.
"We must escort these two safely to Nanping. We need to move as fast as possible."
The fact that fifteen ronin were mobilized for an escort mission meant that this woman and boy were of high status. It also meant they were in great danger.
The child in the carriage looked at me through the window. He was a cute, handsome boy. I smiled and waved at him, and the boy gave a polite bow.
He seemed to have a good personality and was well-bred. The woman sitting with him gave me a slight nod before closing the curtain. Her face was etched with anxiety and worry.
The carriage carrying the two began to move. The ronin rode their horses, escorting the carriage from the front and back. The carriage only stopped when the horses were too exhausted to run any further.
While the horses rested, the group took a break to eat. Yang Dang distributed beef jerky he had prepared to the ronin. He gave the woman and the child food that had been prepared separately.
The ronin were being paid double their usual rate for this mission. Yang Dang, who was leading them, was likely pocketing several times more. Perhaps because of that, his nerves were on edge as he tried to complete the mission safely.
"We don't know when we'll get to eat again. So everyone, eat your fill!"
After resting for about an hour, the carriage set off again.
How long had it been since we started?
Suddenly, one of the ronin tumbled off his horse.
"Stop!"
The ronin stopped and checked on the fallen man. His face had turned black, and he was dead, foaming at the mouth.
"He's dead."
The ronin reporting this looked at his companion and gasped. More accurately, they were both shocked by each other. Their eyes were bloodshot, and their faces were turning black as well.
"Poison?"
The moment those words left his mouth, they clutched their throats and collapsed.
"Ugh..."
The ronin's faces and bodies turned black as they fell one after another.
Only three people remained standing: Yang Dang, another ronin, and myself.
I could tell by the look in their eyes.
These bastards poisoned the food!
This was something even I hadn't known. When I heard it from Im Chu in the past, he said the ronin were taken out by an external ambush and that their bodies were never found. To think the leader had poisoned the food himself.
Presumably, these men had intended to dispose of all the bodies to hide the fact that they had used poison.
"Why aren't you dead?" Yang Dang glared at me, his face filled with shock.
"Because I didn't eat the jerky you gave me. Why would I eat food given by someone I met for the first time today?"
Many things were changing because of my regression, but some things remained the same. Just as it was the cook's fate to die the day he put Energy-Scattering Poison in the rice, so too was the death of these ronin today.
Even if I tried to prevent unnecessary killing, there were things that simply had to happen. What is meant to change will change, and what is meant to happen will happen.
The two of them drew their swords simultaneously.
"It would have been better for you to just eat it and die."
Right then, something unexpected happened.
Stab!
Yang Dang's sword pierced through the other ronin's back and erupted through his chest.
"Gah!" The man collapsed, coughing up blood.
I shook my head. "Are you an idiot? You should have let him deal with me before killing him. Do you even know how strong I am?"
"This guy was calculating and selfish; he never would have fought first," Yang Dang spat. "If I had to be the one to step up and fight anyway... it was better to kill him while he was distracted by you."
It seemed the two of them had been of similar skill.
"What a pathetic life," I said. "Living a life where you just stand in a line stabbing each other in the back—did you think your turn wouldn't come?"
"I won't let anyone stand behind my back, so save your worries."
"What do you even plan to do with the money you earned by killing your comrades?"
"Plenty. Drink, buy women."
"You killed all these people just for that? The ghosts will be clinging to you so thick, I doubt you'll even be able to get your junk up under the weight."
"You moron. Worry about your own life!"
The reason he had killed his comrade was that he had backup.
Four men emerged from the surroundings. Three of them wore masks, while only the man who appeared to be the leader was unmasked. I could tell from their eyes and gait that they were quite skilled.
"You've arrived?" Yang Dang greeted them respectfully. Judging by his tone, these newcomers were the ones who had hired him.
The unmasked man didn't even spare a glance for Yang Dang or me. He shouted toward the carriage.
"Come out now. Before I burn the whole carriage down with you in it."
The woman and the boy stepped out, their faces pale with terror.
"You've been hiding like rats; it was a pain to find you."
The woman pleaded with the man. "Martial Artist Gwon, please, at least spare my Yang-yi."
The woman seemed to know the man well. The man called Gwon seemed to consider it for a moment.
"Fine. Out of respect for our past connection, I'll let him live."
The moment joy and hope flickered across the woman's face, Gwon revealed his true, vile nature.
"Did you really think so? You wretched woman. You should be on your knees begging for your life, yet you're still trying to act like the master?"
Gwon roared with laughter, mocking her desperate maternal love.
The frightened child clung to his mother's skirts. The woman's expression hardened as she was humiliated by her former subordinate. But, desperate to save her child, she pleaded again.
"If you spare Yang-yi, I will give you ten times the amount you're being paid."
"Money is great, but it can't be more important than one's life. Your father has already been subdued and captured. It's over."
At the news that her father had been captured, the woman let out a grief-stricken sigh.
Then, Gwon's gaze turned toward me.
I was smiling and waving at the child, who looked like he was about to burst into tears, just as I had when we first met.
Thinking that my behavior didn't fit the situation, Gwon asked Yang Dang, "Who's that guy? Wasn't he one of your subordinates?"
Everyone's attention focused on me. In particular, the eyes of the woman holding her child were filled with a desperate longing for a miracle.
I walked forward slowly and stood in front of the woman and the child.
"I'm the person who was paid to take these two to their destination," I said calmly. "I'm also the kind of person who keeps those I need to protect behind my back."
It was the moment a lifeline, woven from Heavenly Silkworm Thread, was placed into the hands of a woman who had been grasping at straws.