A Cycle of Grudges
On the road back from Hwang Manor to the inn, Kang Chu-mi grumbled as they loaded nothing but a pair of coffins into the small carriage.
"I don't understand why Big Brother is bringing corpses back with us."
Seo Joo-cheon still hadn't told his three sworn siblings about the God-Descended Assassins. Until they secured a safe house, he felt the secret had to be kept. For now, it was better that the three of them saw the bodies as nothing more than ordinary corpses.
"I'll explain later. Hold your curiosity until then."
If left unchecked, Kang Chu-mi seemed likely to go on and on about the corpses, so Ham Cheon-yeong put in a word.
"If Big Brother brought the bodies, he has his reasons. Even if we don't understand it now, wait a little and the reason will become clear. Don't pester him."
There were times when Second Brother Ham Cheon-yeong's words carried more weight than Seo Joo-cheon's own. At his intervention, Dokgo Ho-in and Kang Chu-mi's grumbling faded away.
They soon arrived at the inn, left the carriage in the inn's care, and went inside.
Jang Hyeon-nam greeted the Shaanxi Four Chivalrous Heroes as they entered, as warmly as if he hadn't seen them in a year.
"Hyung-nim. Did you have a good trip?"
"We did."
"You were later than I expected."
"Yu Seong latched onto us, so we stayed and played a while."
Seo Joo-cheon had ordered his three sworn siblings to keep silent about the attack on Hwang Manor.
"Hahaha, well done. The kid's soft-hearted, so he's full of affection. There's something a bit girlish about him, you know."
"You noticed that?"
Seo Joo-cheon found it remarkable that the usually oblivious Jang Hyeon-nam had picked up on Yu Seong's girlish qualities.
"Of course. The way he laughs, and sometimes when he acts cute — he's the spitting image of a little girl."
Even Jang Hyeon-nam, who never noticed anything, had felt it. Seo Joo-cheon was almost embarrassed that he himself had missed it.
He looked around the inn and tilted his head.
"The windows are broken, a few tables smashed. There's a scent of blood, too. Did a brawl break out here?"
"Hahaha, as expected, Hyung-nim's quick on the uptake. There was quite a fight here. It was quite a spectacle."
Jang Hyeon-nam was slightly excited, like a child who had just watched something fascinating.
"Is that so? They must have been formidable masters, if you're this entertained."
"They certainly were. Truly formidable."
As Jang Hyeon-nam spoke, Jeong Geum-sik, standing beside him, cleared his throat.
"Ahem. Ahem. Shouldn't we be on our way?"
Jang Hyeon-nam truly had no sense of tact. That he had noticed Yu Seong's girlishness might have been something close to a miracle.
"Come now, Hero Jeong. You have to explain the fight between one of the Three Great Eccentrics of the Martial World and one of the Three Great Evils. How can you just skip over a clash of that caliber?"
Sometimes Seo Joo-cheon couldn't tell whether Jang Hyeon-nam said things like this out of genuine innocence or because he was trying to put someone on the spot. Innocence, he was learning, could be strangely grating. Jang Hyeon-nam still didn't understand that being naive could also mean being ignorant — and that being naive could easily wound people.
Jang Hyeon-nam was so eager to surprise Seo Joo-cheon by revealing that Jeong Geum-sik was one of the Three Great Eccentrics that he never considered Jeong Geum-sik might be trying to keep his identity hidden.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, Hero Jeong is the Red Snow Ice Demon, one of the Three Great Eccentrics of the Martial World, isn't he? I only found out today myself, but if he's one of the Three Great Eccentrics, that makes him a formidable master, doesn't it? Hyung-nim, do you know of the Three Great Eccentrics?"
"Of course I do. The martial world has no shortage of masters with 'Three Great' in their titles — the Three Great Evils, the Three Great Eccentrics, the Three Great Killers, the Three Great Demons, and so on."
"Then you must know of the Red Snow Ice Demon?"
"Are you saying Hero Jeong is the Red Snow Ice Demon?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying. You know — the villain who stole the elixir and fled during the fight with the Undying Demon at Namcheon Inn. The Heinous Saber Fiend. Hero Jeong fought him and tore off one of his arms. Even after taking the Empty Green Stalactite Milk, the Heinous Saber Fiend was no match for Hero Jeong."
Seo Joo-cheon couldn't tell if this was praise or a backhanded jab, and he glanced at Jeong Geum-sik as he listened. Jeong Geum-sik, apparently already accustomed to Jang Hyeon-nam's way of talking, merely smirked.
"Since my identity has come out anyway, allow me to introduce myself properly. My fellow martial artists know me as the Red Snow Ice Demon. My name is not Jeong Rang, but Jeong Geum-sik. I apologize for concealing my true identity until now."
He cupped his fists in apology, and Seo Joo-cheon returned the gesture.
"Think nothing of it. Everyone has their circumstances, and who in the world would lay out their entire history to someone they met on the road? Aside from our innocent sworn brother here, that is."
"Hahaha! Hero Po is so generous in forgiving this humble Jeong that I feel a great weight lifted. I was genuinely anxious about what I'd do if Hero Po refused to forgive me."
"What are you saying? Who am I to take issue with Hero Jeong's conduct? It is an honor to meet one of the renowned Three Great Eccentrics."
Jeong Geum-sik and Seo Joo-cheon were similar in age, but in terms of standing in the martial world, martial prowess, and fame, they were worlds apart. When a superior master lowered himself first, martial etiquette demanded that one bow even lower.
More than anything, Seo Joo-cheon thought keeping Jeong Geum-sik at Jang Hyeon-nam's side had been an excellent decision. He couldn't say with certainty that Jang Hyeon-nam could have handled the Heinous Saber Fiend after the man had consumed Empty Green Stalactite Milk — not without Jeong Geum-sik there. Even with his recent enlightenment, Jang Hyeon-nam might not have fallen easily, but he could well have been in real danger.
"The Heinous Saber Fiend was here, you said?"
"That's right. Someone put him up to it — he came to kill me and our young brother."
Hearing that, Seo Joo-cheon had a good idea who'd hired him.
"Most likely Chief Pyo Byeong-jik of the escort agency."
"That was my thought as well."
"He'll believe we cost him his son, so his thirst for revenge against us must run deep."
Jeong Geum-sik smiled as he listened.
"There are times, Hero Po, when you speak like a man who's taken Buddhist vows. The way you consider the other person's heart first — it doesn't feel like the Unorthodox path at all. If anything, you seem more like a descendant of the Orthodox martial world."
Jang Hyeon-nam jumped in at once.
"That's precisely why this inadequate one serves Hero Po as his sworn older brother."
Jeong Geum-sik voiced a note of concern.
"But I honestly don't know if that kind of mindset will let you survive in the Unorthodox martial world. The place we're heading is the Yongcheon Sect — an Unorthodox faction. A heart that puts others first won't last there."
Since the subject had come up, Jeong Geum-sik wanted to make this point at least once. The Shaanxi Four Chivalrous Heroes were necessary to his own plans. If they vanished too quickly, those plans would fall apart.
Ham Cheon-yeong answered him.
"Hero Jeong need not worry on that account. Our Big Brother repays evil with evil, and kindness with kindness. He has never once shown mercy to the vicious. The reason our epithet was once the Shaanxi Four Evils is because that side of him was what people emphasized."
"Indeed! I'd forgotten that for a moment. That the Shaanxi Four Chivalrous Heroes could just as easily become the Shaanxi Four Evils."
Jeong Geum-sik realized that, in some ways, the path of the Shaanxi Four Chivalrous Heroes was genuinely compelling.
"In any case, now that the Heinous Saber Fiend has lost an arm, he won't find it easy to provoke us again."
Jeong Geum-sik nodded at Seo Joo-cheon's words.
"He said he'd come back, and I'd actually like him to. Tormenting men like him is a hobby of mine."
"Hahaha. It seems the Heinous Saber Fiend has met his true natural enemy."
Seo Joo-cheon muttered, looking at Jang Hyeon-nam.
"But for just tearing off one of the Heinous Saber Fiend's arms, the stench of blood is rather strong. It smells like several people died."
"As expected, Hyung-nim notices immediately. Four people actually died at the Heinous Saber Fiend's hands."
Ham Cheon-yeong picked up the thread.
"Did the Heinous Saber Fiend kill civilians?"
"No, Second Brother."
When Jang Hyeon-nam called him Second Brother, the corner of Ham Cheon-yeong's mouth lifted. Having a scion of a prestigious Orthodox sect address him as Hyung-nim was a pleasure beyond anything else.
"A fake Shaanxi Four Chivalrous Heroes came into the inn and started causing trouble, and the Heinous Saber Fiend burst in and killed them."
"Hah. Of all places, they impersonated us where the Heinous Saber Fiend happened to be. Those fools were determined to die."
When Dokgo Ho-in spoke with a note of pity, Kang Chu-mi asked:
"Was the woman who played my part pretty?"
Jang Hyeon-nam stared at her blankly for a moment at the unexpected question. Women, he was learning, took an interest in the most unforeseen things.
"She tried to dress like you, Elder Sister, but she was a firefly before the sun."
Everyone turned to look at Jang Hyeon-nam after that answer. They hadn't expected him to know how to give a reply that would please a woman.
"Is that so? Hohoho. As if any woman in the martial world could imitate this sister of yours."
They looked at Kang Chu-mi, who took pride in the strangest things, then looked again at Jang Hyeon-nam, who was playing right along.
"Elder Sister's beauty is unmatched in the martial world. I honestly think the title 'Foremost Beauty of the Unorthodox' suits you better than 'Whip-Flying Nüwa.'"
The group was inwardly astonished that Jang Hyeon-nam was so skilled at winning a woman's favor.
"Wow. Little brother's got some quick thinking."
Dokgo Ho-in marveled with genuine admiration, and Sang Ryo looked at Jang Hyeon-nam as if seeing a stranger.
"Hohoho. Our little brother really does have an excellent eye for people. He's definitely going to marry a beauty."
"Is there anyone else like you, Elder Sister?"
It was getting better and better.
Seo Joo-cheon listened and gave a wry smile.
I wrote Jang Hyeon-nam as the type who knows how to please women, but hearing it in person is so cringeworthy I can feel my hands and feet curling up. Then again, that's why beauties flock to him.
In the original work, beauties would even fight among themselves to win Jang Hyeon-nam's heart.
I have no one to blame but myself.
To maximize the story's entertainment value, Seo Joo-cheon had written in a setting where three or four beauties were in love with Jang Hyeon-nam. A protagonist who pursued only one woman's love was fine, but he had structured the story so the hero was loved by many women, to make it more broadly appealing.
"Little brother, you're going to be loved by a lot of women someday."
Kang Chu-mi found Jang Hyeon-nam, who so deftly matched her mood, rather endearing.
"Hahaha, Elder Sister. I'm grateful for the words, but I'm the single-minded type. I can only love one woman."
Kang Chu-mi didn't agree.
"Is that so? A man this handsome — enough to put Song Yu and Pan An to shame — with outstanding martial arts, a fine character, and a perfect background, who also understands a woman's heart. What woman wouldn't like a man like that? You'll never be free of romantic troubles."
"Ah, Elder Sister. That's practically a curse to me. My heart is truly too small to hold more than one woman."
The group was surprised and fascinated to discover this new side of Jang Hyeon-nam.
As the party chatted in high spirits, only the innkeeper wore a long face, looking at his wrecked establishment.
Pyo Byeong-jik's face was nearly as long.
"This isn't what we agreed."
"Listen here, Agency Chief. That's my line. Don't you see my arm?"
The Heinous Saber Fiend, Hong Seok-hun, thrust his empty sleeve forward and continued.
"Why didn't you tell me the Red Snow Ice Demon was traveling with them?"
"I didn't know he was the Red Snow Ice Demon either. I thought he was just some wandering swordsman."
"Give me a break. I nearly died. Right now I'm holding back the urge to slaughter every last person in the Xi'an Escort Agency."
Pyo Byeong-jik had brought in a wolf to kill a fox, only to find himself on the verge of being killed by that wolf. He let out a sigh of wretched self-pity.
"So what is it you want?"
"That's more like it. That way this arm of mine won't feel so lonely. First, hand over all the remaining Empty Green Stalactite Milk. If I'm going to take revenge on those people, I need to build up more inner power."
Pyo Byeong-jik stood as he spoke.
"Understood. I'll prepare it and contact you. I'll send word to the inn where you're staying."
"I'm not finished talking."
Pyo Byeong-jik had accepted the demand in hopes of ending the meeting quickly, but the Heinous Saber Fiend wasn't done.
"What's with this attitude? If I put my mind to it, the Xi'an Escort Agency could vanish overnight."
As Pyo Byeong-jik stood there struck dumb, the Heinous Saber Fiend went on.
"And you need to compensate me for my arm. For the damage I suffered because of bad information. A thousand gold ingots ought to cover it, don't you think?"
"What? A thousand gold ingots?"
Pyo Byeong-jik was stunned by the astronomical sum.
"What? You think my arm isn't worth that much? No — it'd be more accurate to call it the price of your life."
Pyo Byeong-jik sighed and looked at Hong Seok-hun.
The original mistake was mine, for bringing this man in.
Wanting to leave as soon as possible, Pyo Byeong-jik answered.
"Understood. I'll prepare it."
"You have three days. If I don't hear from you in three days, I'll come myself. You know what that means, don't you?"
He spoke with the typical threats of a common thug, without the slightest hesitation.
"Understood."
Once Pyo Byeong-jik withdrew, the Heinous Saber Fiend stroked his empty sleeve and muttered.
"I'll kill them all. Once I raise my inner power a little more, I can take on even that old man, the Red Snow Ice Demon."
The killing intent radiating from the Heinous Saber Fiend sent ripples across the tea in the cup before him.