The Salwol Gang's Warehouse Blunder
In the hills outside the plains stood one granary and two hammers. Salwol-pa was one of the three major evil factions ruling present-day Gwangju. Someone might ask how a sect could possibly be named Salwol-pa. It wasn’t because the sect leader was suffering a belated case of teenage edginess. No, the evil factions simply preferred names that made them sound more vicious than everyone else. Had Cheong known, she would have scoffed that trying too hard to sound strong only made you look weak, but that was beside the point. Among the evil factions, an organization name that sounded wicked and ominous was practically a medal of honor. After all, the first thing people thought when they heard it was, These bastards must be proper villains.
At any rate, although Gwangju had once been tightly gripped by the influence of the Gwangdong Jin Family, the timing of the Murim Competition meant the Jin clan had been completely absent from the city for three full months. In that vacuum, an age of warring evil factions had exploded into being. Now the three major black-path groups—Salwol-pa, Gwangju Seonbang, and Geumjeokbang—held the city in an iron fist. Even after the Jin family’s direct descendants returned, they were occupied with funerals and still reeling from their loss. The evil factions, sensing their chance, were burning with determination to lock down their territories once and for all.
And right now, the target of those cold, glittering eyes was the current talk of the town: the mysterious carpenter and shaman known as the Tomok Seonnyeo, the Civil Engineering Fairy.
Lee Wang-chul, leader of Salwol-pa, was clearly displeased.
“I heard there was construction today. They say quite a lot of materials were delivered?”
“Not even enough for one full building, boss,” his subordinate answered.
“Still, the fact remains—they did start construction! If we let this slide, more laborers will gather, then servants will follow, and before we know it we’ll be like dogs chasing chickens.”
“Should we send the boys, boss?”
“Goddammit, will you stop calling me boss already? It’s been ages since our Salwol-pa became one of the four great evil sects. Why are you still saying ‘boss’? It’s Sect Leader! Sect Leader! Don’t you know that? If the general manager keeps ending every sentence with ‘boss, boss,’ what the hell are the underlings supposed to learn from that?”
A proper sect leader wouldn’t refer to his own disciples as “boys,” either.
“Sect Leader. Understood, Sect Leader. Boss.”
“You little shit—”
“It’s stuck in my mouth, that’s all. Bo— I mean, Sect Leader.”
Wang U quickly lowered his gaze. Of course it wasn’t really stuck in his mouth. He was deliberately tacking on “boss” at the end of every sentence. Some mutt named Bang had rolled in from who-knows-where, set himself up as strategist, and taken the seat right beside the leader. So Wang U made sure to call the man “boss” in front of the rank-and-file, loudly broadcasting: I am the leader’s direct younger brother. Don’t you dare treat this brother poorly. The fact that the so-called Sect Leader kept harping on his title was simply irritating.
This was by no means a good sign. The resentment of evil-faction men was far more dangerous and treacherous than ordinary people imagined.
“Tsk. Have the boys wreck the site. Dismember the bodies and dump them in the marketplace. No matter how bold they are, no one will dare come running to work on the Jin family estate after that.”
“Hold on. I believe it would be better if the General Manager handled this personally. From what I hear, the Civil Engineering Fairy possesses monstrous strength comparable to Xiang Yu himself. If we send mediocre underlings and they let her slip away, won’t the situation spiral out of control?”
These were the words of strategist Bang Jeom-myeong. Wang U glared at him.
“What? You’re saying that to deal with one fake shaman bitch, the second-in-command of Salwol-pa, the General Manager of the great Salwol sect himself, has to step forward?”
“Looking at how things tend to go, if you send a subordinate, that subordinate sends another subordinate. I’m not sure how far down the chain it would descend.”
“You’ve got a real mouth on you, don’t you?”
“Enough,” Lee Wang-chul cut in, putting on a show of dignity. “The strategist is right. This is an extremely important matter, which is precisely why I’m entrusting it to you. Now that I think about it, I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving it in anyone else’s hands.”
“Ahem. If that’s how you feel, boss, then this brother has no choice but to obey. Boss.”
Even at the end, Wang U still tacked on “boss.” He rose from his seat, shot the strategist a fierce glare, spun on his heel, and stormed out.
Left behind in the room, Lee Wang-chul clicked his tongue.
“That bastard’s getting a little insolent.”
The strategist answered smoothly.
“Isn’t it all simply an expression of loyalty? The Sect Leader is truly blessed to have such a fine brother. However, now that you rule an entire region, you ought to adopt speech and conduct befitting a large organization. Considering his temperament, wouldn’t it be better for everyone if he were placed in command of a combat unit rather than left as General Manager?”
“See? That’s exactly what I mean. Wang U has no idea that the strategist thinks of him that way.”
To which strategist Bang simply smiled kindly and said there was no need to mention it.
----
South of the manor district lay the villa district, where wealthy men’s seaside retreats lined the shore. One of those villas now sported extremely bizarre decorations. All manner of colored cloths fluttered from the eaves, while the main gate was plastered with every kind of talisman, giving the impression that ghosts had been sealed inside. Above them, words had been written in what was presumably blood—whether chicken or pig, no one could tell. Despite the eerie appearance, the calligraphy itself was first-rate under heaven, which only made the whole thing even more bizarre.
In place of Xiang Yu the Champion, the Shrine of the Beautiful Consort. In other words, a shrine dedicated to the beauty who worshipped the Xiang Yu god.
The phrase made every passerby snort in derision. No one had ever heard of a “Xiang Yu Champion Shrine,” and a shrine to the Beautiful Consort? Wu Hui was one of the top five beauties of the central plains, one of the three peerless beauties of the three armies. Xi Shi stood alone as the supreme beauty of all time, while Wang Zhaojun, Diaochan, and Yang Guifei made up the remaining three of the four great beauties. The final tier was filled by Wu Hui, Daji, Feiyan, and the like. So for some face-veiled shaman to slap gold paint on her own face and claim to be one of the beauties? It was no different from declaring herself the living incarnation of Wu Hui.
“So let’s take a look at that bitch’s face.”
“Heh heh. Hammer, boss. What’s there to see on a woman who keeps her face covered? If we look and it kills our appetite, even a raging hard-on will drop dead. Let’s just flip her over with the veil still on.”
Hammer gave the back of his head a light tap. Hammer was Wang U’s right-hand man within Salwol-pa. The nickname had nothing to do with the way his front and back skulls combined into a hammer-like shape. It came from his fondness for hammering living people into pulp.
The fact that Hammer was swaggering at the very front made one thing clear: Wang U had disobeyed orders and sent a subordinate after all.
“Didn’t you see the size of that woman? Appetite? If you watch her swing a hammer, you’ll realize she’s nothing but muscle. You really want to embrace a woman who’s all muscle?”
“I’d actually prefer it.”
“Crazy bastard.”
To men of the evil factions, dirty talk flowed as naturally as breathing. After all, most of them had joined precisely to fulfill their grand ambition of wielding the thing between their legs however they pleased. The lofty ideal of becoming strong enough to do whatever they wanted—especially with women—was either pathetic or refreshingly honest, depending on how one looked at it.
One of the men vaulted over the wall. His movements were quick and light as he cleared it in a single bound. The man who went over opened the gate from inside. The bells hanging on it jingled noisily, causing every evil-faction warrior to flinch, but on a winter night during the hour of the ox there was no sign of any residents.
“What’s with all these bells?”
“That’s how shamans are, what do you expect?”
“Ugh. Gives me the creeps.”
It was a luxurious villa, so the courtyard was spacious, yet only a single building stood alone in the center.
“Hey, newbies. Keep watch out here.”
“Us?”
Hammer thumped the youngest on the head.
“Look at this guy. Head’s gotten a little bigger and suddenly he thinks he’s too good to stand watch with his younger brothers? I’ll call you when it’s time to have fun, so keep your eyes peeled for anyone suspicious.”
The Civil Engineering Fairy’s monstrous strength was already famous. Anyone who had seen her lift pillars by herself and drive them into the ground could only nod and agree that it made perfect sense for her to worship Xiang Yu the Champion.
That was why the warriors dispatched to capture her were all mid-level experts who had eaten their share of “sword rice.” Leaving two men behind, the rest crept carefully toward the villa. The youngest and his two slightly senior newbies watched them go with sullen expressions until one of the seniors tapped the youngest on the shoulder.
“You stay by the gate and listen for anyone coming. I’ll take a look around over there.”
Warehouses, servant quarters, and kitchens were usually built flush against the outer wall. The senior jerked his chin toward a building that bulged outward from the wall.
“Come on, you’re just trying to raid the warehouse, aren’t you? Let’s go together.”
“Now that you’re a squad leader your liver’s gotten pretty big. Since when do you talk back to your senior?”
“…No, sir.”
“Let’s do this properly. Understood?”
The youngest’s expression looked as if he had bitten into something sour. With so many new disciples having joined recently, both of them were squad leaders now. How long was this guy going to keep acting like a senior? Still, the one who joined first held the advantage. With no other choice, the youngest took a long, deep breath. It was meant to be a sigh—but not out of frustration. He wanted to make it loud enough to grate on the bastard’s ears on purpose.
Suddenly, a brutal hand clamped over his mouth. At the same time, something tightened around his throat, cutting off his airway. The youngest struggled, but then whatever it was lifted his entire torso off the ground. His feet kicked uselessly in the air for a moment before going completely limp.
Meanwhile, the man who had slipped into the warehouse let out a relieved breath. Perhaps because it was properly walled, the moment the door opened a wave of welcome warmth washed over him. He had been grumbling about what kind of nonsense this was on such a cold night, so his face brightened. Afraid the warmth would escape, he hurriedly stepped inside.
“Why the hell did they light a fire in a warehouse?”
Sure enough, a faint glow illuminated the space. It looked like they had brought in a brazier with charcoal still burning.
“Whoa, it’s warm. I might actually survive.”
This year had an intercalary month, so the second lunar month brought the harshest cold, and the middle of the night was the coldest time of all. Of course, Cheong would have simply scoffed and said this was nothing compared to early autumn in Hubei province, but for a Gwangju native, it was plenty cold. So the man entered with a bright expression, melting into the warmth, savoring the pleasant heat rising on his skin as he approached the brazier.
Then his eyes met those of a man who was staring straight at him.
It wasn’t just one man. Several men. For some reason, the men who had been lying on mats with rolled-up sleeping bags were rising one after another.
“Wh—”
“Be silent.”
The voice, heavy with inner energy, sealed the evil-faction warrior’s mouth.
“I am Jin Ja-gang. I assume you know my name?”
Indeed, was there anyone in Gwangju who did not know the name of the Jin family head?
The evil-faction warrior rolled his eyes desperately, but all he realized was that the enemies were numerous and every last one of them wore a murderous expression.
“Stay quiet. If you scream, I will unfortunately have no choice but to kill you.”
Fearing even the smallest sound might escape, the warrior clamped both hands over his own mouth. Then came the thud of the warehouse door closing.
“Would you kneel for me?”
The surprisingly polite request gave the warrior courage. He dropped to his knees with a loud thump. After all, the knees of evil-faction men were famously light.
“I intend to tie you up. Resisting will only make things very difficult for you. Do you wish to resist?”
“No, no I don’t.”
“Good. You listen well.”
The middle-aged man—Jin Ja-gang, head of the Gwangdong Jin Family—gave a slight nod. Before long the evil-faction warrior was tightly bound and laid on the floor. A short while later, the youngest was thrown down beside him, completely limp and similarly bound.
The Jin family warriors filed out of the warehouse one by one. Finally Jin Ja-gang followed, but as if a thought had just occurred to him, he paused at the door.
“Ah, that’s right. Did I mention that I would kill you even if you don’t scream? You don’t have many days left to live, so take this time to put your affairs in order.”
“Mmph—!”
The evil-faction warrior tried to scream belatedly, but the only reply was the creak and thud of the warehouse door closing.