The Thousand-Li Divine Thief
Upon returning to the branch, I sat down on a chair on the first floor without a word.
"My lord."
I raised my head at Un Dohyeon's voice.
"The report is finished. Will you review it?"
I nodded and held out my hand. He placed a thick bundle of documents into it, and I read through them in silence.
The contents were perfect.
Yi Maeng-rip and I had gone out to Bibong Mountain together, where we were ambushed by the Salmak. Yi Maeng-rip was a cowardly wretch who had tried to sell me out, only to be struck down from behind and killed by the Killing Curtain — that was the gist of it.
I was satisfied.
Except.
"I'd like to add a few lines here."
"What should I include?"
"The Four Dharma Protectors of the Killing Curtain and Vice Curtain Master Mando Wi were present at the scene. And Yi Maeng-rip killed one of the Killing Curtain's Four Dharma Protectors. Include that."
"Understood. It shall be done."
"And Yi Maeng-rip's head?"
"It has been respectfully placed in a box."
"Send it to the headquarters along with the report. The box goes to Neungdon, and the letter to Dokgo — no, to the Asura Pavilion Master."
A strange smile tugged at the corner of Un Dohyeon's mouth.
"Very well. Entrusting this to an ordinary courier would be a bit… questionable, so I'll hand it over to the Cheonjeong Gate."
The Cheonjeong Gate.
I ran a hand back through my hair. I had meant to rest a little, but there was still unfinished business to take care of.
I rose from my seat.
"Come with me."
"At once."
And so Un Dohyeon and I headed for the Cheonjeong Gate's Sambong-hyeon branch.
Jang Sangbo, branch manager of the Cheonjeong Gate's Sambong-hyeon branch, swallowed hard. Both his hands were trembling, and his eyes were shaking wildly.
It was because of the information that had just come in.
A mere three hours ago, Yi Do and the Killing Curtain had clashed north of Bibong Mountain. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have shrugged it off.
Everyone knew that Yi Do and the Killing Curtain had a grudge between them, and frankly, if the two parties intended to settle their own debts, it was no business of the Cheonjeong Gate to begin with. He was hardly on intimate terms with Yi Do either.
However.
Jang Sangbo had told Yi Do. A merchant caravan from Jangam Commandery would be passing north of Bibong Mountain.
There had been no information whatsoever about the Killing Curtain's involvement in the area.
Which meant —
Interpreted another way, the Cheonjeong Gate's intelligence had led a man named Yi Do straight into a trap.
That reading was entirely plausible.
That was why his hands were trembling now, why cold sweat was streaming down his forehead.
Then two men approached him.
Yi Do and Un Dohyeon.
The moment Jang Sangbo laid eyes on Yi Do, he rushed over to him.
"Oh, my lord! Are you quite alright?"
Yi Do looked down at him in silence. Jang Sangbo's heart lurched. That gaze was ice-cold.
"My… my lord… this is all a misunderstanding… surely you'll grant me a chance to set it right…"
"A chance?"
"Yes."
"Your faulty intelligence nearly got me killed in the Killing Curtain's trap. And."
Yi Do paused for a moment, then lifted the lid of the box Un Dohyeon was carrying. When Jang Sangbo saw what was inside, his legs gave out beneath him. It was a head — crushed to a pulp, by the look of it.
"Dharma Protector Yi Maeng-rip of the Asura Sword Sect is dead. All because of your faulty information."
"…Th… that is…"
"Of course, I don't believe you did it deliberately. There is no grudge between you and me."
Yi Do extended his hand with surprising courtesy. Jang Sangbo gripped it with a shaking hand and pulled himself to his feet.
"Nevertheless, I cannot simply let this matter pass. You did not intend it, perhaps, but you threatened my life — and cost the Asura Sword Sect the life of one of its proud Dharma Protectors."
There may well have been gaps in the story. Trusting it might have made him look like a fool.
But circumstances had arisen that left no choice but to believe.
When Yi Maeng-rip died at the branch, who was present?
Only Yi Do and Un Dohyeon.
Who accompanied Yi Do on his patrol?
It had been Un Dohyeon disguised as Yi Maeng-rip, but to any outside observer there was no way to see it as anything other than Yi Maeng-rip. The man had been wearing the ceremonial robe that marked the rank of Dharma Protector, after all.
Countless people had also witnessed Yi Do and Yi Maeng-rip — just the two of them — heading toward Bibong Mountain.
And decisively —
Who survived north of Bibong Mountain?
Yi Do alone.
Whether he wanted to believe it or not, however great his doubts, the situation made Yi Do's account the only version that could possibly be true.
As mighty as the Cheonjeong Gate was, it could not reinvestigate a site that had already burned to nothing, every trace erased.
He had no intention of seizing Yi Do and dragging him before a tribunal, and so the matter could only unfold one way.
A thorough, airtight handling of the affair — by Yi Do's standards, at least.
The cold sweat gathered at the tip of Jang Sangbo's chin, then dropped — plip — to the floor.
Jang Sangbo spoke.
"…I believe… that Lord Yi Do and I maintain a good relationship."
"For now, perhaps."
"Oh, my lord, what are you saying! Not just for now — always. As long as I am conducting business within 'Lord Yi Do's domain,' I wish to maintain a good relationship with you at all times. I will strive for exactly that."
"Hmm. Your posture is good."
"…Thank you."
"And yet, I cannot simply overlook what has already happened. Or can I?"
"Of course not. Anything within my power — within our power — we will do. Just say the word."
"Good. First, the terms of our previous contract will change."
"The contract…?"
"We agreed that in exchange for information, you would take one-tenth of the proceeds. Have you forgotten?"
"Oh, no, I remember. Of course I do."
"The ratio will be adjusted. Instead of a tenth of the proceeds, you will pay the standard information fee — but regardless of the price, that fee shall be exactly one-tenth. In other words, for information worth a hundred nyang of gold, you pay ten nyang."
"…That is…"
"What? Do you object?"
"…"
"I'd like you to think it over. Setting aside matters concerning me personally — a Dharma Protector of the Asura Sword Sect has died because of faulty intelligence from the Cheonjeong Gate. In a case like this, how do you imagine the Asura Sword Sect headquarters will react?"
Jang Sangbo swallowed hard. Lightning flashed through his mind. This was not a matter of money. He must not think of it that way. This was a matter of his life.
"If the Asura Sword Sect demanded your head, how exactly do you think the Cheonjeong Gate would respond?"
"…L… Lord Yi Do…"
"I thought I was being more than generous, but if even that feels excessive to you, then so be it. Was your name Jang Sangbo?"
"…Yes…"
"I recommend securing a burial plot in advance. If you find the time, I'll even come pour out a bottle of green plum wine for you now and then, so don't worry about the drink."
Yi Do turned to leave. Terrified, Jang Sangbo scrambled after him and clutched at his trouser leg.
"L… Lord Yi Do! How can you simply walk away? Did I ever say I wouldn't do it?"
Yi Do looked down at him.
"You gave no answer, so I took it to mean you were refusing my offer."
"Oh, how can you say such a thing! Nothing of the sort. One-tenth of the information fee — it's more than fair. I, Jang Sangbo, was simply so overwhelmed by your boundless, ocean-deep grace that I could not answer right away."
"I see."
"Yes… I will do as you say. But… if I may… might I ask one more favor?"
Yi Do already knew what was coming. He spoke quietly to Un Dohyeon standing beside him.
"We'll revise a few lines of the report."
"What should the revision say?"
"The Cheonjeong Gate's Sambong-hyeon branch did provide information — that the caravan north of Bibong Mountain was in fact a Killing Curtain trap, and to be careful. But Dharma Protector Yi Maeng-rip scoffed that a mere cutthroat was nothing to fear, ignored the intelligence the Cheonjeong Gate had provided, and dragged me along to the place anyway."
With each word, Jang Sangbo's face grew brighter. This way, the Cheonjeong Gate's blunder — failing to pinpoint the Killing Curtain's location — was buried entirely. Un Dohyeon replied with perfect courtesy.
"Yes, my lord. I shall revise it accordingly."
Yi Do helped Jang Sangbo to his feet.
"You've gathered some dust."
With those words, he personally brushed the dust from Jang Sangbo's clothes. Pat, pat.
"Jang Sangbo."
"…Yes."
"Be more careful in the future."
"…Of course. Have no fear."
Yi Do gave a jerk of his chin.
"Send that box to Elder Neungdon, and that letter to the Asura Pavilion Master at headquarters."
There was no need to think it over.
"Yes, my lord!"
"And from now on, compile everything that happens in Jangam Commandery and report it to me."
"Naturally. And as for the information fee — from now on, just let me take payment in arrears. Pay whenever it suits you."
Even so, Yi Do was not quite so devoid of a conscience as all that.
"Un Dohyeon."
At my call, as if he had been waiting for it, he held out the pouch he'd been carrying to Jang Sangbo.
"There should be about a hundred and eighty nyang of gold in there. If it falls short, come and tell me."
"Thank you—!"
Un Dohyeon gazed at Yi Do with wide, sparkling eyes.
The next morning.
Two men arrived in Sambong-hyeon.
Myeong Hyeon — and a man whose face was hidden beneath a beard.
Compared to Myeong Hyeon, of moderate build and distinctly wiry, the bearded man's frame was almost laughably thin. Gaunt, the kind of man who looked as though a single tap would send him toppling over — and his expression was sour.
"…Threatening a man with his own family — don't you think that's a rather low tactic?"
"I do."
"…Did you really have to drag me all the way here?"
"It was an order. What could I do?"
Na Mu-gi, the Thousand-Li Divine Thief, heaved a long sigh.
"…By the way, that thing back then — that was 'Demon Art,' wasn't it?"
"Hard to say."
"…The Asura Sword Sect has truly gone all the way to the end of the road, haven't they."
Myeong Hyeon gave a dry snort. Who knows anymore. Yi Do will handle it in his own way.
"Let's just see our branch master first and sort the rest out afterward. Talking to me now is pointless."
"Pointless, is it?"
Na Mu-gi snorted and pointed a slender finger off to one side. There stood an enormous tree, from which hung the heads of two men, their limbs severed.
Myeong Hyeon had seen it too. The moment he did, he'd buried his face in his hands.
Just how long had he been away? What in the world had happened in so short a time to produce that?
Haa.
"Is that pointless as well?"
"…I wouldn't know. Let's just go."
He didn't know why it had happened, but he did know who the two men were.
Wang Mu-tan and Jin Geon.
Branch members of the Sambong branch.
He forced himself to look away. Myeong Hyeon led Na Mu-gi toward the Sambong branch, and upon arriving, spotted Yi Do eating a meal on the first floor.
No — before that.
Why is the branch so clean?
And who was that man standing beside Yi Do, as if guarding him?
"You're back."
At Yi Do's words, Myeong Hyeon answered with an awkward smile.
"Yes, I'm back. Five days instead of seven."
"Good work. Go and rest."
Myeong Hyeon scratched his head. He wanted to rest, sure — but he'd brought the Thousand-Li Divine Thief along, and he was a little curious about the conversation that was about to unfold between him and Yi Do. Myeong Hyeon moved naturally to a position behind Yi Do and exchanged quiet greetings with the man standing at his side.
Un Dohyeon.
Second son of the Un family head.
He gave him a brief nod. Good work.
Yi Do set down his spoon.
He shifted his gaze to the Thousand-Li Divine Thief, who was glaring at him in silence.
"Have you eaten?"
"…No."
"Then sit and eat."
"I have no appetite."
"Is that so. Then you'd prefer we get straight to the point?"
Na Mu-gi nodded in the affirmative.
"Fine. From this moment, I will tell you a story. Do not interrupt me. If anything puzzles you, ask after you have heard it all. Understood?"
"Understood."
Slowly, Yi Do began to speak.
Everything that had happened at the Sambong branch.
And everything that had happened at the former Sambong branch.
The final fate of former branch master Un Mi-rang and her branch members.
A martial artist in Jangam Commandery who had borrowed the name of the 'Thousand-Li Divine Thief.'
The story of the two vermin within the branch who had conspired with him, slaughtered their own branch master and comrades, and committed rape besides.
And how their heads now hung at the entrance.
The story was finished.
Na Mu-gi furrowed his brow.
"…Truly convoluted, and filthy besides. But that's where it ends, no? This is the murim, and such things happen here every day."
"True. This is the murim, and such things happen every day. But you are entangled in it now — and that makes it no longer someone else's affair. It is yours."
"How do you figure that? I've done nothing wrong, and I never stole this so-called Suradan. And didn't you cut down the only witnesses yourself? In that case, why on earth did you summon me? It's pointless, isn't it?"
Myeong Hyeon thought the same.
Why bring the Thousand-Li Divine Thief here at all?
Had the two men lived, it would have served a purpose — but they were dead now. Which meant there was no reason to bring him.
Yi Do shook his head.
"Now I'll tell you why I brought you here. It's simple — to clear your name."
Na Mu-gi's brow snapped together.
"You're going to clear my name?"
"Ordinarily, this affair would have been buried completely. Meaning no one would ever have come hunting for you, the man who once wore the title Thousand-Li Divine Thief before vanishing from the world. But not anymore."
Yi Do raised his cup and drained it in one go.
Thud.
He set the cup down on the table and looked at Na Mu-gi.
"I intend to kill every man connected to this affair. I will hunt down each and every one of them and cut them down."
"…"
"I know you are innocent. But you are already entangled. Your name can no longer be plucked out of that massacre — that is what I'm telling you."
"…And so, how exactly do you propose to clear my name?"
Yi Do looked around.
There were four people in this room.
Yi Do himself, Myeong Hyeon, Un Dohyeon — and the Thousand-Li Divine Thief, Na Mu-gi.
No other ears to hear.
Yi Do spoke.
"Strip Jangam Commandery bare."
"…What?"
"Stir up such chaos that suspicion falls on the silent branch of the Heaven Cleaving Fist Sect. There are thirteen sects in Jangam Commandery — I'm telling you to pilfer every last worthless trinket they own."
The Thousand-Li Divine Thief's jaw dropped open.