Monopolizing Fortunes (10)
Monopolizing Fortunes (10)
The horizontal slash at the waist was a fighting method born of experience.
If Jang Yu-seom, who could not dodge downward, jumped up, he would be completely exposed to Won Tae-hyeon's sword. And if he retreated, Won Tae-hyeon, having seized the momentum, would have no trouble lasting ten moves.
But Jang Yu-seom dodged to the very place Won Tae-hyeon believed he could not avoid.
Dropping one knee to the ground and arching his back, Jang Yu-seom slid across the floor and struck Won Tae-hyeon's ankle with his wooden staff.
In truth, the fight was as good as over at that point.
"Kuh!"
As Won Tae-hyeon collapsed to one side with a stinging pain, the tip of the wooden staff came to rest against the back of his neck.
After a brief silence, Won Tae-hyeon's low voice was heard.
"I've lost."
Far from being careless, he had given it everything from the start. Yet Won Tae-hyeon's entire offense had consisted of a single sword stroke swung at the outset.
Jang Yu-seom was no soft military officer who only swung a wooden sword. Jang Yu-seom, who had slid in along the floor, and Won Tae-hyeon's sword had been separated by not even an inch.
To slip into a gap where his face could have been sliced off at the slightest misstep required confidence in his martial arts, and it was a choice only someone who had crossed the line of death could make.
Jang Yu-seom was not someone Won Tae-hyeon could dare to face. Do Tong-dal could have staked his life on there not being a single thug in the Underworld who could last ten moves against a man like that.
Gong So-seong thought the same. Though he was not as strong as Won Tae-hyeon, his eye for a fight was second to none.
'We absolutely cannot let Jang Yu-seom slip away.'
If Jang Yu-seom went over to the Red Tiger Society, the Haerang Society's advantage in strength would vanish in an instant.
All the careful preparations made to swallow the Red Tiger Society could turn to foam in a single moment.
"It's my turn."
No trace of fear showed on Do Tong-dal's face as he stepped forward. The fact that he remained composed even after witnessing Jang Yu-seom's skill meant he was either confident or had given up.
Naturally, it would be the latter.
'He won five nyang off me, so he figures he's gotten what he came for?'
The five nyang of silver that had gone into Do Tong-dal's pocket suddenly felt precious again. Gong So-seong asked Jang Yu-seom.
"What happens if Squad Leader Do Tong-dal also fails to last ten moves?"
Since the conversation had not reached that point, everyone looked at Jang Yu-seom.
"If that happens, I will go to the Haerang Society. You'll understand, won't you, Squad Leader Do?"
Do Tong-dal, who had received the question, nodded.
"The Haerang Society offered better terms than we did, so it's a natural decision."
"I don't understand why Jang Yu-seom insists on holding this kind of duel."
"Please think of it as one man's competitive spirit."
In truth, it was because he was curious about Do Tong-dal's sword, but there was no need to tell Gong So-seong that.
'Jang Yu-seom will come to us anyway.'
There was no chance that Do Tong-dal, only eighteen years old, could last ten moves against Jang Yu-seom.
Gong So-seong consoled his burning stomach over the lost five nyang with that thought.
Do Tong-dal spoke to Jang Yu-seom.
"I have a request."
"I'll grant it."
The reason he agreed without even hearing what it was came from his belief that Do Tong-dal would not make an unreasonable request.
"Please use a real sword instead of a wooden one."
Gong So-seong stared at Do Tong-dal with a baffled expression. No matter how outstanding Jang Yu-seom's martial arts were, using a real sword could cause injury or even death.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile rose to the lips of Jang Yu-seom, who had received the request.
"So you've drawn your sword, it seems."
"It's to test it."
"I'll gladly serve as your test opponent."
Jang Yu-seom went inside and came back out carrying a dagger with a blade just over one ja long. Do Tong-dal held a short blade of similar size.
The reason he had insisted on a real sword from Jang Yu-seom was to sharpen the edge.
For Jeonsalgwi to properly reveal himself, that much danger had to accompany it.
Jang Yu-seom, who had discerned Do Tong-dal's intent from that single request, drew up his killing intent.
The killing intent of someone who had killed many people had a different sharpness to it. Even Gong So-seong and Won Tae-hyeon, standing at a distance, could clearly feel Jang Yu-seom's killing intent. It was a killing intent they had not felt when he faced Won Tae-hyeon.
'Is he trying to kill Do Tong-dal?'
Judging by the killing intent that pricked the skin like needles, that was clearly his intention.
Do Tong-dal must have felt the killing intent too, yet his expression remained calm as he raised the short blade to chest height.
Gong So-seong revised his assessment of Do Tong-dal, whose face was set but unshaken.
'That bastard is no ordinary man.'
Cutting through Gong So-seong's thoughts, Do Tong-dal and Jang Yu-seom moved. The two of them rushed at each other almost simultaneously.
Clang—!
The short blade held in reverse grip and the dagger collided. The instant the weapons met, Do Tong-dal aimed at Jang Yu-seom's face, and Jang Yu-seom dodged the attack while slashing at Do Tong-dal's chest.
Shhk!
The front of Do Tong-dal's clothes was cut horizontally, but no blood showed. With that single exchange, any suspicion that Jang Yu-seom might go easy on Do Tong-dal vanished.
As Do Tong-dal retreated, he slashed upward from below at Jang Yu-seom, who was pursuing him.
Jang Yu-seom's movement—deflecting the short blade while spinning around to aim at Do Tong-dal's neck—was hard to follow even with the eyes.
Do Tong-dal simply let the attack slide past by leaning his body backward.
And the counterattack that followed aimed at Jang Yu-seom's chin. The will to split his face in half was unmistakable.
They were not engaged in a simple duel; they were truly fighting with their lives on the line.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
The short blade and dagger clashed again and again, with the sound of steel cutting the air almost nonstop. Now and then came the sound of cloth tearing and a flash of blood; every wound was Do Tong-dal's.
Watching the two fight, Gong So-seong and Won Tae-hyeon did not even realize their own mouths had fallen half open.
Close-quarters combat with such short weapons made the onlooker's knees go weak on their own.
They lost track of how long they had been fighting, the flow of time forgotten. Then at some point, the two of them stepped back simultaneously. It was exactly the three-jang distance where they had first stood.
"We agreed on ten moves, but we went well past that."
At Jang Yu-seom's words, Do Tong-dal bowed his head.
"Thank you for the lesson."
"No. You awakened me from a pride that could have led to arrogance, so I should be the one thanking you."
Only after the conversation between Do Tong-dal and Jang Yu-seom ended did Gong So-seong realize that he had lost.
The reason no feeling of resentment or injustice arose was because he acknowledged Do Tong-dal's skill.
"I'll go inside and bring out the wound salve and bandages."
Three wounds had appeared on Do Tong-dal's left arm and right side. Do Tong-dal said he was fine, but Jang Yu-seom went into the room anyway.
"Are you really an eighteen-year-old from the Red Tiger Society?"
His skill was believable even for a rising talent of a great martial sect.
"Gwanghwa-ro Fixer Office."
The answer that came back was short, but it did not make him angry.
Gong So-seong also knew that the Gwanghwa-ro Fixer Office was a place where only the Red Tiger Society's worthless dregs gathered.
"Have you ever thought about climbing higher?"
"How high are we talking?"
"Come to our Haerang Society. The Gwanghwa-ro Fixer Office...... no, the Red Tiger Society is too small for you. I'm recruiting you for your own sake, regardless of Jang Yu-seom."
Gong So-seong coveted Do Tong-dal even more than Jang Yu-seom. Jang Yu-seom, who came from a military background, had limits to how he could be used.
Nothing more than being the Haerang Society's sword could be expected of Jang Yu-seom. But Do Tong-dal, whose very origins lay in the Underworld, had limitless potential.
Not only did he possess astonishing martial arts, but the fact that he had come to recruit Jang Yu-seom showed he had excellent judgment.
He had nerve to spare and a sharp mind; Gong So-seong did not need to test him personally to see that.
In Gong So-seong's judgment, Do Tong-dal was the finest rising talent in the Hangzhou Underworld. Even if the scope were widened to the entire Central Plains, he would surely be counted among the very best.
"You're too good to rot away in the Red Tiger Society."
"Who says I'm rotting away?"
"You're in the Gwanghwa-ro Fixer Office, aren't you?"
"Is there anyone in the Haerang Society who became a squad leader at eighteen?"
There was not. Gong So-seong had the Haerang Society's records, and even he had not become a squad leader until he was twenty.
"If you come to the Haerang Society, I can give you a hundred titles like that. With my authority, I'll promise you the position of Deputy Branch Chief."
It was a truly unprecedented offer.
"I appreciate the words, but I'm someone who prefers choosing over being chosen, so I'll decline that offer."
"You'll regret it."
"We'll see."
Do Tong-dal, who was certain to become the Haerang Society's greatest enemy, had thus taken Jang Yu-seom into his fold.
'He took my five nyang into his fold too. Damn it!'
* * *
Do Tong-dal visited Jang Yu-seom again two days later. Even if the moving load was light, time was needed to get things in order.
Just as Do Tong-dal was stepping into the yard without a gate, he came face-to-face with Jang Yu-seom, whose face had gone pale.
"Mr. Jang, what's wrong?"
"Hye-min has disappeared!"
"Your wife has disappeared?"
"She said that because of her, I was leaving the military and going to the Underworld...... She was here until a shichen ago, but she vanished while I stepped out for a moment. She's not well, so I have to find her quickly! Quickly!"
Do Tong-dal followed after Jang Yu-seom. After going a long way down a deserted road with woods on both sides, a fork appeared, splitting left and right.
To Jang Yu-seom, who was hesitating, unable to choose a side, Do Tong-dal shouted.
"Go left! I'll search the right!"
Do Tong-dal and Jang Yu-seom each ran down a different path. A ke later, it was Do Tong-dal who found Seon Hye-min.
Clutching a small bundle to her chest, Seon Hye-min was walking with difficulty along the narrow path.
"Madam!"
Seon Hye-min, who turned her head and saw Do Tong-dal, was startled but soon returned to a calm expression.
Seon Hye-min spoke to Do Tong-dal, who had stopped and was breathing hard.
"You've gone to needless trouble. I'm not going back."
"Do you really intend to leave your husband like this?"
"My absence is better for him. He gave up his dream because of me. So I have to disappear and make him dream again. It will be hard at first, but he's a strong person, so he'll get back on his feet before long."
Her voice was low and slow, but her will was firm.
"You don't know your husband as well as I do."
"What do you mean by that?"
Do Tong-dal pointed to a flat rock by the roadside.
"Considering the effort it took to get here, would you listen to what I have to say for a moment?"
Seon Hye-min was also tired, so she did not refuse.
"This is a story about one man's life, and it probably won't be entertaining. It's the story of a very foolish thug."
Do Tong-dal told Seon Hye-min his story. To be precise, it was the story of his past life.
His voice, which had continued calmly, trembled slightly when he spoke of the circumstances surrounding the loss of his leg.
"And so, in the year he turned sixty, the old man froze to death on the streets of Hangzhou. It was a foolish life."
Whether it was because Do Tong-dal was a good storyteller or because Seon Hye-min was rich in emotion, tears were streaming down her face.
"That thug never realized how important his leg was in life. If the thug had not become a cripple, his life might not have ended so miserably."
"That's a sad story."
"And it's a story that's about to become sad."
"Pardon?"
"If you disappear, your husband will end up like the old man who lost his leg."
"Are you saying I'm like a leg to him?"
"Worse than that. You said your husband would get back on his feet if you left, but he probably never will. There aren't many people who can lose something more precious than their own life and stand up again. The stronger someone seems, the deeper they can fall."
"But...... I don't have the confidence to stay by his side and watch him lose his dream."
"There is no life where you can get everything you want. The only difference is how you bear life's burdens. If you choose to throw that burden away, that too is your choice. The burden you abandon will likely fall entirely on your husband."
A sorrowful smile lingered at the corner of Seon Hye-min's lips.
"Listening to you, Squad Leader Do, I feel like a wicked and cowardly woman."
"You say you made your husband abandon his dream, but he is the one whose dream was abandoned. Whether you comfort him or tear open his wounds is your choice."
Having said that much, Do Tong-dal stood up.
"Will you continue on the path you were taking?"
* * *