Monopolizing Fortunes (130)
Monopolizing Fortunes (130)
No matter how capable Do Tong-dal was, he could not pick out the hidden faction's people just by looking.
While Do Tong-dal was staring blankly at the Hwangdae Merchant Company, Baek So-gu came up to the second floor of the tea house.
"You arrived earlier than I expected."
Before Baek So-gu could even sit down, Do Tong-dal asked.
"What about the matter I asked you to look into?"
Baek So-gu scratched his head with a troubled face and said.
"They said they needed one guard, but they'd already found someone. I was a little late."
"By 'found someone,' do you mean he's already working over there at the Hwangdae Merchant Company?"
"No, he's on his way from Jeongyang County. He'll arrive around this evening."
"He's already been vetted by the Hwangdae Merchant Company, so that's perfect."
Namgung Seol-rin asked.
"You're going to disguise yourself as that man and enter as a guard?"
"For grasping the internal situation, an insider is best."
"Isn't it too dangerous?"
"We just snatch the bastard midway and squeeze out as much information as possible. You've already got the new man's route figured out, right?"
Baek So-gu, suddenly hit with Do Tong-dal's question, answered with a flustered expression.
"Huh? O-of course."
Do Tong-dal narrowed his eyes.
"You don't know it."
"Don't know, my ass! If I set my mind to it, I can find out within one shichen! So it's the same as knowing it!"
As long as he actually found out, Do Tong-dal could put up with Baek So-gu's bluster.
"Then go find out quickly."
"Wait here. I'll be right back."
Baek So-gu returned before the promised shichen was up. While they chatted about this and that regarding martial arts, the waiting time had not been boring.
"But you know......"
Baek So-gu sat down with a slouched posture and asked.
"Why exactly do I have to take orders from you?"
No matter how he thought about it, the leader of the Beggars' Sect taking orders from some Underworld thug made no sense.
"A Beggars' Sect elder is a spy for the hidden faction. Because of that spy, I nearly died. If this fact became known in the martial world, what would happen to the Beggars' Sect's reputation? Shall I spread the rumor?"
"No, that much reason seems sufficient. Hmph! They say he's passing through Yeoyang County right now."
"If we leave now, we'll meet him around Icheon County."
"Probably."
"What's the name of the newly hired escort?"
* * *
Bae Cheong-dong was crossing a low mountain. The uncle who had introduced him had told him to hurry, but a man who hadn't even listened to his own parents was hardly going to listen to his uncle.
He'd been told he had to arrive within three days at the latest, so it seemed he could just barely make that deadline.
"I wonder if Icheon County has any decent pleasure houses?"
The courtesan who had attended him last night hadn't been much to his liking, so he still felt unsatisfied.
"Luoyang is a big city, so the courtesans there should be decent."
Bae Cheong-dong hummed a tune as he crossed the pass. The sword at his waist thumped against his hip, keeping time.
At the crest of the pass, as he started down the slope, Bae Cheong-dong's steps came to a halt.
"Ugh......"
A man in his early twenties was slumped by the roadside, clutching his ankle and groaning.
Bae Cheong-dong quickly looked the man over. A clean-cut face, blue robes of fine silk, and black shoes that also appeared to be made of top-grade leather.
The conclusion: a rich young master. Bae Cheong-dong trotted over to the man.
"Oh dear! What happened here?"
The man flinched and put on a wary expression. It was a common reaction when meeting a stranger in the mountains.
"It seems I missed my footing and sprained it."
The man's ankle was badly swollen.
"Oh my! That really does look bad. Can you walk?"
The man tried to stand but collapsed back down. From his deeply grimacing face, it was clear he could not take a single step.
"This won't do."
Shing—.
When Bae Cheong-dong drew his sword, the man was startled.
"Wh-what are you trying to do?"
"Don't worry. I'm not planning to fillet you, young master. Heh heh heh......"
Bae Cheong-dong swung his sword and cut a tree branch. A few quick movements of his hands produced a passable walking stick.
"Wow—! You're a martial artist, gallant hero!"
"You've caught me."
To ordinary folk, martial artists were mostly objects of awe, and judging by his expression, this man fell into that category too.
"I've never seen a master like you in my whole life."
"Hmph! I do have a bit of a reputation in the martial world."
"If I may ask, what is your esteemed name?"
"My name is Bae Cheong-dong, and in the martial world they call me the Mountain-Breaking Flash Sword."
For the first time, Bae Cheong-dong told someone the epithet he had resolved to use once he made a name for himself in the martial world someday.
"Oh! Just hearing your epithet tells me what a master you must be."
"It's not such a grand name. Here, use this to get up."
The man took the stick Bae Cheong-dong offered and rose to his feet. The way he grimaced showed he was not the patient sort.
"You look like the young master of a noble house. How did you end up hurt alone in a place like this?"
"I heard there was a decent pleasure house in Icheon County, so I was on my way there when......"
The man scratched the back of his head and gave an embarrassed smile.
"I happen to be headed to Icheon County as well, so we can go together."
"Then I'd be glad. To be honest, I was worried because rough incidents have been happening often around here lately."
"Rough incidents?"
The man lowered his voice.
"Women being violated, people crossing the mountain going missing—I've heard of six such cases alone."
"You were walking such a dangerous road alone because of a pleasure house?"
"As they say, heroes love women, don't they?"
"Hahaha! I never expected to meet someone like myself here. But your name is......?"
"I'm called Do Tong-dal."
"So it's Young Master Do."
"Since I've received your kindness, when we reach Icheon County I'll buy you a hearty drink."
"Hahaha! They say even brushing sleeves is fate, and meeting like this in such a place means Young Master Do and I are no ordinary connection!"
Having a wealthy man as a friend was always a good thing.
'He looks like a pushover. If I scratch him gently, I should be able to milk him quite a bit. Heh heh heh.......'
Bae Cheong-dong, pleased with himself, crossed the mountain chatting with Do Tong-dal about this and that. The two quickly became fast friends and turned into the world's greatest chatterboxes.
He even spilled the story of violating the girl next door when he was nineteen, so Bae Cheong-dong had effectively handed over his entire life.
By the time they had come all the way down the mountain, Do Tong-dal stopped walking.
"Bae Cheong-dong, you've lived quite a filthy life."
"Well...... you could say that......"
Do Tong-dal's atmosphere had suddenly changed, leaving Bae Cheong-dong bewildered.
"Do you believe in the saying that evil deeds return to their doer?"
"Who believes that kind of bullshit?"
Do Tong-dal grinned.
"You and I aren't entirely without common ground. I considered just killing you off cleanly, but someone objected."
Bae Cheong-dong quickly put distance between them and grabbed his sword hilt.
"What kind of bullshit are you spouting?"
"You just need to be locked up somewhere for a while. It's a beggar's den, so it might smell a bit."
Bae Cheong-dong drew his sword.
"So you're going to kidnap me? Why?"
"If getting hired as a guard at the Hwangdae Merchant Company is a crime, then that's your crime. I'm going to take that crime onto myself."
"You're going to kidnap me, lock me up, and enter the Hwangdae Merchant Company in my place?"
"You're quick on the uptake."
"You think that's possible? You and I look completely different."
"Don't we look a little alike?"
Bae Cheong-dong had the thought, 'Should I say thank you?' He was extremely ordinary-looking, whereas Do Tong-dal was sleekly handsome like a pretty boy.
"Fuck, I'm a hundred times better-looking."
"Oh yeah? How about now?"
Do Tong-dal kneaded his face here and there. Bae Cheong-dong was so shocked that he let out a gasp and stepped back.
Do Tong-dal's face was slowly distorting, gradually coming to resemble Bae Cheong-dong.
"Un...... unbelievable."
At a glance, Do Tong-dal now resembled Bae Cheong-dong enough to be hard to tell apart.
"No one at the Hwangdae Merchant Company knows your face, so this much should fool them."
The Hwangdae Merchant Company had received a written description of Bae Cheong-dong's appearance. As long as he carried Bae Cheong-dong's identity plaque, no one would notice Do Tong-dal's disguise.
Bae Cheong-dong leveled his sword at Do Tong-dal.
"You can imitate my face, but can you imitate my martial arts?"
Do Tong-dal scratched his cheek.
"I'm worried about that too. It'll be hard to pretend to be as weak as you. I wish your martial arts were a bit better."
"You arrogant bastard!"
Bae Cheong-dong kicked off the ground. The distance was only about one jang, so the space closed in an instant.
Bae Cheong-dong did not doubt that his thrusting sword would pierce Do Tong-dal's chest.
But his conviction crumbled into nothing. Do Tong-dal, who had been at the tip of the blade, vanished like a phantom, and his body floated up into the air.
Bae Cheong-dong dropped back-first, rolled three times, and stopped only after slamming into a tree.
"Grrgh......!"
Fierce pain shot through the ankle Do Tong-dal had kicked and the back that had struck the tree.
"Try a little harder."
"You son of a bitch!"
Bae Cheong-dong charged again but could not so much as graze Do Tong-dal's collar. Bae Cheong-dong was a man who had a local reputation for decent martial arts and took pride in his skills.
Yet Do Tong-dal was toying with that Bae Cheong-dong like a child.
In the span of one ke, he must have rolled on the ground twenty times. The places he'd been hit hurt, and he was too exhausted to move any more.
"You fucking bastard...... if you're going to kill me, just...... kill me......"
"I told you I'm not killing you. Is this much of a beating enough?"
Just then, an old man emerged from the forest. Short and shabby-looking, the old man was every inch a beggar.
"All done?"
"Yes. You can take him now. It would be easier to just kill him cleanly."
"You're too quick to disregard human life."
"From the orthodox faction's perspective, that bastard deserves to die."
"Is that so? Then I won't feel any pangs of conscience handling him roughly. Heh heh heh......"
"Fuck, now even a beggar bastard is looking down on me!"
At that moment, stars suddenly flashed, and Bae Cheong-dong lost consciousness.
Baek So-gu, who had knocked Bae Cheong-dong out with a swing of his Tagu Staff, stared blankly at Do Tong-dal.
"Amazing, truly amazing. I've never seen such a flawless disguise in my life. Not even using disguise tools, but moving the muscles of your face to create a resemblance."
Do Tong-dal pushed away Baek So-gu's face, which was examining him from right up close.
"Old man, when exactly did you last brush your teeth?"
"It's only natural for a beggar to be dirty. Heh heh heh......"
Do Tong-dal stripped the clothes off the unconscious Bae Cheong-dong.
"Even if it means killing him, you must not let this man escape."
"Don't worry. I won't make such a stupid mistake."
Baek So-gu slung Bae Cheong-dong over his shoulder, told him to be careful, and vanished.
"Shall we step into the tiger's belly, then?"
* * *
'Another ragtag nobody is coming.'
Ju Pyeong-seong, who was in charge of the screening, let out a sigh as he watched the figure sauntering toward him.
'Nose slightly tilted to the left, prominent cheekbones, a protruding jaw......'
Ju Pyeong-seong's hand, which had been riffling through the documents with the written appearance description, stopped.
'This is Bae Cheong-dong, who came on Merchant Sang's introduction.'
Ju Pyeong-seong was a capable administrator. Lacking talent in martial arts, he could not even match a squad leader in skill, but he had become the Hall Master of Inpyeong Hall because he had an eye for judging people.
'If not for Merchant Sang's recommendation, this is a man we would never have hired.'
Merchant Sang was among the top five merchants who dealt with the Hwangdae Merchant Company, so it was not easy to refuse his request.
'His martial arts can be classified as roughly that of a low-to-mid-grade ruffian.'
Bae Cheong-dong could be used for outer perimeter guard duty around the warehouse. Bae Cheong-dong approached Ju Pyeong-seong, who stood with his hands clasped behind his back, and asked without even greeting him.
"They said if I came this way, I'd find Hall Master Ju. Are you Hall Master Ju?"
Ju Pyeong-seong frowned. He had no ability, and no manners either.
"I am Ju Pyeong-seong, Hall Master of Inpyeong Hall."
Only then did the man give a bow, and even that was half-hearted.
"I'm Bae Cheong-dong, here on the introduction of my uncle...... no, of Merchant Sang."
Ju Pyeong-seong pretended to flip through the documents and asked without much interest.
"Is there any particular work you want to do?"
Most answers to such a question came back as, "I'll work hard at whatever you assign me."
"Anything that suits my abilities is fine."
It sounded similar, but when you looked closely, it was a completely different answer.
"Work that suits your abilities?"
"A dog can't do a tiger's work, can it?"
* * *