Monopolizing Fortunes (156)
xml
Monopolizing Fortunes (156)
After exchanging brief pleasantries, Ha Su-ran got straight to the point.
"Did the Beggars' Sect find out enough? It's hard for us to give you more time......."
"The time was sufficient. If the Northern Unorthodox Alliance needs more time, we can give it."
"I don't think the facts we've learned will change no matter how much more we look into it here."
Baek So-gu's lips felt unusually dry today, so he gulped down his tea. When in his life had he ever been this anxious? Had he ever been?
'What dogshit worries to have in my old age. They say ignorance is bliss.'
But if he hadn't known, that would be one thing—now that he did know, he couldn't just let it pass.
"First, shouldn't we confirm whether what the Sect Leader and I have learned matches?"
"Tell me."
"The Won Merchant Company."
That name. The predecessor of the Revenge Society.
"And?"
"Mount Hua Sect and Jongnam Sect."
'Damn it!'
Baek So-gu had held on to a sliver of hope. That there might be some misunderstanding in what the Beggars' Sect had learned, that perhaps the Northern Unorthodox Alliance would uncover different facts.
But the Beggars' Sect did not prove incompetent. Baek So-gu spoke as if groaning.
"Stone Milk Essence and Three-Leaf Nine-Branch Herb."
"Since the Northern Unorthodox Alliance's and the Beggars' Sect's investigations agree, it's now clear why the Won Merchant Company became the Revenge Society."
Baek So-gu leaned back and rested his head against the chair. In the corner of the ceiling, a spider was busily spinning its web.
'If nobody cleans here, it's only a matter of time before the webs cover the whole house, right?'
A storm of blood might sweep through the martial world, but justice that fears blood is worse than injustice.
"I can't believe it. Mount Hua and Jongnam coveting a spiritual medicine and destroying the Won Merchant Company. Those sects...... the very models of the orthodox faction......."
"You still want to believe the reason those two sects put forward, don't you, Sect Leader?"
"I can't deny it. I want to believe it's true that the clan head's eldest son raped and murdered female disciples of Mount Hua and Jongnam, and that this was their punishment."
"But you know that isn't the truth, Sect Leader."
"That's why my head is about to burst."
"The Northern Unorthodox Alliance has no intention of making this public."
"You're just going to pretend you don't know?"
"Of course, we'll have to inform Young Master Do, but we have no intention of playing at being chivalrous heroes."
"The Beggars' Sect will have to play at being chivalrous heroes."
"This involves two of the Nine Great Sects. And there's no chance Mount Hua and Jongnam will readily confess and accept punishment."
"The question is how far up the two sects knew of the evil and went along with it."
"Eighteen years ago, the sect leaders were the Chonggi Divine Sword Bang Si-bo and the Ilso Daehae Yeon Ju-yang, weren't they?"
"Not them. This old man can stake his life on that."
Since he was staking his life on it, she didn't want to quibble.
"Then what about the current sect leaders?"
"Haaah—!"
That long sigh was Baek So-gu's answer.
"We'll have to hope they weren't involved."
But there was every possibility that hope would be all it remained.
"The current Mount Hua Sect Leader Byeon Jung-man and Jongnam Sect Leader Wang Jo-hyeong are formidable schemers. Both seized the position of sect leader after fierce behind-the-scenes struggles. And......."
"Around eighteen years ago, they displayed martial arts far beyond what was publicly known."
Baek So-gu had already opened the door to suspicion before Ha Su-ran even asked about the current sect leaders.
If Byeon Jung-man and Wang Jo-hyeong were involved in this, the aftermath the martial world would have to endure would be immense.
With the orthodox faction at odds, the enemy called the Revenge Society could drown the martial world in blood.
"First, we should inform Do Tong-dal of this."
At Baek So-gu's words, Ha Su-ran held back a smile. Her veil hid it, but her eyes were smiling.
"You want to ask Young Master Do for help."
"Advice, rather than help. I hate to admit it, but that ill-mannered brat has a good head on his shoulders. And it happens to be him who's dealing with the Revenge Society."
"I'll go and meet him. The Beggars' Sect is tracking Young Master Do's group, aren't they?"
Because Do Tong-dal had left traces everywhere as he traveled, following him wasn't difficult.
Baek So-gu narrowed his eyes and looked at Ha Su-ran.
"You're using that as an excuse to meet Do Tong-dal?"
"Killing two birds with one stone."
Ha Su-ran didn't even try to hide that she liked Do Tong-dal.
"What's so good about a guy like that? The rising stars of the martial world must be weeping tears of blood."
* * *
They were on their way to Henan Province. The place where the Revenge Society had its roots, where its main headquarters was located.
"No. Whether it's a sword or a blade, what steadies the wavering is ultimately your gaze. If you look at the tip of your blade to check whether the sword you're swinging or thrusting is shaking, it actually shakes more. The place your eyes must never leave is the target. That single point, that single line. That is precisely......."
Won Dae-yeon was explaining the principles of martial study to Jang Yeon-seon, who sat beside him, even demonstrating with his hands.
Do Tong-dal watched the two of them with a pleased expression, and small smiles also hung at the corners of Jang Yu-seom's and Namgung Seol-rin's lips.
No one said it aloud, but Won Dae-yeon might be projecting his dead daughter onto Jang Yeon-seon.
If that was the reason for Won Dae-yeon's attitude toward Jang Yeon-seon, then Jang Yu-seom's reason was hope.
The hope that he, who had no children yet, would someday have a child who would grow up like Jang Yeon-seon.
And Namgung Seol-rin saw Jang Yeon-seon and Do Tong-dal overlapping. The longing that the two of them would marry someday and have a child like Jang Yeon-seon.
For different reasons, Jang Yeon-seon was monopolizing everyone's affection.
Because they traveled by carriage, it took a full two days to reach Henan Province. Crossing through Henan, they arrived at Yeongbo County, near the border with Shaanxi Province.
After passing through the busiest part of Yeongbo County and then the residential district, the carriage climbed into the mountains.
After the carriage stopped, Jeon Ho-jin's voice came from outside.
"From here, we must go on foot."
Since they had turned onto a mountain path, the carriage could not pass, and choosing such a road meant the destination was not far.
Do Tong-dal stood up and spoke.
"Time to enter the tiger's den."
* * *
"Let's go."
At the young man's words, Bae In-hwan, who had been in the room, sprang to his feet. Living fifty years, he had never imagined a day like this would come.
He had been suddenly kidnapped and detained here. Without knowing why, he had been locked in the room for four days.
No matter how much he asked the reason, they remained silent, and they didn't particularly harm him either.
The meals were better than those at his own fairly well-to-do home, and the bed was comfortable. His body was at ease, but this situation, like sitting on a bed of thorns, drove Bae In-hwan into extreme anxiety.
"Uh...... where are we going?"
The young man didn't even answer. Not daring to ask again, Bae In-hwan twisted his short chin beard out of habit.
The outward appearance of the place where he was staying was that of a typical mountain village. But it was clear this was no mountain village inhabited only by slash-and-burn farmers.
The people coming and going, even while holding farming tools, gave off a sharpness as if they were carrying weapons.
In the center of the village was a large open area with a well on one side. The young man who went to the open area bowed to a middle-aged man who was waiting.
"I've brought him."
About fifty people had already gathered in the open area. Judging by the swords they wore at their waists rather than farming tools, something was about to happen.
Why had they dragged him into such a bloodthirsty atmosphere? Bae In-hwan's legs were trembling so much he felt he might collapse at any moment.
The middle-aged man, who sported a handsome, glossy beard unlike Bae In-hwan's own, asked.
"Have you been uncomfortable?"
"I...... why have you brought me here?"
"A welcome guest will arrive shortly."
"A...... a guest?"
"It's been quite a while since you last saw your son, hasn't it?"
"Yes. Through my uncle's introduction, he went to the Hwangdae Merchant Company....... Has something happened to Cheong-dong?"
The middle-aged man turned his gaze toward the road leading into the village and spoke.
"You'll find out shortly. Whether something has happened to your son, or whether he's dead."
At last, Bae In-hwan slumped to the ground.
"Che...... Cheong-dong is dead?"
At that moment, people appeared on the road into the village.
"If the one coming there is not your son, then he must be dead."
The middle-aged man, Ha Jo-un, watched the approaching people. He had gone to where Bae Cheong-dong had lived and thoroughly investigated the surroundings.
He was a wastrel and a scoundrel, the kind found wherever people live. He was absolutely not someone who could cause trouble for the Revenge Society within the Hwangdae Merchant Company.
The investigation showed that although he had learned martial arts, he was nowhere near a first-rate master.
Taking everything together, Bae Cheong-dong was a fake. Ha Jo-un's judgment was that someone had killed Bae Cheong-dong and stolen his identity.
Still, there was always a one-in-ten-thousand chance. He might have become a first-rate master thanks to martial arts he had learned on his own, deceiving even his friends. Of course, the possibility was slim.
So he had brought Bae Cheong-dong's father, Bae In-hwan. A father would surely recognize his own child.
If Bae Cheong-dong was a fake, then Bae In-hwan would not leave this place alive either.
Flutter—!
Eight homing pigeons scattered in all directions and flew off. Then new homing pigeons landed at the pigeon loft.
All of the Revenge Society's operations across the Central Plains were directed from here.
They had faltered since the attack on the imperial palace began, but the wheel of revenge had not stopped.
His thoughts, which had briefly wandered because of the homing pigeons, returned to Jeon Ho-jin's group.
Ha Jo-un glanced at Bae In-hwan.
'There's no one here who can recognize him, right?'
The village was situated on high ground with a clear view of the foot of the mountain. Do Tong-dal thought, 'They've picked a good spot.'
Of course, it was unexpected that the Revenge Society's main headquarters was in these mountains.
But when he thought about it, it was a wise decision. If hundreds of homing pigeons came and went every day and people carried weapons, they would inevitably draw suspicion.
A low wooden palisade encircled the village of about a hundred households. They entered the village entrance and climbed the slope.
All along the road with houses on both sides, they could see farmers carrying weapons.
Some of them even greeted Jeon Ho-jin. They also didn't forget to cast suspicious glances at the strangers.
Entering the open area in the center of the village, Do Tong-dal could feel the taut tension.
Just over fifty people stood around the edge of the open area, poised to draw their weapons the moment the order was given.
And in the center of the open area stood two people. One middle-aged man and one older man full of fear.
Do Tong-dal focused on the older man, whose mouth hung half open in a startled expression. It was obvious at a glance that he had never learned martial arts, and he wasn't a member of the Revenge Society either.
That startled expression was clearly directed at Do Tong-dal. The moment the thought 'Who is he?' arose, a name came to mind.
'Bae In-hwan!'
The information extracted from Bae Cheong-dong naturally included his personal details. Seeing the facial features that resembled Bae Cheong-dong somewhere and that startled expression, the probability that this was Bae Cheong-dong's father exceeded ninety percent.
Do Tong-dal's mind spun at the speed of light, and his reaction upon spotting Bae In-hwan was astonishingly quick.
"Father!"
Bae In-hwan had probably also had some doubt. Although he resembled Bae Cheong-dong, there would be subtle differences.
But when Do Tong-dal called him father first, the name burst from Bae In-hwan's lips as well.
"Cheong-dong!"
Do Tong-dal drew his blade with lightning speed.
"Kidnapping my father! What is the meaning of this!"
Do Tong-dal could read the bewilderment rising on the middle-aged man's face. He had clearly judged Do Tong-dal to be a fake and had kidnapped Bae In-hwan to confirm it.
But the two father and son had recognized each other instantly.
"No, that's......."
Before the middle-aged man could finish speaking, Do Tong-dal hurled himself forward. Closing the distance to the middle-aged man, Do Tong-dal was like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.
The blade attacking the middle-aged man was fast, but he didn't use even half his strength. If he happened to kill the middle-aged man here, things would get tangled from the very first step.
Even though he hadn't used half his strength, the middle-aged man, Ha Jo-un, felt his life threatened.
"Hup!"
Ha Jo-un hastily retreated, his beard trembling as if it might be plucked out by the blade wind Do Tong-dal unleashed.
As soon as Do Tong-dal attacked, the warriors surrounding the open area drew their swords in unison.
Do Tong-dal pressed Ha Jo-un again and shouted to the three members of the Three Beyond the World.
"Please protect my father, all three of you!"
* * *