Monopolizing Fortunes (28)
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Monopolizing Fortunes (28)
"If I die, you won't be able to cure Seon Hye-min either, will you?"
Using Seon Hye-min as a hostage.
"Damn it!"
"The treatment period won't be short. There will be times when you feel like there's no improvement. But don't give up rashly and try to skip out on the treatment fee."
It always came back to the treatment fee.
"Is the treatment fee the problem right now?"
"I was just stating my policy, so don't take it too hard. Let's start with acupuncture. For the record, the medicine will be a bit expensive."
"I'll pay whatever you ask, so just fix my arm properly."
The physician in black grinned.
"You won't be able to pay whatever I ask, though?"
"I—I meant within reason."
From the physician in black's tone and expression, it was impossible to tell whether there was confidence in the treatment. Perhaps it was simply indifference.
He would do his best to treat it, but it wasn't his arm, after all.
The treatment lasted for one shichen. The process was not much different from what he had received from the Namgung Clan physician.
"Brew and take this without fail in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. Come back tomorrow."
The physician in black held out medicine wrapped in a cloth.
"The treatment fee..."
"I'll give it to you tomorrow."
"You won't skip out on me, will you."
The physician in black hung the medicine over Do Tong-dal's shoulder. One of the two reasons he had hurried back to Hangzhou was now finished.
'Even if the worst happens and I lose the use of both arms, I must not live a miserable life.'
In his past life, he had lost everything when he lost his legs. Looking back, there had been several chances to avoid living miserably, but he had failed to seize them.
This life had to be different. If he walked the same path as his past life, he would be the most useless shit-for-brains in the world.
After receiving treatment, Do Tong-dal headed straight for the Seo-ung Branch. When Do Tong-dal, who was known to be dead, appeared, the branch was thrown into an uproar.
"Deputy Branch Chief! What in the world happened?"
"Where is the Branch Chief?"
"He's upstairs."
When he went up to the next floor, he saw Jang Jeong-baek flinging open the office door and coming out.
"What happened?"
"I nearly died, but I survived."
"Who is that bitch who killed my brother and then disappeared with you?"
"What? Your brother is dead?"
"He died... on the spot."
Do Tong-dal put on a deliberately regretful expression.
"I thought I had stopped her... Haah—!"
"It wasn't your fault. But what about that arm...?"
Jang Jeong-baek belatedly noticed Do Tong-dal's dangling arm. Do Tong-dal spoke with a somber face.
"I was also done in like this by that woman."
"Who is that wench? I'll go right now and tear her limb from limb!"
Do Tong-dal shook his head from side to side.
"Forget it. She is someone we cannot handle."
"Who is she?"
"A daughter of the Namgung Clan."
"Wh... what? The Namgung Clan?"
"Yes."
"The Namgung Clan... So you're saying my brother died after pestering Namgung Seol-rin?"
"And because I stopped him, she called me insolent, locked me up, and did this to me."
If it was the Namgung Clan, even the entire Central Plains Underworld attacking together would be hard-pressed to handle them. Revenge was an opponent they could not even dream of.
"Stupid bastard. Why did he have to toy with a woman like that."
Instead of an enemy they could not handle, the resentment turned toward the dead brother.
"I'm sorry about your brother."
"That guy dug his own grave."
Jang Jeong-baek left only the words 'You've been through a lot. Rest up for a while.' and slipped back into his office.
It was practically because of his brother that he had lost the use of both arms, but there was no apology or expression of gratitude whatsoever.
'He really is a bastard.'
The bastard who went into his office also felt regret.
"I was going to keep him by my side and make good use of him, but now that he's a cripple with those arms, it's all ruined."
It was regrettable, but not a major blow. That was because he had obtained a treasure more valuable than Do Tong-dal.
At first, he had thought nothing of it. It was just a bundle that had popped out of the bosom of an old man hit by a carriage.
The old man had reached out for it even as he was dying, coveting it, so he had picked it up out of curiosity.
—Mind-Reading Art.
The name itself was strange. It was said to be an art for reading minds, but unless one was a ghost, such a skill was impossible.
Moreover, when he opened the book, there were too many characters he didn't know. Reading only the characters he knew, he couldn't grasp the meaning.
He was about to toss it aside, but the title "Mind-Reading Art" kept catching his eye. If only he could read the minds of others, he would not envy even the greatest master under heaven.
So he begged for literacy. He copied the characters he didn't know, asked about them, and pieced together the meaning of the book.
After reading five pages that way, he became convinced.
First, it divided humans into a total of thirty-six types. Each type had distinct facial expressions.
Reading those expressions according to human type was the starting point of the Mind-Reading Art.
The first page taught how to read the expressions of the most common human type, and surprisingly, it was almost entirely accurate.
Of course, there were slight discrepancies, but that was because Jang Jeong-baek had learned the Mind-Reading Art too shallowly.
It wasn't truly reading minds, but being able to know what a person was thinking just from their expressions and gestures was no different from mind-reading.
"If I master the Mind-Reading Art, I can do anything. Anything!"
* * *
It was the day after arriving in Hangzhou that he went to see Jang Yu-seom. That was because if he had gone that very day, he felt like he might burst into tears.
Rumors traveled fast, and it seemed Jang Yu-seom had already heard the news that Do Tong-dal had returned as a cripple with his arms.
So even seeing his arm swinging limply, he didn't say much.
"Was it really the Namgung Clan?"
Do Tong-dal nodded with a bitter smile.
"My luck was just that bad."
"How is this a matter of luck? How can those who call themselves the orthodox sects of the martial world do such a thing?"
Jang Yu-seom's fist on the table trembled, then soon unclenched weakly.
"I'm sorry. The one suffering the most must be you, Deputy Branch Chief Do."
"I'm fine. No, saying I'm fine would be too obvious a lie. Anyway, I'll get through it. The physician in black is treating me, so I might even recover."
Do Tong-dal ended his brief meeting with Jang Yu-seom. In truth, he had come because he had a favor to ask.
If Jang Jeong-baek had obtained the Mind-Reading Art, he needed to devise a method. Since Jang Jeong-baek would never hand it over willingly, he was prepared to kidnap and torture him.
Since Do Tong-dal, who couldn't use his arms, couldn't kidnap Jang Jeong-baek, he intended to put that burden on Jang Yu-seom.
But he didn't mention it today. Once it was certain that Jang Jeong-baek possessed the Mind-Reading Art and there was no other way, it wouldn't be too late to put the burden on Jang Yu-seom then.
As Jang Yu-seom came out into the yard, he spoke.
"Deputy Branch Chief Do, I have a favor to ask."
"What kind of favor?"
"Please let me become your escort."
Do Tong-dal understood Jang Yu-seom's feelings and was grateful, but he declined.
"I don't need an escort."
"You live in a rough place, don't you? Danger can arise again at any time."
"I'll keep your goodwill in mind, Jang Yu-seom."
He gave a polite refusal and was crossing the yard when there was a knock at the gate. Seon Hye-min and the servant Im Chun-ran had gone to receive treatment, so only the two of them were home.
"Who is it?"
Jang Yu-seom's expression stiffened as he opened the gate. He had seen many strange people, but this was the first time he had seen someone with such an unusual appearance.
The figure wore a white mask under a bamboo hat that covered half the face. With a black wind-cloak draped over that, the figure immediately brought to mind a grim reaper.
"I came because I heard Do Tong-dal was here."
The voice was a woman's.
"Do Tong-dal, you say..."
Jang Yu-seom turned his head to look at Do Tong-dal. Judging from Do Tong-dal's displeased expression, he seemed to know who the masked person was. He could also tell that the masked person was not a welcome visitor.
"What's your business?"
"I must speak to him directly."
Do Tong-dal spoke in a dry voice.
"Come in."
When Jang Yu-seom stepped aside, the masked person crossed the threshold. The masked person showed no sign of hostility.
Rather, she seemed so tense that she looked afraid. The masked person standing before Do Tong-dal bowed deeply at the waist.
"I have come to become your arm."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Become my arm?"
"Yes. Because it is the only way I can repay even a part of the wrong I did you."
"What's with that strange outfit?"
"I have abandoned my family, abandoned my name, and even abandoned my face."
"You've hidden your face, you mean. If it became known in the martial world that the treasured jewel of the Namgung Clan had become a mere underling of an Underworld thug, you wouldn't be able to bear the shame. And your clan's atrocities would also become known."
"That's not it."
"Then can I spread the rumor? That the Young Head of the Namgung Clan was originally a coward who froze at the mere sight of a sword. That you dragged off the person who made that coward worthy of being Young Head and turned him into a cripple. Can I spread that rumor?"
The masked Namgung Seol-rin only bowed her head and could not answer. She said she had abandoned everything, but the shadow of the Namgung Clan still followed behind her.
"I don't need an arm like you. What kind of arm is one that doesn't move according to my will and can leave me at any time?"
"No. I will move like your arm. And I will never leave unless you wish it."
"Never?"
"Never."
While the two were talking, Jang Yu-seom went inside the house and came out with a sword.
"May I interrupt for a moment?"
Do Tong-dal said.
"If you have something to say, you may say it whenever you wish."
"I want to know if that person has the skill to become your arm, Deputy Branch Chief Do."
Namgung Seol-rin's gaze turned to Jang Yu-seom.
"I can protect Do Tong-dal."
"If you're stronger than me, I'll acknowledge that."
Do Tong-dal did not stop Jang Yu-seom. If he said he would do it, there was always a good reason.
"You're recklessly challenging me without even knowing who I am."
"I know you're a daughter of the Namgung Clan."
Her expression couldn't be seen, but she was clearly surprised.
"You're requesting a duel even knowing that?"
Shing.
Jang Yu-seom drew his sword and spoke.
"You're mistaken. This isn't a duel. I'm going to kill you."
"Why?"
"With that question, you've proven you're not qualified to be Deputy Branch Chief Do's arm. If someone ruined your father's arm, wouldn't you want to kill them?"
"But..."
"You ruined Squad Leader Do's arm, so you probably think you only sinned against him, but you're wrong. He has many people who care about him, and you hurt all of them. Even if the punishment for that sin is death, it would not be excessive."
Namgung Seol-rin let out a soft sigh.
"Even if you're right, I can't let myself be killed."
"I don't expect you to."
Namgung Seol-rin also drew her sword. Then Jang Yu-seom spoke.
"That's also wrong."
"What is?"
"An arm doesn't think. Can an arm draw a sword without its master's will?"
Namgung Seol-rin, suddenly realizing, looked at Do Tong-dal.
"M... may I fight?"
"I haven't acknowledged you, so you're not my arm yet. So do as you please."
"I will earn your acknowledgment."
Do Tong-dal stepped back a good distance. Since she was a daughter of the Namgung Clan, Namgung Seol-rin's martial arts would be considerable. Even so, he wasn't worried about Jang Yu-seom because he trusted him.
The two stood at a distance of five jang.
Screech—!
Jang Yu-seom's right foot dragged along the ground as he shifted backward. Then, without warning, he shot toward Namgung Seol-rin.
"Ah!"
Jang Yu-seom was so fast that Do Tong-dal let out an exclamation. The sword slicing at Namgung Seol-rin's waist carried enough force to split even a ten-thousand-geun boulder.
Namgung Seol-rin had thought lightly of him. How strong could a warrior belonging to the Underworld be? She dismissed him as a newborn pup who didn't know the terror of the martial world.
But with a single move from Jang Yu-seom, that thought vanished without a trace.
"Hup!"
So startled that she even let out a gasp of air, she blocked the sword. Amid the impact that felt like her grip was being torn apart, she was proud of herself for not dropping her sword.
The sword thrust toward her as she staggered sideways. The blade, aimed precisely at her heart, clearly carried the will to kill.
She tried to knock the sword away and counterattack, but Jang Yu-seom gave her no chance.
The sword spun around and swept at her neck, and when she ducked to avoid it, it suddenly appeared from below, aiming at her face.
The immense force and razor-sharp speed in Jang Yu-seom's blade made him the strongest opponent Namgung Seol-rin had ever fought.
* * *