Monopolizing Fortunes (29)
Monopolizing Fortunes (29)
Do Tong-dal, an outsider, was surprised as well. Until now, Jang Yu-seom had never revealed his true martial arts. Even the skills he had shown in his duel with Namgung Cheol-hyeon had not been his limit.
Jang Yu-seom's true martial arts only revealed their full power once he put the intent to kill into his blade.
Driving Namgung Seol-rin without pause, Jang Yu-seom was like a single whirlwind. Namgung Seol-rin blocked the attacks with desperate effort, but that was all; she could not find an opening to counterattack.
'Namgung Seol-rin is impressive too, holding off those attacks.'
Even if Do Tong-dal still possessed the full skill he had as Jeonsalgwi, he would not be able to withstand Jang Yu-seom's assault.
Blade and sword carved through the empty air, and the clang of the two weapons continued for over one ke.
Jang Yu-seom had seized the advantage but could not end the fight, while Namgung Seol-rin, forced onto the defensive, gradually adapted.
Jang Yu-seom clearly seemed to hold the upper hand, yet this was not a fight that would end easily.
Meanwhile, the house's yard was turning into ruins. The trees planted along the wall had been cut down, and the lawn had been torn apart, leaving grass strewn everywhere.
Amid that chaos, the front gate opened. Seon Hye-min, having finished her treatment, had returned.
She and her maidservant Im Chun-ran could only stand blankly before the gate and watch the yard, which was chaos itself.
It seemed best to end the fight around now.
"Let's stop now."
His voice must have been too low. When the fight did not end, Do Tong-dal shouted sharply.
"Stop!"
The fight ended as Jang Yu-seom, who had been pressing the attack, sprang back. Both Jang Yu-seom and Namgung Seol-rin gasped for breath.
Jang Yu-seom belatedly noticed that Seon Hye-min had returned.
"Oh? You're...... you're back?"
She asked as she stepped into the yard.
"What is all this? No matter how I look at it, this doesn't seem like a sparring match."
Even without knowing martial arts, she could read the intensity of a fight. As Jang Yu-seom hemmed and hawed, Seon Hye-min's gaze shifted to Do Tong-dal.
She bowed at the waist in greeting.
"I am glad to meet you like this."
"Yes. I heard from the physician in black that your treatment is going well."
Seon Hye-min's gaze now reached Namgung Seol-rin.
"May I ask who this is?"
There was no need to lie.
"The one who did this to my arms."
A crease formed between Seon Hye-min's brows. Only now could she guess the true nature of this fight.
She walked steadily toward Namgung Seol-rin. Even though Namgung Seol-rin was holding a sword, there was no hesitation in her approaching steps.
No one expected Seon Hye-min to slap Namgung Seol-rin across the cheek. Namgung Seol-rin did not dodge either.
Smack!
Because she had struck the mask, the sound was dull.
Drip! Drip!
Blood flowing from Seon Hye-min's hand fell in drops. She had been cut by the edge of the mask.
"Dear."
At Seon Hye-min's call, Jang Yu-seom answered with a start.
"Huh?"
"You'll have to train hard. What use are your martial arts if you can't even avenge Deputy Branch Chief Do?"
"R...... right."
A smile had already appeared at the corner of Seon Hye-min's lips as she looked at Do Tong-dal.
"You're alive, so that's what matters. Right?"
Do Tong-dal smiled back at her.
"Of course."
Jang Yu-seom's visit came to an end like that. The whole way back, Namgung Seol-rin followed Do Tong-dal at a distance of three ja.
She had long known that Do Tong-dal was different from the average Underworld thug. That specialness had been proven when he protected Namgung Cheol-hyeon's secret even while in mortal danger.
But today, Jang Yu-seom and Seon Hye-min had been a different kind of surprise to Namgung Seol-rin.
She did not know what kind of person Jang Yu-seom was or what he had been like in the past. But he surely knew about the Namgung Clan.
It was a colossal power standing at the pinnacle of the Five Great Clans of the martial world, shoulder to shoulder with the Nine Sects and One Gang.
Jang Yu-seom had unhesitatingly pointed his blade at the daughter of such a family. Even if Namgung Seol-rin had declared herself Do Tong-dal's arms, killing her would surely bring consequences.
Jang Yu-seom surely knew that, yet there had been no hesitation in his blade as he tried to kill Namgung Seol-rin.
If avenging Do Tong-dal mattered more to Jang Yu-seom than his own safety, he was practically family. And his wife felt the same way.
If a person received such affection from someone who was not even family, that alone made them special.
That was why she could not tell what kind of arm she would become.
After leaving Jang Yu-seom's house, Do Tong-dal headed for the Beijing Tea House. Why an establishment in Hangzhou had been named Beijing was impossible to know.
Perhaps the owner had deliberately chosen a place where business would not thrive, because the tea house was quiet. There were only three customers, and once they went up to the second floor, the number dropped to one.
That one person was the one Do Tong-dal had come to meet.
"Tong-dal!"
As if a dead younger brother had come back to life, Wang Chil rushed over and threw his arms around Do Tong-dal.
"I didn't believe it. You, dead! I said there was absolutely no way! You're not the kind of guy to die that easily!"
A pained expression flickered across Wang Chil's face as he placed both hands on Do Tong-dal's shoulders, because of the two arms dangling limply.
"It's fine. What matters is that you're alive. Yep! You're smart, so all you need is your head!"
Wang Chil's gaze belatedly lingered on Namgung Seol-rin.
"But who......?"
Namgung Seol-rin simply stood there blankly, not knowing how to react.
The moment Do Tong-dal said, "The one who did this to my arms," Wang Chil lunged.
"You son of a bitch!"
The attack was sudden, but Wang Chil was far too slow to hit her. Unlike with Seon Hye-min, she had no desire to let herself be hit.
So when she slipped aside, Wang Chil, who had briefly lost his balance, swung his fist again.
"You did that to Tong-dal's arm! You're dead today, you hear me!"
Contrary to his words, Wang Chil's fists missed Namgung Seol-rin every time. Exhausted from striking only empty air, Wang Chil heaved for breath through his shoulders.
"That bastard is fucking fast. Quit dodging and fight me like a man!"
Do Tong-dal spoke.
"Not a punk, actually."
"Huh? What? It's a woman?"
"Yes."
"Tch! Can't fight a woman."
Wang Chil, who had not landed a single hit, said that and sat down.
"You bastard, do you know how shocked I was when I heard you were dead...... Look here, look at this white hair."
"Nothing happened while I was gone, right?"
"Without you, the world kept spinning along just fine, damn it all. Ugh. But why is that thing stuck to your side? Dressed all weird like that."
"She says she'll be my arms."
"What? How's she gonna be your arms?"
"Feeding me, bathing me, that sort of thing, I suppose."
"Wiping your ass too?"
Namgung Seol-rin flinched.
"I don't want to make him do that."
"Why? That's what hands are for. Ain't nobody in this world wipes their ass with their feet."
"Let's stop talking about shit. And Boss, do some quiet groundwork inside the Red Tiger Society."
"What groundwork?"
"Get some people on your side."
Wang Chil scratched his head.
"Where would I get a talent like that? Buying drinks for guys I like and beating up guys I hate, that's easy, but......"
"Then skip the beating and buy lots of drinks for the guys you like. With Elder Han's help."
"But why do you suddenly want me doing groundwork?"
"I need to take over the Red Tiger Society a little sooner. I could die tomorrow, and I've been overthinking everything. If there's something I want to do, I'm just going to do it."
"Right. What's life, anyway? Speaking of which, how about a drink tonight?"
"Let's meet at Cheonsangru. I need to see Mistress Yeon too......"
"You still haven't met Mistress Yeon?"
"I only got back yesterday......"
"Then you should've gone yesterday! Mistress Yeon ran all over the neighborhood looking for you! I heard she even hired people! I thought she wouldn't shed a drop of blood even if you pricked her, but she came to me and even cried."
"Sh...... she did?"
"Go see her right now."
Wang Chil stood up like a host issuing an order to leave.
"I'll come by this evening, so go now and stay there until then."
"No, I've got a lot to do......"
"What's more urgent than Mistress Yeon!"
"Boss, does Mistress Yeon have some dirt on you?"
Wang Chil spoke like a sigh.
"No matter how flashy a thug's life is, in the end he's still a thug. All that's left is reminiscing about the old days. From what I've experienced, the most successful thug is one who has a woman to stay by his side when he's old."
"And you, Boss......?"
"Hey, you think I'm always like this? Hurry up and go!"
Pushed out by Wang Chil, Do Tong-dal made his way to Cheonsangru. Was the bond between him and Yeon Ja-yeon really deep enough for her to be so desperately upset?
They had spent a night together, but it had not been like the first night of lovers who could not live without each other.
It had been the kind of night between a courtesan and a thug that carried no need for meaning, and therefore no need to feel guilty about forgetting. That was Do Tong-dal's thinking.
But the thoughts of a man and woman who had spent a night together could not always be the same.
'Haah—! Somehow I feel like I've become the bad guy.'
He felt no qualms about killing those he hated, but he did not want to hurt someone who liked him.
'But I didn't actually do anything wrong, did I?'
So his steps crossing the threshold of Cheonsangru were confident. Cheonsangru, which was preparing for business, stirred slightly at Do Tong-dal's appearance.
"It's good to see your face again."
Go Chan-yeong, the steward, was the first to greet Do Tong-dal. As they exchanged simple pleasantries, a maidservant said she would escort Do Tong-dal.
She must have been ordered by Yeon Ja-yeon. Go Chan-yeong whispered to Do Tong-dal, "You'd better brace yourself."
Once Do Tong-dal was shown into the room and seated, Namgung Seol-rin stood behind him. It was Namgung Seol-rin's first time in a pleasure house, and she had not expected her first visit to be like this.
After a short wait, Yeon Ja-yeon entered. Her face held no emotion such as gladness or disappointment.
'She's angry.'
He could tell just by instinct. Only after sitting down and taking a sip of tea did Yeon Ja-yeon open her mouth.
"I heard you arrived yesterday."
The words carried a reproach: why had he not come straight to Cheonsangru.
"I was taking care of a few urgent matters......"
"You are a busy man. But......"
Everyone who met him could not help but be curious about Namgung Seol-rin. Do Tong-dal always answered honestly, and Yeon Ja-yeon was no different.
"So this is the person responsible for everything, from the Deputy Branch Chief's disappearance to his injuries?"
"You could say that."
Yeon Ja-yeon stared at Namgung Seol-rin. Namgung Seol-rin, who had never received a woman's gaze for so long, felt awkward enough to squirm.
"It's a woman."
"I told you she's Namgung Cheol-hyeon's sibling."
"You didn't say younger sister."
Do Tong-dal closed his mouth with a shrug.
"Even if she's a woman, she's a daughter of the Namgung Clan, so she must be a master, right?"
"She couldn't beat Jang Yu-seom. Though she didn't lose either."
"Then there's only one way for me to take revenge. Wait a moment."
Yeon Ja-yeon left before Do Tong-dal could say anything. One ke later, she returned carrying two identical-looking kettles.
With a smiling face, Yeon Ja-yeon spoke to Namgung Seol-rin.
"Have a seat."
"Arms cannot sit in chairs."
"Arms can't talk, either. Fine. Let's not nitpick over things like that. The Deputy Branch Chief hasn't even accepted you as his arms yet, has he? So, young lady, you are not yet the Deputy Branch Chief's arms."
After glancing at Do Tong-dal, Namgung Seol-rin had no choice but to sit across from Yeon Ja-yeon.
Yeon Ja-yeon asked Namgung Seol-rin.
"You've had a rough time since coming to Hangzhou, haven't you?"
Two people had rushed at her trying to kill her (though one of them had not even posed a threat), and Seon Hye-min had slapped her cheek, so it had been a rough time in its own way.
So Namgung Seol-rin nodded.
"Yes."
"You made the Deputy Branch Chief's arms into that state. That much isn't enough. You understand what I mean, right?"
Namgung Seol-rin answered "Yes" again.
"Since you understand, there's no need for a long speech. From now on, I'll fill in what I'm lacking. If I were as strong in martial arts as Jang Yu-seom, I'd challenge you to a duel, but unfortunately my skills fall a little short. So I chose a different method."
Yeon Ja-yeon placed a cup in front of herself and one in front of Namgung Seol-rin. Then she pushed the two kettles to the center of the table.
"Even I don't know which of these two kettles contains poison."
"What?"
"There's no such thing as a revenge without risk. So I intend to take the same risk as you. Today, one of the two of us will die here."
* * *