Monopolizing Fortunes (37)
Monopolizing Fortunes (37)
"Yes. Just trust me."
"So you're going to catch the real culprit?"
"Do I look like a constable? Why should I do the government's work for them?"
"Hey, but I can't exactly tell you to catch the culprit when they've already got one locked up. Right?"
"Fine, just put off the trial. An innocent man is locked up, so give him some consideration."
"I'll see that he's treated well. But even if Baek Jung-sik was framed, there's nothing I can do."
"Got it. Anyway, officials sitting on their hands is an incurable disease of long standing."
He ended his meeting with Yang Su-pan on a grumble. He had meant to stop by the Namgyeong Branch and, if nothing came up, practice his internal cultivation, but something had come up.
The moment he stepped into the branch, he could tell the atmosphere was unsettled.
"Branch Chief!"
Yang Cheon-su, who had been friendly to Do Tong-dal from the start, came scurrying over.
"We've got big trouble! Headquarters sent down a new branch chief and deputy branch chief!"
"Honestly, people with no imagination at all, not even enough to use as medicine."
When he went up to this floor, two men were sitting with arrogant postures, and Jo Jin-ho was leaning against a desk with an uneasy expression.
Jo Jin-ho hurried over when he saw Do Tong-dal.
"Branch Chief......."
"I heard about it downstairs. Headquarters sent people?"
"Yes."
"So you're Do Tong-dal."
The speaker was a man who looked about fifty. Do Tong-dal pulled him out of his memory, the scar on his left cheek and all.
"Elder Yeon Chil-bo."
"You know me. Then you know why I'm here."
"Don't tell me you've come as branch chief, Elder."
"That's right. So pack your things and get to the Gwanghwa-ro Fixer Office at once."
Do Tong-dal called Namgung Seol-rin as he headed for the branch chief's office.
"My Arm."
"Yes."
"Break one leg each on those two and throw them out. Brother, come have a look at this."
"You...... you bastard! The Society Leader's orders...... Aaack!"
Do Tong-dal entered the office to the sound of screaming. Jo Jin-ho followed him in and asked worriedly.
"Will this be all right?"
"What the Society Leader can do is obvious. He'll probably try to pull the men out of the branch."
"If all the men leave, running the branch will be difficult."
"So you get the men in line beforehand. What's the minimum number needed to keep the branch running?"
Jo Jin-ho thought for a moment, then answered.
"At least ten, but don't worry too much. If we're short, we can fill the ranks."
"Please handle that matter, brother."
"Understood."
Knock, knock!
There was a knock at the door, and it opened a little. Jo Jin-ho greeted the visitor warmly.
"Brother."
It was Wang Chil.
"Can I come in?"
"Come on in."
"How did things go at the magistrate's office?"
"I had a good talk with the magistrate. And it looks like Brother Baek Jung-sik was framed after all."
"Right? I told you he's not the type to kill a woman."
"But that doesn't change anything. The man the authorities have named as the culprit is Brother Baek Jung-sik."
Wang Chil let out a long sigh.
"The authorities won't investigate, will they?"
"They think they've caught the culprit, so they have no reason to investigate."
"What should we do?"
"First, I asked them to delay the trial as long as possible. We'll have to find a way in the meantime."
"If I can just catch the real culprit somehow......."
Do Tong-dal cut Wang Chil off.
"Brother, don't pick a fight with the authorities. They've caught their culprit, so they're not going to like it if you go stirring things up trying to catch the real one."
"That's true, but that good fellow is rotting in jail over a false charge. It turns my stomach."
That was just like the warm-hearted Wang Chil.
"Any new word on the Society Leader hiring a master?"
"He's from the unorthodox side. Elder Han says he paid four hundred nyang of silver."
Han Dong-san was still on Do Tong-dal's side.
"The Society Leader spending four hundred nyang? He must be scared out of his wits."
"You know you're next after Jo Gwang-un, right?"
"Of course. The end is slowly coming into view."
Jo Jin-ho asked in a quiet voice.
"Couldn't we see that end together with you?"
"Wait, and it will come into view on its own. Don't rush."
* * *
When Jo Chi-un heard the name Red Wind Sword Sect, he was startled. The Red Wind Sword Sect was one of the four great sects of Zhejiang Province and occupied one of the two pillars of Zhejiang's unorthodox martial world.
"Can you really bring a master from the Red Wind Sword Sect?"
He had asked Hwang Seon-jung that question ten times. Hwang Seon-jung, who had guaranteed he would bring one, startled Jo Chi-un again with the sum of four hundred nyang.
"If four hundred nyang can eliminate both of the Red Tiger Society's headaches at once, it is not an expensive price."
But for Jo Chi-un, who had never once spent such a large sum as four hundred nyang, it was an amount that made his hands tremble.
"Couldn't we knock it down a little?"
"If the price goes down, a master of correspondingly lower quality will come."
Well, that was the truth of it.
"Fine. Bring him as quickly as possible."
Hwang Seon-jung brought a man back in just two days. The man, who looked to be in his mid-thirties, introduced himself as Go Pil-seon. Hwang Seon-jung added an explanation.
"In the martial world he is known by the epithet Seom-in-geom. Within the Red Wind Sword Sect, he holds the title of Deputy Hall Master."
Go Pil-seon, who unusually cradled his sword in his arms, was almost completely silent. He seemed to embody the saying that a warrior speaks with his sword.
Jo Chi-un called Hwang Seon-jung aside and gave him a warning.
"As much as possible, don't reveal that Deputy Hall Master Go is a martial artist."
"I know. Hiring a martial artist for underworld business is the sort of thing that draws hostile looks from other underworld groups."
The underworld avoided help from martial artists because they feared them. If a martial artist with overwhelming martial superiority decided to smash an underworld group, there was no way to stop it.
That was why they tried not to get entangled with the martial world. The Black Dragon Society had drawn criticism for pulling in martial artists for the same unwritten rule.
"Anyway, you've got talent. Bringing in someone from a proud martial sect."
"Everyone needs money."
"Then when does it start?"
"I'll ask."
And the answer that came back was "right now." Go Pil-seon might well have come without the Red Wind Sword Sect's knowledge.
Before Jo Chi-un even spoke, Go Pil-seon had been the one to first suggest hiding his identity, so that possibility was high.
Jo Gwang-un's crew's location was being tracked in real time. When night fell, Hwang Seon-jung guided Go Pil-seon to Seonyang-ro.
That night, too, Jo Gwang-un's crew took to the streets to smash up pleasure houses. Three-tenths of the pleasure houses under Red Tiger Society management had closed because of Jo Gwang-un.
Complaints were widespread, and naturally they could not collect protection money either. If Jo Chi-un had accepted Hwang Seon-jung's advice and hired a master earlier, the headache called Jo Gwang-un would already be gone.
It was late, but fortunately Jo Chi-un had come around now.
"It's Wolha Pavilion."
A subordinate on watch reported which pleasure house Jo Gwang-un had entered.
"You did as instructed?"
"Yes. The customers at Wolha Pavilion, and of course the workers too, are all coming outside."
There would be killing, so the fewer witnesses the better. By the time Hwang Seon-jung arrived at Wolha Pavilion, all preparations were in place.
"Please resolve this quickly."
The one bowing at the waist to Hwang Seon-jung as he made the request was the steward.
"It will be over within one ke, so don't worry."
Having given his guarantee, Hwang Seon-jung went inside with Go Pil-seon and six subordinates.
They met no one on the way up to the third floor. Only from Jo Gwang-un's room came the sound of a zither.
When they reached the door, Go Pil-seon spoke.
"Have the subordinates wait outside. They'll only need to clear away the bodies afterward."
As the Deputy Hall Master of the Red Wind Sword Sect, he had grounds for such a guarantee. Hwang Seon-jung ordered the subordinates to wait and opened the door.
Jo Gwang-un's party, knowing nothing, was absorbed in eating and drinking.
When the door opened, the zither stopped. The courtesans, already familiar with Jo Gwang-un's notoriety, did not even offer their practiced smiles.
"Oh? The snot-nosed brat who got beaten and ran away is back."
"Let's send the courtesans out first."
"I don't mind if they stay."
Jo Gwang-un shifted his gaze to Go Pil-seon beside Hwang Seon-jung.
"Looks like you brought an axe you trust. It might end up chopping your own foot."
"That won't happen."
"Full of confidence, aren't you. Everyone out."
At Jo Gwang-un's words, the entertainers and courtesans poured out of the room. Looking around, Hwang Seon-jung spotted an unfamiliar figure.
The two who had originally been with Jo Gwang-un, and the other seven, were turncoats he recognized. But the man who looked to be in his mid-thirties was a face he had never seen before.
He was thinking, "I don't know every thug in the Red Tiger Society," when the stranger spoke.
"Meeting Seom-in-geom in a place like this is unexpected."
Hwang Seon-jung looked at Go Pil-seon in surprise. Go Pil-seon's expression, which had been relaxed even when they entered the room, had gone rigid.
"Baek Chang-gi, the One Blade of Seopyeong."
"Someone you know?"
Even at Hwang Seon-jung's question, Go Pil-seon kept his gaze fixed on Baek Chang-gi.
"Why is the Deputy Hall Master of the Black River Blade Sect here?"
"Huh...... Black River Blade Sect!"
Along with the Red Wind Sword Sect to which Go Pil-seon belonged, the Black River Blade Sect was one of the two pillars of Zhejiang's unorthodox martial world.
"An old friend asked me to have a drink, so I came."
"Who's your friend?"
"One of these gentlemen. So what brings you here?"
Go Pil-seon lacked Baek Chang-gi's easy affability.
"I have business with those ten besides you."
"There's a saying: Those who come mean no good, and those who mean good don't come. Is that how it is?"
"You could say that."
Baek Chang-gi scratched one cheek.
"This is awkward. I can't pretend not to know these gentlemen here."
"Did you come in a personal capacity?"
"I belong to a sect, so how could I ever be entirely personal?"
Hwang Seon-jung looked back and forth between Go Pil-seon and Baek Chang-gi with uneasy eyes.
'This seems to be getting bigger and bigger.'
He had called him an old friend, but it was obvious at a glance that Baek Chang-gi was a master hired by Jo Gwang-un's side. A tiger had entered a fight between dogs.
Jo Gwang-un spoke to Baek Chang-gi.
"Those people interrupted our entertainment, so it seems they should take responsibility, don't you think?"
"How shall we make them take responsibility?"
This time Jo Gwang-un's question flew at Hwang Seon-jung.
"How are you going to take responsibility?"
Hwang Seon-jung could only look at Go Pil-seon. He had brought him, but the main figure in today's event was Go Pil-seon.
Go Pil-seon spoke to Baek Chang-gi.
"How about turning back without escalating this into a fight?"
"I was here first, so if anyone's leaving, it should be you."
"Is that how you're going to play it?"
"Sounds like you're ready to pick a fight."
"If you won't back down, that's how it will be."
Baek Chang-gi slowly rose from his chair.
"Have you ever heard of a disciple of the Black River Blade Sect avoiding a fight that came to him?"
The Black River Blade Sect was famous for its belligerence, and the Red Wind Sword Sect was not far behind in that regard.
"If I tuck my tail here, I'll become a laughingstock in the martial world."
When Go Pil-seon lowered both arms, he naturally came to hold his sword. Baek Chang-gi also picked up the blade lying beside him.
"The highest honor in the unorthodox path is no retreat before battle, so I too cannot back down."
Go Pil-seon and Baek Chang-gi raised their auras at the same time. Hwang Seon-jung, standing right beside Go Pil-seon, involuntarily shuffled backward step by step.
It was because the killing intent radiating from Go Pil-seon stung his skin.
'Should I stop this fight?'
If either Go Pil-seon or Baek Chang-gi died here, it could easily spread into a war between the Red Wind Sword Sect and the Black River Blade Sect.
In that case, it was only natural that sparks would fall on the Red Tiger Society, which had provided the cause of the fight.
But Hwang Seon-jung did not dare open his mouth. He lacked the nerve to throw himself into that killing intent, which felt as though it would tear the air apart.
Jo Gwang-un's party seemed to feel the same, as they were busy edging away into the corners of the room.
'This could lead to a war between two sects. Surely they won't fight over something this trivial.'
It was underworld business, so from the perspective of the two great sects it was as trivial as a chick's teardrop.
But even wars between nations usually begin over trifles. And for martial artists, pride was never a trivial matter.
So the fight broke out. Go Pil-seon threw himself forward first, and Baek Chang-gi advanced as well.
Clang—!
The sound of the two pieces of metal colliding was like the Red Tiger Society's scream.
"We're fucked!"
* * *