Monopolizing Fortunes (47)
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Monopolizing Fortunes (47)
"It was only a passing thought. I absolutely did not steal it."
The Young Sect Leader spoke from behind.
"That bastard is the most likely culprit."
Do Tong-dal looked at the Young Sect Leader.
"Why?"
"Look at the way he talks."
"Just as it isn't a crime to entertain a thought, being honest isn't a crime either. But it would be hard to forget something like that, so how did he forget that milk—... that thing?"
"I took it off to bathe, and it disappeared. The only people who could have approached the clothes I had taken off were those three."
"There was no one besides those three?"
"No one."
"Where did you bathe?"
"At an inn."
"If it was an inn, couldn't it have been an inn employee?"
"Those who were standing guard outside testified that no employee approached."
Do Tong-dal tilted his head.
"You mean you believe the suspects' words at face value? And if I were the culprit, I'd lie and say an employee came by to create more suspects."
"How would I know the circumstances?"
"You've accused someone of being a thief and you haven't even thought that far?"
"Are you interrogating me right now?"
Do Tong-dal stared blankly at the Young Sect Leader, who was bristling. The smell of a lie wafted from his voice, to say nothing of his expression.
The Young Sect Leader was the only person in this warehouse who was lying right now.
Do Tong-dal turned his chair to face the Young Sect Leader directly. Skin as white and fine as a woman's, a chin held high, and eyes slightly lowered—it was the characteristic posture of someone who had looked down on others his entire life.
An arrogance worse than that of a scion of a prestigious orthodox sect cloaked the Young Sect Leader like a coat. When Do Tong-dal stared piercingly at him, the Young Sect Leader's eyes wavered.
"What are you staring at?"
"What happened to that milk token? From the look of it, your household seems well-off even without it."
The rings and bracelet he wore also looked far from cheap.
"Are you saying I stole my own milk token?"
"Stealing your own thing is absurd. But you could have given it to someone else."
Just as Namgung Cheol-hyeon had done for Do Tong-dal. Even if Do Tong-dal had not learned the Mind-Reading Art, he could read the Young Sect Leader flinching.
"You gave it to someone."
"H-how could I give the Young Sect Leader's keepsake to another person! Stop talking nonsense! Elder Go, where did you bring such a strange fellow from?"
It was a childish tactic of trying to escape one's own crisis by persecuting someone else.
"It was a woman."
He had chosen the most common case, and sure enough, he was not wrong. Do Tong-dal's role ended here.
"The three people the Hao Sect took as suspects are innocent. The culprit is the Young Sect Leader."
"Sh-shut up! Do you think you'll get away with pinning a false charge on the Young Sect Leader of the Hao Sect!"
Ignoring the Young Sect Leader's bluster, Do Tong-dal spoke to Go Seong-cheol.
"The Young Sect Leader gave the milk token to a woman. Nine times out of ten, it's a courtesan from a pleasure house."
He had only been in Hangzhou for a few days, so if he had already slept with someone, the likelihood that she was a courtesan was high.
"Unless he slept with her, she wouldn't know about the Young Sect Leader's milk token, so it must be a courtesan. Right?"
The Young Sect Leader was a Type 3. Rarer than Type 2, but just as easy to read.
"N-no! No, it's not!"
Go Seong-cheol also let out a long sigh, as if something had occurred to him.
"Thank you for coming. I'll repay you later."
Since this was an internal Hao Sect matter, there was no reason for Do Tong-dal to stay any longer. As he was about to step out of the warehouse, Do Tong-dal spoke to Go Seong-cheol.
"Those three innocent people won't be harmed, right?"
"That's none of your concern."
"The one who called me here is you, Elder Go. If you drag me into this and then treat me like an outsider, I'll be in a very bad mood."
Do Tong-dal wasn't particularly burning with a sense of justice. Perhaps his foul mood, worsened by Namgung Seol-rin, was looking for somewhere to explode.
"Even though the Hao Sect is of the dark path, it is not such a lawless place."
Do Tong-dal's gaze turned to the fuming Young Sect Leader.
"Seeing a person like that as Young Sect Leader, it looks like a lawless place after all."
"Th-that bastard!"
Letting the Young Sect Leader's curses roll off his back, Do Tong-dal left the Hao Sect's Hangzhou branch.
"I should go train fucking hard."
Only when the body is worn out do idle thoughts disappear.
* * *
Namgung Seol-rin's long journey was settled as her having returned.
"Can I come in?"
At the sound of Namgung Cheol-hyeon's voice from outside the door, Namgung Seol-rin answered while gazing at the snow outside the window.
"Come in."
The door opened and the sound of footsteps crossing the room could be heard, but Namgung Seol-rin, seated by the window, did not even turn her head.
"What happened?"
"He says he doesn't need me anymore."
"What does that mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. I've been freed from that man's arm."
"That should be something to be happy about, so why does your face look like that?"
"I am happy. How could I not be happy to have escaped slavery?"
Namgung Cheol-hyeon brought a chair, placed it across from Namgung Seol-rin, and sat down.
"Who's going to believe you're happy with a face like that?"
"What's wrong with my face?"
"It looks like a single word could make you cry."
"That's impossible."
"Do Tong-dal."
Tears welled up in Namgung Seol-rin's eyes and streamed down only her left cheek.
"I don't know why I'm like this. I didn't even like that person. Has it just become a habit? A habit where it feels strange not being together because I was stuck with him for eight months."
"You'll find out after you've been in the clan for about a month."
"I don't want to. I don't want to stay in the clan."
"Do you want to go back to Tong-dal's side?"
"It's strange, isn't it?"
"Well. There are few advisors as ill-suited to matters between men and women as I am. Wouldn't it be best to just follow your heart?"
"Is it all right if I do?"
"Is what you're worried about the Namgung Clan's reputation?"
"Don't I need to worry about it?"
Namgung Cheol-hyeon looked out at the snow with Namgung Seol-rin. It was falling in soft, full flakes.
"The Namgung Clan, it's nothing special."
* * *
The trembling hand bent inward quite far now. The physician in black spoke with a satisfied expression.
"Now you'll be able to eat on your own."
"If you tried eating with my arm, you wouldn't say that."
"At worst you'll spill a little rice and soup. As long as you can get by."
The physician in black paid no mind to the sense of shame when food fell off the spoon.
"A true physician has to tend to the patient's heart as well."
"Who said I want to be a true physician?"
"Of course you wouldn't."
When he returned to headquarters after finishing the treatment, Han Dong-san rushed over and threw his arms around Do Tong-dal.
"Coordinator Do! A son! A son!"
Do Tong-dal made an "Ah!" expression.
"You saw your grandson."
"Yes! This is all thanks to you, Coordinator Do! Your talisman carried on our family line!"
"I'm glad it helped."
"I'll hold a big feast at my house soon, so make sure you attend."
Han Dong-san thanked him repeatedly, and as he left, he said, "I left a gift with the Society Leader."
He was curious what the gift was when Wang Chil came to his office.
"No word from Miss Namgung?"
"Why do you keep asking about someone who already left?"
"You get angry every time I mention Miss Namgung. Elder Han left this for you."
It was neatly wrapped in brown oil paper.
"Looks like clothes. Open it."
It was a sleeveless garment. It seemed to be made of leather, and it was clearly different from ordinary clothes.
"Looks like some kind of protective gear."
Wang Chil examined the garment this way and that, then nodded.
"It's definitely protective gear, but it's incredibly thin. Will it actually protect you? Want to test it?"
When Wang Chil drew his sword, Do Tong-dal snatched it away.
"What are you going to do if it tears?"
"Then it becomes useless clothing."
Well, worrying about protective gear tearing was ridiculous.
"Then should we try stabbing it while you're wearing it?"
"Forget it."
"Come on, put it on. It's still chilly, so wearing an extra layer isn't bad."
Wang Chil said, "There's no one to protect you now, anyway," and forced the protective gear onto him. Since it was fastened with strings in the back, Wang Chil had to tie it for him.
After putting the protective gear on him, Wang Chil said something infuriating again.
"It's been about half a month since Miss Namgung left, right? So why do you look like you haven't eaten proper food for a month?"
"Ugh, I said stop talking about that woman!"
Do Tong-dal left headquarters early because of Wang Chil, and suddenly realized he had nowhere to go.
If he went to Jang Yu-seom's house or Cheonsangru, he would have to talk about Namgung Seol-rin again, and he didn't particularly feel like meeting Yang Su-pan.
"I need to stir up some kind of work."
His grand plan to become the emperor of the night had not yet been realized. Taking over the Red Tiger Society was only the first step.
"The Black Dragon Society will probably react soon."
It was quiet for now, but there was no way they would stay still after losing five thousand silver nyang.
"It's the calm before the storm, so I should use this chance to train my ass off."
He returned home and practiced the Mujung Manbyeon Steps and the Heavenly Shadow Flash Kick until dark. He had mastered more than sixty percent of both arts, but there was no sign that further progress would come easily.
The absence of Namgung Seol-rin, who used to give him advice from the side, seemed to be the cause, which put him in a bad mood.
"Damn it!"
Do Tong-dal, who had been about to bathe, finally spat out a loud curse. His arm had not healed enough to reach behind his back and untie the strings, so he could not take off the protective gear.
"That old man is absolutely no help at all!"
Do Tong-dal, resenting Wang Chil, ultimately had to go to bed feeling uneasy. Every time he tossed and turned, a stale smell seemed to rise from under the blanket.
"If I ever listen to that old man again, I'll change my surname."
* * *
His steps as he climbed onto the roof tiles were as light as feathers. After lowering his body and confirming there was no one nearby, the Baekeum Assassin slid down the tiles.
His form, which had stopped at the eaves, dropped upside down. The Baekeum Assassin spun once in the air and landed on the ground.
It was a stealthy movement that even the dog next door would not have noticed.
He had confirmed the layout of the house and the room where his target slept five times. The reason he never failed was not only his high martial arts but also this thorough preparation.
He wet his finger with saliva and poked a hole in the window paper. He could see Do Tong-dal fast asleep.
The window was the space needed to check the target's condition. The Baekeum Assassin climbed up to the main hall to enter the building.
For Do Tong-dal to live alone in this large house was a waste of space. Once he killed Do Tong-dal, this space would be used far more efficiently.
His footsteps made no sound as he passed through the main hall and down the corridor. Because he wore close-fitting night clothes, there was not even the rustle of cloth.
'Hm. My lower belly seems to have gotten a bit bigger lately.'
Thinking that he should train harder, he opened the door to Do Tong-dal's room. Do Tong-dal, covered by a thick cotton blanket, was sleeping on his back facing the ceiling.
For a thug, the bastard had a proper sleeping posture. He had a long sword on his back and a dagger at his waist.
He deliberated while approaching Do Tong-dal, and chose the dagger when he stood beside the bed.
The length of the dagger was enough to pierce the blanket and the heart.
Scrape.
The faint sound of the dagger sliding out of its leather sheath could be heard. Whatever dream he was having, deep wrinkles were etched between Do Tong-dal's brows.
'I'll put an end to your nightmare.'
The dagger raised high came down.
Thunk—!
It pierced the blanket easily. But he realized something was wrong. The familiar sensation of cutting through flesh and heart did not come.
"Ugh!"
The scream Do Tong-dal let out was also different from that of someone meeting death. The blade had been blocked by something and only tore at the cloth over his chest.
He tried to attack again when something flew at him from the left side of his vision. A shock was transmitted to the arm he hastily raised to block.
The Baekeum Assassin, who had tried to hold his ground, was pushed three steps to the left before he could right himself.
"Fuck, what is it?"
Instead of answering, the Baekeum Assassin held his dagger horizontally in front of his chest, and Do Tong-dal did not particularly need an answer.
"An assassin, huh. Who sent you?"
When there was no answer, he muttered, "Just thought I'd ask," and glanced at the torn cloth.
If he had not been wearing the protective gear, his heart would surely have been pierced and he would have died. Han Dong-san and Wang Chil had jointly saved Do Tong-dal's life.
'Still, I'm not going to say thanks!'
Thud!
The Baekeum Assassin was fast enough to startle Do Tong-dal. If he did not survive this night, he would not be able to say thanks even if he wanted to.
* * *