Chapter 116
Chapter 116: Opening Eyes (3)
The only unusual thing was the fact that two orders had come in simultaneously.
If he had to pick one more thing,
"The client must be a painter."
It was the fact that the portrait drawn in the request letter was too well done. Hu Jang-rang didn't know much about paintings, but this picture was clearly a masterpiece to anyone's eyes.
Despite being drawn only with ink, it was an ink portrait overflowing with such vitality that it seemed like it would come alive at any moment.
One man with very lightly drawn hair.
It was probably expressing bleached hair. The man's face was more than half covered by his bangs, which alone made it quite distinctive.
And.
One young woman with a mischievous impression.
She was a very youthful-looking beauty, giving the impression that she might leap out of the painting right now and ask him to play with her.
However,
Snap!
Hu Jang-rang quickly folded the request letter again, ending his brief art appreciation.
After all, whatever the identity of the client or the 'goods' turned out to be, it wasn't his concern.
The client was someone he wouldn't encounter again after this job was done, and the goods would literally soon turn into chunks of meat.
He held out the rolled-up request letter to Pal-geuk again and said.
"The goods?"
He was simultaneously asking about the accuracy of the information written in the request letter and the current location of the goods.
Pal-geuk answered immediately.
"One has been confirmed right away."
Confirmed. A compound expression meaning both accurate and found.
"Then handle it right away."
Hu Jang-rang approved the receipt of the goods.
"Yes, then I'll get started right away. However, who should be assigned to the task?"
At Pal-geuk's continued question, Hu Jang-rang frowned. He had asked something unnecessary.
"Why ask? Send three third-grade assassins to each target. That's more than enough."
Three third-grade assassins would be able to easily handle youngsters who had just entered the Martial World. That was Hu Jang-rang's judgment.
However, after hearing his order, Pal-geuk didn't leave and remained standing, then spoke again.
"But...... the money the client put up is concerning."
"What do you mean?"
"Two kilograms of gold."
"......What nonsense is that? Are you saying the client put up two kilograms of gold just to deal with these two?"
Two kilograms of gold was big money that ordinary people couldn't save in a lifetime, or even over several generations. And they made a request with such an enormous amount?
Thud.
"They said they'd give another two kilograms each time a good is received."
"......!"
Pal-geuk took out a large gold ingot from his bosom and placed it on the table next to the bed where Hu Jang-rang was lying. A heavy resonance echoed through the room.
Hu Jang-rang was shocked.
"......Don't tell me, that's what the client gave as a down payment?"
"Yes, Branch Leader."
"He's insane......"
The down payment was two kilograms of gold, plus another one kilogram per goods.
Then the total request fee hanging on these two bastards' necks was four kilograms of gold. A frightening amount.
Who on earth were these targets that someone would make a request worth that much money?
Hu Jang-rang, whose drowsiness had completely vanished at the sight of the gold ingot, finally sat up completely from the bed. Then, while roughly throwing on his clothes, he said.
"Did you confirm the client's identity?"
"We couldn't. The client used a child to place the order."
It was a method clients often used to avoid exposing their identity, and it was also the most certain method.
If the process of going through several children was repeated a few times, the identity of the original client would inevitably become obscure. Also, if the children failed to properly carry out their task, they could just hide and watch, then disappear.
However, this method could put the children who ran the errand without knowing anything into difficulty. In the worst case, they could even die.
Therefore, this client was.......
Very cautious. And also very cruel.
There was no one who wanted to hide their identity who wasn't dangerous. Moreover, if they were cruel enough to use children without hesitation, what more needed to be said?
Hu Jang-rang's long experience was warning him about the client's dangerousness.
What should he do?
"How are we supposed to receive the remaining request fee after receiving the goods?"
Pal-geuk answered immediately.
"From what they said about being able to receive it naturally the moment the order is completed, it seems the goods have the gold bars."
"Hmm......"
In the meantime, Hu Jang-rang, who had finished getting dressed, turned the gold ingot on the table this way and that. He had hoped otherwise, but it was real gold.
A client who would casually throw down this much money without even starting the job yet.
Who could it be?
The two goods that such a client ordered.
What kind of people were they?
"The deadline?"
He was asking about the time limit for completing the request.
Pal-geuk answered immediately.
"They said to finish it before the Awakening of Insects."
Before Awakening of Insects?
Only then did Hu Jang-rang feel he understood what the client wanted.
"Elimination of competitors."
This Heavenly Youth Martial Arts Tournament was truly a competition to select the Orthodox Faction's best rising star. Naturally, the tournament winner would be qualified to challenge for the next Murim Alliance leadership, and would certainly receive attention from renowned masters of the Martial World.
Fierce competition was naturally expected.
Therefore, the purpose of this request seemed all too clear.
However.......
There was one strange thing.
"Why are the order target those goods instead of Three Stars, Five Phoenixes, and Nine Dragons?"
That bothered him.
But Hu Jang-rang soon put aside his doubts about it. He was merely an assassin. The principle was not to make unnecessary political judgments.
Money was received.
Then just kill and be done with it. Assassins didn't need any more reasons or justifications than that.
Hu Jang-rang's eyes, which had been soaked in fatigue, sparkled as if that had never happened and turned toward Pal-geuk.
"Deploy first-grade assassins."
"How many should we deploy?"
"Five."
"Five? Then which side should we deploy two to?"
"That's not it. Five per target."
"......What?"
Pal-geuk was surprised.
One first-grade assassin could kill even an elder-level expert from a small or medium sect if they launched a surprise attack. He was ordering five of such people to be deployed. So naturally he was surprised. Moreover, moving one first-grade assassin once cost ten silver coins per person. But if five each, making ten people were deployed.......
A full hundred silver coins!
They had received a lot as a down payment, but it was an excessive amount even compared to that.
However, to Pal-geuk thinking such thoughts, Hu Jang-rang's words continued again.
"Money was received."
Money.
To organizations between righteousness and evil like Death Blood Society, money was justice. If money was given, assassins had to cut down even their own fathers or children.
"......Yes, Branch Leader. I will obey your command."
Pal-geuk answered with a stiff expression, bowing his head. However, just as he was about to leave the room, he turned around again.
"However, one of the currently exposed goods isn't leaving Zhengzhou city."
Did that mean it would be difficult to handle quietly?
Hu Jang-rang squinted his eyes for a moment, then soon repeated the same logic to Pal-geuk.
"Money was received. With that, the request has already been established."
"Yes, Branch Leader. I will obey your command."
Having given his final answer, Pal-geuk left the room.
Hu Jang-rang waited until Pal-geuk left, then fell asleep again. The fatigue hadn't completely lifted yet.
Probably by the time he woke up again, the order would be completed.
Grrrk—
Breath carrying a faint smell of alcohol slowly permeated the room.
Death Blood Society Zhengzhou Branch.
From there, two assassination orders were dispatched.
Just now.
***
Whirr—
A small pebble flew like a butterfly.
That's right. It looked a bit strange, but the stone was really flying like a butterfly.
Tap.
The stone fluttered and quietly landed on the stone tower, its destination. With that, the height and volume of the stone tower, which had grown as large as a house, became a little higher and a little bigger.
"Wowaaa-!"
"Awesome!"
"Mister, you're the best!"
The neighborhood kids all opened their mouths wide in amazement at the stone tower, delighted for some reason. A few days ago they were amazed at some insignificant drawings he made, and now they were bursting with admiration at stone throwing.
Dong Bong-soo paid no attention and picked up another stone to throw.
Tick.
Another member joined the stone tower family.
Waah-!
The kids went wild at his every trivial action.
The stone that clearly flew forward but traced a strange trajectory looked extremely fascinating in their eyes.
"Mister, but why are you making this tower?"
One child who couldn't contain their curiosity approached and said.
The white-haired man who had been standing still in one spot for several days drawing pictures and throwing stones was probably worth being curious about.
"Waiting."
Dong Bong-soo said. If he didn't answer, they would pester him endlessly. He knew well without having to experience it. Children were bothersome existences everywhere. It was also largely because they weren't ripe enough to just dispose of yet, and also one doesn't eat unripe persimmons.
"Waiting for who? You’ve been here three days already!”
"Prey."
"Prey? What's that?"
The lisp-tongued kid's questions continued.
Nevertheless, Dong Bong-soo continued speaking without showing any sign of annoyance.
"To satisfy...... hunger. Something like that."
"Hunger? Oh—food! Mister, are you hungry? You haven’t eaten properly here. Poor thing."
Poor thing? Well, it could look that way. Dong Bong-soo nodded once without thinking and threw another stone.
Plap. Plap. Plap......
This stone skipped horizontally across the stream and flew as a skipping stone to a place beyond sight. The ripples created by the skipping stone tried to follow but couldn't catch up to the stone. Several of the children, seeing that, disappeared in a rush following after it in fascination.
However, the lisp-tongued kid who had spoken to Dong Bong-soo still looked at Dong Bong-soo with sympathetic eyes.
'A pure one.'
He knew the word pure from learning it, but he hadn't yet met anyone truly pure. However, perhaps this kid in front of him now might be such a one, Dong Bong-soo thought.
The kid seemed to be thinking about something, pondering for a while before rummaging in their bosom. Soon a piece of moon cake covered in sweat appeared in the kid's tiny hands. Then, extending their hand toward Dong Bong-soo, they said.
"Here. Eat. It's not~ at all because Hui-a likes you, mister!"