A Trivial Misunderstanding (6)
Yi Mu-myeong was just as dumbfounded.
The Henan branch leader of the Beggar Clan? Why would he come here?
Gwanggae was a martial arts genius that the Beggar Clan was grooming to become its leader.
But what was even stranger was that he and Han Bin seemed to have no prior connection.
They acted like old acquaintances who'd known each other for years.
Of course, that was Yi Mu-myeong's misunderstanding.
Han Bin had grown comfortable with Gwanggae due to their past-life connection, while Gwanggae had simply been roped into it by Han Bin.
Meanwhile, Gwanggae ignored Yi Mu-myeong's stare and continued his dazed deductions.
Twins. That's why he could pop up in the east one moment and the west the next. One's the fourth young master of the Hebei Paeng Family, and the other's the Sapa hero, the Crimson Dragon Hero...
This, too, was a misunderstanding.
Of course, Gwanggae didn't voice it aloud.
What kind of organization was the Beggar Clan?
With its hundred thousand beggars scattered across the Central Plains serving as eyes and ears, it was the unrivaled faction in information gathering.
To Gwanggae, information was money.
The moment he spoke his deductions aloud, someone outside might overhear.
That would be like sharing his money with others.
Unthinkable.
Han Bin lightly smacked the back of Gwanggae's head as he mumbled to himself with a slack-jawed expression.
Smack!
Gwanggae snapped to his senses and shouted.
"What the hell? Why'd you hit me?"
"You gotta ask? Why're you twisting around someone else's family tree?"
"What're you talking about? You saying they're not twins?"
Just then, a sigh came from the side.
"Sigh..."
Gwanggae whipped his head around.
A girl who looked about fifteen was sighing there.
Of course, it was Seol-hwa. Gwanggae's eyes widened again.
Even in his excitement, he hadn't sensed her presence at all.
That girl's a master?
But she showed no sign of being a martial artist.
She was just a small, cute little girl.
Gwanggae figured he must have missed her presence because she wasn't a martial artist.
Undeterred by Gwanggae's piercing stare, Seol-hwa spoke casually.
"I'm Seol-hwa."
"Ah."
"And I have something to say, beggar grandpa."
"Huh? Beggar?"
Gwanggae was flustered.
He was from the Beggar Clan, so yeah, a beggar. But hearing a little kid call him one outright felt weird.
Come to think of it...
Gwanggae glanced at Han Bin.
That same infuriating feeling from their first meeting resurfaced. Han Bin had said something just as cheeky back then.
Are they relatives or something?
Gwanggae turned back to Seol-hwa.
She was sparkling with big, round eyes.
No way a cute kid like that was related to a guy like Han Bin, who could devour even Sapa whole.
Besides, she obviously looked like a maid.
And Seol-hwa surely had no ulterior motive in saying it.
Gwanggae chuckled and continued.
"I'm a disciple of the Beggar Clan, so beggar fits. No big deal—go ahead."
"Thanks, beggar grandpa. Our young master and this guard look totally different at a glance, so it's weird you're mistaking them. This part, and that part too..."
Seol-hwa pointed out the differences between the two.
But Gwanggae's head just tilted further.
He couldn't make sense of it at all.
It felt like one of those hidden object puzzles trending in Beijing lately.
Then Seol-hwa continued.
"And the biggest difference of all is..."
Han Bin cut in.
"That I'm way more handsome, right? Seol-hwa, why drag it out when a simple explanation would've done?"
Everyone's jaws dropped at that.
Han Bin turned back to Gwanggae.
"Anyway, did you handle what I asked?"
"That's what I was gonna ask you."
"What're you curious about?"
"Is it true you're the one who calls himself the Crimson Dragon Hero?"
This time, everyone's eyes in the room widened.
Ignoring the stares, Han Bin looked at Gwanggae.
"Hm."
Han Bin crossed his arms, recalling his duel with the Remnant Blood Demon.
He could hear the Sapa warriors' cheers from back then.
They'd definitely called him the Crimson Dragon Hero while rooting for him.
But what puzzled him was Gwanggae's attitude.
Han Bin had told him about this already.
After a long hum, Han Bin spoke up.
"What's going on? Did the Sapa guys come charging at you like crazy?"
"Nah, the opposite."
"Opposite?"
Han Bin cocked his head, not getting it.
Gwanggae grinned, clearly enjoying the look.
"Haha!"
"Why're you laughing like that?"
"Just remembered a ridiculous scene."
"What scene?"
"Like you said, I ran into those Sapa guys not long after."
"And? You passed on my message, right?"
"Yeah. Told 'em a guy in red robes got swept down the waterfall, and they burst into tears. Like he was some Sapa hero or whatever? They wouldn't cry that hard even if their young lord died. What the hell happened?"
"Well, I did help 'em out a bit."
"S-so you really fought a Hwagyeong master? Does that mean you are the Crimson Dragon Hero? Not this guy here?"
As Gwanggae excitedly fired off questions, Yi Mu-myeong stepped in.
"We've been staying here since coming down from Yeongdan Mountain quite some time ago."
"Heh."
Gwanggae let out a hollow laugh and looked at Han Bin.
His deductions had been utterly shattered.
After a long laugh, Gwanggae spoke again.
"We're sworn brothers who vowed before heaven and earth, right?"
"Of course."
"As friends, how about being straight with me?"
"Well..."
Han Bin trailed off and glanced at Seol-hwa.
Then he snapped his fingers.
Snap!
Startled, Jang Ja-myeong's eyes widened.
It was a familiar gesture.
And sure enough...
Seol-hwa fetched a bundle from the corner.
Jang Ja-myeong had wondered why she'd bought writing supplies on the way.
Seol-hwa spread out the paper neatly and poured ink into a bowl.
Han Bin took the brush from her and began writing without hesitation.
Jang Ja-myeong found himself staring at the ceiling unconsciously.
At first, he'd felt sorry, thinking another slave had been born.
But strangely...
Jang Ja-myeong secretly hoped Gwanggae would sign that document.
He couldn't understand his own contradictory feelings.
Moments later, as he gazed at the ceiling, he nodded quietly.
He got it now.
He felt oddly good about their group growing with a new ally.
Scribble! Scribble!
Han Bin finished writing in one fluid go, blew on the ink to dry it, and handed the brush to Gwanggae.
Gwanggae took it and tilted his head.
"Why're you giving this to me?"
"Sign it."
"Sign what?"
"Think about it—we're partners, right?"
"Yeah."
"I said I'd pay you handsomely for helping me out."
"Obviously."
"But what makes you think I'll actually pay up?"
"Well, 'cause you're the fourth young master of the Hebei Paeng Family..."
"That's exactly it. What if something goes wrong midway?"
"Then the Hebei Paeng Family would..."
"Right. Why would the Hebei Paeng Family pay you a single coin?"
"Ah."
Gwanggae's jaw finally dropped as realization hit.
They'd sworn before heaven and earth, sure—but that was just between them.
Once Han Bin was out of the picture, the promise meant nothing.
After a long groan, Gwanggae asked.
"You trying to cover your tracks?"
"Nah, just putting our promise in writing to keep it solid."
"Oh, as expected of a direct heir of the Hebei Paeng Family. Thanks."
"So sign here."
"Got it, right here? But what's this confidentiality clause?"
"We already swore to heaven and earth on that. I wrote down everything we talked about."
"Alright, thanks."
Gwanggae signed both identical copies without a second thought.
Seol-hwa clicked her tongue at the sight.
The penalty for breaking confidentiality was a whopping hundredfold.
With Gwanggae's signature done, Han Bin explained everything that had happened.
No one could believe he'd taken down a Hwagyeong master.
The only one who did was Jang Ja-myeong.
Two fake Qingming Pills would've thoroughly messed up his blood vessels.
And those weren't ordinary poisons.
More precisely, they were closer to spirit pills.
The principles of yin and yang he'd painstakingly grasped at Cheonsu Manor.
It was a drug that disrupted the harmony of yin and yang sustaining the body, driving the victim into qi deviation without them even realizing it.
Anyone who swallowed the fake Qingming Pills would crumble bit by bit, oblivious to what was wrong.
That was what Jang Ja-myeong found terrifying about Han Bin.
The Baekdokmun of Baekdok Valley and the Sacheon Dang Family were among the top two in poisons across the Central Plains.
Yet both followed an unspoken rule: never use poison on unspecified masses.
In war, maybe—but normally, it was only for targeted foes.
But Han Bin had distributed fake Qingming Pills to strangers.
When Jang Ja-myeong asked about it, Han Bin's answer was simple.
If a thief who stole my stuff isn't an enemy, what is? Would Physician Jang just let someone hold a knife to his throat?
Jang Ja-myeong had no choice but to nod.
Knowing a Demonic Cult master had eaten those pills, he could picture it.
The Remnant Blood Demon probably hadn't brought his full power to bear, falling into qi deviation from the fakes.
Had Han Bin foreseen and prepared for this?
Jang Ja-myeong stared at Han Bin in a daze.
The others gawked at him the same way.
Even Seol-hwa, who always kept her cool, had shaky eyes this time.
The Remnant Blood Demon of the Demonic Cult?
Not even the Lord of the Black Heavens could handle him easily.
Yet Han Bin had beaten him?
Han Bin clearly had secrets no one knew.
Jang Ja-myeong figured knowing them would make becoming the Central Plains' top assassin just a matter of time.
Of course, Yi Mu-myeong's eyes wavered too.
Ignoring everyone's stares, Han Bin continued.
"For now, keep it secret that I took down a Demonic Cult master."
"Yes, young master."
Seol-hwa replied, and Yi Mu-myeong followed with a cupped-fist salute.
His posture was sharper than ever.
"Yes, my lord."
As everyone nodded, Gwanggae tilted his head like something occurred to him.
"Alright, say you did take down a Hwagyeong master. And the Sapa guys mistook you for their savior and started calling you the Crimson Dragon Hero. But there's still something I can't wrap my head around."
"Spit it out, friend."
"The Sapa guys were wailing like you'd died."
"And?"
"They weren't hunting you down to kill you—they seemed to be chasing after you out of worry..."
"So? What's the problem?"
"Why'd you stab the people desperately searching for you in the first place?"
Gasp after gasp erupted around the room at Gwanggae's question.
"Gasp! Young master!"
Seol-hwa's eyes flew wide in shock, and Jang Ja-myeong asked too.
"Even if they're Sapa, they could be allies—why'd you do it, Fourth Young Master?"
"My lord, why on earth..."
Yi Mu-myeong trailed off in disbelief.