Chapter 122. Unexpected Movements (2)
Hanbin grinned brightly as he replied.
"As the ancient sages said, the best promises are the ones put down in writing, sir."
"What on earth does that mean, young hero?"
Jeong Muryong's eyes widened once more.
Undeterred by the family head's stunned expression, Hanbin's brush danced fearlessly across the hanji paper.
As the words began to fill the page, Jeong Muryong's eyes grew even wider.
It wasn't the calligraphy that was sharp—each stroke felt like a martial technique, laced with the unyielding intent to sever an enemy's throat.
Of course, Jeong Muryong knew that Hanbin's blade—nay, his brush—was not aimed at the Henan Jeong Family.
Hanbin wasn't content merely clipping the wings of the enemies lurking in the Hebei Paeng Family; he intended to uproot them entirely.
Jeong Muryong's expression shifted with every flourish of Hanbin's brush.
Finally, Hanbin set it down and looked up.
Their gazes met for a moment.
Hanbin spoke first.
"If you would kindly sign, sir."
As Hanbin extended the brush, Jeong Muryong reflexively reached out and took it.
His face held a profound look, but his hesitation was brief.
Scritch!
He signed with a flourish, then beamed good-naturedly at Hanbin.
"There, is that sufficient, young hero?"
"Yes, perfect, sir."
It was then that a maid quietly slipped through the door.
She approached Jeong Muryong and whispered something in his ear.
His eyes widened again.
"Why on earth would Senior Brother...?"
Muttering in confusion, the family head rose from his seat.
"Young hero, please wait just a moment."
"Of course, sir."
Hanbin nodded, and Jeong Muryong hurriedly exited the family head's chamber.
Moments later, a commotion erupted outside.
"You! Why are you blocking me...?"
"No, Senior Brother! If you go in now...!"
Murmurs swelled into an argument between someone trying to enter and Jeong Muryong blocking the way. Then the door swung open.
Creeeak.
A ragged beggar stepped inside.
To be precise, it was Hong Chilgae, Hanbin's contract master.
Gwanggae shuffled over to Hanbin's table with a carefree sway, prompting Jeong Muryong to cry out in dismay.
"Senior Brother, you can't go over there. That's my guest...!"
"How many times do I have to tell you? Jeong Muryong."
Jeong Muryong waved his hands frantically.
"No, Senior Mujaeja, even if he's not your disciple...!"
"Hah, why can't you just believe people?"
"I know you're just curious from the rumors. Disciple? Come now, that's taking the joke too far."
"Heh heh, even if...!"
Bickering like old brothers, they approached Hanbin's table.
Jeong Muryong shot Hanbin an apologetic glance and murmured softly.
"Young hero, forgive me. He's not someone I can rein in. So...!"
He glanced awkwardly between Hanbin and Gwanggae.
At that moment, Hanbin stood up.
"Master, you've arrived."
"Heh heh, isn't this a bit much, disciple? You give me work to do but don't even invite me to the feast."
"That's because there might be poison in the feast."
"Hm, fair enough. But explain things to this doddering old family head for me, disciple."
"What needs explaining?"
Hanbin tilted his head, and Hong Chilgae pointed back and forth between himself and Hanbin.
"Our relationship, of course. Heh heh."
Grinning ear to ear, he looked at Hanbin, who smiled back.
"Haha, Master."
That single form of address cleared up everything, and Jeong Muryong's eyes bulged impossibly wide.
"Senior Mujaeja's words are true, young hero?"
"Yes, entirely."
Hanbin nodded calmly.
"Then... does that mean a direct heir of the Hebei Paeng Family is a Beggar Clan member?"
Jeong Muryong's eyes widened further with his next question.
No matter how he crunched the numbers, the connection defied logic.
Hong Chilgae quickly intervened.
"Hey now, why so nosy about other people's master-disciple bonds, old man? He is my disciple, but not a Beggar Clan disciple. That's all you need to know."
"Senior Mujaeja, doesn't the relationship seem... off?"
"That's not the point right now. Anyway...!"
Trailing off, Hong Chilgae scanned the room, then pulled something from his bosom and set it on the table.
Thud!
It was a dead pigeon.
Jeong Muryong's eyes widened yet again.
"What is this?"
"A messenger pigeon. But there's something off about it, right?"
"Something off...?"
As Jeong Muryong trailed off, Hanbin answered instead.
"Nothing unusual."
"Exactly, nothing. Which means it's a trick."
Jeong Muryong hurriedly interjected into their exchange.
"What do you mean, nothing?"
"Heh heh, you still haven't fully recovered, have you? Take a good look at the pigeon's leg. This one's been snatched right after landing and pocketed as-is."
"Now that you mention it...!"
Jeong Muryong tilted his head.
There was no message tube attached to its leg, as there should have been.
He continued.
"No message tube. Where did you catch this pigeon?"
"From the ones released by the Henan Jeong Family."
"Then...?"
"That 'then' is spot on. At my disciple's request, I set up the Beggar Clan's Tagucheonji net outside your walls."
Tagucheonji was the Beggar Clan's encirclement formation, a flawless web that left no gap for even a single dog to escape.
"Heavens... so outside...?"
"Yep, Beggar Clan disciples blanketing the area."
"Such a thing...!"
"Don't worry, we won't bother the Henan Jeong Family. They'll fend for themselves. Just make sure to feed my boys tomorrow."
"Of course, Senior Brother. But what did you mean by 'trick' earlier?"
"Someone inside the Henan Jeong Family sent word outside. They gauged what happened from the number of pigeons that flew off, then dispatched real messengers elsewhere."
"Elsewhere?"
"To your daughter in the Hebei Paeng Family, or other factions."
"Hm."
Jeong Muryong's gaze deepened.
Realizing it wasn't over yet, he shook his head wearily.
His own children had tried to kill him.
He'd crippled one by severing their limb meridians and thrown them in the brain prison.
As Hanbin suggested, he'd confiscated the assets of his daughter, an outsider by marriage.
But now he had to swing the blade further?
For Jeong Muryong, still recovering from illness, it felt burdensome.
Reading his expression, Hanbin spoke up.
"The accomplices in the Hebei Paeng Family can be forgiven now, sir."
"Forgiven?"
Jeong Muryong's eyes widened.
Hong Chilgae narrowed his own suspiciously.
"Disciple, what are you saying?"
It seemed far too lenient for his merciless disciple, who never let go once he bit down.
Facing Hong Chilgae's dubious stare, Hanbin replied with a kindly smile.
"They won't have the strength to rise again. It's over for them."
Listening in, Jeong Muryong gazed quietly at the ceiling.
He knew his daughter wasn't one to go down easily.
She'd likely stashed emergency funds elsewhere.
That thought mingled regret over incomplete justice with odd relief that his grandchildren had a path forward.
He considered telling Hanbin about Jeonghwa's secret funds but held his tongue.
It was time for the Hebei Paeng Family to handle their own.
But Jeong Muryong didn't know Hanbin had already taken care of everything.
To the still-ceiling-gazing family head, Hanbin added.
"If the Qingming Pill I delivered is fake, then the real Kunlun Qingming Pill must be with Madam Jeonghwa."
Hanbin had pinned the real pill's whereabouts on her too—a perfect crime.
With Hanbin's benevolent smile, Jeong Muryong bowed his head slightly.
"Sigh... Forgive me, young hero. It's my failing as a father."
Hanbin waved it off with a bright laugh.
"It's fine. The Hebei Paeng Family will handle it from here."
Finishing, he quietly fingered the necklace hidden in his bosom.
The ancient sages were right: secret snacks taste the best.
Shaking off the thought, Hanbin turned to Jeong Muryong.
"Family Head, I need a private space free from interruptions."
"Would my training chamber do?"
"Yes, your personal chamber would be ideal. Thank you, sir."
Hanbin rose and clasped his hands in respect.
In truth, there was something he needed to check in the Henan Jeong family head's training chamber.
He'd been about to ask, but Jeong Muryong had offered it unprompted.
Soon after, Hanbin, Seolhwa, and Jang Jamyeong left under a servant's guidance.
As Hanbin departed, Jeong Muryong faced Hong Chilgae with curiosity brimming.
"Senior Brother, thank you for gracing us. But...!"
As he trailed off, Hong Chilgae prompted.
"What's on your mind? Got some fine liquor stashed away?"
"It's not about liquor, Senior."
"Then what?"
"I'm genuinely curious about Young Hero Paeng's true identity."
"He's my disciple, as I said."
"That's not what I mean. His sword was faster than our family's swift blade, and his footwork glided like stepping on clouds. Does the Paeng Family possess such sword arts and lightness skills?"
Jeong Muryong's eyes sparked with life for the first time, all worries cast aside, filled with fascination for the martial prowess Hanbin had displayed.
Grinning, Hong Chilgae answered.
"The footwork is Gugeol Ship-pal-bo."
"Gugeol Ship-pal-bo? Isn't that a Beggar Clan supreme technique? You said he's not a Beggar Clan disciple."
"It's not that only formal disciples can learn it—it's just hard, so most can't."
"..."
Jeong Muryong stared silently at Hong Chilgae.
Tilting his head, Hong Chilgae asked.
"What?"
"Gugeol Ship-pal-bo doesn't walk on clouds like that. That's why the epithet 'Azure Cloud Divine Envoy' has the whole Henan Jeong Family buzzing, isn't it?"
"Azure Cloud Divine Envoy?"
Anticipation gleamed in Hong Chilgae's narrowed eyes.
Under that gaze, Jeong Muryong continued quietly.
"That's right...!"
The family head's chamber of the Baeksa Gate, Henan Province's notorious unorthodox faction, buzzed with the arrival of an honored guest.
Family Head Jin Saneong clasped his hands in greeting.
"Military Strategist, welcome."
"Thank you for the warm reception."
The guest returned a light clasp.
He appeared mid-thirties, but gray streaks in his hair betrayed his years.
Wielding a judge's brush-like weapon, his epithet was Profit-Cutting Master.
It stemmed from his cold-blooded precision in all things profitable.
Even the righteous factions recoiled at the name Profit-Cutting Master Ma Hwi.
His martial skill was formidable, but his cunning strategies made him a nightmare to face.
Those who'd dealt with him often said even deals they thought advantageous ended up played in the palm of Ma Hwi's hand.
So why had the Profit-Cutting Master come here?