Ally or Enemy? (3)
Amidst the crowd rolling their eyes with curiosity, it was Seol-hwa who tossed out the next question.
"Young master, a contract?"
Seol-hwa's eyes widened, and Han Bin continued with a meaningful smile.
"You probably don't remember it, Seol-hwa. We picked it up after going wolf hunting in Absol Valley."
Seol-hwa knew that was Han Bin's way of being sarcastic.
Not remembering meant it had to be something unforgettable.
"Ah!"
Letting out an exclamation, Seol-hwa narrowed her eyes, recalling the events in Absol Valley.
For a moment, her shoulders trembled faintly.
It was the kind of memory that still gave her chills.
Seol-hwa shook her head as if trying to shake off the Absol Valley incident.
Undeterred by her reaction, Han Bin tapped the letter with his fingers and turned to the Aekhyeolmaengho-dae.
"This contract proves the relationship between the Huangbo Family and me."
Han Bin's bold declaration heated up the atmosphere.
"Wooow!"
Then someone tilted their head and whispered.
"Relationship? What kind?"
"Maybe some secret pact with the Huangbo Family?"
Someone else chimed in.
And so the speculation spread.
"Yeah, could be a secret deal with their young master. I've heard the heirs of great families have hidden agreements no one else knows about."
"Nah, that doesn't seem right..."
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it. If it was a secret pact, they'd have come out already to greet our lord."
"Haha, good point."
"Then what is this relationship?"
Unable to contain their curiosity, the group kept guessing.
That's when Yi Mu-myeong clapped as if something had just clicked.
"Ah, could it be...?"
Yi Mu-myeong trailed off, his eyes gleaming like a scholar in the old exam halls who had just recalled the right answer.
This time, all eyes turned to him.
But Yi Mu-myeong just mumbled to himself without spilling the answer.
Looking embarrassed and hesitant, he froze—until Seol-hwa tugged at his sleeve.
"Uncle, you're killing us here."
Urged by Seol-hwa, Yi Mu-myeong glanced at Han Bin.
Han Bin nodded permission, and Yi Mu-myeong spoke up.
"Master, by 'relationship,' do you mean... a secret about your birth...?"
Yi Mu-myeong's words set the Aekhyeolmaengho-dae buzzing again.
"Secret birth?"
"No way?"
The murmurs halted at Han Bin's next move.
He smacked his forehead.
Shaking his head with a sigh, Han Bin said,
"Ugh, Mu-myeong! What's with you today? If you're gonna say weird stuff, step back."
Han Bin waved the letter with a bewildered look and jerked his chin.
Everyone shot Yi Mu-myeong glares.
But looking wronged, Yi Mu-myeong fired back.
"Then what is this relationship, Master?"
Grinning, Han Bin answered.
"What else? Creditor and debtor."
At his words, everyone's eyes lit up.
In their minds, they pictured Han Bin forcing the contract on someone.
Seol-hwa hesitated, glancing around before mumbling.
Han Bin noticed.
"What's up, Seol-hwa?"
"H-how much are we talking? Young master."
Hearing her question, Han Bin beamed.
"A lot."
"Young master, more details. Like, how many tanghwa candies could it buy?"
"Enough to bury the whole Huangbo Family in tanghwa."
"Gasp!"
Seol-hwa's jaw dropped in shock.
The Aekhyeolmaengho-dae struggled not to burst out laughing.
Han Bin turned to So Daeseop.
"No training from now until we leave the Huangbo Family. Spread the word, Squad Leader So. Rest up starting today."
"Yes, my lord."
So Daeseop relayed the order swiftly, and the group slammed their weapons into the ground with a cheer.
Thud! Thud!
A short while later.
A bonfire pit was set up at the Huangbo Family's main gate, with a simple tent nearby to block the morning dew.
The sun had dipped below the western horizon, blanketing the Huangbo Family's main gate in thick darkness.
The guards inside, ordered to stay put, were dying of curiosity.
Laughter drifted intermittently, now followed by the savory smell of roasting meat wafting over the wall.
One guard spoke up.
"We gotta check it out."
"The young master said not to budge, remember?"
"Still, we need to know what's going on outside to report it properly."
"Heh, fair enough."
The two guards nodded and crept to the wall.
Unable to defy Hwang Bo-gyeon-u's order not to open the gate, they propped a ladder against it and climbed.
The Huangbo Family's walls were tall, so they had to go all the way to the top.
Peering over, the guards' jaws dropped.
"Gasp, what the hell?"
"Seriously, what's that? They're actually grilling meat over a bonfire. How's this happening?"
"W-wait, we're not hallucinating, right?"
"I can hear it sizzling! No way it's fake."
"True. And that booze smell... it's drifting all the way here."
"Now that you mention it, we haven't eaten either. *Slurp*."
The guards watched the meat-tearing spectacle from atop the wall, swallowing hard.
That's when it happened.
A man in a red martial robe, mid-bite, turned toward the wall.
The guard who met his gaze whipped his head away instinctively.
Suddenly, the red-robed man called out cheerfully.
"Guards up there! Come join us for a drink?"
The guard turned back.
In his view, the red-robed man held a bottle in one hand, a meat skewer in the other, beckoning.
Of course, that was Han Bin.
Spotting the dazed guards, Han Bin shouted again.
"As long as you don't open the gate, you're good, right? Come get a cup!"
The guard hesitated before mumbling.
"We're on duty."
"You were told not to move, yeah? Doesn't matter if it's there or here—as long as the gate stays shut."
Han Bin's logic made the guard's eyes spin.
After agonizing, his gaze froze.
He'd spotted they weren't alone up there.
A woman in crisp white martial robes sat casually atop the wall like it was her own living room.
Both guards gaped.
Moonlight illuminated the woman with flowing long hair.
They knew her instantly.
She was the family head's youngest sister, third in the family hierarchy, Law Enforcement Hall Leader Hwang Bo-seo-hyeon.
In her early forties, aunt to young master Hwang Bo-gyeon-u.
A woman leading the Law Enforcement Hall?
She was the only one among the North's Five Great Families. Even in the South, it was rare.
Most women her age would have retired to a nunnery, but Hwang Bo-seo-hyeon clung to the family with unusual devotion.
Or so she claimed; others figured her sharp temper scared off suitors.
And lately, her nerves—and her sword—had grown even sharper.
She'd challenge anyone to a duel over the slightest grievance.
The family warriors feared her more than the patriarch.
Recognizing her, sweat beaded on the guards' foreheads.
"L-Law Enforcement Leader!"
"What are you two doing here?"
Hwang Bo-seo-hyeon asked.
The guard replied hastily.
"Th-there was a commotion outside, so we were checking it out, Leader."
"I mean, if there's a disturbance, shouldn't you identify them and report back?"
"We already know who it is. And we've reported to the young master."
"What are you saying?"
"The one below is Hebei Paeng Family's Fourth Young Master. We've already informed the young master."
"Hm."
Hwang Bo-seo-hyeon hummed, glancing between inside and out.
After a moment, she nodded.
As if she knew everything.
As the guards and Hwang Bo-seo-hyeon talked,
A voice called from below.
"Hey, Law Enforcement sis!"
Startled, Hwang Bo-seo-hyeon peered down wide-eyed.
The red-robed man—Han Bin—was grinning.
Half-shocked, half-curious, she asked,
"You called me... uh."
She'd slipped and called him "little brother."
Realizing her mistake, she clapped a hand over her mouth.
Han Bin played it cool.
"How could I not know? You're Hwang Bo-seo-hyeon, leader of the Huangbo Family's Law Enforcement Hall. I'm the Hebei Paeng Family's youngest, Paeng Hanbin."
Han Bin chuckled inwardly.
If the guards hadn't named her, he might not have recognized her.
Even he was mildly surprised by how young she looked.
In his past life, he'd only met her after she was over fifty.
Her reaction to "sis" was the same as ever.
Grinning, Han Bin thought ahead.
To pull off what he planned in the Huangbo Family?
He needed someone neutral who could tip the scales—not quite an ally, but influential.
That was Hwang Bo-seo-hyeon.
He'd already hooked her halfway.
After a beat, Han Bin wiped his smile and poured liquor into a small cup.
Glug, glug.
The rich aroma filled the air as the liquor splashed invitingly.
The guards atop the wall gulped too.
Even Hwang Bo-seo-hyeon barely held back.
Filling the cup, Han Bin said,
"Law Enforcement sis, care for a drink?"
His gesture piqued her interest.
A taunt?
Goodwill?
Or something worth watching?
She decided to test him.
"Sure, I'll take one. Should I come down, or will you come up?"
Hwang Bo-seo-hyeon tilted her head with a sly smile. Han Bin raised the cup and shouted,
"Just stay put!"
Recalling a Yongrin Sword Art stance,
'Baekbal Baekjung.'
He enveloped the cup in qi and flung it toward her.
Whoosh!
The cup streaked like an arrow.
Moonlight turned it into a shooting star hurtling into Hwang Bo-seo-hyeon's arms.
The watching guards gaped and reached for their swords.
They'd seen the qi wrapping the cup.
But Hwang Bo-seo-hyeon just smirked and flared her sleeve.
Thwap!
Slowing it with her left sleeve, she snatched it with her right hand.
The Huangbo Family's signature Yellow Dragon Claw.
The guards, swords half-drawn, froze.
At her fingertip, the cup spun like a top.
Han Bin's qi was dispelled; she'd layered her own on top.
As the warriors turned to statues amid the moonlight spectacle, Hwang Bo-seo-hyeon chuckled and downed the shot.
She inspected the cup.
Not a crack. Perfect.
She was impressed inwardly.
It was cheap pottery from the markets.
To wrap it in qi without stressing it?
The control was more impressive than the power.