Do You Believe? (Part 2)
Sim Miho dangled from the rope strung along the edge, swaying like a pendulum.
After watching her for a long while, Hanbin shouted again.
"Instructor, back to position!"
At the same time, Sim Miho yanked on the rope.
Hanbin looked pleased as she swung back using the rope's recoil. He turned to So Daeseop and continued.
"Did you see that, So Daeju?"
"Yes, I did. But what is all this...?"
Before So Daeseop could finish his question, Hanbin spoke up.
"Everyone, grab a rope."
"......"
So Daeseop alternated bewildered glances between Hanbin and the ropes.
The warriors behind him were no different, staring in confusion.
Hanbin leaned in and whispered to So Daeseop.
"So Daeju, why don't you ask your men?"
"Pardon?"
"Whether they want to grab the rope or smash their heads instead?"
His voice wasn't loud, but every member of the Mangho Squad bolted toward the ropes without hesitation.
Even So Daeseop, their leader, started to run at Hanbin's command.
"So Daeju, hold up a moment!"
"My lord, what's wrong?"
As So Daeseop tilted his head in puzzlement, Hanbin replied.
"You're the one in charge, aren't you?"
"Yes. Does that mean I'm exempt?"
"I've prepared something special just for you, Daeju."
Hanbin pointed to the end.
There hung a thicker, sturdier-looking rope tied between two pillars.
So Daeseop gazed at Hanbin with teary eyes.
"Thank you. To think you'd go to such lengths for my safety..."
"Don't worry about it—focus on your training, So Daeju."
So Daeseop dashed over and clung to the rope at the cliff's edge.
He realized something was off about an hour later, roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
The problem was the rope's thickness.
Thicker than those for the others, it wore So Daeseop out far more quickly.
The difference between a rope that fit snugly in the hand and one too bulky to grip comfortably with one hand was greater than expected.
Right now, So Daeseop was expending several times the effort of his subordinates.
As everyone's breathing grew ragged from exhaustion, Hanbin spoke up.
"You have to hold out for exactly one full hour."
"......"
No one had the energy left to respond; they just glared at him piercingly.
As if reading their doubts, Hanbin continued.
"In war, what's the survival rate of a soldier who drops his sword?"
"......"
"Treat that rope like your sword and your lifeline."
"......"
They all gritted their teeth in silence.
Grinning widely at the sight, Hanbin added.
"We've got safety measures below, so you won't get hurt even if you fall. Anyone who wants to quit can just let go."
With that, Hanbin beckoned to Sim Miho.
She hurried over.
"My lord, do you have a task for me...?"
"You took out the venomous snakes like I said, right?"
"Ah, sorry. I did remove them, but a few might've slipped in."
"Eh, that's fine."
Hanbin flashed a toothy grin and waved her off.
At their exchange, So Daeseop peered downward.
He'd assumed the thing below was a net, but now he knew better.
"Gasp!"
Writhing snakes filled the space beneath their feet.
Only then did So Daeseop grasp the true meaning of "Death God Squad."
And the "ingredients" mentioned on the way up were clearly those snakes—not food.
Confirming the swarm below, the Mangho Squad members clung to their ropes even more desperately.
Sim Miho quietly asked Hanbin.
"My lord, is this training really effective?"
"Of course. I've tried it myself."
"When?"
"That's a secret."
Hanbin was telling the truth.
Of course, it was from his past life.
After chatting idly for a while, Hanbin suddenly remembered something.
"Sim Budaeju, is everything I asked for ready?"
"Ah, that... not yet."
"It'll be tough to find in Hebei. Still, keep looking hard. We're done here, so go scout around outside."
"Yes, I'll do my utmost."
Sim Miho clasped her hands in a fist salute and withdrew.
What Hanbin had tasked her with was San-gong Poison.
Despite the name, it was more like a neutralizer.
San-gong Poison reversed yin energy and restored yang energy.
Since all martial arts were based on yin-yang principles, being struck by it naturally rendered one's arts unusable.
But things were different in Cheonsu Manor, overflowing with extreme yang energy.
Here, San-gong Poison acted like a spirit medicine, purifying extreme yang qi into pure yang qi.
For a warrior to absorb yang qi and become a spirit herb infused with spirit energy took at least three months.
They didn't have that long until the promised spar with the Rogue King.
If they couldn't procure San-gong Poison in the next few days, he'd have to use one of the three favors owed by the Rogue King.
That night, in the Mangho Squad's barracks at Cheonsu Manor, everyone lay wide awake, staring blankly.
Hee-hee-hik.
Hee-hee-ik.
They couldn't sleep amid the ghostly wails echoing from the ceiling.
As they all lay there with eyes wide open, the youngest, Jo Ho, whispered to the man beside him.
"Jangsan-ssi, you asleep?"
"What's up?"
Jangsan replied; he couldn't sleep either.
"Let's escape."
"Escape?"
"We've got the advance silver at least. We just bail from here. We'll die at this rate. Even the village chief down below looks ready to run."
"I got nowhere to go if I leave."
"Come on, let's do business together."
"You got the startup cash?"
"Even day labor's gotta be better than this. We can save up bit by bit."
"Nah. I'll stick it out and collect my pay."
Jangsan glanced up at the ceiling.
Jo Ho nodded at the sight. Jangsan wasn't saying he'd win the spar against the Suho Squad.
He meant he'd endure until the end and take the silver.
"Fine, then I'll go alone."
With that, Jo Ho got up from his spot.
He had supreme confidence in his running.
Pretending to head to the outhouse, he slipped out of the barracks stealthily.
Jangsan pretended not to notice Jo Ho sneaking away.
Once outside, Jo Ho suppressed his presence as much as possible and headed for the wall.
The wall loomed just fifty paces ahead.
A lightning dash, vault over it, and he'd be free.
The ten taels of silver promised upon completion tempted him, but dwelling on it would ring his death knell—that was his conclusion.
Tadak.
Jo Ho sprinted to the wall, planted a foot midway up, and leaped over effortlessly.
It was so easy that all his prior tension felt pointless, almost hollow.
He brushed off his pants and stood—then jolted back in shock.
A face floated disembodied before Jo Ho's eyes.
"G-Ghost!"
"What's got you so spooked?"
At that voice, Jo Ho's eyes widened as he retreated.
It was unmistakably Hanbin's.
Looking closer, what he'd mistaken for a face was just lantern light.
Hanbin approached, holding the lantern.
"You trying to bail?"
Jo Ho flinched at Hanbin's words and pulled out the silver from his bosom.
"Here, I'll return this. And as of today, I quit the Mangho Squad."
He meant it.
Better to hit the rogue markets and find gigs than endure this pointless training.
Behind the lantern, Hanbin's lips curled up.
"You think the contract's just paper?"
Hanbin held out the contract.
But Jo Ho was illiterate.
"Ain't returning the money enough?"
His tone grew a touch more deferential.
Hanbin chuckled.
"Doesn't it say right here? Breach penalty is ten times the advance."
"Gasp!"
Jo Ho rubbed his eyes and shoved his face toward the contract.
Hanbin grinned and pocketed the contract again.
The next day at lunch in Cheonsu Manor's mess hall.
Kwak!
Jo Ho snapped his chopsticks in mid-bite, seething with rage.
Jangsan remarked at the sight.
"I can barely lift mine, and here you are—youth really is a blessing."
"Don't tease me, ajusshi."
"But didn't you say you were escaping? Why'd you come back?"
"Changed my mind. I'm gonna get strong and kill that bastard."
"Who?"
"Doesn't matter, ajusshi."
Jo Ho scowled, recalling last night's encounter with Hanbin.
He'd pretended to back off after seeing the contract, then tried sneaking out again on the way back to the barracks.
Six attempts in total.
Each time, Hanbin appeared and flashed the contract.
Only then did Jo Ho admit he was a fish in the net.
He never knew powerlessness could burn so hot.
Just then, Hanbin entered the mess hall.
The Mangho Squad rose as one at the sight.
"My lord!"
"My lord, you've arrived?"
Hanbin waved them down.
"Sit, all of you. During training, I'm just an instructor—no need for formalities. Oh, and come to think of it, chopsticks are lifelines too. Lifelines are tied to survival, so from now on, treat them like ropes and don't drop 'em. I'll be watching."
Everyone clutched their chopsticks preciously.
Then Cheolno entered the mess hall.
"Young master."
"What is it, Cheolno?"
"A guest has arrived."
"I didn't invite anyone."
"The Third Young Master is here."
"Third brother? Where is he now?"
"I've seated him in the reception room. This way..."
Cheolno led the way, and Hanbin followed.
Upon reaching the reception room, Hanbin tilted his head.
A stranger sat beside Third Young Master Paeng Mubin.
Paeng Mubin rose at the sight of Hanbin.
"There you are, little brother."
"Yes, brother. Long time no see. Who's this?"
The man in white martial robes, receiving the glance, offered a fist salute.
"I'm Jang Ja-myeong, a medical practitioner studying the healing arts."
"Ah, a physician."
Hanbin smiled nonchalantly.
But the moment he heard the name, his mind raced furiously.
Jang Ja-myeong was a name he'd heard often in his past life.
Heir to the Baekdokmun, excommunicated for using poisons on private commissions, then wandering the world selling toxins.
His moniker back then: Myriad Poison Merchant.
Blacklisted by both Baekdokmun in the north and Sacheon Dang Family in the south.
The name Jang Ja-myeong he now claimed was an alias. Yet later, it became his fame in the martial world.
A genius with a tragic fate, in a way.
This was before his excommunication.
The question was why he was here now.
As Hanbin's thoughts whirred like abacus beads, Paeng Mubin spoke.
"I didn't mean to torment you on purpose, brother. Second brother's threats played a part too. So I came to make amends—let's get along from now on. Don't look at me strangely."
"Yes, I understand."
Hanbin dipped his head slightly, for now.
"Getting along" was nonsense.
If it were that simple, the bullying would have stopped already.
Paeng Mubin continued.
"The reason I brought Physician Jang Ja-myeong is because of all the strange phenomena here..."
Paeng Mubin's explanation was straightforward.
Jang Ja-myeong was intrigued by the odd occurrences at Cheonsu Manor and wished to stay.
Of course, he'd help treat the Mangho Squad with his medical skills.
Hanbin's eyes gleamed at that.