Chapter 74. Good Guy, Bad Guy, Worse Guy (3)
Hanbin spoke up.
"If you want to spar with me, make a promise first, Sajil."
Even though Hanbin tacked "Sajil" onto the end of every sentence, Se Jaeo had no way to argue back.
Instead, he dropped into his usual casual tone toward inferiors.
"What kind of promise?"
"Promise you'll faithfully follow Cheonsu Manor's rules until the spar."
"What're you talking about? We can just duel right now—why add conditions?"
"My body's not recovered yet, Sajil."
"Hmph."
Se Jaeo had nothing to say to that. He couldn't very well force a duel on someone who wasn't feeling well.
At that moment, Hanbin spoke again.
"I'll put it in writing for you."
"You mean that seriously?"
Instead of answering, Hanbin clapped his hands.
Clap!
At the sound, Cheolno came running from somewhere nearby.
In front of Hanbin, Cheolno smoothly unpacked the bundle in his right hand and laid out paper, brush, and ink.
Se Jaeo looked fairly surprised at the display.
Hanbin continued.
"I've written down everything I just said. Two copies. Once you and I sign them, this becomes a binding contract for the duel. Do you accept my terms for the spar?"
Hanbin gazed at Se Jaeo with serious eyes.
Meeting that gaze, something squirmed in Se Jaeo's chest. Memories of the duel from a week ago resurfaced.
The glimpse of enlightenment he'd grasped at the very end of that duel.
The duel itself was one thing, but Se Jaeo craved the pursuit of that enlightenment even more.
If he crossed swords with Hanbin again, he felt certain he could seize it.
Besides, refusing to sign now would make him look like a coward running away.
Se Jaeo reached out and took the brush Hanbin offered.
Scritch.
Once Se Jaeo signed, Hanbin handed over the contract.
"Congratulations, Sajil. I'll uphold this on the honor of my sect, Sajil."
"I'll uphold it on the honor of my own sect as well."
Se Jaeo nodded.
Hanbin took the contract as if it were nothing and vanished with Hong Chilgae.
Left alone, Se Jaeo examined the contract's contents.
Truth be told, there wasn't much to it.
It simply stated that he would follow Cheonsu Manor's rules until the duel.
That was when it happened.
A strange noise came from the side.
It was a thicket of dense bamboo.
Sensing something off, Se Jaeo crept toward the sound, muffling his footsteps.
Rustle, crunch.
He heard the sound of clothes brushing against leaves, but his presence seemed to go unnoticed—the voices only grew louder.
As he drew close enough to make out their faces, Se Jaeo's eyes widened.
They were faces he knew well.
Sim Miho spread her arms wide and shouted to the group.
"See? Told you! Now pay up, everyone!"
"Damn, how'd you know it'd happen in less than a day? How'd you figure it, Deputy Leader Sim?"
So Daeseop stared at Sim Miho in disbelief.
Then Jang Ja-myeong piped up from the side, huffing indignantly.
"Isn't this a bit much? I bet on tomorrow—one day off. You still gonna take my money?"
"A bet's a bet, Doctor Jang."
"You're loaded and still this harsh? Deputy Leader Sim, you know I'm volunteering for free here, right?"
"How should I know?"
"Wow, hanging around the young master so much, you've picked up his personality too."
"Doctor Jang, was that an insult?"
"Huh? What insult? Saying you're like the young master an insult?"
"You know you're starting to sound like the young master too, Doctor?"
"Ah, why spread such rumors..."
Jang Ja-myeong cleared his throat awkwardly and turned his head.
In his line of sight appeared the familiar face of a man—the very subject of their bet, Se Jaeo.
Se Jaeo roughly grasped that they were talking about him.
What was absurd was that even after getting caught, they just stared at him without a hint of embarrassment.
Se Jaeo tilted his head and asked.
"What the hell is this? Talking behind my back like that. And about a Volcanic Sect disciple, no less..."
But he trailed off.
Sim Miho was gesturing for him to sit beside her.
"Have a seat first."
"What exactly were you talking about?"
Se Jaeo's tone was calm.
Just a little while ago, he would've exploded in rage.
But now that he was at a disadvantage, he had to tread carefully.
"Oh, nothing much. We were betting on when you'd sign the slave contract, Great Hero."
"Slave contract? What are you talking about? Ha!"
"You signed it and don't even know?"
"I've never signed any slave contract. I only agreed to a duel."
"Hoho, did you read the contents?"
"Of course I did. I'm a Volcanic Sect disciple—I wouldn't get duped that easily. It was just a condition to follow Cheonsu Manor's rules."
"Hoho."
"Why laugh like that? It's unsettling."
"Did you look up Cheonsu Manor's rules?"
"Well..."
"Do you know what the first rule of Cheonsu Manor is?"
"......"
As Se Jaeo just blinked, Jang Ja-myeong spoke up from where he'd been watching.
"First: Everyone belonging to Cheonsu Manor lives and dies by Young Master Paeng Hanbin's orders. That's rule number one."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"You clearly said you'd follow Cheonsu Manor's rules, Great Hero. No escaping now."
"I'm leaving after the duel."
"What if he refuses the duel?"
"Why would he? He promised to do it once I'm recovered."
"Who confirms you're fully recovered?"
"Ah."
"There's a gambling proverb: 'Call and go big, or fold.'"
"Hmph."
"You called but didn't stake anything—that's like betting small. Heard your cultivation's low too. Tsk tsk."
Sim Miho clicked her tongue, and Se Jaeo's eyes wavered.
"No way... Hebei Paeng Family direct lineage trying to scam a Volcanic Sect disciple...?"
At that point, Jang Ja-myeong hurriedly cut in.
"Great Hero, how many years is the contract for?"
"Huh? Years? I said I'd leave after the duel, Doctor."
Se Jaeo's attitude toward Jang Ja-myeong—who had tended to him day and night—was polite.
In truth, Jang had felt pity for him after a week of care.
"Let me see the contract."
Jang Ja-myeong snatched the contract from Se Jaeo.
Sim Miho, So Daeseop, and the Mangho Squad members crowded around him.
After slowly scanning it, Jang Ja-myeong let out a sigh.
"Lifetime contract."
"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?"
"Just like Deputy Leader Sim said—if our young master digs in and says no duel, you have to stick around forever, right? Fine by us, though. Having the Plum Blossom Swordsman stick around."
Jang Ja-myeong grinned, and Se Jaeo asked.
"Then you signed one too, Doctor?"
"Lucky me, just three years."
Finishing his words, Jang Ja-myeong puffed out his chest.
Humans were creatures who lived by comparisons. Jang had been depressed at first, thinking of three years of grueling unpaid labor.
But now that someone with a lifetime contract had shown up, he oddly felt superior.
In truth, Se Jaeo was flooded with mixed emotions.
The duel with Hanbin was essential to grasping the enlightenment he'd felt midway through their last clash.
In other words, he couldn't leave even if he wanted to—until after the duel.
But he didn't want to be forced to stay like this.
As a Volcanic Sect disciple, he'd dreamed of roaming the world, embodying heroic spirit.
For the foreseeable future, even that dream was out of reach.
Then Jang Ja-myeong spoke as if to comfort him.
"Don't make that face, Great Hero."
"It's fine. But losing not just the duel but even this petty deal... it's a bit humiliating."
"Our young master has a saying."
Jang Ja-myeong's expression hardened as if recalling something, and Se Jaeo leaned forward.
"What's got you looking so grave?"
"Eh, it's nothing big. Take it lightly."
"I'll listen carefully."
"Great Hero, between a good person and a bad person, which do you think has the edge in a fight?"
"From a Volcanic Sect disciple walking the righteous path..."
"Skip the textbook answer. Not everyone in the righteous sects is a saint, right?"
"Fair enough. Honestly? In the jianghu, where anyone might stab you in the back, the bad guy has the advantage."
"Right. But our young master says it's not always the bad guy who wins."
Jang Ja-myeong recalled a recent memory and gave a wry smile. In a way, he'd been a bad guy himself when he undid the poison seal.
At his words, Se Jaeo asked.
"If not always the bad guy, then sometimes the good guy wins?"
"Nah. The worse guy wins."
It was partially true, so Se Jaeo couldn't argue. He just let out a hollow laugh.
"Ha! Who the hell said that?"
To his question, Jang Ja-myeong gazed out beyond the bamboo grove.
Se Jaeo's eyes followed.
Of course, it was the direction Hanbin and Hong Chilgae had disappeared in.
Hanbin and Hong Chilgae faced each other at Cheonsu Manor's main gate.
"Master, you're really leaving?"
"The only technique I had left to teach you was Gugeol Ship-pal-bo. You've surpassed me there, so nothing more to impart. And..."
Hong Chilgae paused, and Hanbin bowed his head slightly.
"Please, go on."
"In the end, you just needed my position, didn't you?"
"Ah, well..."
As Hanbin trailed off, Hong Chilgae smiled like an enlightened sage.
"Haha, dodging my eyes like that? Guess my disciple still has a conscience left."
"Of course. Introducing myself without one would be like discussing a bow without its string."
"Alright, enough buttering me up. Even if I leave, you're still my disciple—so hold your head high."
Hanbin looked up into Hong Chilgae's eyes.
These words weren't about their temporary master-disciple bond anymore.
He was acknowledging Hanbin as a true disciple.
No obligations, but mutual recognition from the heart.
Hanbin bowed deeply.
"Understood, Master."
"Good. I'll be off then."
Hong Chilgae patted Hanbin's shoulder.
At that moment, Hanbin glanced sideways and nodded at Cheolno.
Cheolno handed a bundle to Hanbin.
Hong Chilgae narrowed his eyes and asked.
"What scheme now, disciple?"
"No misunderstanding, Master. This is my disciple's token of sincerity. And I didn't wash the clothes."
Hong Chilgae sniffed the bundle lightly.
It was the outfit he'd arrived in.
And a glimpse of gold coins—gifts Hanbin had received from the palace.
Hong Chilgae smiled happily and, without a word, left only the sound of footsteps rustling through the grass.
Rustle, crunch.
He'd unleashed Gugeol Ship-pal-bo at its peak.
Staying with Hanbin had brought Hong Chilgae's Gugeol Ship-pal-bo to full bloom as well.
Two months later.
The Hebei Paeng Family went about its business as usual, as if nothing had happened.
Cheonsu Manor was no different. Occasional screams drifting out merely reminded one that this place had once been called Guigok Manor.
Of course, those screams were from real people.
"Please, give me back my contract!"