Sleeping with the Enemy (1)
After one shichen had passed, everything had been neatly sorted out.
Of course, excluding the bloodstains left on the floor.
They moved the carriage to the side of the ferry pier and herded the Shanxi Three Kills against the edge of the pier wall. Seol-hwa spoke up.
“Fortunately, none of them are badly hurt, Young Master.”
“Seol-hwa.”
“Yes?”
“Do they look fine to you?”
“Well, they seem okay.”
“Doesn't look like that guy's got three or four ribs cracked?”
Han Bin pointed at the Ice Blood Scholar, So Gyeong-un. Seol-hwa shook her head.
“Ah, no! That's because he's weak. Look at his pallor... But he's still breathing, right?”
Seol-hwa rattled off excuses without even taking a breath.
She could break the second and third of the Shanxi Three Kills even if they attacked together.
Of course, that was when unleashing her instincts as an assassin in a life-or-death duel, not a fair spar.
Only now did Seol-hwa realize how worked up she'd gotten.
But half of what she said was true.
The Ice Blood Scholar, who cultivated yin inner power in harmony of yang and yin, had a deathly pale complexion.
In the Shanxi martial world, that pallor was synonymous with terror, but sprawled out like that, anyone would see him as a patient.
“By the way, what was that earlier? Sounded like you were venting at me for no reason.”
“Ah, that's a misunderstanding too. Why would I say something like that to you, Young Master?”
“What do you mean? We're bound by contract, aren't we?”
“You're too much.”
Han Bin chuckled wordlessly and pointed at the Shanxi Three Kills.
“Seol-hwa, wake our guests up.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Seol-hwa first released the pressure points of the Black-Clothed Killing Wind.
Pop! Pop!
As the Black-Clothed Killing Wind sluggishly opened his eyes, Han Bin squatted down in front of them.
“Feeling better now?”
At Han Bin's question, Black-Clothed Killing Wind Mok Daegang furrowed his brow.
“Hmph. What the hell is this? If you're going to humiliate us like this, might as well...”
Before he could finish, Han Bin cut in.
“Just kill us?”
“Ahem.”
Mok Daegang cleared his throat awkwardly. Han Bin smirked and continued.
“In the jianghu, when you lose, you accept defeat. But you're not just refusing—you look ready to spit in our faces.”
“You little...”
Wrinkle lines formed between Mok Daegang's brows.
“I'll make sure your coffins are nice. Don't worry.”
Mok Daegang stiffened at Han Bin's grin.
He'd thought he could talk his way out by spouting righteous faction logic based on their faces, but Han Bin's tone reeked of the unorthodox ways.
“Wait a moment. Seems like there's a misunderstanding. Let's talk it out.”
“I've learned since stepping into the jianghu: no one who wants to 'talk it out' turns out decent.”
“What the hell do you want?”
“Think about it. You came to kill me for the Qingming Pill, right?”
“...”
“But you failed. So what should I do with you?”
“Well...”
“Yeah, you're thinking it. Normally, I'd take your heads per Justice Alliance and Evil Alliance rules.”
“Doesn't the pact say not to harm foes beyond your power to resist?”
“True, by the agreement. But that's for not harming the weak after agreeing to it. You came at me first, trying to kill me outright. If your Evil Alliance leader had a blade at his throat, would he forgive the attacker?”
The Black-Clothed Killing Wind just blinked silently.
Yun Yong-ho, the escort leader watching from the side, also found the situation odd.
He'd heard Han Bin was new to the world outside Hebei, but this conversation suggested he knew the jianghu inside out.
Ignoring the stares, Han Bin pressed on.
“The fight's over, and I don't want more blood. Handle it yourselves.”
With that, Han Bin struck Mok Daegang's movement pressure point.
His muscles twitched instantly.
His qi began freely circulating through his meridians again.
Now fully mobile, the Black-Clothed Killing Wind asked.
“You're really letting us go?”
Han Bin waved dismissively at the semi-formal tone.
“Why keep asking? And why just stand there? Release your brothers' points yourself.”
Glancing around, Mok Daegang slunk over to the Ice Blood Scholar and released his points.
Pop!
So Gyeong-un came to, looked around dazedly, and locked eyes with the eldest of the Three Kills, Black-Clothed Killing Wind.
“B-Brother, what the hell...”
Han Bin interrupted.
“If you're done, get lost already.”
“Ah, got it. We'll go.”
Mok Daegang nodded hurriedly and released Pyeon-yuk Rang-a's points too.
Now all free, the Shanxi Three Kills stood and faced Han Bin.
Mok Daegang spoke.
“Thanks for sparing us. We'll repay this favor someday.”
“Too troublesome. Just go.”
“You're really letting us leave like this?”
“I said go.”
Han Bin shooed them impatiently. Pyeon-yuk Rang-a, in the best shape, supported Mok Daegang and So Gyeong-un on either side and started to leave.
Then Yun Yong-ho urgently grabbed Han Bin's sleeve.
“Young Master Sa, you're really letting them go?”
The Three Kills halted at that.
It hit them like thunder from a clear sky.
But Han Bin replied with a benevolent smile.
“Of course. Why harm them when the fight's decided?”
“Even so, they're ruthless unorthodox scum. They might bring more and raid us. Letting them go is suicide.”
Yun Yong-ho flushed red, practically spitting blood as he shouted.
Han Bin gazed up at the sky thoughtfully.
Yun Yong-ho held his tongue at the carefree sight.
As silence grew awkward, Han Bin continued with a compassionate expression.
“If they bring more, so what? Lose to the weak and it's taken; hold off the strong and you keep it. That's the jianghu's law, isn't it?”
“Hah, if that's your will, Young Hero, so be it. Tch.”
Yun Yong-ho unwittingly shifted from "Young Master Sa" to "Young Hero." Han Bin spoke of the law of the strong and jianghu propriety.
Grumbling regretfully, he clicked his tongue, bowed his head, and tapped the ground with his foot.
Seol-hwa eyed Han Bin too, surprised it ended like this.
Han Bin still beamed kindly.
The most shocked were the Shanxi Three Kills.
In Mok Daegang's eyes, barely visible tears welled up.
He who'd risen by trampling the weak had never shown such mercy to underlings.
The duel with Han Bin, however brief, was an undeniable defeat.
Losing by scheme counted too.
But he'd never expected such magnanimity.
The Black-Clothed Killing Wind, who bowed to no righteous faction member even in death, quietly clasped his fists toward Han Bin.
Then—
Seol-hwa tilted her head and asked Han Bin.
“By the way, about that messenger pigeon earlier.”
“What about it?”
“What did it say?”
“Nothing much.”
“Ah, I'm just curious.”
Yun Yong-ho perked up his ears at their talk, and the Three Kills paused too.
All eyes on Han Bin.
He grumbled sullenly.
“Ugh, all these stares are pressuring me. It was supposed to be secret, but fine, just this once.”
“Tell us quick.”
As Seol-hwa urged, Han Bin smirked faintly.
“It said the Qingming Pill was stolen.”
“Stolen?”
“Yeah. Stolen by the Shanxi Three Kills. Probably reached Master by now.”
“Whoa, won't that cause chaos? Even the Paeng Family will rush over in shock.”
“The unorthodox will hear first.”
“Why them?”
As Seol-hwa tilted her head, Han Bin laughed.
“I asked them to spread the rumor among the unorthodox first.”
Han Bin glanced warmly at the eavesdropping Three Kills a few paces away.
As talk paused, Yun Yong-ho swallowed hard.
Han Bin's tale, cut off at the juiciest part like an old storyteller, prompted Yun Yong-ho to interject.
“Why spread it to the unorthodox first, Young Hero Paeng?”
“Simple. If it leaks to the righteous first, what happens?”
“Well...”
“They'll stand back with hands folded, watching developments. Not their problem.”
“Why think that?”
“Easy reason. Even if they hunt the Qingming Pill, can they claim it? They're righteous, after all.”
“Hmph, logical but bitter.”
“But once the unorthodox hear, they'll go berserk chasing the Three Kills to snatch it.”
“Oh ho. Deep meaning there.”
“The rest is simple. Stronger experts show up, torture them till they spill the truth. Flee the unorthodox rifts? Then righteous pursuit.”
“So right away...”
“Yes, exactly. They become public enemies of the martial world.”
“But will anyone believe the Three Kills?”
“Think. Our escort's force is just you and Gang Escort Leader. I'm still the Hebei's top coward in name.”
Yun Yong-ho nodded. It made sense.
Even he, tasked with the mission, had misunderstood Han Bin until moments ago.
“Ah, I get it. Even if they claim we beat them, no one would buy it.”
“Exactly.”
Han Bin nodded and turned his kind face to the Three Kills.
He waved them off to hurry away.
Seol-hwa's jaw dropped.
This was evil on a level beyond an assassin's ruthlessness.
She asked urgently.
“What about the Qingming Pill then?”
“Well, even if we swallow it, all the blame falls on them.”
Han Bin mimed popping a pill into his mouth.
That moment—
The Black-Clothed Killing Wind dashed before Han Bin like the wind.
“Great hero!”
One word, infused with inner power, enough to shake the ferry's wooden floor.
Han Bin stared at Mok Daegang in bewilderment.
“What's up? Hit the road already.”
“Great hero, you must clear this misunderstanding.”
“What misunderstanding? Didn't you beat us weaklings and steal the Qingming Pill?”
“What...”
“Well, if you'd beheaded us in one stroke, you could've taken it without a trace.”
“...”
“But we resisted fiercely, rumors spread, you got hurt. Though you succeeded in stealing it.”
Now Han Bin spoke as if the Three Kills' theft was established fact.
His earlier tale rang true to any listener.
Leave here, and as he said, unorthodox experts would chase them relentlessly.
For Mok Daegang, he had to dispel this somehow.
Only one person could do it.
“Great hero! Please clear the misunderstanding!”
The Black-Clothed Killing Wind limped toward Han Bin.