Chapter 105. The Young Scholar's Words Ring True!
People love to suspect things.
They especially enjoy spinning plausible theories of their own around juicy topics like this tragedy shrouded in mystery.
A few words from the young scholar had planted doubts in everyone's minds, blooming like summer thunderheads.
A few spectators even nodded in agreement. It wasn't impossible. No, those who knew Cheon Il-hae seemed convinced he was exactly the type to pull something like that.
If Cheon Il-hae were alive to hear it, he'd have jumped in outrage—but he was already dead.
And no one in Gwangeonbang knew the truth of those events anyway.
Pyeong In-gang, the newly appointed elder of Gwangeonbang, let out a silent sigh. He didn't know the details himself, but he couldn't let Gwangeonbang be branded a nest of traitors.
He stood and shouted.
"That's a reckless speculation! Accusing Gwangeonbang without a shred of evidence—what kind of nonsense is this?"
At that moment.
"The young scholar's words are correct!"
A raspy old voice rang out from somewhere.
All eyes turned toward the sound.
'Eh? Yeo-wol?'
Hwa Yeo-wol was helping a decrepit old man into the arena.
The old man, dressed in filthy hemp rags, limped on one leg, leaning on a staff as he shuffled toward the dueling platform.
People's gazes locked onto Hwa Yeo-wol's striking face.
These bastards—keep your eyes lowered!
Won Seung made a mental note of every man leering at her with sleazy eyes.
The old man stopped in front of the platform and addressed the Hwa brothers.
"Do you boys remember me?"
The Hwa brothers stared, then flinched in shock.
A phrase flashed through Hwa Cheon-un's mind.
—Leave. I don't want to stain my hands with your blood.
The old man scanned the arena, then approached Yong Jo-un on the platform. Standing below, he suddenly bowed his head in respect.
Yong Jo-un eyed him curiously.
"I am Ju Neung. Do you not recognize me, young master?"
"Ju Neung? The steward Ju?"
"Yes. I am the sinner, Ju Neung."
With that, the old man dropped to his knees with a thud.
Yong Jo-un's emotions surged. He was meeting the first survivor from the Yong family massacre.
"Steward Ju!"
He hurried down and helped the man to his feet.
'What? What's going on here? Is the truth of the Yong family tragedy finally coming to light?'
Won Seung was stunned by the unexpected turn. It was like a cow stepping backward and accidentally catching a mouse.
Or maybe my luck's just that good lately...
Won Seung had been feeling his fortunes were on the rise these days.
Supported by Yong Jo-un, Ju Neung rose and spoke.
"I've clung to this worthless, sin-stained life... and now this day has come."
"What do you mean?"
"I must start from the beginning of the Yong family tragedy. All this sorrow stems from my incompetence in handling matters back then."
Ju Neung sighed deeply, then turned to the Hwa brothers.
"The Yong family head did not kill Hwa Gyo-gyeong."
Hwa Gyo-gyeong was the Hwa brothers' father.
Their faces hardened. They knew who this man was now.
He was the one who had come and told them to leave the house after their parents died.
"It was a chaotic time back then."
Ju Neung began recounting the events from long ago.
When the Yong family tried to form the labor guild, the wharves along the Sang River erupted in turmoil. Workers couldn't accept that they'd have to go through the guild for jobs and lose a tenth of their wages.
They acknowledged it would mean fair pay and stable work through the guild, but for day laborers scraping by, that tenth was a heavy cut.
"Hwa Gyo-gyeong didn't oppose the labor guild. He just argued for taking only five coins instead of ten—and allowing non-members to work too. Hwa Gyo-gyeong had great trust among the boatmen, so the Yong family head was inclined to accept. Once that was settled, the guild could be established right away."
"......"
The Hwa brothers had been snot-nosed kids then, so this was ancient history from decades ago at the Sang River wharves.
Everyone listened intently.
"But suddenly, Hwa Gyo-gyeong was murdered. And suspicion fell on the Yong family. I was the one tasked with persuading the boatmen, so I knew the situation well. I can say with certainty it was not the Yong family's doing."
"You expect us to believe you without any evidence?"
Hwa Cheon-un glared at Ju Neung as if it were absurd. At the same time, he shot a questioning look at his daughter, who had come with the man—what the hell was this?
Hwa Yeo-wol subtly bowed her head, signaling with her eyes: I'll explain later.
"You wouldn't say that if you knew the full story. Hwa Gyo-gyeong's death sparked outrage among the boatmen, putting the labor guild on the brink of collapse. So the Yong head ordered me to find the real culprit. But it happened in the dead of night with no clues. Security at the wharves back then was nothing like today—bodies floated up from the Sang River every other day. It wouldn't have been strange if some thug killed him for his wages."
Won Seung didn't miss how Ju Neung's gaze lingered briefly on the spectators' seats as he scanned the arena.
'Did his eyes meet Deung Noya's?'
A thought struck Won Seung. Just moments ago, he'd subtly pointed out the hostile symbiosis between the shipowners' guild and the labor guild, trying to draw in Deung Noya.
But... maybe in the early days, it was purely adversarial.
'Deung Noya's got his straw stuck in the shipowners' guild, sucking honey for ages. A labor guild would've cut into that pot. If I were him, I'd have blocked it desperately.'
Someone as upstanding as daytime Deung Noya might not stoop to it—but as Sangyang's hidden black society boss? Of course he'd make a move.
"On top of that, I barely had time to persuade the boatmen. Honestly, I neglected catching the real killer. Who knew it would leave such a lasting stain."
Ju Neung let out a long lament.
"You drove us brothers out. You think we'll buy your excuses now?"
"What if you'd stayed? Your mother died too—if the young brothers had followed, the boatmen never would've come around. I sent you away out of that fear."
He meant he'd worried even the young Hwa triplets might be killed.
"......"
"Call it cold if you must. But I gave you enough money to live on."
Hwa Cheon-gang furrowed his brow.
That was true.
—Leave. I don't want to stain my hands with your blood.
He'd threatened them while handing over a heavy money pouch.
Suspicious of the Yong family back then, the brothers had thrown the pouch into the Sang River and left empty-handed.
They'd starve before taking money from their enemies.
The Hwa brothers couldn't accept Ju Neung's words. It would mean they'd avenged themselves on the wrong people.
But they couldn't refute him either. They were too young to grasp the tangled circumstances.
Suddenly, a sigh rose from the spectators' seats.
"So that's what happened."
Eyes turned to Deung Noya.
With a grave expression, Deung Noya spoke.
"Long ago, I shared drinks with Cheon Il-hae, the former Gwangeonbang leader. He boasted that without him, the Yong family never could've formed the labor guild. He said he'd gotten blood on his hands, but the Yong family reaped the benefits... and today, those words suddenly come back to me."
'That dog of an old bastard!'
Won Seung cursed inwardly at Deung Noya's words. When he'd suggested pinning it all on Cheon Il-hae earlier, the man had played dumb. Now he drops this hint that Cheon Il-hae might be the culprit...
His casual sigh reignited suspicions that the Yong family head wasn't innocent.
Even if Ju Neung wasn't lying, the head might've known what his left hand was doing without telling his right.
What're his intentions?
As Won Seung glanced at Ju Neung, he flinched. A fierce glint flashed in the old man's eyes as he looked at Deung Noya.
Ju Neung bowed his head briefly in thought, then suddenly cupped his fists toward the arena and raised his voice.
"The Yong family tragedy was indeed orchestrated by Cheon Il-hae from the shadows."
Gwangeonbang members flinched and murmured.
"As the Yong family steward back then, I handled countless affairs. Cheon Il-hae was skilled with the blade, so very useful. I took him as a trusted subordinate and entrusted him with much."
Ju Neung spoke in a tone thick with regret.
"I never realized he wasn't just some ronin—that he was an ambitious beast in human skin. During the Yong massacre, I was returning from handling caravan business when I was ambushed."
Ju Neung rolled up his pant leg over his crippled leg. A massive scar ringed his ankle.
"I took a grave wound, dove into the Sang River, and barely survived. I've hidden in Sangyang's outskirts slums ever since. Back then, I couldn't fathom who attacked the Yong family. But soon after, I saw Gwangeonbang seize control of the northern Sang River—and it hit me."
"How can you conclude Gwangeonbang's rise proves they were behind the Yong tragedy?"
"The Yong family guarded rigorously against water bandit raids. Without inside help, not even a hundred could topple them easily!"
Ju Neung's voice boomed through the warehouse wharf arena.
"The labor guild and Yong family businesses transferred to Gwangeonbang overnight. That's impossible without the ledgers. Only the family head, me the steward, and Cheon Il-hae who ran my errands knew their location!"
So Cheon Il-hae takes the fall after all.
Won Seung mused inwardly.
"Once I realized, I gathered proof. This is the record of evidence!"
Ju Neung pulled a booklet from his bosom.
"I heard a Yong descendant was challenging Cheongsu Gate and meant to deliver this. Then I learned of the tripartite duel. I've awaited this day. Even if it kills me, I wanted to expose Cheon Il-hae's crimes before everyone!"
Ju Neung cried out desperately and tossed the booklet to Yong Jo-un.
Yong Jo-un paled. He'd long suspected embezzlement, but Cheon Il-hae as the massacre's mastermind...
He regretted not killing him sooner.
No—today, he could've executed him here... Yong Jo-un's gaze shifted to Hyeol Hwa.
Hyeol Hwa averted her eyes slyly.
'What? Blaming me? I killed him for you.'
The arena fell silent for a moment.
"That bastard... I should've exposed his sins before the world... Too late now. He died without paying! Kuheuk!"
Ju Neung wailed.
Then, a low but resonant voice filled the arena.
"It's not too late yet. Didn't the new Gwangeonbang leader say it earlier? He inherited the former leader's legacy—and the debts with it. I'll collect that debt in his place and soothe the Yong family ghosts."
Whoosh—the Kwon-wang appeared on the platform.
As if he'd been there all along, perfectly natural.
Kwon-wang crooked a finger toward the Gwangeonbang side.
"Cheon Seok-san, come up."