We Were Friends, Huh?
“As you said, the hegemony of the Sang River is on the line. We're risking our lives for chump change.”
Jong Bi replied without a second thought.
“This is a big deal. It means someone's gunning for Hwa Cheon-gang, the guy I have to kill.”
“That's good news. It's like picking our nose without using our hands.”
“Hmm. True enough.”
Won Seung nodded, but Jong Bi spoke up again.
“The gold plaque is mine. You have to give it back when the job's done.”
Jong Bi had scarfed down a late dinner and felt sleepy now that her belly was full. She laid claim to the gold plaque she'd funded from her slush fund, then headed to her room and flopped onto the bed. She was snoring in no time.
Her snores were so loud they carried all the way to Won Seung's room.
“Hmm. What a carefree assassin. It's a miracle she's still alive.”
Won Seung muttered to himself as he lay on his bed, deep in thought.
Two forces have been in a deadlock until now, and suddenly one side launches a surprise attack? They must be confident of success... It has something to do with Hwa Cheon-baek's training progress? What does that mean? Is he unblocking his Conception and Governor Vessels or something?
The Four Sword Sects and Three Dao Gates dominated the current martial world. In comparison, Jeokhyeolsan was like a firefly beneath a full moon.
Won Seung realized he was smack in the middle of a massive martial world conflict.
Why did Jeokhyeolsan get involved in the Geom Yak Jong and Dosanrim feud?
He tilted his head, then smacked his forehead for asking such a stupid question. What did assassin groups do? They killed people for money.
They must've been paid a fortune.
It was a huge job—killing one of the Central Plains' top hundred experts and swallowing regional hegemony. The payout had to be massive.
That realization reignited his anger. They'd taken on such a monumental commission and paid him a measly two taels of silver a month. His fury toward Jeokhyeolsan surged anew.
A moment later, Won Seung regained his composure.
First things first, I need to get out of Cheongsu Gate.
If Gwangeonbang launched a raid, it would turn into a bloodbath. Lingering in the middle of that and catching a stray blade would be disastrous.
The next morning.
As Won Seung packed his things and left the guesthouse, Jo Bang-un was waiting for him.
“I failed to recognize you... My deepest apologies. It was such an unfortunate misunderstanding...”
Jo Bang-un offered excuses and held out a money pouch.
“It's not much, but please accept this as atonement for my rudeness.”
Won Seung furrowed his brow. A glimpse inside the open pouch revealed gleaming silver ingots—heavy enough for about a hundred taels?
Jo Bang-un, learning Won Seung was a collateral relative of Seongwangbu, feared future repercussions and wanted to grease the wheels early. Of course, it wasn't his own money.
Won Seung was secretly pleased but put on a stern face and scolded him.
“Do I look like the type to take pocket change like this? You're truly shameless.”
With that, he snatched the pouch and tossed it to Jong Bi.
“But since you're begging forgiveness for your insolence, I can't ignore the gesture. Give it to my servant who's worked hard all this time.”
The pouch flew at her out of nowhere, and Jong Bi caught it and tucked it away in an instant.
Jo Bang-un was flabbergasted but could only bow his head.
As the two exited Cheongsu Gate, a voice called from behind.
“Where are you going?”
It was Hwa Yeo-wol.
“Yeah. The misunderstanding's cleared up, so we're heading out.”
“Leaving without even saying goodbye...”
“It's not like we're going far. We'll be at Unhwa Inn. Come visit often.”
Won Seung smiled at Hwa Yeo-wol, who seemed subtly miffed.
“Weren't you leaving Sangyang? Why bother with an inn then? You could've just stayed at the main hall.”
“Propriety must be observed. Staying at Cheongsu Gate was because Jo Bang-un had me under house arrest. I can't accept that kind of treatment.”
“Fair enough. I wouldn't put up with it either.”
“I'm leaving quietly for your sake.”
“Huh? My sake?”
“Yeah. You're my friend. I can't put a friend in a tough spot.”
“Uh...”
Hwa Yeo-wol murmured in a daze at being called a friend.
“We were friends, huh.”
She looked like she'd heard the word for the first time.
Won Seung panicked and said,
“I thought we were? Were we not?”
“No, we are. I just asked because hearing that men and women can be friends felt so fresh. Friend... I like it.”
Hwa Yeo-wol beamed.
“In the martial world, men and women can be friends, right?”
Hwa Yeo-wol gazed at the distant sky, her eyes sad like a bird trapped in a cage.
Won Seung knew she felt stifled at Cheongsu Gate. The children of prestigious families faced the most restrictions.
“I... want to go out into the world. If I stay like this, I'll be married off soon and spend my life as one man's wife. But there are too many things I haven't experienced.”
“For a talented woman like you, excelling in both scholarship and martial arts, it's natural to think that way. Roaming the world not as someone's wife, but as Hwa Yeo-wol herself—that would be magnificent.”
Roaming the world.
The bold word made Hwa Yeo-wol's heart race. She blinked her big eyes dreamily and murmured,
“Roaming the world... What a cool phrase. I want to roam the land too, like you.”
Hmm. That's not quite it.
Won Seung inwardly groaned at her misconception.
I'm the one imprisoned by an assassin group...
Thinking of Jeokhyeolsan filled him with rage. They'd stolen ten years of his life.
“What are you thinking about?”
As Won Seung fell silent, Hwa Yeo-wol leaned in close. Her striking features were undeniably beautiful.
Won Seung startled.
Hwa Yeo-wol's clear eyes stirred something deep in his chest.
He was sixteen.
Old enough to awaken to romance, but having grown up rolling in the dirt with women at the assassin training camp, his view of the fairer sex differed slightly from ordinary boys.
Besides, his mind was consumed with plotting revenge on Jeokhyeolsan. Once training ended and he returned to the mountain, he'd settle the decade-long grudge in one go.
Still, with such a beauty leaning in so close, his heart skipped. Realizing anew how stunning Hwa Yeo-wol was, Won Seung stepped back and said,
“Everyone has their own circumstances. I'm not as free as you think. I'll be going now.”
“Let me see you off.”
As Hwa Yeo-wol moved to follow, a Cheongsu Gate disciple approached.
“Little sister, Master calls for you.”
“Father? Oh right, there's a family meeting today. I forgot.”
Hwa Yeo-wol patted her head and told Won Seung,
“I'll come to Unhwa Inn tomorrow.”
“Sure.”
Watching Hwa Yeo-wol enter Cheongsu Gate, Won Seung felt an odd sensation. A nagging feeling that he'd stumbled into something complicated tickled his mind.
Deep inside Cheongsu Gate's grand hall, in a secluded meeting room.
Hwa Cheon-gang sat at the head, flanked by Hwa Cheon-un on one side and Hwa Cheon-baek's sons, Hwa U-cheon and Hwa Ugeuk, opposite. The mood was gravely tense.
“Sorry I'm late.”
Hwa Yeo-wol bowed as she hurried in.
“Has that guy left?”
Hwa Cheon-un asked.
“Yes.”
Hwa Yeo-wol answered casually, but Hwa Cheon-un pressed,
“Did he say he was leaving Sangyang?”
“No. He was heading to Unhwa Inn?”
Hwa Yeo-wol wondered why her father cared about Won Seung's whereabouts.
“If he's bothering you that much, should I handle him?”
Hwa Yeo-wol jumped at Hwa Ugeuk's words, Hwa Cheon-baek's second son.
“No, what did Seung do wrong?”
Hwa Cheon-un shook his head and told Hwa Ugeuk,
“No need. He's not our enemy right now.”
“Are you sure? With the main hall in such dire straits, shouldn't we eliminate anything suspicious?”
Hwa Cheon-gang nodded in agreement with Hwa Ugeuk, prompting Hwa Cheon-un to sigh lightly before replying.
“He's posing as the missing son of Won Guksa. Since Won Guksa's legal wife is Seong Wang's sister, his ties to Seongwangbu aren't entirely false.”
Hwa Yeo-wol was stunned. Her father had figured out Won Seung's identity just from the name.
Hwa Cheon-gang frowned and asked,
“So he's really Won Guksa's son?”
“We don't know.”
“He could be a fake.”
Hwa U-cheon, Hwa Cheon-baek's eldest, voiced his cautious suspicion.
“Who knows. The world of emperors and high officials is different from ours. He might've spread rumors of disappearance for some reason and gone into hiding...”
“Why would he do that?”
Hwa Ugeuk tilted his head in confusion, and Hwa Cheon-un explained.
“Because he's not the son of the legal wife, Joo Gunju. The child she bore is Won Sochu, a year younger than Won Seung.”
“Hmm. A bastard born before the legal heir... That could be.”
“He's not a bastard. He's registered under Joo Gunju on the family records. Officially, he's the legitimate son.”
“Why did that happen?”
Hwa Ugeuk looked puzzled.
“Won Guksa had a fiancée, but the emperor married him to Joo Gunju. The fiancée went missing after bearing a son first, and the emperor registered him under Joo Gunju's name.”
“For Joo Gunju, Won Seung must disappear.”
Hwa Ugeuk nodded in understanding, and Hwa U-cheon agreed.
“That's why he's wandering the jianghu. To make her own son the Won Mansion heir, she had to cast him out.”
“Then he's not really Seongwangbu blood? Wouldn't they want him gone too?”
“Possibly. But on paper, he's Joo Gunju's child. They can kill him themselves, but if outsiders do it, they'll make a fuss. Best we pretend ignorance.”
Hwa Yeo-wol's heart ached hearing Won Seung's backstory. Who knew the carefree smiler had such painful family history.
Hwa Cheon-un changed the subject.
“The problem before us now... is Gwangeonbang.”
Hwa Cheon-gang picked up immediately.
“Hmm. We should start by killing that bastard Jo Bang-un. The nerve... colluding with Gwangeonbang.”
Hwa Cheon-gang gnashed his teeth. Hwa Cheon-un had revealed Jo Bang-un as the one who'd sold Cheongsu Gate's intel to Gwangeonbang.
“The traitor... can wait.”
Hwa Cheon-un said calmly.
“Anyway, with big brother in secluded training and second brother challenged by that Yong descendant, it's a golden opportunity for them. They'll likely strike when second brother fights him.”
“They're in cahoots?”
“Can't say for sure.”
It seemed likely, but Hwa Cheon-un never factored in unconfirmed intel.
“What we know is five Daoists from Dosanrim have arrived.”
“Nothing from headquarters?”
Headquarters meaning Geom Yak Jong.
“Word is Elder Yuk left with three swordsmen. But I can't guarantee they'll arrive on time.”
They'd rushed the alert to Geom Yak Jong upon learning of Dosanrim's experts, but timing would be tight.
“So we face them with our own forces.”
Regular warriors were evenly matched. But Dosanrim experts changed everything. And with Cheongsu Gate's top master Hwa Cheon-gang absent on challenge, it'd be utter disadvantage.
Hwa Cheon-gang made his decision.
“No choice. I'll dodge the challenge. My honor isn't the priority now. The Yong descendant can wait.”