If You Took the Bribe, Do the Job
Gu Ak-pyeong spoke arrogantly.
"It's rare these days to find someone in the black dao with that kind of guts. Coming here all alone to take a shot at me, the black society lord? I like it. If you want, I'll take you under my wing. I've been looking for talent anyway."
"Shut your trap. I know you're just the figurehead for the Sangyang black society."
Won Seung cut him off. Gu Ak-pyeong, already fuming over that very issue, had his sore spot hit dead-on, and his eyes turned fierce in an instant.
This kid's got a sharp tongue.
Won Seung asked in a cold voice of his own.
"Why'd you target Teacher Woo?"
"Teacher Woo? So you came here because of that guy? I was planning to tear apart Baekhwa Pavilion at dawn anyway."
"So why target Baekhwa Pavilion?"
"I'm the one who wants to ask. Who the hell's pulling your strings?"
"Pulling my strings? You think I look like a puppet dancing to orders like you?"
Struck again where it hurt, Gu Ak-pyeong ground his teeth with a crunch and drew his sword in a flash, slashing down at Won Seung's left shoulder.
He figured he'd lop off an arm first and then continue the conversation.
Shick!
Won Seung had been feigning calm while sitting, but he'd been on high alert inside. He shoved his chair back and retreated.
Shweeck!
Gu Ak-pyeong's blade sliced empty air. He twisted his wrist, redirecting the sword and stepping forward to thrust upward—a seamless motion, as if planned from the start.
Won Seung dodged sideways, gripped the sword at his waist, and drew it in a single fluid motion, aiming for Gu Ak-pyeong's midsection. Gu Ak-pyeong spun abruptly and smacked Won Seung's blade away.
Clang!
Gu Ak-pyeong's strike sent Won Seung's sword flying. Won Seung hurriedly backed away and drew the sword from his back.
"You came to take me on with that level of skill?"
Gu Ak-pyeong sneered, pointing his sword.
As Won Seung retreated step by step, Gu Ak-pyeong grew even more arrogant.
"Who sent you? Spill it, and I'll give you a clean death."
"……."
Won Seung's gaze flicked toward the door.
"Don't even think about running. You came without permission, but you'll have to ask my blade if you want to leave."
In that instant, Won Seung kicked off the floor as if going for a surprise attack and unleashed a flurry of sword strikes.
Pa-pa-pat!
Sword lights danced wildly.
"Hmph!"
Gu Ak-pyeong pulled his sword close and battered away the incoming sword lights.
"Not bad swordsmanship, but…."
His internal energy was lacking. Age and experience couldn't be overcome.
In that case….
Gu Ak-pyeong parried the flying sword while channeling his full internal energy into his blade. Power equivalent to half a gapja flowed in, cloaking the sword in a faint sword aura.
Any ordinary warrior would cower at the sight of sword aura alone.
Of course, Won Seung didn't bat an eye. A first-rate heading toward peak would naturally be able to manifest sword or blade auras.
What Won Seung was targeting was Gu Ak-pyeong's overconfidence. He could expel drunkenness with internal energy, but a muddled mind didn't clear instantly.
As expected, Gu Ak-pyeong manifested his blade aura and swaggered forward with a smug "How's that?" look, sweeping his sword horizontally.
He was pursuing Won Seung's evasion, intent on slicing his waist.
Won Seung had been waiting for this. He channeled the forty years of internal energy he'd secretly gathered into his sword.
The sword, which had moved nimbly beyond the eye's ability to track, suddenly grew heavy.
The blade, infused with the essence of the heavy sword, smashed down on the incoming horizontal sweep.
Claaang!
The sword and blade clashed properly, sparks flying.
"Urk!"
The heavy impact forced Gu Ak-pyeong to grip tighter instinctively, but it was too late. His arm muscles twisted, and his sword bounced away.
A great sword had a broader, heavier surface than a nimble one. Its swing carried ferocious momentum, enhanced by internal energy and blade aura.
Of course, it should have shattered that flimsy sword…. But instead, his blade had been repelled.
Gu Ak-pyeong couldn't even imagine that Won Seung's internal energy surpassed his own.
As he faltered in shock, his blade veered sideways, exposing his front. Won Seung gripped the sword hilt with his left hand, thrust forward, and slashed in reverse.
Gu Ak-pyeong frantically raised his left hand to shield his face and block Won Seung's sword hilt.
But….
Pfuk!
A dagger plunged into his abdomen. He hadn't even seen when it was drawn.
Only then did Gu Ak-pyeong realize his opponent was a professional assassin.
But it was too late.
"H-Heuk!"
A deflating gasp escaped Gu Ak-pyeong's lips. His eyes bulged in disbelief.
Won Seung said in a cold voice,
"When you get to hell, tell them Ogu sent you."
"…O, Ogu…."
Gu Ak-pyeong couldn't finish his sentence. His legs gave out, and he collapsed with a thud.
The lord of Sangyang's black society had fallen all too pathetically.
If only he hadn't been drinking…. No, why hadn't his underlings downstairs come up?
Gu Ak-pyeong's gaze turned to the door.
The clash of blades had been deafening, yet no sounds of his guards from the intermediate floor rushing up.
His portly frame toppled sideways with a soft slide.
"……."
Won Seung didn't feel good.
The sensation of cutting through flesh was more gruesome than he'd imagined.
From now on, I should use poison elegantly.
"Whoever it was, they did a clean job. Sliced the artery in one go."
Cheol Mado spoke to Gwisoo, who was crouched across from him with Gu Ak-pyeong's corpse between them.
Gwisoo grumbled.
"The old man's gonna flip his lid…. Fuck, if we catch whoever did this…."
The thought of getting reamed by Deung Noya made his blood boil.
Cheol Mado and Gwisoo were Deung Noya's trusted aides—and also Gu Ak-pyeong's watchers.
Yet their charge had been killed overnight. If they didn't catch the culprit, they might end up beaten to death by Deung Noya too.
Gwisoo stood, scowling.
"Why the hell'd he get drunk? That's why he got done in by a blind blade."
"Revenge for that Baekhwa Pavilion owner we killed yesterday?"
Cheol Mado rose as well, recalling Ogu from last night.
He'd nearly died himself. No… if they'd truly clashed, he probably would've lost.
If there was another like that, a drunk Gu Ak-pyeong couldn't have handled it.
"What the hell is Baekhwa Pavilion anyway? Isn't it a painting shop? Why are sword-wielding bastards there?"
"It's a front, they say. Like Gu the Chairman said, maybe there's a traitor in the Ten-Man Council."
As the two exited the fifth-floor banquet hall, ten underlings knelt in the corridor.
Gwisoo kicked the one at the front.
"You fuckers…. The chairman's dying from a sword to the gut, and you're sprawled out? Want me to put you to sleep forever?"
The underlings stationed on the intermediate floor between the fourth and fifth had fallen to Won Seung's Mumu Fragrance and only woke at dawn.
Gwisoo slapped their faces around as he vented.
"What good are ten of you? You're just awake corpses. You think you'll keep eating with this?!"
After taking it out on the underlings, Gwisoo barked,
"Get to Baekhwa Pavilion now and drag everyone there in!"
The underlings scattered like rabbits.
Won Seung was busy from morning.
When Seok-bo arrived with the carriage, he headed to Gongga Clinic to check on Ogu—thankfully, he hadn't died. He was still unconscious, but the crisis had passed.
As Won Seung returned to Baekhwa Pavilion, the street vibe felt off.
Black-clad thugs prowled around the shop.
"The black dao's strutting around like this…. Turn the carriage toward the Namjo Office."
Won Seung rerouted to the Namjo Office.
"What business do you have?"
A luxurious carriage stopped at the main gate. As Won Seung stepped down and approached, the gate guard asked his purpose.
"I need to see the Namjo Vice Minister."
"The Vice Minister… you want to meet him?"
Won Seung hadn't forgotten that an official from the Namjo Office had taken his bribe.
If you took the bribe, do the damn job.
The guard eyed Won Seung up and down curiously. The carriage and clothes screamed wealth. And the casual tone demanded respect—he couldn't brush it off.
"What brings you to see the Vice Minister… sir?"
"Black dao thugs armed with swords are swarming the painting district."
The guard frowned. This was the first time since he'd become gate guard that someone reported something like this. But he couldn't just send him away.
"I'll report to the Vice Minister, but… may I have your name…?"
"Call me Pung Un-saeng. I heard the Baekhwa Pavilion owner was kidnapped by the black society yesterday and got stabbed. Baekhwa Pavilion's a painting shop even the Taesu visits…. If he learns how unsafe Sangyang's gotten, what do you think he'll say?"
Mentioning the Taesu floored the guard even more. Even if the clothes screamed money, some random commoner name-dropping the Taesu….
Just then, a subordinate official who'd taken Ogu's bribe passed by, spotted the carriage at the gate, and approached.
"What's going on?"
The guard relayed Won Seung's words.
The subordinate scowled.
"Baekhwa Pavilion's a place the Taesu uses…. How dare this happen. I'll ask the Vice Minister and send guards to the painting district."
Moments later, official guards really did swarm the painting district.
Won Seung returned to Baekhwa Pavilion only after the black dao thugs had all vanished.
Jong Bi, who'd gone scouting the Ten-Man Council members and returned at dawn, was still asleep.
"Wake up. Sun's high in the sky."
Won Seung roused her and asked about last night's intel.
"Gu Ak-pyeong stabbed Teacher Woo himself. That bastard deserves to die."
"He's already dead."
Jong Bi relayed a story close to the truth. Won Seung tilted his head.
"Gu Ak-pyeong stirred up the fight between Gwancheonbang and Cheongsu Gate? Not just dipping a spoon in, huh. No one in their right mind would say that…. And he used Teacher Woo to pressure the Ten-Man Council. Does the black society want to seize control of Sangyang's underworld? What kind of day-thief bastards are these."
Won Seung pieced it together. Then the real black society lord hiding in the shadows was the true culprit.
His head grew complicated. Bi Jangno's appearance was troubling enough, and now the black society too.
"Focus on what's in front of us first. Osi's soon. Gotta sell those spectator tickets."
Won Seung rode with Jong Bi in the carriage to the riverside where the duel stage was set. The warehouse beside it was the spot for distributing tickets.
Cheongsu Gate and Gwancheonbang warriors were lined up sharply in front of the warehouse.
Leading Cheongsu Gate was Hwa U-cheon, eldest son of Hwa Cheon-baek. For Gwancheonbang, it was Sangyang Mad Dog Gwan Ju-gyeon commanding his men.
As the carriage pulled up, Won Seung in a dog mask and Jong Bi in a monkey mask stepped out.
Hwa U-cheon scowled at Won Seung's appearance.
"What the hell is this? Selling spectator tickets?! And you want escorts too?"
"This three-way duel cost a fortune. Can't take a loss. And selling tickets is the bare minimum for fairness."
Gwan Ju-gyeon, listening from the side, chuckled derisively.
"Fairness? I can't even imagine how you plan to ensure that."
The gang leader Cheon Il-hae had told him to watch whatever Won Seung did, so he'd come. But selling duel tickets…? Even Gwan Ju-gyeon was baffled.
Jong Bi fretted too.
"Who'd pay ten silver nyang for one of these?"
"Don't worry. They'll sell out in a flash. You got the promoters here?"