Chapter 23
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Master of the Black Moon (1)
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Ju Eun-bo covered the torn-up floorboards again.
To avoid suspicion, he had draped his ripped clothes over the floorboards. He opened the door and shouted out.
"Murder!"
People began gathering one by one at the sound of Ju Eun-bo's cry, and soon the narrow alley was packed with them.
"What happened, Constable Ju?"
The constables pushed through the crowd and revealed themselves.
This was the moment Ju Eun-bo had been waiting for.
"While patrolling the alley, I caught a rotting stench and opened the door. Inside, I saw the Black Bear Gang thugs tangled up dead. You, run to the yamen and report it. You, block people from approaching. The rest of you, come inside with me to investigate the murder."
"Understood, Constable."
Ju Eun-bo entered the room with the constables, showed them the chest full of silver, and had them quickly clear the bodies.
The officials who rushed over upon hearing the report saw the chest of silver and wrapped up the case without much fuss.
Si Wang-saeng of the Si Family also heard the news that the Black Bear Gang had been wiped out.
He hurried to the alley where their hideout was, only to find officials hauling away the bodies.
"Hey, come here a moment, Constable Ju."
Spotting Ju Eun-bo, whom he knew well, Si Wang-saeng beckoned him to a secluded spot deeper in the alley.
Ju Eun-bo glanced around at the others before stepping into the alley.
"What the hell happened?"
Ju Eun-bo feigned ignorance and explained the situation.
"There was a large wooden chest in the room. It was half-full of silver taels, and more were scattered on the floor. From the looks of it, they must have turned on each other over the money and killed one another."
Si Wang-saeng curled the corner of his mouth oddly upon hearing Ju Eun-bo's explanation.
It sounded like they'd had an internal falling out and wiped each other out, but he doubted they'd betray each other so easily over silver.
The Black Bear Gang had operated under Mu Tae's iron grip.
He also knew this Constable Ju Eun-bo well.
The man had been taking bribes from the Black Bear Gang for a long time.
"Did you match the wounds on their bodies to the murder weapons?"
"Of course. That's basic procedure for any investigation. It's definitely them killing each other."
Ju Eun-bo responded calmly.
He had checked the wounds against the weapons, but not thoroughly or meticulously.
He needed to wrap up the case quickly to retrieve the hidden loot.
But Si Wang-saeng wasn't so easily fooled.
"I'll look into this myself. If what you just told me doesn't match what I find, you'd better watch your back. Got it?"
Si Wang-saeng's blatant threat made Ju Eun-bo flinch in fear.
No matter that he was an official; if Si Wang-saeng decided to act, who knew what might happen or when.
"Not a word of it is false. I swear, Young Master Si."
Ju Eun-bo tried to weasel out.
Hmph!
"Do you think I don't know you, Constable Ju? You're the type who'd sell his own parents for money."
Si Wang-saeng didn't budge an inch.
A little more pressure might coax out something else.
Terrified, Ju Eun-bo glanced around nervously before finally speaking up haltingly.
"T-truth is, the chest wasn't half-full of silver... it was completely full."
A strange smile played on Si Wang-saeng's lips.
One more push, and something else might come out.
"Is that all? I have a feeling there was more... Better come clean while I'm asking nicely."
With no choice, Ju Eun-bo confessed about the gold bar too.
"There was... a gold bar about the size of a fist."
"That's everything?"
"Yes, really, that's all. I hid it all under the floorboards. Please believe me, Young Master Si."
As Ju Eun-bo pleaded pitifully, Si Wang-saeng finally nodded and backed off.
"How much silver did you hide?"
"N-nearly two hundred taels."
"Then bring me the gold bar and one hundred taels of silver. I'll give you ten days."
"Y-yes, understood. I'll do that."
After sending Ju Eun-bo away, Si Wang-saeng stood alone, deep in thought.
He hadn't expected them to have stashed so much wealth.
But the money wasn't what mattered.
Money was good in abundance, but what intrigued him was how the Black Dao thugs had died.
'Did they really just fight and kill each other? Mu Tae wasn't a pushover.'
After pondering, Si Wang-saeng left the village and headed to the riverbank.
He suspected a connection between the deaths and that burly hunter.
"Bro, what're you doing?"
Gwang-u approached and sat beside me as I stared blankly at the sky from the bench.
"Ah... I was just wondering if we can keep living like this..."
"What do you mean, bro?"
"Think about how we've been making money. Hunting tigers, killing assassins, even taking out Black Dao thugs for silver. I tried to live apart from the martial world, but now it feels like I'm getting pulled right into it."
Gwang-u, who had always lived without much thought, didn't pay my words much mind.
"Bro, why make life so complicated? Live easy, just easy. We've got two gold bars now—we can coast for years."
"We can't use the gold bars right now. Using them might make people suspicious. If hunters like us flash gold, folks'll wonder where it came from."
"Then we'll use 'em later."
As expected from someone who lived thoughtlessly, his response lacked enthusiasm.
Unlike Gwang-u, my worries ran deep.
I'd sworn to the Great Heavenly Demon I'd never live in the martial world, but before I knew it, half my foot was already in.
I still couldn't forget the thrill of slaughtering those bandits.
My heart felt conflicted, but my body had trembled with excitement.
No, even before that, the joy of catching my first deer on a hunt was indescribable.
"Bro, someone's coming."
Gwang-u's words snapped me from my reverie.
I looked up and peered beyond the fence. A young man in red martial robes was approaching.
The villagers had said blue robes symbolized the Huanin Seok Family, and red the Huanin Si Family.
"Anyone in red robes is definitely from the Si Family. You don't know Black Dao folk—keep that in mind."
Instinct told me something bad was coming, so I warned Gwang-u quickly.
"Got it, bro. I don't even wanna think about those guys anymore."
Gwang-u and I sat on the bench, waiting for the young man in red to pass by.
But a voice from outside the gate dashed those hopes.
"You in there?"
"The door's open."
The gate opened at my reply, and a young man with a sly face stepped inside.
"What brings you here?"
I asked politely about his business.
Suddenly, a flash of sword light streaked toward my throat.
My body twitched, and Gwang-u's did too.
But neither of us moved an inch.
We sensed no killing intent from the sly-faced youth.
The gleaming blade hovered right before my throat.
"Wh-what... Why point your sword at me? I... I haven't done anything wrong."
Pleased by my frightened, flustered expression, the young man smirked and sheathed his sword.
"Sorry about that. Just a little joke. I heard you caught a tiger for the Seok Family... That true?"
"It wasn't for the Seok Family. They just paid well, so we hunted it."
The sly-faced man curled his lip oddly.
The expression made him look even more cunning and cruel.
"Then hunt one for our Si Family. We'll pay handsomely."
"If we hear a tiger's around, we'll catch it right away for you."
"Good."
The sly-faced man nodded in satisfaction and left the house.
As he stepped out the gate, he turned back.
"Name's Wang-saeng. If you ever need anything, come to the Si Family."
"Thank you."
I saw him off at the gate, not straightening up until he was gone.
Only when his shadow faded did I stand tall and turn around.
Gwang-u, standing behind me, shook his head and clicked his tongue.
Tsk tsk...
"Bro, why live like that?"
"How could you understand? But why'd you stay still when he drew his sword?"
Gwang-u replied nonchalantly.
"Figured you'd handle him, bro, so I stayed put. Then when you didn't move, I knew something was up and just watched."
"Well done. Real good. You've got some street smarts now."
I was so pleased I pounded his shoulder.
But Gwang-u grumbled instead.
"Put yourself in my shoes, bro. When your hot-tempered self holds back when you'd normally blow up... that's scarier than anything."
"Anyway, you did great. Good job."
I hadn't come with high expectations, but I'd harbored a sliver of suspicion.
But these two had no connection to the wiped-out Black Bear Gang.
'Not them, after all. Even Black Dao thugs wouldn't need to hunt for a living if they could slaughter twenty men at once.'
There was no reaction when he drew his sword.
If either knew martial arts, instinct would have kicked in.
Even though I'd deliberately slowed my draw, they just stood there and took it.
"Guess Constable Ju was right—the Black Bear Gang killed each other in a falling out."
As Si Wang-saeng walked away, he suddenly turned and stared at the faintly visible house on the hill.
'Should I go back and kill them now?'
Those hunters who'd caught a tiger for the Seok Family irked him too much to just leave.
But he shook his head and resumed walking.
"Won't be too late to kill them after the Seok Family head dies. Right now, the Seok Family matters more than some hunters."
No need to kill them and draw the Seok Family's suspicion.
'Wonder how much longer I have to wait. The assassins entered the village ages ago... A few more days, then I'll check again.'
Assassins who took a job had to complete it, no matter what.
A killer sect that failed a contract was as good as dead.
Rumble... Rumble...
Thunder rolled from beyond the gathering storm clouds.
Si Wang-saeng quickened his pace back to the village.
Whoosh...
The rain that started in the afternoon grew heavier as night deepened, the downpour thickening.
The river swelled, its fierce currents surging toward the banks and flowing downstream.
After dinner, I lay on the veranda watching the torrent and drifted off to sleep.
Thud!
The moment I faced the Great Heavenly Demon, sparks flew before my eyes, and my body soared away, slamming into the distance.
"You're only showing me more pathetic sides as time goes on!"
Ugh...
As I rose, I faced the Great Heavenly Demon, his hair standing on end in fury.
"Is this about me bowing to Si Wang-saeng?"
No sooner had I asked than his fist flew at me again.
In an instant, my sword at my waist slashed across his incoming forearm as it shot forward.