Chapter 37
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Ambush (2)
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Sitting on the platform and waiting for dinner to be served, I suddenly turned my head toward the wall.
"Who's there?"
No sooner had my question ended than a hazy figure revealed itself atop the wall.
The figure belonged to none other than Yi Sa-gwon, the gate leader of the Crimson Killer Gate.
"How did you know I was hiding here?"
Yi Sa-gwon asked, his eyes wide with surprise.
"I just felt a sense of incongruity different from usual."
"You always manage to startle me."
I paid no mind to whether Yi Sa-gwon was surprised or not.
"Have you eaten?"
"Not yet."
"Gwang-u! A guest has arrived, so bring out another bowl of rice and some side dishes!"
Hearing my shout, Gwang-u's voice came from inside the kitchen.
"Got it, hyung! But who's the guest?"
"Seok young master!"
The kitchen suddenly went quiet.
Then, a massive head poked out from beside the kitchen door.
"Good to see you again."
Yi Sa-gwon clasped his hands together in greeting.
Gwang-u's face filled with disappointment as he pulled his head back inside the kitchen door.
"That bastard..."
A curse slipped from my lips, and Yi Sa-gwon smiled.
"I'm fine with it. Please don't scold your younger brother."
"Got it. It's humble, but make yourself comfortable."
"Thank you."
Yi Sa-gwon took a seat on one side of the platform.
"So, what brings you here again?"
Just as I finished asking, Gwang-u came out carrying a tray.
"Let's eat first. Don't expect it to be tasty."
Yi Sa-gwon, receiving the tray, stared blankly at the huge bowl of rice, the soup, the assorted greens, and the one roasted pork leg, golden-brown and massive.
"Do you... eat this much?"
"This is still a small portion for that guy. And even though the meat looks so appetizing, it probably won't taste as good as it looks."
"Hyung, why are you badmouthing me in front of a guest?"
Gwang-u grumbled as he sliced the roasted pork with a kitchen knife.
Yi Sa-gwon ate the supposedly bland soup and meat with great relish.
"Seems to suit your taste?"
"For an assassin, this is a feast fit for a king. We go days without eating sometimes, or make do with cold rice or leftovers."
"Glad it suits you."
While Gwang-u and I each ate one bowl of rice, Gwang-u finished the rice in his big bowl, went back to the kitchen, and scooped more.
After finishing my meal, I turned to Yi Sa-gwon, who had eaten first.
"Now, tell me."
Yi Sa-gwon pulled a sealed letter from his bosom and held it out.
"Please take it."
"What's this?"
"Payment for the sword."
Opening the seal to check, I found a bill of exchange worth one thousand silver taels inside.
I stared at Yi Sa-gwon in shock.
"What kind of sword is worth this much?"
"It's the sacred treasure of the Black Moon Gate leader, so of course it's expensive."
"Hyung, how much?"
Gwang-u, shoveling rice into his mouth, leaned in curiously toward the letter.
"One thousand silver taels."
Whoa...
Gwang-u was so shocked he couldn't close his mouth.
"H-Hyung. From now on, let's just go around hunting assassins. We'll be rich in no time."
"Just eat your rice, you fool. In any case, I'll gratefully accept it."
"No need to thank me. I'm the one who's grateful. And I have something important to tell you."
Yi Sa-gwon's expression hardened abruptly.
"Speak."
"Actually, I didn't come rushing here just for the sword payment. There've been movements from martial artists in the Henan region, and it seems they're heading this way, to Huanin County."
"What do you mean? Martial artists heading to Huanin County?"
Just hearing that warriors were coming here made me uneasy.
I had a feeling I'd get dragged into another unexpected mess.
"As the leader of an assassin gate, I keep tabs on the murim world to some extent. The reason the Si Family of Huanin put out a hit on the Seok Family head was because they wanted him dead. Originally, the Si Family was under the protection of the Yangyang Ma Clan, but the Seok Family head, Seok Yang-ho, ended up killing Ma Bok-gye of the Ma Clan."
I knew about that incident.
But there seemed to be more to the story.
"The Yangyang Ma Clan had ties with a place called the Jo Clan in Henan. From what I've learned, Jo Gu, known as the One Dart Killer, went missing here in Huanin County. The One Dart Killer is a master famed for his darts and a blood relative of the Henan Jo Clan. It seems the Jo Clan believes the Seok Family was involved in his disappearance."
Whew...
A deep sigh escaped my lips.
A dart expert—it had to be that guy from the day I first met Zhuge Ji.
How did the grudges of the murim world keep piling up endlessly like this?
At that moment, Gwang-u, who was stuffing his face with rice, casually spoke up.
"Hyung. If it's a guy good with darts, isn't that the one I killed back then...?"
"You bastard."
I really wanted to sew that idiot's mouth shut.
Yi Sa-gwon asked in astonishment.
"You killed the One Dart Killer too?"
"It just sort of happened that way."
Somehow I ended up living in this house, somehow I ended up killing assassins, and somehow I even killed a guy called the One Dart Killer.
"If word of this gets out in the murim world, all hell will break loose."
"Keep it secret."
"Understood. But there are no eternal secrets. Especially in the murim world, with all its eccentrics and sages— they'll track you two down soon enough."
"In any case, I have no interest in the murim world."
I could already picture myself in the jianghu.
Undoubtedly, I'd become a demon wading through rivers of blood.
"But if the Jo Clan's warriors wipe out the Seok Family, Huanin County will fall into their hands. Do you know how the Jo Clan rose to power? Through human trafficking, smuggling, and the Salt King's Debt Gang."
Gulp.
"W-Why would the Seok Family be exterminated?"
Gwang-u, shocked at the mention of the Seok Family's doom, swallowed his meat and quickly asked.
"Warriors from the Henan Jo Clan are gathering. They'll probably strike around dawn tomorrow."
"Those damn bastards dare...!"
"Sit."
Gwang-u, who had leaped to his feet shouting, hesitated before sitting back down, then suddenly clung to my leg.
"Hyung. Help them just this once. Just once... Hyung, we can't let the family head die like this."
I felt the same worry.
But helping the Seok Family would drag me deep into the murim world for real.
"They might not be targeting the Seok Family."
Gwang-u's gaze turned to Yi Sa-gwon.
Yi Sa-gwon nodded.
"True. However, the Seok Family is the most likely target."
Gwang-u's eyes turned back to me.
"Hyung. Let's help. Hyung... please..."
"No."
As I flatly refused, Gwang-u started throwing a tantrum.
"You know what? You're too heartless, hyung. Even if you won't help, I'm going to go help them."
"Then you and I are done. Understand?"
"Hyung..."
Gwang-u shoved his teary, massive eyes right in my face.
I met his glistening big eyes and let out a heavy sigh.
Sigh...
"I won't help. But if you warn them before the attack, the Seok family head can prepare."
"Thanks, hyung. Even that much helps."
"Go to my room and bring a brush, inkstone, and paper."
No sooner had I spoken than Gwang-u dashed into the house.
"I have a request for you, gate leader."
"Speak."
"Deliver this letter to the Seok Family in my stead. If Miss Zhuge is there, give it to her; if she's already left, give it to the family head. I'd appreciate it."
Yi Sa-gwon nodded readily.
"That's no trouble at all."
"Hyung, got it."
Gwang-u brought the brush, ink, and inkstone, then spread the paper on the platform.
I poured water into the inkstone and slowly ground the ink.
"Hurry up and write it, hyung."
"You punk. You want me to write with plain water? Want to write it yourself?"
"No, hyung. My bad. You know I can't write well."
The time Yi Sa-gwon arrived at the Seok Family was close to midnight.
"Has Miss Zhuge of the Zhuge Family left the household by any chance?"
He first bowed to the Seok Family servant guarding the gate and asked.
"Why do you ask?"
The Seok Family servant eyed the unfamiliar midnight visitor suspiciously.
"To deliver this letter."
When Yi Sa-gwon showed the letter from his bosom, the servant asked again.
"Who is it for?"
"I can't say. But it's very important, so it must reach that person."
"Wait a moment."
The servant who entered through the gate came back out shortly after with a Zhuge Family servant.
"Where are you from?"
The Zhuge Family servant asked the same question as the Seok servant.
"The sender asked to keep it secret."
"Then we can't deliver it."
"It's truly urgent. Lives are at stake, so please make sure it gets through."
The mention of lives being at stake worked; the Zhuge Family servant hesitated before going inside.
"A stranger came asking to deliver a letter to the young lady. He says it's related to several lives and came late at night."
Zhuge Ji, just about to sleep, quickly threw on some clothes and went out.
"Who sent the letter?"
"The sender asked for secrecy."
"I see. I'll go check myself."
Coming out to the gate with the household servant, Zhuge Ji tilted her head at the sight of the elderly man with a slight build.
It was natural, since it was someone she'd never seen before bringing the letter.
She unfolded the politely handed letter under the torchlight and inwardly exclaimed at the neat handwriting.
'What beautiful handwriting. But...'
Shocked by the contents, Zhuge Ji read it twice over.
Composing herself, she asked the elderly man.
"Can you tell me who sent this letter?"
"They asked me to keep it secret. Then I'll be on my way."
Having finished his business, the elderly man turned and vanished into the darkness.
Watching his retreating figure, Zhuge Ji suddenly called out.
"Wait!"
As the elderly man stopped, she asked.
"Did someone by the river send this?"
Zhuge Ji had good reason for her suspicion.
In the village, the only ones she'd met and talked with besides the Seok Family people were them.
The elderly man said nothing and resumed walking.
She took that as confirmation.
"I need to see the family head right now."
"Right now?"
"Yes, right now. And wake all the servants. It's urgent."
"What urgent business brings you to see me so late?"
As Zhuge Ji sat facing Seok Yang-ho and was about to speak, the door opened and Namgung Hye entered.
"What's going on, sister?"
"Sit down."
Once even the puzzled Namgung Hye had taken a seat, Zhuge Ji took out the letter and spread it on the table.
Under the bright lamplight, the neat handwriting stood out.
The text was only about twenty characters long, but its contents were shocking.
"Wh-who sent this letter?"
Seok Yang-ho asked first, astonished.
"I can't say. But it's from someone reliable, so we need to prepare in advance."
"If enemies attack, we'll fight them. That's the fate of a murim clan, isn't it?"
It was the answer of a true knight of the jianghu.
But Zhuge Ji thought differently.
"There are children, women who know no martial arts, and servants. We need to evacuate them first."
"We have no separate place prepared, so evacuation is difficult. Even if we send them to other homes, those places could get hit too."
Zhuge Ji, as if she had already planned it out, smoothly countered Seok Yang-ho.
"Evacuate them to the hunters' houses by the riverbank."