Teacher Jong (2)
Do Jeong-gil and Wang Gon were dragged off to separate interrogation rooms.
By chance, the room Wang Gon ended up in was the exact same one he'd been hauled to last time.
Sitting there alone, a whirlwind of thoughts churned through his mind, leaving him deeply unsettled.
He never could have imagined the Jeol-gang Branch leader would personally come to arrest him and Do Jeong-gil. And because of that, this whole misunderstanding had arisen.
Is this bastard doing it for the money too?
He traced every problem back to money. Most of the troubles in his life had been solved with cash, so it was only natural he'd developed that mindset.
I should've bought him off sooner.
At Shin-hwa-bang, they'd bribed up to Deputy Leader Cheon Yang-ho, but they hadn't gotten to Jeong-pung yet. As the branch leader, Jeong-pung was someone the faction had to manage at an organizational level—he wasn't under Cheon Yang-ho's direct purview.
Just then, the door to the interrogation room swung open, and Baek So-cheon stepped in.
"What the hell happened?"
"Who else should I ask?"
"We don't know a damn thing. The warriors dispatched from the branch took over everything, and we got kicked out of the office."
"Jeong-pung dragged us in here to interrogate me and Great Hero Do."
"That lunatic."
"Damn it! It's been over an hour since we got here, and not a single soul's shown their face for questioning. I finally spotted some warrior passing by and asked him to fetch you."
In truth, the waiting game hadn't even truly begun. Baek So-cheon planned to keep them locked up here for a few days.
"Looks like Do Jeong-gil's up first."
"Watch your mouth."
"He's a great hero to you, maybe."
"Hey, I said watch it."
"Got it."
Baek So-cheon knew his casual demeanor helped deflect Wang Gon's suspicions. People tended to look down on the careless and imprudent.
"Figure out what's going on and let me know."
"Will do."
As Baek So-cheon turned to leave, Wang Gon called out.
"You're the only one I can trust."
"Put some spit on your lips before you lie."
"I'm serious."
"Anyway, don't worry. I may not look like much, but I earn my keep."
Baek So-cheon stepped out.
Of course, he had no intention of earning a single coin.
After leaving the interrogation room, Baek So-cheon returned straight to his quarters for personal training.
He trained, ate, read manuals. Only after leisurely finishing all his own tasks did he saunter back to the interrogation room.
Wang Gon, confined for several hours now, looked even more haggard.
"Why'd you take so long? What the hell's going on?"
"Couldn't get any straight answers—the branch leader wouldn't see me."
"So you didn't find out anything?"
"That's right. The whole branch is in a foul mood right now."
"This is bad."
"Just think of it as a few days' vacation and relax. No evidence, no worries, right?"
"It's not that. If this drags on, they might send Teacher Jong down from the faction."
"Teacher Jong? Oh, the one who put out the hit with the Seven Swords Society?"
"Yeah. When things get messy, Teacher Jong steps in to clean them up."
"Then isn't that a good thing? If he comes down and sorts it out."
"If Teacher Jong shows up, someone's going to die."
Wang Gon shuddered, as if it might be him.
"Must be one hell of a martial artist."
"No. Teacher Jong's skills aren't even stronger than Shin-hwa-bang's four great warriors."
In other words, not stronger than Do Jeong-gil.
"Then why are you so scared?"
"Because Teacher Jong's a cold-blooded bastard who ignores the process for results. The massacre of Yang Chu's whole family? That came straight from his twisted mind. He wiped them all out to make it look like personal revenge."
"Sounds like a real son of a bitch."
"Terrifyingly so."
He couldn't quite bring himself to add "son of a bitch." Teacher Jong was that frightening and sleazy a presence. Baek So-cheon could picture his own loose tongue cracking a dumb joke in front of the man someday—"You called him a terrifying son of a bitch back then, right?"—so it was wise to hold back.
"If I learn anything, I'll tell you right away."
"Thanks."
Wang Gon was missing one key fact.
If the branch was as tense as Baek So-cheon claimed, it wouldn't be easy for him to keep coming and going like this—now or in the future.
But right now, Wang Gon was too consumed by worries over Shin-hwa-bang's leader, Teacher Jong, Do Jeong-gil, and everything else to think straight.
Since he'd brought the guy in with bribes, he'd handle it well enough. That naive hope filled his mind.
Baek So-cheon left the interrogation room and met with Jeong-pung.
"How long do we keep delaying the interrogations?"
"Three or four days. I'll let you know when the time's right."
"Three or four days? Do Jeong-gil's already pissed to the heavens."
"Let him stew. People need to get mad sometimes to feel alive. Those bastards have had it too easy till now. Why the look?"
"What look?"
"Like you want to take me as big brother. I pass in advance."
"Don't flatter yourself. No such thing."
If there was even a hint of that look, it was probably because of this.
He's not what I expected at all.
That's what Jeong-pung thought of Baek So-cheon. True to his nickname "Mad Demon of Battle," he'd imagined a sword ghost without blood or tears—few words, bound by loyalty, obsessed only with killing.
But Baek So-cheon wasn't that. He talked more than Jeong-pung, and seemed more emotional than rational.
Is it because he lost his inner power? Or was he always like this?
No way to know.
"Understood. I'll follow your lead."
Jeong-pung had already crossed an irreversible bridge, so he had no choice but to trust and follow Baek So-cheon. In this precarious situation, his one comfort was that Baek So-cheon seemed genuinely grateful, and confident about what came next.
"Thanks. In the meantime, those bastards are bound to make a move."
Baek So-cheon's prediction hit the mark.
On the third day, Teacher Jong arrived in Mun-seong.
He'd been ordered to tidy up the mess here. He served as Shin-hwa-bang's in-house fixer.
Teacher Jong had a slightly lean build and utterly ordinary looks.
The kind of guy who'd step out in the morning to find the neighbor sweeping their yard. His plainness was his greatest weapon—utterly unmemorable anywhere.
Upon arriving in Mun-seong, he waited at an inn in the marketplace.
The man who showed up was his personal informant. A highly capable specialist in investigations. Teacher Jong had sent a carrier pigeon ahead to have him scout the situation.
He never trusted internal reports for his work. Faction entanglements often muddied the waters.
So he'd gather basic info first, then rely solely on this trusted man for the rest.
"What happened?"
"There's a key figure at the center of this."
"Who?"
"A warrior newly dispatched to the Mun-seong Branch named Baek So-cheon."
"Baek So-cheon? Rings a bell. What does he do?"
"Former Iron Sword Unit leader, now sent to Mun-seong Branch. Heuk Su and Cheon Yang-ho likely fell to him."
Teacher Jong tilted his head.
"They lost to an Iron Sword Unit leader? Even for one of those, that shouldn't have been easy."
"He's no ordinary leader."
"Who is he?"
"God of War from the Righteous-Demonic Great War. Remember?"
"Ah!"
Now he knew why the name sounded familiar.
"That's him."
Teacher Jong, usually impassive to any report, was visibly startled. He knew Baek So-cheon well.
Finally, the puzzle of why things hadn't resolved smoothly in Mun-seong clicked.
"He's working under Wang Gon now."
Teacher Jong knew exactly how great a warrior Baek So-cheon had been.
"Fallen or not, a hero's a hero. No way he'd serve under a moron like Wang Gon, who doesn't even know who he's messing with."
"Seems that way."
"Good work."
Teacher Jong handed over an envelope thick with bills. The informant pocketed the money and left, washing his hands of the rest.
Teacher Jong's eyes sharpened.
Baek So-cheon, huh.
He didn't agonize long. Decision: eliminate Baek So-cheon. No need for complexity.
With that name in play, everything stemmed from him. Punishing the duped Wang Gon or the bungling investigator Do Jeong-gil was the faction leader's job.
His role? Remove the core problem and go home.
I'll handle Baek So-cheon myself.
No fear of Baek So-cheon. He knew the man had lost his inner power and become a cripple. Heuk Su and Cheon Yang-ho fell because they didn't know their foe—but he did.
Teacher Jong felt a thrill inside.
Wrapping this up against Baek So-cheon would be the crowning achievement of his career.
He quietly slipped out of the inn.
Two nights later, Baek So-cheon was climbing the cliff bare-handed, just like the night before.
As always, he carried a large sack on his back.
The moment he crested the top and placed his hand on the edge—
Someone was waiting.
Grinning down at him was Teacher Jong.
Knowing his opponent, he wasted no time. No mercy, no gap—he whipped up an inner power-charged foot to stomp Baek So-cheon's face.
Shwaaaa!
The pinnacle of my life!
One strike, and Baek So-cheon's face would cave in, sending him plummeting to his death.
But that pinnacle halted right before Baek So-cheon's face.
"That's far enough."
A heavy warning, and from his right, a sword pressed against his throat.
Still holding one leg high, Teacher Jong glanced at the sword's wielder.
Dong-seong, one of Cheon-geuk's four guardian stars, masked and sword at the ready. Teacher Jong was no slouch himself, yet he hadn't sensed the approach.
Then, from the left, an arm slung casually over his shoulder like an old pal.
"Wanna stomp him flat, right? I get that itch sometimes when they act all smug."
Whirling in shock, there stood Cheon-geuk beside him, peering down. In that instant of contact, his pressure points were sealed—he couldn't budge.
Supreme master!
Baek So-cheon looked up and grumbled.
"I'm dying here. Quit yapping and move, you lot. Get that foot outta my face!"
As Baek So-cheon hauled himself up, Dong-seong pressed Teacher Jong's blood point. The man collapsed, out cold.
The rest of the guardian stars emerged, hauling the sleeping man away.
"If you wanted to stomp, why hold back?"
"There's a thousand ways to kill without bruising your sole. Why would I?"
She flashed a beaming smile.
That radiant grin held the joy of securing Teacher Jong.
Baek So-cheon had anticipated Teacher Jong would target him upon arrival, so he'd asked Cheon-geuk to stick close. The nighttime cliff climb was bait. No eyes here, and arriving exhausted at the summit? Irresistible for an ambush.
"Well, my part's done."
Cheon-geuk bowed her head.
"I'll wrap it up and head back."
"Finish carefully."
"Worried about me?"
"Yeah. Can't reach the Mad Demon if you die. Gotta collect my hundred thousand nyang too."
"Should've just stomped him."
Cheon-geuk and her four guardians vanished silently with Teacher Jong. Their stealth and lightness arts drew involuntary awe.
Left alone, Baek So-cheon stood in the wind for a moment, then—as ever—pulled a manual from his sack.
"Might as well read a bit before heading down."
Sitting on the cliff, breeze in his face, was when he focused best. Probably why.
Fall asleep and you're dead!