To Hire You (3)
The main branch of the Shin-hwa-bang was located in Dong-yang, Jeol-gang Province.
The closest sub-branch was the Po-gang branch, but Jeong-pung had not requested support from there.
If he did, the Shin-hwa-bang would catch wind that they were coming. Being the nearest branch to their headquarters, they might have spies planted there.
So it would be a disaster if the Shin-hwa-bang lord slipped away. What if he claimed to be away on a long trip and didn't return for months? The matter would fizzle out unresolved. The problem was that the enemy's thirst for revenge wouldn't fade so easily.
With the main branch right ahead, Jeong-pung gathered everyone and issued orders.
"Today, we must capture the Shin-hwa-bang lord and bring him back to the branch."
"Yes, sir!"
Despite his subordinates' resolute responses, Jeong-pung's worries persisted.
"We can't rule out the possibility that he won't comply with our orders quietly."
If the Shin-hwa-bang lord defied them and attempted a massacre, they could all be wiped out. Of course, that was unlikely. Attacking a Murim Alliance branch leader and warriors meant declaring oneself a public enemy of Murim. It was on a whole different level from Wang Gon's attempt to kill Im Choong.
"Everyone, stay cautious."
"Yes, understood."
Baek So-cheon, Im Choong, and Beon Saeng quietly followed Jeong-pung's lead.
Two warriors approached and knocked on the grand gates of the Shin-hwa-bang.
"We're from the Murim Alliance. Open the gate."
Creak.
The gate wasn't locked.
The warriors who had knocked tensed up. From experience, the gates of a major sect like this were usually wide open or securely barred.
Jeong-pung, standing behind them, gave the order.
"Enter carefully."
"Yes."
Everyone followed the two lead warriors inside with utmost caution.
The group was stunned upon entering the grounds. The place was completely empty. Doors to the buildings hung open as if they'd just moved out, with clutter scattered across the floors.
And in the center of the courtyard sat a single man.
He wore flamboyant red robes that seemed to set the world ablaze, drinking alone.
His back was turned, but it was impossibly broad. Baek So-cheon wondered if he'd ever seen such a wide back.
The moment he laid eyes on the man, Baek So-cheon's expression hardened. He knew exactly who it was.
Baek So-cheon turned to Jeong-pung.
"Wait outside."
Jeong-pung obeyed without question, sensing the gravity in his utterly serious demeanor.
Baek So-cheon signaled Im Choong and Beon Saeng to leave as well.
Though worried, they knew staying silent and complying was the best way to support him now.
Everyone followed Jeong-pung out.
Alone now, Baek So-cheon addressed the broad back.
"You mad bastard! What the hell are you doing here?"
The back shook with laughter.
"Hahaha. Long time no see."
His booming laugh echoed as he turned around.
In his fifties, he had sharp eyes, a prominent nose, and a chiseled jaw—like a carved statue.
Among descriptors for a supreme warrior, these fit him: iron-like, diamond-hard, forged from millennia-old steel... unbreakable.
He exuded an aura of indestructibility, as if nothing could shatter him. Even his skin wasn't ordinary; a deep blue sheen suggested it could withstand blades, sword qi, or even sword gangs.
He was none other than Yeom Hwa-sin, the Black Heaven Alliance Lord—the man Baek So-cheon had clashed with in their final battle, the one who had etched an unforgettable day into his life.
"Why are you here?"
"I heard you were coming."
"You've been watching me?"
"Watching? Don't use such harsh words between us. Call it interest."
"Cut the crap. How'd you know?"
"You messed with our plans at headquarters, and now you're stirring trouble out here in the boonies."
"Our plans?"
The next instant, realization dawned on Baek So-cheon. "Ah!"
"Shin-hwa-bang! Your handiwork."
"Correct."
"No wonder a minor sect grew so fast in just a few years."
"We placed some of our people in your rear to build a foothold."
When he'd gone to the site for the iron workshop, the terrain had been perfect for a fortress. Indeed, it was meant to be a Black Heaven stronghold.
They'd planned to cultivate the Shin-hwa-bang as the core of a Black Heaven front disguised as a righteous faction. That explained why most members, save the nominal lord and a few cronies, were hired mercenaries.
"Shin-hwa-bang is gone from the world as of today. This setback cost us big. Without you, the Mun-seong fortress would've been done by winter. You've wasted our money. But for old times' sake, I'll let it slide. Come, have a drink."
Baek So-cheon sat before him.
"You knew I'd been demoted. Why not step in sooner?"
"I watched to see what you'd do. We're not the type to swing swords over a little grudge, right? Here."
Yeom Hwa-sin poured Baek So-cheon a cup.
His forearm was as thick as a man's waist. The heat was already palpable. Yeom Hwa-sin's aura burned like molten lava.
Same as ever.
Baek So-cheon could tell he'd fully recovered from his injuries.
He's healed completely!
He'd sustained fatal wounds in their duel, yet he'd recovered.
Being near the Murim Alliance Lord calmed the mind; facing this man ignited it. He stirred an urge to fight—even without inner power, Baek So-cheon wanted to punch him.
Suppressing the impulse, he drank.
Then Yeom Hwa-sin glanced behind Baek So-cheon.
"You lot hiding back there want a drink too?"
Cheon-geuk emerged from afar, her four guardians following, prostrating themselves flat on the ground.
"We pay respects to the Demon Lord."
She recognized him instantly. Even as Sal-su Yeon-maeng's leader, she couldn't act rashly before the Black Heaven Lord.
He'd demonstrated his prowess by detecting them. They'd used top-tier concealment that fooled even Cheon-geuk and her guardians, yet not him.
"Come, join us."
"This lowly one dares not intrude."
"Strictly speaking, aren't you one of us?"
Surprisingly, Yeom Hwa-sin knew exactly who she was.
"We assassins chase mere coin—base folk."
"Aren't we all? In that, you and I are clear-headed souls faithful to our desires."
His gaze shifted to Baek So-cheon.
"What about you?"
"I'm just a stuffy, uptight righteous fool."
Yeom Hwa-sin chuckled.
"Then you wouldn't be sitting here."
Seeking agreement, he looked at Cheon-geuk.
"Truth is, this one's got our inclinations too. But he buttoned up with the wrong side first. Tsk tsk. If he'd joined Black Heaven from the start, we'd have unified the jianghu by now..."
He seemed genuinely regretful.
But Baek So-cheon knew better. Yeom Hwa-sin wasn't as simple as he appeared. Behind that born-warrior solidity lay schemes and stratagems for his ambitions—sacrificing thousands, even tens of thousands, without hesitation.
"What say you? Join me?"
Cheon-geuk glanced between Baek So-cheon and Yeom Hwa-sin, then bowed politely.
"I'll maintain neutrality."
"A refusal. Am I that scary?"
"Terrifying. Truly. Look—my hands are shaking."
Still bowed, she held up her trembling hands. It was real, no act.
"Yet you refuse? Why?"
"Precisely because the man sitting across from you is so fearsome."
Yeom Hwa-sin nodded with a laugh.
"Fair enough. Haha."
"I've made a noble guest smile, so this lowly one takes leave with peace of mind."
Fearing he might stop them, Cheon-geuk and her guardians vanished soundlessly.
Yeom Hwa-sin refilled Baek So-cheon's cup.
"You brought her, didn't you?"
"You know everything."
"What don't I know about you?"
"You can stop now."
After a pause, Baek So-cheon asked,
"Why haven't you killed me?"
Without inner power, Black Heaven would've ended him dozens of times by now. He was the one blocking Yeom Hwa-sin's dream.
"Reasons abound. No need to unite the righteous by killing a toothless threat like you. And if I wanted, I could anytime."
To his candid reply, one key reason was added.
"The three years I mentioned are almost up, right?"
Three years prior, those words echoed in Baek So-cheon's heart:
Three years is plenty. By then, you'll know my words are true.
Spoken by the Black Heaven Lord, Yeom Hwa-sin—they'd lingered in his mind.
"Time remains."
"True. After this summer, when winter comes, it'll be three years. Well? Found the truth?"
"Not... yet."
"Isn't your sitting here chatting with me answer enough?"
"Even seeming truths have hidden sides."
"You're deluded. You think this loyalty stems from lingering devotion to the Alliance? No. You're just turning a blind eye to your life's wholesale denial."
"..."
"You'll see soon enough."
He drained his final cup and rose.
Baek So-cheon sensed war loomed near. The past three years weren't true peace—just recovery time for the Black Heaven Lord.
Still seated, Baek So-cheon asked,
"Can't you skip starting that war?"
Yeom Hwa-sin, a mountain of a man, loomed over him.
"Why should I?"
Baek So-cheon knew persuasion was futile—like convincing a shark to forgo fish.
Unifying the jianghu was Yeom Hwa-sin's dream.
Just as Baek So-cheon had dreamed of becoming a Murim Alliance warrior at six, this man's ambition had grown from boyhood.
He wouldn't deny his life's purpose... so he'd never stop.
Could the righteous endure this war? Last time, Baek So-cheon had fought to ruin, barely tying.
"Should've killed you then."
To his regret, Yeom Hwa-sin made an unexpected offer.
"Come under me. I'll meet any terms. Here's paper—write them. Anything but my life."
"I'm an empty shell."
"Even the shell's superb."
"Still tied to the Alliance. Once fully cast out, maybe I'll consider."
"Don't trust me?"
"I believe you'll honor promises."
"Then?"
"I know why you want to hire me. Use my defection to boost morale among the unorthodox. I'd make a fine sacrificial lamb—beheaded before the troops on the march."
"Hahaha. That's why I like you. Great fighter and smart."
He departed slowly.
Baek So-cheon watched the massive back recede in silence.
Moments later, the warriors returned.
"What happened? Who was that?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Fine, say he's handled. Why's this place empty?"
"Shin-hwa-bang is gone from the world."
"What does that mean?"
"No revenge, no loose ends. Put off Yang Chu's family's vengeance for now. Let's head back."
With that, Baek So-cheon strode out.
The rest exchanged stunned, baffled looks before following.
Once all were gone, Cheon-geuk and her four guardians appeared on the rooftop.
"Another chance arises."
War would plunge the jianghu into chaos, keeping assassins busy. Unprecedented riches for Sal-su Yeon-maeng—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
But the risks were immense. Many assassins would die entangled in the fray. The entire alliance might perish, as in the last war.
Cheon-geuk gazed at the blazing summer sun.
Whether swayed by Baek So-cheon's words or pretending to be, her eyes pierced with profound resolve transcending life and death.
"Savor this summer to the fullest. It might be the last."