A One-Tael Commission (2)
Gu-ryong Inn in Nam-nyeong, Gwang-seo Province.
A server working the first floor dashed up to the top floor.
He arrived at the room at the very end of the hallway on the top floor.
"What is it?"
"Take a look at this."
The hurried server handed over a single sheet of paper.
The man who checked the contents shot to his feet.
"What the hell is this?"
What he was looking at was a commission report.
This place was the Gwang-seo branch of the Sal-su Yeon-maeng, and the man was the branch's lead assassin. Everyone working at this inn was an assassin.
There were usually three things that startled lead assassins when it came to commissions.
If the commissioner was someone extraordinary, or the target was extraordinary, or the payout was staggeringly huge.
But the report now in his hands was shocking on all three counts.
Commissioner: Yeom Sa-won
Target: Baek So-cheon
Payout: One tael
This was no time to just stand there stunned.
"Send this straight to headquarters via express pigeon right now!"
* * *
Byeok-ryeok flew to the Sal-su Yeon-maeng headquarters with the commission report attached.
Byeok-ryeok, the elite assassin handling the alliance's operations, was equally stunned by the contents.
He rushed straight to find Cheon-geuk, all the way to Daroo Tea House in front of the Murim Alliance headquarters.
And so the commission report ended up in Cheon-geuk's hands, meeting her utterly baffled gaze.
Yeom Sa-won had brazenly revealed his own name as the commissioner, and the payout was a measly one tael.
Cheon-geuk already harbored ill feelings toward Yeom Sa-won. The last time they'd met, he'd treated Na-sa-rin like a monster and acted rudely.
Suppressing the rising urge to curse, she spoke calmly to Byeok-ryeok.
"How are we supposed to take this?"
Byeok-ryeok was someone Cheon-geuk trusted deeply. He'd been an outstanding assassin in his active days, sharp-minded with excellent judgment, so she'd entrusted him with the alliance's operations. He was the one who actually handled the work after she gave orders.
"Revealing his identity is definitely meant as pressure to accept the commission."
If it had been Yeom Hwa-sin's name on there, she'd concede the point. He was the kind of man who fit such arrogance.
But Yeom Sa-won? No. Not by a long shot.
"We have to remember what happened last time we tried to kill him."
"Of course, but..."
The trailing implication: things were different now that Baek So-cheon had no inner power.
Byeok-ryeok knew full well that Cheon-geuk had deep ties not just to Baek So-cheon, but to the Murim Alliance itself.
Even without that, they would've smashed anyone trying to pull a prank with a one-tael commission as an example. If the commissioner hadn't been the Black Heaven heir, that is.
"We promised not to take commissions on Baek So-cheon."
"Yes, I know."
She scribbled something on the paper and handed it to Byeok-ryeok.
"Send this back as is."
Byeok-ryeok checked what she'd written.
'Shove that one tael up your dick.'
"Gasp!"
Byeok-ryeok looked at her in shock.
Cheon-geuk smiled.
"Just kidding. Send a polite letter refusing it."
"Phew, Alliance Lord."
Byeok-ryeok tore up the paper lest anyone see it and let out a sigh of relief.
"But is it really okay to refuse this commission?"
Byeok-ryeok seemed uneasy. The Sal-su Yeon-maeng was neutral between righteous and evil factions by principle, but many assassins had one foot in the Black Heaven Alliance camp.
Byeok-ryeok himself figured siding with Black Heaven in this war might be advantageous. After all, top master Baek So-cheon had lost his martial arts, while Yeom Hwa-sin was overwhelmingly superior.
"What if the Black Heaven Lord makes a move?"
"His son puts in a one-tael commission, gets refused, and attacks the Sal-su Yeon-maeng? The world would laugh. Besides, Yeom Sa-won made a fatal mistake."
"What?"
"Putting in a one-tael commission. If he'd gone back to a three-million-tael hit like before, we really couldn't have refused. No justification."
Exactly. Refusing a massive commission would be tantamount to admitting alliance with the Murim Alliance.
"He probably thought he was being clever and aloof, but that's his downfall. Who'd understand that arrogant attitude? Even inside Black Heaven, they'll condemn this recklessness."
"The Black Heaven Lord is the problem. As you know, he's terrifying."
"That's why. He's not the type to let us off just because we accept. He'll decide our fate regardless of this commission."
"How can you say that?"
"If he unifies the Murim world... he'll wipe out all us assassins."
Byeok-ryeok was startled.
"Do you really think so?"
"Yes."
At Cheon-geuk's firm answer, Byeok-ryeok thought otherwise.
"We're kin to the black path. One parent in common."
"That's exactly why he'll try to erase us. To show the world that true black path belongs only to them. That's the Yeom Hwa-sin I've figured out."
Their gazes locked in the air.
At least in this moment, there was no hint of personal feelings clouding Cheon-geuk's judgment for some greater cause. She was calmer and more composed than ever.
"Very well. I'll trust your judgment, Alliance Lord."
Finally, Cheon-geuk issued the formal order.
"The alliance refuses Yeom Sa-won's one-tael commission."
"I receive your solemn command, Alliance Lord."
As Byeok-ryeok left, she turned to her guardian assassins.
"Can I vent a bit? Feels like I'll get anger sickness if I don't."
"Yes, go ahead as much as you like."
"Ugh, that punk brat strutting around on his daddy's power! Maybe I should just go cut his throat right now. Even if he'd offered ten million taels, it'd be a refusal—but one tael? Should I really kill him for one tael? Who'd pay even that? No, don't. It's a waste of one tael. Next time he falls into my hands, I'll just..."
After unleashing a torrent of curses, her anger subsided.
She gave a calm order.
"Leak this to Hyun-cheon Pavilion. They need to know we chose the Murim Alliance, even at great risk."
"Yes, understood."
She walked to the window.
This was just the beginning. Moments requiring tougher choices would come soon enough.
Then Na-sa-rin entered. She stayed with Cheon-geuk, occasionally helping at Daroo and otherwise resting with breath cultivation in the house across the way.
"Byeok-ryeok came by to greet me and left."
She'd heard about the commission from him.
"Elder."
"Yes, Alliance Lord."
"I just made a decision that might change the fate of our alliance."
Even so, Na-sa-rin asked calmly.
"Do you regret it?"
"No."
Na-sa-rin smiled at the resolute answer.
"Then it's fine. Trust your instincts from here on, Alliance Lord. That's how we've survived until now."
* * *
"The Sal-su Yeon-maeng refused the commission."
Yeom Sa-won froze at Won-mu's report.
Won-mu held his breath. This was the most dangerous time. He'd be thinking: How can I show my rage best? People died from it, walls got holes punched through. Habitual reaction.
Bam!
Fortunately, the desk in front of him was the sacrifice this time.
"That damn bitch must be insane to die."
Yeom Sa-won hadn't anticipated this at all. He saw refusing him as refusing his father—and Black Heaven itself.
"We sent sincere apologies along with it."
"Tell 'em to quit bullshitting!"
Killing intent poured from Yeom Sa-won's body.
"Gotta drag that wench here and make her kneel before me."
"We must be cautious about touching the Sal-su Yeon-maeng."
Yeom Sa-won's eyes flashed fiercely for a moment, and Won-mu bowed his head.
He had to speak up. His predecessor died trying to stop him, but the one before that died for not stopping him—got beaten to death as a sycophant for not offering counsel.
To survive this mad master, you had to know when to restrain and when to follow.
"So? We just let that bitch off?"
Yeom Sa-won knew it too.
Damn bitch, kill the bitch—he knew she wasn't that easy.
He had no confidence winning her one-on-one. And the thought of the former top assassin of the central plains targeting him was horrifying.
But he couldn't endure this filthy feeling of being ignored. Outside his father-related matters, patience didn't exist for him.
"Why not tell the Lord and get his help?"
Yeom Sa-won scoffed.
"Father won't help. He'll just mock me to high heaven."
Yeom Hwa-sin's gaze on him was always cold. Never once warm.
The Jeol-gang Province mess had been to earn his recognition too.
"Father knows about this, right?"
"Yes."
Not just Yeom Hwa-sin—Black Heaven's high-rank masters all knew.
"Backing down now means getting called a cripple."
Won-mu sometimes wanted to scream it in the back mountain bamboo grove.
They already treat you like a cripple.
But he was his master. Their fates were tied. He tried to calm the rage somehow.
"We shouldn't hold a grudge against a mere assassin group. The one who ruined Jeol-gang Province was Baek So-cheon."
He gave an easy out to retreat. The Assassin Queen was tough, but Baek So-cheon without inner power was doable.
But those words didn't offer escape—they flung open the front gate on the opposite side. Baek So-cheon became fuel, blazing the flames of rage hotter.
"This time, I'll kill all those damn assassins! Call Jan-baek right now."
Won-mu startled at the name. Jan-baek was the master Yeom Hwa-sin had assigned him. One of Black Heaven's 18 Ghost Swords, among the three strongest.
Won-mu, about to protest, saw Yeom Sa-won's eyes were crazed.
"I shall obey."
Outside, Won-mu sighed.
Calling him was trouble, but whether he'd obey was even more so.
* * *
Baek So-cheon came to see her.
"I heard."
"Heard what?"
She played dumb.
"You refused the commission on me?"
"News travels fast, huh?"
Cheon-geuk feigned ignorance about leaking the info herself. Baek So-cheon knew but played along.
He saw it as the right call. Better to inform as needed than breed resentment later with "Even that, you didn't tell me?" Wise way to live.
"Not scared?"
"Of who? That spoiled punk? Hell no."
"No. Black Heaven."
"Black Heaven? Yeah, scary."
"And?"
"You've got my back, right? I told you—I bet everything on you this fight. Should've said it to that subordinate who just left. Couldn't bring myself."
"Why?"
"Worried about stereotypes on women. You know? Falling for a guy and tanking the organization... I'm not that passionate about love."
Baek So-cheon chuckled.
"You better fight well later. If you die, we're all dead."
"I'll bolt if I die. Won't fight a losing battle."
"Don't worry about that. No one vanishes better than me."
Cheon-geuk smiled faintly, and Baek So-cheon mirrored it.
"So why'd you come?"
"To say thanks. You refused my commission."
"It was a promise."
"Yeom Sa-won put it in, right?"
"Yeah."
"He won't let it slide. Whether he comes for you or me. He'll do something."
"What do we do?"
"I'll handle it."
"Ooh, manly!"
"Gotta flex sometime."
Baek So-cheon stood.
"I'll grab my stuff. Got a room for me?"
"Only this one."
"Then we'll bunk together for a bit."
He left without waiting for a reply.
Cheon-geuk stared blankly for a moment.
Then Dong-seong and the sole female guardian Seo-seong exchanged telepathic messages.
-Don't let him crash so easily! You told her that!
-What do you take the Alliance Lord for? She's swamped now, couldn't refuse—but she won't go easy!
Cheon-geuk asked with a slightly flushed face.
"When do we close the east gate these days?"
-...!
-...!