The New Recruit's Heavy Hand
Jang Ho charged straight at Dan Yeop.
Smack—!
This time the slap landed with a crisp, meaty sound, and Constable Jang Ho toppled backward.
The other constables stared in disbelief, eyes darting between Jang Ho and Dan Yeop. The sight of a hulking man being brutally slapped down by someone half his size felt utterly unreal.
Dan Yeop dusted his hands with two sharp taps and addressed the group.
“I’m not related to Magistrate Jo, and my family background is nothing impressive. What I do have is a handsome face, a mind that never forgets anything it sees once, and—as you just witnessed—a rather heavy hand. Any further questions, constables? Patrolmen, if you’re curious about anything, speak up.”
“……”
The constables and patrolmen simply stared at him with strange expressions. They had all lived rough lives, but they swore they had never met anyone quite like this before.
“If there are no questions, let’s get to work. People who draw a salary from the state shouldn’t be sitting idle.”
At those words every face tightened. A constable’s yearly pay came to a mere five taels of silver—not per month, per year. Patrolmen received even less. Without squeezing coins out of merchants through threats and blackmail, they could barely survive. Yet Dan Yeop, who had only just set foot on the constable path, knew none of this.
When the mood grew heavy, he assumed it was the sting of his own words and lifted his chin with satisfaction. He spread the case files across the central table and began reading.
Surprisingly, everything matched the rumors he had heard inside Haomun.
The criminals had stormed the Nakan County Office at the start of the Snake Hour, around three in the afternoon. The magistrate and the three military officers guarding him died where they stood. A magistrate also served as military commander, which was why officers accompanied him. It meant every one of them had been skilled in martial arts. The magistrate in particular had been stronger than his guards—an indication of exactly how formidable the attackers were.
Dan Yeop pulled out the portrait lying at the bottom of the stack. It showed a young man and a young woman.
These two must be from a murim sect as well.
Anyone capable of killing a magistrate and his escorts in a single breath had to be.
He rose abruptly. To learn anything more precise, he would need to examine the autopsy report.
At that moment Constable Jang Ho, who had been unconscious, groaned and staggered to his feet. Still disoriented, he lunged at Dan Yeop again. Everything had happened so fast he had not yet processed the situation.
Another sharp smack rang out, and Jang Ho collapsed.
Dan Yeop stepped past him without a second glance. The constables and patrolmen who watched inwardly clicked their tongues. The man looked like a delicate courtesan’s favorite, yet he was even more ruthless than Jang Ho.
Episode 82. They Say He Turns Into a Dog the Moment He Starts Drinking.
Jang Ho was originally from Gangnam Province. After his father caused a serious accident, the whole family had moved to the capital district. His father spent their entire fortune opening a lamb butcher shop. Built like an ox, Jang Ho had trained in martial arts at the local military hall. His dream had been to become a magistrate, but he lacked the intellect for study. In the end he inherited the butcher shop. Yet a giant who had mastered martial arts was hardly suited for commerce. Once his daily work ended, he would habitually head to a tavern and drink until he blacked out.
One day, while completely drunk, he quarreled with other patrons. True to his name, Jang Ho rampaged like a roaring tiger and beat them all senseless. Normally a one-against-many brawl would have been overlooked, but one of the victims happened to be the county office’s chief clerk—a man of real power who oversaw all administrative affairs. At the clerk’s complaint, Jang Ho was hauled to a stone quarry and sentenced to three years of hard labor.
Those three years of penal servitude ruined his life completely. The butcher shop failed, and no one would hire him. Still, a man is not fated to die so easily. A ward official who had watched him drown his sorrows in taverns every day took pity on him and recommended him for the constable position.
Once he became a constable, Jang Ho lived up to his name, soaring like a tiger. Merchants who had once scorned him now groveled. With his massive frame and martial training, he became the absolute ruler of the Chang’an station.
At least until this morning.
“…And that’s what happened,” Constable Ma Han finished.
Constable Jang Ho blinked, stupefied. “You’re saying I got knocked out by Dan Yeop?”
“Did you think you were just taking a nap in the station?”
Since he had indeed lain down and gotten back up, Jang Ho unconsciously wiped his mouth with his palm, making a loud sucking sound.
“So where is the bastard now?”
“It looked like he was heading to the Nakan County Office.”
“Alone?”
“Three patrolmen hurried after him, so not completely alone.”
“Damn it. What can a rookie like that possibly do?”
Jang Ho’s face crumpled into a scowl. Each constable was normally assigned three patrolmen, yet it was true he had gone without support from any other constables. Having investigated the Nakan case until yesterday, Jang Ho’s mood was foul.
“Will you help, Constable Jang?”
“Help who? Don’t tell me you mean Dan Yeop.”
“You were the one handling the Nakan County Office case until yesterday.”
“He knocked me flat and went off alone, didn’t he? Sounds like he wants to handle it by himself. Why should I help a guy like that?”
“Have you found anything yet?”
“In two days? Of course not.”
“Ah, true enough. Since we’re both in a rotten mood, how about a drink at Pungwol Tower after work?”
“Sounds good. Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I visited Pungwol Tower.”
“They say the new courtesan from the Western Regions is absolutely exquisite.”
“Western Region courtesans, huh…”
The conversation between the two constables naturally slid into bawdy talk. Such was life at the Chang’an station.
Around noon, four men entered the Nakan County Office—Constable Dan Yeop and the three patrolmen trailing him. Constables could dress freely, but patrolmen wore dark gray hemp uniforms with the character stitched across their backs. The officials of the Nakan County Office gathered one by one at the sight of unfamiliar faces.
The chief clerk stepped forward. “I am the chief clerk here. Which office are you from?”
He asked because they were not Jang Ho’s usual men. A quick-witted patrolman answered for Dan Yeop.
“We’re from the constable station at Jangan County Office. Constable Dan Yeop here has taken charge of the Nakan case.”
The chief clerk pointed at the youth wearing dark tinted glasses. “That man is the constable?”
As though he had been waiting for the cue, Dan Yeop brought his hands together lightly and bowed.
“Constable Dan Yeop of the Jangan County Office. I’ve come to examine the autopsy reports of the deceased.”
The chief clerk studied Dan Yeop’s ambiguous features for a moment, then spun on his heel.
“Follow me.”
Dan Yeop and the three patrolmen trailed after him.
The public records room had all four walls lined with shelves. The chief clerk retrieved several sheets of paper from a wooden chest on the floor and handed them over.
“Here are the autopsy reports. We tried to deduce the culprits’ background from their killing methods, but nothing distinctive stood out.”
Dan Yeop examined the body diagrams and read the wound descriptions in silence. Just as the clerk had said, the injuries were ordinary.
“The techniques seem rather plain compared to the martial skill they must possess.”
“Indeed. Nothing eye-catching at all. Has Constable Jang Ho withdrawn from this case?”
“Was this originally his case?”
“It seems the handover was never completed. Yes, he visited again yesterday.”
“What happened to the bodies?”
“The funerals were held two days ago.”
“Did Constable Jang Ho see the corpses himself?”
“He took a brief look the day before the funeral.”
Dan Yeop nodded. Given the scale of the incident, it seemed Jang Ho had at least verified that much.
“Did this magistrate ever earn the enmity of anyone in the murim?”
“Not at all. On the contrary, he was on friendly terms with many martial artists. The mark of the Thousand Lotuses was left at the scene, so it is clearly their work.”
“I knew that. I only asked to be certain.”
After one final look around the site, Dan Yeop left the Nakan County Office.
Chang’an Castle. Jangan County Office. End of the Snake Hour, five in the afternoon.
Dan Yeop returned to the station before quitting time and casually asked for his predecessor, Constable Jang Ho. Constable Jin Seung, who was still there, answered.
“Constable Jang Ho left a short while ago with Constable Ma Han.”
“It’s still the Snake Hour.”
“Constables often work outside the office. Their hours are fairly flexible.”
“Do you know where he went?”
“I overheard him say he was heading to Pungwol Tower.”
“Where is Pungwol Tower?”
“Why? Planning to meet him at this hour?”
“I have questions about the Nakan case.”
“It’s in the courtesan district of Daian Ward. Once Constable Jang Ho starts drinking he loses all restraint, so watch yourself.”
“Is his drinking habit that bad?”
“In his youth his drunken behavior earned him three years of penal labor.”
“Ah……”
Dan Yeop was mildly surprised. He had heard some constables had criminal pasts, but he hadn’t expected the man he had clashed with to be one of them.
After his shift ended, Dan Yeop headed for Daian Ward. It was now the Rooster Hour, yet the sun still shone brightly.
“Isn’t this basically daytime drinking?”
It was so bright he was almost speechless. The place a constable would rush off to after leaving early was a brothel.
As Dan Yeop shook his head in disappointment, someone slipped through the crowd and spoke to him naturally.
“We meet again. Must be fate. Care for a drink?”
Dan Yeop glanced sideways. It was the middle-aged ronin he had encountered in front of the wanted poster two days earlier.
“Are you asking me to buy, or offering to treat?”
“Haha! Obviously the one who mentions drinking first pays. Not knowing that— are you new to the jianghu?”
“If you’re buying, I won’t refuse. But today I have business to attend to.”
“Come now, don’t be like that. Let’s go to Pungwol Tower together. The Western beauties there are unforgettable.”
A spark flashed in Dan Yeop’s eyes. Of all places, Pungwol Tower?
He had thought the meeting coincidental, but now it carried a suspicious scent.
“I was actually heading to Pungwol Tower myself. If you wait until I finish my business, I’ll accept that drink. How does that sound?”
“It can’t take long. My time is valuable too.”
“Understood. It’s only a few words. It won’t take long.”
“Good.”
As the man nodded, Dan Yeop said, “My name is Dan Yeop. May I ask your honorable name, senior?”
“Oh, no need to call me senior so stiffly. I’m Hwang Bi-won. Just call me Brother Hwang.”
“So it’s Senior Hwang.”
“Hey, I told you—Brother Hwang.”
Dan Yeop and Hwang Bi-won walked down the street, lightly bickering the whole way.
Daian Ward. Pungwol Tower.
Dan Yeop and Hwang Bi-won entered together as though they were companions. Hwang Bi-won went upstairs with one of the female attendants, while Dan Yeop followed another attendant down the inner corridor. When they reached the final room at the end, the attendant stopped. Dan Yeop quietly dismissed her and threw the door open.
At that exact instant, Constable Jang Ho—arms wrapped around a Western beauty, leaning in to force a kiss—had his face twist in pure rage.