You Just Don't Know How to Pick the Right Side, Huh?

The great gates stood beneath a signboard inscribed in a powerful hand. A cluster of people had already come out to meet them, having heard the news—and of course they had.

It had been an ordinary trade run. And yet along the way they had pulled off a daring success, absorbing the choicest holdings of the Henan Escort Agency. That alone would have been astonishing. But word had just arrived that they had been ambushed by bandits on the road home.

"The Vice Master has arrived!"

Chu Jahon exchanged greetings with the people who had come out to welcome him, his face bright with pleasure. Sun Wukong watched the scene from a step behind.

"Figures..."

"They're not a martial clan, but it's just as cutthroat over there."

"People are people, no matter where they live."

As Sun Wukong and Muhwa muttered to each other, Seowol tilted his head. He had been staring for quite some time, but he still couldn't quite grasp what they were talking about. Seowol had always been simple that way. When he didn't understand something, he didn't sit there turning it over. He just asked.

"What do you mean, Master?"

"Look over there. See that bunch standing off to one side with their faces all stiff?"

"Yeah."

"The Vice Master just pulled off a huge success and made it back from an ambush in one piece—and they still can't keep the looks off their faces. What do you suppose that is?"

"Ah..."

"And not a single family member who calls the Vice Master 'big brother' has shown his face."

Muhwa picked up where Sun Wukong left off.

"He said he had brothers, but they haven't even come out for an occasion like this."

"They're too busy dying of spite on the inside. You think they'd show?"

"Teacher Sun, you believe the Green Forest ambush was the younger brothers' doing, then?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Muhwa thought so too. But it was hard to be certain on surface appearances alone. It could just as easily have been a rival merchant group's scheme.

"They're one of the Five Great Merchant Groups of Hubei, and now they've taken the Henan Escort Agency's business on top of that."

"So a rival group got jealous and made a move?"

"It's a possibility."

"Sure. That's the natural thing to think."

Sun Wukong's tone was easy, almost lazy. But Muhwa caught something sharper beneath it.

"You're certain, aren't you."

"Is my face that easy to read?"

"Not at all. Teacher Sun is the hardest person in the world to read. It's a feeling. Just a feeling."

Sun Wukong gave a light nod. Unlike Muhwa, he was certain. He knew exactly who had sent those killers after Chu Jahon.

"It's the little brothers, all right."

"Really?"

Muhwa's eyes lit up. They had approached the Chuhyeon Merchant Group with a purpose. That much was certain.

Do they have some information network in Hubei we don't know about? Maybe a mysterious sect based here? The sole heir of a one-man lineage?

Muhwa's mind raced. Unfortunately, none of those guesses was even close.

"I saw it. In the ledger."

"The ledger? And what did you mean about saving his life..."

As Muhwa furrowed his brow, Seowol—who had been quietly trailing behind them the whole time—suddenly cried out as if it had just clicked.

"The ledger!"

"Hm?"

"The people written in it?"

Sun Wukong nodded at Seowol's question. Only then did Muhwa drag a memory up from the back of his mind. During the affair they had handled with the Butterfly Immortal and Seowol, they had clashed with an assassination guild. They had destroyed the hideout and wiped the entire sect off the map, or so he had heard. Muhwa's eyes went wide.

"The ledger—you mean the Yusal Sect's ledger?"

"That's the one. Not much written in it, though. Looks like they only recorded the contracts they took after coming over toward Anhui."

"Then... the Vice Master is listed in the ledger?"

"That's right."

"If the assassination target is the Vice Master, then the client would be..."

Sun Wukong just grinned instead of answering.

That was when it happened. The great gates opened belatedly, and two men emerged with a crowd at their backs. Their faces were painted with relief, as if they were truly, genuinely glad. Sun Wukong casually looked straight through them.

"For merchants, they hide their expressions well enough. Can't hide what's in their eyes, though."

The two who had come out late certainly resembled Chu Jahon. They were his brothers. And behind them a whole pack of people came pouring out—the faction that followed the younger brothers, most likely. From the looks of it, the two younger brothers' forces combined were about equal to the people Chu Jahon commanded. No wonder he hadn't been able to crush both of them in one stroke.

"Elder Brother, you're unharmed!"

"Thank heavens. When we heard the news, we were so shocked..."

"We should have gathered the merchant group's warriors and ridden out the moment we heard. Forgive us."

"Not at all, my brothers. You were worried about an attack from our other rivals, weren't you?"

Chu Jahon soothed them with an easy smile. The younger brothers' faces stiffened for an instant, then smoothed back over. Sun Wukong did not miss the shift.

"As it happens, we were saved by some wandering heroes who happened to be passing by."

So saying, Chu Jahon introduced Sun Wukong's party. The two younger brothers offered Sun Wukong their grateful thanks.

"You have our thanks, great hero. Because of you, the Chuhyeon Merchant Group and our eldest brother still live."

Sun Wukong let out a short laugh. He didn't even need the Fiery Golden Eyes to see past their facades. They managed their expressions well enough, as merchants should—but they couldn't control the feelings that leaked through their words and their eyes.

That look says they wish I hadn't been there at all.

Sun Wukong smiled with genuine delight.

Tea and sweet pastries had been laid out in the reception hall. Chu Jahon greeted them with a weary face.

"You've come."

"Isn't this a little too secretive for a meeting?"

At Sun Wukong's words, Chu Jahon offered a bitter smile.

"I've come to think the inside of these walls is more dangerous than anything outside them."

The seasoned merchant's instincts ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hadn't gone anywhere. Chu Jahon, too, suspected his brothers.

"I have no choice. I find myself uneasy unless I keep warriors I can trust close at hand."

"I just need a place to sleep. Why'd you call me here in secret?"

"No matter how I turn it over, Teacher Sun, it seems you already have something in mind."

When the Green Forest bandits had attacked, Chu Jahon hadn't even been able to stay on his feet. The man sitting here now was every inch the veteran merchant. Sun Wukong shrugged.

Without a word, he pulled out the ledger. Chu Jahon's eyebrows twitched at the sight of it.

"This is..."

Chu Jahon understood what it was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in an instant. And when he saw the two names listed as clients, his pupils shuddered violently.

Chu Jayeon. Chu Jahyeok. His own younger brothers.

What they had commissioned, and against whom—Chu Jahon had no trouble guessing.

"An assassination guild..."

"A ledger I picked up when I happened to fight some killers. From a place called the Yusal Sect."

"The Yusal Sect!"

Chu Jahon's voice rose before he could stop it. The Yusal Sect—was that not the most infamous assassination guild in all of Hubei? He stared at the ledger bearing his own three-character name for a long time before he finally managed to swallow his rage.

"What proof is there that this is genuine?"

"None. No reason it'd be fake, either. Who else would send those wandering swordsmen after you?"

"..."

Chu Jahon stared at the paper for a long while before he spoke.

"Why are you giving this to me?"

"I already told you. I was passing through, saw you getting attacked, and lent a hand. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Figured I needed a place to stay the night anyway."

Sun Wukong's voice was so shamelessly casual that even Chu Jahon couldn't read what lay beneath it.

What in the world...

Chu Jahon narrowed his eyes, then let out a sigh. He had spent years building the gravitas of an heir who would inherit the Chuhyeon Merchant Group. And still he couldn't see even an inch into Sun Wukong.

"I am a merchant. I never believe anyone who says they're giving something away for nothing. You give because you want something."

"For starters, some hot water, good food, and a comfortable room would be nice."

"...This isn't an inn."

"Make the food tasty, if you would. And plenty of it. I'm starving. Plus I've got a kid with me who eats like a horse."

Sun Wukong glanced sideways at Muhwa. Sensing the look, Muhwa jumped. Sun Wukong chuckled.

"Teacher Sun. I am not some fool who would receive a kindness and then turn my face away without a thought of repayment. From saving us from the Green Forest to this ledger now—I will see that you are fully compensated for all of it."

Chu Jahon's tone was almost frustrated.

"So please, tell me everything you want."

"Those two."

Sun Wukong's answer was brief. Chu Jahon didn't understand at first—then, as the seconds passed, his pupils began to tremble.

"My brothers?"

"Still clinging to fraternal affection, are we? You were never planning to leave them alone anyway, were you?"

The words struck home. Chu Jahon closed his mouth. An almost incredulous look crossed his face. This man was a complete stranger from another province. And yet the air he carried, the way he spoke—it was as if he already knew everything. Having one's insides laid bare was not a pleasant sensation for a merchant.

"Why those two?"

"They commissioned the Yusal Sect, so they'll know how they made contact. I want to ask them about that."

"So what you want is the Yusal Sect."

Chu Jahon's eyes sank low. Three martial artists. Holding a grudge against an assassination guild was common enough.

"You must not kill them. Once you've extracted the information, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠send them back to me. I will handle their punishment myself."

"Of course. I'll return them without a scratch on them, so don't worry."

"But... even so. A ledger with a single line written in it isn't enough to have them seized. The neutrals will see it as a clumsy attempt to purge one's own people on a flimsy pretext, and they'll resist."

Sun Wukong shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. They're already wound tight."

"Wound tight?"

"The assassins they spent a fortune commissioning vanished without a trace. They got impatient and even hired wandering swordsmen. And you still came back alive and well."

"Ah..."

"If you so much as pretend to investigate the Green Forest, they won't be able to sit still."

"That's true. If we look into the Green Forest, the trail will lead right back to them."

"So they'll try to hit the Vice Master before that happens, won't they?"

"Hngh!"

Chu Jahon squeezed his eyes shut. He seemed to be sorting through his thoughts. After some time, he spoke again.

"But... it won't be easy."

"I know. You're short on warriors."

"We took heavy losses in the Green Forest ambush. And while I was away with the caravan, my two brothers have been competing to gather warriors of their own. We're outmatched in strength."

"Outmatched? It's the other way around."

Chu Jahon's eyes went wide. He understood Sun Wukong's meaning a beat later. Superiority in strength. Of course. The martial power of the man who had captured Ilsu Samdo in a single breath.

"I'll take tasty food and good wine as payment."

Chu Jahon looked at Sun Wukong with an unreadable expression, then nodded.

If things go as they say...

Could a mere meal, some wine, and a warm place to stay really be enough repayment? He was a merchant. No one understood better than he that a deal had to leave both sides satisfied. He nodded with a grave face.

"Very well. I'll set things in motion. This is something I must do to stay alive, after all."

"That's right. They started it."

Sun Wukong smiled faintly.

Chu Jahon treated them with unmistakable generosity. Anyone who didn't know better would have taken them for the most honored of guests, so lavish was the hospitality. The meals and lodgings were not merely fine—they were downright opulent.

Sun Wukong lay in an expensive jade bathtub, savoring the hot water. He whistled softly as he sank into it, and every last bit of fatigue melted away.

"See? This is why you stay somewhere nicer than an inn."

He chuckled to himself. Then something caught his keen senses. He smiled faintly at the sound of someone climbing the stairs from below.

"They bit the second I tossed the bait. Must've been starving."

Sometime without his noticing, the surroundings had gone silent. The noise from outside the building had been swallowed as if it had never existed. An artificial hush. The footsteps climbing the stairs were vanishingly faint—creeping, as if trying to kill every sound. Sun Wukong waited, perfectly still.

After some time, the bathroom door shattered inward and a flash of white steel burst through. Sun Wukong flicked a droplet of water.

"......!"

The sword's aggressive trajectory twisted wildly off course. Sun Wukong flung a spray of water. Water hot enough to scald flesh splashed into the man's eyes.

"Gah!"

The man screamed in pain, clutching his eyes. Sun Wukong clicked his tongue and stood up.

"......!"

Four men had entered the bathroom. Seven more waited outside the door. Sun Wukong let out a sigh.

"What'd you lot ever do wrong?"

Just...

Life was all about choices, after all.