The Trap for Wang Jin
Black Snake Society in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province.
It was the sort of Black Dao sect whose name you could find at least one of in any corner of the Central Plains.
Naturally, there was nothing remarkable about it at all.
Its sect leader was not especially strong, it had no famous members to speak of, its ranks were not large, and it certainly wasn't wealthy either.
But even the pitiful third-rate Black Dao rabble known as the Black Snake Society had a secret.
That secret was this: one of the elders of the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect, the martial family that ruled Shanxi Province, was backing them.
"Heh heh. The men I sent out to collect should be back soon."
Ju Yun-ho, the leader of the Black Snake Society, gazed at the front gate and muttered to himself in satisfaction.
In truth, the relationship between them was unusual.
Normally, an elder of a prestigious orthodox family would never be connected to some tiny Black Dao gang like this.
But Wang Jin, an elder of the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect, had approached Ju Yun-ho and the Black Snake Society first.
His proposal had been simple: the two sides should go into business together.
That business was having Black Snake Society martial artists impersonate warriors of the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect and extort protection money from merchants in the marketplace.
At first, I refused outright.
Of course he had.
Who in their right mind would agree to something like that?
If things went wrong, he might draw the ire of the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect, the greatest sect in Shanxi.
No, not just incur their wrath. They would tear him to pieces.
Ju Yun-ho was not a man with the guts for that kind of thing.
But in the end, he had no choice but to obey Wang Jin's request through gritted teeth.
Why?
Because he said he'd wipe out the Black Snake Society if I refused.
Wang Jin had declared that if they did not follow his orders, he would mobilize forces and attack the Black Snake Society.
In the end, either way led to death.
So Ju Yun-ho had submitted and begun acting under Wang Jin, impersonating the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect.
But the results had been astonishing.
Just as Wang Jin promised, the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect never noticed a thing.
That was because of the complicated state the sect was in.
The Family Head had been bedridden with illness, and the Young Lord had seemed weak and frail as well.
On top of that, troubles targeting the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect had been breaking out all over at once, leaving them no room to pay attention to this side matter.
In other words, he had stumbled onto a honey pot he had never expected to find.
Of course, nearly eighty percent of the profits had to be handed over to Wang Jin, but...
Even the remaining twenty percent is a tidy profit.
For Black Dao men who normally had to earn money through harsh, dangerous work, this was practically effortless.
No need to fight, almost no risk of getting caught, and steady income on top of that?
He felt foolish for ever trying to reject the offer in the first place.
In any case...
"But why aren't they back yet?"
Lost in that sweet reverie for some time, he tilted his head.
The subordinates he had sent out to collect money were nowhere to be seen.
Had something happened?
Just as he was about to order other underlings to go check—
Boom!
The massive front gate of the Black Snake Society exploded inward with a thunderous crash, sending up a cloud of dust.
"W-what the hell happened?!"
With a horrified face, Ju Yun-ho stared at the figures emerging from the dust.
The first faces he recognized were those of the men he had sent out to collect money.
And then—
"W-who the hell is that?!"
Behind them stood a young man, sword leveled at their backs.
* * *
The moment I entered the Black Snake Society, I swept my gaze around the area.
They had clearly all heard the commotion already, because dozens of people were gathering.
When I spread my senses, I found no one beyond this number.
It seemed they had all come here without a single one missing.
Well, even if someone tries to run, Escort Sagong will catch them.
I had deliberately stationed two people outside.
Both of them had worried that letting me go in alone might be dangerous, but...
I had insisted that I wanted more real combat experience, and so I came in alone.
Still, it was fine.
With my current skill, this level of Black Dao trash was more than manageable.
"W-who are you?!"
"No concern of yours."
I thoroughly ignored the man who looked like their leader.
His face flushed red in anger at once.
Apparently being treated like this by someone as young as me infuriated him.
"Insolent brat! Do you have any idea where you've come?"
"A den of scum daring to impersonate the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect, isn't it?"
"...!"
At my words, the leader stopped mid-rage and flinched.
Only natural.
From their perspective, it was absolutely vital that no one learned they had been pretending to be the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect while extorting protection money from common merchants.
So when I spoke as if I knew everything, he was deeply shaken.
I gave them a thin smile and said,
"I have a proposal for you. I can't forgive you for daring to impersonate the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect, but I can still offer you a way to keep your lives."
"K-kill him!"
The leader shouted without even hearing me out.
"Aaaaaargh!"
At once, the men drew their weapons and charged.
Every one of them looked desperate.
They all knew this secret couldn't be allowed to leak.
But they had made the wrong choice.
If they had accepted my offer, it would have ended with the dissolution of their sect and the return of every coin they had made in the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect's name.
But the moment they pointed blades at me, I had no intention of ending it so lightly.
I kicked away the men I had been using as living shields and unleashed the second form of the Gale Continuous Sword.
A whirling sword arc tore through the encirclement, scattering blood and bodies into the air.
Clang—crash!
"Wh-!"
"Ghk!"
The bodies of the men who had closed in and attacked me were lifted into the air, spraying blood.
The ones who had rushed in a little behind them froze in shock.
But I did not miss that moment of hesitation.
The third form of the Gale Continuous Sword swept outward, a fierce storm of blades carving crimson trails in every direction.
"Aaaagh!"
"Urk!"
Everyone caught in that path was cut down where they stood.
The Black Dao men were completely terrified now.
They had realized I was far beyond them.
"R-run!"
"Aaaaah!"
Trying to avoid me, they scattered to both sides and made for the walls.
Tap!
But that was when Sagong Cheon and Gong Hyeon appeared.
From either direction, they began cutting down the Black Dao men trying to vault the walls.
Both were highly skilled, and no one could escape past them.
"H-how can this be..."
The enemy leader stared blankly at the scene.
Watching his men fall like dead leaves, he must have realized he had no hope either.
"Stop him! If we all rush him at once, we still have a chance!"
At least he still had enough will to shout orders at the few subordinates who hadn't completely lost their nerve.
But after doing so, he turned and fled without the slightest hesitation.
What a joke.
I twisted my lips and burst forward.
Whoosh!
"Die!"
"Hyaaaah!"
The enemy elites, not yet realizing their leader had already fled, charged straight at me.
I stepped into the Overlord's Footwork.
My figure flickered like a ghost, slipping into their blind spots and skimming past their throats.
Slash!
Shhk!
"...!"
The remaining Black Dao men recoiled as those men collapsed without even managing a scream.
Ignoring them, I ran straight for the enemy leader.
Then—
Thunk!
"Aaaaaaaaaagh!"
My sword drove straight through his left thigh.
Caught in the act of fleeing, he let out a scream of agony.
I ignored it and twisted the blade as I pulled it free.
His mobility was completely gone now.
After kicking him away and freeing my sword, I approached him slowly.
Desperate not to die, the leader was frantically trying to staunch the bleeding.
"You should've taken my offer when I first made it."
"P-please spare me."
The first thing out of his mouth was a plea for his life.
Instead of answering, I swept my eyes over the area.
By now, Sagong Cheon and Gong Hyeon had already wiped out every last enemy disciple who had tried to flee.
No one remained.
Still, just in case, I asked,
"Are there any of your men still outside?"
"N-no. And even if there were, if they saw this, they'd run for their lives."
True enough. Black Dao scum did not have the kind of loyalty that would bring them back to a slaughterhouse like this.
If so, the chances of word leaking out were nearly nonexistent.
Tap.
I sheathed my sword and gave the leader an order.
"Tonight, call out the elder of the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect you're colluding with."
"...!"
"If you don't, I'll cut off the heads of everyone here."
I spoke in a voice as cold as ice.
I meant every word of it, and he must have known that it was no joke.
Proof of that was the way he nodded frantically, white with fear.
With that, our preparations to lure out Wang Jin, the man behind them, were complete.
Wait for me, Wang Jin.
This life, I won't let you slip away.
* * *
That night, Wang Jin made his way toward the Black Snake Society with two close attendants.
"It seems they've been collecting faster than expected."
"I'm concerned they may have disobeyed us and seized a large sum for themselves."
"Yes. I was thinking the same."
The reason he was going there despite it not being the regular day of tribute was because the Black Snake Society had sent word.
The message had said the amount to be handed over was too large to deliver all at once, and that they had something urgent to discuss with Wang Jin.
"Idiots. A tail that grows too long is bound to be stepped on..."
Wang Jin clicked his tongue, convinced the only reason they could have amassed so much money so quickly was that they had ignored his instructions and extorted some enormous haul.
If not, there was no way they could have gathered such a tribute in so short a time.
But to Wang Jin, that was a blunder.
If they became too greedy, the odds of the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect noticing would rise sharply.
Especially now, when the Family Head had risen from his sickbed and the Young Lord's presence had grown stronger, they should have been keeping their heads down.
I should tell them not to contact me for a while.
Clicking his tongue, Wang Jin stepped through the Black Snake Society's front gate, which for some reason lay smashed to pieces.
And then—
A voice he should not have been hearing rang out.
Wang Jin looked toward its owner with a face full of shock.
Jin Muyeol, the Young Lord of the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect, was staring at him with cold eyes.
"Young Lord? How are you here?"
"How? You still can't figure it out after seeing this?"
He threw something at Wang Jin.
Wang Jin caught it reflexively, and his eyes trembled.
It was a Northern Heavenly Sword Sect uniform—the very same kind he had provided to the Black Snake Society.
Which meant the Young Lord knew everything.
"This is a misunderstanding... there must be some kind of misunderstanding, Young Lord."
"Then submit quietly and be taken in. I'll at least allow you a chance to protest your innocence. But if you resist, this won't be any fun."
"Hoo. Very well. But where is that escort of yours? The one who always follows you around?"
"Did you think I'd carry this out alongside someone who might be a spy for Yi Tae-gyeom of the Elders' Council?"
"I see."
A strange light entered Wang Jin's eyes.
And then—
Bang!
Wang Jin's sword slammed into the blade Jin Muyeol had barely managed to draw in time.
Jin Muyeol frowned.
"What exactly do you think you're doing?"
"Nothing more than what I've always wanted to do. I've wanted to kill you for a long time, Young Lord."
"You mean to kill me and bury the evidence. You remind me of your nephew."
Jin Muyeol's lips curled.
"Wang Ho tried to kill me too. He died for it instead."
"I am not so easy as that fool."
"Is that so? We'll see."
Jin Muyeol said that, then gave a whistle.
Fweeeet!
Thud thud thud thud!
"...!"
At that signal, dozens of martial artists appeared and surrounded them.
The moment Wang Jin recognized who they were, his eyes shook violently.
They were the warriors of the Law Enforcement Hall, the enforcers of the clan's laws.
If they were here, then that meant—
"It was a trap from the very beginning...!"
"Did you think I'd really come to meet you alone?"
As he said that, Jin Muyeol raised his sword.
"Criminal Wang Jin. As the Young Lord of the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect, I will now name your crimes."
"...!"
"You colluded with Black Dao scum, profited through the abuse of the clan's name, and attempted to assassinate the Young Lord. These are unforgivable crimes for a member of the Northern Heavenly Sword Sect."
A strange twist touched his lips.
"Therefore, I hereby sentence you to immediate execution."