Is There Anyone in the World Who Knows Me? (14)
Is There Anyone in the World Who Knows Me? (14)
"Senior brother! Wh-what do we do? Why isn't that Jeolpungdo bastard coming?"
Bodies lay scattered across the ground. Jong Yuseop felt as though he had cut down more than five men already. The soldiers, terrified of dying, were subtly retreating one step at a time—but they hadn't fled entirely either. As if a tiger were glaring at them from behind, they stood their ground trembling, their faces crumpled in misery.
Jong Yuseop found himself in a predicament. Ordinarily, when they showed themselves at a corrupt government office, the soldiers would put up a token fight and then run away. Even if some were reasonably capable fighters, it was only natural for them to scatter in fear after being shown a flash of martial skill.
But these bastards were different. As if there were an exceptionally capable commander behind them—as if their heads would fly off the moment they fled—they surrounded the group with tears streaming down their faces, gripping their spears and holding their ground.
"Who knows...."
The encirclement wasn't the problem. The 'bandits' here, Jong Yuseop included, were all men who had learned martial arts. They could slaughter every last one of those soldiers on the spot and escape. But they couldn't do that.
If they killed all these bastards and razed the village without any witnesses, it would no longer end within the realm of mere banditry. This robbery had to finish, at all costs, with a righteous martial artist appearing on the scene, overwhelming them with martial prowess, and simply forcing the bandits to flee.
But Jeolpungdo was not coming. Time continued to pass, soldiers were steadily gathering from all around, yet Jeolpungdo showed absolutely no sign of appearing. One of his junior brothers whispered.
"Senior brother. It seems he saw the government office explode, got scared, and ran. Wouldn't it be right to pull out now?"
"...But this operation must succeed...."
Jong Yuseop muttered, his face twisting. His junior brother felt a pang of regret seeing Jong Yuseop's desperate state, but he shook his head and spoke again.
"We have no choice. The longer we drag this out, I don't know how many more will end up dead. Neither the elder nor the sect leader will blame you—things went wrong because the Jeolpungdo bastard fled."
Jong Yuseop clamped his mouth shut. It was hard to see beneath the mask, but the twitching of his brow alone made it clear to everyone that he was deliberating intensely. The spear-wielding soldiers were carefully closing in step by step, and Jong Yuseop shouted.
"Retreat!"
At his command, the 'bandit troupe' leaped over the encircling soldiers at high speed and vanished.
"Do not pursue them!"
And from the shadows, a stern-faced man with his hands clasped behind his back revealed himself.
Behind him stood a man trembling like a leaf, his body covered in burns.
"Kugh...! Kuhk...!"
The man stroked the head of the critically injured 'bandit' and spoke.
"Don't worry. I've sealed your pressure points so you can't commit suicide. I would ask for a wise decision from you."
*******
[The local official of Seokcheon, Magistrate Tae-hyeon, while attending to his duties at the government office, learned that bandits had invaded and fought back valiantly. Yet, as the bandits' momentum was fierce and their skill exceptional, he was driven back. Judging that he could not allow the government office to be surrendered as things stood, he gathered barrels of oil and gunpowder and detonated the building along with himself, blasting three bandits to death and leaving one critically injured. Heartened by his sacrifice, the soldiers fought with greater courage and repelled the bandits, making him a paragon among local officials. This plaque is hereby bestowed to honor his passing.]
The official—a man who had spent his entire life steeped in selfishness and corruption—thus made a splendid exit and went down in history as a loyal subject. Fated to die a miserable death by the sword had he slipped up, he at least left behind a fine name at the final moment. He must have been satisfied, right?
The modest temporary plaque erected before the ashes of the Seokcheon office became the talk of passersby, its story spreading from mouth to mouth and elevating the honor of the government.
"Did you hear that rumor? About the bandits who raided Seokcheon this time. They say some from the Zhongnan Sect were mixed in among them?"
"Ah, I heard that too. Apparently one disciple of the Zhongnan Sect was caught in the explosion and captured in critical condition. The Zhongnan Sect isn't giving any answers, but I hear both the government and the Murim Alliance are in an uproar over it."
The allies who were supposed to come never showed up, while the soldiers kept swarming in. If they killed everyone present on the spot, the matter would escalate too far, and if they dragged things out, there was a risk their identities would be exposed. In the end, Jong Yuseop couldn't bring himself to choose the option of annihilating the village that day and fled in disarray.
Perhaps because he had never run from an operation like this before, Jong Yuseop committed the blunder of leaving his allies behind.
The most crucial outcome of this incident was the capture of one of the bandits. Originally, with an assistant on hand, capturing one wasn't such a difficult task—but it became even easier because the bastards fled so hastily, abandoning their injured comrades and their dead.
Two of the recovered corpses were burned black beyond recognition, but one corpse and the bandit captured alive were identified as disciples of the Zhongnan Sect.
With this incident, the government's foothold in Seokcheon grew even stronger, while the Zhongnan Sect was placed in a precarious position after definitive evidence of their involvement in banditry surfaced. And the responsibility for all of this lay squarely with Jong Yuseop.
How was Jong Yuseop feeling right now? He could drop dead this very instant and it wouldn't matter—but I hoped he wouldn't die just yet. The true blow to finish him off was being prepared, step by step. No matter how powerful a scheme, if you don't strike with impeccable timing and catch them off guard, the effect is diminished.
The single blow that encapsulated every reason I had been tormenting Jong Yuseop and the Zhongnan Sect—it was waiting for its moment.
******
"What in the world is this atrocity! Answer me!"
Jonghwan's face was flushed bright red. He was so enraged that it seemed his qi and blood would invert and he would spit blood at any moment. He had trusted him one last time, like a son, and left things in his hands—and he had failed again. No, failure itself was one thing.
But wasn't it the iron rule to handle the aftermath thoroughly, even in failure?
He had fled without retrieving the corpses of his fallen allies, leaving behind proof that a member of the Zhongnan Sect had joined the bandit troupe. To brush it off by claiming he wasn't a member of the Zhongnan Sect—the allied sects they regularly dealt with had already recognized his face and confirmed it was true. And most damning of all, the insignia of the Zhongnan Sect was found in his possession.
"Do you know what I just heard up at the Murim Alliance? I heard them say we're no different from the Green Forest! We were compared to those filthy Green Forest bastards who cowardly prey on the common people and squeeze them dry!"
"...I'm sorry."
Jong Yuseop lowered his head, half out of his mind. After this string of misfortunes and blunders, even if he had ten mouths, he had nothing to say in his defense—and his head was so flooded with guilt and self-reproach that he couldn't think straight. He had messed it up again. This time, he had truly and utterly ruined everything.
This incident was on an entirely different level from starting a fire at his residence after visiting the brothel, or overturning the cart. It was no different from shattering the core of the enterprise that Venerable Geumbok and the Zhongnan Sect had been running together all this time.
Jonghwan shouted.
"You damned bastard! This is no different from you smashing the future of the Zhongnan Sect to pieces! How am I supposed to face Elder Venerable Geumbok now! What in the world are we supposed to do! Because of you, our sect is on the verge of being mocked as a bandits' den, and we've become a target of scorn from every direction!"
"...I'm... truly sorry...."
Jong Yuseop's limbs trembled violently. He felt sick. Even the slightest attempt to think rationally sent a wave of guilt surging up from his chest—the guilt of having destroyed everything. Nausea rose and his head spun.
In an instant, his face turned pale and his breathing grew ragged. As he barely managed to steady himself, the face of Venerable Geumbok came to mind.
[There is no need to say such things. You put in more than enough effort. If you have failed this time, you can simply do better next time. Who am I? Am I not Venerable Geumbok, the one who commands all of Shaanxi? I will not crumble so easily over something like this. It is enough to make up for this failure with the next task.]
He had betrayed the very person who trusted him. His own arrogance and weakness had ruined the operation and smashed everything to hell.
That day.
Venerable Geumbok had clasped Jong Yuseop's hand tightly.
Even though the weather was cold, his hands had been warm.
[You'll be able to do well.]
"Uuughk...! Urghk...! Gag...!"
Bile surged from his stomach. Clamping his mouth shut as streams of liquid spilled out, Jong Yuseop collapsed. Jonghwan, who had been raging, was startled and caught the falling Jong Yuseop, shouting.
"N-no! You bastard! Wh-what's happening! Someone, quickly! Is there no one there!"
Amidst Jonghwan's frantic cries, Jong Yuseop muttered, tears streaming down his face.
"I'm... sorry.... I'm.... sor.... ry.... E-elder...."
In a tear-choked voice, Jong Yuseop apologized to Venerable Geumbok over and over.
But Venerable Geumbok could not hear those words, and Jonghwan, too, did not catch his apology.