Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Martial Alliance Committee Member Go Jin-cheol - [1]
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Heo Pung-gae had been out of prison for a week now, and everything was going pretty smoothly.
Patients kept coming to the acupuncture clinic, and Heo Pung-gae treated them at low prices, racking up some good karma. There hadn't been much progress in his training, but no demonic possession or anything like that either. After Invincible BB Bullet got locked up, a few organizations had quietly stopped their tributes, but once he gave them a little reminder, they got right back to it.
To Heo Pung-gae, it all looked perfect.
But not to Yi Pung, apparently. While flipping through the ledger, Yi Pung suddenly muttered,
"That O Eun-rim bitch."
Where the hell did that come from? Heo Pung-gae shot him a glare.
Yi Pung kept grumbling.
"Did that thorny bitch say anything back at her family manor or not?"
"What're you talking about all of a sudden?"
"Come on, by now, every martial artist in the world should know that Invincible BB Bullet's disciple has shown up, right? There should be dozens of calls coming in just out of curiosity about whether this disciple's the real deal or a fake. But not a single one? Does that make any sense?"
When the O Family Manor's young mistress, O Eun-rim, had visited, Yi Pung had subtly asked her to spread the word back home that Invincible BB Bullet's disciple had appeared. The idea was to get the rumor mill churning so other martial artists would come knocking.
And once they did, Invincible BB Bullet's disciple could show off his skills. That would pave the way for a flashy comeback in the martial world.
But even after O Eun-rim left, not a single martial artist came looking for Invincible BB Bullet's disciple. Not one.
At this point, it was reasonable to assume she'd gone back to her family manor and said nothing about it. To Yi Pung, it felt like outright betrayal.
Heo Pung-gae said,
"To do that, she'd have to admit she lost to me. Probably too embarrassing."
Yi Pung exploded.
"What the fuck? She's not a damn kid—she shouldn't hide that shit!"
"If she wants to keep it under wraps, she will. Why would she brag about something like that?"
"I asked her to do it! This is bullshit."
Heo Pung-gae had even gotten an elixir from O Eun-rim, so he held no grudges. But Yi Pung seemed genuinely pissed at her.
After fuming for a while, Yi Pung said,
"Bro, instead of just lying around waiting for windfalls to drop... why don't we call up some martial sects we're on good terms with? Tell 'em Invincible BB Bullet's disciple is here and invite them to come see for themselves."
"That'd cost money."
"Money? Why?"
"Calling people in just to introduce yourself? That's a favor, plain as day. You're basically asking them to spread the word about you. Can't do that for free—you gotta pay a courtesy fee. And we don't have that kind of cash right now."
"Fuck. But... we're not exactly raking it in yet... This is driving me nuts."
As Yi Pung vented his frustration, Heo Pung-gae just stared at him blankly. Then he asked,
"Pung, you need money bad or something?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You're acting way too antsy. And the other day, you were talking about shaking down those guys who got shot up. Back in the day, you wouldn't have suggested something that risky."
"Yeah... but..."
"If you need cash quick, just say so. I don't have any on hand, but I can borrow some from somewhere. Take that at least."
Yi Pung waved his hands in a panic.
"No, it's not urgent or anything. I just wanna make more money faster."
"Our current take not enough?"
"Hell no. After paying the kids' salaries and your cut, I'm left with a little over a million won."
"Ungrateful bastard. A million a month too little? Regular salarymen would starve."
"Come on. Even gangsters running shitty entertainment joints pocket ten million a month. Last time I checked, some high school kid running a street brothel was pulling eight hundred."
"Whatever. What's the rush to make more?"
Yi Pung sighed and said,
"There is a reason. My little girl's starting high school next year."
His little girl?
Heo Pung-gae remembered Yi Pung had a daughter.
"Baram's already that big?"
"Yeah, she was in third grade when you went inside, right? Figured I'd stack some cash before she hits high school."
"Makes sense. Prep for college entrance exams means tutoring fees. That stuff's expensive."
"Yeah... exactly."
"If you'd just studied like a good boy and gone to college, think how great it'd be. Instead, the smart kid ends up a gangster."
"Bro, why you gotta rub it in all of a sudden..."
"I'm still pissed thinking about the hundred and forty million I blew on your tutors."
"That much?"
"Yeah. And what do you do? Beat the shit out of the tutor I hired, make me pay settlement. Punch the schoolteacher, get expelled. I held back from turning you into a vegetable—must've been pretty enlightened back then."
"Kids can be wild sometimes."
"Anyway, your savings not enough?"
"Nope."
"You're making over ten million a month and got nothing saved?"
"Nothing."
"Crazy bastard. Same as when you were a punk kid or a dad now..."
"Whatever. Point is, no money. I'm dying to make more, especially for my daughter."
Heo Pung-gae clicked his tongue, paused for a moment, then spoke.
"Alright, let's swing by the Martial Alliance soon. Announce straight-up that Invincible BB Bullet's disciple has arrived."
Yi Pung's eyes went wide.
"For real?"
"Yeah."
"You hated the idea of going there."
"Gotta do what you gotta do. Lounging around forever ain't good."
Yi Pung grinned ear to ear.
"Whoa, seriously... Thanks, bro!"
Heo Pung-gae smiled faintly. But thinking about what might happen if they showed up at that damn Martial Alliance, he groaned inwardly.
The Martial Alliance had plenty of people who wouldn't welcome Invincible BB Bullet. It wasn't like he'd cleaned up his image for nothing.
He was claiming to be the disciple now, but that wouldn't save him from the hassle...
But Heo Pung-gae didn't have to go to the Martial Alliance himself. A similar opportunity came knocking soon enough.
That afternoon, an invitation arrived.
From the O Family Manor.
Yi Pung read the invitation and blinked, then muttered,
"No wonder she ignored my request... Makes sense now..."
Then he called out to Yi Do-hyeok, who was doing chores.
"Do-hyeok, you got a black suit and black shoes at home?"
"Huh? No."
"Here's a card. Get yourself a set."
Yi Do-hyeok asked,
"We heading to a funeral?"
"Yeah. Remember that martial artist girl who came by? The O Family Manor's young mistress."
"Yeah, she was pretty."
"Her dad's passed away. They're holding the funeral soon."
"We gotta go too?"
"Of course. Can't not show up as fellow Incheon martial artists. And while it's sad for her... honestly, this is a good chance for us."
"Good chance?"
Yi Pung explained.
"Not just Incheon martial artists—this funeral's drawing folks from all over the country. Like a martial world convention."
O Family Manor's O Jin-young had trained in martial arts since childhood and swallowed elixirs worth ten billion won, but he had zero talent for it. Hell, if he lost a fight to the local taekwondo instructor, no one would bat an eye.
On top of that, O Jin-young was a born slacker who turned down family duties, living as a half-unemployed bum. The only noteworthy thing about him was that his daughter had martial talent and became young mistress.
Other than eventually becoming family head's father someday, O Jin-young had zero value.
Naturally, his worth as a martial artist was rock-bottom, unmeasurable trash. Not even worth the effort to kill.
And that O Jin-young was dead. Shot in a soup joint.
Shocking news for the martial world.
If a master had gotten shot, it might not have caused such a stir.
Guns flooding Korea was scary, sure, but masters were valuable enough to warrant bullets. That made sense.
But gunning down a worthless martial artist like O Jin-young? Somehow more serious than killing a master. Whoever these guys were, they seemed ready to shoot anyone, valuable or not.
And gun violence isn't common in Korea. Not in back alleys or mansions—this was a legit operating soup house.
A public shooting. Hard to cover up.
They bribed the cops and the soup lady to keep quiet, dodging the nine o'clock news, but couldn't stop the police from swarming.
Cops were mobilizing for this case—heavy government involvement, something martial artists despised.
The Martial Alliance couldn't sit idle.
O Jin-young's murder was now the martial world's problem, and the Alliance had to step in with a response plan.
So his funeral hall was basically a temporary Martial Alliance headquarters.
True to their wealth, the O Family had rented a grand venue, and the cars parked out front rivaled the building's price tag.
Yi Do-hyeok felt intimidated.
He'd driven Yi Pung's domestic SUV here—a nice ride, but trash compared to the others.
So many Benzes and limos.
And their owners were no small fries.
Martial artists from across the country packed the place.
"Check out that old guy—probably a Beggar Clan elder. The bald-headed babe next to him? She studied at Ami Sect. Her estimated worth's over twenty billion, set a record for rising star masters."
Yi Do-hyeok gasped at Yi Pung's words.
"Twenty billion?"
"The potbellied dude next to her? Over a hundred billion. Damn, if you tallied up everyone here, you could buy half an aircraft carrier."
"Add Invincible BB Bullet's disciple? Our granduncle's an absolute master—must be priceless."
Yi Pung laughed.
"Hell yeah, you'd have a whole one left over."
Heo Pung-gae, overhearing, shot them a look.
"Shut it."
Yi Do-hyeok, who always respected Heo Pung-gae, clammed up. Yi Pung belatedly remembered it was a funeral and went quiet too.
Beyond the crowd sat the chief mourner.
O Eun-rim, the girl they'd met recently. Pale without makeup, greeting guests.
Heo Pung-gae bowed before her.
"Your father's passing is truly regrettable. My deepest condolences."
Heo Pung-gae's face looked genuinely sorrowful—impossible to fake better.
Yi Do-hyeok whispered worriedly from the side,
"Granduncle, you're great at keeping a straight face. Looks like you're really bummed at a stranger's funeral..."
Yi Pung said,
"Nah, he's legit sad."
"Huh? Why?"
"This guy's deathly afraid of people dying. Friend or stranger. Oh, speaking of—heads up."
"Heads up? On what?"
"You know how buddies say stuff like 'you're dead' or 'you're toast' as a joke?"
"Yeah."
"Never say that around him, not even joking. He flips out."
Yi Do-hyeok almost asked how, then stopped. He'd seen it.
That street brothel owner—after saying he was toast, got wrecked. Thought it was just a bad temper back then...
"Why's that?"
"Dunno exactly. Something about words having power, and hearing 'die' curses your luck, so he punishes it on the spot? I'm no priest, so who knows. Point is, he's hypersensitive to death talk, like a maniac. Watch yourself."
Meanwhile, before the bereaved daughter, Heo Pung-gae was truly immersed in gloom.
He'd been through this before.
Mother, father, child's deaths. And his master's.
One after another, sudden. Over a century later, still vivid. Etched in his brain, soaked into his body—mention death, and he shuddered.
O Eun-rim bowed back and said,
"Thank you for coming. Really. Thanks to you handing those two over, I at least have something to do..."
She probably hadn't expected sincere condolences from a stranger, but Heo Pung-gae's demeanor rang true.
Maybe that's why her thanks felt genuine too. Mourner and guest bowed silently, eyes meeting.
O Eun-rim said,
"Um, you said you're stronger than your master?"
"Yes."
"Was that just flattery?"
"No flattery. Do you need something?"
"Yes. If you're taking requests from other sects like your master... I have a favor to ask..."