Playing With Fire
Last night.
While Baek Seo-gun steeled himself against a nagging sense of foreboding and went to sleep, Yeop Gun-pyeong gathered his men behind Baek Seo-gun's back.
"Is everyone here?"
"Y-yes, sir."
Yeop Gun-pyeong.
In Yichang, he was known as the Little Devil.
In some ways, that name was more famous than the Black Tiger Sect Lord's own — for the young master's outstanding martial arts, and for a temperament even more cruel and vicious than that talent warranted.
His degeneracy spared no one, not even the Black Tiger disciples. It was the reason the Black Tiger men, who feared no one in Yichang, trembled like they'd met a death god whenever he appeared.
"My father gave me a task, and I can't just go back empty-handed. Right?"
"Y-Young Lord, sir."
"What?"
"Does the Chief Steward... know about this?"
Yeop Gun-pyeong smirked.
"And if he doesn't? Is that a problem?"
"......!"
The disciples froze.
"Besides, why do you even care, hm? The Chief Steward handles things far too softly, so I'm stepping in myself. Right?"
"Y-yes, sir!"
"Then why all this chatter when you already know?"
The disciple bowed low.
"Forgive me! Just give the order, and we'll follow!"
"Then give me your order."
"Yes, sir!"
"Hmm."
Yeop Gun-pyeong asked in a bored drawl.
"The problem right now is that steward and his manor, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then burn the manor down first."
What?
What did he just say?
"W-won't this get way too big? Setting a fire doesn't actually solve anything, and if it spreads badly, even bribes won't be enough to cover—"
That was when it happened.
Crack!
For an instant, the man thought sparks had burst before his eyes.
'H-huh?'
Unable to grasp what had just happened to him, the man only blinked as he clutched his burning cheek.
"You call yourself a disciple of my father's Black Tiger Sect? Our reputation's been dragged through the mud, and your job is to show them what we're made of — what's with all this measuring and second-guessing?"
"I-I'm sorry..."
"I'll send Yichangsamssal to handle the Chief Steward, so don't worry about him. As for those siblings — kidnap them and hold them hostage, chop off their limbs, whatever it takes. Get that trade permit back."
"U-understood."
"Tsk tsk. Things only get done right when someone from above steps in."
"......"
"What are you waiting for? Move."
"Y-yes, sir!"
Yeop Gun-pyeong hummed a tune like a man off on a pleasure trip.
"It's been a while since I played with fire. I'm looking forward to it."
The disciples' mouths hung open, and slowly, one by one, their eyes lowered to the ground.
Fwoooosh!
The main gate of the Jeong Manor was completely engulfed in flames.
"Wow."
Jin Cheong-un let out an involuntary gasp of admiration.
It looked as though a massive, blood-red beast were gnawing the manor apart, swallowing it whole, and the black smoke it belched up filled the entire sky.
"Clear the way!"
Tatatak!
The constables shoved past Jin Cheong-un and rushed forward.
"Everyone, cooperate with the fire suppression! Deputy Jang, fetch water, quickly!"
"Yes, sir! This squad, throw dirt on the edges so the fire doesn't spread!"
"Gather round, everyone! Line up and pass the water bucket by bucket — women, soak your straw mats and bring them over!"
Constables and villagers began fighting the fire in perfect coordination.
Dozens of men threw shovelfuls of earth and doused the flames with sand and water.
But the fire was spreading faster than anyone had anticipated.
Kwajik!
A spine-chilling sound ripped out from the gate.
"Aaahhh!"
"It's collapsing—!"
Kwarreung!
The gate caved in, and pitch-black smoke billowed upward.
Crack-crack-crack!
Along with the wall of heat, a chunk of stone came rolling toward them and bumped against Jin Cheong-un's foot.
He looked down at the stone fragment, then lifted his head to stare ahead.
The absurdity of it all dragged a murmur out of him on its own.
"First everything else, and now this place catches fire too."
Whether it was a blessing or a curse, the main building seemed perfectly intact, its exterior only lightly singed. The fire had spread along the garden and courtyard walls and was devouring the outer annex instead.
Fwoooarrrgh!
The stench of burnt wood, laced with an oil smell brushing past the tip of his nose, was truly a treat.
Amateurs, clearly. A fine manor was always built of fire-resistant timber and finished with protective lacquer, so a proper arsonist had to work the flame carefully into the interior wood to make it catch.
That was when it happened.
"M-Master!!"
Jeong So-so came staggering toward him, her face like the sky had fallen.
"W-what happened? Why is there a fire all of a sudden—! W-what am I supposed to do! Aaah!"
The moment she laid eyes on Jin Cheong-un, her tension snapped and the tears burst out of her.
Jin Cheong-un said nothing, simply patting her shoulder until she calmed.
"......"
Then he stood there blankly, turning his head to gaze at the blaze.
His dark, placid eyes were filled to the brim with firelight.
The fire began dying down around two shijin — about four hours — after it started.
Geum Tae-bang heaved a sigh.
"All things considered, this is a mercy for a blaze that size."
Thanks to the sloppy oil-sprinkling job, the flames hadn't jumped between buildings, and a fine drizzle had arrived just in time to smother the last embers. Pure luck.
"Chief Bailiff, sir. I just finished checking — just as you suspected, someone was buying up oil in bulk since this morning."
"Who?"
Geum Tae-bang asked in an uncharacteristically frigid voice at the constable's whisper.
"Well... the Black Tiger Sect, sir. And there's a witness who saw a gang of their men marching on the Jeong Manor with torches in hand."
Geum Tae-bang was silent for a moment.
"Send word to the County Magistrate right away."
"A-are you sure about that?"
"Just do as you're told."
"Y-yes, sir!"
Geum Tae-bang walked slowly toward the charred remains of the annex.
Passing through the gate and following the sound of someone breathing, he cleared his throat.
"Ahem!"
"......"
"Ah... Lord Jeong, I'm truly sorry about all this."
Jin Cheong-un turned his head only slightly, then went back to pawing through the wreckage as he spoke.
"Thank you."
"......?"
"We were lucky, really. For a fire that size, only the walls and the annex burned. The main building — the important part — is untouched, so... all things considered, we got off well."
Well, yes. That's true, but... isn't he taking this a bit too calmly?
"Ahem! There are still embers about, and the structure could collapse — shouldn't we continue this conversation outside?"
"No need. Buildings burned like this don't usually collapse."
How on earth does he know that?
Anyone overhearing would think he'd burned down a few buildings himself.
"Ahem."
Geum Tae-bang cleared his throat and watched Jin Cheong-un nudging the wreckage aside with his foot.
"I shouldn't really be saying this, but we investigated, and it turns out this fire was actually—"
"The Black Tiger Sect, wasn't it."
"The Black Tiger... eh? Y-you already knew?"
"Was there ever any doubt?"
Watching Jin Cheong-un answer so nonchalantly, Geum Tae-bang felt a chill crawl up his spine.
'Is this what all true jianghu veterans are like?'
Geum Tae-bang ventured carefully.
"By the way, what is it you're looking for? Shall I help you search?"
"No need. It's not here. Someone must have taken it."
For all the focus he'd put into sifting the ruins, Jin Cheong-un rose and dusted himself off with remarkable ease.
"I'll handle this case under my own name and make sure no one's wronged by it, so don't you worry. While I, Geum Tae-bang, still walk these streets, no one—"
Mid-sentence, Geum Tae-bang's breath caught in his throat.
'Gah!'
The moment he met Jin Cheong-un's eyes, his heart nearly stopped.
"I'm counting on what we discussed before."
"Which... which was?"
"Protect the siblings who live here — Jeong So-so and Jeong So-ryong. That's what I meant."
"O-of, of course, absolutely. I had men watching them already, but I'll have them stay at the constabulary for the time being."
"Thank you."
"And what will you do in the meantime...?"
"Ah, me."
Jin Cheong-un pulled his robe closed as he spoke.
"I have some other business to attend to."
Thud, thud.
Jin Cheong-un strode across the ashes and left the Jeong Manor behind him.
Geum Tae-bang did not stop him.
The drizzle soon thickened into a proper downpour.
After the night's arson, Yinghua Village spent the whole day in a state of restless unease.
With the weather turning foul besides, the villagers shuffled indoors as if by unspoken agreement and locked their doors early.
Splash! Splash!
For a long while the empty streets echoed with nothing but rain, until a line of footsteps broke the silence.
"Damn it. This is what we get for that Little Devil brat's little stunt. We here yet?"
"Yes, eldest brother."
Flash!
Rummmble—.
As if the rain meant to grow more violent still, the distant sky brightened for an instant, then went black, with thunder chasing close behind.
In that brief flicker of light, the owners of those footsteps were revealed.
Moving as a pack, they were the Black Tiger disciples of Yinghua Village.
"Big brother, is this... really going to be alright?"
One young disciple spoke in a voice thick with fear.
"After setting that fire yesterday, the constabulary might put a bounty on our heads. And if we run off with the branch's money on top of it, won't the Sect Lord come after us too? And then we're truly—"
When Yeop Ji-chang had established himself in Yichang, they'd drifted into the Black Tiger Sect more or less by accident — but most of them were, at heart, alley thugs who'd spent their days brawling and shaking people down in the village.
Naturally, they felt no loyalty to the Black Tiger Sect whatsoever.
And so the Black Tiger disciples of the Yinghua branch had finally resolved to steal the branch's funds and vanish.
"Then what do you expect us to do, stay here?"
"B-but the one who gave the order was that lunatic, wasn't it? He got dragged straight to the Chief Steward and hauled off to the Sect Lord, so—"
The older man snorted with contempt.
"So you think the Sect Lord and the Chief Steward will cover for us? We'll be lucky if they don't cut off the tail to save the beast."
"B-but!"
The young man clung to his protest at last.
"What crime have I committed?! I-I only did what I was told!"
"Why, you little—!"
Tang!
The man seized the youth by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
"You were strutting around calling yourself a Black Tiger man while beating people half to death — and now you want to play the innocent?"
"B-big brother, I..."
"If you're scared, go home. Is anyone stopping you?"
The man growled viciously. The young man averted his eyes, and the older one shoved him away and let go of his collar.
"Pitiful idiot."
He swept his gaze over the assembled disciples.
"Anyone else want to stay behind and die like a dog?"
Flash!
Just then the sky lit up again.
Kwarrrrumble!
The thunder had struck close by, and its roar soon rolled through the air.
The man, who had waited a beat, scoffed.
"Nobody? Then move fast. Before we go, we strip every wealthy house in this village to build our stake."
"......"
"We start over with that money. If you just stick with me—"
That was when it happened.
Flash!
Lightning split the sky once more, and the world turned bright as day.
And Jang Pal's eyes flew wide open, his jaw dropping.
There, in the back alley behind the inn that had flashed white for an instant — someone was standing there.
"......!!"
How long had he been there?
Right beside them — why on earth hadn't they noticed?
He was a face none of them knew. Not a Black Tiger man.
"Th-that! That bastard, don't tell me—!"
The instant the horrified man raised his pointing finger—
KWARrrrrrumble!
The belated thunder swallowed every sound in the world.
Thud.
One man collapsed.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
One by one, they fell.
Like marionettes with their strings cut, five grown men dropped face-first into the mud without so much as a gasp.
Shaaaaa!
As the rain roared down in their wake, Jin Cheong-un walked out of the alley.
Every one of them stared at him, unable even to breathe.
"Off somewhere in such a hurry?"
At that low voice, the Black Tiger disciples felt a chill seep into their very marrow.
"There's something I'd like to ask you all."
"Y-you're that steward...!"
"You'd best choose your answers carefully."
In that instant—
Shwip.
Every eye was still wide open, and yet Jin Cheong-un's figure vanished like mist.
Kwarrumble!
Once more, thunder rolled across the heavens.