Brother Jin-ho's Wedding Banquet (3)
From what the Seo-u Warrior said, I could guess why Bang-u, the sub-branch leader, was plotting such a vile scheme.
There was a new venture that the Jinse Merchant Group had been aggressively pushing lately: the Jinse Pharmacy.
They must have been envious of the Palin Pharmacy's success—or perhaps coveting the profits it was raking in.
With only one pharmacy in the market at the time, it must have looked like a guaranteed winner.
But things probably hadn't gone as planned.
The Palin Pharmacy made its medicines from high-quality herbs supplied by the Eunhae Merchant Group, offering a wide variety at affordable prices.
In that situation, the latecomer Jinse Pharmacy had just two options: sell special medicines that Palin didn't carry, or undercut their prices.
And Jinse had chosen the latter.
But to sell cheaper than the Palin Pharmacy—which had stable, professional suppliers—they had no choice but to use lower-quality herbs.
So customers came at first for the bargain prices, but once they realized the medicines barely worked, they naturally stopped buying from Jinse.
In any case, in the current mess, if people got sick from the food at Brother Jin-ho's wedding banquet and the medicines from Palin Pharmacy didn't help much despite being bought there—while the ones from Jinse Pharmacy worked wonders...
Customers would flock straight to Jinse Pharmacy.
This rotten bastard.
Even so, trying to feed stomach medicine to innocent guests? Unbelievable!
I could see why Bang-u, the sub-branch leader, was resorting to such despicable tactics.
"Seo-u Warrior."
"Yes."
"Bang-u's position in the Jinse Merchant Group isn't all that solid, is it?"
"That's right. From what I know, less than half support him."
Palgap asked, looking puzzled.
"That's a bit strange, isn't it? How did he even become sub-branch leader with that?"
"Blackmail or bribes, probably. It's exactly the kind of thing he'd do."
"I agree."
The Seo-u Warrior nodded.
"And even though the Jinse Merchant Group leader is bedridden, if he changes his mind, he could easily remove Bang-u."
In other words, he'd become sub-branch leader, but his seat wasn't secure yet.
So he was trying to rack up an irrefutable achievement that no one could challenge, to solidify his position.
Fine, whatever—but why drag our merchant group into it and cause us harm?
This filthy scum.
That's when the quietly listening Yi Pil Warrior spoke up, puzzled.
"Then why not just have the Jinse Pharmacy make the stomach-inducing medicine themselves? Why commission it from this Heukwa guy?"
"It's because of the Jinse Merchant Group leader. He's not the type to pursue profit at the expense of harming others."
"Ah..."
"If word of this reaches the leader's ears, even an irrefutable achievement wouldn't save Bang-u's position. And if those supporting the eldest son find out, it could become public scandal."
"True. Bang-u has no choice but to keep it secret."
"So, what do you plan to do?"
To Palgap's question, I smiled and replied.
"What else? Strip Bang-u of his sub-branch leader position."
.
.
.
The next day, I finished my morning duties and stood from my seat.
"It's lunchtime. Enjoy."
"Yes."
Leaving them to eat comfortably among themselves, I headed to the annex.
I had something to check over lunch anyway.
As soon as I arrived at the annex, the Jin Yu Warrior reported to me.
"My lord, a reply has come from Young Master Bang-jin."
"What did it say?"
"He accepts."
The night before, I'd asked the Jin Yu Warrior to discreetly deliver a letter to Bang-jin, the eldest son of the Jinse Merchant Group.
It proposed meeting this afternoon.
But to avoid prying eyes, I told him to come secretly to the Namga Pavilion.
If he accepted, hang a red cloth on the tree in front of his quarters before lunch.
If he refused, a white one.
Bang-jin was someone who'd been unfairly passed over for sub-branch leader.
In that situation, when I offered to give him an edge in the competition, he couldn't refuse.
"Then let's head out after lunch."
"Understood."
We ate a simple lunch and set off for the appointed place in Namga.
A street lined with high-end shops.
After walking some distance, we reached the spot. At the end of Namga stood a small pavilion.
That was our meeting place.
Inside, in a secluded corner surrounded by guards and attendants, one man gazed at the scenery outside the pavilion.
Young Master Bang-jin.
I approached, cupped my fists in greeting, and bowed.
"It's been a while."
Young Master Bang-jin returned the gesture.
"Indeed."
"Shall we go?"
He nodded and followed me out.
I was heading to Segwa.
The paths from Segwa and Namga connected, so it wasn't far. Though the narrow mountain trail was a bit inconvenient.
"I accepted your proposal, but where are we going?"
To Young Master Bang-jin's question, I answered.
"To Segwa."
"Then why not meet there from the start... Ah, Segwa's a bit dangerous."
"Exactly. Segwa's even riskier than Namga. With Bang-u's eyes everywhere, we can't risk being seen traveling together."
"Fair point."
And so we slipped away to Segwa in secret.
The man I was seeking was none other than Heukwa.
The one the Bae Cheol Warrior had mentioned.
He'd made quite a name for himself in Hubei Province even in my previous life.
His specialty was poison.
Those needing discreet poison came to him for deals.
Naturally, victims sought him out for antidotes.
But trading poison violated imperial law, and to those harmed, he was no better than an enemy—so he always had to hide.
Of course, his name came partly from resembling a black frog.
But mostly from how well he hid.
We passed through Segwa and arrived at a shack crudely built against a cliff wall, using planks and straw mats.
It looked less like a house and more like a burrow, it was so shoddily made.
"We're here."
At my words, Young Master Bang-jin tilted his head.
"So, what does coming here have to do with putting me in a favorable position?"
"The man inside will tip the scales in your favor."
At that, Young Master Bang-jin signaled one of his guards.
The guard entered the shack, came back out, and shook his head.
"No one's inside."
I smiled and said,
"The shack's a decoy. The real hideout's here."
I tapped the rock in front of me.
"Pardon? That rock? But... how do we get inside? I can't even see an entrance."
There was an entrance, of course.
A small hole barely visible under the straw mats in the shack.
Only someone as scrawny as Heukwa—earning his frog moniker—could squeeze through.
If we tried his entry hole, we'd end up covered in dirt.
Not that it was easy to enter anyway.
And barging in like that would get our heads smashed by his poisons or traps.
But I had no reason to endure such risks or hassle.
"Cut it open."
"Yes."
At my command, the Jin Yu Warrior drew his sword and circulated his inner energy. Young Master Bang-jin's two guards paled.
They'd recognized his realm.
"Hah—!"
A brilliant sword qi slashed horizontally across the rock.
Grind—!
Then the Seo-u Warrior shoved the rock.
Thud—!
It all happened in an instant.
I hopped onto the smooth-cut surface of the severed rock and peered down.
"Nice spot you've got here."
"Gasp! Wh-who, who are you?"
Behind the rock lay a fairly spacious clearing, hidden away. Heukwa—who'd been in the middle of some work there—toppled backward in shock, staring up at me.
Petite build, black face, frog-like features.
It's been a while.
First time seeing him in this life, though.
True to his decade-plus as a fugitive, he quickly composed himself and reached into his bosom.
He was about to toss a smoke bomb and flee.
Thwack—!
Crash!
"Argh! I surrender! I surrender!"
Useless against a transcendent warrior.
When the smoke cleared moments later, I saw the Jin Yu and Seo-u Warriors with swords to the throat of Heukwa—his hands bound behind him—while stepping on his back.
Warriors of their caliber could move as if they could see even with obscured vision.
His face was already swelling in several spots from the hits he'd taken.
But since he'd used a mere smoke bomb instead of poison, he'd gotten off that lightly.
If he'd used poison, he'd have lost an arm.
I approached him leisurely, smiling.
"Pleased to meet you, Heukwa. You know who I am, so no need for introductions. And you recognize him over there, right?"
I pointed to Young Master Bang-jin. Heukwa glanced at him and smirked.
"Two famous figures from Hubei Province in one day."
"So, those things you were working on—are those the ones Bang-u commissioned?"
He brazenly shot back.
"Why would that guy come to me?"
Meanwhile, Young Master Bang-jin frowned.
"He commissioned you?"
I nodded and asked Heukwa again.
"What were the details of the commission?"
"I've never taken any commission from him!"
Heukwa was playing dumb.
I hadn't expected him to confess easily anyway.
Heukwa's poisons were popular not just for their potency, but because his lips were sealed tight.
Even severe torture wouldn't open them.
I knew because, in my previous life, he eventually got caught.
About a decade from now.
They'd extracted info on everyone he'd supplied poisons to, and despite endless torture leaving him a wreck, he hadn't uttered a word.
But...
Surprisingly, he had one weakness.
"Aaaargh! Wh-what is that?! G-get it away! Get it away now!"
His own face.
When I held up a mirror to reflect it, he flew into a frenzy.
He hated his ugly mug so much that he'd worked under a physician, learning to make medicines in hopes of fixing it.
But reckless use led to side effects, turning his face into its current hideous state.
That hatred had twisted into full-blown phobia.
He hid not just to stay alive, but because he couldn't bear showing his face to the world.
A tragic backstory, in its way.
But a crime was a crime.
How many had died or suffered from his poisons?
He tried squeezing his eyes shut, but the drug side effects wouldn't let him.
He tried turning away, but the Jin Yu Warrior held his face steady.
"Aaaargh!"
I watched him wail for a bit, then made my offer.
"Tell me about Bang-u's commission, and I'll put the mirror away."
"D-damn it! Fine! I'll talk!"
I removed the mirror as promised, and he gasped for breath.
"Huff... huff... Bang-u wanted a medicine that causes stomach upset. To mix it into the food at Eun Jin-ho's sub-branch leader's wedding banquet..."
"And?"
"After it hits, he'd sell effective remedies from Jinse Pharmacy... He even asked for the antidote recipe."
"Got it."
True to my word, I pocketed the mirror without shining it again.
Turning, I saw Young Master Bang-jin scowling, cursing under his breath.
"Bang-u... that crazy bastard..."
He barely contained his rage and bowed to me.
"On behalf of my brother, I apologize, Sub-branch Leader. I'm truly sorry."
"Why would it be your fault, Young Master?"
As expected, Young Master Bang-jin was as upright as the Jinse leader. This was who should be sub-branch leader.
Even as a rival merchant, competition should be fair and square.
That way, it was enjoyable—and no innocents got caught in the crossfire.
"I'll report this to Father right away. And..."
"No."
I waved it off.
"This alone won't bring him down for good. He'd just pin the blame on someone else and slither away."
"You're right..."
He was that slimy, but his brain turned quick.
"I hear he's poured a lot of money into the Jinse Pharmacy venture."
"Yes. Quite a hefty investment."
"The Jinse Merchant Group doesn't deal in herbs, so it must have been tough."
"Spot on. It's still shaky, honestly. And I'm skeptical why we even got into the pharmacy business."
"That's why I'm saying..."