Palace God (3)
A warrior's profession fundamentally involves using the body. That means they know their bodies intimately.
And thus, they know exactly which spots to hit for excruciating pain.
The Seo-u Warrior didn't stop at a single kick.
Puk!Puk!Puk!
He precisely kicked the shin three more times, and each strike was accompanied by the unmistakable crack of breaking bone.
Crack!Snap!Crunch!
As a result, the quack foamed at the mouth and soiled his pants in agony.
Every spot the Seo-u Warrior had targeted was a major pain acupoint.
Judging by that, the quack who had deceived both the Seo-u Warrior and Lady Hong Geum-so must have suffered a similar fate.
The Seo-u Warrior clasped his hands in a bow toward me before stepping back.
"Thank you for permitting my personal actions."
"It's fine. I understand."
It had spared me the trouble of getting my own hands dirty, after all.
"So, where are your other comrades?"
"D-don't know."
"Not 'there are none,' but 'I don't know'—that implies comrades exist, doesn't it?"
"……!"
"Two legs. And two arms as well."
"That's obvious……."
"A normal person would spit it out just to avoid that pain, but I didn't realize you had a hobby of enjoying it."
Realizing my implication, he blurted out in panic.
"I'll t-talk! I said I'll talk! Urgh! I'll talk, I swear!"
I could feel anew just how brutally painful the Seo-u Warrior's strikes had been.
The quack spilled everything about his comrades' locations without hesitation.
Their organization's name was the Silver Sand Group.
It meant hiding in the sand—a name brimming with confidence that no one could easily find them, laced with mockery.
They'd maintained the group for decades, so it was justified.
But in my previous life, they'd been utterly crushed by the Emperor.
And now, they were getting the same treatment at my hands.
There were over fifty of them, with their base in Nanjing.
Nanjing…… perfect timing.
I glanced at the Palace God.
Having realized the scale was larger than expected, he was biting his lip.
He now understood this wasn't something he could handle alone.
He closed his eyes briefly before opening them and kneeling before me.
"Please help me."
"Pardon?"
"I cannot forgive the atrocities committed by those who reduced my father to that state and tried to drag me into the Black Path."
"You want revenge, then."
"Yes. But I…… lack the power."
His eyes gleamed as he pleaded earnestly.
"So lend me your strength. Help me exact revenge on them."
I watched him quietly before asking,
"If I lend you my power, what will you give in return?"
"Pardon?"
"You're not asking for it for free, are you? As I said earlier, I'm a merchant. I prefer clear give-and-take."
He pondered my words before replying.
"All I have is my skill with the bow. If it's acceptable, I offer that skill to you."
He'd volunteered his talent even before I could suggest it.
Worth asking the quack about their scale, after all.
"But isn't your father still alive? Can you make this decision without consulting him?"
"You saved my father's life and protected our family's honor from disgrace. The father I know would support this choice."
"Very well. Don't regret it."
"I won't."
"Then we'll draft the contract later……."
I turned to the fraudulent quack and said coldly,
"Spill every killing the Silver Sand Group has committed so far. And who commissioned the hit on Ak Dae-in."
"K-killings? Is it right to torment an innocent man like this?"
"Sigh."
I let out a sigh.
"You harmed this young master's family, and you still claim to be innocent?"
"……Damn it."
"And do you remember the young master's question earlier? How could he be here? If he'd shot Ak Dae-in, he'd be in prison right now."
"……."
I smiled as I answered.
"I blocked it. And I subdued the guy watching the young master from nearby."
I turned to the guards.
"Drag him over."
"Yes!"
They dragged the knocked-out man and tossed him into the courtyard.
"So, even if you won't talk, there's someone else here who will. Why make me spell it out?"
With a smile, I approached the fraudulent quack.
"You enjoy pain? Then have it your way. Seo-u Warrior."
"Yes!"
"One leg and two arms left. Plenty of spots to break bones without risking life."
"I was dying to hack off limbs anyway. Thank you."
"You dog bastards! What did I do so wrong? I did it just to survive!"
He bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"You still shouldn't have made others shed bloody tears."
"Uwaaaak! You ×× bastards!"
"Ah, better seal the mute acupoint. Can't have dog barking nonstop."
"Understood."
I said to the fraudulent quack,
"When you feel like spilling everything, nod vigorously."
Bone-shattering grip would be more effective, but it required precise inner energy control.
One slip, and the target could die, so it demanded full focus.
I reserved it for no-bloodshed situations. There were endless ways to inflict pain anyway.
A bit villainous, sure, but so what.
As long as I didn't maliciously suck others' blood, it was fine.
As the Seo-u Warrior began pulverizing the quack's right arm, he nodded frantically.
Yeah, knew he couldn't hold out long.
Why bother resisting when it'd end like this…….
But I pretended not to notice until the entire arm was mangled.
To completely break his ego.
Only then would he spill without hiding anything.
"Huff, huff, you bastards. I'll talk…… I'll talk……."
"You still haven't grasped the situation."
As I called for the Seo-u Warrior again, he begged desperately.
"N-no! Let me talk! Please, I beg you!"
"Palgap."
"Yes! Did you call me?"
"Prepare brush, ink, and paper to record."
"Got it!"
Palgap swiftly got ready.
Didn't know if the brush set was decorative or practical, but it was handy.
"Then, shall we start with the most recent killing?"
And so, the fraudulent quack confessed every incident he could recall.
"Th-that's everything."
"Good. Wake that one up."
"Yes."
While the guards revived him with water, I said to the quack,
"Ever heard of cross-verification?"
"……?"
"Comparing multiple accounts to spot inconsistencies. And I hate uncertainty."
I looked at the man coming to from the dousing.
"We'll ask him. Any omissions, and we'll pulverize the other arm."
"Huerk! W-wait……."
"No time for useless words."
I immediately sealed his mute acupoint.
He screamed silently, but it was too late.
Should've seized the chance when given.
Then I turned to the Palace God and nodded toward the assassination commissioner.
"See that?"
He gulped nervously, eyeing the limb-pinned, mangled quack.
Puk!
The Yeo Eung-am Warrior stabbed his thigh with a sword and twisted.
"Kwaaaak!"
At my signal, he withdrew the blade and pressed the acupoint to staunch the bleeding.
"That pain isn't even one-tenth of what the quack endured."
Let alone one-hundredth of what the Palace God and his estate steward suffered.
"Wh-what do you want?"
Having seen the quack's state, he surrendered meekly.
I held up the paper Palgap had written.
"Listen as I read. Correct any errors. I'll reduce your torture by half an hour per accurate correction."
"I will do so with utmost sincerity."
His eyes were resolute, almost heroic.
"Three years ago, you killed the lord of the Gyeong Clan in Jiangsu Province. A clean job, only the lord……."
"No. We also killed his seven-year-old grandson who witnessed it."
"……."
He scoured for errors with genuine effort.
The fraudulent quack's face grew ashen watching this.
Was he really enjoying the pain at this point?
……
……
……
A short while later.
I headed to a mansion in Shandong.
Trailing behind were two Silver Sand Group members being dragged by my guards.
"Who are you? This is the residence of Ak Dojihwisa!"
The guards at the gate blocked us.
"We know. Please deliver this to Ak Dae-in."
What I handed over was the edict the Emperor had given me.
It granted priority handling for matters involving me.
"What's this?"
They tilted their heads and snatched the scroll from my hand.
"Ah, be careful! That's an edict from His Majesty the Emperor."
"What?"
The white silk wrapping loosened, revealing the scroll.
I'd tied it loosely on purpose.
They gasped at the vivid red and gold signifying the Emperor's edict, their hands trembling.
Even if not addressed to them, snatching and handling an edict one-handed from my grasp was lese-majeste—they'd have no defense if dragged off.
"Sh-shouldn't you have said so sooner?"
"I tried, but you snatched it."
"……."
"If Ak Dae-in finds out……."
"Huk!"
"A favor! Please keep it secret."
"Keep it……?"
"Please."
"Well, it was an accident, and I don't have a hobby of enjoying others' suffering."
I heard Palgap sigh behind me.
Huh? What does that mean?
Thanks to that, the guards dropped their high-handed attitude and treated me cautiously.
Not just because I'd caught their weakness, but the edict hinted I wasn't some commoner.
Soon, the guard who'd gone inside returned and said politely,
"Please enter. But what about them?"
They eyed the assassin group members I'd brought.
I replied,
"Throw them in prison. They're members of an assassin group based in Nanjing. We caught them in the act of attempting to assassinate Ak Dae-in."
"I-is that true?"
"Yes. That's why I need to see Ak Dae-in."
They glared ferociously at the two assassins.
Their respect for Ak Dae-in fueled their rage.
"To prison with them, now."
"Yes!"
I was escorted inside.
This mansion was one of the Shandong Ak family's properties, where Ak Dae-in was currently staying.
Not far from their main estate on Mount Tai.
Sipping tea in the guest quarters, Ak Dae-in soon entered.
"It's been a while."
"Have you been well? Eunhae Merchant Group's branch head, Eun Seo-ho, greets you."
"Thanks to you, yes."
It was the first time seeing him since the Chaenghae and Baekcheon Merchant Groups' shady foreman incident.
"So, why bring this to me?"
He placed the edict I'd given him on the table and asked.
"And I heard you brought the ones who just tried to assassinate me."
"Actually, the edict I wanted to show you wasn't that one—this one."
I proffered another edict.
Ak Dae-in took it, unrolled it, and looked at me in surprise.
This edict ordered investigations into whatever I desired.
I also showed him the censorate envoy's badge from my bosom.
Ak Dae-in nodded slowly.
"As I thought…… Even back then, you seemed extraordinary. I wanted to recruit you under my command, but His Majesty beat me to it."
"You overpraise me."
I demurred before continuing.
"I request an investigation into the Nanjing-based assassin group called the Silver Sand Group."
The Ak Yeong-gyeong Dojihwisa before me was Nanjing's provincial military commander.
He lacked judicial authority, of course, but he had ample power to press the censorate into resolving this.
I presented the cross-verified records from the fraudulent quack and the Palace God's assassination commissioner.
"Looking at their killings to date, they're a blight on the empire. We can't overlook them."
He scanned the documents, his face growing flushed.
Ak Dae-in indeed.
He seemed unperturbed by the attempt on his own life but seethed at the other murders.
"Outrageous! Such heaven-defying scum!"
"Investigate and report directly to His Majesty."
"Understood. I'll see to it."
"And one more request."
I explained the Palace God's circumstances to him.
"Thus, I seek his pardon."
"A tragic tale. Who could escape such a situation? He's a victim too. And since I'm unharmed, I can easily overlook it."
"My thanks."
I bowed to him, smirking inwardly.
With this, the messy aftermath was Ak Dae-in's problem.
Now, I could head back to Eunhae Merchant Group headquarters with the Palace God, carefree.