Chapter 11
Do You Think We’re a Joke? (2)
Wang Gon sat in his room drinking tea as he watched his imposing subordinates move about the training grounds outside the window.
At least in southern Zhejiang Province, he was a king.
But he could not be satisfied with merely this much.
His grand ambition was to claw his way upward by any means necessary and become the master of the Shinhwa Guild.
‘Just wait. No matter what I have to do, I’ll trample everyone beneath me and rise to the top.’
He had already committed far too many atrocities and was still committing them, so saying “no matter what I have to do” was not exactly accurate.
He had committed injustice after injustice, and countless people had died in the process, yet he continued to eat well and live comfortably.
Retribution?
Divine punishment?
The leisurely afternoon he was enjoying right now proved that no such things existed.
‘You trample others before they can trample you.’
As he burned with ambition, Cheuk Su entered the room.
“I have returned.”
“How did it go?”
“Five of the six landowners agreed to sell.”
“And the last one?”
“A young man is being stubborn, saying the land was inherited from his father, but I should be able to resolve it soon. The fellow has three children.”
Wang Gon added his own wicked smile to Cheuk Su’s meaningful one.
“Just make sure it doesn’t become noisy.”
“Do not worry.”
“And the fleeceflower root?”
“I delivered it to Im Chung’s wife on the way. If he has any sense, he will not refuse again.”
“I’m sure he won’t.”
Wang Gon smiled in satisfaction.
“Give an extra rice cake to someone you hate, and later he may prepare an entire banquet for you.”
Just then, a subordinate entered and reported.
“Im Chung is here.”
Wang Gon grinned at Cheuk Su.
“The fleeceflower root worked much faster than expected.”
***
Im Chung sat waiting in the guest hall, his face flushed.
No matter how much he tried to calm himself, his anger would not subside.
‘That bastard! He dared to go to my house?’
Whether it was political maneuvering or intimidation, there were lines that should never be crossed.
Involving someone’s family unquestionably crossed that line.
Wang Gon entered the room.
“Branch Leader Im. Welcome.”
“Have you been well?”
“No, I have not. And I believe you know the reason.”
He did not directly mention the Taejeong Faction.
Officially, the Shinhwa Guild had absolutely no relationship with them.
“My apologies.”
“No, I understand. Managing subordinates is never easy, is it?”
Im Chung thought inwardly,
‘It can’t be harder than dealing with you.’
Naturally, he could not show that on his face.
“No, it isn’t easy.”
“What do you intend to do with the men you arrested?”
“I plan to send them to the provincial division for judgment.”
“Is that really necessary? Why not hold them for a few days and then release them? Their leader is dead, so perhaps they will come to their senses.”
“I will consider it.”
Im Chung did not argue over the Taejeong Faction.
That was not why he had come today.
He first held out the box containing the hundred-year-old fleeceflower root.
“I came to return this.”
Wang Gon’s expression instantly stiffened.
He had assumed Im Chung had finally come to reluctantly express his gratitude.
‘This pigheaded bastard is refusing to give in to the very end!’
Suppressing the rage rising within him, Wang Gon forced himself to speak pleasantly.
“My friend, is it right to disregard another person’s sincerity like this?”
“Did I not tell you before that I would accept only the sentiment?”
“Sentiment? What use is it to exchange sentiments alone? In that case, I could become the greatest man in the world. I can give away as much sentiment as I please.”
“Then give me only the sentiment and take this back.”
“Is our branch leader simply too incorruptible, or is he just stubborn?”
“I am not an incorruptible man. Nor am I stubborn.”
Wang Gon suddenly roared,
“Then why won’t you accept it, you bastard?!”
The moment he cast aside all pretenses, Im Chung clenched his teeth.
He might have been the leader of a branch in some rural backwater, but he was still officially a branch leader of the Martial Alliance.
“Take it!”
“I refuse.”
“I told you to give it to your son, didn’t I? Or is he not actually your biological son?”
“Wang Gon! Watch your mouth!”
This time, Im Chung shouted.
The mention of his son had pushed him beyond endurance.
Im Chung placed the box containing the hundred-year-old fleeceflower root on the floor.
“Do not send me something like this ever again. If you do, I will not let it pass.”
“You won’t let it pass? Are you threatening me?”
“I am warning you.”
Had it been anything else, Im Chung would have endured it ten times over, even a hundred.
But this was not something he could simply tolerate or ignore.
Now that the matter had been raised, he had to draw the line clearly.
But the same was true for Wang Gon.
Cheuk Su, who had been watching from the side, slowly stepped forward.
“Warnings are given by the strong to the weak.”
He did not bother concealing his murderous intent.
Im Chung grabbed the hilt of his sword and shouted,
“Stop! As a branch leader of the Martial Alliance, I order you to remain where you are.”
Cheuk Su only walked faster.
He stopped directly in front of Im Chung and said,
“There. I’ve refused the mighty Martial Alliance branch leader’s order. What are you going to do about it?”
The hand Im Chung had wrapped around his sword trembled.
Cheuk Su went even further, deliberately provoking him.
“When I gave her the fleeceflower root, I noticed your wife was quite beautiful.”
“You bastard!”
Shing.
The sword slid slightly from its sheath.
“Draw it! Why stop halfway? Apparently you don’t care much for your wife either, not just your son.”
Im Chung’s sword hand shook violently.
He knew the man was deliberately trying to provoke him.
But if he drew his sword, he would die.
If they buried his corpse somewhere afterward, would anyone ever discover that Cheuk Su had killed him?
Probably not.
Dying here would be a meaningless death.
Yet enduring it filled him with such anger and humiliation that he could barely contain himself.
Especially when Cheuk Su mocked his wife and son.
Even if he died here, part of him wanted to risk everything in one final struggle.
It was at that very moment.
A commotion came from outside.
Soon, the door opened, and a martial artist from the Shinhwa Guild entered to report.
“Martial artists from the branch have arrived.”
Two people entered behind him.
They were Baek Socheon and Beon Saeng.
“Branch Leader! Are you all right?”
Beon Saeng hurried over and stood beside Im Chung.
“Why are you here?”
Realizing that the atmosphere inside was far from normal, Beon Saeng quickly replied,
“Something happened at the branch, so we came to bring you back. We should leave at once.”
He believed the priority was to escape this place with Im Chung.
But Wang Gon had no intention of letting them leave so easily.
Now that the conflict had already erupted, he believed this was the perfect opportunity to crush Im Chung’s spirit completely.
‘These bastards! I need to trample them properly today so they never dare crawl back up again.’
He signaled Cheuk Su with his eyes.
Cheuk Su openly released his murderous intent and shouted,
“You half-grown little turtle bastards! Who told you that you could crawl into this place? You two who just entered, go kneel in that corner!”
Beon Saeng knew Cheuk Su well and did not dare answer.
Instead, Im Chung stepped forward and warned Wang Gon.
“Are you trying to oppose the Martial Alliance?”
“The Martial Alliance this, the Martial Alliance that! Yes, that damned Martial Alliance is the only power you possess. It is also the only reason I bothered offering a worthless man like you a hundred-year-old fleeceflower root.”
Wang Gon no longer concealed his true feelings.
As though determined to show exactly what kind of man he was, he went even further.
“Since you are too stupid to understand, I will explain it kindly. Let us imagine a situation, shall we? As you know, our martial artists tend to be short-tempered. If swords are exchanged in haste, they might accidentally kill you. I heard someone recently died by accident at your branch too, didn’t they? So let us say you all died here. Now, who would be blamed for it?”
Wang Gon smiled.
“Ah, that’s right. The Yang Chu family was massacred recently, wasn’t it? And you were investigating the case. If someone was vicious enough to slaughter an entire family, would he not also want to kill the people pursuing him?”
His speech was long, but the threat itself was simple.
He would kill them all and place the blame on whoever had massacred Yang Chu’s family.
“What would happen after that?”
When no one answered, Wang Gon continued with an excited expression.
“Nothing happens afterward. It simply ends. A new branch leader and new martial officers will be dispatched. They will make a great fuss for a month or two, claiming they will catch the murderer. Of course, they will fail.”
He pointed toward the box.
“Then, once everything settles down, I will bring the hundred-year-old fleeceflower root you refused to the newly appointed branch leader. Do you think that man will accept it or refuse it? Well? What do you think of my hypothetical scenario? Isn’t it entertaining?”
At that moment, Im Chung instinctively realized something.
‘This man also killed Yang Chu.’
But he knew that the moment he spoke those words aloud, he too would cross a line from which there was no return.
Cheuk Su approached Im Chung threateningly.
“Now then, shall we finish our earlier conversation?”
Beon Saeng blocked his path.
“Stop!”
Cheuk Su shoved Beon Saeng aside.
Beon Saeng tumbled backward.
Cheuk Su planted his foot on Beon Saeng’s chest.
The difference in their abilities was obvious, so Beon Saeng did not dare attack him.
“Enough!”
As Im Chung tried to intervene, Cheuk Su drew his sword and aimed it at Beon Saeng’s neck.
“Take one more step and this man dies.”
Im Chung could not move closer.
He knew exactly what kind of man Cheuk Su was.
The bastard always tried to carry out whatever he said.
Especially when facing someone weaker than himself, he became even more determined to prove that his words and actions matched.
Im Chung looked toward Wang Gon.
Rather than stopping Cheuk Su, Wang Gon stared down at him arrogantly.
From that gaze, Im Chung understood exactly what he wanted.
Complete submission.
He wanted Im Chung to kneel and apologize.
He intended to use this opportunity to crush him completely.
Im Chung’s gaze returned to Beon Saeng.
Pinned beneath Cheuk Su’s foot, Beon Saeng wore an anguished expression.
‘Fine. I’ll endure it. It’s only kneeling.’
That was the only way to save both Beon Saeng and himself.
And beyond them, his family as well.
Just as Im Chung was about to lower himself to his knees, a single sentence echoed through the room.
“Should we arrest these people?”
The unexpected speaker was Baek Socheon, who had been standing in the rear.
Im Chung had been so absorbed in the situation that he had forgotten Baek Socheon was even there.
When everyone’s gaze turned toward him, Baek Socheon spoke again.
“Assaulting and threatening Martial Alliance officers, and offering a bribe. That should be more than enough grounds for arrest for now.”
Im Chung, Beon Saeng, Wang Gon, and even Cheuk Su all stared at him in shock and disbelief.
Cheuk Su was the one who broke the silence.
“Hahahahaha!”
As Cheuk Su laughed like a madman, Wang Gon joined him.
Amid the ridicule filling the room, Im Chung saw it clearly.
Baek Socheon was looking at him calmly.
He was completely serious.
But did he truly possess the ability to do it?
Im Chung suddenly recalled the answer Baek Socheon had given when asked about his martial arts.
He had said that he used to be a good fighter but had become terrible recently.
“Didn’t you say you can’t fight well these days?”
“That was by my standards. I wasn’t comparing myself to maggots like these.”
The smiles instantly vanished from Wang Gon and Cheuk Su’s faces.
Never in their entire lives had either of them been compared to maggots.
Wang Gon looked at Cheuk Su, wondering whether he had misheard.
Judging from Cheuk Su’s twisted expression, he had heard correctly.
Baek Socheon then made absolutely certain there could be no misunderstanding.
“Who are you looking at, old maggot? Yes, I was talking to you.”