Chapter 13
I Can See You’re a Born Sucker, but… (1)
The Martial Alliance’s Munseong Branch grew even busier.
With Wang Gon and Cheuk Su dragged in as well, they had no choice but to use the storehouse as a temporary prison. The Munseong Branch had never been built to accommodate so many criminals in the first place.
Once Wang Gon’s treatment was more or less finished, Im Chung personally interrogated him.
Wang Gon entered the interrogation room with bandages wrapped tightly around his nose and mouth, his eyes filled with fear.
However, the moment he confirmed that Baek Socheon was not in the room, his fear quickly turned into hatred.
He glared at Im Chung as though he wanted to devour the seemingly easier target alive.
In the past, such crude hostility would have made Im Chung’s chest tighten. Now, however, he felt differently.
It has already happened.
The battle between him and Wang Gon was only beginning.
“Confess to everything without resistance and pay for your crimes.”
Naturally, such persuasion had no effect.
“I never attempted to bribe anyone, nor did I assault or threaten any of you. And of course, I never tried to kill anyone.”
“If you continue like this, your sentence will only grow heavier for showing no remorse.”
“Listen, Branch Leader Im. You people said it yourselves, didn’t you? That the charges against me alone would be enough to imprison me for thirty years. Would adding a few more years really make any difference?”
“If you confess willingly, your sentence may be reduced.”
Wang Gon merely snorted.
“You’ll be transferred to the Zhejiang Regional Division within a few days.”
“Then send me there. There will be someone there who can clear me of these false accusations.”
Rather than fearing his transfer to the Regional Division, he seemed to regard it as a way out.
Im Chung sighed inwardly.
This won’t be easy.
Considering who his opponent was, he could not help wondering whether the Regional Division would handle the matter fairly once Wang Gon was sent there.
Just then, Beon Saeng called for him from outside.
“Branch Leader.”
When Im Chung stepped out of the interrogation room, Beon Saeng delivered his report.
“What is it?”
“Someone has come down from the Zhejiang Regional Division.”
Im Chung was startled.
“Already? How did they find out?”
There had not yet been enough time for the report concerning Wang Gon and Cheuk Su’s arrests to reach them.
“No, they aren’t here because of this matter. They came to investigate the massacre of Yang Chu’s family.”
“Ah. I see.”
It had been such a major incident that the Regional Division had naturally dispatched someone.
“Who came?”
“The Heavenly Viper.”
“Damn it. Why did it have to be him?”
The Heavenly Viper was the nickname of Cheon Yangho, commander of the Zhejiang Regional Division’s First Unit. He had earned the name because his personality was said to resemble that of a venomous snake.
The problem was that he and Im Chung did not get along particularly well.
People said misfortunes always came all at once, and it seemed they were right.
“Where is he now?”
At that moment, a middle-aged man appeared at the far end of the corridor.
“Right here.”
The sharp-eyed man was none other than Cheon Yangho, the viper of the Zhejiang Regional Division.
Without even offering a greeting after their long separation, he immediately demanded an explanation.
“What in the world happened with Hall Master Wang?”
Apparently, he had only learned of Wang Gon’s arrest after arriving at the branch.
“Hall Master Wang was arrested on charges of attempted bribery, assault, intimidation, and attempted murder.”
“What did you say?”
Cheon Yangho was visibly shocked. His face plainly displayed the thought, Have you lost your mind?
“What exactly happened?”
Im Chung explained the incident.
Cheon Yangho immediately raised a question.
“So you initially went alone to return the hundred-year-old fleeceflower root. How, then, did your subordinates know where to find you?”
“They saw me leave in anger because of the fleeceflower root and followed me.”
“How did your subordinates know it was a hundred-year-old fleeceflower root? Did you open the box in front of them?”
“No.”
“Then how did they know?”
“That…”
It was a point Im Chung had not considered.
Baek Socheon. He must have figured it out.
When examined closely, it was certainly suspicious. Im Chung himself would have found it strange if someone had identified a hundred-year-old fleeceflower root without even looking inside the box.
“Do you have evidence that Hall Master Wang attempted to bribe you?”
“My wife and I are witnesses.”
“Anyone other than the interested parties?”
“No.”
“So you, one of the parties directly involved in the alleged bribery, personally arrested him? A matter like this should have been reported to the Regional Division and handled through proper channels!”
Cheon Yangho pressed the issue relentlessly.
“The Divine Fire Hall’s men were the first to use violence. One of my subordinates was beaten by them.”
“Is being beaten something to boast about?”
“What did you say?”
The two men glared at one another, their words turning sharp.
“I need to meet Hall Master Wang. Where is he now?”
“Didn’t you come here to investigate Great Hero Yang’s case?”
“Of course I did, but—”
“Then focus on the duty you were assigned. An entire martial artist’s household was massacred. What could possibly be more important than that?”
“I will decide which case is more important.”
“This branch is under my jurisdiction.”
The two men confronted each other without yielding.
Ordinarily, a dispatched unit commander had no right to challenge a branch leader in this manner.
However, Cheon Yangho was an influential figure within the Zhejiang Regional Division, and his authority far surpassed Im Chung’s.
“I will ask one last time. I will not ask again.”
It was clear that he was genuinely furious.
In the end, Im Chung took a step back. The situation was already complicated enough; he could not afford to make an enemy of Cheon Yangho as well.
When a viper was brimming with venom, retreating was the wiser choice.
Im Chung opened the interrogation-room door.
When Cheon Yangho saw Wang Gon’s face swollen beyond recognition, his expression hardened.
Im Chung moved to follow him inside, but Cheon Yangho raised a hand to stop him.
“I will go in alone.”
Cheon Yangho entered and slammed the door shut behind him.
The moment Wang Gon saw him, he brightened and began to speak, but Cheon Yangho raised a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.
Lowering his voice, Cheon Yangho asked,
“Did this happen while Cheuk Su was absent?”
He did not bother asking whether the charges against Wang Gon were true.
They probably all were.
“No. Cheuk Su was defeated alongside me.”
Cheon Yangho’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Branch Leader Im shouldn’t be skilled enough to do this.”
“There was a new fellow with them.”
“Who was he?”
“How should I know? Judging by the atmosphere, he seemed to be one of your people. In any case, get me out of here immediately. I cannot endure another quarter of an hour in this suffocating place.”
“Understood. I’ll do my best.”
Wang Gon seized Cheon Yangho tightly by the arm.
“Not your best… You must get me out. The reason I have faithfully paid you all this time was for moments exactly like this.”
When Cheon Yangho emerged from the interrogation room, Im Chung was waiting at the far end of the corridor.
“He strongly denies every charge.”
“Of course he does.”
“He claims that you attempted to arrest him unlawfully and that he merely acted in self-defense. In fact, he says he intends to report all of you to the Martial Alliance’s main headquarters for unlawful trespassing, assault, and false accusation.”
“The sheer audacity of him.”
“It might be best to release him before this grows into an even larger problem…”
Cheon Yangho studied Im Chung’s expression.
His sole objective was to get Wang Gon released somehow. Whatever Wang Gon chose to do afterward, and whatever consequences followed, would be Wang Gon’s own concern.
“Commander Cheon, do you believe us, or do you believe him?”
“Of course I believe you, Branch Leader Im. However, as you well know, the Divine Fire Hall wields considerable influence throughout Zhejiang Province. If they pressure the Alliance, this could become a serious problem.”
Right.
Im Chung had endured all their filth until now precisely because he had known matters would eventually turn out this way.
Cheon Yangho once again took Wang Gon’s side.
“Let us suppose they truly did attempt to bribe you. Even so, you beat them senseless? Then added charges of intimidation and attempted murder? Can this truly be called the Martial Alliance’s way of handling affairs? Every martial artist in the jianghu would laugh at us.”
Im Chung was irritated by how Cheon Yangho defended the other side at every turn, but if things continued like this, the case would likely be handled exactly as he said.
“What benefit is there in making an enemy of the Divine Fire Hall? Let us not complicate matters unnecessarily. Since harmony is best, let us release Hall Master Wang tomorrow. I will speak with him and smooth everything over. Let us settle this like adults. Why create a lasting grudge over such a trivial matter?”
It was not a long speech, yet nearly every part of it grated on Im Chung’s nerves.
“Since harmony is best.”
“Like adults.”
“Such a trivial matter.”
Im Chung said nothing.
“Then think it over.”
Cheon Yangho turned to leave, but then asked as though the thought had only just occurred to him,
“Still, arresting Hall Master Wang could not have been easy.”
“Do not underestimate us merely because we are a branch.”
“Ah, of course not.”
Cheon Yangho sneered inwardly.
At least he still has his pride. More importantly, who intervened?
After Cheon Yangho disappeared down the corridor, Beon Saeng, who had been standing some distance away, approached and asked anxiously,
“What do we do now?”
“Damn it.”
It was not as though Im Chung had any solution.
“Let’s go see Big Brother.”
“Big Brother? Ah, Baek Socheon.”
“Come on. He might know what to do.”
Beon Saeng strode away.
You fool. Do you think your precious big brother has some miraculous solution?
Despite scolding him inwardly, Im Chung’s legs moved briskly after Beon Saeng.
***
“Isn’t there anything we can do?”
Although Im Chung had come with him to see Baek Socheon, Beon Saeng did most of the talking while Im Chung remained a step behind.
“Why are you asking me?”
“Then who else should I ask? Only the three of us were there when we arrested him. At this rate, we’ll have to release the man we worked so hard to catch.”
“It wasn’t exactly hard.”
Well, that was true.
Baek Socheon had knocked both men down with only two blows.
“Send him to the Regional Division. They’ll handle it there.”
“A unit commander named Cheon Yangho came down from the Regional Division today. The moment he arrived, he started defending that bastard. Sending Wang Gon there won’t change anything. The outcome is obvious.”
“Surely he isn’t the only person in the Regional Division.”
“Cheon Yangho is one of its most influential figures. Why do you think he has that influence? Because the Head of the Zhejiang Regional Division supports him. If Wang Gon gets released, the first thing he’ll do is come after us for revenge.”
Baek Socheon then said something unexpected.
“Wouldn’t that actually be better?”
“What do you mean?”
“We wait until he comes back for revenge, then get rid of him. We could legally kill him then.”
The implication that this had been his plan from the beginning left Im Chung and Beon Saeng speechless for a moment.
“What if he hires someone truly terrifying to take revenge for him?”
“Ah. I suppose that could happen.”
“What do you mean, ‘that could happen’? Is this someone else’s problem?”
“To be honest, it isn’t really my problem.”
“The branch’s problem is my problem!”
“That is a common misconception among suckers. Listen. The branch’s affairs belong to the branch. Your affairs belong to you.”
“This whole thing happened because of you, Big Brother!”
“Because of me? Why?”
Im Chung silently listened to the two of them argue.
He regretted following Beon Saeng here. He should have sent him alone.
He was still the branch leader, after all. Yet here he was, standing beside them with his ears pricked up, hoping Baek Socheon might offer some solution.
The thought made him feel pathetic.
Overcome by self-reproach, Im Chung finally stepped forward.
“I failed to thank you properly when we arrested Wang Gon. Without you, we would have suffered a disastrous defeat. You need not concern yourself with what comes next. I will resolve it myself.”
Beon Saeng asked in frustration,
“How?”
Im Chung finally revealed the suspicion he had kept to himself.
“The massacre of Yang Chu’s family… I believe Wang Gon was responsible.”
“What?”
“I am certain of it.”
Ordinarily, Beon Saeng would not have trusted Im Chung’s certainty.
But things were different now.
“That’s right. Wang Gon tried to kill Big Brother right in front of us. He is more than capable of slaughtering an entire family.”
Baek Socheon suddenly interjected.
“That isn’t the reason.”
“Then what is?”
“Do you remember when he tried to frighten us? He said he would kill us and frame Yong Su, the man who massacred Yang Chu’s family.”
“Yes, he did.”
“How could he come up with something like that on the spot? Because he’s clever? Because it simply occurred to him? Not a chance. That would be difficult unless he had some connection to the case.”
“Ah!”
Baek Socheon had discovered a clue in a detail neither of them had considered.
“If that is true… why would the Divine Fire Hall, which has grown into such a powerful sect, commit such an atrocity?”
That remained unknown.
Nevertheless, Baek Socheon’s observation only strengthened Im Chung’s conviction.
“Then let’s go find the evidence.”
“Wait.”
Beon Saeng stopped Im Chung as he was about to leave, then urgently asked Baek Socheon,
“Where should we search for evidence?”
“I don’t know. Why do you keep asking me?”
“Because you’re the smartest among us. Do you think I enjoy this? I wish the answers would come out of my own mouth too.”
Beon Saeng had just turned to follow Im Chung out of the room when Baek Socheon spoke again, his words slipping through the closing door like a trailing tail.
“Who do you think has always taken the greatest interest in the Divine Fire Hall?”
Im Chung and Beon Saeng stopped and turned around.
“Who?”
“Someone who would have reason to watch every move the Divine Fire Hall made.”
The moment he heard those words, Im Chung thought of a particular clan.
A sect that had been pushed from first place to second when the Divine Fire Hall rose to prominence.
“The enemy of my enemy is my ally?”
Baek Socheon nodded, as though Im Chung had understood correctly.
“They must have kept a constant watch on the Divine Fire Hall. They may know something.”
Once he heard it, it seemed obvious.
Yet before Baek Socheon had said it, the thought had never crossed his mind.
“You are right. Thank you for telling us. Leader Beon, let’s go.”
As Beon Saeng followed Im Chung out, he turned back toward Baek Socheon and exclaimed in admiration,
“See? I was right! The answer always comes out of your mouth!”
“We won’t know whether it’s an answer or poison until we see the result.”
“It’s the answer. Your words are absolute truth, Big Brother!”
Without waiting for a response, Beon Saeng rushed outside.
Left alone, Baek Socheon murmured quietly to himself,
“…If I were truly so good at finding answers, would I be sitting here like this?”