Chapter 18
Cheongeuk (1)
Early the next morning, Im Chung came to Baek Socheon’s residence with his family.
“Warrior Baek, thank you for saving my son’s life and mine.”
After Lady Ju expressed her gratitude, their son Chan also thanked him with admirable composure.
“I will never forget this kindness.”
Baek Socheon answered the two of them in a gentle voice.
“As someone serving under the Branch Leader, I merely did what I ought to have done.”
His manner was incomparably more courteous than when he dealt with Im Chung.
He treated Chan the same way.
“The martial world is a dangerous place. Do not neglect your training.”
“Yes. Next time, I’ll protect Mother.”
Baek Socheon patted Chan on the head.
After Lady Ju and Chan left, only Baek Socheon and Im Chung remained.
“There was no need to bring them here just to thank me.”
“There was. Whatever else happens, we had to properly express our gratitude.”
“Have you given it some thought?”
“Yes. To be honest, I did not sleep at all last night.”
Had only his own life been at stake, the decision might have been easier.
But his wife’s and son’s lives were involved as well.
Just then, Beon Saeng arrived.
“You came out early. Hahaha. Good morning.”
Unlike the man who had said he felt like vomiting the day before, Beon Saeng looked energetic and full of life.
“Are you all right?”
When Im Chung asked with genuine concern, Beon Saeng smiled.
“Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve made my decision. I’m going to fight the Shinhwa Sect together with Brother.”
Baek Socheon subtly asked, wearing an expression that suggested he wanted to take a step back.
“Do I have to fight too?”
“Of course you do. You absolutely do! Don’t even dream of backing out. We came this far because we trusted you, Brother.”
Beon Saeng had already made up his mind.
Baek Socheon now looked at Im Chung.
Im Chung asked,
“If I wanted to avoid this fight, what choices would I have?”
“You could run to Wang Gon immediately and sell me out. Tell him you never wanted to get dragged into this in the first place, and that even now you are willing to help kill Baek Socheon if he forgives what happened. Wang Gon might accept you.”
“That will never happen.”
Im Chung spoke firmly.
In truth, it was an idea he had considered himself, and the first possibility he had eliminated.
“You’ve barely known me. Why go that far?”
“That is precisely why I considered it calmly. A man like Wang Gon would pretend to accept me, use me for everything I am worth, and then eliminate me at the end. This is not a decision I made for you, Brother. I made it for myself.”
“Not bad.”
Baek Socheon did not look offended in the slightest.
That was why Im Chung could speak more openly with him.
Im Chung asked again,
“What other choice do I have?”
“Run far away and live in hiding. Abandon your identity as a Martial Alliance warrior, take another name, and begin a new life.”
Im Chung fell into thought.
It was not an impossible choice.
His limbs were sound and he possessed basic martial arts. Whatever work he took, he would at least be able to keep his wife and child from starving.
It was a safer choice than fighting the Shinhwa Sect.
His mind understood that.
His heart did not.
The same emotion that had driven him to order Baek Socheon to arrest Wang Gon once again seized control of his reason.
“If I choose to fight, will you help me, Brother? I apologize. Each person should decide the course of his own life, yet here I am weighing this and weighing that...”
“You should weigh it far more carefully than this. Not just for a few days, but for months if necessary. You should consider it over and over again. Your lives are at stake. It is merely unfortunate that you have been forced to decide so quickly.”
“To be honest, I want to fight. I want to give the Shinhwa Sect the punishment it deserves for harming innocent people. But I cannot do it alone. It is something I can attempt only if you help me.”
This was the conclusion Im Chung had reached after agonizing over it all night.
“Please help us.”
The gazes of Im Chung and Beon Saeng turned toward Baek Socheon.
Baek Socheon answered readily, without hesitation.
“I’ll help you.”
His answer came so easily that Im Chung and Beon Saeng were startled.
“Do you truly mean that?”
“I should. You said this happened because of me.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you so much.”
Deeply moved, Im Chung and Beon Saeng bowed their heads several times.
Now that Baek Socheon had agreed to help, they felt as though they might actually be able to fight the Shinhwa Sect.
Even if the worst happened, it no longer seemed as though they would die meaningless deaths.
“Why are you thanking me as though dealing with the Shinhwa Sect is some grand affair? In my prime, the Shinhwa Sect would have been no more than a mayfly extinguished by a single breath.”
“Haha. The more I hear your boasts, Brother, the more endearing they become.”
Yet both Im Chung and Beon Saeng had effectively staked their lives on those boasts.
With Baek Socheon beside them, it truly felt possible.
“What do we do now?”
“We find the person who murdered Yang Chu’s family and make him confess that the Shinhwa Sect commissioned the killings. This is serious enough for the Martial Alliance headquarters to intervene directly. Once that happens, the Shinhwa Sect is finished.”
The regional headquarters and the main headquarters differed not merely in size or strength, but in their fundamental nature.
Regional headquarters inevitably became entangled in various interests with local sects.
The main headquarters had no such complications.
Of course, it would be another matter entirely if the Shinhwa Sect’s influence extended even there.
Beon Saeng asked after hearing Baek Socheon’s clear answer,
“Who do you think they hired to carry out the killings? Could it have been Cheuk Su?”
“It wasn’t Cheuk Su. When I asked whether he had killed Yang Chu’s family, he said he was not that kind of filthy blade.”
“A filthy blade?”
“Who would he consider to be a filthy blade?”
Im Chung and Beon Saeng shouted the same answer at once.
“An assassin!”
At the same time, Im Chung realized something.
“Ah! Physician Hwang, who performed the autopsies, said the killer was someone who showed not the slightest hesitation in taking a life. He also used ordinary weapons so he would leave no identifiable traces. Those are all traits of assassins.”
Beon Saeng added,
“That also explains why we found no evidence no matter how thoroughly we searched Hero Yang’s estate.”
All the circumstances pointed toward an assassin.
Baek Socheon asked,
“Is there an assassin organization in this region that they might have used?”
Beon Saeng answered.
As a local, he knew more about the assassins of the area than Im Chung, who had only recently taken up his post.
“The most famous assassin organization in Zhejiang Province is the Seven Swords Society. It is led by seven assassins and has more than a hundred killers under its command. They are also known to be highly skilled.”
The expressions of Im Chung and Beon Saeng darkened.
What if the murders had been carried out by an assassin from the Seven Swords Society?
It was not merely a name they did not wish to investigate.
It was a name they did not even want to mention.
The Shinhwa Sect and the Seven Swords Society were different kinds of organizations, making it impossible to compare which was stronger.
One thing was certain, however.
The Seven Swords Society felt even more terrifying than the Shinhwa Sect.
They were people who killed for money.
Merciless murderers.
“I’ll investigate the assassins.”
Beon Saeng raised both hands as though cheering and nearly shouted, “As expected of our brother!”
Then he caught himself and asked,
“How?”
“I’ll summon someone from that world.”
“...The Seven Swords Society?”
“No. Assassins never reveal the identity of their clients.”
“Then whom are you going to summon?”
Baek Socheon took a small dagger from inside his robes and handed it to Beon Saeng.
It looked like an ordinary dagger, but the character for heaven, 天, was engraved into its hilt.
“Run an errand for me. There is an inn called Nine Dragons Inn at the foot of Nine Dragons Mountain. Give this to the owner and tell him that the dagger’s owner is here.”
“Yes, understood.”
“You can relax for the time being. With Cheuk Su missing, Wang Gon will be too occupied with that matter to make a move.”
After reassuring Im Chung as well, Baek Socheon entered the house without waiting for a reply.
“My, how remarkably considerate he is.”
“He still does everything that needs to be done, doesn’t he?”
“So you finally recognize Brother’s true worth, Branch Leader.”
The two looked at each other and laughed.
At that moment, Im Chung wondered whether he should begin treating Beon Saeng like a sworn brother as well.
It might be pleasant to speak comfortably as elder and younger brother.
Then again, they were still superior and subordinate. Would becoming too close create problems?
‘Perhaps I really am an old-fashioned man.’
Unaware that Im Chung was contemplating their relationship, Beon Saeng remained focused entirely on Baek Socheon.
“Are all the warriors from the main headquarters that intelligent?”
“Can you imagine a place crawling with people like him?”
“No.”
“Neither can I. How could someone like that be common? I don’t know for certain, but he must have stood out tremendously even there.”
“You think so too?”
“Travel safely.”
“Yes.”
Beon Saeng tucked the dagger into his clothes and dashed out of the branch.
Had he known whom that dagger was intended to summon, he would never have run so lightly.
That night, Im Chung came to Baek Socheon’s residence carrying something wrapped in cloth.
Although it was late, Baek Socheon was training in the courtyard.
He was holding himself upside down on three fingers, sweat pouring from his body like water.
Heavy iron weights were fastened to his wrists and ankles, making the difficulty incomparable to the training Beon Saeng had witnessed before.
“Ugh...”
A groan of restrained pain escaped Baek Socheon’s lips.
Not wanting to disturb him, Im Chung stood at a distance and watched.
At last, Baek Socheon endured until the appointed time and collapsed onto the ground.
“Are you all right?”
Startled, Im Chung rushed toward him.
“No, I’m not. Hurry up and massage my shoulders and arms.”
“Yes.”
The moment Im Chung placed his hands on Baek Socheon’s shoulders—
“Hot!”
He recoiled in surprise.
Baek Socheon’s entire body was burning as though it were on fire.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and massage them.”
“Ah, yes.”
Im Chung began kneading Baek Socheon’s shoulders and arms.
“Harder!”
“Ah, that feels good. Yes, right there.”
While watching from afar, Im Chung had thought only, ‘He truly is incredible.’
But now, as he stood close and massaged Baek Socheon’s body, something surged within his chest.
‘I want to train like this too!’
He had told Beon Saeng that it was already too late for him.
Apparently, that was not true.
Touching Baek Socheon’s burning body with his own hands made him realize that the same heat still remained within his heart.
“It is too late for me, isn’t it?”
The words burst from him without warning or context.
Baek Socheon nevertheless understood what he meant.
“You said you were thirty-six?”
“Yes.”
“I started over when I was your age.”
“I was a complete wreck who could not even walk.”
Im Chung could not understand what he meant.
He had been unable to walk only three years ago?
That was impossible.
How could such a man have killed Cheuk Su?
Yet Baek Socheon was clearly neither lying nor joking.
“That’s enough. Stop massaging.”
“Yes. Ah, and please take this.”
“What is it?”
Im Chung handed him the cloth bundle.
“It is nothing much. My wife prepared a few side dishes for you. Please have them as snacks when you drink at home.”
“Nothing much? These are precious treasures. There is liquor in my room. Bring it out.”
“Yes.”
Im Chung entered the house and returned with liquor and cups.
In the meantime, Baek Socheon had opened the bundle on the wooden platform and laid out the food.
The two sat there and drank together.
“It’s delicious.”
“My wife is quite skilled at cooking.”
“I meant the liquor.”
“Ah, yes. The liquor is delicious.”
Watching Im Chung fluster, Baek Socheon chuckled.
“I’m joking. Tell your wife I am grateful.”
“Ah! Yes.”
“You’re amusing to tease.”
“Even so, how can you say that directly to my face?”
“If I said it behind your back, it would be an insult.”
Im Chung could only laugh.
The two continued passing the bottle back and forth.
At times, Baek Socheon seemed like someone from an entirely different world.
At this moment, however, he did not.
Im Chung thought the atmosphere might have been even better had he been as naturally playful as Beon Saeng.
For some reason, he felt both apologetic and regretful.
“We were unable to hold a welcome banquet when you took up your post. I apologize.”
“Let us call this the welcome banquet.”
“Squad Leader Beon will feel left out.”
“Then the three of us can hold another one.”
Im Chung broke into a broad smile at Baek Socheon’s easy answer and raised his cup.
“Welcome, Brother.”
The two clinked cups and emptied them.
As Baek Socheon set down his empty cup, he said the same words.
“I welcome you as well.”
Im Chung could not understand what Baek Socheon meant by that welcome.
Was he welcoming Im Chung into this seemingly insane, merciless, and brutal martial world?
Was he welcoming him into a relationship where the two of them could share a drink?
Or did it carry some other meaning entirely?
He was curious, but he did not ask.
Whatever kind of welcome it was, he was willing to accept it.
He now had the courage to leap into it willingly.
“Your wife’s cooking is worthy of the chefs at the Alliance Leader’s Hall.”
“She will be delighted to hear that.”
The two drank until late that night.
There was little conversation.
They simply sat in silence, intoxicated by the liquor and the atmosphere.