Chapter 24
When the Enemy Extends a Hand (1)
“Cheon Yangho is dead.”
At Baek Socheon’s words, Im Chung and Beon Saeng blinked.
At first, they thought they had misheard him.
“Who died?”
“The Venomous Snake is dead.”
Because the news had reached them in two separate pieces, they missed the proper moment to recoil in horror.
Still looking dazed, Beon Saeng asked,
“How?”
“I killed him.”
A brief silence descended.
Then, the instant the situation finally registered in his mind—
“Hyung killed Cheon Yangho...!”
Beon Saeng hurriedly covered his own mouth before he could shout.
“Why did you kill him?”
“He came to kill me last night. He said Wang Gon had paid him to do it.”
“My goodness!”
It was almost impossible to believe.
They knew he was a corrupt martial artist, but they had never imagined he would accept money to murder a fellow member of the Martial Alliance.
After all, he was still a unit captain of the Martial Alliance.
Lowering his voice, Beon Saeng asked,
“What did you do with the body?”
“It’s beneath your feet.”
Both men looked down at the ground.
“He’s buried beside Cheuksu.”
It still did not feel real.
Cheon Yangho had always seemed liable to appear at any moment and irritate everyone around him.
Now he was buried there as a corpse.
“What are you going to do now?”
“What else? Wait. Now that Cheon Yangho is dead, they’ll make another move. They’ll either try to kill me again or come to win me over. Whichever it is, all I have to do is wait.”
“What should we do?”
“Carry on with your work and wait. Before long, there will be things for both of you to do.”
Come to think of it, Wang Gon’s side would not be the only one to react.
Once Cheon Yangho’s disappearance was discovered, the Zhejiang Division would be thrown into chaos.
A man regarded as the true power within the division had suddenly vanished.
Someone from the division would undoubtedly be sent to investigate.
Dealing with that person would be Im Chung’s responsibility.
Im Chung stared down at the ground beneath his feet and suddenly wondered,
Will another corpse end up buried here?
***
“What? Cheon Yangho has disappeared?”
Wang Gon was shocked by yet another report of a disappearance.
“He hasn’t appeared at the Alliance, and he isn’t at his residence either.”
At Wang U’s report, Wang Gon’s expression hardened completely.
He had sent Cheon Yangho to kill Baek Socheon, and now he had vanished.
There was only one answer.
“Baek Socheon got him.”
Cheuksu had disappeared in almost exactly the same manner, so the conclusion was easy to reach.
“Couldn’t he have fled with the ten thousand taels?”
“Ten thousand taels is certainly a great deal of money, but it isn’t enough for Cheon Yangho to abandon everything he has. Baek Socheon definitely got him!”
“Cheon Yangho must have gone there thoroughly prepared.”
“Then that only proves how formidable our enemy is.”
In hindsight, Wang Gon had invested the enormous sum of twenty thousand taels to kill Baek Socheon.
When had he ever spent so much to eliminate a single person?
“Shouldn’t we inform the Main Gang now?”
Wang Gon frowned.
His son did not understand the seriousness of their situation.
They had lost Cheuksu.
They had also lost Cheon Yangho, whom Wang Gon had spent years steadily bribing and turning into his pawn.
The ten thousand taels he had given Cheon Yangho this time had come from his personal fortune, but all the previous bribes had been paid from the Shinhwa Gang’s funds.
Cheuksu had likewise been an expert assigned to him by the Shinhwa Gang.
Within an extremely short period, Wang Gon had lost two of the gang’s assets and even disgraced its reputation by being arrested at a Martial Alliance branch.
The gang would undoubtedly hold him responsible.
Would he be removed from his position as Hall Leader?
Perhaps.
Perhaps not.
His only source of hope was the ironworks project currently underway in Munseong.
Replacing the person in charge would delay the schedule accordingly.
Even so, there was no guarantee that the project would be enough to shield him.
Even if he managed to retain his position as Hall Leader, this incident would become a major obstacle to his future advancement.
This cannot continue!
He had to reverse the unfavorable situation somehow.
Just then, Wang U thought of a possible solution.
“What if we asked those people—”
“Quiet.”
Wang Gon’s expression hardened.
“Never speak of them carelessly!”
“I’m sorry.”
The people they were referring to were the Seven Swords Society.
“Besides, even if we wanted to commission them, we couldn’t.”
“No matter how expensive the commission is, surely we can afford it.”
“It isn’t about money.”
“Then what is it?”
“The Seven Swords Society accepts commissions from the Shinhwa Gang only through Mr. Jong.”
The man’s true name was unknown, and everyone simply called him Mr. Jong.
He was an expert of the Shinhwa Gang who enjoyed the Gang Leader’s absolute trust.
He handled many matters for the gang, including all commissions involving the Seven Swords Society.
“Is it because the Seven Swords Society doesn’t trust the Main Gang?”
“It’s the opposite.”
“The Shinhwa Gang Leader doesn’t trust the martial artists within his own organization. He must have made an agreement with the Leader of the Seven Swords Society: accept all commissions related to the Shinhwa Gang only through Mr. Jong. If anyone else submits a commission involving the Shinhwa Gang, report it directly to him. That way, at the very least, he never has to worry about being killed by an assassin from the Seven Swords Society.”
Wang U realized anew just how cautious the Shinhwa Gang Leader was.
He was also clever.
At the very least, the greatest assassin organization in Zhejiang Province would never be the one to kill him.
“If we can’t even receive their help... what do we do now?”
Every expert they knew was weaker than Cheuksu.
Mobilizing them would merely create more corpses and make the problem even larger.
“I will meet Baek Socheon myself.”
“You can’t, Father. It’s dangerous. He killed both Cheuksu and Cheon Yangho.”
“I still have to meet him. A tiger is already wandering inside our front gate. Do you think we’ll be safe just because we sit inside a room holding the doorknob?”
“What will you do when you meet him?”
“I’ll win him over and bring him to our side.”
Wang U stared blankly for a moment.
The idea had never even occurred to him.
“He killed Cheuksu and even Cheon Yangho, yet you want to bring him to our side?”
“There are no eternal enemies or eternal allies in this world.”
“How will you recruit him?”
“With money.”
It was the method Wang Gon knew best and trusted most.
“Will he accept?”
“There is only one reason money ever fails.”
“What reason?”
“The amount offered was too small.”
Wang Gon was so confident because he possessed substantial wealth.
Even before joining the Shinhwa Gang, he had been born into a wealthy family.
“I don’t like this idea.”
Wang U spoke calmly, but inwardly, he was screaming in opposition.
Father! No! You can’t spend that money! It’s supposed to be my inheritance!
Wang U had to protect his father’s fortune at all costs.
How could his father give such precious money to some unknown bastard?
His father claimed that money could always be earned as long as one held power, but what if he lost that power as well?
Then they would become penniless beggars with nothing left.
“Father! Wouldn’t it be better to inform the Gang Leader?”
“Then I’ll be removed from my position as Hall Leader.”
“Even if you are removed, wouldn’t it be better to seek another chance later? I’m worried that you’ll spend all that money and gain nothing in return.”
“You fool! Do you think there will be another chance once I’m pushed out of the Hall Leader’s position? The Shinhwa Gang Leader will investigate every detail of my background and find out whether I’ve ever pocketed even a single tael. Are you confident that no dust will come out when he shakes us down?”
Considering everything they had done in Munseong, so much dust would rise that they would not even be able to open their eyes.
“You still don’t understand the Shinhwa Gang Leader. You have no idea how cold and ruthless he is. Moreover, I know far too many of the Shinhwa Gang’s secrets. The moment I’m removed as Hall Leader or demoted, not only will I die, but so will you.”
Only after realizing that his father genuinely believed this did Wang U finally understand the gravity of their situation.
“However, if we can recruit Baek Socheon, we can make up for every mistake we’ve made. We’ll claim that losing Cheuksu and Cheon Yangho was an unavoidable sacrifice required to recruit an expert capable of killing both of them.”
“Will the Gang Leader really accept that?”
Half confidence and half desperate hope filled Wang Gon’s answer.
“He judges people solely by their ability. He will accept it.”
***
Baek Socheon was drinking at an inn in the marketplace.
The bottle was nearly empty when a man wearing a bamboo hat approached him.
“May I sit?”
It was Wang Gon.
“You have courage. What will you do if I beat you again after you came all this way to see me?”
Wang Gon glanced around.
“If you strike me in a place crowded with this many people, you won’t escape unscathed either.”
“You’re right. A tavern is a place for drinking.”
Baek Socheon poured him a cup.
Wang Gon drank it.
“I have some news for you. I have decided not to report you for using excessive force.”
“You’re remarkably shameless. Of all people, you have no right to say such a thing to me. Do you genuinely believe you were subjected to excessive force?”
“No. It merely came to mind, so I mentioned it. Forget it. I heard you distinguished yourself in the Iron Sword Unit.”
“I did.”
“Impressive. Isn’t joining the Iron Sword Unit every martial artist’s dream?”
“You shouldn’t set the dreams of martial artists so low.”
Wang Gon emptied another cup.
What a difficult bastard. He refuses to let even a single remark pass. But no matter how superior you act, I’ll prove that you’re no different from me.
Concealing his displeasure, Wang Gon subtly probed Baek Socheon.
“Warrior Baek, I heard that Unit Captain Cheon, who came down from the division, has disappeared. It is truly unfortunate.”
As he spoke, he closely watched Baek Socheon’s reaction.
“We don’t yet know whether it’s unfortunate. Perhaps he suddenly came into a large sum of money and left on a long journey.”
“A large sum of money?”
“Apparently, Unit Captain Cheon had quite a bit of additional income besides his Martial Alliance salary.”
Wang Gon became certain.
He definitely killed him.
Baek Socheon was not even making much effort to conceal the fact.
The mention of money made that obvious.
“True. There are many places throughout the Central Plains worth visiting. What about you? Don’t you wish to travel to such places?”
“I’m not destined for such a leisurely life.”
“A man creates his own destiny.”
Wang Gon took out a thick envelope and handed it over.
“What is this?”
“Your new destiny.”
Baek Socheon checked the contents.
It contained fifty banknotes, each worth one thousand taels.
Fifty thousand taels.
It was more money than an ordinary unit captain could earn after working for over forty years.
And that was not all.
“If you become one of my men, I will regularly pay you three thousand taels every year. Working with me will also bring many opportunities for additional income beyond that.”
“Hmm.”
When Baek Socheon appeared hesitant, Wang Gon delivered the final offer.
“Take this as well.”
He held out the box he had brought.
When Baek Socheon opened it, he found the hundred-year-old fleeceflower root inside.
It was the same one Wang Gon had previously intended to give Im Chung before changing his mind.
“It means we should forget the past and work well together from now on.”
Baek Socheon nodded.
“Very well.”
“As expected! You’re refreshingly decisive. Good. Let’s drink.”
Wang Gon raised his cup, and Baek Socheon clinked his own against it.
“I’m only saying this as a precaution, but if you break this agreement, you’ll have to face the entire Shinhwa Gang.”
“That won’t happen. Accepting bribes is a serious crime in the Martial Alliance. With this much money, I’d spend the rest of my life imprisoned in an underground dungeon... You’re the one who shouldn’t change your story later. Don’t promise me three thousand taels and then complain that you can only afford two thousand.”
“Why would I ever do that? Hahaha.”
As everything proceeded smoothly, Wang Gon laughed in satisfaction.
“I’m very pleased to have such a dependable man working with me.”
He smiled broadly, but his true thoughts were entirely different.
Once I survive this crisis, you’ll be the first person I eliminate.
He had no intention of maintaining a long relationship with Baek Socheon.
At that moment, he was also savoring the power of money.
No matter how superior you pretended to be, you still couldn’t turn down fifty thousand taels. You’ve probably never seen this much money in your entire life, have you, you beggar-like bastard?
However, Wang Gon was gravely mistaken.
Had he known Baek Socheon’s customer rank at the three great banks of the Central Plains, he would have been stunned.
Baek Socheon held the highest rank, the Wealth and Honor grade, which was granted only to clients who deposited more than one hundred thousand taels.
Moreover, he held that rank at all three banks.
The amount of money Baek Socheon had accumulated over the past twenty years was beyond imagination.
He had counted accurately until it reached five hundred thousand taels, but afterward, he stopped keeping track and no longer knew the exact total.
It consisted of his Martial Alliance salary, danger allowances, and reward payments.
In particular, he had received enormous rewards whenever he killed an important expert of the Cheukcheon Alliance.
“Now that you’re my subordinate, let me ask you one question.”
“Go ahead.”
“What happened to Cheon Yangho?”
“You hired me, not my past. Contact me quietly whenever you have work that requires my assistance.”
Baek Socheon rose and walked away.
Naturally, Wang Gon’s gaze toward his departing back was anything but friendly.
Arrogant bastard!
He wanted nothing more than to tear Baek Socheon apart.
However, the man had just swallowed fifty thousand taels of Wang Gon’s precious money.
Cutting him open now would yield nothing but filth.
Wang Gon would exploit him as much as possible before eliminating him.
It would be even better if he could recover the money afterward.
In any case, he had succeeded in recruiting Baek Socheon.
The only remaining task was to persuade the Shinhwa Gang.
He intended to argue that he had gained a subordinate far more capable than either Cheuksu or Cheon Yangho and therefore deserved a reward rather than punishment.
His sole concern now was the person the Shinhwa Gang would send to handle this matter.
I hope they send someone easy to deal with.