Chapter 8
If We Don’t Protect Them, Who Will? (3)
The small prison at the Munseong Branch was completely full.
It was the first time that had happened since the branch was established.
Old Man Go and all the nearby merchants had also been brought in so their statements could be recorded. As a result, the Munseong Branch was as crowded and noisy as the marketplace.
The martial artists stationed there were surprised, but no one was more shocked by the situation than Im Chung.
“What in the world happened?”
“We handled the petition.”
Im Chung stared at Beon Saeng in disbelief before turning his gaze toward Baek Socheon.
As though he had nothing whatsoever to do with the incident, Baek Socheon had already begun taking statements from the merchants.
“Squad Leader Beon, come inside.”
Im Chung brought Beon Saeng into his office.
The moment he closed the door, Im Chung shouted,
“You fool! Have you lost your mind?”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not asking for an apology! Why did you do this?”
Beon Saeng lowered his head.
He had seemed dangerously unstable ever since drinking the previous night, but Im Chung had never imagined he would cause an incident of this magnitude.
“This is because of Martial Artist Baek, isn’t it?”
“No.”
“It is, isn’t it?”
“It was my decision. I couldn’t continue watching them torment people. How long are we supposed to keep pretending not to see it?”
However, Im Chung was certain that Baek Socheon had influenced everything that had happened.
That man truly is extraordinary. He hasn’t even been here for three days, yet he has already shaken someone up this badly.
It was not that Baek Socheon or his influence was inherently bad.
This was simply a conflict between ideals and reality.
“So? What are you planning to do now?”
“First, I’ll escort everyone we arrested to the Zhejiang Division.”
“Do you think the Zhejiang Division will accept them? They’ll release every one of those men, and you’ll be disciplined for ignoring proper procedure.”
“Disciplined? If I’m punished for arresting members of a black society, isn’t that the real problem? Fine. I’ll gladly accept the punishment. But before that, please authorize the arrest of the Taejeong Sect’s leader.”
There was no point in capturing only these small fry.
They had to arrest the Taejeong Sect’s leader.
“Do you even hear yourself? No! Absolutely not!”
“Why not?”
“You bastard! Are you asking because you truly don’t know? Have you really gone insane?”
“Yes. I have. Since I’ve already lost my mind, I might as well go completely mad.”
“You bastard! Do you think I endure all this because I have no temper? Do you really want to be expelled from the Martial Alliance? Being expelled would be the least of your worries. You could disappear without anyone ever knowing what happened to you.”
Beon Saeng had been worked up, but the moment his own death was mentioned as a possible consequence, he could no longer speak so boldly.
“For now, keep taking their statements. We can’t undo what has already happened, but we still need to contain the aftermath.”
“Where are you going?”
“Do you really have to ask?”
Im Chung had no dealings with the Taejeong Sect, so he intended to seek out Wang Gon of the Shinhwa Gang.
“If you cause another incident before I return, I’ll kill you myself.”
Without waiting for an answer, Im Chung immediately left the office.
As he departed, he deliberately avoided looking toward Baek Socheon.
Resolving the situation with Hall Master Wang took priority over reprimanding him.
Beon Saeng returned to his seat after leaving the office.
The branch martial artists who had been recording the merchants’ statements looked at him with renewed interest.
Some were surprised that Beon Saeng had such a side to him, while others worried about what would happen next.
Across the room, Old Man Go smiled at Beon Saeng.
Seeing the smile blooming amid the dark red bruises on the old man’s face, Beon Saeng smiled brightly in return.
That’s right. I won’t regret it.
However, it seemed Beon Saeng’s difficult day was far from over.
Two men suddenly stormed inside, radiating hostility.
“Is the Branch Chief here?”
The man in front was Taejeong, the leader of the Taejeong Sect.
The moment he heard that his men had been arrested, he had overturned the table at which he had been eating and rushed straight over.
The man accompanying him was Taejeong’s closest subordinate and the second-strongest fighter in the Taejeong Sect.
Beon Saeng greeted him tensely.
“The Branch Chief is currently away.”
He hoped they would simply leave, but the man beside Taejeong leaned closer and whispered something into his ear.
Taejeong’s gaze toward Beon Saeng immediately changed.
“So you’re the man who arrested my boys.”
“That’s right. I brought them in.”
Beon Saeng tightened his abdomen and answered firmly.
Don’t be afraid.
For the moment, Taejeong was still maintaining a polite manner.
“Did my boys make some kind of mistake?”
“They assaulted merchants and habitually extorted money from them.”
“And who exactly did they extort money from?”
Taejeong glared at the merchants gathered there.
Afraid that their eyes might meet his, the merchants all turned their heads away.
Every one of them knew how vicious Taejeong was.
Only Old Man Go refused to avoid his gaze and confronted him directly.
“You should know that better than anyone. All that money went into your pockets.”
“Elder, there seems to be a misunderstanding. If we are to protect all of you, surely we need funds to pay for security.”
“Nonsense! You’re the ones who take even the money meant to buy medicine for children. Who exactly are you protecting us from?”
Taejeong’s shallow patience quickly ran out.
“You’re an old fool who refuses to understand when spoken to politely.”
He stared coldly at Old Man Go.
“Your daughter lives in Shaanxi, doesn’t she?”
At the sudden mention of his daughter, Old Man Go’s face—until now completely fearless—turned deathly pale.
“She has two children as well. One son and one daughter.”
When Taejeong even mentioned his grandson and granddaughter, Old Man Go’s surprise turned to terror.
His daughter had married and moved far away, and he barely saw her once every few years.
Recently, he had not seen her at all.
He had lived believing that no news was good news.
He had never imagined they would threaten his daughter and grandchildren.
“They say Shaanxi is far away, but it isn’t so far that we couldn’t go there if we decided to. What exactly makes this old bag of bones think he can run wild like this?”
It was an open threat.
He had made it brazenly inside a Martial Alliance branch, right before the eyes of Martial Alliance martial artists.
Old Man Go could say nothing more and lowered his head.
Belated guilt and fear tormented him.
What if something happens to the children…?
Even in death, he would never be able to rest.
Watching him, Beon Saeng clenched his fist so tightly it felt ready to burst.
Just how little do they think of us?
How else could Taejeong make such a vicious threat directly in front of them?
As though he were the person in charge of the branch, Taejeong addressed the merchants.
“Now, now. There’s no need to turn a minor issue into something serious. Everyone should return home.”
He spoke to Beon Saeng in the same manner.
“There appears to have been a misunderstanding, so release my boys immediately.”
The merchants and even the branch’s martial artists all looked toward Beon Saeng.
With the Branch Chief absent, Beon Saeng was the one who had to decide.
Without realizing it, Beon Saeng looked toward Baek Socheon.
Baek Socheon merely watched the situation, as though saying that every decision belonged to Beon Saeng.
His expression was so indifferent that it was almost irritating.
Yet merely looking at that face strangely gave Beon Saeng courage.
Fine, you medicine-peddling swindler. You win.
Assuming Beon Saeng would naturally obey him, Taejeong turned away without even waiting for an answer.
A firm voice sounded behind his back.
“No.”
Taejeong stopped walking.
Without turning around, he asked quietly but threateningly,
“No?”
“No. You may leave now.”
The corners of Taejeong’s eyes rose viciously.
Still showing them his back, he muttered as if speaking to himself,
“You vermin. You refuse to listen when I speak nicely.”
Though his voice was low, everyone heard him clearly.
Taejeong slowly turned around and stared coldly at Beon Saeng.
“Do you want to die?”
Everyone inside tensed.
The merchants were beside themselves with worry. This entire incident had begun because the branch was trying to help them.
Old Man Go, in particular, felt wretched.
He wanted to step forward and stop them, but after Taejeong’s threat against his family, he could not bring himself to speak.
Beon Saeng addressed Taejeong slowly and clearly.
“I am placing you under arrest for threatening a Martial Alliance martial artist and a victim of assault. Put down your sword and kneel.”
Silence descended.
Everyone stared at Beon Saeng in shock.
Beon Saeng himself was strangely calm.
This was on an entirely different level from what he had done earlier.
He had been capable of dealing with Taejeong’s subordinates, but Taejeong’s martial arts were stronger than his own.
One wrong move, and Beon Saeng could die.
Even so, at least in that moment, one thought filled his mind.
Taejeong was a man who was not satisfied with assault and extortion, but even threatened to kill family members living far away.
The merchants stood completely defenseless before someone like him.
That’s right. If we don’t protect them, who will?
Taejeong, meanwhile, was so dumbfounded that he could not even force out a laugh.
“What did he just say?”
The subordinate standing behind him replied,
“The heat must have driven him completely insane.”
Beon Saeng warned him once more.
“Put down your sword immediately.”
“And what if I refuse?”
Taejeong conspicuously placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
He had spent his entire life in the black society.
When it came to sheer nerve, he would not lose to anyone.
Even so, he was not reckless enough to draw his sword first inside a Martial Alliance branch.
This remote branch was not even worthy of being called the Martial Alliance’s tail. It was more like a single strand of hair growing from that tail.
Still, it remained attached to the body of the Martial Alliance.
Just as the tension reached its peak, someone spoke.
“Don’t draw it. The moment you pull that sword, you die.”
Everyone turned toward the man who had issued the warning.
It was Baek Socheon.
“If you ignore the warning of a Martial Alliance martial artist and draw a sword inside a Martial Alliance building, we are legally permitted to kill you. It is a law enforced strictly, without exception.”
Taejeong glanced back at his subordinate, silently asking where this dung beetle had crawled out from.
His subordinate, however, knew nothing about Baek Socheon either.
Thinking Baek Socheon might possibly be an expert, Taejeong asked cautiously,
“I haven’t seen you before. Who are you?”
“I’m an esteemed Martial Alliance elder newly assigned here. Squad Leader Beon over there is my senior.”
At those words, Taejeong relaxed and shook his head.
“You people truly are putting on quite a show. Now even some rookie bastard who can’t tell heaven from earth is stepping forward?”
Baek Socheon provoked him again.
“Listen. While I’m still asking nicely, do as Squad Leader Beon says. He’s even trying to spare the lives of worthless thugs like you. So take your hand off that sword.”
In the end, Taejeong could no longer endure it and drew his sword.
Shing.
“There. I drew it. What are you going to do now?”
Baek Socheon suddenly shouted,
“Surprise attack! Protect the witnesses!”
He vaulted over a desk and charged toward Taejeong.
From Taejeong’s perspective, the reaction was absurd.
He had drawn his sword only to frighten them.
He had no intention whatsoever of fighting.
Yet Baek Socheon shouted as though Taejeong had been about to slaughter the merchants and rushed him.
Baek Socheon leaped over the desk, flew through the air, and kicked Taejeong.
Wham!
The attack came completely unexpectedly.
Unable to evade in time, Taejeong was struck in the face and sent flying backward.
Seeing this, Taejeong’s subordinate drew his sword.
Beon Saeng also drew his weapon and shouted,
“Subdue him!”
Beon Saeng and the branch martial artists joined forces against the warrior who had accompanied Taejeong.
A sword fight erupted in an instant.
The merchants hurriedly retreated into a corner.
They might have been warriors from a remote countryside branch, but they were still fully qualified martial artists who had passed the Martial Alliance entrance examination.
With four martial artists attacking together under Beon Saeng’s lead, the man’s movements quickly fell into disarray.
In the end, blades struck him from every direction, and he collapsed.
His martial arts were formidable enough that they could not restrain him without killing him.
After the man died, Beon Saeng turned to help Baek Socheon.
He suddenly stopped.
Taejeong was still lying on the ground, while Baek Socheon stood a short distance away.
Beon Saeng quickly approached Taejeong.
He kicked the sword from Taejeong’s hand, sealed his acupoints to suppress his internal energy, then shook him.
“Hey. Get up.”
Taejeong did not move.
“Hey, wake up!”
Beon Saeng slapped his cheek.
Something felt strange, and Beon Saeng’s eyes widened.
He checked whether Taejeong was breathing.
“He’s dead?”
Taejeong had already become a cold corpse.
Everyone was startled by those words.
Beon Saeng looked toward Baek Socheon.
Baek Socheon spoke to everyone with a flustered expression.
“It looks like he struck his head badly when he fell.”
The instant Beon Saeng heard that, a thought flashed through his mind.
He killed him deliberately.
Baek Socheon’s earlier warning had not been meant to stop Taejeong.
He had been luring him into drawing his sword.
Lowering himself by claiming to be Beon Saeng’s junior, provoking Taejeong by calling him a worthless thug—every word had been intended to make him draw.
Even the moment he charged as soon as the sword came free...
Baek Socheon might have intended to kill him from the very beginning.
Beon Saeng immediately supported Baek Socheon’s claim.
“That’s right. Taejeong wasn’t someone who would be easily defeated by an unarmed opponent. He must have fallen badly after being struck. Everyone saw it, didn’t you?”
All the merchants nodded.
In truth, all they had seen was a thud followed by a crash.
Even so, they were firmly on the side of the Martial Alliance martial artists.
Thus, it became an unavoidable death that had occurred during an attempt to restrain him, rather than an intentional killing.
In any case, Taejeong had drawn a sword inside a Martial Alliance branch.
Even if they had killed him deliberately, it would not have been a problem.
If his death had truly been accidental, the matter could be resolved without any difficulty.
Old Man Go spoke with a deeply satisfied expression.
“That vicious bastard was struck down by heaven. Divine punishment, that’s what it was.”
The merchants smiled brightly and nodded along.
Beon Saeng addressed them.
“It seems we’ll need you to provide some additional testimony.”
“Of course we will. This happened because you were trying to protect us.”
They had willingly come to testify, but every one of them still carried fear of Taejeong somewhere in their hearts.
Now Taejeong had died right before their eyes.
Old Man Go, whose daughter and grandchildren had been threatened, bowed to Beon Saeng several times.
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
“You shouldn’t be thanking me.”
Beon Saeng turned his head.
Baek Socheon was leaning against a window in the corner of the office, looking outside as though nothing had happened.
The sight of him blankly staring up at the sky overlapped with the image of him gazing at the heavens in the lodging courtyard on his first day.
They said that someone whose back looked lonely was truly lonely.
At that moment, Beon Saeng heard his subordinates talking behind him.
“The Branch Chief is going to faint when he comes back.”
“Still, we didn’t do anything wrong, did we?”
At those words, Beon Saeng suddenly realized something.
Ah! Come to think of it...
Baek Socheon had ensured that everything took place within the boundaries of the law.
Stopping Beon Saeng from killing Jong Bae.
Making Taejeong’s death appear accidental.
He had done it all so that if investigators came down from the division or the main headquarters, the branch would suffer as little damage as possible.
Could he have planned all of it?
A sudden thought entered Beon Saeng’s mind.
Perhaps Baek Socheon was someone who belonged to an entirely different world.
And asking such a man to accept him as a younger brother was truly...
Am I doing something completely absurd?