When they were nearly home, Yang Ren caught hold of Jo Chun-bae’s sleeve.
“Dear.”
“What is it, wife?”
“You just go back. I’ll handle this matter. Go back and tend to the business.”
He had married into a poor household with only a widowed mother and two daughters, and had taken on the role of a son. Many things had happened in the family over the years. Each time, her husband had stepped forward to settle them. It was Jo Chun-bae who had even arranged her younger sister’s marriage.
But they had never once faced a matter involving a martial artist like this. She could not shake off her unease. She was afraid something might happen to her husband.
“How do you intend to handle it? Stop saying useless things and let’s go.”
Jo Chun-bae resumed walking.
“It’s been a long time since I last came here. I should have visited more often.”
With the tavern to run, visiting his mother-in-law had never been as easy as he wished. Fortunately, his sister-in-law and her husband lived near his mother-in-law’s house, so he had done what he could as a dutiful son by sending them money for her living expenses.
When the two arrived at the house, their mother-in-law, Madam Yang, hurried out to greet Jo Chun-bae.
“Son-in-law Jo!”
Her old hand, little more than skin and bone, looked pitiful.
“It must have been hard getting here.”
She always looked after her son-in-law before her own daughter. She had been that way ever since the day they married. It was also her own particular way of loving her daughter.
“Mother!”
Yang Ren embraced Madam Yang. In the time they had been apart, her mother had grown far too thin.
Her younger sister, Yang Shan, was at the house. Her eyes were so swollen from crying that she was almost unrecognizable.
“Sister-in-law.”
“Brother-in-law.”
The moment she saw Jo Chun-bae and Yang Ren, she burst into tears.
Yang Ren went over and embraced her younger sister.
They had heard the general details through a messenger. Yang Shan’s husband, Jong Hak, worked as a porter for the Yellow Dragon Escort Agency. He had apparently been caught stealing goods during an escort mission.
“What about Jong Hak?”
“He’s being held at the escort agency right now. The escort warrior said that they would cut off both his hands in front of everyone…”
Yang Shan could not finish speaking and burst into tears.
Jo Chun-bae and Yang Ren were shocked.
“They’re going to cut off his hands?”
Jo Chun-bae had known that this was no ordinary matter before coming.
Escort agencies punished insiders who stole escort goods with excessive severity. There were already plenty of bandits outside; if people within the agency began laying hands on the goods as well, they would be unable to cope.
That was why he had closed the tavern and hurried here without stopping.
But they intended to cut off both his hands? It was the harshest punishment of all. What on earth had he tried to steal?
“Sister, Brother-in-law, you know he isn’t the kind of person who would steal someone else’s belongings, don’t you? Someone framed him.”
They knew. The Jong Hak they knew would never do such a thing. There had to be some other circumstance behind it.
Desperate, Yang Shan pleaded with her brother-in-law.
“Brother-in-law, you run a tavern in front of the Demon Cult, don’t you? Don’t you know anyone in the Demon Cult? If someone from the Demon Cult stepped forward, couldn’t they clear my husband’s name?”
Someone he knew? He knew many. He knew the Young Cult Master, the Master of the Yellow Springs Pavilion, the Demon Lord, the Chief of the Ghost Shadow Unit, and even the Demon Venerables. He even knew the Heavenly Demon.
But there was no one among them who could help with this matter. They were merely honored guests he had come to know through the Young Cult Master. Ordinarily, they were people he could not even meet eyes with.
The person he would feel most comfortable asking for help was Geom Mugeuk. He was an extraordinarily special person, after all. But Geom Mugeuk had gone beyond the frontier and was not there.
Nor could he ask the low-ranking demons who frequented the Pungnyu Tavern to accompany him on the several-day journey to his hometown and resolve the matter. He was not close enough to any of them for that. And even if one of them were willing to help, this was not something a low-ranking demon could resolve.
When her husband fell deep into thought, Yang Ren scolded her younger sister.
“What are you talking about? Asking whether he knows someone? What are you going to do if this makes the matter even bigger?”
“No, it’s nothing. I’m sorry, Sister. I only said it because I was frustrated. Don’t worry about it, Brother-in-law.”
“It’s all right, sister-in-law. Anyone would feel the same.”
Who could blame her for saying such things at a time like this?
Jo Chun-bae rose from his seat.
“I’ll go to the escort agency.”
Madam Yang clasped Jo Chun-bae’s hand and shed tears.
“I’m only causing you trouble.”
“Please don’t say that. It concerns your son-in-law. Wait here. I’ll settle it and come back.”
Jo Chun-bae went outside. Yang Ren followed him.
“I’ll go with you, dear.”
“It’s all right. Wait here.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Stop saying you’re sorry.”
If he had to speak of someone being sorry, he was more sorry that she had spent her entire life suffering after meeting him. She was the wife who had trusted him and endured hardship at his side even when he had not possessed a single copper coin.
“Be careful. Don’t overdo it, no matter what. Jong Hak is important, but you’re more important, all right?”
It pained her to say such a thing about her younger sister, but those were her true feelings. She could not even imagine a life without her husband.
* * *
Jo Chun-bae approached the escort warrior guarding the entrance to the Yellow Dragon Escort Agency and bowed politely.
“Greetings.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Jong Hak’s brother-in-law.”
The escort warrior’s expression stiffened slightly, indicating that he knew Jong Hak.
“You can’t see him right now.”
“I know. It must be hard standing guard in this cold. Here, please accept this first.”
He handed the man food and liquor wrapped in paper. He had stopped by the tavern to purchase them on his way here.
“I can’t accept something like this.”
The delicious aroma pierced the air. Jo Chun-bae had bought the dishes most favored by martial artists at the tavern.
“Keep them for when your shift ends, then go inside and enjoy them. I’ll leave them behind here.”
Jo Chun-bae placed the liquor and food behind a pillar. Knowing martial artists well, he acted smoothly, leaving the man no chance to refuse.
“I’d be grateful if you could just tell me whether he’s safe. We’re family. I need to know whether he’s alive or dead.”
Faced with Jo Chun-bae’s earnest plea, the martial artist could not bring himself to refuse that much.
“He isn’t dead yet, so don’t worry.”
“I heard they’re going to cut off his hands.”
Having both hands cut off was little different from being killed. Unless the wounds were quickly staunched and treated on the spot, he would die on the way to a physician. Even if he survived by some miracle, what would become of the rest of his life?
“If he committed a crime, he must be punished.”
“That’s right, of course. Then when will the punishment be carried out?”
“In three shichen. We’ll call the villagers and carry it out in front of them.”
Three shichen? Jo Chun-bae’s vision went dark. There was far too little time.
“Now, you should leave.”
“Escort warrior, please let me see his face at least once.”
Jo Chun-bae discreetly showed the draft he had prepared inside his sleeve. It was a thirty-tael draft.
It was far too much money merely to show a man’s face for a moment. Jo Chun-bae knew that if one intended to use a bribe, it had to be an amount difficult to refuse for it to have any effect.
“There are other people guarding the place besides me.”
He meant that the money was not enough.
“If you make this possible, I’ll give ten taels to the men guarding the place, and thirty taels to you. Please, let me see his face.”
The escort warrior opened the gate and briefly looked inside.
“Follow me. Give me the money first.”
“I’ll give it to you once we get there.”
The escort warrior looked displeased, but greed had already won him over.
Jo Chun-bae followed him inside.
After speaking with the escort warrior guarding the front of the warehouse, he beckoned to Jo Chun-bae, who was standing behind a tree.
“Only for a very brief moment.”
Jo Chun-bae handed him the forty taels he had brought, then entered the building.
Jong Hak lay there, bound tightly. His face and body were a mess, as though he had been tortured.
Even when Jo Chun-bae shook him awake, he did not regain consciousness easily.
“Brother-in-law.”
After being shaken awake several times, Jong Hak finally opened his eyes.
“Brother-in-law? Brother-in-law!”
“Are you all right?”
“Brother-in-law!”
Tears streamed from his two eyes, filled with injustice.
“I didn’t steal anything. I was framed!”
When his voice began to rise, Jo Chun-bae covered his mouth.
“Shh! But why would they frame you?”
“I saw something I shouldn’t have seen.”
Just as he was about to say more, the escort warrior entered and dragged Jo Chun-bae away.
“You have to go. The man taking over my shift is coming.”
He followed the escort warrior back to the entrance of the escort agency.
“If you breathe a word about what happened today, you’ll die.”
It was a threat not to reveal that he had given a bribe.
“Now get out of here.”
Jo Chun-bae left the escort agency.
His heart was heavy. If Jong Hak had really stolen something, he might at least have been able to prevent the severing of his hands by spending money on a bribe as he had just done. But what if he had been caught up in a conspiracy?
Jo Chun-bae hurriedly hired a carriage and went somewhere.
It was a branch of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult about an hour away from his in-laws’ home by carriage.
It was a small branch office, but standing at the entrance was a demon with a far more menacing appearance than the man who had guarded the escort agency.
The demon swept his cold gaze up and down Jo Chun-bae’s body. Before he could ask anything, Jo Chun-bae respectfully introduced himself.
“I am Jo Chun-bae, the owner of a tavern in front of the main altar of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”
“And?”
“I wish to meet the branch master.”
“For what reason?”
“There is something I must tell him in person…”
Swish.
Without saying another word, the demon drew his sword.
“Good heavens!”
Jo Chun-bae cried out. He thought the man was going to stab him, but fortunately, the blade merely came to rest against his throat.
“What business does a tavern owner have with the branch master?”
“My younger sister’s husband has suffered an injustice. I wish to ask the branch master for help.”
“You’re insane. Aren’t you going to get lost?”
The words I was sent here by the Young Cult Master rose to Jo Chun-bae’s throat, but he could not bring himself to say them. No matter what, he could not dare to trade on the name of the Demon Cult’s Young Cult Master. Even if Geom Mugeuk forgave him, the other demons would not.
He considered giving the money he had prepared, but judging by the atmosphere, it was obvious that they would take his money and still refuse to let him see the branch master.
Yes, this was normal. This was the relationship between a tavern owner and a demon—being ignored was the least of it, and the demon could even threaten him by pressing a blade to his throat. It was only because the Young Cult Master was a peerless figure that he had been able to become the owner of a special tavern.
Jo Chun-bae returned home.
Yang Ren, who had been waiting anxiously in the yard, ran over. She was relieved that her husband had returned safely, but he had brought devastating news with him.
“They’ll cut off Jong Hak’s hands in an hour.”
Yang Ren’s heart already ached at the thought of how much her mother and younger sister would suffer.
Jo Chun-bae silently embraced his sobbing wife. She did not see the resolve that flickered in his eyes.
* * *
People gathered at the Yellow Dragon Escort Agency.
The escort agency intended to cut off Jong Hak’s hands in front of the villagers. It was the established law of the escort agency.
Since Jong Hak’s Blood-Sealing Acupoint and other acupoints had been sealed, the way he was dragged out obediently made it appear as though he was meekly admitting his crime.
The person overseeing the proceedings was Escort Chief Kong Can.
“Will you admit your crime?”
With his acupoints sealed, Jong Hak could neither answer nor shake his head.
But the people did not know that.
Among the murmuring crowd stood Jo Chun-bae’s family. They had paid a physician to bring him along. Even if Jong Hak’s hands were cut off, they intended to treat him somehow on the spot and at least save his life.
“Since he has admitted his crime, we will cut off both his hands as a warning to all!”
At the cry, Madam Yang staggered as though she might collapse, while Yang Shan wailed.
“Husband! Husband!”
Jong Hak looked at his wife with eyes filled with injustice and sorrow. He had never committed a crime in his life. He had never imagined that he would be framed like this and lose his hands. Evil always happened in an instant.
Just as Kong Can drew his sword to cut off Jong Hak’s hands, Jo Chun-bae stepped forward.
“I am that man’s brother-in-law.”
Everyone’s eyes focused on him.
“We have heard nothing at all about this incident. I believe you should at least explain what happened.”
Yang Ren, as well as Madam Yang and Yang Shan, was startled when Jo Chun-bae stepped forward. They were afraid that he, too, might suffer for it.
“The investigation has already been completed. He tried to steal escort goods, and he is receiving the punishment for it.”
Kong Can cast him a threatening look that clearly said, Do you want to be taught a lesson as well? But Jo Chun-bae had resolved to save his brother-in-law somehow.
“What exactly was he caught stealing? It isn’t as though the stolen goods cannot be recovered. Cutting off both his hands merely because he was caught trying to steal something is far too harsh, in my opinion.”
Yang Ren’s hand, clutching Jo Chun-bae’s arm, trembled violently.
“Harsh treatment?”
Gong Chan’s gaze turned fierce.
Jo Chunbae was not frightened. What kind of eyes had he seen at the tavern of pleasure?
Jo Chunbae instinctively realized that reasoning with his opponent based on his reaction would not solve anything. In the end, there was only one method left to him.
“Even the Demonic Cult does not handle matters this way.”
At the mention of the Demonic Cult, the surroundings fell silent.
“I know masters from the Demonic Cult. Please bear with this until they come and mediate.”
Gong Chan’s expression had completely hardened. The Demonic Cult carried a sense of terror and oppression. If one became entangled with them, an entire escort bureau could be massacred without a trace.
“Who in the Demonic Cult do you know?”
“I know the Pavilion Master of the Yellow Springs Pavilion.”
In an instant, the surroundings froze. The residents might not know, but the escorts knew exactly what position the Pavilion Master of the Yellow Springs Pavilion held.
“I also know the Demon Lord.”
At the mention of even the Demon Lord, the surroundings fell silent. He did not bring up the Demon Venerable or the Young Cult Master. If he went too far, it would have no effect.
Just then, an escort who knew about Jonghak’s family history came over and whispered into Gong Chan’s ear.
“That man runs a tavern near the Demonic Cult.”
“A tavern?”
“It’s a shabby, small-scale tavern.”
A mocking smile flitted across Gong Chan’s face.
“You merely sell liquor, yet you dare use the Demonic Cult to threaten us?”
Gong Chan was angry and humiliated at the realization that he had been frightened for a moment.
“If I send word, they will come.”
But the moment he heard that Jo Chunbae was merely a tavern owner, Gong Chan stopped listening to him altogether.
“Drag him over here!”
Then his sister-in-law, Yang Seon, cried out.
“No! My brother-in-law only said that because he wanted to save my husband! Please forgive him!”
Yang Seon was seized by terror, afraid that her brother-in-law would be dragged away and harmed as well.
In the end, Jo Chunbae was dragged out too.
With his blood paths subdued, Jonghak could not even move his head. All he could do was watch the situation with a devastated heart.
The man who had made him happiest after he married was Jo Chunbae. He had no idea how reassured he had felt knowing that man was there. He was terribly sorry that Jo Chunbae had to suffer because of him.
“You threatened this escort bureau by hiding behind the Demonic Cult, so I will cut out your tongue.”
Yang In and Yang Seon shouted.
“No!”
“Please, forgive him!”
Madam Yun threw herself to the ground and pleaded.
“My son-in-law—please forgive him just this once! Punish this old woman in his place!”
Trembling with fear, Jo Chunbae spoke to Gong Chan.
“Give me time to confirm what I said. For the sake of the Yellow Dragon Escort Bureau as well, do not act in haste.”
Gong Chan roared.
“Shut up! You vile bastard, still trying to threaten us to the very end. I’ll cut out your tongue first.”
“If you lay a hand on me, the Young Cult Master of the Demonic Cult will not let you off!”
He had hoped to frighten Gong Chan somehow, but it only had the opposite effect.
“The Young Cult Master of the Demonic Cult? You really are completely insane. Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that you do know the Young Cult Master. Do you truly believe that the Young Cult Master of the Demonic Cult would come all the way here to help you?”
He shouted as he said this, but it was useless. The escorts seized Jo Chunbae by both arms. They truly intended to cut out his tongue.
That was when something pure white descended onto Jo Chunbae’s shoulder.
He raised his head and saw that snow had begun to fall. Everyone looked up at the snow.
Why did it have to snow at a time like this?
They said the fate of man was such that one could not see even an inch ahead. He had never imagined that his tongue would be cut here at the Yellow Dragon Escort Bureau. But he did not regret it. He could not simply stand by and watch that kind-hearted brother-in-law have his hand severed unjustly.
Still, he could not help being afraid. Would he survive if his tongue were cut out? He would have to stop the bleeding to live.
In the distance, he saw the face of his wailing wife.
I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that this husband of yours is powerless.
Behind his wife, he saw Madam Yun and Yang Seon sobbing.
Mother-in-law, I’m sorry. Sister-in-law, I’m sorry.
Just as Gong Chan was about to put his hand inside Jo Chunbae’s mouth—
Whoooosh.
There came the sound of a fierce wind, and then—
Bam!
Something that had flown down from the sky crashed into the training grounds as if it had been hurled there.
People screamed, while the escort chief and escorts drew their swords, throwing the training grounds into chaos.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward that spot.
What had flown in was a person. He lay spread-eagled in the middle of the training grounds, panting for breath. His hair was disheveled, and his entire body was drenched in sweat. The only sound in the courtyard was his rough breathing.
When Jo Chunbae recognized who he was, he was stunned. A smile slowly spread across his bewildered face, and soon he was beaming.
Then his emotions surged, and his eyes filled with tears. He clenched his teeth, afraid he would burst into tears, but a sob escaped him anyway.
With everyone watching, the man lying on the training grounds gazed up at the sky and said,
“Master, the first snow is falling.”
The Unrivaled Regressor
Episode 336