Episode 283. I Am Not an Easy Man.
I cooked and ate a large Hundred-Year He Shou Wu.
I ate it blanched as a salad, dipped it in seasoning sauce, and boiled it into broth to consume as a nourishing tonic.
Since giving young Yoran an entire spirit medicine she couldn’t handle didn’t suit my nature, the Four Great Evils—Cha Seongtae, Hong Samae, and Deoksu-hyung—also ended up with Hundred-Year He Shou Wu in their stomachs. There was so much of it that we consumed the Hundred-Year He Shou Wu retrieved from beneath Manjang Cliff as a side dish at every meal for three days.
On the fourth day.
Sword Demon, Ghost Demon, and Lust Demon had been holed up in their rooms since morning, not budging an inch. They were likely circulating qi and regulating their breathing.
Eventually, Yoran, who had been bored, played with me all afternoon before being caught and dragged away by Hong Samae.
Who knew playing with a child could be this exhausting.
Since Yoran kept firing off questions about terminology used in the jianghu and related to martial arts, I scarcely had a moment’s rest.
It was harder than beating up dark path thugs.
I had just managed to sit alone in front of the Jaha Guesthouse, enjoying a rare moment of rest, when a strange man walked up from ahead and spoke.
“I have come to find Lord Ha-omun.”
“That would be me.”
“My lord, I am Yeom Igeon, an escort warrior of the Namyang Escort Agency.”
I had never heard the name Yeom Igeon, but I had heard of the Namyang Escort Agency’s reputation.
“Escort Warrior Yeom, you must have had a hard journey getting here.”
Yeom Igeon pulled out a letter from his bosom and spoke.
“I received an escort mission to deliver this letter to Lord Ha-omun. I am fortunate to deliver it safely. May I hand it over?”
“I would prefer if you opened it yourself and read it to me.”
Yeom Igeon made a troubled expression while holding the letter.
“My lord, if you confirm that the letter was received without issue, I will open it and read it.”
“I, the recipient, have received it without issue.”
Yeom Igeon carefully opened the letter and said to me,
“For your reference, the contents of this letter and the Namyang Escort Agency’s position are unrelated.”
“I am aware.”
Yeom Igeon stared at the letter blankly, let out a brief sigh, and then read it.
“To Lord Ha-omun, a Demand for Compensation. You have committed crimes of destruction and robbery regarding goods traded in Heukhyang without any relation to you. The damages are as follows: Gussi Yakmum’s One Hundred Yin-Yang Pills, Swordsman Wi Jisan’s sword, the lives of the Thousand Killing Three Tigers, the mixed-blood girl, various other auction items, the lives of the auction participants, and material damage to the auction venue. Considering your past activities in the jianghu, compensation for damages inflicted upon Heukhyang is requested in the amount of one thousand taels of silver. I did not add the assassin’s life to the requested amount. That is because it is the fault of the assassin who lost despite having learned martial arts from me. However, you must compensate exactly for Heukhyang’s damages. If you refuse this claim, I intend to assign the one thousand taels as a bounty on Lord Ha-omun’s head, which will become a commission fee that assassin organizations cannot refuse. From Dongho, the First of the Unorthodox.”
After putting the letter away, Yeom Igeon looked at me.
“I have finished reading. There was no poison on the letter. May I hand it over now?”
“A mixed-blood girl… Give it here.”
Only then did Yeom Igeon approach and courteously offer the letter. I grabbed it with a hand suffused with Wood-element internal energy and placed it on the table.
“If you are not busy, sit a while. Water?”
“Yes.”
I poured a cup of water from the teapot I was drinking from. Yeom Igeon, seated across from me, gulped it down at once and set down the cup.
“If he is the First of the Unorthodox, is he the First Sword of Dongho?”
“Yes.”
“Are there no other matters to deliver?”
“The one who commissioned me did go on about a few things.”
“Let us hear them.”
“Based on your track record, he predicted that you would most likely refuse.”
“Is that so.”
“…If you refuse, you will learn why Alliance Leader Im Sobaek cannot act against the First of the Unorthodox despite him being publicly listed as a public enemy of the martial arts world.”
“He expresses his confidence foolishly. It is merely because he hides that Lord Alliance Leader cannot touch him. By the way, why use the Namyang Escort Agency instead of sending a subordinate?”
Yeom Igeon answered thus.
“He probably thought… that a messenger might die at your hands, my lord. That is merely my conjecture.”
“If it is one thousand taels of silver, how many assassin groups will move?”
“All groups hired by the Dongho side will move. After all, they said they would only pay whoever succeeds. In other words, it is highly likely that the First of the Unorthodox’s subordinates will come as well.”
“Is the Namyang Escort Agency also under the First of the Unorthodox’s influence?”
“No. Escort missions for public enemies are originally forbidden, but this time we too were threatened and had no choice. I intend to report this to the Martial Arts Alliance once I complete the escort mission.”
“You handled that well.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“Escort Warrior Yeom, do you know why the Martial Arts Alliance has failed to capture this public enemy known as the First Sword of Dongho until now?”
Yeom Igeon nodded.
“Yes. First, the whereabouts of the First of the Unorthodox are unknown. Unlike land, rivers and islands must be searched thoroughly, which is difficult with ordinary forces. Furthermore, experts who attempted to assassinate the First of the Unorthodox for the bounty have disappeared without a trace since. If the Martial Arts Alliance were to mobilize, it would require enormous expense, so it is no easy matter. The First of the Unorthodox holds dominion over all of Dongho, so procuring ships is problematic from the start. Moreover, it is said that his own martial prowess is at a level where he does not fear Lord Alliance Leader Im, so it is a situation where they are caught between a rock and a hard place, as far as I know.”
“Ten Great Swordsmen?”
“Yes. Even when ranking swords alone, he is definitely a man on that list. He is tremendously wealthy as well.”
“I raided an auction house and got myself into trouble. Escort Warrior Yeom.”
“Yes.”
“They were even trading children at that Heukhyang. The people there had to be killed, every last one of them.”
“I see.”
“I hadn’t realized the First Sword of Dongho conducted business outside Dongho as well.”
“Speculatively, perhaps his disciples or executives did so to procure funds… or something to that effect, but I do not know the exact details.”
“Escort Warrior Yeom, does your escort mission only count as complete once you take my answer back?”
“That is correct.”
“You will meet that commissioner, of course?”
“I will return to the Namyang Escort Agency regardless. They will send someone else from their side.”
I stared at Yeom Igeon for a moment and asked.
“Escort Warrior Yeom, do you think it would be best for me to hand over the one thousand taels?”
“Are you asking for my personal opinion? I already know your answer, my lord.”
“And what is that?”
“Surely you have no intention of paying.”
“Correct. But my reasoning is clear.”
“What is it?”
“Even if I hand over one thousand taels, he will use that money as commission fees for assassin groups again. Since I’m already a marked man, there is no need to pay. He likely intends to make an example of me. Telling the Martial Arts Alliance, the martial arts families, and the sects alike to sever all ties with Dongho from now on.”
“That may well be.”
I nodded.
“…As you know, I refuse. Escort Warrior Yeom, stay for a meal before you go.”
“Well now. Hearing your answer directly, Sect Leader, weighs heavily on my heart. I don’t even feel like eating.”
Yeom Igeon rose and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand.
“Sect Leader, I will be returning now. If it is a matter of lacking funds, why not consult with our escort bureau? Or you could discuss it with the Murim Alliance.”
“Did I not say so? If I hand over that money, it will flow to an assassin organization anyway. That water bandit bastard must want to paint a picture where I die by my own money.”
Yeom Igeon looked at me.
“The very fact that I cannot be of help leaves me deeply displeased. In any case, I will return to the bureau and discuss this matter as well.”
“Escort Yeom, may I ask one favor of you? It is somewhat difficult.”
“Yes. If I can help, I think my heart will feel a little lighter.”
“It is not an easy task.”
“Please tell me anyway.”
Yeom Igeon, serious from beginning to end, looked at me with eyes full of resolve. After a moment’s thought, I entrusted Yeom Igeon with one difficult task.
“……If a messenger from Dongho comes, be sure to pass on my words.”
“Yes. What should I say?”
“You idiotic bastard.”
“Pardon?”
“Tell him those are the words the Hao Sect Leader sends to the Number One of the Unorthodox Path. Briefly, just make sure to tell him I said, ‘You idiotic bastard.’ Since it is a difficult request, I feel rather sorry.”
Yeom Igeon stared at me with his mouth slightly open, then answered.
“Ah, understood. Is that all I need to convey?”
“I would be grateful if you did.”
“Yes, I will deliver it. ‘You idiotic bastard’ is an appropriate expression.”
Yeom Igeon gave me a cupped-fist salute.
“Then, Sect Leader. I wish you martial fortune.”
“Escort Yeom, return safely as well.”
Yeom Igeon turned around, walked a few steps, then used his lightness skill and soon disappeared. Once Yeom Igeon had left, the guest room windows of Zaha Inn opened one after another. When I looked back, the Ghost Demon and the Lust Demon, who had been listening from their rooms, were sticking their heads out.
I looked at the two of them, then said to the Lust Demon.
“What are you looking at, you idiotic bastard?”
As the Lust Demon let out a sigh, the Ghost Demon asked.
“So when are we leaving?”
“Leaving when? Just circulate your qi and regulate your breathing. I need to think about what to do.”
“How much of his intent have you grasped?”
“The First Sword of the Unorthodox Path doesn’t seem like the type to come out of Dongho. Sending small fry will only annoy me. It looks like he plans to keep annoying me and draw me out. Killing me with assassins is out of the question too. In the end, I think he intends to drag me into Dongho……”
The Lust Demon said,
“Shouldn’t you ally with the Murim Alliance?”
“Who knows.”
The First Sword of Dongho was a public enemy who had never been caught, whether in my past life or this one.
Even while the Demon Cult was running rampant, he had lived perfectly well, like the kingdom of Wu holed up and defending the Dongwu region. In other words, he was a man no one could attack easily, as doing so was like disturbing a hornet’s nest.
“I killed one man, and now there’s no end to it.”
But this was the gangho.
The Ghost Demon said,
“Tell me when you’re done thinking.”
“All right.”
I glared up at the sky in front of Zaha Inn until the sun set.
I understood most of the letter’s contents. In the gangho, demands for money like this were common. But the fact that the price of the mixed-blood girl had been included kept circling in my mind, and every time I thought of that short phrase, it was not easy to suppress my rage.
As I was endlessly staring at the sky slowly being dyed purple, Cha Seongtae walked over slowly and spoke to me.
“Sect Leader, why do you look so angry? Did something happen?”
“Seongtae.”
“Yes.”
“How much money is left at Maehwaru?”
“An enormous amount. Other than the construction costs for Zaha Inn, there hasn’t been any particular spending.”
“Use some money.”
“Yes.”
“There’s no need to specify a date. Have notices posted all over the gangho with the following contents.”
“Please tell me.”
“That we have learned the First Sword of Dongho, the Number One of the Unorthodox Path, is a man who even trades young girls at auction houses and is the patron of Black Fragrance.”
“Yes.”
“And that, in response, the Hao Sect Leader will go to Dongho and engage the First Sword of Dongho in a one-on-one duel.”
“When?”
“I don’t know that either. There’s no need to write it on purpose. Simply say that before long…… the Hao Sect Leader will personally visit Dongho and settle things one-on-one with the Number One of the Unorthodox Path. The reasons are everything I said earlier. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I understand. But, hm, if you do this, will you and the First Sword of Dongho really end up facing each other one-on-one? I am curious what your intention is. Hasn’t that man been acting like a mysterious figure who has never appeared on the front stage?”
I looked at Cha Seongtae.
“There is no particular intention. We don’t have to face each other one-on-one. But the people of the world should know why we are fighting. The overall plan is to reduce the incident to an idiotic bastard getting punished by me after doing idiotic things. Proceed as if you are sending a letter to the entire gangho. First inform those who know me, then have those who know me spread it to those who do not. Read it.”
When I indicated the letter with my chin, Cha Seongtae quickly read it. Now Cha Seongtae’s expression also turned fierce.
“So this idiotic bastard mentioned Yoran, is that it?”
“……”
“Instead of repenting for his sins. Understood. First, I will inform all our bases, such as the Black Cat Gang, Black Whirlwind Fort, and the Southern Abyss Society, and tell their leaders to spread the word widely as well. Since it is your order, Sect Leader, it will be far faster than if I handled it alone.”
I nodded.
“Let us see who ends up dying if we take this to the end. While we’re at it, I hope every bastard who wants to kill me gathers there too. I’ll drag them all into Dongho and drown them.”
Cha Seongtae nodded, then let out a slight sigh.
“Understood. Calm your anger. Your pent-up rage will flare up. Your complexion is the color of the sunset.”
“My face is the color of the sunset right now?”
“Yes.”
I looked at the sky.
“It must be because the sunset is spreading. How could a person’s face be the color of the sunset?”
Cha Seongtae also turned his head and stared blankly at the sky.
“Is that so?”
At that moment, another window opened, and the Sword Demon stuck his head out.
“Sect Leader, when do we depart?”
I looked at the Sword Demon and asked.
“Eldest Brother, when will you be done circulating your qi and regulating your breathing?”
The Sword Demon answered.
“If we are going to prepare properly, about three days.”
I nodded.
“Then let us go then.”
“Understood.”
The Sword Demon, his face expressionless, closed the window again. From inside came Jang Deuksu’s voice.
“Everyone, have your dinner. Chief Steward Cha, you come in as well.”
Cha Seongtae answered in my stead.
“……I’m coming in.”
I watched until the sunset, unusually beautiful today, safely disappeared.
I did think it wouldn’t be easy, but then, we were not easy men either, so it didn’t matter.
Cha Seongtae, having gathered up the letter, said to me.
“Let’s eat first and get angry afterward. Relax your face a bit. Yoran will get indigestion eating like this.”
I nodded.
“……Let’s eat.”