Chapter 95. I Underestimated Dumplings.
In a lone pavilion set in a deserted place, two men sat facing each other.
The black-clad man seated on the right placed a gold piece on the table, then stacked another precisely atop it, and another after that, building a tower. After making a tower of ten gold pieces, the black-clad man spoke.
“The Society Leader of the Tyrant Sword Society is greatly enraged this time.”
The ordinary-looking man seated across from him replied.
“I will hear you out first.”
“His name is I Jaha. They say he is the Sect Leader of a place called the Hao Sect. Have you heard of him?”
“This is the first I’ve heard of him.”
“They say his residence is fixed. It seems he took over the Black Cat Gang and settled in. I hear he has many subordinates. Do you know the Great Rakshasa?”
“I do.”
“They say he was killed by I Jaha. Heukdo, Master Su, and others from that side were killed as well. In any case, bear in mind that this young fellow’s skills are enough to kill the Great Rakshasa.”
“After killing him, what should we bring you?”
“It would be best if you brought his head. No, well, merely confirming that he is dead will be fine.”
The black-clad man looked at the man opposite him.
“Is this fellow called I Jaha on your list?”
“He is not.”
“Then do we also have to pay the cost of sending someone to assess his abilities and all that preliminary work?”
“All costs are included.”
The black-clad man nodded, then pointed at the ten gold pieces on the table.
“……How much more must we give you?”
“We will make it one hundred standard gold pieces.”
“Isn’t that too expensive? He isn’t even someone known in the jianghu.”
“It is not expensive. If we fail, the one hundred gold pieces will be returned in full to the Tyrant Sword Society.”
The black-clad man replied with a startled look.
“In full?”
“In any case, it would mean we failed. In exchange, you may entrust the task to us again. Taking into account the skill of the comrade who died, a more capable assassin will be dispatched. Of course, whether you continue to leave it to us or entrust it elsewhere is up to you.”
“And the commission fee for a second contract?”
“It will be doubled.”
The black-clad man opened his mouth.
“Wow, that is far too expensive. Two hundred gold pieces?”
“It is not expensive. If we fail even on the second contract, the two hundred gold pieces will also be returned in full to the Tyrant Sword Society.”
“Ah, so that is how it works. But with two hundred gold pieces, couldn’t you kill Sadohaeng as well?”
“That is not the case. Sadohaeng has many subordinates standing guard day and night. He is also a man who is usually wary of assassins, so the cost would be far greater. Naturally, at present, he must be taking care day and night against assassins from the Tyrant Sword Society.”
The black-clad man nodded.
“Very well. Let us do that. One hundred gold pieces, I Jaha.”
“Payment is upfront.”
When the black-clad man snapped his fingers, a subordinate waiting outside the pavilion brought in a box and placed it on the table.
As the man who had come as the negotiator for the assassin organization checked the gold pieces in the box, the black-clad man spoke to his subordinate.
“Give me that portrait sketch. Since we prepared it anyway, we might as well hand it over.”
“Yes, sir.”
The black-clad man received the portrait sketch and placed it on the table. It was a drawing that roughly depicted I Jaha’s features, clothing, and air.
The black-clad man pointed at it with his finger.
“This is the man. The one who greatly infuriated our very busy Society Leader. Just looking at him, doesn’t he seem like an insolent bastard?”
“We will use it for reference, so please take the portrait sketch with you.”
“What do you think of this fellow’s air?”
“We will only know after seeing him in person.”
The black-clad man held the portrait sketch and glared at it, then twirled a finger near his own temple.
“I know a little physiognomy, and this bastard isn’t right in the head. The fellow who drew this portrait emphasized the eyes too much. Aren’t these the eyes of a madman?”
“……Then we will begin and inform you of the result.”
The black-clad man nodded.
“Thank you for your trouble. Ah, but I was introduced to you by our merchant company head, so I know nothing about you. The name of your assassin group or anything else…… If I am paying this much money, I ought to know something. I also have to report to the Society Leader. Surely even that is not secret?”
“We are called Yiwei Dujiang (一葦渡江).”
“Yiwei Dujiang. For an assassin group, it is quite a stylish name. I look forward to your work. Things between us and the Southern Sky Alliance have been extremely tense lately. At times like this, having a lot of money truly…….”
While the black-clad man was still speaking, the man from Yiwei Dujiang rose to his feet.
“Then we will contact you.”
The man gave a light bow, then carried the box containing the standard gold pieces out of the pavilion.
The black-clad man muttered.
“Go carefully.”
Once the assassin had gone some distance away, the black-clad man turned to his subordinates and asked.
“What do you think? Do they seem capable?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“They probably won’t want to return the money, so would they not do well?”
“Ah, I suppose so.”
The black-clad man nodded with a smile.
“They’ll do well. No, wait. They could deliberately fail in order to get twice the money, couldn’t they?”
“It likely costs more than that to raise a single assassin.”
The black-clad man joined his subordinates and said.
“That is true. Let’s go. For now, I Jaha is as good as dead, so pay that side no mind.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
Two days later, a man pulling a cart passed in front of the Black Cat Gang. The next morning, a young man selling rice cakes passed in front of the Black Cat Gang. In the afternoon, a peddler looked around as if searching for a road, then disappeared.
At night, rain fell.
The following day, after the skies had cleared, a man in ordinary clothes looked at the Black Cat Gang’s wide-open main gate, then passed by without stopping. The groans and shouts of men training rang out loudly in a mix, so passersby often glanced toward the Black Cat Gang as they went past.
In the evening, the Black Cat Gang’s main gate was closed.
On the afternoon of the third day.
The assassin of Yiwei Dujiang, who had been watching all these scenes from a room in a building quite some distance away, set down the jerky he had been eating and fixed his gaze on the main gate.
“…….”
A man presumed to be I Jaha, Sect Leader of the Hao Sect, was stretching in front of the main gate. Someone poked his head out from the gate and asked.
“Where are you going?”
“A walk.”
“Shall I go with you?”
“I don’t want you to.”
Listening to the conversation, the assassin examined I Jaha while writing his traits down in a small booklet.
—Good at refusing.
—Blade at his waist.
—Young.
―Looks like he lacks sleep.
―Eyes are bloodshot.
―Handsome.
―Expected to have a bad personality.
After confirming the direction in which I Jaha had disappeared, the assassin set the booklet down on the table, left the room, and descended the stairs.
A short while later, the assassin, walking slowly in the direction I Jaha had gone, was passing through the market street when he waved away the pale smoke drifting out from a dumpling shop.
At that moment…….
I Jaha abruptly appeared right before his eyes with a huge dumpling in his mouth, but the assassin calmly continued on his way.
I Jaha’s voice came from behind him.
“Oh, oh, it’s so good.”
The young owner of the dumpling shop, who had followed him out, asked.
“Sect Leader, shall I wrap up some more for you?”
I Jaha swallowed the dumpling and answered bluntly.
“Why? I’m going to eat them by myself.”
“Ah, yes.”
As the assassin walked while watching the road ahead, he heard I Jaha’s absurd humming from behind him.
“I eat my meals alone, I eat my dumplings alone, I sing alone.”
“Take care on your way.”
“Mm.”
The assassin passed four or five taverns, teahouses, and restaurants on the street, then entered a fairly quiet inn and sat at an outdoor table.
A thought suddenly crossed his mind.
‘……Is he insane?’
A waiter approached and asked.
“What can I get you?”
The assassin answered at once.
“Do you have dried meat?”
“Yes.”
“And baijiu?”
“We have Du Kang wine and Wuling wine.”
“Bring me Wuling wine.”
“Please wait a moment.”
It was said that assassins of old would wait in latrines, dig into the ground and hide there, and so on, but the assassins of One-Reed River Crossing were not such people.
What they valued most was the natural ease of blending into daily life.
When it was time, they ate, drank, even went to courtesan houses, loosely kept watch over their assassination target, and attempted the kill at the most suitable moment.
The waiter who brought the dried meat and Wuling wine spoke to a man passing by.
“Sect Leader, where are you going?”
“For a walk.”
“A walk?”
“Inspection, spying, wandering, roaming, reconnaissance, drifting, sightseeing, exploration.”
“Wow, you’re doing several things at once. As expected of you, Sect Leader.”
“That is who I am.”
The assassin knew the voice answering belonged to I Jaha, but he did not look over.
“…….”
The waiter pestered I Jaha.
“Sect Leader, aren’t you drinking these days? Have a cup of Du Kang wine before you go.”
“I quit drinking.”
“Don’t lie.”
The assassin was startled by the waiter’s tone and looked at him for a moment.
‘Has he lost his mind?’
As the assassin calmly poured himself a cup of Wuling wine, he heard the conversation between I Jaha and the waiter.
“Hey, a few days ago, was it? I had a huge drinking bout with my subordinates and nearly died.”
“Why?”
“Everyone got drunk, collapsed, passed out, vomited—it was chaos.”
“You too, Sect Leader?”
“Except me. I stood guard all night.”
“Wow, can the principles of the jianghu really have fallen this low? The sect leader himself standing guard—does that even make sense?”
“Exactly.”
“By the way, you’ve completely declared war, haven’t you? I read the proclamation too. In such grave times, how can anyone even mention drinking?”
“That’s why I’m not drinking.”
“Ah…… Have a good walk, Sect Leader.”
“Keep up the work.”
“Yes.”
“And report it if you see any strange fellows.”
“If I do something impressive, can I join the Black Cat Sect too?”
“Bullshit.”
“Yes.”
When the conversation fell silent for a moment, the assassin drank a cup of Wuling wine and only then turned his head to look at I Jaha’s back. Then the waiter approached with a strange look in his eyes and asked the assassin.
“Is this your first time seeing the Sect Leader?”
“Ah, is that man the leader of the Black Cat Sect? I heard he wore a mask.”
“That was the previous leader. He’s dead.”
“I see.”
The assassin said to the waiter.
“Don’t stare like that. Go do your work.”
“Yes. Ah, customer. There’s one thing I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“If the Paegeom Society and the Namcheon Alliance clash, who do you think will win? I’ve heard so much talk these days. I’m really curious.”
“What are people saying?”
“Well, their forces are more or less equal, but some say the Paegeom Society, being rich, will have the advantage in a long war. Others say that in terms of martial might, Namcheon Alliance Leader Sado Gang is still the strongest, so the Namcheon Alliance will win. There are opinions like that too.”
The waiter naturally pulled out a chair and sat across from the assassin.
The assassin let out a hollow laugh.
“Everyone seems very interested in other people’s fights.”
“What else would people talk about while drinking? Give me just one cup too.”
“Mm.”
Unable to bring himself to refuse the waiter’s request, which had slipped in far too smoothly, the assassin poured him a cup of Wuling wine. The waiter grasped the cup with both hands and lowered his head slightly.
“Thank you.”
“What do you think? Who do you think will win?”
“One moment. I’ll tell you after I drink this.”
The waiter downed the Wuling wine refreshingly, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and said.
“First of all… whether the Paegeom Society wins or loses, it looks like they’re finished.”
“Why?”
“Because rumors have spread everywhere that the Sect Leader who just passed by won’t leave the Paegeom Society alone.”
“So why?”
“They say the Paegeom Society is worse in quality. They’re rich, so they hire assassins and all that. Filthy bastards.”
“…….”
“They carry out assassinations here and there too. On the other hand, they say Namcheon Alliance Leader Sado Haeng at least sets the mood like an old-school jianghu man and has one-on-one duels and such. So, for now, our Sect Leader says he’s going to smash the Paegeom Society to pieces first. Did you know? All the black-path men who held positions around here were killed by the Sect Leader. You’ve heard, right?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Wow, do I have to tell this story again? It’s a whole bundle’s worth.”
“Still, the Black Cat Gang is a small faction. The Tyrant Sword Society is an alliance of several black-path forces. I wonder if they can really stand against them.”
“Ah, is the Tyrant Sword Society that big? How would I know?”
The assassin, who had been about to reply, suddenly closed his mouth and stared ahead. Lee Jaha, who had said he was going for a walk, was returning with his hands clasped behind his back. The waiter followed the assassin’s gaze, turned his head, and spoke.
“Chief, is your walk already over?”
“Hey.”
“Yes.”
“Bring me some Dukang wine. A dumpling got stuck in my throat. I underestimated dumplings. You must never underestimate dumplings.”
“Understood.”
While the waiter went inside, the assassin had no choice but to stare at Lee Jaha, who was standing there blankly.
As he wondered how on earth he should deal with a situation like this, the waiter came back out at tremendous speed with the Dukang wine.
“Chief, will you be drinking here? Ah, I was talking with this gentleman here about the Tyrant Sword Society and the Southern Sky Alliance. Shall we all sit together?”
“Is that so?”
“Oh, come on, do. It’s good for everyone to get acquainted.”
Without even asking permission, the waiter set the Dukang wine down on the assassin’s table and said,
“Now, now, have a seat. You don’t mind either, sir, do you?”
The assassin said nothing and let out a slight sigh. Then Lee Jaha’s voice came.
“Jangsam.”
It seemed to be the waiter’s name.
“Yes.”
“You go inside.”
“Yes? Ah, understood.”
After checking Lee Jaha’s expression, the waiter hesitated, then went into the inn.
When the assassin slightly raised his gaze from the table, Lee Jaha sat down across from him.
“……”
After a moment of consideration, the assassin said something appropriate.
“Let us share a table. I heard from the waiter that you are the Chief of the Black Cat Gang.”
The assassin watched Lee Jaha smile faintly, then said,
“Why… are you smiling like that?”
“Where did you come from?”
“Ah, I’m from Seokpyeong. I came to meet someone I know……”
“No, no, no.”
“……”
“I’m asking who sent you. You don’t understand words, do you?”
The assassin looked at Lee Jaha with his mouth shut. The assassination target, who had poured and drunk the Dukang wine by himself, pulled a dagger from his robes and stabbed it into the table.