Jin Seok-man did not speak easily. Even as he feared me, he was reluctant to speak of the Black Night Gang's inner structure. It was only natural.
If he gave up all the information he'd worked so hard to get while delivering liquor, he'd be of no more use. If that happened, he might no longer be included in the plan to raid the Black Night Gang. Since his mind was made up, threatening him wouldn't work.
“I’ve got a chance to enter the Black Night Gang this time. I need to know the internal layout to scout or do anything else, don't I?”
Jin Seok-man, who had been chewing on a grilled rice cake, stopped and blinked his surprised eyes.
"Really?"
"I've decided to go over the wall with Great Hero Won soon. I made this difficult opportunity because I thought I needed to know the inside of the Black Night Gang beforehand."
Gently coaxing him, I slid two silver taels onto the table. Jin Seok-man hesitated for a moment before taking the silver. For a mere faction in a rural village, the Black Night Gang was quite large.
There was the Crouching Dragon Hall where the master resided, three massive five-story pavilions, one for each of the squad masters, and about ten other miscellaneous buildings and warehouses. With so many buildings, the passages connecting them were also complex. The information Jin Seok-man provided was about the building structures, the connecting passages, and the patrol routes and times.
As for the master's residence, he knew nothing beyond where it was located. I questioned him several times, mapping out an escape route in my mind. Just from his explanation, there were many gaps and it seemed flimsy, but I made sure to memorize every piece of information without exception.
A few days after sending Jin Seok-man off, I visited the Wandering Swordsmen Inn. A familiar member of the Black Night Gang was waiting for me.
“The squad master said he will fulfill his promise.”
"When?"
“Come here tomorrow at sunset.”
"Understood."
I replied nonchalantly and turned away. My breath trembled uncontrollably.
Finally…
I get to see Jeok Chu-yeong. Suppressing the rising excitement and anticipation, I carefully thought things through. There’s a saying that a plan goes awry from the moment it’s made.
I had seen more than once how things get messed up due to everyone’s different interests, even when they are bound by goodwill and favor. It went without saying what it would be like in the stronghold of those on the dark path.
I couldn’t fully trust Bok Ha-gyu, and hearing that there was tension between the squad masters, a brawl could break out inside at any moment. I returned home, spread out a cotton cloth, and picked up a brush. I meticulously reviewed the internal structure and escape routes I got from Jin Seok-man.
If the passages were blocked front and back, leaving me trapped, I would have to climb the wall. I went out to the yard and stood before the wall. It was taller than me by two heads.
If I reached up and grabbed the top, I could climb it, but I wouldn't have time for that in the Black Night Gang. Looking up at the wall, I roused the inner energy from my energy core. As a result of diligent training, the speed at which I could circulate my inner energy had become a little faster.
The inner energy stably circulated through my body along its path, spreading to my limbs. As soon as I felt the inner energy faintly pooling in the soles of my feet, I kicked off the ground and leaped.
Paang! Chaak.
I landed on top of the wall without difficulty. Using inner energy enhances physical abilities. My realm of handling inner energy was not yet deep, but I could manage this much.
Of course, it was too early to be satisfied. According to Jin Seok-man, the outer wall was about two zhang high. The internal passages were said to be lower than that.
I didn't know what it would be like around the master's residence. I came down from the wall and this time stood in front of the roof's eaves. It was a properly built tile-roofed house, so it was well over two zhang high.
I crouched down low, circulating my inner energy with eight strands of silk thread, the maximum I could handle at once, and then leaped with all my might. My body shot up vertically like an arrow released from a bow. It was a thrilling sense of ascent I had never felt before, enough to make my hair stand on end.
I felt as if I had wings. It seemed like I could soar up to the sky and grab the clouds. But in reality, my elbow only just reached the edge of the eaves.
I grabbed the eaves with both hands and pulled myself up onto the roof. Even after using my precious inner energy without holding back, I couldn't clear two zhang. It was due to the poor density and efficiency of my inner energy.
Could Do Gwang-il leap to the roof in a single bound? Come to think of it, I had seen such a monster once, a long time ago. The Explosive Flame Demon, Mok Saryong.
After blowing up everyone in the gambling den with his Explosive Flame Fist and even setting it on fire, he had leaped nimbly onto the roof of a merchant building. Then, he had hopped between the roofs and disappeared in an instant.
At the time, I just thought he was a monster, but looking back, he was clearly using inner energy. How much training and how many spiritual herbs would it take to reach that level? I sighed, shook my head, and turned away.
The roof was damp, not yet fully dry from the rain the day before. With nowhere to sit, I stood and looked at the surrounding scenery. The night wind blowing over the darkened fields was eerie enough to make my body shrink.
The brightly lit night view of the Western Village was warm as a dream. It felt as if someone would open a door and welcome me if I could just reach that place, but that was impossible. Where did Jeok Chu-yeong take Sister Soso and the villagers?
I would find out when I met him in person. Even if he was bedridden and unable to speak, as long as he was alive, Bok Ha-gyu would find a way to get him on his feet. You can roughly guess what the superior is like by looking at his subordinates.
Bok Ha-gyu was a man who didn't fit in with the dark path. Jeok Chu-yeong, whom he followed with such loyalty, must also be a different kind of person from the vile and cruel title of Black Killing Sword. The circumstances I heard from Jin Seok-man were also somewhat hopeful.
Jeok Chu-yeong did not threaten the villagers or force them into carriages. He took his time and calmly persuaded them, saying there was a new place to move to. This was not the way of the dark path.
If he had deceived Sister Soso and her family and sold them somewhere… Jeok Chu-yeong would pay the price. Even if it meant exhausting all the inner energy I possessed, I would make sure of it...
* The next day, as the western mountains were dyed by the sunset, I strapped on my long blade and headed for the Wandering Swordsmen Inn. As I was chewing on some jerky by a window seat, Bok Ha-gyu appeared with his subordinates.
"Let's go."
With three Black Night Gang members leading the way, I walked shoulder to shoulder with Bok Ha-gyu.
"Why did you come yourself instead of sending your men?"
"You wouldn't believe it unless I came, would you?"
The feeling was a bit strange. At a glance, it seemed like he had dutifully come to keep his promised reward, but inwardly, he seemed to want to gain my trust. It was true that I had been helpful to Bok Ha-gyu in various ways.
My martial ability was not to be trifled with, and I wasn't tied to anyone. Was he hoping I would lend a hand in his disputes with the other squad masters? Come to think of it, he had only brought three men with him.
"Isn't your escort a bit too small?"
"Who in the Western Village would dare to touch the Black Night Gang?"
Bok Ha-gyu was full of confidence, as if it were no big deal. Where had the dozens of subordinates who had once surrounded the Wandering Swordsmen Inn so tightly gone? I hadn't heard of any fights, so they were probably busy taking over the businesses managed by the Blood Snake Gang.
"If I go in, won't Im Ja-gyeon and Seon Do-mu make a move?"
Bok Ha-gyu looked at me and let out a chuckle.
"Why? Are you scared now that you're actually about to enter the Black Night Gang?"
"I am scared. Scared that I'll be blocked by some scoundrels and won't be able to see Master Jeok."
"Don't worry. Our guys are guarding the Master's residence. No matter how short-handed we are, we don't pull men from there."
So he was saying that Im Ja-gyeon and Seon Do-mu could be targeting Master Jeok. I clicked my tongue inwardly and shook my head. As expected of a bunch of black-bellied dark path bastards...
I knew where the main gate of the Black Night Gang was. On my first day back home, Gu-sam had guided me nearby. Bok Ha-gyu and his group entered a back alley I had never seen before, on almost the opposite side.
It was an unfamiliar alley, but it also led to the Black Night Gang. This was the path Jin Seok-man took when he delivered liquor to the Black Night Gang with his cart. Passing through this alley and turning left, you would eventually reach the back door of the Black Night Gang after a while.
It seemed they were heading to the back door instead of the main one to avoid prying eyes. As we went further into the alley, a group of about twenty beggars came into view. They were all short kids.
When the adults with swords appeared, the children with their shabby appearances flinched and held their breath. As we got closer, one of them cautiously walked out from among the beggars who were just watching warily.
"Hey, heroes. Please spare a coin!"
As if he were the leader, the rest of the beggars, seeing their chance, rushed forward in a mob. They vied to push their begging bowls at the Black Night Gang members and Bok Ha-gyu.
"We've been starving for three days! Please spare a coin!"
"Give alms and go to paradise!"
“...”
Bok Ha-gyu and his men did not draw their swords. They were just young kids who barely reached the adults' waists. Their faces, gaunt from starvation with their baby fat gone, were black with grime from not washing properly.
The begging bowls they held in their cloth-wrapped hands to ward off the cold were also half-broken. To anyone, they looked exactly like young beggars.
"Move!"
The subordinates waved their hands to push the beggars back. But the beggars didn't back down.
"Great Hero, just one coin..."
Whoosh!
Three or four of the young beggars who were approaching me were struck by my long blade, still in its scabbard, and fell. I glared at the beggars and gave them a firm warning.
"Do not enter the range of my blade."
I didn't want to do this to children, but from the moment I entered this place, my nerves were on edge for some reason. The sharp energy that clung stickily in the air was unsettling. A dozen or so beggars clung tightly to the Black Night Gang members, blocking the way.
"Let go of me. Stop clinging. Get lost!"
"Hah, have these beggar brats gone mad from hunger? Get off!"
Even as the Black Night Gang members glared, kicked them harshly, and struck their heads, the young beggars clung on tenaciously. But pulling out a pouch here would only worsen the situation. The best course of action was to just coldly chase them away.
While we were awkwardly stalled like that, Bok Ha-gyu and his men became completely mixed in with the young beggars. The distance was too close. Did they think these kids were just an annoyance and posed no real danger?
At least, that's what Bok Ha-gyu and his men judged. And they soon paid the price for it.
"Keuk!"
Bok Ha-gyu suddenly staggered and backhanded the leader beggar across the face. The young beggar, who was sent flying and slammed into a wall, had a blood-stained blade in his hand.
"Eat!"
As the leader shouted, the clamor of pleas for a single coin completely vanished. In the eerie silence, the young beggars dropped their begging bowls and revealed sharp, gleaming blades. They weren't just holding them; the blades were tightly wrapped to their hands with leather straps and concealed with cloth so they wouldn't be dropped.
"It's food! Food!"
The young beggars, their eyes wild, began to frantically stab the adults in front of them with their blades. The three Black Night Gang members surrounded by the pack of beggars were mercilessly butchered in an instant.
"Aaaargh!"
Small blades ceaselessly entered and exited their lower abdomens, thighs, and waists, drawing out blood. All three of them collapsed pathetically without even getting a hand on their hilts. Bok Ha-gyu, who had taken a slash to the leg, ferociously swung his scabbard like a club and retreated.
I knew something was off. It was murderous intent. Because I had maintained a proper distance, I was able to escape the surprise attack.
A moment later, young beggars rushed at me from both sides with daggers. Even if they were kids, I couldn't just let them stab me. I struck the face of one who was charging with a dagger with my scabbard.
His head snapped back, blood burst from his nose, and a few broken teeth scattered. He'd have some trouble eating from now on, but it was better than dying. I kicked one down and swung the scabbard again.
One would think they'd be scared enough to back off after that, but these kids were crazed and rampaging. These weren't brats; they were starving wildcats. Their eyes blazed with a harsh killing intent honed by hunger.
As if they intended to kill me and tear off my flesh to eat. I thought I understood why the order was "eat" instead of "kill." These kids were not beggars.
They were assassins. And the most vicious kind at that: child assassins. Even those who would cut down old men or women without mercy can't help but hesitate in front of children.
In a real fight, that brief hesitation can cost you your life. Children don't arouse much suspicion even when they get close like they just did. One thinks, surely I won't be taken down by mere kids.
As far as I knew, only the assassin's guild would exploit that by kidnapping children and raising them as child assassins. Even a low-level fighter, if they attack with the resolve to die, can at least tear the hem of a master's clothes.
Dealing with the child assassins, who charged like demons without a care for their own bodies, with just a scabbard was becoming increasingly bothersome. After kicking and striking a few more, I looked at the wall. It was higher than the one at my house, but it looked manageable.
As I gripped my long blade to create some distance, another group of beggars rushed in from the other end of the alley. They were bigger than the little ones here, but they were still kids. One of their faces was familiar.
He was dressed in rags like a beggar and had charcoal smeared on his face, but not so much that I couldn't recognize him. Pung Oh-bok, whose eyes met mine, froze on the spot. His pupils shook uncontrollably.
Now I thought I understood what he had been trying to tell me yesterday. Pung Oh-bok gritted his teeth. Before he could open his mouth to say anything, he threw the dagger in his right hand.
The dagger, its blade honed to a brilliant white, flew straight toward me.