"I got you! You rascal!" Cheongmyeong grinned as he rose to his feet.
The man with the injured wrist, Hyungsu, tried to pull his hand away with a flustered expression, but Cheongmyeong would not let go easily.
"You brat!" Hyungsu quickly raised his other hand to strike Cheongmyeong.
But at that moment, the door swung open, flooding the room with light.
It was Hwang Jong-ui.
Step by step, he walked in with a stern face and spoke in a heavy voice.
"What on earth are you doing there, General?"
"……."
The general of the Eunha Merchant Guild, Ban Ja-bok, caught in Cheongmyeong's grip, turned around in confusion.
"Ma-Master!"
"I’m asking what you are doing right now."
Ban Ja-bok's face twisted in distress.
"I was just checking the condition of the Temple Master…"
The response to that came not from Hwang Jong-ui, but from Cheongmyeong.
"Oh, checking to see if you could kill him?"
Cheongmyeong shook the general's hand he was holding.
"There seems to be some misunderstanding…"
"Misunderstanding? I love misunderstandings too. Oof!" Cheongmyeong suddenly sprang up.
Ban Ja-bok looked at Cheongmyeong with wide eyes.
"B-but you were clearly gravely injured…"
"It seems that was a misunderstanding. I’m perfectly fine now."
"…You were unconscious."
"Oh. I just haven’t been sleeping well lately. I finally got a good rest."
Ban Ja-bok gritted his teeth.
"You tricked me."
"Hey, you shouldn’t say that. You should insist it’s a misunderstanding as much as you can. If you say that, it’ll reveal that you were up to something."
"You!" Ban Ja-bok swung at Cheongmyeong with his unrestrained hand.
But Cheongmyeong deftly dodged and jumped off the bed, leaving Ban Ja-bok's grasp.
Without looking back, he walked toward Hwang Jong-ui.
"See? I told you he would come out."
"…Hmm."
Hwang Jong-ui nodded with heavy eyes.
"I was skeptical of your words, but with the results being like this, I have nothing to say. Who would have thought the one I least believed to be the culprit would be the general?"
Hwang Jong-ui's gaze was icy as he glared at Ban Ja-bok.
Upon seeing that look, Ban Ja-bok realized that no excuse would hold any weight.
He glared at Cheongmyeong with a stiffened face.
"How could you suspect me?"
"I didn’t suspect you."
"…What?" Cheongmyeong shrugged.
"I never guessed who the culprit would be. How long have I been here to know that? I just thought that if I pretended to treat Hwang Da-in and lay down injured, you would come to kill me."
"…What if I hadn’t come?"
"You would have had to come."
Cheongmyeong chuckled.
"Killing one person is hard, but killing two isn’t that difficult. And if you kill me now, you can pin all the blame on Jongnam. There’s no way you would miss that opportunity."
"So you had a prior agreement with Jongnam?"
Cheongmyeong looked at Ban Ja-bok with a pout.
"No, I didn’t."
Ban Ja-bok's twisted face suddenly went blank. "…You didn’t?"
"No. They just started a quarrel. I was already pondering how to resolve this matter when they conveniently created the situation for me. I’m grateful."
Ban Ja-bok bit his lip.
"The internal injuries! The physician clearly said the internal injuries were severe enough to be life-threatening!"
"If it were hard to deceive an ordinary physician, I wouldn’t have even started. You keep asking the obvious."
Cheongmyeong shrugged.
"You seem to have a lot of questions, but it’s not important to satisfy your curiosity. What’s important is that you fell into a trap, and I found the culprit who tried to assassinate Hwang Da-in."
"Hahahaha."
Suddenly, Ban Ja-bok burst into laughter and turned to Hwang Jong-ui.
"Master, you can’t possibly believe that kid’s words, right?"
"…How could I not believe it?"
"That’s not like you, Master. That child’s logic is missing something important, isn’t it?"
"Something important?" Ban Ja-bok nodded.
"Yes. Just because I tried to harm that child doesn’t mean I’m guilty of attempting to assassinate the Master. Why would I do such a thing? What has the Master done for me? So, Master, you didn’t suspect me, did you?"
"Hmm."
Hwang Jong-ui let out a hum.
It was a blatant excuse, but it wasn’t entirely wrong.
"Then why did you try to kill the Temple Master? Why did you hide the fact that you learned martial arts?"
"That child is deceiving the Master! Even the greatest physicians have failed to heal the Master. How could that kid possibly heal him?"
"Then you should have persuaded him!"
"If I tried to persuade him, would he have listened? He was out of his mind! Those who are bewitched never listen to others! Killing that child was the only way to bring the Master back to his senses! Only then could I continue treating the Master!"
At that moment, a murmur filled the room.
Hwang Jong-ui subtly turned his head.
The servants who had rushed in were whispering among themselves, seemingly discussing how Ban Ja-bok’s words weren’t entirely wrong.
Though the words were inaudible, their gazes and expressions spoke volumes.
Ban Ja-bok’s words were indeed persuasive.
"Have you finished speaking?" But then, Cheongmyeong stepped forward, cutting through the atmosphere.
"……."
Ban Ja-bok glared at Cheongmyeong.
"It’s true that I tried to kill you, but I never attempted to assassinate the Master. You too…"
"Ah."
Cheongmyeong lightly waved his hand, interrupting Ban Ja-bok.
"That’s enough, enough. I don’t want to know the reasons, and I don’t really want to hear your excuses. Why bother with all that?"
"What…?"
"You could just hit me!" Before anyone could stop him, Cheongmyeong swiftly charged at Ban Ja-bok.
He aimed for his head and extended his fist.
With a sound like silk tearing, Cheongmyeong’s hand emitted a brilliant light.
Realizing the power contained in the incoming strike, Ban Ja-bok was taken aback and extended his fist to block Cheongmyeong’s hand.
Swoosh! The two hands crossed, and Cheongmyeong was sent stumbling back.
"Look, everyone!" He raised his fist high.
"That, that!" Everyone who saw his outstretched hand doubted their own eyes.
The black handprint near Cheongmyeong’s wrist was strikingly clear.
The handprint faded to white and then quickly stained Cheongmyeong’s entire wrist red.
As everyone held their breath, Cheongmyeong slowly spoke.
"This is called Danma-su."
Cheongmyeong lightly shook his hand, as if to say everyone should look closely.
"Anyone hit by the perfected Danma-su cannot endure even a single meal and dies with their entire body stained red. Of course, this gentleman’s case isn’t that severe, but it’s still enough to kill someone. Especially if the opponent is an ordinary old man who hasn’t learned martial arts, it would be easier than eating a meal."
"……."
Ban Ja-bok, who had been mumbling, suddenly tensed up.
At that moment, Cheongmyeong seized the opportunity and struck first.
"If there’s anyone besides you who can continuously inject the power of Danma-su without being suspected by anyone near Hwang Da-in, I’ll believe you’re not the culprit."
That statement was the decisive blow.
The eyes of those watching were filled with anger.
Isn’t it said that seeing is believing? No one here would trust Ban Ja-bok’s words over their own eyes.
The change revealed in Cheongmyeong’s right hand mirrored the symptoms of Hwang Da-in, who was currently bedridden.
"You, you! A dog that doesn’t know gratitude!"
"How dare you attempt to assassinate the Master and brazenly act as the general beside him!"
"I’d be satisfied just to beat him to death!" The atmosphere shifted, and Hwang Jong-ui no longer wavered.
"Seize him now!" His furious voice echoed throughout the Eunha Merchant Guild.
"Immediately subdue the general! If he resists, feel free to kill him!" At Hwang Jong-ui’s command, the servants rushed into the room.
Ban Ja-bok, biting his lip, shot out his energy toward the incoming crowd.
"Ah!"
"Ugh!" The servants who entered the room were knocked down by Ban Ja-bok’s energy.
"Damn it, it’s almost over!" Ban Ja-bok glared at Cheongmyeong with eyes filled with resentment.
"If it weren’t for that brat!"
"Hey, don’t say that about the brat."
Cheongmyeong pouted.
He wasn’t even a brat, but being called one made him feel twice as bad.
"If I had just waited a little longer, my revenge would have been complete! If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have killed him long ago! I shouldn’t have just tried to persuade that foolish Master…"
"Ah."
Cheongmyeong waved his hand.
"Of course, you must have some lengthy reasons, but you can discuss that later at the magistrate’s office. For now, let’s finish this quickly. I just woke up and I’m feeling a bit sleepy. I need to knock you out and get some more rest."
"Knock me out?" Ban Ja-bok burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! This little brat is being incredibly rude. I don’t know how you found out, but you dare say you’ll knock me out after saying I’ve mastered Danma-su? You? Me?"
"No."
"…Huh?"
"Hey, how could I do that? There’s someone else who can handle that. Over there."
Cheongmyeong pointed somewhere behind.
Everyone’s gaze turned to that direction.
"…Me?" Lee Song-baek, who had been blankly observing the situation from behind, dazedly pointed at his own face.
"Me?"
"Ah, the hero of Jongnam has come to subdue the general. Please do so without injury."
"N-no, me?"
"Then who else here?" Cheongmyeong asked with wide eyes, and Lee Song-baek realized the situation.
Now that Gi Mok-seung had taken his disciples and left, the strongest here was naturally Lee Song-baek.
"Why, why me…?" Feeling a sense of injustice, Lee Song-baek awkwardly asked just as Cheongmyeong subtly gestured with his chin to the side.
Following his gaze, Lee Song-baek finally noticed Hwang Jong-ui staring at him.
'Ah, right!' This was his chance to rectify the accident he had caused! Looking back, he doubted whether it was truly an accident, but nonetheless!
"The villain will be dealt with by Jongnam’s sword!" As Lee Song-baek drew his sword and charged forward, Cheongmyeong quickly stepped aside and clapped.
"Ah, the demeanor of a hero!" He wanted to curse at him to shut up, but there was no time to do so as Lee Song-baek had just entered the battle.
Leaving the two entangled in combat behind, Cheongmyeong slowly approached Hwang Jong-ui.
"One problem solved."
"…It’s not over yet, is it?"
"I’ll catch him soon. After all, he’s a disciple of a prestigious school; there’s no way he would lose to someone who hasn’t properly learned martial arts."
"Not properly learned? Earlier, you clearly said he was at this level…"
At that moment, Cheongmyeong discreetly extended his hand toward Hwang Jong-ui.
His hand turned black, then white, and finally red.
"……."
"I didn’t lie. It’s true that person has learned Danma-su. I just showed a glimpse of the level he will reach later."
"Huh…" Hwang Jong-ui let out a hollow laugh and couldn’t help but ask.
"Is the Temple Master really a Daoist?"
"Of course."
'He’s the most seasoned Daoist in the world, you know.'
Huh? I’m serious!