"How dare you without me?"
"Answer me."
As I urged, So Gun-pyeong opened his mouth in a calm tone. "…Please spare my life."
So Gun-pyeong, being a man who knew shame, had his face turn bright red.
I asked, "Why? Do you have an elderly mother at home, or perhaps a cute daughter? Then of course, I should spare you."
"That's not the case."
"If that's not the case, it becomes a bit difficult. If you had a cute daughter, it would be a given."
So Gun-pyeong almost said, 'What nonsense is this?' but swallowed the words back.
"There might be someone somewhere, but officially, there isn't."
"This guy… playing word games."
"I'm sorry."
"I was going to treat you like a commander if you came under me, but you don't want that either. But you want me to spare your life?" So Gun-pyeong, feeling embarrassed, managed to say, "I am a man who keeps his promises. If you spare me, I will never touch the Hao Moon Sect again. I swear. Not just the Hao Moon Sect, but I will not use my strength against anyone related to the sect. I swear on my sword."
Originally, I had intended to take this guy under my wing, so I was thinking of letting him go now.
My respected teacher, Master Wa-ryong, had personally practiced the idea that even a man with a straight heart could be turned into a subordinate after being caught and beaten seven times.
The important point here is that I let him go.
The other party still has no intention of coming under me.
The act of catching and beating him is not what matters; it is because Master Wa-ryong could read people's hearts that he is considered a great man.
To be honest, I was also curious about why this guy had survived for so long.
I am someone who must find out when I am curious about something.
"Go." 'If you come back stronger, it will be better for me.
After all, you will become my subordinate.' For a connection to be formed, there must be a right fit, but I felt that now was not the time.
Since he had survived for a long time in the dark world, we would meet again soon.
So Gun-pyeong narrowed his eyes and replied, "Where do you mean to go?"
"Get lost, you brat."
So Gun-pyeong asked back with a surprised expression, "Ah, can I really go?" He could only be surprised, as he had expected to be beaten to death or tortured.
In the dark world, one always imagines the worst situations, so their tone and actions are rough.
I gestured again for him to leave.
So Gun-pyeong had no choice but to open his mouth, not understanding why I was sparing him.
"Why… are you sparing me?"
"Gun-pyeong, now the only martial artist left in Il-yang County is me. How did I get here? I killed the human traffickers, buried the useless ones, and killed all those who ran the gambling houses. Fights among martial artists are common. If you come back stronger, I will accept your challenge anytime. But…" I glared at So Gun-pyeong.
"If I hear that you have killed any merchants or ordinary people in the future, I will mobilize a million Hao Moon Sect members to find you and tear you apart. Or I will bury you in the ground like Kim Bong-gak."
"A million…?"
"Why? Do you think that's impossible? All merchants in the world, whether they know the Hao Moon Sect or not, I am their leader. I have decided that."
"I will remember."
As So Gun-pyeong stood up and opened the door, Cha Seong-tae quickly peeked in and asked me, "Are we letting him go?"
"Let him go."
"Um… understood."
So Gun-pyeong slightly bowed his head at the door.
"Thank you for sparing me even after my defeat. I will keep my promise until I die."
As So Gun-pyeong walked away, I muttered to myself, "That's how it should be. Madmen should fight against madmen."
While I was muttering this, Cha Seong-tae, who had been shaking his legs habitually by the door, stared at me blankly.
I asked Cha Seong-tae, "Isn't that right?"
"That's a wise saying. Madmen should deal with madmen."
Cha Seong-tae pointed at me with his finger, then pointed at himself and nodded once.
I felt slightly displeased.
"Don't point at me, you brat."
"I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry for?"
"Pointing."
I decided to teach Cha Seong-tae a lesson about the ways of the martial world.
"Seong-tae, do you not know why pointing is a bad action? Setting aside manners."
"Ah, well… is there another meaning?"
I raised a finger and aimed it at Cha Seong-tae.
The energy of the Yomgye began to swirl around my finger, turning it red.
Cha Seong-tae raised both hands with a pale expression.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I will be careful."
"Never point at anyone carelessly. You could end up burning and becoming a hot person. Because that master might mistake you for a master of finger techniques. Do you understand?"
"I will remember."
"Never provoke madmen. What awaits you is not insults or violence, but death. And Cha Commander."
"Yes."
"How long has it been since I assigned you your duties? Have you not reported once?"
"What report…?"
"The total amount of slush funds, the existing assets of the Jo family, the costs incurred for the rituals, the daily meal costs for the rituals, miscellaneous expenses, cleaning fees, and the status of manpower coming from the Black Cat Room. Report all of it. Organize it neatly in documents. If you find it too burdensome alone, it is also your duty as commander to find someone who is good at this."
"…"
For a moment, Cha Seong-tae stood at the door with a dazed expression.
He replied with a blank look, "Did you say that if I am dismissed, it would be death? My memory is a bit hazy."
"You have a good memory."
"Is there anything other than death?"
"Well, what else could there be?" I pointed my finger at Cha Seong-tae.
"Dismissal, being pointed at. Choose. Since I am a considerate leader… I will give my subordinate a choice."
Cha Seong-tae took a deep breath and replied seriously, "Lord, I will organize and report it. But…"
"But what?"
"I would like to request that Commander Wol-bong be rated the highest in the Hao Moon Sect. I can't work like this."
This guy is coming out like this again.
I clicked my tongue once and pretended to give in.
"Alright. Do it that way."
"Thank you."
Since I didn't spend a single penny of my own money, it wasn't a bad deal at all.
Having safely arrived in front of the Plum Blossom Pavilion, So Gun-pyeong looked around with a bitter expression.
Suddenly, he recalled the words of the Black Cat Leader.
"The opponent is a point thief. If you fail, take your own life."
So Gun-pyeong muttered, "No, I have no intention of dying. Why would I?" His life was given to him by his parents, not by the Black Cat Leader.
As the day grew dark, So Gun-pyeong felt hungry again.
Unknowingly, while walking, he locked eyes with Jang Deok-soo, who was standing in front of the Chunyang Noodle House.
Jang Deok-soo looked surprised as if he had seen a ghost and said, "Ah, you are alive."
As soon as Jang Deok-soo spoke, he slapped his own mouth with his hand.
So Gun-pyeong recalled the words of the Hao Moon Leader and cautiously said, "I just finished my meeting. By the way, can I have a bowl of noodles before I go?"
So Gun-pyeong really had nowhere to go.
His stomach was hungry, and the places he had been hit by the Hao Moon Leader throbbed.
Jang Deok-soo looked at So Gun-pyeong and awkwardly smiled, saying, "I'm sorry, but we are out of noodles."
"Hmm."
So Gun-pyeong sighed while looking at Jang Deok-soo and, with a glimmer of hope, threw a silver coin he took from his pocket to Jang Deok-soo.
As Jang Deok-soo caught the flying silver coin with both hands, looking surprised, So Gun-pyeong said, "I will pay in advance."
Jang Deok-soo looked around nervously and then said in a small voice, "Please come in, guest."
Jang Deok-soo thought to himself.
Business is always a matter of life and death.
While eating noodles, So Gun-pyeong said to Jang Deok-soo, "…I thought I would die, but he spared me."
"Oh, really?" Jang Deok-soo looked at So Gun-pyeong, who was eating noodles without much emotion.
So Gun-pyeong asked curiously, "Has the owner lived in this town for a long time? That person, he wasn't originally a point thief, right?"
"He used to be a point thief. That's for sure."
"Um, where did he learn his martial arts? His skills are not ordinary…"
Jang Deok-soo replied while wiping the bowl, "That's right. We actually don't know either. One day, he suddenly started acting differently, as if he had changed. After his grandfather passed away, Jaha ran the inn poorly, but we can only guess that he trained hard in martial arts."
"I heard it's a group called the Hao Moon Sect. Do you know about it?"
"Yes, I am also part of the Hao Moon Sect."
So Gun-pyeong tilted his head.
"I thought it was a group full of masters since it is called a sect."
"That's not the case. Most are ordinary people like me. The majority are working people."
"So that's why you said you were the only martial artist left."
Having finished his noodles, So Gun-pyeong sighed deeply without getting up.
Jang Deok-soo couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. 'Could you just leave?'
Reading Jang Deok-soo's thoughts, So Gun-pyeong first asked for understanding.
"I'm sorry. I have something to think about, so can I stay a little longer?"
"Please do."
Since Jang Deok-soo had received a silver coin for a bowl of noodles, he couldn't chase him away.
"Shall I make you something more? You paid too much."
"Oh, is that okay?"
"Of course."
"Anything is fine."
Jang Deok-soo, trying to catch the tail of the conversation, replied, "There is no such thing as just anything."
As So Gun-pyeong looked at Jang Deok-soo, Jang Deok-soo slightly bowed his head and said, "Just kidding. I will prepare it myself."
Jang Deok-soo went into the kitchen to boil the broth again.
In the meantime, So Gun-pyeong reflected on his failure and thought about the subordinates he had left behind at the Black Cat Room.
If he went back, he would die at the hands of the leader.
Leaving without saying goodbye to his subordinates felt unmanly, so he couldn't help but be deeply troubled.
So Gun-pyeong unconsciously muttered, "Living is not easy."
So Gun-pyeong thought it was a monologue, but Jang Deok-soo in the kitchen replied, "That's true. Is there anyone who isn't?"
"Are you the same?"
"I just earn enough to eat for a day. As long as there are no guys around demanding tributes, it's bearable. Jaha said that the Hao Moon Leader created the sect with just that in mind."
"If that's all…?"
Jang Deok-soo peeked his head out from the kitchen and replied, "The protector of ordinary workers, that is the Hao Moon Sect… or so Jaha said."
As Jang Deok-soo disappeared into the kitchen to prepare something again, So Gun-pyeong crossed his arms and fell into thought.
Remembering the Hao Moon Leader, he thought, 'He wasn't completely insane…'
Jang Deok-soo boiled a whole pig's trotter for the soup.
It was a simple dish that used the broth made for the rice soup.
A little while later, Jang Deok-soo came out of the kitchen and presented three large pig trotters to So Gun-pyeong, while putting the remaining three into his own bowl, saying, "Please eat."
So Gun-pyeong looked at the boiled pig trotter and said, "What is this? It looks like a pig's bone."
Jang Deok-soo replied while tearing the meat off the pig trotter, "Does it need a name? It's just a pig's trotter. It tastes good."
So Gun-pyeong, having just eaten noodles, felt his mouth water and grabbed the chopsticks.
Then Jang Deok-soo said, "You should eat this with your hands."
"If my hands get greasy, it will be uncomfortable when I hold a sword."
"In this town, the only master is Jaha. You have already lost to Jaha. Eat with your hands."
"Well, I have already lost."
"That's right."
So Gun-pyeong also grabbed the pig trotter with both hands and was about to bring it to his mouth when… the door of Chunyang Noodle House creaked open ominously.
Creeeak…!
So Gun-pyeong, holding the pig trotter in his hand, locked eyes with the Hao Moon Leader who had appeared in the Chunyang Noodle House.
"…!"
I glared at the pig trotters that So Gun-pyeong and Jang Deok-soo were eating and said with a furious expression, "How dare these guys… eat pig trotters without me…"
Hearing my words, So Gun-pyeong gently set down the pig trotter he had not yet touched.