Vice-Leader's Announcement Ceremony (6)
The largest merchant group in Sungyang District, Hubei Province, is the Eunhae Merchant Group.
However, that doesn't mean the Eunhae Merchant Group monopolizes everything in Sungyang District — there are several other merchant groups as well.
One of them is the Black Wine Gang.
As the name suggests, it's an organization run by martial artists of the dark sect, delivering liquor to small taverns.
It's called delivery, but in truth, it was closer to extortion.
The owners of small, powerless taverns had no choice but to accept their coercion.
But that situation began to change three years ago.
The Eunhae Merchant Group started a liquor supply business.
As they delivered quality liquor at reasonable prices, the tavern owners wanted to switch to the Eunhae Merchant Group's products.
But there was no way Black Wine Gang, the existing supplier, would take that well.
As the tavern owners began to worry about Black Wine Gang's reaction, the Eunhae Merchant Group made them a proposal.
They would hire the Prosperous Escort Agency to prevent Black Wine Gang from causing trouble.
Originally, the Eunhae Merchant Group's own martial strength wasn't weak either, but with the Prosperous Escort Agency joining them, the tavern owners leaned toward them.
Eventually, every tavern in Sungyang District began receiving liquor from the Eunhae Merchant Group.
As a result, Black Wine Gang found itself in a difficult situation.
.
.
.
Bang!
Black Wine Gang's leader, Oh Daedeuk, slammed his fist down hard on the table.
"You sons of bitches!"
He asked Gang member, who was trembling in front of him,
"So, he got caught?"
"Yes, y-yes, he did."
"You're saying he gulped down my blood-like hundred nyang and then got caught?"
"..."
"No answer? You bastard!"
Oh Daedeuk grabbed a liquor bottle and threw it.
Crash!
Hit by the bottle, Gang member's forehead split open, and he collapsed to the floor.
"P-please, have mercy! Leader!"
"Get up! Who said I was going to kill you?"
As Gang member rose to his feet, trembling, Oh Daedeuk gave him an order.
"Explain in detail."
"Y-yes, well, um…"
"No extra commentary. Keep it short."
"Yes, sir!"
Gang member explained to Leader Oh Daedeuk what had happened during the Sub-Leader Proclamation Ceremony banquet of Eun Seoho, the eldest son of the Eunhae Merchant Group Leader.
After hearing the explanation, Oh Daedeuk gritted his teeth.
"Idiots! What kind of assassin tries to carry out a hit in broad daylight, in a place full of martial artists?"
It was an unfair accusation for the Faceless Guest, but Oh Daedeuk, unaware of the details, could only vent his anger.
"Uh, but Leader,"
Another Gang member, standing nearby, cautiously spoke.
"What if that idiot confesses that we were the ones who ordered it?"
"Just deny everything! Haven't we always done that? Why are you suddenly worried now?"
"But… I'm just wondering if we picked the wrong fight…"
"How many taverns were we supplying liquor to?"
"If I recall correctly, 168."
"And how many have we delivered to in the past month?"
"…Not a single one."
"They took all of our suppliers! Have they no merchant ethics? We're starving, sucking our thumbs, while they're holding banquets — and you don't feel even the slightest indignation?"
"..."
Oh Daedeuk huffed in frustration and continued.
"That's why we needed to send a message! If you provoke us, even the eldest son of the Eunhae Merchant Group could end up like that. So go back to buying our liquor!"
"What I mean is, how are we going to deal with the consequences of this…?"
"Damn it! Didn't I say, just deny it! You want to die? Want to be tortured?"
"S-sorry! Please spare me! I overstepped!"
Thudthudthud!
At that moment, someone came running in, shouting.
"B-big trouble, Leader!"
"What now?"
"It's the government troops! They're coming!"
"Government troops? Not constables, but troops?"
"Yes!"
"How many?"
"Easily in the hundreds."
If a major incident occurs, even the District Magistrate of Sungyang can request troops.
But when several hundred troops are deployed, that means higher authorities are involved.
At that, one of the Gang members shouted.
"Damn it! Then the Inspector General has mobilized!"
"Don't tell me everything we've done has been exposed?"
Oh Daedeuk stood up on the spot and shouted,
"Tell everyone to resist!"
"Huh?"
"They're government troops! What do you think will happen if we're captured? Is it better to die fighting, or to be tortured to death and executed?"
The Gang member who brought the news bit his lip.
"I'll die fighting."
He rushed out.
As the other Gang members watched his back for just a moment—
Slash!
Stab!
Squelch!
Oh Daedeuk drew his sword and began cutting down the Gang members.
"W-why…?"
To the question filled with unjust resentment, he gave a cold smirk.
"Because you all know about the secret escape tunnel."
Slash—!
Having killed them all, Oh Daedeuk quickly gathered his belongings.
In the life of a dark sect martial artist, no one ever knows when disaster will strike.
That's why he always kept a bag ready for escape.
From afar, the sounds of a clash between Black Wine Gang members and government troops could be heard.
"Fools. Fight all you want. I'm leaving."
He opened the hidden escape tunnel beneath the table and dove in.
He crawled through the narrow passage for quite a while.
How long had he gone?
Soon, light came into view, and he cautiously peeked outside.
There was no one.
'Of course! Who would know about this place? Hehehe.'
He quickly slipped out of the tunnel and started down a path he had scouted beforehand.
But he soon had to stop.
He heard someone's voice beside him.
"Knew it — there was a rat hole."
***
I pointed my sword at Leader Oh Daedeuk.
As expected, he had come out through the escape route, attempting to flee.
I'd been slightly delayed due to running into Palgap on the way and arguing with him, but still made it in time.
Speaking of Palgap, he was supposed to be hiding in the bushes…
Huh?
Why can't I sense Palgap's presence at all?
Anyway, had I been even a little later, I wouldn't have caught him.
"Who are you?"
To that question, I chuckled.
"Does that really matter right now?"
At that moment, Leader Oh Daedeuk charged at me.
His blade sliced sharply through the air, aiming straight for my shoulder.
Clang—!
But there was no way I was going to let my shoulder be hit by an attack of that level. I swiftly swung my sword, knocking his blade upward.
Chaechachaeng–!
Oh Daedeuk retreated with a grunt.
"You're no ordinary brat!"
He readjusted his grip on his sword.
It looked like he was finally getting serious.
If that was the case, it was only right that I responded in kind.
I recalled the First Form of the Twelve Snow Dragon Sword Technique that I had learned — whether in my previous life, or recently.
Snowfall.
The falling of snow marks the beginning of winter.
The entire land becomes dyed white, and all life shrinks under the biting winter winds.
Likewise, the First Form, Snowfall, is the beginning and most important step of the Twelve Snow Dragon Sword Technique.
Chaeng–!
Chaechang!
My sword clashed with Oh Daedeuk's.
My palm stung from the shock, but it wasn't over yet.
I precisely followed the Traceless Steps and unleashed the form of Snowfall.
"Ghhhk…!"
Strength began to drain from Oh Daedeuk's sword, and the tide of the battle slowly tilted in my favor.
If he had been overwhelmingly stronger than me, he would've recognized the true nature of this technique and disrupted the flow, instead of continuing to clash swords.
The purpose of Snowfall was to pull the momentum of the opponent to my side.
Of course, if I hadn't retained memories from my past life, I wouldn't have been able to guide the battle this way.
Just learning the First Form wouldn't be enough to understand its true nature.
But having trained in this sword art for more than a decade in my previous life, I understood the essence of Snowfall well.
It was also the most domineering move among all twelve forms.
Clang!
Oh Daedeuk's sword slipped from his hand and flew into the air.
Thock–!
My blade landed at his throat.
"You surrender, right?"
"I-I surrender."
As he said so, Oh Daedeuk began to reach into his inner pocket.
But of course, I wasn't about to let that slide.
How many dark sect bastards had I run into by now?
I quickly knocked away whatever he was trying to pull out, drove my knee into his stomach, and struck his neck with my sword hilt.
"Ugh!"
With a scream of pain, he collapsed flat on the ground.
I tied him up while he was unconscious.
I didn't kill him here — because killing him now would've been too merciful.
He should suffer every bit of pain he could before dying.
I shouted toward the bushes.
"It's over. You can come out now."
At my words, the bushes rustled, and Palgap emerged.
Even though I hadn't sensed his presence at all…
What the…?
Whether he noticed my thoughts or not, Palgap spoke with a startled expression.
"Young master? Are you really the young master?"
"Of course. What, do I look like a ghost?"
"N-no, it's not that…"
Palgap scratched his head, then glanced at the unconscious Oh Daedeuk and asked,
"Young master, you're much stronger than I expected… Were you hiding your skills?"
"That's right. If others knew I had this kind of strength, they might become wary of me."
More precisely, I was trying to avoid the scrutiny of the Murim Alliance and the White Heaven Merchant Group.
"Well, that makes sense… But when did you get so strong?"
"After I took that elixir."
"Ah…"
Since he was already aware of the strange phenomena that happened then, Palgap nodded easily.
"So, I hope you'll keep this a secret too."
"Of course. You can count on me."
Palgap nodded and asked,
"Then, what should we do with this bundle?"
The bundle Oh Daedeuk had been carrying.
It seemed like it might hold something important.
"Let's open it."
At my words, Palgap untied it — and we were both shocked.
"Gasp!"
"Oh my!"
It was packed with an enormous amount of gold, silver, and jewels.
If this went into official hands, would it be returned to those harmed by Oh Daedeuk?
No.
Assets confiscated from criminals are always absorbed by the state.
Which meant this rightfully belonged to those who had suffered because of him.
I wrapped it up again and picked it up.
"Palgap."
"Yes?"
"We've got some busy work ahead of us."
***
A few days passed after that.
"Young master, did you hear?"
At Palgap's words, I tilted my head.
"Hear what?"
"They say the Black Wine Gang leader has been captured."
"Really?"
"Yes. They found him dangling from a tree."
"Good thing I left him hanging there."
I had thought to leave him on the ground, but figured wild animals might harm him, or he might crawl away, so I tied him up and left him hanging in a tree.
Palgap continued.
"People are guessing someone with a grudge against Black Wine Gang did it."
"I thought they'd say some wandering hero did it…"
"Young master, even you must admit that doesn't make sense, right? How would a random passerby in the middle of the night, in a remote area, know who he was and go that far?"
"Well, that's true."
"Anyway, they're trying to find out who did it."
Palgap and I exchanged a smirk.
Since it was none other than us.
"And about those silver ingots we distributed…"
We had split and handed out silver to those harmed by Black Wine Gang.
"Oh, how did that go?"
"Well, Black Wine Gang's leader testified that the bundle of treasure he'd brought had gone missing. Based on that, people believe the one who did that to him must've given it away to others."
"Well, yeah, that makes sense."
"The authorities tried to seize it, saying it was criminal proceeds…"
A sudden rage surged inside me.
After all the trouble we went through breaking it into silver for distribution, and they want to seize it?
"But the old man at the general store asked them if they had any proof that it was the stolen treasure Black Wine Gang's leader ran off with. He said everything he saw was silver, not gold."
"So?"
"So, they decided to leave it alone."
"Oh, really?"
That was good news.
"I should go thank the old man at the general store sometime."
Glad all that work splitting it into silver wasn't wasted.
"Well, I'm off to work."
"Yes, sir."
Leaving Palgap behind, I headed to the Finance Pavilion.
I felt it had been the right move to tell Palgap about the level of my martial arts.
Otherwise, I would've had to make a fake version of myself with Shadow Doppelgänger Technique every day just to sneak out — what a pain.
And if Palgap ever found out and got sulky, comforting him would've been another ordeal.
Would that mean I bought that thing for nothing?
Well, maybe it'll come in handy someday.
With those thoughts, I soon arrived at the Finance Pavilion, received greetings from the Pavilion Members, and headed to Chief of Internal Affairs Yoo's office.
Time to start the day.