People experience all sorts of things while living. Even ordinary people encounter countless turbulent events in their lifetime, so how much more so for martial artists living in the chaotic martial world?
But among all those martial artists, how many have experienced being surrounded by so many government troops?
Thanks to that, I got to have a precious experience.
Hm?
How did it feel?
Well, I'm not sure what to call it.
Actually, there was something like that. Even though government troops had surrounded the area, wasn't I from a righteous sect? The Beggar's Sect sometimes cooperates with government investigations, so I thought if we spoke well enough, we could get out without any problems. Foolishly, that is.
Hm?
Isn't that right?
It is right.
Of course it's right. If you think about it logically.
There was only one problem.
There exist people in this world who are not logical.
And the most hopeless among those illogical people was right next to me.
Do you need more explanation?
***
"Why are government troops here?"
The Great Tiger General asked in shock, and Wei Jeong-han also chimed in with a pale face.
"No! Why do government troops have to attack at this very moment?"
"Isn't this a trap?"
"Someone must have waited for us to enter Great Tiger Stronghold and set a trap!"
While Wei Yan-ho, Jang-il, and the others in confusion were busy trying to make sense of the situation, Wei Yan-ho quietly raised his hand.
"Why?"
"It's just strange."
"What is?"
"Is it strange that government troops came to suppress bandits?"
"..."
"They're doing their job well, so shouldn't we praise them?"
"..."
Wei Jeong-han nodded silently, as if his mouth had been sealed with honey.
That was true, but still...
Wei Jeong-han realized anew that they were together with bad people.
"N-no, we can't simply think of it that way. If government troops normally attacked bandit strongholds, could this many bandits have gathered to live here? The fact that the government, which hadn't disturbed strongholds even once in decades, came with government troops instead of local soldiers means..."
"It's praiseworthy."
"Right. They're doing good work. Did a new regional commander take office?"
Jang-il's face contorted.
"What are you saying, Great Hero!"
"S-sorry. I got carried away without realizing it."
Wei Jeong-han let out a deep sigh.
"Anyway, let's go out."
"G-go out?"
"Yes."
"Wait a moment, Yan-ho."
"Why? We haven't committed any crimes."
Wei Jeong-han shook his head with a stern face.
"This is a bandit den. If we go outside carelessly and word gets out that we were together with the Green Forest, nothing good will come of it."
"But if we don't go out, we'll end up clashing with the government troops right here inside the stronghold, won't we?"
"Hmm..."
Wei Jeong-han let out a troubled groan.
Since they were already surrounded by government troops, getting out undetected would be difficult. If they came to destroy a stronghold of this size, the number of government troops mobilized would certainly not be small.
Then what should they do?
"Well, let's go out for now."
"No, if we think of the worst case scenario, nothing good will come of the fact that we're here being revealed."
"We just won't reveal it."
"How can we not reveal it when we're going out!"
"Ah, Father. If they just can't see our faces, how would they know who we are?"
"...Hm?"
"There's something perfect for that right here."
Where Wei Yan-ho turned his head, there were the large taxidermy animals that the Great Tiger General had brought. Seeing those taxidermy pieces, Wei Jeong-han's eyes twitched slightly.
"Surely not?"
Wei Yan-ho nodded meaningfully.
***
"Hmmm."
A smile appeared on the face of the person looking at the stronghold.
"We've surrounded them completely."
When a general holding a large sword and wearing flawless armor bowed his head and spoke, the man quietly stroked his smooth chin without a single whisker.
"Not a single person must escape."
"That will never happen."
"It's better not to make guarantees. I don't like people who only talk with their mouths. If even a single bandit escapes from this place today, you'll learn how terrifying the underground where no light enters can be."
The general gulped.
Even though he hadn't heard anything particularly impressive, cold sweat ran down his back. What the court official meant by 'underground where no light enters' was the infamous interrogation room of the Eastern Bureau.
That place where you walk in and get carried out.
That place where even crimes that never existed could be fabricated—being dragged there was the worst threat a court official could hear.
"I won't let even an ant escape."
"I'll trust you."
The man reached out and grabbed a teacup. Confirming that the tea had cooled slightly, the man infused his internal energy to warm the tea and slowly savored its aroma.
"You'd better understand what it means that I came all the way to this countryside. This isn't simply a matter of suppressing bandits. This is following that person's will. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Yes!"
The general stiffened his body with tense eyes.
That person.
There was only one person that eunuchs without a single whisker trusted and followed when they spoke like this.
Nok Gi, Grand Duke Nok.
The head of the Eastern Bureau and the one who wielded absolute power with the current Emperor's greatest trust.
If they fell from his favor, it wouldn't end with just one person dying. There had been many whose entire three generations suffered death and destruction after falling out of Nok Gi's favor.
'This is maddening.'
He didn't know why Nok Gi wanted to erase this stronghold, but whatever the reason, if he didn't resolve this matter properly, what would happen to him was as clear as fire.
"I'll begin."
"Do so."
The general hardened his face and immediately stood up.
'Even the Regional Commander was trembling before this person.'
He didn't know the true identity of the eunuch before him, but seeing how even the Regional Commander didn't dare make eye contact, his position was certainly not low.
In a place where such a person was watching, not a single mistake could be allowed.
Yo Song looked at the high wooden fence surrounding the stronghold and steeled his resolve. Seeing the bandit bastards who stuck their heads over the fence and looked at them with fearful eyes, this task didn't seem particularly difficult. They had already won in terms of momentum.
"All troops!"
Just as he was about to give the charge order, suddenly the gate began to open.
"Wait a moment!"
"Hm?"
The massive gate in the middle of the wooden fence began to rise with creaking sounds.
'Are they trying to surrender?'
Normally in such situations, offering surrender would be the priority, but the order he received wasn't to suppress but to completely erase the stronghold to make an example. Even if they surrendered, no one would survive here.
'But if they surrender, there's no reason to stop them.'
He could disarm them, bind the bandit bastards, then cut off their heads. With that thought, Yo Song postponed the charge order for now.
But the scene revealed after the gate fully opened was completely different from his expectations.
"Eh...?"
Three people were standing under the open gate.
But should those be called people?
They were people, but they also didn't seem like people...
"Y-you bastards, what are you doing!"
Yo Song shouted in a bewildered tone.
He had no choice, because the ones who appeared behind the opened gate were all wearing bizarre animal masks. The one standing in the center wore a tiger mask, on the left was someone with a deer mask, and on the right was someone with a bear mask, all standing with their backs straight and looking at them.
'No, saying they're looking is a bit...'
The masks were facing this way, but he didn't know where the eyes inside were looking.
"Excuse me, we'd like to negotiate."
"Negotiate?"
Yo Song's face reddened.
"You men want to negotiate while hiding your faces? If you want to exchange words, take off those bizarre masks immediately! Are you mocking the government troops serving His Imperial Majesty!"
"We have our circumstances on this side too."
"You bastard!"
"Geez, how harsh."
When the one with the tiger mask grumbled, the deer mask next to him grabbed the tiger mask's head.
"Don't say useless things and just talk about the main point!"
"Aak! Why are you hitting me!"
Yo Song watched the deer and tiger bickering for a while, dumbfounded and unsure what on earth was happening.
"What's going on?"
At that moment, the eunuch who had been guarding behind him walked forward.
"Th-there, there are strange people..."
"Hmm?"
The eunuch looked at the three people standing at the main gate and frowned.
"Bandits these days do bizarre things. Is this how they intimidate common people?"
Then the one with the tiger mask raised his arm high.
"What is he doing?"
"...It seems like he means he has something to say."
"Hmmm..."
The eunuch looked at the man with the tiger mask and quietly nodded. Normally, he should be urging them to give the attack order without exchanging words, but honestly, he was curious to hear what they had to say because it was so bizarre.
"Speak."
"Mister, you're a eunuch, right?"
Crack.
The teacup in the eunuch's hand shattered right there. He had unconsciously applied force. The tea water and broken teacup scattered to the ground.
"Whooooop."
The eunuch took a deep breath to calm his excitement, regained his composure, and opened his mouth.
"Call me Court Official. Grand Duke Zhao would be good too."
"So you are a eunuch, right?"
That bastard?
Veins bulged on the eunuch's forehead.
"Yes, I'm a eunuch! So what? Why is that important!"
"No. Just looking at you with no beard and your delicate appearance, you seemed like a eunuch."
His vision was getting dizzy.
They say people can faint when they get too angry, and Grand Duke Zhao realized that saying was absolutely not wrong.
"I'll tear you apart, you single-layered..."
"Since you're a eunuch, you seem to be the person in charge, mister. I heard court officials are very high-ranking people. The core of power, people who move the world."
Grand Duke Zhao's expression softened a little.
That guy with the tiger mask was stupid and thoughtless, but he didn't seem to have malicious intent. He was just poorly educated and had a somewhat bad way of speaking...
"My master said so. He said, who would cut off their pepper if they couldn't even obtain that much power?"
"AAAHHHHH! You son of a bitch!"
Grand Duke Zhao screamed as if coughing up blood.
"What are you doing! That bastard right now! Right now! Kill him... No, don't kill him! Absolutely don't kill him and bring him to me alive! Right nowwwwww!"
The man with the tiger mask tilted his head and looked at the excited Grand Duke Zhao, then turned his head to ask the one with the bear mask.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"...That's why I told you to speak the truth in moderation."
"What's wrong with calling a beggar a beggar and calling a eunuch a eunuch when you see them? It's not like someone made him do it—you became a beggar because you liked it, and that person became a eunuch because he liked it..."
"There, Grand Duke sir. Please, I'm begging you, please take this bastard away. Please!"
Jang-il was dreaming an impossible dream.
***