Chapter 24: When the Enemy Reaches Out (1)
“Cheon Yangho is dead.”
At Baek Socheon’s words, Lim Chung and Beon Saeng blinked. At first, they thought they had misheard.
“Who died?”
“I said Thousand Vipers is dead.”
Because they heard it in two parts, they missed the moment to react in shock. Still looking dazed, Beon Saeng asked,
“How?”
“I killed him.”
Silence fell for a moment, and then the situation finally came together in their minds.
“Big Brother killed Cheon Yangho…!”
Beon Saeng was about to shout in astonishment but quickly clamped a hand over his own mouth.
“Why did you kill him?”
“He came to kill me last night. He said Wang Gon paid him to do it.”
“My goodness!”
It was truly hard to believe. They had known he was a corrupt martial artist, but they had never imagined he would kill a fellow martial artist for money. He was still, at least in name, a Division Leader of the Martial Alliance.
Lowering his voice, Beon Saeng asked,
“What did you do with the body?”
“Under your feet.”
“Gah!”
The two men immediately looked down at the ground.
“He’s buried beside Black Hand.”
It simply didn’t feel real. Cheon Yangho, who always seemed ready to show up and annoy everyone at any moment, was now nothing more than a corpse buried beneath the earth.
“What are you going to do now?”
“What else? Wait. Now that Cheon Yangho is dead, there’ll be another move. They’ll either try to kill me again or try to win me over. Either way, all I have to do is wait.”
“What should we do?”
“Keep doing your jobs and wait. Before long, there’ll be things for the two of you to do.”
Come to think of it, it wouldn’t just be Wang Gon’s side that would come.
Once Cheon Yangho’s disappearance became known, the Zhejiang Branch would be thrown into chaos. After all, one of its most influential figures had suddenly vanished.
The branch would send someone to investigate.
Dealing with that person would be Lim Chung’s responsibility.
Still staring at the ground beneath his feet, Lim Chung suddenly wondered,
‘Will another body end up buried here?’
“What? Cheon Yangho disappeared?”
Hearing yet another report of someone going missing, Wang Gon was startled.
“He hasn’t shown up at the Alliance, and he’s nowhere to be found at his residence.”
Wang Gon’s face stiffened completely at Wang Woo’s report. He had sent Cheon Yangho to kill Baek Socheon, and now the man had disappeared. There was only one possible answer.
“He got taken down by that bastard.”
Since Black Hand had vanished in much the same way, the conclusion came easily.
“Could he have run away with the ten thousand nyang?”
“Ten thousand nyang is a lot of money, but not enough for Cheon Yangho to abandon everything. There’s no doubt that bastard got him!”
“Cheon Yangho must have prepared thoroughly before going.”
“That only proves his opponent was that strong.”
Thinking back on it now, they had invested the enormous sum of twenty thousand nyang to have Baek Socheon killed. When had they ever faced an opponent worth that much?
“Shouldn’t we report this to the Main Division now?”
Wang Gon frowned. His son still didn’t understand how serious the situation was.
They had lost Black Hand, and now they had also lost Cheon Yangho, whom they had spent years bribing.
The ten thousand nyang paid to Cheon Yangho had come from Wang Gon’s personal fortune, but all the previous bribes had been paid with the Divine Transformation Gang’s funds. Black Hand had likewise been an expert assigned by the Divine Transformation Gang.
In an incredibly short time, they had lost two valuable assets belonging to the gang. On top of that, Wang Gon’s arrest by the Martial Alliance Branch had damaged the gang’s reputation.
The gang would undoubtedly hold him responsible.
Would he lose his position as Branch Leader?
Maybe. Maybe not.
His only remaining hope was the Iron Workshop Business underway in Wencheng. Replacing the person in charge would delay the schedule considerably. Still, there was no guarantee that would be enough to protect him.
Even if he managed to keep his position, this incident would become a serious obstacle to his future advancement.
‘This can’t go on!’
He had to reverse this unfavourable situation somehow.
Just then, Wang Woo thought of one possible solution.
“What if we asked those people…?”
“Shh.”
Wang Gon frowned.
“Don’t mention them so carelessly!”
“My apologies.”
The “those people” they were referring to were the Seven Swords Society.
“And even if we wanted to hire them, we can’t.”
“Even if the contract fee is expensive, surely we can afford it?”
“It’s not about the money.”
“Huh? Then what is it?”
“The Seven Swords Society only accepts commissions from the Divine Transformation Gang through Master Jong.”
This man, known only as Master Jong, was an expert trusted completely by the Gang Leader of the Divine Transformation Gang. He handled many important matters for the gang, including all commissions involving the Seven Swords Society.
“Is it because the Seven Swords Society doesn’t trust the Main Division?”
“The opposite.”
“Huh?”
“The Leader of the Divine Transformation Gang doesn’t trust the martial artists in the Society. He must have made an agreement with the Seven Swords Society Leader. Any commission related to them must only come through Master Jong. If anyone else connected to the Divine Transformation Gang submits a commission, they are to report it directly to him. That way, at the very least, he never has to worry about being assassinated by the Society’s killers.”
“Ah!”
Only then did Wang Woo realise just how cautious the Leader of the Divine Transformation Gang truly was. He was also remarkably clever. At the very least, the greatest assassin organisation in Zhejiang Province would never be hired to kill him.
“If we can’t even rely on them… what do we do now?”
The strongest people they knew were all inferior to Black Hand. Sending them would only produce more corpses and make the situation even worse.
“I’ll go meet Baek Socheon myself.”
“No, Father. It’s too dangerous. He killed both Black Hand and Cheon Yangho.”
“I still have to meet him. When there’s a tiger roaming inside the front gate, do you think hiding indoors with your hand on the door latch will keep you safe?”
“And then?”
“I’ll persuade him to join our side.”
Wang Woo stared blankly. The thought had never even crossed his mind.
“He killed Black Hand and even Cheon Yangho, and you want him on our side?”
“In this world, there are no eternal enemies or eternal allies.”
“How will you recruit him?”
“With money.”
It was Wang Gon’s greatest strength and favourite method.
“Do you think he’ll accept?”
“There is only one reason money doesn’t work. The amount isn’t big enough.”
He was this confident because he trusted in his wealth. Even before joining the Divine Transformation Gang, he had already come from a wealthy family.
“I don’t like this.”
Wang Woo spoke politely, but inwardly he was screaming in opposition.
‘Father! No! You can’t spend that money! That’s supposed to be my inheritance!’
Wang Woo desperately had to protect his father’s fortune. To think such precious wealth would be handed over to some nobody they had never even heard of. His father always claimed that as long as one had power, money could always be earned again. But what if they lost that power too? Then they would truly be left as penniless beggars.
“Father! Wouldn’t it be better to report everything to the Gang Leader?”
“Then I’ll lose my position as Branch Leader.”
“Even if that happens, wouldn’t it be better to rebuild from there? I’m worried you’ll spend all that money and gain nothing.”
“You foolish boy! If I lose my position, do you think I’ll ever get another chance? The Leader of the Divine Transformation Gang will investigate every detail of my past to see whether I’ve embezzled even a single tael of silver. Do you think I could come out of that clean?”
Thinking back on everything he had done in Wencheng, there would be so much dust that he wouldn’t even be able to open his eyes.
“You still don’t know the Leader of the Divine Transformation Gang. You have no idea how cold and ruthless he is. Besides, I know far too many of the gang’s secrets. The moment I’m removed from my position or demoted, not only I, but you as well, will be killed.”
Only after realising his father genuinely believed that did Wang Woo finally understand how serious the situation was.
“But if I can recruit Baek Socheon, I can make up for every mistake I’ve made. I’ll tell the Gang Leader that the losses we suffered were unavoidable sacrifices necessary to recruit someone strong enough to kill both Black Hand and Cheon Yangho.”
“Do you think the Gang Leader will accept that?”
Half confident, half hopeful, Wang Gon answered,
“He judges solely by ability. He’ll definitely accept.”
Baek Socheon was drinking at an inn in the marketplace.
By the time he had nearly finished a bottle of liquor, someone wearing a bamboo hat approached.
“May I sit?”
It was Wang Gon.
“You’re quite bold. Aren’t you worried I’ll beat you up again for coming to see me?”
Wang Gon looked around before replying,
“If you hit me in a place this crowded, you won’t walk away unscathed either.”
“True enough. People should be drinking in a tavern.”
Baek Socheon poured him a cup of liquor, and Wang Gon drank it.
“I have one piece of news for you. It was decided that we won’t report you for Excessive Use of Force.”
“How shameless. Of all people, you’re the last one who should be saying that to me. Surely you don’t actually believe you were the victim of excessive force?”
“No. It just came to mind, that’s all. Forget it. So, I heard you served in the First Unit of the Iron Sword Corps?”
“I did.”
“Remarkable. Isn’t joining the Iron Sword Corps every martial artist’s dream?”
“Don’t underestimate martial artists’ dreams.”
Wang Gon emptied another cup.
‘What a prick. He never lets a single remark slide. But no matter how high and mighty you act, I’ll prove you’re no different from everyone else.’
Suppressing his irritation, Wang Gon cautiously tested the waters.
“Martial Artist Baek. I heard that Division Leader Cheon from the branch has disappeared. A truly unfortunate matter.”
As he spoke, he carefully watched Baek Socheon’s expression.
“How do you know it’s unfortunate? Maybe he suddenly came into a fortune and went travelling.”
“A fortune?”
“It looked like Division Leader Cheon had quite a bit of extra income besides his Martial Alliance salary.”
Wang Gon became certain.
‘That bastard definitely killed him.’
And he wasn’t even trying to hide it. Just mentioning the money made that obvious.
“Well… there certainly are plenty of places worth visiting throughout the Central Plains. What about you? Don’t you want to travel too?”
“I’m not the type blessed with that sort of leisurely life.”
“A person’s fate is something he creates himself.”
Wang Gon took out a thick envelope and handed it over.
“What’s this?”
“Your new fate.”
Baek Socheon checked the contents.
Inside were fifty vouchers worth one thousand nyang each.
Fifty thousand nyang.
It was enough money that an ordinary Division Leader would have to work for more than forty years to earn. And that wasn’t all.
“If you become one of my people, I’ll also make sure you receive three thousand nyang every year. Work with me, and there’ll be plenty of opportunities to earn even more on the side.”
“Hmm.”
Seeing Baek Socheon hesitate, Wang Gon produced the finishing touch.
“Take this as well.”
He pushed a box toward him.
When Baek Socheon opened it, he found a Hundred-Year He Shou Wu inside. It was the same one he had almost given to Lim Chung before.
“Let’s forget the past and work well together from now on.”
Baek Socheon nodded.
“Very well.”
“Excellent! That’s the spirit. Come, let’s drink.”
Wang Gon raised his cup, and Baek Socheon clinked it.
“Just so we’re clear, if you break this agreement, you’ll have the entire Divine Transformation Gang as your enemy.”
“That won’t happen. Accepting bribes is a serious crime in the Martial Alliance. With a sum this large, you’d spend the rest of your life locked in Thunder Prison… so don’t you go changing your story. Don’t start crying that you only have two thousand nyang after promising me three.”
“As if I’d ever do such a thing. Hahaha.”
With everything going smoothly, Wang Gon laughed heartily.
“I’m very pleased to have someone as dependable as you working with me.”
Although he wore a broad smile, his true thoughts were completely different.
‘Once I get through this crisis, you’ll be the first one I eliminate.’
He had never intended to keep Baek Socheon around for long. At that moment, he was thoroughly enjoying the power of money.
‘No matter how highly you thought of yourself, you still couldn’t turn down fifty thousand nyang, could you? It’s more money than you’ve ever seen in your entire life, you miserable beggar.’
But that was a tremendous misunderstanding on Wang Gon’s part.
If he knew Baek Socheon’s rank at the Three Great Central Plains Money Exchanges, he would have been utterly stunned.
Baek Socheon held the highest possible status, the Wealth and Honour rank, awarded only to those who had deposited more than one hundred thousand nyang. Not at just one exchange, but at all three.
The amount of money Baek Socheon had accumulated over the past twenty years was beyond imagination.
He had counted accurately up to five hundred thousand nyang, but after that, he stopped keeping track and no longer knew exactly how much he possessed. It came from his Martial Alliance salary, hazard pay, and reward money. In particular, he had received enormous bounties for killing major experts of the Black Heaven Alliance.
“Now that you’re one of my men, let me ask you one thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“What happened to Cheon Yangho?”
“You hired me, not my past. If you have work for me, contact me quietly.”
Baek Socheon rose from his seat and walked away.
Naturally, Wang Gon’s gaze toward him was anything but friendly.
‘Arrogant bastard!’
He wanted to tear him apart, but the man had only just swallowed his precious fifty thousand nyang. If he cut him open now, all he’d find was shit. Better to use him as much as possible before getting rid of him. Better still if he could recover every last coin afterward.
In any case, he had successfully recruited Baek Socheon.
Now all that remained was persuading the Divine Transformation Gang.
He intended to argue that rather than losing Black Hand and Cheon Yangho, they had instead gained a subordinate far more capable than either of them. If anything, he deserved a reward.
His only concern now was who the Divine Transformation Gang would send because of this incident.
‘I just hope they send someone easy to deal with.’
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