Chapter 29: Mister Jong (2)
Yeom Jeonggil and Wang Gon were taken to separate interrogation rooms.
By chance, the interrogation room Wang Gon ended up in was the exact same one he had been brought to last time.
Sitting there alone, all kinds of thoughts filled his head, leaving his mind in turmoil.
He had never imagined, not even in his wildest dreams, that the Zhejiang Branch Leader would arrest both him and Yeom Jeonggil. Because of that, they had even fallen under this misunderstanding.
‘Could that bastard also be doing this because he wants money?’
He attributed the cause of every problem to money. Since he had solved most of the problems in his life with money, he had naturally developed that way of thinking.
‘I should’ve bribed him ahead of time.’
The Divine Transformation Gang had already bought off Cheon Yangho, the Group Leader, but they had not yet recruited Jeong Pung. Since Jeong Pung, the Branch Leader, was someone the gang itself had to manage, unlike Cheon Yangho, he had not been under Wang Gon’s jurisdiction.
At that moment, the interrogation room door opened, and Baek Socheon entered.
“What in the world happened?”
“Why ask me that?”
“We have no idea. The martial artists from the branch took over everything, so we were driven out of the office.”
“Jeong Pung said he’d investigate Hero Yeom and me, then brought us here.”
“That bastard’s gone mad.”
“Damn it! We’ve been here for two hours already, and instead of an interrogation, not a single soul has shown up. A martial artist happened to pass by, so I barely managed to ask him to call you.”
In truth, the waiting had not even begun. Baek Socheon intended to keep them confined here for several days.
“I suppose Yeom Jeonggil is being questioned first.”
“Watch what you say.”
“He’s your hero, not mine.”
“Ahem, I told you to be careful.”
“Fine.”
Baek Socheon knew that acting this way helped avoid Wang Gon’s suspicion. People naturally underestimated those who appeared careless.
“Find out what’s going on and let me know.”
“I will.”
As Baek Socheon turned to leave, Wang Gon spoke.
“You’re the only one I can rely on.”
“At least wipe the spit off your lips before you lie.”
“I’m serious.”
“Anyway, don’t worry. I may not look like much, but I earn every coin I’m paid.”
Baek Socheon stepped outside.
Of course, Baek Socheon did not earn even a single coin of what he had been paid.
After leaving the interrogation room, he returned straight to his quarters and focused on his personal training.
He trained, ate, read martial arts manuals, and leisurely finished everything he wanted to do before finally returning to the interrogation room.
Having been locked up for several hours, Wang Gon looked even more haggard.
“Why did you take so long? What on earth happened?”
“The Branch Leader refused to see me, so I couldn’t find out much.”
“So you learned nothing?”
“That’s right. The atmosphere throughout the branch is extremely tense.”
“This is bad.”
“Just think of it as taking a few days off and relax. There’s no evidence, so what is there to worry about?”
“That’s not the problem. At this rate, the gang might send Mister Jong.”
“Mister Jong? Ah, the one who hired the Seven Swords Society?”
“That’s right. Whenever things become complicated, Mister Jong steps in to solve them.”
“Then isn’t that a good thing? If he comes down here and resolves it.”
“If Mister Jong comes, someone will die.”
Wang Gon shuddered as though that someone might very well be himself.
“He must be incredibly skilled.”
“No. Mister Jong isn’t stronger than the Four Great Martial Artists of the Divine Transformation Gang.”
In other words, he was not stronger than Yeom Jeonggil.
“Then why are you so afraid of him?”
“Because Mister Jong is a cold-blooded man who ignores the process as long as he gets the result. It was his idea to wipe out Liang Qiu’s entire family this time as well. He slaughtered even the family members so it would appear to be a case of personal revenge.”
“So, in short, he’s a complete son of a bitch.”
“A truly terrifying…”
He could not bring himself to add “son of a bitch.” Mister Jong was simply that frightening and unsettling a presence. Just imagining Baek Socheon’s loose tongue someday joking in front of Mister Jong, “Remember when you called him a truly terrifying son of a bitch?” was enough to convince him that saying as little as possible was the wiser course.
“If I learn anything, I’ll let you know immediately.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Wang Gon had overlooked one important fact.
If the branch truly was as tense as Baek Socheon claimed, then even Baek Socheon coming to see him now, much less continuing to visit him in the future, would not be easy.
But Wang Gon was overwhelmed by worries and fear, about the Divine Transformation Gang Leader, about Mister Jong, and even about Yeom Jeonggil. He was in no state to think clearly.
After all, Baek Socheon was someone he had personally recruited with bribes. Surely he would handle things on his own. Such complacent hope was all that remained in his heart.
After leaving the interrogation room, Baek Socheon met Jeong Pung.
“How long are we going to delay the interrogation?”
“Three or four more days. I’ll let you know when the time comes.”
“Three or four days? I heard Yeom Jeonggil is furious.”
“Let him be furious. It’s good for people to get angry once in a while. Those bastards have had things far too easy until now. Why are you looking at me like that?”
“What kind of look am I giving you?”
“The kind that says you want to make me your big brother. Let me say this in advance, I refuse.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I have absolutely no such intention.”
If his expression had resembled anything like that, it was probably because of this.
‘He’s nothing like I imagined.’
That was what Baek Socheon had become in Jeong Pung’s eyes. A Sword Ghost worthy of the nickname War God, someone with neither blood nor tears, who spoke little and was consumed only with loyalty and killing his enemies.
But Baek Socheon was nothing like that.
He talked even more than Jeong Pung did, and rather than being purely rational, he possessed a far more emotional side.
‘Is it because he lost his Internal Energy? Or was he always like this?’
There was no way to know.
“Very well. I’ll follow your plan.”
Jeong Pung had already crossed a bridge from which there was no return. All he could do now was trust Baek Socheon and follow him.
In this uneasy situation, the only comfort he had was that Baek Socheon was genuinely grateful to him and was completely confident about what would happen next.
“Thank you. They will definitely make their move before then.”
Baek Socheon’s prediction proved correct.
On the third day, Mister Jong arrived in Wencheng.
He had been ordered to settle the affairs that had arisen in Wencheng. Within the Divine Transformation Gang, he served as something akin to a problem solver.
Mister Jong was slightly thin and had an utterly ordinary appearance.
He looked like the sort of person who would be sweeping the courtyard of the house across the street when you stepped outside in the morning. This plainness, the kind that would never stand out no matter where he went, was his greatest weapon.
After arriving in Wencheng, he waited for someone at an inn in the marketplace.
The man who arrived was his personal Informant, an exceptionally capable individual who specialised in investigations. Before coming, Mister Jong had already sent him a written message instructing him to gather information on the situation here.
When handling work, he never trusted internal intelligence.
Too many conflicting interests existed within the organisation, making reliable information difficult to obtain.
So after gathering only the basic facts, he collected and processed all further information solely through this man, whom he trusted completely.
“What happened?”
“There is one person at the centre of this matter.”
“Who?”
“A martial artist newly assigned to the Wencheng Branch. His name is Baek Socheon.”
“Baek Socheon? That name sounds familiar. What does he do?”
“He used to be a Unit Leader in the Iron Sword Corps and was recently assigned to the Wencheng Branch. It is also believed that both Black Hand and Cheon Yangho fell because of him.”
Mister Jong tilted his head.
“They were defeated by an Iron Sword Corps Unit Leader? Even if he came from the Iron Sword Corps, that shouldn’t have been easy.”
“Because he wasn’t an ordinary Unit Leader.”
“Who is he?”
“Do you remember the War God from the War between the Righteous and Demonic Factions?”
“Ah!”
Now he understood why the name Baek Socheon had sounded so familiar.
“That’s right. It’s him.”
For the first time in a long while, the normally emotionless Mister Jong was genuinely startled.
He knew Baek Socheon well.
At last, he understood why matters in Wencheng had not unfolded as expected.
“He became Wang Gon’s subordinate.”
He knew exactly what an extraordinary martial artist Baek Socheon had once been.
“Even a fallen hero is still a hero. A man like that would never truly become Wang Gon’s subordinate. That fool Wang Gon doesn’t even realise whose toes he’s stepped on.”
“That seems to be the case.”
“You’ve done well.”
Mister Jong handed him an envelope containing vouchers. The man pocketed the payment and departed, as though everything that followed was none of his concern.
A sharp light flashed in Mister Jong’s eyes.
‘So my opponent is Baek Socheon.’
Without much hesitation, Mister Jong decided to eliminate Baek Socheon.
There was nothing complicated about it.
Now that the name Baek Socheon had appeared, everything that had happened must have happened because of him.
The Gang Leader would deal with Wang Gon, who had been deceived, and with Yeom Jeonggil, who had failed to fulfil his duties as an Investigator.
As for his own role,
He simply needed to remove the root of the problem and leave.
‘I’ll eliminate Baek Socheon myself.’
He felt no fear of Baek Socheon.
He already knew that Baek Socheon had lost his Internal Energy and had become a cripple. Black Hand and Cheon Yangho had likely suffered because they had not known who they were facing.
But he knew his opponent perfectly well.
Secretly, Mister Jong was excited.
If he concluded this matter by defeating Baek Socheon, it would become the greatest accomplishment of his entire life.
Quietly, he left the inn.
Two nights later, just like the previous night, Baek Socheon was climbing the cliff with his bare hands.
As always, a large leather pouch was strapped to his back.
The very moment he reached the summit and placed his hand on the edge of the cliff,
Someone was waiting there.
Looking down with a grin was none other than Mister Jong.
Knowing exactly who his opponent was, Mister Jong did not lower his guard.
Without giving his opponent the slightest opportunity, he immediately raised a foot infused with Internal Energy and stomped down toward Baek Socheon’s face.
Swoooosh!
‘This is the greatest moment of my life!’
With this one strike, Baek Socheon’s face would cave in, and he would fall to his death from the cliff.
But that greatest moment came to an abrupt halt right before Baek Socheon’s face.
“That’s far enough.”
Along with the heavy warning, a sword had been pressed against his neck from the right.
Still balancing on one foot, Mister Jong turned to look.
Dongseong, one of the Guardian Killing Stars of Cheon Geuk, stood there with his face covered, his sword aimed directly at him.
Mister Jong was a master in his own right, yet he had not sensed Dongseong’s approach at all.
Then, from the opposite side, someone draped an arm over his shoulders as though greeting an old friend.
“You really wanted to stomp him, didn’t you? I get that urge sometimes too, whenever he acts so irritating.”
Startled, Mister Jong turned around.
Cheon Geuk was already standing beside him, looking down over the cliff.
The instant that arm wrapped around his shoulders, his Devil’s Hole had already been sealed, leaving him unable to move.
‘A supreme master!’
Baek Socheon looked up and said,
“I’m exhausted to death. Stop talking nonsense and move aside. Get your foot off me!”
While Baek Socheon climbed onto the cliff, Dongseong sealed Mister Jong’s acupoints.
Mister Jong collapsed limply and fell asleep.
The remaining Guardian Killing Stars, who had appeared without anyone noticing, carried away the sleeping man and silently withdrew.
“If you wanted to stomp him so badly, why didn’t you just do it?”
“There are at least a thousand ways to kill someone without hurting the sole of my foot. Why would I?”
She smiled brightly.
That beautiful smile was filled with the joy of having successfully captured Mister Jong.
Baek Socheon had predicted that Mister Jong would target him once he arrived, so he had asked Cheon Geuk to remain nearby.
His decision to continue his nightly cliff training had also been deliberate bait.
In a place like this, free from prying eyes, with Baek Socheon exhausted after barely reaching the summit, anyone would be tempted to launch a surprise attack.
“Well then, my part ends here.”
Cheon Geuk lowered her head.
“I’ll finish things up and come back.”
“Be careful.”
“Are you worried about me?”
“Yes. If you die, I won’t be able to send you after Gwangsa. And I still have to collect my hundred thousand nyang.”
“I should’ve just let him stomp you.”
Cheon Geuk and the Four Heavenly Killers disappeared soundlessly, taking Mister Jong with them.
Their stealth techniques and lightness skills were truly enough to leave anyone in awe.
Left alone, Baek Socheon stood there for a moment, letting the wind wash over him.
Then, as though today would be no exception, he took a martial arts manual out of his leather pouch.
“Since I’m already up here, should I read a book before heading back down?”
Reading martial arts manuals while sitting on the edge of the cliff in the cool breeze was when he could concentrate the best.
Probably because…
‘If I doze off, I’ll fall to my death!’
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