Chapter 32

“W-we have a serious problem!”

U Munheum, who had been enjoying a leisurely cup of tea, frowned as Jo Bang, the U Family Estate’s chief instructor, pushed through the main gate and rushed inside.

“What is all this commotion—”

“There’s an uproar at the county office!”

“…?”

“Gong Sacheok’s gang and the entire Cheongyang Merchant Guild have been hauled into the county office.”

For a moment, U Munheum thought he must have misheard.

“Wh-what do you mean? Explain, slowly!”

“Government troops are guarding the Cheongyang Merchant Guild and the Sacheok Gang’s headquarters, so I couldn’t establish the details. But there seems to have been an illicit transaction last night.”

“An i-illicit transaction?”

“Yes.”

U Munheum pressed a hand to his forehead as though his head were beginning to ache.

He had known for some time that the Cheongyang Merchant Guild was involved in smuggling.

But of all times, why now?

Wait. Hold on.

“Gong Sacheok’s gang was arrested too?”

“Yes. From what I hear, they were rounded up to the last man.”

“What on earth…”

“They were arrested at the scene of the exchange. I don’t know why, but apparently they were fighting the Cheongyang Merchant Guild.”

What kind of out-of-the-blue bullshit was this?

Gong Sacheok was supposed to be hunting down Jinmu’s party. Why had he gotten involved in the guild’s smuggling operation?

And they had set the trap to kill Jinmu’s party only two nights ago.

A night, a day, and another night.

Barely a day and a half had passed.

Had the whole world turned upside down in that short time?

None of it made sense, but Jo Bang did not seem to know the details either.

Goddamn it. If they keep their mouths shut, we might be all right. But if word gets out about the job we hired them for…

Worry seized him.

What if Jinmu’s party escaped and reported the attack to Wudang, and the sect launched a full investigation?

If Wudang learned they were behind the assassination contract, disaster would befall not only the U Family Estate but Jinhye as well.

Trying to kill a fellow disciple.

Every sect in the Central Plains forbade it in the strictest terms.

Jinhye would surely be expelled, the tendons in his limbs severed, leaving him a cripple.

He was the dream and hope that would carry the U Family Estate into the future.

Even if the estate had to face Wudang’s interrogation, that must be prevented.

F-first, the evidence. I have to destroy the evidence, whatever it takes. And Jinhye must have known nothing. We have to make it look as though we plotted this in secret.

A fierce blue fire blazed in U Munheum’s eyes.

Geum Jeoksan. Gong Sacheok. I have to kill those two immediately. All I need to do is silence them.

His mind made up, U Munheum rose.

“I must see the county magistrate at once. Send word to Jinhye immediately and keep watch on Wudang’s movements. And burn all evidence connecting us to the Cheongyang Merchant Guild and Gong Sacheok.”

“Understood.”

Having given Jo Bang his orders, U Munheum hurriedly prepared to leave and rushed to the county office with five martial artists in tow.

---

Clink.

The heft of the money pouch made Jinmu feel as though he could fly.

“Our investigation turned up quite a few wanted criminals among them. Yi Pallyong, for one.”

“Twenty taels!”

“Pardon?”

“Ahem. Nothing.”

So Yi Pallyong had been among them. That added another twenty taels in bounty money.

“In any case, the total came to a little under two hundred taels, but I added a little extra for your efforts, Master Taoist.”

At Judge O Maengdal’s words, Jinmu’s grin stretched from ear to ear.

So there were good people among the officials too.

“And the reward for the smuggling case…?”

“Ah, the county magistrate, who has earned great merit in this affair, wishes to meet you and present it in person.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. His Honor should be waiting now. Shall we go?”

“Of course.”

Jinmu had already stopped at the cloth shop and changed into his gleaming new Taoist robes.

The shopkeeper had even thoughtfully provided new shoes that fit him perfectly. His head nearly touched the sky… His feet felt light.

Just as they were heading toward the county office’s main building, U Munheum and the U Family Estate’s martial artists entered.

“Why, isn’t this the master of the U Family Estate?”

The master of the U Family Estate?

As Judge O recognized the man and greeted him warmly, a sharp glint flashed through Jinmu’s eyes, then vanished.

“Ah, J-Judge O.”

U Munheum turned, saw Jinmu’s party, and briefly stiffened.

Three Taoists in Wudang robes.

There was no mistaking which three Taoists were currently in Danjiangkou.

What are they doing at the county office?

First came shock, then puzzlement.

But he feigned ignorance, asking Judge O a question to conceal his reaction.

“And who might these gentlemen be?”

“You haven’t heard the news yet, I take it.”

“The news?”

“Yes. There was an illicit exchange last night. We finally caught the Cheongyang Merchant Guild in the act. And would you believe it? The madmen were even trading gunpowder! In any case, thanks to these Taoists from Wudang, we rounded them all up. Judge Jeong is currently leading troops in pursuit of the buyers.”

Jinmu’s party had raided the exchange? How had they known?

Had Geum Jeoksan, that idiot, let these youngsters discover his smuggling operation?

“And it wasn’t just the smugglers—we managed to round up Gong Sacheok’s entire gang as well. The local merchants can’t praise them enough. After all the crimes those scoundrels committed! Everyone is singing Wudang’s praises. What’s more, this will let us root out the corrupt officials who took bribes from that fellow. The county magistrate is delighted.”

As Judge O chattered on without pause, U Munheum forced a smile, fighting the urge to scowl.

“R-remarkable. To accomplish what the authorities have failed to do for years… Just what one would expect of Wudang’s Taoists.”

Outwardly lavish with praise, he studied Jinmu and his companions’ expressions.

Did they know who had been behind it?

How much had Gong Sacheok and Geum Jeoksan told them?

“Yes, remarkable indeed. I was surprised myself. I had heard Wudang hadn’t been active outside the sect at all lately.”

Meanwhile, Jinmu was studying U Munheum too.

The U Family Estate. He had already intended to pay them a visit.

They had hired Gong Sacheok to kill him. And this was their master. The bastard responsible for everything.

Yet he had never heard of the man or seen his face before.

What grudge could he possibly have against Jinmu to hire someone to kill them?

“Ah, come to think of it, didn’t you say your son was a Wudang disciple?”

Jinmu’s eyes narrowed at Judge O’s words.

His son was at Wudang?

“Y-yes, he is.”

Despite his efforts to conceal his feelings, U Munheum was visibly flustered.

“What was his Taoist name again?”

Thanks to the oblivious Judge O, U Munheum could feel cold sweat gathering down his back.

“Oh, goodness! Where is my head? Where might the county magistrate be? I have an urgent matter to discuss.”

U Munheum hurriedly changed the subject, but—

“Ah! Jinhye! Master Jinhye, wasn’t it?”

“…”

“He belongs to the Jin generation, so he must be Master Jinmu’s senior martial brother.”

U Munheum’s face twisted, and a cold smile formed on Jinmu’s lips.

Jinhye.

So that was it.

Everything suddenly became clear.

Really, when he thought about it, it should have been obvious.

Jinhye, who dreamed of becoming head disciple.

Jinmu had known from the start that Jinhye was in league with the Cheongyang Merchant Guild.

He had not known about Jinhye’s family, the U Family Estate, but when a plot to kill him arose, Jinhye should have been his first suspect.

This bastard tried to kill a fellow disciple so he could become head disciple? He even dragged his family into it?

Despicable bastards.

He had nearly died!

He ought to just kill him right here—

But hold on.

Killing them would be all too easy.

And what use would they be dead?

Jinmu already had something to hold over them. Despicable bastards like these were better kept close and put to work.

People with guilty secrets tended to be obedient, right up until they outlived their usefulness.

Besides, wasn’t Jinhye one of Wudang’s first-generation disciples? He might prove a great help in making Jinmu head disciple.

Heh heh heh. You bastards. I’ll put that treachery of yours to good use.

Jinmu began considering how to make them suffer most.

And how to exploit them most effectively.

But in stark contrast to his thoughts, he smiled broadly and greeted U Munheum with courtesy.

“I had no idea you were Senior Brother Jinhye’s father. I am Jinmu of Wudang. My respects.”

“Ah, well… Ha ha. A pleasure to meet you here. I am U Munheum, master of the U Family Estate.”

Could he really not know?

U Munheum’s thoughts tangled.

He could have sworn the boy had been glaring at him just moments ago. What was this innocent smile?

“Please, come with us. We were on our way to see the county magistrate, who has offered us a reward for our part in this affair.”

“Ah, y-yes. Let’s.”

At Jinmu’s invitation to go ahead, U Munheum followed Judge O with an uneasy expression.

He did not see the sly look on Jinmu’s face behind him.

Damn it. Of all the times…

Unable to fathom Jinmu’s intentions, U Munheum could only stew.

Even during the meeting with the county magistrate, he felt as though he were sitting on needles.

While Jinmu collected a generous reward and exchanged pleasantries with the magistrate, U Munheum could do nothing but smile. He never got a chance to say what he had come to say.

He had wanted to learn whether anything concerning the U Family Estate had come up during Gong Sacheok and Geum Jeoksan’s interrogation.

And if they were not sentenced to beheading, he intended to have them killed in secret.

“By the way, that fellow Gong Sacheok claimed the U Family Estate hired him to kill Master Jinmu.”

“Pardon?”

U Munheum’s eyes flew wide at the magistrate’s words.

He had already talked? Told them everything? All of it?

He was too late.

U Munheum felt the heavens crashing down.

“I heard that too, but it’s probably a lie. The U Family Estate is my senior martial brother’s family. They would never do such a thing.”

Suddenly, Jinmu was taking his side.

“He also claimed you used him, Master Jinmu. And Geum Jeoksan said something about you stealing his money.”

“Surely not. What need does a Taoist have for money? I was responsible for their arrest, so those villains are desperate to take revenge however they can.”

Jinmu replied with an easy smile, utterly unruffled.

“Tsk, tsk. Yes, that must be it. Everyone knows how incorruptible Wudang’s Taoists are. Ha ha.”

At the magistrate’s words, Jinmu turned with a sly smile. Their eyes met, and U Munheum gave an awkward smile, breaking into a cold sweat.

“More to the point, the prefect has expressed his deep gratitude to Wudang for this affair. Gunpowder smuggling is strictly forbidden under state law, after all.”

The prefect was the county magistrate’s superior.

“You’re too kind… I’m glad we could be of assistance.”

“What do you say? The prefect would like to meet you as well. Perhaps you could stay here at the county office for a while.”

Jinmu seemed to consider the magistrate’s offer briefly, then answered with a smile.

“No, thank you. We merely helped keep the people safe. We couldn’t impose on the authorities. Since I happened to meet my senior martial brother’s father, I thought we might stay at his estate for a little while before returning, if it wouldn’t be an imposition.”

“Ah, at the U Family Estate?”

“Yes.”

Jinmu and the magistrate both looked at U Munheum.

“Ah, ha ha. We would be… delighted, of course.”

He had no choice but to agree.

Damn it…

U Munheum could scarcely keep from swearing.

From what had been said, Gong Sacheok had already told Jinmu everything.

Yet Jinmu had called it a lie, smiling slyly at him with eyes that said he knew it all.

Y-you little bastard. What are you planning?