WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Oblivious

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◈ Murim in my Hometown ◈

Chapter 16: Murderer

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On my first day back in my hometown, Gusam showed me the Black Night Gang in a Seochon back alley.

After that, I occasionally spotted members of the Black Path around town.

There were local thugs, as well as men who appeared to be Black Night Gang members.

I usually just passed them by, so I had never clashed with any of them.

Of course, just because they had not picked a fight with me did not mean they committed any fewer evil deeds.

As usual, I got off work at dawn, slept for a while, and spent a lazy afternoon before stopping by Pungcheon Inn for an early dinner.

Unlike usual, the inn was quite noisy.

The innkeeper was away preparing for the evening business. The two farmers who always came at this time were silently eating thin noodles at their usual table.

Two unfamiliar thugs seated by the window were shouting unpleasantly, their voices laced with curses.

The moment I entered, silence fell.

The men shut their mouths and glared at me. One look told me they were shabby small fry.

They were the sort of indistinct hoodlums who seemed to have been mass-produced somewhere just to fill out the ranks of the Black Path.

How many people could they have killed with those broad sabers they had ostentatiously placed on the table?

They might get by against ordinary people or low-level fighters, but to someone who knew the real thing, they were merely laughable amateurs.

The problem with men like them was not that they were weak. It was that they lacked the eye to judge an opponent's skill.

That was why most of them did not live very long.

Their behavior fit that perfectly. They looked me over from head to toe, yet instead of avoiding my gaze, they hardened their eyes and tried to provoke me.

I ignored them, crossed through the middle of the inn, and sat by the window as far away from them as possible.

The farmers slurped down every last strand of noodles and every drop of broth, then got up and paid with a few coins.

Come to think of it, those two farmers had been eating noodles in this very inn on the day I knocked Jang Hodal down with a single blow.

Perhaps they expected something similar to happen. They grabbed their straw hats and hurried out of the inn.

Gusam came over carrying a teapot.

“Steamed rice, stir-fried vegetables, and half a geun of boiled pork.”

After ordering, I wet my throat with tea and looked outside.

The summer sunlight pouring over the street was dazzling.

Vendors calling customers to their stalls, passersby walking by, children running around...

Everyone was having a reasonably decent day. Even a stray dog wandering around had a small bone in its mouth.

Those two thugs seemed determined to end their useless lives here, doing nothing but causing trouble for others.

The burning stares fixed on the back of my head were starting to annoy me.

I had slept well, woken up, and diligently practiced my saber art. I planned to eat a good meal, go to a decent job, and spend another peaceful day.

I had no plans to kill anyone, nor was I in the mood to. Especially not at this inn.

Should I have worn my escort uniform?

My gaze inevitably fell on the willow-leaf saber standing beside the table.

I had bought it for five taels of silver, intending to replace it once my long saber was finished. Naturally, if I cut someone or damaged the blade by clashing with another weapon, it would be hard to get a proper price for it.

Picking a fight was their choice, but if they did not have even one tael of silver in their money pouches, they would not die peacefully.

The thugs rose from their seats. I set down my teacup and reached for my saber.

“Why is there so much fat in the meat? And the soup is bland! If you serve us this shit again, you’d better be ready to close this place down!”

After threatening Gusam for no reason, the thugs kicked the open door and left.

There was not a single coin on their table.

“Did those bastards pay?”

“No.”

Gusam whispered with a sinister smile.

“But I put plenty of my special phlegm in their food. Hehehe.”

“Who are they?”

“Black Night Gang scum. They came to collect protection money, filled their bellies, and left.”

“Half a tael of silver?”

Gusam sighed.

“Yes. Business is decent enough, but they take half a tael every month, so things are always tight.”

Among martial artists who went around carrying blades, the ones cursed most viciously were Black Path thugs like those men.

I had heard that the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families were also a hopeless lot who preferred fists and blades to words and were obsessed with killing people with weapons.

Yet wherever they went, they were treated with a certain degree of respect as prestigious orthodox sects and righteous heroes.

It was not because their martial arts were purer.

It was because even when they extorted people, they cared about manners, appearances, and public opinion.

Even maniacs itching to kill did not kill just anyone. Under the pretext of chivalry, they usually quenched their thirst on Black Path scum or bandits.

“Are all Black Night Gang bastards this pathetic? Why do they travel in pairs just to collect protection money?”

“They used to come alone, but the Black Night Gang is in an uproar right now. They’ve committed too many sins, so even they are watching their backs.”

“Why is the Black Night Gang in an uproar?”

“You haven’t heard?”

“Stop dragging it out and tell me.”

Gusam ran to the door, checked that no one was outside, then returned and sat across from me.

“Three Black Night Gang members got stabbed to death overnight without anyone noticing.”

“Really?”

“Yes. They found the bodies this morning, and all three had been beheaded with a single stroke before they could properly resist...”

Gusam happily ran a finger across his throat as though the very thought was satisfying.

Simhyang Pavilion was quite far from the Black Night Gang, with many buildings in between.

Still, if something had happened, men carrying swords would have run around with torches looking for the culprit. There was no way I would not have known.

Nothing had happened while I was on duty the night before.

As Gusam said, it appeared the bodies were found after I got off work.

“Did they catch the killer?”

“No. They seem to be dragging in and beating up people who held grudges against the dead men, but if they had that kind of martial skill, would they have spent all this time getting pushed around? They say the dead men were stripped of all their silver and weapons, too. People are saying it was a chivalrous deed by a wandering master who drifted into Seochon...”

I lifted my teacup and stated flatly.

“It was robbery and murder.”

“Robbery?”

“If someone killed them and took their things, it was robbery and murder.”

Gusam blinked awkwardly.

It was true if one only looked at the result, but he seemed to think it was unfair to call the culprit a robber-murderer.

Whoever did it had wiped out villains and performed a righteous deed. He seemed to want to call them a chivalrous hero.

“I hope those bastards from earlier die too. Then we wouldn’t have to pay protection money.”

“Then different bastards will come to collect it.”

After hesitating for a moment, Gusam lowered his voice.

“What if the entire Black Night Gang gets wiped out? Whoever did it is supposed to be an incredible master. No one says it openly, but everyone seems to be hoping for it.”

“Do you think that would mean you would not have to pay protection money?”

Gusam tilted his head.

“If all the villains disappear, there won’t be anyone left to take our money.”

“Is the Black Path only in Seochon? If word spreads that Seochon is unclaimed territory, nearby Black Path groups will swarm in. They will be cutting each other up in the streets in broad daylight, all fighting to take it. The shops will become a mess, and passersby will suffer without even knowing why. That will continue until one or two factions take control of the back alleys.”

“...Really?”

“I heard all kinds of Black Path scum ran wild in Seochon before the Black Night Gang unified it.”

“Yes. That’s what I heard too.”

“It will probably return to exactly those days.”

“The authorities won’t just stand by.”

“They’ll take bribes and support whoever wins. Then they’ll arrest the losers and punish them as criminals.”

It was not because I was clever that I knew this. I could say it with confidence because I had seen it with my own eyes many times.

No matter how wide and varied the Central Plains were, the way the world worked was the same.

Whenever a source of money appeared, legal or not, only the faces of those feeding off it changed. No one ever got rid of it.

Gusam fell silent with a dejected expression.

Then, a young cook poked his head out from the kitchen.

“The food’s ready!”

Gusam brought over my order.

As I picked up my chopsticks, I suddenly thought of Jang Hodal, who had beaten Gusam and extorted money from the fabric merchant.

The authorities had dealt with his body after it was left in the back alley. The Black Night Gang had shown no reaction whatsoever.

Jang Hodal truly had been nobody.

Gusam must have heard about what happened that day from the innkeeper or the cook.

He could have easily guessed who killed Jang Hodal, yet he never asked about it or showed any curiosity.

Since I acted as though nothing had happened, he wisely pretended not to know as well.

No matter how much he admired chivalrous heroes, Gusam was not a martial artist.

Murder was frightening. Perhaps he was afraid because he did not know how to bear the fact that I had bloodied my hands because of him.

Once, I stayed briefly in a small slash-and-burn farming village.

A few bandits came to steal the food the villagers needed to survive the winter, so I killed them, thinking I should at least earn my meals.

The villagers were greatly relieved and grateful.

Then they became afraid of me. More afraid than they had been of the bandits.

Even the village chief, who had been patting my shoulder and joking with me only moments earlier, could no longer meet my eyes.

It was natural. To ordinary people trying to live their lives, violence and murder were disasters that ruined lives entirely and had to be avoided.

No one wanted a skilled killer who slaughtered people as casually as dogs and pigs for a neighbor.

Fortunately, Gusam was not afraid of me. He still treated me as comfortably as before. That alone was enough.

Still, perhaps I could make a small gesture of goodwill.

Looking at the food before me, I casually asked Gusam, “No dumplings today?”

Gusam narrowed his eyes and stared at me. Only after I added another sentence did his expression brighten completely.

“I saw Yehyang.”

“Really? How was she? Was she like a heavenly fairy who descended from the skies...?”

“She looked like a deer.”

“...A deer? Yehyang isn’t human?”

“You’ll understand when you see her.”

Gusam stared at me with a puzzled expression. He was suspicious, but in the end, he brought out half a plate of dumplings.

* * *

When I entered the main street, Black Night Gang members carrying swords were walking around in groups of three or four and causing trouble.

They glared at nearby merchants, picked fights, and kicked over stalls, creating an ugly atmosphere.

Afraid of being caught up in trouble, passersby hurried along while avoiding them.

If they were looking for the murderer who had severed their comrades’ necks, there was no reason to take out their anger so pointlessly.

They were probably trying to show that they were still strong.

Three members had been slaughtered at once, and they had failed to find the killer. The Black Night Gang’s reputation must have taken a considerable blow.

They wanted to remind everyone that they still ruled these streets and could kill people like them whenever they pleased.

This was how Black Path scum usually behaved, but...

It seemed the Black Night Gang had taken a serious hit this time. The dead men were probably at least mid-level members.

Making this much of a fuss over a few low-ranking members dying only damaged their reputation further.

When I arrived for work at Simhyang Pavilion, another escort had come to guard the main gate in Bang Join’s place.

“He took leave, saying he wasn’t feeling well. I guarantee that bastard Bang Join is at the gambling den in the back alley, holding gambling tiles. That bastard works just for the pleasure of giving all his money to the gambling den.”

It was certain Bang Join had suddenly come into some easy money the night before.

Had he secretly slipped into the pleasure house, the servants’ quarters, or an annex to steal something?

If he had, there would have been an uproar over missing money, but Simhyang Pavilion was quiet.

No matter how mad he was for gambling, someone so afraid of the escort agency master would not openly smear the agency’s name.

There was a superstition that easy money brought bad luck, so it had to be spent quickly.

As though he had put that saying into practice, Bang Join came to work the next day with sunken eyes and an empty expression. One look told me he was broke.

The left side of his clothing, where his money pouch usually hung, was flat.

If he had lost that much money, he might have lost his mind and tried to cheat, yet both his hands were intact.

The gambling world in Seochon seemed far more savage than I expected. Bang Join was also a much bigger coward than I had thought.

“Ugh...”

Bang Join leaned against the wall and groaned with a dispirited face.

To anyone else, he might have looked hungover, but this was not something that improved with time.

It was withdrawal that only eased briefly when he sat at a gambling table and held tiles.

Most gamblers spent their entire lives around gambling dens, intoxicated by the precarious, nerve-racking thrill of playing a hand, whether they won or lost.

Then they lost their property, had their wives seized, sold their daughters, and lost fingers and eyes one by one before wandering the streets and ending up as corpses from unnatural deaths.

When one considered what they did, gamblers were no different from opium addicts.

“I heard a few Black Night Gang bastards died. I suppose the gambling den is still fine?”

“Would the Black Night Gang shut down its business and observe three years of mourning just because a few lackeys died? Everyone is just trying to make a living.”

Bang Join narrowed his bloodshot eyes and answered gruffly.

I asked whether he had heard anything about who had died or the culprit, but he merely shook his head as though it was bothersome.

Then a carriage came in.

When the driver announced the guest’s name, a servant came out and guided the carriage toward the main building.

The first guest of the day was the provincial-graduate scholar Yi Yunjae, who had also come yesterday.

Perhaps he had fallen deeply for Yehyang’s deerlike eyes. He had visited the pleasure house every day since the celebration banquet.

He still seemed unable to sleep. His face was haggard and full of deep worry.

Yi Yunjae did not enter the main building immediately. He turned to look this way.

There was some distance between us and it was dark, but not enough for me to miss that he was glaring at Bang Join.

Bang Join quietly hid himself beside the gate, making it seem he had something weighing on his conscience as well.

Yi Yunjae disappeared into the main building, and several more carriages arrived soon afterward.

Bang Join touched his empty left side and fell into thought.

He hesitated and struggled with himself for a long while. Then he suddenly inhaled deeply, squared his shoulders, and widened his eyes.

He looked as though he was squeezing out what little courage and nerve he had to carry something out.

“I’m going to the toilet.”

How many people wore such a grim expression just to relieve themselves? He was almost certainly going to get more easy money.

I did not want to get involved, but if something went wrong, it could affect me too.

“Brother Bang.”

When I called quietly, Bang Join flinched and turned around.

“What?”

“I don’t know what it is, but stop.”

Bang Join glared at me fiercely. When I did not avert my gaze, he looked guilty, cleared his throat, and turned away.

“Ahem. Should I pull down my pants and shit right in front of you? Guard the gate properly. I’ll be back after I take care of my business. I might take a little longer. Maybe it’s because I drank too much yesterday, but my stomach is a complete mess.”

Bang Join pretended to clutch his lower stomach and hurried away with short steps.

That was the last time I saw Bang Join.

A quarter hour passed, but he did not return. Then half an hour passed, and then three quarters of an hour.

“Working hard.”

A middle-aged escort who managed the pleasure house while waiting in the quarters came to relieve me briefly during my break.

“Go eat your late-night meal. Where did that bastard Bang Join go? Why are you alone?”

“He went to the toilet.”

“When?”

“I think it’s been about an hour.”

The escort frowned.

“What kind of bastard takes an hour to shit? That brat isn’t passed out asleep somewhere again, is he?”

Leaving the grumbling escort behind, I headed for the quarters.

At a small or medium-sized martial faction, a late-night meal usually amounted to a hardened wheat cake or a few poorly filled dumplings.

Sometimes they did not even give that much, but Simhyang Pavilion was an expensive pleasure house, so there were usually one or two proper cooked dishes.

They were cold dishes unsuitable for serving to guests, or leftovers from tables that had been cleared, but they were better than the special dishes one could buy at most inns.

“Aaaah!”

As I walked along, smacking my lips in anticipation, a shrill scream tore through the air and made me turn around.

I ran behind the main building and found a young woman trembling in terror.

I did not know her name, but I had seen her face in passing. She was one of the maids.

Her face was pale as though she had seen a ghost. Covering her mouth, she pointed somewhere with a trembling hand.

“Th-There...”

A secluded back path leading to the annexes. Around its middle, someone had collapsed face-down on the ground.

I drew the willow-leaf saber from the sheath at my waist and quickly scanned the area.

The man lay motionless and silent. I checked beneath and atop the annex walls, the roofs, the dark passageways between buildings, and the neighboring buildings...

After confirming there was no one there, I remained alert and quickly approached the scene.

The fallen man wore an escort uniform.

I sheathed my saber, pushed him over, and laid him on his back.

The fresh smell of recently spilled blood stung my nose.

The moment I saw his face, I knew that even at most, he had not been dead for more than an hour. That was about when Bang Join had left his post, claiming he was going to the toilet.

Perhaps it had been a sudden ambush. Bang Join had died without even managing to close his eyes properly.

His face and neck were unharmed. The blade had struck the two-character insignia meaning “Dragon Heaven” affixed to the left side of his chest.

His heart lay beneath the torn, blood-soaked lettering. Since it had been pierced, death had been instantaneous.

As I straightened my knees to rise, his bulging side caught my eye. When I opened his clothes, I found a money pouch full of silver.

That deranged gambler. Had he really climbed a wall and stolen something...?

It was a fitting end for a gambler, but something did not add up.

There was no time to dwell on it.

Voices and footsteps behind me were steadily growing louder.

If I did not want to be misunderstood, I needed to act quickly before people gathered.

I put the money pouch back inside the corpse’s clothes and hurriedly stood up.

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