WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Oblivious
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◈ Murim in my Hometown ◈
Chapter 41: Hand in Hand
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Even cowardly, foolish people could become wise at least once in their lives.
Jin Seokman was one such person.
The moment we entered the private room, shut the door, and sat down, he began spilling things we had not even asked about, his face white as a sheet.
He seemed to have decided that since he would have to talk anyway, it was better to take one less hit.
“Money! It’s money.”
“What money?”
“The Black Night Gang has a lot of money. A whole lot...”
Jin Seokman was poor. He had somehow found work at a brewery, but he barely earned enough to survive. Back in his hometown of Yulgwang-ri, he also had elderly parents to support.
“I haven’t even been able to marry yet.”
I had thought a face like his would leave him without a woman, but apparently not.
“There’s someone in my hometown I’ve been with for a long time. We promised each other a future when we were children...”
Her family had already half accepted him as a son-in-law. But to become a proper son-in-law, he needed money.
Her family was just as poor and deeply in debt.
If they could not repay it by the end of the year, she would be sold as a concubine to an old rich man in another village far away.
It was enough to drive any man mad.
There was no way he could focus on work. He had desperately searched for a way to make money, but the only place where he could hope for anything was the gambling den.
Without even a beginner’s stroke of luck, he lost every bit of money he had saved at gambling tiles and dice.
He took out King Yama loans and tried again, only to become hopelessly indebted.
The reason Jin Seokman had been surrounded by Black Path men while digging in the mountains on my first day back in Seochon was because he could not pay the interest and had been forced to work it off with his body.
He could no longer borrow money, so he could not even enter the gambling den anymore.
Half out of his mind, Jin Seokman had been blankly pulling a cart to deliver liquor when he overheard something interesting.
As expected of a Black Path gang that controlled Seochon’s back alleys, the Black Night Gang ran many businesses.
They collected payments once every fifteen days, and the amount exceeded one hundred taels of silver. From what he overheard their members saying, there was even more wealth piled up in their treasury.
Listening silently, I was dumbfounded.
“So you decided to rob the Black Night Gang?”
Jin Seokman nodded forcefully, his face grim.
“I can’t let that vile old man take my beloved away like this. And I don’t want to spend my whole life hauling liquor jars and living a dull life. If you’re born a man, you have to risk your fate on a gamble at least once.”
Won Seogang gave a faint laugh, looking intrigued.
“You have lofty dreams, but what exactly were you going to do? Are you perhaps a disciple of the Divine Thief?”
“What’s the Divine Thief?”
“A legendary thief. They say there was no wall he could not cross and nothing he could not steal. I don’t know whether he’s alive or dead now.”
Jin Seokman’s shoulders slumped with a long sigh.
“Haah... If I had skills like that, would I be making a living by pulling carts?”
“Then can you use a blade? Have you ever killed anyone?”
“...No. I haven’t.”
“Then how were you going to pull this off by yourself?”
“I was going to hire martial artists.”
“Do you know any swordsmen?”
“No. But I heard I can hire swordsmen at the Wandering Swordsman Inn.”
He might as well have said he planned to stick his arms and legs into the mouths of starving wild dogs. Won Seogang was left speechless, so I spoke instead.
“That facial composite from earlier. Did you know it was Jeok Chuyeong?”
“...Who?”
“You don’t know Jeok Chuyeong? He’s the leader of the Black Night Gang you’ve been drooling over.”
Jin Seokman’s mouth fell open.
“That martial artist back then... was Jeok Chuyeong?”
“You went in and out of the Black Night Gang, yet you never saw him?”
“The only places I entered while pulling my cart were the kitchen and warehouse. Wolong Hall, where the Gang Leader resides, is deep within the Black Night Gang’s grounds. I would never dare approach it.”
Won Seogang snorted disdainfully.
“Hmph. Wolong Hall? They’re Black Path scraps, yet they gave their building such an arrogant name. Does he think he’s the Leader of the Martial Arts Alliance?”
I studied Jin Seokman’s face closely.
I watched him more carefully than I ever had at a gambling table, but there was no trace of discomfort or pretense.
It seemed he truly had not known that the man he saw was Jeok Chuyeong.
“Was seven years ago truly the last time you saw him? You didn’t see him in the Black Night Gang afterward? If you’re trying to use me to get inside the Black Night Gang...”
Jin Seokman recoiled in terror and frantically waved his hands.
“Oh, no! Do I look clever enough to come up with something like that? You showed me the facial composite, and it happened to remind me of the past, so I simply told you the truth. I had no idea he was the leader of the Black Night Gang. Could this perhaps be... Heaven sending you two to help me?”
As he pleaded desperately, Jin Seokman seemed to realize something. He stared at Won Seogang and me in turn, his eyes widening.
“Say you hired martial artists. How would you infiltrate the Black Night Gang? You’re not planning to hide inside liquor jars, are you?”
Jin Seokman boldly thumped his chest with his fist.
“Leave that to me. Whenever I delivered liquor to the Black Night Gang, I observed the place as closely as I could. I know the interior layout, the passageways, the blind spots beyond the lamplight, the guards’ locations and numbers, even their shift changes.”
“Do you have an internal map?”
“If I made something like that and got caught, I would die. I put it all right in here.”
Jin Seokman tapped his head with a finger.
When it came down to it, he was not completely stupid.
If he carelessly left behind a map and it was taken by his companions, he would become useless and be killed on the spot.
Leaving Jin Seokman in the room, we stepped into the corridor. Won Seogang stroked his chin with an incredulous laugh.
“Looks like we’ll all be holding hands as we climb over the Black Night Gang’s wall.”
Jin Seokman needed the Black Night Gang’s money. I needed to meet Jeok Chuyeong, the Black Night Gang’s leader, and question him. Won Seogang wanted the head of Ban Hoyang, who was hiding within the Black Night Gang.
The three of us had different purposes, but we were heading in the same direction.
Was there another way to meet Jeok Chuyeong?
If I boldly attacked through the front gate, I would be covered in blood and dead before I even caught a glimpse of Jeok Chuyeong.
He had supposedly been in seclusion for two years, so waiting for him to leave was impossible as well.
Even if I went through the Hao clan, he would probably refuse.
Mentioning what happened to Seochon’s residents seven years ago would only make him more wary. He might even send gang members or assassins after me to hide his shameful secret.
Martial artists never listened when spoken to nicely. And Black Path men were the worst of them, black-hearted and twisted to the core.
Jeok Chuyeong had a respectable-looking face, but he was a Black Path boss. I would have to land a blow on him first before he gave me an honest answer.
There was no choice but to enter like martial artists, climb over the wall, and settle things with blades.
“He doesn’t seem to be lying. What do you think?”
“He’s an easy man to read. We can’t believe everything he says, but he’s useful enough.”
Won Seogang nodded, then stared at me intently.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Isn’t this an interesting turn of events? When I tried so hard to persuade you to climb over the Black Night Gang’s wall, you refused outright. But now Brother Jeong will have no choice but to put on a mask as well.”
“You never know what lies even an inch ahead in life. But why am I suddenly Brother Jeong?”
When I tilted my head, Won Seogang smiled subtly.
“You called me Brother Won, so I thought I’d call you brother too. Isn’t the title ‘great hero’ a little awkward? I haven’t done anything worthy of a chivalrous hero, so it feels embarrassing.”
“Call me whatever is comfortable.”
There would be no real problem in calling each other brothers. Won Seogang was not the sort to look down on me or try anything underhanded.
Honestly, the thought of infiltrating the Black Night Gang felt daunting. At least I would not be alone.
“Will the two of us be enough?”
Jin Seokman, who had probably only killed chickens on occasion while living in the countryside, would be useful enough as a guide through the Black Night Gang and its internal layout.
Won Seogang and I would have to fight them.
“It will be difficult. Even setting aside the Black Night Gang’s ordinary members, their officers all know how to use a blade properly. The three men directly beneath the Gang Leader are particularly formidable masters. According to what I learned through the Hao clan, they have followed Jeok Chuyeong since Hunan. If his subordinates are that capable, Jeok Chuyeong’s martial skill must be considerable as well. The two of us are not enough.”
Then there was only one option.
“We must secretly gather people.”
“That’s right. Martial artists who are hungry, diligent, and fearless.”
“Bringing in just anyone would be worse than bringing no one.”
“Don’t worry. My eye for people is better than my martial arts. Men who will stab you in the back have ‘bastard’ written all over their faces. I’m already in contact with a few masters.”
“Who?”
“Nothing is settled yet. I’ll tell you if it works out.”
Perhaps because things were going well, Won Seogang looked very pleased.
“What about that monk who is a guest retainer at the annex? He’s an incredible master. He even took down Dang Dohun last time.”
Without even a moment’s hesitation, Won Seogang shook his head.
“Forget that bald monk. What use is a master if you never know where he’ll go next? He’s not someone who moves for money, either. Let’s not rush. We’ll gather the right people slowly and properly. The Black Night Gang’s leader is holed up deep inside their base, and it appears Ban Hoyang will remain there until the end of this year.”
I suddenly recalled meeting Ban Hoyang at the Black Market.
Should I tell him or not?
If I brought it up, I would have to explain why I went to the Black Market. If spirit herbs came up, he would realize that I was cultivating an Internal Energy Method.
I could not casually disregard Do Hoengil’s earnest warning not to tell anyone.
Won Seogang was trustworthy, but I did not want to test that trust unnecessarily.
“...Ban Hoyang is still in the Black Night Gang?”
Won Seogang’s gaze became deeply thoughtful.
“He is. I confirmed it last night too. Tch. Having him right before my eyes, yet having to watch from afar...”
“That wooden sword you used when we sparred at the annex.”
“Are you still obsessed with the sword path?”
“That’s not it. You said you made it to teach someone. Was that perhaps Yehyang?”
Won Seogang looked puzzled at first, then answered calmly.
“You must have seen Yehyang’s swordsmanship while serving as her guard.”
“The sword path looked familiar.”
“At the Pavilion Master’s request, I took on a disciple despite myself. That’s all.”
Hong Hui had chosen Won Seogang as their successor’s martial arts teacher. That meant Won Seogang was no ordinary guest retainer.
Come to think of it, Won Seogang had never called himself a guest retainer.
Dozens of wooden Maitreya Buddha statues he had carved himself were displayed at his residence. That showed he had not merely spent a day or two at the Hao clan’s Seochon branch.
“Let’s drink and think it over. See if the fellow lied about anything.”
We returned to the room and shared drinks with Jin Seokman in a far gentler atmosphere than before.
We got him thoroughly drunk and confirmed what we had just heard.
Even while his tongue tangled, he rambled incoherently, raged, and lamented his fate, but the information Jin Seokman gave us was exactly the same as when he was sober.
We laid the unconscious Jin Seokman in a guest room, then asked the Hao clan to put him under surveillance from that day onward.
We also obtained information on Black Slaughter Sword Jeok Chuyeong.
Since he led a Black Path sect based in the same Seochon, the Hao clan had already thoroughly investigated Jeok Chuyeong several years earlier.
There were no records of Jeok Chuyeong before he turned twenty. No one knew where he came from or what sect he belonged to.
Like an awl piercing through a pocket, he suddenly appeared in Hunan, the stronghold of the Unorthodox Faction, leading three subordinates. He cut down Black Path masters who possessed aliases.
He pushed all the way into Jiangxi, gathered power, and settled there. Then, for no apparent reason, he drifted into Seochon, where Yongcheon Escort Agency had established itself.
There was no way to know who the saber-wielding men were who seized the reservoir and took the land from its owners.
Jeok Chuyeong and all his subordinates used swords.
They might have been Jeok Chuyeong’s men disguised to look like another Black Path faction, or they might truly have been another Black Path faction.
Even the Hao clan had ultimately failed to find the hometown residents who vanished in the carriages Jeok Chuyeong had prepared.
No one from Yulgwang-ri knew anything either. Seochon was surrounded by mountains and normally had little contact with other villages, so it was understandable.
The Hao clan’s Seochon branch had only been established three years after Yongcheon Escort Agency arrived.
Even the Hao clan could not uncover events from before then.
* * *
I immersed myself in martial arts training once more.
After going through so much to meet Jeok Chuyeong, if he was stronger than me, I would be the one taking a blade and forced to speak, not him.
I had to become as strong as possible before we entered the Black Night Gang.
So I would not be helplessly defeated by him. So I could learn where he had taken Seochon’s residents.
With a definite target named Jeok Chuyeong, my fighting spirit burned fiercely. Other than when I ate, relieved myself, slept, or circulated energy and regulated my breath, I never let go of my long saber.
The amount of internal energy accompanying each form increased by several strands. My movements remained the same, but perhaps it was only my imagination that made my senses feel sharper.
Once every ten days, I replenished my depleted internal energy with one-fifth of a medicinal pill and continued my training.
The cicadas that had cried day and night gradually fell silent, and the mornings and evenings turned cool.
The midday heat also eased, and I no longer had to enter the mountains to escape the blazing sun.
Dragonflies flew in swarms over the yellowing rice, while the mountains and fields slowly began to take on autumn colors.
Summer passed and autumn arrived, but Do Hoengil did not return.
That old man hasn’t died far from home, has he...?
An absolute master who could use incredible swordsmanship, internal energy, and Shifting Forms and Positions would not be defeated so easily.
Had he entered deep mountains in search of spirit herbs?
There were tigers and bears in the mountains. Perhaps he had fallen while picking a spirit herb growing from a cliff.
Just as I began imagining a mortally wounded Do Hoengil entering a cave, leaving behind a secret manual for someone in a later generation, and dying, I sensed a presence beyond the wall.
When I opened the front gate, Do Hoengil, whom I had not seen in a long time, held out his hand without even greeting me.
“I must check your progress.”
He seized my wrist and sent internal energy into me. After examining my dantian and energy channels, a strange light appeared in Do Hoengil’s eyes.
“It seems you have not idled away your time. You have trained enough for your energy circulation to reach this level, yet your dantian is full. Where did you find an elixir to consume?”
“I received one root in exchange for work.”
“What work did you do to receive a spirit herb?”
“I did some work for the Hao clan.”
“The Hao clan? Tsk, tsk. They’re trying to put a leash through your nose.”
Do Hoengil immediately understood what had happened. It seemed he had dealt with the Hao clan before as well.
“How is my progress?”
Do Hoengil stroked his white, Daoist-like beard and thought for a moment before speaking.
“Starting tomorrow, I will teach you the Latter Eighteen Forms of the Heavenly Steel Saber Method.”
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