WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Oblivious
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◈ Murim in my Hometown ◈
Chapter 45: Martial Alliance Inspector
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Geuk Hwan rarely showed much change in expression. His face was white as paper, and his eyes and voice were always cold and composed.
Yet his brow furrowed. He seemed thoroughly taken aback.
“...You think the inspector is a fake?”
The only evidence I had offered was a single spot on his clothes that had been sewn with thread and needle.
Geuk Hwan narrowed his eyes at me.
“That seems like an unreasonable assumption.”
“Do you know that inspector?”
“This is the first time I’ve met him.”
“Then how do you know whether he’s genuine or an impostor?”
Geuk Hwan’s answer was clear.
“He wears a Martial Alliance senior official’s uniform that cannot be obtained anywhere else, and he has an inspector’s identity plaque and seal. The uniforms and swords of the Martial Alliance members accompanying him as guards are genuine as well.”
“He may have killed them and taken those things.”
“Inspectors also come from martial families or sects. They would not be so easily defeated. Their guards are martial artists carefully selected from minor sects. Besides, he knows the Martial Alliance’s internal affairs in considerable detail. I asked him various questions, and he answered without hesitation.”
“Is there no one else who might recognize an inspector’s face?”
Geuk Hwan silently studied my expression before speaking.
“Do you know how many inspectors the Martial Alliance has?”
“About ten?”
“Nineteen, as of last year.”
“...That many?”
“Inspectors are middle-ranking officials in the Inspectorate. They serve under the Chief Inspector, who heads the department...”
The important positions in the Martial Alliance, such as the Leader of the Martial Arts Alliance, protectors, elders, and leaders of major strike squads, were all monopolized by the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families.
Naturally, the minor sects’ dissatisfaction had reached the heavens. To placate them, the Martial Alliance leadership freely handed out positions that held no real power but looked impressive from the outside.
Inspector was one such position.
The title “inspector” made it sound as though they possessed absolute authority, but in truth, all they did was investigate cases and submit reports.
They had neither the authority to investigate those above them nor the power to issue punishments.
“Neither I nor even the Pavilion Master or the other Hao clan branch heads know every inspector’s face. Many inspectors hold desk jobs and rarely have cause to leave the Martial Alliance.”
“Can’t we send the facial composite to the Martial Alliance and ask them to identify him?”
I wanted to confirm the truth before becoming further involved, but Geuk Hwan shook his head.
“The Martial Alliance does not verify facial composites so readily. They are all from prestigious orthodox sects, and many of them privately look down on the Hao clan as beneath their standing. Some can hardly stop themselves from saying, ‘How dare the likes of the Hao clan?’ They are not hostile, but neither are they friendly. If we suspect the identity of a senior official without clear evidence, it will only make matters worse. The possibility is slim, but...”
Geuk Hwan fell deep into thought before cautiously continuing.
“Even if that inspector is a fake, as Great Hero Jeong says, informing the Martial Alliance would not benefit us. The fact that an inspector was attacked by a murderer and had his identity stolen would damage the prestige of both the Martial Alliance and its leader. To save face, they would deny it to the end and shift the responsibility onto us. I will report this to the Pavilion Master, so please wait. There will surely be an appropriate response.”
I did not know much about the Martial Alliance, but those arrogant bastards seemed more than capable of doing exactly that.
At that point, I could no longer doubt the inspector.
The more we spoke, the more Geuk Hwan’s words sounded perfectly sensible and reasonable.
On the other hand, even to me, I seemed to be overreacting without enough evidence.
Had seeing the uniforms of the martial artists who died at Bang’s Fabric Shop left such an impression on me that I panicked the moment I saw the sewn mark on the inspector’s clothes?
Even if that was the case, I had nothing to say for myself.
The middle-aged man wearing the inspector’s uniform was Pyo Holdeuk (標笏得).
He said he had come all the way from Gansu to Seochon while pursuing an opium merchant.
“...Most of the opium circulating in the Central Plains is produced in the Western Regions, then enters through Tianshan, Xinjiang, and Qinghai. We obtained intelligence in Gansu and pursued the opium merchant alongside the Kongtong Sect, but lost him. After making inquiries everywhere, we heard that an opium merchant had appeared in Seochon and rushed here...”
No one asked why the Martial Alliance, an alliance of the orthodox martial world, was carrying out the opium enforcement that officials ought to handle.
Despite the unwritten Principle of noninterference between officials and the martial world, the Martial Alliance actively cooperated with the authorities.
The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families also actively placed their disciples and children in government offices and the military.
The rising junior talents of the Wudang Sect were sometimes invited to teach martial arts to the imperial family, while Lay disciples of the Nine Sects were frequently recommended as martial officials.
The Black Path did not call orthodox martial artists “the government’s dogs” for nothing.
They felt no shame whatsoever. Instead, they took as much pride in lofty government positions and influential connections as in peerless martial arts.
Other than the emperor, everyone in the Central Plains was a servant working beneath someone. If one had to live as a servant anyway, it was better to serve a wealthy household.
Could the opium merchant Pyo Holdeuk was pursuing be the middle-aged martial artist I had seen at the Wandering Swordsman Inn? The one who had sold opium to the woodcutter.
Saying anything unnecessary would only invite trouble, so I kept my mouth tightly shut and listened.
After talking for as long as he pleased, Pyo Holdeuk started spouting the bullshit wandering martial artists hated hearing most.
“You know Seochon’s circumstances well, so cooperate for the greater good.”
There would be no compensation. He had not even asked for my opinion. He acted as though, since it was Martial Alliance business, of course I had to help.
He did not seem to think a mere Hao clan guest retainer would dare refuse.
They said an inspector was not even a high-ranking position, but his mind worked however suited him, just like those in high places.
Was that why Won Seogang and the other guest retainers had run away?
I was thinking I should read the situation and make my escape when I suddenly came to my senses.
“I heard there is a Black Path faction called the Black Night Gang in Seochon. The opium merchant will surely try to dispose of the opium. I think we should start by looking into the Black Night Gang...”
Whether the suspicious martial artist before me was truly a Martial Alliance inspector no longer mattered.
Even the Black Night Gang, which ruled Seochon, would find it burdensome to oppose a Martial Alliance inspector.
That was enough.
How could I use this situation to get the information I wanted from the Black Night Gang? That was the only thought left in my mind.
* * *
The next afternoon, I was eating at Pungcheon Inn when a group of men wearing swords came pouring in.
At a glance, they were Black Path riffraff who looked as though they had not walked the proper path even once since learning to walk.
Unfortunately, it seemed they had business with me.
Their eyes flashed like stray dogs’ as they strode toward me.
“Stop there.”
As I scooped broth with my spoon, I grabbed the long saber leaning beside me.
“Come any closer, and I’ll cut you down.”
In the martial world, using force against someone who entered weapon range without even exchanging names was called self-defense.
The man at the front flinched. Apparently annoyed that he had stopped out of fear, he frowned and looked back.
“Bring him out.”
The young woodcutter who had sold me firewood was dragged out from among the Black Path men. His wrists were tied with rope, and one side of his face was badly swollen from being beaten.
“It’s that bastard, right?”
Even when the woodcutter saw me, he only bit his lip. He neither nodded nor answered. A Black Path man raised his hand.
“Has this bastard not been beaten enough? Is it him or not?”
Those sons of bitches’ disgusting act killed my appetite at once. I put down my chopsticks and straightened up.
“If you’re looking for the person who bought firewood from that man before, it’s me.”
The Black Path man twisted his lips into a vile smirk.
“Really? Then you’ll have to come with us. Someone above wants to see you.”
“The Black Night Gang?”
“Guess you aren’t blind.”
An idiot acting tough because he trusted his backing. Looking at his slimy face as he grinned, I wanted to split his skull open.
What would happen if I fought these men here?
The man babbling at the front seemed to have killed several people, but he was still a hopeless fool. The men behind him were similarly insignificant.
I could probably deal with them without much difficulty, but I did not want to.
At inns throughout the Central Plains, I had been drawn into quarrels or ambushed and forced to start cutting people down before I could finish a meal more times than I could count.
There had been many times when I killed them all, roughly wiped the blood from my face, and shoved the rest of my meal into my mouth.
When something terrible and filthy became part of earning a living, one eventually found a way to become numb to it.
But I had never once drawn my blade at Pungcheon Inn.
Even on my first day back home, when Jang Hodal had approached looking for a fight, I had not drawn it. I had subdued him by striking his solar plexus with the end of its sheath.
I had not wanted to see blood as soon as I returned home.
That feeling had not changed.
I wanted peace, at least in this inn, if nowhere else.
Gusam, the cook, and the innkeeper all knew I was a martial artist, but they had never seen me kill anyone.
That was why we had become so close. If blood was spilled here, I would never be able to return to this inn.
All three of them would find it difficult even to come forward and meet my eyes. It would be like when I dealt with the bandits at the slash-and-burn village.
I did not want to lose this precious place where I could eat leisurely and have ordinary conversations with ordinary people.
To protect this place, even if I had to use my blade, I needed to go outside and do it somewhere far away.
“Who in the Black Night Gang is looking for me?”
“You’ll know when you get there. Someone very important.”
“Jeok Chuyeong?”
The Black Path man glared at me with killing intent on his unremarkable face.
“Is the gang leader your friend? Say that name carelessly again, and your mouth will be torn wide open soon enough.”
“Then is it one of the gang leader’s direct subordinates?”
The three close lieutenants who had been with Jeok Chuyeong since Hunan. If it was one of them, they might know what had been done to the Seochon residents loaded onto carriages seven years ago.
The Black Path man grinned mockingly.
“If you’re curious, come with us. It won’t be good for you if you make them wait too long.”
I had been planning to visit the Black Night Gang anyway, so this worked out well.
Whether I made a deal or started cutting, I had to meet them at least once. An opportunity to see the faces of their leaders would not come easily.
But if I was dragged there like this, even things that could be resolved would not be. I needed to take the initiative and control the situation.
To do that, I needed something unexpected. Something tempting enough to make the gang leader jump up and come out personally...
What could that be?
As I thought hard and looked around the inn, I spotted Gusam hiding in the kitchen and peeking through a crack in the door.
Even Gusam, who knew rumors better than anyone, did not know that a Martial Alliance inspector had come to Seochon.
Did the Black Night Gang know? Judging by how these men behaved, they seemed unaware. They would be terrified if they heard of the Martial Alliance.
“Gusam, bring me a brush and some paper.”
“Yes!”
Gusam hurried to the counter and brought back a thick ledger, a brush, and a bamboo tube of ink.
“Can I write on this? It looks like a ledger.”
“It’s the only paper we have.”
I tore out the last page of the ledger, spread it on the table, dipped the brush in ink, and briefly wrote down the matter at hand.
I tore out another page. Folding it in half and using rice grains as paste, I made an envelope. I placed the letter inside and sealed it.
“Give this to the gang leader or one of the gang leader’s three direct subordinates. If anyone else sees it, I won’t cooperate.”
When I held out the letter, the Black Path man glared at me with wide eyes.
“Quit your tricks and get up. Do you think we came here to receive this? Want to get beaten into mush and dragged off?”
“Try it, if you can.”
When I gripped my long saber and glared at him, the Black Path man bristled and grabbed the hilt of his broadsword. The other Black Path men reflexively gripped their weapons as well.
The atmosphere turned murderous in an instant. It felt as though blades would fly at any moment, blood would spray, and screams and curses would fill the room.
But after closely examining their insolent faces, I realized that would not happen. Contrary to their fierce expressions, their bodies were stiff with tension.
They absolutely could not draw their swords. No, they did not want to. They were all desperately trying not to.
I tossed the letter down and released my saber. Picking up my chopsticks, I calmly resumed eating.
The Black Path man let out a deflated sigh, bent down, and picked up the letter.
“...What did you write?”
“You’re better off not knowing. Go deliver it quickly. If they find out you delayed, you’ll get beaten. Don’t open it on the way. The people above you won’t like that.”
The Black Path men withdrew with the woodcutter.
I had to wait for an answer, so even after finishing my meal, I remained in the inn and drank tea.
As the sun set and the glow of sunset spread, evening customers began to arrive.
They were all ordinary people without weapons. They flinched when they saw me and sat as far away as they could.
Thinking I might interfere with business, I went outside.
Leaning against the wall, I quietly looked up at the blood-red sky as evening fell.
One of the Black Path men who had come earlier wandered over. He stopped well beyond the reach of my long saber. His tone had become exactly that much more polite.
“The squad leader agreed to meet you.”
“Where is the gang leader? Why is it the squad leader?”
“I don’t know.”
“The Wandering Swordsman Inn, right?”
“That is correct.”
When I pushed myself off the wall, the Black Path man flinched and stepped back.
“Lead the way.”
Even as he walked dozens of paces ahead, the Black Path man kept glancing behind him. He seemed afraid I would cut him down.
I walked with the sunset behind me. Treading on the shadows of the past cast across my path, I walked onward with steady steps.
I remembered playing a game of stepping on shadows with the neighborhood children when I was young.
The rules were simple. The first person to step on someone else’s shadow won. No matter how many times one stepped on a shadow, it left no mark.
Anyone could simply insist they had not been stepped on, so even after running around all day, it was difficult to decide a winner.
There had been so many shadows in this neighborhood back then. Now, as I walked on the same ground of my hometown, there was only my own shadow, grown so much that it felt unfamiliar.
Where had everyone gone...?
The sunset scattered, and the shadows sank into the dusk and disappeared. One by one, lights brightened the darkness.
After leaving the busy streets, I saw the Wandering Swordsman Inn in the distance.
I headed there.
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