How to Avoid Trouble (2)
I waited for her in the guest room.
Normally, I would have greeted Song Woo-kyung first, but today was different.
About half an hour after my arrival, Song Hwa-rin entered the room, looking slightly surprised.
“You came to see me?”
She smelled fresh, as if she had just bathed. In spring, she had reminded me of spring blossoms, but now she was like the autumn sky.
“Shall we take a walk outside?”
She studied me for a moment before nodding.
We strolled through the garden together. It was still early, so there was no one around.
“How have you been?”
She replied to my question.
“Training, and more training. Just the usual routine. And you?”
“Pretty much the same.”
“I heard about the So-gum-dae. You defeated the Beast Squad?”
“Just got lucky.”
“Is that really all it was?”
She looked at me intently. She had come to terms with the changes in me.
“Why did you pretend to be a wastrel? Was it to break off our engagement?”
I could see why she might think that.
“I wasn’t pretending. I really was a wastrel back then.”
“And you changed after I hit you?”
“Yes.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that?”
“You should. It’s the truth.”
She sighed lightly, still watching me.
“I don’t know anymore.”
“There’s something I don’t know either.”
“What is it?”
“You once said you had a reason for disliking the former leader.”
She chuckled softly.
“You’re asking again. Is it that intriguing?”
“Yes, I’m curious.”
“Why does it matter to you? You have no connection to the leader.”
I struggled to find a rational explanation. I almost said it was out of respect, but instead, I went with a spontaneous reason.
“No particular reason. You know how it is—once you’re curious, it just keeps nagging at you. It’s like I suddenly got fixated on it.”
She laughed again. It was a rare sight. Or was it the first time?
In any case, it seemed like a better answer than claiming respect or something.
“It’s not a big deal. I should have told you sooner.”
“Now’s fine too.”
She revealed her reason.
“There’s someone I dislike. That person really admired the former leader, almost worshipped him. Because someone I disliked liked him so much, I ended up disliking him too. It’s a silly reason, isn’t it?”
“Who is this person you dislike?”
A shadow crossed her face. It seemed she had her reasons.
“Let’s leave it at that.”
“That’s enough. Thanks for telling me.”
“It’s nothing to thank me for. But why did you come to see me?”
I was certain she’d be shocked by what I was about to say.
I broke the pleasant atmosphere with a completely unexpected statement.
“I want to challenge you to a duel.”
“What?”
Song Hwa-rin’s eyes widened in surprise. It was the first time I’d seen her so taken aback since we met.
“Let’s have a match.”
She looked at me in disbelief.
“Are you serious?”
“Absolutely.”
“Why?”
“To settle the score from last time.”
Song Hwa-rin stared at me, bewildered.
The last time we parted, she had said she couldn’t understand me. Now, here I was, asking for a duel, and her confusion must have been overwhelming.
“You really are… something else.”
She seemed to be trying hard to understand me.
But she never would. I wouldn’t, if I were her.
She bit her lip slightly and agreed to the duel.
“Fine, let’s do it.”
We faced each other in the training yard. From a distance, Soo-ran watched the unexpected situation with concern.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, but if we’re going to duel, let’s do it properly.”
“That’s what I want.”
“With real swords?”
I nodded, and she flinched. She had asked just in case, and I had agreed.
A duel with real swords could lead to serious injury or even death. It was our first duel, and I had no idea what kind of swordsmanship she used.
Her tension was understandable. If I were still the wastrel I once was, she would never have agreed. But now, for some reason, she felt it was okay.
“Fine. But don’t get carried away. Promise!”
I nodded at her warning.
“Got it.”
She slowly drew her sword.
I drew mine and approached her.
Swish!
She leaped lightly, thrusting her sword. It was a probing move.
Clang!
I parried it with a light swing of my sword.
Our swords clashed again in mid-air.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
It was a light exchange. There was no reason to go all out from the start.
As I expected, her skills were impressive. Her footwork was nimble, and her techniques were sharp. Her swordsmanship seemed familiar, and I wondered if her master was someone I knew.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
We continued to exchange blows, gradually increasing the speed.
She didn’t realize it, but I was drawing her into my fight. A single mistake could lead to serious injury, so I controlled the duel from start to finish.
I pressed her, then let her push back, turning tense attacks into relaxed defenses, and then back into breathless tension.
Under my careful orchestration, she swung her sword frantically.
I pushed her to her limits. She wouldn’t even have time to wonder how I had become so strong. This was probably her first duel like this.
Finally, when I judged she had reached her limit.
I dodged her attack and thrust my sword toward her neck.
She tried to block, but it was too late.
“Ah!”
If I had continued, her neck would have been severed, but I redirected my sword.
Thud! The hilt struck her shoulder.
“Ugh.”
She staggered, trying to block the next attack.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
My fists landed on her stomach and sides, and the last two punches hit her face.
“Miss!”
Soo-ran rushed over, but Song Hwa-rin was already on the ground.
Soo-ran quickly checked on her. Fortunately, she was still conscious. Soo-ran shouted angrily.
“Are you insane? How could you do this?”
“It was a fair duel. You don’t expect me to go easy just because she’s a woman, do you?”
Soo-ran scowled but couldn’t argue.
I knew she was furious, but I had to add one more thing, even if it wasn’t my intention.
“This was payback for last time.”
Soo-ran’s face twisted further. She looked like she wanted to attack me.
But Song Hwa-rin grabbed her arm. When Soo-ran turned, Song Hwa-rin shook her head. She was telling her not to.
”…I lost. And…”
She looked at me with half-open eyes from the ground. There was no resentment in her gaze.
”…That last technique?”
I’m glad she noticed.
I nodded with a meaningful smile.
I hadn’t just hit her to win.
During the fight, I noticed a critical flaw in her swordsmanship. It was in one of her most important techniques. I had exploited it perfectly.
If she didn’t realize the flaw in her technique, she would eventually face an opponent who would exploit it and kill her.
Song Hwa-rin had felt it in my attack. The technique she thought was perfect had been effortlessly countered. It wasn’t just bad luck that she got hit.
“Later…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence before losing consciousness. Was she asking for a rematch? Or something else?
Soo-ran carried her back into the house. It might feel like the sky was falling, but there was no need to worry.
I had been careful.
She’d be bedridden for over ten days, and her face would be swollen for a while, but she’d recover without any issues.
Did I duel her to give her real combat experience and point out the flaw in her technique?
Of course not.
This duel was all because of Ma Jeong-su.
Given how he handled things, if I made a flimsy excuse to skip the banquet, he might come to the Song household the next day.
Now, even if he did come, he wouldn’t be able to pull any tricks seeing her in that state.
If he tried anything despite her condition, I’d deal with him without worrying about the consequences. Even if the entire Cheondo-mun came to Shandong, I’d deal with it then.
Initially, I thought about going to Song Woo-kyung and explaining everything, asking him to send her away to safety.
But she might refuse to go, and even if she did, she could end up in more danger out of my reach. He could have sent people to track her down.
Even if I gave another reason for not attending, he could have been persistent enough to uncover the lie.
But with her genuinely injured and bedridden, he wouldn’t have a choice.
The reason for the duel was also sufficient. Even if I had come to my senses, it was still a former wastrel seeking revenge for a past beating.
In any case, I had bought time in the best way I could.
I felt sorry for her and Song Woo-kyung for resorting to such a low tactic, but I couldn’t find a better solution in the time I had. I wasn’t Gal Sa-ryang.
Of course, all these worries might just be unfounded.
He might have no interest or ulterior motives regarding Song Hwa-rin.
I’m just being cautious.
When dealing with villains, you always prepare and prepare again.
The damage from not being cautious would be far greater and more devastating than this effort.
I returned home immediately.
There was another matter I needed to handle before the banquet.
If my goal were to kill Ma Jeong-su, this task would be much simpler. No matter how formidable the opponent, it would be within my area of expertise.
But taking what he possesses is undeniably more challenging. I’ve always delegated complex tasks to Galsaryang, so handling this myself is making me sweat.
Still, I will succeed. He came to us, took our money, and flaunted it, so it’s only fair to return the favor.
I’m convinced that targeting his finances will be far more effective than killing one of his three followers.
When the money disappears, they’ll be thrown into chaos. Internal divisions and fractures will emerge.
That’s the power of money—a devilish force that can drive even the closest of allies apart.
The question is, where is the money kept, and who manages it?
Ma Jeong-su? Hwasun Nodae? Sigon? Or that mysterious woman?
I ruled out Hwasun Nodae first. He’s too old, and an outsider. Ma Jeong-su wouldn’t entrust an outsider with his money.
For the same reason, I ruled out the mysterious woman. So, could it be Sigon?
He represented Cheondo-mun at the friendly tournament. A typical warrior, he seems far removed from managing finances.
Could Ma Jeong-su be handling it himself?
That seemed the most likely scenario.
Upon my call, Gwangdu rushed into my room.
“You called for me?”
“There’s something I need you to find out.”
Seeing my serious expression, Gwangdu tensed up.
“What is it?”
“You’ve heard, right? The bloodline of Cheondo-mun’s leader is in Shandong.”
“Of course.”
He lowered his voice, glancing around.
“They say he’s extorted money from the Shandong families?”
I lowered my voice too, matching his tone.
“This is my room. Why are we whispering?”
Gwangdu whispered back, “If word gets to him, we’re in big trouble. He’s the heir of the Murim Alliance leader, and Cheondo-mun is one of the Five Great Clans.”
“Then you’re in big trouble.”
“Why?”
“Because you need to go investigate them right now.”
Gwangdu blinked at me. I always enjoy his expression at times like this.
“You’re serious.”
“Dealing with work is the best way to forget about women.”
“I could forget a hundred women like this.”
I chuckled and raised my voice again.
“Relax, it’s nothing major.”
Dropping the playful tone, Gwangdu asked seriously, “What do you need me to do?”
“He’s planning to build a martial arts hall in Jinan. Go there immediately and find out everything related to it. Where it’s being built, who’s in charge of construction, when it starts—learn everything you can. There are bound to be things he hasn’t revealed.”
I shared with Gwangdu what Ma Jeong-su had mentioned about the martial arts hall during our first meeting. I also gave him two thousand nyang for expenses.
“This much?”
“Don’t hesitate to spend it if you need to.”
“Understood.”
“And return as quickly as possible.”
“Got it.”
I trust Gwangdu to blend in and gather information. His natural charm and instinctive cleverness to avoid danger are invaluable.
I couldn’t resist a parting joke.
“Want me to send Dosun with you?”
“No.”
His refusal was unexpectedly firm.
“Why? Have you moved on already?”
“No. My heart still races and aches whenever I see her.”
“Then why?”
“I don’t want to lose the last bit of affection I have left. It was a love that never really started, but I don’t want it to end badly.”
I nodded, acknowledging his wise decision.
“Alright, I’ll be off.”
“Take a horse.”
Gwangdu’s eyes sparkled as he replied, “Yes, I’ll return as a master horseman, or perhaps even a centaur.”
After sending Gwangdu off, I headed to Yangsobang, where the banquet was being held.
There are many reasons I dislike banquets, and this is one of them.
Banquets make people lose focus.
Knowing this, I’ll make sure this banquet becomes an opportunity for me.
So, I’m giving it my all. What about you?