No Tears, No Blood (3)
I met with Jeong-yeo, the leader of Yangso again.
He was genuinely pleased with my success in cracking the safe.
“I knew you would pull it off, Master Byeok.”
He didn’t seem particularly surprised, as if he had expected nothing less.
“Thanks to your help, of course.”
“What did I do? It was all your doing, Master Byeok.”
“If you hadn’t shown me the secret passage, how could I have reached the room before Sigon? It’s all thanks to you, Leader Jeong.”
When I gave him the credit, Jeong-yeo smiled contentedly. I meant every word. Without his active assistance, it would have been impossible.
“They don’t suspect you, do they?”
“Fortunately, it seems not.”
From the start, they saw us as mere country bumpkins from the village gang. They never imagined we would dare challenge the Five Greats of the Central Plains. No local gang had ever done so.
“What are they up to now?”
“They seem to be trying to connect with the Shandong Trading Company.”
The Shandong Trading Company was the same place that had previously failed to bring in the Song family.
The Shandong Trading Company needed power, and Ma Jeong-su needed money, making it a perfect match.
“If they bring in the Shandong Trading Company, their money problems will be solved.”
“Indeed. Perhaps even more money will flow in.”
A slight smile crept onto my lips.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Because I might end up with more money myself.”
“Hahaha.”
Jeong-yeo laughed heartily. He took it as a joke, but I was quite serious.
If I’m going to tap into this, I might as well do it properly.
Besides, the Shandong Trading Company was already on my bad side. They tried to use the Song family to save themselves from danger. They were a target I intended to deal with anyway, and now they were entangled with Ma Jeong-su’s affairs.
“I’ve requested information on the Shandong Trading Company. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.”
“Thank you.”
Jeong-yeo was showing his loyalty to me. It was more than just gratitude for helping him become a leader; it was a deep and active loyalty. The safe job alone could have cost him his life if it went wrong.
I sensed that the time had come.
“Leader Jeong.”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t you say your dream was to nurture Yangso well?”
“That’s right.”
“Have you ever thought of dreaming bigger?”
Jeong-yeo flinched for a moment. He immediately understood the implication of my question. Would he join me in a grander ambition?
“Do you trust me?”
His voice trembled. He knew that my question could change his fate.
“I’m not sure.”
“Then why did you ask?”
“Because you’re someone I want to trust, at least once.”
In my past life, I trusted no one easily. I put them through rigorous tests, and if not me, Gal Saryang would handle it.
Those relationships were always dry.
The result was this: the moment I died, those I trusted turned their backs on me.
In hindsight, my relationships with them weren’t built on loyalty.
What held our relationship together was fear.
Fear that if they crossed me, it would be the end for them. That was the core, not trust.
Those relationships, spanning over twenty years, were less meaningful than the one I had with Jeong-yeo, whom I’d known for less than a year.
So in this life, I intend to approach relationships differently.
Not starting from verification or certainty, but following my instincts.
“Someone you want to trust, at least once… Perhaps that’s how I feel too.”
Jeong-yeo revealed his honest feelings. He felt the same way I did.
If he had said he trusted me, I would have been disappointed.
Yes, this is the precise distance between us.
Just because he helped me doesn’t mean we’re closer. And if he refuses my offer, it doesn’t mean we’re too far apart.
“You once said you’re not a particularly good person, but you’re not ungrateful either.”
“Yes, I did.”
“What I expect from you isn’t goodness.”
I already had good people by my side.
“I need someone who won’t betray me and will quietly do their job.”
He might not like hearing this, but it was the truth.
“My expectations for you start from there.”
Jeong-yeo looked at me calmly and spoke.
“Could you give me some time to think?”
“Of course. Take as long as you need, months or even years. Take your time.”
“Thank you.”
Jeong-yeo bowed respectfully and left the room.
I heard him enter the room next door.
This was the distance he had set between us for now. How it would change depended on his decision.
Before dealing with Hwasun Nodae, I needed to find someone.
According to Gwangdu, during the various incidents in Jinan, Hwasun Nodae had an alibi.
This meant he had someone doing his bidding. After all, Hwasun Nodae wouldn’t have done it himself.
Someone was definitely acting as his hands and feet.
Since he came down with Ma Jeong-su, he couldn’t openly use his subordinates, so they were likely waiting nearby for orders.
I had to find that person first. I needed them to confess that they committed the acts on Hwasun Nodae’s orders. I couldn’t kill them based on mere suspicion.
I purchased a new face mask. I couldn’t use the one I wore at Yangso for this task.
This time, I bought a high-quality mask. It wasn’t something to use once and discard.
Masks were sold sealed, so even the shopkeeper didn’t know what face it was. Naturally, the buyer didn’t know either. Of course, you could choose the gender and age. This time, I chose the face of a man in his thirties.
For a bit more money, you could select masks with specific features, like scars or burn marks.
In the past, a mask expert had to craft each mask like makeup, but now it was much more convenient. The quality was also astonishingly good. A high-quality mask was indistinguishable to the naked eye. It was expensive, though.
With my new face, I shadowed Hwasun Nodae, observing him. His martial arts skills were exceptional, making it difficult to tail him.
I wasn’t particularly experienced in tailing, so I kept my distance, only tracking his movements.
Hwasun Nodae was a diligent and methodical person.
He rose early, took a walk in the nearby bamboo grove, had breakfast, enjoyed a cup of tea at a teahouse, and then began his work.
He moved around busily, mostly meeting people.
Thinking that all his busy activities were part of his self-serving schemes, like the tragedy in Jinan, sent chills down my spine.
On the fourth day, I finally caught a lead.
I discovered that he was meeting someone in the bamboo grove during his morning walks.
I didn’t follow him into the grove but watched from a distance. After he left, I continued to wait, just in case.
Sure enough, a man emerged from the grove.
The next day, and the day after that, the man appeared from the grove a set time after Hwasun Nodae left. It was too coincidental to be chance, and the timing was consistent.
On the fifth day of tailing, after Hwasun Nodae left, I entered the bamboo grove.
The sound of the wind rustling through the bamboo was like the sound of water.
Feeling a sense of calm, I walked on.
After a while, I saw the man walking towards me from the end of the path.
I strolled leisurely, as if out for a walk. The man continued to approach.
As we passed each other, in that very moment—
Swish.
The man’s sword was drawn, slicing towards my neck.
His draw speed was impressive; he was quite skilled. But unfortunately for him, I was well-prepared.
Snap!
The sword stopped in mid-air. I had grabbed the man’s wrist. The fact that he tried to kill me without even knowing who I was told me everything about him.
Without hesitation, I twisted his arm. He resisted with his inner strength, but he couldn’t withstand mine.
Crack.
His arm twisted and broke like a twig.
“Argh!”
The man screamed and dropped his sword, but even then, he tried to jab my eyes with his other hand.
I quickly caught his fingers and broke them too.
Crack.
“Ugh!”
Another scream escaped the man’s lips. He had no more chances left.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
My fists pounded into his side and chest. He collapsed to the ground.
“Ugh…”
The man groaned in pain. Several of his ribs had broken from the blows. I had intentionally targeted non-lethal areas.
He looked up at me with a pained expression.
“Who… are you?”
“You tried to kill me without even knowing who I am?”
At least he was quick-witted. His immediate attempt to kill me showed that. People like him often valued their own lives dearly. If so, he would be easy to handle.
“Do you want to live?”
The man hesitated to answer.
Shing.
I drew my sword and raised it. As I prepared to strike, the man spoke urgently.
“I want to live!”
I looked down at him coldly, sword still raised.
“The murders related to the Wuguan land in Jinan, were they ordered by Hwasun Nodae?”
His eyes wavered. He feared that speaking would lead to his death at Hwasun Nodae’s hands. But his body had already answered for him.
Hesitating to answer, the sword came down mercilessly.
“Wait!”
Swoosh!
The blade embedded itself in his shoulder, and blood began to flow. Had I not stopped, his shoulder would have been severed, and he would have died.
He realized there was no mercy in my hands.
“The one I seek to punish is Hwasun Nodae. Is he someone who would risk his life to protect you? If so, you need not answer.”
The man’s deliberation was brief. Hwasun Nodae was not that kind of person.
“Everything was ordered by Hwasun Nodae.”
I withdrew the sword from his shoulder.
I pressed on the bleeding wound to staunch the flow, then sheathed my sword.
Seeing this as a sign that I would spare him, he confessed everything.
“He didn’t directly order any killings, but he did command us to do whatever it took to buy land cheaply.”
Cunning as he was, Hwasun Nodae would never issue a direct order to kill. But telling this swordsman to do whatever it took was as good as a murder order.
“Do you meet with Hwasun Nodae daily?”
“Yes.”
Once he started talking, the words flowed easily.
“What did he tell you today?”
“A woman came down with us this time. We’ve been investigating her continuously.”
That was information I needed as well.
“Isn’t she on your side?”
“No, she’s a woman sent by the Murim Alliance leader, Ma Bong-gi.”
“Why did she come with you?”
“It seems like she’s here to monitor Ma Jeong-su, but I’m not certain.”
“And what have you found out about her?”
“Nothing. We’ve asked around, but no one even knows what she looks like.”
“What does she usually do?”
“Sometimes she stays at Yangso Bang, other times she disappears without a trace. Her actions are unpredictable.”
The most dangerous person right now is her.
In the martial world, the scariest enemy isn’t the one stronger than you. It’s the one whose identity is unknown.
“Are you meeting Hwasun Nodae here again tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“Is there a specific way to contact him? A code word, perhaps?”
“No, there isn’t. If you walk a bit further inside, there’s a small rock. Wait there, and Nodae will come.”
“Understood.”
“And what about me?”
His eyes were filled with hope, but all he saw was my palm flying toward him.
Thud!
With a single strike, his skull shattered. He died without a sound.
He must have felt wronged, believing I would spare him. But I never intended to let him live. I only pretended to, to confirm Hwasun Nodae’s involvement.
He deserved to die.
Orders or not, he killed innocent people to seize their land—people who couldn’t defend themselves, including children and the elderly.
Looking down at his corpse, I spoke coldly.
“Don’t worry, by tomorrow morning, you’ll meet your master.”
Of course, what you’ll see won’t be this beautiful bamboo grove, but flames and villains skewered on long stakes.
One by one, I’ll send them all.