Closer (1)
A carriage rolled into the estate.
Inside were Go Sun-gyeong, the owner of the Shandong Trading Company, and Baek Joong, his chief aide.
As the carriage came to a halt, Baek Joong spoke with a worried expression.
“Master, meeting him in person is too dangerous. Let me handle it. Please wait here.”
“It’s fine.”
Go Sun-gyeong opened the carriage door and stepped out. Baek Joong hurriedly followed. They had come to the heart of the Night Guild’s territory, accompanied only by an old coachman, without any guards.
The Night Guild had a presence throughout the central plains. Even in Shandong Province, every major city had its own branch. Whether they were a single organization or separate groups using the same name was unknown.
Rumors about the Night Guild were plentiful. Some said it was ruled by a single person, others believed it was a coalition of leaders, and some thought different groups operated under the same name.
One thing was certain: the Night Guild, regardless of location, was known for its ruthlessness and was feared by all.
Go Sun-gyeong had borrowed money from the largest Night Guild in Shandong.
A nondescript man led them to a room. Despite his calm demeanor, the thought that he might be an assassin for the Night Guild made it hard to meet his eyes.
Inside, a middle-aged man in his fifties awaited them. He wore a mask, making his age and initial impression irrelevant.
The man introduced himself as Yacheon.
“Tsk, you lost a hundred thousand nyang without even spending it?”
“Yes.”
Go Sun-gyeong was desperate. It was do or die. He had already fainted several times from the stress.
“Please, help me.”
“And how would I do that?”
“Help me recover the lost money.”
“Haha. This isn’t like finding a child’s lost toy. It’s not that simple.”
“If I can’t recover the money, my company will collapse. Then you won’t get your money back!”
Yacheon’s smile vanished. His masked face, already somewhat impassive, turned terrifyingly stern. His previously polite demeanor shifted completely.
“Do you think we’re a joke?”
His voice dropped, exuding a menacing aura.
Even in this tense situation, Go Sun-gyeong didn’t back down.
“Of course not. I’m just stating the facts.”
“Shut up! Before I rip your mouth open.”
The threat was so palpable that Go Sun-gyeong fell silent.
Yacheon glared coldly, issuing a warning.
“If you don’t repay my money, let me tell you what will happen. First, your wife will be thrown to the beggars. She’ll have to entertain a hundred of them a day. Your daughter will be sold to a brothel, and your son will be forced onto a fishing boat. Unless he jumps into the sea, he’ll never set foot on land again. As for you, I’ll gouge out your eyes, cut out your tongue, sever your limbs, and leave you to beg in the streets. Your friend there can drag you around.”
Go Sun-gyeong and Baek Joong turned pale.
“So if you don’t want to repay, don’t. Consider the hundred thousand nyang a ticket to a good show.”
Go Sun-gyeong swallowed hard, fear etched on his face.
“I know who stole the money.”
“Then go get it back.”
“I can’t handle him on my own.”
“Who is it?”
“Ma Jeong-su.”
Yacheon’s eyes gleamed.
“Isn’t he the one you were supposed to pay the hundred thousand nyang to?”
“He’s trying to double his take.”
“Do you have proof?”
“Ma Jeong-su has the kind of people who could pull off such a heist.”
“There are plenty of skilled fighters in the martial world. That’s not enough.”
“No! It has to be him! Who else would dare target money meant for a collaboration with Cheondo Gate?”
Yacheon nodded, acknowledging the point, and Go Sun-gyeong quickly added.
“If you recover the money, I’ll consider it as borrowing an additional thirty percent. I’ll owe you a hundred and thirty thousand nyang. Please, help me.”
“You want us to go against Cheondo Gate? If we get destroyed, you won’t have to repay. Is that it?”
“That’s not what I mean.”
Yacheon smiled, a smile more frightening than anger.
He spoke in the gentle tone he used when they first met.
“Go back and think of a way to repay the money. You’re not someone who gives up so easily, are you? That’s why I lent you the money. Go. If you forget what I’ve said, you’ll regret it.”
Go Sun-gyeong left the room with slumped shoulders.
As they rode the carriage away from the estate, Baek Joong, who had been trembling with fear, finally spoke.
“I told you it would be useless.”
But Go Sun-gyeong had already regained his composure. The desperation and fear from earlier were gone.
“I never expected him to show mercy.”
“Then why did you go?”
“He’ll know I’ve lost the money. Maybe he already knew. Either way, he’ll soon realize I can’t repay it. I went to buy time before he acts on his threats. Once he knows Ma Jeong-su has the money, he’ll find a way to recover it. He’s greedy. This buys me time.”
“Ah!”
Baek Joong finally understood. Despite recent setbacks, his master was still the seasoned veteran he admired.
“Do you really believe they did it?”
Go Sun-gyeong sighed, turning his gaze out the window.
“If not them, then who?”
Meanwhile, back in the room they had left, another man entered. It was Gu Cheol, Yacheon’s most trusted enforcer.
“Someone has informed us of the whereabouts of the person who stole the hundred thousand nyang.”
“Who?”
“They sent a letter without revealing themselves. What should we do?”
Yacheon pondered for a moment, but the decision was already made. A hundred thousand nyang was worth any risk.
“Go and verify it. But be fully prepared.”
When Sigon regained consciousness, he found himself in a clearing in an unfamiliar forest.
One question immediately came to mind.
“Why didn’t they kill me?”
If the attacker was the same person who had ambushed him in the vault, it made no sense.
Was it because he drank too much? Or was it the beating from the previous day? His head throbbed with pain.
“I need to get out of here.”
Sigon staggered to his feet and began to walk.
Just then, a group of men appeared. About a dozen of them, exuding a strange aura.
They all carried swords, but they didn’t seem like formal martial artists. Yet they weren’t mere thugs either. They weren’t ronin or assassins, but there was a sinister stickiness to them.
Sigon gripped his sword hilt and asked quietly.
“Who are you?”
One man stepped forward. It was Gu Cheol, who had reported to Yacheon earlier.
“Night Guild.”
He introduced himself with just one word.
Sigon could sense it. The man took great pride in being part of the Night Guild and expected Sigon to be intimidated by the name.
But Sigon wasn’t one to be cowed. To him, the Night Guild was nothing but a bunch of scum.
“Do you even know who I am?”
“I know you’re bold enough to lay hands on the Night Guild’s money.”
Sigon should have reacted immediately.
“What nonsense is this?” But at that moment, he couldn’t think straight. He was convinced that Hwasun Nodae had stolen the money.
He thought the Night Guild had discovered Hwasun Nodae’s theft and had come for him because they were in cahoots.
Sigon spoke in a slightly softer tone.
“I understand why you’re here, but it’s a misunderstanding.”
To Gu Cheol, it sounded like a confession.
“If there’s a misunderstanding, let’s clear it up. Go ahead.”
Faced with this, Sigon was at a loss for words. He didn’t want to explain Hwasun Nodae’s betrayal to these men.
Anger surged within him.
He felt an urge to kill these scum on the spot. But remembering the incident with Ma Jeong-su the day before, he knew he couldn’t afford another mess. He tried to hold back.
“Let’s see your pockets.”
“What? Are you saying you want to search me?”
“We’re in the same line of work. We need something to report. If you’re innocent, it shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Sigon’s anger reached its peak.
“You bastards, if you don’t find any money on me, I’ll break all your necks…”
But then, his hand, which had been reaching into his pocket, froze.
Slowly, he pulled out a bundle of notes.
Gu Cheol sneered.
“Quite a bit of money you have there.”
“It’s not… mine.”
“Of course not. It’s ours.”
Sigon snapped irritably.
“Damn it! This is a setup! How did you know I was here? Someone must have tipped you off. They’re trying to frame me! Otherwise, why would I stupidly pull out the money? I’m not that dumb!”
Gu Cheol nodded.
“Alright, I’ll believe you. But you’ll have to come with us. Explain yourself directly to our boss.”
Sigon realized that whether they believed him or not, going with them would lead to trouble.
His head throbbed from the hangover, and his chest was filled with various frustrations. He made a decision.
“I’ll kill them all first and think later.”
With that resolve, he drew his sword and charged at them.
The swordsmen drew their blades, blocking Gucheol’s path.
Shhhk.
Sigon swiftly cut down the man at the front.
In quick succession, the second man fell as well.
Just as he was about to strike the third, something shot out from Gucheol’s hand.
Boom!
With an ear-splitting explosion, a hidden weapon was launched.
Sigon barely managed to deflect it with his sword, the force nearly making him lose his grip.
But it wasn’t the only one. Another hidden weapon was fired by a different man.
Boom!
He twisted his body, but couldn’t completely avoid it this time.
Thud!
Sharp objects embedded themselves in his shoulder.
“Damn it!”
Sigon lunged forward, swinging his sword.
Swish! Thud!
His blade pierced the chest of the man who had launched the weapon. The man clutched the sword desperately.
“Damn!”
Sigon twisted the blade free, severing the man’s fingers.
But he couldn’t pull it out completely. His arm felt weak.
‘Poison!’
The weapon that had struck his shoulder was laced with poison.
Boom!
To make matters worse, a third weapon was fired.
Thud! Thud!
It struck Sigon squarely in the back.
“Aaargh!”
He screamed, swinging his sword wildly. Another man’s head was severed.
But his movements were slowing.
Thud!
A sword from behind pierced through his back.
Blood gushed out.
”…To be taken down by these bastards…”
He swung his sword, but there was no one left to hit.
Instead, the enemies’ swords found him.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Unable to hold on any longer, Sigon collapsed, lifeless. In a fair fight, this would never have happened.
Sigon was already weakened, unaware of the deadly weapons his opponents wielded. They used projectile weapons banned in the martial world, coated with poison.
Gucheol stabbed the corpse with irritation.
“You filthy bastard! How dare you swing a sword at me!”
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Gucheol and the surviving men mutilated the already dead body.
I watched from a distance, my gaze cold.
This was the moment both wings of Majungsoo were clipped.
It wasn’t just to kill Sigon. If that had been the goal, they would have done it themselves.
There was another reason for involving the Night Shadows. They intended to make it look like Majungsoo was killed by them.
Whether the Night Shadows faced retribution from Cheondomun or not was irrelevant. The Night Shadows were a group that needed to disappear from this world. If Cheondomun didn’t take revenge, I would eventually see to their end myself.
Now, the remaining issue was the mysterious woman. She had observed the entire situation from start to finish without intervening.
Given that Hwasun Nodae was known to have betrayed them, if she had intended to protect Sigon, she wouldn’t have left him alone.
Yet she showed no interest in these events.
Two questions lingered. Setting aside who she was for now.
First, would she remain passive even if Majungsoo’s life was truly in danger?
And second, just how skilled was she?