Between Favor and Deception (1)
The place where Ma Ryeong-in arrived was Seochangmun.
Seochangmun was one of the two major martial arts sects representing Hanam.
The other was Donggeombang. Seochangmun and Donggeombang had been rivals for a long time, both vying for dominance in Hanam Province.
Just as Ma Jeong-su had previously tried to establish connections with Yangsobang in Shandong, Ma Ryeong-in seemed to have already established a close relationship with Seochangmun.
The atmosphere was proof of this. A lively drinking party was underway, lasting for more than an hour.
I didn’t attempt to eavesdrop on their conversation. I could have if I wanted to, but it didn’t seem worth the risk of getting past the eight guards.
Especially since there was that man who had previously blocked my way into the room exuding a strange aura. He might be lurking around Ma Ryeong-in.
He seemed stronger than Chil-ho, both in martial arts and in character.
After an hour, Ma Ryeong-in left Seochangmun.
The carriage didn’t return to the manor but headed elsewhere.
Once again, I followed the carriage from a distance. I didn’t get too close, so they didn’t notice my tailing.
After half an hour of following, the carriage arrived at Donggeombang, Seochangmun’s rival.
This guy! He’s playing both sides!
Another lively drinking party ensued, lasting for an hour.
I couldn’t tell how he was manipulating both sides, but he was clearly using his unique skills.
Thinking back to how he dealt with me, I suspected he might be using both sides while confidently claiming to meet with them. Nine truths and one decisive lie.
He was a man of far greater skill than Ma Jeong-su, who had come down to Shandong. I recalled what Ma Jeong-su had once said about him.
A cunning Ma Ryeong-in, he called him.
Cunning? That word hardly does justice to this sly fox. Ma Jeong-su had completely underestimated him.
After leaving Donggeombang, the carriage headed to Jeongju Military Office, likely to meet Chudochi. They stayed there for about a quarter of an hour.
Chudochi saw him off as the carriage departed again.
Truly, a busy man.
Even as dawn broke, the carriage didn’t return to the manor.
When I saw where the carriage was headed, I was taken aback. It was heading towards the inn where I was staying.
I used my martial arts to return to the inn ahead of them.
I flew up to the second floor and entered my room through the window.
A short while later, someone knocked on my door.
When I opened it, Ma Ryeong-in was standing there.
“Did I wake you?”
“No, I wasn’t asleep yet.”
I didn’t bother pretending to have been woken up. He was sharp enough to see through it, and besides, it was natural not to have slept on a night like this.
“I’ve never had this happen before, but I couldn’t sleep last night. By the way, you’ve had a drink, haven’t you?”
“If I’d known, I would have come to see you earlier.”
“Too late for that now.”
“Haha. That’s just like you.”
He seemed to enjoy my blunt demeanor, laughing heartily.
“Are you going to keep me standing here?”
“Come in.”
He entered the room and looked around. There was nothing to see, so he wouldn’t find anything out of place.
“If you can’t sleep, why not have a drink?”
“I don’t drink alone.”
“Is that so?”
“The name Ma Ryeong-in, it came back to me yesterday. One of the prominent heirs of the Murim Alliance leader was named Ma Ryeong-in. Is that you?”
“That’s right. That’s me. And now there are five heirs instead of six.”
“You’re from a prestigious sect, yet…”
“Why am I holed up underground doing suspicious things?”
“Exactly.”
I nodded without hesitation.
“You said it yourself, didn’t you? The line between a hero and a villain is as thin as a sheet of paper.”
It was something I had said to Chudochi in the carriage.
“Indeed.”
“Isn’t it the same? Whether it’s a prestigious sect or…”
What are you comparing it to?
But he didn’t say anything more.
“I think I get the gist. Damn, I could use a drink this morning.”
With that, Ma Ryeong-in took something out of his pocket and placed it on the table. It was a promissory note worth a thousand nyang.
“If you can’t sleep tonight, go to the brothel and have a drink. The scent of a woman might help you sleep.”
An unexpected gesture of goodwill.
This monster keeps wagging its tail at me.
I grinned and pocketed the note.
“Thank you.”
“Is it really something to be thankful for?”
“Honestly, I might act tough, but I didn’t sleep a wink last night. I killed several of your men, and though you told me not to mention it again, that ‘incident’ still worries me. Why are you being so kind to me?”
“Alright. I’ll tell you why I treat you specially. First, you consumed three of those precious Bulhoe Ma Ryeong-in pills, didn’t you? They’re cheaper than other elixirs with the same effect, but they take a lot of time and money to make.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“Of course not. There’s another reason I feel a connection with you.”
“What is it?”
“Seeing you, I was reminded that connections between people do exist.”
“Connections? Between men, that’s a rather cheesy thing to say.”
“The moment I saw you, I felt we’d have a deep connection. Let’s just say I liked you.”
If I were younger, in my twenties or thirties, I might have been swayed by his words. Who wouldn’t be, when someone hands you a thousand nyang and says they like you?
“Anyway, thank you.”
I patted my pocket and grinned.
“I’ll make good use of this money.”
That day, I didn’t keep an eye on Ma Ryeong-in.
In the evening, I really did go to the brothel. I called for the prettiest courtesan and ordered the most expensive drinks and dishes.
I drank with her, laughing and joking around. I didn’t bother being cautious about being watched. I had a feeling he might be watching me today.
Even if he wasn’t, it didn’t matter. I was just taking a day off.
Though I stayed late, I didn’t sleep with the courtesan. I was just putting on a show of revelry, not actually indulging in it.
In my past life, I had physical relationships with many women. So I have no aversion to sleeping with a courtesan or anyone else.
But for now, I haven’t broken off my engagement, so I don’t want to sleep with another woman.
“Do you have someone you like?”
The courtesan asked me.
“No.”
“Yes, you do.”
“No, I don’t. Don’t make baseless assumptions.”
“Women have an intuition for men’s infidelity.”
“Enough. This brother here wants to live freely.”
The courtesan chuckled.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Just because. Men who’ve wandered all their lives often say they want to settle down with someone. That they’re tired of freedom.”
“Don’t be fooled. It’s just a line to seduce you. Those people would go crazy if they were tied down for even a day.”
“Maybe.”
She smiled.
I lay on the courtesan’s lap, gazing at the moon outside the window.
Suddenly, the face of Song Hwa-rin overlapped with the bright moon.
I wondered how she was doing. She must be training hard. I remembered the time we walked through the market together. It was such a good day.
The courtesan, looking down at me, spoke.
“The person you’re thinking of now is the one you like.”
I looked up at her and said.
“I was thinking of you.”
She laughed and looked at the moon outside. Even a woman who had lived through days like a battlefield seemed at peace today.
“The moonlight is especially beautiful tonight.”
At the same time, Song Hwa-rin was standing by the window, looking up at the moon.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Suran asked, and Song Hwa-rin replied.
“Thinking about him.”
“What?”
Suran was taken aback.
“Do you mean the Young Master?”
“Why? Can’t I think about him?”
She asked so nonchalantly that Suran was flustered.
“No, but you’ve never…”
“Right, I’ve never thought about him before. I’ve never told you that either.”
“Yes.”
Suran’s surprise quickly turned to concern.
“Miss, are you troubled by something?”
“No. I just answered your question honestly. I was thinking about him.”
Suran realized that Song Hwa-rin’s feelings for Byeok Gong-ja were deeper than she had thought.
“You’re getting closer to him, aren’t you?”
It was meant to comfort Song Hwa-rin, but it had no effect.
“No. He’s getting further away from me.”
Suran looked puzzled.
“The more I learn about him, the further he seems to drift.”
The emotion in Song Hwa-rin’s eyes was unmistakably ‘regret.’
Suran, trying to understand, spoke with determination.
“To me, you’re the best, Miss.”
A smile returned to Song Hwa-rin’s face. She gestured for Suran to come closer.
When Suran approached, she put an arm around her shoulder and looked up at the moon again.
It was an unprecedented gesture, and Suran was inwardly surprised.
‘She’s definitely changed.’
Song Hwa-rin’s deepened eyes were filled with moonlight.
The next day, I received a mission.
The order was to eliminate Eumhaengbul. Eumhaengbul was originally a renowned martial monk from a famous temple in Hanam Province, but he had fallen into depravity due to a deviation in his training, becoming a notorious criminal who assaulted and fled from patrons.
Many martial artists lost their lives pursuing him.
Even after that, he roamed Hanam Province, assaulting numerous women. He had gone into hiding, and there had been no news of him until today, when I received the order to kill him.
“Is he an enemy of the Demon Lord?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
“He’s a notorious criminal we’ve been unable to catch for years. But this time, we got lucky and found his trail.”
A trap?
That was my first thought.
Could they really be hoping I’d get killed by this criminal? But why? If they wanted me dead, there were easier ways to do it.
And then, Chudochi added another layer.
“Capture him and hand him over to the Martial Alliance.”
“Is there a bounty on him?”
“Yes.”
“And the bounty?”
“You can keep it.”
I blinked, unable to comprehend. Chudochi seemed to have anticipated my reaction.
I raised my voice in frustration.
“What are you playing at?”
“Playing? We’re trying to catch a villain, aren’t we?”
“Damn it! What kind of nonsense is this?”
“Watch your mouth!”
Chudochi, who had been calm until now, glared at me with a look that said he wouldn’t tolerate any more.
I took a step back.
“Fine. Why do you want him dead?”
“As I said, he’s a villain.”
“And aren’t you just as much of a villain?”
Chudochi smirked, twisting his lips.
“Honestly, I don’t understand why the Demon Lord is showing you such favor.”
It seemed even he didn’t know the true intentions behind the order.
“Alright. I’ll bring him in. I could use the chance to vent some frustration.”
For now, I had to follow through with this task.
I wasn’t ready to let go of this lead just yet.
Two days later, I arrived at the Martial Alliance’s main base.
Dragging behind me was the criminal, Yumeongbul. His bones were shattered, leaving him unable to move on his own.
His lower body was particularly gruesome, with dried blood caked over it. That was the first place to burst during our fight.
“I’ve brought in the criminal with a bounty on his head.”
The guards at the entrance were shocked.
“Who is this?”
“Yumeongbul.”
At the mention of his name, everyone was taken aback. Yumeongbul was infamous among the martial artists of Henan Province.
“I brought him in alive, so it won’t take long to confirm his identity.”
Chaos erupted at the base.
The leader, Peng Xu, rushed out with his subordinates upon hearing the news.
Confirming the captive was indeed Yumeongbul, Peng Xu was astonished and asked me, “What is your name, sir?”
“The martial world calls me the Nameless Guest.”
“Oh! So you are the Nameless Hero!”
The martial artists around us cheered and applauded.
The Nameless Hero, who had defeated the notorious Butcher Flame and boldly warned the Celestial Sect, was already popular among the martial community. Capturing Yumeongbul only added to the excitement.
While the bounty was being prepared, more martial artists gathered to catch a glimpse of me.
Just days ago, I was surrounded by enemies in a tavern, and now I was hailed as a hero among warriors.
That day, I became the hero of the Martial Alliance’s main base.
The bounty was a staggering seven thousand nyang. It was a testament to the many crimes he had committed. I had dealt with a villain and secured a fortune. This wasn’t a trap after all.
What remained was the Demon Lord’s intention.
Why had he shown me such favor?