Episode 31: The Cave
Jang Sang-chae’s head flew into the air.
Even in the moment his head was severed, there was no trace of fear on his face. He had been on the offensive from the start, so why would he expect anything else?
But Tang Mujin had learned one crucial lesson from mastering the Heart-Piercing Sword: the process of a fight doesn’t matter. Victory is decided in the final moment.
It doesn’t matter if you’re on the defensive the whole time. It doesn’t matter if you lose an arm or a leg.
In the end, the one who severs the opponent’s head and pierces their heart is the victor.
Jang Sang-chae’s headless body fell to its knees, then collapsed to the ground.
Silence enveloped the cave.
“What…?”
A short exclamation marked the beginning of chaos.
“The boss is dead!”
“Run for it!”
“Run? Are you crazy? We need to avenge him! Can’t you see the blood pouring out?”
“He killed the boss even in that state!”
“Idiot! You want to hand over all our loot to those two? I can’t do that!”
The bandits, initially in disarray, began to rally for a desperate stand.
The first to notice this shift wasn’t Tang Mujin, but Hong Geolgae. He wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but he had the street smarts of a beggar.
Despite blood streaming from his hands and mouth, Hong Geolgae grabbed the pouch hanging from Tang Mujin’s waist.
He pulled out a dozen needles from the case and soaked them in a pouch filled with aconite and rainwater.
Then, gathering his remaining strength, he flung the needles.
“Blossoms in the Rain!”
Tang Mujin clicked his tongue reflexively at the shout.
Hong Geolgae had started naming techniques that didn’t even exist, let alone the ones he knew.
If the technique had any real power, Tang Mujin might have let it slide, but the way Hong Geolgae scattered the needles was clumsy at best. They didn’t even cover the cave, let alone fill the sky.
Moreover, how much power could those thin needles hold? Most of them bounced off the bandits’ flimsy clothes.
However, a few needles struck two bandits at the front. Their mistake was removing their shirts while building a dam in the rain.
“What the…?”
“I don’t know, just kill them!”
The bandits in the back shouted, but the two who were hit couldn’t move easily. Only a couple of needles had struck them, yet their breathing was labored, and their legs felt heavy.
A master like Jang Sang-chae might have been able to expel the poison with his inner strength, but ordinary bandits had no such ability. They didn’t even realize what was happening to them.
The two bandits tried to move forward but collapsed to the ground.
“What the hell is happening to them?”
“Hey, hey! Stop! Something’s wrong with them!”
The two bandits gasped for air, their hands clawing at the ground, making wheezing sounds. Soon, foam began to froth from their mouths.
“Guh, guh…”
They trembled violently, their skin turning a sickly shade of blue. They reached out to their fellow bandits, as if pleading for help, making the scene even more grotesque and terrifying. The bandits instinctively stepped back.
The agony of their deaths was evident. If they had to die, they’d rather it be by the sword than like this.
Unable to bear it any longer, one of the bandits shouted.
“What the hell did you do?”
“It’s poison.”
Tang Mujin stepped forward, knowing he had to choose his words carefully now.
When he reached out to Hong Geolgae, the latter handed him the needle case and the pouch.
“If you want to fight, go ahead. I can’t promise I’ll kill you all, but at least a dozen of you will end up like them.”
The bandits hesitated, unable to approach Tang Mujin. Yet, they didn’t flee either.
Why not? Tang Mujin’s mind raced.
Why couldn’t they run even after Jang Sang-chae was dead? Why couldn’t they flee despite their fear?
Why did they desperately build a dam in the pouring rain?
Suddenly, Jang Sang-chae’s words came to mind.
Why had he shared this with the two who had taken refuge in the cave?
The answer was simple.
Tang Mujin spoke up.
“It seems there’s treasure hidden in this cave, collected by Jang Sang-chae.”
No one answered, but sometimes silence is affirmation. Tang Mujin saw a way out.
If you can’t have both, you must quickly decide what to give up.
“We have no interest in the treasure.”
“What?”
A bandit with an eye patch questioned him. They must have assumed Tang Mujin and Hong Geolgae were after the treasure. A reasonable suspicion.
“We know you kidnapped children. We’re here to rescue them, not because we’re greedy for treasure. I don’t care what happens to Jang Sang-chae’s loot.”
“Those kids aren’t the children of rich or powerful people. You did all this just to save some street urchins?”
“Yes.”
The bandits hesitated, unable to believe it.
Tang Mujin took a step back, sheathing his sword. A gesture to show he had no intention of fighting.
“There’s no need to doubt. Jang Sang-chae is dead, and the treasure has no owner. If you fight us, all you’ll gain is a miserable death. Will you fight and die miserably, or take the unclaimed treasure and flee?”
“How can we trust you don’t want the treasure?”
“You don’t need to worry. I’ll clear the way for you.”
Tang Mujin followed the bandits’ gaze.
They were looking toward the brighter path of the two. The treasure must be there.
Then the children must be in the opposite direction. Tang Mujin pointed to the darker path.
“The children are over there, aren’t they?”
The bandit with the eye patch nodded. Tang Mujin entered the dark path, speaking in a deliberately casual tone.
“Let’s go.”
The bandits watched as the two disappeared into the dark cave.
Moments later, they rushed toward the treasure.
So-seon sat huddled in the dark cave.
She had lost track of how many days had passed since she was captured. It felt like it could have been two or three days, or maybe more than ten.
The cave’s walls and floor were cold and uneven. Small puddles were scattered around, filling the air with the pungent smell of damp moss.
But more terrifying than the smell or the cold was the endless darkness. The only light So-seon had seen recently was the torchlight when the bandits brought food.
Sitting in the darkness, she often felt insects crawling over her feet or up her arms, sending shivers down her spine.
Though she was used to bugs as a beggar, feeling the touch of unseen insects in the dark was a different matter entirely.
She wanted to escape the cave immediately. But there was no way out. A sturdy wooden door blocked the entrance.
“Dad… Vice Chief…”
When fear became unbearable, So-seon would whisper their names.
Her most reliable father.
And the strongest, most influential person she knew, Hong Myeon-nogae, the Vice Chief of the Central Beggars’ Union.
“We’re doomed. We’ll never get out alive.”
A voice came from beside her.
There were two other children in the cave, captured before So-seon.
They had been in the darkness long enough to abandon all hope.
The two children rejected any positive thoughts, as if letting go of hope would lessen the pain.
“The demons will eat us.”
“Eat us?”
“The bandits said so. Evil demons will suck our blood dry.”
“Why would they drink our blood?”
“They say drinking children’s blood makes them stronger.”
So-seon shivered. Several of her friends had gone missing too.
And none had ever returned. So-seon knew her fate wouldn’t be much different. She just didn’t want to accept it.
She whispered softly. Vice Chief. Dad, Vice Chief.
“It won’t help. Your dad can’t beat the bandits. They have swords.”
“The Vice Chief can beat them. The adults said Hong Myeon-nogae is the strongest in the region.”
“That doesn’t mean anything. The bandits said they’re friendly with the beggars’ union.”
So-seon’s heart sank. It was almost like saying there was no hope, no one to rely on.
After a moment’s thought, she decided to pretend she hadn’t heard anything. A child needs something to hold onto.
“Dad, Vice Chief, Dad…”
How much time had passed? Suddenly, there was movement in the distance.
So-seon and the other children tensed. It wasn’t time for food, so the bandits coming meant one of two things: either a new child was being brought in, or one of the captured children was being taken out.
If it was a new child, that was better. But the thought of a captured child being taken away was too horrible to imagine. So-seon pictured a demon sucking her blood. She shivered.
‘It can’t be.’
The door swung open, and the smell of blood wafted in. The children shrank back even more.
A bright torch illuminated their faces. The children squirmed, unaccustomed to the light.
“Deputy Chief, Dad, Deputy Chief…”
Hearing Soseon’s murmurs, Hong Geolgae chuckled softly.
“Yes, your Deputy Chief is here.”
Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae extended their hands to the three children, guiding them out of the darkness.
When Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae emerged from the cave, the sky had cleared as if by magic.
They saw the bandits who had been building the embankment fleeing with handfuls of Jang Sangchae’s treasures. While new bandits might eventually settle in Junggyeong, Jang Sangchae’s reign was over.
Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae brought the three children back to their parents, who were living under the bridge. Both the children and their parents seemed unsure if they were dreaming or awake.
At first, the beggars’ eyes were on the children, but soon they shifted to the battered and bloodied appearance of Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae. Both men were covered in blood from head to toe.
The parents, including So Samgu, bowed so deeply and fervently that it seemed their foreheads might crack against the ground.
“Thank you, thank you. How can we ever repay you? We have nothing, but if you wait a little…”
“No need for repayment. It’s enough that the children are back with their parents.”
Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae left the grateful beggars behind and returned to the Shinwol Inn.
The innkeeper grimaced at the sight of the two men, clearly worried about bloodstains on the bedding. But what the innkeeper thought was the least of Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae’s concerns.
Dang Mujin turned to Hong Geolgae. “So, what will you do now?”
“Well, I think I’ll stick around a bit longer.”
Hong Geolgae seemed tempted to settle in Junggyeong, but it wasn’t possible. He couldn’t predict what Hong Myeon-nogae from the Justice Faction might do to him.
Though it was a long time ago, and they might brush it off like water off a duck’s back, if the grudge ran deep, Hong Myeon-nogae might try to kill him.
“Do as you like.”
From Dang Mujin’s perspective, having Hong Geolgae around wasn’t a bad thing. He could take care of himself, was a great sparring partner, and, most importantly, they had grown quite close.
As they opened the door to their room, a familiar face greeted them. Gwaiyi was sprawled out on the bed.
As soon as he saw them, Gwaiyi sat up, frowning. “What on earth did you do to come back looking like that?”
How to explain? Dang Mujin pondered for a moment before shrugging. “We got a bit carried away. What about you, old man? What have you been up to?”
“I was just about to tell you. It’s good that Hong Geolgae is here too. Both of you, sit down.”
Curious about what Gwaiyi had to say, Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae listened intently.
“I left Junggyeong for a few days because something was bothering me.”
“What was bothering you?”
Gwaiyi adopted a serious expression, setting the mood. “Do you know about the old conflict between the Dark Faction and the Justice Faction in Junggyeong?”
Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae chuckled. “Oh, we know it well.”