Chapter 75
Deployment (2)
Cheon Geuk stood by the second-floor window of the teahouse, gazing outside.
More than twenty mounted riders came galloping past, having just left the Alliance.
The man riding at the head of the group was Baek Socheon.
Afraid that he might see her, she hurriedly ducked down until only her eyes peeked over the windowsill.
At that moment, Dongseong spoke from behind her.
“He won’t be able to see this place from a galloping horse.”
“You never know. His eyesight is ridiculously good.”
“Weren’t you hoping Warrior Baek would see you?”
Cheon Geuk whipped around with a fierce glare, making Dongseong flinch.
“Gasp! My apologies. I misspoke.”
Her expression immediately softened, revealing that she had only been teasing him.
“You’re right. I was standing here because I wanted him to see me. But now that I think about it, I’d probably be embarrassed if he actually did. Where did you say they were being deployed?”
“The Zhejiang Branch.”
“A lot seems to happen in that corner of the country.”
She could still vividly remember traveling to Zhejiang Province after Baek Socheon first summoned her, as though it had happened only yesterday.
Looking toward the end of the road where Baek Socheon had already disappeared, she asked,
“Are you worried about me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you worried I’ll become so infatuated with that man that I’ll neglect the Alliance?”
Dongseong finally said what he had been holding back.
“Quite the opposite.”
“The opposite?”
“I think it would be fine if you neglected it a little now. Haven’t you already devoted your entire youth to the Alliance?”
“Hmm. So you’re saying my youth is already over? Well, I suppose at my age now…”
“No! No, that’s not what I meant! I misspoke again.”
Dongseong’s overly serious nature made him particularly fun to tease.
She turned back toward the window.
Looking up at the perfectly clear, cloudless sky, she said,
“I wonder when it’ll snow again.”
Dongseong answered from behind her.
“They say we’ll get a lot of snow this year.”
Without turning around, Cheon Geuk smiled brightly.
“All right. Shall we start getting ready for the evening customers?”
***
The Hyeoncheon Unit led by Baek Socheon arrived near the Zhejiang Branch.
“Wang Ho and Beon Saeng, come with me. The rest of you wait here.”
Taking only the eldest and youngest with him, Baek Socheon headed toward the agreed meeting place.
The man waiting for him was Gang Jungmyeong, Jeong Pung’s attendant warrior. He was the one who had sent the carrier message to the Main Headquarters to report the situation. Baek Socheon had contacted him separately and arranged to meet here.
“I’m Baek Socheon, Commander of the Hyeoncheon Unit.”
“I’m Gang Jungmyeong.”
He was an ordinary martial artist whose duties consisted of managing Jeong Pung’s office and assisting him.
“What happened to Branch Leader Jeong?”
“He started becoming unusually quiet some time ago, and a few days ago, he injured his face. He said he had simply walked into a door, but the injury was clearly from someone hitting him. There were bruises on his arms as well.”
A branch leader of the Martial Alliance had been beaten?
That was unthinkable.
Even more troubling was the fact that he was trying to conceal the assault.
“Do you have any idea what might have happened?”
“He doesn’t tell me about his personal affairs… but lately, he has seemed deeply troubled.”
Baek Socheon asked him several more questions before sending him away.
“Go back and act exactly as you normally would.”
“Yes.”
Gang Jungmyeong left first.
Baek Socheon turned to Wang Ho.
“Send our men to investigate Branch Leader Jeong and the people around him. With help from the Zhejiang Branch of the Shadow Pavilion, you should be able to look into his financial situation.”
Baek Socheon could have handled it personally, but he wanted his subordinates to gain practical experience.
Of course, they had already experienced many different situations before, but this was the first time they were working together under the name of the Hyeoncheon Unit.
There was also a possibility that Baek Socheon would eventually be placed in charge of the Secret Pavilion again. Both the Alliance Leader and On Byeokhwa wanted that.
Even if that happened, he intended to obtain the Alliance Leader’s permission to continue operating the Hyeoncheon Unit separately.
It would serve as both his personal force and a special operations unit.
“And investigate Gang Jungmyeong as well.”
It wasn’t that Baek Socheon suspected him. If Gang Jungmyeong had malicious intentions, there would have been little reason for him to summon them all the way down here.
Still, it was unusual for an attendant warrior to independently send a carrier message, so Baek Socheon included him in the investigation.
What concerned Baek Socheon most was the possibility that the Zecheong Alliance or the Blood Cult might be behind this.
After all, the Zecheong Alliance had already attempted to recruit members of the Martial Alliance here in Zhejiang before.
“In the meantime, I’ll meet Branch Leader Jeong.”
***
“Warrior Baek. What brings you here?”
Jeong Pung was visibly startled when Baek Socheon came to visit him.
“Have you forgotten already? Didn’t you tell me to come visit sometime?”
“Of course I remember, but…”
He had never expected Baek Socheon to actually come.
“Are you planning to keep me standing while we talk?”
“Ah. Please, sit.”
Baek Socheon sat across from him.
“I’ve heard about you. I hear you’ve taken charge of an organization within the Hyeoncheon Pavilion?”
“The Grand Strategist gave me a position for old times’ sake.”
“And I heard you reconciled with the Alliance Leader?”
“So you already knew.”
“Who doesn’t?”
Rumors about Baek Socheon had already spread throughout the Main Headquarters.
There was no way someone of Jeong Pung’s position as a branch leader would not have heard.
Their conversation repeatedly stalled.
It wasn’t because they hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Jeong Pung simply couldn’t concentrate on the conversation.
There was indeed an injury still visible on his face, and he seemed strangely anxious.
Baek Socheon had never formed a particularly deep bond with Jeong Pung, but his memories of the man were good ones.
He didn’t know what kind of trouble Jeong Pung had gotten himself into, but he hoped it wasn’t something that would ruin the man’s life.
“I thought our connection ended back then.”
Baek Socheon smiled faintly at Jeong Pung’s words.
“Apparently, our connection is unexpectedly persistent.”
“What really brought you here?”
“I was just passing through and decided to stop by. Let’s have a drink.”
“I have an important appointment today, so I’m afraid I can’t.”
“Tomorrow, then?”
“…How long will you be staying here?”
For some reason, he looked reluctant.
“A few days.”
“Then I’ll contact you.”
“Very well. I’ll be staying at the largest inn in front of the branch.”
“I’ll see you again.”
Baek Socheon rose from his seat.
***
But he didn’t leave.
Instead, Baek Socheon concealed himself among the branches of a massive tree overlooking Jeong Pung’s office and watched him.
If Baek Socheon had suddenly come to visit after so long, Jeong Pung normally would have canceled whatever other appointment he had.
The fact that he had postponed their meeting until tomorrow suggested that whatever he had to do today was extremely important.
Yet Jeong Pung did not leave the office even after the workday ended and night fell.
Baek Socheon could see him sitting at his desk, repeatedly sighing.
He realized that Jeong Pung hadn’t rejected him because of another appointment.
He simply didn’t have the emotional energy to drink with anyone.
What in the world was troubling him so deeply?
After confirming that Jeong Pung had returned home, Baek Socheon headed back to the inn where his subordinates were waiting.
They had removed their Hyeoncheon Unit uniforms and disguised themselves as ordinary martial artists and escort agency guards, splitting into several groups.
Twenty people traveling together would attract too much attention.
Wang Ho, who had been waiting for him, reported the findings of the investigation they had conducted with the Zhejiang Branch of the Shadow Pavilion.
“We found nothing suspicious about Gang Jungmyeong, the man who sent the carrier message. The problem is Branch Leader Jeong.”
“What about him?”
“We confirmed that Branch Leader Jeong recently withdrew a large sum of money from the bank.”
“How much?”
“Fourteen thousand nyang in total. Five thousand twice and two thousand twice.”
As far as Baek Socheon knew, Jeong Pung was not corrupt.
If so, fourteen thousand nyang was probably the entirety of the fortune he had accumulated over his lifetime.
And he had withdrawn all of it?
“I remember hearing that he had a family.”
“That’s correct. He’s a devoted family man.”
For a family man to suddenly withdraw what was likely his entire life savings meant that he was clearly facing a serious problem.
“Could it be a family problem?”
“That doesn’t seem to be the case. His family is living exactly as they always have.”
“Send some men to check every gambling house in Zhejiang Province and see whether Jeong Pung has visited any of them. Have two men skilled in surveillance keep watch on him. It could involve a woman, so investigate any women he has connections with as well.”
“Yes, sir.”
Wang Ho left the room.
Baek Socheon walked over to the window.
Jeong Pung’s face from earlier that day came to mind.
‘Jeong Pung, I hope this is something I can still clean up for you.’
***
Jeong Pung finally made his move after work the following day.
Constantly glancing behind him to make sure he wasn’t being followed, he arrived at a logging camp in the nearby mountains.
Dozens of bare-chested men were gathered there.
They were dressed to look like lumberjacks, but they were no ordinary men.
Logging camps were naturally convenient places for martial artists to hide.
After all, there was nothing suspicious about dozens of men gathering at such a place.
The man waiting for Jeong Pung was in his thirties.
His name was Seok Gyeon, and an unmistakable air of frivolous vulgarity was written all over his face.
“Did you bring the money?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I have nothing left.”
“Heh. Then what exactly do you plan to do?”
“What do you expect me to do about money I don’t have?”
“You’ve been a branch leader for so long, and you expect me to believe this is all the money you have?”
“Was I a branch leader from the very beginning? What do you want me to do when I simply don’t have any more money?”
“If you’re going to take that attitude, then I have no choice. We’ll simply tell the whole world what you did.”
Jeong Pung’s expression instantly hardened.
“What do you think will happen when your family learns the truth? Will they still be able to look at you as a husband and father?”
Jeong Pung clenched his teeth but couldn’t say anything.
Seok Gyeon coaxed him as though he were generously offering a concession.
“Fine! I’ll compromise. If you really don’t have any money, then bring us information worth money.”
“What information?”
“Steal internal information from your branch and bring it to us. We can sell it and make money that way.”
“No!”
Jeong Pung shouted and glared fiercely at Seok Gyeon.
“Absolutely not!”
“Even if we expose what you did?”
“Even then!”
“You think we’ll only kill you? I’m trash. Trash, plain and simple. I openly admit it. There’s nothing I won’t do for money.”
“You bastard!”
Jeong Pung tried to advance on Seok Gyeon, but one of the men nearby swiftly stepped in front of him.
The bare-chested man was covered in so much body hair that at first glance, he resembled an ape.
And his martial prowess was every bit as remarkable as his appearance.
He was stronger than Jeong Pung.
Not only that, but the other men surrounding them were also far stronger than the warriors of the Zhejiang Branch.
It was effectively the equivalent of three strike teams on the level of the Iron Sword Unit gathered in one place.
Seok Gyeon spoke soothingly.
“If you sell us information instead, I’ll even return every coin you’ve given us so far. Like you said, you’ll need money to support your wife and children in the future, won’t you?”
“No. Even if I die, I won’t do that.”
“What crime did your family commit?”
“I still won’t do it.”
“Then what exactly do you intend to do?”
At that very moment, a voice came from above.
“What about you? What exactly do you intend to do?”
The two men turned toward the voice.
At some point, Baek Socheon had appeared atop a pile of logs and was sitting there casually.
“Who the hell is that bastard?”
At the hairy man’s shout, every man in the logging camp drew his weapon and converged on Baek Socheon.
Baek Socheon looked at Jeong Pung.
“You turned down a drink with me so you could come here?”
“How did you get here?”
Seok Gyeon asked Jeong Pung,
“You know him?”
Jeong Pung didn’t answer.
He simply stared at Baek Socheon.
Of all people, it was Baek Socheon.
And the fact that he was here meant…
“Come to think of it… you already knew everything when you came down here.”
“Not the details. I’m planning to learn those now.”
Baek Socheon added sincerely,
“I was worried. I thought you might accept that offer.”
“I’m not that kind of man.”
“That’s all I needed to know.”
Baek Socheon lightly jumped down.
More than thirty armed men surrounded him with swords pointed in his direction.
Baek Socheon calmly swept his gaze over them.
The strongest person here was the hairy man.
From the sinister aura mixed into the energy of those surrounding him, Baek Socheon could tell what kind of martial arts they practiced.
‘Unorthodox martial arts!’
That meant they were either warriors of the Zecheong Alliance or unaffiliated members of the unorthodox faction.
The hairy man assumed Jeong Pung had brought Baek Socheon here.
“Guess the beating didn’t hurt enough if you’re pulling stupid shit like this.”
Baek Socheon immediately realized that this was the man who had beaten Jeong Pung.
“You’re the one who hit him?”
“Yeah. Thickheaded bastards need a beating before they learn to listen.”
“You’re with the Zecheong Alliance, aren’t you?”
The hairy man flinched.
“How did you know?”
“How would I know? I just guessed.”
“What?”
The hairy man’s face immediately darkened.
“Your Alliance Leader said he was giving up on Zhejiang Province. So which faction are you from, and why are you still skulking around here?”
Baek Socheon knew Yeomhwasin fairly well.
When they had met over the Shinhwa Gang incident, Yeomhwasin had said he would give up on Zhejiang.
Yet these men had secretly returned and were doing something like this?
Yeomhwasin could be difficult to predict, but at the very least, he wasn’t petty enough to pull something this underhanded.
“And yet you’re still members of the Zecheong Alliance?”
Even after Yeomhwasin was mentioned, the hairy man didn’t appear particularly nervous.
That naturally brought one person to Baek Socheon’s mind.
“Yeom Sawon! You bastards work for him.”
The only person who could disobey Yeomhwasin’s orders and scheme independently was his son.
“His first impression was filthy enough, and apparently his actions are just as filthy.”
“Watch your fucking mouth before I tear it apart!”
The hairy man’s furious reaction was answer enough.
There was no doubt about it.
These men were Yeom Sawon’s subordinates.
Baek Socheon looked at Jeong Pung.
“You got yourself caught by one truly vile, filthy bastard.”