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Chapter 102. How About Zhengzhou?
The Old Dao of the Nine Heavens threw the man he had captured toward Sang Jaeyong.
“Ack!”
“Ugh!”
Crash!
The Bangju of the Sahae Chamber of Commerce, Sang Jaeyong, and the assassin Chu Yeopjin tumbled to the ground together.
“Brother Pung, this man is Chu Yeopjin. Sang Jaeyong tried to kill you using Cheok Dogwang, but I saved you. This is the truth. Chu Yeopjin planned your assassination, and Sang Jaeyong approved it. It was all to take over Jang Munho’s fabric store. When things went wrong, Sang Jaeyong tried to blame Chu Yeopjin and then kill him.”
Pung Yeoncho looked at Sang Jaeyong with a shocked expression.
“Is what he says true?”
“No, it’s not. It’s true that Chu Yeopjin proposed the assassination to me, but I told him to handle it himself and withdrew from the matter.”
Shim Tong spoke with a mocking tone.
“Jejeje. Yes, and then you gave seven hundred taels of silver to Chu Yeopjin, who didn’t have a penny. You said the money wasn’t yours.”
Finally, with a pale face, Sang Jaeyong knelt on the ground.
“Please forgive me! I was blinded by greed for a moment... it’s all my fault.”
Pung Yeoncho let out a sarcastic laugh.
An old man who hires assassins talking about his lack of virtue.
Tak Gomyung, unable to contain his fury, rushed toward Sang Jaeyong.
“You repulsive old man! That’s an evil sin, not a lack of virtue.”
With those words, Tak Gomyung drew his sword.
Alarmed, Pung Yeoncho ran and grabbed Tak Gomyung’s arm.
“Stop! If you kill this old man now, you’ll only bring more trouble. This old man is not like Jang Munho.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“I want to hand these two over to the authorities.”
“But Jang Munho is already dead. If these two talk to the authorities, we’ll have to leave Kaifeng. We should kill them and bury them.”
Sang Jaeyong struck his forehead against the ground and pleaded.
“I won’t! I’ll never mention your names! I’ll say Jang Munho fled after being discovered. I won’t mention anything about you! That’s the truth!”
Sang Jaeyong pleaded desperately.
He preferred to be sent to the authorities rather than die here. He had no intention of betraying them.
Tak Gomyung looked at him and said:
“If the authorities come after us, I swear I’ll tear you to pieces.”
“No, that will never happen. I swear.”
Sang Jaeyong looked at him with pleading eyes.
He was sincere. He had bribed the authorities numerous times and planned to continue doing so. As long as he had money, surviving wouldn’t be difficult.
Finally, Tak Gomyung sheathed his sword.
“Alright, brother, we’ll do as you say.”
“Thank you...”
“Yes.”
Leehwa Soo bowed deeply.
“You heard what happened, right?”
“...Yes.”
“Take these two to the authorities and reveal their crimes. If you do anything improper, you’ll see Tak Gomyung’s sword dance. Do you understand?”
“Yes, yes. I’ll do as you say.”
Leehwa Soo looked at Sang Jaeyong for approval, and Sang Jaeyong nodded.
Shortly after, Leehwa Soo called for the guards and arrested Sang Jaeyong and Chu Yeopjin.
“Brothers Pung and Tak have gone through a lot with this; shouldn’t we ask for compensation?”
Pung Yeoncho shook his head with a weary expression.
“No, I don’t want it. If I accept their money, I’ll feel like one of them.”
“It seems like Sang Jaeyong has a plan by offering to go to the authorities...”
Shim Tong seemed reluctant to let it go.
Tak Gomyung laughed and said:
“Shim, have you forgotten who we are? We let them live today because there were many witnesses. If they get out without paying for their crimes, they’ll die without anyone knowing. Right, brother?”
“Saying it twice would be redundant.”
“Jejeje. You both complicate things too much. You could have killed them and fled to the mountains.”
Yeon Jeokha clicked his tongue.
“Chist, someone once said you don’t understand life until you have children. Old man, you’re always saying we should kill and flee to the mountains. You don’t understand life.”
“...”
Shim Tong stroked his beard, embarrassed.
He wanted to refute, but he couldn’t deny that he had no children.
---------------
December.
Kaifeng.
Sang Jaeyong of the Sahae Chamber of Commerce and the wanderer Chu Yeopjin were imprisoned for hiring an assassination. Leehwa Soo took over the Sahae Chamber of Commerce in his place.
Five days after Sang Jaeyong’s imprisonment, Pung Yeoncho and Tak Gomyung left Yonghyeeru. The relationship with Leehwa Soo was uncomfortable, so they had to leave the Sahae Chamber of Commerce.
The two quickly found a place in the Geumseon Chamber of Commerce. The competition between the chambers of commerce was intense, and there were many jobs for swordsmen.
Yeon Jeokha and Shim Tong, just like in Luoyang, stayed at an inn and spent their time idling around.
For some reason, Shim Tong wasn’t looking for a new residence.
It seemed he knew that Yeon Jeokha wouldn’t stay in Kaifeng for long.
Had it been about ten days in Kaifeng?
Pung Yeoncho, drinking with them in a tavern, asked:
“Yeon, is your elder sister named Seolju?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Today, I ran into some warriors from the Geumseon Chamber of Commerce, and they mentioned there’s a Yeon at the Haewon Chamber of Commerce. I asked, and they said it was Yeon Seolju.”
“...”
Yeon Jeokha continued eating in silence.
In reality, he didn’t care what the Yeon family was doing.
Tak Gomyung explained:
“The Geumseon Chamber of Commerce and the Haewon Chamber of Commerce are fighting over the Jin’an night market. You might run into Yeon Seolju.”
“Well, what a surprise.”
Yeon Jeokha shook his head.
Who would have thought that in this vast world, his sworn brothers would end up entangled with the Yeon family?
But, in a way, it was the fate of swordsmen. Living as wanderers in the same region, they were bound to meet.
“Can we tell Yeon Seolju that you’re her brother?”
Pung Yeoncho carefully observed Yeon Jeokha’s expression.
He didn’t want to fight with the Yeon family. Although he hated them, they were still Jeokha’s family.
Tak Gomyung added:
“I don’t think Yeon Seolju holds a grudge over what happened at Five Peaks.”
Tak Gomyung thought that Yeon Seolju wouldn’t be angry about that. Compared to Yeon Jeokha’s suffering at Waryong Manor, that was insignificant.
Yeon Jeokha immediately understood why they were saying this.
They didn’t want to fight with Yeon Seolju.
“Do as you like. It will be known soon enough anyway.”
Yeon Jeokha had no intention of hiding it.
What happened at the Sahae Chamber of Commerce and the fight against Dae Ryo Gwi at the Namyang Chamber of Commerce would soon be known. There was no reason to hide it, nor did he want to.
Shim Tong, who had been listening, cautiously asked:
“Young Master, where do you plan to spend the winter?”
Yeon Jeokha looked out the window instead of answering.
It didn’t seem like much, but the question had a deep meaning.
Suddenly, he remembered Namgung Cheon.
“We plan to move to Zhengzhou, also known as Jeongju, in a few days. Luoyang is too close to the Fairy Cult. Come see us at the Daeyeon Chamber.”
Remembering those words made him feel bad.
He felt compassion for the Namgung family, who had to avoid the Fairy Cult.
For the Yeon family of Waryong Manor, they ‘deserved to fall.’
But the Namgung family always worried him. Maybe it was because of the kindness they showed him. He wanted them to be respected and have a comfortable life.
For some reason, Namgung Cheon’s words came to mind when Shim Tong asked.
Zhengzhou, Daeyeon Chamber.
But he didn’t want to go. Seeing their sad reality would only make him wander longer. So he consciously avoided the Daeyeon Chamber when passing through Zhengzhou.
He still couldn’t face them with peace of mind.
Maybe, with more time, he could see them with a smile.
‘Damn Fairy Cult.’
It was all because of them.
The destruction of the Namgung family, Namgung Cheon’s wandering life, and his sister’s.
The lowest-ranked Warrior Demons were so strong that the Namgung family had no chance. The seven great sects were also silent due to their power.
‘Why did my father fight them?’
It was said that the Moon-Splitting Swordsman fought alongside the Sword Emperor, but it was never said why.
Why did he fight against the Fairy Cult?
Even after his death, he was humiliated.
“Young Master?”
Shim Tong snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Hmm?”
“This winter, where...?”
Shim Tong, fearing he might seem bothersome, left the question hanging.
“I don’t know, where would be good?”
“How about Zhengzhou?”
“...”
Shim Tong surprised him with the question.
Yeon Jeokha looked at him sideways.
Did he know something and was saying it on purpose, or was it a coincidence?
“Why Zhengzhou?”
“There’s a lot to see. To the north is the Yellow River, to the west is Mount Song with the Shaolin Temple, to the southeast is the vast plain of the Yellow Sea. Plus, it’s between Kaifeng and Luoyang, so we can go anywhere.”
“Yes, the Yellow River in winter...”
Yeon Jeokha murmured distractedly, and Tak Gomyung asked:
“Why the Yellow River in winter?”
“Well, someone said the river looks best in winter.”
“Really? I’ve never heard that.”
“Neither have I, but maybe we didn’t hear it because we’re always in the mountains.”
Pung Yeoncho nodded as if he now understood.
“Young Master, so will it be Zhengzhou?”
“Yes. If you want it so much, let’s go.”
“Jeje, thanks for considering it.”
Shim Tong smiled widely at Yeon Jeokha.
Pung Yeoncho, looking at Shim Tong, asked:
“Do you have some treasure hidden in Zhengzhou? If it’s something good, share it.”
“Jejeje. Well, I don’t know if it’s a treasure or a headache.”
“Bah, always evasive. If you don’t know, who does?”
“Brother Pung, that’s how life is. How many know their own heart?”
Around 9 PM, Pung Yeoncho began to fidget.
Tak Gomyung, unable to bear it, spoke.
“Brother, stop moving around like a puppy that needs to go to the bathroom and go home. I’ll finish the bottles here. You’re not newly married. You’ll soon have another child.”
“There are many thieves lately. My family is worried, so I have to return early. Who would have thought I’d end up worried about petty thieves? Damn it.”
Pung Yeoncho grumbled.
It was almost comical, considering he was once a Nokrim Boss.
So it seemed that Pung Yeoncho and Tak Gomyung were returning to their routines.