Chapter 87

87. If you were in my shoes, which would you choose?

Kaebong.

Phoenix Tower (Giru).

The owner of the fabric shop, Jang Moon-ho, tilted the bottle to fill Chuyepjin's glass.

"Brother, drink. Drink and die. What's there to life?"

The alcohol overflowed from Chuyepjin's glass, who seemed a bit tipsy.

Watching this, Jang Moon-ho finally let out a curse, "Damn it."

Jang Moon-ho had been living under the same roof as Im Jiling for five years.

Over such a long time, it was inevitable that some affection would develop.

Moreover, Im Jiling was not a plain woman like those found on the street. Despite having two children, she was more beautiful and radiant than his wife.

Therefore, he had pressured his wife several times to express his desire to live together.

At first, she firmly refused, but recently she had started to smile whenever their eyes met. It seemed she was feeling lonely now that the children were growing up.

However.

However.

Just as he was about to push a little harder and make it happen, the man returned.

It felt as if he had dropped a luscious fruit he had in his hand.

The feeling of regret, anger, and frustration, which he hadn't felt in decades, made his blood run cold.

Chuyepjin, with his sharp eyes, chuckled and raised his glass.

"Brother, is something wrong?"

"There's nothing. Do we need a reason to drink? Damn it."

Despite his words, a heavy sigh finally escaped Jang Moon-ho's lips.

Chuyepjin then asked in a subtle tone,

"Why? Who has been bothering you so much? Tell me, brother."

"Ha!"

Jang Moon-ho looked at Chuyepjin with bloodshot eyes.

Chuyepjin was a bodyguard for the Sahaemangbang, known for his cruel methods. Even the wandering knights of Kaebong avoided making eye contact with him.

After being introduced by the leader, Jang Moon-ho occasionally invited him for drinks and women. Each drinking session cost a fortune, but he didn't mind spending money on Chuyepjin.

Why?

There were no troublemakers in his shop, and he easily collected overdue debts. All this was because he was on good terms with Chuyepjin.

Perhaps Chuyepjin could find a way?

Just thinking about it made his heart itch.

"Actually, it's like this..."

***

The next morning, Chuyepjin went to see the leader of the Sahaemangbang, Sang Jae-yong.

"What's the matter?"

"It's about Jang Moon-ho, the fabric shop owner. Last night, he made an interesting request."

"Tell me."

"He has a woman he's looking after. Her husband killed someone twelve years ago and fled. Recently, he tried to take her as a concubine, but the husband, who had abandoned his family, returned."

"Hmm."

Sang Jae-yong, amused by the story, asked,

"So you're saying he wants the husband eliminated?"

"Yes."

Chuyepjin's lips curled slightly.

Jang Moon-ho had asked for help to live with the woman, but it amounted to the same thing.

"I was thinking about how to take over the fabric shop, and now you're offering to hand it to me?"

"There is a minor issue, though."

"What is it?"

"The returned husband is one of the two men you hired recently."

"The wandering knights you sent to Yongheilu?"

"Yes. Feng Yanchao is the man."

"Hmm! Feng Yanchao. If you were in my shoes, which would you choose: Feng Yanchao or the fabric shop?"

"Obviously the fabric shop. There are plenty of wandering knights to guard the brothel, but only one fabric shop."

"Any good ideas?"

"Hehe. Isn't that what I'm best at? I'll kill Feng Yanchao and expose Jang Moon-ho as the one who hired me. Then the fabric shop will belong to you."

"Hmm, truly terrifying words. I know nothing about this. Do as you please."

Sang Jae-yong subtly distanced himself.

Chuyepjin nodded as if it were expected.

"I'll handle it. Just provide me with 500 taels of silver."

Sang Jae-yong placed a wooden box containing silver on the table.

"Let me be clear, I am not involved in this. If anyone asks about this money, I'll say it was stolen. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

Chuyepjin grinned and grabbed the box.

Merchants, no matter how bold they pretend to be, always protect themselves at critical moments. Thanks to this, he and other swordsmen can live comfortably.

***

Kaebong.

Thianxiang Restaurant.

Chuyepjin entered Thianxiang Restaurant with the wooden box.

It was still early for lunch, and there were no customers in the restaurant.

He entered the innermost room and sat down comfortably.

A moment later, a rat-like waiter came in with a bottle and whispered,

"Hehe, Master Chuyepjin, the food in this room is so good that even if one of the two diners dies, the other won't notice. You know this, right?"

"You little rat. We've done business before, so why the theatrics? Go and get San Gongzi or Wu."

"Did you say San Gongzi?"

"Yes. Are you deaf?"

"Yes, yes."

The waiter bowed and left.

A moment later, a man in his thirties entered the room.

He glanced at Chuyepjin with a hazy look and sat down opposite him.

"Murderer Chuyepjin. As you know, the death room of Thianxiang Restaurant doesn't serve food."

"San Gongzi. I have no interest in human flesh."

At that moment, a glint appeared in San Gongzi Sim Young-chun's eyes.

"Watch your mouth."

Thianxiang Restaurant was a black market that served human flesh to a select few special customers. But they didn't stop there; they also took assassination contracts.

The death room, one of the four rooms in the Thianxiang Restaurant, was where these assassinations took place. The head of the death room was San Gongzi Sim Young-chun.

As Sim Young-chun exuded a killing aura, Chuyepjin flinched and stiffened.

Sim Young-chun's nickname was Ghost Sword, given for his ability to take lives like a ghost.

"Hehe. I won't be scared. Who do you want me to kill? Who should I cook for you?"

Unless specifically requested, the assassins in the death room handed over the victims to Thianxiang Restaurant. This way, there would be no trace of the victim, making it a win-win situation.

"Feng Yanchao, who is in charge of the security at Yongheilu. He travels with a man named Zhuo Gao-ming, so be careful."

"Hmph! Yongheilu belongs to your Sahaemangbang, yet you want me to kill a Sahaemangbang warrior?"

"The death room only needs to kill and get paid, right?"

"Fine. What's their background?"

"They both learned martial arts from a student of Walong Hall."

"You mean the Walong Hall in Luoyang?"

"Yes."

Sim Young-chun, who had been half-closing his eyes in thought, said,

"700 taels of silver."

"Do I look like an idiot to you? 700 taels for a mere third-rate wandering knight?"

"It's not one but two. They travel together, so how can you kill just one?"

"Tsk, 600 taels, then."

Chuyepjin conceded, seeing the logic in Sim Young-chun's words.

But Sim Young-chun didn't back down.

"700 taels. If you think it's too much, do it yourself. We can clean up the bodies for you."

Chuyepjin, who had been glaring at San Gongzi, let out a sigh.

It was a frustrating deal, but he had to pay whatever the other party demanded.

"Fine."

"400 taels upfront, and 300 after the job is done."

Chuyepjin took out 400 taels from the box and pushed it towards San Gongzi.

"When will you start?"

"They won't last more than seven days."

"Understood. I'll give you the rest after the job is done."

"Murderer. If you hide or lie even a little, neither you nor the Sahaemangbang will be safe."

"Heh, I won't."

"..."

Sim Young-chun stared at Chuyepjin for a moment before leaving without a word.

Alone, Chuyepjin muttered,

"Damn. Just two wandering knights, and I'm spending too much money."

***

Henan Province.

Yichuan County.

Two men were walking on the road leading to Luoyang.

Yan Jieha and the self-proclaimed Jiuqianlou Xin Tong had left the sacred site of Wudang Mountain.

"Master, what was that sword technique you mentioned?"

"Chun Dun Sword Technique."

"Oh, right. I keep forgetting. You said the sword technique of the Sword Immortal Ye Dongbin is found in the Wudang, Huashan, and Quanzhen sects, right?"

"Uh-huh."

Yan Jieha answered absentmindedly.

Since leaving Wudang Mountain, Xin Tong had been asking the same questions repeatedly.

Why didn't the Daoist sects learn the Sword Immortal's martial arts?

Are the sword techniques passed down in the three sects exactly the same?

Are they slightly different?

If the form is different but the essence is the same, is it still the Chun Dun Sword Technique? And so on...

Sure enough, Xin Tong's similar questions continued.

"Why do they only teach Taiji Sword, Plum Blossom Sword, and Wuji Sword, even though they have such a good sword technique?"

"I've told you many times. They can't learn it. It's a martial art that can't be mastered by a human body."

"But you learned it after hearing it once, didn't you?"

"What I learned and what they know might be different. I only heard the essence of the sword technique. I've told you many times, I'm a fraud. So don't compare me to them."

Unable to bear it any longer, Yan Jieha resorted to self-deprecation, which made Xin Tong quickly change the subject.

"Hey, it's already late autumn. It might get cold when we reach Luoyang."

"Old Xin will be even colder. He has no fat."

"Hehe. Unfortunately, I have a body that doesn't feel the cold."

"Still, you should dress warmly in winter. It's part of the charm of the season."

"Ah, yes."

As they exchanged light-hearted banter, a carriage approached from behind at high speed.

Despite seeing people ahead, the carriage did not slow down.

Yan Jieha and Xin Tong quickly moved to the side of the road.

Rumble, rumble.

The carriage passed by, kicking up dust.

"Damn! What kind of people are those? Master, are you okay?"

"Argh! They're really despicable. I hope they get struck by lightning!"

Yan Jieha cursed.

After the dust settled, they continued walking, but their faces showed a lack of enthusiasm.

After seeing the carriage speed by like the wind, both seemed to have lost their motivation.

After about half an hour of walking,

Yan Jieha and Xin Tong spotted a dilapidated inn and looked at each other.

"Master, shall we eat something?"

"Sure. I'm too tired to walk."

As they approached the inn, their expressions grew grim.

Next to the inn, the carriage that had passed them earlier was parked.

Xin Tong gritted his teeth.

In the old days, he would have stormed into the inn and killed the driver and the owner.

Yan Jieha also glared at the carriage with a venomous look.

"Old Xin."

"Yes?"

"From now on, let's travel by carriage."

"..."

Xin Tong, who had been looking dejected, chuckled.

He hadn't expected Yan Jieha to suggest, "Let's travel by carriage" in this situation.