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Chapter 13: I Know You’re a Born Pushover, But (1)
The Munseong Branch of the Murim Alliance grew even busier.
When Wang Gon and Heuksu were dragged in, a storeroom had to be converted into a makeshift prison. From the start, the Munseong Branch was not equipped to hold this many prisoners.
Once Wang Gon’s medical treatment was roughly finished, Lim Chung interrogated him personally.
Entering the interrogation room, Wang Gon had bandages wrapped tightly around his nose and mouth, his eyes filled with sheer terror.
However, upon confirming that Baek Socheon was not in the room, that fear quickly morphed into malice.
Wang Gon glared at Lim Chung with a look that seemed ready to devour the easy target before him.
In the past, this crude hostility would have weighed heavily on Lim Chung’s heart, but things were different now.
‘What’s done is done.’
The real battle between himself and Wang Gon was starting now.
“Confess everything quietly and pay for your crimes.”
Naturally, such persuasion fell on deaf ears.
“I never tried to bribe anyone, nor did I assault or threaten you. And I certainly didn’t try to kill anyone.”
“Acting like this will only add extra punishment for contempt.”
“Look here, Branch Master Lim. Didn’t your people say it? That the current charges alone are enough to lock me away for thirty years. What difference does a few more years make?”
“If you confess obediently, your sentence might be reduced.”
Wang Gon merely snorted in disdain.
“You will be transferred to the Zhejiang Sub-division within a few days.”
“Send me there right away, then. There will be someone there to clear my name.”
Rather than being frightened of being sent to the sub-division, he seemed to view it as a way out.
Lim Chung sighed inwardly.
‘This won’t be easy.’
Given who the opponent was, he worried whether the sub-division would handle the matter fairly if they sent him there as he was.
Just then, Beon Saeng called out to Lim Chung from outside.
“Branch Master.”
When Lim Chung stepped out of the interrogation room, Beon Saeng delivered the news.
“What is it?”
“Someone has arrived from the Zhejiang Sub-division.”
Lim Chung was startled by Beon Saeng’s report.
“Already? How do they know?”
It shouldn’t have been enough time for the report of Wang Gon and Heuksu’s arrest to reach them yet.
“Ah, no, not about this matter. They came to investigate the massacre of Yang Chu’s family.”
“Ah. I see.”
Since it was such a major case, the sub-division had dispatched someone.
“Who came?”
“Cheon Doksa has arrived.”
“Damn it! Why him of all people?”
Cheon Doksa was the nickname of Cheon Yangho, First Squad Leader of the Zhejiang Sub-division. He was called Cheon Doksa, the Venomous Viper…because of his vicious, viper-like personality. The problem was that he and Lim Chung did not get along well at all. They say misfortunes never come singly…
“Where is he now?”
Right at that moment, a middle-aged man appeared at the end of the hallway.
“I’m right here.”
This man with sharp, cold eyes was none other than Cheon Yangho, the Venomous Viper of the Zhejiang Sub-division.
Omitting even a long-overdue greeting, he demanded sharply:
“What on earth happened with Hall Master Wang?”
Only after arriving here had he learned of Wang Gon’s arrest.
“I arrested Hall Master Wang on charges of bribery, assault, making threats, and attempted murder.”
“What?”
Cheon Yangho was flabbergasted. The unspoken thought, ‘Are you out of your mind?’, was fully displayed across his face.
“What in the world happened?”
Lim Chung explained what had transpired. Upon hearing it, Cheon Yangho immediately raised doubts.
“So you’re saying you went alone at first to return the Century-Old Fallopia Root, but how did your subordinates know to follow you?”
“They saw that I had left in an agitated state because of the fallopia root, so they came after me.”
“How did your subordinates know it was a Century-Old Fallopia Root? Did you open the box in front of them?”
“No.”
“Then how did they know?”
“That’s…”
That was something Lim Chung hadn’t even thought about.
‘Baek Socheon. He must have figured it out.’
Strictly speaking, it was a point that could raise suspicion. Anyone would find it strange if told that someone identified a Century-Old Fallopia Root without looking inside the box.
“Do you have evidence that Hall Master Wang offered a bribe?”
“My wife and I are witnesses.”
“What about a third party who isn’t an interested party?”
“There isn’t one.”
“So you, an interested party regarding the bribery charge, personally arrested him? For a matter like this, you should have reported it to the sub-division to handle!”
Cheon Yangho probed relentlessly.
“The side that initiated the assault first was the Myth Sect. I have subordinates who were beaten by them.”
“Is getting beaten something to boast about?”
“What did you say?”
The two glared at each other, tension rising sharply.
“I need to meet Hall Master Wang. Where is he right now?”
“Didn’t Squad Leader Cheon come regarding Hero Yang’s case?”
“Of course I did, but…”
“Then please focus on the duty you were assigned. An entire family of a fellow martial artist was slaughtered in a tragedy. What could possibly be more important than that?”
“I decide which case is more important.”
“This branch is under my jurisdiction.”
The two clashed head-on. Normally, a dispatched squad leader should not confront a branch master in this manner.
However, Cheon Yangho’s power as an influential figure in the Zhejiang Sub-division far exceeded Lim Chung’s.
“I will ask one last time. I won’t ask again after this.”
It was clear that he was truly enraged.
In the end, Lim Chung took a step back. The situation was already complicated enough without turning Cheon Yangho into an enemy. When a venomous snake’s fangs are bared, backing away was the wise choice.
Lim Chung opened the door to the interrogation room.
Seeing Wang Gon’s swollen, bruised face, Cheon Yangho’s expression hardened.
When Lim Chung tried to follow him inside, Cheon Yangho raised a hand to stop him.
“I’ll go in alone.”
Cheon Yangho slammed the door shut and went inside.
The moment Wang Gon, who was inside, tried to speak out of relief, Cheon Yangho motioned for him to be quiet.
Cheon Yangho asked in a lowered voice:
“Were you taken down when Heuksu wasn’t around?”
He didn’t ask about the charges brought against him, assuming they were all true.
“No. Heuksu was taken down as well.”
Cheon Yangho was astonished.
“Branch Master Lim couldn’t possibly possess that level of skill.”
“There was a new fellow.”
“Who is he?”
“How should I know? Judging by the atmosphere, he seemed to be one of your people. In any case, get me out of here right now. I can’t stay in this suffocating place for even another moment.”
“Understood. I will do my best.”
Wang Gon grabbed Cheon Yangho’s arm tightly.
“Not your best… you must get me out. I’ve been giving you money regularly all this time precisely for moments like this.”
When Cheon Yangho stepped out of the interrogation room, Lim Chung was waiting at the end of the hallway.
“He strongly denies all charges.”
“Naturally he would.”
“He claims he merely exercised self-defense because you tried to arrest him illegally. In fact, he says he will report you to the Murim Alliance Headquarters for illegal entry, assault, and false accusation.”
“Such brazen audacity has its limits.”
“I think it would be best to release him before this escalates further…”
Cheon Yangho gauged Lim Chung’s reaction. His goal was to release Wang Gon no matter what. Whatever happened after that was entirely Wang Gon’s business.
“Squad Leader Cheon, do you believe us? Or do you believe that man?”
“Of course I believe Branch Master Lim. But as you know, aren’t you aware of the influence the Myth Sect holds in Zhejiang Province? If the Myth Sect applies pressure on the Alliance, the problem will grow out of hand.”
Right. It was precisely because he knew things would turn out like this that he had endured the humiliation all this time.
Cheon Yangho took Wang Gon’s side once again.
“Even if they did try to offer a bribe, so what? Does that justify beating up the opponent? Capping it with threats and attempted murder charges? Can this truly be called the way the Murim Alliance conducts its business? All the martial artists in the central plains will mock us.”
Lim Chung found Cheon Yangho infuriating for taking the other side at every turn, but if things continued like this, it would unfold just as he said.
“What good comes from making an enemy of the Myth Sect? Let’s not make things complicated under the guise of keeping peace. Let’s release Hall Master Wang tomorrow. I will soothe Hall Master Wang well and wrap this up nicely. Let’s handle this maturely. Is it worth harboring grudges over such a trivial matter?”
Although it wasn’t a long speech, there were more than a few grating phrases, such as “keeping peace,” “handling this maturely,” and “trivial matter.”
Lim Chung offered no response.
“Think about it, then.”
As he turned to leave, Cheon Yangho asked as if suddenly remembering:
“By the way, it shouldn’t have been easy to arrest Hall Master Wang.”
“Do not look down on our branch.”
“Ah, of course.”
Cheon Yangho sneered inwardly.
‘Look at him clinging to his pathetic pride. Still, who could have intervened?’
As Cheon Yangho’s figure disappeared down the hallway, Beon Saeng, who had been standing at a distance, approached and asked anxiously:
“What do we do now?”
“Damn it.”
Lim Chung didn’t have a solution either.
“Let’s go see big brother.”
“Big brother? Ah, Baek Socheon.”
“Let’s go. Maybe he has a way.”
Beon Saeng took large strides forward.
‘You fool, do you really think your big brother has a silver bullet?’
Despite his scolding thoughts, Lim Chung’s two legs started walking briskly behind Beon Saeng.
“Is there any way?”
Though they had come to Baek Socheon together, Beon Saeng did most of the talking while Lim Chung stood back.
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Who else should I ask? The only ones present when we caught the guy were the three of us. At this rate, we’ll have to release the bastard we worked so hard to catch.”
“We didn’t work that hard to catch them.”
Well, that was true. He had knocked both of them down with just two punches.
“If we send them to the sub-division, they’ll handle it on their own.”
“Squad Leader Cheon Yangho came down from the sub-division today. The moment he arrived, he started taking that bastard’s side. Even if we send them to the sub-division, the outcome is obvious.”
“He isn’t the only person at the sub-division, is he?”
“Cheon Yangho is a powerful figure at the sub-division. Why is he powerful? Because the Zhejiang Sub-division Master backs him! If Wang Gon gets released, he’ll seek revenge immediately.”
To that, Baek Socheon said something unexpected:
“Isn’t that actually better?”
“What do you mean?”
“We just wait, and when he comes for revenge, we get rid of him. We can kill him legally then.”
Sensible of the underlying intent that he had planned this from the start, Lim Chung and Beon Saeng were rendered speechless for a moment.
“What if he hires someone truly terrifying to get revenge?”
“Ah, that could happen.”
“What do you mean ‘that could happen’? Is this someone else’s business?”
“To be honest, it isn’t my business.”
“The branch’s business is my business!”
“That’s a common misconception pushovers make. Look here, the branch’s business is the branch’s business, and your business is your business.”
“This whole thing happened because of you, big brother!”
“Because of me? Why?”
Lim Chung listened silently to their conversation. He felt he shouldn’t have followed Beon Saeng here. Even though he was the Branch Master, he was standing beside them with his ears perked up for a solution, which made him feel pathetic.
Feeling that self-loathing, Lim Chung stepped forward.
“Earlier, when we arrested Wang Gon, I couldn’t thank you properly. If it weren’t for you, we would have been in deep trouble. Don’t worry about what happens next. I will handle it myself.”
Beside him, Beon Saeng asked, feeling frustrated:
“How?”
Lim Chung then revealed the thought he had kept to himself:
“The massacre of Yang Chu’s family… I think it was Wang Gon’s doing.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m certain of it.”
Normally, Beon Saeng wouldn’t have believed Lim Chung’s conviction. But things were different now.
“You’re right. Wang Gon tried to kill big brother right in front of our eyes. He’s more than capable of doing such a thing.”
At that moment, Baek Socheon chimed in:
“It’s not because of that.”
“Then why?”
“Remember? When that fellow tried to intimidate us, he said he would kill us and pin the blame on the culprit who massacred Yang Chu’s family.”
“Right, he did say that.”
“How could he come up with that thought spontaneously in that moment? Because he’s smart? Because it just popped into his head? Not a chance. Unless he was involved in that matter, it wouldn’t be easy to come up with.”
“Ah!”
Baek Socheon had found a clue in a detail Lim Chung hadn’t even considered.
“If that’s true… why would the Myth Sect, which has grown into such a large sect, commit such an act?”
That was still unknown.
In any case, Baek Socheon’s words made Lim Chung even more confident in his conviction.
“Now, let’s go find the evidence.”
“Wait a moment.”
Stopping Lim Chung as he was about to leave, Beon Saeng urgently asked Baek Socheon:
“Where should we look for evidence?”
“I don’t know. Why do you keep asking me?”
“Because you’re the smartest among us. I’m frustrated too. I wish the answer came out of my own mouth.”
Just as Beon Saeng was about to follow Lim Chung out the door, a single remark from Baek Socheon trailed behind them like a tail before the door could close:
“Who would normally be the most interested in the Myth Sect?”
Lim Chung and Beon Saeng stopped in their tracks and turned around.
“Who is that?”
“Someone who would pay close attention to the Myth Sect’s every move.”
The moment he heard those words, a family name crossed Lim Chung’s mind…the name of the sect that had been pushed from number one to number two due to the emergence of the Myth Sect.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend?”
As if he had nailed it, Baek Socheon nodded and said:
“Since they’ve been watching them constantly, they might know something.”
Hearing it made total sense, but before hearing it, it was something they hadn’t thought of at all.
“You’re right. Thank you so much for letting us know. Squad Leader Beon, let’s go.”
Following behind Lim Chung, Beon Saeng looked back at Baek Socheon and marvelled:
“See what I said? The answer comes right out of his mouth!”
“Whether it’s an answer or poison depends on the outcome.”
“It’s an answer. Your words are the absolute truth, big brother!”
Without waiting for a reply, Beon Saeng ran outside.
Left alone, Baek Socheon muttered quietly to himself:
“…If I were someone who could find answers that easily, do you think I’d be stuck here like this?”
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