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Chapter 8: If We Don’t Protect Them, Who Will? (3)
The small dungeon at the Munseong Branch was filled to capacity.
It was the first time since the branch’s establishment that the cells had been completely full.
To make matters busier, Old Man Go and other local merchants had all been brought in to draft official statements. Thanks to this, the Munseong Branch bustled like a crowded marketplace.
While the branch’s martial artists were astonished, the person most stunned by this situation was Lim Chung.
What on earth is going on here?
We resolved the grievances.
Lim Chung stared at Beon Saeng with an utterly bewildered expression before turning his gaze toward Baek Socheon. As if he had nothing to do with any of this, Baek Socheon was at his desk taking statements from the merchants.
Squad Leader Beon, follow me inside.
Lim Chung brought Beon Saeng into his private office. The moment the door clicked shut, Lim Chung blew his top.
You idiot! Have you lost your mind?
I am sorry.
Do you think I brought you in here to hear you say you’re sorry? Why on earth did you do this?
Beon Saeng hung his head low. He had known things were walking a razor’s edge since they drank together yesterday, but he had never imagined Beon Saeng would cause an accident of this scale.
This is because of Martial Artist Baek, isn’t it?
No, it isn’t.
It is, isn’t it?
It was my own choice. I could no longer stand by and watch their tyranny. We can’t keep turning a blind eye forever, can we?
However, Lim Chung was convinced that all of this was Baek Socheon’s influence.
That man is truly something else too. To shake a person up like this in less than three days after arriving.
It wasn’t that Baek Socheon or his influence was inherently bad. This was purely a conflict between ideals and reality.
So? What are you going to do now?
First, I will escort all the captured men to the Zhejiang Sub-division.
Do you really think the Zhejiang Sub-division will accept them? They’ll release every single one of them, and you’ll be handed a disciplinary punishment for bypassing proper procedure.
Disciplinary punishment? If taking down underworld thugs gets me disciplined, isn’t there something wrong with that? Fine, so be it. I’ll gladly take that disciplinary action. But before that, please grant permission to arrest the chief of the Taejeong Faction.
Catching these small fry was useless unless they arrested the chief of the Taejeong Faction himself.
Do you even hear what you’re saying? No! Absolutely not!
Why not?
You fool! Do you ask because you really don’t know? Have you completely lost your mind?
Yes! I’ve lost my mind. Since I’m already crazy, I might as well go properly crazy.
You idiot! Do you think I endure all this because I lack a temper? Do you really want to get fired from the Murim Alliance? Getting fired isn’t even the real issue. You could be killed quietly without anyone ever knowing!
Though Beon Saeng was agitated, he could no longer raise his voice when the outcome of his actions included his own death.
For now, keep taking their statements. What’s done is done, but we have to clean up the aftermath.
Where are you going?
Do you ask because you don’t know that either?
Since he had no contact with the Taejeong Faction, he intended to seek out Wang Gon of the Myth Sect.
If you cause another mess before I get back, you’ll die by my hands, I swear.
Lim Chung left the office immediately without waiting for an answer. As he walked out, he deliberately avoided looking in Baek Socheon’s direction. Meeting Hall Master Wang to settle this matter took priority over reprimanding him.
Stepping out of the office, Beon Saeng returned to his desk. The branch’s martial artists who were taking statements from the merchants looked at Beon Saeng with fresh eyes.
Some were surprised to see this side of him, while others worried about what would happen after.
From across the room, Old Man Go looked at Beon Saeng and smiled. At the smile blooming between dark purple bruises, Beon Saeng smiled brightly back at him.
Right, let’s not regret it.
However, as if Beon Saeng’s rough day was far from over, two men stormed in, exuding a menacing aura.
Is the Branch Master in?
The man in the lead was Taejeong, chief of the Taejeong Faction. Upon receiving the report that his subordinates had been locked up, he had flipped his dining table in rage and rushed straight over. The man accompanying him was Taejeong’s right-hand man, the second-most skilled fighter in the Taejeong Faction.
Beon Saeng greeted him, tense to the bone.
The Branch Master is currently out.
It would have been fortunate if they simply left, but the man beside Taejeong whispered something into his ear.
At that, the look in Taejeong’s eyes as he stared at Beon Saeng changed instantly.
So you’re the one who arrested my boys.
That’s right. I brought them in.
Beon Saeng braced his stomach and answered firmly.
Don’t be scared!
For now, Taejeong was still maintaining polite decorum.
Did my boys make some kind of mistake?
They are charged with assaulting merchants and habitually extorting money and valuables.
Extorting money from whom?
Taejeong glared at the merchants gathered there. Fearing their eyes might meet his, the merchants turned their heads away. They all knew all too well how cruel Taejeong could be.
Only Old Man Go did not avert his gaze, pressing him with an accusing tone.
You should know best. Every penny of that money went straight into your pocket.
Old man, you have it wrong. Don’t we need expenses to protect you elders?
Nonsense! You’re the ones who steal money meant for a young child’s medicine. Who on earth are you protecting us from?
Taejeong’s shallow patience quickly hit bottom.
You old bastard, you really can’t understand plain words, can you?
Glaring cold hostility at Old Man Go, he spoke in a chill voice:
Your daughter lives in Shaanxi, doesn’t she?
At the sudden mention of his daughter, Old Man Go’s face, which had not shown a single trace of fear until now…turned deathly pale.
And she has two children, right? One son, one daughter.
When even his grandchildren were mentioned, his shock turned to outright horror.
She was a daughter who had married off to a distant province, whom he barely saw once every few years. Lately, he hadn’t heard from her at all. He had lived believing no news was good news, but he never dreamed they would use his daughter and grandchildren to threaten him.
Shaanxi may be far, but it’s not a road one can’t travel if determined. What on earth is this old piece of dog bone relying on to act up like this?
It was a blatant threat. What’s more, it was uttered openly right inside the Murim Alliance branch office, right in front of the alliance martial artists.
Old Man Go could say nothing more and hung his head low. He was consumed by belated guilt and terror.
If anything happens to the children…
He wouldn’t be able to close his eyes even in death.
Watching this unfold, Beon Saeng clenched his fists so tightly they felt ready to burst.
How absurdly trivial must they consider us?
To utter such a ruthless threat right in front of their eyes?
As if he were the master of this place, Taejeong turned to the merchants and spoke,
Now, now, don’t blow a minor issue out of proportion. Everyone, go home.
He said the same to Beon Saeng.
It seems there was a misunderstanding, so release my boys immediately.
The merchants, as well as the branch martial artists, all turned to look at Beon Saeng. With the Branch Master absent, the person who had to make the decision was Beon Saeng.
Unconsciously, Beon Saeng glanced at Baek Socheon.
Baek Socheon was merely watching the situation unfold, as if all decision-making authority rested on Beon Saeng’s shoulders.
It was an infuriatingly indifferent face, yet merely looking at it stirred an odd surge of courage within him.
Fine, you medicine seller. I lost.
Expecting him to obey without question, Taejeong had turned away without waiting for an answer when a firm, resolute voice spoke from behind him,
No.
Taejeong’s footsteps came to a halt. Without turning back, he asked in a low, threatening tone,
No?
That’s right, no. Go on back.
The corners of Taejeong’s eyes twitched fiercely. Still keeping his back turned, he muttered as if to himself:
These worthless vermin. You really won’t listen when spoken to nicely, will you?
He spoke softly, yet every person in the room heard him clearly.
Slowly turning around, Taejeong glared at Beon Saeng with cold malice.
Do you want to die?
Tension gripped everyone in the room. The merchants were burning with anxiety, for this entire affair had begun to help them. Old Man Go’s heart, in particular, was in complete despair. He wanted to step in and stop it, but after the threat against his children, his lips remained frozen.
Beon Saeng spoke to Taejeong, enunciating each word with absolute clarity:
I am arresting you for threatening a Murim Alliance officer and victims of assault. Put down your sword and get on your knees.
A sudden silence fell over the room.
Everyone looked at Beon Saeng in sheer shock.
If anything, Beon Saeng was calm.
This was on a completely different scale from what he had done earlier. Earlier, he could handle the Taejeong Faction subordinates himself, but Taejeong’s martial arts were stronger than his own. One wrong move and he could be killed on the spot.
Yet at least in this moment, Beon Saeng had one clear thought, This man is someone who not only assaults and extorts, but threatens to murder family members living far away. Those merchants are exposed to a monster like him without any defense.
Right. If we don’t protect them, who will?
Taejeong, on the other hand, found it so ridiculous that he couldn’t even manage a smirk.
What is he talking about?
The subordinate standing behind Taejeong answered, “It seems the hot weather has completely fried his brain.”
Beon Saeng gave another warning,
Put down your sword this instant.
And if I don’t?
Taejeong gripped the hilt of his sword demonstratively. He was a man who had rolled through the underworld his entire life; when it came to sheer nerve, he yielded to no one.
Even so, he was not reckless enough to draw his sword first inside a Murim Alliance branch.
Though this branch was barely even the tail of the Murim Alliance, more like a single hair growing on that tail…it was still attached to the main body of the alliance.
Right as the suffocating tension reached its peak, someone spoke up,
Don’t draw it. If you draw that sword, you die.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward the person who gave the warning.
It was none other than Baek Socheon.
If you ignore a Murim Alliance martial artist’s warning and draw a sword inside a Murim Alliance building, we can legally kill you. That law is strictly enforced without exception.
Taejeong looked back at his subordinate, asking with his eyes what kind of dung beetle this newcomer was supposed to be. But his subordinate didn’t know about Baek Socheon either. Thinking he might be a hidden master, Taejeong asked cautiously:
I haven’t seen you around. Who might you be?
I am a newly appointed Murim Alliance elder here. That Squad Leader Beon over there is my senior.
At those words, Taejeong relaxed, shaking his head.
You people really pull out all the tricks. Now even a fresh rookie steps up without knowing his place?
Baek Socheon provoked him again:
Hey, listen to Squad Leader Beon while he’s speaking nicely. He’s even looking out for the lives of ruffians like you in advance. So let go of that hilt.
Unable to endure it any longer, Taejeong drew his sword.
Shring!
I drew it. Now, what are you going to do?
At that instant, Baek Socheon suddenly shouted:
It’s an ambush! Protect the witnesses!
Leaping over the desk, Baek Socheon lunged straight at Taejeong.
From Taejeong’s perspective, it was an utterly absurd reaction. He had drawn his sword merely to intimidate; he had no intention of fighting at all.
Yet Baek Socheon had rushed forward, shouting as if Taejeong were attempting to murder the merchants.
Vaulting off the desk and flying through the air, Baek Socheon kicked Taejeong square in the face.
Thwack!
Because it was a completely unexpected attack, Taejeong failed to dodge and was struck full force, flying backward through the air.
At that sight, Taejeong’s subordinate drew his sword.
Beon Saeng drew his own blade as well, shouting:
Subdue that man!
Beon Saeng and the branch’s martial artists joined forces to take on the thug who had accompanied Taejeong.
In an instant, blades clashed. The merchants scrambled to hide in a corner.
No matter how backwater this branch was, these men were formal martial artists who had passed the entry examinations of the Murim Alliance. With four martial artists led by Beon Saeng joining in a coordinated attack, the man’s movements quickly grew chaotic.
In the end, the man collapsed, slashed by swords flying from all directions. Because his martial arts were by no means weak, subduing him without taking his life had been impossible.
After felling him, Beon Saeng turned around to assist Baek Socheon.
In that instant, he froze.
Taejeong was still lying on the floor, while Baek Socheon stood a short distance away.
Beon Saeng quickly rushed over to Taejeong. He kicked Taejeong’s fallen sword far out of reach, pressed his acupoints to seal his internal energy, and shook him to wake him up.
Hey, get up!
However, Taejeong did not budge in the slightest.
Hey, snap out of it!
He slapped Taejeong on the cheek. An eerie realization struck Beon Saeng with a jolt. He checked to see if Taejeong was breathing.
Is he… dead?
Taejeong had already turned into a cold corpse.
At those words, everyone was struck with shock.
Beon Saeng looked at Baek Socheon. With a flustered look on his face, Baek Socheon said to everyone:
It seems he hit his head wrong when he fell.
The moment he heard Baek Socheon’s words, a single thought flashed through Beon Saeng’s mind,
He killed him on purpose.
The warning Baek Socheon gave earlier hadn’t been to stop Taejeong. It was to induce him to draw his sword.
Humbling himself by calling himself a junior, provoking the opponent by calling him a ruffian, all of it was meant to force him to draw steel.
Rushing him the instant the sword cleared its scabbard… perhaps he had intended to kill him from the very beginning.
Beon Saeng quickly took Baek Socheon’s side:
Right, a man like Taejeong isn’t someone who’d be taken down easily by an unarmed opponent. He must have fallen improperly after getting struck. You all saw it, right?
The merchants all nodded in agreement. In truth, all they had seen was a thwack and a thud, but they were firmly on the side of the Murim Alliance martial artists.
Rather than an intentional murder, it became an unavoidable accident that occurred during an act of restraint. In any case, since the opponent had drawn a sword inside the Murim Alliance branch, even an intentional killing wouldn’t have posed a problem…much less a mistake, which would pass without issue.
Old Man Go said with a cathartic expression,
That wicked monster received divine punishment. Divine punishment indeed.
The merchants smiled brightly and nodded along.
Beon Saeng turned to the merchants and said:
It seems we have more matters for you to testify about.
Of course we’ll do it for you! This happened while you were trying to protect us.
Though they had come willingly to testify, deep down every merchant had harbored a lingering dread of Taejeong. Now, that very Taejeong had died right before their eyes.
Old Man Go, whose daughter and grandchildren had been threatened…bowed repeatedly to Beon Saeng in deep gratitude.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
It’s not me you should be thanking…
Beon Saeng turned his head.
As if nothing had happened, Baek Socheon was leaning against the window in the corner of the office, gazing outside. His posture as he stared blankly up at the sky overlapped with the sight of him looking up at the sky in the lodging courtyard on his very first day.
They say a person whose back looks lonely is truly lonely inside.
Just then, he overheard his subordinates conversing behind him,
By the way, when the Branch Master gets back, he’s going to faint.
Still, it’s not like we did anything wrong, right?
At that moment, Beon Saeng realized one fundamental truth:
Ah! Now that I think about it…
Baek Socheon had brought about all of this within the bounds of legality. Stopping him from killing Jong Bae, making Taejeong’s death look like an accident—he had ensured that even if an investigation came down from the regional sub-division or main headquarters, this side wouldn’t suffer any real damage.
Could it all have been intentional?
Suddenly, the thought crossed his mind. Perhaps Baek Socheon belonged to a completely different world, and insisting on serving such a man as his Big Brother was truly…
Am I really doing something completely insane?
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