Even Theft Needs Teamwork (4)

“Father, the man who went to Beijing came back.”

“Oh, did he? How did it turn out?”

“Fortunately, good news came. In a few days, the Paeng Clan said they would send someone separately. They probably wanted to examine us—whether we were worth connecting to.”

“Is that so? Then this was a big problem. Since our funds were all stolen, even if they came down, we were in no position to host them….”

“I would try to borrow from my friends. If I said it was for entertaining guests from the Paeng Clan, I could borrow easily. There were many who wanted to get in line with us.”

He really was a son like his father.

“Then what about the thief problem? Did you find out why the government office was protecting those people?”

“Well, about that… no one opened their mouth. They only told me to wait…. Anyway, since they weren’t simply letting them go, it seemed the prefect was suspicious too.”

“If those bastards were released, there would be no way to recover that money. Keep watching them, just in case.”

“Yes, sir.”

Paeng Mun and his son had been growing busier by the day.

And a few days passed.

“Father, guests from the Paeng Clan have arrived.”

At last, someone from the Hebei Paeng Clan had come to put on a courtesy show after receiving the huge donation.

“He said he was Paeng Do-wi.”

“Heavenly Blade…! Ah, what a blunder… Please come in. Thank you for coming all the way to this humble place.”

Paeng Mun had looked stunned. The son of the Hebei Paeng Clan’s head had come in person.

Within the Hebei Paeng Clan, there were two young talents worthy of being called rising stars of the martial world. One was Heavenly Blade Paeng Do-wi, and the other was Thunder Blade Paeng Do-gyeong. They were brothers, with Paeng Do-wi being the younger by one year.

“Then who is this gentleman…?”

“Ah, this friend is Eon Jo-seong, who traveled with me.”

“Ah, could it be the Soul-Calling Fist…?”

In Hebei, the Jinju Eon Clan was as famous as the Paeng Clan. Naturally, information about the Eon Clan’s masters was well known throughout Beijing and Hebei. And the fact that Paeng Do-wi and Eon Jo-seong were close friends was something most people knew.

The problem was that neither of them had a particularly good reputation, but….

Still, the visit of two martial masters was a very good sign. What happened today would become gossip, and it would soon raise Paeng Mun’s standing in the village and nearby areas.

“Please, come inside.”

A feast was held in Paeng Mun’s house for the first time in a long while.

Paeng Do-wi and Eon Jo-seong were pleased. They had thought a backwater village would have nothing to offer. But since they were on the way to the Martial Alliance, they had decided to stay a night—and the welcome they received was far beyond ordinary.

They relaxed completely and drank and enjoyed themselves to their hearts’ content. Paeng Do-wi thought that if a place treated them this well, it might not be so bad to accept them as part of the Paeng Clan.

In any case, the main house would have little reason to help them. Let them use the name and take payment for it every year, and that was enough.

“Hey, Do-wi!”

“Hm? What is it?”

Paeng Do-wi turned at Eon Jo-seong calling him. Eon Jo-seong’s face had been flushed red with drink.

“What did you think of this house’s daughter—Lady Paeng Gyo-ha?”

“What? Good grief, your illness is acting up again.”

“Heh. Isn’t it a bit of a waste for her to be in a place like this?”

At Eon Jo-seong’s words, Paeng Do-wi recalled Paeng Gyo-ha.

Now that he thought about it, she had been a beauty one only saw occasionally even in Beijing. He suddenly wondered why he had failed to notice her looks.

‘Maybe because she was going to be family soon?’

He thought that, but even on second thought, her beauty did seem a waste to leave as it was. Still, since Eon Jo-seong had brought it up first, he couldn’t snatch her away. Their friendship had long been maintained by rules like that.

“She was pretty. Do you like her?”

“I do. If we accept this place under the Paeng Clan, I think I could even submit a formal proposal….”

“Are you really smitten?”

Paeng Do-wi’s expression turned surprised. Eon Jo-seong liked women, but he wasn’t the type to joke like that. He strictly distinguished between women he merely played with and women he didn’t.

“Seems that way. But what will you do? What are you planning to tell your family?”

“Ha-ha! For your sake, too, I suppose we should accept them.”

From the Paeng Clan’s perspective, becoming in-laws with the Eon Clan even in this way wasn’t bad.

Unfortunately, the Paeng Clan head had no daughters. To expand a household, one typically had to have many daughters and marry them off strategically here and there, but in that respect the current head lacked talent.

“Then I should put in the proposal.”

Eon Jo-seong wore a satisfied expression.

“But would your clan permit it? No matter if they carry our clan name, they’re only just a newly starting cadet branch….”

“Heh. Don’t worry about that. I caused so many incidents over the years that if I say I’ll marry, they’ll welcome it with both hands no matter who the other party is.”

“Well, that’s true. I know you well.”

“Heh. You talk as if it’s someone else’s problem.”

“How does that sound?”

After dawn, Paeng Do-wi ate breakfast and took time to tell Paeng Mun about what he and Eon Jo-seong had discussed.

Paeng Mun couldn’t close his gaping mouth. Even if they only wanted to take her for one night, he wouldn’t be able to refuse—yet they were talking about a marriage proposal. And from a descendant of the great Jinju Eon Clan.

“Are you refusing?”

When Paeng Mun said nothing, Paeng Do-wi asked again.

“R-refusing? How could I refuse? It’s just far beyond what we deserve….”

“Then that settles it. I will do what I can so the two households can become in-laws.”

“Truly? Oh—how can I ever thank you?”

Paeng Mun brightened. If Paeng Do-wi pushed this far, it really might succeed.

“But….”

Paeng Mun hesitated, suddenly troubled.

“What is it?”

“The truth is, thieves broke into my home not long ago. So right now we have no room to spare…. If only I knew where those scoundrels hid it all, I could recover everything….”

“Thieves? Did you catch them?”

“Yes. They’re being held by the authorities. But for some reason, the office won’t interrogate them—only tells us to wait.”

“Is that so? Still, if they were caught, they would search and return it, wouldn’t they?”

“That’s not it. I heard the office is treating those thieves like imperial envoys. I’m wondering if that prefect is trying to monopolize the valuables and is pulling some scheme….”

“How could that possibly be?”

“I’m saying it because it’s possible. The br—! In any case, even in money alone, it’s hundreds of nyang every year. He’s a man with enormous greed.”

Paeng Mun complained to Paeng Do-wi. If a famous figure like him stepped in, the prefect wouldn’t dare play tricks.

While they were talking, Eon Jo-seong also met Paeng Gyo-ha and confessed his true feelings. He told her he’d fallen at first sight, that she was the only one for him, and he threw every seductive trick he had polished over the years into it.

How could a pure country girl have ever faced such maneuvers? Before long, Paeng Gyo-ha’s heart was completely stolen by Eon Jo-seong’s ploys.

“But….”

When Paeng Gyo-ha hesitated, Eon Jo-seong asked.

“In truth, we were robbed, so we’re not in a position to marry.”

“Ah, that doesn’t matter much. What matters is that I love you….”

“But from my standpoint, it does. If we could recover what was stolen….”

“How could we recover what was already stolen?”

“The thieves were caught by the authorities. But after that, there’s been no word….”

This family—father and daughter alike—was exactly the same. Just as Paeng Mun was trying to use Paeng Do-wi to recover the property, Paeng Gyo-ha was also trying to use Eon Jo-seong to retrieve the jewelry she had lost.

“Then I will resolve it, even if I must go to the office and conduct the interrogation myself.”

With the Jinju Eon Clan’s name, it wouldn’t be difficult.

“Thank you.”

Paeng Gyo-ha leaned softly into Eon Jo-seong’s chest and embraced him.

The country girl, naïve when it came to romance, had been learning how to handle men. Ruining one person took no time at all.

Eon Jo-seong and Paeng Do-wi sought each other out. As if competing, they brought up the matter of the thieves.

“You, too, were on that topic?”

“You as well? Then good. Let’s go together and press those so-called thieves.”

“Right now?”

Paeng Do-wi was a little surprised by how Eon Jo-seong hurried. He wasn’t someone who stepped forward for things he didn’t care about—truly, a woman’s power was astonishing.

“Didn’t they say you should pull the ox horn out while it’s still hot? Since we’re thinking of it, let’s go find out. Surely the prefect here won’t refuse when the two of us step in?”

As they talked, they went to find Paeng Mun, intending to say they would visit the government office.

But then Paeng Mun’s son came rushing in, out of breath.

“Father!”

“What is it?”

“They say the office released those thieves!”

“What? Damn it—quickly, take the men and go. You must block them so they can’t escape.”

At Paeng Mun’s shout, his son hurried back out again.

Paeng Mun then noticed Paeng Do-wi and Eon Jo-seong. He had heard the thieves were martial men who carried swords, so his son and the rabble with him weren’t enough to hold them.

“Sirs! They say those scoundrels were released.”

Paeng Mun spoke toward Paeng Do-wi as if pleading.

Since they already knew the whole story, both Paeng Do-wi and Eon Jo-seong understood what was happening.

“We will go and see. Please don’t worry too much.”

“Thank you, thank you. They say the thieves use swords, so please be careful.”

At Paeng Mun’s last words, the two went outside with bitter smiles.

Being told to be careful of thieves was practically an insult to them.