Beast Fight (4)

The blacksmiths tensed at the sudden appearance of the middle-aged man.

But Gyeong In-geol and Gyeong Hang were startled. Especially Gyeong In-geol. He reflexively tried to rise with his unmoving body, then sank back into the chair.

“B-Branch Chief Mun?!”

Everyone flinched at that.

Mun Jung nodded.

“You know me?”

“How could I not? I’ve even greeted you a few times.”

“Right. I vaguely remember too.”

That’s what he said, but Mun Jung remembered Gyeong In-geol’s face, and Gyeong Hang’s as well, clearly. You couldn’t live as a magistrate without that kind of memory.

“How can someone so esteemed be in a place like this…”

Then Gyeong Hang spoke.

“He’s the one backing Se-hwi.”

“What?!”

The shock from that one simple line was enormous.

Gyeong In-geol stared at Jin-hyeon with horrified eyes.

‘No way!’

He looked like the type who would have held a hammer in his hands, guileless, up to the very moment he died. It was already shocking enough that he’d returned like a ghost. But to think he even had Sichuan’s highest authority behind him.

Mun Jung let out a laugh.

“Don’t say something that dangerous. If word leaks that the Sichuan Branch Chief is ‘backing’ someone, what do you think public opinion will be?”

“Ah, my apologies.”

That’s what he said, but Gyeong Hang’s face was calm.

He revealed Jin-hyeon and Mun Jung’s relationship on purpose, in front of everyone. Of course, he didn’t know the details, so he couldn’t be sure Mun Jung truly was his grandson’s backing.

But it was clear they were closer than expected. That was enough.

‘So that’s it.’

Mun Jung smiled inwardly. As expected of the man who doubled the Divine Iron Merchant House’s power. Like old ginger¹, he bluntly exposed the relationship in a place full of listening ears, for his grandson’s sake.

But there was something Gyeong Hang misunderstood.

“Well, I could be a big help to him.”

Mun Jung’s eyes deepened as he looked at Jin-hyeon.

“But we should see whether he can back me.”

Those words hit even harder.

It meant it didn’t end with helping Jin-hyeon. He might even receive help in return. In other words, it meant Jin-hyeon had that kind of ability.

But the most shocked person here was Gyeong Do-cheon.

“Khuek! Th-this…?”

Even after being put through that horror, Gyeong Do-cheon’s voice still had strength. If nothing else, his willpower was impressive.

“Branch Chief! Don’t you remember me? I’m Gyeong Do-cheon!”

“I do. Gyeong Do-cheon. The Divine Iron Merchant House’s First Young Master. We even had a drink earlier.”

“?!”

Gyeong Do-cheon was dumbfounded.

Even after he’d sent Gyeong Hang here, things turned into this. Anyone sharp would have realized what was happening.

But Gyeong Do-cheon couldn’t.

He had no choice but to think some mistake had happened. He was the one who backed Woo Gyeong-baek. That investment blossomed last night.

To Gyeong Do-cheon, Mun Jung’s existence was the crystallization of everything he’d built. For such a man to betray him? It couldn’t happen.

“Branch Chief! Arrest these bastards at once! These bastards dare do this to Divine Iron’s heir—!”

“Woo Gyeong-baek is dead.”

“…Huh?”

“I killed him myself. Or was it my foot?”

“W-what!”

“Think with common sense. He rose and rose while taking filthy bribes for all those years. He even harmed countless people along the way.”

“!!”

“Did you think I’d leave such a filthy man alone?”

Even as he spoke, Mun Jung felt a twinge of self-disgust.

If he’d come to his senses sooner, people who didn’t need to die wouldn’t have died. Whatever he told himself about planning for later, casualties happened because he hadn’t acted like a Branch Chief.

But from now on, it would be different. He would offer apologies to the dead after he changed this world.

Even if it was the selfish behavior of someone in power, it couldn’t be helped. Today, right here, Mun Jung decided his future.

“Branch Chief!”

Then Jin-hyeon sneered.

“Grabbing him and begging won’t do you any good.”

Gyeong Do-cheon glared at Jin-hyeon with eyes that wanted to kill.

Even after the bone-crushing torture, having one eye plucked out, and his dantian shattered, his venom hadn’t died.

“You bastard!”

“They’re investigating the corruption you committed. The Sichuan Branch Chief gave the order himself.”

“What?!”

“Soon, every crime you committed will come to light . Illegal business, bribery, murder, inciting murder, and more.”

Mun Jung cut in.

“We’ve already secured a large number of people involved. The Deputy Court Master did good work.”

That revealed Mun Jung had some kind of relationship with the Investigation and Defense Court’s Deputy Court Master.

Another man ready to splash himself with filth for a new Sichuan, for a new world. That man was the Investigation and Defense Court’s second-in-command.

“And soon it will all be exposed, down to the last detail. That you killed me, poisoned Patriarch Gyeong In-geol, and have some kind of deal with the Cheongyang Association. Ah. The investigation into the Cheongyang side will proceed quietly, I presume.”

Gyeong Do-cheon’s face went pale.

Jin-hyeon cocked his head.

“Why? Didn’t you see it coming? If it’s come this far, you should have guessed that everything you built has collapsed.”

“You!”

“And I’m planning to pick out some of those charges, and send them to the Fragrant Brocade Merchant Guild.”

“?!”

“I heard you’re obsessed with the Fragrant Brocade Merchant Guild’s eldest daughter?”

“Kyaaaah!”

Gyeong Do-cheon’s one remaining eye rolled white.

Everything he built collapsing was a massive shock. But worse than that was having his filth exposed to the first woman he’d ever given his heart to.

He tried to kill his own father, and he meant to kill his grandfather too. He planted a dagger in his adopted brother’s belly. It was the kind of conduct that would make anyone spit out the word ‘demon.’

That was why he became fixated on the Fragrant Brocade Merchant Guild’s eldest daughter. She was the only woman he poured his heart into. A woman he liked so much that if he couldn’t have her, he felt she had to be ruined completely.

For her to despise him?

Bureureu.

Foam formed at Gyeong Do-cheon’s lips.

Tuduk!

Jin-hyeon pressed one of his acupoints. Gyeong Do-cheon’s trembling body calmed.

“Don’t lose your mind. This is only the beginning.”

“…Kill me.”

Gyeong Do-cheon’s face twisted completely.

“Kill me, you bastard!”

Jin-hyeon grinned.

“I won’t.”

“W-what?”

“Why would I kill you? If you die, you can’t feel pain.”

“!!”

“You can’t die without my permission. Unless your life force runs out, never.”

Gyeong Do-cheon’s face went beyond white, turning bluish.

The fear he’d been forcing down with sheer venomous willpower finally began to creep up.

It wasn’t fear of this situation.

It was fear of Jin-hyeon.

‘This bastard…!’

His spine went cold.

Even the silent falling snow was veering away from this white-haired ghost. In the gently fluttering white hair, those eyes flickering blue now and then looked like the eyes of a ghost.

‘This bastard, really means it!’

Only then did Gyeong Do-cheon realize that Jin-hyeon hadn’t lied once.

Everything he said about how he saw him, and how he would handle him, was true. Things had already unfolded exactly that way.

Then what about from now on?

“W-what are you going to do to me?!”

“First, I’ll throw you into the lowest level of the Investigation and Defense Court’s prison, and then think about it.”

Gyeong Do-cheon swallowed a dry gasp without meaning to.

They said the lowest level of the Investigation and Defense Court’s prison was no different from a demon den crawling with the worst criminals in the region. He’d heard that was true of every such prison, no matter the region.

To enter a place like that as a one-eyed cripple, with not a scrap of internal energy?

It was hell. Beatings and humiliation would be child’s play. He’d heard rumors there were plenty of men who preyed on men too.

“No!”

Gyeong Do-cheon’s mind broke even faster.

“Kill me! I said kill me!”

“If you want to die that badly, bite off your tongue and die.”

“?!”

“Scared of that? Right. Cutting your tongue won’t kill you.”

Jin-hyeon unfolded the document Gyeong In-geol had given him.

“You’re not even a Gyeong anymore.”

Gyeong Do-cheon’s mouth fell open.

With one eye, his vision wasn’t clear, but he could tell this was an official document to be sent to the Heavenly Will Alliance.

And there it stated that Gyeong Do-cheon’s surname would be stripped, the Divine Iron Merchant House would be dismantled, and all of Gyeong Do-cheon’s underlings would be punished severely according to their charges, excluding simple minor participants.

Once the Patriarch’s seal, the Investigation and Defense Court Master’s seal, and the Sichuan Branch Chief’s seal were stamped here, Gyeong Do-cheon was finished. Even if he went back out into the world, a one-eyed cripple with no martial arts, who couldn’t even learn again, could do nothing.

A wretched criminal struck from the registry, stripped of everything he owned.

Truly collapsing.

“Spare me!”

Gyeong Do-cheon grabbed Jin-hyeon’s sleeve.

“S-spare me! I was sorry to you! I’ll never do this again, so please…!”

“You don’t have to.”

Jin-hyeon grabbed Gyeong Do-cheon’s wrist.

“I’m not doing this to get an apology. If I wanted an apology, I already wrecked you enough to get one. Would I go this far?”

“!!”

“A worm living like a worm, in a worm’s place. That’s all I want.”

“Se-hwi!”

Jin-hyeon smiled.

A smile that looked a bit bitter.

“It was nice back when we were kids, wasn’t it? When we bickered, living without worrying about the world.”

“I, I…!”

“At least back then, you were sincere. No. I believe you were sincere.”

“I still am! Stabbing you, that was truly unavoidable for the clan! But you came back alive. Isn’t that enough!”

“…”

“I’ll beg until my hands and feet are worn out. If you want, I’ll lick your soles for the rest of my life! So please forgive me!”

The bitter smile turned, before he knew it, into a smile of sincere joy.

“Isn’t it enough that we had good times, us?”

“…What?!”

“Well, even if it’s not, it doesn’t matter. It’s enough for me.”

The joyful smile gradually began to carry madness.

Gyeong Do-cheon’s face twisted in overwhelming fear. The thing before him was no longer the Gyeong Se-hwi he knew. It was a demon.

A demon born by his own hands.

“In other words… I don’t need any memory besides that.”

Udeudeuk!

“Kyaaak!”

After crushing Gyeong Do-cheon’s wrist one last time, Jin-hyeon stood and looked up at the sky.

“Hoo.”

A sigh full of refreshment, without a shred of bitterness or sorrow.

Jin-hyeon looked back at Mun Jung.

“Call your men.”

Mun Jung smiled awkwardly. Still, it was fortunate Jin-hyeon kept polite speech with so many eyes watching.

Ppiiiik!

At Mun Jung’s whistle, countless masked men vaulted the wall into the inner court. They were masters directly under the Branch Chief.

“Drag him to the Investigation and Defense Court. I’ve already spoken to the Deputy Court Master. He’ll open the prison gates at once.”

“By your command!”

You could tell they were super-first-rate masters from their disciplined salute and voice alone.

“No! Se-hwi! Branch Chief! P-please spare me!”

Jin-hyeon yawned, and Mun Jung sighed.

Gyeong Do-cheon looked at Gyeong Hang.

“Grandfather! Grandfather! Save me! From now on, I’ll never—!”

He couldn’t finish. He couldn’t find any feeling in Gyeong Hang’s glare besides contempt.

Gyeong Do-cheon’s gaze naturally turned to Gyeong In-geol.

Gyeong In-geol’s expression was complicated. Still, he was his child.

“Father! I can detox you! I can save you!”

At that, Gyeong In-geol closed his eyes.

“Father! Father! Hey, you bastard! You’re throwing away the bastard you spawned like this?! Have you gone out of your mind?!”

Ppagak!

Mun Jung’s kick knocked Gyeong Do-cheon out.

“Noisy bastard. Why aren’t you taking him already?”

“Yes!”

The masked men hoisted Gyeong Do-cheon and vaulted the wall.

And so Jin-hyeon’s revenge ended.