“Hah! Hah!”
Seongraklu’s Master Yu Ji-gyeong finally caught his breath after locking himself in his room.
Gilu, a place where wine, women, and gambling mingled, was always a source of trouble. The uproar from last night was big, but it wasn’t anything new for Seongraklu.
That was until the martial artists who had gone out to catch that rich kid returned as flat cakes.
With the martial artists as flat cakes, yesterday’s uproar turned into quite the big deal.
So when I heard the news that the kid had reappeared, I decided to peek out from the highest floor just to see his face.
But I saw Miss Yeo Il-ye.
Miss Yeo Il-ye was disguised as a bodyguard visiting Seongraklu.
“Master Rujoo! Are you okay?”
“You… you! Don’t you have any eyes, you fool!”
Yu Ji-gyeong shouted at the chief guard, whose startled expression was unmistakable. The chief guard instinctively lowered his head at Yu Ji-gyeong’s violent outburst, but he had no idea why Yu Ji-gyeong was so scared.
“Do you know who that bodyguard is? It’s Yeo Il-ye! Yeo Il-ye!”
“Eh? Are you talking about Miss Yeo Il-ye from the Jeomchang Faction?”
The chief guard responded, bewildered.
“How could that wild and prideful Miss Yeo Il-ye be working as a mere merchant’s bodyguard…?”
“…Damn it.”
Yu Ji-gyeong squeezed his eyes shut. The chief guard, who had no idea that Yu Ji-gyeong was the sworn enemy of Yeo Il-ye, couldn’t believe that she was merely playing the role of a rich kid’s bodyguard.
Yu Ji-gyeong shook his head and pulled himself together.
“It’s time to run. I have to escape.”
Leaving behind dreams of being a master and Seongraklu, Yu Ji-gyeong started planning his getaway. No amount of distraction in Seongraklu could stop Yeo Il-ye from striding up to the highest floor and decapitating him.
In a moment of desperation, Yu Ji-gyeong had thought about relying on Hwang Geum-seon and Gae Myung-bu. But he rejected that thought. Gae Myung-bu frequently displayed hostility and wouldn’t even think to ensure Yu Ji-gyeong’s safety. And Hwang Geum-seon? Trusting Hwang Geum-seon was twice as dangerous. He might just kill Yu Ji-gyeong without anyone noticing and swallow Seongraklu whole.
“From today, stop spreading rumors entirely!”
“Yes, understood.”
“And those idiots! Just let them rampage!”
“What?”
“Are your ears plugged? Let them rampage! If they come again tomorrow, just leave them be! If the special customers complain, pay a reasonable compensation and wrap it up!”
“But the losses…”
“Damn it! Whatever the losses, just let it be!”
If he could buy time to escape Seongraklu, those losses didn’t matter.
The chief guard bowed his head under Yu Ji-gyeong’s intense pressure.
“I will be gone for a few days!”
“Master Rujoo? Master Rujoo!”
Yu Ji-gyeong ignored the desperately calling chief guard and quietly slipped out of Seongraklu with only two trustworthy bodyguards.
“Get a cart! We need to go far from Sacheon City!”
“Yes!”
“I’ve done enough! Even if rumors spread, what can I do if everyone only talks about the governor’s proclamation!”
Hwang Geum-seon’s plan had already unraveled. According to Hwang Geum-seon’s plan, there shouldn’t have been any need to crack down on the bandits.
They would shake up the local factions and merchants a bit, and when the massive faction’s expedition was formed, they’d alert the bandits. Then the bandits would just pack up valuable and lightweight wealth and vanish.
Afterward, they’d calm the large faction that had wasted their efforts and establish themselves in Sacheon City, gaining protection from their power. That was the main idea.
“First, let’s leave Sacheon and hide in a safe place!”
As the plan had unraveled, Sacheon City was no longer a safe place.
He should hide somewhere safe and observe the situation. If Hwang Geum-seon managed to clean things up, he would show up again to claim compensation for the recent losses; if not, he’d escape far away. He had already stashed some of his wealth in a safe place long ago. With that money, whether it’s the city guard or the Heaven-Touching Heights, would be of no concern even if Yeo Il-ye were involved!
Clang! Clang!
“Phew…”
Yu Ji-gyeong finally sighed as he escaped Sacheon City.
Bump!
The cart shook violently as if it hit a stone. The jolt made Yu Ji-gyeong bounce, rubbing his rear in irritation.
“Damn it! Can’t you handle a cart properly?!”
But there was no response.
When Yu Ji-gyeong turned his gaze forward, he saw the postures of the two bodyguards on the driver’s seat completely compromised. They had been subdued without a sound or a trace.
If the cart hadn’t jumped from hitting a stone, they wouldn’t be in such disarray.
Yu Ji-gyeong felt a chill run down his spine and sprang from his seat.
“Ah, I’ve been found out.”
“AAAH!”
They could have easily handled him silently, but of all times to hit a stone!
As he thought that, the Black Cat struck Yu Ji-gyeong’s abdomen with her martial technique. Though Yu Ji-gyeong was at the peak stage of martial arts, that was fifteen years ago. After gaining immense wealth, Yu Ji-gyeong hadn’t practiced a single time, leaving him unable to resist and causing him to spit blood.
Crack!
Still, Yu Ji-gyeong wasn’t just going to take it lying down. Using the force of the strike, he broke the cart’s railing, escaping the vehicle while gritting through the pain.
Hiiiiiii!
The horses neighed, bringing the cart to a halt. Yu Ji-gyeong sharpened his senses, keeping an eye on the cart. Who was the opponent? If it wasn’t Yeo Il-ye, who dared to attack him?
“Who is it?! Who dares attack me! Do you know who I am?!”
Before he could finish, a martial technique struck his side. As Yu Ji-gyeong’s body bent away, he barely caught sight of the silhouette.
A figure perfectly blending into the dark of night.
However, as he caught sight of it, it vanished without a trace before he could blink.
Yu Ji-gyeong shouted, trying to save face.
“Cough, cough..! This bastard! Do you know who I am?! I am Yu Ji-gyeong! The one who rules the night of Sacheon City!”
“A person who flees like a rat in the dark… The king of night?”
The mocking laughter sent chills throughout Yu Ji-gyeong’s body. Where was the voice coming from? He couldn’t catch a trace of the nearly perfect stealth.
“Remember this.”
Yu Ji-gyeong felt a hand reach for his chest and desperately tried to flail his limbs.
But first, the Black Cat’s stealthy assault struck his body.
“Night is the cat’s time.”
Thud.
The collapsed Yu Ji-gyeong confirmed he had lost consciousness, and the Black Cat whistled lightly. Soon after, Jeon Hu-dam appeared, groaning.
“Oh dear, oh dear…”
“Good job. We won’t need to drag around the messenger from Hwang Gold Clan anymore.”
“Damn it! Thanks a lot, really!”
Jeon Hu-dam, who had been toting someone on his back, sighed as he dropped the messenger from Hwang Gold Clan onto the cart.
Last night, the Black Cat had either recruited or silenced the information organizations in Sacheon City within a single day. Of course, it was only a temporary measure. The Black Cat’s conditions were for three days of cooperation.
And with the resources collected, they had invested everything into monitoring the Hwang Gold Clan, Jam Bong Clan, and Seongraklu.
The messenger, holding the letter that could dictate the fate of the Hwang Gold Clan. And Yu Ji-gyeong, who had immediately chosen to flee upon meeting Yeo Il-ye, couldn’t escape that watchful eye, getting caught as soon as he left Sacheon.
“The night is indeed the cat’s time…”
Jeon Hu-dam shook his head. He didn’t know what that meant, but at this moment, the Black Cat was ruling the night of Sacheon.
“Hah hah hah.”
“Wow~ Wow! I’ve never seen this much cash before!”
273 nyang of gold.
That was the total profit from the last two days. After stepping away from Gilu, we had fought off attackers who rushed in with weapons. Of course, the majority of the hard work was done by two of us.
“Wow, amazing…”
Having turned back to a male tone thanks to Tang Do-yeon’s presence, Hyeok Gi-rin gazed in awe at the pile of gold. None of us were poor, but there was a huge difference between just having money and seeing piles of gold right in front of us.
The Black Cat was overjoyed, simply waving her hands around.
I started rearranging the gold to spread it across the desk like a blanket. After making a great contribution by capturing Yu Ji-gyeong and the messenger from Hwang Gold Clan while they were fleeing last night, I deserved a little treatment.
“Please lie down, Miss Black Cat.”
The Black Cat instantly lay down.
“Uuuuuuh~”
With a face full of happiness, the Black Cat rubbed against the gold.
“Senior Ho, can I lie down too?”
“Of course.”
Tang Do-yeon seemed to want to try lying on the lavish golden bed too. A queue formed behind the Black Cat, who was enjoying the feel of the bedding. I noticed Hyeok Gi-rin slipping behind Tang Do-yeon, seemingly eager to try out the golden bed as well.
“Hey, Black Cat, stop playing around and organize the vault properly!”
“Got it!”
Passing through the noisy vault, we headed below the government office.
Prison.
Where the messenger from Hwang Gold Clan and Yu Ji-gyeong were held. It wasn’t hard to find the cell where Yu Ji-gyeong was confined. After all, Yeo Il-ye was standing right in front of it.
Yeo Il-ye was gazing at Yu Ji-gyeong, who lay unconscious inside the cell, gripping her sword as if ready to slice through the bars at any moment. I hurriedly spoke up.
“Are you thinking of killing him?”
Yeo Il-ye turned my way, staring at me for a while before shaking her head.
“…No.”
Seeing her hand slowly drop from the sword put me a bit at ease.
“I cannot forget the teaching from my benefactor in just a day. I’ve realized that killing isn’t the only solution.”
“Hmm.”
Ultimately, the biggest enemy in Sacheon City was Hwang Geum-seon. Seongraklu’s Master Yu Ji-gyeong was a person of the shadows capable of wielding a sword at any time, and Jam Bong Clan’s Elder Gae Myung-bu was just a martial artist weaker than Yeo Il-ye.
“Exposing their masks, letting everyone know the evil they’ve committed, and toppling everything they have built on the blood of Yeo-ga Mountain Villa…”
Yeo Il-ye stopped there in silence. Perhaps the next course wasn’t decided yet.
“Do you remember the plan?”
“Of course. I remember it’s an important day tomorrow. I need to keep my body in tune, even if I have to wield my sword.”
Yeo Il-ye seemed at ease now. The worry about her being emotionally swayed into taking sudden action seemed to have vanished.
As I sighed in relief and exited the prison with Yeo Il-ye, I ran into Tang Do-gyeong.
“Brother Ya, I need to discuss some matters regarding today’s briefing. Do you have time?”
“Of course, Brother Tang.”
Busy, busy.
Yesterday we received participants for individual units of the crackdown. And today, we were to hold a briefing for factions that would participate in volunteer armies and gather their resources.
Tang Do-gyeong and Samayeom seemed to want to discuss this with me.
“First, individual participation has exceeded our target, so I’ll hand that over. The participation of factions will also be decided from today’s briefing, but…”
“I heard that Jam Bong Clan’s Gae Myung-bu has already declared non-participation.”
“Hmm.”
Well, considering that Gae Myung-bu, who allied with Hwang Geum-seon, would already have been promised rewards through Hwang Geum-seon, it was no surprise they wouldn’t participate in the bandit crackdown.
“That was already expected, wasn’t it?”
“Of course! The crackdown should proceed smoothly, but… something unexpected may arise. If Hwang Geum-seon or Jam Bong Clan recruits one more peak expert from Sacheon, other factions may also see a drop in participation.”
I understood what Samayeom was hinting at.
Given that the martial artists of Sacheon City were likely going mad for this bandit crackdown event, it was essentially the first time an achievement would be recognized in the martial world. The opportunity to have their name inscribed on the merit board in Sacheon? That was hard to resist.
And if they began offering limited edition goods as rewards? It was a life-or-death matter.
However, from the perspective of the sect leaders who were in charge of the factions, there were many things to consider.
“If Hwang Geum-seon or Gae Myung-bu bribed another sect’s peak expert, things could get complicated, right?”
“While we have the confidence to crack down on the bandits, the damage would be significant if the peak experts from the mountain stronghold were to scatter.”
That was Samayeom’s concern—if the peak experts hesitate to participate, it could lead to a significant drop in participation from other factions.
“Thus, we need to prepare a backup plan for such situations, don’t you think?”
“Sure.”
Tang Do-gyeong and Samayeom were slightly taken aback by my assertion. They apparently didn’t expect the backup plan to be shot down.
“Do you remember what I mentioned last time?”
“We find it hard to verify the merits of casualties, so rewards will only be given to captives. Capturing a leader will grant 50 points, a sub-leader will grant 30 points, peak experts 10 points, first-class bandits 5 points, and all those beneath them are worth 1 point, right?”
Tang Do-gyeong continued from there.
“The top five factions with the highest total points will receive platinum plates to display in their headquarters. Other top factions will receive gold plates, and the remaining factions will be awarded silver plates until we reach 60%. After that, the remaining 40% will receive iron plates. The improvement ceremony will progress in order of total points.”
Samayeom and Tang Do-gyeong’s faces reflected a pondering question: “Is it possible to encourage voluntary participation from the factions with this level of benefit?”
“Ahahaha. You’ll understand once you go and explain it.”
It’s understandable since this system is so foreign to them that they can’t picture its impact in their minds.
After all, they were born at the top of the hierarchy—Tang Clan and Sam Clan. Both of them were born with diamond spoons in their mouths, so they likely never experienced any unfair assessments.
In this martial world, there isn’t a clear standard to divide the factions by. It all boils down to whether they have many experts, or if the sect is large, or if they have a useful martial technique… A vague and reputation-based evaluation leads to arbitrary categorizations.
The factions of Sacheon City could be called the ultimate victims of such arbitrary evaluations. In a community without incidents, individuals found it challenging to shine. What chance would an entire faction have to showcase their strength?
Thus, the reputations of the Sacheon factions were nothing more than an extreme case of guesswork. If they had no opportunity to exhibit their capabilities, their reputation remained vague. This allowed for a sudden rise of figures like Taegyeong Sect Leader or Gang Jun.
Using abstract standards, people compared Sacheon’s top three factions and declared which was superior. The factions of Sacheon City inevitably felt discontent and unfairness because of such evaluations.
However, a tournament with clear standards of accomplishment was now available.
An Iron-Bronze-Silver-Gold-Platinum ranking game! It was a placement exam!
“They’ll risk everything to participate in this crackdown.”
In this ranking game, or rather, the bandit crackdown, which faction would dare to quietly withdraw or leave reserve manpower? They would gather all their strength from the depths of the factions and take part.
“So, worry not and focus on the briefing.”
The placement exam was a life-or-death situation!
