“Because of you two, the plan to seize the Murong Family for the church’s finances has gone awry. Did Murong Sang-a suggest that?”
“Ah, I suggested we use it.”
“How interesting. Just throwing out one story provides meaning and even produces plot twists, it feels like reading the best comments from a devoted reader every time.”
“I should write it down so I don’t forget.”
“Well, it’s a scheme that would come from the head of a noble family who has tasted meat. Did you seriously consider targeting the Man Geum Battlefield, which we had sought as a backup?”
“Ah, that was also me.”
“Kuh…! So all of this came from your head.”
Baek Myeon-ho-ri, that fellow, might be wasting his talent. The actions taken to save Im Ha-yeon, the coincidences, and the events driven by other motives.
If I were to package all my actions as an effort to combat the Demonic Cult, I might as well sharpen my skills and become a mystery novelist.
“While we were scheming to swallow the Man Geum Battlefield, I never expected you would resort to luring a girl from the Jeonggak Family to woo a son-in-law. And Murong Sang-a telling her husband to seduce a woman from another family—talk about a deep obsession with revenge!”
“Weren’t you supposed to be at war with us? Wars are fought by madmen, you know.”
There were misunderstandings, but I didn’t bother to negate them.
“Keugh! Huh, cough! Huh! Ugh! You’re right…”
What’s with this dying man being so curious? Baek Myeon-ho-ri’s lips were already smeared with blood.
I suppose he would feel wronged.
Originally, he was a man who would have stayed in the martial world and made many people suffer. Among the Demonic Cult, he would be one of the top thinkers, yet he had been completely oblivious and was suffering without knowing why.
He likely thinks it’s not his fault, but rather that he has been framed by others, which would only ignite more anger.
“I’m dying. Is all your confusion resolved?”
Now that the ink has dried, should I get up?
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
As I tried to stand up, Baek Myeon-ho-ri exclaimed in shock.
“You made me a clear path to the afterlife. Are you really going to ask for a hand because you’re afraid of dying?”
Thanks to that, I got to hear the news I wanted and learned about the Demonic Cult’s schemes. Now, let’s just go our separate ways.
“Hehehe. Did you think I was randomly testing you?”
Baek Myeon-ho-ri watched me trying to leave with a triumphant smile.
“What?”
“If you leave now, I’ll spill your true identity before I die. A Joseon traitor! Kang’s noble son is still alive!”
So that’s why he’s so chatty. He’s thinking he’s got my weakness.
“Go ahead, shout.”
I nodded, as if I genuinely didn’t care.
“What?!”
I didn’t say it just because I liked you.
“How many black-haired traitors live in the Central Plains? When a few gather for drinks, they tell tales about the neighbor’s dog poop and the house across the street. Stories of hiding from the authorities as traitors are what get passed around.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Who cares about a story from far-off Joseon? Speak freely.”
Did I commit a crime against the royal family? Or do Joseon people care enough to bring their armies all the way here to kill Kang Yoon-ho if they find out I’m alive?
Criminals these days manage to live well in countries that haven’t signed an extradition treaty. What kind of world is this where a traitor becomes a hero just by crossing a border?
“Keuh, kuh…! Cough!”
Baek Myeon-ho-ri choked as if he was hit with a truth bomb.
“No matter how much you shout, nothing will change. I’m the heir of the Man Geum Battlefield and the guy who stopped the Demonic Cult’s plot. You have a meeting scheduled with King Yeomna in two days. You said you want to become firewood. So stop being pathetic.”
There’s no changing the tides for a dying Baek Myeon-ho-ri. After all, tales from a distant land remain just that.
“Right… Keuh. Once the tides have settled, there’s nothing that’ll change.”
Seems like Baek Myeon-ho-ri understood the situation, giving a wry smile.
“Yeah. Think about how you’ll die because of my schemes and accept your end quietly.”
Just give up and accept death. As I turned to leave, Baek Myeon-ho-ri suddenly threw out a trump card.
“…But what about your wife?”
“What about her?”
I turned my head instinctively.
“If the marriage isn’t annulled, but instead, it turns out that the traitor’s wife hid her husband…”
His logic hit me right where it hurt.
“…”
“If it’s revealed that a mere outsider dared to eye the family’s power. Would that change nothing?”
That was a weakness that could wipe away all of Murong Sang-a’s efforts and sacrifices.
“Ha…”
If I were to be exposed as a traitor, it would only complicate matters.
Even if they call me a traitor, as long as I’m established in the Central Plains, I’ll live well. The one who would really be in trouble if I were alive would be Murong Sang-a.
If I’m alive, Murong Sang-a would lose her claim to the family’s succession rights. Once the fact of my survival is revealed, the tense internal conflict within the family would lose its justification.
No matter what Murong Sang-a does, she’d lose the family she was trying to protect.
“Defect to the church.”
An absurd suggestion came to a speechless me.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“I acknowledge your abilities. You could achieve even greater things than I can. Continue my legacy. If I vouch for you, the church will utilize you greatly.”
“Stop joking. You madman.”
I had taken pride in the fact that my actions thwarted the Demonic Cult, even if they weren’t necessarily to hinder them. Or perhaps it was because of someone’s efforts being wasted. I struggled to conceal my anger.
“Keuh! Cough! Do you really think you can save the Murong Family by flailing about? Does the martial world seem that easy? The moment it’s revealed that the Deputy Head of the Murong Family is a member of the Demonic Cult, those righteous folks will try to expel the Murong Family with all their strength.”
“We are aware of that.”
The Murong Family tree was effectively rotten from its roots.
Unless someone really wanted to revive that tree, it would be better to burn it down.
The fact that Murong Sang-a required financial resources for the original plot, and with no help from the righteous martial world, meant she was trying to deal with internal issues alone.
“Pledge loyalty to the church. Now that I know of your couple’s abilities, the church will welcome you back warmly, forgetting your past. And if that’s not enough, I’ll expel Murong Bi and hand the Murong Family over to you. If you cooperate, I will give you a piece of the world outside Shanhaiguan in the future.”
Collaborate with the Demonic Cult.
Baek Myeon-ho-ri offered a tempting proposal, which seemed to stem from the cards he’d been holding all along.
“I can’t listen to any more of this.”
Is Yodong Province your land? No, it’s the land of the Jurchens. What makes you think you can claim a region that you’ve failed to conquer repeatedly?
I stood up abruptly at the ridiculous proposal.
“If you leave now, I’ll shout with all my might until I die. I’ll yell that Murong Sang-a’s husband, the traitorous Kang Yoon-ho, is alive! And that Murong Sang-a is the sinner who hid a traitor!”
“Say what you want.”
I smirked.
“What?!”
“The investigation revealed that Baek Myeon-ho-ri was cursed with a demonic power that consumes human brains and absorbs their memories.”
“How do you know that?”
“I managed to extract that information, but he’s already at death’s door, and his mind isn’t sound. While he might appear coherent, he is actually filled with delusions and his rage towards me turns into nonsensical ramblings.”
Just as I had pretended to converse easily as a means to elicit a proposal, I had my own reasons for speaking casually here.
“Y-you!”
“Most likely, due to an overuse of other people’s memories, he’s reached the stage where he can’t distinguish between reality and others’ memories, and his illusions.”
“Who would believe such nonsense?”
“Kang Yoon-ho, the one responsible for the incident, can vouch for it.”
“…!”
I can vouch. The Po Gwaek, Kang Yoon-ho.
“Further questioning is meaningless. It’s probably best to execute him secretly or leave him to languish so that he doesn’t fall for the Demonic Cult’s sweet talk.”
Would I really be the one to shout that I’m a traitor?
I’m marked for death anyway. You can let me languish or execute me, either way, it doesn’t matter. And by the way, have you forgotten something very important?
“Kang Yoon-hooo! You traitorous bastard!!!”
“I’m the one who caught you. Do you think anyone would believe your allegations against me?”
From the beginning, there wouldn’t be anyone gullible enough to believe Baek Myeon-ho-ri’s nonsense.
——————
“Goddamn it.”
As I passed through the long corridor specially built to confine martial artists, I reached the entrance to the stairs leading up to the surface.
‘I can’t let anyone know I’m still alive.’
The wife of a traitor can’t be fighting over the family succession rights.
Once she becomes an outsider, the Murong Family immediately becomes the property of the Demonic Cult. Even if I were to reveal the truth to the martial world, Murong Sang-a would find herself facing annihilation as an outsider in the Murong Family.
If I can’t do anything right now, at the very least, I must not hinder her.
Thud, thud.
Suddenly, footsteps rang from upstairs.
“Who is it?!”
I was sure I had ordered no one to be let in. A dark figure descends without concern from up above. Could it be a Demonic Cult member?
I grasped the hidden weapon in my pocket to prepare for an attack.
“Hey, did the questioning finish?”
A familiar voice flowed from the descending figure.
“Lady Aunt…?”
“It took so long for the questioning that I came in to check.”
The middle-aged woman who descended from the stairs was the eldest daughter of Man Geum-jeon, the mother of Ma Yang-baek. Jang Nan-ok.
“How did you get here?”
“…”
As I asked in confusion, at that moment, Jang Nan-ok concealed something in her sleeve.
“Aunt, what’s in the hidden bottle in your sleeve?”
No answer came. Jang Nan-ok spoke to me in a calm voice, her eyes burning with an anger she could not conceal.
“Will you step aside?”
I couldn’t allow that.
What Jang Nan-ok had concealed was a small vial—a perfect container for poison.
—————
“The news that Baek Myeon-ho-ri might not survive the night hurried me here.”
Prisons aren’t just for guards. Family members or those involved can visit if they get permission.
“Aunt.”
Of course, Jang Nan-ok’s purpose wasn’t just a simple visit.
“You just need to ignore my actions.”
Jang Nan-ok nodded as if she understood the truth of my suspicion.
“It’s going to be a big issue.”
“I already have permission.”
“What do you mean?”
“Although it’s been a long time since I lost my husband, the officials in the government have been close friends of my husband since childhood. When I expressed my grief over losing a son, they all agreed to overlook my subsequent actions.”
“I understand your anger, but the culprit needs to face judgment.”
“Dear nephew, if you simply turn a blind eye, this will come to an end. So please step aside.”
“Aunt…”
Even in a world of personal revenge, there are still public authorities at play. I couldn’t allow a poison to be used carelessly.
“Kang Yoon-ho! Who are you speaking with?!”
From afar, Baek Myeon-ho-ri’s voice came through, sounding like he was about to cough up blood.
“Aunt, at least go up from the underground for now…”
“Kang Yoon-ho is a traitor!!! A traitor from Joseon! The eldest son of the Kang family, which was exterminated for treason, is right here!!!”
Goddammit.
Baek Myeon-ho-ri didn’t miss his chance.
Convincing Jang Nan-ok to stifle our conversation, she turned and darted up the stairs.
“Are you a traitor?”
A question that I wished would never come from anyone’s mouth jumped out.
“I’m just talking nonsense from madness.”
“I wouldn’t care if you were a traitor from Joseon or a traitor to this nation’s royal family.”
Jang Nan-ok didn’t care for my denial.
“Aunt?”
“The person before me is my nephew, the man who laid bare the injustice of my son’s death twice, the Po Gwaek, and my lifelong benefactor who offered me a chance for revenge.”
“…”
Aunt, looking at me with trust-filled eyes, is touching, but it’s too risky to meet. I have no intention of stepping aside.
I stopped Jang Nan-ok as she tried to descend the stairs, and she looked at me once more before speaking.
“Give me my youngest daughter.”
“What?”
“She’s an exceptionally beautiful girl. Since she was little, she had talent in martial arts, so much so that a master from a prestigious sect requested her as a disciple. Recently, they say she’s being praised in the martial world.”
“What are you suddenly talking about?!”
What’s with this sudden proposal of a family tie?
“Do you have trouble with learning martial arts? If you want, you could take her as a concubine instead of a wife. I would prefer a wife, but if she looks like she would act impolitely towards you just because she has martial skills, a concubine is just fine too.”
“You seem to be quite agitated. Please calm down.”
No matter how much I wanted to kill Baek Myeon-ho-ri, she suddenly offers me her daughter to step aside?
“She was everything to me.”
Words filled with sadness and pent-up rage spilled from Jang Nan-ok’s wrinkled lips.
“…”
“I lost everything to that lowlife who should be gnawing at the dirt beneath him.”
“Aunt…”
“My other daughters are all married, so if you take my youngest daughter, I’ll give you everything I once hoped to offer Yang-baek. Even if everything I’ve been told is nonsense, it doesn’t matter. From today, you and I are family, so my son’s sins will also be mine.”
“He’s going to hell soon. There’s no need to sully your hands and share the responsibility.”
“I’m already walking in hell.”
“…”
Tears began to flow from the eyes of a grieving mother.
“Yesterday, I finally buried my son’s empty coffin. I’ll never find the remains of Yang-baek. So at least, when my son’s spirit stands before me, I want to be able to say I avenged him against the monster who’s been able to achieve comfort until that moment.”
“Ha…”
Jang Nan-ok extended the small vial she had been hiding in her sleeve towards me.
“It’s poison that feels like fire ants are stinging me all over my body. I don’t intend to let him die easily. I just want him to squirm in pain until the moment his head is severed.”
What should I do?
He’s already marked for death. It doesn’t matter if I let him languish away or execute him outright. There’s no need for additional measures.
But.
While many suffered because of Baek Myeon-ho-ri, the Ma Yang-baek and Ma family endured even greater losses. Ma Yang-baek was turned into a mindless corpse, burned to death, and even used and humiliated in death.
Ma Yang-baek even became known as a killer who murdered courtesans.
In contrast, Baek Myeon-ho-ri, as he struggled to be of use to the Demonic Cult, never showed any remorse for his actions.
I looked at the mother who had lost her child, gazing into Jang Nan-ok’s eyes for a long while。
It seems that for Baek Myeon-ho-ri, a death sentence would be too cozy of an end. That would bring far too much anguish to the victims.
In the end.
“I allow it….”
I had no choice but to grant the mother’s desire for revenge after losing her only son.
