A heavy silence fell over the table.
The man to the left narrowed his eyes and asked.
"......How did you know?"
"That's where you should have asked, 'Know what?'"
"......"
Perhaps it was the setting sun. The air was growing steadily cooler.
The two flanking men were rolling their eyes and gauging the situation when, all at once, the middle-aged man at the head of the table broke into a broad grin.
"Heh heh heh! This fellow is no ordinary man. I like the backbone. Don't you agree?"
"Y-yes! Boss!"
"A-absolutely."
The two men followed suit with awkward laughs and nods.
The middle-aged man casually raised a hand and beckoned Seo Do-seok over.
"Innkeeper, bring us some liquor. The most expensive you have."
"Oh, yes!"
Before long, Seo Do-seok brought a bottle and cups.
Nobody had asked him to drink, yet the man had already set out a cup and filled it to the brim.
"Have a drink. My treat."
"......"
Jin Cheong-un was mildly surprised.
Buying this expensive a liquor for a stranger on first meeting. Were there actually men of such generosity in the underworld?
He drained the cup in one go, and the middle-aged man chuckled.
"This fellow drinks like a man! Backbone. I like it."
The man's companions snickered.
Jin Cheong-un nodded.
"I appreciate it, friend. With a face that ugly, I assumed you'd be a petty sort, but you're a dashing and magnanimous fellow yourself."
"......"
"But could you stop saying 'backbone'? It's getting on my nerves."
"What?"
The middle-aged man's expression hardened, and Jin Cheong-un waved it off.
"You called me a friend, so I was joking. Sorry if I offended you."
"Ah, it was a joke? Had me completely fooled. Ha ha ha."
The man laughed—then his eyes sharpened.
"You think this is a game, you bastard?"
THUNK!
A dagger embedded itself in the table.
Seo Do-seok, watching from afar, went white as a sheet and collapsed where he stood.
"I am No Jang-bok, the First of the Three Killers of Yichang. You've heard the name, I'm sure? Getting a clearer picture now?"
He had not heard of it.
Still, keeping his mouth shut here seemed the considerate thing to do for a friend's dignity.
CLINK.
Jin Cheong-un quietly set down his cup.
"And so."
He wiped his mouth carelessly and spoke as if tossing the words away.
"Here for revenge?"
No Jang-bok faltered for an instant.
'What?'
It was just a single, flat remark, yet somehow it raised goosebumps.
Then.
CRACK!
A strange sound snapped his gaze to the table.
"......!!"
What greeted his eyes was a wine cup shattered into pieces. It had been intact when it was set down, yet it had crumbled without a sound.
No Jang-bok jerked his head up and stared blankly at Jin Cheong-un.
'A master......?'
Brute strength alone could not produce that kind of breakage. It required the use of inner power—and at a level of control far beyond the ordinary.
"When someone asks you a question, you answer."
No Jang-bok spoke in a decidedly softened voice.
"R-revenge? As if I would."
"Then what?"
"I came...... to relay the Young Master's proposal."
"You weren't relaying anything. You were tailing me and got caught."
"......"
No Jang-bok frantically worked his brain, stammering onward.
"Just hear me out. I hear you plan to settle down here...... Would it not be a nuisance to make an enemy of the gang over a single estate?"
"......"
"If this matter is resolved smoothly, you could join the Yichang Martial School Alliance with practically no effort. No fear of retaliation either...... Things would be much easier going forward."
A martial school alliance? Such a thing existed?
Judging by the phrasing, it was either on par with the Black Tiger Gang's influence or operated in a different sphere and cooperated with them.
Then again, it was always the same in any town—businesses in the same trade either fought or banded together. This town seemed to have chosen the latter.
'Good information to have.'
Jin Cheong-un nodded.
"Understood."
"Then......"
"But I'll have to decline the proposal. Pass that along, would you, friend?"
No Jang-bok's face twisted.
Jin Cheong-un drained his last cup and pushed back his chair to stand.
"I've finished my drink, so I'll be on my way."
No Jang-bok ground his teeth.
"Are you sure about this?"
"......"
"You might get away with it a few times, but you'll regret it in the end."
Jin Cheong-un narrowed his eyes.
Then he rummaged through his coat, placed ten copper coins on the table, and muttered.
"......Said he was treating, and then gets petty about it."
This lunatic—does he think I was talking about the bar tab?
But Jin Cheong-un was already walking away, waving his hand.
"We're friends now, so I'll let it slide today. Good meeting you. See you next time."
The eyes of the Three Killers of Yichang bored into his retreating back.
***
CRASH!
"That bastard made a fool of me!"
No Jang-bok slammed the table and roared.
"Boss, is he really that strong?"
"Why did you let him go? If the three of us rushed him......"
No Jang-bok erupted.
"You imbeciles. Can either of you do this?"
He pointed at the wine cup, crushed to fragments.
The Second and Third Killers broke into cold sweat.
"S-so we just let him walk?"
"Are you mad? What would we tell the Young Master?"
No Jang-bok reined in his fury with visible effort.
"Forget it. Him being a master was unexpected, but the Young Master's orders were just to tail him without being noticed until things kick off."
"B-but in the end, we're supposed to bring him in."
"You dense fool! We call for more men! Even a master can't beat sheer numbers."
"......"
"Second, go gather the gang members. Third, keep tailing him. Things should be kicking off soon...... But what have you two been staring at?"
No Jang-bok furrowed his brow.
The Second and Third Killers were not paying attention to him at all, gaping blankly at something behind him.
"What?"
He turned around and could not believe his eyes.
At the inn entrance, the innkeeper was talking to someone.
"Sir, please step outside for a moment."
"N-now see here."
"Step outside. Unless you want to die."
"......Why the sudden profanity?"
Seo Do-seok was shoved bodily out the door.
Then No Jang-bok met the newcomer's eyes.
"I'm back, friend."
No Jang-bok squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again.
It was no illusion. Jin Cheong-un, who had just left the inn, was standing right there.
'What kind of lunatic leaves and comes back?'
Jin Cheong-un slowly closed the inn's door.
CLACK!
The sound of the door shutting echoed like a thunderclap.
Then he picked up the chopstick holder from the table and began flicking chopsticks into the air.
FLICK. FLICK. FLIK.
Every lantern and candle mounted on the inn's pillars and walls went dark.
The inn was plunged into darkness in an instant.
Only slivers of streetlight leaked in through the gaps in the door.
"I had a feeling, so I stuck around outside and listened. And here you are, planning to stab your friend in the back."
The dim inn.
Jin Cheong-un, speaking in a low, measured voice.
"......"
No Jang-bok swallowed hard, cold sweat pouring down his face.
He had been gripping the table as quietly as he could manage when he barked.
"Strike!"
CRASH!
The table overturned—and at the same moment, the Second and Third Killers charged at Jin Cheong-un.
Or tried to.
WHAM!
The Second Killer was sent flying. In exactly the opposite direction from which he had charged, as though struck by a carriage.
CRACK! SLUMP!
The Third Killer did not even fly. He simply rolled his eyes back and slid to the floor.
"Wh-what!"
His jaw dropped of its own accord.
He had not seen when the man moved.
He could not even tell what they had been hit by.
'He's this strong?'
Then, in the darkness, Jin Cheong-un turned his head.
Eyes.
In the murk where only the vague outline of a body was visible, a single pair of eyes glowed blue and vivid.
WHOOSH!
A small gust of wind, and those eyes vanished.
"......!"
The instant No Jang-bok spun around.
CRASH!
An air-rending impact, and his consciousness cut out.
***
Geum Tae-bang, chief constable of Yinghua Village, gave thanks to the heavens for another uneventful day and turned in early.
He had barely touched his head to the pillow before he had to bolt upright.
"He's b-back? That man is back again?"
"Y-yes, sir."
"Wh-who is it this time?"
"The Three Killers of Yichang......"
Geum Tae-bang swayed on his feet.
'The Th-Three Killers of Yichang.'
Were they not the infamous enforcers of the Black Tiger Gang?
"Ngh."
Geum Tae-bang clutched the back of his neck and staggered.
"J-just handle it and send him away. Tell him it's late and I've already retired!"
"I already said that, but......"
The constable spoke with a pained expression.
"He's demanding to know how men with 'Killer' in their name can possibly have no bounty on them."
"What? A bounty?"
Why, you—!
Geum Tae-bang flung his door open, eyes blazing.
'Just because he's a martial artist!'
He may be a rural constable now, but he had once been a man of consequence in the capital courts.
Geum Tae-bang resolved to teach this martial artist—who dared cause havoc in his village—a proper lesson.
BANG!
He burst through the government office doors and bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"YOU INSOLENT FOOL!"
His commanding voice echoed mightily.
But his imposing entrance lasted only a moment. The instant he saw what was piled on the office floor, he froze solid.
SQUIRM.
The Three Killers of Yichang lay tangled together, twitching. Beaten to a literal pulp.
And Jin Cheong-un stood beside them.
"......Insolent fool?"
The man, knuckles and clothes smeared with blood, tilted his head quizzically.
Cold sweat poured like rain. Before long, Geum Tae-bang pivoted—very naturally, perfectly naturally—toward the Three Killers.
"Y-you insolent fools, how dare you!"
Only then did Jin Cheong-un let out a quiet sigh and mutter.
"I thought he meant me."
"......"
Geum Tae-bang wanted to cry.
He wanted to do nothing but weep.
"Master Jin...... working so hard even at this late hour."
"Think nothing of it. As a resident of Yinghua Village, it is only right that I contribute to public safety."
"......Much appreciated."
"By the way, that constable of yours said there was no bounty. Is that true?"
"As I mentioned before, bounties are only paid for individuals on the wanted list......"
Jin Cheong-un's expression turned grave, and Geum Tae-bang reversed course at lightning speed.
"......which is the rule, but!"
"......?"
"Rules are merely rules! You have done so much for the safety of Yinghua Village that I, personally...... would like to offer a, a stipend! A stipend for your trouble!"
Geum Tae-bang fumbled a coin purse from his coat.
"Truly, Chief Constable Geum is a paragon of integrity, rare in this day and age."
Jin Cheong-un snatched the purse without so much as a token refusal.
"......"
Geum Tae-bang finally shed a few tears.
The chief constable, charged with protecting the town's peace, being shaken down for coin. It was a sight too pitiful to behold.
"Oh, and I have one more favor to ask."
"......A favor?"
Is there more?
Fine, strip me bare while you are at it. Ha ha ha.
"I expect the Black Tiger Gang is going to get out of hand."
Geum Tae-bang's eyes went wide.
"G-get out of hand? What do you mean?"
Wait—come to think of it, first Song Un-chan, now the Three Killers?
This was not looking good.
"If it isn't too much trouble, could you increase patrols and keep an eye on the Jeong siblings at Jeong Manor?"
"Wh-what exactly is going on?"
"It'll be over soon, so don't worry about it. Well then."
Jin Cheong-un shambled out of the government office.
After a moment of stunned silence, Geum Tae-bang erupted.
"Why does that man always say what he wants and leave?!"
***
Jin Cheong-un trudged onward.
As darkness crept over the streets, his expression darkened with it.
'I should head straight for the Black Tiger Gang.'
Sending armed men within a single day.
'The steward seemed to understand, but this Young Master must be out of his mind.'
Another sigh escaped him.
How had things come to this?
He had wanted nothing more than to let this slide without running around—he was retired, after all—yet somehow he felt busier than he had ever been at the Martial Arts Alliance.
'I need to settle this quickly and focus on the school.'
That was when.
MURMUR, MURMUR!
A crowd had gathered, chattering among themselves, then surging toward somewhere.
On their heels came what sounded like screaming.
"......Fire! Fire!!"
It seemed a fire had broken out somewhere.
Jin Cheong-un found himself drifting along with the onlookers.
But the route felt familiar.
This road led toward......
'Our house?'
A moment later.
Jin Cheong-un stood there, staring blankly.
ROAR!
Jeong Manor was burning.
He had gone to see the fire, and it was his own home.