The previous night.
When Baek Seo-gun had settled his uneasy mind and gone to bed, Yeop Gun-pyeong had gathered his subordinates behind the steward's back.
"Everyone here?"
"Y-yes, sir."
Yeop Gun-pyeong.
Known in Yichang as the Little Demon.
In some respects, that name was more infamous than the Gang Master's.
For martial arts befitting the son of the Gang Master, and a temperament more cruel and savage still.
His delinquency spared no one—not even his own gang members. It was the reason that the Black Tiger Gang's men, who feared nothing else in Yichang, trembled before him like men facing the Underworld Reaper.
"Father gave me a job, and I can't very well go home empty-handed. Right?"
"Y-Young Master."
"What?"
"Does...... the steward know about this?"
Yeop Gun-pyeong smiled lazily.
"And if he doesn't? Is that a problem?"
"......!"
The gang members blanched.
"Why do you want to know? Hm? The steward handles things too soft, so I'm stepping in. Right?"
"R-right!"
"Then why all the questions when you say you understand?"
The gang member pressed himself flat to the ground.
"My apologies! Just give the order! We will obey!"
"Give the order, he says."
"Yes!"
"Hmm."
Yeop Gun-pyeong asked in a bored tone.
"The problem right now is that school master and the estate, isn't it?"
"That's right."
"Then set fire to the estate first."
What?
Do what now?
"W-won't that blow things out of proportion? Arson doesn't solve the problem, and if the fire spreads, even bribes won't be enough to......"
That was when.
SLAP!
For an instant, the man thought fireworks had gone off in his eyes.
'Wh-what?'
Unable to comprehend what had been done to him, he clutched his stinging cheek and blinked.
"And you call yourself a member of this gang? Our reputation's been trampled and you should be thinking about making an example, not dithering over every little thing!"
"I-I'm sorr......"
"I'll send the Three Killers of Yichang after the school master, so forget about him. After that, kidnap the siblings—hold them hostage, chop off a limb, whatever it takes—and get me that deed of sale."
"Y-yes, sir."
"Tsk tsk, things never get done properly unless the higher-ups step in."
"......"
"What are you standing around for? Move."
"Y-yes!"
Yeop Gun-pyeong hummed a tune as if heading out on a pleasure trip.
"It's been a while since I played with fire. Should be fun."
The gang members opened and closed their mouths like fish, then slowly lowered their eyes.
***
ROAR!
Jeong Manor's gate was engulfed in flame.
"Wow."
Jin Cheong-un let out a murmur of astonishment in spite of himself.
It looked as though a massive, crimson monster were gnawing the estate to pieces.
Black smoke belched from the creature's maw, filling the sky.
"Clear the way!"
CRACKLE! SNAP!
Soldiers shoved past Jin Cheong-un's shoulder and sprinted forward.
"Everyone, assist in extinguishing the fire! Deputy Jang, fetch water at once!"
"Yes, sir! This team, spread dirt so the fire doesn't jump!"
"Gather round! Form a line and haul water! Women, soak the sacks in your homes and bring them!"
Soldiers and villagers began battling the blaze in organized fashion.
Dozens hurled dirt, flung sand and water.
But the fire was spreading faster than expected.
CRACK!
A chilling sound rang out from the gate.
"N-no, no!"
"It's coming down!"
CRASH!
The gate collapsed, and a column of black smoke surged skyward.
CLATTER!
A chunk of stone rolled through the scorching heat wave and bumped against Jin Cheong-un's foot.
Jin Cheong-un looked down at the stone, then raised his head again.
The situation was so absurd that words came tumbling out on their own.
"And now a fire, on top of everything."
Fortune or misfortune.
The main building appeared to have only been lightly singed on the surface. The fire had spread along the garden and perimeter wall before consuming the annex.
ROAR!
The smell of char was joined by the rich, buttery scent of oil tickling his nose.
Amateurs, by the look of it. A well-built estate used fire-resistant timber with a protective lacquer, so the kindling needed to be applied carefully to ensure the inner wood caught. This was sloppy work.
That was when.
"M-Master!!"
Jeong So-so, looking as though the sky had caved in, staggered toward him.
"H-how did this happen? Wh-why is there suddenly a fire......! What do we do! Aaah!"
The moment she saw Jin Cheong-un, the tension drained from her and the tears burst free.
Jin Cheong-un silently patted her shoulder until she calmed.
"......"
Then he stood there, motionless, and turned to gaze at the flames.
Inside Jin Cheong-un's dark, impassive eyes, the fire danced.
***
The inferno began to subside after roughly two hours.
Geum Tae-bang let out a sigh.
"For a fire this big, we were lucky it wasn't worse."
The oil had been splashed so carelessly that it had not spread far, and a drizzle that began at just the right moment had snuffed out the lingering embers. Pure luck.
"Chief Constable, I've just finished looking into it. As you suspected, there were men buying up oil since this morning."
"Who?"
At the constable's whisper, Geum Tae-bang asked in a voice far colder than his usual self.
"It was...... the Black Tiger Gang. On top of that, witnesses saw a group of men with torches swarming toward Jeong Manor."
Geum Tae-bang was silent for a moment.
"Send word to the county magistrate at once."
"A-are you sure?"
"Just do it."
"Y-yes, sir!"
Geum Tae-bang walked slowly toward what remained of the annex.
Passing through the doorway toward the sounds of someone moving about, he cleared his throat.
"Ahem!"
"......"
"Well...... Master Jin, I am sorry about all this."
Jin Cheong-un glanced over his shoulder, then turned back to sifting through the debris.
"Thank you."
"......?"
"We were lucky, all things considered. For a fire this big, only the perimeter wall and the annex burned. The main building is untouched, so...... it could be worse."
That was true enough. But was he not taking this a little too calmly?
"Ahem! There are still embers, and the structure could collapse. Shall we talk outside?"
"I'm fine. Burned buildings rarely collapse, actually."
How does he know that?
Anyone listening would think he had experience burning them down.
"Ehm."
Geum Tae-bang cleared his throat and studied Jin Cheong-un's back as the man kicked debris aside with his foot.
"I shouldn't be telling you this, but our investigation indicates that this fire was actually......"
"The Black Tiger Gang."
"The Black Tiger...... Hm? Oh, you knew?"
"Obviously."
Watching Jin Cheong-un answer with flat indifference, Geum Tae-bang felt a chill crawl up his spine.
'Are all martial artists like this?'
Geum Tae-bang ventured a question.
"What are you looking for, by the way? Shall I help?"
"No need. It's gone. They must have taken it."
Jin Cheong-un abandoned the search with far less reluctance than his focused rummaging would have suggested.
"I give you my word that this matter will be handled so no injustice remains. In my village, of all places, how dare they......"
Midway through his declaration, Geum Tae-bang sucked in a startled breath.
'Urk!'
The instant he saw Jin Cheong-un's eyes, his heart felt like it had stopped.
"I'd appreciate your help with what I asked before."
"Wh-which......"
"Jeong So-so and Jeong So-ryong. The siblings who live in this house. I asked you to look after them."
"O-of, of course. I had men watching them, and I'll have them stay at the government office for the time being."
"Thank you."
"But what about you......?"
"Ah, me."
Jin Cheong-un smacked his lips and spoke.
"I have something else to take care of."
His footsteps crunched through the wreckage as he left Jeong Manor behind.
Geum Tae-bang could not stop him.
***
The drizzle soon turned to a downpour.
Yinghua Village had been in an uproar all day after the fire the night before.
The weather only making things worse, the villagers had locked themselves indoors as though by agreement, well before nightfall.
SPLASH! SPLASH!
For a long while, the only sound on the streets was the rain. Then came a procession of footsteps.
"Damn that Little Demon bastard. What a mess he's gotten us into. Everyone here?"
"Yes, boss."
FLASH!
RUMBLE.
As if the rain were about to intensify, the distant sky brightened for an instant before darkening again, thunder rolling in its wake.
In the momentary flash, the figures behind the footsteps were revealed.
They were Yinghua Village's Black Tiger Gang members, moving in a pack.
"Boss, is this...... really okay?"
A young gang member spoke in a voice tight with fear.
"The arson last night could bring a warrant from the government office. If we run with the branch's money on top of that, the Gang Master will be after us too. Th-then we're really......"
When Yeop Ji-chang had moved into Yichang and absorbed the local gangs, most of these men had been nothing more than alley thugs causing trouble in Yinghua Village.
Naturally, they owed the Black Tiger Gang no loyalty.
And so the Yinghua Village branch of the Black Tiger Gang had resolved to steal the branch's funds and disappear.
"And what exactly can we do if we don't run?"
"B-but the one who gave the order was that delinquent bastard. He's already been hauled off by the steward and dragged before the Gang Master by now......"
The man scoffed.
"And you think the Gang Master and steward will go easy on us? We'd be lucky if they don't cut us loose to cover their tracks."
"Grrr!"
The young man finally lost it.
"I haven't done a damn thing wrong! I-I just did what I was told!"
"What did you say?!"
THUD!
The man seized the young one by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
"You strutted around calling yourself Black Tiger Gang, beating people up left and right, and now you whine?"
"B-boss."
"If you're scared, go back. Nobody's stopping you."
The man snarled viciously.
When the young man averted his eyes, the man shoved him away.
"Pathetic."
He swept his gaze over the gang members.
"Anyone else want to stay and die a dog's death?"
FLASH!
Lightning split the sky again.
KRAKOOOM!
The strike must have been close—thunder cracked through the air a moment later.
After a brief pause, the man snorted.
"If not, then move. Before we leave, we hit every house in this village with money and build ourselves a nest egg."
"......"
"We start over with that cash. Just follow me and......"
That was when.
FLASH!
Lightning tore across the sky once more, and the world turned white.
And Jang Pal's eyes went wide, his mouth falling open.
In the momentary brightness of the alley behind the inn, there stood a person.
"......!!"
How long had he been there?
He was right beside them—how had no one noticed?
The face was unfamiliar. Not one of the Black Tiger Gang.
"Th-that bastard, don't tell me......!"
The instant the horrified man raised a pointing finger.
KRAKOOOOOM!
The belated thunder swallowed every sound in the world.
THUD.
One person fell.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
Then another.
Like puppets with their strings cut, five grown men crumpled face-first into the mud without a whisper.
WHOOOOSH!
Amid the roar of rain that followed, Jin Cheong-un stepped out of the alley.
Every last one of them stared at him, not daring to breathe.
"Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
At the quiet voice, the gang members felt the cold sink into their very bones.
"I have a few questions for you."
"Y-you're that school master......!"
"You'll want to answer carefully."
That instant.
SWISH.
Every eye was wide open, yet Jin Cheong-un's form dissolved like mist.
KRAKOOOOOM!
Another peal of thunder shook the air.