SLUMP. THUD!
At last, every one of the gang members lay crumpled in a wretched heap.
As Jin Cheong-un caught his breath, Jeong So-so's anguished voice came from behind him.
"U-Uncle!!"
Jin Cheong-un smiled inwardly at the worry laced through her voice.
'That's that, then.'
Not just the brawl, but Jeong So-so as well.
He had stepped in to help despite the situation, and on top of that, had taken down four armed men by himself?
Even a total stranger would be moved, let alone a student—of course she would feel reverence for her master.
"A-are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? You said you retired because of injuries, so if you fight like this......!"
"Oh, it was nothing."
Jin Cheong-un turned around, wearing a deliberately benevolent and composed smile.
"Handling a handful of thugs is child's play. I barely even exerted myself."
"Eek!"
"What is it?"
Jeong So-so shrieked, her face white as a sheet.
"Bl-blood!"
"Hm?"
"There's blood on your mouth!"
"Blood?"
Jin Cheong-un rubbed the corner of his mouth with his hand. Sure enough, a bit of blood came away.
"Hmm, must have gotten on me during the fight. Nothing to worry—Cough! Hm?"
What? Why am I coughing?
He tilted his head quizzically—and then.
"Cough cough! HURK!"
He vomited a spray of blood.
"Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine. Just choked for a second."
"People don't vomit blood from choking!"
"It can happen. Cough! A few street thugs are hardly enough to...... HURK!"
"EEEK!"
A dark stream of blood trickled from Jin Cheong-un's mouth. Jeong So-so, pale as death, stamped her feet in panic.
'He pushed himself for our sake!'
Then again, how could a retired guard possibly handle four men alone? He had obviously overexerted himself.
This was, of course, half a misunderstanding.
'Tch. Lost all my composure. Why did it have to happen right now......'
Jin Cheong-un sheepishly wiped his mouth on his sleeve.
This unknown true qi did not follow the patterns of his former signature art, the Underworld King's Ten Techniques.
But inner arts, by their nature, must be channeled through careful, precise methods. Naturally, forcing it out twisted the qi vessels.
'I never learned whatever this is. Where did it even come from?'
To put it in a figure of speech, an uninvited guest had taken up residence in the house of his qi vessels.
A freeloader who had settled in without paying rent, who refused to listen to the rightful owner, and who trashed the place whenever he tried to drag it out by force.
This was precisely why he had planned to take retirement easy and coax the energy into cooperating on his own terms.
"You're really okay, right?"
"I'm fine. Martial artists cough up blood now and then when they're bored. It's normal."
"......"
Wouldn't that make him a patient, not a martial artist?
"Anyway, are you alright, So-so?"
"I-I'm fine."
Having answered, Jeong So-so looked around.
"But......"
A deep shadow settled over her face.
Only then did Jin Cheong-un survey the wrecked courtyard.
'What a mess.'
The collapsed wall.
The sunken floorboards of the main hall.
The pine tree in the garden, snapped clean in half.
Gang members lodged here and there in the wreckage......
CRUNCH.
Jin Cheong-un clenched his fist and muttered darkly.
"The Black Tiger Gang...... How dare they trash my precious home. I will not forgive this."
"No, Uncle, you're the one who did all that!!"
"Me?"
"Yes!"
"I was acting in self-defense. They started the rampage. Did you not see?"
"All they did was knock down a little bit of wall!"
"I repay my grudges tenfold."
That's not the point—why did he repay them by demolishing his own house?
That was when.
"Sis!"
"So-ryong?!"
Jeong So-so jumped in alarm.
"I told you to stay inside! Why did you come out!"
"I'm fine. What happened? Are you okay, sis?"
"This is none of your concern, so go back to your room right now."
She was the one who had nearly been in real danger, and yet Jeong So-so was fussing over her brother's health, unable to keep still.
Jeong So-ryong clasped his sister's hands in his own and spoke.
"Sis, I'm family too. When your family almost gets hurt, how can I not care?"
"......!"
"I'm so glad you're not hurt."
Jeong So-so's eyes glistened.
"S-So-ryong."
Her baby brother had grown up so much without her noticing......
Overcome with emotion, Jeong So-so flung her arms wide to pull him into a hug.
WHOOSH!
"Oh, right. Hold on."
Her arms closed on nothing but empty air.
Jeong So-ryong had slipped past her and was already running toward the other side.
"......?!"
Whether Jeong So-so stood frozen in shock or not, Jeong So-ryong headed straight for Jin Cheong-un, who had been standing off to the side by himself.
"......?"
Jin Cheong-un flinched and lowered his gaze.
Jeong So-ryong was looking up at him, eyes sparkling with an intensity that bordered on uncomfortable.
"Is there something you want to say?"
"Yes."
Jeong So-ryong placed both hands neatly together at his waist and bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much for protecting my sister today."
After a beat, the next words followed.
"......Master."
"......!"
"......!?"
Jin Cheong-un's eyes went wide, and Jeong So-so's jaw dropped.
"Master?"
"I heard from my sister. You're going to cure my illness and teach me martial arts. Doesn't that make you my master?"
"True enough, but...... just like that?"
Jeong So-ryong clenched his fist.
And he spoke with barely contained excitement.
"Today was really incredible! If I learn martial arts, can I become like that too?"
"What?"
"I want to learn martial arts and become strong. I want to be like you, Master!"
Jeong So-so could not believe her ears.
'What?'
Like who, exactly?
In that moment, Jin Cheong-un let out a cry of wonder.
"My, oh my! Who would have thought I'd have such a passionate student!"
He beamed, ear to ear, and spoke with supreme confidence.
"Of course! Absolutely! From now on, you call me Master!"
"Yes, Master!"
"That's right! And who am I?"
"You're my master!"
"Yes, yes! I am your master! Of course you can become like me!"
Jeong So-so, watching this unfold from the side, looked utterly horrified.
"N-no!"
***
After putting Jeong So-ryong back in his room, Jeong So-so emerged looking utterly drained.
She surveyed the surroundings with a haggard face, then cautiously spoke.
"Well, um...... shall we clean up?"
"Clean up?"
"Yes, we can't just leave it like this."
"Hmm."
Jin Cheong-un looked around and nodded.
"Right, good luck with that."
As Jin Cheong-un tried to slink away with the most natural air, Jeong So-so stared in disbelief.
"Y-you're just going to leave? Without helping?"
"Nngh. My internal injuries suddenly......"
"A-are you alright? Should I support you? Shall I bring water? I-I'll clean everything by myself, so please go in and rest!"
"......"
It had been a joke, but seeing her panic so thoroughly pricked his conscience.
In the end, Jin Cheong-un sighed and rolled up his sleeves.
"Must have been my imagination. What should I help with?"
"You're really okay?!"
"I said I am. What do you need me to do?"
Jeong So-so fidgeted, then turned her head.
"I can handle the rest, but, um...... those people......"
The sprawled-out gang members came into view.
Jin Cheong-un nodded.
"Hm. Got a cart and some rope?"
"Oh, yes! Want me to bring them?"
"Sure."
Jin Cheong-un first dragged the gang members over and lined them up neatly.
When Jeong So-so came lugging the cart over with a grunt, she did a double take.
RUMMAGE, RUMMAGE.
Jin Cheong-un was rifling through the pockets of the fallen men.
"......What are you doing?"
Jin Cheong-un gave her a look that said, 'You have to ask?'
"Collecting the repair money."
"......!"
Once the job was done, Jin Cheong-un began stacking the gang members onto the cart, bound like cargo.
Jeong So-so stole glances at the scene and shuddered.
'C-could it be?'
A terrifying image flashed through her mind.
A dark night.
A deserted mountain road.
A deep hole being filled with dirt......
"All loaded."
Just then, Jin Cheong-un dusted off his hands and grabbed the cart's handle.
"Keep cleaning. I'll be back in a bit."
"Wh-where?!"
"Hm? Why so startled?"
"Y-you're not going to drag them somewhere quiet and bury them, are you......?"
Jin Cheong-un gaped at her.
"Are you in the underworld?"
"What?"
"How can you suggest burying someone alive that casually......? I caught some bad guys, so of course I'm taking them to the government office. Bury them? Bury what?"
"Wha."
"They say kids these days are scary, and they're right. Back in my day, everyone was so innocent."
Jeong So-so learned for the first time today that when something was too unfair, words simply refused to come.
"Anyway, I'll be back, so keep cleaning."
Jin Cheong-un pushed the cart.
***
RATTLE. RATTLE.
Late evening in Yinghua Village.
Jin Cheong-un's cart arrived at the government office.
"Wh-who goes there!"
"A body?"
When a man of fearsome countenance rolled up pushing a cart piled with bodies, the government office erupted into commotion.
"A body? These people are perfectly alive."
"Alive?"
"That's right."
"......These are?"
"'These?' How can you talk about living people as if they were objects?"
As if beating them like this is any better?
They looked ghastly. Might as well have killed them outright—how could you leave living people in this state......?
"B-but why would you bring Black Tiger Gang members to the government office......"
Jin Cheong-un's eyes narrowed.
'That's an interesting reaction.'
Far from welcoming the capture of troublesome criminals, the constables seemed more uncomfortable than anything.
"They aren't just any gang members."
"Th-then?"
"They're heinous villains."
"H-heinous villains?"
"They threatened people and wantonly trashed someone's precious home......! These sons of bitches!"
Jin Cheong-un suddenly slapped the unconscious Song Un-chan across the face.
The constables flinched and hurried to restrain him.
"P-please calm down."
What's with the sudden outburst?
Shortly after, a man who appeared to be the head constable came waddling out, belly jiggling, in a fluster.
"I am Geum Tae-bang, chief constable of this precinct. Could you explain what happened in detail?"
Jin Cheong-un recounted the situation calmly.
Geum Tae-bang's eyes went wide.
"They vandalized property and drew blades to threaten people? The Black Tiger Gang?"
Several things became clear from his bewildered reaction.
First, the Black Tiger Gang wielded enough influence to have the ear of the government office.
Second, they might not be as reckless an organization as he had assumed.
Having the government office's ear meant the Black Tiger Gang managed its reputation well.
Either that, or they were very good at sweeping problems under the rug.
"Do you think I'm lying?"
"No, that's not what I meant......"
Geum Tae-bang's eyes darted about as he took stock of the situation.
'Wait, isn't that Song Un-chan over there?'
The man had been so formidable a fighter that nobody dared touch him.
And someone had beaten him down?
'A Martial Arts Alliance master?'
He was at the very least an orthodox faction expert. Was beating up criminals not practically a cherished pastime of those types?
Having completed his calculations in an instant, Geum Tae-bang hastily showed his respects.
"We are grateful for your efforts. Please leave the handling of these villains to us."
"Much obliged."
A brief silence hung in the air.
Geum Tae-bang spoke.
"Um, why aren't you leaving......?"
"By any chance."
"By any chance?"
"Is there a bounty?"
"Bounties are only paid for capturing individuals who appear on wanted notices......"
Jin Cheong-un clicked his tongue in disappointment and turned to go.
"If there isn't, then never mind. I'll be seeing you."
The chief constable, watching him turn sharply away, could not believe his ears.
'He'll be seeing me?'
It dawned on him, and he spoke up quickly.
"C-could I have your name, great hero? Who might you be?"
If the man was planning to settle in the area, they needed to know who he was. Did powerful martial artists not cause trouble at the drop of a hat?
Jin Cheong-un nodded and introduced himself.
In a most confident voice.
"I am Jin Cheong-un, master of the Blue Cloud Martial Arts School, soon to open just up the road."
"......?"
"I plan to run an adult class as well. If you'd like, I can open a special class for officers, too."
"......"
"I would appreciate your patronage."
With that, Jin Cheong-un ambled off.
Geum Tae-bang, who had been staring blankly at the retreating figure, went pale.
"D-did that lunatic just say what I think he said?"
"He said he'd run a special class......"
"Not that!"
"Oh! He—he said he was a martial arts school master."
"He's planning to put down roots here?"
Geum Tae-bang's composure cracked.
'Why does this have to happen in our Yinghua Village?!'
His motto was quiet mediocrity.
His philosophy of life was to stretch it thin and long, like a thread.
Geum Tae-bang—chief constable of Yinghua Village, adequately incompetent and adequately righteous—broke into a cold sweat at the thunderbolt news.
"Wh-what should we do? Should we notify the Black Tiger Gang?"
The Gang Master was no ordinary martial artist. Was he not a local dignitary who addressed the county magistrate as a brother?
'But if they find out I just let that school master walk free?'
After racking his brain for a long while, Geum Tae-bang spoke at a deliberate crawl.
"F-first, we need to treat the wounded."
"Yes, criminals or not, the wounded must be treated......"
"And until they regain consciousness, our hands are tied, are they not?"
"Sir? We could just inform the Black Tiger Gang."
Geum Tae-bang snapped.
"The Black Tiger Gang? These men are unconscious so we cannot interrogate them. Their faces are in such a state that we cannot verify their identities. How could we possibly know they belong to the Black Tiger Gang?"
"Aah! Of course!"
Geum Tae-bang nodded.
Yes, this was the way.
Dodge every responsibility you can. Delay every matter you can delay!