Chapter 26: Father Is Busy
"Who's behind this?"
Drip drip drip drip.
The Black Cloud Boss confessed what he knew.
"Captain Jeong Yangtak of Xinyang Trading Company."
"You don't seem to work directly under the Captain?"
"We entered from Liangzhou."
Liangzhou is another na for the Gansu region.
Gansu is currently experiencing consecutive crop failures. Among refugees flowing into Luoyang, many ca from Gansu.
Leaving their holand with starvation deaths occurring frequently, they enter Shaanxi right next door, and so co even to Luoyang in Henan.
"Ink Sword Hero, I left the outside to the branch beggars."
I'd wondered why Swift Wind didn't follow right in—seems he entrusted cleaning up the gambling house.
The Black Path mbers had already received serious injuries from . Returning to evil deeds would be difficult for them.
The gamblers experienced rough events—I hope they quit gambling, but who knows what will happen.
"Swift Wind, do you know Captain Jeong Yangtak of Xinyang Trading Company?"
The world's number one intelligence organization, the Beggar's Gang.
Swift Wind laid out information about Jeong Yangtak.
"Jeong Yangtak's Xinyang Trading wasn't originally large scale. It gradually grew in power while participating in Luoyang's reconstruction, but rumors of doing other business behind the scenes don't cease. However, he's very cautious so has never been caught. But to ask about Jeong Yangtak—could it be?"
"Correct. They say he's these people's backer."
I continued questioning the Boss.
"He called you to enter?"
"That's right. He said there were many businesses to touch besides this gambling house."
While saying so, he glanced at .
"Gambling house operation isn't sothing even the governnt touches carelessly..."
I gave a slight smile.
The honorifics were now gone.
"Acting until the end?"
"What..., no, why are you opening that!"
I opened the dicine bottle seized from the Boss.
It was dicine to treat poisoning from the poison arrow.
I poured so of the small pills in the dicine bottle onto my palm.
"You think I attacked because of gambling house operation? You don't think that yourself either, do you?"
I clenched my palm tight then opened it—the pills beca powder. I threw that powder at the wall.
"You think it's because another business got caught, right? With your own mouth you said it's not just you here so try setting fire. Yet still pretending until the end? Hm? Boss?"
And I poured more of the dicine into my hand.
The Boss's face, gradually turning pale from poison, whitened even more.
"Stop! Stop it! I was wrong. If the amount is too small, detoxification won't work. I'll tell everything."
What I'd raised to my hand, I made into powder anyway since I'd raised it.
Actually, even making the Boss into powder rather than dicine wouldn't feel refreshing enough.
"The business you ntioned, Boss—you an human trafficking?"
"Y-yes."
The Alliance doesn't even handle sothing like gambling house operation.
However, human trafficking is a different story.
Even handed to governnt it's capital punishnt, sa if handed to the Alliance.
And a serious cri where White Path martial artists can imdiately take action if they see it.
"I could imdiately take action to eliminate you. Your only way to live is maximum cooperation."
The Boss hastily nodded.
"Where are the captured physicians?"
"Open that door and a cave continues. Inside is a prison."
He pointed to a room.
"Did you originally traffic people from Luoyang to outside?"
"No. We did it from the northwest to Luoyang. This work is Captain Jeong overdoing it."
"Overdoing?"
"I don't know details... He seed concerned about Golden Cloud Trading. This work seems like sothing being done before leaving Luoyang."
Gathering money before fleeing?
Then he'd be doing similar things in other businesses too.
Being concerned about Golden Cloud Trading ans.
"Swift Wind, seems Jeong Yangtak is among those who slandered Captain Zhu Hochong."
"Seems so. The new magistrate is friendly with Golden Cloud Trading, so those who slandered are probably sweating bullets now. Hehe."
Golden Cloud Trading's competing companies were close with the previous magistrate. Through slander, they had the previous magistrate drive out Zhu Hochong.
But Zhu Hochong discovered that magistrate's corruption and made his head fly.
"Where did you plan to send the physicians?"
"Captain Jeong said he'd handle that too. Our role in this work was only gathering physicians and handing them over."
"Really? Then when you bring people from the northwest, does Captain Jeong have a place he confines them separately?"
"Don't know that either. He doesn't completely trust us either. When receiving people, he sent separate carriages."
The Boss's voice was gradually becoming smaller.
"L-look... Please give dicine now."
I briefly looked at that face.
A villain with nothing to regret even if left to die like this.
However.
"It's a gambling house, so there should be at least one safe, right? Open it imdiately. And tell how to contact Captain Jeong."
I decided to leave him until catching Jeong Yangtak.
If I killed this person here now and wrapped up the case.
By official thods, I couldn't ensnare Captain Jeong Yangtak the trading company leader. Because he'd deny cris and fabricate evidence.
Of course, even if that happened, physicians to see Taebok would return to their places, and my daily life would beco peaceful again.
However.
"Ink Sword Hero, you plan to step forward more?"
"Of course. Being from refugee origins myself, it doesn't feel like soone else's business."
"I'm the sa. Moreover, if we leave this matter, soone will continue human trafficking between Gansu and Luoyang again."
"Correct. White Path can't leave it."
As soone of refugee origins and White Path, I cannot just stay still.
'Taebok, I'll tell you this story later.'
If I left this matter alone, I couldn't be upright as a father either.
Could I tell Taebok later if I left such matters?
No. Absolutely not.
Father stepped forward. Defeated villains and saved people.
I want to tell such stories.
Though I can't be the world's greatest father, I want to be an upright father.
By father moving just a bit busier.
Deureuruk.
While absorbed in thoughts, the Boss opened the safe door.
"Ink Sword Hero, look! He collected quite a lot."
The room where the Boss had been.
Pushing aside a bookshelf standing without books revealed an empty space. He was using the space itself as a safe.
"Yes, quite a lot."
Coins, silver pieces, silver taels, silver yuan notes were piled by type.
"Boss, what's that?"
Among brightly shining silver taels, one black-colored dagger lay.
"Th-that... Recently I bought it paying big money."
"You paid money to buy it? That's not such an item though."
Holding it in my hand, it fit perfectly.
Swinging it in the air—swish—the cutting sound was extraordinary.
"The weapon's aura is trendous. Will you use it?"
Swift Wind also admired.
", you say."
A good item.
The more so, I must guard against greed.
Deep breathing.
Calm heart.
"Yes. I'll use it."
Guard against greed as guarding.
Use as using.
Also thinking about it, greed doesn't need to only be guarded against.
In the past, satisfied with myself for controlling greed, I often just passed by.
'I'll let greed loose a little freely too.'
Explode, let go, beco free.
Quietly reciting the promise with friends, I reached out with the dagger.
"Boss, I'll use this for good work."
***
"The commotion has been subsiding since earlier."
Physician Sang Jeogo lanted.
A prison dug deeper into caves from the underground gambling house.
Because it's a thick wooden door rather than iron bars, outside sounds don't carry well.
Since commotion carrying here occurred, he briefly held hope wondering if soone ca to rescue.
"Physician Sang, if you get disappointed that way, the pain doubles. Let's be calm."
One elderly physician cald Sang Jeogo.
Hope of escape was sweet, but the bitter heart when not realized was hard to bear.
Beside him, Jang Huigun stamped his feet.
"I must get out. It's unfair. I didn't gamble. I..."
Among physicians here, Jang Huigun was on the quite young side.
Sang Jeogo sighed seeing the young physician suffering.
"Look, Physician Jang. Everyone's the sa."
"What?"
"You were so out of it you didn't hear. Probably the thod you and we were captured is identical."
"Then everyone else also had soone say they'd buy drinks?"
"That's right."
A stranger approached saying they'd buy drinks in gratitude for treating a relative. They broke down vigilance while naming a recently treated patient. Moreover, even when declined, they clung desperately, so they thought to drink lightly and split the drink cost.
However, after drinking just a few cups, heads spun.
Before they knew it, they sat in a gambling house.
Everyone's expressions sank recalling that scene.
"To think physicians fell for drugs. How unfair."
"Speaking of unfair, every process is unfair. What gambling, gambling. I was too busy to even have ti."
"Ha, right. I who don't even know how to read tiles incurred debt with dominoes? Utterly unfair."
For a while denunciation continued, but the end was sighs again.
"Really should have been careful."
"It was because they were welcoming. Luoyang is in decline, so these days everyone lives with hardened faces—few people know how to show goodwill."
"Sigh, we're all idiots."
Before they knew it, a resigned atmosphere.
Not only because rescue possibility was low.
Because they were tired of reality where rare goodwill was ultimately just trickery.
Only Jang Huigun asked urgently.
"Then what happens to us now?"
"Well, looking at the atmosphere, probably sold sowhere and made to work?"
"As physicians?"
"Won't be proper work. Treating Black Path, or sowhere worse."
"I must get out. No, others are the sa too. You must have families. But if I disappear, there's no one to care for my elderly father. His heart isn't good, so if I disappear like this, he'll surely collapse..."
When family talk ca up, the already complex atmosphere darkened further.
Jang Huigun jumped up and pounded the door.
"Look here! What's the commotion outside! There are people here!"
Everyone watched that sight regretfully.
"There are people here! If soone ca, please save us!"
"Physician Jang, doing that will only provoke their anger. Just staying still is better."
"No! I must get out. Soone please help! There are people here!"
The voice hit the wooden door and returned futilely.
Still, Jang Huigun kept pounding the door, and Sang Jeogo seeing this rose.
"Let's help. If planning to sell us, they won't be too rough. Please help! There are people here!"
At Sang Jeogo's words, other physicians also made eye contact.
Though no belief in rescue, they couldn't leave young Jang Huigun struggling alone like that.
Krreung, kkeung-cha—sounds of rising bodies continued from here and there.
"Who knows? If a White Path martial artist attacked, they might hear our voices."
"A White Path martial artist with formidable martial arts? Hehehe, like a novel."
Right at that mont.
KWAAAAANG!
One fist broke through the door.
"Huh!"
"What!"
And through the broken door, one low voice was heard.
"Is Physician Jang Huigun there?"
The physicians' gazes converged on Jang Huigun all at once.
Gulp.
Swallowing saliva, Jang Huigun opened his mouth with trembling voice.
"I-I'm here."
Ink Sword Hero Jin Yeomyeong looked inside through the hole where he pulled out his fist.
He smiled—slightly.
"Your father is here."
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