Chapter 27: Walking In With Their Own Feet
"Father!"
"My son!"
Jang Huigun and his elderly father embraced each other.
Hot tears flowed down both their cheeks.
"Father, why have you beco so gaunt? What about your als?"
"This boy, you're worried about my gauntness? Hm? Worried about my gauntness."
Father grasped his son's, son grasped his father's face with both hands.
Both haggard faces.
But joy filled them.
"Yes, I'm fine, everything's fine. Now everything is fine."
"Seeing father, my heart is at ease too. I'm also all fine."
All fine.
The ordeal passed. They t the person they had to et.
'What if Taebok and I experienced such a thing?'
I imagined.
My child, for unbelievable reasons, in the hands of soone with power stronger than .
I try to get the child back but my strength doesn't reach.
The child disappears like that.
"Uh."
From just brief imagination, blood surged backward.
'Strange.'
I possess mories of the past.
Simultaneously, I also feel vivid emotions from when I first beca a father.
Is this also the influence of sorcery?
Or because I returned to my younger days?
"Thank you!"
"Thank you!"
Two similarly shaped faces, identically soaked in tears, greeted .
The faces in complete disarray couldn't look better.
I too hope that even when old in the future, Taebok and I will cherish each other.
The physicians who hadn't left yet and watched together also smiled contentedly.
Among them, a physician nad Sang Jeogo clasped hands in greeting.
"Thank you. Ink Sword Hero, Swift Wind—thanks to two heroes renowned in Luoyang, we regained freedom."
Swift Wind waved his hand.
"Leave out. Because the Ink Sword Hero set out tracking first, we ca this far. I just followed and assisted, so give thanks to the Ink Sword Hero."
He turned the credit to .
"Thanks to Swift Wind's assistance, it was easy. Organizing inside the gambling house would have taken long without the branch beggars."
"You just organized where you'd knocked everyone down. Without modesty, step forward and receive greetings."
Since he said this much, declining was difficult.
"Physicians, you've suffered much. You endured hardship falling to the Black Path bastards' wicked tricks."
The physicians competed to greet.
"Thank you, Ink Sword Hero!"
"We physicians too heard of the Ink Sword Hero's heroic reputation. To think we'd receive such grace."
"Where neither governnt nor Alliance reached, the Ink Sword Hero ca! I'll tell of today's events for life and transmit them to descendants too!"
If I'd only done missions instructed by the Alliance, there would have been no saving these people.
The physicians would have disappeared sowhere in the northwest.
Now all could live their lives in Luoyang.
I felt the reward of moving away from the Alliance.
I smiled at them, then rembered one forgotten task.
"Oh right, this is the money the elder had taken at the gambling house."
Hadn't I said I'd retrieve the money too?
Inside the safe, a money bundle with ties not even loosened was thrown. I handed what I brought out to Jang Huigun's father.
However, he didn't extend his hand.
"No. Ink Sword Hero, please take this considering it our father-son sincerity."
"Please take it."
Mm.
No, there's no need.
"No. I'm fine. Don't you need money to pay dicine costs and continue employing people?"
I forcibly placed the bundle in the two people's hands.
He's a physician who receives dicinal ingredients from Oga Pharmacy. aning he specializes in treating children. Soone to visit when not only Taebok but Luoyang children are sick.
So he must operate the physician's office well.
The physicians joined voices.
"Huh, the Ink Sword Hero has no interest in wealth either."
"Indeed, an upright person as heard."
No, that's not it.
Really no need.
I'd taken not only the black dagger but also a hundred taels of silver from the Boss's safe earlier.
Money gathered by exploiting gamblers, I decided to use in a good place.
A place good for .
"I have no intention of being upright from now..."
"Right, right. They said formidable martial arts, simple temperant, and upright conduct."
Was there such a reputation?
Simple temperant?
"That temperant too, the policy changed now..."
"Truly a hero! A model for others!"
I just closed my mouth.
Well... reputation will slowly change going forward.
Swift Wind opened slit eyes teasingly looking at .
"Simple and upright Ink Sword Hero, what do you plan to do now?"
Right.
Let's change the subject.
How to catch Jeong Yangtak?
"Physicians."
"?"
Last ti I tried being Black Path.
Then this ti.
"Will you beco my companions?"
I'll try being a physician.
***
"Ten physicians arrived?"
"So they say."
Xinyang Trading Company.
The wide site where the trading company stood was surrounded by high walls.
However, even those walls couldn't hide people's black hearts.
Trading Captain Jeong Yangtak gave a crooked smile.
"Good. Agreed to receive an expensive price yet gathered within the period. I worried because the Black Cloud Gang bastards are idiots, but they did it."
Cloud Shadow, bodyguard warrior and advisor standing beside, set down a cup of tea. Already a confidant together for over ten years.
"I thought it was work that easily catches eyes, but it went really well."
"Hehehe, didn't I say so?"
Eyes here ant governnt and the Alliance.
Two eyes monitoring Luoyang's public safety.
"Captain Guyang's influence still reaches effectively."
"His financial power is indeed trendous."
Captain Guyang's influence was ultimately financial power.
He'd covered governnt's and the Alliance's eyes with glittering gold and silver.
"Right, his financial power is strangely trendous."
I could guess.
The human trafficking Jeong Yangtak touched was originally work Captain Guyang proposed.
He took part of the profits. Though giving it out felt bitter, it was a subtle distribution—regrettable to overturn the board.
He also designated Black Cloud Gang as executor.
That's why Black Cloud Gang was even less trustworthy.
Probably other trading captains following Captain Guyang were also dipping hands in fishy work though different types, offering part of profits.
In the end, what's truly trendous wasn't financial power.
"His skill at manipulating from behind is more trendous. That's the scary point."
"Then is doing this acceptable? Captain Guyang doesn't want you leaving Luoyang."
Jeong Yangtak was currently pulling money from various business fields to the maximum.
Properties and sites bought near Luoyang—he increased money by selling one place simultaneously to multiple people.
While pressuring interdiate wholesalers to pay goods prices in advance, behind he separately sold actual goods.
The originally packed safe was now about to explode.
All this was groundwork for leaving Luoyang.
After staying quiet a while, change identity and start business in another region—that would do.
Of course, as Cloud Shadow said, Captain Guyang wanted Jeong Yangtak to remain.
"Won't Captain Guyang try to block it? Send before he takes action. I'll process and return."
Cloud Shadow was asking whether to process Captain Guyang himself.
Of course not a bad thought.
However.
"It'll be difficult. Those he employs are also masters."
"They won't match ."
"Of course. But you'll get injured. Might even get caught if careless. Can't send you to such work."
Cloud Shadow was like Jeong Yangtak's hands and feet.
Must cut precisely when cutting must be done.
Now wasn't that ti.
"Captain Guyang also can't treat carelessly. If I open my mouth sowhere, won't he also get hurt? Above all, now he's probably out of his mind because of Zhu Hochong?"
Zhu Hochong wasn't an easy person.
Should have finished him when the previous magistrate existed—already failed at not doing so.
As soon as reinstated, he revived Golden Cloud Trading again. His subordinates also imdiately flooded back. Thought he'd have recovery period, but started business more aggressively.
"Captain Guyang said not to worry. But can't believe those words literally."
The rchant virtue Jeong Yangtak thought of was distrust.
No one can be trusted before money.
Money makes family and friends betray. Would Captain Guyang t through business protect Jeong Yangtak himself?
He said strange things about Black Path planning to support, but don't know what that ans.
"Now, let's go to where they're gathered. Must see the physicians' condition."
***
"The carriage's speed is gradually decreasing."
I disguised as a physician and rode the carriage Jeong Yangtak sent together with other physicians.
The carriage moved a long ti and was finally slowing.
Right after organizing the gambling house, I had the Black Cloud Boss contact that all physicians were gathered.
And then.
Swift Wind, is there soone who can change my appearance by disguise?
One gang mber has good handiwork. Can surely change it. You can hide your martial artist's aura well, right?
Of course. And please also contact the branch's Outer Hall martial artists.
Not contacting the branch directly?
Because sothing concerns .
Too much Black Path in Luoyang.
And the Deputy Branch Leader later dies when things go wrong while receiving Black Path bribes.
Could he be connected even now?
Though it might be excessive worry, being careful isn't bad.
If by any chance connected, this current infiltration risked leaking.
Though I didn't explain at length, Swift Wind nodded.
Must have circumstances. I'll do so.
Among Outer Hall warriors, please contact Flying Black Bear Kwak Daebang.
Kwak Daebang was trustworthy. I knew he died as White Path.
Though I don't know his other sides, if asked to step forward for heroic deeds, he won't refuse.
Also, Kwak Daebang's reason for disliking the Alliance was that it wasn't befitting White Path. When gathering people too, he'd fit the White Path standard, so reassuring.
And please follow the carriage. Since they seed pressed for ti too, they'll move soon. When arriving at the location, I'll smash from inside and co out whistling. Please assault together with Outer Hall warriors.
Understood!
And flowing as planned until now.
If one point differed from the plan.
"Brother Kwak, I didn't know we'd ride the carriage together."
Hearing the story, Kwak Daebang appeared like wind at the gambling house requesting accompanint. He said he entrusted the role of gathering Outer Hall warriors to another.
We sent one physician to Beggar's Gang's Jogon, and Kwak Daebang and I rode the carriage pretending to be physicians.
"Can't I co?"
"It's cramped..."
He squird, moving his body.
Remained tightly packed.
"Nng, please endure. Don't know how the prison looks—"
"You an soone might need to protect people? I was thinking that too anyway."
"Then why?"
"Was going to bring soone else. Because it's cramped."
"Must also be able to hide martial aura."
The carriage Jeong Yangtak sent wasn't pulled by ordinary trading company mbers. Three warriors ca together to each of two carriages.
Since already heard from the Black Cloud Boss, we hid martial aura well.
Though they blindfolded and bound hands, I extracted wrists by dislocation technique.
The carriage moved a long ti on dirt as if leaving the city.
"Ink Sword Hero, you noticed too?"
"Circled the sa place. It's inside the city. Seems they circled a place like a garden—it's a place with quite wide grounds. Good. Those following were probably comfortable."
Squeak.
The carriage stopped.
Kwak Daebang and I put on blindfolds and put hands back in bindings.
"Now, co out one by one!"
The warriors shouted roughly.
Physicians got off one by one first.
Kwak Daebang asked .
"Ink Sword Hero, what shall we do?"
"Let's go where they tell us first. Other people will be captured there too."
"Understood."
However.
"Wait!"
A warrior appearing from elsewhere shouted to the warriors who brought us.
"He says he wants to see the goods. Line them up inside the warehouse."
"Ugh, want to finish quickly and rest."
"Won't take long."
And ears perked at the last words.
"The Captain is coming personally, so pay attention."
Kwak Daebang and I faced each other with blindfolded faces.
"Plan revision."
Walking in with his own feet.
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