novelraw Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Chapter 10: Tragedy of Hebei (4)
“I enjoyed the treats.”
The child, who had been eating the snacks in silence for a while, offered a cute word of thanks as if satisfied.
“Yes, yes.”
Seeing that the child was well-mannered, a pleased expression appeared on Jiwon’s face. Since the fear that had been lingering in the child's eyes had finally faded, he slowly began the conversation.
“My name is Park—no, I mean, it is Cheon Siu. What is your name?”
“Jang Nail.”
“Oh. That is a cool name.”
“Hehe.”
When he complimented the boy with admiration, Nail smiled happily. Jiwon then asked a leading question.
“But Nail, why are you here?”
“...”
At his question, the child's expression turned gloomy. Jiwon waited without adding any clumsy words, and eventually, the boy slowly opened his mouth.
“...I was playing with my friends and was on my way home after the sun went down. But suddenly, a man in red clothes approached me.”
“Hee. Do you remember what he looked like?”
“I do not remember...”
“It is okay, it is okay. And then?”
When he gestured for the boy to continue, Nail spoke again.
“When I opened my eyes, I was in front of a big wall, so I ran away.”
“...Is that all?”
Nod. Nod.
‘Ha.’
He was inwardly speechless. The child's testimony was far too flimsy and contrived.
“I want to see my mommy and daddy...”
Seeing Nail look like he was about to cry, Jiwon smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
“Do not worry. You will be going home very soon.”
Whatever the result, everything would come to a conclusion today.
“So, let us go to sleep.”
He laid the child down and tucked him in with a blanket. He intended to leave, but the child's eyes, filled with anxiety as they looked toward him, held him back. He waited until the boy fell asleep.
“Whew... Whew...”
Before long, the sound of steady, quiet breathing filled the room. Only then did Jiwon carefully slip out of the bedroom.
‘This is a total frame-up.’
There was no way the Martial Alliance's investigation team did not know this. Even if the Hyeobui Clan was doing it because of a power struggle, why were they also going along with such a clumsy setup?
“...Well, I suppose it is for the sake of results.”
Jiwon shook his head with a bitter smile. It was something that happened all the time back at his company, too. Stepping out of the Hyeobui Clan by reversing the path he had taken to sneak in, Jiwon watched the dawning light and murmured.
“The things they do in the martial world are not much different from reality...”
Of course, it was not as if such settings were absent from novels, but experiencing it firsthand left a lingering bitterness he could not help. It felt as if he had seen the true, ugly face of a world he had once loved. He shook his head and began walking toward the inn where he was staying.
***
Under the brilliant sun, warriors who had come from various places to provide support, led by the Martial Alliance investigation team, marched boldly down the road. Their numbers clearly exceeded a hundred, forcing merchants to lock their doors and pedestrians to flee in terror.
Step! Step!
The place they arrived at was the main gate of the Bisa Clan. There, warriors in red martial robes were already waiting with grim expressions.
“...Have you made your decision?”
When Paeng Ungi stepped forward and asked, Jang Gihu also stepped forward and declared in a cold voice.
“I refuse.”
“...”
Paeng Ungi narrowed his eyes coldly and placed his hand on his hilt, while Jang Gihu took a combat stance. Naturally, the warriors of both the Bisa Clan and the righteous faction channeled their inner energy, each preparing for battle.
“Waaaaait a minute—!”
A powerful voice cut through the air in the middle of the touch-and-go situation. Everyone’s gaze turned toward the source.
Step. Step.
A man in white martial robes with a bamboo hat pulled low walked boldly between the two groups, drawing the attention of everyone present.
‘Phew. What an entrance.’
Feeling inwardly proud, Jiwon cupped his fist toward the righteous group.
Thud—!
“I am an insignificant nobody named Cheon Siu! May I say a few words!”
“You are Hero Cheon Siu. But what exactly do you wish to say?”
Although his tone was polite, the gaze Paeng Ungi directed at him was incredibly cold. Of course, compared to Sama Seorin, it was nothing, so he met the gaze easily and spoke.
“I simply cannot understand this, no matter how much I think about it. You are persecuting the Bisa Clan based solely on a child's testimony that he was kidnapped by someone in red and woke up near the Bisa Clan.”
“...H-How do you know that?”
The plump man was momentarily flustered. I obviously heard it while jumping over the fence secretly. He could not say that, so he turned his gaze to the righteous warriors and spoke again.
“A kidnapper who had left no evidence until now 'deliberately' wore the clothes of the Bisa Clan, kidnapped a child, and then 'deliberately' released them in front of the Bisa Clan. Do you not clearly sense an ulterior motive?”
“Hmm.”
“What, that was all the testimony amounted to...?”
Martial artists are not fools. As the truth of the testimony—which had been kept secret until now—was revealed, they began to murmur or look on in disbelief. Sensing the atmosphere shift, Paeng Ungi quickly raised his voice.
“I say it again! If you have nothing to hide, you should just undergo the investigation! We are not declaring you guilty based only on the testimony!”
At this statement, which threw the burden of proof onto the Bisa Clan and discarded the principle of 'innocent until proven guilty,' Jiwon frowned and shouted back.
“Then the Hyeobui Clan should undergo an investigation as well! There is a high probability that this was orchestrated by them, as they are losing ground in Xingtai, in order to kill with a borrowed knife!”
“You brat! How dare you spout such nonsense!”
A middle-aged man in white martial robes with a fine black beard flared up in anger. Because his refined features somewhat resembled Mak Hwaryeong, Jiwon could tell at once that he was the Clan Leader of the Hyeobui Clan, Mak Munsu.
“If you have nothing to hide, you should just undergo the investigation. I am not declaring you guilty based only on the circumstances, either.”
Jiwon shrugged and threw the investigation captain's own words back at them. He had to suppress a laugh at the sight of the middle-aged man just gaping in shock.
‘Hehe. Did these guys who only know sword fighting think they could beat a guy who only knows how to argue?’
Thanks to Jiwon, the atmosphere in the area began to shift toward the Bisa Clan. Sensing this, Mak Munsu quickly raised his voice.
“Do you intend to be toyed with by the antics of some third-rate wanderer whose identity is unclear?! The Alliance has already given its permission! And they are members of the Wicked Cult Alliance anyway, are they not!”
‘Oh? So that is how you want to play it?’
It seemed that since logic failed him, he intended to push through with brute force. However, he had picked the wrong opponent. He had read so many Wuxia novels! In times like this, the best response was the ‘Wuxia Protagonist style.’
‘I will show you a thing or two.’
Glancing up at the sky, Jiwon raised his voice with a solemn expression.
“This man is trying to eliminate the Bisa Clan solely for his own profit, using the many heroes gathered here!”
“Shut up! You!”
Mak Munsu roared in anger, but Jiwon ignored him and reached out his hands in an appeal.
“The scheme of someone trying to drive a wedge between the righteous and the wicked is plain to see! If you destroy the Bisa Clan just because they are a wicked sect, can you truly call yourselves the justice of the Martial Alliance?!”
When he looked at the righteous warriors with a fierce gaze, they avoided his eyes with reluctant expressions. To repeat, they are not fools. They must have clearly felt that his words were right.
Chirrrp—!
He drew the Snake Scale Sword all at once and shouted again.
“I, Cheon, can never stand by and watch such a folly! If you intend to slaughter the Bisa Clan, this third-rate nobody will stand by their side!”
Step. Step.
With a bold stride, Jiwon walked toward the Bisa Clan. Standing beside the warriors, he peeked at Jang Gihu.
‘I have set the mood, so why don’t you wrap this up?’
The middle-aged man, who had been blankly watching Jiwon’s performance, realized what he wanted and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Listen! Today, we shall all fight to the death to prove the innocence of the Bisa Clan! As long as you have breath in your body, fight to the end alongside Hero Cheon Siu!!”
““Understood!!””
The thunderous shout of the warriors shook the sky. Now that they had a sufficient cause to risk their lives, the warriors of the Bisa Clan would fight bravely until the last man fell. Conversely, the warriors of the Martial Alliance lost their will to fight. They, too, could instinctively tell who was right.
“...We are going back.”
Among the righteous warriors, a gaunt middle-aged man suddenly made a declaration. Paeng Ungi looked at him and asked coldly.
“Are you saying you will defy the Alliance's orders now?”
“If the Alliance punishes us, we will accept it gladly.”
The middle-aged man, not intimidated at all, cupped his fist and left with his group. Soon, others also raised their voices.
“The same goes for us. If we are punished, we will accept it.”
“We are leaving! This is not a battlefield worth risking our lives for!”
The righteous warriors departed one after another. Some of them even openly cupped their fists toward Jiwon. In the end, only the Martial Alliance investigation team and the warriors of the Hyeobui Clan remained.
“...Phew. We should head back as well.”
Paeng Ungi sighed and spoke to Mak Munsu. The latter had no choice but to nod with a contorted face. However, perhaps he was too frustrated to just leave, as he glared at Jiwon and spat out his words.
“You, brat, will regret this.”
At the classic cliché line, Jiwon smirked and cupped his fist.
Thud—.
Watching him leave with an even more distorted face, Jiwon realized once again that he was a person with an exceptional talent for infuriating others.
‘Phew. That feels great.’
He had driven off people who tried to exploit a child's kidnapping for their own performance and profit, all without even having to fight. How could this not be satisfying!
“...Thank you, Hero Cheon.”
Thud—.
As Jang Gihu cupped his fist, the warriors of the Bisa Clan all cupped theirs in unison.
““Thank you! Hero Cheon Siu!!””
The shouts shook the sky, and Jiwon returned the gesture with a pleased expression.
“Think nothing of it.”
“The Bisa Clan never forgets a debt. If there is anything you want, please speak without hesitation.”
Jang Gihu spoke seriously, but honestly, Jiwon was not moved. As seen when he walked out of the Bisa Clan's treasury, there was nothing he particularly wanted to take.
‘...It is not like I helped because I wanted something anyway.’
He had stepped in solely to mess with that damn author. Thus, he acted cool with a smile.
“As I said, I simply practiced what I believe is right. Therefore, you owe me nothing.”
“Hero Cheon...”
“Besides, it is only natural for a resident guest to earn his keep! Hahaha!”
After laughing heartily, he bid everyone farewell.
“Then, if fate allows, let us meet again!”
Immediately after, the man in white martial robes turned around and left. Jang Gihu watched Jiwon’s retreating back with a complicated expression. The fact that he left without taking anything made the man's heart feel even heavier than if he had taken everything.
“...An incredible warrior has appeared, Father.”
“Indeed.”
Nodding at Jang Pyo's admiring words, the middle-aged man turned to the warriors of the Bisa Clan and spoke.
“Our Bisa Clan must never forget the grace shown to us by Hero Cheon Siu.”
““Understood!””
***
Clip-clop. Clip-clop.
Jiwon and Sama Seorin were slowly moving along a quiet mountain path on horseback. Having finished their business in Xingtai, they were traveling to another city.
“Yaaaawn...”
At the sight of Sama Seorin suddenly yawning deeply, Jiwon spoke to her lightly.
“Did you not sleep well?”
“It is because of you.”
When she glared at him, he had to look sheepish. It seemed she had put all her effort into creating the Heaven-Slaying Sword Script. As expected of someone with her pride, she clearly had no intention of doing a half-hearted job.
“...But what were you going to do if the righteous faction had attacked?”
As expected, she had been watching, as she asked about the confrontation between the Bisa Clan and the righteous warriors. He shrugged his shoulders and replied.
“Well, then I suppose you would have helped me.”
“Why would I? If you die, our engagement is automatically called off.”
Despite her cranky denial, he replied with a smile.
“If that were the case, you would have killed me when we first met.”
“...”
Sama Seorin fell silent, as if she had nothing to say. Seeing that, he was certain that while she did not want the marriage, she also did not want him to die. Of course, he did not forget to add a few more words as her gaze turned chilly.
“I knew that a person like you would have slaughtered all the righteous warriors gathered there, so I was able to step forward boldly.”
“Hmph! Flattery will get you nowhere.”
Sama Seorin scoffed, but she did not feel bad. His ability to slyly flatter her when her killing intent rose was quite something.
‘...Why was a man like this known simply as a scoundrel? It feels as if he has a hundred snakes inside him.’
She looked at the man with a newfound gaze. The notorious scoundrel of the Black Blood Clan, Jin Yun. As the second son of Clan Leader Jin Doha and a person born with the Great Yang Body, was he not rumored to be arrogant, violent, and despicable?
‘Could it be that all of that was just a disguise?’
Unlike her, who was feeling complicated in many ways, Jin Yun was riding his horse like a tourist looking around at everything. She could only shake her head at the sight.