Episode 67. Damn… I Forgot My Blade
Man, this guy sure likes to ramble.
But why does he think I’m part of the Black Path?
As Ohgu walked past a bend in the corridor, he caught a glimpse of himself in a polished bronze mirror. He didn’t love his looks, but objectively, he was a handsome young man who could hold his own anywhere.
Where exactly do I look like some shady underworld thug?
“You’re lucky, you know. Not just anyone gets to climb these stairs.”
Lucky…? He says I’m lucky?
Ohgu (吳九) was nothing if not unlucky.
He was named Ohgu, the ninth son of the Oh family, supposedly to complete the “Nine Stars.” But within three years, all his siblings—and even his father—were dead.
Drowned, trampled by a carriage, buried in a landslide… The villagers whispered behind his back.
They said Ohgu brought disaster.
Of course, his mother fiercely defended him.
—The calamity that struck the Oh family, this child alone survived!
But even she died suddenly of a mysterious illness when Ohgu was nine.
The villagers gossiped, but they still brought food and taught him how to work the fields. They just never let him inside their homes or gave him any real work.
He only understood why when he got older. They were afraid their own families would be ruined if the unlucky Ohgu set foot inside.
Once, a wandering martial artist asked to spend the night. Ohgu told him to go elsewhere, since he was bad luck.
—What nonsense! Maybe you’re unlucky, but my Nine Star Linked Saber Technique can change your fate. I’ll teach you!
The wanderer stuck around, eating and sleeping at Ohgu’s place while teaching him the Nine Star Linked Saber Technique. But after teaching up to the seventh form, with the eighth and ninth left, the wanderer went out one day and never returned. Later, Ohgu heard he’d been killed fighting an old enemy.
Ohgu kept practicing the technique, living off the food the villagers gave him and tending his little garden.
When he came of age, he sold off what little he had and shared it with the villagers who’d looked after him, then headed to Xiangyang.
His luck didn’t improve. Every time he joined an escort agency, it went under. Whenever he worked as a bodyguard, the household would collapse overnight.
After years of hardship, he heard at a tavern that the Heavenly Observation Pavilion had a copy of the Nine Star Linked Saber Technique.
He joined the Pavilion right away, starting from the bottom. After four years, he finally caught the eye of strategist Gu Ja-ang. Then, after two more years of working himself to the bone as Gu Ja-ang’s loyal dog, he finally got to read the secret manual at the start of this year.
He barely managed to memorize the eighth and ninth forms, dreaming that he could finally change his luck… but then a simple job from Gu Ja-ang went sideways, and he nearly starved to death.
Won Seung, who saved his life, told him:
—Ohgu, it’s time for a new life.
Maybe that’s what did it.
After nearly dying, his life took a turn. His appearance changed, his status changed, and he had money to spare. He was so used to women sneaking glances at him on the street, it was getting old.
He used to hide in the background, never speaking up in a crowd. But now, he had to step forward. He was the manager of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, after all.
He’s been practicing the Nine Star Linked Saber Technique diligently, determined not to let his new luck slip away.
He could feel his luck improving day by day, but still, hearing he was lucky from a stranger felt… off.
“Ahem. Is this supposed to be some kind of gateway to success?”
“Gateway? What’s that?”
Idiot.
Ohgu took another step, then suddenly stopped short.
Between the fourth and fifth floors, there was a hidden mezzanine. The ceiling was so low it almost touched his head, and dozens of men in black were gathered there, eyes gleaming.
Every one of them radiated killing intent… Blade-wielding thugs.
Ohgu felt a chill on the back of his neck.
Is my luck… finally running out?
He had a bad feeling about this.
“Careful. Those guys are dangerous. They live for the thrill of cutting throats,” Hama Cho said, as if reading Ohgu’s mind.
They climbed the stairs to the mezzanine and entered a long rectangular hall.
A large table sat in the center, covered with delicacies and wine.
There were twelve chairs. The seat at the head of the table was empty, as were the two seats by the entrance where Hama Cho and Ohgu had just come in.
Everyone else turned to look at them as they entered.
Ohgu recognized them instantly.
‘The leaders of the Xiangyang Underworld!’
From men in their early thirties to old-timers, dressed in all sorts of styles. The one thing they had in common was the unfriendly look in their eyes as they stared at Ohgu.
“Wait here,” Hama Cho said, then went to sit at the lowest seat. For all his bluster, he was at the bottom of the pecking order.
Ohgu scanned the room, then did a double take.
Why is the oil shop guy sitting there?
‘Wait… was he part of the underworld all along?’
That shiny bald head, slick with oil, was unforgettable. Ohgu recognized him instantly.
The oil shop guy seemed to recognize Ohgu too, but quickly looked away.
A moment later, a portly middle-aged man entered through the side door.
His expensive silk clothes, jeweled hat, and jade rings made it clear he was a man of great wealth.
“Sorry I’m late. Why didn’t you all start eating without me?”
He sounded apologetic, but his face said otherwise as he plopped into his seat.
No one had touched their chopsticks, waiting for this man to arrive.
“This three-way martial arts duel or whatever… what a hassle. They want me to co-host, or something…”
He shook his head in annoyance.
‘So that’s Gu Ak-pyeong, the owner of Flower Clear Pavilion?’ Ohgu thought. People said he was a fake Black Society boss… but was he the real deal?
Someone chimed in, trying to flatter him.
“But who else but the big boss of the Xiangyang Underworld could handle such a grand martial arts duel?”
Gu Ak-pyeong looked up at Ohgu.
“You’re Manager Wu from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, right? Why are you just standing there? Sit down.”
Ohgu wondered why he should sit there, but someone interrupted.
“Who is this guy, anyway? I never approved him joining our meeting.”
“I don’t agree either. Who invited him?”
Others nodded in agreement, clearly wondering what Ohgu was doing there.
Gu Ak-pyeong smiled warmly.
“I invited him. He’s a solid young man. He deserves a seat.”
“Gu Boss, aren’t you being a bit high-handed?”
Gu Ak-pyeong picked up his chopsticks and popped a roasted peanut into his mouth, chewing as he spoke.
“Listen up, Xiangyang Underworld… The Xiang River is about to be turned upside down by a storm. After this three-way martial arts duel, I wonder how many of you will still have your heads attached.”
“Gu Boss, isn’t that a bit harsh?”
“No. What’s harsh is you lot sitting here, waiting to pick up the scraps if Heavenly Observation Pavilion or Clear Water gets wiped out.”
Gu Ak-pyeong turned to Ohgu.
“Why are you still standing? Oh, I haven’t introduced everyone. Ever heard of the Council of Ten?”
He had.
The ten leaders who run the Xiangyang Underworld.
Gu Ak-pyeong was both the Black Society boss and the head of the Council of Ten.
“We’ll do introductions later. These ten here are the Council of Ten. That’s Wu Yang, who I sent to fetch you. He’s not usually at this table, but if I send someone on an errand, I make sure they get fed.”
Then he introduced Ohgu to the group.
“Some of you know him, some don’t. He’s the manager of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion on Calligraphy Street. But you know, they don’t just sell paintings there.”
Gu Ak-pyeong called out to the side.
“Hey, bring that over here.”
A Black Society underling brought over a poster advertising the sale of spectator tickets.
It said tickets would be sold from five o’clock on the day before the duel, at the warehouse next to the martial arts stage.
Only three hundred tickets.
“But here’s the thing. There’s no price listed. Rumor has it they start at a thousand nyang, and only accept silver or gold. Even so, people all over Xiangyang are desperate to buy them. There’s such a frenzy, silver coins are running out everywhere.”
Gu Ak-pyeong’s eyes fixed on Ohgu.
“And it’s that manager from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion who’s selling them.”
All eyes turned to Ohgu.
“Three hundred tickets! At a thousand nyang each, that’s three hundred thousand nyang in a single day. Ha! If anyone here makes that much in a month, raise your hand.”
No one did.
They all knew that when Gu Ak-pyeong started acting like this, things were about to get dangerous.
A cold glint appeared in Gu Ak-pyeong’s eyes.
“Whoever it was, they made me the co-host and offered me ten thousand nyang.”
A manic light flickered in his eyes.
“Sounded great. I’d get to host the duel, earn some honor, and pocket ten thousand nyang. But when I saw this today, I felt like a dog.”
His voice turned chilling.
“Some bastard is raking in the profits and tossing me a scrap—like throwing a bone to a dog. Me, the Black Society boss, treated like a mutt. Woof, woof!”
Gu Ak-pyeong, who looked like a respectable, wealthy, generous man, was in fact a self-stirring powder keg.
Finally, he slammed his fist down on the table.
The table shattered, food flying everywhere. Everyone jumped back in shock.
“Damn it, does it feel good? Treating the Xiangyang Black Society boss like a dog?”
He spat out curses usually reserved for the lowest thugs, eyes wild—the look of a man about to draw his blade.
Ohgu sighed inwardly.
Of course…
I really am unlucky.
Damn… I forgot my blade.
*
It was a muggy summer night.
Jong Bi was gone, Ohgu was gone… The quiet Hundred Flowers Pavilion felt strange.
Won Seung went to the well, drew up a bucket of water, gulped it down, and poured the rest over his head.
After moving house in the middle of the night, he was drenched in sweat. Even lukewarm water felt refreshing as he poured it over his head again.
He was about to step up to the main hall when he noticed water dripping from his hair and sat down on the bamboo chair under the eaves.
The bamboo chair was surprisingly comfortable.
Jong Bi, the Ten Perfect Servant, had made four of them not long ago.
‘One for Jong Bi, one for Ohgu. That leaves one extra?’
It couldn’t be for Seok-Bo the coachman. Seok-Bo commuted from his house across the stream on the outskirts.
With the Hundred Flowers Pavilion and the new house both in the market district, there was no stable for a carriage, so there was no helping it.
Jong Bi wouldn’t have made one for Yong Jo-woon.
So, was it for Blood Flower?
‘But Blood Flower will be leaving soon.’
Won Seung understood Jong Bi’s feelings, but… it was a wasted effort.
Blood Flower could move around now. The only reason he hadn’t left was because of his promise to Yong Jo-woon.
Yong Jo-woon had promised to let Blood Flower go on the morning of the martial arts duel. Letting an assassin who tried to kill you walk free wasn’t an easy decision.
‘He’s a pushover… but it’s a bold move.’
In the short time they’d spent together, Won Seung found himself influenced by Yong Jo-woon without even realizing it.