Episode 69. Young Master Pung is Far Too Young to Die...
Fifth floor of Flower Clear Pavilion.
The room was a mess after Gu Ak-pyeong smashed the dining table.
An older, middle-aged man glared at Gu Ak-pyeong, his face twisted in anger.
"Chief Gu, what do you think you're doing? You invite us here and then wreck the table?!"
To call people together and then destroy the meal set before them—this was an insult to everyone present.
But Gu Ak-pyeong didn't even bother to apologize. Instead, he shot the middle-aged man a menacing glare.
"Bangju Bae Yeom! Was it you?"
"What? You? Chief Gu, watch your mouth!"
"I've waited so long for this day... and you dare lay a hand on my table first?"
Gu Ak-pyeong, who usually treated Bangju Bae Yeom as a respected senior, now looked ready to tear him apart.
Bangju Bae Yeom's face flushed red with anger, but he was too stunned to speak.
"Chief Gu! How dare you speak so rudely to Senior Moon!"
Not just Bangju Bae Yeom, but the other Council of Ten members pointed accusing fingers at Gu Ak-pyeong.
The Black Society might be the head of the Xiangyang Underworld, but the other members were all leaders of their own powerful sects.
Gu Ak-pyeong's behavior was a blatant disregard for their dignity. Yet he didn't even blink, glaring at the members with a vicious expression.
"Anyone scheming behind my back will die by my hand!"
"Sigh...!"
The oil merchant, Guang Dokdu of Yuchokbang, tried to calm Gu Ak-pyeong.
"Chief Gu, shouldn't you at least explain what's going on? If one of us has betrayed the group, I'll deal with them myself. So tell us the whole story."
Guang Dokdu, along with Bangju Bae Yeom, was one of the few older than Gu Ak-pyeong. Perhaps out of respect, Gu Ak-pyeong took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
"Do you really think the fight between the Heavenly Observation Pavilion and the Clear Water Sect just happened by chance?"
"...?"
The Council of Ten members flinched in surprise.
"Nothing in this world happens without a reason."
Those quick on the uptake caught on immediately.
Gu Ak-pyeong was implying that someone had orchestrated this from behind the scenes—and that someone was himself.
Ohgu, listening in, was puzzled.
What is he talking about? Wasn't the Three-way Martial Arts Duel arranged by Young Master Pung?
Someone asked, "Are you saying the current standoff between the Heavenly Observation Pavilion and the Clear Water Sect is your doing, Chief Gu?"
Gu Ak-pyeong didn't answer directly. Instead, he looked around at everyone and spoke.
"The day after tomorrow, the Xiangyang Twin Peaks—the Heavenly Observation Pavilion and the Clear Water Sect—will destroy each other and fall. I called this meeting to discuss the future of Xiangyang with the Council of Ten after the Twin Hegemons are gone."
"That's right. Someone has to lead Xiangyang."
"But... someone here has betrayed us. Someone among us has sided with the Xiangyang Twin Peaks."
"What?!"
The Council members looked at each other in shock.
"Chief Gu, are you sure? Can you stand by that accusation?"
Guang Dokdu's eyes flashed with curiosity as he pressed for an answer.
Gu Ak-pyeong's gaze shifted to Ohgu.
"Confess. Who put you up to this?"
Ohgu realized that Gu Ak-pyeong was completely mistaken.
For some reason, Gu Ak-pyeong seemed to think that the person who distributed the tickets for the Three-way Martial Arts Duel was one of the Black Path members present—or that a few of them had conspired together.
The leaders of the Council of Ten all stared at Ohgu.
Gu Ak-pyeong spoke slowly.
"Name your backer."
There was no backer to name.
There were only three of us... Should I call us the Three Musketeers?
At that moment, Hama Cho's telepathic communication came through.
—Tell the truth. And when you name your backer, add Bangju Bae Yeom, the Clear Water Sect, and the Three Beauties Hall! Name those three, and we'll let you live.
Ohgu flinched and glanced at Hama Cho.
Hama Cho signaled with his eyes to look forward. Ohgu's gaze returned to Gu Ak-pyeong.
Gu Ak-pyeong's eyes... They were no longer burning with rage as before. His face was still flushed with anger, but his eyes were cold—cruelly so.
Those eyes said it all: Do as Hama Cho says.
'These bastards...?'
Ohgu might look like he was in his early twenties, but inside, he was a seasoned Martial Artist who had weathered the storms of the Murim for over a decade.
He understood the situation instantly.
'They're trying to use this as an excuse to get rid of a few Council members!'
Xiangyang was a big city, but honestly, there were too many of them. The Council of Ten had been formed by gathering every possible force to stand against the Twin Hegemons... But once the Twin Hegemons were gone, it would suit the Black Society just fine if a few groups disappeared.
At the same time, Ohgu realized it would be hard to get out of here alive. The moment he opened his mouth, they'd kill him to silence him.
Ohgu looked over the Council members. They were all tense, wondering whose name would come out of his mouth. When his eyes met the oil merchant's, he saw a flicker of sympathy.
Ohgu let out a long sigh and asked Hama Cho, "How did you know it was me?"
He was genuinely curious why he had been singled out.
Hama Cho grinned shamelessly.
"Isn't it strange? You suddenly appeared in Xiangyang as if you'd fallen from the sky and opened a Calligraphy and Painting Shop. At such a young age, too. But your movements were interesting. Your subordinates were constantly going back and forth between the Clear Water Sect and the Heavenly Observation Pavilion..."
"Is that all?"
"I was honestly a bit surprised when I saw you posting the ticket notices. For a Master like you to be running around putting up posters—just how powerful must your bosses be?"
Hama Cho glanced around at the Council members as he continued, needing to make Ohgu look suspicious by any means.
It didn't matter if it sounded forced. Once the names were out, force would take care of the rest.
"To get the tickets from the Xiangyang Twin Peaks and manage the Three-way Martial Arts Duel... Just how formidable must your organization be?"
"Hmm. You found out well enough."
Ohgu nodded readily, which actually caught Hama Cho off guard.
'What the... Is this guy just giving in so easily?'
Hama Cho glanced at Gu Ak-pyeong.
Gu Ak-pyeong's cold gaze wavered. The moment Ohgu opened his mouth, it would be crucial. As soon as the names were mentioned, those people would be subdued.
'Don't make me laugh. You think things will go your way?'
Ohgu couldn't afford to die here. He valued his life, but more than that, he had to warn Won Seung that the Black Society was aiming for control of Xiangyang.
Now that the ticket distribution had become a target, if his identity was exposed, the Black Society wouldn't let him live.
'Young Master Pung is far too young to die...'
Ohgu, who had grown up as an unlucky outcast, was by nature cold and sharp, which is why Gu Ja-ang had used him as a pawn.
After being taken down by Jong Bi and tortured by Won Seung with "bruises of pain," he had been left dazed and starving in a dungeon, his mind barely functioning.
But after gaining a new body(?) and identity, he gradually regained his composure. He realized that nearly dying had been part of Won Seung's plan. But he didn't resent it. They had been enemies at the time. Though he had suffered, he was cold-blooded enough to accept it as a matter of circumstance.
Afterward, living with Won Seung, he found new joy in life. At the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, he was no longer an unlucky outcast.
Won Seung insisted that to sell paintings, one needed basic skills, and so he taught Ohgu painting and calligraphy whenever he could. Though younger, Won Seung was like a master to him. Sometimes he seemed like a wild younger brother, but seeing him broker the Three-way Martial Arts Duel between the Heavenly Observation Pavilion and the Clear Water Sect was genuinely impressive.
Jong Bi provided delicious meals every day. Though it was a short time, Ohgu experienced a new life—one with a brush instead of a blade—and thought he could be content living that way.
'And now these bastards are ruining it...'
Ohgu swept his gaze over the Black Path members in the room.
For Young Master Pung's sake, he had to make a desperate move.
Just then, a flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by a crash of thunder.
Then...
Crack! Boom!
A deafening roar shook the building as lightning struck nearby.
Startled by the force of nature, everyone instinctively turned to look where the lightning had hit.
'Now!'
Ohgu didn't hesitate. He made his decision and lunged at Hama Cho. Hama Cho was standing with his back to the window, looking over his shoulder at the lightning strike.
"Watch out, Hama Cho!"
Gu Ak-pyeong shouted a hasty warning as Hama Cho whipped his head around.
"Hmph!"
Seeing Ohgu charging at him, Hama Cho sneered and threw a right punch.
Everyone who came up to the fifth floor had left their weapons at the door, so they were all unarmed. But Hama Cho was confident. Ohgu might have beaten up three of his subordinates, but Hama Cho was the head of Wuyang Hall. He'd spilled plenty of blood to get there...
Someone like Ohgu would be easy to handle... But things didn't go as Hama Cho expected.
Ohgu slipped Hama Cho's punch under his left armpit, closed the distance, and wrapped his arms around him. Two men hugging in the middle of a fight—it was a bizarre sight.
"You little—"
Hama Cho, thrown off by the strange stance, tried to kick Ohgu's shin, but Ohgu straightened his bent knees and leapt powerfully.
Still holding Hama Cho tight.
"Huh?"
The two of them shot out the window, clearing a good ten feet. Hama Cho, caught off guard, flailed his arms as they flew.
They passed the balcony, and below them was nothing but open air.
Thud!
The rain began to pour down on them.
"Not so fast!"
Gu Ak-pyeong jumped up and kicked a porcelain bowl rolling on the floor.
Crack!
The bowl shattered, and shards flew toward Ohgu in midair. But Ohgu had anticipated this. He twisted in the air, switching positions with Hama Cho.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The porcelain shards embedded themselves in Hama Cho's back.
"Argh!"
Hama Cho screamed in pain as the two of them plummeted.
Realizing he would die if he hit the ground like this, Hama Cho desperately tried to smash Ohgu's head with his fist.
But Ohgu slid down Hama Cho's body, grabbed his legs, and clung to his lower half. The position was even more awkward, but there was no time for embarrassment.
It took a while to climb up to the fifth floor, but falling down took only a blink.
Hama Cho only managed to throw one punch, and when he missed, the ground rushed up to meet him.
Thud!
Falling from the fifth floor, Hama Cho's head hit the ground with a sickening crack.
Ohgu, ever slippery, pushed off Hama Cho's lower body at the last moment, launching himself diagonally away before his own head could hit the ground.
It was a long drop, so Ohgu wasn't unscathed. He protected his head as he landed, but his left shoulder popped out with a painful jolt.
'Ugh!'
There was no time to feel pain.
Ohgu rolled once more and sprang to his feet, dashing toward the wall.
"Get him!"
Glancing up, Ohgu saw Gu Ak-pyeong glaring down from the fifth-floor balcony.
From the first floor of Flower Clear Pavilion, a mob of sword-wielding thugs poured out. More came running from the main gate.
As he ran, Ohgu grabbed his dangling left arm with his right hand, yanked it, and shoved it back into place.
"Ugh!"
With a click, his dislocated shoulder popped back in.
Meanwhile, one of the Black Society's thugs appeared in front of him, slashing with a saber. Three more followed, and countless others swarmed behind.
Flower Clear Pavilion was crawling with swordsmen—not just from the Black Society, but also the Council of Ten's underlings.
Swish!
Ohgu, moving at an angle, dodged the thug's saber, then kicked the next one in the stomach as he came up from behind.
The thug had expected Ohgu to block his comrade's attack, but instead, Ohgu slid past and drove his foot into the man's belly. The man collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
Ohgu twisted the man's arm and snatched his sword. It was a bit shorter than his usual long saber, but gripping it gave him strength.
By then, thugs on both sides were slashing at him.
Swoosh!