Even the Sword God Needs Paternity Leave

Chapter 11: Candied Fruit Over Assassination

Zhu Hochong, who had hidden himself in the crowd, ran frantically.

'How? How did they find out?'

I had lived as a real beggar without spending a single coin.

Thanks to that, my concealment up until now had been perfectly successful.

'To get caught after coming this far.'

His feet turned into a secluded alley.

Tap, tap. He ran hurriedly and stood before a door.

A door with a large, worn lock that looked like it hadn't been used in a long time.

However, when he took out a key and turned it, the door opened smoothly.

From the outside, it appeared to be a door leading to an empty lot behind an inn.

But once opened and entered, there was another wall between it and the inn.

In other words, a space walled off on both sides.

The width was only half a zhang (1.5m).

Opening the door and going in, on the right side was a small warehouse perfectly fitted to that narrow space.

Zhu Hochong hid himself inside.

Only after reaching this place filled with miscellaneous cargo did he let out a sigh.

"Phew."

Here, I was safe.

***

"They say Zhu Hochong entered an alley."

The Young Gang Leader of the Dragon Sword Gang needlessly lowered his voice.

"Is that so."

His father, the Gang Leader, nodded.

They were sitting in a tavern.

Not far from the hideout Zhu Hochong had entered.

The Dragon Sword Gang Leader, the Young Gang Leader, and one last person.

"Uncle, should we depart now?"

The man called uncle by the Young Gang Leader, the Absolute Sword Hand, clenched and unclenched his fist.

He was someone with such formidable martial arts that he had challenged Jin Yeomyeong to a duel when Jin Yeomyeong had stormed into the Dragon Sword Gang.

The Dragon Sword Gang was also a White Path faction, and the Absolute Sword Hand was also a murim person who had made a name on the White Path.

But what they were saying was very strange.

"You say no one followed him in?"

"The escort? They said there was none."

"Leader Yang's information is reliable. In that place, we can dispose of Zhu Hochong without being discovered."

They said they would dispose of Zhu Hochong. This was the kind of conversation only assassins would have.

The Gang Leader asked his cousin, the Absolute Sword Hand.

"Hyung-nim, are you certain? If we do this, we'll completely cross over to the Black Path."

"I'm certain. The trading leaders are also listening to that person's words. Luoyang will be controlled by the Black Path from now on."

When the Absolute Sword Hand answered with confidence, the Gang Leader nodded as if reassured.

"To think that the Black Path practitioners gathering in Luoyang was someone manipulating them..."

"Manipulating? It should be called dominating."

"Mm. Yes."

"The situation in Luoyang has been getting worse and worse anyway. Who could stop this flow?"

"That's right. Rather than struggling pointlessly resisting the tide, it's better to choose a new path early."

The Absolute Sword Hand asked as if confirming.

"You definitely severed ties with Hall Leader Go Seokmun, correct?"

"Didn't I tell you earlier? I said I threw him away when I met the Ink Sword Hero."

"Well done. Well done. Since he's someone who would interfere with becoming Black Path, we might have had to kill him otherwise."

"Not that far... I'd rather hope he doesn't return to the gang."

The Dragon Sword Gang Leader had already made up his mind about the gang's future.

But killing a hall leader who had been loyal to the gang was still distasteful no matter what.

"Yes. There's no need to listen to that kind of person's words. Listen to this hyung's words."

The Absolute Sword Hand looked at the Gang Leader and helped him steel his resolve again.

"Yes. Living as White Path had too many restrictions anyway."

"But even after switching to Black Path, there will be many watching eyes, won't there?"

"That's why we're doing it secretly like this. It's best to live Black Path while wearing the mask of White Path."

"Living Black Path while wearing the mask of White Path. Hahahaha! My brother is right."

The Absolute Sword Hand rose to his feet.

He could gain recognition alone.

But if he dragged the Dragon Sword Gang along with him, he could raise his value even more before that person.

The dark, dark future of walking the Black Path was being painted to him as a bright path of glory.

"Let's go."

***

Having caught his breath, Zhu Hochong suddenly seemed to remember something and pushed his hand between the cargo boxes.

The hand that came out held a folded note.

News had arrived.

Opening the note, a smile of triumph spread across Zhu Hochong's face.

"I should raise a toast."

He pushed his hand between the cargo boxes once more. Fumbling around, he searched for where the liquor should be and pulled it out along with a cup. It was top-grade Shaoxing Wine.

When he had filled the cup with liquor.

"What are you toasting for?"

A low voice was heard.

Zhu Hochong's hand stopped.

"..."

"..."

Silence flowed between Zhu Hochong and the voice.

After a moment, Zhu Hochong sat down on one of the cargo boxes.

So in the end, I was tracked down by an assassin.

"How did you know about this place?"

"I only knew it was around this area. I just moved quickly following your trail."

Is that so.

Was I tailed from the street earlier? Must be someone with excellent movement arts.

I was so careful too.

"How did you know my identity? I've lived as a beggar for the past six months. Was there something careless about me?"

His tone was calm.

"It's difficult to explain. I can only answer that I knew the time and place."

Time of death, place of death.

The voice only said this much.

A true assassin indeed.

"Is that so? That would be sufficient for you."

"..."

"Is there room for negotiation?"

I just said it. There was no way it would work with a professional assassin of this caliber.

"Do you have a proposal?"

"?"

It was slightly strange, but I continued speaking for now.

"How about money? I can give you more than what the magistrate can give."

"Please give it to me."

"?"

Asking for money too obediently.

For a moment, Zhu Hochong grasped the assassin's intention and frowned.

"You plan to take the money and kill me anyway."

"That's not it. I'll take the money and let you live."

"?"

Still untrustworthy.

There's no assassin who betrays this easily.

"You plan to find out where I hid my fortune and then kill me."

"No. I'll let you live."

"Haha, is this where it ends."

Zhu Hochong first downed the cup of liquor he was holding.

When I was a low-level trading company employee, I accidentally broke and drank one bottle of this liquor.

A captain who happened to pass by saw it and spat out curses. The captain's curses soon became the vice captain's roar, and the vice captain's roar became the squad leader's beating.

After getting thoroughly beaten and having to pay back liquor that cost more than my monthly salary, I vowed to myself that I would definitely succeed and drink this liquor as accompaniment to every meal.

To achieve that, I did various things.

And the results of those things had now come as death.

"By just one move, the game could have been flipped."

"Was that your toast?"

The low, calm voice interjected, turning Zhu Hochong's soliloquy into a conversation.

It blended in calmly and naturally.

"You really are an outstanding assassin."

"Me?"

"Who else is here."

"I'm... an outstanding assassin?"

He seemed skilled but somehow strange for an assassin.

"Oh, there's something I need to confirm in order to let you live."

Even this mentally strange assassin seemed curious about where the fortune was located.

"Your crimes."

"Hm?"

"Crimes. Smuggling, human trafficking, murder-for-hire, etc. What did you do? Excluding insulting the magistrate."

A really strange assassin.

For an assassin to ask such things.

Anyway, it wasn't bad.

If I stalled for time, maybe Swift Wind would come.

"I can't exclude it."

"Insulting the magistrate?"

"Yes. Because that's the core of it."

Zhu Hochong broke off his words to buy time.

But before Zhu Hochong could maintain sufficient silence, the assassin spoke first.

"You mean you were framed because you insulted the magistrate?"

"Hmm, that's right. Your mind works well."

"What insult did you commit to be framed so severely?"

"I found out about the magistrate's corruption and sent it to the opposing faction."

"Ah."

Competing trading leaders had moved the magistrate to try to entrap me.

Zhu Hochong didn't let himself be taken quietly. He painstakingly found out about the magistrate's embezzlement and sent it to the court. His handling of affairs had been flawless.

But absurdly, the secret leaked from the court.

"Do you know there are currently three regent ministers?"

"Yes. I heard that when the former emperor passed away early, he entrusted the succession to three ministers. I also know that their relationship is bad."

"Oh? That's not yet a public matter. You know quite in detail."

The strange assassin was also well-versed in current affairs.

"Anyway, the three ministers are struggling to find dirt on each other. At times like this, the magistrate's corruption is fatal."

"For something like that, it's taking quite a while. You've been hiding for six months."

"Politics is unknowable. Things that should take long can happen in an instant, and things that should end quickly can take forever."

Swift Wind still hadn't arrived.

Zhu Hochong thought he should say something more to stall for time.

But without needing to do so, the voice asked a question.

"Why didn't you leave Luoyang? Wouldn't that have been easier?"

"I was hiding here giving instructions. If I had left and spent six months away, it would be difficult to rebuild the trading company. The competing companies would have devoured everything."

"But isn't your life more important?"

"Would it be comfortable to give up martial arts and retire?"

A jianghu person wouldn't think like that.

"It wouldn't be bad."

"..."

"Because of circumstances, it's difficult now. But I don't know about after everything is over."

Is this assassin mocking me?

Zhu Hochong now felt slightly angry.

"Look here, assassin. If you're going to kill me, kill me. Swift Wind isn't coming either."

"I'm not killing you. Now that I think about it, why is Sir Swift Wind protecting you?"

Sir Swift Wind?

But to bother pointing that out, the assassin's condition was too strange.

Zhu Hochong poured and drank another cup.

"It's because of the things I did."

"What things?"

"Well, funding a Taoist temple outside the city and having them care for refugees? I did several other things too. Swift Wind probably cared most about that work. Isn't Swift Wind also from refugee origins?"

"...I see. I didn't know that."

"The magistrate squeezed me saying I should invest in him instead of doing such things. He also tried to seize the temple's location."

Zhu Hochong recalled the magistrate's greedy face.

"I'm also from refugee origins. To think he did such things. Without knowing I would blow him away."

I became close with Swift Wind through both being refugees.

"I heard three Black Path masters attacked Sir Swift Wind. But since I saw him fine later, there must have been no problem."

The assassin answered as if speaking of past events.

So that's why Swift Wind isn't coming.

They used a diversion tactic and sent masters to Swift Wind as well.

Zhu Hochong let out a long sigh.

"Is my destiny only this far?"

"No. Your life remains."

Crash. The cargo boxes from where the voice had been coming collapsed.

A man appeared holding a blunt, entirely ink-colored sword.

As he passed Zhu Hochong and swung his sword.

Clang.

A throwing spear that flew in from outside was struck by the sword and fell.

"Assassin?"

The man glanced back at Zhu Hochong.

"Why do you keep calling me an assassin?"

Only then could Zhu Hochong recognize the man's face. The man who had given him ten candied fruit skewers to give to the beggar children.

"Candied fruit?"

"That's a bit better."

"Then who exactly are you?"

"White Path."

White Path.

The man continued his introduction.

"I am Jin Yeomyeong, the Ink Sword Hero."

Zhu Hochong opened his eyes wide.

The hero Swift Wind had mentioned.

The one he said he couldn't guarantee victory against.

That hero spoke calmly.

"I will let you live."

Hearing those words, somehow it felt like my life was already saved.

"Oh? What welcome people."

Jin Yeomyeong's voice was heard from outside the door where he had gone.

"Hiiik! Jin Yeomyeong?"

An incomprehensible scream also rang out together.