Chapter 33: Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Let's Use It

Saying I cut even non-martial artist swindlers.

Though I'd never harm people who haven't learned martial arts.

Now I'm also good at lying.

"That can't be! I heard the Ink Sword Hero isn't such a person!"

I lowered my voice and narrowed my eyes.

Jin Yeomyeong with a cold face and iron heart.

Jayeong attached to my back squirmed her body slightly.

Seems she's struggling to hold back laughter.

She finds my lying appearance amusing apparently.

I should make her laugh more.

"I'll start by cutting one of the two."

The swindlers were increasingly terrified.

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Jayeong trembled, pretending to cough.

Even with black tiger pelt, there's no chance of catching coughing sickness.

I turned and showed my back to the swindlers.

"Are you alright, honey? The autumn wind is cold. As expected, you shouldn't have come outside."

Only my back is visible to the swindlers.

Jayeong came further into my arms and whispered quietly.

"You have such a talent for making me laugh..."

"New life has new learning."

"Keup, keup, puhahahat!"

Eventually she couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.

"Did you hear? My wife's laughter? She's happy at the thought of seeing swindlers' deaths."

I turned to look at the bastards.

"At the thought of seeing deaths..."

Jayeong pounded my back bursting into loud laughter.

To my ears, that laughter was so sweet.

"We just did as we were told!"

The swindlers knelt in terror.

Lied well, made my wife happy, and the swindlers will now spill everything.

Before starting the interrogation.

I briefly revived memories of the past.

I looked down at the heads of those who played house owner and competitor.

"You're from a ruined theater troupe?"

"How do you know that?"

"A trading company person must be involved as broker?"

Something comes to mind.

In Luoyang, there were incidents of contracting houses doubly and triply and embezzling money. Not just one or two cases, so rumors spread widely through the marketplace.

Later the culprits were caught.

They were actors from a ruined theater troupe and retired trading company members.

The body would have been Banyang Trading.

Anyone could see only the tail was caught and it ended.

'The previous magistrate probably received back money and hushed it up.'

Recalling those times, I kept silent briefly.

"Please don't kill us!"

"After the theater troupe collapsed, living became difficult so we just... Just lent our names and did as told."

The actors who wrongly guessed my thoughts urgently brought out excuses.

Then does this bastard mean he's the house owner on documents?

Briefly had other thoughts, but focused again on the bastards' excuses.

"Shut up! You were doing your utmost in acting! Doing your utmost with acting you're not even good at was torture to watch. That's why the theater troupe collapsed."

Whether I stabbed a painful spot, the bastards' faces distorted.

"Said you lent your name. Then there's already double contracting?"

"No. For this house, hero is the first."

"Heard there's a defect in the house."

I heard many people were deceived because there was no problem with the house itself.

"I don't know well but I heard."

"They say a pleasure house will stand behind."

Something that didn't exist before—a new business?

Both Jayeong and I were shocked.

This alley has clustered houses. Not a place for a pleasure house.

"Planning to drop house prices to buy cheaply? Planning to make a pleasure house district?"

When a pleasure house stands, surroundings are bound to be noisy with music even at night.

Thoughts reach even Taebok.

Our Taebok's comfortable sleep!

"Black Path sect. Where?"

"They erect a pleasure house and pressure surroundings. A Black Path sect is surely involved. Don't think of deceiving."

"Oh, we didn't think that. It's a sect called Tiger Might Society."

Trading companies doing backroom business in Luoyang all put Black Path sects forward.

Though the broker ostensibly sells the trading company name, when caught, he'd mention the Black Path sect.

"Must handle it from there."

Dragon Sword Gang comes to mind. Dragon, Tiger—truly grandiose.

"Last question. Tiger Might Society's hideout?"

"Not hiding but openly there. Occupied one closed temple south of the city."

If that place, I also know it.

By lightness technique it's quick, so good.

Heard everything to hear from these people.

"Then may I leave now?"

This place is a study.

Though crudely decorated, rummaging the desk produced paper, brush and ink.

"Questions finished."

Earlier midway I learned the documentary house owner was the actor.

Then briefly had a thought.

"If you're the nominal holder, isn't the contract also valid?"

"Uh... that's true but."

"I'll handle blocking the pleasure house myself. Let's write a contract."

I wrote without hesitation.

The house owner peeked at the contract from beside.

"You just lent your name anyway—not a house you bought."

"Yes. So there's no problem. Setting that aside, that price is really."

I also read the amount I wrote again.

Not even a swindler—even a bastard at the level of a swindler's subordinate said such words about this amount.

From behind, Jayeong's laughter burst out once more.

After taking Jayeong home.

Wife, let's prepare to move.

Hahat, hahahat, when did you become this funny?

Since meeting Taebok?

Hahahat, Taebok really is a blessing.

I departed alone toward Tiger Might Society.

Banyang Trading's Guyang Je was said to be most closely connected to the Black Path King.

Tiger Might Society was a Black Path sect that such Guyang Je controlled.

Probably not an easy sect.

Would have skills beyond Black Cloud Gang.

'Of course Mukheun is sufficient though.'

I grasped the sword hilt and injected Eight Trigram Unity Technique.

Mukheun hummed as always.

'Still, shall I explore first?'

Arriving near the abandoned temple where Tiger Might Society was located.

People gathered outside the temple.

Are they the bastards?

Operating Xun Trigram Technique, I went up to a nearby building's roof.

Lightly stepping on tiles and stopping, I listened toward the temple.

"Pay back! Pay back!"

"We came knowing everything! This is Tiger Might Society?"

"What about our money! Do you know how we saved that money?"

Such sounds were heard.

Not Tiger Might Society but people who came to question Tiger Might Society?

No matter how I looked again, all commoners who hadn't learned martial arts.

"Hey! Go back! We don't know about this!"

"We said question Banyang Trading!"

Before the commoners, well-built men stood blocking while sweating profusely.

"What are you saying! The house owner said Tiger Might Society ordered it!"

"The broker turned out not to be a trading company person but a Tiger Might Society person! In the end, isn't Tiger Might Society the one who sold the house!"

The commoners didn't know how to back down.

Listening, seems these commoners experienced what I experienced.

If there's a difference, they didn't see through the trick.

"Ah, go back! We don't know!"

"What would we know about houses! We're not even Luoyang people!"

And those blocking. That is, those considered Tiger Might Society members were at a loss.

'Different from expectations?'

Are they really Tiger Might Society?

Or is there another trick?

This rather made me want to explore more. I jumped from roof to roof arriving above the abandoned temple.

A temple unused for long had no separate roof interior. The temple inside was directly visible.

"Society Leader. What do we do about this? Many people swarmed."

This Tiger Might Society's ringleader?

Looking from above, all crown of heads.

The Society Leader's crown had gray hairs here and there. A hand came up and vigorously scratched his head.

Tiger Might Society Black Path surrounding the Society Leader each opened their mouths.

"Society Leader, people's circumstances really are pitiful. This house isn't just pennies. If I think I was victimized, I'd really burst with frustration."

"Exactly. This really..."

"What does the trading company say?"

"They say didn't we know and do it?"

"We didn't know though."

"Exactly. Couldn't even hear proper explanation."

I expected them to be more vicious and stronger than Black Cloud Gang.

Don't know about strong, but not vicious at all?

"We can't pay back either."

"Pay back? We crawled here unable to live—do we have such money?"

Even thinking of paying back?

The Society Leader exhaled a long sigh and looked up at the ceiling.

"Why exactly did the Black Path King tell us to help the trading companyyyy...?"

The ending is strange.

Because I didn't avoid so we made eye contact directly.

Since he didn't lower his head, the entire Tiger Might Society also looked up at the ceiling all at once.

But faces giving a familiar feeling.

Because they were faces tanned by sunlight, weathered by wind, having suffered hardship.

"Don't know where you people are from, but hardship coming to Luoyang."

I broke through the roof and entered.

I descended beside the Tiger Might Society Leader.

"What, that bastard!"

"Society Leader, evade!"

Chaeng, chaeng-gerang, seureureung—sounds of weapons being drawn, and the Society Leader quickly jumped back.

Fast hands and feet compared to simple nature.

The Tiger Might Society Leader shouted.

"Who are you bastard! Speak!"

A face crossed by several scars was an impression commoners would go around avoiding.

However, I'm not a commoner but.

"I'm called Ink Sword Hero Jin Yeomyeong."

A proud White Path martial artist.

If low-quality Black Path, there'd be no mercy.

Seems such people also got mixed in from recklessly gathering Black Path from outside.

How they received Banyang Trading's work—can hear gradually.

"From now, listen well to my words."

Explain to them what they're entangled in and make them confess what they know—

"J-j-j-Jin Yeomyeong!"

Why call my name with such shock?

"They say he suddenly went crazy and started beating down Black Path—"

"Luoyang's Black Path Butcher?!"

"Made every single Black Cloud Gang into cripples without leaving one?"

"They say he massacred the family of someone called Master Dongpae. The butcher who visited the estate and killed even the son!!"

I looked back on recent actions.

"Such horrible... Things we'd absolutely never do."

Even the Tiger Might Society Leader shook his head side to side as if I were some evil spirit.

At this rate, misunderstanding will deepen.

There were reasons for everywhere I took action.

"Tiger Might Society everyone. Wait, wait."

"I said listen to my story."

What kind of hideous alias is that?

Amid everyone's focused gazes.

I brought out the conclusion first.

"Everything you said is correct."

Hiik—the entire Tiger Might Society's breath passes.

"Let me reintroduce. I'm called Black Path Butcher Jin Yeomyeong."

No, it is correct anyway.

"If you don't want to be butchered, how about putting down what you're holding?"