Chapter 74: Savory Death (5)
Translator: bjgoofy
At my question, the woman trembled in her jaw and hands as if even speaking the name was difficult, and she answered.
“Th-the third son of Taehwa Sect... Jin Dae-seung. That's what he said,”
“The third son of Taehwa Sect? Now that we know who he is, let’s catch this bastard right away....”
After confirming the bastard’s identity, I was in the middle of telling the woman not to worry, that we’d utterly destroy the bastard, and that our Tang Sect specializes in dealing with things like this, so there was no need to be concerned.
Then surprised exclamations came from both sides.
“Taehwa Sect!?”
“Are you sure he's the third son of Taehwa Sect!?”
Turning to each side at the pair of exclamations, I saw that Squad Leader Gu Pae and Nunim were both wearing fairly startled expressions.
Faces that said they couldn’t believe it.
And perhaps a touch of awkwardness added to it?
‘What the? The atmosphere is a bit strange.’
A feeling that something was off.
As I turned my head left and right to check their expressions, Nunim’s voice came through telepathy right away.
[They're from the same righteous path faction as us. And they're the fourth largest power in Sichuan after our Tang Sect, Emei, and Qingcheng Sect.
Also, there's an important issue. I’ll explain it to you in a bit.]
I was clearly taught by Nunim and Grandpa Man of Ten Thousand Poisons that the strongest powers in Sichuan are Emei Sect, Qingcheng Sect, and our Sichuan's Tang Sect, with the rest being lesser powers that I could learn about gradually. But now I was hearing that this man's sect was the next most powerful.
Sensing our mood, the woman asked with a worried expression.
“Wh, why? Is something wrong?”
Squad Leader Gu Pae and Nunim exchanged glances.
The Squad Leader Gu Pae quickly stepped forward and calmed the woman.
“No, it’s just that his status is a bit unexpected.
Now that we know his name, we’ll investigate his whereabouts and such. Young Miss, I’ll assign attendants to you, so bathe in clean water, change into fresh clothes, and rest comfortably.
Eat good food and get plenty of rest. You’ll hear good news soon enough. We’ll take care of the matter with the gambling den owner as well.”
As soon as Squad Leader Gu Pae finished speaking, the woman once again prostrated herself on the ground in gratitude.
-Thud thud thud!
“Th-thank you, Elder! Thank you, Young Miss! Thank you, Mister!”
She had slammed her head into the ground so many times that her forehead split and blood began to flow.
Nunim was so shocked that she had someone called from the Tang Family’s clinic at the alley entrance to check on the woman.
After receiving some brief treatment, the woman left with the attendants.
Once the woman was completely out of sight, Squad Leader Gu Pae let out a sigh and said,
“Hm.... This may be more complicated than we thought.”
“Yes, I think we’ll need to report to Grandfather and Father.”
At Squad Leader Gu Pae’s words, Nunim nodded while resting her chin on her hand.
I asked Nunim what the big issue was that made both of them so serious.
“Hwa-eun, you said there’s an important issue. What is it? Is it because the bastard’s family is a powerful one?”
At my question, Nunim furrowed her brow slightly.
But contrary to the expression, she gave a refreshing answer, true to our Sichuan’s Tang Family, as if to say that some third son from a minor family was nothing to worry about.
“If what he did is true, then the family isn't a problem. We can handle it quietly.”
“Then?”
However, what followed was not a satisfying answer.
“But in the murim, oaths and pledges are taken very seriously. Especially oaths made in the name of one’s martial ability, family, or nickname, those must absolutely be upheld.”
'Oh. So murim is a society based on trust?'
Just as I was nodding to myself, surprised that this seemingly fist-first world was actually a place of honor, Nunim’s explanation continued.
“But our family has a pledge with Taehwa Sect.”
“A pledge? With Taehwa Sect?”
“Our grandfather’s father, that is, our great-grandfather, once received a great favor from Taehwa Sect, and because of that, our family vowed to yield or forgive them once unconditionally, even if they committed a grave crime or made a serious mistake.”
“What!?”
‘A... a get-out-of-jail-free card!’
In my past life filled with baseball and internet culture, there was something called a “Get-Out-of-Flame-Free Card” which meant that if someone had made a serious contribution in the past or showed enough effort to redeem a mistake, people would forgive them once or twice.
So, Nunim’s explanation meant that Taehwa Sect held such a immunity privilege due to achievements in the previous generation.
‘Seriously, how is this situation turning out like this?’
Since I understood what she meant, I asked Squad Leader Gu Pae to look after the woman and immediately took a carriage straight to the Tang Family, because Nunim had expressed that we should consult with the elders of the household.
A Get-Out-of-Flame-Free Card is one thing, but this situation was beyond even an immunity clause.
After arriving at the Tang Sect compound.
We gathered Grandfather Man of Ten Thousand Poisons, Father-in-law, and Mother-in-law at the head of the family’s main hall as they were about to retire for the night, and explained everything that had happened today.
“......So that’s what happened, and now we don’t know what to do. Grandfather.”
As Nunim’s long report ended, Grandfather Man of Ten Thousand Poisons and Father-in-law burst into furious shouts.
My soft-hearted Mother-in-law had tears welling in her eyes at the woman’s story.
“Taehwa Sect is a prestigious sect in Sichuan, and its sect leader is a righteous man, yet a dog of a son was born under a tiger father!”
“Isn’t this too horrific?”
“That such a demon in human skin would appear in Sichuan! So, you say that woman is currently at the Tang Family compound in Chengdu?"
“Yes, Father. I’ve instructed our family doctors to begin her treatment.”
And as the furious outcries came to an end, Grandfather and Father-in-law already seemed to understand why we had come to them with this matter so late at night.
With grave expressions, the two asked.
“You said you’d help the woman get revenge, but you came because of the pledge the previous generation made with Taehwa Sect, didn’t you?”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
Father-in-law and Grandfather exchanged glances and fell into deep thought.
Although Grandfather was the family elder, it was Father-in-law, the head of the family, who made decisions about family affairs.
After some deliberation, Father-in-law looked at Nunim and me with a solemn voice and said,
“A pledge made by our predecessors is directly tied to the honor of the Tang Family. If we make an exception just because the woman’s situation is pitiful, how can people trust our family’s word? Her situation may be unfortunate, but I forbid the Tang Family’s poison or bloodline from helping her!”
“Father-in-law! Grandfather! Please reconsider....”
Is this what they mean by even a bad law is still a law?
As much as we value trust in society, I didn’t expect him to draw the line so bluntly.
Of course, I couldn’t help but ask them to reconsider, but before I could say anything more, Nunim firmly grasped my hand and sent me a telepathic message.
[Let’s just agree and step back. This actually works in our favor.]
“?”
“I, Tang Hwa-eun of the Tang Family, shall obey the Family Head’s command.”
Nunim bowed deeply and respectfully answered, with a formal hand salute.
Then she pulled me, still bewildered by her telepathy and the flow of the situation, out of the room.
As we walked back toward where the carriage was parked, she tugged me along and spoke.
“Hurry up. We have a lot to do if we’re going to help that poor woman.”
Nunim said we had much to do to help the woman, but Father-in-law had clearly forbidden such aid.
So I asked Nunim again.
“Wait, Hwa-eun, didn’t Father-in-law clearly say we’re not to help the woman?”
At that, Nunim smiled brightly and said,
"Father clearly forbade the Tang family's poisons and bloodline from helping the woman, but you're not of Tang family blood, are you?
He's saying that if you help her without using the Tang family's poisons, which could implicate the family, he would allow it.
I believe the original pledge was about that - that those of Tang blood would step back in matters concerning the Taehwa Sect.”
“!”
What? A trust-based society, and yet now we’re exploiting loopholes in contracts like some shady tricksters?
But then again, when others do something underhanded, it seems dirty, but when we do it, it feels reassuring.
Isn’t the highest praise in gaming usually something like “That's playing dirty”?
I was growing more and more fond of our Tang Family of Sichuan.
The only issue now was the part where I was the one expected to help.
‘Now that I’ve joined the Tang Family, is this their way of saying I have to prove my worth by handling a real mission?’
After all, the standard initiation ritual for an organization is to take someone down.
***
The next morning, as the day broke, I called Squad Leader Gu Pae and explained the result of the conversation we had yesterday with Grandfather Man of Ten Thousand Poisons and Father-in-law.
“......That’s how it turned out.”
Squad Leader Gu Pae nodded his head at that.
“So, although you received permission, it likely came with the condition that the family must not be revealed. That significantly limits our range of movement.”
“Still, it's fortunate that we found a way to help.”
“That’s true. In that case, I will begin by investigating the bastard’s movements through the Beggar's Gang.”
“Yes, Squad Leader Gu Pae. I’ll leave it to you.”
The very first step was to check the bastard’s past activities and patterns of behavior.
Squad Leader Gu Pae suggested that information gathering must come first in this kind of matter, mentioning that he himself had once been part of the Poison Extermination Squad.
I was slightly worried about him leaving the investigation to something that sounded like a beggars' union.
‘I mean, what kind of investigation do you entrust to beggars?’
So that afternoon, slightly anxious, I watched Squad Leader Gu Pae head off to the Beggar's Gang to request an investigation.
Meanwhile, I called the woman and shared a cup of tea to check on her condition.
“How have you been since yesterday?”
“Yes, thanks to your care....”
She had been bathed, dressed in clean clothes, and her hair had been tidied, so she looked much better than yesterday.
Since crickets don’t chirp in the daytime, she was clear-headed as well.
Though there were still red burn marks here and there on her face.
While the Tang Sect had provided ointments good for burns, and we would need to monitor her treatment progress, the woman was surprisingly in decent condition.
While Nunim and I were checking on her and casually asking when she had started raising crickets and so on, a voice called out from outside, it was Squad Leader Gu Pae, who had gone to confirm information with the Beggar's Gang.
“Ah, Young Miss. A guest... has, has arrived....”
“A guest? Let them in.”
When permission was given for the guest to enter, Squad Leader Gu Pae entered the guest hall not with a guest, but with a scruffy old beggar.
Squad Leader Gu Pae's posture was unusually tense.
‘Why does he look like a fresh recruit standing next to a general?’
He said he went to verify some information with the Beggar's Gang, but he returned not with information, but with a beggar.
Puzzled by Squad Leader Gu Pae’s stiff demeanor, what surprised me even more was that Nunim abruptly stood up and bowed respectfully to the old beggar.
“I, Tang Hwa-eun of the Sichuan's Tang Family, greet Elder Beggar Emperor. May I ask what brings you to Sichuan....”
“Beggar grandpa?”
The woman also seemed to recognize the beggar, and I suspected he might be the beggar mentioned in her story yesterday.
As I shifted my gaze between the beggar, Nunim, and the woman, Nunim urgently sent me a telepathic message.
[Soryong, show your respect. Elder Beggar Emperor is one of the Three Emperors, on par with the Martial Alliance Leader, Fist Emperor. He is one of the three most powerful figures in murim.]
‘Wait, not just a beggar boss or beggar king but a beggar emperor?’
I was shocked to learn that a beggar stood at the same level as the Martial Alliance Leader, but I bowed in greeting as Nunim instructed, after all, he was said to be one of the strongest in murim.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I am Wei Soryong.”
The Beggar Emperor nodded and spoke with a curious expression.
“Kukuku. I heard that the Fist Emperor, who swore never to take a disciple, actually passed down his martial arts. I was curious, but you really are an intriguing one. Walking around with such ugly things wrapped around your body.”
Just like the Martial Alliance Leader, the old man knew that centipedes were wrapped around my body.
His words, mentioning things only known by the Alliance Leader, myself, the Alliance’s strategist, and my family, stunned me. Seeing my expression, the old man laughed heartily.
“Kukuku. I heard you hadn’t been in murim for long, and I can see that’s true. You’ll hear more about me from your fiance.”
[Beggar Emperor is the former head of the Beggar's Gang, and he’s said to know every affair and rumor in the world.]
Another telepathic message from Nunim followed the old man’s words.
Though I was skeptical about asking a beggar for information, given his reputation and his intimate knowledge of my affairs, I began to feel a bit more trust toward him.
“Do you know why I came here?”
The Beggar Emperor asked next.
“Is it perhaps about the matter with Taehwa Sect?”
When I replied, the old beggar nodded.
The old man took a seat in the empty spot and said in a mischievous tone,
“Yes. That’s why I came.”
“You didn’t come to stop us, did you?”
At Nunim’s question, the old man shook his head.
“Of course not. I don’t have definite evidence, so I can’t step in directly, but knowing that child’s pitiful circumstances, how could I stop you? Since you say you're acting with righteousness and chivalry, I came to help.”
“Huh?”
Nunim and I blinked in confusion at the sudden declaration that he had come to help us, and the Beggar Emperor tapped his head as he spoke.
-Tok tok.
"Don't you need information? And I'm curious to see how the Fist Emperor's disciple will handle this."
‘So you came to spectate.’
Squad Leader Gu Pae brought in a spectator even though this was supposed to be handled quietly.
When I looked at him, Squad Leader Gu Pae scratched his head awkwardly, as if apologizing.
***
Though the unexpected appearance of a spectator was a bit flustering, he turned out to be genuinely helpful.
“There were two incidents in the outskirts of Chengdu and the slums of the city itself. In total, I’ve suspected the bastard in at least five separate cases.”
“That many, really?”
“I found the girl here in Sichuan and was curious about her situation, so I had my people investigate past events from a few years back. He’s been quiet lately, though, so he’s left no trail.”
It was confirmed that the bastard was filthier than we had thought, and thanks to that, we gained a full understanding of his behavior.
“So, aside from visiting the gambling house every three days, he doesn’t leave Taehwa Sect?”
“Exactly. After the incident in Song Family Village, I don’t know why, but he’s been laying low. That’s why I advised the girl to use poison.”
“I see.”
If that's the case, it would indeed be necessary to deal with him inside the gambling house.
Then, I wondered if we also needed to use poison in the gambling house, but there was a problem.
The gambling house served food and drinks freely to keep customers gambling for as long as possible. While we could get poison, even if not from the Tang Family, how would we know which food or drink would be his, among the many people there?
If we tried to approach him and personally hand him a cup, we’d be the first suspects if he collapsed from poison.
Pondering this, I turned to ask Na-ok.
She had said she worked in the kitchen, so I asked how she had managed to lace the bastard’s food with what she thought was poison.
“So, Miss, how did you manage to add what you thought was poison to his food? I heard you worked in the kitchen?”
I asked the question to Na-ok, who had once already made an attempt, and she nodded as she replied.
“He’s a pretty big spender, and every time he comes in, he places very specific orders. When he does that, the kitchen gets a notice.”
“Specific orders?”
“Yes. He asks to remove things like crab or shrimp from the dishes. So I added it to that food.”
“Crab and shrimp? He doesn’t like them?”
I thought he might just be a picky eater, but the Beggar Emperor responded from the side.
“That guy said if he even touches crab or shrimp, rashes break out all over his body.”
"Ah, that's...!"
‘Got you, you bastard!’
In other words, the Beggar Emperor’s words revealed that the bastard had a shellfish allergy.
A murder plan struck me like lightning.
‘I really have become one of the Tang Family now....’
Feeling a bit bitter inside, I made a request to Squad Leader Gu Pae.
“Gu Pae, could you head to the Tang Sect right now and bring back what I tell you?”
“But Young Master Soryong, didn’t the family forbid using Tang poison?”
Thinking I was asking for poison, Squad Leader Gu Pae flinched.
I smiled at him and replied.
“No, please bring back some mealworms.”
“Mealworms?”
"Yes. I plan to give him a very savory death."
“?”
Everyone blinked at me, wearing expressions of complete confusion.
*****
For extra chapters, you can read them on my Patreon at patreon.com/Bjgoofy
Join our Discord for announcements or to report any mistakes.