At my question, the woman trembled and struggled to speak, her chin and hands shaking as she answered.
"T-Taehwa Mun... Third son, Jin Dae-seung..."
"Third son of Taehwa Mun? I understand now. We’ll catch him immediately and..."
Having confirmed the man's identity, I assured the woman that there was no need to worry; we were experts in this sort of thing.
The shocked exclamations came from both sides.
"Taehwa Mun!?"
"Are you sure it’s the third son of Taehwa Mun!?"
As I looked around at the surprised expressions of Gu-Pae and my sister, I felt the sudden shift in atmosphere.
Something was off. The tension was palpable.
As I observed their faces, my sister's voice came through telepathically.
[They belong to the same righteous faction. Taehwa Mun is one of the most powerful sects in Sichuan, following the Aemi and Cheongseong sects. There’s an important issue I’ll explain in a bit.]
I had been taught by my sister and Mandok Shingun that the most powerful factions in Sichuan were Aemi, Cheongseong, and our own faction, the Sicheon Tangmun. Below them were the minor factions, and I was supposed to take my time learning about them. But it seemed this man belonged to a faction just beneath the major ones.
The woman, sensing the tension, nervously asked,
"Wh-what’s going on? Is there a problem?"
Gu-Pae, exchanging looks with my sister, quickly stepped forward and reassured her.
"No, it’s just unexpected. We’ve learned the man’s identity, so we’ll track down his movements. You relax now, and take a bath. Change into clean clothes and rest. We’ll take care of everything with the gambling house owner. Eat well and rest—good news will come soon."
After Gu-Pae’s words, the woman bowed her head three times in gratitude.
Thud, thud, thud!
She bowed so deeply that her forehead bled.
My sister, startled, sent someone from the clan's medical office to treat her wounds.
Once the treatment was over and the woman left with the officials, Gu-Pae spoke with a sigh.
"Hmm... This seems more complicated than expected."
"Yes, I think we need to inform Grandpa and Father," my sister replied, nodding thoughtfully.
Curious, I asked my sister what the serious problem was and why they seemed so concerned.
"Sister, you said there’s an important issue. Is his family an influential one?"
My sister furrowed her brow slightly at my question, but her expression quickly softened. In a calm tone, she explained.
"His family won’t be a problem if what he’s done is true. We can quietly deal with it."
"Then what?"
But her next words weren’t as reassuring.
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"However, in the martial world, vows and promises are very important. Especially when someone swears by their martial skills, their family name, or their title, they are bound to uphold that vow."
"Huh. So the martial world is a credit-based society?"
I nodded, surprised that the martial world, which seemed so brutal, actually valued credit. My sister continued.
"But our family has a pledge with Taehwa Mun."
"A pledge? With Taehwa Mun?"
"My great-grandfather received a great favor from Taehwa Mun. As a result, our family promised that, should Taehwa Mun ever commit a grave offense, we would forgive them once."
"What!?"
I was shocked, my mind racing with the implications of this promise.
It sounded like a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card in the form of an ancient pact.
"So, Taehwa Mun has an immunity card, essentially?"
This meant the pledge from our family allowed Taehwa Mun to escape consequences once, no matter the crime.
I quickly understood, and as my sister explained the situation, I turned to Gu-Pae to care for the woman and headed straight to the Tang Clan's headquarters.
It seemed clear that we needed to discuss this with the family elders. The gravity of the situation couldn’t be ignored, even with the immunity card in place.
Arriving at the Tangmun, I gathered Mandok Shingun, my father-in-law, and mother-in-law, who were preparing to sleep, and explained the events of the day.
"So, this is what happened, and I’m unsure how to proceed, Grandpa."
After my sister finished speaking, Mandok Shingun and my father-in-law erupted in fury.
My mother-in-law, who had a softer heart, was on the verge of tears after hearing the woman’s story.
"Taehwa Mun is a prestigious sect in Sichuan, and its master is a righteous man! How could such a vile creature come from such a noble lineage?"
"Isn’t it horrific?"
"Such a devilish bastard roaming around Sichuan! So this woman is staying at our Tang Clan's quarters in Seongdo?"
"Yes, Father. For now, I've instructed the clan’s physician to treat her."
After the furious outbursts, it became clear to the elders why we had come in the middle of the night.
They exchanged serious glances and asked,
"You came to help the woman seek revenge, but because of the pledge made by our ancestors with Taehwa Mun, right?"
"Yes, Grandpa."
The two men exchanged a long look, deep in thought.
Although my grandfather was the head of the family, it was my father-in-law who made the final decisions on family matters.
After a moment’s hesitation, my father-in-law turned to my sister and me, his voice solemn.
"The vow of our ancestors is tied to the honor of our Tang Clan. If we make an exception to help this woman, how will others trust us and believe in our promises? No, we cannot help her. The poison of our clan and the blood of our clan must never assist this woman."
"Father! Grandpa! Please, reconsider!"
Could it be that even an unjust law must be obeyed?
As much as I believed in a credit-based society, this sharp decision left me stunned.
Of course, it was inevitable that I would ask for reconsideration, but as I did, my sister squeezed my hand and sent me a telepathic message.
[We’ll agree and leave. It’s been taken care of.]
"?"
"My sister, the Tang Clan’s Huaeun will follow the head’s orders."
My sister bowed respectfully, and with that, she gently pulled me out, as I was still reeling from the shock.
She led me back to the carriage and spoke as she gently tugged on my arm.
"Let’s go quickly. There’s much to do if we are to help the poor woman."
Though my sister said we had much work to do, the situation was complicated.
I questioned her.
"Wait, but didn’t Father say that we’re forbidden to help the woman?"
Smiling brightly, my sister responded.
"Yes, Father said that the Tang Clan’s poison and bloodline should never assist her. But So-ryong, you’re not of the Tang Clan, are you? If you help her without involving the clan’s poison, they’ll allow it. I believe the original vow was to offer one concession in dealings with Taehwa Mun."
"!"
I was stunned. It seemed like the credit-based society was being manipulated.
But if others did it, it wasn’t so bad, but when we did it, it felt reassuring.
I was beginning to appreciate the Tang Clan more and more.
Though, I still wondered if this meant I had to prove my loyalty by taking a certain step.
Was this some sort of initiation ritual for becoming part of the family?
***
The next morning, as the day broke, I summoned Gu-Pae and explained the results of my conversation with Mandok Shingun and my father-in-law from the previous evening.
"...That's how it went," I finished.
Gu-Pae nodded in acknowledgment.
"At least you've received permission, but they’ll likely insist that we avoid exposing our family ties. This means our room to maneuver is limited."
"Still, it's good that we have a way to help."
"Indeed, however, I’ll start by investigating his movements and patterns."
Gu-Pae had mentioned that he had been part of the Poison Squad (Myeoldokdae) in the past, so he suggested starting with intelligence gathering, which made sense to me.
I was a bit concerned about outsourcing the investigation to the so-called "trash-like" union, but I kept my thoughts to myself.
‘Wait, are we really trusting beggars with intelligence gathering?’
That afternoon, as Gu-Pae went off to hand the task over to the so-called "Gaebang" (the group he mentioned), I called the woman to join me for tea, hoping to check her condition.
"Did you sleep well last night?"
"Yes, thanks to your care..."
She looked much better than yesterday, having been cleaned, dressed in fresh clothes, and her hair neatly combed. The crickets weren’t chirping during the day, so she was mentally clear now, though the burn scars remained on her face.
It had been a while since we had taken her in, but the clan would provide ointments and medical support for burns, so I was confident her condition would improve. Surprisingly, the woman was in relatively good shape.
While I was talking with her and my sister about how she started raising crickets, the voice of Gu-Pae calling out to us was heard from outside.
"Ah, Miss. A guest has, um, arrived..."
"A guest? Let them in."
I gave permission, and to my surprise, Gu-Pae entered not with a guest, but with a filthy beggar in tow.
Gu-Pae, visibly tense, looked like a soldier standing awkwardly beside his commanding officer.
‘What’s going on? Why did he bring a beggar?’
I raised an eyebrow, but the most surprising thing was that my sister immediately stood up and respectfully greeted the old beggar.
"Greetings, Elder Geol-hwang of the Gaebang. How does one of your position come to Sichuan?"
"Beggar Elder?"
The woman seemed to recognize him as the beggar from her story.
As I shifted my gaze between the beggar, my sister, and the woman, my sister’s telepathic message came through urgently.
[So-ryong, greet him properly. Elder Geol-hwang is one of the Three Monarchs of the martial world, just like Lord Gwon-hwang. He is one of the three most powerful figures in the world of martial arts.]
‘Wait, the beggar is a martial world monarch?’
I was shocked, but since my sister said so, I bowed and greeted the elder.
He nodded with curiosity and spoke with a mischievous grin.
"Hehehe. I had heard that Lord Gwon-hwang never accepted disciples, so I was curious when he passed down his martial arts. Truly an interesting fellow, walking around with such... ugly things on your body."
The beggar seemed to know about the centipedes that were wrapped around my body, a fact known only to the martial world’s elite and a select few, including my family. I was stunned.
The beggar laughed heartily, noting my surprise.
"Hehe, so you’ve just entered the martial world, huh? You’ll learn more about me from your betrothed."
[Geol-hwang is the former leader of Gaebang, and he knows everything that happens in this world, including all rumors.]
At my sister's telepathic explanation, I began to trust the beggar more. He not only knew about me but also had an extensive reputation in the martial world.
He spoke again.
"Do you understand why I’m here?"
"Could it be about Taehwa Mun?"
The beggar nodded at my response.
"Exactly. That’s why I’ve come."
"Are you here to stop us?"
My sister asked with a puzzled expression, but the beggar shook his head.
"No, I don’t have direct proof, so I can’t act myself, but knowing the situation of that child, how could I not help? You’re performing acts of justice and virtue, so I’ve come to assist."
"Eh?"
My sister and I blinked in surprise as the beggar suddenly offered to help.
The beggar tapped his head and said,
Tap, tap.
"You need intelligence, right? Also, I’m curious how the successor of Lord Gwon-hwang will handle this."
‘So, he’s just here to watch the show, huh?’
Gu-Pae had brought a spectator when he said he was going to handle the intelligence. His nervousness was clear, and I gave him a questioning look, making him scratch his head in embarrassment.
***
Though the sudden appearance of the beggar was somewhat bewildering, he certainly proved helpful.
"I’ve found his movements: in the outskirts of Seongdo, the slums twice, and I’ve had suspicions about him for five instances so far," the beggar continued.
"That many?"
"Yes, I discovered him a few years ago, and I’ve dug up information through my network. Recently, he’s been keeping a low profile, so it’s harder to track."
The beggar confirmed that the man was worse than we thought, and he seemed to have a perfect understanding of how to operate covertly.
"So, he only leaves the gambling house about once every three days, but he doesn’t go beyond the gates of Taehwa Mun?"
"Correct. After the incident with Songga Village, for some reason, he’s been staying low. That’s why I suggested using poison on him."
"I see."
It seemed clear that we would have to deal with him inside the gambling house. However, there was a problem.
The gambling house served drinks and food to guests who had lost their money, encouraging them to stay and drink. While it wouldn’t be too hard to find poison, how could we ensure we poisoned his drink specifically among so many others?
If we directly approached him with a drink, we would be the first to be suspected when he collapsed. I turned to the woman, who had worked in the kitchen, and asked her.
"So, how did you manage to poison his food? You worked in the kitchen, right?"
She nodded and answered.
"Sometimes, when a big spender came in, he’d make a very specific request, like wanting food without certain things, like crab or shrimp. That’s when I added the poison."
"Crab and shrimp? Does he dislike them?"
I wondered if he had a picky taste, but Geol-hwang answered from the side.
"That bastard said something happens to his body if he eats shellfish or shrimp."
"Ah, so he’s allergic!"
Bingo!
The man had a shellfish allergy, and now, I had the perfect plan to kill him.
‘Looks like I’m fully part of the Tang Clan now...’
I couldn’t help but feel a bit bitter inside, but I smiled at Gu-Pae and gave him my next task.
"Gu-Pae, please go to the Tang Clan immediately and bring what I ask for."
"Lord So-ryong, wasn’t poison forbidden in the clan?"
Gu-Pae flinched at the thought that I might want poison from the Tang Clan.
I smiled at him and replied.
"No, I need you to bring me Huangfenchong (Yellow Powder Worm)."
"Huangfenchong?"
"Yes, I’m going to kill him in a delicious way."
"?"
Everyone blinked in confusion, not understanding my plan.