As I drank the liquor Junpyeong brought, Moyong Baek spoke to me.

“Munju, I’ll look around for a nearby clinic and gather some ingredients.”

“There’s no need. Just drink.”

I poured him a cup as I continued.

“Pavilion Lord Hwang is a hostage we’re taking to the Black Cat Pavilion. I’m not leaving him alone to run off. You can feed him the poison once we get there.”

“Understood.”

I looked over at the martial artists of Daobang, busily transporting funds. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but soon enough, large and small boxes were stacking up all the way past the outer hall. Moyong Baek, seemingly speechless, glanced at the piling boxes and sighed.

“That’s… a lot of wealth.”

I let out a sigh too.

“I’ll have to distribute some to the surrounding merchants. If any remains, we’ll move it to the Black Cat Pavilion. This isn’t Daobang—it’s a damn Bandit Clan.”

I called out to the passing Pavilion Lord Hwang.

“Lord of the Bandits.”

“…Yes?”

“Come here.”

Hwang hesitantly approached and respectfully clasped his hands in front of me. I asked him,

“So, you been living off robbery? What is all this? This isn’t your first time stealing escort goods, is it?”

Hwang replied in a cautious tone.

“N-no. Daobang has various businesses under it—taverns, pleasure houses, breweries… The scale is quite large.”

I flicked my fingers, and Hwang bowed his head and leaned in. I slapped him hard across the cheek and said,

“You’ve got all this money, and you’re still collecting tributes? Are you insane?”

Hwang, who’d staggered from the slap, quickly stood up and replied,

“I’m sorry.”

My head spun from the absurdity ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) of it, so I waved him away.

“I’ll never understand the greed of the rich. Moyong, how are we supposed to interpret this?”

Moyong Baek answered,

“Munju, I’ve never been rich either, so I wouldn’t know.”

“It’s a world the poor can’t even imagine.”

“Yes.”

“Moyong, let’s not even try to understand this kind of thing. If we start to understand it, we might become rich ourselves.”

“You’re right. Better to live without knowing.”

We nodded and shared another drink. It was a dangerously tempting moment—where we might’ve stumbled into wealth.

But after one cup, my anger flared up again and I shouted,

“Pavilion Lord Hwang!”

“Yes!”

“Set aside a generous amount to return to the shops you took tribute from. If I go on an inspection later and merchants complain, it won’t stop at a slap.”

“Y-yes, understood.”

My rage kept rising and cooling in cycles. If not for Moyong Baek silently pouring me drinks, I might have lost it completely.

This felt like…

Trying to regulate my anger in front of my personal physician.

“Moyong, the money must be handled properly. Even if we have to stay up all night, let’s make sure Daobang’s wealth is fully dispersed before we leave.”

“Understood.”

Moyong said calmly,

“Munju, there are still many others in this world who built their fortunes by preying on others. Please try to calm yourself.”

I nodded.

“You’re right. Scum like that won’t understand until they become beggars themselves. Let’s make him one.”

“Yes, Munju.”

***

The next day, after wrapping things up at Daobang, I put Pavilion Lord Hwang in a carriage as a hostage.

He wasn’t the only one I took.

The day before, we’d distributed Daobang’s hoarded money to local inns, shops, clinics, taverns, and homes. We also paid Huayang Escort Bureau for the Hundred-Year Polygonum. Even with that, a good sum was left, which we loaded onto the carriage.

I made up my own amount for damages to Haomun and generously packed the funds.

Thus, with Daobang’s money, Pavilion Lord Hwang, and Moyong Baek, we rode the carriage back.

Inside the rattling carriage, I occasionally glared across at Pavilion Lord Hwang.

“Pavilion Lord Hwang.”

He responded like lightning.

“Yes, Munju.”

“How old is our little nouveau riche?”

“Ah, I’m…”

“Actually, why the hell should I care how old you are?”

“…….”

“Whether you’re thirty or forty, what matters is that you’ve wasted every year of it. Don’t you think?”

Moyong Baek nodded beside me.

“Exactly.”

I asked Hwang again.

“So, did our nouveau riche ever marry?”

“…….”

Hwang looked hesitant as he stared at me.

I narrowed my eyes and said,

“Not answering? Should I tie a rope around your waist and make you run alongside the carriage until you snap out of it?”

“Ah, I’ve never married.”

“Why not?”

With a bitter smile, Hwang replied,

“…I live in the martial world. What marriage?”

I opened my eyes wide.

“What the hell did I just hear? Wow…”

Seeing my reaction, Moyong asked curiously,

“Why so surprised?”

I pointed at Hwang.

“That line would’ve sounded cool under different circumstances. But coming from this bastard, it’s disgusting. Even his posturing is gross. A perfectly rotten bastard, through and through.”

Moyong suppressed a laugh and asked,

“Come to think of it, Munju, do you have no thoughts of marrying either?”

I paused to gather my thoughts.

Goddamn it.

Truthfully, I thought the same way as Hwang. With enemies crawling all over the martial world, what room is there for marriage? But since he said it first, I had to twist it a little.

“My skills are still lacking. I could die any time. This isn’t the time to be meeting women.”

Moyong looked at me and said,

“So, the same reason as Pavilion Lord Hwang.”

“Mm.”

I pressed my forehead. For the first time in a while, my pride was wounded, so I changed the topic.

“I’m hungry. Let’s stop and eat before we move on.”

I laced the words with internal energy, and the coachman slowed the carriage and responded.

“I’ll stop at the nearest inn!”

I made eye contact with Pavilion Lord Hwang, then kicked him in the shin. He groaned and clutched his leg.

***

We parked the carriage at a major intersection in Jinmok County and took seats at a roadside restaurant with many outdoor tables.

Even the coachman joined us, and the four of us each ordered what we wanted.

I noticed a lot of men drinking in broad daylight.

Seemed like a local trend—most of them leaned weapons against the tables like decorative centerpieces.

The sight of blades and staffs towering over food made it look like their meals were guarded by the tools they needed to survive. Oddly enough, this place seemed to have more martial artists than regular folks. I asked Hwang,

“This is Jinmok County, right? What’s with this place? Are we at war or something?”

He explained,

“Several escort bureaus stop here regularly. Also, this area is often raided by bandits who barge in from all directions, create chaos, and steal cargo. That’s why even the tavern workers carry blades here.”

Looking around, it was true.

“Wouldn’t it be better to gather people and wipe out the bandits’ hideouts?”

“They’ve set up multiple bases in the wilderness and lure troops into ambushes. I heard their leader is pretty skilled too, so they’re not easy to wipe out.”

“Who’s their leader?”

Just then, a hairy martial artist at the next table chimed in.

“He’s called the Tattooed Red Demon.”

“Tattooed Red Demon, huh…”

‘Tattooed’ meant he probably had body ink. He must be covered in tattoos. The Martial Alliance has its hands full—sending forces all the way down here is probably too much.

Hwang added,

“The bandits under the Tattooed Red Demon are called the Tattooed Marauders.”

Still, I liked the vibe here, where even tavern boys had blades.

They’re not the type to just sit and take it.

I noticed a passing tavern boy’s eyes gleamed with hostility and asked Hwang,

“Have the bandits here kidnapped women or children too?”

“Yes.”

“That’s enough reason to report them to the Martial Alliance and ask for help, don’t you think?”

As a tavern boy set down our food, he answered,

“…We don’t want that. What happens in Jinmok County should be handled by those who live here.”

“Is there a reason for that?”

The boy looked me in the eye and said,

“Some of those bandits were originally from Jinmok County. Bastards who betrayed their hometown after being swayed by the Red Demon.”

I nodded and said to Moyong,

“Feels like the men from my hometown, Ilyang County. I’ve made up my mind.”

“About what?”

“We’ll stay one night here.”

“Yes.”

“If we’re unlucky, we move on. If we’re lucky, we kill the Tattooed Red Demon. Pavilion Lord Hwang.”

Hwang, sensing something, cautiously replied,

“Yes?”

“You’ve eaten that Hundred-Year Polygonum, so your skills must be top-notch now. A guy like Red Demon should be easy for you, right? I saw you shoot fire from your palm. As the head of Daobang, a guy like Red Demon isn’t even worth ten seconds. If you catch him, keep him alive so we can slap him until he dies. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Hwang nodded.

“Understood.”

But the moment I praised his skills, everyone nearby started side-eyeing him.

I still couldn’t understand why no one here had asked the Martial Alliance or another group to wipe out the bandits.

If traitors from this town joined the bandits, it’s possible there were still spies among them passing information outside.

I continued praising Hwang as we ate.

“With your skills, Hwang, you could take out a hundred bandits solo, right?”

“That’s a bit…”

“No?”

“A hundred might be… pushing it.”

“What about Red Demon? One-on-one?”

Hwang grinned.

“He’s just a bandit leader. I’m confident.”

I nodded with a serious expression.

“Good. That’s reassuring.”

But Hwang didn’t smile at the word “reassuring.” He looked like he was about to choke, pounding his chest and gulping water. Anyone could see he was nervous.

After we finished eating and started sharing drinks, I asked,

“Pavilion Lord Hwang, why are you so tense?”

“A-ah, I’m not tense at all.”

“Stupid bastard. I bet you never felt this nervous when you were bleeding dry the workers under you. If Red Demon showed up asking for money, you’d probably hand it over without a fight. I told you—you’re strong against the weak and weak against the strong.”

Hwang looked at me quietly.

“Hearing you say it… I think I really am that kind of man.”

I spoke with the resolve to grind him down until he coughed blood.

“You’re third-rate trash.”

“Yes.”

“A leader of thugs who stole from poor food sellers.”

“Yes.”

“A pathetic bastard who robbed escort goods and acted tough.”

“Yes.”

“A coward who chokes on food at the thought of a bandit he hasn’t even seen.”

“Yes, that’s me.”

I chuckled, shoulders shaking.

“A dumbass like you—I haven’t seen one in ages.”

Suddenly, Hwang lifted his empty cup with both hands and said to Moyong,

“Teacher, may I have a drink?”

Moyong nodded with a faint smile and poured.

“Here.”

“Thank you.”

Hwang drank with his eyes downcast. His hands trembled as he held the cup.

I stared at him and said,

“Pavilion Lord Hwang.”

“Yes.”

“All your money’s gone. You’re on your way to the Black Cat Pavilion to take poison. At this point, you look so pathetic your subordinates have probably all scattered. What do you think?”

“Some might still be around. I treated them well.”

“Oh yeah? Impressive. You must’ve been quite the sect leader.”

I turned to Moyong and pointed at him.

“Wow, our Pavilion Lord Hwang’s got real command presence. His men are still waiting for him. If his underlings are that loyal, I might just give him some credit. Loyalty is all that matters in the underworld.”

Moyong nodded stoically.

“Indeed.”

I left Hwang alone for a while and chatted with Moyong over drinks. We talked about the Martial Alliance, showed off wooden swords, and even discussed how Heukbaek Soso were adjusting at the Moyong Clinic. I treated Hwang like he wasn’t even there.

Just as I was asking Moyong what martial arts he planned to focus on, Hwang, who’d been drinking alone, interrupted.

“Munju, I have something to say.”

“What? What the hell do you want now? You drunk? If you’re about to throw a drunken tantrum, bet your life on it.”

Hwang, head bowed, suddenly looked up with determination and pointed to the coachman.

“May I send this man to summon all of Daobang? If you allow it, I’ll call them all here.”

“Why?”

Hwang looked me straight in the eye.

“…I will lead Daobang and sever the Tattooed Red Demon’s head myself.”

I folded my arms and stared at him. Then glanced to my side—Moyong Baek had his arms folded too, also staring at Hwang.