Chapter 63: Chapter 63

Jang Geon followed Yang Goeng into a narrow house.

It was a small house hidden in the shadows between large pavilions. It seemed more fitting to call it an annex to those pavilions, but upon stepping inside, it was messily cluttered, as if Yang Goeng lived there alone. In particular, all kinds of large and small scraps of paper and knick-knacks were piled like trash on the table set in the middle of the room.

Yang Goeng roughly pushed those scraps of paper to the side and asked in passing.

“Shall I get you a cup of tea first?”

Without waiting for an answer, he shuffled over to the stove on one side. Jang Geon glanced around the house, sat in a chair before the table, and leaned back. Then he placed his hand on the table and tapped his fingers.

“Heh, this water looks like it will take some time to boil.”

Having stoked the stove fire and set the water to boil, Yang Goeng sat across from Jang Geon, scratching his head awkwardly. Jang Geon stared silently at Yang Goeng with a stoic face, while Yang Goeng fidgeted with the papers on the table under his gaze. He seemed to be choosing his words.

Watching him, Jang Geon spoke first.

“A big score, you say?”

Yang Goeng, who had been organizing how to start speaking, flinched in surprise and answered.

“Uh-huh, even Brother Jang will find his heart moved by this matter. It’s a real big score.”

“Before that, let me ask you something.”

“Huh? What?”

Yang Goeng put on a bewildered face, but Jang Geon saw at a single glance that it was a feigned expression. Stopping his tapping fingers, he asked.

“What is your true identity? Are you really from the Dark Dragon Bureau?”

“…Hehe. What’s the point of hiding what’s already been exposed through this work? That’s right. I am from the Dark Dragon Bureau.”

Jang Geon asked again with a subtle smile on his lips.

“Are you loyal to the Emperor?”

A similar smile appeared on Yang Goeng’s face at that question.

“There’s nothing strange about it. What is loyalty? Isn’t it devoting your whole heart for someone else’s sake? I have always devoted my whole heart to the gold held in my hands, and the Emperor’s name just happened to be on that gold’s name tag.”

“You’re loyal to the Emperor because he pays you?”

Yang Goeng shrugged as if to ask what else there could be, smirking lightly.

“Originally, loyalty requires give and take. Why did Han Xin work under Emperor Gaozu? In the end, wasn’t it to advance in the world and bring prosperity to his clan? When that promise wasn’t properly kept, he raised mutiny and rebellion.”

“Well. You and Han Xin seem a bit different.”

Yang Goeng nodded and finished organizing the top of the table.

“Of course, I cannot be compared to that Grand General. I am ultimately just a market rogue rolling coins around. But at least I’m not a fool who would end up killed after outliving my usefulness like that gentleman. So I must look after what is mine. Being in the Dark Dragon Bureau or whatever is just one method of securing what’s mine.”

Jang Geon chuckled and nodded. In short, whether it was the Emperor or whatever, the Dark Dragon Bureau was merely Yang Goeng’s means to earn a living. Whether he was bold or simply ignorant of the Empire’s terror was hard to tell. At the very least, unlike his usual speech and behavior, it was clear that he possessed a streak of audacity in his heart.

“Right, then what are you trying to get for yourself this time that brought you to me?”

At those words, Yang Goeng smiled again, wearing a peculiar grin.

“Simply put, this job is tracking a treasure map.”

Unlike that peculiar grin, absurdity rose upon Jang Geon’s face.

“A treasure map? You mean a map to buried treasure?”

“That’s right, a treasure map. A place where all kinds of spiritual elixirs, gold, and perhaps terrifying martial arts are buried.”

Slightly surprised, Jang Geon immediately let out a deflating snort and leaned deep into his chair. Just like last time, it seemed this fellow kept biting onto absurd matters.

“…Why are you so disappointed? It’s treasure! Real spiritual elixirs and gold and silver treasures! And peerless martial arts!”

“A treasure map with buried gold and silver. Sure, such a thing might exist. If this were the Central Plains.”

Saying so, Jang Geon rummaged through the mountain of messily stacked paper and knick-knacks gathered on one side of the table. A familiar scent emanated from there.

“Countless people crossed over when the New Continent was discovered. But most of them were powerless, poor commoners. Of course, there were ancient clans like the Shandong Je Clan, but why would they bury their treasures in some random place? They would hide them deep within their own family compounds.”

Jang Geon soon found a small wooden box among the clutter. Clicking it open, he saw dried, crushed tobacco leaves filling about half of it. Without even asking Yang Goeng if he could smoke it, Jang Geon began rolling a cigarette.

“No, it’s real! Hear me out. If you listen to my explanation, you’ll understand all the context of why there would be treasure in this land.”

Licking the paper to seal the rolled tobacco, Jang Geon lightly lit it with his right index finger and drew in a long drag of smoke. Then he propped his legs up on the table and spoke.

“Explain it then.”

Yang Goeng, who had been staring with an incomprehensible expression at Jang Geon lighting tobacco without fire, snapped back to his senses at those words and continued.

“Well, do you happen to know a man named Li Shimin, Brother Jang?”

Jang Geon knitted his brows.

“Li Shimin? Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin?”

“Emperor Taizong of Tang? Who is that again?”

Jang Geon and Yang Goeng looked at each other for a moment. Smoke billowing from the corner of Jang Geon’s mouth wafted softly in the slightly dark house.

“…I made a mistake. Who is this Li Shimin?”

“Well, I don’t know who that Emperor Taizong of Tang is, but he probably wasn’t stronger than this Li Shimin. Li Shimin was the foremost expert among noble clans at the time, said to be the strongest master under heaven excluding the Imperial Army. If he hadn’t been a member of an ancient noble clan, the Imperial Army would have framed him for any crime and beheaded him.”

Li Shimin. He was a man born more than two hundred years ago, and as the supreme master among the experts of not only the Li Clan but other ancient noble clans of that era, he was remarkable enough to briefly spar in martial arts with the Emperor himself. Thanks to his guidance, many members of the Imperial Army were produced from the Li Clan.

However, he steadfastly refused official posts. He claimed that although he was an expert, he was no longer young enough to enter public service, and being a burdensome man who merely consumed food at home while teaching children, he felt uncomfortable. As if to keep those words, he truly never left his family wall unless it was a major event.

“He probably feared that if he engaged in frequent outside activities, he would be framed for treason and his entire clan exterminated. In my opinion, he probably lived concealing his martial arts before getting caught later. Otherwise, there’s no reason why such an expert would only become known after reaching middle age.”

He truly did not leave his family until the moment he died of old age. It was likely not for his own sake, but out of consideration for his children and future generations. The problem, however, lay in those future generations.

“Brother Jang, have you ever heard of the Li Clan among the ancient noble clans?”

“No.”

Yang Goeng smirked at that brief answer.

“That’s right. Now, whether in the Central Plains or the New Continent, you cannot find the Li Clan anywhere. That gentleman Li Shimin lived while exercising caution until his death, but the problem lay with his son. Perhaps thanks to the martial arts learned from his father, the son was also an expert, but for some reason, he too refused to enter public service.”

And from that moment, the pressure of the Imperial Army against the Li Clan began to intensify. The Imperial Army’s stance was that the Li Clan was concealing the martial arts established by Li Shimin and harboring vain ambitions based upon them. Although the Li Clan claimed to have no such intentions, they did not send Li Shimin’s son into public service, which ultimately became the beginning of the clan’s decline.

“What was that fellow’s name again? Li Chi? Li Zhi? At any rate, thanks to him, the Li Clan—which had been the strongest among the ancient noble clans—gradually fell into ruin. Some say he was a guy who truly dreamed of rebellion, but I don’t really know. At any rate, while the clan was slowly going ruined like that, the New Continent was discovered. And the clan head Li Zhi, who was passing middle age, liquidated all the family’s assets at that time and boarded a ship heading to the New Continent.”

The legend arose because of his subsequent actions. Carrying all the assets of his clan—which, despite its ruin, had been the top noble clan in the Central Plains—along with the martial arts of his father, a peerless expert, Li Zhi vanished completely.

“…Didn’t his ship just capsize along the way?”

“That wasn’t it. Because there are records that he disembarked from the ship together with ten carriages. But after that, no one could find where he had gone. So back then, there were stories that he had crossed the mountain ranges of the New Continent and left for the far eastern lands. Or rumors that he was entirely plundered by secret Imperial Army or other noble clan forces following him, and Li Zhi was beheaded and buried in the wilderness. Well, at any rate.”

Yang Goeng leaned over the table and even lowered his voice.

“…Right now, in the black market of New Sichuan, there is a movement to trade a single map. And the information says that map is precisely the one leading to the tomb where the vanished Li Clan’s assets and Li Shimin’s martial arts are buried.”

“Do you believe that?”

Yang Goeng nodded.

“I am the only one in the Dark Dragon Bureau who knows this. That means it’s at least not a maneuver by the Imperial Army. I believe that alone makes it worth searching for that treasure map.”

Holding the tobacco in his mouth and staring suspiciously at Yang Goeng, Jang Geon roughly brushed off the falling ash and continued.

“So, what are we supposed to do if there’s a movement to trade that treasure map in the black market? Surely you’re not telling me to borrow my money to buy it?”

“No. Even if Brother Jang received reward money from the Ju Merchant Group and a bounty from the Martial Alliance, that money wouldn’t be anywhere near enough.”

“Then what?”

Yang Goeng licked his dry lips and swallowed his spittle with a smacking sound.

“The bastard who brought that map said he raided some farmhouse, found an old box buried under the house, and obtained the treasure map inside… Do you know what it means when a bastard who came to sell stolen goods to the black market says he raided somewhere? It means the people of that farmhouse were probably all slaughtered.”

“…Horse bandits, then.”

Yang Goeng pulled up the corners of his mouth and smiled. However, the upper half of his face was not smiling at all.

“That’s right. Horse bandit bastards killed innocent farmers and plundered them. Setting aside why that farmer possessed that treasure map, must we pay a fair price to buy an item from such a bastard? He stole it by killing, didn’t he?”

Jang Geon laughed in absurdity. However, it was a smile similar to Yang Goeng’s.

“So we should snatch the treasure map from that bastard as well?”

“Hehe. If one has lived by snatching what belongs to others, one must be prepared to have one’s own snatched away too.”

Exhaling smoke with a phew, Jang Geon pinched the cigarette butt that had approached close to his mouth and stubbed it out on the tabletop as he spoke.

“Martial arts of a caliber that even the Imperial Army was wary of, and the artifact of a vanished ancient noble clan… You really brought back a big one.”

“Are you going to do it?”

Jang Geon turned his head, spat out the remaining tobacco from the tip of his tongue with a ptui, and looked back at Yang Goeng. Erasing all his previous smiles, playfulness, and servility, Yang Goeng was staring at Jang Geon with a serious expression.

“Eight to two.”

“You’re taking eight, Brother Jang?”

“Got a problem?”

“…Let’s make it seven to three. I still have the merit of bringing this information.”

Yang Goeng meekly offered a compromise. Jang Geon chuckled softly, nodded, and spoke.

“Fine. In exchange, I take the martial arts.”

“Do as you like. Even if I look at such things, I don’t understand them well.”

Nodding with satisfaction, Jang Geon asked.

“Right. So where is that horse bandit?”

Slowly pushing his chair back to stand up, Yang Goeng answered.

“I’ve found out everything. Let’s go immediately. Though he’s delayed the transaction until now to raise the price, there’s no telling how long that will last.”

Nodding again, Jang Geon stood up while pocketing Yang Goeng’s tobacco box. Perhaps because he had met his family, his mind had been filled with thoughts of quickly leaving New Sichuan, but doing this job felt like it might help erase those thoughts a little.

* * *

“Is it reliable information?”

“It’s not certain. Aside from our covert line, we don’t have any grand connections. The covert line in New Sichuan is particularly weak.”

“Right. It cannot be helped. So where is that horse bandit now?”

“He is staying at an inn provided by the black market. Naturally, he will be together with guards provided by the black market side.”

“His own gang members must be there as well, yet they attached guards?”

“You know it. Those black market fellows have an obsession about such things. Perhaps because they are merchants gathered to avoid taxes, they are remarkably thorough.”

“It is a natural sentiment, and a natural course. What on earth has the Emperor and the Empire ever done for the people in this land that they should collect taxes? I understand their feelings. And that is why I believe that someday they too will become our strength.”

“…Chief, you are truly idealistic. You know that in the end, those fellows are bastards who will do anything for money, regardless of benevolence or righteousness, right?”

“And yet they are fellow people of the New Continent.”

“Well, whatever. There’s no sign of movement from the Imperial Army or the Demonic Palace side. The only ones that bother me are one group…”

“Who is it?”

“The Je Clan. It seems that the party the black market is trying to connect with that horse bandit is over there.”

“The Je Clan. My master said they are always seeking ways to return to the Central Plains, so they would cross the line someday. Still, to think they would attempt to purchase a treasure map from a mere horse bandit. It makes the family’s thousand-year history look pathetic.”

“Who knows. I wonder if there’s any difference between us and them… At any rate, it seems we must strike before the two complete their transaction.”

“…When is the transaction?”

“Probably… today?”

“Then we must move immediately.”

“Yes, Chief. Let’s go.”

The man muttered as he stood up.

“The Mandate of Han has ended.”

“Soon the time of the Yellow Heaven shall come.”

Hiding in the dark shadows, those who answered together like that vanished soundlessly from the room.

* * *

Je Un-seong, who had been in a good mood after stopping by the blacksmith’s shop in the morning to receive his repaired sword, came to a teahouse to meet the person he was waiting for, only to feel a throbbing headache instantly and close both eyes.

“…What did you say you decided to buy?”

Je Sang-cheon, the successor of the Je Clan who was mocked in the world as the Gallows Young Master—meaning one who would hang himself for love—answered with a hardened face.

“A treasure map.”

“…A treasure map?”

“The treasure map where the martial arts of Li Shimin, the foremost expert among noble clans two hundred years ago, lies asleep. If that is real, it will be a huge help to the clan.”

“…If it is real, that is.”

“It will definitely be real! A great opportunity has come to Brother Je!”

Je Un-seong stealthily opened his eyes and looked at the girl sitting beside Je Sang-cheon. The girl named Seom Ji-young was Je Sang-cheon’s fiancée, and also the girl who had saved his life. Her frowning of her pretty eyebrows was cute in a way, but she also looked just like a throw-a-tantrum brat.

Seeing that face, Je Un-seong tried his best not to show his annoyance. He truly didn’t know how he had fallen out of favor with the clan elders to be saddled with taking care of these half-grown brats. Of course, the general consensus among others was that despite being from a collateral branch, he was trusted by the elders and entrusted with educating the clan’s successor. Je Un-seong himself was trying hard to think of it that way as well.

Even so, when cleaning up after greenhorns, it was inevitable that his blood would boil.

“…Fine. Since this is a transaction Young Master achieved with effort, let’s go check it out for now. But before completing the transaction, I will have to inspect that item a bit. Just in case.”

“Understood.”

Je Sang-cheon nodded, and soon the three left the private room of the teahouse and moved their steps toward the bustling district of New Sichuan.

Thus, three parties with different intentions were moving toward a single inn.