Chapter 139

Bian Bu’s laughter contained such deep contempt that even Jin Ja-gang was becoming uncomfortable.

“What do you mean?”

“Did you come out of living in some mountain? Or have you been only in the frontier region of Yunnan and are ignorant of martial world affairs? Perhaps you’re a martial master from a hundred years ago who achieved rejuvenation?”

“Except for being a martial master from a hundred years ago, both apply.”

“Hehe.”

Bian Bu’s laughter grew even deeper.

“The righteousness of the martial world disappeared quite some time ago.”

Bian Bu looked into Jin Ja-gang’s eyes and spoke each word slowly.

“Since Taoist Hae-wol became the alliance leader… the words chivalry and justice no longer remain in the martial world.”

“Taoist Hae-wol…”

Jin Ja-gang knew of him too.

Ten years ago, he was the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance.

He was the first in martial arts history to establish the Martial Arts Alliance that encompassed all orthodox sects without any common enemy opposing the orthodox faction, and ascended as the first alliance leader.

Therefore, in Jin Ja-gang’s memory, many people respected and revered Taoist Hae-wol.

“Is he still the alliance leader?”

“He’s still the alliance leader now.”

The tone was subtle.

Bian Bu sighed, realizing that Jin Ja-gang truly knew nothing about martial world affairs.

“Now I understand why you keep wandering around in the middle of whirlpools.”

“I’ve never wandered around.”

“People trapped in a maze don’t even know they’re trapped. A frog trapped in a well thinks the visible sky is everything.”

Just as Jin Ja-gang was about to argue that his words were excessive, Bian Bu cut him off first.

“There are people in the world who live with various thoughts and ideologies. In such times, if one must fight over what is the right path, the decision process is very simple. Either take one side or don’t take any side. This is something that can be decided solely according to one’s own convictions.”

Jin Ja-gang found something resonant in Bian Bu’s words and listened with his mouth closed.

“However, if one becomes entangled in economic interests beyond norms and basic principles, the situation becomes very different. People entangled in interests will, without exception, adjust their purposes and actions in directions favorable to themselves. If there are a hundred people, all hundred situations are completely different.”

Bian Bu caught his breath and continued.

“Therefore, among those hundred people, depending on whose side I take, and whose side the person I support is taking, hundreds of new interest relationships are created. Eventually, at this point, one has no choice but to act according to very complex judgments, and this is precisely what is called political behavior.”

“I have no interest in political behavior.”

“Really? There’s only one type of person in the world who can have no interest in political behavior. Someone who has power strong enough to transcend all those interest relationships. Someone who forces others to suffer losses and offer up their benefits.”

Bian Bu raised the corners of his mouth and asked back.

“Are you that strong? Strong enough to transcend everyone’s interest relationships?”

Jin Ja-gang couldn’t answer.

Not only that, but he felt a chilling sensation in his chest.

He had thought he could just kill his revenge targets without considering complex situations.

Until now, that had been possible. Due to Yunnan’s geographical characteristics, in regions with somewhat narrow and closed interest relationships, he could focus only on revenge without thinking about complex cases.

However, now that he had left one person from Baek Li-jung remaining, the situation had changed. The Central Plains martial world had very complex relationships.

Jin Ja-gang realized he had been forcibly entangled in the complex interest relationships that Bian Bu mentioned. Though he hadn’t wanted it himself, Jin Ja-gang wasn’t strong enough to transcend the interest relationships surrounding him or using him, which led to his current situation.

That was an undeniable fact.

“Then are you saying that I must act according to political judgments from now on… to achieve what I want?”

Bian Bu smiled, sensing the changed tone in Jin Ja-gang’s speech.

Jin Ja-gang hadn’t asked “Can I survive?” but “Can I get what I want?”

In situations entangled with interests, death is not a consideration. The moment one dies, all interest relationships become useless, so what would be the point? What use are power and money to the dead?

Bian Bu realized that Jin Ja-gang understood this fact.

“If you have the power to create a new framework, you don’t have to live within frameworks made by others. But if you don’t have that much power, you’ll have no choice but to remain within the order created by others until you build up enough strength.”

Bian Bu spoke with a much more serious expression than before.

“The martial world is vast and those who live by the sword are more numerous than grains of sand. The martial arts world has had countless factions from before, and the orthodox faction likewise had innumerable forces. No one could unify them with a single thought or ideology. The virtue of the orthodox faction was to never bend their beliefs even unto death. It was impossible to make them submit with any noble ideology.”

Bian Bu continued speaking while stroking his beard with his fingers.

“However, Taoist Hae-wol unified the orthodox martial world with a new standard. What he put forward was precisely ‘profit and loss.'”

“Profit and loss…”

“Taoist Hae-wol didn’t reject ideologies or thoughts while cleverly utilizing them. On the surface he spoke of justification, but in reality he made all judgment standards based on profit and loss, creating results according to interest relationships. As a result, a new ruling system was established in the orthodox martial world. After that, chivalry and justice disappeared from the martial world. Only ‘profit and loss’ came to run rampant.”

Bian Bu stopped speaking and looked at Jin Ja-gang. Jin Ja-gang understood Bian Bu’s words but couldn’t completely comprehend them. It was difficult to understand based on his common knowledge of the martial world.

“If you want to overthrow or utilize the new order created by others, you don’t need to conform to it. But first acquire the qualifications to match it. Abandon the belief that everything can be solved by risking your own life, that the world will change just because one youngster runs wild.”

Thinking his words were a bit harsh, Bian Bu softened his tone slightly.

“Of course, looking at your expression, it seems you realized that fact just now, which is fortunate.”

Indeed, Jin Ja-gang was receiving a different kind of shock from the topic Bian Bu had thrown at him.

He had thought he just needed to kill Baek Li-jung as an individual, but in reality Jin Ja-gang was fighting against the order—power—that Baek Li-jung was using without even meeting Baek Li-jung.

“Unfortunately…”

Bian Bu interrupted Jin Ja-gang’s contemplation.

“Even though I’d like to tell you more, we don’t have that kind of time. Soon their corpses will be discovered, and then their next plan will proceed. I don’t want to be trapped helplessly in this backwater place and burn to death as black ash.”

Jin Ja-gang sighed briefly and asked.

“Are you certain that the Zhuge family will… burn this village?”

Bian Bu nodded.

“Almost.”

“Do you have grounds to be confident?”

Bian Bu chuckled.

“Well, I’ve experienced such situations several times. I’ve seen villages several times larger than Lan Family Village burn and disappear in a single night. A village of this scale with at most two or three hundred people is nothing. Ah, of course, such facts are usually officially determined to be the work of bandits or evil factions.”

Jin Ja-gang stared into Bian Bu’s eyes and said.

“But I still can’t believe your words, old man.”

Bian Bu frowned.

“Then don’t believe them! Who asked you to believe? After taking up all of someone’s precious time, what you’re saying…”

“That’s why I need to confirm it.”

“Huh?”

Bian Bu tilted his head.

“Are you going to run away, or what are you planning to do?”

“Exactly as I said, I’ll confirm it. And if your words are true, old man.”

Jin Ja-gang pressed his lips tightly together.

“I’ll make them pay the price.”

A chilling killing intent flowed from Jin Ja-gang’s eyes.

“Those who harm other people to catch me must definitely pay the price.”

Bian Bu frowned due to the killing intent.

However, that expression contained the doubt of “What can you do about it?”

As if reading Bian Bu’s expression, Jin Ja-gang said firmly.

“That is my conviction.”

* * *

Jin Ja-gang looked up at the sky through the window inside the shrine.

Bian Bu asked curiously what Jin Ja-gang was doing.

“What are you doing?”

“Since the sun is still up, it hasn’t passed the Hour of the Monkey (3-5 PM). The corpses won’t have been discovered yet.”

“How do you know that?”

“Someone who does evening business comes to that path after the Hour of the Monkey. That person started doing business there three days after I came to this village. If they’re discovered, it will be then.”

Bian Bu’s mouth fell open in bewilderment.

“How do you know all that…”

“Because I’ve been here for a month.”

For Jin Ja-gang, who had to use everything around him to survive, understanding the surrounding situation was always something he had to do. One small thing overlooked could take his life.

Bian Bu’s face contorted.

“Then coming to me asking for fortune telling was also?”

It meant he had come knowing full well that the watchers were observing, asking questions and even deliberately mentioning Wishful Fairy Maiden. It was no different from using Bian Bu as bait to die.

“Damn it! I misjudged you. You asked me why I kill people, then you throw me as food for the hunting dogs?”

“Because they hadn’t moved for a whole month, I needed to create change. And as a result, you didn’t die, did you?”

“I became a cripple… no, almost became one.”

Jin Ja-gang had planned to follow Bian Bu from the beginning. He used Bian Bu as a ripple to shake up the watchers and confuse them, ultimately finding that gap to achieve his purpose.

“Really vicious. Vicious. Snake Scorpion Poison King – whoever came up with that nickname really named it well.”

Bian Bu was burning inside and looked around, then saw clean water in a ritual water vessel and tried to drink it with a gourd ladle.

Without even looking, Jin Ja-gang stopped him.

“I’m telling you in advance, don’t use the gourd ladle next to you. It has poison.”

Bian Bu was startled and dropped the gourd ladle just as he was about to drink.

“Wh-when?”

“If you’re thirsty, scoop water with your hands.”

Bian Bu looked at the gourd ladle rolling on the ground with frightened eyes. Come to think of it, this gourd ladle hadn’t been there earlier. It meant Jin Ja-gang had placed it after they entered.

The situation was so natural that he almost got poisoned without thinking.

But Jin Ja-gang said nonchalantly.

“Because I didn’t know your identity, old man.”

For almost killing someone, he was too casual, making Bian Bu grind his teeth.

“Ah, is that so? I suppose you trust me now?”

“I still don’t know for sure. That’s why I’m keeping you alive.”

“Huh…”

Bian Bu was dumbfounded but also had no words to refute. Unless he carried his identity written on a sign or nameplate, he couldn’t complain about being suspected.

Bian Bu ground his teeth.

“But I don’t like you confidently saying you can kill me anytime. You should also remember that I can stick a needle in the back of your neck anytime…”

Jin Ja-gang silently fiddled with the knot of the bundle Bian Bu was carrying beside him.

He pulled out a short needle that was barely visible from inside the knot and conspicuously inserted it into the leather belt on his forearm.

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Isn’t that… a poison needle?”

“That’s right.”

“…Why is it coming out of my luggage?”

“Don’t you have bamboo needles and bamboo tubes in your luggage, old man?”

“They’re there.”

“I did that because it seemed like you might attack me with those.”

“…Ah, I see… No, that’s not right!”

If Bian Bu had harbored ill intentions toward Jin Ja-gang and opened his luggage, nine times out of ten he would have been pricked by the poison needle.

Thinking about that made Bian Bu’s spine chill.

‘This guy is really a bad one!’