Chapter 657

Something big is coming.

My gut was right. The old owner of the thin-noodle shop where I’d sat with Heugung not long ago had appeared.

Fuck.

Something big really had come.

I stared at the old shopkeeper, cursing inwardly.

I wasn’t the only one. As countless eyes turned toward him, a trembling voice came from between his age-spotted lips.

“U-Utu-ri of the Bai people. I came at the Great Chieftain’s summons.”

The Beast Miao King spoke, his face grim.

“I’ve never seen him before. Who is he?”

At a glance from Baeksang, the old shopkeeper answered at once.

“I sell thin noodles near the West Gate of the Outer Palace. I’ve made my living doing that for more than half my life.”

His words and actions taught me several new things.

First. The old shopkeeper’s name was Utu-ri, and he was one of the Bai people.

Second. Unlike at the noodle shop, Utu-ri could speak clearly and hear perfectly well. In short, he was full of life. Jirisan had its baby hero Utu-ri; Nanman had its noodle-selling Utu-ri.¹

Third. This Bai elder, spry enough to put his age to shame, had probably told Baeksang everything he’d seen and heard.

And fourth. I was probably fucked.

You have to understand. The owner here is over ninety, so his hearing is bad.

Heugung, you son of a bitch.

What he’d said at the noodle shop could hardly have been more wrong.

Bad hearing, my ass.

The only thing looking dim was my future.

The shopkeeper, supposedly over ninety, had heard the Beast Miao King from ten paces away.

“Utu-ri, I called you here to confirm one thing. Do you recognize anyone present?”

“Yes.”

The old shopkeeper nodded without hesitation, and I realized I had another item to add.

Fifth. Besides excellent hearing, Utu-ri had remarkable eyesight and memory.

That much was easy to tell. From the moment he’d entered the Western Yao Estate, he’d kept stealing glances at my face.

“That young man standing over there. The tallest one, with the broad build.”

The hand that had trembled like an aspen tree when he set down the bowls of noodles was, for some reason, perfectly still this time.

Damn it.

His finger pointed directly at me. I shut my mouth, the atmosphere around us began to stir, and the script Baeksang had meticulously prepared raced toward its conclusion.

“Are you certain it was him? You must not tell even the slightest lie.”

The old shopkeeper swallowed hard before answering.

“Yes, without a doubt. I may be old and worn-out, but I’m not so blind that I can’t recognize a customer standing right in front of me. His build was exceptionally large, and he was wearing a tiger mask, so he stood out in my memory.”

“Half the people in the Outer Palace must be wearing masks right now. Did you report him as suspicious for that reason alone?”

“N-No, sir. He lingered nearby before sitting down and ordering noodles. That was when I started to find him suspicious.”

“Suspicious? What exactly troubled you?”

“Well, the thing is…”

The old shopkeeper glanced at me, then continued cautiously.

“It was the mask, sir.”

“The mask?”

“Yes. He kept it on even while he ate. As though something terrible would happen if anyone saw his face.”

“I see. Continue.”

“But later, when he drank the broth, the mask must have felt too restrictive, because he raised it slightly. That was the first and only time I saw his face.”

So that was when.

If I showed my whole face, they might realize I was Han Chinese. But keeping the mask on would look suspicious too. I’d deliberately raised it only as far as the bottom of my nose while I ate, then lifted it for a moment at the very end…

And the old man who looked ready to die any day saw it and remembered.

At first, my excessive caution had drawn suspicion. Later, overlooking the existence of the old shopkeeper had brought me to this situation.

Baeksang, in his usual even tone, was bringing the matter to a close.

“Was he alone?”

“No. He shared a table with a middle-aged man.”

“Another middle-aged man. And afterward?”

“They left at almost the same time, then headed toward the main road by the West Gate.”

“Do you remember the other man’s face?”

“Yes, of course. I’ve lived in the Outer Palace all my life, but I’d never seen him around before, so I remember him clearly. The same goes for that young man.”

“Then they were certainly outsiders who entered during the Tribal Grand Council. If we make likenesses of them and investigate, it should be easy to identify them. When did they leave?”

“Around Insi.² They stayed about as long as it takes to drink a cup of tea. The Outer Palace has been setting off firecrackers at regular intervals, so I remember the time clearly.”

The old shopkeeper answered without faltering. His eyes and voice were full of conviction.

Baeksang had gotten every answer he wanted. He gave a small nod.

“Thank you for your cooperation. You may go. I’ll have someone reward you.”

“Th-Thank you. Thank you, Great Chieftain!”

The old shopkeeper bowed repeatedly as he left.

He’d probably be rewarded handsomely for this. The little stall that filled up with three or four customers would become a large inn, and the wrinkled hands that boiled noodles would count silver nyang³ instead.

But the opportunity he’d found in his old age had become the worst crisis of my life.

“How strange. A man who ought to have been in the Inner Palace slipped out in secret, met with someone whose identity is unknown, and immediately afterward, this tragedy occurred.”

“……”

“Your earlier statement has already been exposed as a lie. Still, in light of what happened at Ailao Mountain, I’ll give you one last chance. Do you have anything to say in your defense?”

Countless thoughts flashed through my mind in the brief moment Baeksang’s low voice reached me.

The Western Yao Estate had fallen into suffocating silence. Everyone was looking at me.

Then Namho’s finger brushed my back again.

Sssrk.

Escape.

One character. It was enough to tell me what he meant.

Get out of here first. Worry about what comes next later.

If Namho had learned martial arts, that was the Sound Transmission he would have sent me. I’d probably have done the same in his place.

Would it have gone better if I’d told the truth?

I answered my own question. No.

Maybe it would have gone a little better than this. But Baeksang had prepared thoroughly. One way or another, he would have backed me into the same corner.

I could claim the old noodle seller was lying, but… come on. If Baeksang were stupid enough to fall for that, he wouldn’t have made it this far.

Besides, a master like Baeksang would realize just by looking at the wounds on the assassins who attacked us that most of them weren’t my handiwork.

Without Heugung there to corroborate my statement, telling the truth would only make me a shameless culprit.

Though I suppose that would beat being a culprit caught in a lie.

Either way, I was trapped. There was no getting around it.

And even now, things were hurtling toward the edge.

Sssrk.

A faint sound reached me through the brief silence. Leather shoes crushed blood-soaked grains of sand, while dozens of fluttering hems brushed the flowers in the garden.

In an instant, they had formed a ring around me.

Baeksang stood at its head.

“I’ll ask again. Your defense?”

My defense.

After careful consideration, I answered.

“I’m not giving you one. This whole thing’s filthy, you fucking bastard.”

“……!”

“……!”

Apparently, that wasn’t the answer they’d expected. Baeksang studied me with a look of surprise, then nodded.

“Are you admitting your guilt?”

“I admit I lied. That was stupid of me.”

“So you intend to deny the rest to the end.”

“Would you admit it in my place? There’s nothing to admit when I haven’t committed a crime. I’m just pissed that I walked into a trap I couldn’t avoid.”

“If you’ve been wronged, surrender peacefully. I’ll sort out right from wrong.”

“Yeah, fucking right. Right and wrong, my ass, you prick.”

At my scornful answer, Baeksang’s eyes darkened.

“Then I have no choice.”

At the same time—

Shing. Tsstststst!

A dazzling radiance surged from the pure-white blade he drew in a flash. Baeksang lowered his treasured sword, infused with Sword Force, and slowly stepped forward.

“Warriors of the Nanman Beast Palace, listen. We will use our full strength to seize the criminal Jin Taekyung. Not a single mistake will be tolerated—”

At that moment, a roar-like shout erupted from somewhere, drowning out the words that were about to leave Baeksang’s mouth.

“Baeksang!”

Only one person in all Nanman could address the Great Chieftain of the Bai people that way.

“All of you, stop!”

Whoosh!

A powerful wave of qi pressed down on us from every direction.

The Beast Miao King had halted the tightening ring with a single command. His eyes blazed as he glared at Baeksang.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Everyone trembled beneath his fierce aura. Baeksang did not.

“Exactly what you see, Palace Lord. I intend to seize the criminal Jin Taekyung here.”

“Have you forgotten? He is a pavilion master of the Murim Alliance and a member of the Fire Gate Clan, our longtime ally.”

“Are you, the Palace Lord of the Nanman Beast Palace, shielding a culprit for those reasons alone?”

“Nonsense! He is not the culprit. Have you already forgotten what happened at Ailao Mountain? He has no cause or reason to do such a thing!”

“But we have a witness who saw him, and clear evidence pointing to him.”

“That’s—”

“Everyone here remembers what happened at Ailao Mountain, myself included. That is why I’m taking the trouble to capture him. Of course, if he resists, we’ll take him dead or alive.”

“Baeksang!”

“I’m not finished.”

Baeksang’s cold voice continued.

“If Jin Taekyung forces his way out of here, I’ll cast a net over heaven and earth across all Nanman and hunt him down with everything we have. Before that, the other Han Chinese under his command will make fine examples.”

“……!”

The Beast Miao King’s eyes widened. Baeksang was saying he would risk war with the Central Plains. Yayul Mok shouted, his face contorted.

“Uncle!”

“This is a conversation between tribal chieftains, not between lord and subject. The Young Palace Lord has no authority here. Stay out of it.”

“But how could you! How could you dare make such a unilateral decision on your own!”

“On my own…”

Baeksang muttered the words softly, then suddenly raised his head and looked at the sky.

The thick darkness around us had begun to lift. Light was slowly spreading from the east.

“Do you see? It’s already the hour of the Rabbit.⁴ Dawn is breaking.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“What if we begin the second day of the Tribal Grand Council right here? With a new matter on the agenda, of course…”

Tsst.

The sword in Baeksang’s hand shone more fiercely.

“Whether the Han Chinese Jin Taekyung lives or dies.”

At that moment, a bell sounded in my ears—a bell only one person in the world could hear.

Ding.

System

An unexpected Quest, Either-Or, has been generated!