ROTMHS Special Spin-off - Chapter 17

Chapter 17. No way, right? (2)

Clink.

“Kikikii.”

Clink. Clink.

“Khehehehe.”

“.....”

A thick money pouch arced up above his head and dropped back into his hand. Each time it hit his palm, it rang with a heavy jingle, and Cheong Myeong burst into laughter.

The Mount Hua disciples watching him didn’t feel entirely at ease.

“Is this really okay, sasuk?”

“...A bit late to ask that now.”

Baek Cheon smiled faintly. At this point, there was even a hint of dizziness in that smile.

“We’ve come too far to make a fuss over something like this. Just… go with it.”

Hye Yeon nodded in admiration.

“A commendable mindset for a Buddhist practitioner, siju. I’d believe you if you said you were close to enlightenment.”

“I’m a Taoist, at least in name, so if anything, please call it ascension to immortality.”

“Aren’t they the same thing? You die either way.”

Jo Geol’s muttering was cleanly ignored.

“No, but seriously—are we just letting this slide?”

Tang Soso spoke up, still incredulous.

“If this were just swindling some beggars, I could maybe shrug it off. But this is basically swindling the Beggar Union.”

Yoon Jong leaned in and whispered to Jo Geol,

“Geol-ah… is it just me, or does swindling beggars sound way worse?”

“I don’t think it’s just you, sahyung. It gives me chills too.”

“Hey! This isn’t something to joke about!”

“I wish it were a joke…”

“Seriously.”

Of all people to swindle—beggars? What kind of karmic disaster was this?

“I’m not kidding. If we’re not careful, this could damage our relationship with the Beggar Union.”

“Ah, come on… At worst, things might get awkward with Branch Leader Hong—”

“He’s still part of the Beggar Union! And he’s even considered a candidate for the next Young Beggar Leader! He’s way more important than the Jinan branch!”

“…Huh?”

The Mount Hua disciples blinked.

“What? You didn’t know?”

“No, we knew, but… hearing it like that…”

“When you think about it, he really is kind of a big deal.”

“Him? A future Beggar Leader? That just doesn’t fit.”

They all tilted their heads, staring vaguely toward the distant west where Huayin lay. It was one of those things they knew, but somehow still couldn’t quite believe.

“Anyway, this doesn’t feel right. Let’s just return the money now.”

“…I’d like to.”

“Then let’s do it.”

“Soso-ya.”

“Yes?”

“Do you really think that’ll work?”

Baek Cheon gestured with his eyes toward Cheong Myeong. Tang Soso looked at him—grinning widely while clutching the money pouch—and her shoulders slumped.

“…We should’ve stopped this before it got this far.”

“Look on the bright side. It’s not like our relationship with the Nine Sects and One Union was ever that great to begin with. Would falling out with the Beggar Union really make things worse?”

“That.…that’s actually a very comforting thought, sasuk.”

“You’re welcome.”

Tang Soso sighed and shook her head.

“So what now?”

“What do you mean, what now?”

Cheong Myeong smirked, tossing the pouch up again and catching it.

“We’ve got money, so now…”

His eyes gleamed.

“…we go drag that bastard back here.”

✿ ✿ ✿

“Boss, are you okay?”

Seok Hanbin’s face twisted slightly.

“I heard you got dragged off to the authorities. Nothing serious happened, right?”

“Hah.”

He waved his hand dismissively and bit into the dumpling in his other hand. It was all filling-less dough, dry and hard to swallow, but he chewed it down roughly, as if venting his frustration.

The kids watching him fell silent.

‘He looks pissed.’

‘Don’t say anything. You’ll get kicked.’

Among the dozen or so gathered, there were kids twice Seok Hanbin’s size, but not one of them stepped forward. They all just watched his mood carefully.

“Keughh…”

Seok Hanbin cracked his neck.

“The more I think about it, the more it pisses me off, those damn Taoist bastards!”

“Taoists? Boss, you’re fighting Taoists now?”

“It’s not like that! They’re the ones who started it!”

“…Sure they did.”

“Argh!”

Seok Hanbin kicked the kid who had been speaking in the back.

“Argh!”

“I knew he’d be like that.”

“Seriously, that mouth of his is a problem.”

Still fuming, Seok Hanbin roughly scrubbed his face with both hands.

“Dragging in some ridiculous story about ancestors…”

“Ancestors?”

“There is such a thing.”

He dropped back down with a thud.

‘Ancestors, my ass.’

If they’d at least said something about a grandfather or something closer, he might’ve pretended to listen. No matter how much he’d cut ties himself, it wasn’t easy to completely forget where you came from.

But a great-grandfather? And not even that—someone from that generation’s relatives?

‘Do they take me for an idiot?’

What kind of lunatic remembers ties from a great-grandfather’s era and goes looking for someone over it? Not even in the Song dynasty would people do something like that.

Seok Hanbin knew this much: sometimes people showed kindness for no reason. But when that kindness was excessive, there was always a reason behind it.

“Tch.”

He shook his head.

‘Whatever their reason was, what does it matter? It has nothing to do with me anymore.’

He was no longer a member of the Shandong Yoo Family. No, he had to erase that name completely.

After steadying himself, he let out a quiet sigh. One of the kids spoke up cautiously.

“But boss… are you really okay?”

“With what?”

“That… the Black Water Gang.”

“......”

Seok Hanbin frowned and fell silent.

“You stiffed them, didn’t you?”

“It’s been paid back.”

Not by him, but those Taoist bastards had paid Lord Song on his behalf.

And it’s common knowledge Lord Song backs the Black Water Gang, so there shouldn’t be any more trouble over money.

But that was a bit too optimistic, and Seok Hanbin knew it.

“Are you really sure? You know those guys won’t just back off because the money’s been repaid.”

His frown deepened.

Even if the debt was cleared, the fact that they’d been humiliated by someone like him didn’t go away.

People of the black path cared about face, sometimes even more than the orthodox sects. In their world, once you were looked down on, it was over.

The Black Water Gang was one of the top black path sects in Jinan. If they let a kid like Seok Hanbin humiliate them without proper retaliation, every thug with half a brain would start testing them. And the Black Water Gang definitely knew that.

“They’ll track me down and make me pay.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“Ugh. I know. I do.”

He scratched his head roughly.

Knowing didn’t change anything.

There was no easy way to avoid the Black Water Gang’s eyes in Jinan.

Which meant that if he wanted to escape them, he had to leave the city.

‘But I don’t have money.’

More precisely, he had no immediate way to make a move.

Shouldn’t he just run out of the city right now, since his life was more important than money?

‘It’s because my life matters that I can’t.’

Even a grown adult would struggle to survive outside the city walls. For someone his age, leaving Jinan alone, without protection?

He’d probably be stripped to the bone before reaching the next town. That was the kind of world this was.

“Ha… guess I don’t have a choice.”

“Huh? You’ve got a plan?”

“What do you think?”

Seok Hanbin smirked.

“If the problem is money, then I’ll just make some. It’s not like I’ve ever had any to begin with.”

“D-don’t tell me you’re going to scam people again?”

“Scam?! I told you, it’s redistribution of wealth. What’s so wrong with taking money rich bastards hoard in their warehouses and letting the poor use it?”

“W-well… yeah.”

Aside from the fact that he himself was one of those ‘poor people’, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

“But boss, why are you always broke? You made a lot before, didn’t you?”

At that, Seok Hanbin flinched.

These days, it looked like scamming was his main trade, but if he were just a simple con artist, he never would’ve been able to dominate the kids of Jinan.

‘If it weren’t for that damn flood…’

A faint glimmer of tears welled in his eyes.

If his business plan had worked out, he’d be sitting on a mountain of money by now, living in luxury! Who could’ve predicted the Yellow River would flood right then?

Floods were common for those living near the Yellow River.

He’d accounted for that and even prepared—but the scale of that flood had been beyond anything he could’ve anticipated. That much wasn’t his fault.

“Whatever.”

Shaking off his thoughts, Seok Hanbin’s eyes sharpened.

“This time, I won’t fail. I’ll just make enough for travel expenses, lie low somewhere else for a few months, then come back.”

“…You are coming back, right, boss?”

“Where else would I go? What would I even do? Of course I’m coming back.”

Just as he was about to get moving again—

“So this is where you were.”

“Huh?”

At the sudden, unfamiliar voice, Seok Hanbin turned his head.

And instantly, his face stiffened.

“Seok Hanbin. That right?”

A chill ran down his spine, goosebumps breaking out all over his body.

The figure standing across the dim alley.

His face was obscured by a black bamboo hat, but that didn’t matter. Just from his build and the aura he gave off, it was obvious how dangerous he was.

Seok Hanbin clenched his teeth.

“…Did the Black Water Gang send you?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

It sounded like a strange answer at first, but Seok Hanbin immediately grasped the meaning behind it.

If he was an assassin, the one who took the job and the one who carried it out would be different. It wouldn’t be strange if the one doing the killing didn’t even know who the client was.

Even aside from that, it was clear this man wasn’t someone who bothered weighing circumstances before acting.

‘Damn it. I should’ve moved sooner.’

He hadn’t expected the Black Water Gang to reach him this quickly. He’d assumed that since Lord Song had been paid, he’d have at least a few days’ grace.

But those Taoists showing up and bringing up the Shandong Yoo Family had thrown him off, delaying his judgment.

“Who the hell are you, daring to come after our boss—”

“Don’t step forward!”

Seok Hanbin shouted in alarm, and the kids who had been about to move in front of him froze.

“Even if we all rush him, we won’t win! Run—don’t look back!”

“Boss…”

“Go, you idiots! I’m not dying here!”

“How are you going to—”

“Just go! Unless you want to die by my hand!”

“O-okay!”

They were already half-terrified by the assassin’s presence. As Seok Hanbin stepped forward, the kids hesitated for a moment before scattering in panic.

Seok Hanbin watched them run past him, then bent down and grabbed a stick lying on the ground. It wouldn’t change much—but it was better than nothing.

“You’re not running?”

“…Don’t be stupid.”

If he ran and crossed paths with the kids, they might get killed instead. The man didn’t look like someone who’d bother holding back once he had a target in front of him.

At the very least, he had to buy enough time for them to get far away.

Somehow—

“Hey.”

The assassin lifted his head slightly, looking at Seok Hanbin.

“How much were you paid?”

“……”

“For killing some kid who hasn’t even learned martial arts, it can’t have been that much. I’ll pay you five times that. What do you say?”

The assassin’s lips twisted faintly beneath the hat.

“Not a bad offer. But the money wouldn’t end up in my hands anyway.”

“You could just take it and say you failed.”

“Hmm.”

The assassin casually drew his sword.

“Let’s end the jokes here. I’m a busy man.”

Seok Hanbin tightened his grip on the stick.

‘I’m not dying like this.’

He knew he had zero chance of beating a martial artist. But if he didn’t give up, maybe—just maybe—he could find a way to escape. As long as he didn’t give up until the very end—

Whoosh.

In that instant, the assassin lunged.

“Uh—”

And at the same time, Seok Hanbin realized something.

The man before him was on a completely different level from any black path thug he had ever seen.

In a single breath, as if cutting through time itself, the assassin appeared right in front of him.

In that moment, Seok Hanbin understood his fate.

The blade shot toward his neck at a speed he couldn’t even react to. A flash of pure despair filled his eyes.

‘Damn it—‘

And then—

Seok Hanbin saw it.

Right in front of the assassin’s face—

‘White?’

KWAAAAANG!

Something small and white slammed straight into the assassin’s face with explosive force.

“Ghk—!”

The assassin let out an unearthly scream as he spun through the air and was flung backward.

Crash!

Even after hitting the ground, he kept rolling before finally collapsing face-down.

“……”

Seok Hanbin stared blankly at the scene, then slowly lowered his gaze.

Tch.

Clicking its tongue like a person, the weasel stood with its front paws on its hips, looking at him as if he were pathetic.

Seok Hanbin stared at it for a long moment, then looked up at the sky and muttered bleakly,

“…This is insane. Seriously.”

It was the most honest thought he had.

✿ ✿ ✿

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