Near sunset, the members of the Dongbang Clan who were looking for Gangchan arrived at a spot about 300 jang away from the Blood Wolf Band’s base.
Although they had made it this far, they were still hesitating on how to proceed.
“Should we just go in like this?” Captain O asked.
Dongbang Hwi could not give a ready answer.
It was then that Dongbang Seollin stepped forward.
“Let’s go. Staying here is just a waste of time anyway.”
“Fine. Since we’ve come all this way, let’s go.”
Just as they were about to stand up and depart, a horse began galloping toward them from the bandits’ lair.
The group tensed and gripped their weapons in alarm.
The horse came to a halt about 3 jang away from where they stood.
Then, a welcome voice rang out.
“You’ve arrived early. I am Gwak Sugi of the Heavenly Mandate Hall.”
The Heavenly Mandate Hall.
At those words, sighs of relief escaped everyone’s lips.
“Oh, my. I thought my heart was going to stop.”
“Welcome. We were on edge, thinking it was a bandit attack.”
“Hahaha, is that so? Please, do not worry anymore.”
“But how did you know we were here?”
“The Leader sent me out to meet you, just in case.”
“As expected. I truly do not know how to thank him.”
“It is too early for that. Come, let us go.”
The people of the Dongbang Bureau followed him toward the Blood Wolf Band’s base.
As they passed through the massive front gate, the escort members looked thoroughly intimidated.
Seeing the bandits standing at the entrance, they lowered their heads and avoided eye contact.
Conversely, the bandits were also afraid of them.
If they even breathed a wrong word to Gangchan, their lives could be forfeit.
Consequently, they acted with the utmost caution as they guided the Dongbang Clan members to the building where Gangchan was staying.
A moment later, the door opened, and they entered the building.
“Welcome. You arrived earlier than I expected.”
“Leader Gang! Are you hurt anywhere?”
The moment they saw Gangchan, Dongbang Hwi and Dongbang Seollin began inspecting his body.
“As you can see, I am fine. More importantly, you made a difficult decision.”
“You probably knew this, but the truth is, we had no other choice.”
“Still, it is enough that you arrived safely.”
“I truly cannot thank you enough for going this far for us.”
This time, even Dongbang Seollin chimed in.
“Thank you so much. I am worried about how we will ever repay this debt.”
“Hahaha, I shall look forward to it.”
Gangchan played along with her words, fearing that excessive humility might become a burden.
Ignoring her embarrassed expression, Gangchan quickly led Dongbang Hwi outside.
“Ah, please come this way. There is something you must see.”
Gangchan led them out of the building and toward the lower courtyard.
Upon reaching a corner of the yard, they saw thirteen carriages lined up in a row.
They shed tears when they saw the carriages, preserved exactly as they had been when they were plundered.
They bowed their heads toward Gangchan, expressing their gratitude once more.
“I will not forget this grace even after I die.”
Dongbang Hwi, who repeatedly bowed and offered his thanks, hastily called the escort warriors and porters together.
“As you can see, we have safely recovered the goods. We do not have much time, so please prepare for the escort mission immediately.”
“Yes, Master!”
Their voices were full of energy.
They had to hurry if they were to deliver the commissioned goods to Taewon in Sanseo Province.
After giving orders to prepare for an immediate departure, Dongbang Hwi sought out Gangchan again.
“Leader Gang, thank you truly. Once the mission is over and I return, I will come back here to thank you properly.”
“Could you please stop saying thank you? It is becoming a burden to hear. Besides, I did not do this for the Dongbang Clan. I was merely handling my own personal affairs.”
“Since you put it that way, I shall stop. But please, at least know how I feel.”
“I understand. Also, when you return from Taewon, do not come through the Plains. This place is no different from a lawless land now. You must take the inland route for your journey home.”
“Understood. I will certainly do so.”
After speaking, Dongbang Hwi hesitated for a moment, glancing at Gangchan’s expression.
Then, he suddenly grabbed Gangchan’s hand.
“Leader Gang, I have one more shameless request.”
Gangchan read the desperation in his eyes.
“Please, speak.”
“As you might have guessed, the hardest part of this mission was my daughter’s safety. We have to travel a long way through Taewon and back to Changchun, and the thought of her accompanying us again makes me too anxious. Since you are returning to your hometown, could I ask you to look after my daughter? I absolutely do not wish to burden you, so it is fine if you refuse.”
Gangchan finally felt relieved once he realized it was not an unreasonable request.
“If that is the case, do not worry. It is a path I have to take anyway, so her coming along is no problem. However, as it is a journey where anything can happen, you must promise that she will follow my orders under any circumstances. By the way, has your daughter consented to this?”
“Huh? Of course she would… No, she has already agreed. And naturally, she must follow your commands.”
“If that is the case, I will gladly escort her.”
“I am so grateful that you accepted so readily. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. And I truly have no shame for making such a request.”
“As long as Miss Seollin does not find it too difficult, I am fine with it.”
Dongbang Hwi said that time was of the essence and hurried out the door.
Gangchan could not see the faint smile playing on the man’s face.
Leading fifteen warriors and five porters, Dongbang Hwi departed for Taewon with the thirteen carriages.
Although they were shorthanded, there should be no significant danger as long as they entered Heubuk Province through the Plains.
The night before their departure, an argument between Dongbang Seollin and Dongbang Hwi had lasted until dawn.
Dongbang Seollin eventually lost to the firm command of Dongbang Hwi, who had asserted his authority as the Master of the Clan.
As Dongbang Seollin watched the departing carriages with an anxious gaze, Gangchan approached her.
“We must also depart as soon as we finish cleaning up here. So, please get plenty of rest until then.”
“I am fine, so do not worry.”
“Hmm… This is not a request, but an order. Do not forget the promise we made beforehand.”
“An order?”
“That is all.”
Finishing his words quickly, Gangchan went into the building and closed the door without even looking at her.
‘Heh, she has a cute side.’
Around the time the sun rose over the distant horizon of the Plains, spreading its warmth across the world, Gangchan summoned all the members of Squad One.
“What is the status of those bastards?”
“They are all frantic, walking on eggshells around us.”
“None of them are causing trouble?”
“They’d probably wet themselves just thinking about you, Leader. It would be weirder if someone like that existed.”
“I called you all because I want to hear your opinions on how to handle these guys.”
At Gangchan’s words, everyone looked at Gwak Sugi.
“Why is everyone looking at me?”
“Aren’t you the best at using your head for petty tricks?”
As if giving up on a retort, Gwak Sugi looked at Gangchan and spoke.
“The best way is to kill them and bury them.”
“I know that much. Next.”
“Using poison. A poison that requires an antidote once every month or every six months.”
“Does such a thing exist?” Na Myeong interjected.
“They must have heard stories about it because it exists.”
“Even if such a poison exists somewhere, we don’t have it right now, do we?”
Gwak Sugi smiled at Na Myeong.
“It’s not important whether we have it or not. What matters is making them believe we have it.”
The impatient Jomu interjected, sounding frustrated.
“That’s your problem. Just say what you have to say. Stop dragging it out. Argh, you’re making me mad.”
“Are you about to hit me?”
“I’m not, so just hurry up and tell us.”
“Well, it’s simple. We can make some medicine that’s harmless even if they eat it, and if we feed it to them saying, ‘This is poison,’ most of them will fall for it.”
“Is it really that simple?”
“Human psychology is strange. If you force-feed someone saying it’s poison, they’ll mostly believe it. Why? Because if they don’t believe it and it turns out to be real, they die. No one gambles with their life. If we add a little seasoning, the effect will be certain.”
“What kind of seasoning?”
“If we feed real poison to an animal and show them how it dies, is there anyone who wouldn’t believe it?”
“An interesting method.”
A smile spread across Gangchan’s lips.
Gangchan instructed Na Myeong to mix harmless medicinal herbs and create two kinds of pills, about one hundred of each.
He also told him to catch one live rabbit.
Afterward, Gangchan went out into the Plains himself to find poisonous plants.
Upon discovering a weed with toxic roots, Gangchan activated Jieugiseong and absorbed the toxicity into his body.
He then concentrated the poison at the tips of his fingers.
After finishing lunch, Gangchan called Muchideok.
“Gather everyone in the front yard. Not a single man missing.”
Without asking why, Muchideok went out and gave the order to his subordinates.
A short while later, the bandits were all gathered in the courtyard.
Gangchan’s expression as he looked at them was cold.
“I have no intention of showing you mercy. You have committed theft, robbery, and even murder against innocent people.”
“Because of that, I planned to cut you all down and throw you out onto the Plains. However, your superior, Muchideok, sought to save you by risking his own life, so I will give you a choice.”
Gangchan poured the contents of the pouches he had prepared onto the table in front of him.
Black pills lay on the right, and brown pills lay on the left.
Both were slightly larger than a soybean and gave off a sour smell.
“These are toxic pills passed down as a secret within my sect.”
Gangchan picked up a black pill from the right.
“Once you consume this, you must take a special antidote once a month.”
This time, he picked up a brown pill from the left.
“This is the antidote.”
After setting the brown pill down, Gangchan continued.
“This antidote must be taken once every month. If you do not take it, your heart vessels will rupture and your muscles will twist, bringing about a pain like death itself. If 3 si-jin pass in that state, your entire body will melt into a handful of bloody water. Of course, even if you take the poison pill, as long as you take the antidote on time, there will be no abnormalities, and it will not interfere with your use of Mugong. For those who might doubt me, I will show you myself.”
At Gangchan’s signal, Jomu, who had been waiting, handed him a live rabbit.
Gangchan grabbed the rabbit with one hand and picked up a black pill with the other.
Without anyone noticing, he infused the pill with the toxic energy he had gathered in his hand.
After feeding the poison-laced pill to the rabbit, he let it go.
The rabbit, frightened by the crowd, hopped around in all directions before suddenly coming to a halt.
It abruptly collapsed onto its side and began to struggle, wheezing.
Moments later, as the convulsions subsided, it vomited blood from every orifice and died.
The faces of the bandits who witnessed the scene were stained with terror.
Gangchan smiled, satisfied by their reaction.
“From now on, come forward one by one and take this poison pill. Those who do not wish to take it, move to the left.”
However, no one stepped forward readily.
And why wouldn’t they?
From the moment they took that poison pill, they would be no better than Gangchan’s slaves.
But what if they moved to the left, refusing to take it?
They would surely be killed and discarded on the Plains.
Thus, no one could move, each only gauging the reactions of the others.
It was then that Jjaggwi, one of the Sub-leaders who was second to none in quick wits, stepped forward.
He picked up one black pill and one brown pill, tossed them into his mouth, and bowed his head to Gangchan.
As if that were a signal, one after another, they came forward and swallowed the poison pills.
After watching everyone consume the pills, Gangchan had the injured Muchideok step forward where everyone could see him.
“This man saved your lives by using his own life as collateral. Therefore, I shall strike off his head now.”
Gangchan forced Muchideok to his knees and picked up a broadsword lying nearby.
Without hesitation, he swung the blade.
Everyone squeezed their eyes shut, and when they opened them, they saw Muchideok’s hair scattered in the air, a disheveled mess.
Seeing that Muchideok’s head was still attached, the bandits began to murmur.
It was then that Muchideok began to scream at the top of his lungs, wailing.
“Kill me! Please just kill me! I beg of you!”
“You have just died by my hand. And you must take the poison pill as well.”
Gangchan grabbed Muchideok’s messy hair and forced the same poison pill the bandits had taken into his mouth.
“Being beheaded is far too easy a death for the sins you have committed. So, live and taste hell. Oh, and if any of you fail to take the antidote or choose to take your own lives, no one will be given the antidote.”
Muchideok wailed with bloodshot eyes.
“You cruel bastard…! I will definitely kill you!”
“Is that so? Since killing me would be boring otherwise, let’s do this. Every time you fail, one man shall die. Try it with that in mind.”
In this way, one hundred bandits, including Muchideok, ended up surrendering their lives into Gangchan’s hands.
After resolving the issue of the bandits’ lives, Gangchan ordered his squad members to prepare for their return.
2 days later, a procession of dozens of carriages laden with treasure and food lined up at the entrance of the Blood Wolf Band’s lair.
“From now on, we head to Guihon Village.”
The return journey of over one hundred bandits, Gangchan, and Dongbang Seollin thus began.