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Chapter: 07
The Black Tiger Gang.
Within just a few years of establishing itself in Yichang, it had united the underworld and ruled the surrounding area like tyrants. That was the name of the infamous black-path sect.
It was also the name of the loan sharks the Jeong family owed money to.
“Get out here right now!”
“We know you’re all inside! Come out immediately!”
Jeong Soso hurried into the courtyard, muttering under her breath.
“But… it’s not even this month’s payment date yet. Why are they…”
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The pounding on the gate grew even louder.
A shadow crossed her face.
“…”
Jin Cheong-un, who had lazily followed her outside, let out a sigh.
The debt must be enormous.
This family really got tangled up in something awful.
Isn’t this a bit too much?
“Uncle.”
Was she about to ask for help?
That was what Jin Cheong-un expected.
Instead, she said something completely different.
“Please stay inside. You don’t have to help.”
“Hm?”
“This is our family’s problem.”
She forced a smile.
She now knew Jin Cheong-un wasn’t a complete stranger.
But that didn’t change the fact that they had only just met.
She couldn’t drag him into financial troubles like this.
This was the Jeong family’s burden to bear.
“I heard you were once part of the martial world, Uncle… but the Black Tiger Gang’s leader is supposedly a true master who was once famous throughout Jianghu. If you get involved with them, it’ll become difficult for you to live in Cherry Blossom Village.”
Jeong Soso flexed her arm and grinned.
“And guys like them aren’t a problem. I’m a lot tougher than I look!”
Jin Cheong-un pretended not to notice her hands trembling.
With a solemn expression, he replied,
“I understand. No matter what happens, I won’t interfere. Absolutely not.”
“…”
Her expression became awkward.
There was really no need to sound that dramatic…
The tension melted away.
Taking a deep breath, Jeong Soso steeled herself and placed a hand on the gate.
“Wait! I’m opening it!”
Clunk!
Creeeak—
The instant the gate opened, four rough-looking men strode into the courtyard.
“I thought you’d run away like your father, but you’re actually here.”
A man who had been standing with his hands behind his back turned around and smirked arrogantly.
“…What do you want?”
“What else would a creditor come for besides collecting his money?”
The man casually turned his head.
“By the way… who’s that?”
He glanced toward Jin Cheong-un, who stood some distance away watching blankly.
Noticing the attention, Jin Cheong-un cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted,
“Ah! Don’t mind me! Just carry on! I’m only here to watch!”
“…?”
The Black Tiger Gang members looked at Jeong Soso with puzzled expressions.
She quietly avoided their eyes.
“…I don’t know him.”
“Then why’s he inside your house?”
“Forget about that!”
She quickly changed the subject.
“I already paid last month’s installment.”
“The situation has changed.”
The man pulled a bamboo ledger from his robe, snapped it open, and puffed out his chest.
“Let’s see… as of today… including interest, your debt is now six hundred seventy-three taels of silver.”
“What?! We only borrowed three hundred taels! What are you talking about?!”
“Well, you should’ve kept paying the interest on time. You think the Hell King Loan Company got its name for nothing?”
She had paid.
She had never missed an interest payment.
Yet she couldn’t understand how they had calculated that amount.
“Enough talking.”
The man folded the bamboo ledger and clasped his hands behind his back.
“You’ll repay everything this time—including all the overdue amounts.”
Jeong Soso stared at him in disbelief.
“The repayment date isn’t for a long time yet! How can you demand everything now?”
“Our gang has been expanding its business recently and needs capital. We’ve shown you enough leniency until now, but that’s over.”
Leniency?
When had they ever shown us any?
Her face hardened.
“That’s far too much money! There’s no way I can pay it all this suddenly!”
The man sneered.
“That’s not our problem.”
Jin Cheong-un quietly admired him.
He’s got some education, huh.
Those were textbook underworld debt collection lines.
Judging by his stance, he had also learned martial arts.
Maybe the Black Tiger Gang leader had more substance than he’d expected.
It reminded him of his days in the Martial Alliance.
Oddly enough, the memory made him nostalgic.
Still…
This didn’t look like it would end peacefully.
“Why are you saying you don’t have money? Just sell this estate.”
Jeong Soso bit her lip and glared.
“…Do you think I don’t know?”
“What?”
“Charging interest far above the legal limit… ruining people’s businesses and threatening them so they can’t repay… then taking their homes… Everyone in this village knows you’re trying to seize every house so you can turn the entire neighborhood into taverns!”
“Hah. Listen to this little bitch.”
“You think I’ll sell my home because of this? Never! I’ll repay it on the proper date, so don’t even think about it!”
The man laughed mockingly.
“I can’t tell whether you’re just young and stupid… or pretending to be.”
“W-What did you say?”
“So what if everything you said is true? What exactly can you do about it? Keep resisting, and you’ll only make life harder for yourself.”
“…!”
“Maybe, just maybe, some lunatic attacks you while you’re walking down the road… or by complete coincidence, your house catches fire.”
He grinned.
“Wouldn’t that be terrible?”
Anyone could tell it was a threat.
Jeong Soso’s face instantly turned pale.
“W-What did you just say?”
“Oh, I’m just saying… things like that could happen. Hahaha!”
He laughed unpleasantly as his eyes slowly traveled over her body.
“If you’re really short on money… maybe I could introduce you to a nice job.”
Jeong Soso lowered her head, trembling.
What… what am I supposed to do?
When her friends went on outings with their parents…
She scrubbed dishes.
She climbed mountains gathering medicinal herbs.
To protect her family.
To protect her younger sibling.
Every day her hands blistered.
Her feet bled.
But she endured.
Because she believed that someday, life would get better.
And now Uncle finally came… I thought things might finally improve…
Why does this world always crush every tiny sprout the moment it begins to grow?
“You’re pretty enough. If things go well, you could make a fortune.”
“…”
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t tell me you’re crying?”
“…You…”
A tiny voice escaped between Jeong Soso’s clenched teeth.
Then—
“Hey! You bastards!”
At the very least…
Jeong Soso was not someone who broke simply because she was trampled.
“What kind of garbage are you saying?! Can you even call yourselves human?!”
“What?”
“Just try touching me! I won’t let it slide! I’ll report you to the government, the Martial Alliance—anyone!”
“Ha! You’ve got quite the mouth! Do you really want to die?!”
“Go ahead! Do it! Let’s see what happens if you lay a finger on me!”
Shove!
She violently pushed the man.
“You little bitch!”
The twitching man’s face twisted with rage.
“I’ve been too nice to you. Now you’ve forgotten your place!”
BANG!
Without warning, he kicked the wall surrounding the courtyard.
CRAAASH!
Part of the wall collapsed into rubble.
“…!”
Even Jeong Soso, who had been shouting back moments ago, froze.
“You fearless little slut. I was going to let this go…”
His face twitched as he walked toward her.
Just then—
“The ones who’ve forgotten fear are you bastards.”
A voice suddenly came from behind him.
The man spun around.
“What?”
Jin Cheong-un answered lazily.
“What do you mean ‘what’?
I’m the owner of this house.”
“Uncle!”
Hearing Jeong Soso cry out, Song Un-chan stopped in his tracks.
Uncle? So they really do know each other.
His crooked posture.
His scar-covered hands.
And…
Those chilling eyes.
Is he one of us?
Now that he looked closely, the man was anything but ordinary.
Those were the eyes of someone who had killed several people.
“…Who are you? Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you around here.”
“Jin Cheong-un.”
His indifferent attitude, completely devoid of tension, made Song Un-chan ask cautiously,
“Are you a martial artist?”
“No. I’m the head instructor of the martial academy that’s about to open just up the road.”
Is he just insane?
Just then, Jin Cheong-un pointed at the collapsed wall.
“Who gave you permission to decide whether someone else’s house gets sold? And what are you planning to do about that wall?”
“This is your house?”
“If you don’t believe me, ask the government office.”
Song Un-chan turned toward Jeong Soso.
“Then what is she?”
“She owns the land. She’s also the daughter of an old friend.”
Song Un-chan frowned.
“How can someone own the house while someone else owns the land? Especially between an uncle and niece? What idiot ends up in a situation like that? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever—”
He suddenly stopped.
Jin Cheong-un’s face had twisted into something demonic.
“When people live long enough… things like that happen. What do you know about it… daring to say something like that…”
“…”
Yep. Definitely insane.
Song Un-chan slowly looked him over.
The worn-out sword.
The shabby martial robes.
He finally reached a conclusion.
I got nervous for nothing.
With a snort, he changed his expression.
“I don’t know where you’ve crawled out from, but you seem like our kind of man. Why don’t you just keep watching like before?”
Shiiing.
At Song Un-chan’s signal, one of the gang members drew his saber and swaggered toward Jin Cheong-un.
“You’re really going to make enemies of the Black Tiger Gang over that girl and this rundown house? I don’t care if you’re her uncle or some academy master. Stay out of this.”
The man stopped in front of him and casually poked the tip of his curved saber against Jin Cheong-un’s chest.
Jin Cheong-un looked down at the blade and let out a long sigh.
“Sigh… Just my luck. I retired hoping to spend my days drinking at noon and taking life easy. Why would heaven do this to me…?”
Perhaps the thug mistook that complaint for surrender.
He chuckled mockingly.
“No guts at all. Acting all tough…”
BOOOOM!
Everyone’s eyes widened.
THUD!
The thug slammed face-first into the ground and lay motionless.
The curved saber that had been in his hand was now somehow in Jin Cheong-un’s.
“…”
Silence filled the courtyard.
Every gaze focused on Jin Cheong-un.
Clang!
He casually tossed the saber onto the ground.
“Leave while I’m still letting you.”
“…?”
“Pay for the wall repairs and apologize to the kid.”
“I’ll let you go peacefully.”
Song Un-chan scoffed.
“Crazy bastard.”
Shiiing.
The Black Tiger Gang members all drew their swords and slowly surrounded Jin Cheong-un.
Jeong Soso hurriedly shouted,
“S-Stop! He has nothing to do with this!”
“Shut up! We’ll kill him first, then we’ll deal with you.”
Shing!
Song Un-chan also drew his gleaming sword.
“So you’ve got some skill. Too bad you don’t know who you’re dealing with.”
Jeong Soso’s face turned pale.
She had heard Jin Cheong-un had retired because of serious injuries.
She didn’t want him getting hurt because of her.
“U-Uncle! Don’t!!”
“Good grief. Why are you shouting so loud?”
Jin Cheong-un winced and casually dug a finger into his ear.
“W-Why…? This isn’t even your problem…”
“I told you not to call me Uncle.”
He turned around with a serious expression.
A moment later, his usual calm, lazy smile returned.
“I’ve thought about it.”
“Teacher suits me much better than Uncle.”
“Huh?”
Jin Cheong-un smiled faintly.
“I’m going to become the head instructor of the Cheong-un Martial Academy.”
“So from now on, call me Teacher.”
After all…
No teacher in the world would simply stand by while his disciple was about to be cut down.
Just then—
“You two really are making fools of yourselves together.”
Song Un-chan growled.
“The Gang Leader ordered us not to kill you… but you’d better prepare to spend the next few months bedridden.”
At that moment, Jin Cheong-un suddenly walked toward the front gate.
The action was so unexpected that everyone simply stared at him blankly.
Creeeak!
Bang!
He closed the gate.
Clack!
Then he firmly slid the heavy bolt into place.
“Fine.”
“I won’t kill you either.”
He slowly turned around.
“I won’t kill you.”
