18

As the number of people being slammed against the wall in the Central Armed Escort Agency increased, the top-notch experts known as the elites of the agency appeared.

"Who are these guys!"

Forgetting the earlier exchange with the man with three lotus flowers, the representative finally uttered the dialogue he had failed to say earlier. It was customary in his faction to first maintain a standoff and then ask, "Who are you?" to initiate a dialogue when unfamiliar men, women, elderly, young, maidens, bachelors, pregnant women, or the weak invaded. However, since the leader of the agency didn't ask this initially, the fight had continued without subsiding.

"Where do you come from that you would invade our humble and unimpressive courier agency? I humbly request you explain the noble and pure reasons to us ignorant people," he asked politely, prefacing it with a self-introduction and lamenting the lack of manners in the younger generation.

Bi Ryu-yeon was even more irritable as the other party started rudely without a polite inquiry. But the way the middle-aged man swiftly rattled off that long sentence without pausing for breath left everyone momentarily silent. A vein throbbed on the forehead of the man standing in the center.

"Where do you come from?"

This was a clear indication that they were not interested in listening to Bi Ryu-yeon. At the very least, Bi Ryu-yeon had expected a courteous "Where do you come from, sir?" but the response fell short of his expectations.

"Over there."

Bi Ryu-yeon pointed towards a mountain, which was named Emei. The agency leader looked puzzled.

'It doesn't seem like they are from Emei. There couldn't be bandits on Mount Emei, and what band of robbers would dare to steal in the territory of the Emei Sect?'

The leader's doubts only grew.

"So, what brings you here?"

"What brings us here? That's an excellent question. This is precisely the kind of question that can unravel the delicate and complex situation we find ourselves in. You should have started with that!"

"Isn't it tiring to talk without any pauses?"

"Of course, it's tiring."

The leader asked with a concerned look, and Bi Ryu-yeon responded as if it was obvious. Bi Ryu-yeon's speech was long, rapid, breathless, and complex, to the point of exhausting and confusing the listener. But it seemed the conversation was finally getting to the main point.

"Is it true that someone named either 'Kang Jang-han' or 'Geon Jang-han (brawny)' works as a courier in your agency?"

Bi Ryu-yeon had asked rather politely in his own way. There was less casual speech than usual…

"Yes, a person named Kang Jang-han holds the position of captain in our courier agency."

"Has this person visited Mount Emei in the last three days?"

"Yes, indeed. He went up to present a tribute to the 'Emei Sect.'"

The agency leader emphasized the words 'Emei Sect' particularly strongly. It was an unspoken pressure, a reminder that they were backed by the Emei Sect, and who in the land of Sichuan, especially near Mount Emei, would dare to belittle or fear not the name of the Emei Sect? The leader had emphasized this to leverage their connection with the Emei Sect. However, exceptions always exist. To Bi Ryu-yeon's ears, the name of the Emei Sect was of no concern.

"Right, so it was this Kang Jang-han, the courier leader, and his group who attacked. They picked a trivial reason to gang up on one of my disciples with over 10 people while on their way down from Mount Emei. They collectively assaulted my beloved(?), cherished(?), precious(?) disciple, nearly beating him to death. That's the reason why I'm here. Right now, he's covered in blood and receiving treatment, lying in his room. Due to this, my disciple requires absolute rest for two months, intensive treatment for three months, and regular treatment for six months due to the risk of lingering effects. He has suffered severe injuries, and a tremendous amount of medical expenses will be incurred. Moreover, this person named Kang Jang-han should have backed off when he found himself overpowered by fighting my disciple alone, but instead, he pushed forward with sheer numbers, resorting to group violence against my disciple. Therefore, I demand punishment and discipline for this Kang twerp, as well as compensation for the physical and mental harm suffered by my disciple and me."

Though the speech lacked commas and periods, the last part was the most crucial, revealing the true reason for his visit was… money and revenge.

"Hey, wasn't it only one month of absolute rest?"

Geum Yeong-ho expressed his doubt.

"The intensive treatment was for a month, I think…"

Hyun-woon commented.

"Yes, and the regular treatment was for three months."

Namgoong Sansan added.

"The risk of after-effects was extremely minimal. It was absolutely safe."

"I also heard the doctor confidently thumping his chest saying so…"

Namgoong Sang honestly testified about the situation he had witnessed.

"Umm, I heard it that way too… Did I hear it wrong?"

"When did Tang Three's condition worsen? There was no talk of that…"

The disciples murmured in the background, but Bi Ryu-yeon ignored them, pretending not to hear.

"That can't be true. Captain Kang is renowned in our courier agency for his integrity. He's not someone who would do such a thing."

Though the agency leader said this, the image of Kang, the courier captain who had returned from the Emei Sect two days ago, covered in wounds, lingered in his mind. They were minor wounds, but the sheer number of injuries across his body was unusual, fueling suspicion. The injuries looked like those one would get from being defenselessly beaten up by street thugs, not from a proper duel. If what they said was true, it would tarnish the reputation of the Central Armed Escort Agency. This was no ordinary matter.

"Where is Captain Kang?"

The agency leader asked the chief officer.

"He's currently out."

"Find him and bring him here immediately!"

Then, turning to Bi Ryu-yeon and his disciples, he suggested,

"Since he's out at the moment, how about waiting here until Captain Kang arrives?"

"Let's do that."

Bi Ryu-yeon replied leisurely.

***

The Tragedy of the Eighteen Swordsman, Jang Woo-yang

As the noise outside the courier agency grew,

Captain Kang Jang-han, accompanied by several couriers, entered.

He seemed to have been drinking heavily in a tavern,

as his face was flushed.

"So you're the Gang Gan-han, who committed the assault?"

Bi Ryu-yeon asked for confirmation, though it seemed obvious.

"Guk, assault? Who would I assault? If anything, I was the one who got beaten, not the other way around! How dare someone so casually alter the revered three characters of this senior's name!"

[TL/N: It's a pun based on Kang Jang-han's name characters. This time, Ryu-yeon's calling him Gang Gan-han (강간한) which basically means assault. ????]

Gang Gan-han (the assaulter), no, Kang Gang-han, bristled as if ready to draw his sword and charge at any moment. His face reddened even more in his drunken fury.

"How dare you speak so rudely! A senior, you say? Blathering nonsense while completely drunk."

Bi Ryu-yeon looked at Kang Jang-han with a mixture of disbelief and disdain. His tone had become rough enough to verge on swearing.

"That man gets like this when he drinks too much. I hope the guests will understand his rudeness. Boys, wake him up."

Unable to bear it any longer, Jang Woo-yang, the agency leader, or the Eighteen Swordsman, commanded the couriers beside him. How does one sober up from excessive drinking? From ancient times, various methods like shock therapy, hangover cures, hangover soups, and special sobriety elixirs have been passed down. However, the most commonly used and universally accessible method was still in play, especially since it was midsummer.

"Feeling refreshed?"

The agency leader asked.

"Achoo!"

Kang Jang-han, doused from a bucket of water poured over him from each side, responded like a drowned mouse. It wasn't exactly a polite response, nor was it fitting for an intelligent conversation.

"Ugh, I'm sober now."

Kang Jang-Han said, straightening his disheveled clothes, with water still dripping from his body.

"The person in question has arrived. Let's talk then."

Bi Ryu-yeon suggested, looking at the slightly more sober Kang Jang-han.

"Let's do that."

"…?"

Kang Jang-Han, who had just been dragged here while drunk, was completely unaware of the standoff between the two men and that he was the cause of the attack on the courier service. He had no idea why the gates of the perfectly fine courier agency were broken, why dozens of couriers were sprawled against the walls, or why these two were in a standoff. He was utterly clueless.

Kang Jang-han vehemently denied the claims made by Bi Ryu-yeon, insisting he had never acted in the way the latter described.

"It was that guy who first insulted my honor and the honor of our Central Armed Escort Agency. I fought to protect my own and the agency's honor."

"Is there honor in many people ganging up on one?" Bi Ryu-yeon sneered.

"An attack by many on one? Such a thing never happened."

"Hmph, all the evidence speaks for itself. You keep denying it. Fine, let's hear from someone else then. Where are the couriers who accompanied you? If we catch those guys, something will come up. I have to collect debts from them too, as they're tagged along with you.."

"They're over there, over there."

The agency leader pointed towards a pile of couriers lying as if dead against the wall, all of whom had been knocked out by Bi Ryu-yeon's punches. They were unconscious or in a comatose state, showing the severity of the beating they had received.

"Damn it, you guys! Destroying evidence like this is unforgivable. All the evidence points to you attacking en masse because you were weak. Now stop your evasions and come at me. Try to defend that so-called honor of yours, if it even exists. You cowardly, despicable man."

"Damn it, you're the one who knocked people down, and now you're picking a fight? I won't tolerate any more of your mockery."

With his sword drawn and rage emanating from him, Kang Jang-Han shouted fiercely. He felt the urgent need to be concise in his words and swift in his actions, lest his misdeeds be exposed. Desperate to silence the accusations, he needed to act quickly. However, his attempts were futile against Bi Ryu-yeon.

"Yeah? Try again to defend that honor of yours, which I even doubt exists. Against me. You shameless, crippled, cowardly scum!"

"Argh, you don't need to say it, I will do it!"

Kang Jang-Han's patience had reached its limit multiple times over. Holding his sword, he fearlessly charged towards Bi Ryu-yeon.

"Yaaah! Take this!"

"Hey, he's asking for it."

Namgoong Sang commented.

"Yeah, I heard too."

Hyun-woon agreed.

"How reckless of him to attack Master first. And with a sword, no less."

Geum Yeong-ho remarked.

"What will happen to him? Will he die?"

"Probably a gruesome death. I'll bet my dinner on that."

Noh Hak wagered.

"I bet he dies too."

Tang Mun-hye, the most formidable among the group, being a direct descendant of Tang Cheol-yeong and his sister, spoke coldly, sending chills around. The number of couriers she had left half-crippled and helplessly fallen was too many to count even if one bent and straightened their fingers three times. In her hands, mercy and forgiveness seemed non-existent.

"If I lose the bet, I'll serve you three meals tomorrow. But that guy is definitely going to die."

"I'll bet my dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow on his death."

Jo Cheon Woo of Huashan Sect declared.

"I bet he lives. He won't be killed."

Hyun-woon said, then added another bet.

"I bet on tonight's dinner and tomorrow's breakfast, including dessert."

Everyone was surprised at Hyun-woon's generous bet. Meals had become the most precious and significant thing for them, reflecting the simple and common life they had been forced into for the past five months. They were ready to wager their lives on a single meal. Everyone held their breath, tense, watching which path Kang Jang-han would take on this threshold of life and death.

While they were laughing and enjoying themselves, Kang Jang-han's sword had already flown far away, split in half, and stuck in the ground. Meanwhile, Kang Jang-han was getting mercilessly beaten by Bi Ryu-yeon, floating about a foot off the ground. The force of the blows kept him from being pushed back, a feat in martial arts that, to Noh Hak's knowledge, was unique. It was a technique he had painfully experienced himself…

"Three Dog Days Pummeling Fist Technique!"

Shivering, Noh Hak shouted the name of the nightmare-inducing technique. He felt hives forming on his arms, as if the areas he had been hit before were aching again. After a few more sounds of impactful strikes, Bi Ryu-yeon dusted off his hands and turned around. It seemed the ordeal was over. Whether Kang Jang-han was dead or alive was uncertain. Lying motionless like a corpse was the object that once was undoubtedly a person. Jang Woo-yang, the Eighteen Swordsman and also the agency leader, asked Bi Ryu-yeon as he approached away from the unrecognizable figure that was once Kang Jang-han.

"Is he dead?"

"Half-dead."

Bi Ryu-yeon kindly updated them on Kang Jang-han's condition.

"Ugh."

"Damn it!"

"My meal…"

'My dessert, ugh.'

Sighs of regret, cries of frustration… the sounds echoed around.

Seeing Kang Jang-han lying in a heap, foaming at the mouth, it was miraculous he was still alive. His condition was so dire that his death wouldn't have been surprising. After half-killing Kang Jang-han and dusting off his hands, Bi Ryu-yeon was faced by Jang Woo-yang, the Eighteen Swordsman, who drew his longsword from his waist. His posture and readiness to draw the sword indicated he was a high-level master.

"We have our dignity to maintain, so we can't just let you go like this."

It meant he intended to reach a conclusion for the sake of their pride.

"Is that so?"

Bi Ryu-yeon replied with a seemingly mocking tone.

"Our Central Armed Escort Agency has its reputation. We cannot simply let you leave. If word gets out that our agency was devastated by a mere group of 16, who would entrust us with their goods? If that happens, Central Armed Escort Agency would have to close its doors."

"Ah, so you're planning to 'nourish' the Central Armed Escort Agency by capturing me, with your sword!"

Bi Ryu-yeon's response was sharp and cynical, but Jang Woo-yang remained unshaken.

"Anyway, we cannot just send you back."

The agency leader's stance was firm. For the future of the agency, they couldn't just let them leave. This was beyond a matter of pride; it was now about the survival of the agency. After 20 years of hard work building up the courier agency, they couldn't just back down now.

"You're asking for trouble."

The tone suggested deep annoyance.

"Come at me first."

Bi Ryu-yeon's index finger twitched invitingly.

"I shall make the first move."

Agency Leader Jang Woo-yang did not hesitate.