Underworld Bandits.
It referred to a group of ruffians who had gathered together and used the martial arts they had clumsily learned to suck the lifeblood out of the village residents.
“Do you know the characteristics of those Underworld Bandit bastards?”
When Baek Woo Jin asked this question, the two women answered immediately, as if they didn’t need to think about it.
“Trash?”
“Le-Less than human…?”
Uh… well, that’s not entirely wrong.
Baek Woo Jin felt a momentary sting from their unexpectedly harsh answers which caused his tongue to pause briefly before he continued.
“…They’re opportunistic and greedy.”
No matter how grand a name they gave themselves or how they placed themselves in seemingly impressive positions, at their core, they were still just ruffians who preyed on the vulnerable in the back alleys of villages.
They were opportunists. When a chance arose they never missed it, and at the same time they were also greedy. They would never look back once they had taken what they wanted.
Such tendencies could not be eliminated simply by changing clothes, titles, or affiliations.
It was something that could only be eliminated by cutting to the bone and carving it out, but the Underworld Bandit scoundrels lacked such resolve.
“I plan to exploit this part.”
“How?”
“The two guys who drank with us earlier.”
Wang Jong Gu and Baek Mo Sa.
The leader and deputy leader of the White Snake Bandits.
The first and second in command.
Baek Woo Jin continued while separating his hands that were clasped together.
“I’m going to drive a wedge between them.”
The “deputies” Baek Woo Jin had seen in the world were like that. Except for a very few, all those with “deputy” before their titles and a superior above them were rebels who dreamed of defying fate.
They all wanted the person above them to fall, and the more ruthless ones took direct action to make it happen.
Why? To become the first in command themselves. To erase that unglamorous “deputy” title.
Baek Mo Sa seemed no different from them.
Baek Woo Jin had definitely seen it. The barely concealed greed occasionally flickering in Baek Mo Sa’s eyes. Even as he appeared to serve his sworn brother Wang Jong Gu with utmost respect.
“He’s ready to stab him in the back at any time.”
The only reason such a person had been lying low until now was simple. His strength couldn’t match the power Wang Jong Gu possessed.
“So we will become his strength.”
Baek Woo Jin, who had arrived in the middle of all this, could be the perfect ace in the hole. If the second son of the Baek clan of Shaanxi, who seemed to be an expert himself, decided to side with Baek Mo Sa, and if that gave him the confidence to push out the influence of the leader,
“He won’t just sit idly by.”
As long as Baek Mo Sa harbored ambition towards the leader position, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Baek Woo Jin intended to speed up this and make the two forces clash with each other, which would lead to mutual destruction.
It was indeed like blowing your nose without using your hand.
“But will it go as planned?”
“If the deputy leader is just a little more thoughtful… he might not go along with it…”
Shin Ye Hwa and Je Gal Yeon Ji voiced their concerns cautiously.
Their words had merit. No matter how much Baek Woo Jin promised to help, the moment the two factions clashed, there would be casualties and the overall force of the bandits would weaken.
To maintain a tight grip on the village, overwhelming power was essential. It was plausible that Baek Mo Sa would get worried about this and reject his proposal.
However, Baek Woo Jin was confident.
“I’ll make it so he has no choice but to agree.”
As mentioned earlier, those in the Underworld never missed a chance when it came their way.
Baek Mo Sa appeared to be one of the more patient and thoughtful among them, but in the end, he was still part of the Underworld.
If he didn’t bite at the bait dangled in front of him? Then a bigger bait had to be created and thrown his way.
Having finished his thoughts, Baek Woo Jin looked at the two people before him with a more spirited gaze and asked with a meaningful smile.
“Do you remember what I told you before we set off?”
That what he says during the mission is law.
“R-Righ.”
“Yes…”
Anxiety washed over their faces.
Though the plan had been boldly devised, just as rice needs time to cook, the plan also required a certain amount of time to initiate.
“Hah ha! I feel fantastic.”
“I feel the same!”
It was time to build intimacy.
With his face flushed red from heavy drinking, Baek Woo Jin looked at Baek Mo Sa with his characteristic hazy gaze and subtly spoke.
“Wang is a good younger brother, but personally, I prefer you a bit more.”
“I-Is that so?”
He couldn’t just be happy, so he forced his lips into a more neutral expression.
“Even if someone isn’t from our clan, when I see someone with the Baek surname, how should I put it… I feel a sort of internal intimacy with them? It just happens naturally.”
The members of the Underworld fundamentally didn’t trust others.
If he had gotten directly to the point from the beginning, the carefully narrowed distance might have widened again in an instant.
Therefore, he had to keep bringing up stories, as if he was hinting at something, and take one step at a time toward the core.
“Whenever you need your hyungnim’s help, just let me know! I’ll be there for you!”
That’s what being brothers is all about, isn’t it?
“Hahaha! Hyungnim, just your words alone give me immense strength!”
As he said that and laughed along with Baek Woo Jin, a hidden desire flickered in Baek Mo Sa’s eyes like embers.
While Baek Woo Jin was bonding with Baek Mo Sa over drinks, Shin Ye Hwa and Jegal Yeon Ji were enjoying tea time with Wang Jong Gu.
“Hahaha! It is an immense pleasure to drink tea with such lovely ladies.”
“Hehe, we are also pleased to be with someone as cheerful as you, Leader Wang.”
“Is that so! Haha!”
His laughter echoed throughout the room, which caused the two women to frown without realizing it.
“But where has Baek-hyungnim gone, leaving you two behind?”
“Ah… I heard that Young Master Baek went to the Kisaeng House with Deputy Leader Baek. Isn’t that right … Miss Je—I mean Miss Yeon?”
“Yes, I heard the same thing.”
Jegal Yeon Ji’s cold gaze turned to Shin Ye Hwa.
She seemed to be scolding her internally for her poor acting. Shin Ye Hwa responded with a sullen glare before she turned her head away.
Meanwhile, Wang Jong Gu’s face visibly darkened.
“Hm, this is… so Young Master Baek went with only the Deputy Leader.”
Why did they go to the Kisaeng House without him?
Various thoughts began to swirl in his mind.
…
…
…
Complacency and trust meant death in the Underworld.
Wang Jong Gu didn’t trust people. This applied equally to Baek Mo Sa who had been with him since before the founding of the White Snake Bandit Group.
He was well aware that Baek Mo Sa was constantly eyeing his position.
However, Baek Mo Sa’s exceptional skills were necessary for the White Snake Bandits to grow further, so he kept him under discreet surveillance.
He had always intended to tighten the noose around him when the time was right, but the situation had become complicated.
This is not good.
For the first time, Wang Jong Gu felt an alarm ringing in his mind.
If Baek Mo Sa managed to win over Baek Woo Jin and tried to oust him, could he withstand it?
Absolutely not.
The Shaanxi Baek Clan was one of the Five Great Clans. Although they didn’t quite rank among the top, they were powerful enough to take a place if one of the others weakened.
To make such a clan an enemy was like walking around with your guts hanging out.
“Um, do you two ladies perhaps know why Baek-hyungnim and our deputy leader went out on their own?”
In response to his cautious question, Jegal Yeon Ji tilted her head and answered with an innocent look on her face.
“I don’t know. Maybe they just went out to socialize. The two of them seemed very close.”
“Uhm… Is that so?”
This was not good.
He felt a pressing sensation as if a sharp knife was slowly closing in on him from an unseen place.
The thought that he might lose his head as early as tomorrow intensified his anxiety.
He clasped his fists and bowed to the two women who were startled by his sudden movement,
“I’m sorry, you two! I just remembered an urgent matter I need to attend to.”
“Oh! We’ve been holding up a busy person like you.”
“Go ahead and take care of your business.”
“Thank you. I’ll make up for my rude behavior by arranging a separate meeting next time.”
After saying that, he left.
Although Wang Jong Gu tried to appear composed as he left, his steps quickened as he neared the door. And when they watched his retreating figure, the two women confirmed their act had worked.
Jegal Yeon Ji sensed through her energy that Wang Jong Gu had gone far away before she opened her mouth.
“Miss Shin, did you have to act so awkwardly like that?”
“It, it was my first time! What else could I do?”
“You should have at least practiced.”
Shin Ye Hwa’s face turned a deeper shade of red.
“I did practice!”
“Oh dear, that makes it even worse.”
“You…!”
She wanted to snap back but she held her tongue. It was true that her acting had been awkward earlier, and in contrast, Jegal Yeon Ji had delivered her lines flawlessly.
“Do you really think this plan will work?”
She asked this partly to change the subject and partly out of genuine concern.
Jegal Yeon Ji nodded her head.
“Probably—”
In fact, Wang Jong Gu had already been so nervous that he left the annex to check on his subordinates before even finishing his tea.
“Feeling the threat, Wang Jong Gu will start to openly check Baek Mo Sa. And Baek Mo Sa himself will sense that, so he will feel the danger on is life too.”
The best move Baek Mo Sa who was seized by the fear of being attacked could take was only one.
He would recruit Baek Woo Jin, who had approached him favorably, to make up for his lack of strength and strike Wang Jong Gu before he himself could be taken down.
“If that happens, the White Snake faction will be split into two factions…and they will collapse. It doesn’t matter which side wins in the end.”
Shin Ye Hwa felt a chill run down her spine at Jegal Yeon Ji’s final words.
Kisaeng House: It is a place of refined entertainment, where the patrons could appreciate the artistic talents of women while enjoying a sophisticated atmosphere.
TN: I made a mistake in translating 흑도. It actually means the Underworld. Its literal translation Is “black dao” but its equivalent in Chinese is 黑道 which means organized crime or Underworld. Sorry for the mistake. Has been corrected in every chapter now.
Leave a Reply