It was around the time when Baek Woon Jin, who was guided by both the man who got stabbed and the man who had been stabbed, arrived at the White Snake Bandits headquarters.
Oh, damn.
While he was still taken aback by the sheer size of the White Snake Bandits’ headquarters, he was greeted by Wang Jong Gu the Bandits leader who ruled over the village, and Baek Mo Sa the deputy leader.
With fragile thinning hair like a candle flickering in the wind, as opposed to his strong and fierce presence, Wang Jong Gu approached Baek Woon Jin and bowed his head.
“This is truly an unfortunate situation!”
“Huh?”
“My subordinates committed a great offense by not recognizing your distinguished self!”
“Well, that is true…
In the first place, he had come to address that very issue. If the other party responded rudely, he intended to provoke them further.
It’s not going to work, huh?
He realized after seeing the man bowing his head with a composed and confident expression that it was impossible to rattle him easily.
“Do you know who I am?”
He asked with a skeptical expression and Wang Jong Gu shook his head.
“I don’t know. However, I do understand that you are an expert.”
Baek Woo Jin’s energy was extremely ordinary.
The essence of the drinking wine cultivation technique was unique, but since he was always drinking, the energy he should have emanated was significantly subdued. This made him appear no different from an average drunkard.
Even so, there was only one reason why Wang Jong Gu was acting so submissively like this.
He’s very perceptive.
Among his many sharp instincts, he was exceptionally skilled at calculating what kind of person someone was.
“Well then, instead of this, how about you accept my apology over a drink?”
“A drink?”
“Yes! I have many fine liquors.”
Hohoho.
The drinking session began from that point on.
Once they settled and started drinking, Wang Jong Gu brought out a lavish banquet, seated the most renowned courtesans from the nearby Kisaeng House, and called in musicians to brighten the atmosphere with vibrant melodies. It was as if he was waiting for this moment.
No wonder those experts were completely taken by this.
He was treated with such hospitality that it made the Emperor in the Imperial Palace seem less enviable. From time to time, he could somewhat understand why other experts would leave with stories of lavish treatment clinging to their memories like dust on an ant’s leg.
“Hyungnim (Older brother)!”
From then on, they started calling each other older brother and younger brother. Despite the significant difference in both their apparent and actual ages, Wang Jong Gu and his deputy Baek Mo Sa insisted on considering themselves the younger brothers. This left Baek Woo Jin no choice but to become the older brother.
“Oh dear, my companions must be waiting at the inn.”
Baek Woo Jin who was lost in the revelry suddenly remembered Shin Ye Hwa and Jegal Yeong Ji and mentioned this, which prompted Wang Jong Gu to cling to his pant leg.
“Hyungnim! Why don’t you just stay here for the night? I can send my men to fetch your companions.”
“Oh… should I?”
And so, a weasel-looking subordinate who was quick on his feet brought Shin Ye Hwa and Jegal Yeong Ji to the pavilion. The two were stunned into silence by the shocking sight before them.
“Oh, Ye Hwa! Miss Yeon! Come on in.”
When Baek Woo Jin welcomed the two of them, Wang Jong Gu and Baek Mo Sa’s jaws dropped.
“No way, hyungnim! That person is …”
What caught the attention of Wang Jong Gu and Baek Mo Sa was Shin Ye Hwa.
Her curvy body that couldn’t be hidden even under her martial uniform, and her lively face that brought a smile to anyone who saw it.
Of course, it was no wonder they were surprised since such a beauty would be hard to find even if they searched through a large city thoroughly, let alone in a village like this.
“Hehe, she’s pretty, isn’t she?”
“Yes, yes. She is truly beautiful.”
“But don’t be too captivated. Ye Hwa is…”
Whisper, whisper!
Baek Woo Jin whispered something into the ears of the two men. As soon as he did, their gaze immediately shifted away from Shin Ye Hwa.
“Oh, so that’s the situation!”
“Congratulations, hyungnim!”
“Huh, huh?”
What on earth were they talking about?!
Not understanding what was said, Shin Ye Hwa felt embarrassed and her face turned red.
“Now, these are the new brothers I’ve made! Go ahead and introduce yourselves.”
When Wang Jong Gu and Baek Mo Sa introduced themselves with a rather formal bow, the two women had no choice but to accept and introduce themselves as well.
“I’m Shin Ye Hwa.”
“I’m… Yeon Ji.”
Their reluctant introduction was barely over before he spoke.
“Hehe, now that we’ve reached this point, let me tell you something.”
Baek Woo Jin continued with his arms around Wang Jong Gu and Baek Mo Sa’s shoulders.
“Actually, I’m the second son of the Baek clan of Shaanxi, brothers.”
“What?! The Baek clan from Shanxi?!”
All four of them were surprised at Baek Woo Jin’s words.
The two from the White Snake Bandit group were surprised to find out that he was a bigger shot than they had thought, and the two women were surprised that Baek Woo Jin would reveal his true identity just like this.
“Though I won’t say who, these two are from equally impressive clans, so treat them well.”
“Of course!”
“Yes, absolutely!”
Baek Woo Jin laughed and raised his glass, and the banquet continued.
The awkward banquet which only one person enjoyed without concern ended only after that person got completely drunk and passed out.
Wang Jong Gu provided a separate annex for the three to stay comfortably.
At first, he had planned to gently coax them out of the village, but when he learned that Baek Woo Jin was a member of the Baek clan of Shaanxi, his perspective changed.
This is an opportunity!
After sharing drinks with Baek Woo Jin, Wang Jong Gu immediately realized that he had a much more unruly nature than he expected.
The fact that someone from the orthodox faction is mingling with people from the unorthodox faction like us is proof enough.
He was from the orthodox faction, while Wang Jong Gu was from the unorthodox faction. Although they were as incompatible as oil and water, the ease with which they got along implied that there might already be several unorthodox people hanging on Baek Woo Jin’s coattails.
Even so, it didn’t matter. If he could mesmerize the guy and become the best among them, the rest would naturally fall away.
Wang Jong Gu resolved to use this opportunity to forge a connection with the Baek clan of Shaanxi and pave his way to greater heights.
Even though Baek Woo Jin would probably not become the head of the clan since he was the second son and a drunkard, he was still from the Baek clan of Shaanxi.
“Please rest comfortably.”
“Ah, yes….”
“Th-Thank you.”
It was only after the annoying Wang Jong Gu personally guided them to the annex and left that the two could finally relax their faces that were tense with anxiety.
“Haah, what on earth is happening?”
“An unbelievable thing has happened….”
The two looked at Baek Woo Jin who was lying sprawled out in a large “大” shape on the wide bed.
At that moment,
“Have they all gone?”
Baek Woo Jin’s lips moved as he lay with his eyes closed.
“Eek!”
“Eep…!”
When Baek Woo Jin opened his eyes, the two women were startled and stepped back in shock.
“We-Were you not asleep?”
“It was a trick, a trick. Who would feel at ease drinking alcohol in the enemy’s front yard?’
“You did drink, though!”
“Ah, no, I didn’t.”
He wasn’t drunk, so it didn’t count.
“Wh-What happened…?”
Jegal Yeon Ji asked him, and Baek Woo Jin roughly explained the events from earlier in the day.
“Putting all that aside, why did you become brothers with them?”
“Of course, to make them lower their guard.”
Following Wang Jong Gu’s suggestion, the first thing Baek Woo Jin did when he sat at the drinking table was assess the White Snake Bandits’ forces.
While drinking with the guy, he spread out his senses and wandered around. He pretended to go to the restroom once and counted the number of people stationed there.
“Their numbers are at least over fifty.”
“F-Fifty people?”
“Yes.”
Just the ones he saw directly were well over thirty. And considering the ones he met earlier who were roaming the village collecting fees or doing other tasks, like the man who stabbed and the man who got stabbed.
It’s only right to estimate around that number.
“So in short, this means it’s absolutely impossible for just us to complete this mission.”
The scale was considerable, but until coming here, they had never heard of the Underworld Bandits.
Most of the members were probably third-rank fighters with a few being second-rank at best. But no matter how skilled one is, numbers still hold power in battle.
Moreover, Wang Jong Gu and Baek Mo Sa seemed to be at least first-rank warriors.
“Then we should go back!”
Why were they even here?
When she shouted that in frustration, Jegal Yeon Ji nodded her head in agreement.
They always bickered, but now they were in perfect sync with each other, which made Baek Woo Jin feel very conflicted.
“If we leave, the villagers might end up living their whole lives being extorted.”
Was that really okay?
The two’s faces darkened at those words.
They began to worry. In an almost impossible situation where they would have to break a rock with an egg, was it right to retreat, or should they uphold the reputation of the righteous faction that stood for justice and cooperation by punishing these outlaws?
“You don’t need to worry so much.”
A clear voice brought the two people who were lost in their thoughts back to reality.
“I think I found a way.”
A way to solve an impossible task even if the three of them couldn’t do it alone.
“What is it?”
When Shin Ye Hwa asked with an excited expression on her face, Baek Woo Jin responded as if it were obvious.
“Reduce the enemy’s numbers and increase our allies.”
At those words, her expression immediately soured.
“Haah, are you going to ask the academy for help…?”
The local military officers and sects had long been pushed out by the White Snake Bandits, and the nearest Moorim Alliance branch was several days away from here.
Moreover, since even the governor was in cahoots with the White Snake Bandits, the only option left was for them to request assistance from the Academy.
However, Baek Woo Jin shook his head.
“Ah, there are reinforcements all around us.”
“Where…?”
“Here.”
Baek Woo Jin pointed to where they were standing, right in the heart of the White Snake Bandits’ headquarters.
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