Chapter 28: White Snake Bandits Part 7

Baek Woo Jin dragged the fallen Wang Jong Gu over to Baek Mo Sa.

Baek Mo Sa glared at Baek Woo Jin with a menacing intensity.

“Why… why did you do this?”

His voice was filled with suppressed rage and killing intent.

“I promised you everything you wanted, so why did you do this? Why!”

Why are they both so shameless?

Baek Woo Jin took another sip of alcohol to accompany the other party’s laments. He then replied with the corners of his mouth curled up.

“I was a bit drunk yesterday, not in my right mind.”

“No-Not in your right mind?”

“Yes. To put it more simply—”

Baek Woo Jin extended his middle finger at Baek Mo Sa.

A gesture full of contempt that only he understood.

“Don’t trust the words of a drunkard, you fool.”

Even if they say soybeans are used to make soy sauce, you shouldn’t believe them.

Did you think a drunkard would remember what he said the next day?

“This, this…!”

As Baek Woo Jin laughed, Baek Mo Sa’s blood pressure soared and his mind became hazy.

The firmly closed gates of the White Snake headquarters were shattered, and government soldiers stormed in all of a sudden.

When the dozens of soldiers surrounded the White Snake Bandits who were writhing in pain, a middle-aged official entered the place.

Seeing the official’s face through his hazy vision, Baek Mo Sa’s face turned pale.

“W-Why is the governor here….”

A sliver of hope crept into his mind.

The governor had been a corrupt official who had accepted numerous bribes from them. Having already tasted the pleasures of money, Baek Mo Sa thought there was no way the governor would cut off such a lucrative source and might have come to save them.

But that was a misunderstanding.

The governor glanced at Baek Mo Sa, gritted his teeth as if he was facing a sworn enemy, and shouted to the soldiers.

“These are the heinous criminals who suck the lifeblood of the people! Arrest them all!”

“Yes!”

He hadn’t come to save them but to deliver the final blow.

“Ugh…!”

Baek Mo Sa received a critical blow with these words. He couldn’t stand the rising blood pressure and lost consciousness.

A while before all of this happened.

While Shin Ye Hwa was looking for the ledger and Baek Woo Jin was engaged in a sword fight with the White Snake Bandits,

Jegal Yeon Ji arrived at the governor’s office in Wonyeong County to threaten the county governor.

“What brings the daughter of the Jegal clan to me?”

“I’ve come to ask for a favor.”

“A daughter of a martial arts clan asking a favor from a government official…?”

When the governor made a puzzled expression, Je Gal Yeon Ji spoke with a gentle smile.

“Do you know the Underworld Bandits that call themselves the White Snake Bandits in Suyang Village?”

The governor’s face slightly hardened at her question. However, he quickly regained his composure and responded.

“Hmm…! the White Snake Bandits, I think I’ve heard of them.”

“Since you know about them, this conversation will be quick. My companions and I are planning to eradicate the White Snake Bandits, who have been oppressing the residents of Suyang Village. Could you help us?”

The governor immediately waved his hand, as if the idea wasn’t worth considering.

“Do you not understand the meaning of the non-interference principle?”

The non-interference principle between government and martial arts

It was an unwritten rule that the government and the martial arts factions should not interfere in each other’s affairs.

“I know it very well.”

“And yet you still ask for my help?”

The fact that she, the daughter of the Jegal clan, intended to eradicate the White Snake Bandits ultimately meant a conflict between martial arts factions. Unless this battle caused significant harm to the common people, there was no reason or justification for the government to intervene.

“Wasn’t the White Snake Bandits closely connected to you, Governor?”

But there was plenty of justification for interference.

Her calm eyes steadily gazed at the governor. As if she already knew everything.

The governor growled like a wounded beast.

“How dare you try to link me with the likes of those lowlife bandits, you…!”

“On the first day of July, at the brothel in Suyang Village, 300 silver taels were presented to the governor of Wonyeong County.”

The governor’s mouth which was ready to issue a furious command was clamped shut.

“On the fifteenth of August, by the lake near Suyang Village, 350 silver taels were presented to the governor of Wonyeong County.”

The governor’s face began to turn pale.

What Jegal Yeon Ji was reciting were the exact dates, locations, and amounts of the bribes he had recently received from the White Snake Bandits.

How on earth does she know…!

How could she know all the details that only the leader and deputy leader of the White Snake Bandits and he himself should know?

…

“Shall I continue?”

She was detailed and precise.

Realizing it was impossible to feign ignorance anymore, the governor slumped down.

“…Where did you get that information?”

“I just took a quick peek at the secret ledger of the White Snake Bandits.”

This wasn’t true. To create a pretext for intimidating the governor, she had only received brief details from Baek Mo Sa about the recent dates and locations of bribes given to the governor.

“Those damned bastards…!”

The governor was furious.

He thought it was possible that such a secret ledger existed, but he couldn’t fathom how it had ended up in an outsider’s hands.

The outcome was already decided.

He admitted defeat.

The governor shook his head and spoke.

“Hah… Tell me what you want.”

At last, Jegal Yeon Ji heard what she wanted and replied with a smile.

“I need you to lend me some soldiers.”

For our Young Master Baek.

The interior of the White Snake headquarters was quickly organized.

After the battle was over, the governor arrived and took away all the White Snake Bandits who had collapsed.

Wang Jong Gu opened his eyes just as the last of his captured subordinates were being dragged out by the soldiers.

“Wh-Why are the government soldiers suddenly…?”

Among the busily moving military officials, Wang Jong Gu spotted a familiar face and shouted.

“Governor!”

Wang Jong Gu had his arms and legs tightly bound with rope while he was unconscious. He crawled across the floor like an insect toward the governor.

“Governor! Why are you doing this!”

The governor who was aware of the gazes around him turned his head. He was avoiding eye contact with Wang Jong Gu.

“This…!”

Furious at the governor’s indifference, Wang Jong Gu forcibly used what little internal energy he had left to break the ropes binding his hands and feet.

“Ugh!”

Wang Jong Gu coughed up blood from the excessive use of his internal energy. He then dodged the rushing military officers and ran toward his quarters.

“I can’t let it end like this!”

He planned to retrieve the secret ledger hidden in the safe under his bed to threaten the governor and resolve the situation. With eyes filled with madness, Wang Jong Gu pushed aside the bed and tore up the floorboards. But in the end, he was met with an empty space where the safe should have been and he fell backward in shock.

“Th-The safe… where is the safe?”

Cold sweat ran down his back and he stumbled outside. His eyes darted around frantically as he searched for Baek Woo Jin.

He was sitting a little distance from the governor and on top of the safe that should have been in his bedroom. All while drinking alcohol.

“Ah, ah….”

Before he knew it, Shin Ye Hwa and Jegal Yeon Ji had gathered around him.

“I really suffered such a terrible loss to just three people.”

Wang Jong Gu lost the strength to endure any longer due to the deep sense of defeat in his bones and collapsed while coughing up blood.

…

Once things were roughly settled, the first thing Baek Woo Jin did was to use the government soldiers borrowed from the governor to confiscate all the wealth hidden inside and within the homes of the White Snake Bandits.

“Wow… how much is all this?”

The silver coins and various jewels loaded onto the cart sparkled in the sunlight.

When they thought about how all these things had been taken from the villagers, Shin Ye Hwa and Jegal Yeon Ji felt their anger rise once more.

“Worst scum on earth!”

“Trash….”

When he heard their sharp curses, Baek Woo Jin couldn’t help but smile. Then, he gave his final command to the government soldiers who were exhausted from running around all day.

“Alright, gather the carts and meet us in the village center!”

The government soldiers started to rise and pull the carts one by one while jeering.

Baek Woo-jin tied Wang Jong Gu and Baek Mo Sa who were blankly standing in a corner with a rope and pulled them.

“If you don’t walk properly, I’ll break your legs.”

His menacing tone frightened the men. So they staggered as they followed Baek Woo Jin.

As they moved from the outskirts to the center of the village, the people stared in shock at Wang Jong Gu and Baek Mo Sa who were bound by ropes.

“Aren’t those the White Snake guys?”

“Why are they…?”

Curious villagers began to follow Baek Woo Jin one by one as if they were bewitched.

When he reached the center of the village, he forced Wang Jong Gu and Baek Mo Sa to kneel in front of the carts. He then rolled up the secret ledger that he was using to intimidate the county governor and shouted.

“Attention, villagers. We announce that the White Snake Bandits which have committed various atrocities against the residents of Suyang Village are disbanded as of today.”

His voice echoed through the murmuring crowd. And his words left a tremendous impact.

“Did I… just hear that right?”

“The White Snake Bandits are disbanded?”

As proof, Wang Jong Gu and Baek Mo Sa who were tightly bound with ropes stood before their eyes.

They had always had smooth and shiny skin from eating and drinking well, but now they looked haggard and defeated. But it was definitely them.

“Is it really true that the White Snake Bandits have been disbanded?”

Someone who still couldn’t believe it asked them and everyone else wanted an answer as well.

Baek Woo Jin spoke again.

“Yes, all of the White Snake Bandits have been caught. You are now free of their extortion.”

The residents of the village who had been suppressed for so long began to let out their pent-up frustration at Baek Woo Jin’s words.

“Uwaaaaah!”

“Finally, these damned bastards have been caught!”

“Hahahaha! Cough, cough!”

They laughed until they were exhausted, coughed, and cried tears of joy.

Baek Woo Jin saw the shameful days they had endured in those tears.

One of the residents was unable to contain his anger, so he picked up a rock from the ground and threw it at Wang Jong Gu.

Thud.

“Ugh!”

When Wang Jong Gu groaned in pain, the villagers began to pick up rocks and throw them at the bandits one after another.

“You bastards deserve to die!”

“Damn you, die!”

As the number of flying stones increased, Baek Woo Jin stepped in front to stop them.

“Alright, everyone.”

Their angry gazes turned toward him.

“These bastards still have a lot of property we can take. So, make sure not to kill them, aim for their arms and legs.”

“Waaaah!”

As soon as Baek Woo Jin stepped aside, the stoning resumed. This time, every stone was thrown with precision and targeted only non-lethal areas.

After a while of fervent stoning, the villagers approached Baek Woo Jin while panting heavily.

“Thank you, great hero!”

“You are the savior of our village!”

“Great hero! Great hero!”

Baek Woo Jin smiled at the cheers that resonated throughout the village.

Seeing this, Shin Ye Hwa who was as happy as if it were her own accomplishment suddenly jumped forward and shouted.

“This man’s name is Baek Woo Jin!”

The villagers then began chanting Baek Woo Jin’s name.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, he raised his hand to quiet their voices.

“Alright, everyone, that’s enough for now.”

When the place quieted down as if the earlier noise had never happened, Baek Woo Jin continued speaking.

“All the wealth in this cart belongs to the villagers, so it will be distributed equally.”

There were no complaints about why the goods were being shared equally despite varying amounts being taken. The villagers were simply overjoyed to be free from the White Snake Bandits.

“Thank you!”

The villagers lined up and began receiving their silver.

Baek Woo Jin spotted a familiar face among them. It was the inn boy who had provided him with various information when he first visited the village.

“Hey, young waiter.”

“Oh! Great hero!”

The inn boy who was now clutching a handful of silver came running.

Baek Woo Jin asked the boy,

“So, does it seem like a true hero has visited the village?”

After recalling the conversation they had a few days ago at the inn, the inn boy’s face lit up as he shouted,

“Yes!”