Chapter 335: I Run a Tavern in Front of the Demonic Cult

TL: FoodieMonster007

As they neared the house, Yang In grabbed Jo Cheonbae's sleeve.

"Honey."

"What is it, wife?"

"You should just go back. I'll handle this. Go back and run the business."

He was a husband who had married into a poor family with a widowed mother and two daughters, taking on the role of a son. The family had faced many troubles over the years. Each time, her husband had stepped up to resolve them. Jo Cheonbae had even arranged her younger sister's marriage.

However, they had never faced a martial artist like this before. Unease crept over her. She was afraid something terrible would happen to her husband.

"How are you going to handle it? Don't say such nonsense. Let's go."

Jo Cheonbae started walking again.

"It's been a while since I've been here. I should visit more often."

Running the business made it difficult to visit his mother-in-law as often as he would have liked. Fortunately, his sister-in-law and her husband lived nearby, so he fulfilled his filial duty by sending them living expenses.

When the two arrived, his mother-in-law, Mother Yoon, ran out to greet Jo Cheonbae.

"Son-in-law Jo!"

Her old, bony hands were a pitiful sight.

"You must be tired from the journey."

She always took care of her son-in-law before her own daughter. It had been that way since their wedding day. It was her own way of showing love for her daughter.

"……"

Yang In hugged Mother Yoon. Her mother had gotten so thin since she last saw her.

Her younger sister, Yang Seon, was at the house. Her eyes were so swollen from crying that she was almost unrecognizable.

"Sister-in-law."

"Brother-in-law."

Seeing Jo Cheonbae and Yang In, she burst into tears again.

Yang In went and hugged her younger sister.

They had heard the general situation from the Insect Physician via messenger. Yang Seon's husband, Chong Hak, worked as an escort for the Yellow Dragon Escort Agency. He had been caught trying to steal goods during a mission.

"Where is Son-in-law Chong?"

"He's being held at the escort agency right now. An escort said… they're going to cut off both his hands in front of everyone…"

Yang Seon couldn't finish, sobbing uncontrollably.

Jo Cheonbae and Yang In were shocked.

"Cut off his hands?"

Jo Cheonbae had known this was no ordinary matter when he came.

Escort agencies punished insiders who stole goods with extreme severity. With so many bandits on the outside, they could not afford to have thieves within their own ranks.

He had closed his tavern and rushed here because he knew this.

But to cut off both hands? That was the most severe punishment possible. What on earth had Chong Hak tried to steal?

"Unnie, Brother-in-law. You know he's not the kind of person to steal from others, right? Someone must have framed him."

They knew. The Chong Hak they knew would never do such a thing. There had to be another reason.

Desperate, Yang Seon pleaded with her brother-in-law.

"Brother-in-law, you run a tavern in front of the Demonic Cult, don't you? Do you know anyone there? If someone from the Demonic Cult stepped in, they could clear his name, couldn't they?"

People I know? There are many. I know the Young Cult Leader, the Sanzu Hall Director, the Demonic Army General, the head of the Ghost Shadow Squad, the Demon Supremes, and even the Heavenly Demon.

However, none of them would help with this. They were honored guests he had met only because of the Young Cult Leader. Normally, they were people he could not even make eye contact with.

The only person he felt comfortable asking was Geom Mugeuk. He was a special person, but Geom Mugeuk had gone to the Outer Regions and was not here.

He could not ask the low-ranking demonic cultists who were regulars at the Alluring Inn to travel for several days to his hometown to solve this problem. He was not close enough to anyone to ask, and even if someone agreed, a low-ranking cultist could not resolve this matter.

As her husband fell deep in thought, Yang In scolded her sister.

"What are you talking about? So what if he knows someone? Are you trying to make this a bigger deal?"

"No. I'm sorry, Unnie. I was just frustrated. Don't worry about it, Brother-in-law."

"It's alright, Sister-in-law. It's understandable."

What couldn't she say at a time like this?

Jo Cheonbae stood up.

"I'll go to the escort agency."

Mother Yoon grabbed Jo Cheonbae's hand, shedding tears.

"I'm sorry to trouble you like this."

"Please don't say that. This is about Son-in-law Chong. If you wait here, I'll go and resolve it."

Jo Cheonbae went outside. His wife, Yang In, followed him.

"I'm going with you, honey."

"It's fine, you wait here."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop saying you're sorry."

If they were talking about apologies, he was more sorry for the lifetime of hardship she had endured after meeting him. She was his devoted wife who had trusted and struggled alongside him even when he did not have a single penny.

"Be careful. Don't do anything reckless. Son-in-law Chong is important, but you're more important, okay?"

She felt sorry for her sister, but these were her true feelings. A life without her husband was unimaginable.

Jo Cheonbae approached the escort guarding the entrance of the Yellow Dragon Escort Agency and bowed his head.

"Greetings."

"Who are you?"

"I am Chong Hak's older brother-in-law."

The escort's expression stiffened slightly. He clearly knew of Chong Hak.

"You can't see him right now."

"I know. You must be cold out here. Here, please take this first."

He offered the man food and wine wrapped in paper, which he had bought from a tavern on his way.

"I can't accept this."

The delicious smell tickled the escort's nose. Jo Cheonbae had bought the side dish most favored by martial artists.

"Keep it and eat it inside when your shift changes. I'll just leave it back here."

Jo Cheonbae placed the wine and food behind a pillar. He knew the minds of martial artists well and acted skillfully, giving the man no chance to refuse.

"I would be grateful if you could just tell me if he's unharmed. We're family, we need to know if he's alive or dead."

As Jo Cheonbae pleaded earnestly, the martial artist could not bring himself to refuse that much.

"He's not dead yet, so don't worry."

"I heard they're going to cut off his hands."

Cutting off both hands was no different from killing him. If the bleeding was not stopped and treated immediately, he would die on the way to a physician. Even if he survived, what kind of life would he have?

"If you commit a crime, you must be punished."

"That's right, of course. So, when will the punishment be carried out?"

"In six hours. We'll call the villagers and carry it out."

Six hours? Jo Cheonbae's vision went dark. There was far too little time.

"Now, you should leave."

"Sir escort, please, just let me see his face once."

Jo Cheonbae discreetly showed a money slip he had prepared in his sleeve. It was a slip for thirty taels.

It was too much money just for a brief glimpse of someone's face. Jo Cheonbae knew. A bribe had to be an amount difficult to refuse for it to be effective.

"There's another person guarding over there besides me."

It meant the money was not enough.

"If you can make it happen, I will give ten taels to the guards over there, and thirty taels to you, sir escort. Please, just let me see his face."

The escort opened the gate and peeked inside to check the situation.

"Follow me. Give me the money first."

"I'll give it to you when we get there."

The escort looked displeased, but greed had already swayed him.

Jo Cheonbae followed the escort inside.

After exchanging words with the escort guarding the warehouse, the man gestured for Jo Cheonbae, who waited behind a tree, to come over.

"Just for a moment."

Jo Cheonbae handed him the forty taels from his coat and entered the building.

Chong Hak lay collapsed inside, tightly bound. His face and body were a mess, as if he had been tortured.

Even when shaken, he did not regain consciousness easily.

"Son-in-law Chong."

After being shaken several times, he barely managed to open his eyes.

"Hyung-nim? Hyung-nim!"

"Are you alright?"

"Hyung-nim!"

Tears streamed from his eyes, which were filled with a sense of injustice.

"I didn't steal anything. I was framed!"

As his voice started to rise, Jo Cheonbae covered his mouth.

"Shh! But why would they frame you?"

"I saw something I shouldn't have."

Just as he was about to say more, the escort came in and pulled Jo Cheonbae out.

"We have to go. The replacement is coming."

He followed the escort back to the entrance.

"If you breathe a word of what happened today, you're dead."

It was a threat, telling him never to reveal the bribe.

"Get lost."

Jo Cheonbae left the escort agency.

His heart was heavy. If Chong Hak had simply stolen something, he might have been able to prevent the punishment with bribes, but what if he was caught in some kind of conspiracy?

Jo Cheonbae quickly hired a carriage and went to a certain place.

It was a Branch of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, located about two hours away from his in-laws' house by carriage.

It was a small Branch. A cultist with an incomparably more menacing look than the escort agency guard stood at the entrance.

The cultist scanned Jo Cheonbae up and down with cold eyes. Before he could ask anything, Jo Cheonbae politely introduced himself.

"This humble one is Jo Cheonbae, who runs a tavern in front of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult Headquarters."

"……"

"I would like to see the Branch Manager here."

"For what reason?"

"I have something to tell him in person…"

SHIIING.

The cultist drew his sword without a word.

"Aigoo!"

Jo Cheonbae cried out. He thought he was about to be stabbed, but thankfully, the blade only aimed at his neck.

"Why would someone who runs a tavern want to see the Branch Manager?"

"My younger brother-in-law has been wrongly accused. I came to ask the Branch Manager for help."

"This guy is crazy. Are you not going to get lost?"

The words, "The Young Cult Leader sent me," rose to his throat, but he could not say them. He could not dare to use the name of the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. Even if Geom Mugeuk forgave him, the other cultists would not.

He considered offering the money he had prepared, but the atmosphere told him they would just take his money and he still would not get to meet the Branch Manager.

Yes, this is normal. This is the typical relationship between a tavern owner and a cultist. Disregard was the default, a relationship where they could threaten you with a sword. Only because of the one-of-a-kind Young Cult Leader had he become a special tavern owner.

Jo Cheonbae returned home again.

Yang In, who had been waiting anxiously in the yard, ran to him. She was relieved that her husband had returned safely, but he brought news like a bolt from the blue.

"They're going to cut off Son-in-law Chong's hands in two hours."

Yang In's heart ached, thinking of how heartbroken her mother and sister would be.

Jo Cheonbae silently hugged his quietly sobbing wife. She did not see the flash of determination in his eyes.

People gathered at the Yellow Dragon Escort Agency.

The agency intended to cut off Chong Hak's hands in front of the villagers. That was their established law.

Chong Hak's muting point and blood dao had been sealed. When he was dragged out obediently, it looked as if he was quietly admitting his guilt.

The person conducting the proceedings was Head Escort Gong Chan.

"Will you confess your crime obediently?"

With his blood dao sealed, Chong Hak could not answer, nor could he shake his head.

However, the people did not know this.

Among the murmuring crowd was Jo Cheonbae's family. They had hired and brought a physician. Even if his hands were cut off, they intended to treat him on the spot and somehow save his life.

"Since he has admitted his guilt, I will cut off both his hands to make an example of him!"

At that cry, Mother Yoon staggered as if she would collapse, and Yang Seon wailed.

"Honey! Honey!"

Chong Hak looked at his wife with eyes full of injustice and grief. He had never committed a crime in his life, and he never imagined he would be framed and have his hands cut off. Bad things always happened in an instant.

Just as Gong Chan drew his sword, Jo Cheonbae stepped forward.

"I am that man's older brother-in-law."

Everyone's attention focused on him.

"We have not heard anything about this incident. I believe you should at least explain what happened."

When Jo Cheonbae stepped forward, Yang In, Mother Yoon, and Yang Seon were all startled. They were afraid that Jo Cheonbae would also get into trouble.

"The investigation is already over. That man tried to steal escort goods, and he is receiving his punishment."

Gong Chan shot him a threatening look that said, Do you want a taste of this too? But Jo Cheonbae was determined to save his brother-in-law.

"What exactly was he caught trying to steal? It's not as if you failed to recover the stolen goods. To cut off both his hands just for attempting to steal seems like an overly harsh punishment."

Yang In's hand, gripping Jo Cheonbae's arm, trembled.

"An overly harsh punishment?"

Gong Chan's eyes turned fierce.

Jo Cheonbae was not intimidated. He had seen all kinds of gazes at the Alluring Inn.

From the man's reaction, Jo Cheonbae sensed that reasoning would not solve the problem. In the end, there was only one method he could use.

"Even the Demonic Cult doesn't handle matters like this."

When the Demonic Cult was mentioned, the surroundings fell silent.

"I know the masters of the Demonic Cult. Please, just wait until they can come and mediate."

Gong Chan's expression was completely rigid. The Demonic Cult inspired fear. If they got involved on the wrong side, an entire escort agency could be annihilated.

"Who in the Demonic Cult do you claim to know?"

"I know the Sanzu Hall Director."

For a moment, the surroundings froze. The villagers might not have known, but the escorts knew what position the Sanzu Hall Director held.

"I also know the Demonic Army General."

When the Demonic Army General was also mentioned, the area grew quiet. He did not bring up the Demon Supremes or the Young Cult Leader. Going too far would be counterproductive.

Just then, an escort who knew about Chong Hak's family history came and whispered something in Gong Chan's ear.

"That man runs a tavern near the Demonic Cult."

"A tavern?"

"It's a shabby, small-scale tavern."

A sneer crossed Gong Chan's face.

"A mere liquor seller dares to use the Demonic Cult's name to threaten me?"

Gong Chan was angered and ashamed that he had been momentarily scared.

"If I send word, they will come."

Having already heard that he was just a tavern owner, Gong Chan no longer listened to Jo Cheonbae's words.

"Drag that man over here!"

At that, his sister-in-law Yang Seon cried out.

"No! My brother-in-law just said that because he wanted to save my husband! Please forgive him!"

Yang Seon was seized with terror, afraid that her brother-in-law would also be dragged away and harmed.

In the end, Jo Cheonbae was also dragged forward.

With his blood dao sealed, Chong Hak could only watch with a devastated heart.

After getting married, the person he had truly liked was Jo Cheonbae. He had not realized how reassuring his presence was. He felt so sorry for making him go through such an ordeal.

"Since you used the Demonic Cult to threaten this escort agency, I will cut out your tongue."

Yang In and Yang Seon screamed.

"No!"

"Please, forgive him!"

Mother Yoon fell to the ground and begged.

"My son-in-law, please forgive him just this once! Punish this old woman instead."

Jo Cheonbae, trembling with fear, said to Gong Chan.

"Give me time to verify my words. For the sake of the Yellow Dragon Escort Agency, do not be hasty."

Gong Chan roared.

"Shut up! You worm-like bastard, threatening me to the very end. I'll cut out your tongue first."

"If you touch me, the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult will not let you go!"

He had hoped to scare him, but it only had the opposite effect.

"The Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult? This guy is completely insane. Let's say you do know the Young Cult Leader, just like you claim. Do you really believe the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult would come all the way here to help you?"

He screamed that he did, but it was no use. Escorts grabbed both of Jo Cheonbae's arms. They really intended to cut out his tongue.

Just then, something pure white landed on Jo Cheonbae's shoulder.

He looked up and saw that it had started to snow. People raised their heads to look at the snow.

Why did it have to snow at a time like this?

They say it is human destiny not to know what lies an inch ahead. He never thought his tongue would be cut out here. However, he did not regret it. He could not just stand by and watch his kind brother-in-law have his hands cut off unjustly.

Still, he could not help but be afraid. Could I survive if my tongue is cut out? I would need the bleeding stopped to live.

In the distance, he could see his wailing wife's face.

I'm sorry, this husband of yours is so powerless, I'm truly sorry.

Behind his wife, he could see Mother Yoon and Yang Seon sobbing.

Mother-in-law, I'm sorry. Sister-in-law, I'm sorry.

It was the very moment Gong Chan was about to shove his hand into Jo Cheonbae's mouth.

SHWIIIIIIIIK.

A fierce gust of wind seemed to blow.

"……"

Something shot from the sky and crashed onto the training ground as if it had been thrown.

People screamed. The Head Escort and the other escorts drew their swords, causing a commotion.

Everyone's gaze turned to that spot.

The thing that had flown in was a person. He was lying spread-eagled in the middle of the training ground, panting for breath. His hair was disheveled, and his entire body was drenched in sweat. Only the sound of his ragged breathing could be heard.

Jo Cheonbae, confirming who it was, was startled. His dumbfounded face slowly spread into a smile, and then he grinned brightly.

Then, his chest swelled with emotion, and his eyes filled with tears. He clenched his teeth, trying not to cry out loud, but a sob, fufu heuk, escaped.

As everyone watched, the man lying on the training ground looked up at the sky and said.

"Innkeeper, the first snow is falling."