Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 92

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 92. I Will Stake My Position On This
“Goodness! A sea of blood, truly a sea of blood.”
Jang Ho, the Constable who had climbed onto the platform, furrowed his brow.
It was difficult to find a place to step that wasn’t stained with blood.
Ma Han, another Constable in the courtyard, added his own remark.
“It’s no trifle here either. Blood everywhere. But who are all these people? Some look like guards, but others don’t.”
Then Do Gyeom, the Deputy Magistrate, emerged from the room and spoke.
“Those wearing the blue battle robes are government soldiers. The ones in red are the mercenary swordsmen that Yang Jin recently employed.”
Following Do Gyeom, Dan Yeop also stepped out onto the platform.
Do Gyeom turned to Dan Yeop and asked.
“How many criminals do you think there are?”
“Based on the tracks left in the inner quarters, it appears to be two. But we won’t know for certain until we examine the government soldiers and the guards.”
“We need to identify the criminals as quickly as possible. Yang Jin is the imperial consort Yang Sukbi’s maternal relative, so the palace will be watching for results with bated breath.”
“Yes.”
Dan Yeop replied, though in truth he held little hope.
In the previous case at Nag’an County, if not for his sworn brother Hwang Biwon, a martial master, they would still have no inkling of the criminals’ identity by now.
He couldn’t be sure such fortune would smile upon them again.
Soon after, Do Gyeom hurried back to the Jang’an County Office, leaving only the Constables and Constable’s Officers to continue their investigation.
About an hour or so had passed.
Jang Ho approached Dan Yeop.
“Constable Dan, shall we withdraw if there’s nothing more to find?”
“Perhaps. But is it safe to leave things as they are?”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re targeting High Officials. It seems there’s no preparation against them.”
“We could increase patrols.”
“Is that all we can do?”
“What else can we do? We have no other options.”
“That’s true enough.”
“Unless we knew where the criminals would strike next, all we can do is clean up after them.”
“You’re right.”
Then something flashed through Dan Yeop’s mind.
‘Wait—is there no way to know where the criminals will strike?’
While he couldn’t be completely certain, it struck him that even a fifty percent chance—or half of that—would allow them to encounter the criminals.
Dan Yeop made his way back to the Jang’an County Office.
Having spent the entire morning studying maps of Jang’anseong, he sought out Do Gyeom after the midday meal.
***
Jang’an County Office.
Public Office.
When Dan Yeop arrived, Do Gyeom greeted him with evident relief.
“Well? Did you find any clues at Yang’s residence?”
“No. Rather, we don’t even have anyone who witnessed the criminals.”
“That’s true. It’s such a sprawling estate, and few people pass through it.”
“Yes, so unlike the Nag’an County case, there are no witnesses. The Constables aren’t fortune-tellers—we can’t identify the criminals from sword marks alone. So I was thinking: what if we identify their likely targets in advance and maintain surveillance? That way we could at least grasp their martial techniques and physical descriptions.”
“Can you determine whom the criminals are targeting?”
“We’d need to investigate from now on. The criminals surely target corrupt High Officials, those who’ve earned the people’s bitter resentment, don’t they? If we investigate who those people are and surveil the most vicious one—the one most deserving of death—we might succeed.”
As the words continued, Do Gyeom’s expression grew peculiar.
It was indeed an inspired idea.
It was also an effective strategy in a situation where such bloodshed seemed certain to continue.
Yet the notion of selecting someone vicious and deserving of death troubled him.
If it became known in the county that they viewed him as such a person, an unmanageable storm would descend upon the office.
But to simply let it pass seemed a waste of such an excellent tactic.
It would be simple—merely divert a few men from the existing Constabulary to maintain the watch.
“I’ll consult with Magistrate Jo.”
“Yes! I will await your word. Though I must warn you—every moment of delay only increases the sites we must investigate, making resolution that much harder.”
“I understand. It won’t take long. Still, you do have a gift for unconventional thinking.”
To select a vicious High Official deserving of death and surveil them.
He himself, even if he died and were reborn, would never have conceived of such a stratagem.
***
Jang’an County Office.
Main Hall.
Jo Mujin, the County Magistrate, immediately showed his displeasure at Do Gyeom’s words.
“Good heavens! If High Officials learned that we were surveilling one of their own residences for such a reason, what would you expect me to do?”
“But if we’re to learn the criminal’s methods and face, that approach is indeed our best option. The risk is proportional to what we stand to gain.”
“You’re putting me in a difficult position, I’ll admit.”
“I felt the same unease when I heard Deputy Magistrate Dan speak.”
“This isn’t a simple matter at all. If the magistracy acknowledges and recognizes a crime committed by High Officials, what happens when word spreads to the people? Won’t it appear that we knowingly turned a blind eye to their wrongdoing? The authority of both the Imperial Court and the magistracy would collapse.”
“But if we do nothing, the High Officials will continue to die. The authority of the Imperial Court and the magistracy will crumble, and the people will come to fear the Heavenly Alliance more than the throne itself.”
“Confound it! You’re driving me mad.”
“Should I tell them to simply bury the matter?”
But Jo Mujin could not bring himself to say those words.
The daily pecking at him by the officials was already difficult enough to endure.
“Sigh. We must proceed in secret, and only a handful of people can know of this. If word of our operation leaks beyond these walls, I’ll send every official involved to the Anseo Governorship. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
The Anseo Governorship was currently waging war against the Tibetans. In other words, they would be sent to the battlefield.
“Yes, I will stake my position on this task.”
You will take direct command yourself. Screen only those you can trust. If word of this operation reaches the outside, you and I will certainly be sent to the borderlands.”
And neither would ever return to Jang’anseong.
***
Do Gyeom selected Dan Yeop, Jang Ho, Ma Han, and Jin Seung from among the Constables.
Together with them, he began investigating the backgrounds of Jang’anseong’s High Officials.
A surveillance list was compiled in a single day.
In truth, it would have been strange if the Constables didn’t know of the corrupt High Officials.
They had survived by enduring various measures of censure and leniency imposed upon them for countless reasons.
The Constabulary, where the Constables had withdrawn.
Jang Ho, a Constable standing before Do Gyeom as he reviewed the list, complained lightly.
“How can such people hold office, Deputy Magistrate? They all belong in prison.”
“Have you ever seen a sparrow caught in a spider’s web?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“If the law is the web, then they are the sparrows. Think of it as the way of nature.”
…….
While Jang Ho stood with a bitter expression, Ma Han spoke bluntly.
“Constable Jang, isn’t that precisely why the Heavenly Alliance runs rampant? You know this, so why ask?”
Do Gyeom then rebuked Ma Han.
“Constable Ma Han, don’t speak in ways that invite misunderstanding.”
“Ah, yes. So we begin surveillance from today?”
Ma Han, stung by the rebuke, quickly changed the subject.
Do Gyeom did not lecture further and answered his question.
“Until sunset, we’ll leave it to the Constabulary’s regular patrols as they are. We’ll begin surveillance after the gates close. Arrange for Constable’s Officers to accompany you and scout hiding places in advance.”
Jin Seung asked.
“How will we manage sleep?”
“Take turns resting with the Constable’s Officers. Endure it for a few days.”
“And if the criminals don’t appear? How long will we have to stay out?”
Jang Ho then glared and shouted.
“Why are you spouting such ill-luck before we’ve even begun? You’ve seen the roster—how can you say such things? It vexes even me, a Constable, so do you really think the Heavenly Alliance will sit idle?”
He was speaking at Do Gyeom, who’d gone on about spiders and sparrows.
Do Gyeom, shaking his head, simply left the Constabulary.
Dan Yeop spoke to the Constables who would be deployed for surveillance in his place.
“From now on, guard your tongues. The Deputy Magistrate said it himself—if anyone learns of our work, we’ll be sent to the battlefields of the Anseo Governorship. You all know how vile-tempered the High Officials are. I have confidence I’ll earn merit and return, but can you say the same?”
…….
The Constables swallowed hard, their faces clouded with doubt.
And rightly so—the High Officials were quite capable of such things.
“All of you, keep quiet about this, and listen carefully now, for what follows is crucial. The criminal will kill someone again today or tomorrow. I believe the target will be either Wang Mun, the Vice Chancellor, or Choi Eon, the Commander of the Palace Guard—the official responsible for Jang’anseong’s defense.”
Jang Ho asked, looking puzzled.
“Is there some reason it must be them?”
“In Yang Jin’s case, rumors didn’t spread properly. The magistracy responded quickly, but more importantly, there were no neighbors to spread word. The next target will be chosen from a more densely populated area so that word reaches throughout Jang’anseong.”
“Ah, now that you mention it, Wang Mun’s and Commander Choi Eon’s residences would be perfect. There are houses packed tightly all around, and they’re not far from the shops either.”
“Exactly. I’ll say it once more—your task is only to confirm the criminal’s methods and face. Night will make it difficult, yes, but you must maintain distance nonetheless. A general impression of their appearance will suffice; there’s no need to force yourselves closer. If you’re spotted by them, you won’t survive. So content yourselves with watching from as far away as possible and as discreetly as you can. Is that clear?”
“Understood.”
“I wouldn’t go near them even if ordered to.”
“Don’t worry. These days, the High Officials keep their residences lit through the night, so we’ll be able to see clearly from a distance.”
Soon after, the Constables scattered to prepare for the night’s vigil.
***
Dan Yeop had somehow ended up paired with Do Gyeom, the Deputy Magistrate.
Since Dan Yeop had no Constable’s Officers he could trust yet, Do Gyeom had joined him for the night.
The two of them had been assigned to watch Wang Mun’s residence in Anhung Ward.
Deep in the night.
Behind an old cart, two men sat huddled together, their bodies wrapped entirely in straw raincoats woven from reed grass.
It was Dan Yeop and Do Gyeom, keeping watch over Wang Mun’s house.
When the bell tolled to mark the Hour of Rat, Do Gyeom whispered softly.
“Do you really think the criminals will show up here?”
“Nine times out of ten, if not here, they’ll strike at General Choi Eon’s residence instead.”
“Well, that would be fortunate, but……”
Do Gyeom trailed off.
He had no idea how relentlessly the high officials had been pressing over these past days.
County Magistrate Jo must have been desperate indeed to permit something so dangerous — something that could cost him dearly if word got out.
As the night deepened, Dan Yeop’s senses sharpened to their peak.
He found himself hoping the criminals would come for Wang Mun.
If they did, there would be no hesitation — he would arrest them on the spot.
Part of him wished he could guard both locations at once, but unfortunately General Choi Eon’s estate lay in Yongmu Ward, making that impossible.
‘Come this way. Come……’
***
Contrary to Dan Yeop’s wishes, at that very hour the criminals were watching from the darkness, eyes fixed on the residence of General Choi Eon, Lord of the Right and Left Cavalry.
The moment the bell finished tolling the Hour of Rat, two figures launched themselves through the air and vaulted clean over the compound wall in a single, fluid motion.
At once, the death screams of the household erupted in terrible chaos.
Jang Ho, the Constable who had been hiding nearby, leaned close to Gok Un, the Constable’s Officer beside him, and whispered urgently.
“They’ve come. Eyes sharp — watch carefully.”
“Yes.”
The two men held their breath, their gazes fixed intently on General Choi Eon’s house.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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