Even beasts know gratitude. (4)

How long had he been beaten?

The pain was gradually fading, and the world was becoming increasingly distant.

Yet, neither anger nor despair came to him.

He could only vaguely think that his family might have experienced something similar.

Wouldn’t it be rather merciful to die like this?

He wouldn’t have to feel the mental anguish as if his insides were burning black anymore.

Swish.

Something slashed across his face.

“Fearless bastard… How dare you mention the master’s name with that tongue of yours?”

His vision was blurry as if smeared, but the madness in the eyes before him was clear.

Seeing the rage as if an absolute sanctuary had been violated, he felt like laughing even though it wasn’t the right situation.

“You can’t die just yet. Stay conscious. I’ll show you exactly how cruel the hands of White Demons can be.”

A cold blade touched Ho Gamyeong’s neck.

His senses were dulled, so he didn’t even realize it was painful. He just tried to spit out the blood that had pooled in his mouth, but then he heard someone’s voice.

It seemed like his ear had been hit wrong, as the outside sounds were muffled as if heard underwater.

“What?”

“This brat was looking for the master, so l was teaching him his place.”

“This… this stupid idiot!”

“What?”

“Did you forget that the master ordered to keep alive anyone who comes looking for him?”

Ho Gamyeong slowly blinked his swollen eyes.

The face of the one who had been torturing him like a demon from hell turned pale. Despite the situation, the knife touching Ho Gamyeong’s neck remained in place, and every time the hand holding it trembled, red lines appeared on his neck.

“Th-that’s right…”

“You damned bastard!”

Whack!

The one scolding him finally lost his temper and struck the man’s face. The man was thrown back, unable to even scream, and his attacker ground his teeth in frustration.

“If you want to die, do it alone, you idiot!”

After raging at the man, he turned to inspect Ho Gamyeong. His face was full of fear as he checked Ho Gamyeong’s condition.

A sigh of relief escaped him.

“…Still breathing.”

He lifted the bloodied Ho Gamyeong onto his shoulder and started walking.

Thud.

In that brief moment, Ho Gamyeong lost consciousness and only woke up from the impact of being thrown onto the ground. He opened his eyes with difficulty.

He had no idea how much time had passed.

The surroundings were pitch black. Was it night? Or was he indoors where no light could reach?

All he could see were the deep darkness and the faintly flickering lamplights within it.

Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could tell where he had been taken.

It was a wide room, but with no common furniture or fixtures, it looked more like a storage room or a warehouse. In this bleak room, dozens of men were sprawled around.

Broken liquor bottles were scattered everywhere, and an unknown pungent scent stung his nose. Some leaned against the walls with glazed eyes, while others, staggering as if about to collapse, still clung to their bottles.

It was a scene of utter decadence and gloom.

Never in his life had Ho Gamyeong seen anything like this… No, he had never even imagined witnessing such a scene with his own eyes. He was struck speechless, frozen in place.

At that moment, a voice abruptly grabbed his attention.

“What is it?”

The first impression of that voice was strange.

It was both bright and dark, both high and low.

But beyond all those characteristics… it was rough. Even though it uttered just a few words, it carried a savage quality, reminiscent of a beast’s claws.

It was a ferocity that would instinctively make any living human shrink back.

“He said he came to see the master.”

“To see me?”

Amid the sprawled men, one slowly rose to his feet.

Ho Gamyeong looked at him with his swollen eyes.

His first impression was ‘delicate.’ Although his physique didn’t quite match the term, and despite the ferocity in his voice, it was the word that came to mind. The slightly lean man walked towards him leisurely.

More striking than his swaying gait was the man’s pale face revealed by the lamplight. It was completely out of place here. His white face appeared even more scholarly than Ho Gamyeong’s, who had lived his whole life as a scholar.

The long eyes set in that unnaturally pale face glanced down at Ho Gamyeong.

“Looks like a corpse can talk after all.”

“Th-that is… he is still alive…”

“Oh, really?”

The eyes of the pale-faced man curved like a crescent moon. Then.

Thud!

“Ahhhhhhh!”

The next moment, a dagger, no bigger than a child’s palm, was thrust mercilessly into the belly of the man who had carried Ho Gamyeong.

“Stay still.”

“M-master! Mercy! Please!”

“I’m already being merciful. If I weren’t, this would be in your neck.”

A savage light flashed in the eyes of the pale-faced man. Sprays of blood began to dot his white face.

“Don’t squirm. If you irritate me more, I might not be able to resist ripping your throat out. And don’t scream. It dirties my ears.”

The pale-faced man, having viciously twisted the dagger in the man’s stomach, watched him collapse with an expression of undisguised contempt.

“Useless things.”

“S-sorry…”

The pale-faced man, apparently losing interest in the fallen man, turned his attention back to Ho Gamyeong.

His white face showed a slightly displeased expression.

“You might have brought something interesting…”

He shook the blood from his hands as if it was dirt, baring his teeth in a manner that resembled a wolf catching the scent of blood.

“At this rate, it would be better to call a Taoist to perform a ritual. Just bury him and…”

At that moment, Ho Gamyeong’s body twitched. The man’s eyes flashed with interest.

“Hmm?”

Anyone could see that he was in no condition to move, barely clinging to life. Yet Ho Gamyeong, trembling, somehow managed to sit up straight. He even assumed a proper seated position, looking directly at the pale-faced man.

Was it the glimpse of tenacity and determination that intrigued him? The pale-faced man’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“Interesting. You said you came to see me?”

Ho Gamyeong nodded with difficulty.

“Who are you?”

“…Ho Gamyeong.”

“Ho family, huh…”

The pale-faced man murmured to himself for a moment before grinning widely.

“There was a well-known Ho family nearby, wasn’t there? The one where the entire family was massacred by bandits overnight?”

“…”

“Oh, right. That’s the story for the public. The truth is that the pig-like Wangsa [왕사(王師) – royal teacher] had the foundation of your family burned to the ground, didn’t he? Yes… because your family criticized Wangsa’s tyranny before, right?”

Ho Gamyeong’s shoulders trembled slightly.

“Is that correct?”

He nodded again. The small motion was incredibly difficult, whether because of the physical pain or the deep anguish in his heart.

“So, you must be the precious son of Ho Gyeong [호경(扈鏡)], the young master of the Ho family, who was sent to study in Beijing.”

The pale-faced man chuckled softly.

“Alright then. What brings such an esteemed person to seek me out?”

Ho Gamyeong’s eyes gleamed with a cold, murderous venom.

“I came to make a deal.”

“A deal?”

The pale face twisted slightly.

“I want revenge.”

“Revenge… against Wangsa, the one who trampled your family?”

Ho Gamyeong nodded.

“Hmm. And the price?”

“I will give you wealth. Unimaginable wealth.”

“Wealth, you say… wealth beyond imagination?”

Gritting his teeth, Ho Gamyeong nodded again.

“Your name is Ho Gamyeong, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Ho Gamyeong. Do you know who I am?”

“White Faced… Demon, Jang Ilso.”

“Oh?”

“I’ve heard. In Guizhou, there is only one… a demon who will do anything for the right price, regardless of the target or the purpose, scoffing at morals and compassion.”

The pale-faced man laughed as if he had heard an amusing story.

“You know quite well.”

Thud.

In an instant, Ho Gamyeong’s body was sent sprawling backwards. Jang Ilso, who had kicked him, approached with a face brimming with malice.

“You pig.”

Step. Step.

He stepped closer to the convulsing body, crushing Ho Gamyeong’s hand beneath his foot.

Crunch. Crack.

Bones shattered, flesh tore. Ho Gamyeong convulsed in agony, unable even to scream.

The voice, heavy with brutality, descended upon him.

“You guessed right, but you got one thing wrong.”

“Uh…”

“Wealth? You think you can pay me with that? That kind of worthless thing?”

Ho Gamyeong’s body trembled like a leaf, wracked with pain.

Without a trace of sympathy, Jang Ilso grabbed Ho Gamyeong by the hair and yanked his head up, glaring into his eyes with a burning intensity, as if ready to tear into his throat.

“You must think I’m a joke. Did you think l’d become your dog for a few coins?”

Thud.

Ho Gamyeong was hurled against the wall, slamming into it with a brutal force. Jang Ilso approached again, this time stomping on his ankle.

Crunch!

“Aghhhhh!”

Ho Gamyeong finally couldn’t hold back a scream, his eyes rolling back.

“A deal is only possible when both parties bring something of interest. Not something you think is valuable.”

“Uh…”

“Idiot.”

Crack!

Jang Ilso broke his ankle with a decisive stomp and glanced at Ho Gamyeong, who fell to the side, before turning away without a second thought.

“I thought you might bring something interesting.”

The men scattered around, who had been watching in fear, started to rise. One of them asked.

“What should we do with him, master?”

“Dispose of him.”

“Yes.”

The man, ready to act, hesitated for a moment. Orders from Jang Ilso were absolute, but now his subordinate paused. Jang Ilso’s gaze instinctively shifted back.

To his surprise, Ho Gamyeong, whom he had thought unconscious, was trying to rise again.

Despite his trembling body, Ho Gamyeong managed to sit up, slowly assuming a seated position. Due to his twisted and broken ankle, he couldn’t sit properly, so he grabbed the injured part firmly.

Crack!

A horrible sound followed. After resetting his broken ankle, Ho Gamyeong assumed a perfect seated position and slowly bowed his head.

A hoarse voice began to push back the silence that filled the space.

“If that’s the case… whatever it is that you want…”

Jang Ilso’s eyes darkened.

“Whether it be my body… my soul, whatever it may be…”

Ho Gamyeong’s head touched the ground.

“I am foolish and do not know what to offer you for a deal. So I ask you.”

Ho Gamyeong lifted his head to look up at Jang Ilso.

“What must I give? What must I do for you to make my revenge reality?”

The men standing around had faced death countless times. They had lived lives far rougher than most could imagine. But the look in Ho Gamyeong’s eyes was so fierce that even they felt a chill.

“Please.”

Ho Gamyeong bowed his head again. Jang Ilso, watching him in silence, finally spoke.

“Is there really a need to go this far? From what I’ve heard, you are favored by the prince. Even if the prince cannot deal with Wangsa now, soon his power will be enough to crush him.”

“…”

“Is there any reason to risk everything when all you have to do is wait?”

Ho Gamyeong looked directly at Jang Ilso.

“…Not now.”

“Hmm?”

“Whenever the opportunity arises, after building up enough strength.”

Crack.

Ho Gamyeong ground his teeth so hard that the tendons on his jaw visibly strained.

“What meaning does vengeance have if it’s achieved through such cheap pity!”

His voice, more desperate than any cry, harshly pierced Jang Ilso’s ears.

“If I can do it with my own hands, I will tear my flesh to achieve it. If I cannot do it with my own hands, I will become a demon and bite him to death. But if even that is not possible!”

His bloodshot eyes stared straight at Jang Ilso.

“I will find someone who can kill him in the most painful way.”

Ho Gamyeong bowed his head again.

“Please. Please…”

Jang Ilso looked at him in silence, his eyes as cold as ever.

“What a pathetic reason.”

“…”

“Believing that desperation will make others help you is just self-consolation for worms.”

Ho Gamyeong’s body trembled.

“But…”

And then Ho Gamyeong saw it. Jang Ilso’s lips curling into a soft smile.

Surprisingly, that smile looked as innocent as anything, completely out of place in such a grim setting.

“I’ve found something I want. I’ll accept this deal. But…”

Jang IIso’s eyes gleamed with a sinister light, his smile widening.

“The price will be very high, scholar.”

In those exceptionally bright eyes, Ho Gamyeong’s dazed figure was reflected.