Chapter 81: Gichuk Purge [2] The man opened his mouth right after the third injection had been neutralized.
In truth, he had moved his lips during the second injection as well, but since they were doing this anyway, it was better to make sure of it.
So I just jammed it in, that's all.
As a result, the man was spilling everything, whether he knew it or not.
Yi Hangbok and Jeong Cheol, who had hurried over, watched Kanghyeok's trick with pleased smiles on their faces.
"Well now, that's impressive."
"It certainly is."
"I heard he didn't talk at all, no matter how much they burned him, beat him, or starved him?"
"Yes. He was a real stubborn bastard."
Yi Hangbok clicked his tongue.
The man truly was formidable.
Even so, they had borrowed the best men the State Tribunal had to offer, yet not a single one of them had managed to pry open his mouth.
He had called Kanghyeok in with the desperation of a drowning man clutching at straw, but what he had gotten was not straw at all, but a thick, sturdy rope.
"What's your name?"
At Kanghyeok's words, the man flinched.
Kanghyeok still held a syringe in his hand.
He was lazily waving it around, looking every bit like a thug, a gangster.
If someone said this man was the son of the famous Baek Seungmun and a physician whose reputation filled all of Suwon, no one would have believed it.
The sight of the subordinates lined up on either side was something else as well.
Both had swollen lips, meaning they looked quite enraged, and both stood there holding sacks made from iron balls.
Makbong kept working his mouth, apparently because some hair he had failed to remove had gotten into it.
That only made the atmosphere even more terrifying.
"I-It is… Uiyeon."
"Uiyeon?"
Naturally, it was a name Kanghyeok did not know.
Yi Hangbok, however, standing behind him, did.
His eyes lit up as he stepped toward the man.
"Your name is Uiyeon?"
"That's… right."
"I know Uiyeon to be a monk, but no matter how I look at you, you do not seem like a monk at all."
Yi Hangbok's eyes were full of suspicion.
"It seems he still isn't ready to talk."
Kanghyeok immediately rolled up the man's sleeve and pretended to feel for a vein.
At that, the man jolted and shouted,
"No, no. It's true. I am Uiyeon."
His tone was so desperate it did not sound like a lie.
Grabbing the man's half-loosened topknot, Kanghyeok asked,
"Is there a monk with hair this long?"
"Well… I started growing it after meeting Master Jeong."
"By Master Jeong… you mean Jeong Yeo-rip, I assume?"
After hesitating for a long while, Uiyeon finally nodded.
His eyes, which had not yielded even under countless tortures, were now brimming with fear and despair.
The agony of being fully conscious yet unable to breathe was truly unimaginable.
Without intending to, Kanghyeok had carried out the cruelest torture of all.
Had he used surgical instruments instead, the man might have been covered in wounds, but there was a good chance his spirit would have remained untouched.
"That is correct."
"Then why were you here, acting as the troupe's pyeonsu?"
Uiyeon could not answer easily.
Yi Hangbok plainly could not hide his frustration, but Kanghyeok was different.
Working in a hospital naturally trained one's patience in this kind of situation.
From his experience, the words people dragged out after hesitation were almost never lies.
"I… no, we, intended to establish a Daedong-gye in Hanyang as well."
Daedong-gye was an armed group active in places like Hwanghae Province and Jeolla Province.
Even Kanghyeok, who had little interest in worldly affairs, knew of them well enough, so their fame spoke for itself.
Yi Hangbok's expression darkened at once.
If it were in the provinces, that would be one thing, but the existence of such an armed group inside Hanyang was something he had never heard before.
Quick-witted as ever, Kanghyeok bent down, met Uiyeon's eyes, and continued the questioning.
"Daedong-gye. So you created a band of warriors, is that what you mean?"
"Th-That's right."
"Hm."
Kanghyeok slowly nodded.
Thinking of Makbong and Yeoni, disguising an armed group as a performance troupe would not have been difficult.
Martial arts training and rehearsing performances could easily look the same to outsiders.
In a way, he thought it might have been the most fitting method possible.
"Then how large is it?"
"Not large. Fewer than a hundred."
"Hah, a hundred."
Yi Hangbok, who had been listening in silence until now, shook his head.
It was easy enough to say a hundred, but if those hundred were inside the Four Great Gates, that was no small matter.
If they had only a few collaborators inside the palace, that would have been enough manpower to carry out a "great undertaking."
Moreover, was not the central figure of that undertaking Jeong Yeo-rip, a man who still had quite a number of followers and friends among the Easterners?
The moment that thought fully formed, a chill ran down his spine.
"Where are they all now?"
Faced with Yi Hangbok's urgent question, the man could not answer immediately.
Instead, he glanced nervously at Kanghyeok.
More precisely, at the syringe in his hand.
"Well… I was captured a long time ago, so I do not know where they are now."
"You don't know?"
"Yes. Truly."
It did not seem like a lie.
After all, he really had been dragged off by Yi Hangbok alone quite some time ago.
Kanghyeok nodded and gripped the man's shoulder.
His grip was strong to begin with, and his hands were large, so that alone was enough to apply pressure.
"What were you trying to do with this band of warriors? Here in Hanyang?"
"We intended to drive out the tyrant king and open a new age."
"So you were planning a rebellion."
Kanghyeok was genuinely angry now.
No matter how incompetent and irritating King Seonjo might have been, a king was still a king.
The Imjin War is right around the corner, and they're talking about rebellion? Are they out of their minds?
Of course, these men did not know that.
Still, he could not help being furious.
Not quite as much as Yi Hangbok at his side or Jeong Cheol behind him, but furious nonetheless.
Jeong Cheol in particular had gone pale, to the point that even his beard was trembling.
"Treason. Treason!"
Jeong Cheol muttered the words, clenching his fists.
Only then did Makbong and Dolseok's faces drain of color as well.
They had come here simply thinking someone needed treatment, and even taking part in torture had already been absurd enough.
But now they were being told that man had committed treason.
This was no ordinary matter.
However ignorant and lowly the two of them might be, even they understood they had become entangled in something terrifying.
Are we screwed?
By the time the two of them were trembling in perfect unity, Kanghyeok slowly opened his mouth.
He was still standing there with the calmest face of them all.
Even his voice had barely changed.
That was because he already knew a purge would happen.
"Sir, if what this man says is true, then it is certain that Jeong Yeo-rip is plotting treason."
"Y-yes. Indeed. It is thanks to you. This…"
Even Yi Hangbok, famous as he was, could not immediately decide what to do.
"This is no time to stand around. Take this fellow to the State Tribunal at once, and report the matter to His Majesty."
Jeong Cheol truly was a seasoned politician.
Being shocked was one thing, but he knew how to separate that from what had to be done.
"Ah, yes, Daegam."
"Good. Kanghyeok, I will not forget this merit of yours. I will reward you later. Thank you."
Even while urging Yi Hangbok along, Jeong Cheol did not forget to praise Kanghyeok as well.
"Yes, Daegam. I merely did what was right."
"Yes, yes."
Jeong Cheol summoned the servants who had been waiting outside.
It was to have them drag the man away.
Kanghyeok watched with a resigned expression as the man was lifted up, then asked Jeong Cheol,
"But…"
"Speak."
"This will not bring harm to Lord Ryu Seong-ryong, correct?"
"Of course not. I am not a man who speaks with one mouth and says two different things. Do not worry."
"Yes. Thank you."
After all, one never knew.
Since the timing had moved up, the people who suffered from it might also change.
Watching Jeong Cheol make such firm assurances, Kanghyeok quietly let out a sigh of relief.
If something happened to Ryu Seong-ryong because of this, it would not end as merely one man's personal misfortune.
The country itself might fall.
It took no more than a few minutes for the man to be dragged away.
In the blink of an eye, only Kanghyeok, Dolseok, and Makbong remained in the remote storehouse.
Dolseok was still pale, quite unlike Makbong, who had already regained his usual composure.
"Young master, this is no ordinary matter."
"No, it isn't."
Kanghyeok knew that perfectly well himself.
Do they take me for an idiot?
Just as his irritation began to rise, Dolseok added,
"It is treason, is it not? For the time being, I think it would be best to refrain from visiting Lord Ryu's residence."
"Oh."
At times like this, Dolseok really was a clever fellow.
He's right. This is a clash between the Easterners and the Westerners… there's no need to get caught between them and invite gossip. No one should know about Yeoju's matter, but… I should still make sure everyone keeps their mouths shut.
The odds were low, but the risk was not.
This was not just anything. It was treason. Even brushing against it could mean death or exile.
"You're right."
"Then let's get out of here first."
"Right. Let's go."
"Yes, young master."
The three of them hurried back home.
Yeoni, Yeoju, Dorikkae, and the others all looked as they usually did.
Practicing martial arts, sketching, doing rough work.
There was no need to explain who had been doing what.
"Ah, young master, you're back?"
Yeoni and Yeoju greeted Kanghyeok with bright faces.
But Kanghyeok did not feel at ease when he looked at Yeoju.
Come to think of it, she was the one in the greatest danger.
"Mm. You two, come with me for a moment."
"Ah, yes."
After wiping the sweat from her forehead, Yeoni followed his instructions.
She set down the wooden practice sword she had been swinging with such enthusiasm.
"Ah, I'll be right there too."
Yeoju also obeyed without complaint.
She left her painting tools as they were on the wooden platform.
"What should we do?"
Dolseok asked, rubbing his hands together.
"Mm."
He had barely eaten all day, yet he was not particularly hungry.
That was probably because he had spent so much time tormenting someone on the way back.
On an exhausting day like this, fried chicken was still the best.
And there's flour too, as it happens.
It had been difficult to get hold of, yet they still had not eaten it.
"Fry some chicken."
"Ah! Yes."
Both Dolseok and Makbong had long since become addicted to the taste of fried chicken.
The two of them let out cheers and ran to the backyard.
Soon the screams of chickens rang out, and with a satisfied smile, Kanghyeok entered the room.
Yeoju and Yeoni were sitting side by side.
"What is the matter?"
Yeoju asked first.
She had sensed that the way Kanghyeok was looking at her was unusual.
"Mm."
Even for Kanghyeok, it was not easy to blurt out that he had just come from torturing someone.
He hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke with difficulty.
"I went to meet someone today."
"Who was it?"
"Uiyeon. You mentioned him before, didn't you?"
At those words, Yeoju froze for a moment.
There was no way there was only one man named Uiyeon in the world.
Yet there was only one Uiyeon known to both Kanghyeok and Yeoju.
One of the extraordinary men who had joined the Daedong-gye and become an adviser to Jeong Yeo-rip.
"Ah, yes."
Yeoju answered while forcing herself to look calm.
"He confessed."
"Confessed to what?"
"He said your uncle… that man named Jeong Yeo-rip, was plotting treason."
"What?"
"Shh. Quiet. Only the three of us know that Jeong Yeo-rip is your uncle."
"Ah. Yes."
Yeoju lowered her head deeply.
She had never imagined it would be treason.
"From now on, you must be careful. Yeoju, keep dressing as a man at all times. Even inside the house."
"Ah… yes."
"Yeoni, find a place we could run to if things go bad."
"Yes, young master."
Kanghyeok looked around the room with a regretful expression.
Since it was a house provided by a corrupt Busa, it was quite a good one.
Though if war breaks out, we'll have to run from it anyway…
It would be best if that never happened, of course.
While Kanghyeok was worrying about the matter of where to live, the Westerners' side was moving without pause.
Their leader, Jeong Cheol, gave his orders in a commanding voice.
"Send word to Gwanchalsa Han Jun, Gunsu Yi Chuk of Anak, Gunsu Park Chunggan of Jaeryeong, and Gunsu Han Eungin of Sincheon to report in full on Jeong Yeo-rip and all those associated with him!"
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