Catch the tail (4)

Upon hearing Ryu Ji-Gwang's question, she sensed that something was amiss and scanned her surroundings. She noticed the wound on the chest of Mu-Jin, who was standing next to her, and quickly understood the general situation.

"This, this is a trap, my lord! This monk Mu-Jin called me over and suddenly attacked me!"

At her outcry, all eyes turned once more to Mu-Jin.

"Why would I summon the lady here?" Mu-Jin asked.

"How should I know!!" It was an utterly incomprehensible situation for Hong So-Hee. 

Above all, how on earth did this monk Mu-Jin know the coded system they used?

"And more importantly, my lord, how is it that the lady knows such a vicious martial art? Did you know that the lady practiced martial arts?" Mu-Jin ignored her and questioned Ryu Ji-Gwang, raising his eyebrows because he had no memory of being informed of such a fact.

At that moment, the internal chief of the Golden Pavilion, who had been comparing the letters, spoke up.

"My lord, upon comparing the handwriting, it is confirmed that the letter was indeed written by this maid."

"To think she dared to steal information from the merchant group!"

"She must be imprisoned immediately, and we must extract the names of all those involved!"

As soon as the Golden Pavilion's internal chief finished speaking, cries of support for Mu-Jin's opinion erupted from all around. However, ignoring their calls, the internal chief added another point.

"But there is something strange about the content of the letter, my lord. The letter she wrote contains nothing about our group or Shaolin. It merely contains mundane inquiries about well-being."

"!?"

Some of the audience again cast suspicious glances at Mu-Jin. Yet, Mu-Jin sneered at their reaction.

"What spy would write information exactly as it is? It would obviously be written in code."

Mu-Jin refrained from mentioning the decryption method, as doing so could arouse suspicion and provoke the hidden forces.

"And besides, why would the maid of Seolhwa make a personal trip to deliver such a mundane letter at that time?"

Instead, Mu-Jin presented circumstantial evidence once more. Indeed, the sound logic made everyone drop their suspicion towards Mu-Jin. Finally, Ryu Ji-Gwang, who had been silent, spoke in a calm tone, having made his decision.

"Monk Mu-Jin."

"Yes, my lord."

"I know this is an unreasonable request, but would you hand over the woman you captured to our merchant group? As this is an internal matter, we would like to handle it ourselves."

Although phrased indirectly, it was clear they intended to torture her to expose the spies. This was precisely what Mu-Jin had intended. The purpose of bringing Hong So-Hee to the Heavenly Flow Merchant Group and causing this ruckus was to ensure this outcome.

Torturing her directly for information would have been a poor choice. Mu-Jin, unable to leave his duties for long, lacked the time to invest in torture. Moreover, his Buddhist seniors would never permit him to torture someone. Additionally, if it were revealed that he had kidnapped, imprisoned, and threatened her without informing the Heavenly Flow Merchant Group, it would create numerous problems.

'I wonder how they will handle this.'

Moreover, it was also to gauge the reaction of the Heavenly Flow Merchant Group. How they handled her would reveal the extent of their connection with the hidden forces. It could also indicate whether Ryu Ji-Gwang was associated with those hidden forces.

Thus, Mu-Jin willingly handed her over to the Heavenly Flow Merchant Group.

"I apologize for my presumptuous involvement in the affairs of the Heavenly Flow Merchant Group."

Mu-Jin saluted, and Ryu Ji-Gwang returned the gesture with a clasped fist salute.

"Imprison that maid immediately!"

Following Ryu Ji-Gwang's command, the warriors of the Heavenly Flow Merchant Group began dragging her away.

"This is unfair!! That monk trapped me!!" Hong So-Hee's desperate scream echoed throughout the manor.

* * *

Shortly after Hong So-Hee was taken away, Mu-Jin and the Shaolin disciples also paid their respects to Ryu Ji-Gwang and left the Heavenly Flow Merchant Group. It would be impolite to involve themselves further in the group's internal matters.

'Phew. Finally, one task is done.'

Of course, the question of how many more of the hidden forces could be uncovered through the captured Hong So-Hee remained. 

'That will be decided based on how the head of the merchant group handles it.'

He had already prepared several plans. Depending on the actions of the Heavenly Flow Merchant Group and its leader, Ryu Ji-Gwang, he would proceed with the most suitable plan. So for now, Mu-Jin decided to observe the Heavenly Flow Merchant Group's movements.

Feeling a sense of relief at finally completing a task, Mu-Jin swung his arms around to relax his tense body. 

"Mu-Jin, you scoundrel!"

A harsh reprimand came from behind. 

Startled, Mu-Jin turned around to see Hyu Min, the chief in charge, along with the other senior Shaolin disciples, glaring at him with fiery eyes.

'Oh, no.'

Although he had set out to deal with the hidden forces, it was clearly overstepping for a third-level disciple to engage in a confrontation with the head of the Heavenly Flow Merchant Group.

"I apologize. I considered it an urgent matter and took it upon myself to handle it."

Mu-Jin bowed deeply, and Hyu Min let out a deep sigh. Unable to bear it any longer, Beob Gang stepped forward and scolded Mu-Jin.

"We are not reprimanding you for that!"

"...?"

"Why did you act alone when you saw the lady's suspicious behavior without informing us?"

"...."

'Because I was the one who had contact with the man in black.'

He couldn't say that. Nor could he explain that he knew about the coded in the letter and why he suspected Hong So-Hee because he had read about it in a novel. So he had no choice but to act alone.

"You survived this time by luck, but the martial world is full of masters as numerous as grains of sand. What if that woman or the man in black had been a superior fighter compared to you?"

Mu-Jin hadn't expected to be scolded so harshly for this. After losing his grandparents and being forcibly retired from the military, making such decisions alone had become second nature to him.

But why did it feel different this time?

"I apologize. I will definitely ask for help next time."

Despite being scolded, Mu-Jin couldn't help but smile slightly. Maybe it was because Beob Gang's stern face was showing an undeniable hint of concern beneath his strict exterior.

---

Meanwhile, at the core of the Heavenly Flow Merchant Group, the torture of Hong So-Hee was underway.

"Ughhh!!!"

A gag was placed in her mouth to prevent suicide. Ironically, this gag prevented her from making any statements. But the torturer seemed indifferent to this fact, pulling out her fingernails and toenails one by one, and then driving nails into the raw flesh.

Without any expectation of a confession, the relentless torture continued. Strangely, she began to recall her childhood memories.

From her earliest memory, around the age of four or five, when she began training to become a spy. 

In the ceaseless pain, the lessons she thought she had mastered began to surface.

- When your identity is at risk of being exposed, commit suicide without hesitation.

This was the first principle she had learned as a spy. Why had she forgotten this and foolishly allowed herself to be captured?

- Adhere strictly to the given information and instructions.

This was the second principle of being a spy. Why had she, a mere trained spy, aspired for more?

'If only I had been content with taming that foolish Ryu Seol-Hwa! If I hadn't approached Shaolin's business!'

Had she overstepped her bounds and ended up like this?

'No! The Shaolin monks were fools! No one suspected me!! If it weren't for that damned monk!!'

Yes, the problem was that damned monk, Mu-Jin. How did he suspect her of being a spy? More importantly, how did he know about their coded system?

Even as her mind became hazy from the torture, her thoughts were consumed with Mu-Jin. Then, a sinister voice addressed her clouding mind.

"The gag is removed. Now, speak."

It was the voice of the torturer who had been playing with her body like a child with a toy. He had placed a metal piece in her mouth to prevent her from fully closing it, making suicide impossible.

If they had such a device, why had they gagged her and tortured her without asking questions until now? The question did not linger in Hong So-Hee's mind, as her brain was numb from the pain.

"...Mu-Jin. It's that demon Mu-Jin... who deceived us."

"Hmm. That monk deceived us?"

"Yes… that's correct. The man in black who summoned me… was that demon."

Her mind, numbed by pain, settled on the only solution she saw for survival: naming that demon Mu-Jin.

The only problem was coming up with an excuse for the martial arts she had learned. She could easily fabricate a story about being summoned by Mu-Jin and why she had left.

'Yes! I sent a love letter! A Shaolin disciple sending a love letter!'

All she needed was an excuse for her martial arts. Her mind raced to concoct a story for her survival, but the torturer posed an unexpected question.

"If that's the case, why did you hand 'the letter' to the Mu-Jin monk?"

"!?"

Her pupils naturally dilated. At that moment, the third and final principle came to her mind.

- We are everywhere.

Even though she had spent more time with the Heavenly Flow Merchant Group than she had in spy training, she could never abandon the spy life.

"Your excuse for betrayal is too flimsy."

The person embodying that principle approached to gag her again.

"Ugh!! Ughhh!!!"

Bound hand and foot, she struggled, but the nails driven into the places where her fingernails and toenails had been only increased her pain.

The torturer silently picked up an item that looked like a saw.

* * *

Late at night, in a pavilion within the Heavenly Flow Merchant Group's estate, a middle-aged man entered the room. An old man, the owner of the pavilion, spoke to him.

"Are you returning from your shift?"

"Yes."

"You didn't kill her, did you?"

"No. During the torture, I applied medicine to her wounds."

"Well done."

If the woman had died from his torture, he would also be suspected of being a spy. Therefore, he applied a slow-acting poison to her wounds that wouldn't leave any traces, ensuring she would die gradually. Normally, this poison took a long time to kill, but with her body weakened from torture, it wouldn't take long.

By dawn, or at the latest by tomorrow morning, she would die at the hands of another torturer.

"Avoid entering or leaving until I give further orders. This goes for the other agents as well."

"Yes."

"Agent 1027, thanks to that fool, our coded system has been compromised. From now on, avoid using those letters."

"Yes."

The man, responding resolutely to the commands, left the pavilion after handing over a letter written in the now-useless coded.

Left alone, the old man skimmed the letter before burning it with his internal energy.

'Tsk. What a ridiculous excuse.'

He recalled the nonsensical statements in the letter. Why would she hand a letter written in their coded to a novice monk like Mu-Jin? And even more absurd, claiming that Mu-Jin knew their coded and summoned her.

Clearly, the torture had driven her mad. Or perhaps, there was a traitor within their ranks.

Naturally, the old man concluded that she was trying to protect the man in black even under torture.

'I suppose an internal purge is necessary.'

Of course, avoiding the bloodshed that would soon sweep through the Heavenly Flow Merchant Group was a priority for now.