Chương 23: The Final Tally

As a lazy column of smoke swirled up from the southeast, the brutal mid-day sun beat down on a compound engulfed in civil war. Branch Head Yu's personal guards were the most capable fighters in Yangliu. Their initial assault on the barracks had been ferocious, driving Captain Hwang's troops back and forcing them to take a stand within the building. But as the three dozen or so elites battered themselves against the barricaded barracks doors, they failed to realize the trap that had already closed around them.

While their focus remained on breaching the building, the two dozen branch guards who had once encircled the medical wing arrived at their backs, accompanied by the remainder of the main sect warriors. What ensued was a massacre, with Mu-cheon barreling out of the doors to stand at its center. The Young Master was a force of nature, his two-handed Dae-jik-do carving swaths through the courtyard.

Beside him, the twenty surviving main sect warriors fought with the reckless abandon of men who had already faced death once that week. Mu-cheon embraced his new reputation and kept his voice loud, making sure his men were organized and anchored around his presence. It didn't take long for the stone pavers lining the ground to become slick with blood. Realizing they were completely surrounded and taking heavy casualties, the remaining elite guards finally gave in.

One by one, their weapons clattered to the ground as they dropped to their knees in surrender. Captain Hwang wiped a stray bit of crimson from his cheek as he shouted orders at his men.

"Strip their weapons! Bind their hands and throw them in the holding cells! Move!" The Guard Captain turned to Mu-cheon, his sword still drawn, his eyes burning.

"We need to strike the head of the snake before he realizes what's happened. I'll gather the men and we'll storm Branch Head Yu's study."

"Please don't," a soft voice interjected, slicing neatly through the miscellaneous noises hanging over what was recently a battlefield. Chae-ha stepped out from the periphery and into focus, seemingly unbothered by the carnage. She looked up at the column of smoke rising in the background, and her nose twitched.

"There's a good chance Branch Head Yu will be trying to make his escape. You should start by having your men secure all the exits to the sect. We can't let anyone – or any messenger birds – leave this compound." Captain Hwang's eyes narrowed.

"Who are you to give me orders?" Mu-cheon leaned down to look directly into the man's eyes.

"My strategist. Do you have a problem with that?" Chae-ha put a hand on her friend's arm, signaling for him to back down.

"We're all on the same side," she reminded them both.

"And they're your men, Captain. I can't order them, or you, to do anything. But if you insist on taking command and things go wrong, you'll just end up shouldering all the blame yourself. The hard work is already over, so why not let us be the ones to take that risk?" Captain Hwang took a deep breath, his eyes flicking from Chae-ha to the blood-soaked Dae-jik-do still gripped in Mu-cheon's hand. Some of the fire faded from his eyes.

"The circumstances being what they are…I guess I overreacted a bit." He shook his head.

"When this all started, you said that if we helped you, the main sect would grant us amnesty. Do I have your word on that, Young Master?"

"You do." Slowly releasing his breath, the Guard Captain nodded.

"Alright, then. I guess we're at your disposal. I'll go and get the exits sealed." The man turned and began shouting orders at his lieutenants. Shortly after, Chae-ha, Mu-cheon, and Captain Hwang led a small contingent of warriors to the Branch Head's private study. Mu-cheon kicked the doors open, but the room inside was empty. Drawers had been pulled out and dumped, and the hidden wall safe behind the desk was left wide open, completely stripped of silver and whatever else it had once contained.

"So, what now?" the Guard Captain asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Unless you happen to be part bloodhound, you're never going to find him. Branch Head Yu is crafty."

"Don't worry," Chae-ha said softly, her eyes scanning the chaotic mess in the room. The young girl walked calmly towards a stack of requisition papers sitting on the desk.

"He didn't run alone." She picked up the top sheet, which was suspiciously askew and slightly crumpled. There, pressed deliberately next to the line item for the lower warehouse, was a fresh, inky thumbprint.

"Administrator Seo is with him," Chae-ha noted.

"I tasked him with keeping an eye on the Branch Head. They appear to have gone to the lower warehouse." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Captain Hwang sighed and raised both hands in mock surrender. Mu-cheon just chuckled under his breath. The atmosphere inside the lower warehouse was quiet, damp, and suffocatingly hot. In the distance, the muffled clash of steel and the desperate screams of dying men had both faded out – a sign that time was almost certainly up.

Branch Head Yu scrambled over a fallen stack of burlap sacks, his once immaculate silk robes stained with soot and dirt.

"Hurry, you fool!" the man hissed, his voice cracking with panic as he looked over his shoulder.

"We need to go see the Commissioner! If we leave now, we can meet him half-way!" Administrator Seo stumbled after the Branch Head, his portly form heaving with every step. It was more than just exhaustion that was slowing him down. A deep burning gnawed at his gut. The man clutched at his stomach, his fingers trembling as a fresh wave of cold sweat washed over his face. Three days, the terrifying girl had said, and your organs will begin to liquefy.

Branch Head Yu scurried up to the far wall of the warehouse, feverishly clawing at a disguised wooden panel to reveal a thick iron wheel. He grabbed the rusted metal spokes and strained, the veins in his neck bulging as he tried to force the ancient mechanism to turn. It was linked to an escape hatch.

"Don't just stand there – help me!" Branch Head Yu screamed, his omnipresent sneer overwritten by an expression that could only be described as intense anxiety. Administrator Seo took a shaky step forwards, but his eyes were unfocused. The vile, acrid taste of the pill suddenly flared up in his memory, causing bile to rise at the back of his throat. If he ran away, he would be leaving the antidote behind. Escaping alongside Branch Head Yu wasn't a path to safety; it was a guarantee of an agonizing death.

Do you want to be a Branch Head – or do you want to be a corpse? The administrator looked at the panicking, disgraced official in front of him, grunting and straining to open the path. The portly man's eyes landed on a large tally-weight, intended to be used for balancing cargo scales. He reached out and wrapped his trembling fingers around the iron handle, before raising the weight into the air with both hands. Administrator Seo held it there for a moment as he closed his eyes and said a brief prayer.

Then, he swung it down with all his might. The heavy thud of iron against bone echoed through the damp warehouse. Branch Head Yu collapsed, hitting the stone floor like a sack of wet grain and going almost perfectly still. Seo dropped the bloody tally-weight from his trembling fingers, the metal clanking loudly against the stone. His legs gave out beneath him. The administrator slumped back against a stack of crates, gasping for air as his heart hammered in his chest.

He clutched his stomach, the phantom pain of the poison still burning within him. Before he could even process what he had just done, the wooden doors at the far end of the warehouse burst open. Harsh mid-day light flooded the dim space. Through his sweat-stung eyes, Administrator Seo watched as three figures rushed into the room – the imposing Young Master, Guard Captain Hwang, and the frightening, unflappable girl.

The fighters had their weapons drawn, sweeping the room for an ambush, before their eyes finally locked onto him. Seo flinched as they approached, his gaze darting frantically to Chae-ha. His life – and the fate of his organs – was in her hands.

"I... I did it. I stopped him," the portly man wheezed, gesturing weakly to the unconscious Branch Head. He gave the young girl a strained, quivering smile.

"I made my decision. I chose... to be a Branch Head." Chae-ha looked down at the pathetic, bloody scene. She stepped forwards and offered him a slow, approving nod, placing a cool hand over his trembling fingers to calm him. With her other hand, she held up a piece of sweet plum candy she'd stolen from the kitchens.

"You made the right decision, administrator," she whispered softly.

"Congratulations on becoming a hero." Half an hour later, the central square of the Yangliu branch was alive with a frightened, muttering crowd. The surviving disciples and staff had been herded out of the buildings to stand witness to the consequences of treason. Mu-cheon dragged Branch Head Yu to the center of the courtyard and forced him onto his knees. The cold water they had used to wake the man was still dripping from his hair, mixing with blood as it trickled down his neck.

His hands were bound so tightly behind his back that red welts were visible underneath the cords. As Guard Captain Hwang stepped forwards, his sword drawn and gleaming in the sun, the Branch Head's grogginess completely vanished – replaced by sheer, overwhelming terror.

"Wait! Wait, you don't understand what you're doing!" he shrieked, struggling frantically against the ropes binding his wrists. He looked wildly around the crowd, his eyes finally locking onto Mu-cheon and Chae-ha.

"The Commissioner is coming! He expects to deal with me! You need me to negotiate with him!" Chae-ha took a single step forwards.

"The Commissioner is no longer your concern," she said quietly, her voice carrying an absolute, frightening finality. She turned her head and gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod to Captain Hwang.

"Listen to me, you idiots!" Branch Head Yu screamed, his voice bordering on hysteria.

"What did you think that smoke from earlier was?" Guard Captain Hwang stepped forwards, gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands, and swung it in a graceful arc.

"I sent a message to the Commissioner, asking him to meet! He'll be here toni–" The already moving blade sheared its way cleanly through the traitor's neck. A heavy silence descended over the courtyard as the severed head hit the stone pavers, bringing the corrupt reign of Branch Head Yu to an immediate, bloody end. Captain Hwang stood there for a moment, his mouth agape, before turning to Chae-ha.

"Did he just say the Commissioner is coming tonight?" Chae-ha closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"It's okay. There's still enough time." The young girl opened her eyes and waved at the bloodied courtyard all around her.

"But just barely. Let's get this place cleaned up. After all…" she said, pausing momentarily for emphasis.

"The Commissioner is expecting to be greeted with a banquet."