Chapter 1370. Proving (5)

As he took in the sight of a feast on the table, Lee Hyeon-Su’s expression was weird, to say the least.

This doesn’t quite feel right, now does it?

He wasn’t worried about the food being poisoned, of course. And no, he wasn’t worried about the lack of hygiene in the surroundings, either.

One of the beggars politely said, “Although our preparations have been sorely lacking, three of our generations will be honored even if you only take a small bite, my liege.”

Lee Hyeon-Su’s current issue was the appearance of the polite people before his eyes. It felt like he and his companions had intruded upon the local beggars’ hideout to steal what little food they had left!

Besides all that. Why haven’t I thought of this before?

These beggars actually were members of the demon cult, “low-class” citizens deemed no better than trash collectors by the rest of the Chinese martial world.

A large number of cult believers followed Chang Min and Kang Jin-Ho to South Korea, but an even higher number had to stay behind in China. These people couldn’t overcome the reality called their advanced ages and the welfare of their family members. All they could do was swallow their tears of regret and disappointment while watching their brethren travel to South Korea for a new future.

Here they were, the remnants of the demon cult, still eking out a living in China! These people had come together to assist Kang Jin-Ho and Co. today.

Gee whiz. This feels so weird, doesn’t it?

The cult believers behaved as if they were talking to their great-great-grandfather or something. Of course, Lee Hyeon-Su didn’t need long to figure out why these people were so excessively polite. Technically speaking, wasn’t Kang Jin-Ho

older

than their great-great-grandfather by some margin?

Even if the actual great-great-grandfathers had shown up, they would still have to kowtow and pay respect to Kang Jin-Ho!

“My liege! We can’t even describe the honor your presence has bestowed upon us...”

“...”

Lee Hyeon-Su sneaked a quick glance at Kang Jin-Ho before hurriedly turning away. He had to cover his mouth and hold his side in a desperate attempt to suppress his laughter.

Yup, the Assembly Master doesn’t know what to do about this situation!

It seemed Kang Jin-Ho still couldn’t get used to the spectacle of old folks with white hair kowtowing before him.

“Besides all that...” Kang Jin-Ho fake-coughed a couple of times before addressing the cult believers. “How did you find us?”

“My liege! Every cult believer has already memorized your visage. So that when we are in your exalted presence one day, we won’t commit sacrilege worthy of death.”

That sounded like Chang Min’s handiwork, then. He was fully capable of doing this, after all!

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “I get that, but you shouldn’t know about Lee Hyeon-Su, though?”

“My liege, every cult believer has also memorized that person’s name and face by now. It was the instruction of Elder...”

“You don’t have to say it.” Kang Jin-Ho squeezed his eyes shut while briefly waving his hand. “It was Chang Min’s doing. Got it.”

“Yes, it was. He told us that the man named Lee Hyeon-Su often serves you from your side. In that case, if we spot Lee Hyeon-Su, there is a high chance that my liege will be accompanying him, too.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s cheeks twitched ever so slightly. How could someone be so...

meddlesome

, for a lack of better description?

Logically, this situation didn’t seem plausible, yet Chang Min’s involvement convinced Kang Jin-Ho that it was indeed plausible, and then some! But that only awakened an even worse migraine in Kang Jin-Ho’s head, however.

“Okay, so... You recognized us in the street? Is that it?”

“Yes, that is correct, my liege!”

“

Huh

...”

Kang Jin-Ho reflexively scratched his head.

After hearing all this, didn’t it sound like all that business about fake identities and whatnot had been a colossal waste of time?

They were currently in the city of Shenyang, which was a considerable distance away from Beijing. Even so, the people here still recognized Kang Jin-Ho and Co. In that case... Just how many people in Beijing had recognized him, too?

Kang Jin-Ho helplessly chuckled. “Who knew CCTVs and whatnot weren’t the real problem? We should just forget about infiltrating China ever again.”

Lee Hyeon-Su shook his head. “I totally agree, sir.”

While Kang Jin-Ho and Lee Hyeon-Su were busy figuring out the situation, Chang Piljae could only tilt his head in sheer confusion.

He couldn’t hold it in anymore and asked Lee Hyeon-Su. “Excuse me? Who are these folks?”

Lee Hyeon-Su frowned slightly. “Apparently, the demon cult believers.”

“Yes, I heard that. But why are they... You know, like this to Mister Kang?”

“Well, because he is their cult leader.”

Chang Piljae’s eyes quaked slightly just then. “

Huh

? You run a fake religion, too?”

“...!”

Kang Jin-Ho’s eyes and cheeks powerfully quaked at that accusation.

Lee Hyeon-Su whispered

very quietly

into Kang Jin-Ho’s ear. “Sir, should I kick his ass?”

“...”

“I mean, his attitude needs a bit of

readjusting

, sir. In my opinion.”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed, then shook his head. “...Let him be. He’s still technically a patient, anyway.”

“But, sir. He’s almost recovered from his injuries.”

“Let him be.”

“Understood. Then, next time.”

Lee Hyeon-Su ruefully smacked his lips at this missed opportunity.

There shouldn’t be a problem with viewing Chang Piljae as a new member of the Martial Assembly now, since Kang Jin-Ho promised to take him in. Besides, despite having an older-looking face, wasn’t Chang Piljae actually younger than Lee Hyeon-Su?

Considering all these things, it was about time Chang Piljae learned about how things were done in the Martial Assembly.

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled after noticing the look on Lee Hyeon-Su’s face, then shifted his attention back to the cult believers. He initially thought Chang Min had dispatched them here, but to hear that they had voluntarily sought him out...

He was somewhat flustered by it. And moved, too. All in all, what an unfamiliar feeling this was.

“Okay, so...”

“Excuse me!”

Before Kang Jin-Ho could say anything, Chang Piljae suddenly raised his hand high up.

When Kang Jin-Ho stared at him in confusion, Chang Piljae unashamedly asked, “Can’t we do whatever this is after enjoying the grub first? I’m dying of starvation at the moment, you see?”

Lee Hyeon-Su whispered quietly to Kang Jin-Ho again. “Should I beat him up now, sir?”

“...Let him be. Didn’t he say he needs to eat because he’s a human being?”

“

Oh

? Then, can I enjoy this food as well?”

“No. You are not allowed.”

“...”

Lee Hyeon-Su looked genuinely aggrieved just then, but Kang Jin-Ho brushed aside the silent protest with a cool smirk before shifting his attention back to the cult believers.

“I’m asking this just in case, but has Chang Min contacted you yet?”

“No, my liege. Elder Chang hasn’t contacted us and gave us separate instructions. We are not important enough to receive calls from someone like Elder Chang, you see.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. Considering the level of martial arts of these people, it was unreasonable to expect them to handle important cult-related matters.

“Then, is there a cult branch in the city?”

“Unfortunately, there aren’t any branches of our cult in Shenyang, my liege. However, there is a place where the cult believers regularly gather.”

“

Hmm

...”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly scratched his cheek. Since there wasn’t a branch of the cult in this city, he might as well give up on receiving help altogether. It was easy enough to guess the financial situation of these people, after all.

Then again, what kind of help could he get from these cult believers when his group was about to enter North Korea illegally? Considering the special nature of North Korea, there shouldn’t be much these cult believers could help with, anyway.

After his thoughts reached that far, Kang Jin-Ho got ready to say something, but Lee Hyeon-Su interrupted him first.

“Sir?”

“Yeah?”

“Let me handle things from here. For now, please enjoy the meal.”

“

Huh

?”

“You gotta fill yourself up with energy, sir. Only then will we be able to break through the danger-filled North Korea. In the meantime, let me borrow these people for a little while,” said Lee Hyeon-Su, then grabbed the cult believers before leading them away. “Yes, yes. This way, please. This way.”

While Kang Jin-Ho sat there in confusion, Lee Hyeon-Su successfully ushered everyone outside.

“What is he doing?”

Kang Jin-Ho tried to get up and intervene, since he wasn’t sure what Lee Hyeon-Su was up to this time. However, Chang Piljae reached out and gently grabbed the ends of Kang Jin-Ho’s clothes.

When Kang Jin-Ho looked back at him quizzically, Chang Piljae took a large gulp of the noodle broth, then shook his head. “Sir, you mustn’t go.”

“...

Huh

? Why not?”

“The correct thing in situations like this one is to pretend that you saw nothing here. Besides, there’s nothing to worry about, sir. Mister Lee will be back in no time at all after successfully ripping these folks off.”

“...What?”

Rip who off?

***

“My liege! Please be safe on your journey!”

“We’ll pray for your safe passage! Please forgive us for not being more helpful!”

“Hooray! Glory to the cult! Hooray!”

Kang Jin-Ho waved back at the cult believers and their energetic farewells. However, his face was half-dazed, his jaw slightly agape.

“Then, shall we get going, sir?” Lee Hyeon-Su asked, his face full of oily smile. He began tugging at Kang Jin-Ho’s arm.

“To think...” Kang Jin-Ho muttered soullessly. “...That one day, I’d end up ripping money off from the cult believers.”

“Well, sir? That’s how the cookie crumbles sometimes. Besides, I must protest my innocence here. We are not ripping anyone off. It’s just a loan, you know? A loan.”

Wasn’t that how villains usually dress up their crime of ripping people off?

“Besides, aren’t we gonna pay them off, anyway? Once we’re back in South Korea, we can just pay them back tenfold, sir. That would sort out everything.”

Wasn’t that basically ripping people off?

After noticing the look on Kang Jin-Ho’s face, Lee Hyeon-Su grinned and asked, “Should I return the money, sir?”

“...”

“They were only too happy to give us the money, sir. And it’s our sacred duty to use this money as wisely as possible. And reimburse them later, of course.”

“

Urgh

...”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed grandly before nodding in defeat. Their situation was bad enough to borrow money from a mouse if they had to, anyway. The problem was that they weren’t borrowing from mice, but the desperately poor cult believers.

“By the way, sir? Did you know that those believers were richer than they look? Check out how much they have given us!”

“...”

“If you do a tour of China, I think we can collect enough money to build several skyscrapers, and then some. What do you think about...”

Lee Hyeon-Su obediently clamped his mouth shut after noticing Kang Jin-Ho quietly clenching his fist.

Yup, it’s time to behave myself.

He tried to be more mischievous than usual, as a way to improve the heavy mood, but crossing the line one too many times could lead to a back-breaking beat down in the blink of an eye.

“Okay, so...” Kang Jin-Ho asked in a slightly upset tone of voice. “Are we heading into North Korea now?”

Lee Hyeon-Su pondered something for a bit, then shook his head. “No, sir. I think we need to purchase a few necessary items first. Since we must avoid residential areas as much as possible after entering North Korea, it wouldn’t hurt us to prepare at least minimum-necessary supplies.”

“

Hmm

...”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly scratched his cheek.

He couldn’t quite figure out what would constitute “necessary supplies” for him while traveling through the wilderness for a few days. Of course, that was from his perspective. He was fully prepared to accept that other people might approach this topic quite differently.

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Got it. But do it as quickly as possible.”

“Understood. Then, we’ll enter North Korea after I’m done with the shopping. We should also call Mister Wiggins and set the coordinates.”

“Right. Do that, too.”

“Sir. I’ll be back as soon as possible. In the meantime... Can you wait by the cafe over there?”

Lee Hyeon-Su quickly walked away. Kang Jin-Ho silently watched him disappear into the distance, then glanced in the opposite direction. “So, a cafe?

Hmm

...”

Chang Piljae pointed ahead. “I think he meant that one, sir.”

He got Kang Jin-Ho’s permission and led the way. Kang Jin-Ho silently followed.

Although they were in a small city many, many miles away from Beijing, its downtown looked not all that different from that of, say, a busy street in Seoul. Well, at least that seemed to be the case in Kang Jin-Ho’s view.

The two of them reached a fairly quiet cafe. After ordering their coffee at the counter inside, the duo stepped outside again and settled down on a table with a simple parasol blocking out the sun.

Kang Jin-Ho took out a packet of cigarettes and mouthed one.

Click...

After lighting it up and sucking in a deep puff, Kang Jin-Ho lazily scanned his new surroundings.

“Excuse me, Mister... No, Assembly Master, sir?”

Chang Piljae quickly corrected his honorifics meant for Kang Jin-Ho.

“You may speak,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Aren’t you... You know, nervous?”

“About entering North Korea?”

“Yes, that.”

“

Hmm

, I wonder.” Kang Jin-Ho pondered his answer for a bit before casually replying, “Is there a need to be nervous? Things are dangerous for us regardless of whether it’s here or in North Korea, anyway. Besides...”

Kang Jin-Ho didn’t finish his sentence and let it drift away.

“It’ll be the same story in South Korea, isn’t it, sir?”

“Yeah.”

Chang Piljae slowly nodded. “Yes, that’s true.”

Things would be dangerous in South Korea, too. The weight behind that assertion weighed heavily down on Chang Piljae’s heart.

That was supposed to be his mother nation, yet...

The country he spent his entire life protecting no longer wanted to protect him. As a matter of fact, it was hell-bent on killing him right now.

Coming this far helped Chang Piljae realize how big of a protective umbrella the name “Republic of Korea” had been for him all these years.

Even though he was an intelligence operative working in a foreign country, and being caught meant he must die as someone without a country... As it turned out, he had been subconsciously deriving much comfort from knowing that he was a South Korean citizen.

“I’ll be honest, sir. I have no idea right now,” said Chang Piljae.

“About what?”

“About what I’m doing here.”

A bitter smirk floated up on Chang Piljae’s face just then.

“My superior responsible for thrusting me into this situation can’t be reached. Meanwhile, my country is openly hostile toward me. And the folks I must throw my lots with are the same people my country is trying its hardest to eliminate.”

Chang Piljae shielded his face and sighed deeply.

He didn’t have the time to reflect on those things while fleeing for his life. Now that they had some breathing space, though... The reality slammed him ruthlessly in the face.

The reality he desperately wanted to avoid, no less!

“Sir? How can you stay so composed in this situation? I... I really don’t know what’s what anymore.”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho studied Chang Piljae for a while, then broke his silence.