The time when the moon falls and the night deepens.

The drinking party that started with annoyance was coming to a cheerful end.

Those who were drunk to the gills stood up one by one and went to bed, while a few still sat by the bonfire and continued their drinking party.

Gurgle.

"My stomach..."

"What's wrong?"

"No, I haven't eaten anything... my stomach."

"You bastard, you ate too quickly because it's been a while since you had a drink. Your stomach must be surprised. Go quickly before you stink up the place."

"Ugh, I should. Hey, don't eat it all, leave some for me."

"Come back early then."

"You bastard... ah, my stomach!"

One of the men at the drinking party clutched his stomach and ran to the nearby bushes.

"Heh heh, you bastard... look at him run. He's going to shit, he's going to shit."

The men who were drinking with him giggled at the sight of him waddling with his hands on his stomach and buttocks.

But.

Gurgle.

"Hup!"

"Ugh!"

The laughter was short-lived.

At the sudden signal, they stood up one by one, waddled, and began to run hastily to the bushes.

Other than the rice wine lees, there was nothing else they had eaten wrong...

"Hee hee."

At that sight, one of the ambushers in the dark covered his mouth and laughed.

"Serves them right. You bastards... Anyway, the captain is really amazing. How did he think of this method?"

"..."

"To take revenge with diarrhea. Those guys will be very pale by tomorrow morning. The other kids should have seen this."

At those words, Cheonyeong smiled wryly.

Revenge? With just this?

No, it hasn't even started.

"Chunil."

"Yeah."

"You should go back now."

"Huh? Why?"

"Just go."

"...I want to watch more."

Chunil pouted, as if he was very disappointed.

"There's nothing good to see. Go back and stay with the kids. You know the way, right?"

"Yeah."

"Go. Tell the kids to stay at the hideout too. It's an order from the captain."

At Cheonyeong's words, Chunil nodded with a sullen expression.

It's the captain's order...

"Then I'll go first."

"Alright."

Chunil slowly backed away, then ran towards the mountain.

The night road would be dangerous, but...

The other children would be waiting at the entrance of the mountain, so he didn't have to worry.

The reason he sent Chunil away, and prevented the other children who wanted to come along, was.

Because there was nothing good to witness what was about to happen.

Because they are still thirteen.

After confirming that Chunil had disappeared far away, Cheonyeong stood up and stepped out of the bushes.

The Ucheol gang was already all over the place.

All squatting down...

Cheonyeong, who grinned, approached the place where the Ucheol gang's bonfire was.

He can see them.

Ucheol. And a few guys sitting with him.

"Hoo-eup!"

Cheonyeong, who took a deep breath, shouted with all his might.

"Ucheol!"

At the voice that echoed all around, the Ucheol gang all turned their heads to look.

"What? Who's that bastard?"

A few who hadn't yet experienced diarrhea frowned as they looked at Cheonyeong.

"Ucheol? Is that bastard crazy?"

How many adults wouldn't get angry at a kid's informal speech?

Ucheol, whose anger had been barely suppressed by alcohol, stood up with fire in his eyes.

"Huh? Cheonyeong...?"

"What?"

"Th, that's him. That's the guy called Cheonyeong."

Makgae, who was sitting next to Ucheol like a criminal, recognized Cheonyeong's face, his eyes widened, and he pointed his finger.

"Cheonyeong?"

"Yes! Brother! That's him. That's him."

Makgae screamed as if in desperation.

At that sight, Cheonyeong let out a small laugh and said.

"Ah, you were here too? Good. I was going to kill you if I found you anyway."

At the sight of the approaching Cheonyeong, Ucheol's eyes twitched and he sneered.

"Well, what's this? To show up like this... it makes the two days of that dog-like effort feel futile."

"You're welcome, right? For letting you do that dog-like effort."

"What?"

"You didn't have anything to do anyway."

"Ha!"

At the sight of him not being intimidated at all in front of him, Ucheol's bewilderment grew.

And what's with that confident expression and walk?

"You're a special one. A special one."

"I know."

"So? What are you going to do, coming here alone?"

Ucheol looked at him as if he were a cute neighborhood kid.

"What do you mean, what am I going to do? I'm going to fix your bad habits now."

"What do you mean, what? Ha! Have you ever seen such a crazy bastard? He's crazy, crazy."

"..."

"Fix my bad habits? You?"

"Yeah."

"...Yeah, that makes sense. If you beat up a few kids, it's an age where you might get the groundless confidence that you can win against adults."

Ucheol said, crossing his arms as if he were insignificant.

"But it's quite unexpected. I thought you ran away because you were scared."

"Doing something when others think you won't... isn't it kind of unexpected and nice?"

"That bastard... his words."

At Cheonyeong's bright attitude, Ucheol waved his hand and said.

"Jangil."

"Yes, brother!"

"What are you doing? Are you just going to stand by and watch this arrogant kid?"

"But, he's too much of a kid. Do I really have to deal with him?"

"That's true. You're the second-in-command of our gang."

Ucheol nodded and shouted loudly.

"What are you all doing! That rude bastard, catch him and don't let him go!"

At the loud shout... no one stepped forward.

No, there was no way they could step forward.

Because the gang, except for Ucheol, Jangil, and Makgae, was already in pain.

"What? Where did they all go?"

"Where do you think they went?"

"What?"

"Well, that's strange, my nose is filled with a foul smell."

"...?"

At Cheonyeong's words, Ucheol whipped his head around.

But... what the hell are they all doing?

The gang members are all squatting in the bushes far away...

"Brother... hup! I... ugh!"

A guy who was trying to get up was repeatedly collapsing.

"Heh, heh heh heh."

"...?"

At the sight of the bewildered Ucheol, Cheonyeong burst out laughing.

"Have you ever heard of Janglyugeun?"

"Jang... what?"

"It's one of the poisonous plants. Its root is called Sangyuk, and its toxicity is quite strong. It can be a medicine if used well, but you can die if you eat it wrong."

"What kind of bullshit is that!"

"I've learned quite a bit about poison."

"..."

"Come to think of it, it would be a bit much for me to deal with thirty adults at once. So, I sprinkled a lot of it on the rice wine lees at Lord Geum's house."

"What, what did you say?"

At Cheonyeong's words, Ucheol and his gang showed quite a surprised expression, but they didn't seem to understand.

Well, how would you guys know about the noble study of poisonous plants?

"That, it causes diarrhea. Those guys will probably suffer for about three days. Because I raised the toxicity to the extreme."

"Th, three days?"

"It looks like you two are eating it all."

Cheonyeong looked at Ucheol and Jangil and let out a small laugh.

Unlike the gang who only ate the rice wine lees, there was a clean bottle of alcohol and plausible side dishes between them.

"You sons of bitches, the effect should have kicked in by now, but you're fine... you guys bought and ate alcohol separately? Well, there's no way you didn't take the money separately."

"This son of a bitch! I don't know what you're talking about! Jangil!"

Ucheol, who couldn't stand it anymore, shouted, and Jangil, unlike before, strode towards Cheonyeong.

Crack, crack.

Making an eerie sound from his clasped fingers.

"You said you were the second-in-command, right? Then... you're not unrelated either. There's no way that Ucheol bastard did it alone."

"You bastard, I don't know what kind of bullshit you're talking about, but let's get beaten up first!"

"You seem to be good at fighting. But... can you do it alone?"

"One hand is enough, you kid!"

Jangil swung his fist at Cheonyeong.

Whoosh!

It didn't seem like he had learned martial arts, but the sound of his fist cutting through the wind was quite sharp.

But.

Thwack!

Cheonyeong, who had stepped back to avoid the fist that came right in front of his nose, flicked his finger.

It was a thin Secret Wooden Needle, but it had enough power to pierce through the worn-out clothes of a vagrant.

"Kugh! What the hell is this bastard doing!"

He's an adult after all.

He seems to be able to endure the pain of a wooden thorn.

Thwack! Thwack thwack!

Cheonyeong stepped back again and threw Secret Wooden Needle in succession.

"Kugh! Kugh kugh!"

There was no way he could block it.

Enduring it was all he could do.

But they say that even a light rain can soak your clothes.

Even if it's a low-power Secret Wooden Needle, if you get hit like this, can you endure it?

And all the places where it's stuck are vital points.

"Kuuuh..."

Only after dozens of Secret Wooden Needle were stuck did Jangil stop moving.

"You, you bastard..."

Jangil, who was reaching out to grab Cheonyeong, collapsed.

Srrk!

Cheonyeong slit his throat without a moment's hesitation.

Splash!

Hot blood spurted out.

"Gurgle."

Jangil collapses helplessly with his eyes wide open.

"You, you bastard... what are you doing now?"

Ucheol's eyes widened as if he couldn't believe Jangil's death.

He must be surprised.

Because a person suddenly died in front of his eyes, spewing blood from his neck.

Murder? That's as natural as breathing.

Cheonyeong had just chosen the most certain and fastest method from the position of the weak.

"Well, I've taken care of all the hindrances... now it's just you, Ucheol."

One is enough.

To give an answer to his question.

Ucheol looked down at Cheonyeong, who was now standing right in front of him, with a flushed face.

Cheonyeong raised his chin and looked up at Ucheol, saying.

"Ucheol."

"This son of a bitch!"

A curse erupted at the low call, but Cheonyeong asked calmly.

"The kids... why did you sell them?"

"..."

It was cold.

He was clearly a small child who didn't even reach his chest... but the moment he heard those words, Ucheol was overwhelmed and unknowingly stepped back.

What is this?

Because he's smiling while covered in blood?

No.

Suddenly, his atmosphere changed.

The playful kid-like appearance now looked like a god of death holding a life.

Did I... get scared of a bastard who is only thirteen?

He clenched his fists, but for some reason, he didn't have the courage to throw them.

He swallowed hard at the eyes that looked up at him with a blue light.

"You, you! You son of a bitch!"

Ucheol, who clenched his teeth and endured the unknown fear, swung his fist.

Swoosh!

Cheonyeong's hand brushed past Ucheol's flying wrist, and blood spurted out.

"Kugh!"

Ucheol screamed and stepped back, holding his hand.

His wrist was deeply cut.

"First, I'll take one hand. So when I ask, think deeply and answer carefully."

What was in Cheonyeong's hand was a common knife made by vagrants by sharpening a piece of metal.

As blood dripped from the tip of the knife, Cheonyeong took another step towards Ucheol.

"The kids... why did you sell them?"

"This crazy bastard!"

This time it was his foot.

Whooosh!

A powerfully kicked foot flew, and Cheonyeong's upper body bent back like a bow.

"Kuaaak!"

The reaction was the same.

Ucheol's body, whose ankle was deeply cut, collapsed to the ground.

Since he had even cut the tendon, there was no way he could get up.

Cheonyeong, who approached Ucheol's leg as he was dragging himself on the ground, grabbed his remaining leg.

Squeeze!

Ucheol tried to push him away with his foot.

But no matter how hard he tried, the leg that was firmly held in Cheonyeong's hand didn't move.

"Third time... the kids, why did you sell them?"

Cheonyeong raised the piece of metal.

Ucheol, who was terrified by his indifferent tone, said with a pale face.

"S, spare me!"

At his begging voice, Cheonyeong said with a cold smile on his lips.

"The answer, is wrong."

(End of Chapter)