Just as they were almost home, Yang In grabbed Jo Chun-bae's sleeve.
"My dear."
"What is it, wife?"
"You should just go back. I'll handle this. Go back and run the business."
He was the husband who had married into a poor family with a widowed mother and two daughters, taking on all the duties of a son.
The family had faced many troubles over the years.
Each time, her husband had stepped forward to resolve them.
It was Jo Chun-bae who had even arranged her younger sister's marriage.
But never before had they faced a matter involving martial artists.
A sense of unease kept creeping into her heart.
She was afraid something terrible would happen to her husband.
"How do you expect to handle it? Don't say such nonsense. Let's go."
Jo Chun-bae started walking again.
"It's been a long time since I've been here. I should visit more often."
Running a business made it difficult to visit his mother-in-law as often as he would have liked.
Fortunately, his sister-in-law and her husband lived near his mother-in-law's house, so he fulfilled his filial duty by sending them living expenses.
When the two arrived at the house, his mother-in-law, Madam Yun, rushed out to greet Jo Chun-bae.
"Son-in-law Jo!"
Her old, bony hands were a pitiful sight.
"It must have been hard for you to come all this way."
She always looked after her son-in-law before her daughter.
It had been that way since the day they married.
It was her own way of showing love for her daughter.
"Mother!"
Yang In embraced Madam Yun.
In the time they hadn't seen each other, her mother had grown far too thin.
Her younger sister, Yang Seon, was also at the house.
Her eyes were so swollen from crying that she was almost unrecognizable.
"Sister-in-law."
"Brother-in-law."
Upon seeing Jo Chun-bae and Yang In, she burst into tears.
Yang In went and held her sister.
They had heard a rough account of the situation through a messenger.
Yang Seon's husband, Jong Hak, worked as a porter for the Yellow Dragon Escort Agency.
He had been caught trying to steal escorted goods during an escort mission.
"Where is Jong Hak?"
"He's being held at the escort agency. An escort warrior said they're going to cut off both his hands in front of everyone..."
Yang Seon couldn't finish her sentence and broke down in tears.
Jo Chun-bae and Yang In were stunned.
"Cut off his hands?"
Jo Chun-bae had come knowing this was no ordinary matter.
Escort agencies imposed excessively harsh punishments on insiders who stole escorted goods.
With so many thieves on the outside, they couldn't afford to have people on the inside start stealing as well.
That was why he had closed the tavern and rushed here at once.
But cutting off both his hands? That was the most severe punishment of all.
What on earth had he tried to steal?
"Sister, brother-in-law. You know he's not the kind of person to steal from others, right? Someone must have framed him."
They knew.
The Jong Hak they knew would never do such a thing.
There had to be some other reason.
In her desperation, Yang Seon pleaded with her brother-in-law.
"Brother-in-law, you run a tavern in front of the Demon Sect, don't you? Do you know anyone there? If someone from the Demon Sect stepped in, they might be able to clear my husband's name, right?"
Know anyone? He knew many.
He knew the Young Cult Master, the Underworld Pavilion Lord, the Demon Army Lord, the Ghost Shadow Branch Master, the Demon Sovereigns, and even the Heavenly Demon himself.
But there was no one who could help with this.
They were just honored guests he knew because of the Young Cult Master.
Normally, they were people he couldn't even make eye contact with.
The person he felt most comfortable asking for a favor was Geom Mugeuk.
He was such a special person.
But Geom Mugeuk was away in The Outlands.
He couldn't ask the low-level demonic practitioners who were regulars at the Flowing Wine Tavern to travel with him for days to his hometown to solve the problem.
He wasn't close enough to anyone for that, and even if someone offered to help, it wasn't a matter a low-level demonic practitioner could resolve.
As her husband was lost in thought, Yang In scolded her sister.
"What are you saying? So what if he knows someone? Are you trying to make things worse?"
"No. I'm sorry, sister. I was just frustrated. Please don't worry about it, brother-in-law."
"It's alright, sister-in-law. I understand."
What couldn't she say at a time like this?
Jo Chun-bae rose from his seat.
"I'll go to the escort agency."
Madam Yun grabbed Jo Chun-bae's hand, her eyes welling with tears.
"I feel so bad for causing you this trouble."
"Please don't say that. This is about Jong Hak. If you wait here, I'll go and resolve it."
Jo Chun-bae stepped outside.
His wife, Yang In, followed him.
"I'm coming with you, dear."
"It's okay, you wait here."
"I'm sorry."
"Stop saying you're sorry."
If they were to talk about who should be sorry, he was sorrier for the life of hardship she had endured after meeting him.
She was the wife of his youth who had trusted and struggled alongside him when he didn't have a single penny to his name.
"Be careful. Don't push yourself. Jong Hak is important, but you're more important, you understand?"
She felt sorry for her sister, but this was her true feeling.
A life without her husband was unimaginable.
*
Jo Chun-bae bowed his head to the escort warrior guarding the entrance of the Yellow Dragon Escort Agency and approached him.
"Good day."
"Who are you?"
"I am Jong Hak's older brother-in-law."
The escort warrior's expression stiffened slightly, indicating that he knew Jong Hak.
"You can't see him right now."
"I know. You must be having a hard time in this cold. Here, please take this first."
He offered the man food and wine wrapped in paper.
He had bought them from a tavern on his way here.
"I can't accept this."
The delicious aroma tickled his nose.
He had bought the side dish most favored by martial artists at taverns.
"You can have it when you go off duty. I'll leave it back here."
Jo Chun-bae placed the wine and food behind a pillar.
He knew the minds of martial artists well and acted skillfully, giving the man no chance to refuse.
"I would be grateful if you could just tell me if he's safe. We're his family, we need to know if he's alive or dead."
When Jo Chun-bae pleaded earnestly, the martial artist couldn't bring himself to refuse that much.
"He's not dead yet, so don't worry."
"I heard they're going to cut off his hands."
Cutting off both hands was no different from killing him.
If his wounds weren't quickly cauterized and treated on the spot, he would die on the way to a doctor.
Even if he was lucky enough to survive, what would become of his life after that?
"If you commit a crime, you must be punished."
"That's right, of course. So, when will the punishment be carried out?"
"In three hours. They're going to call the villagers to witness it."
Three hours? Jo Chun-bae's vision went dark.
There was no time, not nearly enough.
"Now, leave."
"Sir, please, just let me see his face once."
Jo Chun-bae discreetly showed the promissory note he had prepared in his sleeve.
It was a thirty-Nyang promissory note.
It was too much money to receive for just a brief glimpse.
Jo Chun-bae knew that if one was going to use a bribe, it had to be an amount difficult to refuse to be effective.
"There's another man guarding over there."
It meant the money wasn't enough.
"If you make it happen, I will give ten Nyang to the guards over there and thirty Nyang to you, sir. Please, just let me see his face."
The escort warrior opened the gate, glanced inside, and then gestured to Jo Chun-bae.
"Follow me. Give me the money first."
"I'll give it to you when we get there."
The escort warrior looked displeased but was already swayed by his greed.
Jo Chun-bae followed the escort warrior inside.
After exchanging a few words with the escort warrior guarding the warehouse, he beckoned to Jo Chun-bae, who was waiting behind a tree.
"Just for a moment."
Jo Chun-bae handed him the forty Nyang from his pocket and entered the building.
There, Jong Hak lay tied up tightly.
His face and body were a mess, as if he had been tortured.
Even when shaken, he did not easily regain consciousness.
"Jong Hak."
After being shaken several times, he barely managed to open his eyes.
"Brother-in-law? Brother-in-law!"
"Are you alright?"
"Brother-in-law!"
Tears streamed from his eyes, which were filled with a sense of injustice.
"I didn't steal anything. They framed me!"
Jo Chun-bae covered his mouth as his voice began to rise.
"Shh! But why would they frame you?"
"I saw something I shouldn't have."
Just as he was about to say something more, the escort warrior came in and pulled Jo Chun-bae away.
"We have to go. The next shift is coming."
He followed the man back to the entrance of the escort agency.
"If you breathe a word about today, you're dead."
It was a threat not to reveal the bribe.
"Get lost."
Jo Chun-bae left the escort agency.
His heart was heavy.
If he had actually stolen something, he could have used bribes like this to at least prevent his hands from being cut off.
But what if he was caught up in some kind of conspiracy?
Jo Chun-bae quickly hired a carriage and went to a certain place.
It was a branch of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, about an hour's carriage ride from his in-laws' house.
It was a small branch, and standing at the entrance was a demonic practitioner with a far more fearsome appearance than the one guarding the escort agency.
The demonic practitioner looked Jo Chun-bae up and down with cold eyes.
Before he could ask anything, Jo Chun-bae politely introduced himself first.
"My name is Jo Chun-bae, and I run a tavern in front of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect's main headquarters."
"And?"
"I would like to see the Branch Leader here."
"What for?"
"There's something I need to tell him in person..."
Swoosh.
Without another word, the demonic practitioner drew his sword.
"Aack!"
Jo Chun-bae screamed.
He thought he was being stabbed, but thankfully the blade was only pointed at his neck.
"Why would a tavern owner want to see the Branch Leader?"
"My younger brother-in-law has been wrongfully accused. I've come to ask the Branch Leader for help."
"You must be crazy. Are you not going to get lost?"
The words "the Young Cult Master sent me" rose to his throat, but he couldn't bring himself to say them.
No matter what, he couldn't dare use the name of the Demon Sect's Young Cult Master.
Even if Geom Mugeuk forgave him, the other demonic practitioners would not.
He considered offering the money he had prepared, but judging by the atmosphere, it was certain that they would just take the money without letting him see the Branch Leader.
Yes, this was how it was supposed to be.
This was the relationship between a tavern owner and a demonic practitioner.
Being ignored was the baseline, and it was perfectly acceptable to threaten him with a sword to his throat.
It was only because of the one-of-a-kind Young Cult Master that he could be a special tavern owner.
Jo Chun-bae returned home.
Yang In, who had been waiting anxiously in the yard, ran to him.
It was a relief that her husband had returned safely, but he brought with him devastating news.
"They're going to cut off Jong Hak's hands in an hour."
Yang In's heart already ached thinking about how devastated her mother and sister would be.
Jo Chun-bae silently held his wife, who was sobbing quietly.
She did not see the look of resolve that flashed in his eyes.
*
A crowd gathered at the Yellow Dragon Escort Agency.
The escort agency intended to cut off his hands in front of the villagers.
That was the established law of the agency.
Since Jong Hak's mute point and pressure points were sealed, the way he was docilely led out made it seem as if he was quietly admitting his guilt.
The person conducting the proceedings was Escort Leader Gong Chan.
"Do you quietly admit your guilt?"
With his pressure points sealed, he could not answer, nor could he shake his head.
But the people did not know this.
Among the murmuring crowd was Jo Chun-bae's family.
They had hired a doctor and brought him along.
Even if his hands were cut off, they intended to treat him on the spot and at least save his life.
"Since you have admitted your guilt, we will cut off both your hands to make an example of you!"
At that cry, Madam Yun staggered as if she would fall, and Yang Seon began to wail.
"My dear! My dear!"
Jong Hak looked at his wife with eyes full of injustice and sorrow.
He had never committed a crime in his life, yet he had never imagined he would be framed and have his hands cut off like this.
Bad things always happen in an instant.
Just as Gong Chan drew his sword to cut off his hands, Jo Chun-bae stepped forward.
"I am that man's older brother-in-law."
All eyes turned to him.
"We have not heard anything about this incident. I believe you should at least explain what happened."
Yang In, as well as Madam Yun and Yang Seon, were surprised when Jo Chun-bae stepped forward.
They were afraid that Jo Chun-bae would also be harmed.
"The investigation is already over. That man tried to steal the escorted goods, and he is receiving his punishment."
Gong Chan gave him a threatening look as if to say, "Do you want a taste of this too?" but Jo Chun-bae was determined to save his brother-in-law somehow.
"What exactly was he caught trying to steal? It's not as if the stolen item wasn't recovered. I think cutting off both hands for just attempting to steal is too harsh a punishment."
Yang In's hand, gripping Jo Chun-bae's arm, was trembling.
"Too harsh a punishment?"
Gong Chan's eyes grew fierce.
Jo Chun-bae was not afraid.
What kind of glares had he seen at the Flowing Wine Tavern?
From the other's reaction, Jo Chun-bae sensed that appealing to reason would not solve the problem.
In the end, there was only one method he could use.
"Even the Demon Sect doesn't handle things this way."
The surroundings grew quiet at the mention of the Demon Sect.
"I know the masters of the Demon Sect. Please, wait until they arrive to mediate."
Gong Chan's expression was completely hardened.
The Demon Sect carried an aura of fear and intimidation.
If they got involved on the wrong side, an escort agency could be completely wiped out.
"Who in the Demon Sect do you know?"
"I know the Underworld Pavilion Lord."
The surroundings instantly froze.
The villagers might not know, but the escort warriors knew what kind of position the Underworld Pavilion Lord held.
"I also know the Demon Army Lord."
With the mention of the Demon Army Lord, the surroundings fell silent.
He didn't bring up the Demon Sovereigns or the Young Cult Master.
Being too over-the-top would be ineffective.
Just then, an escort warrior who knew Jong Hak's family history came and whispered in Gong Chan's ear.
"That man runs a tavern near the Demon Sect."
"A tavern?"
"A shabby, small tavern."
A sneer crossed Gong Chan's face.
"A mere alcohol peddler dares to use the Demon Sect's name to threaten me?"
Gong Chan was angry and ashamed at the fact that he had been momentarily scared.
"If I send word, they will come."
Having already heard that he was a tavern owner, Gong Chan was no longer listening to Jo Chun-bae.
"Drag that man over here!"
At that, his sister-in-law Yang Seon cried out.
"No! My brother-in-law was just trying to save my husband and said something he shouldn't have! Please forgive him!"
Fear gripped Yang Seon that her brother-in-law would also be dragged away and harmed.
In the end, Jo Chun-bae was also dragged out.
With his pressure points sealed, Jong Hak couldn't even move his head, so he could only watch the situation with a heart full of despair.
The person he had truly liked after getting married was Jo Chun-bae.
He had felt so secure because of him, and he was so sorry that he was going through such an ordeal because of him.
"Since you have threatened our escort agency by invoking the Demon Sect, I will cut out your tongue."
Yang In and Yang Seon screamed.
"No!"
"Please forgive him!"
Madam Yun fell to the ground and pleaded.
"My son-in-law, please forgive him just this once! Punish this old woman instead."
Trembling with fear, Jo Chun-bae said to Gong Chan.
"Give me time to confirm my words. For the sake of the Yellow Dragon Escort Agency, do not be hasty."
Gong Chan shouted furiously.
"Shut up! You wretched worm, still making threats to the very end. I'll cut out your tongue first."
"If you touch me, the Demon Sect's Young Cult Master will not let you go!"
He had hoped to scare him, but it only had the opposite effect.
"The Demon Sect's Young Cult Master? This one's truly lost his mind. Let's say you're telling the truth and you do know the Young Cult Master. Do you really believe the Young Cult Master of the Demon Sect would come all the way here to help you?"
He shouted that it was true, but it was no use.
The escort warriors grabbed both of Jo Chun-bae's arms.
They were really going to cut out his tongue.
Just then, something pure white landed on Jo Chun-bae's shoulder.
He looked up to see that it had started to snow.
The people looked up at the snow.
Why did it have to snow at a time like this?
They say a person's fate is unknown even a moment ahead.
He never thought his tongue would be cut out here at the Yellow Dragon Escort Agency.
But he didn't regret it.
He couldn't just stand by and watch his good brother-in-law have his hands wrongfully cut off.
Still, he couldn't help but be afraid.
If his tongue was cut out, would he survive? Someone would have to stop the bleeding for him to live.
He could see his wife's wailing face in the distance.
I'm sorry, dear.
I'm so sorry this husband of yours is so powerless.
Behind his wife, he could see Madam Yun and Yang Seon crying their hearts out.
Mother-in-law, I'm sorry.
Sister-in-law, I'm sorry.
Just as Gong Chan was about to put his hand inside Jo Chun-bae's mouth.
Swiiiiiish.
He thought he heard the sound of a fierce wind.
Kwaang!
Something that had flown from the sky crashed down onto the training grounds.
People screamed, and the Escort Leader and escort warriors drew their swords, creating a commotion.
All eyes turned to that spot.
The thing that had flown in was a person.
He was lying spread-eagled in the middle of the training grounds, gasping for breath.
His hair was disheveled, and his whole body was drenched in sweat.
Only his ragged breathing could be heard in the grounds.
Jo Chun-bae, who recognized who it was, was startled.
His astonished face, dazed and bewildered, gradually broke into a smile, then a bright laugh.
Then, his heart welled up, and his eyes filled with tears.
He clenched his teeth, thinking he was about to cry out loud, but a sob, "Euh-heuh-heuk," escaped his lips.
As everyone watched, the man lying on the training grounds looked up at the sky and said.
"Tavern owner, the first snow is falling."