How could I place Baek Myeon-ho-ri on the board I created?
How can I draw out a guy who is perfectly disguised as another person?
The information I know about Baek Myeon-ho-ri must be used to get him to move based on the situation I’m in and his behavioral patterns.
There must be some weakness. A crack to dig into.
“Nothing makes sense when I think about it.”
Perhaps feeling the uncomfortable silence as I mulled over my thoughts, Gil-san casually threw out a comment.
“What do you mean?”
“That a Demonic Cult member disguised himself as Hyung Yang-baek. They say he used Impeachment Gate, but it’s still surprising that we didn’t notice even after meeting multiple times this year.”
“I-I can’t believe it either.”
“Baek Myeon-ho-ri doesn’t just use Impeachment Gate. He also uses the Memory Absorption Technique, so it’s hard not to get confused.”
Baek Myeon-ho-ri isn’t just some guy masquerading with a mask. There was a clear reason he was a member of the Demonic Cult.
“Memory Absorption Technique?”
“That’s the name of the martial art Baek Myeon-ho-ri uses. There might be another name for it, but it’s generally shortened like that here in Joseon.”
Actually, I shortened it myself and attached a characteristic nickname for easier recall.
“What does he absorb to call it that?”
“This.”
Casually, I pointed my finger and tapped my forehead.
“Brain…?”
“Master Kang, no way?!”
“He eats brains to absorb memories. There’s a reason he’s called a martial artist.”
A horrifying method of absorbing another’s memories.
Of course, it wasn’t to the extent of absorbing martial arts techniques or intimate memories, but he could absorb surface memories, leaving even parents doubts free.
The world doesn’t just point fingers at Demonic Cult members and martial artists for nothing.
“So the real Hyung Yang-baek is…?”
“Probably buried somewhere without a head.”
“…….”
A small silence flowed in response to that grim reality.
The Ma Yang-baek incident leaves one tongue-tied with each thought. Who would have thought there’d be a double trap laid out?
I didn’t want to continue investigating Ma Yang-baek. I might get caught. After pretending to be disappointed about failing the test, I would create a suitable decoy and have them wear Impeachment Gate.
Even if he was declared dead from an accident, that’s fine. If a competent Ho Pil appears and uncovers the murder case, that’s okay too.
Both would be fake answers created by Baek Myeon-ho-ri.
To the righteous sects, he would be the ultimate spy.
‘Wait a minute. The Memory Absorption Technique is clearly…!’
“Is that true?”
I snapped back at the voice that broke my train of thought.
“Aunt?”
“Nana, is that you?!”
“My son… Yang-baek. D-did he die at the hands of a Demonic Cult member?”
Jang Nan-ok, Ma Yang-baek’s mother, asked us with a shocked expression.
I had promised to explain when things were sorted out, but did she hear something somewhere?
“Nana, it’s just a joke. A joke!”
“Y-yeah. Right. Just a joke.”
Kids, your effort to cover this up is commendable.
Who would joke about their son being murdered, eaten by someone else, while a fake son roams free? You could see the lies written all over their faces.
“Aunt, please calm down.”
I had no choice but to step forward. I approached Jang Nan-ok with a serious face.
“On the table is the skin from my son’s face…?”
“……..”
If she discovers that, I’d be left with no responses.
“Ugh! Ugh!”
“Aunt!”
“Call the doctor! Call a doctor!”
It was in an instant that Jang Nan-ok lost consciousness.
————
“You’ll regain consciousness soon.”
I thought we were in big trouble. Once the doctor finished the examination, everyone exhaled a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness.”
“I was worried something might go wrong.”
What parent wouldn’t be shocked by the fact that their child had been demeaned even after death? It was enough to faint from the shock.
“Nana, when you wake up, there will be chaos. What do we say?”
Gil-san asked me with concern.
“Should we inform the Zhuge family?”
Telling the Zhuge family sounds good, but…
“If things seem dangerous, they’ll vanish immediately. They’ll have to fear that Baek Myeon-ho-ri will come after them until they die.”
The opponent is a professional spy. The moment he realizes he’s been caught, he’ll flee.
We have to manage to capture him as swiftly as possible.
“We can’t deal with the Demonic Cult by ourselves. They say the Eun family is cooperating. Won’t Demonic Cult members suddenly flood in?”
“It’s true that the Eun family commissioned the Demonic Cult, but there’s likely only Baek Myeon-ho-ri sent as support.”
I spoke with confidence.
“Why?”
“Con artists don’t trust others by nature.”
“Because they’re afraid of being caught?”
I nodded.
“Baek Myeon-ho-ri prefers to change into the most pivotal character in human relationships, making others protect him without realizing it. On the contrary, he has an irrational aversion to being revealed by factors outside of his control. So he doesn’t keep aides around. He’s moved alone even when operating at the borders of Joseon.”
In the original work, he also operated thoroughly alone according to commissions or orders. And let’s not forget that the Demonic Cult guys have a hidden shortage of manpower. I swallowed the unspeakable settings in my mind.
“What a cuckoo.”
“Pretty much. Even if he’s given a request to lay his eggs in a certain nest, after that, he moves thoroughly alone. There’s no need to get kicked out of a nest because the scent of another bird got mixed in.”
That was the reason Baek Myeon-ho-ri was difficult to apprehend, according to the original setting.
“Then isn’t finding that guy impossible?”
“He has weaknesses. I’ll dig into those.”
Thanks to the conversation so far, a good idea popped into my mind.
“What is it?”
“While maintaining his personality, there’s a limit to how much he can digest others’ memories. Simply wearing Impeachment Gate is simple, but becoming a perfect stranger at best is two or three times a year.”
“Wait a minute. But no one around Ma Yang-baek and the Blue Robe Swordsman raised suspicion… Wait?!”
“He’ll only be able to change into someone else, once. And there’s sure to be circumstantial evidence we can deduce.”
Especially regarding the Blue Robe Swordsman, he has a cool-down period, so no matter how hard he tries, he can only do it once in at most two months.
“If he attempted to poison, it means he’s already prepared in advance.”
Miss Zhuge, congratulations on your sharp insight.
If he didn’t poison me out of spite, it’s right to think he’s finished all preparations and is moving now.
Baek Myeon-ho-ri’s limits, the circumstances until now, and his goal. Now that we’ve come this far, we can narrow down the answers.
Who is he disguised as?
“Yes. There’s a high probability he’s disguised as one of the successor candidates.”
What Baek Myeon-ho-ri aims for is the wealth of Man Geum Battlefield.
He wouldn’t allow a bunch of reckless guys to enjoy what he worked hard for. Only once chance. I could predict the choice he would make.
“Do you have a separate thought?”
What should I do from now on?
How should I confront Baek Myeon-ho-ri?
“That’s…”
“Get revenge for me.”
Suddenly, a voice came from the bed.
“Aunt?”
“Nana, lie down.”
Jang Nan-ok pushed aside Gil-san’s restraint and sat up to look at me.
“I’ve been listening since the beginning. So, what you’re saying is one of my nephews is that Baek Myeon-ho-ri, right? Bring him to me.”
“This isn’t an easy matter.”
“Let him go. If he’s a difficult problem, doesn’t your nephew handle them well?”
Her desperate gaze was on me.
“…….”
“The successor of Man Geum Battlefield is now you. Even if everyone says otherwise and your father’s gone astray, I’ll oversee the division of assets. I’ll certainly say all assets belong to my nephew.”
“Aunt.”
“Do you want something more? If you want something, I’ll grant it. Please. Please! Get revenge on that bastard who has disrespected my son’s death!”
Anger, sorrow, hatred, love, and desperation. Every emotion a mother could feel for her child crashed into me fiercely.
What should I do?
This is a guy who completely transforms into someone else.
In the original story, he was the person who troubled even the protagonist and the world’s princess. Can I catch him?
“I have something I want.”
“What is it?”
“If I can only watch my revenge helplessly, wouldn’t it be too frustrating? Please lend me a hand.”
“I… to him?”
When Jang Nan-ok asked with a surprised expression, I nodded with a smile.
“A wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing is among the sheep. If you hastily lift the innocent sheep’s skin, he’ll notice and run away.”
It’s a tough adversary. Even if I spend time looking for him, he’s not the type to get caught. I can’t act recklessly and poke around.
“What do you have in mind?”
Everyone’s eyes turned to me. How would I plan to deal with such a difficult opponent?
Yeah. He’s quite tricky. Even when he moves, I can’t let him know I’m looking for him.
But you see, I’m now the heir of Man Geum Battlefield. I am Kang Yoon-ho.
Legitimate heir recognized by Man Geum-jeon.
The power to wield a prestigious name.
The identity of the enemy.
There’s no more reason to hesitate.
“Starting now, I will begin herding the sheep.”
It’s time to show the cub dressed in sheep’s clothing how frightening a shepherd with a club can be.
*
Walking along the great river of the Chang River, you reach a bustling port filled with people.
Standing at the port and looking straight ahead, you see a massive path where several carriages could walk side by side that leads to a huge estate.
What is that big estate near the port? Is it perhaps a rich family seeking retainers? If someone draws near from curiosity, a massive sign appears.
[Man Geum Pharmacy.]
A decayed family with a legacy spanning three generations, so it had solid foundations but was now in decline. Therefore, they had married the merchant’s daughter.
The pharmacy where all medicinal herbs that come to Wuhan pass through. It was a wholesale pharmacy run by the Beom family who married the sixth daughter of the Man Geum Battlefield.
“Ahem!”
“Young master! What brings you here today?!”
The attendant of the pharmacy awkwardly coughed and greeted the eldest son of the Beom family who walked in.
“The weather is getting chilly, so I was thinking of making some health tonics. The Joseon ginseng just arrived, right?”
That punk is trying to eat precious ginseng just because the weather turned cold. The attendant smiled awkwardly.
“Don’t even mention it. One family has the monopoly on Joseon ginseng, so even if you want a pound these days, you’ll have to spend a staggering amount.”
“Hand it over.”
“Young master.”
“I’ll mention it to my father. So hand it over nicely.”
What is the grim reaper doing? Why hasn’t he taken this mischievous punk? Having just become the final candidate of Man Geum Battlefield, he already showed his true nature.
“Young master, many people are looking for Joseon ginseng.”
The attendant sighed inwardly and carefully took out the invaluable Joseon ginseng.
“Making me speak one more word…”
At that moment, the pharmacy door was kicked open, and warriors stormed in.
“Everyone, put down what you’re holding!”
“Who’s in charge of the accounts at Man Geum Pharmacy?!”
“It’s me, but who are you?”
It seemed he wasn’t a manager. What in the world is going on? An elderly attendant came out, looking puzzled.
“We come from Man Geum Battlefield. Hand over the ledger.”
The warriors who invaded the pharmacy were warriors from Man Geum Battlefield.
“Man Geum Battlefield? Who are you to command us to hand over the ledger? …Akh! ”
“Young master!”
How dare they cause a ruckus in our family store? As the mischievous punk pointed firmly to show them some discipline, the warrior from Man Geum Battlefield broke his wrist without hesitation.
“From now on, the pharmacy will return to Man Geum Battlefield.”
“What? Man Geum Pharmacy belongs to our family, what nonsense are you talking about?!”
No matter how great Man Geum Battlefield may be, Man Geum Pharmacy belongs to the Beom family. The miscreant clasped his injured wrist and yelled.
“The management was merely delegated to the Beom family, but we never transferred ownership. From now on, Man Geum Pharmacy will once again be operated by Man Geum Battlefield.”
“Nonsense! Security! What are you all doing?!”
“You young master…”
“If we act with force, we will not remain idle.”
At the ominous remark from the warrior who emerged from Man Geum Battlefield, none of the warriors dared to step forward.
“Ugh!”
“The ledger doesn’t match. It claims there are ten pounds of Joseon ginseng, yet eight pounds are missing!”
“Head of Accounts! Take him away! The Head of Guards from the Beom family is also complicit. We’ll capture the Head of Guards and bring him in as well!”
“Hey, that’s… Young master! Young master!”
The mischievous punk could only watch helplessly as the ledger was seized, the safe opened, and the responsible ones captured.
“They will head to all the businesses that were entrusted to us by Man Geum Jeon.”
But this was just the beginning.
There were many enterprises that Man Geum Jeon had entrusted besides the properties given as dowries to his daughters.
“Huang!”
With the heir of Man Geum Battlefield decided, Man Geum Jeon lies unconscious. So, who should manage the assets of Man Geum Battlefield now?
Should we continue showering favors upon the one who sent malice?
There was no need to ask. It was enough to show with action.
“Man Geum Battlefield will NOW reclaim all businesses that were entrusted to the daughters of Man Geum Jeon! All management rights! All of it will be reinstated!”
There were many places to visit before sunset.
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