Chapter 448

Chishui was a city at the entrance of Guizhou.

It was a checkpoint city that one had to pass through to get from Sichuan Province to Guizhou Province.

Most of the trading companies or escort agencies coming from Sichuan Province would rest for a day in Chishui to check if their goods were in order.

Because of this, there were several large inns in Chishui for trading companies and escort agencies.

The Zigong Merchant Group entered Chishui around sunset.

To sleep comfortably in a Chishui inn, the Zigong Merchant Group had not taken a single break all day.

“It’s Chishui.”

“Ugh! We can finally sleep in soft beds tonight.”

The escorts and workers brightened up.

Their faces were full of fatigue.

No matter how accustomed they were to long journeys, a forced march like this was bound to exhaust them.

Lee Shin-pil called over one of the escorts and gave an order.

“You, ride ahead and see if there’s an inn where we can stay.”

“Understood. It’s not a busy season for trading companies, so there should be plenty of vacant inns.”

“Go and check for yourself.”

“Yes!”

The escort rode his horse ahead into Chishui.

The Zigong Merchant Group followed leisurely behind him.

Pyo Wol sat atop a carriage, looking at Chishui.

Even from a distance, he could tell that Chishui was a vibrant city.

He could see people moving about busily even from afar.

Pyo Wol came down to the driver’s seat.

“Hyung!”

“Orabeoni!”

Do Yeon-san and Eun-yo greeted him happily.

Pyo Wol said to them,

“Come with me for a moment.”

“Of course.”

“Yes!”

Pyo Wol had barely come down to the driver’s seat on the way here. He didn’t want to get in the way of Eun-yo and Do Yeon-san.

While driving the horse, Do Yeon-san had been diligently describing the surrounding scenery to Eun-yo. He vividly depicted the landscape for Eun-yo, who could not see.

His descriptions were so realistic that Eun-yo felt as if she were seeing it with her own eyes.

Pyo Wol pulled the hood of his Wind Cloak down low and looked ahead.

Finally, the Zigong Merchant Group entered Chishui.

The moment they entered Chishui, many people looked at the Zigong Merchant Group.

Most looked without any particular thought, but among them were sharp gazes hidden.

Stares that watched persistently with a certain intent.

They scrutinized the members of the Zigong Merchant Group with sharp eyes.

The gazes that had been examining the faces of Lee Shin-pil, Gu Sanghak, and the escorts gradually moved toward the rear of the group.

Their gazes focused on Pyo Wol.

He was the only one in the Zigong Merchant Group whose face was covered by a hood.

At that moment, Pyo Wol slightly took off his hood.

But Pyo Wol’s appearance had changed slightly. He had altered his facial features with the Reverse Bone Skill.

Those who had secretly checked Pyo Wol’s face soon lost interest. The face hidden under the hood was more ordinary than they had expected.

Pyo Wol pulled his hood back on.

‘One behind that wall, one behind the stall. Both are holding papers.’

They tried to act naturally, but they couldn’t deceive Pyo Wol’s eyes.

Pyo Wol whispered to Do Yeon-san.

“Can you check the paper held by the man in his mid-forties by the wall, and the man in his thirties sitting at the stall? It looks like a wanted sketch.”

“Got it, Hyung!”

With his reply, Do Yeon-san naturally got off the carriage.

Pretending to buy a gift for Eun-yo, Do Yeon-san approached the stall Pyo Wol had pointed out.

“How much is this?”

“What?”

“This hairpin, isn’t it for sale?”

“Ah, of course it’s for sale.”

The stall owner looked noticeably flustered.

In that instant, Do Yeon-san glanced at the paper in the stall owner’s hand.

A face was drawn on the paper. But the face was familiar. It was a drawing of Pyo Wol’s face.

‘Hyung’s guess was right.’

Then the paper held by the man monitoring Pyo Wol from behind the wall must also be a wanted sketch.

Do Yeon-san tossed the stall owner one silver tael and bought the hairpin. Then he naturally headed toward the man behind the wall.

Fortunately, the man’s attention was elsewhere, and he didn’t even glance at Do Yeon-san.

Do Yeon-san confirmed the wanted sketch in the man’s hand.

It was definitely Pyo Wol.

Do Yeon-san gave a slight nod toward Pyo Wol. Pyo Wol responded with a slight nod of his own.

‘As I thought!’

If he had been So Yeowol, he would have definitely left lookouts here.

Pyo Wol had an appearance that was bound to stand out.

If he had entered with his real face, he would have surely been spotted by them.

They paid no mind to the young Do Yeon-san. Not only was his face not on the wanted sketch, but his young age didn’t make them wary.

Being young was good for this reason.

Most people let their guard down.

Do Yeon-san grinned and returned to the driver’s seat.

He handed Eun-yo the hairpin he had just bought.

“A gift!”

“A gift?”

Eun-yo was startled.

Being blind, she hadn’t noticed Do Yeon-san buying the hairpin.

It was an ordinary hairpin, far too plain to have been bought for one silver tael. But as Eun-yo held the hairpin, her shoulders trembled slightly.

It was the first gift she had ever received from someone.

Do Yeon-san had given it casually, but it created huge ripples in Eun-yo’s heart.

Do Yeon-san smiled and said,

“I’ll buy you something better next time.”

“You’ll buy me another one? Why?”

“I just want to give you things.”

“Okay!”

Eun-yo bowed her head deeply.

The nape of her neck was flushed red. But Do Yeon-san failed to notice and looked at Pyo Wol.

“It’s definitely a wanted sketch of you, Hyung.”

“Go on ahead.”

“Yes!”

Do Yeon-san answered without asking why.

He knew what Pyo Wol was about to do.

When he was out of the lookouts’ line of sight, Pyo Wol naturally got off the carriage.

No one in the Zigong Merchant Group noticed Pyo Wol’s disappearance.

After getting off the carriage, Pyo Wol quietly approached the place where the lookouts were.

When he saw the two men, Pyo Wol climbed onto the roof of a nearby building.

From there, he watched the two men’s movements.

Unaware that Pyo Wol was watching, the two men were busy checking the faces of people entering Chishui.

When the sun finally set, no more people were seen entering Chishui.

‘Looks like everyone who’s coming in today has arrived.’

‘We can probably pack up now.’

The two men exchanged glances.

Having reached an agreement, they packed their things and withdrew.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“You too.”

They left their surveillance posts and joined up.

They walked side by side, consoling each other for their hard work.

They chatted, never dreaming that Pyo Wol was following them.

“What kind of mission is this? Waiting for someone who may or may not show up. I’m bored to death all day.”

“Let’s just endure for another half a month. Didn’t they say to withdraw if he doesn’t show up by then?”

“Seeing as he hasn’t appeared yet, I don’t think he’s coming this way.”

“You never know. In any case, we just have to watch this place until the deadline.”

“Hmph!”

They conversed in low tones, completely unaware that Pyo Wol was secretly following them.

Pyo Wol walked on the wall above, looking down at them.

Walking as silently as a cat, he was not discovered by anyone.

After walking for a while, the men reached a dead-end alley and looked around. After confirming that no one was around, the two men carefully pushed a section of the wall. The entire wall slid back, revealing a hidden space.

The two men entered the secret space without hesitation.

After they disappeared, the wall slowly returned to its original state.

Just before the wall closed completely, the hiding Pyo Wol threw himself inside.

Entering silently, Pyo Wol looked around the interior.

It was a dark space without a single torch.

Someone entering for the first time would have taken a long time to adjust to the darkness, but Pyo Wol adapted in an instant.

‘A warehouse?’

On one side, leather sacks were piled high, and on the wall, various tools were hanging.

Pyo Wol discovered a door on the opposite wall.

The door was locked from the outside.

Pyo Wol drew out his Silken Serpent Strong Energy and pushed it into the crack of the door.

Slice!

He heard the sound of the lock being cut.

When he pushed the door, it opened without a sound.

Leaving the warehouse, a mansion surrounded by high walls appeared.

It was a typical northern-style structure with a courtyard in the middle, surrounded by the warehouse and the house.

It was a structure chosen to block the harsh winds and cold of midwinter, unsuited for a hot southern region like this.

There was only one reason to build a house like this in the south instead of the north.

It was to avoid the eyes of others.

The structure, completely enclosed by buildings on all four sides, perfectly shielded the interior from outside gazes.

It meant that, at least inside, one could live without worrying about external eyes.

The inside of the mansion was as quiet as if no one was there. An uninformed person might have mistaken it for an uninhabited place. But Pyo Wol had seen people enter here with his own eyes.

Above all, his senses detected the presence of several people.

It was a room in the most secluded corner of the mansion.

Inside the room, four men and one woman were gathered.

The men who had entered through the secret passage reported to the only woman.

“We have checked everyone who entered today, but there were no suspicious individuals.”

“Are you sure? Did you check every single one?”

The woman’s voice was extremely sharp.

She was the one in charge here.

She was in her early thirties, and her name was Go Su-gyeong.

Though she boasted a beauty at its peak, no one in here harbored lustful thoughts toward her.

This was because they knew well what a venomous viper-like heart she had.

If one were to harbor lustful thoughts by mistake, they could be melted away by a handful of poison. In fact, one person had died that way.

At Go Su-gyeong’s questioning, the man who had been watching from the stall answered.

“Actually, there was a suspicious fellow, but after checking, it wasn’t him.”

“A suspicious fellow?”

“Yes! He was suspicious because he wore the hood of his Wind Cloak pulled down low. But when he took off his hood later, he had a completely different face.”

“Is that so?”

“I’m certain. Among those who entered today, there was no one who looked like him.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

Only then did Go Su-gyeong’s stiff expression relax.

The man who had been at the stall carefully spoke up.

“It’s been quite some time since we set up and started watching here. I’m not sure if we’re just wasting our time.”

“Don’t think.”

“Pardon?”

“I said don’t think with that head of yours, which isn’t very good anyway. You just have to do as you’re told.”

“Yes!”

The man answered weakly.

Go Su-gyeong scoffed at him.

‘Hmph! A bunch of people with not an ounce of patience.’

It wasn’t as if she enjoyed this kind of life either. But as a martial artist, it was her duty to carry out the orders from above.

“Just in case, go out again tonight and ask around to see if he has arrived.”

“Do we have to go that far?”

“Our target is the Reaper. We don’t know what face he’ll have or how he’ll enter.”

“Yeees!”

The men answered listlessly.

Their faces were full of dissatisfaction, but they didn’t argue.

It was the rule that they had to follow Go Su-gyeong’s orders.

Go Su-gyeong rose from her seat.

“I’m going to my room, so report if anything unusual happens.”

“Understood.”

Go Su-gyeong left the men behind and returned to her room.

The air was sticky, and her whole body felt clammy.

It was when she was taking off her outer clothes to bathe.

Feeling a strange sensation, she cautiously looked behind her. There, she saw a man with a particularly pale face standing.