Chapter 329

Hong Yushin’s importance within the Hao Clan was by no means small. While his position as Surveillance Chief might have made everyone wary, his fair handling of matters and his ability to respond swiftly to changes in the state of All Under Heaven were welcomed by all.

It was also thanks to Hong Yushin that the numerous branches scattered throughout All Under Heaven managed to operate as well as they did. He would visit frequently, pushing them to carry out their primary duty of gathering information.

Furthermore, he possessed an outstanding ability to coordinate the numerous branches. No matter how much they belonged to the Hao Clan, branches in adjacent regions were bound to have conflicting interests.

Hong Yushin wisely resolved such problems, and for that, he had the support of many branch managers. In such a situation, when Hong Yushin went missing, problems began to erupt in many branches.

Because of that, the Hao Clan was now in a state of emergency.

From the old butcher’s explanation, Pyo Wol understood the Hao Clan’s situation.

Since Hong Yushin’s disappearance, the Great Lake branch had also failed to receive proper support, and its activities had been curtailed.

In particular, unlike other places, this branch was run mainly by butchers, so there was a significant difference in the quantity and quality of information.

This was because while Courtesans could disarm people with a smile, a butcher’s approach would instead make them more vigilant.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean we have no information-gathering capabilities at all. It’s just that it takes time to compile the information, so our work is inevitably a bit delayed.”

“How long will it take?”

“Just wait two days. I’ll strip the Iron Mountain Manor bare and tell you everything.”

“Do that.”

Pyo Wol nodded.

There was no reason to push them further when that was the extent of the Great Lake branch’s capabilities. It wasn’t as if he was in a hurry anyway, so Pyo Wol had to be satisfied with that.

“I’ll be staying at Taihu’s Finest Hall for a while. Send the information there.”

“I understand.”

The old butcher answered obediently.

A subtle fear was contained in his eyes as he looked at Pyo Wol.

He was a man who had seen the blood of beasts his entire life.

Though others looked down on it as a lowly job, he had lived his life thinking of it as his calling. And he did his best at this job.

Having dedicated his life to butchering beasts, he had at some point reached the level of a master.

He became able to sever the life of even the largest ox with a single stroke, without pain.

The oxen he killed did not even feel the agony of death, so their meat was exceptionally tender. It was to the point that many cooks wanted to be supplied with the oxen he had personally butchered.

If the old butcher put his mind to it, he could kill a person the same way.

When he looked at a person, he saw the grain.

The grain that could sever life in a single breath.

He couldn’t explain it in words, but he knew well that if he cut that grain, any living creature was bound to meet its death.

There had been no exception among any of the Martial Artists he had seen so far.

There were only differences in degree, but the grain definitely existed. But in the man standing before his eyes now, he could not see such a thing.

No matter how hard he stared with wide eyes, not only was there no grain, but not a single opening appeared.

Instead, he felt as if his own brow was being pierced by something like a needle.

‘What in the world?’

He was flustered by the unfamiliar sensation, the first he had ever experienced. But he soon realized.

The sensation he was feeling now was the same one the oxen and pigs he had killed must have felt.

‘Does this mean… he has grasped my grain?’

The old butcher felt goosebumps rise all over his body.

What he had identified as the grain through a lifetime of working as a butcher, Pyo Wol called the Life-Death Blood Point.

A fatal Acupoint whose location changed from moment to moment according to a person’s constitution, the surrounding environment, and the changing of the seasons, and which could decide a person’s life and death with even the slightest blow.

If Pyo Wol hadn’t worked in a slaughterhouse, he would never have discovered it.

‘They call him the Reaper in Jianghu, and the rumors were no exaggeration.’

If Pyo Wol had harbored any malicious intent, he would already be gone from this world. He would have died without even knowing how, just like the oxen and pigs he had butchered until now.

The realization that his opponent had gone easy on him made him feel even more terrified.

‘This is a man I must never make an enemy of.’

The old butcher rubbed his goosebump-covered arms and watched Pyo Wol’s retreating back.

When Pyo Wol finally disappeared, he said to the young butchers,

“For the next two days, we close the slaughterhouse and gather all materials on the Iron Mountain Manor and Workshop.”

＊＊＊

Pyo Wol left the slaughterhouse and strolled along the riverbank.

The Great Lake was connected not only to the Yangtze River but also to other river streams. Including the countless small, nameless rivers and streams, dozens of tributaries branched out like tree branches and connected to it.

The place where Pyo Wol was walking was also one of those nameless, connected rivers.

The riverside scenery was so beautiful that not only Pyo Wol but many others were strolling and admiring it.

‘Tang Cheolsan!’

If Pyo Wol’s memory served him right, Tang Cheolsan was the one who had hired an Assassin from the Hundred Wraith Union to try and steal Tang Sochu’s Secret Transmission.

Because of that, Tang Sochu had to move his workshop to Pyo Wol’s residence, and he was still living in seclusion even now.

Pyo Wol had told Tang Sochu that he would solve this problem for him.

He hadn’t come here knowing that Tang Cheolsan was staying here. But now that he knew Tang Cheolsan’s workshop and Manor were here, he couldn’t just pass by. That was why he had hired the Hao Clan to gather information on the Iron Mountain Manor.

He had to confirm if Tang Cheolsan was really the person who had made the request to the Hundred Wraith Union.

If he stayed here for two more days, it would become clear.

It wouldn’t be too late to move then.

The sound of people’s laughter could be heard from nearby.

The excitement on the faces of a man and woman walking together was palpable, and there was also a scholar moving his brush under a large tree. Some were laughing with their feet dipped in the river, while young children were running around and playing by the riverbank.

It was truly a peaceful scene. But the people’s peace did not last long.

“Kyaaah!”

Suddenly, a woman’s piercing scream echoed.

“What was that?”

“What’s wrong?”

The people nearby were startled and ran toward where the scream had come from.

A moment later, people’s voices could be heard.

“It’s a body.”

“A body washed ashore.”

“Good heavens! It’s the body of a young girl.”

Pyo Wol walked toward where the voices were coming from.

People were gathered on the riverbank, where reeds grew in abundance.

Pyo Wol pushed through the people and went to the front. Then he saw the body of a girl, half-submerged in the water.

The girl’s body was in a truly gruesome state.

Her flesh was so swollen from the water that her original face was unrecognizable, and her body was covered in gashes that looked like the gills of a fish.

Pyo Wol noticed that all the girl’s fingernails and toenails had been pulled out.

It was clearly a sign of torture.

He didn’t know who the culprit was, but it was clear that they had not only violated the girl but also tortured her viciously.

The method was so atrocious that it made even a cold-blooded man like Pyo Wol frown.

Just then, something caught Pyo Wol’s eye.

It was a necklace around the girl’s neck.

The necklace itself was nothing special.

It wasn’t made of precious metals like gold or silver, nor was it set with any special gems.

What caught Pyo Wol’s eye was the symbol drawn in the middle of the round necklace.

A symbol of two intersecting circles.

Pyo Wol took out the Feather Needles from his robes.

The exact same symbol was drawn on the band that tied the Feather Needles.

“Hah!”

Pyo Wol let out a sigh without realizing it.

He thought he knew who the dead girl was.

Pyo Wol removed the necklace from the girl’s neck.

The atmosphere was chaotic, so no one noticed Pyo Wol taking the necklace.

Pyo Wol pushed through the crowd and came out.

The rumor that a body had been found must have spread, as even more people were flocking to the scene.

The reality that one person’s death was nothing more than a spectacle for someone else was unfolding before his eyes.

Pyo Wol had no intention of blaming the people.

He wasn’t sentimental enough for that, nor was he someone who believed in the inherent goodness of human nature.

Pyo Wol’s gaze suddenly turned toward the top of a hill.

On the hill, he saw a young man who seemed to be on an outing and a martial artist who appeared to be his escort.

What Pyo Wol focused on was the young man.

The young man was looking down at the gathered people with a smile on his lips, as if something was very amusing. Then, perhaps feeling Pyo Wol’s gaze, he turned his head this way.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

At that moment, the young man quickly bowed his head, hiding his face.

The young man soon disappeared with the martial artist.

The distance was too great, and he had bowed his head, so Pyo Wol hadn’t been able to see his face.

He couldn’t see the face, but the man’s aura felt somehow familiar.

He seemed to be one of the people he had met recently.

Feeling uneasy, he went up the hill, but the man had already vanished and was nowhere to be seen.

Pyo Wol immediately headed for the Iron Mountain Workshop.

Because that was where he had bought the Feather Needles.

Since he had been there once before, finding the Iron Mountain Workshop was not difficult.

“Welcome.”

As Pyo Wol entered the Iron Mountain Workshop, a clerk greeted him. Pyo Wol looked around, but Do Yeon-san was nowhere to be seen inside the workshop.

“Is Do Yeon-san not here?”

“Pardon?”

The clerk made a puzzled expression.

He found it strange that a man he was seeing for the first time knew the name of Do Yeon-san, who was merely a Disciple.

“Excuse me, but what is your relationship with Yeon-san?”

“I bought something from him.”

“Don’t tell me that bastard slipped in something he made again? That rotten son of a…”

The clerk’s face instantly contorted.

It seemed something like this had happened before. But it wasn’t very important to Pyo Wol.

“Where is he?”

“Pardon? Why do you ask?”

“I want to see him.”

“He is not here right now. If it’s about a refund, you can speak to me.”

“I want to see him in person and talk to him.”

“You cannot see him right now.”

“Why not?”

“Well, the young master sent him on an errand.”

“The young master, you mean Tang Ikgi?”

“That’s right.”

“Then call Tang Ikgi.”

“Pardon?”

The clerk wore a dumbfounded expression.

He couldn’t understand Pyo Wol’s attitude, calling for the young master, who was like the sky above, as if he were calling a neighborhood dog.

Most people in this situation would have grabbed the customer by the collar and fought, but the clerk responded coolly.

“The young master is not here at the moment either. If you have a message for the young master, please tell me.”

“So I can’t meet him in person.”

“How can I let you meet someone who is not here?”

“Then when will Tang Ikgi be back?”

“How would a mere clerk like me know the young master’s schedule?”

“For a mere clerk, you seemed to have a pretty detailed grasp of things.”

“Now, if your business is finished, please leave. We have a business to run…”

Pyo Wol stared at the clerk for a moment.

As soon as he received his gaze, the clerk’s body trembled.

Pyo Wol hadn’t made any threats, but the clerk felt fear from his gaze alone. If he stared any longer, the clerk looked like he would wet himself.

Fortunately for the clerk, Pyo Wol soon withdrew his gaze and went outside.

“Keuk!”

The clerk’s legs gave out, and he collapsed on the spot.

He lay on the floor for a long time, gasping, before he finally managed to get up. The traces of vomit were clearly visible around his mouth.

“I almost died. Shit!”

The clerk muttered, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

“This won’t do. I should hurry and tell the young master, no, before that, should I ask Yeon-san about that man’s identity? Yes, let’s go to Yeon-san.”

Tang Ikgi hated it most when people spoke of uncertain things. So, to report to him, one had to state the cause and effect or at least some certain information.

The clerk quickly made a decision.

He ran to a warehouse located in the back of the Iron Mountain Workshop.

Do Yeon-san was locked up inside the warehouse.

The clerk opened a small window and called for Do Yeon-san.

“Hey!”

But Do Yeon-san did not answer his call.

Like a man who had lost the will to live, he was just staring blankly at a wall in the corner of the warehouse.

Just as the clerk was about to call Do Yeon-san again.

“So you were here.”

A voice came from right behind him.