Chapter 54

The rumor that Go Seong-ak and the other martial artists of the Blue Moon Society had been crushed by a single man spread throughout Chengdu in an instant.

The stories told by the guests who were in the inn at the time spread like wildfire. Chengdu was the largest city in Sichuan Province, but it only took a day for the rumor to spread throughout the entire area.

The name and sect of the man who had humiliated the Blue Moon Society were unknown.

Only one thing was certain: his martial arts were incredibly profound. And a rumor circulated that, despite being a man, he possessed an incredibly beautiful appearance.

KWANG!

A thick desk made of rosewood shattered to pieces under the fist of Gi Ju-han, the Boss of the Qingming Room.

“So you’re telling me you came back after being utterly disgraced by a man whose origins you don’t even know.”

“I-I’m sorry, Master!”

Go Seong-ak knelt before Gi Ju-han, trembling.

Gi Ju-han looked down at Go Seong-ak with eyes full of contempt.

The rumor that the heir to the Qingming Room had been defeated by a nameless young martial artist was already rampant in Chengdu.

A martial artist who could fight ten times and win all ten was extremely rare. Such individuals would eventually distinguish themselves and rise to the very top of Jianghu.

Go Seong-ak was not such a talent.

He was the type of talent who, if taught ten things, would understand three or four, and if he pondered for days on end, could grasp seven or eight.

In truth, the Qingming Room couldn’t have handled a talent greater than that. As such, Gi Ju-han’s expectations for Go Seong-ak were not very high.

He simply hoped that Go Seong-ak would succeed him and lead the Qingming Room without any trouble. But Go Seong-ak had mercilessly shattered even that modest wish.

“To be defeated by a mere nameless nobody and tarnish the reputation of our Room.”

“I’m sorry, Master! But he was definitely not a nameless nobody.”

“Shut up! Is that what you call an excuse?”

“It’s true, Master! He is definitely not some insignificant martial artist. He must have approached us with a specific purpose.”

“What purpose?”

At Gi Ju-han’s question, Go Seong-ak’s mind raced.

In truth, his words were just a random utterance to defend himself, containing no basis or fact. But since Gi Ju-han was showing interest, he had to make something up.

“He—he must be connected to the Qingcheng Sect. Since they thought we would help the Emei Sect, they must have sent him to interfere.”

“The Qingcheng Sect…”

Gi Ju-han thought it made sense.

Until now, the Qingming Room had strictly maintained its neutrality. The reason the Qingming Room was leaning toward the Emei Sect was purely because of Go Seong-ak. Because he liked Wu Seonha, Gi Ju-han had no choice but to go along with it.

‘If the Qingcheng Sect is really involved, this is dangerous.’

The Qingming Room had prospered until now by skillfully walking a tightrope, watching the moods of both sides. If they were to lean to one side, they would surely incur the hatred of the other.

Gi Ju-han felt a chill run down his spine.

“Until I grasp the full details, you will lie low. You are also forbidden from approaching Miss Wu for the time being.”

“Master! I can accept anything else, but please take back the order not to see Miss Wu. She is my everything.”

“Silence. Are you planning to endanger the well-being of our Room, blinded by a mere wench?”

“That’s not it…”

“Enough. Lie low as I said. I will take care of the rest. Know that if you disobey my command, I will never forgive you.”

“Yes!”

Go Seong-ak barely managed to answer. But his face was filled with an expression of dissent. However, he wasn’t foolish enough to express his dissatisfaction any further.

Since his master had spoken, he had to at least pretend to obey. But that didn’t mean the anger in his heart had vanished.

‘That bastard! I will never let him get away with this.’

He vowed to get his revenge on Pyo Wol, who had put him in this situation.

＊＊＊

Pyo Wol left the inn.

As the rumor of a new star’s appearance in Chengdu spread, too many people had come looking for him.

Some wanted to see if Pyo Wol was as handsome as the rumors claimed, while others wanted to determine if he was truly a master of profound martial arts.

As one troublesome thing after another arose, Pyo Wol decided to leave the inn altogether.

The first thing he did after stepping out onto the street was to buy a long scarf. He wrapped it tightly around his neck and the lower half of his face, leaving only his eyes and nose exposed.

It didn’t completely hide his handsome face, but it could at least prevent people’s gazes from focusing on him.

With his face thus covered by the scarf, Pyo Wol walked through Chengdu.

His destination was the Thunder Clan.

The Thunder Clan was located in an area east of Chengdu called Golden Hall. It was right next to Chengdu, and Golden Hall itself was a large city.

The Thunder Clan was said to have complete control over Golden Hall.

To kill the Young Sect Leader Nam Hosan, he first had to survey the local topography.

Securing a perfect infiltration route and a safe retreat path was the first step of an assassination.

Pyo Wol had studied the ways of an assassin for a full seven years. He had spent the other seven years learning the Hungry Ghost Path, but that didn’t mean the assassin’s skills he had learned had disappeared.

The road to Golden Hall was extremely well-paved.

Since traffic between the two cities was so frequent, countless people could be seen on the street.

Escort agencies and trading companies driving large carriages were a common sight, and there were quite a few people carrying bundles on their backs.

There were especially many people coming from Golden Hall.

Since Chengdu was a much larger city, the volume of goods coming in was overwhelmingly greater.

With so many people moving along the main road, no one paid any attention to Pyo Wol.

Thanks to this, Pyo Wol was able to arrive at Golden Hall with ease.

The first thing he did after arriving in Golden Hall was to observe the Thunder Clan firsthand.

The Thunder Clan was enormous in scale, as if boasting of its power.

The surrounding wall alone was over two hundred zhang long, and above the high wall, the roofs of more than a dozen huge pavilions could be seen.

The main gate was large enough for three or four carriages to enter at once, and a dozen martial artists stood guard at the entrance.

It was clear at a glance that the security was tight.

Pyo Wol walked slowly around the wall, as if he were a sightseer. The scenery around the Thunder Clan was famous for its beauty, so there were many people looking around.

Thanks to this, Pyo Wol was able to survey the area around the Thunder Clan without seeming out of place.

‘The north seems the most vulnerable, but in reality, its security is the tightest. The west’s security seems perfect, but because of that, the martial artists are letting their guard down. If I were to infiltrate, the west would be good.’

He didn’t choose the west just because it was easy to infiltrate. The west was also good for securing a retreat path. It was directly connected to the bustling downtown area, and there were many small mansions, making it easy to hide.

Pyo Wol changed his clothes.

He wore clothes made of cheap cotton cloth, the kind mainly worn by people in the residential area. He also slightly altered his face.

It was an application of the Cha-geom technique he had learned from So Gyeoksan long ago.

He hadn’t altered his face much. Just a few slight touches here and there were enough to change his aura completely.

When Pyo Wol even changed the look in his eyes, his atmosphere became distinctly different from before.

In that state, Pyo Wol scoured every nook and cranny of the residential alleys.

The alleys were extremely dirty. Since so many people lived crowded together, all sorts of filth overflowed, creating a foul stench. Still, Pyo Wol walked on without a single change in his expression.

To him, a smell of this level couldn’t even be called a stench.

It took Pyo Wol nearly half a day to completely memorize the alleys.

What he paid the most attention to was not standing out. People tend to give outsiders a second glance. If that happened, he could be imprinted in their memories.

To prevent such a situation, Pyo Wol did his best to exude the same atmosphere as the people living in the residential area. As a result, no one passing through the alleys sensed that Pyo Wol was not from there.

After memorizing all the alleys, Pyo Wol returned to his original appearance and took a room at an inn near the Thunder Clan.

From the inn, the main gate of the Thunder Clan was clearly visible.

Pyo Wol sat by the window and carefully observed the people entering the main gate.

Countless people visited the Thunder Clan, as if to show off its power.

Pyo Wol carefully observed the expressions of the people coming out of the Thunder Clan. He was trying to infer the atmosphere inside the Thunder Clan through their expressions.

The faces of those coming out of the Thunder Clan were all stiff. It meant they had felt intense pressure inside the Thunder Clan.

“Damn it! I can’t do business with them, it’s disgusting. How can they slash the prices like that?”

“I’m telling you, doing business with the Thunder Clan drains all your energy.”

As if to prove Pyo Wol’s guess, merchants who had done business with the Thunder Clan entered the inn, voicing their complaints.

Even after sitting down, they fumed with reddened faces.

Pyo Wol quietly listened to their conversation.

“Just how much do they have to squeeze out of you to be satisfied…”

“Phew! I feel like my soul has been sucked out. Hyung-nim, you saw it too, right? Two huge warehouses full of grain. They have all that grain piled up, and they still buy more at a dirt-cheap price. I mean, did they have a grudge against grain in a past life?”

“Tell me about it. The rich are always worse.”

The information coming from the merchants’ mouths was nothing special. Still, Pyo Wol listened without missing a single word.

Many people who did business with the Thunder Clan came to the inn where Pyo Wol was staying. It was probably because it was close to the Thunder Clan.

Just as Pyo Wol was gathering information about the Thunder Clan, an unexpected person entered the inn.

It was Daoshi Go, who had been traveling with Heo Ranju.

Daoshi Go also spotted Pyo Wol and wore a surprised expression. But he soon approached with a smile on his lips.

“Well, look who it is. What brings you here? To see you in this place. What a remarkable coincidence.”

“What brings you here?”

“Hehe! I heard there’s a lot to see in Golden Hall, so I came for a little sightseeing.”

Daoshi Go plopped down in the seat across from Pyo Wol as if it were the most natural thing to do.

“Say, is it alright if I sit?”

“Do as you please.”

“Hehe! Thanks. I was bored traveling alone, so it’s good to see a familiar face.”

Daoshi Go chuckled.

His face was glistening with sweat, as if he had been wandering around outside a lot.

Daoshi Go called the waiter and ordered food and alcohol.

Pyo Wol asked Daoshi Go.

“What about your companions? Why are you traveling alone?”

“Everyone had things to do, so we split up for a bit. Well, we’ll be gathering again soon, so don’t you worry. What about you, what brings you all the way here?”

“I have some business.”

“What kind of business?”

“Just personal business.”

“Is that so? I don’t know what it is, but I hope it gets resolved well.”

Daoshi Go fanned himself with his hand while surreptitiously observing Pyo Wol’s attire.

He was under Jang Muryang’s orders to secretly gather information on the sects within Sichuan Province.

He could have commissioned the Hao Clan or the Beggar Sect, but doing so risked leaking the information that the Black Cloud Corps was on the move.

What Jang Muryang, the leader of the Black Cloud Corps, considered most important was information control.

Potentially threatening information had to be acquired quickly, and their own information had to be prevented from leaking out.

The person who did that job best was Daoshi Go.

For that reason, Jang Muryang had entrusted Daoshi Go with the sole responsibility of gathering information.

“Oh! Ranju misses you a lot. She’s a bit feisty, but there’s no one like her. If you see her again, please treat her well.”

“I don’t know if we’ll ever see each other again.”

“As long as you’re staying in Chengdu, you’re bound to meet again.”

“You plan to stay in Chengdu for a long time, I take it?”

“I don’t know if it’ll be a few months or a few years, but I plan to stay for quite a while this time.”

“Looks like you’ve found a big sponsor.”

“Sponsor? What do you mean?”

“It’s nothing. A slip of the tongue.”

“……”

Daoshi Go frowned and looked at Pyo Wol.

‘Does this guy know something?’

A sudden suspicion arose.

From the moment they first met, Pyo Wol had been unsettling in some way.

Putting aside his inhumanly handsome appearance, his cynical atmosphere and gaze made one feel a strange sense of caution.

‘Come to think of it, we know nothing about this man’s true identity and purpose.’

After entering Chengdu, Daoshi Go had been busier than anyone.

He had focused on digging into the military strength and movements of the sects within Sichuan Province. Since he was handling so many things at once, he had no choice but to neglect Pyo Wol. But seeing Pyo Wol again like this, he felt that he should have figured him out before anything else.

“How long do you plan to stay in Golden Hall?”

“I won’t be here for long.”

“Then will you be returning to Chengdu?”

“Why are you asking so many questions? Do I have to report my every move to you?”

“Why do you have to be so cynical? I’m just asking out of curiosity. Meeting again like this is no ordinary fate, so isn’t it okay to know that much?”

“I don’t think it’s that much, but it seems you think differently.”

“Hehe! I’m naturally a bit nosy. When you get older, you just get more curious. I hope you’ll understand.”

Anyone else would have been offended or flustered by Pyo Wol’s words, but Daoshi Go answered smoothly without a hint of such feelings.

Pyo Wol looked at Daoshi Go with his deeply sunken eyes.

‘They say old ginger is the spiciest. He doesn’t waver easily.’

Daoshi Go’s gaze was persistently fixed on him.