Chapter 66

“What are you talking about? What happened to Oh Yuk-pae?”

Jang Muryang looked bewildered.

He had just returned from discussing how to deploy their forces at the Hundred Flowers Room, only to be greeted by the news that Oh Yuk-pae had returned with severe injuries.

Jang Muryang dropped everything and headed to Oh Yuk-pae’s quarters.

Oh Yuk-pae was lying on a bed with white cloths wrapped around one eye and both knees. Heo Ranju was sitting by his side.

“What in the world happened?”

“He had a stroke of bad luck. This bastard ruined everything.”

Heo Ranju recounted what had happened with Pyo Wol.

As he listened to her story, Jang Muryang’s expression grew more and more distorted.

“So you’re saying he ended up in this state because he was chasing after men?”

“That’s right!”

“This is absurd.”

Jang Muryang was momentarily at a loss for words.

It was so ridiculous that he couldn’t even speak.

At a time when they were on the verge of an all-out war with the Qingcheng Sect, Oh Yuk-pae, one of their key assets, was lying there practically crippled.

It was a great loss for the Black Cloud Corps, but it was also a severe blow to Jang Muryang personally.

Oh Yuk-pae, along with Yang Woo-jeong, Daoshi Go, and Hyeol-seung, was one of his most trusted subordinates who best understood his military strategies.

They were prepared to jump into the fires of hell without hesitation if Jang Muryang commanded it. It was by no means easy to keep such loyal men by his side.

“Pyo… Wol!”

Jang Muryang seethed, recalling the most handsome man he knew.

He knew from seeing him subdue Heo Ranju in a single move that he was a Martial Artist of no ordinary level, but he never imagined he would be great enough to cripple even Oh Yuk-pae like this.

“Of all the times for this to happen…”

Jang Muryang looked at Oh Yuk-pae, who was lying on the bed, with contempt in his eyes.

The thing he valued most was discipline.

The Black Cloud Corps had been able to remain intact until now precisely because they applied strict discipline.

Especially at a critical time like this, he could not tolerate even a single person acting out of line. A single misstep could ruin their grand plan.

“He’s a lucky bastard.”

If he had his way, he would have led all his forces to find Pyo Wol right now. And he would have made him pay a harsh price.

The problem was that the Black Cloud Corps had a mercenary contract with the Emei Sect.

If they suffered significant damage while fighting Pyo Wol, it would create a major problem in fulfilling the contract. If that happened, Jang Muryang’s long-cherished dream of entering Sichuan Province would become a distant one.

‘Surely he didn’t calculate all of this, did he?’

Jang Muryang dismissed his own thought.

The only ones who knew that the Black Cloud Corps had signed a contract with the Emei Sect were their own members.

Jang Muryang thought it was an accident caused by a series of coincidences.

Of course, that didn’t mean he was going to just let it go.

“Once things settle down to some extent, I’ll have to deal with him first.”

What bothered him most was that this mess had occurred as soon as he had withdrawn Maun and the others.

He knew from experience that he shouldn’t leave someone who bothered him like this alone.

Jang Muryang’s gaze turned to Heo Ranju.

“But why did you go looking for him?”

“Just in case.”

“It seems your beauty doesn’t work on him either.”

“That bastard must be impotent. To not even flinch with a beauty like me right in front of him.”

“Did you see his eyes? They were more emotionless than ours, who have rolled around on battlefields for years. Do you think a man with eyes like that would give his affection to others? Give up!”

“I was going to anyway. My pride is too hurt to keep doing this.”

“A wise decision.”

“I will definitely repay this humiliation.”

A chill emanated from Heo Ranju’s voice.

They say when a woman holds a grudge, frost will fall even in May and June, and Heo Ranju was the perfect example.

Although she had no relationship with Pyo Wol, she believed she had been emotionally scarred because of him.

“You should. I’ll take care of him as soon as things with the Qingcheng Sect are roughly sutured, so be aware of that. Understood?”

“I understand.”

“Then that’s settled.”

Jang Muryang stood up from his seat.

This was enough.

It was a shame that Oh Yuk-pae was out of commission, but since the rest were intact, it was worth a try, albeit disappointingly.

“We will move as soon as the cavalry joins us, so be fully prepared.”

＊＊＊

Cheong-yeop looked at the man sitting across the table with a grave expression.

The middle-aged man, with an ordinary appearance and shabby clothes that could be seen anywhere, was Oh San-gyeong, the Chengdu branch manager of the Hao Clan.

As a Chengdu native, Oh San-gyeong knew the internal affairs of the city better than anyone.

Oh San-gyeong carefully opened his mouth.

“So you are asking me to find the culprit who killed the young master of the Thunder Clan?”

“That is correct.”

“Hah! That’s like finding a needle in a haystack.”

“Still, I believe the Hao Clan’s abilities are more than capable of finding him.”

At Cheong-yeop’s words, Oh San-gyeong’s expression slightly contorted.

In fact, when Nam Hosan died, Oh San-gyeong had also mobilized all his members to find the culprit.

The assassination of the Thunder Clan’s young master in Chengdu was that big of an incident.

The problem was that there was no trace of the Assassin left behind.

Many Hao Clan members also lived in the residential area near the Thunder Clan. They would observe any unfamiliar outsiders and submit reports. But on that day, not a single report came in.

It meant that no one who would have felt out of place to the Hao Clan members or the residents of the area had visited.

Just like Cheong-yeop, the Hao Clan had come up empty-handed.

“Asking me to find an Assassin who uses the Qingcheng Sect’s Martial Arts. Hah!”

“The peace of Sichuan Province is at stake. If this goes wrong, the conflict in Sichuan Province could worsen. We must find the real culprit before that happens.”

“It’s not that I don’t know that, but…”

“I’ll ask you directly. Have there been any suspicious individuals or anyone who has stood out in Chengdu recently?”

“Hmm!”

“Any clue, no matter how trivial, is fine. We are that desperate.”

At Cheong-yeop’s words, Oh San-gyeong pondered.

“I don’t know if he’s related to the death of young master Nam Hosan, but a peculiar Martial Artist has recently entered Chengdu.”

“Peculiar, how so?”

“I haven’t seen him myself, but I hear he’s so handsome he can bewitch people. They say he has a demonic charm that makes women who see him even once lose their minds.”

“If it’s simply for that reason…”

“But he is strong. Just before entering Chengdu, he had a clash with the Escort Chiefs of the Gujin Escort Agency, and he left them all half-crippled. I heard he even blinded one of them.”

“Such a…”

“His methods are unspeakably cruel. Great Hero Oh Wonhoo, a well-known Expert in Sichuan Province, also had his arm ruined by him.”

“Why didn’t we know about someone with such cruel methods?”

“Because he only recently entered Chengdu. And…”

“Is there more?”

“He has a record of fighting and subduing Heo Ranju, the Vice Unit Leader of the Black Cloud Corps, within Chengdu. I heard he subdued her in a single move.”

Cheong-yeop’s expression hardened.

He knew that the Black Cloud Corps was a formidable group of Wanderers.

They had come to him not long ago to make a deal with the Qingcheng Sect.

Although the deal fell through, it was a negotiation that left some regrets. That was how formidable the Black Cloud Corps’s power was.

The Vice Unit Leader of such a group would possess quite powerful Martial Arts, yet to be subdued in a single move meant his Martial Arts must be truly extraordinary.

“Are you saying he is connected to the death of the Thunder Clan’s young master?”

“I don’t know if he’s connected, but he is certainly the most conspicuous person to have entered Chengdu recently. He is the one who most closely fits the description of the person Daoist Master Cheong-yeop asked me to find.”

“What is his name?”

“They say it’s Pyo… Wol.”

“Pyo Wol?”

“Yes! That is all we know. If you wish, we can investigate further.”

“No. From now on, we will handle it ourselves.”

Cheong-yeop stood up from his seat.

It seemed there was no more information he could get from the Hao Clan by staying any longer.

Thud!

Cheong-yeop took a pouch of money from his robes and placed it on the table.

“Thank you, Daoist Master Cheong-yeop! If you ever need help, please come find us anytime.”

“Ah! Before I leave, let me ask one more thing. Did the Emei Sect also come here?”

“The Emei Sect has not come yet. Though they might in the future.”

“I’m saying this out of an old man’s concern, but it would be best not to accept any requests from the Emei Sect for the time being. Not if you don’t want to make an enemy of the Qingcheng Sect in Sichuan Province.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Oh San-gyeong gave a slight smile and bowed his head to Cheong-yeop.

Living as a branch manager of the Hao Clan, this kind of threat was a daily occurrence. It was just that the one making the threat was the Qingcheng Sect that bothered him, but if it seemed truly dangerous, he could just stop his activities for a while and hide in the shadows.

The Hao Clan had survived that way until now, and it would continue to live that way in the future.

Cheong-yeop looked at Oh San-gyeong for a moment before heading outside.

Outside, Cheong-san and the disciples were waiting for him.

Cheong-san approached Cheong-yeop and asked.

“Did you find anything?”

“There is a suspicious person. I think it would be best to investigate him first.”

“Who is it?”

“A man named Pyo Wol. He is the most conspicuous person to have entered Chengdu recently.”

“Pyo Wol? I understand.”

Just as Cheong-san was repeating the name ‘Pyo Wol’ several times.

“Senior Martial Uncle!”

Suddenly, a second-generation disciple came running in a hurry.

“What is it?”

“The Emei Sect’s movements are unusual.”

“Unusual? What do you mean?”

“According to a message from the Geumcheon Gate Leader, the atmosphere at the Hundred Flowers Room, where the Emei Sect Martial Artists are staying, is very tense.”

“Over what?”

“I don’t know that much, but they say the movements of the Emei Sect and Hundred Flowers Room Martial Artists are unusual.”

“The Emei Sect…”

Cheong-yeop furrowed his brow.

Geumcheon Gate Leader Yeo San-wi was a very cautious person. For him to send someone to warn them like this meant the situation was truly unusual.

“Let’s return to Geumcheon Gate for now.”

“Then what about the task of tracking the culprit?”

“This comes first. It won’t be too late to find the culprit later.”

“I understand.”

Cheong-san answered with a vigorous voice.

Cheong-yeop and Cheong-san led the disciples back to Geumcheon Gate.

＊＊＊

“It’s gotten a little quiet now.”

As the voices of Cheong-yeop and the others from outside disappeared, Oh San-gyeong muttered with a refreshed expression.

Negotiating with a large sect like the Qingcheng Sect was completely draining.

In terms of the sect’s scale or influence, the Hao Clan was not inferior to the Qingcheng Sect. But the story changed if the territory was limited to Sichuan Province.

Within Sichuan Province, no sect could match the influence and dominance of the Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect. The same was true for the Hao Clan.

Because of that, they respected each other while finding each other bothersome.

They maintained a certain line.

They knew all too well that crossing the line would only be a headache for both sides. Still, it couldn’t be helped that meeting like this was tiring.

“Anyway, who could the real culprit be? Could it really be him?”

Oh San-gyeong tapped his chin with his finger.

He took out a yellowish book from a bookshelf.

On the thick book were written the words Capital Martial Artists Registry.

In other words, it was a valuable book containing the personal details of Martial Artists active in Chengdu. The Hao Clan’s Chengdu branch revised the book once every ten days.

When a new Martial Artist appeared, they would be recorded in the book every ten days.

This book, updated every ten days, was transcribed once every two months and sent to the main headquarters.

Not only the Chengdu branch but all branches of the Hao Clan sent information to the main headquarters in this way. Thanks to this, the Hao Clan was able to possess the most extensive personnel information in All Under Heaven.

Flipping through the book, the most recently written name appeared.

[Name—Pyo Wol.

Personal history unknown.

Purpose unknown.

Martial Sect unknown.

Possesses Martial prowess great enough to subdue the Vice Unit Leader of the Black Cloud Corps in a single move.

Assessed to have an extremely radical disposition.

First appeared at the Red Sky Tower in Padang, western Sichuan Province.

With the Courtesans of the Red Sky Tower….]

Inside the book, Pyo Wol’s activities since he appeared in the world were recorded in detail.

Although it hadn’t been long since Pyo Wol made his full appearance in Chengdu, the Hao Clan had already grasped his movements.

“Did he really kill Nam Hosan?”

Oh San-gyeong wrinkled his nose.

Pyo Wol was a person of interest for the Hao Clan as well.

It was because of his extraordinary appearance, his unclear personal history, and the strong martial power he displayed in the process of subduing the Escort Chiefs of the Gujin Escort Agency.

Now, if he just sent this book to the main headquarters, the judgment would be made there.

But one thing he could guarantee.

If the main headquarters saw this book, it would be impossible for Pyo Wol to enjoy true freedom any longer. The Hao Clan would send an Expert to thoroughly monitor his every move.

“So who told him to get caught in the clan’s surveillance network? Whatever happens to him is none of my business.”

It was when he was about to put the book back on the shelf.

“So there was something like that.”

An emotionless voice came from behind him.