CH 119

“How’s your body?”

Seo Mun-pyeong clenched his teeth and did not answer Jin Geum-woo’s question.

Shame and anger coexisted on his face. The fact that he, who is called the Little Boxer, was suppressed by Pyo-wol without being able to show his skills, made him feel ashamed.

So he didn’t say anything.

Although the cause was a courtesan, the confrontation itself was justified. He lost in a fair match, so he didn’t want to make any excuses nor did he want to ask for revenge.

Because his pride didn’t allow it.

Although he lusts over women, he prides himself on being a dignified warrior.

‘I will definitely take revenge with my own hands!’

Seo Mun-pyeong clenched his teeth.

Jin Geum-woo looked at Seo Mun-pyeong without saying anything. It was the first time he had seen Seo Mun-pyeong make such a miserable expression. He was that upset.

In the end, Seo Mun-pyeong did not tell who had beaten him like this.

Jin Geum-woo respected his will.

‘Pyeong will definitely grow from his recent defeat.’

There was no warrior who liked to lose. So if he can overcome the shame of his defeat and use it as a springboard for growth, he will be able to soar higher.

Jin Geum-woo thought that this defeat would be such an opportunity for Seo Mun-pyeong.

He went out, leaving Seo Mun-pyeong alone as he pondered about his defeat. When he came out, he saw Won Ga-young standing there.

“Where have you been?”

“Brothel.”

“Are you talking about where Pyeong went?”

“That’s right.”

“If you did, then you must have met the person who made Pyeong in that state.”

Won Ga-young nodded her head without saying a word.

Jin Geum-woo asked again.

“Who is it?”

“The owner of the brothel.”

“As expected, there was a problem in the brothel.”

“The problem is that the owner of the brothel had such a formidable presence. It’s no wonder how that idiot became like that.”

“Was he that strong?”

“Very.”

In response to Won Ga-young’s answer without a single hesitation, Jin Geum-woo put on a surprised expression.

Like Seo Mun-pyeong, Won Ga-young was a very proud person.

Her pride in her own martial arts was so great that she was called the Phantom Swordsman in Jianghu. If she were to say that the owner was strong without hesitation, it was clear that the other person’s martial arts would really be great.

“What’s his name?”

“He called himself Yaju.”

“The Lord of the Night? That’s crazy. What’s the probability that he’s the one we’re looking for?”

“It’s… half-half.”

“You mean, you’re still not sure?”

“He’s a man who has complete control over his emotions. I couldn’t read his mind at all.”

“Sometimes such people appear, most of them learn to hide their emotions through some rigorous training, but there are some who are naturally born with it. Which one is he?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re making me more and more curious. Which brothel is it?”

“It would be useless to go there. It’s not his residence and he just stop by there occasionally.”

“Really?”

A twinkle passed by Jin Geum-Woo’s eyes.

Won Ga-young knew the flash on his eyes meant.

“I’m already looking all over the place, so good news will come soon.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Jin Geum-woo didn’t ask any more questions. Won Ga-young was one of the few people he could trust. Jin Geum-woo believed in her judgment and reason.

Won Ga-young asked,

“What are you going to do now? Are you just going to wait?”

“While waiting, I will climb the Qingcheng Mountain.”

“Are5 you trying to visit the Qingcheng sect? But they locked their doors.”

“I don’t think it’s completely closed. If that’s the case, they wouldn’t receive any information.”

“So you’re thinking that their doors are just temporarily locked.”

“Even if I can’t go in completely, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go there at least once.”‘

Any sect in Jianghu will welcome a visit from a person with the same reputation as Jin Geum-Woo with wide open arms. The problem is that the Qingcheng sect suffered a lot of damage and does not engage in any external activities.

There is a high probability that they would not let him in even if he visited the Qingcheng sect.

Won Ga-young smiled.

“Well, it’s not bad to take this opportunity to visit Mt. Qingcheng.”

“Why don’t you stop by Mt. Emei on the way back?”

“I don’t feel any attachment to the Emei sect for some reason.”

“I’m joking. I don’t want to stop by the Emei sect either.”

There was no warrior who did not know that the cause of the bloodbath in Chengdu last year was because of the Emei sect’s excessive greed.

Because of that, many warriors looked down on the Emei sect.

It was the same with Jin Geum-woo.

The Emei sect was already a prestigious sect. Although it was said that they were a little far from their former glory, it was still a sect worthy of respect.

Such a sect was overly greedy and made many people unhappy. They had to be fully prepared and responsible for their actions. 

And they are already paying the price.

The fact that there are people already knocking on the doors of the Qingcheng sect, but no one ascending Mt. Emei proved that fact.

Unless there is a significant turning point, the Emei sect will escape its decline.

The downfall of a sect is obvious if they fail to attract talented people. Knowing that fact, Jin Geum-woo predicted that the Emei sect would collapse even before a generation passed.

Jin Geum-woo remembered the assassin who made the Qingcheng and Emei sect fight each other.

When he first heard about him, he couldn’t believe it.The scale of the incident was beyond imagination and for it to be done by a single assassin.

The feeling he felt at that time was a thrill.

Jin Geum-woo was a warrior even to the bone marrow. Cowardice was unacceptable, and he was a leader who proved his invincibility through a head-on confrontation.

The way the assassin fought in Chengdu was a big shock to him.

The more he dug deeper, the more thrilled he felt about how an individual was able to win against the Qingcheng, Emei and the other numerous sects of Sichuan Province.

That’s why he came here.

Because he had to check.

‘If that assassin is on their side, it will bring great disaster to Jianghu.’

They had to meet and judge the assassin in person.

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Hong Yushin got up from the chair, rubbing both his temples with his fingers. 

As he reviewed all the information coming from Chengdu and Sichuan all night, the sun had already risen up in the middle of the sky.

He had stayed up all night.

The new Chengdu branch manager was still clumsy, so he had to review and handle most of the work. As a result, his workload had inevitably increased.

“Hu…!”

He stayed up all night with his eyes open, so his eyes were cold and his head hurt.

Hong Yushin lay down for a moment and pondered whether to close his eyes. But he soon shook his head. He had already stayed up all night. It was a waste of time for him to close his eyes now.

There was nothing better than tea to calm him down.

There was a precious tea that was hard to find in the branch. It was not appropriate for the Hao clan members to drink the precious tea, but Hong Yushin was willing to invest a large sum of money for his hobby.

“Hu…!”

After taking a sip of a certain kind of tea, his mind became clearer.

He looked at the books on the desk and murmured,

“Where the hell is he hiding? He’s definitely here in Chengdu.”

With the snow piled high, he was bound to be tied up in Chengdu.

Hong Yushin was still looking for Pyo-wol. Even if it wasn’t for Jin Geum-woo’s request, he had no intention of giving up on pursuing Pyo-wol.

“He’s definitely here. He only changed his appearance, but it’s clear he’s breathing next to us.”

It was not just his speculation. 

He was certain of it. 

He just had no evidence to back up his claims.

“With the state of affairs now, he must have a helper with him. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense.”

If it was simply to hide their appearance, anyone could do it. However, it was impossible to obtain food, clothing, and shelter which are daily essentials by himself.

In particular, it was unimaginable for a person like Pyo-wol, whose main profession is to kill people, would make money by doing other things. 

So he guessed that Pyo-wol had an accomplice. 

“I need to understand him.”

He felt nervous.

He was well aware that the cause of his nervousness was a sense of crisis.

His senses, which he had cultivated in Jianghu for a long time, were constantly warning him that he was in a crisis. So, even though the snow melted and the road was open, he could not leave Chengdu.

The place he paid the most attention to was Tang Sochu’s workshop.

So far, among those in Chengdu, only Tang Sochu has a clear contact and relationship with Pyo-wol.

While monitoring Tang Sochu’s workshop, he thought that Pyo-yeo would one day appear, but somehow, Pyo-wol never showed up.

“Hoo…!”

When he thought of Pyo-wol, his head hurt again.

So he drank tea again. The teacup was emptied in an instant, and another cup was filled. After drinking two cups in a row like that, his mind and body seemed to be a little more stable.

Hong Yushin wanted to continue savoring the feeling he hadn’t felt for a long time, but reality did not let him do that.

“Lord! Something has happened!”

A member from the inspection team ran into his residence.

His flushed face showed how urgent the situation was.

Hong Yushin sensed that his peaceful time was over.

“What’s going on?”

“A big incident… occurred in a place called Yulgeum Village outside Chengdu!”

“A big incident?”

Hong Yushin frowned.

“That’s… I think you should go see for yourself.”

The subordinate was reluctant to speak.

Hong Yushin’s curiosity was bound to grow further because his presence was needed. Hong Yushin left his seat and got up.

“Let’s go!”

“Yes! I will take you to Yulgeum Village.”

When Hong Yushin came out, the other members of the inspection team and the new branch manager followed.

Hong Yushin glanced at the new branch manager. However, perhaps because of the pressure, his face was frozen and he didn’t even notice that Hong Yushin was looking at him.

The name of the new branch manager is Do Il-chul.

Among the members of the Chengdu branch, he chose the one who was  the smartest. However, due to his lack of martial arts or experience, Hong Yushin could not fully trust the work to Do Il-chul yet.

Knowing that, he was working harder than anyone else, but he still lacked ability in many ways.

Hong Yushin could not blame Do Il-chul. It was trial and error at the beginning of every work. 

They walked for a long time and arrived at Yulgeum Village.

As soon as he entered Yulgeum Village, Hong Yushin was shocked.

“What the hell?”

“Oh my god!”

Do Il-chul, who was looking around the inside of Yulgeum Village, was also surprised and couldn’t close his mouth.

Yulgeum Village, which boasted beautiful scenery, was thoroughly destroyed. Every building almost collapsed, and numerous bodies were strewn across the streets.

The bodies all belonged to the villagers.

The villagers’ bodies were covered in sharp scars, and their whole bodies were stained with blood.

Hong Yushin asked quickly.

“Any survivor?”

“None.”

The subordinate replied with a miserable face.

“When did this happen?”

“We found out about this incident just this morning.”

“What about the killer?”

“We couldn’t find him. Maybe we’ll never even find him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look at their hands.”

At his subordinates’ words, Hong Yushin looked at the hands of the corpses. 

Each of them had a weapon. They were either holding a large kitchen knife, flail, club, or pickaxe.

“When you look at the scars left on their bodies, it is clear that they’re in conflict with each other.”

“You mean they attacked each other?”

“Once you look at the wounds on the body, it seems that way.”

“Huh? But isn’t Yulgeum a clan village? They’re all relatives across the same house, and yet they attack each other? That doesn’t make sense.”

“We think so too, but the scars left on their bodies say otherwise.”

At his subordinate’s words, Hong Yushin inspected the bodies of the villagers himself.

The scars on the corpse obviously matched the weapons the villagers were holding.

“Oh my god! How could this happen…”

For some reason, the villagers attacked and killed each other. 

And not one survived.

It was Hong Yushin, who knew how close the village was and how much they thought of each other. So, he couldn’t understand the disaster in Yulgeum Village.

“We must figure out the truth behind this event. The inspection team should concentrate on this case until it is resolved.”

“Yes!”

The inspectors responded in unison. But their voices didn’t sound credible.

“What the hell is going on?”

Hong Yushin’s eyes shook violently.