“I refuse.”
“Are you not even going to hear who it is?”
“Whoever it is, I have no intention of killing anyone.”
As Jin Sohyun, who had spoken firmly, stood up from his seat, Jeokmyeon continued with a short sigh.
“The Baekhwa Pass.”
Jin Sohyun’s movent stopped.
“There’s no way you wouldn’t know. It was the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple that destroyed the Baekhwa Pass. Your work.”
“…”
“The Baekhwa Pass accounted for a considerable share of the Hao Sect’s many sources of funds. Thanks to that, Baekmyeon’s share and influence in the Hao Sect were enormous. Naturally, the higher the share, the louder the voice.”
“So?”
“That Baekmyeon is now eyeing my business. The nurous brothels in Honggang, including the Cheonhwagak, are under my managent, and the funds the brothels bring in are substantial. But more importantly…”
Jeokmyeon tapped his temple with his index finger.
“It’s information.”
“Information?”
“Brothels sell the two things a man should be most careful of. Won and alcohol. No matter how outstanding a martial artist is… or how tight-lipped a rchant or a powerful person is, they can’t resist the alcohol poured by a pretty courtesan.”
Jeokmyeon leaned deep into his chair.
“n, you see. They want to share their tales of heroism with soone. How could renowned powerful people, rchants, and martial artists resist this?”
The red mask shook from side to side.
“They can’t. Besides, there are courtesans here whom everyone looks down on, so there are plenty of bastards who believe it doesn’t matter what they say. That’s why brothels are places overflowing with precious information that even the Beggars' Sect can’t find out. Thanks to that, I weave together that precious information, sort out only the useful things, and sell them.”
Jin Sohyun couldn't just bla Jeokmyeon.
The way the Beggars' Sect and the Hao Sect obtained information was similar.
If they were wrong, could the Beggars' Sect be said to be righteous?
While Jin Sohyun was contemplating, Jeokmyeon’s voice grew louder with excitent.
“But now that Baekmyeon, who has lost the Baekhwa Pass, is threatening my position, how annoying is that?”
“So you want
to kill your colleague?”
“Colleague? Hahaha! In the Hao Sect, there is no such romantic relationship as a colleague. We are just businessn with the sa purpose. That’s why I didn’t report it to the sect master even after eting the famous Jin Sohyun.”
As he said, Jeokmyeon had not reported the truth about Jin Sohyun to the Hao Sect’s master.
The reason was simple.
“I have no interest in the relationship between the Heretic Path's Alliance and you. I’m not interested in the great cause they are trying to achieve either. What I’m interested in is only my own well-being and a future that will shine brilliantly with gold.”
“You an you’ll keep quiet about
if I kill Baekmyeon?”
“That’s right. I will never tell anyone that Young Master Jin is fine. I swear on my neck.”
“What if I refuse?”
“Then I have no choice… the heretic martial world will find out that Jin Sohyun is alive and well.”
“There’s only one person who knows that fact, right?”
Jeokmyeon, who had understood the aning of Jin Sohyun’s words, laughed silently.
“Do you think I would have revealed myself in front of you without any counterasures for that?”
“Shall we check?”
Jin Sohyun broke the alcohol bottle and raised his hand.
The broken pieces of the bottle floated up.
As internal energy was imbued into them, the pieces beca sharp daggers and surrounded Jeokmyeon.
“A considerable level of telekinesis. The rumor that you destroyed the Naless Pavilion alone was not an empty one.”
“You’d better take out your counterasures right now.”
One of the bottle pieces touched Jeokmyeon’s throat.
Nevertheless, Jeokmyeon was not agitated.
Rather, he was watching Jin Sohyun with an interested gaze, as if observing him.
“Young Master Jin. Do you know why we wear masks?”
“No.”
“That is.”
Jeokmyeon took off the mask he was wearing.
What was revealed was a very ordinary-looking middle-aged face.
Jeokmyeon opened his mouth and said.
“Do you understand?”
Jin Sohyun, who was facing him, furrowed his brow slightly.
“Hahaha! That’s it. It ans that anyone can beco the Red-Faced Lord just by wearing a red mask.”
Jin Sohyun, who had co face to face with the unmasked Jeokmyeon, could tell at once.
The unnatural expression and the movent of the lips.
‘This person is not the real Red-Faced Lord.’
He didn't know what thod was used, but the man in front of Jin Sohyun now was not the real Red-Faced Lord.
The real one was hiding sowhere and had sent out a fake to take his place.
“In any case, this person will die as soon as our conversation is over. So the secret between you and
will be known only to the two of us.”
“And even if I kill this person here, it will be aningless.”
“Haha! That’s right. It’s good that we can communicate well. Even if you kill my double, nothing will change. Rather, the Heretic Path's Alliance will find out. That Jin Sohyun is fine.”
Jin Sohyun, who was contemplating, raised his hand and said.
“Give
so ti to think.”
“How much ti do you need?”
“I’ll co back tomorrow.”
“If you’re thinking of finding , you’d better give up. If you show any suspicious movents… a letter containing all the truth will imdiately fly toward the Heretic Path's Alliance.”
Jin Sohyun turned his body instead of answering.
At that, the man who had been breathing just a mont ago choked and then collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
‘He’s dead.’
Jin Sohyun, who had confird that Jeokmyeon’s double was dead, let out an unpleasant breath and then threw himself out of the Cheonru’s window.
And after a while,
Creak—!
The dead man lifted his head with a creaking sound.
“Phew… that was close.”
Jeokmyeon wiped the foam from his mouth with his sleeve and picked up the red mask he had placed on the table.
“A more naive fellow than I thought. Jin Sohyun.”
It was a gamble.
He had pretended to use a double and then feigned death by applying the Turtle Breathing Grand Art.
Jeokmyeon, who had succeeded in deceiving Jin Sohyun by feigning death, put on the mask and slowly stood up.
“Then, shall we prepare for the deal?”
***
“Little brother!”
Beomgang, who was resting comfortably at the Jahong Inn, glared at Jin Sohyun with his bulging eyes.
“You left
with the task of dealing with the flies, and you went to the Cheonhwagak alone!”
“I did.”
“No, how could you do that! There’s a proper order even in cold water!”
“Be quiet. My head hurts.”
At the news that the handso waiter had quit, the bustling Jahong Inn beca a quiet and secluded inn frequented only by a few regulars again.
Thanks to that, Jin Sohyun, who was sitting in an empty seat and thinking, had a headache.
‘I can’t just kill that person nad Baekmyeon.’
Recalling the incident at the Baekhwa Pass, Baekmyeon was a bastard who deserved to die.
But he couldn't just go and kill him.
But if he refused Jeokmyeon’s proposal like this, the Heretic Path's Alliance would threaten his family.
A situation where he could neither do this nor that.
“Aigoo… my head hurts. I didn’t know going ho would be this hard.”
“Tell this Beomgang your worries. As your older brother, I’ll give you so appropriate advice!”
“This is all because of you!”
Jin Sohyun, who could no longer hold it in and exploded, grabbed Beomgang’s hair tightly.
At that lightning-fast speed, Beomgang, who could not dodge in ti and had his hair grabbed, flailed his two arms.
“B-brother, what are you doing!”
“What do you an, brother!”
Beomgang, the one and only disciple and adopted son of the Fist King, Beom Utae, one of the Five Great Masters of the Central Plains.
Likewise, Jin Sohyun, the one and only disciple of the Flying Heaven Ten Sword, Kang Cheon, one of the Five Great Masters of the Central Plains.
Who would know?
That the one and only disciples of the two absolute masters were fighting, grabbing each other’s hair.
Of course, the one who was unilaterally grabbing and shaking Beomgang’s hair was Jin Sohyun.
Jin Sohyun, who had been pulling at Beomgang’s hair for a long ti, raised his head at the sound of the bell announcing a custor.
It was a habit he had developed while working as a waiter.
“Haa… haa…”
The person who appeared, opening the door, panting, was a woman he had seen once before.
“Help… help… I need help.”
Seolmae ca running to Jin Sohyun and Beomgang, panting.
“What’s wrong?”
As Jin Sohyun asked, letting go of Beomgang’s hair, Seolmae said, choking back tears.
“Please… please save my friend.”
***
Slap—!!
Yuha, who was slapped across the face, was a ss, as if she had already been subjected to all sorts of assaults.
“You worthless wench! Are you trying to ruin the Bongrugak that I built with my blood and sweat by bringing in a bastard like that?”
“It’s not like that…”
“What do you an, it’s not like that! Because of you, the number of custors coming to the Bongrugak has decreased by almost half! The losses incurred because of that will be added to your debt, so you know.”
“No… no!”
Yuha grabbed the Bongrugak Master’s trouser legs and begged.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Just once… just once, please let
go. I’ll work hard.”
“Yes. You have to work hard. That’s the only way you’ll pay off the ten thousand nyang debt you have, won’t you?”
“T-ten thousand nyang…”
“I told you. You have to make up for the losses I’ve incurred.”
In front of the despairing Yuha, the Bongrugak Master cackled.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be able to pay it all off if you work for about twenty years.”
Yuha, who could no longer stand it, took out a small dagger from her waist.
The startled Bongrugak Master stepped back, but he soon said with a sly smile.
“What are you going to do with that? What can you do?”
“I’ll kill you… and then I’ll kill myself…”
“Really? Then what about your younger sibling?”
At the ntion of her younger sibling, Yuha’s face hardened.
“That… how…”
“Did you think I wouldn’t know? That you were hiding your younger sibling? You foolish wench, should I sell your younger sibling to the male brothel district too? To pay off your debt instead?”
Yuha threw the dagger she was holding to the floor and prostrated herself.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’ll pay off all ten thousand nyang… so my sibling… don’t touch my sibling.”
The Bongrugak Master stepped on Yuha’s head with his foot and smiled slyly.
“Twelve thousand nyang.”
“Yes?”
“That’s the price for trying to kill
just now. It’s only increased by two thousand nyang, so don’t worry too much.”
Whether it was ten thousand nyang or twelve thousand nyang, Yuha had no choice.
She could only shed tears and beg for rcy.
“Now, then… take it off.”
“Take… it off?”
“I have to see with my own eyes if there’s a problem with the rchandise. Hurry!”
At the Bongrugak Master’s order, the prostrated Yuha brought her hand to her clothes, holding back her tears.
Her lips trembled.
“What are you doing, not taking it off quickly!”
At the Bongrugak Master’s urging, Yuha closed her eyes tightly and tried to take off her clothes.
‘It’s a ruined body anyway. Let’s not hesitate.’
It was when a layer of her clothes, which were covering her body, was about to be taken off by Yuha’s hand.
“Stop him! Stop him!”
“Stop!”
“W-wait a minute…”
“Uaaaargh!”
The rough screams of n were heard from behind her.
Startled by this, the Bongrugak Master ordered the two escort martial artists who were protecting him.
“Go out and check.”
“Yes!”
The mont the two escorts opened the door, n who had flown in from sowhere attacked them.
“Heok!”
The two escorts, who were standing perfectly fine, got entangled with the n who had flown in and rolled on the floor.
And soon, Beomgang appeared inside the warehouse where Yuha was trapped, rolling his wrists.
The Bongrugak Master picked up the fallen sword and shouted.
“Who, who are you!”
“This body’s na is Beomgang.”
“Beomgang?”
It was a na he had never heard before.
At that mont, one of the n who had been thrown opened his mouth with difficulty.
“The… the waiter from the Jahong Inn… sir.”
“What? A waiter!?”
A hollow laugh burst from the Bongrugak Master’s mouth.
“A re waiter… you brat! Do you know who I am to be causing a ruckus!”
Before the Bongrugak Master’s words could end, Beomgang’s fist grazed past his face.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gang!!
The fist wind contained in the fist strike destroyed the wall of the warehouse in one go and sent it flying.
Beomgang, who had withdrawn his fist, asked with an annoyed face.
“Well, who do you think you are?”
A hiccup burst from the mouth of the Bongrugak Master, who was already filled with fear.
“Hiccup!”
In the anti, Jin Sohyun walked out from behind Beomgang.
Jin Sohyun looked back and forth between the ssy Yuha and the Bongrugak Master and then said in a coldly subdued voice.
“Shall we talk?”
The Bongrugak Master said.
“Yes!”
(End of Chapter)
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