“You never get tired of drinking, huh.”
A flashy night in Yichang. I was reeking of booze and dragging my exhausted feet toward Daseogak.
It wasn’t like I was drinking with soone I got along with, or even at a company party. Having to drink every night just to please so thuggy young master—it was starting to wear out.
Don’t they have so miracle tonic or whatever, like a Supre Recovery Pill?
No wonder those reclusive sales execs at companies get treated like royalty. Schmoozing clients every year just to rake in profits by the hundreds of millions? That’s not normal work.
Maybe I should buy so decent hangover relief... I was mulling over it as I approached Daseogak when suddenly, a figure stepped in front of .
“Whoa! Ha-yeon Lady! What’s going on?”
Why are you standing in front of Daseogak at this hour?
A woman showing up alone in the middle of the night to see a man—normally that either ans she’s trying to abduct him with wicked intent, or she’s a thief coming to steal sothing important.
Definitely not the first one, so it must be the second.
“You’re so late. Here, take this.”
Ha-yeon handed a small wooden object she had in her hand.
“What’s with the pigeon and birdhouse?”
What she gave was a birdhouse containing a white pigeon.
I’ve seen this pigeon sowhere before.
“It’s a ssenger pigeon. If you leave the third-floor window open, it’ll fly around the place.”
“A Hao Clan pigeon? Why not just send soone? Why the hassle?”
“This isn’t a Hao Clan pigeon. It’s mine.”
“Huh? Now that I look closer, it does look familiar.”
Right, this is the ssenger pigeon from the Shadowless Phantom Thief episode. A white-bodied bird with a few shimring blue feathers on its head.
“That guy must be raising them too, huh? They’re used when infiltrating to extract intel. If you breed and train them using Phantom Godfist’s secret thod, you get ssenger pigeons that understand human speech.”
Ha-yeon took the white pigeon from the birdhouse and gave a little performance.
“Coo-coo!”
The pigeon responded to her hand movents—landing on different parts of her body, soaring into the air, and landing back on her extended arm.
Then, when she spoke a few commands, it perford fancy maneuvers in the air or even fetched twigs from the ground like so kind of trick animal.
“Oooh. Where do I pay?”
This wasn’t so run-of-the-mill white chicken—it was a spiritual creature! I clapped lightly, impressed, and asked.
“...Huh?”
Oh, that was a free show?
“I see. So it’s like a man-made spiritual beast. But why’d you bring your personal ssenger pigeon?”
“Ugh... Because of you!”
She frowned like she was truly aggrieved and glared at .
“Because of ?”
“The Branch Manager got all petty, saying he’s not getting anything out of this mission! I’d been raising the ssenger pigeon the Wusan Branch sent over, and now he’s pestering to take it back.”
Apparently, the pigeon in front of was one she had been raising at the Wusan Branch. A ssenger pigeon accurate enough to fly all the way from Wusan to Yichang in a few days—that’s serious quality.
Martial world pigeons really are next level.
“Jeez, I told him to rip us off with a markup. That still wasn’t enough?”
“Guess not. Just open your window and let the bird morize the place for a few days. Then just bring the pigeon to the brothel. They’ll attach the info and send it back.”
She gave a quick rundown on how to feed and take care of it. Looks like this is just temporary foster care while I make use of it.
“I don’t even know who in Hao Clan this is going to. Can’t you do it yourself?”
“If I go near the brothel, it’s over for .”
She frowned at my clueless comnt. Right, she’s a runaway courtesan.
If she’s spotted by soone who’s seen her wanted poster, she’ll get caught.
“Got it. Anyway, what’s this bird’s na? Bluefeather? Divine Cloud Avian? Crimson Talon? Ironhide?”
“What the hell. No grand na like that. It understands human speech, so just call it whatever.”
She looked at like I was a total idiot.
I stared at the pigeon for a while, impressed by the blue feathers on its head.
The martial world fantasy is always traveling with a single sea hawk and a blade at your side.
But I’m not a warrior, and this isn’t so proud falcon, so your na’s decided.
“Alright. From today, your na is Goo-goo.”
Since you live in Daseogak, you’re a writing pigeon. Goo-goo.
“Isn’t that a bit half-assed?”
It’s a na with history and pride! You clearly don’t get it.
Now that you have a na, let’s see what you can do. I placed the pigeon on my hand, pointed at Ha-yeon, and shouted:
“Go! Goo-goo! Body slam! Quick! Body slam!! Can’t do it? Then lightning strike!”
“Coo-coo-cooo.”
Goo-goo looked at like even birds could curse with their eyes.
“Sigh... Seriously? I didn’t teach it that.”
Sotis she acts like a kid. Ha-yeon grumbled while watching .
Tch. So that’s all it can do? Got my hopes up for nothing. Just be a naless pigeon then.
“I’ll take good care of it. Thanks for coming out late at night.”
Thanks to her little show, I sobered up a bit. I held the birdhouse and placed the pigeon on my head as I spoke.
She just stared at silently in response.
Not leaving? Is it bad luck to put pigeons on your head or what? Or do you have sothing else to say?
When I looked at her curiously, she mumbled her lips for a bit, then finally spoke.
“...You told them not to seat the courtesan next to you?”
“Where’d you hear that?”
“Why’d you do that?”
Because I was scared I’d slip up.
Hao Clan agents won’t just treat Jeon Gil-san’s intel as valuable. They’ll rember whatever drunken nonsense I say too.
Fate-Reverser, the Murong Family, the Heavenly Killing Star, the Poisoned Ones, the Sichuan Tang Clan, Ho-pil... I’ve got way too many secrets to keep.
Putting a Hao agent next to when I’m drinking and likely to lose control? Not an option.
“You enjoy the singing with your eyes and ears, and you enjoy the drinking by drinking. No need to seat a courtesan next to you just for the hell of it.”
No need to be honest about this. I put on the face of a noble scholar reluctantly forced to indulge in drink and revelry.
“They say there was a courtesan who really wanted to sit next to you.”
She pouted a little as she said that. Even that kind of info gets around?
“We’ve got bigger goals. And I don’t want rumors spreading that the manager of Daseogak is slacking off and playing with courtesans.”
It’s risky enough that news of Qipao might leak to the Tang Clan. The brothel’s way too dangerous.
I shrugged like soone who doesn’t care about aningless desires.
“It’s not because you don’t want to associate with lowborn won?”
Where’d you pull that from?
“What color is my hair?”
“...”
That answered it, didn’t it?
“Well then, I’ll be heading in.”
Even I get exhausted working all day and drinking till late at night. Just like a salaryman hitting the gym to stay alive, I need to practice martial arts to survive.
Leaving her speechless, I opened the door to Daseogak.
Ti to crash.
I was about to close the door gently when I heard her small voice through the crack.
“...Weird guy.”
So ti later, a completely useless pigeon that couldn’t even body slam flew into Daseogak.
-----
“The printing press has been awarded to Daseogak.”
The operation was a success.
Daseogak had secured the press over Ten Thousand Gold Bookstore by a narrow margin in the bidding.
We got two machines for the price of one.
“What!”
“Woooooo!”
One side was shocked speechless, the other applauded and cheered.
“You bastard! Didn’t you say you were dropping out?!”
Jeon Gil-san stord over to , almost foaming ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) at the mouth.
“I never said I was dropping out. Not once.”
Think carefully. I avoided the question with vague or evasive talk every ti.
You just assud I gave up and let your guard down. Worked out great for .
Your bodyguards were off relaxing at the brothel with you, so sneaking in the bid unnoticed was easy.
“We shared drinks and yet you plotted against ?! You dare deceive ?!”
“Business is about drawing blades at close range with friends, and toasting with your enemies.”
I answered coldly, staring him down as his face twisted in fury.
That’s what you get for letting your guard down. You ca here for business, but instead you got drunk and spilled your bid price like an idiot.
“How dare you! A black-haired barbarian trying to lecture ?!”
He looked like he was about to swing. I smiled and raised a brow.
“Oh! Author Ho-pil also says this: He has no desire to associate with pitiful brats who judge people by hair color and can’t even do their own jobs.”
“You bastard!!!”
“And hearing that from my friend made realize sothing. I really am the right person to run Daseogak.”
I spread my arms and gave him a grin.
Maybe he realized how completely he got played. His face turned red with rage.
“A black-haired barbarian, as manager of Daseogak?! Preposterous!! Maybe if it were the granddaughter of the Baek Family! But a damn barbarian? Even if your blood runs on Yichang’s streets, no one will care!!!”
He crossed the line.
Not that it’s new—crossing lines is all this guy does in Yichang. He’s the one who threatened rival stores with swords and bribed officials. Threatening a man’s life over a printing bid must feel easy.
Sure, you’re not so third-rate thug—you’re a filthy rich third-generation heir. Who’s gonna stop you?
You could make a black-haired outsider like disappear without a trace.
Because Jeon Gil-san of Ten Thousand Gold Bookstore is one of those people who can do whatever the hell he wants.
But you know...
You’re not the only one who can cross lines.
“Who do you think you’re talking to right now?”
“W-Why is a martial artist from the Sichuan Tang Clan...?”
I’ve got my own way of crossing lines too.
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