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C99. Understanding the Hidden Tangled Web
Pung Yeoncho murmured while sheathing his bloody sword.
“You’re right. There’s no guarantee I’ll be this lucky next time. If I weaken, I’ll be devoured. What was I thinking…?”
Initially, he had considered sparing Jang Munho's life to avoid upsetting his wife, but the thought of possibly never seeing his family again erased all doubt.
Meanwhile, Sang Jaeyong, the leader of the Sahae Chamber of Commerce, was so shocked by the sudden murder that he could barely breathe.
He never expected a civilian to be killed so quickly.
Even warriors from righteous sects didn't kill civilians unless they were caught in the act. Even mercenaries did it secretly. The Murim wasn’t completely separate from the government.
But these men killed without hesitation.
Finally, Sang Jaeyong realized he was dealing with dangerous men. Previously, he saw them as useful mercenaries from Waryong Manor, but now he saw them as beasts.
Tak Gomyung cast a disdainful glance at the still-stunned Sang Jaeyong and said:
“Leader Sang, it seems you don’t like us, but you’ll have to put up with us for a few days. We don’t like you either, but we’ll stay here until we finish healing. Do you have any objections? Even if you do, you can’t do anything. So you better get used to it.”
Tak Gomyung decided to make the most of Yonghui Pavilion to annoy him. Not just to bother him, but because it was the best place for the four of them to stay.
He had considered moving to Pung Yeoncho’s house but soon dismissed the idea. That house was too small to accommodate Yeon Jeokha and Old Shim.
“I have no objections. You can stay as long as you want.”
Sang Jaeyong tried to appear generous, but inside he was delighted.
It was exactly what he needed: to keep them for a few more days until the masters of the Yoomyung Cult arrived.
Sang Jaeyong called his men to take care of Jang Munho’s body.
Incorporating his fabric shop into the Sahae Chamber of Commerce didn’t require much effort.
As he walked away, Old Shim recalled the face of Cheok Dogwang.
-How could Chy Yeopjin have paid for an assassination? It was all Sang Jaeyong’s money. That’s why I found him, to get compensation. Two of my assassins died because of him...
Cheok Dogwang had said that Chu Yeopjin was practically Sang Jaeyong’s right hand.
That contradicted what Sang Jaeyong had said, that Choo Yeopjin was just one of the outer guards.
‘It seems that the Sahae Chamber of Commerce is a real tangle of deceit...’
Previously, he only saw merchants as just that, merchants.
But investigating Jang Munho and Chu Yeopjin, he discovered they were as corrupt as any evil faction.
Now, nothing in the Sahae Chamber of Commerce surprised him. These merchants fought to the death for their profits, just like the Murim sects.
To what extent was Sang Jaeyong involved in these dirty dealings?
Considering the Sahae Chamber of Commerce as a nest of vipers, every move of Sang Jaeyong seemed suspicious.
Old Shim remembered every encounter with Sang Jaeyong.
Suddenly, a trace of a smile appeared on his weathered face.
“Young Master, I need to be away for a while.”
“You can be gone as long as you need. I don’t know where you’re going, but if you feel good there, stay. Enjoy your life while you can. When I don’t see you in the morning, I wonder if you’ve gone to the other world.”
Yeon Jeokha raised a finger, pointing to the sky as he spoke.
“Haha, I’ll go someday, but not yet. I want to see you fly in the sky before I go. It won’t take long. Take care in the meantime.”
Old Shim bowed and disappeared like the wind.
Yeon Jeokha clicked his tongue as he watched Old Shim depart.
Tak Gomyung approached and asked:
“Young Master, do you really wish the old man wouldn’t return?”
“No, it’s just that he seems to be trying too hard to impress. I don’t like seeing an old man like that.”
A smile appeared on Tak Gomyung’s face.
He had thought that Yeon Jeokha was trying to distance himself from Old Shim, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“Maybe he does it because he likes it.”
“I don’t think so. Who would like taking care of other people’s problems when they already have their own?”
“One never knows until they understand someone’s thoughts. So don’t reject him so much.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Yeon Jeokha accepted his brother’s words but thought of asking Old Shim why he was behaving that way.
East of Luoyang.
Fairy Cult, a temple or church of the Yoomyung Cult created in the remnants of the old Waryong Manor.
The Fairy Cult was one of the most iconic places in Luoyang in recent months.
The Lunar Fairy had opened the Fairy Cult to the public. Unlike other secret temples of the Yoomyung Cult, it allowed the entry of non-believers.
Since then, the Fairy Cult was filled with people curious to see the interior of the powerful Yoomyung Cult and learn about their history.
Lee Hwaseu, the lieutenant of the Sahae Chamber of Commerce, used his money to arrange a meeting with Jin Gahee, the Elder Silent Water Sword of the Fairy Cult. Two days after receiving instructions from Sang Jaeyong, he arrived in Luoyang.
“So, the survivors of Waryong Manor are causing problems in Kaifeng and you want us to eliminate them.”
Jin Gahee observed the elderly merchant Lee Hwaseu sitting in front of her.
“Yes. If you can do it, the Sahae Chamber of Commerce will donate thirty thousand taels of silver as an offering.”
“I’ve heard that the Sahae Chamber of Commerce usually hires mercenaries for these jobs. Why did you come here?”
Jin Gahee, although in her forties, spoke with disarming frankness.
Lee Hwaseu’s face showed a hint of discomfort.
But he quickly recovered and replied calmly:
“Their skills were too much for our guards. We’ve already lost ten men. We considered asking for help from one of the seven great sects, but since the enemies are survivors of Waryong Manor, we came to the Fairy Cult.”
“Ha ha, good choice. The great sects wouldn’t want to face the survivors of Waryong Manor. And you want specifically the Demon Warriors.”
“Yes. The leader (Bangju) of the Sahae Chamber of Commerce thought only the Demon Warriors could handle them.”
“I see.”
“Hmm, so that’s it.”
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
Jin Gahee lightly tapped the table with her finger.
Unlike in the past, now all the Elders are Demon Warriors. There’s no need to ask for help from anyone else; she can go herself.
What she now considered was whether to inform the higher authority or handle it autonomously.
If she reports it, she must donate all thirty thousand silver coins. Although she would receive a small commission, most of the reward would go to the cult.
“Have you discussed this matter with others in the temple?”
“No. I just arrived at the temple today, and you’re the first person I’m talking to,” the visitor replied.
Jin Gahee nodded.
She had made her decision. She decided to handle it quietly on her own and keep the thirty thousand coins.
The more money she had personally saved, the more she could offer her superiors.
Given the level of the situation, she didn’t even need to mobilize her subordinates.
“Are they an old man, a young man, and two guards from the brothel, a total of four?”
“That’s right.”
“I’ll handle it myself. Keep this a secret from others. Do you understand what this means?”
Jin Gahee looked at Lee Hwaseu with cold eyes.
Surprised by her intimidating presence, Lee Hwaseu nodded vehemently.
“Yes, yes, I understand.”
“We’ll discuss the membership procedure after the job is done. Lead the way.”
With that, Jin Gahee stood up.
She planned to finish this quickly before other Elders interfered.
South of Gaebong, Yucheonjin.
Ehagjang.
When the sun set, lights turned on inside the main residence of Ehagjang.
From atop the wall, the elderly man, Cheon Salmahan Cheok Dogwang, looked at the light with a satisfied smile on his face.
A villager had described Ehagjang as a house where no one lived. Therefore, the person secretly hiding inside the main house must be Chu Yeopjin.
Cheok Dogwang flew towards the main house like a nocturnal bird cutting through the darkness.
Chu Yeopjin, the assassin, sat up abruptly from the bed, as if feeling suffocated.
He had been hiding in Ehagjang for three days.
He had agreed that Sang Jaeyong would contact him in a few days, but there had been no news.
What could have gone wrong?
Unable to receive news from outside, he felt like he could explode from frustration.
Getting off the bed, Chu Yeopjin grabbed a bottle of liquor he had bought from a town bar that day. Perhaps because he was restless, he couldn’t even taste the alcohol.
“Damn it! What’s going on?”
At that moment, Cheok Dogwang opened the door and entered, saying:
“Do you want to know?”
“Ah!”
Crash.
Surprised, Chu Yeopjin dropped the liquor bottle.
Quickly realizing why the owner of Cheonhyangbanjeom, Cheon Salmahan Cheokdogwang, had appeared here, he pleaded:
“Great Warrior Cheon! Please forgive me!”
“Hehe. If I forgive you, what can you offer me? Sang Jaeyong is willing to pay twenty thousand coins.”
“Please, forgive me! I’ll do anything you ask!”
Chu Yeopjin begged without even trying to resist.
From his perspective, Cheok Dogwang was an unattainable martial master.
However, Cheok Dogwang was not someone easily moved by such pleas.
Slowly, he drew his Woemido, a sword as thin as a cow's tail, which glimmered in the light.
“Forgive me!”
Boom, boom.
Chu Yeopjin desperately backed away.
But he couldn’t go far before his back touched the bed.
Cheok Dogwang, advancing quickly, pressed the Woemido under Chu Yeopjin’s chin.
“Speak. What is Sang Jaeyong planning? If I like what I hear, maybe I’ll forgive you.”
Cheok Dogwang looked at him suggestively.
Of course, it was a lie.
No matter what he heard, this man’s fate wouldn’t change.
The question was just to extract more money from Sang Jaeyong.
Despite being on the brink of death, Chu Yeopjin’s face lit up with a spark of life.
He should have known it was just a bluff, but, cornered, he couldn’t see it.
“Alright, it’s Jang Munho’s fabric shop. Sang Jaeyong planned to have him killed to use that as a pretext to take over the shop.”
A triumphant smile spread across Cheok Dogwang’s face.
Now that he knew Sang Jaeyong’s objective, all his suspicions suddenly cleared up.
He finally understood why that man had been so bold in front of him.
That man had expected it to be discovered that Jang Munho had ordered the assassination.
“I knew it! I knew there was something. Since you gave me something useful, I’ll let you die without pain…”
His sentence was interrupted by a sinister laugh behind him.
“Hehe. What an adorable rat. Running around everywhere, huh? After all, you were trying to lead me to that bastard Chu Yeopjin.”
Cheok Dogwang quickly turned, and his mouth fell open.
The old man who had struck him two days ago stood there, with a weapon casually resting on his shoulder.
“I, I really didn’t know. After you left, Sang Bangju came looking for me…”
“Enough, don’t get involved in this matter anymore. If you do, you’ll definitely die.”
Old Shim, a man from the evil faction, showed mercy to Cheok Dogwang.
After all, the crime is not in the sword but in the one who wields the hilt.