Chapter 135: Guizhou Castle
Chapter 135: Guizhou Castle
A snake-like, wicked smile abruptly rose on Hwa Sa-yu's face.
"Young ones these days have no manners. Daring to speak my name so carelessly. As I always say, being too good-natured is no good. The youngsters just climb all over you. Brazenly, I might add!"
The moment those words ended, Hwa Sa-yu's figure vanished.
Gong Dae-gak immediately shouted and threw himself aside.
"D-dodge!"
The three of the Three Ghosts of Galsa urgently scattered in three directions and threw themselves away. It was obvious that they could not possibly handle Hwa Sa-yu, who was said to be positioned just below the present Absolute Beings.
But it was useless.
Before they knew it, Hwa Sa-yu had appeared behind the ear ghost Gong I-gol and lightly drew his fingernails through the empty air.
Then Gong I-gol's back split deeply into five gashes.
Puhwaak!
"Uwaaaak!"
It looked as though long, invisible fingernails were extending roughly one jang in length.
Death was instant.
That was not all.
The head of the club ghost Gong Sam-nan had already been severed by the fan Hwa Sa-yu held, as if he had thrown it at some point.
The fiercely spinning fan circled through the air and returned to Hwa Sa-yu.
Wiiiiing!
The eldest of the Three Ghosts of Galsa, Gong Dae-gak, lost his reason entirely.
His two younger brothers, peak-level masters with over eighty years of internal energy who had never lost track of a predator's position regardless of time or place, had both lost their lives in this brief instant.
Enraged, Gong Dae-gak no longer fled but charged straight at Hwa Sa-yu.
"You bastard!"
It was the same fiercely lion-like momentum that had earned them the name Three Ghosts of Galsa.
But Hwa Sa-yu merely chuckled and extended a finger.
Puuuk!
"!"
Gong Dae-gak could not even scream.
It was because his head had been pierced before he himself could even perceive it.
Something invisible, flying through the air with no discernible form, had pierced through his skull.
His body simply crashed into the ground with the momentum of his charge and tumbled like a doll.
Kudangtangtang!
Death was instant.
When the Three Ghosts of Galsa, whose fame had resounded since the last Great Blood War, were all annihilated in the blink of an eye in this manner, Gu Yu-sang, who had been watching from behind, smiled faintly and spoke to Hwa Sa-yu.
"As expected, Uncle Hwa's Colorless Energy is astonishing every time I witness it. You have worked hard."
Hwa Sa-yu brazenly shook his head.
"Oh, not at all. For something of this level. Anyway, Yu-sang-ah, may this uncle go up now? That pretty thing just won't leave my mind."
"Of course. Please go at once. I apologize for having stolen my uncle's pleasant hours with such trivial business."
"Yes, yes. Well then."
Finishing his words, Hwa Sa-yu's figure simply disappeared.
He was likely heading upstairs to embrace a woman.
Only after he had vanished did Gu Yu-sang shake his head with a pathetic expression and issue orders to his subordinates.
"Finish cleaning up quickly and return to the Un clan."
"Yes, Gongja!"
The moment his command fell, the other subordinates began their slaughter once more.
The surroundings were once again filled with screams.
As he watched the spectacle, Gu Yu-sang abruptly asked Yeomra Hyeolseung Chuk Ho-tak, who stood beside him.
"The next target was the Seonwoo family, was it not?"
At his question, Chuk Ho-tak bowed his head respectfully and answered.
"Yes, Gongja."
A smile rose to Gu Yu-sang's lips as if he had thought of something.
"Hmm, this time I really must steal that adorable young lady's heart. I was wrong to curse Uncle Hwa. I should learn the secret art of stealing a woman's heart."
The smile of the man who had gained the titles of Sichuan's Foremost Gongja and the White Jade Dragon was so very beautiful.
But it looked less like the smile of someone remembering a woman he was interested in, and more like the smile of an epicure anticipating a delicious dish.
***
Three days later, I finally arrived at Guiyang, Guizhou Castle, where the Seonwoo family resided.
It had been nearly eight months.
I did not know what events were unfolding in the shadows, but Guiyang in broad daylight was as lively as ever.
The streets were packed with people, and all the various restaurants I had frequented during my pig days at the Seonwoo family were still thriving.
Seeing those signboards for the first time in a long while made my mouth water instinctively.
'Even though it was a time with few good memories, I do miss the taste of that food.'
Smiling wryly at the thought, I hastened my steps again.
But the direction I took was not west toward where the Seonwoo family was located, but south.
Then I suddenly heard Jeok Ma-hyeok's telepathic voice, as he was following me in concealment.
[Are you not heading to the Seonwoo family, Gongja?]
I smiled faintly.
Even though this was his first time in Guiyang, he seemed to have already grasped the geography to some extent.
He would have had little time to do so, yet his resourcefulness was truly remarkable.
A satisfied smile escaped me at my first subordinate's competence.
[Before going to the Seonwoo family, there are two places I must stop by first.]
Jeok Ma-hyeok asked no further and replied as if he understood.
[Yes! Understood, Gongja.]
Jeok Ma-hyeok never asked beyond what he absolutely needed to know about the upcoming schedule.
I supposed it was his way of expressing that he would faithfully follow whatever my intention was.
Such an attitude was, of course, desirable for a loyal right-hand man.
But it was not what I desired.
Ultimately, I wished for my subordinates to be able to stand tall as martial artists in the light.
As fine martial artists possessing their own will, not as mere loyal limbs to me.
Therefore, he needed to ask more, judge more, and offer his opinions to me.
Not just follow whatever I did without a word.
And so, I began explaining step by step to Jeok Ma-hyeok and Gyeon-jung, who followed whatever I did with absolutely no word at all.
[The first place we're going is the Hao Gate branch in Guiyang. The reason for going there is....]
A short while later, I was able to arrive at a splendid tavern bearing the signboard Guiyang First Tower.
This three-story building boasted a wide variety of liquors with a deep, rich taste, and it had been a place I had frequented often even during my pig days at the Seonwoo family.
'To think this place was a Hao Gate branch. I had eyes but could not see.'
But now, I could see.
The fact that the strapping waiter grinning broadly at the door and calling out, "Come right in!" was first-rate mid-level martial artist, and the presences of martial artists lying in ambush throughout the tavern building while monitoring the surroundings.
Smiling wryly, I began to slowly pace around the vicinity of Guiyang First Tower with my senses opened as wide as possible.
And the moment I rounded the side and discovered a blind spot in their surveillance, I melted straight into the shadows.
Seuseuseuk!
It was a movement no one nearby could have noticed.
***
Every patron who came to Guiyang First Tower thought it was a three-story building.
Because the higher the floor, the more expensive and high-class the treatment they received, and the final floor was the third.
But Guiyang First Tower was originally a four-story building.
It was cunningly constructed so that the third-floor section merely looked a bit taller from the outside.
On that fourth floor was located the office of No Sam-ryong, the master of Guiyang First Tower and the branch leader of the Hao Gate's Guiyang branch in Guizhou Castle.
"Hmm, in the end...."
No Sam-ryong was in his office as usual, sipping tea and examining documents with a grave expression.
Though he normally showed only a constantly playful smile, earning him the name Slight-and-Frivolous Guest, here in his office with no one else around, he wore such a grave expression.
However, that was when it happened.
From the office where he thought no one else was, and where no one else should have been, someone's voice rang out.
"It seems you have something on your mind."
In that instant, No Sam-ryong felt goosebumps erupt all over his body.
That someone had entered this place, and in a situation where he had not perceived them at all, no less.
It meant that if the intruder had been an assassin, his own life would have been as good as lost already.
It was terribly bewildering and frightening.
But No Sam-ryong was also a Hao Gate branch leader who had been through all sorts of trials and tribulations.
He immediately suppressed the urge to lift his head and look at the other party, and calmly began to turn his thoughts.
'Is it the Blood Cult? An assassin? But they shouldn't have found reason to yet. Besides, the voice is young. A young man, and with an extremely polite tone. It's not the Blood Cult either. Above all, if he were an assassin, he would not have bothered to speak to me.'
Having reached that conclusion, No Sam-ryong soon lifted his head with his usual bright, smiling face and spoke.
"Aigoo, it seems my mind must have wandered! Not even knowing a patron had arrived, my head buried only in these letters. These days, my mind goes blank from time to time. I suppose this is what they mean when they say one should die when old."
As he spoke, he was able to confirm the face of a handsome young man seated across from his desk before he knew it.
At that, cold sweat dripped down his back at the fact that he had not known at all that the other party was seated across from him.
The youth's handsome appearance was just as astonishing.
And the fact that he was so handsome yet a face No Sam-ryong utterly did not recognize was even more astonishing.
But No Sam-ryong did not betray a hint of it.
"Now let's see, a patron has come so I should have tea brought out at once. Where in the world are those whelps and what are they doing? Hey, you lot! Can't you bring out tea at once?!"
Shouting thus, he tried to rise to his feet.
His manner was so natural, as if he truly intended to serve tea.
But the man who had been watching him with a faint smile, Seonwoo Jin, suddenly opened his mouth and spoke.
'It probably wouldn't matter even if you went.'
No Sam-ryong could only freeze, his body halfway risen.
For at the same moment Seonwoo Jin spoke, the door opened and two men entered.
Neither of them were No Sam-ryong's subordinates. They were masked figures clad in black.
Seonwoo Jin continued speaking.
"Because the people who would serve the tea are all asleep."
No Sam-ryong could no longer hide his tense expression and swallowed dryly.
Beyond that door, his own subordinates should have been guarding the upper floor like an iron wall.
The fact that those men had entered through that door could only mean one thing: his subordinates had already been dealt with.
He already had no means of responding.
Seonwoo Jin smiled faintly at him and said,
"Please, sit down, Branch Leader."
No Sam-ryong slowly sat back down in his seat.
He had no choice left to make.
No longer hiding his tense expression, he opened his mouth and asked,
"Who are you people? What is it that you want?"
At that question, Seonwoo Jin beamed brightly and answered.
"My name is Seonwoo Jin. And... I am here to take over this Gwiyang branch of the Hao Gate."
At Seonwoo Jin's direct words, No Sam-ryong's startled eyes widened greatly.
***
No Sam-ryong, who had been unable to hide his startled expression for a moment, burst into a hearty laugh as if nothing had happened and spoke to me.
"Hahahaha! I do not know who you are, young master, but you have come with far too little prior investigation. Setting aside whether you could erase it, the Hao Gate of Guizhou is not a place that a single individual can take over. Moreover, the ones currently ruling the Hao Gate in Guizhou City are..."
I smiled faintly and replied.
"I am well aware that, unlike other provinces, the Hao Gate of Guizhou operates in a centralized form. Likewise, I also know that it is currently occupied by the Blood Cult."
At this, the smile vanished from No Sam-ryong's expression once more.
"H-how do you know that?"
"And I also know that you, Branch Leader No Sam-ryong, have been reluctantly cooperating with both the previous Blood Cultists and the ones who came after them."
While I was at the Uibin branch in Sichuan, I had examined the intelligence on this Gwiyang branch leader in particular detail.
Given that this was where the Seonwoo family was located, I judged that whether or not I could cooperate with this man would determine the success or failure of the endeavor.
According to the intelligence, he was something of a gray-area figure.
He had not been particularly cooperative when the previous Blood Cultists, who had unusually spent their efforts on the poor, orphans, and gisaeng, held control, and even after the current, more radical Blood Cultists seized power, he showed only a half-hearted willingness to collaborate.
However, the Uibin branch leader's analysis was that it was precisely his temperament—never enthusiastic toward anyone, yet never resisting—that had kept him alive.
Even as the former Hao Gate leader's closest confidants were being purged, no one had bothered with him.
At that, he gave a snort and said,
"Hmph! It is true that I am reluctantly cooperating with the Blood Cult, but did you think that means I would cooperate with you, young master? Why do you think I cooperate with the Blood Cult in the first place? If I resist them, I will clearly die. Why would I stake my life to cooperate with you?"
I smiled faintly.
The Uibin branch leader's analysis had included exactly that point.
That he was a coward blinded by self-preservation.
And that was precisely why I had picked him out.
I grinned broadly and replied.
"Of course. Life is precious, after all. So I also made a few preparations."
At this, his expression grew puzzled.
"Preparations? What kind of preparations?"
I lightly snapped my fingers.
Then, the two masked figures who had been standing at attention behind me—Jeok Ma-hyeok and Gyeon-jung—began to move like ghosts, smoothly and silently.
"Ugh! W-what is this?!"
It did not take long for the two of them to subdue No Sam-ryong, push something into his mouth, and return to their places behind me.
Their movements flowed like water, as if watching actual ghosts.
Having begun to master the Heavenly Killing Secret Technique, the two were now displaying movements incomparable to before.
Their rate of progress seemed fundamentally different from my own, since I had only dabbled in assassin techniques as a hobby.
I sent a smile of thanks to the two of them and looked at No Sam-ryong, who was clutching his throat and coughing.
"Cough! Wh-what did you make me swallow?!"
I smiled faintly and replied.
"It is a gu."
At this, his face turned pale.
"...What did you say?"
"A gu used by the assassin sects. They say that if you don't take the antidote I provide once a month, it goes berserk inside the body, causing the host to die in excruciating agony. Well, I've never witnessed it myself, so I don't know what it's actually like."
At that, he looked at me with a dumbfounded, despairing gaze and asked,
"W-why in the world are you doing this to me?"
I smirked and answered.
"Because you seemed unable to move, afraid the Blood Cult would take your life. So now things are even, aren't they? If you cooperate with me and are discovered, you'll be killed by a Blood Cultist, but if you don't cooperate with me, you'll die painfully all the same. Since you die either way, you may choose the side that appeals to you more, no? Now then, which side do you wish to cooperate with more?"
At this, his complexion changed several times in an instant.
His face cycled through turning pale green and flushing red, which was quite amusing to watch.
A moment later, he finally spoke to me, his expression looking as if he were about to burst into tears.
"...I don't even know who you are. How am I supposed to choose?"
I shook my head and answered.
"I told you, my name is Seonwoo Jin."
At this, his eyes, which had been furrowed for a moment, began to slowly widen.
"Could it be... you are the third young master Seonwoo, the one who was the pig of the Seonwoo family and was said to have been dragged to the frontline?"
"To be precise, I ran there."
His eyeballs began to roll around wildly.
"Then... you would also be that Seonwoo Jin, the Flying Sky Black Wolf who destroyed the Heuksangbang in the past. I thought it must be a different person with the same name... And the one who fought the Small-faced Demon Lord alongside Hwa Young-bin the Red Sunset Divine Sword at Jeonghyeopbang...?"
"That was me."
He finally let out a dejected exclamation.
"Huh, good heavens! Was such a thing possible in that short a time? No, wait. As a child, you were renowned far and wide as a prodigy. Could it be that you deliberately hid your talents?"
Honestly, that wasn't true.
The me of those days was a pig, exactly as I seemed.
But I simply smiled faintly.
At that, however he interpreted my smile, he burst out in admiration again.
"Huh! Good heavens, good heavens! To think you could conceal yourself for that long! You truly are a hidden dragon, young master!"
...It was deeply embarrassing, but I resolved to power through it.
No Sam-ryong asked me with a tense gaze.
"Then what is it that you want, young master? Do you wish to reorganize the Seonwoo family? Or, surely not, the Blood Cultists operating in secret in Guizhou City?"
At his earnest question, I too answered with a serious gaze.
"I believe those two will not be different."
At this, No Sam-ryong let out a deep sigh and said,
"Huh, young master. The Blood Cult of Guizhou City is not something you can face alone. Furthermore, this place is not like Sichuan, where the Mount Qingcheng Sect or the Dang Clan are present."
"I am well aware of that as well. Which is why I must formulate a better plan. And that is precisely why your cooperation, Branch Leader, is even more crucial to me. And... I did not say I would face them alone. I have cards hidden away too."
At my words, he cast a questioning gaze.
But I could not show him all my cards just yet.
I leaned closer to him and asked,
"So... what will you do now, Branch Leader No?"
At this, he let out a sigh with a bleak expression, and finally nodded.
"Well, what other choice do I have? You've told me that if the Blood Cult doesn't catch me, I might live, but if I don't cooperate with you, I'll definitely die."
That was a precise summary.
I smirked and extended my hand to him.
"Then I look forward to working with you."
At this, he laughed dejectedly and took my hand.
It was the moment the first step in Guizhou City was skillfully threaded.
***
Two days later, I was finally standing before the main gate of the Seonwoo family residence. The sight of my family's main house, which I saw for the first time in eight months, filled me with deep emotion.
As I stood there staring vacantly at the main gate with a moved expression, the gate guards approached me with strange looks and asked,
"Do you have business at the Seonwoo family?"
I smirked and answered.
"Jeong Musa, Sang Musa. It is I, Seonwoo Jin."
"Huh?"
At first, the warriors who had been furrowing their brows and looking at me as if wondering what I was talking about, began to have their eyes gradually widen.
And finally, they shouted out in astonishment.
"Th-th-the Third Young Master?!"
"I-is it really the Third Young Master?!"
I beamed brightly and nodded.
"That's right. Is my father in good health?"