Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Section 8. Meeting and Parting Like the Waves of the Yangtze (3)
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Eoyang was neatly divided like a chessboard. Thanks to that, even first-time visitors had little trouble finding their way around.
Damho was no exception. He easily located his destination.
It was the place the locals called Dongmyeong Avenue.
Brothels lined the straight stretch of Dongmyeong Avenue. Even in the broad daylight, the courtesans, elegantly made up, poked their faces out the windows to lure passersby.
"Come on in, handsome! We'll treat you right. Hehe!"
"Over here, love. This Jin-hong will melt your bones."
The courtesans didn't hold back with their suggestive banter.
Some men blushed, but most fell for the temptations and entered the brothels.
The courtesans reached out to Damho as well. But he walked on silently, ignoring them.
A little further in, the aggressive soliciting intensified.
"This way! We're the best at Jeonghyang Pavilion."
"What are you talking about? Honghwa House is number one."
The courtesans swarmed, grabbing at Damho's arms.
He shook them off and kept walking. Their faces twisted unpleasantly. Their pride was wounded.
"What a damn eunuch."
"What's wrong with us?"
The soliciting courtesans grumbled behind him, but Damho's expression didn't change.
The deeper he went into the street, the more courtesans clung to him. They flashed coquettish smiles, but Damho didn't so much as blink.
Most gave up on their own, but one persisted. She appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen.
A courtesan with round eyes and a charming grin grabbed Damho's wrist.
"You must have high standards. How about our Heavenly Abode Pavilion? No other pleasure house in Eoyang can compare."
Young as she was, her tone brimmed with confidence. For a fleeting moment, a glint flashed in Damho's eyes, but she didn't notice.
"I'll go to Heavenly Abode Pavilion."
"Really?"
The young courtesan looked surprised.
Despite his words, she hadn't expected the man who'd brushed off all the others to agree so readily.
She beamed.
"Good choice. I'll show you the way."
She led Damho to Heavenly Abode Pavilion.
As she'd boasted, it was exceedingly lavish. The courtesans waiting inside were stunningly beautiful.
Slide!
She opened the door, revealing an opulent interior.
Antique yet extravagant furniture was arranged tastefully, and red lanterns cast a soft glow.
"Wait here, and our finest courtesans will attend you. Any particular one you're hoping for?"
Even as she spoke, she figured not.
She solicited on the streets daily. Anyone who'd visited Heavenly Abode Pavilion even once would remember.
A complete stranger wouldn't know any by name.
But Damho's response shattered her assumptions.
"What about you?"
"Pardon?"
"I want you."
"Me...?"
The courtesan stammered. Bewilderment spread across her face. She hadn't dreamed he'd ask for her.
"I... um..."
"Why not?"
Damho suddenly pulled something from his bosom and placed it on the table.
The fist-sized object resembled a cat's eye gemstone.
"Is this enough?"
The young courtesan's eyes wavered.
Young as she was, she knew how precious a cat's eye stone was.
A treasure money couldn't buy.
He'd offered such a gem.
Refusing was no longer an option just because she was a novice courtesan.
"I... I..."
She stammered again.
She backed away hesitantly. Damho watched her silently.
Their eyes met.
In that instant, a chill ran through her body.
Damho's eyes were terrifyingly still. Not a shred of emotion reflected in them.
Only then did she realize this customer she'd solicited was utterly unlike the usual patrons.
She'd never seen eyes like his. For a young courtesan, that gaze was too much to bear.
That was when it happened.
"Unjeong, you've brought a scary guest."
A woman's voice came from behind the young courtesan.
Unjeong whipped around. A woman in splendid robes had entered the room unnoticed.
She veiled her face with silk, revealing only her eyes—deep and seductive.
Unjeong bowed hastily.
"M-Madam."
"Unjeong, leave us. He's beyond you."
"Yes!"
Unjeong scurried out.
Alone now, the woman regarded Damho. An extraordinary aura emanated from her.
She spoke.
"Where are you from?"
"Does it matter?"
"It matters to me. A great deal."
"Not to me."
"Then what does?"
"That this is a Haomen branch."
Her soft, curved eyes hardened instantly.
"How did you know?"
A subtle killing intent laced her voice.
His answer would decide his fate.
"Does it matter?"
"Haomen's locations shouldn't be so easily exposed."
"That girl."
"Pardon?"
"Unjeong. She practices martial arts. Unlike the others."
He'd sensed inner energy in her grip on his arm. Far beyond what an ordinary courtesan could possess. That was his guess about Haomen.
The woman shook her head.
"Sending her out to hone her judgment was a mistake, it seems. You're right. This is Haomen's Eoyang branch."
A faint admiration gleamed in her eyes as she looked at Damho.
Few knew this was a full Haomen branch. Most thought it just had some ties through the courtesans.
Her gaze shifted to the cat's eye stone before him. Clearly top quality.
In the jianghu, flashing such a treasure invited death.
Yet he carried it casually, revealing vast boldness—or recklessness.
She sat before him.
"I'm Gi Ye-hwa. And you, young hero?"
"Damho."
"An unusual name. Unforgettable after one hearing."
Gi Ye-hwa's eyes sparkled.
To her, Damho was fascinating in every way. His striking looks and presence, especially those pitch-black eyes.
They say eyes are windows to the soul.
Gi Ye-hwa believed it. She'd met countless people and peered into their souls through their eyes.
But this man's eyes revealed nothing.
'One of two. Either he's sealed his heart shut, or he's a master at hiding his feelings.'
Either way, he was a type she'd never encountered.
"What brings you to Haomen, Young Hero Dam?"
"I'm looking for someone."
"I don't know where you heard such rumors, but..."
"Seventeen or eighteen years ago, bandits operating in Shaanxi Province. Thirty-seven of them—no, one died, so thirty-six. All on horseback. The leader was a man in his early thirties wielding a nangado. He'd be nearly fifty now. Long scar on his left cheek."
Gi Ye-hwa's brow furrowed.
"Why tell us...?"
"Find him."
"Young Hero Dam!"
"Take as long as it needs. But find him."
Suddenly, Gi Ye-hwa felt a chill like plunging into ice water. She shuddered.
Instinct told her she couldn't refuse this man. And his words weren't a mere request.
"Whew!"
Gi Ye-hwa sighed softly.
From the moment Damho entered, she'd been on the defensive, dragged along. She hated it, but saw no way out.
'Troublesome.'
She realized it was time to decide.
"Understood. We'll look into it. But Haomen's services come at a high price."
Damho silently pushed the cat's eye stone toward her. Gi Ye-hwa sighed again.
"Whew! This should cover it, I suppose. But just this once, Young Hero Dam. Cross the line again, and I won't yield."
"Remember that."
With that, Damho rose.
He turned and limped away slightly. Gi Ye-hwa's eyes flashed like stars at the sight.
Click!
Damho closed the door and vanished.
Alone, Gi Ye-hwa spoke.
"Seolhui."
"Yes, miss!"
In response, an antique piece of furniture in the corner shifted slightly, revealing a hidden passage. A petite woman emerged.
Her dainty frame matched her cute face.
Her name was Cho Seol-hee, Gi Ye-hwa's longtime companion.
"What do you think, Seolhui?"
"No idea. Can't pin him down."
"That much?"
Surprise flickered across Gi Ye-hwa's face.
Though small, Cho Seol-hee was a formidable martial artist. Few Gi Ye-hwa knew surpassed her.
"If you went all out?"
"Would have to try. But he won't be easy. See those icy eyes? Deadlier than a viper's."
"Right."
Gi Ye-hwa nodded, gazing out the window.
Damho walked away, still limping on one side.
"Two days ago, we got unbelievable intel. About a one-legged martial artist."
"What?"
"A lone limper nearly wiped out Seocheon Mountain Manor, which dreamed of dominating Xinjiang Province."
"No way?"
"Unbelievable tale. I thought it exaggerated rumor at first. Then came a second one. This time, Hongam Mountain Manor in Gansu. In front of over a thousand spectators, he crushed Nam Hak, the Kongtong Sect's prized disciple."
"N-Nam Hak? One of the Nine Dragons? He really beat him?"
"I couldn't believe it either. Needed verification."
"Nam Hak's strong. His true power exceeds the rumors. A limper beating him? Absurd."
"That's why most dismiss those tales as warped gossip. I did too."
Damho was now out of sight. Yet Gi Ye-hwa couldn't tear her eyes from the empty street.
"The Blood Star descended on Xinjiang."
Just uttering the name brought the stench of blood.
"From now on, Haomen's Eoyang branch devotes full resources to this man's commission—top priority. Seolhui, dig up everything on him. Hometown, upbringing, sect, likes, dislikes—every detail."
"Got it, miss."
Gi Ye-hwa bit her lip.
A breeze blew through the open window. It should have felt refreshing, but somehow it was stifling.