Today Is the Last Conversation
They arrived at a private pavilion tucked into the deepest recesses of the pleasure house.
The pavilion had been scrubbed spotless for receiving guests. An ornate table carved with a tiger motif stood at its center, flanked by chairs inlaid with jade. From the ornaments and paintings to the teacups themselves, nothing in the room was anything less than luxurious.
"Please, have a seat."
"Is that an order?"
"Ah—no. Would you care to sit?"
Cheon Byeongil bowed again before the lavish table, offering the seats once more. Ja Gangcheon and Cheongu, as if merely humor him, settled into their places.
"Then I shall prepare some tea…"
"Skip it. Sit."
Cheon Byeongil privately wanted to ask whether that was an order too, but he swallowed the impulse and sat across from them.
"What orders did you get from Haomun?"
"Just ordinary intelligence gathering."
"Ordinary gathering—and they sent a new face for it? You look like you've trained in martial arts for quite a while."
"Not at all. I simply…"
An overwhelming killing intent erupted from Ja Gangcheon's body. A veteran like Cheon Byeongil had felt such pressure often enough that he tried to endure it with only mild inner shock.
But something was different this time.
The killing intent that poured out crashed over him like a predator that had locked onto its prey.
Crash!
Faced with a crisis unlike any he had ever known, Cheon Byeongil shoved his chair back and stumbled away. The clatter of the fallen chair echoed through the pavilion.
"See a ghost or something?"
Still fighting to steady his racing heart, Cheon Byeongil righted the toppled chair.
He's far stronger than I expected.
He had already acknowledged a certain level of skill—anyone who could wipe out the lord of Heukseonmun and his officers in an instant deserved that much. The true energy he had witnessed in the pleasure house courtyard today had also been well above average.
But the aura just now had exceeded all common sense.
Has he somehow returned to youth through rejuvenation?
Yet his speech and manner were nothing like an old man's. On that point, at least, Cheon Byeongil was certain.
"Ordinary intelligence gathering, you say?"
"Yes. That is correct."
"Fine. Then I'll answer three questions. Just three."
"Pardon?"
"Stop skulking around watching me and ask me yourself. Is that so hard to understand?"
Today was full of firsts for Cheon Byeongil.
"You don't want to?"
"Not at all!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Cheon Byeongil realized how frantic he had sounded and flushed with embarrassment.
"Start."
"What is the Lord's sect, and what is your purpose in settling in Gyounam?"
Ja Gangcheon was about to answer when Cheongu, sitting beside him, pointed out the problem.
"That's two questions."
At that, Ja Gangcheon fixed Cheon Byeongil with a hard stare.
"I gave you a chance, and you're playing games."
"My apologies. I was too eager."
Cheon Byeongil revised the question.
"What is your sect?"
"Nothing grand enough to call a sect. If I had to put a name to it—I've learned the Bicheonsinbo, so I suppose I'm a descendant of the Divine Thief."
The Divine Thief Sadengnyang. The light-body technique and footwork Ja Gangcheon had mastered was none other than Sadengnyang's Flying Heaven Divine Steps—the Bicheonsinbo. He could say he had no sect because the Divine Thief had never belonged to any particular organization.
Haomun will already know about the Bicheonsinbo.
He had displayed its supreme form at Heukseonmun, and dozens had witnessed it. There was no lie in Ja Gangcheon's answer. He simply had not told them everything—only what he was willing to reveal.
"Next question."
Ja Gangcheon kept his replies as brief as possible and offered no further explanation.
"Second question. Why have you settled in Gyounam?"
"I was planning to build a ship and go to Guigokdo. There's someone I need to meet."
Another answer without a falsehood. From the listener's perspective, it could only connect to the first question—he was going to Guigokdo to seek traces of the Divine Thief.
Cheon Byeongil did not leap to conclusions; he tried to keep the conversation going.
"I have heard that all who went to Guigokdo are dead."
"Are you certain of that?"
He could not say yes. No one had ever confirmed it. Still, there had been no word for nineteen years, and none of those who entered Guigokdo in search of them had ever returned. People merely assumed they were all dead.
"One last question."
Even though he had surrendered the initiative, Cheon Byeongil did not take long to settle on his final question. It was information he absolutely had to obtain.
"What is your relationship with the Wudang Sect?"
The question caught Ja Gangcheon off guard. Haomun had dug up information from even before he dealt with Heukseonmun. Their intelligence network was sharper than he had expected, and it gave him a jolt.
Dodging it here would only look more suspicious.
He had already come this far, so instead of making excuses, Ja Gangcheon chose a frontal assault.
"I went to the Wudang Sect with a request, and they refused me. So I hate the Wudang Sect. Does that answer your question?"
Genuine fury burned through every word, and Cheon Byeongil did not dare doubt him.
There's no way outsiders would know why he went to Wudang.
If anything, Wudang would try to bury the matter completely.
"Questions over."
Having answered every one of them, Ja Gangcheon rose from his seat.
"If intelligence gathering really is your only goal, I don't see any reason for you to keep watching me."
He bent at the waist and locked eyes with the man at close range.
"I've done my part. Haven't I?"
Cheon Byeongil could not bring himself to nod.
He's handed me a justification.
The surveillance target had come in person and freely offered information. Refusing to stand down now would be no different from declaring a fight.
Seeing the man's rigid expression, Ja Gangcheon stated the real reason he had come.
"Disappear from my surroundings. Today is the last time we do this with words."
Leaving that unmistakable warning behind, Ja Gangcheon walked out of the pleasure house.
Alone, Cheon Byeongil remained in the pavilion for a long time, lost in thought.
Once they were outside and Ja Gangcheon's hard expression melted away, Cheongu spoke up.
"Well done."
"Right?"
Ja Gangcheon's face returned to a look of pure innocence so complete that no one could have imagined the man who had just been pressuring Cheon Byeongil.
"That's what Mom used to do whenever she fought with Father."
"So that's the kind of thing you learn when you have parents."
They were things Cheongu had never experienced.
At the hour when the sun stood highest, Haomun's Cheon Byeongil made his way to the harbor.
He scanned the rows of vessels until he found an ordinary fishing boat named the Nokmyeong—the Green Bright—and climbed aboard. He locked eyes with the captain, but no greeting passed between them. He simply descended three steps and opened the cabin door. What appeared beyond it was a reception room utterly at odds with any fishing boat.
From the carpet covering the floor to the floral ornaments on the walls, to the table and chairs carved from fragrant wood—it was the kind of scene one might expect only in the most expensive chamber of a pleasure house.
And seated at its center was a woman dressed in pure white, a color in stark contrast to the red around her.
At a glance she seemed pure and refined; up close, her skin showed faintly through the fabric in a way that stirred a man's basest instincts.
"I pay my respects to the Unit Leader."
Cheon Byeongil offered her a formal bow.
"Ja Gangcheon came to you himself?"
"Yes, Unit Leader."
He reported everything that had happened with Ja Gangcheon.
"Interesting."
The woman sank into thought for a moment, then asked him,
"Do you think he told the truth?"
"I believe only what is certain. That he inherited the true teachings of the Divine Thief Sadengnyang. That he is a master whose skill belies his age. That he genuinely intended to acquire a ship. And that he harbors fierce hostility toward the Wudang Sect."
"There can't be any proof of hostility toward Wudang."
"That is my personal judgment. If the enmity he showed then was false, it is time for me to leave this line of work."
In other words, he was certain.
"Things have gotten thoroughly tangled."
She assembled every piece of information and reached her conclusion. The process had been intriguing, but the outcome was the worst possible.
"My apologies. I never expected him to come and offer answers of his own accord."
"Of course you didn't. It was outside my expectations as well."
She did not bother to scold her subordinate for the failure. Solving the problem took priority.
"The black market sits ownerless, and we can't claim it because of one boy."
Haomun's true objective: the black market of Gyounam.
Gyounam's black market was among the largest of its kind. The south was impossible—those were overseas trade zones under direct royal control—and the north was too heavily watched, packed with goods bound for the palace. Black markets had formed in the middle ground, and Gyounam was one of them.
Unlicensed and forbidden goods circulated there in secret, and it was a primary source of income for sailors who crossed the seas.
In the black market, money can buy anything.
That was precisely why the Twin Ghost-Faced Killers had bothered to seize Gyounam in the first place.
"I thought it would be easy to take."
A crease formed between the woman's brows.
When Heukseonmun first moved, there had been no problem. Just as the Twin Ghost-Faced Killers had done, Haomun had planned to use them as a shield. But after that, everything had twisted strangely.
The man who eliminated the Twin Ghost-Faced Killers had cleaned out Gyounam's entire underworld and then dissolved Heukseonmun itself. With someone like that settled in Gyounam, other factions found it awkward to move in.
No underworld organization may enter Gyounam.
He had even proclaimed it openly under the name of Deungmyeong Manor.
To advance into Gyounam, you must fight him.
The Twin Ghost-Faced Killers had been trouble enough—and now one had to surpass the man who beat them. As Heukseonmun, which had dismissed him for his youth, crumbled, the organizations that had been quietly probing a Gyounam expansion ground to a halt.
"If we don't take it soon, this place will become a battlefield."
She turned to Cheon Byeongil, who stood waiting in silence.
"How many are eyeing the black market right now?"
"Once Heukseonmun was dealt with, the smaller outfits pulled out. Currently Jeokilbang and Pajongmun are the most aggressive. They can move at any time."
Jeokilbang and Pajongmun were the most renowned unorthodox organizations in Shandong Province. They were in an entirely different league from Heukseonmun, which had been little more than an unorthodox fringe.
"Anyone else?"
"The movements of the Shandong Five Peaks are also concerning."
At the name Shandong Five Peaks, the woman let out a long breath.
"Only the difficult ones are left."
With the small fry gone, only the big fish remained—naturally.
"It'll be a problem if they dig in first."
Haomun had always operated more like an intelligence network than a force of arms. Contesting ground already claimed by a major sect was not their way.
"If we take it first, they won't be able to do much about it either."
For other sects as well, forcibly seizing a Haomun market was a decision that brought more loss than gain.
"In the end, whoever claims it first wins this fight."
Gyounam's black market had no master. For everyone involved, it was a chance that would not come again.
"Negotiating with Deungmyeong Manor seems the best course."
For the first time, Cheon Byeongil offered an opinion of his own. He hoped it might redeem his earlier mistake.
The woman watched her subordinate quietly, then a smile curved her lips.
"It seems I shall have to go myself."
"I will accompany you."
"No. He is already deeply wary of us. I alone will be enough."
"Be careful. He is not a man to take lightly."
The advice was sincere, yet the woman's smile only deepened.
"He's still just a boy in his teens. However he thrashes about with his shallow experience, he remains in the palm of my hand."
She rose from her chair.
"Hup!"
At the vigorous shout, the world Ja Gangcheon saw rose upward.
"Ninety-nine!"
Whenever that booming voice rang out, the world sank back down again.
"Hyung. This is fun and all, but do we really have to do it this way?"
"Training and entertainment for the brothers at the same time! It's perfect!"
Ja Gangcheon was sitting on Panseok's right shoulder.
"Gangcheon. Enjoy it. It's what hyung wants."
Perched on the left shoulder, one head over, Cheongu chewed on a strip of dried meat with complete leisure. This was far from the first or second time.
Panseok was training his external arts with both of them balanced on his shoulders. He was not simply standing and sitting—he was moving according to the footwork Ja Gangcheon had taught him.
"Hyung. Your ankles are too stiff. The Bicheonsinbo isn't about strength—it's about flexibility."
Panseok was learning the Bicheonsinbo itself. Cheongu, who was studying it as well, added his own advice.
"Hyung. Just trying to release the power makes you uneasy, right?"
"Yes, Cheongu-hyungnim. It feels like I'm going to fall."
"Try putting strength only into your big toes."
"Like this?"
"That's it. The key is shifting your center of gravity."
Following Cheongu's guidance, Panseok looked awkward at first—but before long he was flowing through the soft footwork with ease.
"Oh! It's working! Cheongu-hyungnim is the best!"
"Hey. Hyung. I thought I was the best?"
"Manor Lord-hyungnim is the best. But Cheongu-hyungnim is even more the best."
He was simply being honest, and neither of them could find the heart to scold him for it.
"Good. Hyung will mainly train power-based external arts, but for footwork, base everything on the Bicheonsinbo. It'll cover your weaknesses."
"Yes, hyungnim!"
Teaching Panseok and Cheongu was genuinely rewarding.
Cheongu is relentless. Panseok is steadfast.
Both of them kept going until they got it right.
"Have fun with it. Martial arts are supposed to be enjoyable."
"I'm having fun too. It's amazing, in a way."
"Yes, hyungnim! I'll learn it fast so I can play along with you both!"
Just as Panseok shouted with full force—
Knock. Knock.
Someone tapped lightly at the gate.
"I'll get it!"
Panseok carefully set Ja Gangcheon and Cheongu on the ground and ran for the main gate. Moments later he returned with a woman and stood before Ja Gangcheon.
"What are you doing here?"
It was the woman he had already met in the imperial capital. Instinctively, the hostility from that day rose in him again.
She smiled at his curt tone and offered a polite greeting.
"Yeonhui, Cheono Unit Leader of Haomun's Shandong Branch, presents herself before the Lord of the Manor."
Ja Gangcheon had no idea how unusual such an introduction was. Haomun's officers rarely revealed their precise identities if they could help it.
"Cheono Unit Leader? How high up is that?"
That was what actually interested him.
"Beneath the Shandong provincial branch leader there are five unit leaders. I am one of them."
Even at a glance, it was a considerable position.
"I have nothing left to discuss with Haomun. Why did you come?"
"Because the goals of subordinates and superiors are different by nature."
"So it wasn't simple intelligence gathering?"
"That is what I told my people. Of course, it is not true of me. Even if I were curious, I am not idle enough to dispatch a trusted agent simply to investigate."
Ja Gangcheon had found that strange as well. No matter how suddenly he had appeared, would Haomun take this much interest? Heukseonmun had not been particularly famous even among the unorthodox, and it had no direct connection to Haomun.
"And why should I need to know Haomun's purpose?"
"Please don't be so cold. I have brought information the Lord of the Manor will find indispensable."
Yeonhui clasped both hands together so as not to seem threatening and approached Ja Gangcheon with slow, measured steps. She came close enough that her reflection filled his pupils, then spoke so softly he could hear her breath.
"You really must hear this."
A subtle smile, a soft voice, and a captivating fragrance that spread with every slight movement. Countless men had volunteered to become slaves before that smile, swearing they would surrender even their souls at a single touch of her skin.
What of a vigorous young man in his mid-teens?
"Noona. Sorry, but I like pretty women."
Yeonhui heard the sound of a crack running through her soul.