Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Haomen!
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Haomen!
The sect that named itself "the lowest and dirtiest" had only been known in the martial world for about two hundred years, but its influence was tremendous.
Information prowess that stood twin pillars with the Beggars' Sect.
And just one trading method.
That trading method was the most disparate and unique way imaginable.
Namely...
"As long as you pay the money, they sell any information without asking who the buyer is."
Whether it was a righteous sect or an evil sect.
Even if it was a wanted criminal of the martial world, they never pried into the buyer's identity.
They simply took the money and sold.
How astonishing was that?
The audacity to do business with righteous sects, evil sects, and even public enemies of the martial world.
If any sect discovered that Haomen had sold information to an enemy faction, it would be deserving of total annihilation...
Yet Haomen still stood strong to this day.
There were many reasons, but if pinpointed, there were four key ones.
First, they only conducted trades.
Second, they built trust by treating everyone equally, regardless of righteous or evil affiliation.
Third, everything about Haomen was shrouded in secrecy.
Who was their sect leader?
How many members did they have?
Where was their main base?
And the final, decisive reason was a single incident from the past.
Long ago, several sects that harbored grudges after their information was sold to enemy forces conspired and attempted to raid Haomen.
But Haomen had somehow obtained prior intelligence and fled, leaving the attackers to swallow their disappointment and withdraw.
The very next day, the corruption, misdeeds, and hidden scandals of those sects that had attacked Haomen spread throughout the martial world.
When the ugly underbellies of those reputed as gentlemen were exposed, they crumbled.
And that was not the end of it.
To finish them off completely, Haomen handed over their weaknesses and information to those who had been eyeing them covetously.
Thus, all the sects that had raided Haomen were wiped out within a fortnight.
Without Haomen lifting a finger.
After that incident, not even the powers of the Nine Provinces, Three Evils, and others dared to properly touch Haomen, tacitly allowing its existence.
On the surface, it was due to claims of neutrality and such, but their true intentions were entirely different.
It was because they did not know Haomen's true nature and feared suffering the same fate if they attacked recklessly.
After all, no sect could claim to be completely clean.
Thus, all factions, from the Nine Provinces powers and Three Evils onward, had no choice but to acknowledge and tolerate Haomen's existence.
As the martial world's sole neutral sect.
"Here's the mark of Haomen..."
The man hurriedly pulled a cloth symbolizing the Haomen disciple's insignia from his sleeve and unfurled it.
"Look."
Cheonhwi, seeing the silk embroidered with the characters "Haomen (下汚)," opened his mouth.
"So?"
Cheonhwi stared at the man rummaging through his sleeve with eyes that said, "What are you talking about?"
Haomen? What was that?
It was only natural, perhaps.
Haomen had only begun to properly reveal itself in the martial world about two hundred years ago.
It was from a time with about a three-hundred-year gap until Cheonhwi's previous life when he was reborn into this one.
Thus, he had no idea what kind of sect Haomen was or what position it held.
But the man, unaware of this reason, stuttered in panic.
"Y-Yes?"
"What does it matter that you're a Haomen disciple or that this has nothing to do with it?"
The man was at a loss for words in that instant.
It was his first time being caught so sharply, leaving him embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Cheonhwi locked eyes with him.
Two pupils gleaming like a snake's.
Upon seeing his predator-like gaze, the man's pupils lost focus, and soon the muscles in his face slackened.
"It's been a while, but it works well."
Activating the Soul-Seizing Demonic Command Technique, Cheonhwi asked in a low voice.
"Haomen orchestrated this, right?"
"Hik! N-No!"
Deep-seated fear of Cheonhwi gripped the man; he flinched and shrank his neck with every twitch of Cheonhwi's fingers.
"Gotta say something."
Sensing a mortal threat in that instant, the man desperately moved his lips.
"L-Lord! Could it be you don't know Haomen?"
"First time hearing... Ah!"
As Cheonhwi let out a short exclamation as if recalling something, the man smiled.
"Phew, good, you do know..."
"The place the Iron Sword Hero told me to visit if anyone was looking for me back then."
But at Cheonhwi's following words, the young man's smile vanished like it had been washed away.
Instead, his eyes widened.
"Oh dear! So you're a guest of the Great Hero."
The young man's expression softened smoothly.
No, he even wore a bright smile as if welcoming Cheonhwi.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Sangyeo, a Haomen disciple of the Shaanxi branch."
What?
Cheonhwi looked at Sangyeo, who was suddenly acting friendly, with absurd eyes.
At that moment, Sangyeo spoke excitedly.
"To explain why I came here, I received orders to investigate the strange movements of the ones who recently bought this inn. So I checked, and most of them were experts..."
Sangyeo spilled the information fluently.
Knows quite a bit, huh?
Cheonhwi silently watched the nonstop-talking Sangyeo, then pulled over an intact chair nearby and sat comfortably.
"You've had it rough on your own."
"That's exactly it! The branch chief needs to know I've been running my feet off! To give you the details, last night the buyers of this inn suddenly appeared out of nowhere and chased everyone out..."
The information Sangyeo provided was quite substantial.
Not just a day or two; it seemed he'd investigated for quite some time, as it was very detailed.
"They were all considerable experts. I prided myself on my lightness skill, but most of them seemed to notice, so I had to stay hidden... Ah! Of course, compared to the Great Hero, it's no different from blood on a chick's foot!"
Sangyeo kept answering, and Cheonhwi interjected with questions now and then.
Through several rounds of questions and answers, Cheonhwi obtained a great deal of information.
"Do you know where they're from?"
"No idea. They popped up like they'd sprung from the ground."
Sangyeo shook his head as he spoke.
"All I know is they're not from a righteous sect—definitely evil faction."
Evil faction guys, alright.
Cheonhwi inwardly agreed.
The martial arts of the attackers this time carried the distinctive killing intent and vigor unique to the evil faction.
"Any suspects?"
"Actually, there are a few places I suspect their identity..."
At that point, Sangyeo spoke cautiously.
As if afraid someone might overhear, he glanced around and whispered.
"Truth be told, how many places have the resources to secretly dispatch this many experts and buy an inn outright with ready cash? Only a handful."
Sangyeo glanced at Cheonhwi as he spoke.
"It'd have to be on the level of the Nine Great Sects, Eight Great Clans, and Five Emperor Gates that form the core of the Nine Provinces powers and Three Evils. But there's no way they'd move, so the remaining possibilities in the world are few..."
Sangyeo paused for a moment.
"Where?"
Sangyeo flinched at Cheonhwi's question.
He rolled his eyes this way and that, then cautiously whispered into Cheonhwi's ear.
"...The Western barbarians or the Imperial Court."
Cheonhwi's eyes narrowed.
It was as he had expected.
After all, the attackers had targeted none other than Lord Sohee first.
"What do you think it is?"
"Well..."
Sangyeo twitched as he was about to answer.
At the same time, his face stiffened, and his complexion turned deathly pale.
"Why did I spill all that information so eagerly?"
No matter the life threat, it made no sense to divulge like this.
For a Haomen disciple, information was more precious and weighty than life itself.
Especially such crucial intel.
He should have played dumb or found another way, not spilled it all so freely...
"This is impossible... Could it be?!"
The horrified Sangyeo snapped back to his senses.
"He's already recovered, huh."
Cheonhwi watched the entranced Sangyeo, then stroked his chin once.
"As expected, casting it without demonic qi reduces the effect."
The Soul-Seizing Demonic Command Technique exploited the gap when the opponent's mental strength was worn down, compelling answers to questions.
But perhaps because it lacked demonic qi...
The technique wore off faster than anticipated.
"Pouring in more qi would shatter his mind."
Cheonhwi looked at Sangyeo.
His face was already a mess.
His unfocused pupils stared into empty space, and drool flowed from his mouth, soaking his collar.
"Well, no big loss if he dies. Info sect anyway... Ah!"
At that moment, a thought flashed through Cheonhwi's mind like lightning.
Sneer—
With a sinister smile curling his lips, Cheonhwi released the Soul-Seizing Demonic Command Technique.
A moment later, focus began to return to Sangyeo's hazy pupils.
"Sigh, ugh!"
Regaining his senses, he hurriedly wiped the drool from his mouth, then clutched his head.
Cheonhwi spoke as he watched Sangyeo groan in headache.
"If that information is accurate, then the attackers' identity is the Imperial Court. Or more precisely, they're the ones behind it."
"...!"
Sangyeo experienced the mystical sensation of his headache vanishing in that instant.
At the same time, his mind raced at high speed.
"So certain?"
As he thought, Sangyeo's pupils shook violently, and he widened his eyes.
"Could it be...!"
Not only the youth before him but his entire group were people he'd never seen before.
And they were rare experts.
"Few places in the world could cultivate experts like that. At most the Nine Great Sects, Eight Great Clans, Five Emperor Gates, and..."
Cold sweat beaded on Sangyeo's forehead.
"...People from the Imperial Court?"
Cheonhwi lifted the corner of his mouth.
This was the question he'd been waiting for.
"Do you know Lord Sohee?"
"...!"
Sangyeo was struck dumb.
Who was Lord Sohee?
The woman known as the Emperor's direct blood kin and the Qinghai Governor's forbidden treasure.
And recently, the one who had visited the Mount Hua Sect...
Whoosh!
Sangyeo whipped his head around.
"Could Lord Sohee be...?"
Sangyeo's lips trembled.
"Damn! Branch chief! W-We touched something we shouldn't have!"
He'd thought the sudden arrivals were no ordinary folk, but this was beyond imagination.
The Imperial Court involved!
Gulp—
A dry swallow went down his throat.
"I-I saw nothing..."
As Sangyeo tried to backpedal...
"Too late."
Cheonhwi rose from his chair.
"What do you think will happen if the Imperial Court finds out? A Haomen disciple who just walked away while Lord Sohee was in danger— the Court would love that."
Sangyeo's face turned ashen.
It was a complete self-inflicted wound.
Saying he did nothing meant he'd stood idle during the attack on Lord Sohee!
Cheonhwi laughed as the situation flowed exactly as he willed.
"Want to become enemies with the Imperial Court?"
Sangyeo frantically shook his head. Enemies with the Court? Only a madman would.
"Or join hands?"
"...!"
Sangyeo's eyes wavered.
Getting close to the Imperial Court meant his life would be set on an easy path.
He immediately slammed his forehead to the floor.
"I'll do anything."
"You know the way to Qinghai, right?"
"I know that much, but..."
"Not the normal route—the hidden one?"
"Hidden route..."
"The one only Haomen knows."
Cheonhwi stared steadily at Sangyeo.
An information sect rivaling the Beggars' Sect surely had its own secret paths.
To relay information as fast as possible and escape at any time.
And that guess...
"...Just guide me there?"
Hit the mark.
"That's it."
Cheonhwi added,
"And one more thing. Right now, relay a separate message to your group."
"A message?"
"Just pass this on."
Cheonhwi grinned as he spoke.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Phew, everyone's been taken care of now."
"All taken care of!"
Lord Sohee stroked Soryeong's head, who had blood on her lips, and smiled.
"Good job, Soryeong."
"Yeah!"
"How about over there..."
Sim Wijin, watching the two, shifted his gaze to Jeokgeom and Seollan but paused.
"The Plum Blossom Sword Guards, as expected."
Jeokgeom and Seollan stood pristine atop the corpses.
If not for the bloodied swords in their hands, no one would believe they'd just fought a bloody battle—they were that clean.
Meanwhile, Jeokgeom and Seollan could hardly swallow their inner shock.
"Were the Imperial Court's martial arts always this formidable?"
"The swordsmanship was impressive, but that technique handling shadows so freely..."
Their throats bobbed.
At that moment, sensing a presence right behind them, the two whipped around.
In response, Sangyeo threw both hands high and shouted.
"I-I'm not an enemy!"
Having shouted desperately, he spotted Lord Sohee and immediately dropped to his knees.
"This lowly one greets Lord Sohee."
Lord Sohee's eyes narrowed.
"How did you know I'm Lord Sohee?"
"The Great Hero told me."
"Great Hero...?"
Great Hero? Who?
As Lord Sohee puzzled over it...
"And the Great Hero has a separate message for Lord Sohee and all of you."
Before they could react, Sangyeo lifted his head sharply and moved his lips.
"He said he'll handle the backend forces, so go to Qinghai first and wait."
In that instant, everyone in the group knew exactly who this "Great Hero" was.
"That punk!"
"Ah, Martial Uncle."
"Young hero?"
Meanwhile, separated from the group, Cheonhwi savored his long-lost freedom and hummed a tune.
"Lucky me."
A smile played on Cheonhwi's lips.
He'd had no choice but to travel along, but truthfully, he hadn't wanted to go to Qinghai.
More precisely, he hadn't wanted to get involved with the Imperial Court.
"Even the Divine Cult is..."
Recalling it made his stomach churn.
Their schemes to disrupt deals, the spies and assassins sent sporadically.
If they took a liking to something—be it person or object—they'd acquire it by any means, and if they couldn't, they'd destroy it. That was the Imperial Court.
"Nothing good ever comes from tangling with those Court bastards. Turned out well."
As he smiled, he tucked the cloth Sangyeo had earnestly handed him before leaving into his sleeve.
"Still, gotta keep my word once it's out there, right?"