Truly Lying Down
"Haha, yeah, yeah. Shake it more. Harder."
Bang So-un let out a hearty laugh. Courtesans dressed in sheer mesh fabric that revealed every inch of their flesh were dancing a lewd routine no self-respecting gisaeng would ever perform. It was a dance that flaunted nothing but their obscene bodies. Jiggle, jiggle, jiggle. One courtesan cupped her ample breasts and bounced them up and down alternately in a frenzy. Naturally, her tits flopped asymmetrically like a pair of mismatched udders, making for a ridiculous sight. Bang So-un and Jang Il were, of course, delighted by the spectacle.
And it didn't stop there. Another turned her back, thrust out her ass, and shook her hips front to back, side to side with furious vigor. The ceaseless quivering of her ass cheeks was utterly lascivious. Then there was yet another courtesan. She spread her legs wide, squatted down and up in repetition. Even in normal clothes it would have been embarrassing, but in that see-through mesh, it looked like she was deliberately putting her pussy on full display.
"Heh, nice."
Jang Il chuckled too. And before them sat a table laden with appetizers. But it was a most unusual table—one that heaved with rhythmic breaths, inhaling and exhaling. Yes, it was a human table. A completely naked woman lying prone. From her breasts to the triangle between her legs, the appetizers were temptingly arranged across her body. Bang So-un and Jang Il picked at them with chopsticks while savoring the erotic dance. This was luxury beyond luxury. While some places mourned at funerals, here it was nothing but a festival.
But then—
"Young master, urgent news."
A woman's low voice came from outside the door. Recognizing it as Yeon Su-rin's, Bang So-un raised a hand to halt the dance.
"Come in."
The door slid open, and Yeon Su-rin entered. She immediately dropped to her knees before Bang So-un and prostrated herself.
"Urgent news? What is it?"
"It's... "
Yeon Su-rin swiftly reported what Hwang Bo-seol had ordered her to relay. Bang So-un's expression turned serious as he listened.
"Dream Illusion Flower?"
An unexpected player. Someone completely unconnected until now. For Bang So-un, it was like a random rock from outside the board had suddenly been hurled as an obstacle.
"Yes. Daughter of the Jegal family head, serving as a regular military strategist in the Murim Alliance's Bi-gak."
"I've heard the name. They say she's exceptionally sharp, just like her father, the Heaven Machine."
A famous young expert—Bang So-un had heard of her to some degree. She was that notable.
"Yes, young master."
"Hm. And this bitch just happens to be sniffing around me and Jang Il?"
Bang So-un's eyes sank into deep thought. His keen instincts and brilliant mind were kicking into gear.
"Suspicion."
"S-suspicion? We haven't even met the bitch!"
Jang Il looked utterly baffled.
"No one asks questions like that without some suspicion."
Bang So-un was certain.
"The question is, where did that suspicion come from?"
His eyes sharpened as he pondered anew. Then, as if seizing on a hunch—
"You said she's a strategist for the Murim Alliance?"
"Yes, as you said."
"Right, so that's it?"
Bang So-un narrowed his eyes. He'd operated outside Hangzhou exactly four times so far. The trip to Gansu for revenge on Sagong Hemi, the voyage to Haenam to target Muyeong Bido, the secret underground arena in Jangsa for Black Dream Butterfly, and finally Anhui for the Nangong family. Two of those hid his identity completely, so openly active outings numbered just two: Gansu and Haenam. The Haenam affair wouldn't draw Murim Alliance ire, leaving one obvious answer.
Gansu. The Sagong family massacre.
"Ha, ridiculous. I left zero evidence."
Bang So-un muttered in disbelief. But the answer had narrowed. Denying it would be foolish.
"Looks like she caught a whiff of something."
Not clear traces—Alliance forces would have stormed Golden Dragon Battlefield by now if so.
Which meant—
"We're one of the suspects."
Or rather, two. She'd mentioned Jang Il by name too.
"What are you even...?"
"Simple. We've landed in hot water without realizing it."
"Gasp? H-hot water?"
Jang Il freaked out.
"Yeah. That bitch definitely suspects us."
"What kind of suspicion?"
"The Sagong family butcher."
"What?!"
Jang Il's massive frame shrank in terror.
"Th-that's bad, right?"
"Of course it's bad. But suspicion isn't certainty."
Bang So-un continued coolly.
"We stop it before it becomes certainty."
"R-right."
"We move now. No time to waste."
Bang So-un stood. He'd planned to lounge in Anhui awaiting the Nangong family's new patriarch results, but no more.
"Wh-where to?"
"Hangzhou. That bitch will come to Golden Dragon Battlefield to verify."
A carriage racing toward Hangzhou without regard for night. Inside sat Bang So-un and Jang Il. Both wore fatigued expressions, but comfort could wait. They had to reach Golden Dragon Battlefield as fast as possible.
Flutter-flutter.
A bird's wingbeats sounded at the carriage window. Bang So-un, eyes closed in thought, opened them.
"It's here."
"Pardon? What...?"
"Messenger pigeon."
Bang So-un opened the window. Sure enough, a pigeon with a document tied to its leg perched there. He untied it, read quickly, then released the bird back to the sky.
"Whoa, when did you arrange this?"
"Before we left, I had the silver fox send an urgent pigeon request."
Naturally, for intel. On Jegal Cheongha. More info meant better decisions. They had next to nothing on her now.
"As expected, young master leaves no gaps."
"Heh, basics."
Bang So-un smirked, scanning Eun Hwa-yeong's report. Then—
"Hm."
A short, inscrutable groan.
"What is it?"
"Not your average bitch, that Jegal Cheongha."
"Well, she's a famous young expert, so... "
"Not that."
"Huh?"
"It's not just brains. Seems she has some weird ability too."
"Weird ability?"
Jang Il's eyes widened in confusion.
"Yeah. Says she's solved multiple cold cases the pros couldn't touch for years. You think that's just smarts?"
Bang So-un knew, being cut from the same cloth. It took superhuman instincts. And now those instincts were aimed at them.
"Whoa? Th-then what do we...?"
"Nothing changes. Stop it before suspicion turns to certainty."
Even unwelcome intel couldn't faze his cold, clear mind. Was crisis always bad? Laughable, but no. Recognizing it was luck. Compared to those blindsided to doom, they were fortunate. Hwang Bo-seol's sharp eyes had brought this fortune. And handled right, crisis became opportunity.
Yes. Cut the suspicion here.
Not the whole Alliance—just Jegal Cheongha leading it. Sever hers, and the nagging doubt vanished clean. Best outcome possible.
"Force our way in? Hit her before Hangzhou?"
Jang Il rolled anxious eyes.
"No. Last resort, worst resort."
Bang So-un answered without hesitation. Touch the Alliance now? Insane. Even for massacre. She was Heaven Machine's daughter. They'd hunt to hell's end, and any trace meant doom.
"Lure that bitch into headquarters."
Golden Dragon Battlefield was their world. Anything went inside.
"Eh? C-can we?"
Even Jang Il doubted. No sane person waltzes into a suspect's lair. Especially not clever, instinct-sharp Jegal Cheongha.
"Not straightforward."
Via Yeon Su-rin, Hwang Bo-seol reported Jegal Cheongha doubting her "illness." Atmosphere alone betrayed faked vs. real sickness. No orders made it perfect.
So.
"I'll really lie down."
"Pardon?"
"Have Go-eui whip up a poison that looks deathbed-level. Then bedridden."
"N-no, what do you mean?"
Jang Il looked flustered.
"Don't worry. If shit hits, Go-eui'll save me."
Bang So-un smiled faintly.
"She'll think 'fake illness' turning 'dying soon.' Impulse to check with her own eyes. That's the hook."
A leader's life hanging? HQ atmosphere turns tense, heavy. Jegal Cheongha wouldn't miss it. Curiosity and doubt would drag her in.
"Not the time. Send Go-eui a pigeon too."
Bang So-un's eyes gleamed.