Eyes in the Shadows, the Red-Eyed Fox
The sun was beginning to set, scattering beautiful evening glows across the sky. The humid summer air felt muggy, but cool breezes blew frequently, cooling the sweat on their skin.
"Ah... this is nice."
There was something special about smoking a cigarette after a sweaty romp with a beauty. The rich aroma filling his chest seemed to ease the fatigue from sex. This expensive Western Regions tobacco had a deep flavor and fine scent. He hadn't known such tastes before. Someone without money couldn't indulge in such costly habits.
Jang Il took a deep drag and exhaled. Then he turned to Bang So-un, who sat beside him puffing on his own pipe.
"No matter how I look at it, isn't it just perfect?"
His tone was self-congratulatory, as if praising himself for first coming up with the Jeolhwadae uniforms. Jang Il's hand pointed toward Yeon Su-rin, who stood there smiling proudly in the uniform, showing it off.
Yeah, it was perfect. The lovely pinkish-lavender color made the woman's beauty even more vibrant and striking. The sheer fabric revealed glimpses of her white, smooth skin, melting a man's heart. The material clung tightly, outlining every curve of her body. The graceful line from her waist through her hips to her shapely legs was nothing short of fantastical.
But inside that pinkish-lavender nasam, there was nothing hidden. The swell of her breasts and even their peaked tips stood out clearly. The subtle up-and-down jiggle with every step was conveyed in exquisite visual detail. The fabric wedged into the cleft of her ass created an even more lascivious feel than nudity. The front was the same. With the soft material plastered right against the slit of her vulva, framed by her bush, it was ridiculously stimulating.
"It's good, really good... but..."
Bang So-un trailed off, and Jang Il shot him a glance.
"It's still a bit much for going out in public."
"Ah... people are so stuck on Confucius this and Mencius that, it's so stuffy. So many folks just don't get the beauty of the female form. But screw that—who cares if another man's woman parades around with her tits out or her pussy on display? What's it to them?"
"Hahaha, I agree with you, but what can we do? A sharp rock gets chipped away. There's wisdom in 'moderation in all things' for a reason."
"The uniforms are one thing, but aren't we being too cautious?"
"No."
His face was soft, but his voice was firm. Bang So-un gazed at the sunset sky with eyes distant, as if looking far away.
"I hope it's just my overthinking, but... the Murim Alliance is probably already turning its eyes toward me and the Golden Dragon Battlefield."
Murim Alliance. An arrogant name. Did it claim the righteous sects were all of the martial world? But the righteous factions had earned the right to that arrogance now. Just fifty years ago, it had been the Righteous Martial Alliance, a union of the righteous martial world. But in the great righteous-demonic war fifty years back, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's power had been crushed, tipping the scales toward the righteous side. From then on, they'd claimed the name Murim Alliance.
Of course, evil and demonic forces still stirred in corners of the martial world, and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult poured all its efforts into regaining its former glory. But they were no longer a major threat to the righteous sects. The timing wasn't ideal. In the past, to check the demonic forces, seven-tenths of the Bi-gak—the Murim Alliance's intelligence arm—had been dedicated to them. Now, three-tenths sufficed. That left more eyes for the martial world's smaller affairs.
In this climate, Golden Dragon Battlefield matters could draw significant attention. After all, it was a key pillar of the righteous factions—far more than minor sects.
"What? No way?"
But the guy beside him was ironclad when training women, yet utterly nonchalant about this stuff. Maybe starting from Hwang Bo-seol, things had gone too smoothly according to plan, loosening his tension.
Bang So-un gave a wry smile.
"Don't underestimate the Murim Alliance. The Bi-gak's eyes reach everywhere in the world. No one can see why Hwang Bo-seol would hand over the leadership to me. They've been watching me suspiciously since then. Their informants might be eyeing the Golden Dragon Battlefield even now."
"Huh? Then we're in trouble! Yeon... uh, Yeon Su-rin—no, Jeolhwadae member! Come here... look."
Jang Il's face paled in an instant, reverting to the scared, glancing-around guy from the inn before plotting against Hwang Bo-seol. Memories of nearly dying to the Rakshasa Sword Fairy must have resurfaced.
Yeon Su-rin approached with a puzzled look, and Jang Il draped her outer garment over her to cover the nasam.
"Ah... Master?"
"Shh."
He pressed a finger to her lips and signaled silence with his eyes. Jang Il's voice dropped low.
"...What if a spy's already infiltrated the Golden Dragon Battlefield? That's bad. We need to act now."
"Haha, while you've been pouring your energy into training the women, I haven't been idle. I've already thoroughly investigated Hwang Bo-seol and every servant in the Golden Dragon Battlefield. There's one I suspect of being a planted informant from the past. But he can't infiltrate my inner quarters. He doesn't have the rank, and I've made the inner quarters a women-only space."
"Gasp, a real spy? Shouldn't we kill him right away?"
"Cutting off the tail just invites more suspicion. Let them see the public face of the Golden Dragon Battlefield as much as they want. Anyway, get it now? Why we need to be cautious."
"...I'll be extra careful."
"Haha, no need to get all tense."
Bang So-un laughed and clapped Jang Il on the shoulder.
"That's why."
"Huh?"
"We need a solid informant of our own. Those who control information control the world. Without it, we're blind and deaf—how could we scheme anything? We've got the wealth now; next up is information."
Jang Il's eyes widened.
"Wealth first, then information... As expected, young master, your plans have no gaps. Do you have someone in mind?"
"Don't overhype me; I've got plenty of gaps."
Bang So-un set his pipe aside and turned fully toward Jang Il.
"Among all the world's information networks, which is the best?"
"The Beggars' Clan, obviously."
Right. There are no places without beggars. The "hundred thousand Beggars' Clan" wasn't exaggeration. The sheer volume and quality of information flowing in was immense. And they weren't just numerous—they had unique arts like the Dog-Beating Staff Method and Drunken Immortal Step, making them untouchable. That's why they ranked among the Nine Great Sects.
But the Beggars' Clan was off-limits. Hardly any women, just stinking male beggars everywhere—nowhere to use Jang Il's talents. Women would choose to be courtesans over filthy beggars anyway.
"Second best?"
"The Haomen."
The Haomen consisted of pickpockets, courtesans, errand boys, ruffians, gamblers—lowly folk. Unless it was a remote village, no decent-sized city lacked them. They gathered info rivaling the Beggars' Clan. But their low status and mediocre unique arts meant scant respect in the martial world.
Still, no one ignored the Haomen's intelligence.
"Right, the Haomen. That's our target."
Jang Il nodded.
"Who in the Haomen should we go for?"
The standard would be the Haomen Lord, but he was known to be a man. They'd have to aim elsewhere.
"Hangzhou's a big city, right?"
"Ah... yeah, huge city. But why bring it up suddenly?"
"The branch head there wouldn't be some nobody, right?"
Bang So-un smiled. A place called an earthly paradise alongside Suzhou, at the Grand Canal's endpoint where northern goods came down and southern went up. Famous for its scenery and beauties, its brothels and inns always boomed. Naturally, more courtesans, pickpockets, errand boys, and ruffians than anywhere. The Hangzhou branch head was a key position—no one trivial would hold it.
"Ah, targeting the Haomen Hangzhou branch head. Is that person a woman?"
"Civilians wouldn't know. I heard it from Hwang Bo-seol. The Red-Eyed Fox, Eun Hwa-yeong. A peerless beauty, but known as a cunning nine-tailed fox with deep schemes. She's our next prey."
"You said she's for intel, so not Jeolhwadae material."
"Right. You'll be busy with training for a while, so analyzing martial trends and planning won't be easy for you. That's my job. Focus on education—it's more efficient. She'll be my personal informant and slave."
Bang So-un added,
"But this one's probably not easy. Foxes are clever and cautious creatures."