Whispers of Suspicion at the Golden Dragon
The Red-Eyed Fox Eun Hwa-yeong had posted a notice at the Golden Dragon Battlefield and the surrounding villages. It had been several months since the agency head changed hands, and in all that time, there had never been a single visitor announcement from the Golden Dragon Battlefield. So what could be the content of the very first one? Curiosity drew crowds gathering near the notice.
And then.
"Whoa."
"What the hell is this? Recruiting only female martial artists? Damn, I was waiting around expecting them to hire regular escorts, and it was all for nothing."
"Don't be too bummed. You wouldn't qualify anyway. They're only taking first-rate martial artists, and for ten gold nyang each? That's not a casual sum."
"Still, doesn't it feel a bit off?"
"Yeah. There's something fishy about it. Suddenly recruiting this many first-rate female fighters."
"Hey, what are you all talking about? Doesn't it say right there it's for escorting Lady Hwang Bo?"
"Sure, but who hires twenty escorts?"
"......Yeah, even with all that money, that's too much."
The crowd's reaction to the notice recruiting female martial artists was one of utter shock and disbelief. One or two, maybe three or four? That made sense. It wasn't uncommon for precious young ladies from noble houses to seek female escorts. But twenty? And for the lady of the Golden Dragon Battlefield, no less? It was bound to raise eyebrows.
"Come on, isn't it obvious? Why can't you all see it?"
At that moment, a man dressed as a scholar chimed in. He looked like someone well-versed in books.
All eyes turned to him. Clearing his throat with a cough, the man continued.
"The bit about escorting Lady Hwang Bo is just a cover."
"A cover? What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. We shouldn't get hung up on 'female martial artists.' Focus on the ten gold nyang for first-rate experts and the number twenty."
The man lifted his chin confidently.
"Twenty first-rate experts? That's more firepower than a solid mid-tier sect's combat force. What does that imply? The new head of the Golden Dragon Battlefield is using the escort excuse to openly reveal his ambition to build real power. The female requirement is just a pretext for that."
"Huh, that makes sense."
"Yeah, it adds up logically."
"A man who pushed aside Lady Hwang Bo to take the head seat—his ambition is no joke."
"Sigh, even this peaceful place might see some chaos someday."
The crowd nodded in agreement. The scholar's words sounded plausible enough. Sure, there were some off-base assumptions, but even Bang So-un would have to admit the man had a sharp eye for certain details—especially the part about ambition.
......Whatever the case.
The news of the notice spread like wildfire through the jianghu.
Crimson Flower Tower. It was one of Hangzhou's top three brothels by reputation. A lavish seven-story building standing tall in the bustling, notoriously expensive heart of the city.
Like any brothel, the Crimson Flower Tower had its hierarchy: the higher the floor, the more refined the courtesans entertaining the guests. First floor paled next to the second, second to the third—and so on. But while the pattern was similar, the class here was on another level entirely. Famous for its fine women, even entry to the third floor demanded a fat purse of silver. Higher floors? No need to explain.
From the sixth floor up, no goldless patron dared set foot. And money could only buy access up to that sixth floor. The pinnacle—the seventh—was reserved exclusively for special guests granted permission by the tower master herself.
"Ha, I still can't get used to this."
A figure ascended to the seventh floor, permitted only to the elite. She was a woman in simple, lightweight attire. Her clothes were plain, but her face stood out—kind and approachable, evoking goodwill rather than outright beauty.
She paused before the seventh-floor door.
"I'm here."
Casual, familiar speech. She clearly knew the person inside well.
"Ah, come on in."
A sultry voice drifted from within—not artificially coquettish like a typical courtesan's, but innately seductive. The kind that could belong to a femme fatale devouring men whole.
The door creaked open, and the kind-faced woman stepped inside.
The interior felt mismatched. Given the Crimson Flower Tower's opulent exterior, one expected extravagance. Instead, the seventh floor was serene and tidy.
Except for the woman seated there, whose presence shattered the calm.
Eyes like crimson voids drawing you in. Silver hair, streaked with white, cascaded unbound to the floor. A striking, unforgettable appearance. And beauty so absolute that "peerless" slipped out unbidden—enhanced by her exotic aura.
She was Red-Eyed Fox Eun Hwa-yeong.
A lovely fox with scarlet eyes. Few nicknames fit their bearer so perfectly. She evoked the image of a snow mountain fox—pure white fur, ruby gaze.
But those in the know understood: spotting a snow fox on an icy peak? Never follow. Its mystical allure would lead you astray, leaving you lost in endless isolation, frozen to death...
A tale well-known among mountain hunters.
"Sit."
Coincidentally, she harbored darkness within. Countless men, enraptured by her charms, had surrendered body and soul—reduced to living husks, marrow drained. Some lost not just fortunes, but lives.
From orphaned courtesan to Crimson Flower Tower master and Hangzhou branch chief of the Hao Gate, she had climbed by ruthlessly sucking men dry.
"Why'd you call me?"
The kind-faced woman sat across from her with a small sigh, polar opposites in vibe. Glamour versus simplicity. Seduction versus chastity. Stunning versus ordinary.
Her nickname? Submerged Sword. A calm, quiet blade—what a dull moniker. Common Li surname, equally plain name: I Yeon. No two women mismatched like these.
"What else? Got a favor to ask."
Eun Hwa-yeong smiled easily, hinting at their uncommon bond. Despite the extremes, they were longtime best friends. Incredibly, Eun Hwa-yeong had pursued first.
Her beauty always provoked reactions—lust, admiration, envy. But I Yeon? Utterly ordinary gaze, responses, expressions. That shook Eun Hwa-yeong deeply.
Thus began their friendship, over a decade strong, sharing even innermost thoughts.
"Ah, got it. But if it was a favor, you could've come to me like usual. Brothels make me uncomfortable."
I Yeon spoke frankly. Though besties with Hangzhou's top courtesan, raised plainly in a martial family, she never quite adapted.
"Sorry, sorry. But this info can't leak—at all."
I Yeon's eyes sharpened at Eun Hwa-yeong's words. The Crimson Flower Tower was her stronghold—security unmatched. But that meant the request was gravely sensitive. Dinner threatened to rise.
"......Just tell me."
"Heard about the Golden Dragon Battlefield?"
"What happened? The notice?"
"Yeah."
"Recruiting female martial artists, right? What's the big deal?"
"Doesn't it seem suspicious?"
"......A little, but that suspicious?"
I Yeon tilted her head. True to her kind face, she rarely suspected others—earning jokes from Eun Hwa-yeong like "You'll die young." But it was worry; I Yeon's unflappable calm was a survival gift in the jianghu.
Eun Hwa-yeong knew it well.
"Alone, sure—you could chalk it up to building power under the escort pretext."
Her red eyes gleamed sharply.
"But when suspicious things stack up, you must question the root."
"Stack up how?"
"Third-rate escort punk takes over for Hwang Bo-seol. Stays quiet for months without hiring replacements despite departures. And now this."
"When you put it that way......"
I Yeon still looked ambivalent. No reports of scandals or misdeeds from the new head. Too vague to judge—that was her sense.
"Oh, one more thing? I had a mole planted there ages ago."
Not odd for the info-trading Hao Gate.
"The mole spotted something fishy?"
"Yeah. New head separated inner and outer courtyards by gender. Women inside, men outside. Even if he preaches separation of sexes, doesn't that stink?"
"Hm, yeah......"
This time, I Yeon agreed. The pieces clicked.
"Then get firmer intel from the mole......"
"Can't."
"Why not?"
"Told you—men stay in the outer courtyard. My mole's a guy. Can't touch the inner."
I Yeon got it.
"Don't tell me......"
"Bingo. Sorry to ask this of you, but could you apply for the Golden Dragon's female escort position?"
Eun Hwa-yeong clasped I Yeon's hands. Conflict flickered across I Yeon's calm face.
"Hm......"
She could refuse; Eun Hwa-yeong would drop it clean. She often summoned with "favors," but helped far more. But today was real.
Her aid was truly needed.
"Got it."
I Yeon nodded, resolved. Friendship's plea was key, but the Golden Dragon's oddity nagged too—Eun Hwa-yeong's keen instincts never missed.
"Thank you so much."
"No big deal between us."
I Yeon downplayed it, easing any burden. Eun Hwa-yeong's gaze softened further.
"I'll back you from outside as much as I can."
"Thanks."
"Embarrassing to say after asking, but don't push yourself. If danger hits, bail immediately."
She knew it wasn't that risky—Eun Hwa-yeong wouldn't suggest it otherwise. Selected, she'd be a formal contracted guard; even the head couldn't touch her lightly.
Still, appreciating the worry, I Yeon replied.
"Obviously. I don't gamble with my life."
"Good attitude."
Alone after I Yeon left, Eun Hwa-yeong's demeanor shifted utterly. Icy cold.
"......Surely nothing's wrong, right?"
A voice emerged from the shadows—eerie, like from a tomb.
Her gaze turned there.
"Probably. But it nags at me."
"Even if suspicious, the Golden Dragon's a righteous faction. They won't plot openly dangerous schemes. The new head doesn't strike me as that insane."
"Maybe... maybe not."
That's why she asked her closest friend to check. No one fit the bill better: woman, first-rate expert, clean background, spotless record, utterly trustworthy. Plus, her innate kind face was the perfect weapon—few would suspect her.
Should be fine.
Yet the unease lingered.
"Mu-yeong."
"Yes, Tower Master."
A shadow figure knelt before her—the eerie voice's owner.
"I'm a real bitch, aren't I?"
Self-mocking chill.
"......"
No answer. Unanswerable.
"Using even my best friend to snag info. What a bitch."
"......"
She'd known I Yeon wouldn't refuse. Knew and called anyway.
Yeah, that was her. Lifetime of using, crushing, backstabbing...
That's how she rose.
So why the gloom?
Answer: I Yeon was her one true confidante.
Thwack! Eun Hwa-yeong slammed her palm on the table, face hardening.
"Mu-yeong."
"Yes, Tower Master."
"Prepare the Shadowless Squad for immediate action."
"Understood."
"And send a letter to the Gate Master now. Something'll turn up—tell him to prep."
The Hao Gate Master viewed the Golden Dragon cautiously. Suspicious, yes—but no hard proof, no direct moves.
She got it; he was the leader, not a grunt.
But pathetic. Too removed from the field, instincts dulled.
To her, this screamed headquarters-level. Not for underlings.
Special-grade vibes—the Hao Gate's top info tier, priceless.
Her gut never failed.
"Understood."
Mu-yeong vanished in a blink. His ghostly lightness skill bespoke high skill.
Alone again, Eun Hwa-yeong murmured coldly.
"......Head Bang. You're showing your hand too openly. I'll drag it out for you."