Looking for a Person
They were looking for someone.
“Look, old man, enough already. Go on home. I keep telling you, your son or whoever didn’t come here. If the people inside hear this, you’re going to cause a huge mess.”
“He definitely said he was coming here… Huh? My son, Ha-sam. He said he got a big job at the Great Justice Gate. Once this job was done, he’d find a new daughter-in-law and live properly. He definitely said that. Warrior, please, just check one more time for our Ha-sam, Lee Ha-sam…”
“Ugh, seriously. Old man. Get lost already. Of all the rotten luck, having to deal with this nonsense on my shift…”
There was no particular reason for her to get involved. That said, there was also no reason not to. And Cheong had never been the type to just stand by and watch an unpleasant sight.
Just as Cheong was about to say something—
“Excuse me. Is it really necessary to be so cold-hearted? You should understand a mother’s heart when she’s searching for her child, having seen your own parents and elders, no?”
Surprisingly, Changbin stepped forward first.
Cheong was genuinely shocked. What the— he’s actually talking! And fluently, at that. The words flowed like a clear mountain stream.
The warrior took one look at Changbin and immediately straightened his posture. Anyone who had eaten even a few meals with a blade would naturally react that way. The uniform embroidered with plum blossoms and the scent of ink was the unmistakable mark of the Mount Hua Sect. Not tensing up would have been unworthy of a martial artist.
Of course, Cheong was the one without any such qualifications.
“Are you a Taoist of Mount Hua?”
“This one is called Changbin. I happened to pass by and the scene was far from pleasant, so I intervened.”
“So it is Taoist Master Changbin. The truth is, this kind of thing has happened more than once or twice. At first, we did look for a man named Lee Ha-sam out of courtesy, but he had absolutely no connection to our sect.”
“Hmm.”
“Yet she keeps coming back stubbornly, and it’s already been over a month. I suppose my words grew rather harsh.”
Cheong helped the old woman up.
“Grandmother, are you alright?”
“Are you a warrior, young sir? Then please, help me find my son. I beg you…”
“Sure. We’ll look into it. For now, why don’t you head home today? Your son’s name was…”
“Lee Ha-sam. Lee Ha-sam. If you say Ha-sam from Small Name Village, they’ll know who you mean.”
There was a saying: three Zhangs and four Lis. The most common surnames in the Central Plains were Wang, Li, Zhang, and so on. It referred to the third son of the Zhang family or the fourth son of the Li family—utterly ordinary people. Lee Ha-sam meant the third son of the Li family, born in summer. A name so common that hundreds of Lee Ha-sams could easily be found across the Central Plains.
Still, she couldn’t exactly say, “Sorry, your son’s name is too common to find.”
Cheong comforted the old woman, promising to put in some effort.
“Aigo, thank you. Thank you so much, young warrior.”
The old woman muttered her thanks repeatedly with a much more relieved expression, then disappeared with her bent back.
Cheong watched her go before asking awkwardly, “So… does anyone here actually know how to find people? Hands?”
Surprisingly, Changbin moved with brisk efficiency. He asked the gatekeeper warrior to request permission for a visit, then turned to the group.
“This Taoist will make inquiries with the Hao Clan and the Beggars’ Sect. Brother Peng will come with me. Brother Namgung and Lady Seomun will stay at the Great Justice Gate and gather what information you can.”
Even though he usually looked like a stiff, overly proper martial artist with a touch of social anxiety, Changbin was the eldest brother of the Hidden Dragon Assembly. At twenty-nine this year, there was no other young expert from a prestigious family with such varied experience across the martial world.
“Oho, our Changbin. You’re actually pretty sharp, huh?”
Cheong had already declared them friends. It wasn’t a suggestion—it was a declaration. Changbin was older, but Cheong had higher seniority, so they would just ignore all that and be friends, right? For Cheong, this was an enormous concession. Strictly speaking, she outranked him in both age and status. The only things she lacked were wealth and common sense.
On the other hand, Changbin found it quite burdensome. Seniority normally took far more precedence than age. Besides—
“Changbin, you’re so reliable. Wow, I feel so safe.”
Cheong kept jabbing him in the side with her elbow.
…What kind of woman acts this casually with a man! There is a clear distinction between men and women, yet she behaves with such familiarity! How can a woman not know to be modest and proper!
…Wait, does she have feelings for me?
Of course, the one who actually became prim and proper in front of women was Changbin himself. His face turned bright red as he avoided her gaze.
“Th… then, let’s go, Brother Peng.”
Paeng Daesan looked at that pathetic display with disdain and said, “Elder Brother, do you really have to go with me?”
“You said we were going to the Hao Clan, didn’t you?”
The Hao Clan was the strangest faction in the martial world. Originally, “Hao” referred to the five most humble professions in the Jianghu. A sect made up of such lowly people. In other words, a gathering of the lowest dregs of society living hand to mouth.
One might wonder what such insignificant bottom-dwellers could possibly accomplish by banding together. But they made full use of their specialties and wielded real power. Namely, astonishing stealth techniques that made them invisible to others’ eyes!
The lowest class of people were masters of concealment—human transparencies. When people of the Central Plains sat in an inn, they never noticed the waiter wiping the floor. Even if they saw them with their own eyes, they never imagined such lowly creatures could understand human speech. Porters, coachmen, and boatmen were all transparent. Peddlers and gisaeng were treated as if they were half-deaf.
Thanks to this, the Hao Clan grew into the premier information brokers, as well as a versatile enterprise handling smuggling, underground trading, and brokerage.
And the information sellers of the Hao Clan were beautiful gisaeng. They actively used a woman’s weapons. While selling information, they were skilled at overcharging and, conversely, extracting information in return.
But there existed a being who could pierce through every woman’s weakness.
The dignified, peerless, most handsome man under heaven.
“If Brother Peng comes along, we should be able to get some proper information. Those guys are absolute experts at ripping people off.”
Paeng Daesan immediately understood and nodded.
Not long after, a face burst through the side gate of the sect. It was Wang Gaeyuk, the sect leader of the Great Justice Gate.
Normally, the side gate was only used by servants, kitchen maids, or needlewomen. For the sect leader himself to come and go through it was hardly dignified. However, after much agonizing, Wang Gaeyuk had concluded this was the best option. After all, guests never came through the side gate either.
“This place seems unsuitable for welcoming such honored guests. You there, guide them through the main gate.”
It was a rough compromise that satisfied both sides. Since the sect leader had come out personally to greet them, there was no shame in how the guests were received, and since they hadn’t actually passed through the side gate, his dignity remained intact. From the guests’ perspective, they hadn’t entered through the side gate and the master of the house had come out to welcome them personally—this was practically an admirable move.
But to Cheong, it was just… Why?
“Huh? Do we really have to go all the way to the main gate?”
“I know you prefer simplicity, Sword-Friend, but a true man should not enter through the side gate. As an unparalleled swordsman of your generation, you must always keep such things in mind.”
In other words, entering through the side gate would be a disgrace for a swordsman.
Cheong simply replied, “Oh, I see.”
As expected from the original hypocrites. They nitpick every little thing.
While the guests were walking around the tall outer wall of the residence, Wang Gaeyuk was feeling slightly disappointed.
He had heard that a Taoist from Mount Hua had come. He had also caught wind of the rumor that the Jade Qilin had entered the city. It was easy to guess who the Mount Hua Taoist and his companions might be.
But what he saw was a young swordsman and a rather pretty girl in Taoist robes. The young man had a refreshing appearance, but he lacked the radiant glow of the most handsome man under heaven. It seemed he wasn’t quite important enough for the sect leader to personally stick his face out. Perhaps he had acted too hastily.
So, his eldest son, Wang Son-seok, who had been training, came out to the main gate instead to greet the guests.
Wang Son-seok belonged to the Earth Dragon Squad, and he immediately recognized the face of the unexpected visitor.
“Namgung Sinjae, Great Hero! Thank you for visiting our sect! I am called Wang Son-seok. Do you perhaps remember me? We met a few times at the Alliance.”
“Is that so? Nice to meet you.”
Wang Son-seok was slightly flustered. Namgung Sinjae’s attitude was rather lukewarm.
“Great Hero?”
“I never imagined the Great Justice Gate was once the Half-Sword Gate. Still, since we are comrades of the righteous path, I suppose it can’t be helped. Sorry for the sudden visit.”
What the hell is the Half-Sword Gate? It was probably the reason the Namgung heir was acting so coldly. Did our Great Justice Gate do something wrong?
But Wang Son-seok, who had no idea what it could be, broke out in a cold sweat. He had always prided himself on upholding the dignity of the righteous path.
“Ah! Instead of standing here, may I ask about your schedule? Will you be staying the night?”
In other words, Are you eating dinner here? They needed to know in advance to prepare.
“I’m not sure about sleeping over, but the rest of my group is here too. The Drunken Demon Sword and the Jade Qilin have gone off to handle something for a bit.”
Which meant they might not sleep here, but they would definitely be eating dinner. Prepare extra food since there are more people.
“Oho!”
Wang Son-seok’s face brightened completely. Three members of the Heavenly Demon Squad had arrived. And among them were genuine hidden dragons of the successor generation. Having this opportunity to build personal connections made his face bloom with joy.
“Then this young lady is…”
“I’m Seomun Cheong.”
Her self-introduction was rather short. It meant she had no notable clan, sect, or nickname—she was a nobody. Since she was quite a beautiful young swordswoman, he assumed she was just one of the women who usually tagged along with such experts.
“So you are Lady Seomun.”
Wang Son-seok lost interest. There was nothing to gain from cozying up to a woman associated with the Heavenly Demon Squad members, and it wouldn’t end well if he overstepped.
“By the way, Great Hero, will the rest of your party be late? My father has prepared some refreshments.”
“Ooh. Refreshments. Someone who knows proper etiquette, huh? Hey, Sword-Friend. In this situation, it’s okay for me to go along, right? Ignoring a table that’s already been set would be rude too, yeah? Tell me I’m right?”
“Of course it is. There is no faction in the world that would dare slight you, Sword-Friend.”
When this conversation took place, Wang Son-seok became quite flustered. He could roughly understand what “Sword-Friend” meant from context. But for the Namgung Clan heir to emphasize that she must be treated with the utmost respect using the word “dare”… Who exactly was this woman? The next matriarch? He should have shown her more hospitality earlier. Oh no!
Wang Son-seok raised his evaluation of Cheong by about three levels.