Chapter 115
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Chapter 33. Sweatless Gang (2)
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After some fairly lengthy back-and-forth chit-chat between Flying Tiger and Ho Ye-hwa, the negotiation was successfully concluded. It was a reasonably satisfying time for both of them.
In Ho Ye-hwa's case.
He had been dragged along throughout the negotiation, but that was just the process. He had faithfully followed the orders from above and was carrying them out.
'First, find out why Flying Tiger wants to meet Jin Ga-yong and what their relationship is.'
'Determine if he's a card worth using for the organization or one to discard. If he seems useful, recruit him and have him participate in the organization's upcoming event to test him.'
'If he's a discard, enlist the help of the Shandong Elder dispatched to Ye Mountain and eliminate him.'
In truth, the reason Ho Ye-hwa had been assigned this mission carried a strong element of "the one who started it should finish it."
In the past, Ho Ye-hwa had been deployed on an operation (to capture Flying Tiger alive or execute him on the spot) and suffered a crushing failure. During the subsequent investigation by the organization, he had explained that Flying Tiger could potentially be recruited and would be useful to them.
As a result, the organization entrusted Ho Ye-hwa—who already had a connection to Flying Tiger—with wrapping this matter up. It was a measure that placed weight on his opinion by prioritizing recruitment.
Otherwise, they would have sent one of the organization's powerful experts from the start.
For example, genuine masters like the Shandong Elder mentioned earlier.
Even though Ho Ye-hwa held a special-grade position among the cleaners, that merely meant he was usable among the disposable blades that could be wielded and tossed away without regret at any time.
Therefore, from Ho Ye-hwa's perspective, who hoped for greater prominence within the organization, he had a burning desire to somehow make this mission a success. It was a chance to redeem his past mistake, and it was obvious that disappointing them again would put him out of favor with the organization.
And in Flying Tiger's case.
He had achieved his initial goal by joining the Choeojin faction. And as if luck were continually on his side, it turned out that the Choeojin were scheming something against Zhao Family Manor at just the right time.
On top of that, Flying Tiger learned some new facts about the Choeojin or solidified his suspicions. That was why he had bothered bantering with Ho Ye-hwa.
'But why are they so obsessed with Jin Ga-yong and Zhao Family Manor? Because Jin Ga-yong is really the serial killer Guimyeon? No, if anything, it seems like they have some connection to the serial killer. Then, do they also believe, like Hidden Moon, that Zhao Family Manor has one of the Ghost Skins from the Three Ghosts of Guibok? Hmm, I need to look into this.'
Ho Ye-hwa stepped out of the house and released a messenger pigeon. It was to report the results of the negotiation and seek approval for the next move.
"You'll hear back soon. We'll move once approval comes through."
Ho Ye-hwa returned inside, said this as he sat back in his chair, and Flying Tiger simply nodded without a word. The two then fell into silence, with the six severed heads on the table between them.
Flying Tiger half-closed his eyes and leaned back against the chair's backrest. He looked comfortable and familiar with the pose.
But as time passed, the silence began to grate on Ho Ye-hwa. Was he really such a chatterbox? He glanced sideways at Flying Tiger, and when ignored, he couldn't hold back and cleared his throat pointedly.
Seemingly annoyed, Flying Tiger sighed and asked,
"What, do you have something to say?"
"Not particularly... Ahem, don't you have any questions of your own? You're keeping your mouth shut tight like a clam."
"Well, it didn't seem like you'd answer even if I asked."
"I'd tell you anything I can."
"Fine. Then who's the leader of the Choeojin? Or before that, what's the purpose of your organization anyway?"
"That's an organizational matter, so it's not appropriate to discuss here. You'll learn naturally once you earn the organization's trust."
"So many secrets. Then why did you join the organization?"
A faint smile lingered on Ho Ye-hwa's lips.
"They made use of a worthless man like me."
"You're worthless? With skills that would rank you upper-tier even if you jumped into the ronin market right now? That's an interesting story."
"Anything more is personal circumstances, so I can't say. Forgive me."
"Heh, you tell me to ask, but nothing doing on either front. How about this then?"
"……?"
Flying Tiger paused for a moment, looking disappointed. Only then did he pose the real question he wanted to ask.
"But why is the Choeojin so fixated on Guimyeon?"
"Huh?"
"Why so surprised? It's a rumor everyone in Shaanxi's martial world knows. That Zhao Family Manor has Guimyeon."
Ho Ye-hwa clamped his mouth shut, showing clear wariness.
To him, Flying Tiger tossed out bait in a pitying tone.
"But you're barking up the wrong tree. Zhao Family Manor doesn't have Guimyeon."
"...Why do you think that?"
"This is confidential, you know."
Flying Tiger leaned forward toward Ho Ye-hwa, who instinctively leaned in as well, curiosity piqued.
In that position, Flying Tiger stared into Ho Ye-hwa's eyes and said quietly,
"It's been confirmed that Manor Lord Jin wasn't at the Goseokga bloodbath that Guimyeon recently caused."
"How?"
"I don't know the details. But before our unit left for the Hwangchungdan operation, our captain personally vouched for it."
"Face Pursuit Squad Captain Gwak Nan-hoe?"
"Yes. Our captain herself."
"Hmm, so?"
"What do you mean 'so'? It means Manor Lord Jin isn't the serial killer. So if you want Guimyeon, you need to look for the real culprit, not him."
"Ah, is that right?"
A flicker of disappointment passed through Ho Ye-hwa's eyes.
……!
Ho Ye-hwa was generally good at masking his emotions. But because he had such high expectations, it slipped through, and Flying Tiger—who excelled at reading expressions—caught it.
After that brief shake, Ho Ye-hwa pretended to be curious about Flying Tiger's words, asking this and that and chattering away. Flying Tiger played along appropriately, hiding his own thoughts.
'Look at that? So even you guys didn't think Jin Ga-yong was the serial killer from the start. ...Right?'
Flying Tiger had framed his argument starting from the premise that Guimyeon's owner was the serial killer responsible for the murders. In fact, most martial artists believed this. That a descendant of a demonic figure who died a century ago was rampaging across Shaanxi wearing Guimyeon. Thus, Flying Tiger's logic was that since Jin Ga-yong wasn't the serial killer, he didn't have Guimyeon.
But in truth, this logic was flawed from the premise. Captain Gwak Nan-hoe had never vouched for Jin Ga-yong. It was Flying Tiger's lie.
In any case, Ho Ye-hwa had no way of knowing this, so he reacted accordingly.
Flying Tiger interpreted that reaction as "disappointment." Not "surprise," "doubt," or "disbelief," but specifically "disappointment."
So, in this situation, when would Ho Ye-hwa feel disappointed? Perhaps it was something he already knew, and with high expectations, he felt like, "Aw, that's it?"
And if that was correct, then Jin Ga-yong wasn't the serial killer. Which meant he also wasn't the beast who killed Ma Yeop.
It was worth investigating.
Flying Tiger prioritized Hidden Moon's commission, but he hadn't forgotten about avenging Ma Yeop.
Ho Ye-hwa's deputy, whom he had held back earlier, arrived at the house. It was a response to the messenger pigeon he had sent.
At that moment, Ho Ye-hwa was conveying to Flying Tiger the living identities of the six items on the table and any precautions related to them.
"...So we'll take measures on our end to ensure no one sees each other's faces, but you should watch yourself too."
"I will."
"Good. Now, can we finally clear away these gruesome things?"
"I don't need them anymore, so do as you like."
"Then where are the rest of the body parts?"
"I dug a pit and buried them all together. Why? Do you need those too?"
As Ho Ye-hwa was about to reply, his deputy cautiously pushed aside the broken door and peeked in.
"Ah, speak of the devil—Ilsoja's here. Let me introduce him. He's my deputy."
"Ilsoja? Sounds familiar."
"It's the identification number the organization gave him. If you don't like that, just call him the Yun family guy. Hey, Yun-ga. Come in and greet him. The man across from me is the one who'll be with us for a while."
The Yun family guy first spotted the table and recoiled in shock, then hesitantly approached and bowed to Flying Tiger. He handed Ho Ye-hwa a note that had arrived from the organization.
After reading it fully, Ho Ye-hwa stood up and said to Flying Tiger,
"Approval's come from above. Let's depart in about an hour."
"In an hour?"
"Yes. Clear these away first."
Ho Ye-hwa and Yun-ga picked up the six severed heads of the Unseong Seven Wolves and left. Flying Tiger re-dug the burial pit, extracted all the torsos, matched them one by one to the heads, dug six separate graves, buried each, and made mounds.
As Flying Tiger watched, he asked why go through the hassle instead of just burying them all in one spot.
Ho Ye-hwa replied with a wry face, forcing cheer,
"Don't misunderstand. It's not that I'm sympathizing with them and complaining to you. They worked for our organization, so this is the bare minimum courtesy."
Flying Tiger shrugged.
"Doesn't matter to me. No room for misunderstanding then. I was just curious. Turns out you have a surprisingly kind side."
"Heh heh heh, disappointed?"
"No, you seem a bit soft, but not completely broken. So I don't think it's all bad."
"……?"
"Meaning, extend that kindness to me too from now on. Looking forward to working with you."
Flying Tiger, Ho Ye-hwa, and his deputy Yun-ga set out on the road—three in total.
They traveled for about two hours.
As dusk fell with the sun setting, they arrived at a small Taoist temple located near Ye Mountain.
Pure Sea Temple.
This temple, meaning "clear and serene sea," unexpectedly branched off from the major Zhongnan Sect.
But what kind of place was the Zhongnan Sect?
One of the Nine Great Righteous Sects, renowned in the Central Plains martial world. Though it lagged behind Mount Hua Sect in fame despite being in the same Shaanxi region, it stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Qingcheng Sect—Ma Yeop's sect—as a representative orthodox Taoist school with deep history.
Thus, in terms of prestige alone, it was on par with Lion Hall, often called Shaanxi's top secular sect, and far beyond what ordinary worldly martial schools could aspire to—a sect among sects.
Pure Sea Temple basked in the glory of such a great sect.
And that meant even Zhao Family Manor, the longstanding power on Ye Mountain, couldn't exert influence over this temple. It risked offending Zhongnan Sect. Therefore, it was the perfect temporary den for wolves eyeing Zhao Family Manor right under its nose.
Though it ill-suited a temple meant for purity.