Chapter 67
Chapter 67
Translator: Penny
Chapter 67
You Don't Know (2)
I wanted to tail Jo Byeok and uncover something, but he never left the Martial Arts Alliance.
The Pavilion of Righteous Intent, where Chief Strategist Sama Cheon resided, was located in the inner hall of the Alliance Headquarters—a place nearly impossible to infiltrate. With my current level of internal energy, I could attempt it once, but there was no reason to risk it.
It was highly unlikely that Jo Byeok's financial backers were within the Alliance, and even if they were, it was even less likely that their identities would be revealed precisely when I infiltrated the place.
If it were that easy to uncover, the Heavenly Net Society's investigation would have already exposed them. Jo Byeok's financial network must be deeply hidden.
I decided to focus on the Three Shadows instead.
If Jo Byeok was Sama Cheon's arm, the Three Shadows were his fingers. Having worked for Jo Byeok for so long, they must know something.
I infiltrated the Summer Moon Pavilion, where the Three Shadows had been indulging themselves for two days straight.
Summer Moon Pavilion was a mid-sized brothel with twenty-five rooms and fifty courtesans. Among these rooms, the Three Shadows were reveling in the fourth room of the Annex.
They partied until dawn, slept in the brothel's guest rooms, and then emerged late in the evening to drink and carouse again. They were truly living it up, eating, sleeping, and indulging themselves to the fullest at the brothel.
I hid in the ceiling of their room, eavesdropping on their conversations. The musty smell, crawling insects, and cramped hiding position were unbearable. I couldn't relax for a moment, constantly tensing to conceal my presence.
This kind of surveillance was a first for me, even considering my past life.
In my youth, I had no restraints. With only myself to worry about, I simply cut down evildoers without a second thought, never considering the consequences.
After becoming the Alliance Leader, I never had the chance to endure such hardships, even if I wanted to. A single word from me could resolve any situation.
The reason I was enduring these men's crude jokes was, of course, for Baek Pyo. To protect his life completely.
Baek Pyo would have protected me in the same way—sometimes from the ceiling, sometimes from behind narrow walls.
This was only my second day. He had protected me like this his entire life. How could I possibly complain about the difficulty?
In any case, hiding here and observing these men had revealed several key facts.
The hairy one was First Shadow, Il-yeong; the bulky one was Second Shadow, I-yeong; and the ugly one was Third Shadow, Sam-yeong. Il-yeong and Sam-yeong wielded swords, while I-yeong used a massive battle axe befitting his size.
Surprisingly, these men spoke freely about everything.
They spoke freely about their early days together, recounting where they had raped and murdered, all without hesitation, even with a courtesan present.
While alcohol might have loosened their tongues, they also believed that the courtesans wouldn't dare betray such secrets.
Gal Saryang had once told me:
"Our Pavilion of Righteous Intent faces constant scrutiny, making it difficult to operate openly. But ordinary intelligence agencies plant many spies in brothels. Men, when drunk, can't resist boasting in front of women. As long as that nature remains unchanged, brothels will always be the places where the most secrets are leaked."
Listening to their past atrocities, I felt the truth of his words firsthand.
After midnight, the moment I had been waiting for finally arrived.
"This place is too boring. I can't stand another minute here."
Second Shadow, who had been lying with his head in the woman's lap, suddenly sat up.
First Shadow, who was massaging the woman across from him, glanced over and said, "Hearing you complain about boredom in a woman's arms... it seems your time is near."
"Still, boredom is boredom. Let's go there."
"Where?"
"You know perfectly well."
First Shadow shook his head. "Forget it. If you're bored, just drink more and go to sleep."
"Come on, let's go. It's been a while since we've seen the kids."
"Didn't the Boss tell us to avoid going there as much as possible?"
"We're the reason that place even exists! Avoid going there? What nonsense! Let's go."
A sudden tension gripped me. "Boss" clearly referred to Jo Byeok. They were talking about some secret place connected to him.
The two men turned to look at their youngest companion, who hadn't spoken until now. He seemed reluctant to go, but when The Brute scowled, he finally nodded.
The three men left the brothel.
They arrived at an estate on the outskirts of town, not far from the market district. The place was accessible only by a narrow path too small for a carriage, making it impossible to find without knowing its exact location.
Despite the late hour, a voice answered immediately when they knocked on the door.
"Who's there?"
"It's us."
When there was no response, The Brute peered through the crack in the door and growled, "Open up before I rip your ears off!"
Recognizing The Brute's voice, the door swung open immediately.
"What brings you here without any notice?"
The man bowed stiffly, but his expression remained unwelcoming.
The Brute grinned. "You've never been folded in half, have you? Not like this, but like this." He mimed the motion of snapping a waist in half with his hands.
The man frowned slightly as he led them inside. "Follow me."
"You little brat, you should have done that sooner."
The three men followed him into the building.
The interior was unremarkable, resembling the common layout of any estate.
As they walked down the corridor, they stopped between two rooms. The man manipulated a lantern hanging on the opposite wall, and a section of the wall slid open.
Secret passages were typically hidden behind bookshelves in studies or beneath beds, but this one was concealed in an entirely unexpected location.
Entering through the passage, they found themselves in a large main hall.
Five tables were crowded with guests, each attended by a woman serving drinks.
The place resembled both a brothel and a tavern. Unlike typical brothels where patrons drank privately in separate rooms, this establishment operated like a tavern, with guests drinking in an open, public space. Yet, like a brothel, women served the drinks and attended to the guests.
There was one striking difference from ordinary brothels:
The women were all very young girls, appearing no older than thirteen or fourteen. These girls poured drinks and attended to the guests.
As they surveyed the hall, the Three Shadows exchanged remarks.
"Business is booming," First Shadow observed. "Our Boss must be making a fortune."
As he noted, all five tables were indeed packed with customers.
"Why hasn't he added more tables?"
"That's the secret to their popularity, isn't it? If it's too easy to get, people get bored quickly."
"Our Boss's cunning is unmatched."
"She's grown so much. Is that really her?"
"Yes. After her sister went mad, she ended up killing her parents too, didn't she?"
"She's grown so much."
"Kids grow up fast these days. Hey, girl, don't grow up too much. You'll die if you do."
The three men chuckled in unison.
This was the secret brothel run by Jo Byeok.
The children here had all been kidnapped from across the Central Plains.
The clients were old men seeking rejuvenation by embracing young girls.
Jo Byeok catered to a select group of wealthy patrons, charging prices far higher than ordinary brothels. Yet the place was always fully booked.
When they first opened this place, the Three Shadows had kidnapped the girls themselves.
To maintain secrecy, only three swordsmen guarded the brothel, including the man who had opened the main gate earlier.
"I was hoping there would be an empty seat," Second Shadow said, smacking his lips. The other two men echoed his disappointment.
"Let's go. Let's fondle those girls' breasts some more. We're running out of money anyway, so we'll have to start working tomorrow."
"After seeing these fresh ones, looking at those old hags will ruin my mood."
"You crazy bastard!"
Just then, the man who had opened the main gate earlier led a young girl onto the side stage. She looked to be around twelve or thirteen years old, an exceptionally adorable child.
"Alright, you've waited long enough. This is her first time here, and naturally, she's never been with a man before."
The old men licked their lips, swallowing their lust.
The girl trembled with fear. The lustful gazes already seemed to be stripping her bare.
"Let's start the bidding at five hundred taels."
This was how they auctioned off girls on their first night.
The five old men began raising the price, each bid adding a hundred taels.
In an instant, the price soared past one thousand taels, then two thousand.
Periodically, the man would throw out seductive remarks to entice the old men further.
"Look at her skin—purer than the snow on the snowy plains."
The escalating bids finally stalled at seven thousand five hundred taels—an exorbitant sum for a single night.
"If no one comes forward by the time I count to three, the decision is final."
Seeing no one else emerge, the old man grinned widely.
"One, two..."
Just then, a low voice came from behind.
"One Hundred Million Taels."
Everyone startled and turned toward the source of the voice.
All eyes converged on me, standing in the crowd.
"How could that child be worth only One Hundred Million Taels?" I asked coldly, glaring at the old man who had tried to buy the child. "Would you sell your granddaughter for Seventy-Five Hundred Taels?"
The old man's face flushed crimson and then turned livid. Recognizing his opponent as a Martial Artist, he dared not curse aloud and instead glared at the man on the stage.
At the man's signal, two swordsmen standing nearby lunged forward.
I easily dodged the incoming blades and struck one man's neck with a palm strike.
Crack!
With a sickening crack, the man's neck snapped, and he collapsed face-first onto the ground.
The other man was immediately slammed into the floor with a powerful suplex.
Thud! The heavy impact shattered the man's spine.
Having subdued both men in an instant, the man on the stage turned his gaze toward the Three Shadows.
Samyeong leaped down from the stage, landing gracefully in front of me.
Second Shadow glanced at the remaining two Shadows and remarked, "I had an odd urge to come here today. What would have happened if we hadn't?"
Just then, First Shadow shouted in alarm, "Watch out...!"
Before his warning could fully register, my kick slammed into the back of Second Shadow's head. I had surged forward the moment he turned his head.
A sickening thud echoed as something burst inside his skull.
His massive body crumpled forward.
I leaped again, driving my knee down onto his head.
Bang!
The skull shattered into dust. The man's body twitched once or twice before falling still. He hadn't even managed to draw the massive axe strapped to his waist.
Looking down at the corpse, I murmured, "Why look back when the enemy is right in front of you?"
The technique I used to kill him was the Immortal Crane Secret Art.
First Shadow and Three Shadows glared at me, their eyes wide with shock.
Even though it was a surprise attack, the fact that I had killed Second Shadow—who boasted an iron-like external martial art—in just two moves was a devastating blow to their confidence.
First Shadow and Three Shadows exchanged a glance and nodded. As soon as the signal to attack together was given, they charged at me simultaneously.
I countered them with the Immortal Crane Secret Art as well.
Dodging their incoming swords, I twisted my body and lunged forward. The unexpected maneuver caught First Shadow off guard, and my shoulder slammed squarely into his.
With a sickening thud, he slid backward, scrambling to retaliate. But instead of attacking, he let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"Aaaaargh!"
The earlier strike had shattered his shoulder.
As he awkwardly tried to attack again with his dangling arm, I wrapped my hand around his neck.
Crack!
His neck snapped at a right angle, killing him instantly.
Even as I fought First Shadow, my gaze remained fixed on Three Shadows.
"Spare me! I'll leave right now!"
Terrified, Three Shadows threw down his sword and bolted toward the door without waiting for my reply.
I kicked his discarded sword across the floor.
Whoosh! Thwack!
The flying blade pierced Three Shadows' back. He flailed his arms wildly before collapsing forward.
The man who had been auctioning off children on the stage was gone. I had seen him slip away when the fight with Three Shadows first began, but I had deliberately let him escape.
I had to wait for him to bring the man I needed to kill today.
While waiting for Jo Byeok, I beat the old men who were there.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Teeth shattered, and limbs broke. The old men screamed in terror, begging for their lives.
"Please, spare us!"
Not a single one of these old, ugly men asked to be killed. Even in this dire situation, they clung to life.
"Fine, I'll grant your wish and let you live."
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
I beat them mercilessly, crippling them but stopping short of killing them. What was the point of killing old men who were already near death?
I will expose the atrocities committed here to the world. Their families will learn of their deeds, and they will spend the rest of their lives imprisoned in the dungeon, their bodies broken and spirits crushed. Their teeth will be shattered, forcing them to subsist on gruel, their existence reduced to a living death. In the end, they will die a shameful and agonizing death.
The girls huddled to one side, their faces a mix of vindication and terror as they watched the scene unfold.
I turned to the children and asked, "Don't you miss your mothers?"
Tears welled up in their eyes at my words.
"I'll send you home."
Watching their tears stream down their faces, I felt a pang of guilt.
I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.
The experiences here would leave an indelible scar on the children's minds. Kidnapped before they even knew what the world was, this place had become their entire world.
It was impossible to know if they would ever be able to live normal lives again.
This was why I was showing them everything. If they couldn't forget it anyway, I wanted them to remember this triumphant moment when their tormentors received their punishment.
I believed this was the path to healing their wounds. That's why I intended to show them everything.
Creak.
The door opened. Jo Byeok must have arrived.
So watch closely. From now on, every single thing that happens after that door opens.