Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Red-Light District (1)
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“Brother Namgung, this isn't what we were told!”
In some back alley of Yiyang, three young prodigies from the righteous sects hurried along, one step after another.
Trailing behind them were dozens of street thugs.
“Grab those bastards!”
Chasing them were none other than the infamous thugs of the Tiger Roar Gang, the most brutal outfit in Yiyang.
They were out for blood, determined to catch these insolent righteous sect brats who dared wreak havoc in their territory.
“There are too many...”
“This doesn't match what we heard at all—my head's spinning. Let's just run for now!”
They had come here thinking the Tiger Roar Gang's brutal reputation might mean they were Demonic Cultists.
But there wasn't a whiff of the Demonic Cult—instead, they were greeted by the gang's warriors lying in ambush.
The one who had tipped off Namgung Cheon about the gang's location was an unorthodox sect figure to begin with, so of course the information was bogus.
“Gotcha!”
A Tiger Roar thug who had been hiding in the alley they were passing through suddenly leaped out, swinging his blade.
Before they could even react to the unexpected attack, the sword tip was already closing in on Namgung Cheon.
'Damn, too late to block...'
Clang!
It wasn't Namgung Cheon who blocked the strike. Nor was it Unhak or Yuseongil.
Unhak instantly recognized the familiar silhouette that had appeared out of nowhere and shouted with a brighter smile than ever.
“Great hero!!”
For some reason, the guys I'd tracked down after asking around were being chased by a bunch of street rats.
So this was what they meant by making a splash.
Far from getting help from the first team on the mission, it looked like I'd be the one bailing them out.
“And who the hell are you?!”
Time to sort out this mess.
“If you don't get out of the way, you're next...”
Thwack!
I first dealt with the small-time punk yapping right in front of me, then turned to face the unorthodox crew chasing them.
They looked decent at a glance, but they were just second-rate scrubs at best.
No match for me now.
“Hoo.”
I lightly suppressed the yang energy circulating in my body, and in an instant, yin energy spread through my entire frame. I then channeled it through the Death Mirror Ice Art's cultivation method.
Before, I hadn't learned proper ice arts, so I'd sometimes get overwhelmed by the chill, but not anymore. No matter how immense the power, if you knew how to wield it, it became nothing but a fine weapon.
Death Mirror Ice Art: Cold Snow Soul.
I extended a thread of frigid energy from my fingertip.
The powerful chill surging from my hand instantly spread, turning everything in front of me into a sheet of ice.
The thugs charging toward us froze solid, unable to even take a single step.
“W-what is...”
“Listen up.”
I addressed the immobilized bunch in a voice deliberately low, almost a growl.
My words emerged with my frosty breath, sinking chillingly to the ground and adding to their weight.
“I am Yi Sowol, leader of the Lower Five Gates. If any of you dare think to share a table with me here, take that step. I won't stop you.”
The air was so bitingly cold that even their cold sweat froze over. Not one budged.
“R-retreat! Everyone, fall back!”
Like men who had seen a ghost, they fled with unsteady steps. Those who couldn't walk flattened themselves to the ground and crawled away on their arms.
Only once they were all out of sight did I relax my expression and turn to the group.
“So, what brings you to a place like this?”
“Gr-great hero!”
As if they'd just escaped the jaws of death, Unhak rushed over and grabbed my sleeve.
His near-tearful face alone told the tale of the hardships they'd endured.
“What brings you here?”
Amid it all, only Namgung Cheon stayed cool-headed, assessing the situation and questioning me.
“Same as you—on orders from the Alliance Leader.”
“So you're here to track down the Demonic Cult's forces?”
“That's right.”
Unhak's face brightened more with every word, to the point it felt almost heartbreaking.
“Ice... first time seeing it.”
Meanwhile, Yuseongil beside him simply stared at my ice art, eyes gleaming.
What a total disaster.
I could guess how they'd ended up drifting all the way out here.
Why the hell did that Alliance Leader send these guys out on a mission...
“Let's move somewhere else and talk.”
We gathered around a table inside the inn they had been using as a base.
“Can you summarize the information you've gathered so far?”
To decide on our next moves, I asked about their progress up to now.
But at my words, their faces darkened.
They hadn't found much? Well, young prodigies banding together had their limits.
“Even minor details are fine.”
I pressed again.
Even trivial info could add up to a lead eventually.
No way a team that had set out a full month ahead had zero intel...
“Well...”
No way.
Right?
“We did our best, but we came up empty.”
Namgung Cheon spoke up in Unhak's hesitant place, his face grim.
“So how exactly were you planning to catch Demonic Cultists all this time?”
“Demonic Cultists practice bizarre martial arts, so they'd naturally strut around among the common folk. We figured grabbing notorious troublemakers would eventually net us some cultists...”
“You hadn't heard that the Demonic Cult forces had infiltrated among the commoners?”
“No, we knew. That's why we went with this strategy...”
“Infiltrators among the commoners aren't idiots—they wouldn't strut around.”
Only then did Namgung Cheon seem to realize where they'd gone wrong.
Sigh, inexperienced prodigies always fumble these basics.
If the mission had just been hunting a killer hiding among unorthodox sects, his approach might've worked.
But Demonic Cultists were different. They operated as a group, not lone wolves. Even the nastiest scum would act for the collective, not just themselves.
Especially ones hiding among Central Plains commoners to conceal their identities—they wouldn't pull street-thug stunts.
“Remember the mission details?”
“Search and eliminate the Demonic Cult forces estimated to have moved from Zhongqing to Hunan, right?”
“Correct. So there was something else you should've done first.”
“Gather intelligence?”
I wanted to snap, Did you even know that? But it wasn't all his fault, so I held back.
Besides, in this life, I'd vowed to mold him into a proper Alliance Leader.
“So what should we have done?”
Maybe a little guidance here wouldn't hurt.
“First, you'd seek out other available forces. As Murim Alliance members, that means the Beggars' Sect. Then focus on what these lurkers might be up to here, staying low. Even if nothing stands out, they're not just sitting idle.”
Charging in blindly might be simple and fast, but veer off course and you'll never reach the answer.
In the jianghu, where one mistake could cost your head, methodical steps were usually the way.
“I see...”
He began pondering his mistakes, seemingly ready to own them and rethink his approach.
As expected of a former Alliance Leader—plenty of potential.
“Enough reflection. Time to restart the mission fresh.”
I stood and scanned them. Leading these blank stares into the field already felt daunting.
But they were top-five Dragon Phoenix Tournament prodigies—bound to shine when it counted.
“Follow me.”
Like a mother bird herding chicks, I took the lead down the road.
Yiyang's red-light district was an eerily crimson haze.
Women in red silks bared their ample bosoms to lure men, while the scarlet glow of hanging lanterns added allure to their forms.
Street men, faces flushed with drink, indulged their instincts to cap off the day.
“Hey, handsome young brothers, wanna have some fun?”
“Oh honey, you're so hot. First one's free—how 'bout it?”
We strolled through amid it all, especially Unhak and Namgung Cheon drawing plenty of courtesans' solicitations.
Guess good looks really do pay off.
“Gr-great hero, why'd we come to a place like this all of a sudden?”
First-timers apparently—the group blushed and fidgeted awkwardly.
Righteous sect kids, predictably pure.
“Weren't you prowling back alleys looking for Demonic Cultists?”
“But this is different!”
“Highest odds of Demonic Cultists? Gotta be here. Exiled to the Central Plains in a group, they'd be starved for women, right?”
Well, truth was, I was basing the search on what the Crimson Lotus Leader had told me.
She'd said Demonic Cultists had already murdered courtesans several times.
So naturally, intel-gathering started here.
“Brother, first time in a place like this?”
Then a red-clad courtesan grabbed Yuseongil's arm and pressed close.
“Y-yeah.”
Even he, usually unflappable despite his awkward speech, was visibly flustered all over.
“Wanna play a bit? Our brothel has a killer view of Lake Dongting. Not an opportunity you get every day.”
Though talking to him, her eyes kept drifting to me.
Red silks, yellow jewelry, Dongting Lake view brothel. Got it.
“Might as well.”
“Ooh, so manly.”
“Gr-great hero? You're going?”
“Best place for intel in the red-light district? A brothel, obviously. You lot gather info around here.”
Leaving the flustered bunch, I slipped away with her through the district streets.
“So, who are you?”
Once we reached a quiet back alley, I asked her identity.
“This lowly one is Mun Soeun, acting deputy leader of the Lower Five Gates' Crimson Lotus Unit. I've come at the leader's command, Escort Leader.”