Chapter 170. Wabul (3)
Han Bin's affable expression turned serious.
He slipped a fan into his bosom, then pulled it out again.
The one he put away was the one with the map drawn on it.
The one he drew out, of course, was a different fan.
Han Bin secretly snapped one of the fan's ribs and cried out.
"Whoa!"
"What's wrong, Young Master?"
As Seol-hwa played along, Han Bin continued.
"One of the fan slats broke."
"Let me see it. We could probably get it fixed at the market..."
Han Bin trailed off and casually tossed the fan away.
Whoosh.
"Just leave it. We've got plenty of fans—what's the point of fixing it?"
"Still..."
"Let's just go."
Having discarded the fan, Han Bin walked off calmly with Seol-hwa, as if nothing had happened.
A moment after Han Bin and Seol-hwa disappeared.
A man in black martial robes appeared silently at the spot.
The man picked up the fan Han Bin had dropped.
At the same time, a white figure revealed itself atop a tall tree by the roadside.
Slither.
The woman in white martial robes sat cross-legged on a thin branch, tilting her head.
Then, the black figure appeared beside her.
Slither.
The black figure was, of course, the man in black martial robes.
"What're you staring at, sis?"
"It's just so bizarre. Why pick up that lousy fan?"
"You want me to ignore a clue left by suspicious folks?"
The man in black glared at the woman disapprovingly.
The woman gazed nonchalantly in the direction Han Bin had gone and said,
"Anyway, don't you think those two noticed us?"
"Impossible. That girl seems decently skilled at a glance, but the young guy doesn't have a shred of inner power. How could they sense our presence?"
"Really? That young guy rubs me the wrong way more..."
As the woman in white narrowed her eyes, the man in black shook his head in annoyance.
"That's just you losing your head over any cute guy you see. Don't stir up trouble now. Mission comes first. We followed them 'cause they seemed fishy, but there's nothing here. Let's call it for today."
With that, the man in black unfurled the fan he'd picked up atop the branch.
His hand trembled slightly as he casually opened it.
"Third-rank official Yi Hanhee's landscape painting..."
The man in black trailed off with a furious expression, and the woman asked again.
"What'd you say?"
"This is definitely Yi Hanhee's work. And they tossed it? A genuine piece by third-rank Yi Hanhee?"
The man in black turned to glare in the direction Han Bin had vanished.
The woman in white remarked,
"I kinda like the jade ornament on the fan, though."
At her words, the man casually detached the jade and handed it over.
"You can have this, sis. I just need the painting."
"Must be something special about that painting, huh."
"They call him 'third-rank' in the Central Plains not just 'cause he rose to that rank with a single brushstroke. Among living painters, he's a genius of geniuses. Tossing away a priceless work that money can't buy... What a trash heap. No need to keep an eye on scum like that. He's gotta be some clueless rich brat."
The man shook his head, staring after Han Bin.
But only for a moment. He carefully tucked the fan into his bosom.
Watching him, the woman teased,
"Hey, kid, it's not like you're eating scraps off the street."
Even as she joked, she pocketed the jade ornament she'd taken from the fan.
The man in black snapped at her irritably.
"You're one to talk, sis—grabbing at every young guy you pass by. And isn't it about time you acted with a little dignity for the Pal Seon?"
"When have I ever lost face? Hehe."
The woman waved her hand and vanished from the spot.
Slither.
The man in black disappeared as well.
About two hours later.
As the sun dipped below the horizon with its red tail trailing, Han Bin and Seol-hwa reappeared at the market where Wabul came into view.
Han Bin swept his face as if washing it and muttered lowly.
"Phew, feels like I aged ten years!"
This was half-serious.
Facing off against two unknown masters without a plan?
That wasn't what Han Bin wanted.
So he'd laid bait and retreated.
The lack of presences afterward meant it had worked, no doubt.
But the fatigue from sustaining Reverse Pulse Ghost Advance for so long was unavoidable.
Han Bin gazed quietly at the inn and called out.
"Alright, time to get to work!"
"Yes, Young Master. You head out first."
With that, Seol-hwa's figure vanished from the spot.
Of course, Han Bin was gone too.
They reappeared in the inn's back courtyard.
Seol-hwa looked at Han Bin with slight surprise.
"That master tailing us earlier isn't here, is he?"
"No need to worry. My instincts are spot on."
"Oh, your instincts?"
This was a trade secret even he couldn't explain to Seol-hwa.
The scent on the iron coins he'd coated beforehand differed from the one on the dropped fan.
Han Bin could distinguish up to five trails with his Thousand-Li Pursuit Scent.
Even in his past life, he alone in the martial world could do it.
Now was the time to unleash the hunting dog's instincts.
Han Bin grinned faintly.
"Let's focus on the job for now."
With that, he took in the bustling workers finishing up.
Some exuded the aura of First Rate warriors.
This inn was no ordinary place.
Likely run by the group guarding the treasure.
Whatever that treasure was, anyway.
Han Bin didn't budge until nightfall.
Seol-hwa, true to her elite assassin roots, suppressed her presence in the shadows, watching the workers come and go.
As the back courtyard plunged into total darkness, a single lantern flickered to life.
The figure holding it was a young errand boy.
He shone the lantern toward the well where Han Bin lurked.
Tilting his head, he approached.
Han Bin held his breath as much as possible.
Should he subdue him?
Han Bin hesitated briefly.
That would be falling into the trap of overreacting to grass rustling in the wind.
As Han Bin pondered, a tiny rat scurried past him.
Squeak squeak.
Spotting it, the errand boy relaxed with a sigh and glanced around before turning away.
He headed to a rundown shed in the far corner opposite the well.
Muffling his footsteps, the errand boy approached the shed, which looked dilapidated at a glance.
He scanned the surroundings again.
His caution was master-level.
After confirming for a good while, he entered the shed.
As Seol-hwa moved to follow, Han Bin swiftly grabbed her sleeve and wagged his finger.
Not yet.
Even if there was a hidden space inside, would someone this cautious just waltz in?
No way.
Han Bin strained to listen toward the shed.
After time enough for a cup of tea, he turned to Seol-hwa.
He'd sensed the change inside.
"You guard this spot."
"I wanna go with you."
As Seol-hwa pleaded, Han Bin waved her off.
"Two of us moving together is too risky. Stay here and handle something more important."
Seol-hwa's eyes lit up at his words.
"What?"
"If I'm not back in five hours..."
Han Bin trailed off, pondering, and Seol-hwa asked,
"Should I alert the Red Blood Mangho Squad?"
Han Bin nodded firmly.
"No, just tell Master. No one else."
"Got it, Young Master."
"Thanks, Seol-hwa."
With those final words, Han Bin vanished, leaving only the rustle of grass blades.
Snap snap snap.
Seol-hwa watched his fading shadow without even blinking.
Her expression said she wouldn't make a single mistake as she stared at the shed.
Han Bin reappeared in an underground passage beneath the shed.
Suppressing his presence utterly, he tailed the target.
The flickering torchlight revealed the man's back, so Han Bin slowed his pace slightly.
He cautiously followed the errand boy through the passage, scanning for traps.
Fortunately, there were none.
Surprisingly, the tunnel was quite wide.
It looked professionally dug, with sharp angles like an army had built it.
The support beams were meticulously oiled against moisture.
Expert craftsmanship, for sure.
Han Bin had plenty of past-life experience.
But he'd never heard of such a tunnel under Jangun-hyeon.
Heightening his senses to the max, he pursued the errand boy.
How far had he followed?
The passage opened into a wide chamber, and the errand boy halted.
He glanced around, then approached the wall and pulled a cord attached there.
A strange sound echoed from the wall.
Ting.
Ting.
After the tones rang out, he tapped a section of the wall.
A small hidden door slid open.
The errand boy retrieved a pouch from inside and swapped it with a new one.
Watching this, Han Bin unconsciously licked his lips.
Wabul's coin collection method was beyond imagination.
The errand boy placed the pouch on a small shelf by the wall.
Then he began sorting through the iron coins inside.
The selected coins differed slightly in shape from the others.
Just as Han Bin had seen during the day—slightly damaged iron coins.
The errand boy lined them up carefully in order.
Han Bin crept up silently behind him.
His movements were so stealthy the errand boy didn't notice a thing.
The errand boy continued arranging the coins in sequence.
Once done, he crossed his arms and muttered lowly.
"He's come? He's come!"
He repeated the words as if he'd received momentous news.
Han Bin tilted his head.
The errand boy's voice had changed.
Like a gambler scooping up cards, he swept the coins into his hand.
Sweep.
He dumped them back into the pouch, mixing them with the coins people had tossed in with their wishes.
Watching this, Han Bin asked in a low voice,
"How much did you make today?"
"Make what..."
The errand boy answered reflexively, then trailed off.
He whipped his head around, eyes widening.
Han Bin stood there, grinning broadly at him.
The errand boy flinched and shouted,
"Wh-who are you?!"
Han Bin tilted his head again.
The voice had changed once more.
So he was disguising it.
The previous voices probably weren't his real one either.
And this face was surely fake too.
The martial world had plenty of disguise masters.
Han Bin from his past life was one.
But elevating disguise to an art form? Only one in Central Plains history.
No way?
Han Bin narrowed his eyes, and the errand boy backed away unsteadily.
After staring for a long moment, Han Bin's gaze shifted.
It was delight.
Not just from the figure that sprang to mind.
He'd spotted flickering points near the target's shoulder.
Formula points.
Han Bin swiftly circulated the Yongrin Sword Art forms.
Jeon-gwang-seok-hwa.
Gugeol Ship-pal-bo.
At the same instant, the errand boy stomped the ground.
Boom.