Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Hao Gate
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“It seems like he’s quite an important figure over there. If we try to dig any deeper, it could cause problems… What should we do?”
“Hmm….”
Soha thought about the Eternal Heaven Merchant Guild.
The successor to Heavenly Net Hall, which had vanished alongside the fleeing Young Castle Lord during the Tyrant Heaven Fortress rebellion.
Even after ten years had passed, it remained the finest organization for gathering intelligence inside Tyrant Heaven Fortress.
Even while handling merchant business on the side.
Scratching at it now would only widen the rift between them, and that wouldn’t benefit anyone.
‘Time to pull back for now.’
Not an easy call.
Soha gave a wry smile and issued new orders.
“Cease any further probing. I’ll look into it another way, so Pavilion Master, return to your regular duties.”
“Understood.”
The Pavilion Master withdrew with an ashamed look on her face.
Then, as if something had just occurred to her, she turned back and spoke up.
“By the way….”
“Is there more?”
“Yes. It’s not confirmed information, though.”
The Pavilion Master explained the bloodshed that had unfolded at Jo Un-chil’s casino in northern Hefei, and the circumstances that led to his disappearance and eventual hiding in Flower Moon Pavilion.
Having heard it all, Soha looked intrigued.
“So, the masked man who killed Celestial Light Hall Master and abducted Jo Un-chil… is that young master?”
“It’s only a possibility….”
Just as the Pavilion Master said, it was a judgment without full conviction, so her voice lacked strength.
But Soha found it fairly credible.
She had personally witnessed the feat of knocking out seven grown men with seven iron pellets.
‘Not ordinary in any sense.’
To think he was even capable of killing Celestial Light Hall Master.
As expected, was a prophesied warrior different right from the sprout?
A pleased smile formed inside as Soha feigned calm indifference on the surface.
“Understood. You may go.”
“Yes, then.”
Once the Pavilion Master left the room and Soha was alone again, she sank into thought.
‘All we’ve learned is that he’s from Henan… No, even that’s not certain.’
From what she’d seen upstairs, Ju Ho-jeong had seemed quite wary of him, so it might not even be true.
“Well, it could be. Henan’s a vast land.”
Soha shrugged and rose from her seat.
With things as they were, she’d have to go with the old-fashioned approach, troublesome as it might be.
Her golden eyes began to glow once more, and in them appeared the sight of Ja-seong chatting away with Go Hyung.
*
Go Hyung’s answer had me oddly excited the moment I heard it.
Hao Gate! A faction that showed up regularly in wuxia novels alongside the Beggar Clan.
The Beggar Clan represented the righteous factions’ information network, while the Hao Gate filled that role for the unorthodox ones.
These two groups appeared so frequently that it was rare to find a wuxia novel without them.
Probably because authors found them convenient for handing out new info to the protagonist.
Long ago, I’d heard that all unorthodox sects had been wiped out, and I’d vaguely felt disappointed thinking the Hao Gate was gone too.
I immediately started peppering Go Hyung with questions about it.
“So this is the Hao Gate’s Hefei branch or something? All the courtesans and waiters working here are disciples?”
“…You’re suddenly awfully proactive?”
Go Hyung eyed me dubiously as I fired off questions, but soon began explaining point by point.
“This place is indeed a Hao Gate branch. And disciples… truth be told, most of the bottom-feeders in the jianghu are considered Hao Gate disciples. Every bit of info they hear or see trickles up to the Hao Gate eventually. If you just count numbers, they outstrip Tyrant Heaven Fortress by a mile.”
“Wow….”
I nodded in admiration, but then Go Hyung lowered his voice.
“Given your personality, I doubt it’ll happen, but whatever you do, don’t lay a hand on the waiters or courtesans.”
“Why would I say something like that? What do you take me for…? But why?”
The moment I asked for the reason, the door opened again, and the Flower Moon Pavilion Master returned.
No sign of the Jo Un-chil she’d promised to bring, just some random courtesan in tow.
“Uh… Pavilion Master? Where’s Jo Un-chil…?”
“…….”
The Pavilion Master fell silent at my question.
But looking closely, the corners of her mouth were twitching nonstop.
I tilted my head at her desperately suppressed laughter, and she stepped aside to present the courtesan she’d brought.
The courtesan kept her head bowed deeply, seemingly full of shame.
I examined her face, then suddenly spotted the goatee on her chin.
“No way…”
A bad premonition twisted my features.
And sure enough, they say even coincidences can kill.
The matron roughly yanked her head up, revealing Jo Un-chil’s face, caked in white powder and smeared with rouge.
“Ah, shit. My eyes!”
“Puhahaha—!”
The sight was so bad for my eye and mental health that I quickly covered my eyes with my hand and turned away.
Go Hyung’s roaring laughter rang in my ears.
“Hahaha! Who’s this? Where’d the ugly old geezer go—welcome, peerless beauty~! Kehhehe…!”
“Shut it!”
Jo Un-chil grimaced and grumbled.
Of course, it did nothing to hide his hideous, cross-dressed state at his age.
I averted my gaze as much as possible to avoid the sight and asked the Pavilion Master.
“…What the hell happened?”
“Truth is, quite a few girls here in Flower Moon Pavilion were forced into this line of work because of Jo Un-chil. Once they learned he was hiding here, they… turned him into that.”
Wow… Revenge against the bastard who ruined their lives? And in such a moderate way, too.
I clicked my tongue sympathetically, when suddenly Jo Un-chil grabbed my pant leg.
I nearly kicked him away in horror at his grotesque appearance.
“G-get me out of here! I can’t take any more of this humiliating crap!”
“It’s all your own comeuppance, what’re you….”
For my part, I thought the girls showed impressive restraint and self-control to stop at this.
For a fleeting moment, I considered leaving him here a few more days, but remembering I’d come at Nangong Family Head’s request, I sighed and nodded.
His face lit up… Ugh, gross.
“Hey, wipe off that makeup first. It’s unbearable, seriously.”
“You think I wanted to do this?! Just wait, those damn bitches. Once this is over…!”
Oh? Even after all this, no reflection on his actions—just plotting payback.
I let out an incredulous chuckle, when the matron’s icy voice pierced my ear.
“Consider yourself lucky. If just a few more girls had wanted you dead, they would’ve sent a Poison Blossom Note begging for your execution.”
“…….”
Jo Un-chil’s face drained of color at the matron’s chilling words, which sounded so kind until then (it was already white from the powder).
Seeing his genuinely unsettled expression, I asked Go Hyung.
“What’s a Poison Blossom Note?”
“That’s what I was about to explain. The reason you shouldn’t mess with the courtesans or waiters.”
“They must’ve spilled every little detail about us.”
“It’s already all over the rumors.”
The Pavilion Master grumbled in response to Go Hyung.
He shot back with a mischievous grin.
The Pavilion Master, glaring at him with cold eyes, turned to me and explained the Poison Blossom Note.
“To put it simply, it’s a signal. It tells the Flower Venerable that someone here has killed or tormented a Hao Gate disciple, and requests punishment.”
“…Flower Venerable? I think I’ve heard that name before.”
Racking my brain for a moment, I recalled what Ju Ho-jeong had said to the Pavilion Master.
—Must’ve been a headache dealing with your underlings. As an apology, I’ll foot a big bill. Please put in a good word with the Flower Venerable.
“Ah…”
So that’s what he’d meant.
Since I’d handled the punishment myself, there was no need to summon the Flower Venerable.
“But who is the Flower Venerable?”
“Our Hao Gate’s sect leader, and the protector of everyone scraping by at the bottom of the jianghu.”
The Pavilion Master answered with a voice brimming with pride.
But that didn’t really tell me anything.
Fortunately, Go Hyung picked up on my confusion and gave a more detailed explanation.
“The Flower Venerable. Leader of the Hao Gate, and one of the Ten Venerables. A figure shrouded entirely in mystery. Gender, age, appearance—all unknown.”
He glanced sidelong at the Pavilion Master as he said that.
“Among the Hao Gate disciples, branch leader types like Pavilion Master probably know the truth… but they’d never tell, right?”
“Never. I’d sooner bite off my own tongue and die than reveal our sect leader’s identity to anyone.”
Her resolute tone carried an ironclad determination that brooked no jest.
I nodded along to the explanation, then a sudden question occurred to me.
“Wait, identity completely unknown, but one of the Ten Venerables? How do you even know if they’re strong or not?”
“Because they killed Mad Venerable, who held that seat before.”
The Pavilion Master picked up where Go Hyung left off with the full story.
In the past, a man called Mad Venerable had brutally tortured and murdered a single courtesan.
The brothel she belonged to sent up a Poison Blossom Note to the Hao Gate leader, who personally stepped in to fight Mad Venerable.
“The result was Mad Venerable’s defeat. His corpse was found in a truly gruesome state. And beside the body lay a single rose.”
“That was the day the Flower Venerable’s legend began. The day the lives of courtesans, trampled underfoot by the ruthless, were forever changed.”
Though it was long ago, the matron’s voice trembled with emotion, as if she remembered that day vividly even now.