Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Ominous Rumors (1)
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"Lights."
Raejeon pointed at the glow flickering through the bushes and let out a cheer.
"Whew! I was worried we'd have to camp out again tonight, but what a relief. Still, is this really Hangzhou?"
Cheol Woo turned his head and asked.
"If those merchants were telling the truth, then yeah, this should be Hangzhou."
Sima Geon replied with a hint of uncertainty.
It had been exactly half a month since they left Dragon Star Inn. They'd traveled down the Yangtze and connecting waterways without major issues, but it had taken longer than expected. Raejeon still hadn't fully recovered from his injuries, causing slight delays along the way.
"For Hangzhou, there sure aren't many lights."
"We're on the outskirts. We'll see the real city once we head inward. Hang in there just a bit longer, even if it's tough. We're almost there."
Sima Geon comforted Raejeon, whose exhaustion was plain to see.
The group quickened their pace and arrived in Hangzhou half a shichen later. Despite the late hour, the city blazed with lights everywhere.
Wanting a quiet rest, they avoided the bustling center and settled at the relatively peaceful East Wind Inn.
Leaving Raejeon to collapse onto the bed and sleep, Sima Geon and Cheol Woo headed down to the first-floor dining area to eat.
As Cheol Woo ravenously devoured his food and drink, calling for more Shaoxing wine after finishing it off quickly, a familiar voice rang in their ears.
"Brothers!"
Sima Geon and Cheol Woo whipped their heads around in unison. Standing there with a bright smile was Hahu Yeon, who should have been at the butcher shop in Shao Xing.
"Huh? What are you doing here?"
Cheol Woo asked, eyes wide.
"That's how it turned out. Are you just getting back now?"
Hahu Yeon plopped into a chair and snatched the Shaoxing wine from the waiter.
"Yeah. Arrived a little while ago."
"I see. You must be exhausted."
Hahu Yeon knew why the two had left Shao Xing. He didn't know the exact destination, but he was certain they'd gone to fetch medicine for Sima Jin's condition.
"Did you get what you needed?"
Hahu Yeon asked cautiously, glancing at Sima Geon.
"Yeah. We got it."
Hahu Yeon's face lit up at Sima Geon's calm reply.
"That's great. Really great. Now Jin-mei can definitely be cured."
"I hope so."
As Sima Geon smiled faintly, Cheol Woo slammed down his emptied cup and growled.
"Bullshit. Since when did our little sister become your 'Jin-mei'? And you still haven't answered. Why the hell are you here?"
"I told you, stuff came up. I'm already pissed off enough as it is."
Cheol Woo narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the left.
"It's been a while since we last met, right? How about we check how much stronger you've gotten?"
Sensing the veiled threat, Hahu Yeon hurriedly spoke up.
"It's not that. There's this weird rumor spreading around."
"Rumor?"
Sima Geon, who had just brought his cup to his lips, turned his head slightly.
"A rumor that the family head has passed away."
"You called it weird, so I assume it's nothing serious."
"Yes. He's grown weaker compared to before, but he's still relatively healthy. Even so, with his age, the rumor shocked me pretty bad when I heard it."
"What? The rumor reached Shao Xing too?"
Cheol Woo asked in surprise, and Hahu Yeon looked frustrated.
"If it reached Shao Xing, that's why I came all the way here."
"If it's spread to Shao Xing, it's safe to say it's all over Zhejiang Province."
Hahu Yeon frowned at Sima Geon's words.
"That's what's strange."
"What is?"
"When I was in Shao Xing, the rumor was spreading like wildfire. But once I left, it wasn't as big a deal as I thought. According to my father, aside from Shao Xing, the only place it's really blown up is Hangzhou. Why else would he come out to investigate himself?"
"With your father?"
"Yes. We arrived just a bit ago. He's upstairs."
Hahu Yeon pointed upstairs and continued.
"Honestly, I didn't take the rumor too seriously. There are so many false rumors floating around. But it was so specific that Great-grandfather and I had no choice but to leave Shao Xing and head back home."
"Makes sense. If he'd died, we'd have gotten word by now, right?"
At Cheol Woo's jab, Hahu Yeon raised his voice.
"No one knows Great-grandfather and I were in Shao Xing. Not even the family head or my father. That means they couldn't contact us even if they wanted to."
"So that's why you left Shao Xing, old timer too?"
Sima Geon asked.
"Yes. We were almost at the family home when we ran into Father heading to Hangzhou. Great-grandfather knew it was a false rumor but said since we were already out, he'd stop by home briefly. I came here with Father."
Hahu Yeon glanced around and lowered his voice.
"The family seems to be taking this pretty seriously. They're investigating themselves but even asked the Beggars' Sect for help."
"Beggars' Sect?"
"Yeah. There's a branch here in Hangzhou. Even if our investigation falls short, the Beggars' Sect can pinpoint exactly where and how the rumor started. They've got the best information network in the world, after all."
"Aren't they overreacting to a false rumor?"
Cheol Woo seemed to think the Ha Hu Clan was making a mountain out of a molehill.
"I thought so too, but the family's judgment differs. False or not, they say an investigation is necessary."
"Fair enough. Better safe than sorry, as they say. Whether they waste their time or not is none of my... Hey, boss, what's wrong?"
"Hm? What?"
"Your face looks really serious."
"Me?"
Sima Geon quickly relaxed his expression and asked back.
"Who else? Right?"
Cheol Woo poked Hahu Yeon in the side.
"Yeah, you looked really angry about something."
"Nothing like that..."
Sima Geon trailed off, then chuckled softly.
"Guess I got worried about the butcher shop without realizing it."
"Haa."
Gazing at the moon curved like a beautiful woman's delicate brow, Yong Jung let out a deep sigh.
Staring blankly at it, he soon saw a woman's face forming around the moon.
"Even the moon understands my heart."
He sighed again and unfolded the letter in his hand, hoping against hope that he'd misread it. But the contents remained the same.
"I knew the order would come eventually."
Yong Jung crumpled the letter, his face full of reluctance.
The order to cease surveilling the Sima brothers and return. How many return orders had he received before? But he'd never hated that word so much.
"Still, the deputy leader held out longer than expected."
Considering the deputy leader's skill—enough to subtly clash with the Flying Wing Unit Leader without backing down—he must have known how lacking his biweekly reports were. Yet he'd tolerated it this long, perhaps to give Yong Jung, who had served loyally without rest, a proper break this time.
And the letter contained something he hadn't even imagined.
The old man butchering meat at the shop was Ha Hu Clan's Sword Ghost Ha Hu Gok, Sima Geon and Cheol Woo were likely the experts who wiped out the Black Ox Squad, and they had probably sensed his presence long ago.
"Right. Time to go. This isn't where I belong anymore. Pointless to stick around now that I've been made."
Shaking off his lingering attachment, Yong Jung headed not home, but to the woman who occupied his heart.
"If only I could see her one last time."
Lately, she'd been staying at Clear Heart Clinic, studying medicine. But today was an ancestral rite at her home. Late as it was, it was still possible.
His feet carried him there naturally.
As he walked listlessly, Yong Jung suddenly stopped and turned left. The western sky blazed like a sunset. Looking closer, he saw flames shooting up alongside smoke.
'That's where Clear Heart Clinic is. No way... the clinic?'
A chill of foreboding hit him—an instinct honed not by martial prowess, but years as an informant.
As Yong Jung instinctively hid, a group appeared where he'd stood.
About thirty men, all radiating murderous auras.
"Hurry. Find the girl within a shichen and wrap everything up."
The group's pace quickened at the command.
Then, a middle-aged man at the rear glanced toward the woods where Yong Jung hid.
The man tilted his head, scanned the trees, then moved on.
After they passed, Yong Jung emerged, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
'What kind of eyes were those.'
In that instant, he'd agonized over standing his ground or fleeing. The man's presence and menace were overwhelming.
'G... girl?'
Wiping sweat from his brow, Yong Jung hesitated again. It was probably a stretch, but he suspected they were after Sima Jin, the woman he adored. The fire at what seemed Clear Heart Clinic, and their direction matching her home—it all fit too well.
As he started to move, he froze. His body reacted violently to the middle-aged man's gaze moments ago.
His pounding heart urged him to charge ahead, but his cooling head screamed that going meant death.
"You idiot! Since when have you played it so safe?!"
Yelling at himself, Yong Jung bolted off.
Not chasing the group, but taking a shortcut. His face held not just the terror of death, but a resolve that transcended fear.
"Shao Xing."
Cheol Woo cheered upon spotting the city emerging in the deepening darkness.
After meeting Hahu Yeon the night before, Sima Geon had been plagued by an inexplicable unease and barely slept. They'd set out before dawn and arrived exactly six shichen later.
Not pausing once, they'd pushed their lightness skills to the limit—a grueling march like no other. Carrying Raejeon, who couldn't keep up, had exhausted even Cheol Woo's iron stamina.
"Clear Heart Clinic first?"
Cheol Woo panted.
The question was rhetorical. Having heard from Hahu Yeon that Sima Jin was staying at Clear Heart Clinic learning medicine, Sima Geon was already heading there.
"Something feels off."
Raejeon's voice trembled lightly from Cheol Woo's back.
"Haven't seen that look in the division leader's eyes in ages."
"Me too. Bad feeling."
Cheol Woo nodded heavily.
The unease soon became reality. Clear Heart Clinic, which should have welcomed them warmly, was gone.
"What the..."
Sima Geon and Cheol Woo stared at the ruins in stunned dismay.
Raejeon quietly slid down from Cheol Woo's back and began inspecting the ashes.
Signs of cleanup were everywhere, but no issues there.
Examining the soot on the outer walls, half-burned pillars, and charred rafters, Raejeon spoke.
"Not long ago. Fire happened within a day or two. But it's no ordinary blaze. Multiple ignition points mean someone set it deliberately, simultaneously. They tried to clean up, but there must have been significant casualties..."
Raejeon trailed off, glancing at Sima Geon.
Sima Geon, surveying the clinic with chillingly cold eyes, turned away.
"Let's go."
As Cheol Woo hurriedly hoisted Raejeon onto his back, Sima Geon's figure was already vanishing into the distance.