Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Mission, Investigation (3)
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About two shichen had passed since wandering the streets.
Evening had come before they knew it, the sun dipping lazily below the horizon.
Despite roaming for so long, there had been no gains.
No, it wasn't accurate to say there were absolutely none.
“Indeed, nothing. Even after wandering so long, not a shadow of a martial artist was seen.”
The mood grew grave at Dang Hwa-seo's words.
Jegal San patted her shoulder in response.
“For now, the formation is fully set. It takes at least Pinnacle Realm to break through, and if it is breached, this jade tablet will vibrate. Everyone, keep it on you.”
Jegal San pulled out five jade tablets and handed one to each member.
They were smooth jade tablets that mysteriously soothed the mind when held.
“This is material for the formation.”
“Mok, don't break it, alright?”
Jegal San chuckled as he spoke, and Mok Ri-won gulped nervously before tucking the jade tablet into his bosom.
He then smiled contentedly, as if reassured.
“So, what do we do from here?”
“It's late today, so rest up... We'll start the investigation tomorrow. Gathering rumors from outside—that's on you, Jegal San.”
“Guess I'll need a disguise.”
“Be thorough about it.”
Jegal San was the only one among them capable of top-tier disguise.
He would surely gather the rumors without being detected.
“White Phoenix, you move with me.”
“Where to?”
“Black Dao sects.”
Hye-un tilted her head.
“Are there any? You said not a single martial artist was spotted.”
“That's exactly why we're going. Near here, there's a place called Tyrant Sword Clan. We'll find it.”
“Little Miss! What should I do?!”
Mok Ri-won asked with enthusiasm.
Namgung Jincheon beside him also subtly waited for an assignment, though he didn't show it.
Il-un wore an indifferent expression.
Dang Hwa-seo hesitated briefly with an apologetic look before hardening her resolve and speaking.
“Please guard the manor.”
“Hm?”
“Base defense. You could call it the core of the mission, really.”
“Oh!”
Mok Ri-won let out an exclamation of admiration at the words “base defense” and nodded in understanding.
Namgung Jincheon nodded as well.
Only Il-un, who grasped her true intent, nodded knowingly.
‘You're uneasy assigning them anything.’
Whatever the task, it made her anxious, so better to station them inside.
That must be her judgment.
Dang Hwa-seo and Il-un's gazes met.
She conveyed her meaning with a glance.
-Monk, please keep a close eye on those two.
Il-un nodded as if to say, leave it to me.
In his view as well, the pair were useless outside of combat.
*
“Then, we'll be off.”
The next morning, after safely arriving, Dang Hwa-seo and Hye-un departed the manor.
Jegal San had already left ahead, carrying his disguise supplies.
“Come back safe!”
Mok Ri-won waved vigorously to see Dang Hwa-seo off.
Now only three remained: Mok Ri-won, Namgung Jincheon, and Il-un.
Mok Ri-won spoke up.
“Then, time for base defense!”
Base defense.
The words sounded impressive for some reason, exciting him, but Il-un gave an awkward smile.
In the meantime, Namgung Jincheon said.
“No, we head out too.”
Il-un's expression stiffened.
“…Pardon?”
“Sword Dragon hyung! The Little Miss told us to stay home!”
“Idiot. The base is guarded by the formation—why stay here? Don't you get why Poison Phoenix left us behind?”
Mok Ri-won tilted his head at Namgung Jincheon's words.
“Not just uneasy relying on the formation alone?”
Mok Ri-won was sharp-minded but hopeless at reading between the lines.
Especially when it came to words from Dang Hwa-seo.
He trusted her so deeply he would believe the stars in the night sky were actually immortals if she said so.
Of course she left him here to guard the manor.
That was his thinking.
Namgung Jincheon clicked his tongue.
“She thinks we can't handle real work.”
Thud—!
Mok Ri-won froze, his face stricken as if shocked.
“Th-that...!”
“The team is splitting up to move. There's tons of intel to gather—wasting manpower lounging at the manor? You think that's right?”
“That's true, but...”
“Mukryong, can you sit there feeling ignored and just wait?”
Namgung Jincheon deliberately provoked him.
There was one reason for this.
He wanted to show Dang Hwa-seo, who saw him as unreliable, what he was capable of.
He usually didn't care about such things, but Namgung Jincheon was actually quite perceptive.
Which was why he immediately sensed being sidelined in the mission setup.
‘No chance.’
He had no desire to stick his neck out for troublesome matters, but the situation had changed.
He needed more achievements—and more spirit elixirs.
“Answer me, Mukryong.”
For those achievements, he needed Mok Ri-won's martial prowess.
Unlike Mok Ri-won, who charged ahead recklessly once ignited, Namgung Jincheon was the type to prepare contingencies for every “what if.”
Mok Ri-won trembled, confusion plain on his face.
“Th-the Little Miss...!”
The mere assumption that she distrusted him.
He didn't want to accept it... but Namgung Jincheon's words rang true.
His chest ached.
Even if he had shown poor judgment before, to be benched from the mission like this stirred an unexpected sense of betrayal.
Mok Ri-won's expression turned sullen, and Namgung Jincheon smirked crookedly.
“Prove it. Right?”
“…Sword Dragon hyung is right.”
Mok Ri-won clenched his fists tight.
“I have to prove I'm trustworthy!”
“Then let's go.”
“Got it!”
Mok Ri-won and Namgung Jincheon began exiting the manor.
Il-un, still stammering “Eh? Eh?” in confusion, finally chased after them, thinking he had no choice.
The now-empty manor bore faint traces of the scene that had just unfolded.
*
Out on the street, however, the three simply stood blankly in the marketplace.
“…Sword Dragon hyung. So what do we do?”
Namgung Jincheon clamped his mouth shut.
It wasn't because he hadn't planned ahead.
Eyes closed, he focused intently on the whispers filtering into his ears.
He sought out conversations that felt out of place.
‘If there are Hao Sect disciples around, I can pick them out.’
One had wall eyes, one was a monk, and the last was a beauty so striking it hurt the eyes—they drew stares inevitably.
Unusual talk would stand out quickly.
-Dragon-Phoenix Squad.
-Out again today. Is that monk the Fist Dragon?
-What's their business here...
He dismissed the chatter from onlookers treating them as spectacle.
-White Dao murim extending its reach here too?
-What's the point. Black or white, what's the difference.
He ignored the speculative murmurs.
‘Nothing?’
The moment Namgung Jincheon reached that conclusion.
-Report...
Such words drifted in.
His eyes snapped open.
His head whipped around.
There...
“Found them.”
Two courtesans stood in the alley behind, heads bowed in conversation.
Namgung Jincheon moved without hesitation.
Mok Ri-won and Il-un followed curiously.
The courtesans flinched at eye contact and vanished deeper into the alley, solidifying his suspicions.
‘Suspicious.’
They might be Hao Sect disciples.
Namgung Jincheon sharpened his senses.
‘No internal energy.’
But their steps were swift.
Too swift for ordinary women.
Likely a basic footwork technique that boosted speed through form alone.
Only now noticing the oddity, Mok Ri-won and Il-un hardened their expressions.
“Monk.”
“Yes, definitely footwork.”
Namgung Jincheon didn't accelerate.
A possibility had flashed in his mind.
‘Slip-up or trap.’
If a slip-up overheard and they fled, their destination would be the base.
Even if a trap, that worked too.
He would have found personnel for interrogation and hostage-taking.
The courtesans plunged deeper into the alleys.
The street crowds had vanished.
A secluded alley, dim even in broad daylight.
There, the courtesans slipped into a rundown building.
-Stop here.
Namgung Jincheon transmitted to Mok Ri-won and Il-un.
-Three more energies inside.
-Feeling them too.
Mok Ri-won replied.
His senses honed razor-sharp.
Eyes closed, focusing on the energies within, he soon lifted his eyelids and continued.
-Martial artists.
All three energies belonged to martial artists.
The first such presences felt since arriving in Guizhou.
Mok Ri-won's face sharpened.
Black Dao martial artists.
The Hao Sect was milder than other Black Dao groups, but that didn't make them righteous.
Since ancient times, the Hao Sect had been infamous for handling the Black Dao's filthiest jobs.
-What now?
At Mok Ri-won's question, Namgung Jincheon responded.
-Charge in. If it's a trap, smash through.
That was why he brought Mok Ri-won.
Mok Ri-won nodded.
Il-un hesitated with a groan but soon nodded as well.
First reason: no backing down after coming this far.
Second: the martial artists inside were only first-rate level.
Even with traps or poison laid, they could suppress and escape.
Namgung Jincheon approached the building entrance without delay.
Hand resting atop his sword hilt, he shoved the door with a foot, producing a resounding ‘Kwang!’
An action prepared to swing his blade the instant an ambush struck.
And then.
“Greetings, Sword Dragon.”
What greeted him was a youthful woman of clear features, bowing her head between two burly warriors.
Halt—
Namgung Jincheon froze mid-draw.
Mok Ri-won and Il-un, following behind, halted in place as well.
An unforeseen situation.
Namgung Jincheon furrowed his brow in thought.
‘Lure?’
A lure, yes.
But their reactions suggested no ambush or trap.
If anything, their demeanor was welcoming.
‘Almost like...’
People seeking aid.
Shing—
Namgung Jincheon drew his sword and aimed it at the woman.
The two burly warriors stepped forward to shield her.
Identical features.
Twins, apparently.
“Who are you.”
At Namgung Jincheon's question, the woman bit her lower lip lightly.
Her fingertips trembled.
A fearful reaction.
Her mouth opened shortly after.
“…Seo Ye.”
The woman who named herself Seo Ye hardened her expression.
“I am the Hao Sect Leader, Seo Ye.”
Mok Ri-won's breath caught.
Eyes wide in shock, pupils darting busily to assess the truth.
As he flusteredly scrutinized her, Seo Ye gazed at the three Dragon-Phoenix Squad men and spoke.
“Please help us.”
A plea for assistance.
Silence blanketed the space.
Namgung Jincheon pondered how to handle this, sighed briefly, and reached a decision.
“No.”
Namgung Jincheon shot forward like lightning.
Pak!
He stunned the twin burly warriors with sheath strikes to vital points.
Pik! Pik!
He sealed Seo Ye's acupoints.
“Eup!”
Sealing her speech and movement acupoints, he felled her.
The abrupt actions left Mok Ri-won and Il-un with dumbfounded expressions, whereupon Namgung Jincheon hoisted her over his shoulder and said.
“We're heading back. For interrogation.”
Namgung Jincheon was not the type to take the long way around.