Bared Poison Fangs
After finishing our meal, we set out for a proper search.
"This time it's the city escort agency! Their chief is on the list!"
Dang Hwa-rin was brimming with excitement, clutching the list No Cho-san had made and bounding around like a kid.
She must have been thrilled to confirm she wasn't on the list of suspects herself.
I felt less like a thief hunter and more like a babysitter watching over an overexcited girl.
"Over here! Right here!"
"Oh my! Isn't that the young lady of the Dang Clan? What brings you to our humble escort agency!"
There was no need for stealthy tracking.
Dang Hwa-rin knew the man on the list wasn't the Thousand Face Fox, so she was being bold about it.
"Where's your chief!"
Dang Hwa-rin charged into the escort agency's courtyard with all the enthusiasm of a storm.
I followed at a leisurely pace, expanding my senses.
Two... no, three.
Dang Hwa-rin hadn't noticed, but as expected, the Qingcheng Sect's eyes were tailing us.
That Song guy from the inn was a nobody, but Qingcheng was a different story.
One of the Nine Great Sects, after all.
They wouldn't let it end here after setting their sights on the Dang Clan's prized daughter.
A naive girl from the Dang Clan might not realize it, but the Thousand Face Fox—who'd evaded capture so far—surely knew.
Still, this was Seongdo, the Dang Clan's front yard, and I was with her. That seemed to have lulled her into complacency.
Not that I mind.
Dang Hwa-rin waved me over from the inner courtyard of the escort agency.
I waved back to show I saw her.
The Dang Clan is awfully quiet.
That was odd.
The commotion at the inn had been cleared up quickly, but it involved Dang Hwa-rin.
Word should have reached the clan by now, and their guards should be swarming. Yet not a single Dang warrior had shown their face.
Hmm. That means...
It implied the Dang Clan's forces were tied up elsewhere, unable to respond swiftly to surprises.
And that could only mean one thing.
The Tushin Secret Cave.
The final hideout of Tushin, marked on the wanted poster.
They must be in the final stages of preparing to raid it.
"Aw, another bust."
Dang Hwa-rin walked back to me, leaving the baffled escort agency folk behind.
The sun was dipping toward the western horizon after our morning-long investigations.
Her face glowed with the red sunset as she looked up at me intently.
"Just one left. The Ho Merchant Guild."
"Let's go."
"Yeah! We'll catch 'em this time for sure!"
Dang Hwa-rin grabbed my hand energetically, then flinched and let go.
She dashed ahead.
"Hurry! The sun's setting!"
"Got it."
I smiled and quickened my pace.
The Qingcheng tails followed cautiously.
The merchant guild was in the southern part of Seongdo.
As we headed south, the buildings looked rundown and aged.
It was near the slums, apparently.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The ground was pocked with holes here and there, and the alley walls were cracked, ready to crumble at any moment.
Kids in ragged clothes scampered about, mothers beckoned them inside, and smoke from evening meals rose from chimneys everywhere.
White smoke drifting over the crimson sunset.
A brief moment of respite amid the harsh daily grind.
"Hmm. Didn't know Seongdo had a merchant guild like this."
The Ho Merchant Guild was tucked in that alley.
The open gate had no guards, and Dang Hwa-rin tilted her head curiously.
Just then, a goat-bearded man with one cheek swollen emerged from inside.
"Ah! Must be from the guild."
"Huh? Who the—gasp! L-Lady Dang! Gasp! Y-You!!!"
The goat-bearded man was far more shocked to see me than Dang Hwa-rin.
He was the one who'd tried to scam me at the city gate yesterday and gotten his cheek smacked.
"Hm? You two know each other?"
"The young lady doesn't know? He claimed to do frequent business with the Dang Clan."
"Really? Hmm. He looks unfamiliar to me. Sorry, what's your name?"
"N-No, sir! I've committed a mortal sin! Yes! Kill me! No, spare me!"
"Huh?"
The goat-bearded man suddenly prostrated himself on the ground.
Dang Hwa-rin shot me a look that said, What the hell is wrong with this guy?
I chuckled and shrugged.
"Excuse me. Is there a manager named Yu Dae-gon here?"
"Y-Yes?"
The goat-beard cautiously lifted his head.
"Manager Yu Dae-gon. Is he around?"
"Ah! You mean Manager Yu? Yes! He's our guild manager!"
"Is he inside now? I'd like to meet him."
"Ah! Manager Yu left around lunchtime for some family business... May I ask what it's regarding?"
"Hmm. Went home, huh..."
Dang Hwa-rin's eyes sparkled as she met my gaze.
Her mischievous glint screamed she was convinced this was the Thousand Face Fox.
I grinned down at the goat-beard.
"Where's his house?"
"Uh... Head further south from here, and you'll find Cheonchu Cliff by the Min River! His place is around there!"
Dang Hwa-rin, who'd been listening, tilted her head.
"He lives near Cheonchu Cliff? That's weird. People say it's haunted—no one goes near it."
"H-Haha. Yeah, Manager Yu's got some quirks."
I'd asked No Cho-san to make the final suspect's trail lead to the outskirts of Seongdo. This goat-beard and the so-called manager Yu were probably the ones who'd gotten the order.
Dang Hwa-rin turned with a bright smile.
"Shall we go find him?"
"Of course. But it looks like a ways off. Hey, could we borrow two horses?"
"H-Horses?"
"Problem? If so, I'll buy 'em for a gold tael. With the young lady of the Dang Clan here, I'd appreciate a friendly discount from folks on good terms with her clan."
"O-Of course! Right away! Two horses coming up! Please wait just a moment!"
The goat-beard bolted inside like his tail was on fire.
Dang Hwa-rin stared at him blankly.
"What's his deal?"
"Beats me."
Soon after, we mounted up and galloped toward Cheonchu Cliff.
Clop. Clop. Clop.
Neigh!!
By the time we reached Cheonchu Cliff, the moon and stars were peeking over the sky. The delicate overlap of dusk and night.
We dismounted and eyed the shabby thatched hut.
"People live here? Looks like ghosts would come out."
"Seems like the spot, per goat-beard."
"Hoho! Goat-beard? Yeah, he does look like one."
I chuckled and approached the hut.
I extended my senses. No signs of life.
Neither the manager nor the Qingcheng pursuers.
Need to stall a bit longer.
They'd been careful in their tailing, so they needed more time to catch up.
Crossing Qingcheng wasn't ideal, but owing Dang Hwa-rin a favor could pay off bigger with Tushin's cave and what lay ahead.
As I mulled over the situation,
Dang Hwa-rin poked around the hut and its surroundings.
"Jang warrior! Over here! Footprints! Leading to the cliff!"
Probably No Cho-san's handiwork again.
The hut was remote enough, but he'd laid out even clearer bait.
Still, a bit early to reel in the fish.
"Best check inside the hut first."
"Huh? What if the Thousand Face Fox slips away?"
"They might've hidden jewels inside."
"Hmm... Maybe. Alright! Let's look together!"
Dang Hwa-rin smiled brightly and came over.
She knew better than anyone those tracks to the cliff weren't the Fox's.
Creeeak.
We pushed open the rickety door and stepped inside.
A cloud of dust billowed up. Walls cracked wide, ceiling thick with cobwebs, floor sunken in—no way anyone had lived here recently.
"Cough! Cough! Not here, huh?"
"Yeah. Let's head out."
We stepped back outside.
The western sky was exhaling its last red breaths.
A full moon gazed down on us now.
"So what's with these tracks? Someone was definitely here."
"Hmm..."
I stroked my chin thoughtfully, pushing my senses to the limit.
Several presences were closing in fast from afar.
Here they come.
My eyes gleamed as I looked at Dang Hwa-rin.
"Let's follow the tracks for now. Might be something."
"Yeah! That's what I think too!"
We dashed toward the cliff.
Whoosh!
"Whoa!"
Not a towering cliff, but a chill river wind rose like a dragon's breath from below.
Dang Hwa-rin's hair fluttered skyward as she peered over the edge.
"Ugh... Kinda creepy, right?"
She hugged her arms, glancing around warily.
Trained in martial arts or not, she was still a woman.
"Feels like ghosts could pop out."
"Right? Gives me chills. They say lots of people jump from here. That's why no one comes looking. Maybe possession."
"Don't worry. If you're possessed, I'll save you."
"Really? Haha! So reliable. But what if you get possessed?"
"No choice then. I'd have to carry you and jump."
"What! I'm gonna live long! Get married, have cute kids, live happily!"
Her smile shone fresh in the moonlight.
The same face from last night, but after a day together, affection had crept in.
It felt different from yesterday.
"You could pull it off."
I nodded with a smile. Dang Hwa-rin grinned and turned toward the river.
Moon and stars sparkled over the dark waters, flowing onward.
We might've struck out completely today, but neither of us cared.
We just stood at the cliff's edge, chatting and laughing like old friends.
And finally,
the ones we'd been waiting for arrived.
"Tch. The Dang Clan's lady frolicking with some strange man. Shamelessly frivolous."
The sudden voice.
Dang Hwa-rin's bright face turned ghostly in an instant.
Her head turned slowly.
I followed suit.
On the path up to the cliff stood ten men in a line, blocking the way.
All in blue robes.
Qingcheng Sect.
"You treat us nice and all, but fucking hell. Song Baek-hwi, you son of a bitch. You really wanna die, huh?"
Dang Hwa-rin bared her poison fangs.