Chapter 10
Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Seeing Somwol Again
Long time no see, Somwol.
The amount of internal energy she was hiding was quite substantial.
Not quite on the level of the Five Dragons and Five Phoenixes, but enough to rival most late-stage disciples.
And so, my mind began spinning at full speed.
'At this level, she must have made a name for herself as a female expert even before my regression. Among the people I never actually saw, who around her age fits the bill?'
A few candidates came to mind.
Maybe in my previous life, Somwol had headed to the capital after this and died in a guesthouse, or perhaps she stayed hidden as a courtesan like this...
'Wait, courtesan?'
That thought triggered an immediate recollection.
The Shadow Gate Sect.
A faction of unorthodox martial artists formed by society's dregs—pageboys, coachmen, porters, courtesans, and the like.
They might sound similar to the Red Serpent Sect I used to belong to, given the "lowly lives" label, but there was a massive difference between the two factions.
First off, the scale.
The Red Serpent Sect I was in was a mid-sized group, not much different from the Mok Family Clan.
Meanwhile, the Shadow Gate Sect was one of the most massive unorthodox factions out there.
How big? Big enough to rival the Beggar Clan, one of the Nine Great Sects and One Order.
'The Beggar Clan for the orthodox side, the Shadow Gate Sect for the unorthodox.'
The Beggar Clan, gathered from beggars.
The Shadow Gate Sect, gathered from society's dregs.
Both were peculiar factions made up of people even common folk looked down on.
They even played similar roles, dealing in information.
No one travels without riding in a carriage, and no one visits a pleasure house without calling a courtesan.
The chatter in guesthouses reaches the ears of pageboys.
That gathered intel eventually filters into the ears of the Shadow Gate Sect members hiding among them.
Powerful information network.
That was the source of the Shadow Gate Sect's strength.
But the big difference from the Beggar Clan? They were an unorthodox faction.
Unlike the Beggar Clan, which handled info with notions of justice and righteousness, the Shadow Gate Sect would sell information to anyone for their own safety and profit.
Even to criminals or other unorthodox groups.
From the start, they peddled illegally obtained secrets to the highest bidder, so they could never look good in the eyes of the orthodox sects.
Whenever some orthodox hypocrite's dirty private life leaked out, nine times out of ten, it came from the Shadow Gate Sect.
Naturally, they earned the hatred of countless factions...
'If only we could figure out where they're hiding.'
The Shadow Gate Sect, structured like a pyramid of point men, kept almost everyone wrapped in secrecy, except for a few publicly active leaders.
Most members didn't even know their own superiors.
I'd once given up trying to track down the Shadow Gate Sect bastards who sold my info back in my Lecherous Demon days.
'Is it really the Shadow Gate Sect?'
That experience only made me more uncertain.
My head was a mess.
Was Somwol really from the Shadow Gate Sect? And if so, how could I use this situation?
As I scowled without even greeting her, Choyeonn glanced at me cautiously from the side and spoke up.
"...Young Master? Young Master?"
"Yeah. What."
"You've been searching so hard for Somwol, and now she's here. Don't you have anything to say to her...?"
"Tell her to play the zither."
My feelings for Somwol hadn't cooled at all.
If anything, learning she was an expert only made my desire grow stronger.
But right now, my mind was painting a far more important picture.
Somwol, ignored right in front of me, looked offended. Her pretty face hardened coldly.
Still, I was a paying customer, and she was the courtesan called to perform.
She seemed to realize that, speaking in a frosty tone.
"...Then I shall play the zither."
Somwol took her seat and began plucking the zither strings.
At first, gently.
Ting-ting-ding— ting-ding—
A performance as beautiful as her appearance unfolded.
I'd once described Choyeonn's playing as having technique but no soul.
Somwol's was different.
It had technique, soul...
and even energy.
'Sound arts...?'
Not immediately threatening, but this was definitely a form of sound arts.
No wonder her internal energy felt so subtle—she'd mastered sound arts.
At that moment, a story from my Red Serpent Sect days flashed back.
—Hey, have you ever seen a female expert using sound arts? This Shadow Gate Sect girl showed up at the Four Black Alliance recently. Around our age, plays the zither just like you... damn, she was gorgeous.
Some guy who'd been to the Four Black Alliance bragging to me.
I couldn't recall exactly who he was.
We weren't close; he just said it because I played the zither.
Back then, I didn't think much of it.
The only commonality with that female expert was playing the zither.
I hadn't learned sound arts myself, and at the time, I was just a lowly Red Serpent Sect grunt who didn't even grasp the essence of the Blissful Creation Art.
So I'd completely forgotten about it until now...
'That was Somwol.'
Internal energy surpassing most late-stage disciples.
Plus, her subtle energy circulation proved her sound arts were already at an advanced level.
That story was from about ten years from now, and the "female expert" label fit perfectly.
In my mind, the odds of Somwol being from the Shadow Gate Sect had been fifty percent before.
Now, with this memory, it jumped to ninety.
Ting-ting-ding—! Ting! Ting!
Not liking that I was lost in thought, Somwol's playing grew more intense.
As if demanding my attention.
But there was a slight problem with that.
Sound arts were martial arts most influenced by the practitioner's mind.
As her emotions flared, the subtle melody began sharply pricking at my heart.
To others, it would just draw their gaze without raising alarms—so covert were her sound arts.
But to me, it felt plenty threatening.
'Of course, it's not actually threatening.'
But that's how I'd play it.
I lowered my voice darkly and addressed Somwol, still deep in her performance.
"Hey, stop playing."
But Somwol pretended not to hear, lost in concentration, and kept going.
Only Choyeonn belatedly looked at me in confusion.
"Young Master, what's wrong?"
Choyeonn whispered so as not to disturb Somwol's playing.
I let out a hollow chuckle, still staring at Somwol as I spoke.
"Hey, didn't you hear me?"
This time, my voice was loud enough. Somwol stopped playing.
She asked nonchalantly,
"What's the matter? Did my playing not please you?"
Her voice was like jade beads rolling—beautiful.
Her looks put any other courtesan in the Azure Moon Tower to shame.
Just looking at her alluring figure made my lips twitch upward, but I forced an angry expression.
"Ha, not please you? You think that crap would please anyone?"
Choyeonn's mouth fell open in shock at my aggressive tone, so different from my usual gentleness.
But Somwol just frowned.
"I don't understand what's wrong. Could you explain, Young Master?"
She even pushed the zither slightly toward me.
She must think I'm nitpicking her skill since I'd bragged about playing.
Somwol's face practically screamed, 'You think you can dismiss me? You play that well? Fine, show me yours.'
Actually, showing off superior zither skills to win her heart was one of my plans.
But that wasn't my aim right now.
Something much bigger.
For that, it was time to shed the Flowery Playboy and become the Lecherous Demon, Mok Jimyeong.
"Ha, fuck. Are you all insane?!"
I raised my voice and slammed my fist on the table.
Bam!
I'd infused it with internal energy, so the table shattered, food spilling everywhere.
"Kyaaak!"
Choyeonn, right beside me, screamed in shock and jumped up.
But Somwol regarded me calmly.
"What's wrong, Young Master?"
No fear at all.
She had several times my internal energy, so she had reason to be confident.
'Honestly, even I'd have a tough time against her right now.'
My experience lording over the world as the Lecherous Demon meant I wouldn't lose, but overpowering Somwol easily? No way.
The gap in our internal energy was that wide.
But that wasn't the point right now.
"Is this how the Azure Moon Tower treats its guests?!"
I was the customer; she was the tower's courtesan.
No matter how much stronger she was, she couldn't strike first easily.
Somwol knew that too, hiding her irritation behind politeness.
"Could you tell me what's upsetting y—"
Her voice was so sweet I wanted to listen forever, but I cut her off midway.
"Hey, whatever. Call the madam."
At "madam," Somwol's expression stiffened.
That confirmed it.
'The Azure Moon Tower really is a Shadow Gate Sect branch.'
No more holding back.
Well, I was already going all out anyway.
"Get the madam out here!"
If Somwol was too tough to approach directly, I'd target her superior.