Chapter 111
Translator: penny
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: The Shadow Gate Lord's Warning
Of course, Jenan Castle, the representative city of Shandong Province, was quite vast.
Thanks to that, it took asking around endlessly before I finally found the relay station.
'This kind of thing should originally be left to that bastard Cheon Woojin.'
What was the point of having subordinates?
They were there to handle the annoying stuff in your place, right?
But because Baek Rihyeon had taken ill and collapsed, here I was suffering through it.
'Tch, there's nothing likable about that Baek Rihyeon guy.'
Cheon Woojin at least did as he was told properly, but Baek Rihyeon? No matter how hard you looked, there wasn't a single useful thing about him.
The guy should count himself lucky that Yang Hwa-jeong was his birth mother.
As I inwardly cursed Baek Rihyeon and stepped into the relay station, a young-looking male employee approached.
"What brings you here?"
Instead of bothering to reply, I pulled out the Brothel Hall plaque that Somwol had given me before.
A metal token with "" on the front and "" on the back.
But the approaching employee looked puzzled, as if he had no idea what it was.
"Uh, sir? You need to tell me what you're here for..."
It seemed this employee wasn't affiliated with the Shadow Gate Sect.
Of course, it didn't matter much.
An old man who'd been eyeing me since I walked in came rushing over hurriedly.
"Hold on! Step aside, you!"
"Chief Manager Won...?"
Ignoring the employee's response, the old man called Chief Manager Won politely asked me,
"Are you perhaps Young Master Mok?"
"Beomseok."
At my offbeat reply, the old man jumped in surprise.
Then he started unnecessarily venting his anger at the employee standing there dumbfounded.
"Why are you still hanging around here? Didn't you hear me?!"
Only then did the young employee seem to snap out of it and run off somewhere.
I stifled a laugh inwardly at the sight.
'Playing cute, huh.'
He couldn't bring himself to snap at me, so he took it out on the easy target—the employee.
It was like a wordless plea for me to go easy.
Instead of playing along with the old man, I waved my hand dismissively.
"Whatever. Where's the person looking for me?"
I had no intention of lingering long in a relay station full of nothing but dudes—no gisaeng houses here.
Seeming to sense my impatience, Chief Manager Won immediately began leading the way.
"This way, please."
I figured he'd take me to some hidden back room like in the Brothel Hall, but the direction he headed was completely unexpected.
'Out of the building?'
Even beyond the relay station's grounds entirely.
We exited onto the street and walked quite a distance before arriving at a modest little eatery.
I realized right away what this place was.
'The Errand Boys' Hall.'
The Errand Boys' Hall, where all the shop boys gathered.
From the head chef to the errand boys, they were all highly skilled martial artists.
And there sat a middle-aged man with no detectable internal energy, eating his meal...
'Is that the Shadow Gate Sect Leader?'
Even his outwardly burly, muscular build looked anything but ordinary.
As if to confirm my guess, Chief Manager Won mouthed something toward the middle-aged man.
'Sending a transmission, huh.'
The man, who hadn't spared me a single glance while focused on his food, finally turned his head my way.
Then, with a disarmingly bright smile that didn't suit him at all, he rose from his seat.
"Oh, you've come. Come, sit here. Have you had lunch?"
His behavior was as natural as greeting an old friend.
Even his greeting was something you'd say upon meeting at a restaurant, and it was already well into the shins time (3-5 PM).
'Not that I've actually eaten lunch.'
To be precise, I hadn't eaten a single bite all day.
We'd rushed to Jenan Castle because Baek Rihyeon had woken up burning with fever that morning.
Once we arrived, we had to immediately find a physician for treatment.
And after that, I hadn't felt particularly hungry, so my stomach was still empty...
'Smells good, though.'
No wonder the Shadow Gate Sect Leader was holed up here—the food looked pretty appetizing.
Instead of exchanging greetings with him, I sat across from the Shadow Gate Sect Leader and called over an errand boy.
"Bring me whatever this place does best."
"Eat up. The food here's really good."
The Shadow Gate Sect Leader kept trying to chat familiarly.
I had no idea why he was putting on this act in an empty eatery with no other customers.
"More importantly, why did you want to meet me?"
Going straight to the point, his eyebrows shot up in apparent surprise.
Then the corners of his mouth slowly followed suit.
"You know who I am, right?"
He seemed pretty proud of his position as Shadow Gate Sect Leader.
'Sigh, one guy's just like the next.'
Guys who couldn't even meet my eyes back in my Lecherous Demon days were now strutting around in front of me.
Logically, I knew it made sense, but it still felt weird.
I replied indifferently with a bored expression.
"Who else? Beomseok's dad, right?"
"Kekeke, kuahaha!"
Evidently pleased with my answer, the guy burst into laughter for a good while.
He laughed so heartily that even the chef and errand boys glanced over.
"Keke, that's right. I'm that Beomseok kid's old man."
By the time his laughter subsided, his eyes were even glistening with tears.
'What a weirdo.'
I prided myself on having seen plenty of crazies, but this guy's personality and behavior were pretty novel even to me.
Especially since it clashed so hard with his burly appearance.
Still smiling, the Shadow Gate Sect Leader spoke up.
"Mm, yeah. You'd be the type to say that."
His eyes gleamed with the look of someone who knew everything about me.
That piqued my curiosity.
"So, who am I then?"
How much did this guy really know about me?
As much as the Shadow Gate Sect showed on the surface?
Or more than even Somwol knew?
'Not bad for a sect leader.'
Last time I'd asked Somwol, she'd said she hadn't told the Shadow Gate Sect Leader anything specific about me.
Then it must've come from the Brothel Hall Master in Taewon.
'Plus the old lady who was Ayeong's master, and info from the Yi Yeon House in Shenyang.'
I wondered just how much of me this guy knew.
But the Shadow Gate Sect Leader's response exceeded my expectations.
"You're the man who's going to become the World's Greatest Martial Artist in the future. No harm in getting acquainted early, eh?"
World's Greatest Martial Artist.
The strongest warrior in this vast Central Plains.
I was certain I'd reach that level someday, but this was the first time I'd heard it straight from someone else.
Even among those who acknowledged me, no one had said it so directly to my face.
'No one knows how the future flows, after all.'
It was a phrase even those who knew about my Blissful Creation Art avoided mentioning.
Hearing it from the head of an information network like the Shadow Gate Sect Leader was pretty intriguing.
'Is he probing, or does he truly believe it?'
Either way, it didn't matter much.
Me becoming the World's Greatest Martial Artist was a given, after all.
"Well, yeah, pretty much."
Reading the sincerity in my words, the Shadow Gate Sect Leader looked utterly baffled.
His face had this hilariously dopey expression.
His features were way too expressive for that rugged build.
'Of course, it's all an act.'
This was the man leading the Shadow Gate Sect, a pillar of the unorthodox factions and an information powerhouse.
You couldn't take appearances at face value.
The Shadow Gate Sect Leader barely managed a serious expression before cautiously speaking.
"Ahem. Well, I have something important to tell you personally."
As he put on airs, a qi barrier had already enveloped the surroundings.
Its subtlety was impressive enough to surprise even me.
Then, in a voice lowered and utterly unlike his previous demeanor,
"Stop digging into the Blood Cult."
The shift in atmosphere and his heavy tone made him seem like a completely different person.
It even carried the subtleties of a voice technique.
If all that came before was prep work for this moment, it was masterfully done.
Inexperienced folks would've been rattled by the sudden change and made mistakes—or been led along.
'Classic negotiation tactic, and an effective one.'
But to me, who'd tangled with Four Black Alliance types often, it was obvious sleight of hand.
"Why should I?"
Asking flatly in my usual bored tone, he looked genuinely flustered this time.
'Facial muscles stiffening slightly.'
Useful intel to remember.
Though, of course, it could still be part of the act.
"Er, there are many reasons, but... the biggest one is that it could put you in danger."
Saying this after hinting I'd become the World's Greatest Martial Artist?
When he knew I'd already ascended to the Flower Realm?
He knew quite a bit about the Blood Cult, it seemed.
I'd only come for some spirit medicine, but this was an unexpected windfall.
As I stared at him silently, the Shadow Gate Sect Leader began his explanation.
"Truth be told, I only learned about the Blood Cult myself not long ago. I just heard rumors of some shady force appearing in Zhejiang."
The errand boy started to bring the food but sensed the qi barrier and quietly set it down at a nearby table.
Confirming that, the Shadow Gate Sect Leader continued.
"That was about three years ago. I didn't think much of it at first. But now, with all Shadow Gate Sect branches in Zhejiang out of contact—what does that tell you?"
That was pretty shocking.
The Shadow Gate Sect wasn't called that for nothing.
Even I had struggled back then to track them down.
Especially considering they'd survived despite earning the enmity of countless orthodox sects...
'Not bad.'
It meant the Blood Cult had already quietly completed their preparations.