Chapter 165
Translator: penny
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: Rendezvous with Peng Deokjo
There was one thing I had to do before leaving Jeongju.
That was linking up with that guy, Peng Deokjo.
'Ugh... should I just ditch him?'
I'd personally suggested it to persuade Moyong Hui and seduce Baek Iryeong, but now that I thought about traveling together for real, it felt like a hassle.
She wasn't even a pretty girl, and now I had to lug around an ugly bastard of a guy. My future looked bleak.
I pondered ways to shake him off as I headed to our meeting spot.
When I arrived, Peng Deokjo's ugly mug was right there in plain sight.
"Jimyeong! Over here!"
"You're early, Brother Peng."
Lately, with Baek Rihyeon joining the White Dragon Pavilion, I'd run into Peng Deokjo a few times, and we'd shifted to more familiar terms in addressing each other.
He was eight years older than me, so it wasn't awkward at all.
After a brief exchange of formal greetings, Peng Deokjo got straight to the point.
"So, what do you want me to do from here on out?"
"You, Brother Peng? Act like you're interested in the Red Phoenix, obviously."
"Besides that—what I should be doing as part of the Harmony Squad."
His words made me pause for a second.
I hadn't really thought about it.
'I only added him to the Harmony Squad as an excuse to snag Baek Iryeong in the first place.'
As I mulled it over, Peng Deokjo looked flustered.
"Don't tell me you haven't planned anything?"
"Well... yeah."
"Ahem!"
He cleared his throat awkwardly at my honest reply.
Then he put on a serious tone.
"My martial arts might fall short of yours, Jimyeong, but I'm no slouch in various other areas. Do you know how many people begged me not to quit the Blue Dragon Squad?"
'Outstanding talent, huh... well, he is one of the Five Dragons and Five Phoenixes.'
I often forgot because his looks and the way he fawned over Namgung Sua made him seem like a total idiot, but Peng Deokjo was one of the Orthodox Faction's top young experts, part of the Five Dragons and Five Phoenixes.
Sure, my emergence had dimmed their shine a bit, but that didn't diminish their actual skills.
"Then, is there something you'd like to do, Brother Peng?"
He looked baffled at my counterquestion.
"Like what? I don't even know what the Harmony Squad is supposed to do going forward. First off, what's your plan?"
My plan boiled down to meeting Baek Iryeong and seducing her.
Peng Deokjo was just a tool for that.
But I couldn't say that outright, so I laid out the rough outline I'd prepared on the fly.
"First off, as you know, we're linking up with the Red Phoenix. That's what we already agreed on with you."
Mentioning himself seemed to embarrass him, and he cleared his throat again.
Then he unnecessarily prodded me on.
"And the plan after that?"
"We're heading to Jenam Province."
"Jenam Province?"
He looked puzzled at the sudden mention of the region.
But to me, it was a no-brainer.
'That's where the Shadow Gate Sect leader is.'
Through Jegal Wi in the Black Tortoise Squad, I'd gotten a general rundown of the situation.
Things like the White Tiger Squad splitting into three detachments for separate battles, which sects had fallen, victories in certain clashes—he'd provided quite detailed intel.
But that was all Murim Alliance information, biased toward the Orthodox side.
To get a fuller picture, I needed intel from the Four Black Alliance too.
And conveniently, I was on great terms with the Shadow Gate Sect, their info network.
'But I can't just come out and say that.'
It might be fine after the Orthodox-Demonic War ended, but right now? I'd be pegged as a spy in a heartbeat.
The Alliance was already on high alert, forming this secret Harmony Squad to root out spies. No need to invite suspicion.
I came up with another excuse.
"To get accurate info on Shandong Province, best to ask the folks living there, right? Luckily, I have ties to the Baek Family there, so I'll get the scoop from them."
"The Baek Family? You mean Hyun-i's clan?"
The Blue Dragon Squad, where Peng Deokjo had been, trained those in Baek Rihyeon's White Dragon Pavilion.
So he and Baek Rihyeon knew each other, but apparently not the full family details.
I considered explaining but got lazy and just nodded vaguely.
"That's right. Anyway, after gathering intel in Jenam Province, we'll head to the Shandong Yue Clan."
"The Shandong Yue Clan? Planning to get info from them too?"
"Something like that, plus we might as well hunt for spies while we're at it."
"...What do you mean? Spies in one of the Five Great Families, the Shandong Yue Clan?"
From the Samun incident before, I was half-convinced there were spies in the Shandong Yue Clan.
But explaining that was a hassle, so I just brushed it off with a laugh.
"Whether there are or not, we'll check it out. That's our job, after all."
"Hmm, true, but the Shandong Yue Clan..."
Peng Deokjo let out a small groan, uncomfortable at the idea of suspecting another Five Great Family like his own Peng Clan from Hubei.
Too bad for him—his Hubei Peng Clan was also on my suspect list.
'The Moyong Family was already half-eaten by the Blood Cult, after all. Why would the other Great Families be any different?'
"We'll figure out the Shandong Yue Clan later. Right now, meeting the White Tiger Squad comes first. Let's talk while we move."
"Got it."
***
We left Jeongju and pushed on with lightness skill without rest.
Normally, I preferred strolling leisurely to my destinations, but right now, there was no time for that.
As everyone knew, the Central Plains were vast.
Even just Shandong Province took over ten days by carriage from one end to the other.
That's why intel always lagged by days.
The info I'd gotten from Cheon Woojin via Jegal Wi was already five days old.
'The Third Detachment's blocking the Mount Tai area, right?'
They said they'd hold that pass for the time being, but who knew when they'd shift elsewhere.
If we crossed paths wrong, we'd be waiting forever.
This was how the Harmony Squad got intel from the Murim Alliance.
First, the White Tiger Squad sent their status reports to the Alliance.
The Alliance verified it, then passed it to Jegal Wi, who relayed it to Cheon Woojin.
Cheon Woojin then used messenger birds to inform the Beggars' Sect near me, and finally, they came directly to me.
'Inefficient as hell.'
But unavoidable.
Having the White Tiger Squad report straight to the secret Harmony Squad would've been suspicious.
So my best bet was to reach Mount Tai as fast as possible before the intel changed.
'At this pace, two days—no, three maybe.'
Alone, I could've made it by the next evening, but Peng Deokjo was slowing me down a bit.
At least he was a peak expert, so it wasn't worse. Otherwise, we'd have been on horseback.
'Though I'd have ditched him midway.'
The first day ended with us staying overnight in Kaifeng.
We could've pushed farther, but I'd chosen Kaifeng for a reason.
'It's the biggest city around.'
What did that mean?
Pleasure houses, that's what.
Under Murim Alliance influence, there were no Brothel Hall branches, but plenty of high-end spots.
'Time to have some proper fun for once.'
To that end, I'd pushed a bit yesterday and collected next month's Harmony Squad operating funds early.
Ten gold taels.
So upon arriving in Kaifeng, I dragged Peng Deokjo straight to a pleasure house.
"Jimyeong, this place...?"
"Hm? First time at one?"
"I mean... isn't coming here weird in the first place?!"
What was weird about it?
I tilted my head, and he flushed red, raising his voice.
"Don't you have the Sword Phoenix?!"
"Hui-a isn't here."
Our words crossed wires.
I knew what he meant but played dumb and let it slide.
'Tch, such a stickler.'
A guy who looked like he'd never touch a woman without a brothel was getting all high and mighty.
I'd only invited him to split the bill, and now he was being a pain.
"Jimyeong, this isn't right. Let's just grab a normal inn..."
Peng Deokjo went from refusing to trying to persuade me.
Not that it would work.
"Fine. If you don't like it, Brother Peng, I'll go alone. Meet here at noon tomorrow."
I ditched Peng Deokjo and enjoyed the pleasure house solo.
The next day at noon.
Meeting at the spot, Peng Deokjo hemmed and hawed before asking.
"Ahem, did you... have fun yesterday?"
"Tons. Would've been even better with you there... shame."
He cleared his throat again at my honeyed words.
Then he glanced around slyly.
"Planning to hit one again today?"
"Probably."
"Then..."
I could see it coming.
He wanted in too.
I decided to ease his mind.
"I thought about it last night, and I feel bad, Brother Peng. You have Lady Namgung, and here I was dragging you to a brothel..."
"No, that's not..."
"Don't worry. I'll go quietly by myself today."
His chance had ended yesterday.
And I was a man of my word.
That day, I headed to the pleasure house alone again.
Peng Deokjo shot me a look mixed with envy and regret, but I just ignored it.
Three days after leaving Jeongju.
We finally reached our destination: Mount Tai.