Chapter 98
Translator: penny
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Reunion with Somwol
"Cough, cough."
I safely set down the teacup I had been drinking from on the table and inwardly cursed at that bastard Beomseok who had worked as a coachman.
'Just when I thought he was quietly doing his job, as expected of a Shadow Gate Sect guy, collecting information on the sly?'
Truth be told, it wasn't much in the way of information gathering.
He had stuck right by Moyong Hui's side the entire journey.
He had probably just relayed exactly what he saw.
As I stayed silent, Somwol asked again.
"So, Benefactor, you're not going to introduce her—Sword Phoenix—to me?"
Honestly, I had no real intention of letting the two of them meet.
If I had even considered it, I would've come here with Moyong Hui in the first place.
'Of course, I'm not planning to hide it forever...'
Both of them were my women, so naturally, I intended to introduce them someday.
I just wanted to keep my connection to the Shadow Gate Sect under wraps for now.
Hearing my thoughts on the matter, Somwol smiled as if she understood.
"Got it. Then introduce her whenever it's convenient for you, Benefactor."
"Sure. Anyway, getting back to it—did anything happen while I was gone?"
"Hmm... First, about the Eun Merchant Group. Things are going very smoothly there. It'd be more accurate to hear it straight from Lady Eun later, but they've not only secured the deal with the Sichuan Tang Family but also landed a ton of new clients. And I heard you took care of the biggest problem, the Red Serpent Sect."
It all sounded like good news, but Somwol's expression was anything but casual.
The reason came right out.
"That said, the Righteous-Demonic Great War you mentioned before... it might actually happen."
"Yeah?"
Come to think of it, there were less than three months left until next year.
About a hundred days until the Righteous-Demonic Great War, give or take.
"The Murim Alliance and the Four Black Alliance haven't fully mobilized yet, but there've been ongoing small-scale clashes in Shandong and Jiangsu provinces."
Shandong Province brought two things to mind.
One was the Shandong Yak Clan.
One of the Five Great Families now, the Shandong Yak Clan would be wiped out during the Righteous-Demonic Great War, and the Baek Family would later take their place.
'That was probably early in the war, right?'
I hadn't experienced it myself, but it seemed accurate.
I vaguely recalled Jeong Mutae grumbling about it in a brothel.
In any case, the annihilation of one of the Five Great Families was a massive deal.
Military might aside, it meant dozens or hundreds of associated businesses would become unclaimed territory overnight.
And the Baek Family would swoop in and claim them, rising to become one of the Five Great Families...
'Is there any way I can snag that in the middle?'
I knew the Shandong Yak Clan was going to collapse ahead of time—did I really have to hand it over to the Baek Family?
Of course, doing it myself would be a hassle, so it'd be nice if someone else handled it.
'Should I mention it to Lady Eun?'
The Moyong Family was too far away, and the Shadow Gate Sect couldn't operate openly.
I was a bit worried the remnants of a Five Great Family might be too much for the Eun Merchant Group to swallow...
'Eh, she'll figure it out.'
I'd drop a hint to Eun Garyeon later.
For now, though, I needed to ask Somwol about something else.
"The Shadow Gate Sect Leader's in Shandong too, right?"
It was a casual remark before the main topic, but Somwol looked surprised.
"...You heard from Beomseok?"
"He didn't mention that?"
Somwol nodded slightly.
Her reaction left me utterly baffled.
'He spilled everything about my relationship with Moyong Hui, but hid that I'm meeting the Shadow Gate Sect Leader?'
What a ridiculous guy.
I figured it was because of the candidate competition, but did he really think Somwol wouldn't hear about it?
When I relayed my entire honest conversation with the guy, Somwol let out a small chuckle.
"What a cute little stunt. He should've just taken command of the division himself."
"Exactly. Anyway, Somwol. Do you know why the Shadow Gate Sect Leader wants to meet me?"
"Hmm, I don't know the exact reason. If I had to guess, she probably wants you to get close not just to our Brothel Hall, but to the entire Shadow Gate Sect?"
To be precise, she wants to get close to me.
Since she has a rough idea of my skills.
'Not that it matters, since the Shadow Gate Sect Leader's a woman anyway.'
Only beauties could stand on equal footing with me.
Men, no matter how capable, only had one option: becoming my one-sided subordinates.
As I sorted through these thoughts, Somwol refilled my teacup.
"Any other questions?"
"Oh, right. Got any info on the Sima Family Clan?"
Moyong Hui had warned me before that digging into the Sima Family Clan in Beijing could be risky, but with the Shadow Gate Sect as a solid intel network, there was no need to beat around the bush.
Not even the imperial court could scour the Shadow Gate Sect.
"The Sima Family Clan? I'll grab it right away—mind waiting a sec?"
I nodded, and Somwol immediately headed to the back door of the hidden room.
She returned quickly with a booklet.
"This is what we've gathered so far... Need anything more detailed?"
A quick skim told me this was plenty.
It looked about the same level as the info I'd gotten on the Moyong Family before.
"What's with the instant delivery?"
Even for an information organization like the Shadow Gate Sect, not every branch had the same data on hand.
Requests usually took days.
"You asked the Shenyang branch for Sima Family Clan info before, Benefactor. So we prepared it in advance."
"Oh, right. What about the Blood Cult?"
"That'll take a bit. Distance and all..."
Somwol trailed off apologetically.
But I had expected as much.
'Both the Sima Family Clan and Blood Cult are in Zhejiang, but their intel value isn't the same.'
Of course, to me, the Blood Cult was far more important, but others wouldn't see it that way.
"How long? Can you do it within a month?"
I planned to stay in Beijing for the next month anyway.
As long as it was within that, fine...
"Umm, can't promise. Sorry."
Her reaction suggested it was unlikely.
Guess I'd have to investigate the Blood Cult myself, as originally planned.
'Wasn't expecting it to be easy anyway.'
Even if the Shadow Gate Sect came through with Blood Cult info, I doubted it'd be all that helpful.
They were shrouded in such mystery.
"It's fine, it's fine. This is enough."
As I tucked the Sima Family Clan booklet into my robes, Somwol smiled in relief, a bit late.
I figured I'd heard pretty much everything I needed from Somwol here.
The rest could wait for drinks outside.
As I thought about getting up, a sudden thought hit me.
"By the way, I saw a lot of beggars on the way in. Silver Flower Pavilion okay?"
The Beggar Clan finding out about themselves was one thing, but the Shadow Gate Sect getting exposed was not.
In my view, Silver Flower Pavilion was in a pretty precarious spot.
'Since Hyea is staying with the Eun Merchant Group.'
If the Beggar Clan dug even a little into the Eun Merchant Group, the old Chumunrak incident would surface for sure.
And that could lead them straight to Silver Flower Pavilion and Somwol.
'Plus, I'm here too.'
A young man visiting a brothel wasn't odd, but if he was close to Sword Phoenix, even beggars might sense something off.
Not that it'd stop me from visiting, but it was still a worry.
Reading my intent, Somwol's lips curved slightly.
"Don't worry about that. Your reputation for enjoying brothels is so well-known that even the Beggar Clan won't think it's strange. You've been famous as the Flowery Playboy in Taiyuan since your Mok Family Clan days."
Was that a compliment or an insult?
As I narrowed my eyes, Somwol burst out laughing.
"And we're handling precautions on our end, so no need for you to fret, Benefactor. Worst case, we pull out clean."
"Pull out? How?"
"Hmm, first, sell off Silver Flower Pavilion to someone else and scatter the working girls across various brothels. Some will quit, so we mix our Brothel Hall members in among them."
Silver Flower Pavilion had about a hundred courtesans.
Fewer than ten were Shadow Gate Sect affiliates, so feasible...
"Still risky, no?"
It only worked before suspicion arose.
If they were already suspicious and we sold the place, the Beggar Clan weren't idiots—they'd chase the owner immediately.
"I said don't worry. It's just a contingency. Especially since this is one of Beijing's pricier high-end spots; the Beggar Clan wouldn't dare come sniffing around for intel."
Only then did I recall something I'd forgotten.
'The Beggar Clan's weakness.'
The beggars themselves.
They gathered info through sheer numbers across regions, but only publicly accessible stuff.
No matter how suspicious the place, penniless beggars had no way in.
Even I found Silver Flower Pavilion a heavy hit on the wallet if I paid full price.
'And they're not letting them beg either.'
Not because it was Shadow Gate Sect—it was just a brothel.
What customer would enjoy stinky beggars wandering a place for women?
I realized why the Shadow Gate Sect had survived against the Beggar Clan for so long.
"Guess I can play without worries then?"
"Talking like you're ever watched your step before. By now, Okhwa's probably set up drinks and snacks in the annex."
Somwol truly was a woman who knew my heart well.