Chapter 22

22.

Raise the Red Lanterns.

Cha Seong-tae, staring at the blade suddenly under his chin, replied, "Why are you suddenly doing this? These guys originally had nothing to do with me. They were always hanging out with Woo Geum or Jun-gu. You saw me kill them with my own hands. I didn't expect this to happen either."

I responded, "Think carefully. See if you're to blame..."

Cha Seong-tae, who had been lost in thought with a serious expression for a moment, replied in a subdued tone, "I didn't think so... but I guess I am."

"What is it?"

Cha Seong-tae spoke honestly, "...I think I said a few times that the Shop Assistant had suddenly become strong, and everyone should be careful. I was really being careful, but I don't think they took it seriously. Now that I think about it, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it was my fault."

Cha Seong-tae knew exactly what was going on.

I asked, "What are you going to do now? If this keeps up, I might have to kill half the men in Ilyang Prefecture to prevent this from happening. Should I do that?"

"There's no need for that. What should I do? Please tell me."

I retorted, "I told you before. Don't talk down to me anymore. Not just in front of me, but in front of anyone else. All the guys in Ilyang Prefecture know that I was the Shop Assistant at Purple Glow Inn. We're going to create the Low Filth Sect, and if you start acting like this, I might have to keep drawing my sword every other day. I don't care. I won't die from these guys. But it seems like you're the first to take me lightly, and guys who don't need to die keep becoming corpses."

"That's right. I admit it."

"From now on, package me well. Say I'm a really scary guy... that everyone who's out of my good graces is dead anyway."

"That's true."

"Exaggerate more. Make it more exaggerated, more evil than people know, without mercy, a madman. Stronger than you realize. And that's the truth."

"Yes."

"Wouldn't the underlings be scared if you were scared of me first? Both now and in the future."

"I understand perfectly now."

"My actual skills don't need to be fully displayed in a place like this. If you don't want to spend your life cleaning up corpses, do well."

"Yes."

"Do well."

"I will do well."

Only then did I sheathe my sword and say to Cha Seong-tae, "Give me your coat."

A vein popped out on Cha Seong-tae's forehead.

"Pardon?"

Realizing that this mistake had caused this situation, Cha Seong-tae quickly continued, "Ah, I understand. I should take it off for you. I keep misspeaking."

Cha Seong-tae slapped himself on the cheek and handed me his Long Robe. As I put on Cha Seong-tae's Long Robe, I said to the corpses, "...They're such low-level guys that they don't even know what happens when they fight."

Cha Seong-tae asked, "What happened to Woo Geum and Jun-gu?"

"It seems like they had some business to take care of in the afterlife. They left in a hurry."

"Oh, is that so? Busy guys."

Cha Seong-tae was mourning the deaths themselves because they were acquaintances.

"Woo Geum and Jun-gu once suggested to me that we gather the kids and kill The Jo Brothers. If I hadn't stopped them, they would have died back then."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, this time they didn't even consult me and did this shit on their own. The fact that I wasn't close to them in the first place is proof of this."

"Excellent."

A little later, Cha Seong-tae, who had arrived at Plum Blossom Brothel with me, said, "Go inside and rest. I'll gather the kids and take care ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the corpses. A plague might spread if we leave them. There are so many corpses."

"It won't spread with this many."

I looked around the chaotic Plum Blossom Brothel and went up the stairs. Due to the constant fighting, customers had stopped coming.

Maybe it's my fault.

But it was also a growing pain that had to be experienced.

As I climbed the stairs, everyone who was cleaning or clearing away corpses stopped and looked at me.

I stopped at the railing of the stairs and said to those working at Plum Blossom Brothel, "What?"

"Nothing."

"Tell everyone you know. Tell them that this is what happens if they try to mess with me again. At least in Ilyang Prefecture, don't even think about trying to do anything to me. The result is as you can see. Close up shop today. Don't sell any alcohol. You have to be quiet if you want to mourn the dead."

"Understood."

Plum Blossom Brothel became silent.

Before going up to Jo Igyeol's room, I washed myself again. I still thought of this place as Jo Igyeol's room. I was planning to return once the burned-down Purple Glow Inn was restored.

I was sitting cross-legged with my eyes closed when I heard a song starting somewhere in Plum Blossom Brothel.

The tone was good.

It was a song I had heard before, and the owner of the voice was Chae Hyang.

The title of the song was "Green Grass by the Riverbank."

It was a song about a beautiful woman in a pavilion, applying red powder and reaching out her white hands by the moonlit window. The woman was a courtesan in the past and is now the wife of a prodigal son... but now even that prodigal son is not returning, and it is difficult to keep the empty bed alone.

The lyrics contain the expressions "clear," "lush," "full," "bright," "beautiful," and "slender."

These are not peaceful words.

When combined with the tone, they all evoke images of a woman's skin, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the curves of her body, the characteristics of her private parts, the atmosphere of the night, the subtlety of coitus, and the woman's subtle seduction.

Of course, it is possible not to interpret it that way.

However, the phrase "difficult to keep the empty bed alone" puts a definitive stamp on it.

If you sing "clear," "lush," "full," "bright," "beautiful," and "slender" in a beautiful voice and then say that it is difficult to keep the empty bed alone, what does that mean?

This is a song of seduction, so in the Martial World, it is Bewitching Art. In fact, pretty female monkeys belonging to the Demonic Sect often plastered their faces with powder and sang "Green Grass by the Riverbank" to swindle several innocent Baekdo men. It would be fortunate if they were only swindled, but of course, they were killed.

Regardless, since I am immune to seduction, I focused on Breath Regulation again.

And in my opinion, Chaehyang was not a beauty.

A beauty must have a kind heart above all else.

Just when I thought it would end with "Green Grass by the Riverbank," another song followed.

My mind was momentarily distracted, and as soon as I opened my eyes, I shouted, "Shut up!"

My Inner energy-filled roar spread throughout Plum Blossom Brothel, and the singing stopped abruptly. In the same tone, I gave an order from the top floor of Plum Blossom Brothel so that everyone in the building could hear me clearly.

"Take down the Blue Lanterns and put up the Red Lanterns."

Cha Seong-tae, who had just returned from giving orders to his subordinates, repeated my words as soon as he heard them from the first floor.

"Take down the Blue Lanterns and put up the Red Lanterns."

I gave the order again, "The courtesans can stay, but the women who worked as prostitutes should find other work now. Plum Blossom Brothel, Pear Blossom Tower, and Poetry Blossom House will now be operated as Red Towers. If any customer tries to act like they're in a Blue Tower, report it to me."

Cha Seong-tae repeated only the last part, "We will now operate as Red Towers."

Although the meaning varied from region to region, generally, Selling Art, Not Body was more strictly observed in Red Towers.

I was generally a madman, but I had never been obsessed with money. There was no need for women to work as prostitutes in a place where I was staying.

"Seong-tae..."

Cha Seong-tae, who had answered briefly from the lower floor, ran up the stairs. Cha Seong-tae, who had quickly traversed the high stairs four times, said at the door, "Did you call me?"

"The corpses?"

"I told them to take care of them, and I returned."

"Operate Pear Blossom Tower and Poetry Blossom House as Red Towers as well."

"Yes."

"Give a generous severance package to those who have a place to return to, taking it from the Cho Family's assets. Especially send away all the children who worked as prostitutes. Tell them to leave only the women who want to learn arts or do odd jobs. I don't want to see them."

"Understood."

"Give special instructions to the men who work here. If they cause trouble, I'll go kill them. I repeat, rebuild Purple Glow Inn quickly. The room smells strange, and the bedding is too expensive, making it uncomfortable to sleep."

"I will convey it."

"Get lost."

"Yes, I will disappear."

As soon as I sent Cha Seong-tae away, I entered Breath Regulation.

I forgot everything in an instant.

Black Cat Clan, Black Fan Stronghold, Twelve Divine Generals, the masters of the Twelve Divine Generals, the dead three brothers, and the Ring Sword Twin Devils came to mind, but I immediately tore them apart with the sword of my mind and erased their presence.

I repeated the Microcosmic Orbit until dawn, and only around sunrise did I lie down on the bedding and try to sleep.

I thought I could sleep comfortably today.

Since "difficult to keep the empty bed alone" was useless in the face of fatigue, I slept until noon.

I briefly met an unidentified man in a dream, and he was imprisoned.

I didn't remember the conversation, but I knew one thing.

The man would have to be imprisoned for a very long time because of me.

Anyway, I woke up with a feeling of guilt towards the man.

Only after thirty days had passed was there progress in the basic framework construction of Purple Glow Inn. Because the site was large, the inn was quite large in scale.

In the meantime, the person in charge of construction had been replaced, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but I didn't bother to meet them.

However, just by looking at the newly erected basic framework for dividing the sections, the appearance of the building on top of it could be drawn in my head, as it was so meticulously well-structured.

It felt like a capable person had finally taken over.

Purple Glow Inn, which used to smell of mold everywhere, had disappeared, and now the largest inn in Ilyang Prefecture was being built.

Inns originally serve as lodging.

Purple Glow Inn only had cheap rooms that were occasionally given to peddlers, but the Purple Glow Inn that was being built now was so large that even a large group of caravan guards could stay there.

In addition, this place would be the temporary base of the Low Filth Sect.

I was still standing in the empty lot, imagining this. I imagined the members of the Low Filth Sect gathering and sharing alcohol and food. Among those members of the Low Filth Sect would be my rivals from my past life, my adversaries, and even those who were once my enemies.

I was going to catch all these crazy monkeys and make them stay as members of the Low Filth Sect.

I was going to change the fate of the monkeys and overturn the landscape of the Martial World.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?"

Cha Seong-tae approached me from behind as I was looking at the empty lot.

I asked, "When will it be completed?"

"The construction scale has increased, so wouldn't it take at least a year, no matter how fast we go? Is it too slow?"

"What if we use more people?"

"You can't just throw people in and expect it to be faster. The construction will be faster depending on who the head of construction is. You should meet the replaced head of construction once."

Cha Seong-tae called out to a man mixed in with the construction workers.

"The Sect Leader has arrived. Come here and greet him."

As soon as I confirmed the face of the approaching man, a smile appeared on my lips.

'It's Yeon Ja-seong, it's been a while.'

The famous architect from when I was active as the Low Filth Sect Leader was approaching with a much younger face.