Chapter 13
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Bait
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Next day, morning.
"Young master, your complexion looks poor."
A-so expressed concern over Seo Mun-ha's haggard face.
"It must be because you slept in such a shabby place."
"That's not it."
No matter how many three years had passed, in the servant's eyes, the young master might still seem like an immature young lord. But the current Seo Mun-ha didn't mind where he slept.
"And you've lost your appetite too..."
The food was fine, and the bedding wasn't bad either.
"It was just a rough night before."
He feigned fatigue, rolling his stiff shoulders.
"Did everything go well with what you were doing?"
"Well enough."
Even for him, it had been quite a strain.
"I've been thinking about it, but whoever it was, they were really rude! Calling someone out in the middle of the night..."
A-so grumbled, worried but unaware of the details.
In truth, no one had called him, and the one-sided appointment had been orchestrated by Seo Mun-ha himself.
"Oh, by the way, what did you do with the spear you bought yesterday?"
As they descended to the inn below, Seo Mun-ha answered.
"Gave it as a congratulatory gift."
"A congratulatory gift...?"
He chuckled softly.
"I didn't think there'd be zero pursuit."
"...?"
The servant, dreaming different dreams, complained about the reversed host and guest roles, while the remnants of the shattered spear—treated as a gift—were scattered across the world.
'Still, for now.'
The physical toll had been considerable.
The spear that the artisans had passionately explained with utmost sincerity, their sweat-soaked efforts to highlight its performance—all reduced to nothing in a single technique.
Forget eternal cold iron; even the spear shaft of hundred-times-refined steel couldn't withstand one strike.
He had only unleashed a single application of the Northern Guard Divine Cavalry Art.
To shake off the belated pursuers, Seo Mun-ha had infused it with his true energy.
Surprise was key, first and foremost. It was the easiest way for the weak to gain the upper hand against the strong. Disguised as an assassin, he had shown scenes so unexpected that no one could call them ordinary.
The world was vast; there would surely be assassins who used spears if one looked.
Setting aside its size unfit for stealth, among warriors full of eccentrics, they stood out as differentiated.
It was plausible enough for them to discard their weapon—the extension of their body—but usually, it was unpredictable, which was the problem. In any case, switching between assassin and ronin that night, Seo Mun-ha had personally engraved the meaning of surprise across his opponent's entire body.
"I left it behind, but whether they find it is another matter."
A one-time maximized javelin throw.
"What if they do find it?"
Even if they recovered the fragments of the shattered spear, what the Plum Sword Gang could discern would be extremely limited.
"Even if they find it, there's no distinguishing mark."
A martial clan renowned for its swordsmanship. The Seo Mun Clan's troublesome third young master.
"Will you ask for it back?"
And if they could connect and prove that the expert in the Heavy Spear Mastery Technique wielded spears, it might be nice to have them admire his brilliant scheme and confess obediently.
"Later, we'll see."
"Make sure to give them a piece of your mind then!"
"Yeah, got it."
The only downside was that handling the spear had widened the search area for the Plum Sword Gang.
'Maybe it's for the best.'
Seo Mun-ha decided to think positively.
For instance, if the expert in Heavy Spear Mastery they sought was from the Hwang Bo Clan, the Plum Sword Gang leader would recall the "kill the dog after using it" tactic from that initial surprise attack.
"The bait is cast."
Now, only one thing remained for him.
"Let's eat."
"Yes, young master!"
As when he left, by the time Seo Mun-ha returned to his lodgings south of the city, the sun was nearly set.
There was nothing worth getting attached to in that time, yet this short homecoming after just a few days brought a surprisingly fresh feeling to Seo Mun-ha.
Soaked in a nostalgia that wasn't quite nostalgia, the master and servant stepped not into their home, but the Radiant Glory Inn.
Brushing past the fidgety waiter from before, Seo Mun-ha tilted his tiny sake cup.
The bamboo leaf liquor he ordered was mere scraps from making medicinal wine. The lonely table held not a single common dish, and the exact change signaled the end in some invisible ledger.
"You should've ordered a dish or two. And better liquor too."
"This is fine for me. Don't waste your pocket money here—save it for your wedding later."
Seo Mun-ha didn't care whether what slid down his throat was bamboo leaf liquor or hundred-flower wine.
Nothing soothed a weary body and mind like alcohol, and even this low-grade bamboo leaf brew fulfilled its role admirably.
"Hey, waiter."
"Y-Yes! Coming right up!"
Sure enough, there were more people than before.
Being dinnertime, most guests were there for meals, and this table— with only a lonely sake bottle, no food—was virtually unique.
"Um, excuse me, Young Master Seo Mun-ha?"
The Radiant Glory Inn always drew crowds.
"If it's not too much trouble."
The waiter hemmed and hawed, words stuck in his mouth.
"...Could we join your table?"
"Hm?"
"Sh-sharing the table, that is."
Unlike the hesitant request, Seo Mun-ha accepted lightly.
What scheme could this delinquent possibly have? The waiter's openly displayed suspicion was disqualifying.
"No, I mean... On second thought, you don't have to..."
Conversely, it was that unprecedented.
"Didn't I say it's fine?"
Seo Mun-ha tilted his head. In his present life, he knew how to elevate others and humble himself. Though not direct harm, customs existed, so his puzzlement pointed to those waiting for seats.
"Th-thank you!"
Only then did the waiter dart off like an arrow.
Fearing he'd change his mind, the stone-still boy returned leading three people to sit.
"Pardon the intrusion."
The three men who joined were all warriors. Two middle-aged elders and one youth about Seo Mun-ha's age. The familiar trio seemed like scions of a famed house.
"Thank you for allowing us. All the nearby inns are full."
The youth clasped his hands politely with a clear smile.
Relatively slender build, thin voice, overall delicate features—a handsome man.
'A woman?'
And not "he," but "she." A woman in male disguise. It seemed well-executed, but she suited a scholar far more than a warrior's rugged impression.
"No need to mind."
Seo Mun-ha returned the greeting a beat late.
Even in the military, cross-dressing women weren't rare.
Reasons varied, but typically, they enlisted in place of lords or brothers. Most were sent back after one training session untrained, but it made him perfect at distinguishing genders.
'First time in the martial world?'
He'd heard women venturing into the jianghu sometimes disguised as men.
No grave without a story, no warrior without circumstances.
Easier to hide identity and status, bypassing womanly restrictions—it must feel freeing.
"Um, is there something on my face?"
A thick voice emerged from the subtly cowed woman.
"You resemble an acquaintance."
He wondered where he'd seen her, then caught a familiar paper scent around her, disrupting sight and hearing.
"Must've been a mistake."
It wasn't, but even knowing her identity, Seo Mun-ha quickly lost interest.
'On leave, perhaps.'
After all, men and women had different strides; the subtle movements from bone structure piqued mild curiosity, nothing more.
He set aside that curiosity and silently downed his drink.
"Two bowls of beef noodle soup and fried rice. Braised pork belly, osmanthus cake, dumplings, pot stickers... White liquor and Dong liquor coming right up."
As he drained half his bamboo leaf cup, the lonely table filled with vibrant dishes.
"I think I ordered too much by mistake. If you don't mind, would you join us?"
An overt order and approach.
"I must decline."
Amid the inn's boisterous clamor, a heavy silence fell over the table.
"Ahaha... I felt out of place somehow. Just thought to chat while ordering—if I've offended, I apologize."
Reining in the displeased elders, she continued with a small signal.
"Have we met somewhere before?"
A clichéd line. Novel only in that one man said it to another.
"I don't stay long at inns, so gambling den or brothel, I suppose."
Seo Mun-ha replied as if it were someone else's business.
Clatter!
Judging by the waiter's behavior, they couldn't be unaware he was the Seo Mun Clan's third young master.
"Eek! S-sorry! Young master!"
Direct mention confirmed it.
"If I had to guess, probably the brothel."
Unsure of her intent, he matched the shameless woman's smirk with one of his own.
"Ah, so you're the Seo Mun Clan's third young master. I'm Seok Un-ye of the Seok Manor in Yonyeong."
She flinched, maintaining a stiff smile.
"Sorry for the late introduction."
As her humble posture drew twisted faces from her presumed escorts, Seo Mun-ha's sake bottle innocently dwindled.
"Acting like we know each other embarrassed me. Haha..."
Emphasizing it was their first meeting belatedly, she swallowed hard.
She lightly swirled her freshly poured cup, eyeing the untouched dishes and Seo Mun-ha alternately.
"Um."
"Shandong isn't the whole Central Plains; I might've been wrong. If you have no business, I'll take my leave."
As Seo Mun-ha rose, two warriors immediately blocked his path.
"Come to think of it, Young Master Seok said it's your first time in Shandong."
Seo Mun-ha passed them calmly, adding meaningfully.
"If the food doesn't suit you, I recommend the nearby 'Harmony Pavilion'."
"......"
"They say it's full of 'beauties' there."
The trio's stunned expressions spoke volumes, and by the time they recovered, Seo Mun-ha and A-so had left the inn.
"First time hearing of Yonyeong's Seok Manor. Do you know them, young master?"
"Probably. You know her too, A-so."
Seo Mun-ha answered nonchalantly to the held-back servant's question.
He felt they'd meet again soon but kept that personal thought to himself.
"We'll tail him."
"Let him go."
Unlike the fiery warriors, the young lady of Seok Manor sighed deeply.
"It might hinder the Alliance's mission."
They'd only meant to ask a few questions, yet their identity was exposed, and now at least a gag order was needed, insisted the two warriors.
"In Jenan? Isn't that underestimating the Seo Mun Clan too much?"
"Just a light warning."
Seok Manor was one of her aliases. The real manor lord was enjoying quiet retirement in old age, and there was no young lord.
"You heard what happened to the Plum Sword Gang leader."
Seok Un-ye pressed her forehead.
None of the Murim Alliance's missions were trivial or easy. But this one was among the toughest she'd faced.
"Speculation. That guy's skill level makes it impossible. Even if the Seo Mun Clan was involved, it'd be some external expert hired by someone other than the patriarch. No need for the clan to bother in the first place."
The warrior's view was orthodox. Yet she felt something off.
'An expert in Heavy Spear Mastery who wields spears...'
Some fragment danced in her delicate hands.
Just a hunch, but her instincts were usually spot on.
"If he bothers you that much, why not request cooperation from the clan? Officially from the Alliance..."
"And if the clan steps in? Then the Alliance main force next?"
"My mistake."
The warrior bowed, calming his agitation.
Unable to deploy the main force meant the demon head she hunted was cunning and elusive, necessitating covert action.
'Bold enough to hide in the heart of the Orthodox path.'
She couldn't lose the tail she'd finally caught. Though personal grudge aligned with duty, utmost caution was required.
"I'll meet him myself. For now, tighten internal security."
Letting down her long hair, she turned toward Harmony Pavilion.
"Oh, right."
As if it just occurred to her, she added.
"Bring the full list of demon heads the Alliance is tracking. Something I want to check."