The Price of Information
The next day.
Jang Muhwi and his party arrived at a location just a short distance from the Murim Alliance’s Sichuan Branch.
As they entered Sichuan and reached the bustling marketplace, a sharp, spicy aroma tickled their noses.
The lower-ranking warriors wrinkled their noses at the scent of food.
Even Galmu-ryang, who hadn’t blinked once since leaving Paryun Valley, finally let his expression soften.
At that moment, one warrior swallowed hard and spoke up.
“Sichuan really is different. Just smelling this makes me feel stronger already.”
“Ah, I could really go for a drink right now.”
The others nodded in agreement.
The lively scenery of the streets helped them forget the terrible events of just a few days ago.
Clack. Clack.
Several carriages moved busily along the main road.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Children were flying kites and playing.
Seeing the scene, Galmu-ryang turned to look at Jang Muhwi.
“It’s peaceful. Well… we’re able to witness a sight like this thanks to you, my friend.”
“If you’re saying that for my sake, please stop, Brother.”
“No, no. I only speak the truth. Isn’t that right, Jung-yong?”
Galmu-ryang looked toward Jung-yong.
Receiving the gaze, Jung-yong slowly revealed his white teeth in a grin.
It was his way of agreeing.
In the blink of an eye, the escort carriages passed through the marketplace and came to a stop in front of the Sichuan Branch.
This place had several times more people than the Qinghai Branch.
The scale of the Sichuan Branch was enormous.
The vigorous shouts of warriors, the sharp clang of weapons colliding, the energetic voices of merchants standing in lines—it all blended together like a massive marketplace.
Jang Muhwi’s group, like everyone else, had to wait in line.
Even though they were all part of the Murim Alliance, procedures still had to be followed.
Galmu-ryang furrowed his brow deeply and stepped forward, but Jang Muhwi stopped him.
“Hold on.”
“After everything we’ve been through! I know Sichuan and Qinghai are rivals, but this is too much. I cannot stand by and watch heroes treated this way.”
Galmu-ryang snorted with indignation.
But Jang Muhwi simply shook his head slowly.
“What they want isn’t us. It’s the box you’re carrying.”
“This box?”
“That box is more important than the incident we experienced. This escort mission was probably classified as top secret. The moment they learn we’ve arrived, they’ll come running barefoot.”
“No way…”
Just then, someone came rushing toward Jang Muhwi’s group in a hurry.
Upon closer inspection, it was an executive from the Murim Alliance Sichuan Branch.
Judging by his attire, he was clearly a senior secretary of the Murim Alliance.
Just as Jang Muhwi had predicted, the man ran over without even catching his breath and stopped in front of the group.
“You’re from the Qinghai Branch?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then please, come this way. Both the branch chief and the elders are currently away, so I’ve come in their stead.”
The executive showed his identification tag.
The Sichuan Branch executive glanced around cautiously before discreetly guiding Jang Muhwi’s party.
The chief of the Sichuan Branch was Dang Jihwa.
Since she primarily handled external affairs, the elders usually made most decisions in her absence.
That was common knowledge.
Yet both of them were absent?
Galmu-ryang, following behind, furrowed his brow again.
Even the Taoist Jung-yong looked displeased.
It was all because of the Murim Alliance executive’s attitude.
As he guided them, he rattled off a long list of the Sichuan Branch’s accomplishments.
Yet he didn’t offer a single word of thanks.
It was blatant disregard, obvious to anyone.
But Jang Muhwi was the only one smiling.
Galmu-ryang tilted his head and asked.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Because he’s so consistent.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean it’s impressive how consistently he only cares about profit. There’s a saying that a person who changes suddenly is bound to die. Being this consistent is actually a good thing.”
“Hmm. It sounds like both an insult and a compliment…”
“What does it matter if it’s praise or criticism? It’s not our branch.”
Jang Muhwi laughed.
He meant every word.
The branch chief and elders of the Murim Alliance Sichuan Branch had been obsessed with profit for a long time.
In fact, the entire atmosphere of the Sichuan Branch was like that.
A short while later.
The place the executive led them to was the reception hall located at the very top of the Sichuan Branch.
The building boasted a rather grand scale and luxurious decorations.
It was situated high enough to overlook the rugged mountain terrain of Sichuan in a single glance.
Jang Muhwi knew exactly why the reception hall had been built in such a high place.
It was for surveillance.
Though they called it a spot with a full view of Sichuan’s scenery, the area below was a sheer cliff.
The only path was strictly controlled by the warriors of the Sichuan Branch.
It clearly wasn’t the reception hall they used under normal circumstances.
Which meant this mission had been that secretive.
Upon arriving in front of the reception hall, Jang Muhwi handed the escort item to the executive.
“Here is the cargo.”
“Thank you.”
“And there’s something else I need to give you.”
“What is it?”
“It’s the items loaded on that cart over there.”
“I was told there was only one escort item…”
“There was a minor accident on the way. I’ve placed the evidence in that cart.”
“I see. We’ll examine it thoroughly, so go inside and rest. There’s no need to explain anything.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Jang Muhwi bowed to the executive and entered the reception hall.
Galmu-ryang, who followed after him, asked with concern.
“Are you really not going to explain anything?”
“He said an explanation wasn’t necessary, didn’t he?”
“Still…”
“We don’t need to worry about anything anymore. Haven’t we suffered enough in Paryun Valley?”
“You’re right, my friend. Haha.”
Before Galmu-ryang’s laughter could even fade, a scream erupted from outside the reception hall.
“Aaaack!”
At the sound, Jang Muhwi shook his head.
“No matter how much of the Murim Alliance he is, a secretary who only ever held a brush probably never saw a sight like that in person.”
“Haha.”
Galmu-ryang laughed again, this time in genuine satisfaction.
In truth, all the warriors from the Qinghai Branch were in a foul mood.
The events they had experienced in Paryun Valley were still vivid in their eyes.
Yet the Sichuan Branch had treated them with nothing but cold bureaucracy.
To Galmu-ryang and everyone else, the senior secretary’s scream sounded incredibly refreshing.
Before even a quarter of an hour had passed, the atmosphere toward Jang Muhwi’s group completely changed.
The VIP room in the reception hall was filled with Sichuan’s finest dishes and liquor, and the senior secretary of the Murim Alliance stood outside the door, fidgeting nervously.
According to him, an elder with real authority was on his way.
Jang Muhwi asked.
“Didn’t you say they were away on business?”
“I was mistaken.”
The senior secretary had even changed his tone of voice.
He was still trembling.
What had been inside the cart were chunks of flesh and fragments of shattered weapons.
He was barely standing while desperately holding back the urge to vomit.
Even as a secretary, he could tell this was no ordinary incident.
A short while later, the door to the reception hall opened, and a middle-aged man radiating a powerful aura appeared.
He was none other than Jin Cheon-un, an elder of the Murim Alliance Sichuan Branch. The moment he appeared, the atmosphere inside the reception hall grew heavy in an instant.
Jin Cheon-un cast a weighty gaze toward Jang Muhwi’s group and walked over slowly.
His eyes were as sharp as a blade, and a sly smile hung at the corners of his mouth.
“You’ve come a long way from the Qinghai Branch. How dare someone say I was away on business! What nonsense!”
“I apologize, Elder.”
The senior secretary kept bowing his head repeatedly.
“To think the Sichuan Branch’s hospitality is only at this level—I am truly ashamed.”
“It is all my fault.”
“Yes, make sure to do better in the future.”
Jin Cheon-un’s voice sounded gentle on the surface, but something calculating lurked beneath.
Yet Jang Muhwi simply kept smiling.
He wasn’t foolish enough to miss that this was a well-rehearsed performance.
What mattered was getting to the main topic.
When Jang Muhwi remained silent, Jin Cheon-un gestured to a seat.
“Come, come. Please sit and rest comfortably. We’ve prepared the highest-grade dishes and liquor, so you should have no trouble relieving your accumulated fatigue.”
In response to Jin Cheon-un’s invitation, Jang Muhwi gave a light bow and took his seat.
“Thank you for your consideration, Elder. However, before that, may I ask a few questions?”
Jang Muhwi’s unexpected question caused Jin Cheon-un’s smile to fade slightly.
He seemed momentarily flustered by Jang Muhwi’s provocative attitude, but he quickly recovered his sly smile and answered.
“Of course. Ask me anything you like.”
“I’d like to know more about the spiritual medicine we were escorting. Why exactly is it such an important item, and what kind of people are after it…?”
At Jang Muhwi’s question, Jin Cheon-un’s eyes flickered subtly.
He remained silent for a moment before opening his mouth with a deliberately troubled expression.
“That is… a top secret matter of the Murim Alliance, so I cannot disclose it carelessly. As you know, the Murim Alliance has many secrets that must not be revealed, doesn’t it?”
At Jin Cheon-un’s answer, Jang Muhwi let out a scoff. The cold sneer caused the smile to vanish completely from Jin Cheon-un’s face.
As expected of the man who had buried the incident in his previous life.
Of course, the truth itself wasn’t important to Jang Muhwi.
He decided to pressure his opponent a little more.
“I understand.”
“…”
Jin Cheon-un was momentarily at a loss for words at Jang Muhwi’s sudden agreement.
Complex calculations were racing through his mind.
“Thank you. However, there is one thing I would like to ask you.”
At Jin Cheon-un’s sudden words, Jang Muhwi looked slightly puzzled.
“Something you want to ask? What is it?”
“What exactly were those traces in the cart, and could you tell me which one of you was responsible for reducing the enemy to that state?”
“What’s important is that we risked our lives to protect the cargo. It wasn’t just one person who defeated the enemy—it was all of us.”
When Jang Muhwi answered in a calm voice, Jin Cheon-un stroked his beard.
“Hmm.”
“May we enjoy the food now?”
“Ah, I’ve been rude. Please, eat first.”
Jin Cheon-un’s expression changed in an instant.
Jang Muhwi was currently engaged in a fierce psychological battle with Jin Cheon-un.
In the gangho, the rule was to take what you must take and give what you must give.
Reporting the progress of the incident and handing over the evidence was the duty of a Murim Alliance warrior.
But that was as far as it went.
There was no need to hand over a detailed report.
All of that was valuable information.
In his previous life, Galmu-ryang had probably spilled every last detail without holding anything back.
But Jang Muhwi had no intention of handing over such expensive information for free.
He knew better than anyone that information everyone knew lost its value.
Jin Cheon-un was a slippery snake.
He sat down at the drinking table as if nothing had happened and began offering flattering words.
When the drinking atmosphere had sufficiently warmed up, Jin Cheon-un spoke.
“What do you want? If it’s a reward from the Murim Alliance, I will do my best to report it favorably.”
“It’s not a reward. I don’t need one right now. I’ll request it properly once we return to the Qinghai Branch.”
“Hmm, then do you want information about the escort cargo?”
“That won’t be necessary either. I’m not foolish enough to ask about a top secret of the Murim Alliance.”
“Are you a merchant? The way you push and pull is exactly like a trader.”
“I am a warrior, not a merchant. I simply don’t want my comrades’ sacrifices to be sold for a cheap price.”
Jang Muhwi glanced behind him.
Everyone was biting their lips, clearly agitated.
Jang Muhwi wasn’t particularly interested in knowing what the escort item was.
No, to be precise, he already knew exactly what it was.
From the faint scent leaking out of the box, Jang Muhwi could tell it was the Hyeonwonjingidan.
The Hyeonwonjingidan was an elixir made by the Hyeonwon Medical House.
While it was indeed a spiritual medicine, it was primarily for healing purposes rather than increasing internal energy.
It didn’t matter who was supposed to receive the elixir.
What mattered was what he could get out of Jin Cheon-un.
Because this incident had made Jang Muhwi realize he needed to become even stronger!
For a moment, an awkward silence filled the VIP room.
Everyone stopped moving their chopsticks and stared at Jin Cheon-un and Jang Muhwi.
Jin Cheon-un lifted his wine cup.
“What do you want?”
“My comrades were badly injured.”
Jang Muhwi formed a circle with his index finger and thumb.
At the gesture, Jin Cheon-un lowered his voice.
“Money?”
“What I want is something else.”