Chapter 641
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 641
Chapter Title: Right Away
'Fuck. What the hell is going on all of a sudden...'
The low-ranking warrior Yu Dal, who had stealthily scaled the branch's outer wall, sprinted at full speed.
He was a trusted subordinate of Discipline Hall Lord Un Hak-ja and served as the covert operative tasked with delivering the secret funds that Un Hak-ja had prepared for the Jecheon Mil's envoys here.
Suddenly, the branch chief Un Hak-ja had shown up in that state.
And of all days, he had to meet the Jecheon Mil envoys tomorrow.
On top of that, the Fierce Dragon Corps Leader had issued a lockdown order.
If he delayed even a moment, he'd truly be stuck at the branch, so he'd slipped out right after the order was given.
All the branch warriors were still plunged in chaos, which had given him the opening he needed.
Of course, once they did a headcount, his absence would be discovered, but with Un Hak-ja in that condition, this place was finished anyway.
He had to hand over every last bit of the remaining funds to the Jecheon Mil envoys and then get out himself.
'Hocheon Corps Leader Ha Mu-baek...'
Of all people, it had to be Ha Mu-baek.
The Jecheon Mil already knew exactly what kind of man he was.
The organization Yu Dal belonged to—the Jecheon Mil.
To be precise, their greatest enemy was none other than Hocheon Corps Leader Ha Mu-baek.
That's why even Yu Dal knew the name.
He ran with everything he had.
He unleashed his lightness skill at full power.
He'd hide out somewhere for a day, then meet the Jecheon Mil envoys tomorrow.
Normally, he'd swing by the stash first, grab the agreed amount in gold certificates, and then meet them.
But with Ha Mu-baek showing up and reducing Un Hak-ja to that state, there was no reason to do so.
He had to turn over every gold certificate left, and it was impossible for Yu Dal alone to carry it all.
Thus, Yu Dal pushed on desperately.
Watching his frantic lightness skill with a languid expression was none other than Ha Mu-baek.
'Hmm.'
The man was fleeing northwest from Nanchang without stopping.
However, there didn't seem to be any obvious place in that direction to hide treasure.
Maybe he'd stashed it in some secret cave deep in the mountains?
Ha Mu-baek considered it, but doubted Un Hak-ja would have done that.
It was out of sight, sure, but there'd be no one to guard it, which would make anyone uneasy.
'What's the goal here?'
Ha Mu-baek had assumed the one bolting out in defiance of the lockdown was the secret fund manager Un Hak-ja had planted in the branch.
But the direction this sole escapee was heading didn't seem connected to the secret funds at all.
'A decoy?'
The thought flashed through his mind.
He expanded his senses again, scanning the auras around the Nanchang Branch.
No one else had left the branch besides the man sprinting ahead of him right now.
So this guy had to be the fund manager.
Why was he heading deeper into uninhabited territory?
Ha Mu-baek trailed after him silently, suppressing his presence, questions lingering.
How long did they run?
It was a wild hill that would take an hour and a half of full-speed lightness skill from Nanchang.
Halfway up the hill stood a small shrine that caught the eye.
There was no telling who it enshrined.
The spirit tablet was gone, and after years of neglect, it looked on the verge of collapse.
The man passed the shrine and plunged deeper in.
From here, it seemed to be unfamiliar territory even for him; he kept glancing around warily as he moved.
How much farther did he go?
Spotting a small cave by a narrow valley, he headed straight for it.
He cautiously checked the entrance, deemed it safe, and slipped inside.
Ha Mu-baek frowned.
Somehow, his assumptions seemed off.
What the hell was this guy up to?
Observing the man's actions, it looked like he planned to camp here overnight.
'Overnight...'
Ha Mu-baek tilted his head at the continued unexpected behavior until one possibility struck him.
'Meeting someone?'
It made sense.
There could be a secret rendezvous point somewhere in these hills.
Perhaps because of Ha Mu-baek himself, he'd left the branch earlier than planned.
It felt right.
'Guess I'll camp too.'
Ha Mu-baek vanished.
He'd already pinpointed the man's position and had his senses spread out, so he figured he'd rest somewhere more comfortable.
A day passed.
Nothing happened until morning.
Around midday.
The man in the cave finally stirred.
At the same moment, Ha Mu-baek expanded his senses wide.
Encompassing the entire hill and even the surrounding area.
'Five of them?'
He sensed five warriors approaching.
Drawing a straight line from the man emerging from the cave to the approaching group's direction, he pinpointed their intersection.
'That shrine.'
The rundown shrine they'd passed yesterday, on the brink of ruin.
That was their rendezvous point.
Now knowing the destination, Ha Mu-baek arrived at the shrine first.
He concealed himself under the eaves in a suitable spot and erased his presence.
Things were unfolding in ways he hadn't anticipated.
He'd planned to just rough up Un Hak-ja a bit and ship him off to the Righteous Heaven Alliance on charges of rebellion against superiors.
What a mess this was turning into.
'Sigh. Am I stirring up trouble, or is trouble finding me?'
The thought crossed his mind.
Didn't someone once say he dragged incidents around with him wherever he went?
'Seol Bing, was it?'
Recalling her, he chuckled softly.
Maybe she was right, after all.
How long did he wait?
A presence appeared at the shrine entrance.
Ha Mu-baek had already tracked their movements through his senses long before.
"Tch. This place is always a dump no matter when I come."
A black-clad man muttered lowly.
His bamboo hat was pulled low, hiding his face.
"Looks like we're first."
Their apparent leader scanned the shrine as he spoke.
"Don't leave any unnecessary traces."
"Already on it."
Sure enough, even standing still they seemed to employ lightness skill; their minimal steps left no footprints.
About fifteen minutes later.
"It's Yu Dal."
A quiet murmur came from the shrine entrance.
Without channeling inner energy to the ears, no one would have heard it.
At the leader's nod, the first complainer stepped out.
He confirmed Yu Dal's face and nodded back.
"The true heaven of justice?"
"By secretly moving the heavens, we call it Jecheon."
With the passphrase confirmed, he nodded again.
"Come in."
"Yes."
The man entered first, followed by Yu Dal, who also left no footprints.
Partly due to Yu Dal's lightness skill, but also because the other four—save the leader—used a technique to levitate his body.
"Why are you empty-handed?"
The leader asked the moment he saw Yu Dal.
With the fixed amount of gold certificates, he couldn't be this lightly dressed.
"Something came up."
Yu Dal replied gravely.
"What?"
His face was hidden by the hat, but the leader's tone shifted.
"It's like this..."
Yu Dal slowly recounted yesterday's events at the Nanchang Branch.
"This is a headache. Of all people, Ha Mu-baek..."
A troubled voice.
"No tail on you, right?"
The man who'd brought Yu Dal in asked coldly.
"Ha Mu-baek was alone."
At Yu Dal's answer.
The tension eased slightly.
"Did that bastard Ha Mu-baek tail you?"
The leader asked urgently, scanning the surroundings.
"When I left the branch, Ha Mu-baek was about to meet with the branch staff officer. He wouldn't have known I was gone yet. At least not for the hour—or half-hour—after I slipped away."
Everyone nodded faintly at Yu Dal's words.
It was the logical assumption.
"So, take all the funds Un Hak-ja gathered this time?"
Yu Dal affirmed the leader's question.
"The staff officer... that woman knows everything. If she'd squealed, who knows what state the branch would be in now."
True enough.
A madman like Ha Mu-baek would have torn the place apart searching.
"Right away. Lead on."
At the leader's command, they left the shrine, with Yu Dal taking point as they ran.
Once they were gone.
Ha Mu-baek revealed himself.
"Secretly moving the heavens? Jecheon? Mil Jecheon? Jecheon Mil? What the hell kind of group is this?"
A name he'd never heard before.
But the problem was they'd called it the "heaven of justice."
That meant they were from the orthodox sects.
A covert operation unfolding right under the Righteous Heaven Alliance's nose.
"Must be because of the Alliance Leader, huh?"
Anyone dissatisfied with the current Righteous Heaven Alliance was obvious.
The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans.
Could be one of them, both, or just factions within.
He hadn't imagined they'd form something like a secret society to undermine the Alliance from inside.
Ha Mu-baek shadowed them covertly.
Yu Dal led them to a small village outside Nanchang City.
When the village came clearly into view, he pointed it out.
"That's the place."
The leader frowned at the sight.
Outside the city walls.
And right by a small river, a tributary of the Gan River.
That left them wide open to bandits or river pirates.
Of course, with Nanchang so close, such an attack was unlikely, but still...
His gaze held that concern.
"No one will ever find it, no matter what."
Yu Dal said, understanding the worry.
"Wait until nightfall."
The villagers were still bustling about.
So they waited in a secluded spot well away from the village until night.
As time passed, darkness fell, and the streets grew quiet.
Yu Dal cautiously entered the village.
Normally, no need for such stealth.
He knew the villagers well, but tonight he had company.
Black-clad figures in bamboo hats.
Suspicious intruders reeking of trouble.
Couldn't just bring them in where everyone could see.
Thus, Yu Dal woke an old man and secured a boat.
After the old man retreated inside, Yu Dal signaled, and the shadows swiftly boarded.
Yu Dal poled the boat with practiced ease.
"You're handy with this."
The leader muttered watching him.
"I grew up on the water."
His father and grandfather had been fishermen on this Gan River.
He'd assumed he'd follow the same path.
But the war between the Blood Cult and Demonic Cult changed everything.
Somehow, he'd joined the Righteous Heaven Alliance, ended up at the Nanchang Branch.
Drifted into the Jecheon Mil, became Un Hak-ja's treasurer.
To Yu Dal, who led the Righteous Heaven Alliance didn't matter.
Just survival did.
Then Un Hak-ja noticed him, and here he was.
"What'll happen to Branch Chief Un Hak-ja? Will he be okay?"
Yu Dal asked, voice thick with worry.
The end trembled ever so slightly.
But they all assumed it was concern for Un Hak-ja.
Their connection was nearing two years already.
They'd met countless times.
"No chance he's okay. Not if the ledgers were nabbed too."
The leader's eyes gleamed coldly under his hat, unseen by Yu Dal.
Whose mind was elsewhere anyway.
'Just a little longer...'
He'd set aside the pole for oars now.
The water had deepened.
In the darkness, Yu Dal navigated flawlessly.
Even through twisting channels of reeds and islets.
Watching from the boat, the leader started to buy into Yu Dal's confidence.
This place really seemed impossible to find unless you knew.
How long did they row?
The boat bumped a small island.
"Here it is."
They scanned the island but saw nothing.
"Where?"
Yu Dal set the oars down, stood, and pointed.
"There."
Sure enough, a low, hut-like mound.
"Hm."
The leader nodded and gestured to a subordinate.
He leaped from the boat toward it.
Bigger inside than expected, but empty.
He shook his head toward the boat.
"From the center, one pace east and three paces north. That's where it's buried."
The leader frowned again.
No shovel, pick, or digging tools in sight.
"How deep?"
"About four chi (roughly 1.2 meters)."
Deeper than thought.
Explains the bravado.
"Then why'd you show up empty-handed?"
Irritation laced the question.
"Circumstances didn't allow it."
No fault in the answer, so the leader signaled again.
The remaining subordinates headed for the hut.
To dig.
Now only the leader and Yu Dal remained on the boat.
Ha Mu-baek watched from the darkness, amused.
'Looks like a classic May-December duo gone wrong, no matter how you slice it.'
The vibe between the leader and Yu Dal felt off.