The Fox in the Brothel
Bang, the man who had recently been handling Seong-jin’s affairs and had been riding high on his newfound confidence, appeared looking uncharacteristically withered.
“Why the long face? Even a terminally ill patient waiting for their final day wouldn’t look that miserable.”
“Young Master Joo, by any chance... could you lend me some money?”
“Your earnings have been quite decent lately, haven’t they?”
“That is, well...”
Bang stammered, and the story he finally spilled was something Seong-jin hadn’t expected at all.
“The Cheongwol-ru is on the verge of being sold to the Hao-mun because of debt?”
The Hao-mun was a sect formed by an alliance of those in the Murim world who lacked individual strength, such as those running brothels or inns in various regions. Because of this, the Hao-mun included escort agencies, merchant groups, and even pawnshops, but that didn’t mean every business in the world belonged to them. Consequently, shops affiliated with the Hao-mun often used that backing to swallow up other, unaffiliated businesses.
“The Cheongwol-ru’s revenue is unmatched in this village, yet this is happening? I’ve been spending money there like water, so the earnings should be fine.”
“...Perhaps that is exactly why they became a target.”
“I see. No fool would covet a business that only runs at a loss.”
However, that gave Seong-jin no reason to lend them money. He had no obligation to pay off someone else’s debt, nor did he have any reason to make an enemy of the Hao-mun.
“So, are you asking me, a mere guest, to buy the Cheongwol-ru on your behalf?”
“No! We have gathered all the money, but every time we try to pay it back, they make themselves scarce. When we go back, they claim the interest has increased even more...”
“A classic usury tactic. And then?”
“When they present the new interest amount, you just need to lend us the difference!”
The opposition was stalling for time whenever they were about to pay, dragging out the repayment period to keep piling on the interest. Bang was asking Seong-jin to lend them the shortfall the moment they claimed the previous amount was no longer enough.
“If we show up with an amount they don’t expect, we can pay it all off on the spot, even if they try to demand a huge sum!”
“Bang, are you asking me to make an enemy of the Hao-mun just for that?”
Seong-jin refused the request flatly.
“Do you think it will end just by paying off the debt? As long as they have their eyes on the Cheongwol-ru, they will find another excuse to cause trouble even if you solve this immediate problem.”
“That may be true, but...”
“Besides, I am a Demon Hunter. A demon hunter should be hunting demons; is it right for me to get involved in human affairs?”
Just as Seong-jin was about to show them the door, So-hyang, who had been quiet until then, spoke up.
“Then please, hunt the demon.”
“A demon. I don’t see why you’re bringing up demons all of a sudden.”
Seong-jin feigned ignorance and demanded an explanation.
“In truth, our Madam said she never borrowed money from them. However, the promissory note they presented actually had the Madam’s thumbprint on it. We had no choice but to pay, because their blades were far more terrifying than the truth.”
It meant the Madam had been paying off a debt she never incurred in the first place.
“And what does that have to do with a demon?”
“The Madam is currently being held at the Hao-mun branch. We couldn’t even get word to her, but Bang managed to sneak over the wall and make contact. That was when she told us she saw a ghost inside the branch that looked exactly like her.”
“...”
“That must be the method they used to forge the promissory note.”
So-hyang looked Seong-jin in the eye as she spoke.
“You said you were a demon hunter and didn’t get involved in human affairs, right? In that case, can you accept the request to hunt the demon inside the Hao-mun branch?”
“Of course. That, I can do.”
The answer came without a moment’s hesitation. The corners of Seong-jin’s mouth were already curled upward, as if his negative attitude from moments ago had been a lie.
Once the conversation reached that point, Seong-jin turned to Shin Suran and shrugged.
“See? When people are in trouble, they always go looking for someone with money.”
After saying that to Shin Suran, Seong-jin turned back to Bang.
“Bang, tell me about this Madam you know.”
“Pardon? Not about the Hao-mun branch?”
Seong-jin asked about the Madam before anything else. “I am not a human hunter; I am a demon hunter. It is only natural that I ask about the demon, not the human.”
Though Bang looked bewildered, he began to explain.
“...Madam Ok Seol-hyang is like a mother to me.”
Ok Seol-hyang was a former courtesan who had risen to become the owner of the house. She hadn’t learned any martial arts; she became the owner purely because she was popular not just with the guests, but with everyone in the brothel.
“She took in orphans like me, who were living like beggars, and let us stay at the brothel. We ate warm meals, wore new clothes, and were even taught to read and write. I didn’t have the talent for scholarship, so I just help out as the manager of the Cheongwol-ru now.”
It was a remarkable feat if she had done all that with her own private funds. Since a courtesan’s life was not eternal, it was standard practice to either get redeemed or save enough money to buy one’s own freedom before one’s beauty faded.
“I, and Bang-sil... no, So-hyang, are among the children who came to the Cheongwol-ru that way. Most of the people here are.”
No wonder they were both so sharp. They must have been siblings.
“She was a true hero.”
“Now that the Madam has been captured by the Hao-mun while running around trying to pay off that debt, how do you think we feel?”
So that was why the Madam hadn’t shown her face even when Seong-jin was throwing such lavish parties.
“Interesting.”
“Pardon?”
“If what you say is true, doesn’t that mean there is a demon in the Hao-mun branch capable of shapeshifting?”
Even if one used a human-skin mask, practiced disguise techniques, and mastered bone-shrinking arts to mimic another’s appearance, one could not forge a thumbprint. Unless they had literally cut off the Madam’s finger, the only remaining explanation was shapeshifting magic. And it was obvious what kind of demon would use such magic just to rob a backwater brothel.
“Lead the way.”
“You don’t intend to storm the place alone, do you?”
“What else would you have me do? Lead a charge of courtesans?”
At those words, So-hyang, who had been absentmindedly holding a wine bottle upside down, flinched.
“Young Master Joo is stepping up for our Madam even though he’s an outsider! We can’t just stand by!”
“You haven’t even learned martial arts. What do you expect to do by storming the Hao-mun?”
“We can’t let you go alone, so at the very least, we can provide the numbers...”
At that moment, the people of the Cheongwol-ru, who had been eavesdropping from behind the wall, threw open the door and surged in.
“We will help too!”
From courtesans and maids to the cooks.
“The Madam is our benefactor. If it’s to save her, we will lend our strength!”
Seeing them gather with pots, clubs, and fire pokers instead of proper weapons was quite moving.
“The Madam must have been a true hero after all.”
However, Murim people, even third-rate ones, were those who made their living by the blade. No matter how hardened by labor these commoners were, they were no match for people who lived their lives entangled in all sorts of grudges and debts. If they all rushed in, most would end up dead or crippled before even crossing the threshold. He couldn’t just let them charge in blindly.
“I understand. But there is a condition.”
Seong-jin decided to set a limit.
“Follow if you wish. But hunting the demon is my job, so do not interfere, no matter what happens.”
[Quest Accepted: Hunt the Shapeshifting Demon]
📍 Location: Hao-mun Branch
🎁 Reward: Accumulate Gong-gwa-gyeok (Points for Immortality)
On the way to the Hao-mun branch, Shin Suran, who had been uncharacteristically quiet until now, began to chatter as if a dam had burst.
“So, you had a plan all along, Benefactor?”
Shin Suran, who had been unable to say a word while watching Seong-jin spend money recklessly, was smiling as if she felt completely relieved.
“I was agonizing over it all by myself, not knowing that!”
“What are you talking about?”
“You knew there was a demon in this village from the start, didn’t you?”
“Well, who knows? I don’t have Heavenly Eyes; how would I know such things?”
“...Then how did you know about this situation and spend money like water?”
“A heavy purse is just a burden on a long journey. I prefer to spend all my money when I have it and wander with a light body.”
“Pardon...?”
Finding the news of the demon was purely a matter of luck. Spending money to find the demon was just a ‘nice to have, but no big deal if not’ kind of thing. In other words, the money he had received from Shin Suran had indeed been wasted.
“No, well, compared to the value of my life, it wasn’t that much money, but...”
Shin Suran, who had used up all the money she brought for her journey to the Murim Alliance, couldn’t help but be stunned.
“That money was meant for broadening my horizons, and you spent it all at a brothel...”
“Money is something that comes and goes. If I need it, I can just sell my skills and earn more, can’t I?”
“The martial arts of the Shin Clan aren’t for making money!”
“Then why did you learn martial arts, Miss Shin?”
The Murim people Seong-jin had met so far were all obsessed with the idea that ‘I suffered to train, so I deserve to be treated accordingly.’ That was inevitable, unless they were the Taoist priests of the Nine Sects who prioritized character over talent. If one suffered through grueling labor day after day and poured all their wealth into medicinal herbs, why would they do it if there was no return?
However, Shin Suran, who had been searching the mountains alone to catch a tiger out of pure sense of justice, was different.
“Naturally, it’s to ensure I never lack the strength to perform acts of justice!”
“...That is very reliable.”
A flower in a greenhouse that didn’t know how scary the world was. But that would be an unfair assessment, as Shin Suran had been severely beaten not long ago. ‘Even then, she was gritting her teeth and struggling to survive.’ The fact that she could say such things after experiencing that meant she wasn’t just all talk.
“Ugh, I was just flustered because I was facing a demon, but at the Heavenly Martial Academy, I was unrivaled among my peers with the spear!”
“I find that very reliable.”
“Hey, I’m serious!”
“I am serious too.”
After a mysterious argument where no one was lying but communication was impossible, Seong-jin led the people of the Cheongwol-ru to the Hao-mun branch.
“Anyway, from now on, do not act rashly, no matter what happens.”
Seong-jin said that to the group, then kicked open the gates of the Hao-mun branch and stepped inside.
“Who goes there!”
“I’ve come to see Madam Ok Seol-hyang.”
The Hao-mun martial artists, momentarily taken aback by the number of people, realized they were just the Cheongwol-ru folk and relaxed.
“I see. Looks like you managed to hire a swordsman from somewhere? If you had that kind of money, you should have paid your debt instead of borrowing more and causing a scene!”
The Hao-mun members pointed their blades at Shin Suran, as she was the only one among them who looked like she had trained in martial arts.
“Miss Shin, show them.”
“Pardon? Me?”
“You said you learned martial arts to perform acts of justice, didn’t you? The opportunity has arrived, so feel free to go wild.”
Though she felt a bit bitter, she was just as furious about the Cheongwol-ru’s plight. She lunged at the Hao-mun members, overturning the branch like a wolf among sheep. Even without a spear, the low-level thugs of the Hao-mun were no match for a rising star of the orthodox sects.
Just as the low-level thugs were being cleared out, a middle-aged man appeared with a beautiful courtesan by his side.
“What is this commotion!”
Seeing the Cheongwol-ru people’s eyes turn into daggers the moment the man appeared, it was clear he was the branch leader.
“You scoundrel, O-gwi! You didn’t pay your debt and hired an assassin? You lot have truly gone mad!”
The branch leader, O-gwi, pressed his blade against the courtesan’s neck.
“Madam!”
Bang cried out to the woman standing next to O-gwi; it seemed she was indeed Madam Ok Seol-hyang.
“If you don’t want to see a hole in the Madam’s neck, surrender immediately!”
As everyone, including Shin Suran, hesitated at those words, Seong-jin picked up a sword from a fallen Hao-mun member.
“You scoundrel! I told you not to move! Do you find my words amusing? If you take one more step, I’ll kill the Madam!”
“Go ahead.”
Seong-jin swung the sword around to test its balance, then aimed it at O-gwi.
“You won’t? Then I will.”
“What...?”
The sword Seong-jin threw pierced the Madam’s neck in an instant.
***
Once upon a time, there was a field mouse that had shapeshifted into a human after eating the nail clippings a homeowner had carelessly discarded. Even the mouse’s family and friends couldn’t tell the difference, and the local magistrate had even ruled that the mouse was the real person, driving the homeowner out. Eventually, the homeowner sought the advice of a hermit to drive out the fake, and the magistrate, to cover up his own failure, decided to bury the whole affair. Time passed, and no human remained who remembered the ruling. Now, only demons and immortals remembered the truth.