Chapter 228: The Whereabouts of Two People (1)

Nanchang’s evening was completely packed, with barely any room to step.

I was striding confidently through that bustling street, dressed like a dashing nobleman.

‘It would’ve been nice if Yura came along too…’

Though she didn’t look the type, Cheon Yura actually liked these kinds of places teeming with the scent of people.

However, with the recent clash against Baek Cheon-ho, it was too risky to bring her outside as well.

I once again stepped foot into Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, which I had visited just recently.

“We’re sorry, Young Master-nim.”

Just as I was about to cross the threshold of Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion—

Several robust warriors blocked my path.

“We cannot accept you as a guest of Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion. We ask for your generous understanding.”

I chuckled at their attitude.

“Is that because I caused a scene here last time, or because I fought with Baek Cheon-ho?”

The warriors hesitated for a moment before replying.

“Both… we’d say.”

“And if I insist on going in anyway?”

“…Please reconsider.”

Their expressions grew even more troubled.

Well, it was commendable that they still stood their ground, knowing full well they couldn’t stop me with their level of martial arts.

I gently patted one of them on the shoulder and spoke.

“I don’t plan on making a fuss today. I’m here to meet the Pavilion Master. Go and send word inside.”

“You mean… the Pavilion Master-nim?”

“Show them this. They’ll understand.”

I handed over what people referred to as the Black Heaven Mask.

“…?”

Even as elite guards of a grand brothel, there was no way they could recognize what the Black Heaven Mask truly was.

Still, their next action was already decided.

“Please wait a moment.”

As one of them took the Black Heaven Mask and disappeared inside—

A mocking voice rang out from behind me.

“Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion—so much hype, and yet it’s just an empty cart making noise.”

“……”

“To leave a guest waiting outside, unable to even recognize their worth. Clearly, they know nothing about basic hospitality.”

“Um, that’s…”

“If this were Tower of Demonic Heaven, even a shabby-looking guest would be invited inside first, just in case.”

“P-please stop, Tower Master-nim.”

The woman chattering behind me was none other than Bu Ilhwa, the Tower Master of Tower of Demonic Heaven.

For whatever reason, she was nitpicking every little thing and tearing Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion apart.

“Don’t you think so too, Young Master-nim? For a place that claims to be the best in Nanchang and aims for the top in all of Jiangnan, it doesn’t even gather the bare minimum intelligence!”

“……”

As the Tower Master of Tower of Demonic Heaven, considered the top brothel of the Heavenly Demon Cult, she seemed to have some sort of competitive grudge against Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion.

…Though, from where I stood, it just looked like she was being petty.

Before long—

The warrior who went inside returned, running alongside a middle-aged man who appeared to be the manager.

“M-my sincerest apologies, Young Master-nim! I’ve committed a terrible offense!”

I quietly smirked at his changed demeanor.

“I had no idea you were a high-ranking member of Heuksaryeon. The Pavilion Master is waiting for you. This way, please!”

Guided by the manager, I began ascending to the top of Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion.

As we climbed the stairs ahead of me, the middle-aged man wiped his sweat and smiled awkwardly.

“If only you’d let us know earlier. The underlings have made a grave mistake.”

I shot a cold glare at the back of his head.

“Are you trying to test me to the very end?”

“W-what do you mean, sir?”

He suddenly halted in place and turned around.

I stared him down fiercely.

“I don’t want to waste time with useless contests of presence. Take me to the Sect Master.”

Not Pavilion Master (樓主), but Sect Master (門主).

The moment I said that, the manager’s expression hardened.

“I know this is the main base of the Hao Sect.”

“…Jin Young Master!?”

Bu Ilhwa widened her eyes in shock.

For her, the sudden mention of the Hao Sect’s headquarters probably made no sense.

The manager’s frozen expression soon returned to normal.

“Ha ha ha… What are you talking about? We operate under Nancheon’s jurisdiction. We have no ties to the Hao Sect.”

“Did you think I brought out the Black Heaven Mask for no reason? Hao Sect’s Sect Master, White-Faced Scholar.”

“……”

The moment I said that—

Crack! Crack!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Swords were drawn from every direction, and the presence of people filled the surroundings.

“Well, this is…”

The manager—no, the Sect Master of the Hao Sect, White-Faced Scholar—scratched his head in discomfort.

“Now that you’ve barged in like this, it’s hard for me to keep denying it, isn’t it?”

“So you’re not going to deny it?”

“…Sigh. Follow me.”

White-Faced Scholar waved his hand, signaling the Hao Sect warriors to stand down.

Then, shedding his formal posture, he trudged up to the top floor where the Pavilion Master’s room was and plopped into the seat of honor, looking down at us with displeasure.

“My identity is unknown to both the Namcheon Baek Clan and even the Righteous Alliance or the Evil Path Sect. Naturally, there’s no way the Heavenly Demon Cult, far away in a distant land, could know.”

“True enough.”

“So how did you find out?”

How, you ask?

I only knew your identity thanks to knowledge from the future.

Hao Sect’s Sect Master, White-Faced Scholar, Lee Yeon.

He first appeared in the history of the Murim when the Allied Murim Union was newly established.

To be exact, it was right after the Murim Alliance launched the Great Demonic Campaign.

‘The Murim Alliance attacked the Hao Sect under the pretense of sweeping away our cult and other bat-like factions.’

At that time, the Hao Sect, alongside the Green Forest and the Waterway Thieves, were swept away with our cult.

“I’m looking for two people.”

“And what about my question?”

“The one I’m looking for is a woman. She escaped from the Ten Thousand Mountain and would’ve moved somewhere out of sight. Given the timing, the most likely location would be somewhere near Nanchang.”

“……”

“How I found out your identity doesn’t really matter, does it? For people like you, isn’t the most important thing money?”

“That is true, but…”

The Hao Sect was generally considered a neutral information group, neither Righteous nor Demonic.

But their true nature lay in the fact that they had no boundaries.

“Righteous, Demonic, Orthodox—none of that matters to you. If there’s money to be made, you’ll take the job. For those living at the lowest level, concepts like Orthodox and Demonic Path mean nothing. What matters is simply a warm bed and a full stomach tomorrow.”

“……”

“Am I wrong?”

White-Faced Scholar was now examining me with a serious gaze.

“You truly do understand the core philosophy of our group.”

Outwardly, the Hao Sect presented itself as a neutral information syndicate.

But only a few knew the truth—that they didn’t just walk the line between Righteous and Demonic.

They ignored it entirely.

“You’re right. But…”

White-Faced Scholar’s eyes gleamed.

“Shaking the foundation of our sect is a different matter entirely.”

What I had done certainly ignored all causality.

“Tell me how you uncovered my identity.”

“……”

“If you won’t, I won’t accept the request.”

I had prepared several cover stories for situations like this.

But at this moment, there was only one explanation that would work best on him.

“About twenty years ago, there was a scholar named Lee Yeon who took third place in what was considered the most difficult imperial examination in history.”

Twitch.

From my mouth came a buried truth from the past.

“But that scholar was never appointed. Do you know why?”

“Stop.”

“He was stripped of his status. Accused of cheating. Supposedly he stole the answer sheet of the governor’s son-in-law…”

“Stop!”

“……”

I could’ve kept digging further, but if I antagonized him too much, I might lose my chance to rescue Sa Biyeon.

White-Faced Scholar glared at me, his hands trembling.

“How… how could you possibly know about that…?”

“Pure coincidence.”

It was information I had coincidentally stumbled upon twenty years in the future while digging into the Hao Sect leader’s past.

Well, after being falsely accused and stripped of status, the scholar named Lee Yeon had lost all his connections and fallen into the underworld… but I didn’t need to go that far.

“Needless to say, our cult has no intention of using this against the Hao Sect.”

“……”

“Our cult already has the Divine Ghost Unit, an excellent and capable intelligence group.”

“Oh my.”

From behind, I heard the joyful voice of the vice leader of Divine Ghost Unit.

“But in these remote southern parts, we simply need the Hao Sect’s cooperation.”

“And just who are you calling a ‘remote region’?”

He scoffed in disbelief, but I gently ignored it.

After a tense staredown, White-Faced Scholar sighed and shook his head.

“When it comes to locating people, no group in the world rivals the Hao Sect. Not even the Beggars’ Sect.”

There was a common phrase—Ten Thousand Parties—that symbolized the Beggars’ Sect’s vast reach.

But I was certain the Hao Sect was no less than them in size.

After all, comparing a single profession like begging to the entire lower class, the truth was the lower class was much larger.

“Sure, there are beggars everywhere in the world, but do you really think there are beggars in the middle of the mountains or the Yangtze River?”

There was no way he didn’t understand the implication of my words.

“You really don’t leave room for argument.”

There was a reason they’d be wiped out along with us twenty years from now.

Letting out a deep sigh, White-Faced Scholar suddenly tested the waters.

“One of them is a woman with sharp features. The other dresses in flamboyant clothes. Am I right?”

“…So you know.”

“Yes. Tracking the Demonic Cult’s movements is one of our highest priorities.”

“How much do you want?”

No matter what price he named, I planned to accept it.

Whatever the cost, I’d bill it to the Black Gold Sa Clan later.

And more importantly, I had no desire to bargain when it came to saving my friend, Sa Biyeon.

But he gave an unexpected answer.

“I don’t want money.”

“You don’t?”

“No. I just want…”

After some hesitation, he hardened his resolve and said:

“Kill someone for me. If you do that, I’ll mobilize all of our resources to help you retrieve those two women.”

A group like the Hao Sect had the means to eliminate a single person easily.

But the fact that he was offering this kind of request…

Meant that even the Hao Sect found the target too big to handle alone.

“Is it the ‘governor’s son-in-law’ you’re talking about?”

“…Yes.”

“He’s also an elder of Namcheon now, right?”

“…Correct.”

The man he spoke of was someone I knew well.

The Severing Blade Sword, Baek Mun-jeol.

Current son-in-law of Nanchang’s governor, and candidate for the next household head of Namcheon Baek Clan, the dominant force of Jiangxi Province.

“A Demonic Cultist being asked to assassinate a Southern power figure… and during a diplomatic gathering, no less.”

“……”

This guy wasn’t just a lunatic—he was completely unhinged.

Of course, he probably assessed all the causality and calculated the risk before asking.

Even so, it was clear just how deep his grudge against Baek Mun-jeol ran.

“I accept.”

“Truly?”

White-Faced Scholar’s eyes widened in shock.

I raised my hand to calm him down.

“Of course, that comes after we rescue the two women. And once the job is done, Hao Sect must share the burden of what comes next.”

“Of course.”

His face visibly brightened once I promised to kill Baek Mun-jeol.

“Then tell me. Where are the two of them now?”

“Northwest of Nanchang.”

Twitch.

The moment I heard that location—

Both my expression and Bu Ilhwa’s stiffened simultaneously.

White-Faced Scholar nodded as if he had expected that reaction and continued.

“They’re at the Namgung Clan estate.”

“Namgung Clan, huh…”

It had been one of the expected candidates.

The problem was that infiltration had just become significantly more difficult compared to the Namcheon Baek Clan, who were simply attending the tournament as guests.

“Fine. Still, with the ongoing Murim Tournament, there should be plenty of openings. It might not be a bad idea to aim for infiltration during that time.”

Of course, scouring the massive Namgung estate building-by-building was out of the question, so I’d absolutely need the Hao Sect’s help to pinpoint the location.

“We’ll identify the exact location of the two ladies as quickly as possible and relay it to you.”

“If you do that… even if I have to drench Nanchang in blood, I’ll kill Baek Mun-jeol.”

By nature, I disliked causing harm to civilians.

I was a man whose tendencies leaned far more toward the orthodox sects than the Demonic Path.

However—

If it meant saving a friend—

If Cheon Yura wished to save her friend—

Then I could become a demon of carnage as much as necessary.

“Very well.”

White-Faced Scholar and I shook hands, each for our own purpose.

“Oh, and by the way.”

“…Hm?”

“This has absolutely nothing to do with our current arrangement, but…”

For some reason, a deep and ominous foreboding stirred in the pit of my stomach.

“Would you mind passing on a message to the Young Cult Leader?”

“W-what message?”

With a calm expression that revealed nothing, White-Faced Scholar gave a slight smile around his eyes and said:

“Tell her that we’ve found the item she requested before.”

“……”

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