Chapter 247: The Mysterious Figure (1)

Both the Sky Ocean Merchant Union and the Sky Ocean Escort Agency were gradually regaining stability.

Though it seemed likely that a rift would form between the surviving escorts of the Sky Ocean Escort Agency and the newly arrived Blood Green Unit, the existing escorts warmly welcomed the latter once they realized they were the ones who had come to save them.

In fact, there was no reason to reject the Blood Green Unit—many of them owed their lives to them.

Moreover, when word spread that Yong Hwarin, who had fought tirelessly and selflessly to save them, had taken over the Escort Agency, the escorts were all pleased.

And rightfully so—Yong Hwarin had become the idol and hero of the younger generation within the Sky Ocean Merchant Union and Escort Agency.

Not only that, but in Jeongju, Yong Hwarin’s reputation soared to the heavens.

As Yong Hwarin entered the Sky Ocean Escort Agency, the people of the agency greeted him with clasped fists and bows.

Regardless of age, everyone treated Yong Hwarin with the highest regard.

“Lord of the Agency, how do you find it?”

Yong Hwarin turned to Deuksang and spoke.

“Hahaha, I’m still not used to being called ‘Lord of the Agency,’ but I must say, it sounds better than being called ‘Captain.’ I’m already worried because so many requests for escorts are flooding in.”

Once word had spread across Henan about the Blood Turmoil incident involving the Sky Ocean Merchant Union and how demonic and unorthodox experts had been repelled, people flocked to the Sky Ocean Escort Agency with escort requests.

They believed that leaving their goods with such an agency would ensure their safety.

As a result, Deuksang had no time to hold an official inauguration ceremony and was already buried in work.

“It’s wonderful to see our agency’s warriors working with such bright faces.”

The warriors who had once been assassins of the Blood Green Unit now threw themselves into their new roles as escorts with joy.

They learned and absorbed the duties of escorting from the veteran escorts. As a result, the agency’s alcohol distribution had tripled compared to before.

Baekseom came to see Yong Hwarin.

“Welcome, Chief Escort.”

Baekseom had become the Chief Escort.

Originally, the position belonged to Chumyeongdo Hwang Myeonggi, but he had left along with Hoi Soyu when she departed from the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.

“I looked into the matter you requested, Young Master Yong.”

“How is it?”

After glancing around, Baekseom opened his mouth.

“Without a doubt, there are more than a few suspicious things about Woohak Bookstore. In my view, it may be a front for handling information related to the Heavenly Demon Sect.”

Upon hearing this, Deuksang spoke.

“Shall we sweep them out?”

Yong Hwarin shook his head with a chuckle.

“Hahaha, no. It would be better if we used them instead. Have you found out who the branch leader is?”

“Yes. His name is Myeong Gujeong. It’s said he has a background as a Confucian scholar.”

Yong Hwarin tilted his head.

‘A Confucian scholar with such strong martial arts? Someone who could overwhelm me and stand toe-to-toe with Sam Taegong?’

The more Yong Hwarin learned about the branch leader Myeong Gujeong, the more his suspicions deepened.

“What should we do? Shall I have him watched?”

Yong Hwarin shook his head.

“No. From now on, I’ll personally handle the matter of that man. Withdraw all our people from that place.”

“Understood.”

Yong Hwarin chose to confront Myeong Gujeong directly and uncover the truth for himself.

He immediately went to see the Demonic Master.

The Demonic Master spent one sijin transforming Yong Hwarin into a completely different person.

He was disguised as a frail Confucian scholar.

The Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect each threw in a word upon seeing the disguised Yong Hwarin.

“Demonic Master, might you be able to disguise me as Song Okban-an?”

At Go Ram’s words, the Demonic Master replied,

“You fool, your face is much more suited for a monkey.”

“What did you say?!”

While the Ten Prodigies of the Heavenly Central Sect and the Demonic Master bickered noisily, Yong Hwarin quietly slipped away and headed toward Woohak Bookstore.

Woohak Bookstore was located in one of the busiest districts of Jeongju.

It housed many rare old books, making it a favorite spot for scholars. It was among the top-tier bookstores in Jeongju.

Even in his previous life, Yong Hwarin had often bought books from Woohak Bookstore. It carried many rare collections of poetry, so it was a place he used frequently.

Back then, he had simply thought of the branch leader as a bookstore owner—he had no idea that the man handled information for the Heavenly Demon Sect.

As Yong Hwarin entered Woohak Bookstore, one of the workers glanced at him. A frail-looking scholar carrying a sword naturally drew attention.

‘Is it trendy these days for scholars to carry decorative swords?’

The worker gave Yong Hwarin a quick glance before resuming the task of carrying books.

Further inside, a middle-aged man who appeared to be a scholar approached and spoke.

“Is there a particular book you’re looking for, sir?”

With the shelves filled from top to bottom, customers couldn’t possibly find anything themselves, so the manager asked and retrieved the books for them.

Yong Hwarin replied to the manager.

“May I see the branch leader?”

At those words, the manager’s eyes changed.

“Forgive me, but may I ask why you are seeking him?”

Yong Hwarin thought to himself,

‘With this much conversation, Myeong Gujeong has probably already sensed my aura and is aware of my visit.’

“I once came here searching for a book, and the branch leader was a great help. I brought a fine brush as a token of appreciation. It was a poetry collection I had desperately wanted, and thanks to him, I found it.”

The manager’s expression softened slightly at those words.

“Ah, is that so?”

Just then, a servant came from the back door connected to the bookstore and said,

“The branch leader asks the scholar to come to the annex building.”

“Understood. Please follow that boy.”

As Yong Hwarin followed the servant, the manager looked at him briefly before returning to his abacus.

To his eyes, there was no flow of Qi whatsoever from Yong Hwarin.

The sword looked like little more than a decorative accessory.

When Yong Hwarin entered the annex building, he saw Myeong Gujeong sitting at a table in a pavilion, flipping through a book.

At a glance, he looked every bit the part of a bookstore manager.

Who would ever guess that someone so genteel in appearance was a master who had reached the Unintentional State?

“Branch leader, the guest has arrived.”

Only after the servant spoke did Myeong Gujeong raise his head and close his book.

“You may go.”

By the servant’s steps, it was clear he had trained in specialized movement techniques.

It became evident that every worker in Woohak Bookstore was a martial artist of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

“Please, come up to the pavilion. Let us share a cup of tea.”

I didn’t refuse and stepped up into the pavilion.

“You’re quite a bold one. What would you have done if I’d attacked you, coming here alone like this?”

For someone like Myeong Gujeong, a disguise was meaningless. He had already identified me simply by reading my momentum.

“If you were that kind of person, you wouldn’t have saved me twice, would you?”

As I sat down, I replied, and Myeong Gujeong gave a faint smile.

“By the way, I don’t know what miraculous encounter you’ve had, but you’ve become far stronger than when I saw you at Mount Goyi.”

“Yes, I did have such an encounter.”

“I was quite surprised when you fought Sam Taegong. I didn’t expect you to match him to that extent. He’s someone I can’t handle either.”

I quietly gazed at the faintly smiling Myeong Gujeong.

“Both at Mount Goyi and when I fought Sam Taegong at the Sky Ocean Merchant Union—what was your reason for helping me?”

Myeong Gujeong murmured as he sipped his tea.

“Good.”

I looked at him, not knowing what he meant by that.

“Ah, I meant it’s good that you deployed a Qi barrier to block the sound.”

He set down the teacup and continued.

“It was because you used the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword.”

“By any chance, are you connected to the Heavenly Central Sect of Henan?”

“If you want to say I am, then I suppose you could say that.”

“You unleashed the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword when you attacked Sam Taegong at the Sky Ocean Merchant Union.”

“To avoid Sam Taegong’s eyes, I had to use a different martial art.”

Clearly, Myeong Gujeong was well-acquainted with the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword. Hadn’t he even given me advice about it back at Mount Goyi?

If he didn’t know anything about it, he wouldn’t have been able to point out flaws I myself hadn’t recognized.

“Is that all? Is there nothing more you wish to say to me?”

“Young Master Yong, I can’t tell you more right now. You’ll understand in time. It wouldn’t benefit you much to know now, so I ask for your understanding.”

He spoke with the warmth of a neighborhood uncle.

I realized I wouldn’t get any more answers from pressing him, so I changed the subject.

“Branch Leader, are you a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect?”

Myeong Gujeong looked at me and smiled faintly.

“No.”

That alone gave me a rough understanding.

‘He’s highly likely to be an agent of the Northern Justice Alliance.’

With nothing more to hear, I stood up.

“I’ll take my leave now.”

Myeong Gujeong spoke offhandedly.

“To perfect the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword, you need one thing. But it seems you don’t know what that is.”

It was the first I had heard of such a thing. I sat back down to listen.

“What do you mean?”

“I wonder why the true essence of the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword was never properly passed down in the Heavenly Central Sect. With the disappearance of Yong Gosan, the Supreme Dragon of Henan, it seems only half of the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword remains.”

I was deeply shocked inside.

The Supreme Dragon of Henan, Yong Gosan, had been the pride of the Heavenly Central Sect, but he had vanished without ever returning.

This was a fact only known to the direct line of the Heavenly Central Sect.

The elder of the clan, who had fully grasped the mysteries of the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword, never transmitted his understanding. As a result, the Heavenly Central Sect had been training with only the remaining secret manual.

That was why the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword was lacking in both internal method and technique.

“What is required to complete the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword?”

It bruised my pride to ask an outsider about my clan’s martial art.

But thinking differently, I couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity to learn something important.

“I can’t reveal my identity, but there’s no reason I can’t tell you about martial arts.”

Myeong Gujeong murmured as he refilled his empty teacup.

“Do you know about the Four Great Divine Items?”

“I have a rough idea.”

“Then, do you also know that the Four Great Divine Items are connected to martial arts?”

“I’ve begun to suspect as much.”

“The Four Great Divine Items have many uses, and martial arts is one of them.”

I thought that, as the person handling information, Myeong Gujeong must know much about the Four Great Divine Items.

He even seemed to know more than Eum Sajeok, so I listened carefully.

“The Four Great Divine Items are related to the Demonic Castle.”

“I know that as well.”

“You must’ve learned that through Eum Sajeok. But those Four Great Divine Items ultimately serve as keys.”

“Keys?”

I repeated, and a sudden thought flashed through my mind.

“Do you mean… since the Four Great Divine Items are related to the Demonic Castle, they serve as keys to unlock its secrets?”

Myeong Gujeong looked at me with a pleased expression.

“You’re quite clever. That’s exactly it. The Four Great Divine Items are the keys to opening the secret cave of the Demonic Castle. That’s why the Heavenly Demon Sect strives so desperately to obtain them.”

In some ways, Myeong Gujeong seemed to know more about the Heavenly Demon Sect’s secrets than Eum Sajeok.

I never expected to learn the secrets of the Four Great Divine Items from Myeong Gujeong.

Truthfully, what he had just said was something he had decided to reveal after careful thought.

If something were to happen to him, he needed to leave this information with someone.

And if that person was Yong Hwarin, who had learned the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword, then there was no one more suitable.

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