Part 1,

Chapter 41. Change

So-hwa lowered her gaze again at those words.

The bloodstain spreading on the hem of Han-won’s black robes was growing wider. Pressing down on his waist, he opened his mouth.

“Have you heard the news that Yun-jin has disappeared?”

The Black Tiger Unit carried out the Clan Head’s unofficial missions. They couldn’t know what orders their comrades had received from the Clan Head, nor were they supposed to. Their survival or death couldn’t be confirmed, so they stayed in a single pavilion and confirmed each other’s presence through absence.

If someone was gone for about a week, they would quietly report it to the deputy leader, but it usually meant the person was out on a mission, so it passed without much commotion. Most of the time, the missing member would return soon after.

But this time was different.

When Yun-jin’s absence was reported, the Black Tiger Unit’s pavilion was thrown into turmoil.

The leader, who had recently shown affection toward him, was greatly alarmed and tried to trace Yun-jin’s recent activities. But after returning from Namgung, he had not been assigned any missions.

So-hwa nodded, confirming she had heard of Yun-jin’s disappearance.

“Perhaps the leader will call the young lady tomorrow to ask. Aside from the Clan Head, you’re the only one who issued orders to Yun-jin.”

“I suppose so.”

So-hwa fixed her gaze on Han-won’s mouth.

Now the real reason he had come to the inner courtyard this night would be revealed.

Thinking it must not be an ordinary matter, So-hwa listened closely.

“As soon as I heard that Yun-jin had disappeared, I went looking for the maidservants who had been lingering around him. But they had all left the Tang Family estate.”

“That’s strange.”

Han-won nodded with a serious look.

“Yes. It was as if they had never stayed in the Tang Family estate—nothing was left in their quarters. So I searched the town for the person who introduced them, but the old man who had arranged workers for the Tang Family estate had left Sichuan a while ago, and other people were there in his place.”

“What kind of people were they?”

“A group that also arranged workers. A small employment agency that connected people to odd jobs and occasionally handed out chores to folks around the area.”

Han-won said this and let out a hollow breath, as if it was absurd.

“When I said I wanted to meet the owner of the employment agency, they led me underground. And down there, the ones who had been waiting rushed at me. They weren’t ordinary people.”

Han-won, perhaps ashamed of being overpowered by non-martial artists, described them as extraordinary individuals.

So-hwa understood the excuse. They were clearly no ordinary workers—especially if they had overpowered the elite of the Tang Clan of Sichuan’s Fourth Unit.

Han-won pressed against his side as if to block his pressure point and continued speaking.

“I searched the whole agency, but there was nothing. Oddly, the floor of the chief’s room was covered in bloodstains, but there were no signs of a struggle.”

Han-won tilted his head, as though he himself found it hard to believe, then continued.

“The bloodstains were smeared around as if wiped, but the spacing of the pooled blood was evenly placed like brush strokes, and above all, the walls were clean. If there had been a fight, blood would’ve splattered on the walls—so it was strange, no matter how you look at it.”

“Blood?”

Tang So-hwa frowned at the new piece of information.

“Yes.”

Han-won answered briefly, then stared beyond the inner courtyard’s wall. Turning back to So-hwa, he lowered his posture.

“I should get going now. I only stopped by to tell you first before reporting to the leader.”

“Why did you come to me first?”

“It might be ignorant to link every blood-crazed pervert to the Blood Sect, but… still, they seemed related to the Blood Sect…”

Han-won hesitated before finishing.

“Because you, Young Lady, were the one who predicted that Yun-jin might be targeted by the Blood Sect and tried to protect him—not the leader.”

So-hwa stayed silent.

She couldn’t easily respond. It meant he trusted her more than his own superior.

Moved by the sincerity shown without hesitation, So-hwa decided to trust Han-won a little.

It had been a matter troubling her for some time, so her words came out a bit hastily.

“Can you get the blood from the employment agency’s floor? It’s fine even if it’s just the blood-soaked floor material.”

Then Han-won silently took a pouch from inside his robes.

Inside were a blood-soaked dagger, a hair tie, a torn piece of cloth, and a wooden fragment. Han-won handed the wooden piece to So-hwa.

“Collecting evidence from an investigation site is standard practice for the Black Tiger Unit.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Saying that, Han-won grimaced.

It seemed the wound was deep.

Even though So-hwa was technically part of the Medical Hall as a member of the Nine Turns Pavilion, Han-won hadn’t asked her to treat him and had instead reported what he saw first.

That unwavering loyalty is typical of the Fourth Unit.

It was strange having that loyalty directed at her instead of the Clan Head.

So-hwa tried to offer him some salve, but Han-won disappeared the moment she took the wooden piece.

Staring for a moment at the now-empty window, So-hwa slowly closed the door. Then she returned to the desk she had covered with a cloth.

Using a small blade, she scraped the wooden piece and placed the powder into a jar. But still, there was no reaction.

“What in the world…”

So-hwa stared into the dark liquid, lost in thought.

Was it due to a lack of samples? Or did it not react to all blood? Or perhaps—

‘Does it only react to my blood?’

So-hwa closed her eyes.

No.

That was a rash thought.

She had only compared the blood of about ten Blood Sect members, and all of it had been extracted after death. It was far too early to draw conclusions.

Though she tried not to feel rushed, her anxiety was clear.

So-hwa covered the jar again and stared at the large embroidery design hanging on the wall.

Not long ago, she had heard some astonishing news.

The Myungcheon Merchant Group had ceased investing effort in their trade relations.

In a few years, they were supposed to participate in the imperial court trade and send a betrothal letter to Ye-hwa, but that future had gone awry.

It was as shocking as the news months ago that the red-light district in Guangdong had vanished.

Before she could cut them out herself, the enemy had withdrawn on their own.

So-hwa could not help but suspect that the Blood Sect was connected to the tragedies of Ye-hwa and Yu-hwa.

She had no evidence, but her conviction told her so.

Many now claimed the Blood Sect had been wiped out and grew complacent, but she knew the truth.

The Murim Alliance had not suppressed the resurgence of the Blood Sect—they had merely fallen for its deception.

This was because there was no mention anywhere of suspecting Namgung Hyun.

So-hwa composed herself and picked up the book she had left open. The still-wet ink glistened faintly in the lamplight

It was full of meaningless records with no real findings.

But she had no intention of giving up.

So-hwa picked up the brush again and wrote down what she had newly discovered.

『Age unknown, gender unknown, no reaction – blood collection time unknown.』

Beside that sentence, she added more words.

『Bloodstain left on the floor of an employment agency in Sichuan.』

Could the Blood Sect have had a base in Sichuan in the past as well?

If so, they would have continuously planted their people into the Tang Clan. But now they could no longer do so.

Change isn’t always something to be feared. The ability to notice change was a privilege unique to her.

So-hwa intended to gather the discrepancies from her memories and uncover a new truth.

It might take a long time, but when she thought of the man who had slowly choked the life from her for over twenty years, she knew she could endure.

No—in fact, patience was the best tactic she had learned from him.

So-hwa spent her days working in Nine Turns Pavilion and tracking the Blood Sect.

With no time even to sleep, her schedule was packed, but the stagnant, fruitless days stretched on.

Several months passed like that.

“Han-won.”

So-hwa set down the white jar and turned her gaze toward the window.

There stood Han-won, who had become her guard as the inner courtyard’s defenses were strengthened.

“Did you hear that the Sichuan branch is cutting down the number of pursuit team members?”

“Yes.”

After Yun-jin’s disappearance, the Clan Head had bolstered the inner courtyard’s security. Thanks to that, Han-won could interact with So-hwa without suspicion. As always, she quietly issued orders in passing conversation.

“From now on, the Murim Alliance’s pursuit units will find nothing.”

“What makes the Young Lady think that?”

“They’ll soon try to pull back personnel from their own sects and clans. The Tang Clan will be the first to do so.”

Click. As she closed the lid, So-hwa lowered her gaze again.

Thanks to the Blood Sect’s swift response in cutting off their own flesh, the Murim Alliance quickly felt at ease.

Even now, the bastards were probably watching the Murim Alliance’s every move, mocking them.

The situation was gradually turning unfavorable.

After organizing the jar, she picked up the box next to her and walked toward the window.

“You’ll be going outside often at my personal request. You won’t be able to go back and forth every time, so buy a messenger bird and get a house near the branch.”

Inside the box were two gold coins.

Han-won did not refuse. He simply brought his hands together in a respectful salute and accepted the box.

His grudge against the Blood Sect had only deepened after Yun-jin’s death.

“I’ll look for a place near the branch first thing tomorrow morning.”

So-hwa nodded.

“Don’t overdo it, even if it takes time. They may be lying low now, but they’ll move eventually. Catching subtle changes is also a great gain, so don’t get greedy and be cautious.”

“Yes.”

Han-won looked up and asked carefully.

“If there’s money left over, should I find a house near the blind person’s place too?”

The blind person referred to the maidservant who had been in charge of cleaning the Nine Turns Pavilion.

That girl had been lucky.

She had returned to her hometown using her chronic illness as an excuse, and around that time, the Tang Clan’s poison was revealed to have been leaked.

Her father had ordered that the maidservant be found at all costs, but she was never found.

Because So-hwa had already secretly taken her away using Namgung Jin.

Now Han-won was asking if he should also secure a residence in Anhui.

So-hwa shook her head.

“No. If you come and go from Anhui, your trail will be discovered. If Father finds the servant, things will get complicated, so leave her be.”

Through the loyal subordinate Namgung Jin had left behind, So-hwa occasionally received updates on the blind girl.

She lived quietly in a small thatched cottage. She had no will to run and no visitors.

But So-hwa couldn’t trust such peaceful behavior.

It was possible she was only behaving that way because she knew she was being watched.

She couldn’t tell whether she was the one doing the watching or the one being watched.

So-hwa realized she needed someone to judge the information she’d gathered.

Someone like… a traitor from the Blood Sect.

“Young Lady?”

So-hwa raised her head at Han-won’s call.

She’d drifted into thought again.

Thinking it foolish to expect luck, So-hwa stopped herself and issued a dismissal.

“You must be busy preparing, so you can go now.”

“Yes, I’ll start with the messenger bird and return.”

With a brief bow, he left the inner courtyard.

So-hwa put aside her hopes for luck and focused on what she could do.

But despite her efforts, time passed without any gain, to the point that people began to say the Blood Sect had been wiped out.

However, before long, fortune touched So-hwa’s time.

On the first day of the sixth month, three years after the Murim Alliance’s pursuit unit was organized—

News came that a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect from the Shaanxi branch had fallen victim to the Blood Sect.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep