Chapter 34

Chapter 34: How to Build Trust – 2

Cheon Il-hwa’s explanation was simple.

For the past few days, people had been disappearing from Yangwi Fortress. His subordinates had investigated, but no significant clues had surfaced.

So, they broadened their search and found that similar incidents had also occurred in nearby fortresses.

“Have you checked the back alleys?”

When light shines bright, shadows grow deeper. No matter how diligently the Lord of Yangwi Fortress maintained order, the darkness that lurked there was not insignificant.

Of course, no one could act openly, but it was still present.

“Hmm. We investigated Jin Kwontang, which controls the back alleys, but… they’re in disarray themselves.”

Jin Kwontang. They were one of the demonic sects and had been in conflict with Sayoon. Later, the sect leader took a liking to Sayoon and offered various forms of assistance.

“Even the Jin Kwontang leader’s daughter has disappeared. Surely, they must be eager to solve this case.”

“That’s likely. Leader Oh Chil cherishes his daughter dearly.”

“Hmph. As expected of Master Yu. That’s right. Oh Chil loved his late wife with all his heart. His daughter, born of that wife, is his most precious treasure, something he would never let go of.”

It was the same in Cheonsangmyeongwol.

After clearing this event, the leader of Jin Kwontang would come to express his gratitude, and extra rewards could be obtained from Jin Kwontang.

I recalled that his daughter had been on the verge of death back then.

It made sense why he reacted that way after I saved her.

There was even a follow-up event connected to this, but that wasn’t important right now, so I set it aside.

Afterward, Cheon Il-hwa calmly continued his explanation of the missing persons.

“Do you think you can find them?”

“Well… if the empire launches a full investigation, they could find them faster than I could.”

“Hahaha…”

Cheon Il-hwa laughed awkwardly.

As I said, if the Imperial Intelligence Service got involved, they could solve this quickly. However, the military and intelligence service didn’t get along well, so it seemed Cheon Il-hwa didn’t want to ask for their help.

“Still, if I can lend my lacking hand to reduce unnecessary turmoil in the empire, I must do it.”

“I’m sorry to always rely on you. Please, I’ll leave it in your hands.”

Chaejin, standing beside me, looked worried, wondering whether I could handle this, but there wasn’t any real issue.

I already knew who the culprit was and what their motive for the kidnappings was.

The culprit, simply put, was an old woman named Yang Myung, also known as the Shilhonji Gwae (Soul-Freezing Monster).

Living up to her name, that old woman could freeze a soul, turning her victims into soulless beings who would obey her every command.

She had started with animals, then corpses, and now, she was using living people.

She kidnapped people to create more of her Shilhon-in (Soul-frozen humans).

With nothing more to discuss, I rose from my seat and left the room. As I stepped outside, Gi Chajo greeted me with a friendly smile.

“Master Yu. Did you meet with the leader?”

“Yes, Gi No-ya. I will offer whatever help I can.”

“Ah, indeed! Hahaha. As expected of Master Yu. If you need any help, just let me know. Though I’m old, I’ll lend my strength to you.”

“Oh my, if Gi No-ya joins me, there will be nothing to fear.”

“Hahahaha! Such a person you are!”

“Hahaha!”

Gi Chajo laughed heartily, and I laughed along with him. Wiyeol, standing beside us, snorted as if the old man was spouting nonsense, but the atmosphere wasn’t bad.

“The Moonlight Blade will accompany you, so don’t worry too much.”

“Hmm, understood. Take care of yourself.”

After saying our goodbyes, I stepped outside. In truth, having Gi Chajo and Wiyeol by my side brought me some peace of mind.

After all, they were high-ranking martial artists within the military.

The only problem was that if I asked them to help with this mission, I could not claim full credit for myself.

I needed to save my connections and favors for more critical moments. For now, I had to rely solely on Chaejin.

“Innkeeper.”

“Yes?”

As we walked out of Cheonghaeru, I bought two bottles of liquor. While holding them, Chaejin, who had been quiet for a while, finally spoke.

I turned around, and she was fiddling with her long hair before cautiously asking,

“Honestly, wouldn’t it be better to bring more people for this kind of task… It could be dangerous, after all. We should bring more martial experts…”

She wasn’t wrong. Usually, investigations like this went faster with more people.

Moreover, Yang Myung’s location was randomized during the event, so I had to find her separately.

But with so many ways to figure out where she was, why would I waste points summoning those old geezers?

Besides, there was already someone with me who could handle Yang Myung.

I looked her up and down, confirming her solid physique under the tightly fitted uniforms of the Moonlight Sect, and asked bluntly,

“Are you not confident?”

“That’s not it.”

“If I didn’t trust you, who else would I trust? I wouldn’t have asked you to come along if I didn’t.”

Chaejin fell silent again. She simply stared at me with slightly widened eyes before letting out her signature haughty laugh.

“Oh, hohoho! If you trust me that much, it’s only natural that I repay that trust! Very well! I, Chaejin of the prestigious Moonlight Sect, will assist you, so don’t worry about a thing!”

“I haven’t been worried at all, so you needn’t concern yourself.”

She fell quiet and gazed at me. I hadn’t lied, so I met her gaze. Eventually, she seemed to tire of it and looked away.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

“…But where are we going?”

“There’s someone we need to meet.”

“Who?”

“The branch leader of Hao Clan in Yangwi Fortress.”

We walked down a path cloaked in deep darkness. Normally, no one would step into such a secluded alley at this hour.

The intense stares that immediately followed us as we entered the back alley attested to that.

But no one dared to approach, likely because of the killing intent radiating from her the moment we stepped into the alley.

The pressure of knowing one wrong move could cost them their lives quelled any reckless thoughts, and we easily made our way deeper into the back alleys—a place that served as a battle zone in Cheonsangmyeongwol and where Yangwi Fortress soldiers were not sent to maintain order.

As we entered Yangwi Fortress’s Hah-tong, a place filled with alcohol, violence, and women, we found numerous shady individuals, many of whom were far too comfortable with death.

Risking their lives to make a living, it seemed they were no longer afraid of the presence of killing intent.

Of course.

Bam!

“Gugh!”

The realization that the killing intent could actually take their lives didn’t dawn on them until after they were struck.

Just as we entered Hah-tong, a hand reached out toward me.

I wasn’t even wearing anything particularly nice and didn’t look like an easy target either.

Maybe this fool was drunk and empowered by the magic of alcohol.

Still, that didn’t mean it was acceptable. Not to mention, it was even less acceptable to Chaejin, who was with me.

She didn’t even glance at the person who had been knocked out cold by a single punch. She merely glanced around at the startled onlookers with cold eyes.

“…Do you even know where you are, causing trouble like this?”

Was it because they anticipated a fight? A man with a vicious look slowly rose from a bench near a tavern lit by red lanterns.

His appearance was intimidating.

Dragging a large sword behind him, the man approached us, but Chaejin didn’t even snort in his direction.

Swish.

For martial artists, actions speak louder than words. The moment a silver blade sliced through the air and entered its sheath without anyone noticing, the man swallowed hard. The front of his clothes crumbled to the ground in pieces, but his skin didn’t bear a single scratch.

“We’re not here to fight. We’re just here to see Ha No.”

The thug hesitated for a moment, but only for a moment.

Without a word, he turned and began walking.

We followed him deeper into the alley, further than we had already ventured.

How long had we been walking?

We arrived at a place reeking of decay. As soon as we reached our destination, the thug silently left us.

When I pushed aside the worn-out curtain and stepped inside, an old man was sitting with his eyes closed.

In front of him were the tools of his trade, items used for fortune-telling.

Had he heard the sound of the curtain moving? The old man, eyes still closed, turned his head toward us and groped for a fortune slip.

“Tsk. Why are you only showing up now? Still, it’s good you came. If I just put this talisman to use…”

“Let’s not scam each other. You don’t even know how to use a talisman.”

“Tsk. I heard a woman’s footsteps, so I thought a sucker had come to register a courtesan or something. Well, should I read your fortune then?”

He couldn’t even read fortunes properly.

“F-Fortune?”

“Hm? No? I thought you were that kind of guy, considering you don’t even blink when women are around, yet you brought one along.”

I could feel Chaejin’s glare piercing the side of my face. I tried to ignore it as best I could. The old man, pretending to be blind, immediately perked up when he heard the clinking of the liquor bottles I brought.

“A miracle, huh? The blind see and the lame walk, all because of two bottles of liquor.”

What a miracle, indeed.

“Ah, I can’t resist liquor.”

Grinning mischievously, the old man took the bottle I handed over and drank it in one gulp. His eyes went wide, clearly pleased with the taste.

“This is Cheonghaeju? Ah… I can see it now. It’s like watching the courtesans of the capital dance…”

This old man’s mouth, I swear. Before I knew it, Ha No had already downed an entire bottle and was grinning.

“I’ve got a question. Do you know anything about the recent disappearances in Yangwi Fortress?”

“Of course. Is this an official request from the Cheonghae Merchant Guild?”

“Something like that.”

“Tsk.”

“This is also personal, so please consider it my request and help me out.”

After a moment of hesitation, the old man held out his hand. I placed a pouch of coins into his grubby palm. He accepted it lightly, then unrolled a large leather sheet that covered the back wall. It revealed hundreds of tiny holes.

He pulled a string connected to one of the holes, and a white piece of paper slid out after a moment.

“Let’s see… Yang Myung. It looks like she’s been kidnapping people to create more Shilhon-in. Ah, you know how to deal with soul-frozen people, right?”

“Who doesn’t?”

“What’s that?”

There was someone here who didn’t know.

Both Ha No and I turned to Chaejin, whose face turned bright red. Flustered, she tried to change the subject.

“Anyway, isn’t it strange how easy it was to find this information?! Master Yu, wasn’t the Cheonghae Merchant Guild and Jin Kwontang looking for this? Yet the Hao Clan knew all along?”

“The Hao Clan’s intelligence network is second to none on the continent!!”

As Ha No boasted, lifting the bottle proudly, I tapped the paper.

Hmm. As expected. The location written on it was a remote mountain not far from Yangwi Fortress.

“Thanks.”

“Come back anytime. As long as you pay, I’ll get you whatever information you need.”

Ha No grinned, his face full of wrinkles, and waved us off. I gave him a casual nod before stepping outside, with Chaejin following behind me. After a while, she cautiously asked,

“How did you come to know the Hao Clan?”

“It’s a long and deep story. I’ll tell you about it later. Wouldn’t it be better to talk over a drink once we return?”

I had occasionally shared stories with her during some drinking sessions. Since she had enjoyed those moments, she readily agreed.

“Then what about this? Why couldn’t the Cheonghae Merchant Guild or Jin Kwontang buy information from the Hao Clan?”

That was something I could explain easily.

“The back alleys of Yangwi Fortress used to be controlled by the Hao Clan.”

In their attempt to seize the underworld of Yangwi Fortress, Jin Kwontang had taken a lot of territory from the Hao Clan. Now, only a few Hao Clan businesses remained. Although their information gathering and organization were separate, it was undeniable that the Hao Clan’s power in Yangwi Fortress had diminished.

“Even so, if they paid, the Hao Clan would sell information. Although, they’d charge quite a bit. But do you think Jin Kwontang could trust them?”

“That’s true. What about the Cheonghae Merchant Guild?”

“The Hao Clan doesn’t accept requests from officials.”

“Why not?”

“A few years ago, the government requested that the Hao Clan investigate the Demon Sect. During that mission, the Hao Clan suffered significant losses. But they received nothing in return.”

“Huh? How could that happen?”

“Exactly, it shouldn’t have. That’s why the Hao Clan established a rule: no transactions with the government.”

“Wow… wouldn’t that hurt them a lot?”

“The Hao Clan consists of those who have nothing. If they give in like that, they could lose everything. So they took a big risk, even willing to face death, by taking a firm stance. Even the empire can’t break a contract with the Hao Clan. That’s what it means.”

“Wow… What happened to that official?”

“He profited greatly from breaking the contract, but eventually, his political rivals dug up the corruption he had hidden and attacked him. He was eventually executed. Some believe it was the Hao Clan who leaked the information, but no one knows for sure.”

“That’s terrifying.”

“Things have softened a bit since his death. As I did earlier, if there’s a certain level of trust and familiarity, they’ll take requests indirectly, but officially, they still refuse government requests. If the authorities had approached them directly, the branch would’ve closed down and fled.”

“Ah…”

“In the end, it’s all about trust. If you can’t trust someone, you can’t work with them. That’s only natural.”

After that, the conversation died down. We simply walked in silence.

We moved toward the location provided by the Hao Clan and soon found a large cave. As we approached, Chaejin spoke up.

“So, you’re saying you trust me? Since we’re working together like this.”

“I told you, I do.”

She stared at me for a moment, then chuckled softly before turning her head away and speaking in a playful tone.

“Haha. In that case, since I’m learning from someone trustworthy, I’ll extend my training hours from now on. And since I’m advancing to higher levels, the tuition fees will also increase.”

What, a sudden twist?!

We were just having a nice moment!

My trust in Chaejin slightly decreased.

“Don’t like it? Then forget it. But you know it’ll help, don’t you?”

She had a point. It was true that although training was tough, practicing Tai Chi and Wuqinxi under Geomseong’s guidance had improved my health, allowing me to move more actively.

And it helped protect my body.

“But are we really going in alone? Shouldn’t we ask for some reinforcements? Yang Myung is still a formidable opponent, isn’t she?”

Her tone was light despite mentioning reinforcements.

Catching on to what she wanted to hear, I casually replied.

It didn’t cost anything to say it.

“Yang Myung won’t be difficult to handle with you here.”

It was the right answer.

Chaejin, seemingly satisfied, flashed her characteristic haughty smile, her silhouette glowing in the bright moonlight behind her.