Chapter 179

Fifteen minutes later, Jeokroe rubbed at the bruising around his eyes and pouted.

When the Young Clan Head was little, I could dodge punches like that without even looking.

His monstrous master’s fists seemed to grow heavier by the day. It was enough to make Jeokroe wonder whether Namgung Hwi had been secretly hoarding some miraculous elixir all for himself.

Namgung Hwi snorted at the sight of his subordinate scrunching up his face in grievance, crossed one leg over the other, and said,

“If Sohae’s vanished without a trace, then find her real brother instead. I heard they were questioned by the Alliance together.”

“Of course I looked into him. But there’s been no trace of him either since the Alliance finished its investigation. There’s practically no information on the man at all. Aside from the time he traveled with Miss Tang, there aren’t even any reported sightings.”

“Then he’s probably no ordinary man.”

“Right. The Alliance apparently classified him as some third-rate martial artist of no consequence, but I suspect he was the one who helped Miss Tang shake their pursuit. Maybe he’s from the Assassins’ Hall? Those people are exceptionally good at concealing their identities.”

Namgung Hwi’s expression turned strange at Jeokroe’s speculation.

“The Assassins’ Hall? If they seriously decide to disappear, no one can find them. We’d better hope you’re wrong. You’re certain the man who was with her in Yueyang wasn’t her brother?”

“Ah, about him. It doesn’t seem he had that sort of relationship with Miss Tang. He became the Golden Dragon Merchant Guild’s son-in-law.”

“What? A bastard who was about to marry one woman was making moves on another? Who the hell is he?”

“How would I know?”

Jeokroe flinched at the sharpness in his voice and edged backward.

Namgung Hwi let out a long breath as though forcing down his anger, then asked sullenly,

“What about the Azure Dragon Sword Unit? Finished cleaning house?”

“Yes. Just as you ordered, everyone under the Clan Head’s influence has been removed.”

“And the maids?”

“Replaced them ages ago. By the time you return to Hefei, the place will be completely cleared out.”

“I like that you get things done properly. So why can’t you find one young lady? Still haven’t figured out who your real master is?”

“You know that’s not true! Stop framing me! I’ve put everything I have on you too, Young Clan Head. If you throw me away, I’ve got nowhere else to go!”

“Then do your job properly. Before I send you back.”

Namgung Hwi snapped at him and flicked a document back and forth.

“And this. Why isn’t there a contract?”

“The Jiangdong Merchant Guild matter? It’s still being prepared. But are you sure you want to push this through? The Fourth Elder’s wife is from the Hoam Merchant Guild. The elders have already been grumbling lately. You may want to proceed cautiously with this one...”

“And what if they don’t like it? The moment they tampered with goods being supplied to the main clan, any relationship of trust was over. Even Father would have acted immediately.”

“Yes, yes. I’ll push it through. Though I’m the one who’ll get cursed for it.”

Jeokroe grumbled, then continued.

“The Pavilion Master of Shadowless Pavilion is handling the matter you ordered personally. But the Unorthodox Alliance has control of Shaanxi now, so getting back out seems difficult. His report may take some time.”

“He isn’t short on funds?”

“What you gave him should be more than enough. But do you really think the Unorthodox Alliance has joined hands with the Demonic Sect? The unorthodox lot may live without thinking much, but even they know shit from piss. Caihong’s leader can’t be stupid enough to associate with fanatics.”

“The Murderous Fiend probably isn’t. His subordinates, though? I wouldn’t trust them to know shit from piss.”

Namgung Hwi shrugged indifferently.

“That thing the Alliance calls a demon pill. The water-bandit officers were using them like stimulants. They didn’t even seem to know what they were swallowing. Obviously, they got them through the Unorthodox Alliance.”

“What? Why are you only telling me this now? Did you report it to the Alliance?”

“No.”

“What do you mean, no?”

“Why should I do the Covert Intelligence Hall’s job for them?”

“Oh, come on! Some things you really ought to report! This isn’t just anything—the Demonic Sect is involved!”

“There’s something about it that bothers me. Last time, Jegal Hyowon...”

Namgung Hwi frowned and abruptly shut his mouth.

“Why’d you stop halfway?”

“I’m not sure yet. Don’t ask. I’ll tell you once I’ve sorted it out.”

He waved a hand, firmly cutting off further questions, then fell into thought.

Not long ago, Jegal Hyowon—the younger sister of Jegal Hyogang, captain of the Dragon and Phoenix Corps—had spent several days as a guest of the Namgung Clan.

They could hardly neglect a guest, and since Namgung Hwi was close to her in age, he had often been the one to entertain her.

Yet the more they spoke, the stranger something had felt.

Namgung Hwi was well accustomed to members of the Jegal family speaking in roundabout, inscrutable ways. But that day, Jegal Hyowon had been different.

She had subtly expressed dissatisfaction with the Martial Alliance and the established orthodox powers, then sounded Namgung Hwi out with a pointed question.

“Young Clan Head, have you ever dreamed of a new heaven?”

At the time, he had pretended not to understand and steered the conversation elsewhere.

The more he thought about it, however, the more it bothered him.

Her words and manner had almost seemed like an attempt to entice him into becoming part of some third force.

It feels connected to Demonic Sect goods circulating around... I need to investigate this properly. If infiltrators have gotten into the Five Great Clans as well, we’ve got a serious problem.

If the Demonic Sect was expanding its influence beneath the surface, acting rashly would be a mistake.

They needed to gather evidence piece by piece, then tear it out by the roots all at once.

Namgung Hwi frowned and crooked a finger at Jeokroe.

“Jeokroe. Look into whether any of the elders have been behaving suspiciously.”

“Suspicious how? Give me something concrete. What exactly is bothering you?”

“You know. Spending so wildly you’d think they were secretly financing some dubious organization. Associating with unorthodox factions. Suddenly getting stronger after swallowing strange things. The sort of thing old men with wicked ambitions tend to do.”

“Young Clan Head... please watch what you say. The elders would collapse from rage if they heard you. How long do I have?”

“Two weeks.”

“What? You expect me to cover all of Hefei and Mount Tianzhu in two weeks? Easy for you to just toss out an order, but I’m the one who has to run around doing it!”

Jeokroe shouted, but Namgung Hwi did not so much as blink.

“The Shadowless Pavilion Master isn’t here, so you’ll have to go. Fine. One month. Leave now.”

“What? Young Clan Head, it’s already late at night—! Ah, fine. I’m going. I’m going. What a miserable fate. I chose the wrong master.”

Muttering under his breath, Jeokroe began preparing to leave.

Namgung Hwi watched him grumble his way out of the room, then pressed a hand to his forehead.

I may have to enter the Alliance.

There were limits to what could be learned from information bought through the Beggars’ Sect and Hao Sect.

The Namgung Clan’s Shadowless Pavilion was no slouch either, but its strength lay in verifying intelligence, not gathering news with the speed of a true information network.

The Martial Alliance’s Covert Intelligence Hall.

Namgung Hwi needed the secrets handled there.

And getting in creates its own problems. A mere unit captain or corps commander wouldn’t have anywhere near enough authority to access the Covert Intelligence Hall.

He sighed, his expression souring, and picked up the report Jeokroe had brought him.

Beneath the peaceful surface of the Central Plains martial world, dulled by years of calm and stripped of any sense of crisis, ominous signs were everywhere.

Something stank in every direction.

If even Namgung Hwi could see the pattern, there was no possibility that the leaders of the various sects and clans had missed it.

And yet none of them were moving.

That probably meant no one had found sufficient justification to act.

“This is bad...”

Namgung Hwi murmured, biting at his lip.

The stuffy old figures of the orthodox faction had a tendency to complicate everything by chaining themselves to questions of justification.

The fact that they had allowed Shaanxi to become a den of unorthodox factions was proof enough.

When the Unorthodox Alliance first moved into Shaanxi during Mount Hua’s closed seclusion, the Martial Alliance could have acted.

Had it done so, orthodox martial artists in Shaanxi would never have ended up isolated and unable to escape.

Then again, Namgung Hwi had no right to condemn the Martial Alliance for its passivity.

The Namgung Clan had stood by and watched as well.

His face troubled, Namgung Hwi toyed with the report before holding it to the lamp flame.

His eyes darkened as he watched the writing slowly curl and blacken in the fire.

*****

I must have dozed off.

When I jolted awake with a shudder, my whole body was clammy with cold sweat.

I couldn’t remember it clearly, but I thought I’d had a bad dream.

Maybe it was about the day I watched someone die.

...Or perhaps the day I stabbed someone.

I rubbed my face and sat up, and a blanket slipped from me and fell to the floor.

A blanket?

Puzzled, I bent to pick it up when I sensed someone nearby.

My hand shot instinctively into my sleeve as I turned.

Jinseong stood there quietly, watching me.

Relieved, I let the tension drain from my body.

“When did you get here? You should’ve woken me instead of waiting.”

I gave him an awkward smile as I wiped around my eyes.

Jinseong politely pretended not to notice and dipped his head.

“My apologies, Miss Tang. You seemed to be having a nightmare, so I did not dare touch you.”

I gave him a bitter smile.

Apparently, I had been leaking murderous intent in my sleep without realizing it.

He must have thought I’d attack if he touched me.

“Sit down. I heard you were busy today. Are you finished with everything?”

“Yes.”

Pretending nothing was wrong, I pulled out a chair for him.

Jinseong nodded and sat.

He settled into his usual straight-backed posture, looked directly at me, and slowly said,

“My master has summoned you.”

I had been staring absently into his pale-gray eyes.

Then the meaning of his words hit me, and I grabbed the edge of the table.

It sounded like I was finally going to see Yeon Ryang.

“Really? I can see him? When? Today?”

My face lit up as I fired off the questions.

As if trying to calm me, Jinseong lowered his voice and answered gently.

“He said to come quietly to the secluded cave tonight. I will return to escort you at midnight.”

“Midnight... Yes. All right!”

I broke into a broad smile and nodded.