Chapter 14
Episode 14
I crossed the main gate of Manjangsegae with light steps.
“Thank you so much.”
“Okay, I don’t know where you’re going, but I hope you have a good time there.”
“yes. “Good luck to you, warrior!”
A hum came out naturally.
I must have had a hearty breakfast too.
I must have said a friendly hello to the gatekeeper.
He must have received plenty of money from Minister Wang!
“It’s perfect weather for a long trip!”
Even the cloudless sky and the cool breeze seemed to bless my future.
My shoulders began to shake as I thought that I could finally escape this horrible village.
I stretched and walked leisurely across the street.
The past three days have been troublesome in many ways.
The servants are flocking to Mangeomdaeju to share a farewell drink, asking if they can give him a treat once again with the governor who comes day and night and begs for leniency.
The head of the family, Chocheon-gun, even came to visit in person and asked if he could stay as a guest for a while and help with the affairs of the family.
He said he would pay enough price.
Of course, I politely declined the offer.
Would you be crazy to get involved in the dispute between the Manjangsega and the Cheonhyangsega?
There was no reason to do that, and I had no desire to do so.
‘The destination is Sacheon.’
It was something I had been thinking about for quite some time.
When I leave Manjangse, where should I go?
‘I feel like I want to go to Honam and go through the immigration process.’
It’s not like I didn’t think about applying to the Murim Alliance right away.
However, it was judged to be premature and decided to put it on hold.
‘They said the more urgent you are, the better you should go back.’
With my current skills, joining the program itself would not have been that difficult.
However, standing out after joining the alliance was another matter.
What I wanted to become was an elder of the Murim Alliance, not a low-level warrior of the Alliance.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to join the club from an early age, gradually gain experience, and advance your status step by step.
It will definitely have its own advantages.
However, such a method had as many disadvantages as advantages.
‘It’s so normal.’
If a person who is not from the old clan or the five generations wants to enter the Senate, the more spectacular his or her achievements during active service are, the better.
So it had to be unconventional rather than plain.
I had to leave as strong an impression as possible and attract the attention of the public.
‘If my memory from my past life is right, the Yongbong branch will be held in five years from now.’
Yongbong Branch (龍鳳之會).
It was a term referring to a large-scale event that brought together the best late-stage exponents from all over and competed against each other.
Of course, the real purpose of hosting this competition is not to determine the strongest review index, but what about everyone else?
Shouldn’t we use what is available?
‘Winning the Yongbong branch would be a pretty good resume.’
It was not a decision made simply with topicality in mind.
In addition to the luxurious prize, the winner of the Yongbong branch competition is given one additional privilege.
You have the privilege of being able to choose and apply to the department you want among dozens of departments.
‘So, I will postpone my blindness by five years.’
Of course, I had no intention of wasting five years doing nothing.
There was too much work to do.
‘First, regain the level you achieved in your previous life.’
In the end, Moorim was all about strength.
If you have power, you can achieve anything, but if you don’t have power, you can’t achieve anything.
That’s why I decided to go to Sacheon.
The area where I mainly worked during my time in Magyo was Sacheon.
Naturally, Sacheon was the place where memories of one’s past life could be utilized most efficiently.
‘First, go to the nearby port country and see if there is a port heading to Sacheon… Hmm?’
As I was walking leisurely, I felt the presence of someone running towards me in a hurry.
As I stopped and waited with a puzzled expression, a man with a strict look appeared from afar.
The man who stopped in front of me, panting, put his hands on his knees and caught his breath.
“Is there a problem?”
“Whoa whoa.” “Now just a moment.”
It was a familiar face.
Wang Ilsang.
He was Hao Wen-tao, a servant of the Wanzhang family and a local lord-level official.
Why did this guy suddenly come after me?
When that question arose, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and opened his mouth.
“This is a message from the branch manager. “He told me to come to Hwawolru at noon today.”
“What does that mean all of a sudden?”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to become Hao Wen’s customer?”
“…!”
Now that I think about it, something like that happened.
I had been so busy that I had forgotten about it.
By the way, if you’re going to call, you should call right away. What’s the point of giving an answer now, three years after sending the message?
I looked down at Wang Il-sang’s ankles and asked him a question.
“Has it changed?”
“…….”
There was no answer, but the expression alone was enough to tell.
The ankle tattoo symbolizing Haomundo has changed several times over the past three years, just as I predicted.
‘That’s pretty much it. It looks like the message I sent earlier didn’t reach Hao Wen’s leadership, right?’
In all likelihood, someone higher up would have decided that the content was not that important and blocked it in the middle.
Only after receiving orders from superiors to change the sign did they realize the seriousness of the situation and quickly report it.
Anyway, I had no reason to decline the invitation.
I nodded, pretending to smile brightly.
“All right. “Please tell the branch manager that I will visit you on time.”
* * *
Hwawolru (花月樓).
I had some expectations when I heard the name, but it turned out to be Giru (妓樓).
I remember occasionally hearing warriors from the Manjang family talk about this place.
Did you say that it is the largest of the nearby giru?
‘Besides that, the size of the building seems a bit strange. Well, since Giru is located in such a remote corner of the country, it’s only natural.’
It was a two-story building with lots of red lanterns hanging under the eaves.
Perhaps because it was midday, there didn’t seem to be many customers.
After checking the sword strapped to my belt, I confidently headed to the main gate of the base.
“welcome. “You came just on time.”
“……?”
“Louju is waiting. “You can go to the room located at the very back of this floor.”
I was worried that they might stop me, saying it wasn’t the place for a young guy like you, but the man guarding the entrance obediently let me into the store.
It seemed like he had been told something in advance.
“ha ha ha!”
“Ho ho ho!”
Although there were few customers, there seemed to be no shortage of customers. The moment I entered the store, a loud noise penetrated my ears.
A long hallway with paper doors lined up on both sides.
The soft playing sound and the doors painted in various colors gave off a decadent feel.
‘I don’t like it.’
I frowned for some reason.
It wasn’t that I particularly disliked the place called Giru.
I feel uncomfortable only because the residence of the Blood Flower Witch gave off a similar atmosphere.
Hundreds of young men died or became maimed after their vital energy was sucked out by the old monster.
I almost became one of those victims.
“welcome. Soun Sohyeop.”
As the doorman said, I entered the room located in the innermost part of this floor, and an old woman with gray hair stood up and greeted me.
“Are you Hua Yue Luzhu?”
“yes. We prepared a drinking table in advance. “Please come over here and sit down.”
“Just to confirm, are you the branch manager of Hao Wen who invited me here?”
“That’s right.”
The old woman nodded with a gentle smile on her lips.
I obediently sat down in the seat she suggested and looked around.
“Hwaa, come here and offer Sohyup a drink.”
“I will.”
A young woman who had been waiting in the corner at the old woman’s call sat down next to her and picked up a bottle of alcohol.
She was quite a beauty.
In terms of appearance alone, she was not far behind Cho Yeon-hee or Yu So-hwa.
“What is the name of the?”
“yes?”
“I asked what your name was.”
“They say the girl is calligraphy and painting. “Among customers, it is more commonly called ‘cherry blossom’.”
I chuckled and watched her pour the drink into a glass.
I thought it felt a bit strange.
These people sat down in pairs selling medicine.
If it weren’t for the memories of my past life, I would have been fooled.
The old woman asked me in a subtle tone what I was thinking when she saw me like that.
“Do you like this child?”
“I thought she was a beautiful person.”
“Thank you for a good look. “This child will be happy too.”
“By the way, how old is Sojeo Seohwa?”
“What a small spoon. “I am not worthy of being called that.”
“No matter how I call you, it’s up to me. So, how old are you?”
“I’m twenty-three this year.”
“You are young.”
“In terms of youth, you are much better than Xiaohyup…”
“I think it is amazing that you are the branch leader of Haomun at that age.”
“…!”
“Let’s stop the useless exploratory battle and get straight to the point.”
The movement of the woman who was returning the bottle to its place suddenly stopped.
The old woman, who had been staring at us with a happy expression, also hardened her face.
“…How did you know?”
“You admit it more easily than I thought. “I thought you would pretend not to know.”
“Isn’t this not just anyone else, but a small group with a history of leaking the clan’s top secrets once? “I judged that it would be meaningless to take away the statement since it was said with such confidence.”
“okay.”
“Now tell me. “How did you know?”
“What if I say I don’t want to teach you?”
“Whether or not to accept Xiaoyun Xiaoxiao as a customer of Hao Wen. “The decision-making authority is entrusted to me.”
“Are you saying that I will be at a disadvantage if I don’t teach you?”
“From the perspective of the text, we have no choice but to do so. “I hope you understand.”
“I don’t think this is something someone who tried to deceive people from the first meeting would say.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Plus, you subtly lied again.”
“yes? “What do you mean by that?”
“Isn’t it a lie to say that you have been delegated the authority to decide whether or not to accept me as a customer of Hao Wen?”
“…….”
“It’s not Sojeo who has the power to make decisions, but rather it’s him hiding in the ceiling, eavesdropping on the story. “Isn’t that right?”
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwak!
As soon as he finished speaking, the ceiling collapsed.
There was a loud noise and debris flew in all directions.
At the same time, a black seal fell down at an incredible speed, scattering memorization.
‘You also have an impatient personality!’
I pulled out the sword from my waist and jumped up from my seat.
If I had been in a situation like this three years ago, when I had no power, I would have taken a more cautious approach.
Rather than provoking them, you must have gently coaxed them to get the results you wanted.
But now that I have the power, I don’t feel the need to do so.
There is no reason to go round and round when the easiest way to gain an upper hand in negotiations is right in front of you.
Kakakang!
After cutting out all the memorized weapons, I opened my eyes with the Wolyeonggeom towards the man who covered his whole body with a black night robe and mask.
The third herbivorous full moon.
The sword’s trajectory drew a large circle.
As if responding, the masked man crossed the daggers he held in both hands and hurled them.
Whoa!
A strong crash sound echoed throughout the room.