Zhuge Qing entered the conference room where a round table was placed and put a wooden box on the table.

Namgung Min, who was sitting opposite, tilted his head.

"What is that?"

"A present."

"A present?"

"It contains evidence that the Jo Alliance Leader was as close as brothers with the Demonic Cult."

At those words, he opened the wooden box and saw several ledgers and records.

Namgung Min frowned at the fact that the ledger was from the Gangnam Grand Inn.

"If this comes out into the world now, what do you think people will say? They will say that our alliance lives off the money sent by the minions of the Demonic Cult."

Although it was annoying, Zhuge Qing's words were true.

The gold coins from the Gangnam Grand Inn were a great help to the Martial Alliance. Many in the alliance also knew that.

But if it were said that the Gangnam Grand Inn was related to the Demonic Cult, their reaction would be as clear as day.

Zhuge Qing, as if frustrated, unfolded his fan and fanned himself.

"This is a matter that brings trouble, so we must sort it out. It's a problem that will end if the orthodox faction's people operate the Grand Inn, so what's so difficult?"

At Zhuge Qing's words, Namgung Min's expression hardened. He had to keep his promise with Jin Sa-wol.

"We must look at it in the long term."

Zhuge Qing said once more.

Namgung Min opened the ledger. It was recorded that a large amount of money from the Grand Inn had flowed into the Demonic Cult.

Zhuge Qing, seeing the silent Namgung Min, sensed that his heart was wavering.

"There are many who are after the Grand Inn."

Zhuge Qing's words meant killing with a borrowed knife.

Namgung Min closed the ledger.

"I will act as if I didn't hear."

Namgung Min, who had stood up from his seat, went upstairs. Zhuge Qing, who was watching him, organized the wooden box and then stood up.

Zhuge Qing did not dislike Namgung Min's appearance of valuing righteousness.

Zhuge Qing smiled and drank his tea.

Namgung Min had not said not to do it, but that he would act as if he hadn't heard. That was enough.

"As you command."

Zhuge Qing, who had stood up with a cupped fist salute, hummed a tune and went outside.

Before coming here, Zhuge Qing had met Son Ae-hwa. At that time, he had heard a rather interesting story.

***

The prison where Son Ae-hwa was confined was filled with the smell of filth. Since there was no chamber pot, filth was piled up in one corner.

The food was only one dumpling and a cup of water a day. Even that was a situation to be grateful for.

Zhuge Qing, who had entered holding his nose, looked at Son Ae-hwa sitting in one corner and said, "If you tell me about Jin Sa-wol, I will clean this place and give you liquor and meat."

Unlike before, Son Ae-hwa looked haggard. But at the word 'meat', her eyes flashed.

"The innkeeper killed the Blood Killing Faction Leader. Because he's a killing ghost. He also killed the Hao Faction Master. That's all I know. An outstanding assassin."

"Is that all?"

"That's all I know."

Son Ae-hwa told the truth, and Zhuge Qing came out of the prison without asking any more questions.

"Do as you promised."

"Yes."

Zhuge Qing, who had heard the guard's answer, headed for the bathroom. After washing his body and changing his clothes, he met the Martial Alliance Leader.

He could not meet the Alliance Leader wearing clothes stained with the smell of filth.

***

Jin Sa-wol, who had opened his eyes in the morning, breathed in the cold air seeping into his lungs and looked around.

The moment he got on the carriage, his vital points were pressed by Jang Cho, and he fell asleep.

When he woke up after that, it was another place.

The faint smell of food tickled his nose. It seemed the kitchen was nearby.

As he got up, opened the door, and went out, he saw a morning table full of food.

Seo Mun-ryeon, with her hair in a topknot, was there, but there was no sign of Jang Cho or Yuk Seol-jeong.

There was a luxurious table and chairs, and celadon was also visible.

A landscape painting hung on the wall, and books were inserted in the bookshelf.

It was a place that was indistinguishable from a study, a tea room, or a dining room.

"Where is this?"

As he sat down in a chair and asked, he saw braised tofu and fried tofu, and the events of Nanchang came to mind.

"This is Hanzhong, and this is a tavern I own."

At the words 'Hanzhong', he thought he had come a long way.

"How many days was I asleep?"

"About a day and a half?"

"I don't see Pavilion Master Jang."

"He said he would do well on his own and went back. He said not to skip meals and decoctions."

Seo Mun-ryeon, who had picked up her chopsticks, ate the braised tofu, cupped her chin, and looked at Jin Sa-wol.

Countless lights like the Milky Way sparkled in her pupils.

Although her gaze was very burdensome, Jin Sa-wol tried his best to ignore it and ate his food.

Seo Mun-ryeon placed a piece of fried tofu on Jin Sa-wol's rice bowl and gave a pleased smile.

"Please eat."

Rather than thinking it was a favor, he was curious about the reason why she was doing that.

"If there's something you want from me, tell me."

"How do you fight so well? It's the first time I've seen the Cult Leader so flustered and surprised."

Jin Sa-wol ignored her words.

"By the way, that bastard said... son? What's this about a son?"

Jin Sa-wol, who was picking up a piece of tofu with his chopsticks, momentarily stopped his movement and looked at Seo Mun-ryeon.

Although his internal energy was almost gone, the atmosphere turned cold.

Seo Mun-ryeon also felt it. But she was not nervous. Because she knew well what Jin Sa-wol's physical condition was.

"The only people who heard it properly were me and the Na family head, but didn't the Na family head ask?"

"I didn't hear."

"Is that so? Well... since a sword entered your belly, you must have been out of your mind."

Unlike her words, Seo Mun-ryeon's expression was one of disbelief.

"We're meeting for the first time, but we're eating together without any introduction. We seem to be very close. Hohoho! I am Seo Mun-ryeon."

"Jin Sa-wol."

"I know."

"I know too."

"Why the informal speech?"

"If you don't like it, you can do it too."

"Alright."

At Seo Mun-ryeon's answer, Jin Sa-wol put down his chopsticks and drank his tea.

"Don't do it."

"What?"

"It's unpleasant."

At Jin Sa-wol's words, Seo Mun-ryeon looked at Jin Sa-wol with an expression of disbelief. Her expression was one of being at a loss for words because it was so absurd.

'This bastard is crazy too? How come there are no sane men or women in the Demonic Cult?'

When others saw her, Seo Mun-ryeon was also a crazy bitch, but one usually thinks of oneself as normal.

"The reason I brought you out of the cult is because I was leaving the cult anyway, so I brought you along. If you're going to repay the favor, there's no need to."

"I will."

"No, repay it. I feel bad."

Seo Mun-ryeon was feeling the satisfaction of having hit him once with a pleased smile.

Jin Sa-wol felt unnecessarily tired.

Jin Sa-wol, drinking his tea, asked, "Why did you leave the Demonic Cult?"

"The executives and elders of the Demonic Cult said so. That I was that bastard's favorite concubine. Since I was called often, they must have misunderstood. Or someone informed them so."

"Is it the Dokgo family?"

"It's true that the Dokgo family's bastards are unlucky, but they're not that low. It must be Ma Chung. Ma Chung is now stuck to Gung Ma-yeop."

As Ma Chung was mentioned, Jin Sa-wol showed a faint smile.

"I heard you could have killed Ma Chung, why did you let him live?"

"I thought someone would kill him if the Cult Leader disappeared. There was no need to dirty my own hands."

"Killing with a borrowed knife? But you failed?"

He should have teased her for failing, but he was not in the mood. Because Ma Chung was alive and keeping him in check.

Even Jin Sa-wol had not expected this result.

'Gung Ma-yeop and Na Hyeon-gi have joined hands.'

Dealing with Ma Chung was Na Hyeon-gi's share. If he hadn't killed him, it had to be seen that Ma Chung and Na Hyeon-gi were in the same boat.

There must have been various circumstances, and they seemed to be entangled in a complicated relationship. But in reality, it was simple.

The desire to become the Cult Leader.

"If I stay in the cult, I might die, so I'm going to the Central Plains. I've decided to become the Hao Faction Master."

"That's good."

"Come under me. Then you will know everything you are curious about."

Although it was a statement thrown out like a joke, it was sincere.

If a person with such high martial arts as Jin Sa-wol was with her, there was nothing more reassuring.

What the Hao Faction traded was information. There was nothing more important than information in the world.

Jin Sa-wol threw out words that could not help but surprise the brightly smiling Seo Mun-ryeon.

"I killed Mun-hyeok."

It meant that he was an enemy of the Seo Mun family.

Seo Mun-ryeon's expression changed completely. A sharp edge like a blade began to flow from her entire body.

It was a strong prayer. If Jin Sa-wol's body were as usual, it would be nothing, but now it was a sufficient threat.

"I expected it, but hearing the truth feels strange."

Mun-hyeok was her cousin named Seo Mun Ja-gang. Since he had died, she couldn't help but be angry.

"If you didn't know, it would mean the Hwayeong Pavilion Master has no ability."

"Hohoho!"

Seo Mun-ryeon laughed with a composed face, changed the subject, and said, "Now is a chaotic time for the cult, so I've temporarily taken refuge, but when a Cult Leader emerges and the cult stabilizes, I plan to return. So if you build a friendship with me, it will be beneficial to you too."

It was Seo Mun-ryeon who was fluently talking about things she hadn't been asked.

"I'm not interested in such stories."

Jang Cho came in.

Seeing him, Jin Sa-wol asked Seo Mun-ryeon, "Didn't you say he went back?"

"That's right. He went back. But he came back again?"

"The Chung Pavilion is not far from Seo Mun. If you go by lightness skill, it's about a quarter of an hour's distance."

Hearing Jang Cho's explanation, Jin Sa-wol knew that Jang Cho's house was nearby.

Jang Cho asked Seo Mun-ryeon.

"When is the Seo Mun Pavilion Master scheduled to depart?"

"I'm leaving at noon."

Seo Mun-ryeon smiled, stood up from her seat, and then patted Jin Sa-wol's shoulder.

"See you again soon."

Hearing her low whisper, Jin Sa-wol shook his head.

But since Seo Mun-ryeon had already gone outside, she could not see Jin Sa-wol's disgusted expression.

"You'll have to rest here for more than a month. Since it's still difficult to even circulate your qi, don't go anywhere and stay here."

Jin Sa-wol nodded without a word.

He thought it was rather a good thing. On this occasion, he could rest enough and train his martial arts.

Since he had lived a busy life so far, he had lacked a lot of time to calmly train his martial arts.

Jin Sa-wol stood up from his seat, went into his room, and practiced qi circulation.

In the meantime, Jang Cho laughed happily and made the most bitter decoction he knew.

***

A three-story pavilion was built on a reed field full of fog.

Inside the pavilion sat a middle-aged man with a pale complexion.

He was a person with sharp, slanted eyes and thin lips that looked malicious.

With urgent footsteps, a man wearing a black bamboo hat and black clothes came up to the pavilion and prostrated himself.

He held out a letter and said, "It flew in with an arrow onto the anchored boat."

"The opponent?"

"We couldn't find him."

At the subordinate's answer, the middle-aged man took the letter with an angry face.

"Find him."

"As you command!"

As the subordinate answered with a loud voice and went down, the middle-aged man unfolded the letter.

-The one who killed the Blood Killing Faction Leader is the Gangnam Grand Inn.

"Hoo hoo!"

The middle-aged man laughed without realizing it and then whistled. Then, the waiting subordinates gathered inside the pavilion.

"Gather at Nosan."

"As you command!"

(End of Chapter)