"The Beggar Gang is moving."

"The Beggar Gang?"

"Yes."

At Huang Yunshang's words, Zhuge Wuhui let out a knowing laugh.

The source of the recent rumors stirring up the southern part of Dongting Lake was naturally them.

Of course, the Tang Family, which had bought the Gongsun family's estate, hadn't done anything yet.

All they had done was attack the gambling den.

It could have been dismissed as something that might happen, but there was always the possibility of something more.

Why would a mid-tier faction from Sichuan come all the way to Dongting Lake?

There must be an intention, and that intention had to be crushed from the beginning.

You couldn't cook rice just to feed it to dogs, could you?

So he had quietly spread rumors.

He couldn't do it openly, so he used commoners.

Since the Beggar Gang frequented the Gongsun family, he didn't want to create unnecessary noise.

No matter how uneducated a beggar was, you couldn't carelessly dig into commoner affairs.

If you did, there would be no "officials don't interfere with commoners," and you could immediately face official sanctions.

But these crazy bastards, for whatever reason, had unleashed every beggar in Dongting Lake to track down the source of the rumors.

"The Beggar Gang must be crazy. Digging into commoner affairs?"

"Surely they won't use forceful methods? If they have any sense, they know what friction with officials would cause, so at most they'll just try to identify the source."

"True enough... unless the branch is willing to be completely expelled."

Zhuge Wuhui nodded at Huang Yunshang's words.

"But there's no way they'll trace it back to us, right?"

"No. I chose people who like to gossip, and I spread the word discreetly, so they won't even remember who they heard it from."

"Are you certain?"

"I've already verified it several times and repeatedly instructed the men. Even if the Beggar Gang does everything, there's no way it will lead back to us."

"Good, good."

Zhuge Wuhui nodded with satisfaction.

"Cheonyeong Tang, you said?"

"Yes."

"Damn bastard. How dare he refuse when I ask to meet him? I'll make sure he can't even set foot in Dongting Lake."

A sinister smile appeared on his jade-like face, and Huang Yunshang laughed along and spoke.

"That will surely be the case. With the people's hearts turned away, what can they do?"

"Exactly. That's why we waited for the Gongsun family to completely collapse."

"When shall we begin the operation?"

"Operation? Well..."

Zhuge Wuhui, after brief consideration, curled his lips and spoke.

"Let him fall a bit deeper into the abyss first. If he becomes the villain of the world, won't the people cheer even louder when we step in?"

"Understood. I'll instruct my men to prepare thoroughly."

"Yes, but just to be safe, keep watch on the Tang Family's movements. If Cheonyeong Tang intends to establish a branch in Dongting Lake, he'll surely summon his martial artists."

"Since they're close with Gunsan Faction, they'll likely come by water."

"Ha ha, are you reading my thoughts now?"

"Second Young Master, it's already been ten years for me. Surely I'm not worse than a dog at a village school?"

"Ha ha! This man, your wit has grown!"

"You're too kind."

As Huang Yunshang showed humility, Zhuge Wuhui, who had been laughing pleasantly, suddenly had a thought and nodded slightly.

"The waterway. That's good."

"Yes?"

"If they come by water, let's add one more rumor."

"Which one?"

"Isn't it already solidifying that they're unorthodox? So let's just add one more thing."

"Perhaps?"

"Ha ha, you understood already?"

"Yes. 'The Tang Family is allied with the evil Gunsan Faction,' isn't it?"

"Exactly, let's make it a bit more concrete."

"I'd like to hear your thoughts."

Zhuge Wuhui's lips curled upward.

"'Soon the Tang Family might join forces with the water pirates and monopolize the commercial rights around Dongting Lake,' something like that?"

"Oh! That's excellent. I'll implement it immediately."

"We'll make our appearance around that time. The Second Young Master of the Zhuge family driving out the Tang Family, which colluded with ruffians and evil water pirates, thus protecting Dongting Lake's peace."

"Indeed, your strategy is remarkable, Second Young Master."

"Strategy? I'm just thinking about presenting Dongting Lake to Father. He only thought of the north, but if I give him the entire Dongting Lake, how pleased would he be?"

"Ha ha! Quite right. Why not aim for a higher position this time? But you mustn't forget about me."

"Of course! How could I forget my aide? I'm always grateful."

"You're too kind... I'll remain by your side for life, Second Young Master."

Laughter filled Zhuge Wuhui's quarters.

* * *

A dark night.

On the mountainside of the southern part of Dongting Lake, in an abandoned temple, three men with sacks over their heads were kneeling.

It was absurd.

They had been suddenly kidnapped while drinking and trying to catch a glimpse of a courtesan.

Meanwhile, the kidnappers had put sacks over their heads so they couldn't see anything, tied their hands behind their backs, and made them kneel.

There were sounds of people moving around, but they didn't speak, so the men's bodies trembled.

How much time had passed?

"Are these them?"

A young man's voice was heard.

"Yes, we found them by asking around."

"And behind them?"

"That's a bit strange."

"What is?"

"They can't remember where they heard such rumors at all."

"Hmm, is that so?"

"What should we do? It seems difficult to find out more..."

"From here on, leave it to me and withdraw."

"Yes?"

"If you get more involved, it will be problematic, won't it?"

"That's true, but... what exactly are you going to do?"

"I have my ways."

A brief silence fell.

"Go back. I'll handle the rest."

"Sigh, understood. Then..."

The voice stopped.

The sounds of people also disappeared.

Those with sacks over their heads, not knowing what was happening, could only wait in tension.

Whoosh.

Shortly after, the sacks were removed.

With their suddenly brightened vision, all three men frowned.

And in the now-clear space stood a single man.

A masked man with only his eyes visible.

"Who?"

Bang!

"Ugh!"

He had only asked who it was.

But immediately a fist flew, and the man struck fell to the ground.

"I ask the questions."

No further explanation was needed.

Just seeing the fist strike and the man crash to the ground was sufficient.

The two other men's eyes widened in shock, and they froze, nodding.

As the masked man's chilling gaze turned toward them, the man on the ground quickly stood up and knelt in line.

Sometimes a killing intent in one's eyes conveys meaning better than a single word.

The masked man was Cheonyeong Tang.

He had sent the Beggar Gang away not for their benefit, but for his own.

From now on, he needed to reveal a hidden aspect of himself, and no one else must ever see it.

Assassin 'Sagyou.'

He hadn't known he would use that name this way.

But what did it matter?

He could just add another notorious name to Jingagu.

"Let me introduce myself first. I'm an assassin from a place called Jingagu."

"A-An assassin...!"

The startled men opened their mouths then quickly closed them.

One lesson was enough for education.

Only their greatly widened eyes revealed their true feelings.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. There's no real benefit to it."

At what seemed like a slight laugh, the men felt momentary relief.

Though it wasn't very reassuring.

But then Cheonyeong, his eyes visible above the mask narrowed in a smile, spoke.

"Instead, I'll make you wish you were dead. Until I get the answers I want."

"Yes?"

"So, shall we begin?"

"W-Wait! What did we do wrong...?"

One man desperately tried to speak, but as Cheonyeong's sleeve fluttered, the man's voice seemed to cut off.

He only gaped.

"What did you do wrong?"

"..."

"You didn't know? Mouths need to be handled very carefully. A single word can change someone's life. But what about you?"

"..."

"You carelessly wagged your loose mouths. Spreading things you didn't even know as if they were facts. That's your crime."

Cheonyeong grabbed the first man and dragged him out.

With only his neck and two legs able to move, the man desperately shook his head and thrashed his legs.

"Tsk."

Crunch!

Cheonyeong crushed the man's leg without hesitation.

There was no sound, but the man's eyes bulged as he tried to scream.

"What, we're far from the village, so even if you scream your lungs out, no one will hear. But I don't like noise, so I've sealed your acupoint. You won't be loud either."

"...!"

"But I'll leave the speech acupoint alone. That way you can clearly see what happens to your friend next."

Though there was no need to be kind, Cheonyeong added explanations to his actions.

How to terrify someone?

It was very simple.

Inflict pain.

And make them watch that pain happen to someone beside them.

Unless they were trained to withstand interrogation, that was enough.

Already their imagination alone would make their skin crawl at the thought of what they would endure.

Especially those with loose mouths were mostly like this.

From experience...

Crunch!

Another leg shattered.

"Ah, I made a mistake? I should have asked questions first."

Throughout, Cheonyeong's eyes held a smile, appearing to the men like a cruel demon.

What couldn't a man do who crushed people's legs without hesitation?

Terrified, the men's pants became wet.

"The things you spread about the Tang Family, where did you hear them? From now on, whenever you remember even the smallest detail, signal by nodding your head. Understand?"

That day the men had to nod their heads so vigorously their necks nearly broke, and they had to recall even the types and number of side dishes they had eaten days before.

And after all their limbs were shattered, the men were abandoned in a place where people from the village frequently passed.

Cheonyeong had obtained satisfactory answers.

"Should we leave them?"

"Killing would be cleaner, honestly. They spread rumors about the Tang Family carelessly."

"Yes?"

"Ah, wasn't that what you were asking?"

As Cheonyeong removed his mask and smiled brightly, Oweng Gae looked at him with a startled expression.

For just a moment, goosebumps covered his entire body.

The way his eyes spoke of death was too indifferent.

"Ahem, I meant to ask whether leaving them would cause any problems later."

"Ah, I see. Don't worry. They'll know I'm an assassin, so there won't be any aftermath."

"An assassin?"

"Yes."

"How so?"

"They like to gossip, don't they? You can't seal their mouths without killing them. So I created a false identity. You know? The assassin organization the Beggar Gang has been pursuing recently?"

"Ah!"

Oweng Gae finally nodded in understanding.

Why would he have pretended to be an assassin?

Because of the Beggar Gang.

So the Beggar Gang wouldn't bear the stigma of touching commoners.

"But the source of the rumors...?"

"I found out. It's a very small clue, though."

"A small clue?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"You don't need to know."

"Yes?"

"I told you, didn't I? The Beggar Gang should withdraw now. Finding these three is enough."

"So you'll handle the rest alone?"

"Yes."

"It will be too much for you. We'll help."

"You don't need to help."

"Yes?"

"I'm sufficient alone."

At those words, Oweng Gae looked puzzled, but Cheonyeong simply smiled broadly.

The Beggar Gang had been necessary to quickly find the source with manpower.

But now that he had found a clue to the source, he didn't need them.

Perhaps those who created the rumors already knew the Beggar Gang was pursuing them.

They would know people had been kidnapped.

So if he moved the Beggar Gang here, the source of the rumors might disappear without a trace.

So the Beggar Gang stops here.

It needs to appear as if they've lost the trail.

From now on, he moves alone.

That's better.

And I am Sagyou, the assassin.

With just a few clues, finding a person is nothing.

(End of Chapter)