Chapter 16
To think it said, "Eliminate Little Evil."
Of course, when Jaseong saw this, his face grew puzzled.
"Little Evil... just what exactly does it refer to?"
Jaseong rested his chin on his hand and muttered to himself.
There were more than enough villains in the martial world these days—far too many.
There were the Dark Path gangs feeding on blood through human trafficking and pillage, corrupt officials gnawing away at the bones of commoners and slaves.
There were cults experimenting with demonic arts using people as materials, and the so-called Righteous Faction, who pretended to be just, but when an extraordinary elixir or manual appeared in the martial world, they would lose their minds to snatch it up, and so on.
It was truly an age of endless villains.
For now, Jaseong went to look for Hyang-I.
Inside the inner quarters of Moon Castle Pavilion, Hyang-I was wearing a red silk skirt, reviewing the ledger on the table.
'In just three months, Hyang-I has risen swiftly.'
With the Pavilion Mistress of Moon Castle Pavilion having gone to the capital and become a sponsor of the Hao Sect, Hyang-I had been appointed as the head courtesan of Moon Castle Pavilion.
Hyang-I, with her excellence in poetry and calligraphy among all the courtesans, was the perfect fit to be in charge of the pavilion's internal affairs.
"Huh? Leader, what brings you here?"
Upon noticing Jaseong, Hyang-I looked up, closed the ledger with a delighted face, and approached.
Her feline, slightly upturned eyes sparkled in the lamplight.
"I came to ask if anyone worthy of being called 'Little Evil' has shown up in Ansun lately."
"Little Evil?"
Hyang-I thought for a moment and then shook her head.
"Ever since the rumor spread that the Iron Ring Fortress bandits were exterminated by Hao Sect experts, there haven't been any new Dark Path groups in Ansun. With no one collecting protection fees, the merchants are enjoying a period of great peace."
"I see...."
"If we really had to look for someone to call 'Little Evil'...."
"?"
"Do you remember the Dark Path group Kaiyang Society I mentioned earlier?"
Jaseong nodded.
Along with Fierce Sky Faction, Kaiyang Society was the most notorious Dark Path gang in Guizhou Province.
They had a long-standing rivalry with Fierce Sky Faction, in particular.
"If there are any deserving to be called evil, the closest would be Kaiyang Society. I heard there are many commoners weeping blood because of them."
"Weeping blood?"
"They ransack storehouses and safes at will, claiming it's protection fees. And for those merchants who can't pay up, they even kidnap family members...."
"...."
"And it's said that Kaiyang Society's leader changed recently."
"The leader changed?"
"Yes. That's the news errand boy Wiso brought. An unidentified master suddenly appeared at Kaiyang Society, eliminated the former leader, and took the seat. They say the new leader's martial arts are so powerful that Kaiyang Society's influence has grown even greater."
"...."
"It could affect our Ansun branch, so we're trying to figure out the leader's identity. I'll report as soon as we find out."
Listening to Hyang-I, Jaseong fell into thought.
'Kaiyang Society... Could the "Little Evil" described in Heaven's Mandate's third message be related to them?'
Afterward, Hyang-I made several other reports to Jaseong.
With the money Jaseong won at the Fierce Sky Faction gambling hall, he had recruited five more informants—errand boys, courtesans, coachmen, and so on.
As for the Wandering Warrior Village warriors, elder Jang was still verifying their backgrounds, almost done now, so she said Jaseong should visit Wandering Warrior Village soon.
"Oh, and leader. What did you discuss with the Fierce Sky Faction leader before?"
"?"
"You received a letter."
Hyang-I took a letter from her bosom and handed it to him.
When Jaseong opened the envelope, he immediately recognized the Fierce Sky Faction leader's handwriting.
[To the Ansun leader,
I've received word from the head of Black Blood Hall. He told me to properly instruct you on how to run an organization, so I'm sending you this letter.
Come to Gaeyang and stay for a couple of months.
You'll see how a Dark Path group makes money, maintains power, and gathers intelligence.
This will be of help to your Ansun branch's operations.
Most importantly, you haven't forgotten our wager, have you?
Three months have passed, so show me how much you've grown.
—Pacheon Gong]
Of course, Jaseong hadn't forgotten the wager.
If he could last a hundred moves against the Fierce Sky Faction leader within a year, Fierce Sky Faction would become his protective force.
'I was already preparing for a rematch, so this works out just right.'
Putting the letter away, Jaseong told Hyang-I,
"I'll head to Gaeyang for a while. If anything urgent happens, send word to Fierce Sky Faction."
"Understood, master. Safe travels."
With Hyang-I seeing him off, Jaseong left Moon Castle Pavilion.
He felt a faint tension flutter in his chest, wondering what would happen in Gaeyang.
* * *
As darkness stained the sky and lights began to bloom one by one along the streets, Jaseong arrived in Gaeyang.
"Maybe I'll fill my stomach before heading straight to Fierce Sky Faction."
After several weeks surviving on only dried jerky, Jaseong was starving.
His footsteps naturally drew him toward the street where the flashy red lanterns glittered.
"Come wet your throat over here~! Our Cheongha Pavilion's wine is the finest!"
"Where are you from, great hero?"
Pretty courtesans came out onto the streets to attract customers.
It was bustling as always.
'... So Gaeyang's Red Light District really is the most famous in all of Guizhou Province. The rumors are true.'
Having grown up in the Red Light District, Jaseong passed by the courtesans' temptations with an indifferent face.
But just as he entered an inn to fill his belly, he encountered some familiar faces on the street.
"You're...?"
Two hulking figures who crossed paths with Jaseong twitched their eyes.
They were the Fierce Sky Faction gatekeepers, the Twin Tigers of Poisoned Eyes.
Since Jaseong was still wearing the same human-skin mask as last time, they recognized him instantly.
"You... what business do you have in Gaeyang this time, punk?"
One of the Twin Tigers of Poisoned Eyes gulped and asked.
Jaseong replied without care.
"Haven't you heard from the leader?"
"Heard what?"
"I came to duel the leader."
"Duel...?"
"That's right."
The eyes of the Twin Tigers of Poisoned Eyes twisted.
"Insolent brat...!"
"How dare you draw your sword against the leader?!"
The Twin Tigers growled, but there was a slight tremor in their voices.
The moment Jaseong frowned, the trembling grew even more pronounced.
"What? Insolent brat?"
Jaseong merely furrowed his brow, but at that instant, the Twin Tigers shrank back.
That vivid memory of being thrashed senseless and fainting by Jaseong flashed back into their minds.
"Hey, Poisoned Eyes. That's enough,"
Another Fierce Sky Faction martial artist blocked the Twin Tigers of Poisoned Eyes.
He was a middle-aged martial artist, his beard bushy, and he wore three swords at his hip.
About ten other martial artists stood at his side.
The middle-aged martial artist spoke again.
"I saw your skill last time, hao Sect manager."
"..."
"It's a stroke of fate to meet again—how about a drink together? We can show you what Gaeyang's Red Light District is like."
It was an unexpected offer.
But Jaseong shook his head, declining.
"I'll drink some other time."
Right now, all he wanted was to fill his belly and head straight to see the Fierce Sky Faction leader.
There was something he needed to check.
'... That hundred-move wager aside, I might also get a clue about the third message of Heaven's Mandate from the Fierce Sky Faction leader, since I couldn't find one in Ansun's Red Light District.'
Just as Jaseong was thinking to himself, it happened.
"Oh my~ So the great heroes of Fierce Sky Faction have arrived?"
A coquettish voice from some courtesan rang out.
When Jaseong turned toward the voice, he saw a woman with a cute puppy-like face mismatched with an alluring figure.
She was Nabin, reputed as the most beautiful courtesan in Gaeyang.
She wasn't a prostitute, but an artistic courtesan who played the zither, and her performances were spoken of with much acclaim.
People reportedly stood in line to see her play.
"The Pavilion Mistress has set out a table for drinks, so please drop in if you have the time."
Nabin said with a bright smile.
Given Fierce Sky Faction's dominance in the area, such hospitality was not unusual.
Of course, the Fierce Sky Faction martial artists tried, with a look of forced reluctance, to enter Cheongha Pavilion, delighted at their luck.
They offered Jaseong one more invitation.
"Hey. It's not often you get to hear a zither performance by the greatest beauty Nabin. Normally you'd pay an extra two silver to see it."
The middle-aged Fierce Sky Faction martial artist suggested again.
But Jaseong refused with a look that said not to repeat himself.
"I told you—next time."
Even though he was just a sixteen-year-old boy replying bluntly, the Fierce Sky Faction martial artists dared not say a word.
They knew well of Jaseong's formidable martial skills, and the reckless temperament that had sent their own gatekeepers to the afterlife in their headquarters' midst.
Watching such a Jaseong, Nabin widened her round eyes and asked,
"When did you become a member of Fierce Sky Faction, great hero? It's the first time I've seen your face~?"
It was another Fierce Sky Faction martial artist, not Jaseong, who replied.
"That fellow's not a member of our Fierce Sky Faction."
"Huh? Really? You seemed so close, I thought you were all with Fierce Sky Faction."
"Close? You think we're close? He's the one who flattened Dok-u and Mun Cheonseok into bloody pulps at first sight! How can we be close after that?"
"What? You're saying the Twin Tigers of Poisoned Eyes lost? To this boy—no, to this great hero...?"
"They didn't just lose. They couldn't land a single hit together, just took a beating. Hah!"
"...!"
While the Twin Tigers of Poisoned Eyes were, to Jaseong, extremely weak, within Fierce Sky Faction they were somewhere mid-ranked.
That a young boy had turned them into bloody pulps shocked courtesan Nabin into round-eyed astonishment.
"Great hero, my skills are humble, but would you allow me the honor of playing a piece on the zither for you?"
Nabin gazed at Jaseong with curiosity shining in her eyes.
'... What's with her now?'
Even under the flirtation of Gaeyang's top beauty, Jaseong showed an annoyed face.
Whether it was a zither performance or drinking and making merry, none of it was to his taste.
The only pleasure he knew was growing stronger by training his martial arts.
It was then.
"Hey! Fill this table with bamboo-leaf wine and the best appetizers!"
"And bring out only the top courtesans!"
Suddenly, rowdy shouts erupted.
When Jaseong looked toward the source of the commotion, a group of men appeared from the opposite door of Cheongha Pavilion.
They spun daggers menacingly,
spat on the ground wherever they pleased,
and wore all sorts of weapons at their waist.
Seeing these men, the Fierce Sky Faction martial artists' expressions grew stiff.
"Those damn Kaiyang Society leeches are here again."
"Kaiyang Society?"
"They're the Dark Path bastards from the nearby headquarters. Three years ago, they tried to move in on our Gaeyang pleasure quarter's rights, but our leader drove them off."
It was a familiar name for Jaseong.
Hyang-I had mentioned them recently.
A new leader had appeared in Kaiyang Society, and its influence had changed.
'... Third message of Heaven's Mandate, eliminate the Little Evil. Could it mean them?'
Especially eye-catching to Jaseong was a burly man carrying a massive iron mace that looked to weigh at least a hundred pounds.
"Of all times, he shows up while the senior officers and the leader are away."
"Who's the iron mace brute?"
"That's Gu Nuong, the 'Heartless Demon'. He's one of the top three experts in Kaiyang Society. In his wandering days, he destroyed a minor sect single-handedly."
... To have destroyed a mid-sized sect solo.
Given back-alley talk, there could be exaggeration, but he seemed a formidable expert regardless.
As Jaseong examined each Kaiyang Society thug one by one—
Ding!
More figures appeared at Cheongha Pavilion.
Two young men, splendidly adorned in silk and swords at their waist.
They emanated an aura completely different from the Dark Path members.
At a glance, you could sense they were of the Righteous Faction.
Yet for some reason, when they appeared, the Fierce Sky Faction martial artists' faces grew even more rigid.