Chapter 80
The Hubei Province branch of the Martial Arts Alliance, which we arrived at sooner than expected.
Although it was still late at night, the place was as bright as day. Because countless martial artists were holding torches and guarding the surroundings.
Since the Martial Arts Alliance is an organization that protects the order of the martial world, it has countless enemies.
Of course, one might wonder how many people would dare to attack the Martial Arts Alliance, but there could always be attempts to break in to rescue a colleague trapped in the prison, or to assassinate the branch chief.
That's why the security is so tight.
"Who are you? Identify yourself."
The martial artist guarding the entrance of the Hubei Province branch said with a slightly nervous face when he spotted me and my Master.
It's understandable. Because our clothes were splattered with blood from the fight we had just had.
My Master took out a wooden plaque from his bosom and showed it to him.
"I am Hyeon Yang of the Wudang Sect. I have come to see the branch chief."
"Huh...!"
He was surprised and after checking my Master's wooden plaque, he immediately let us in.
Since my Master frequently carries out missions for the Martial Arts Alliance, it seemed that most of the Martial Arts Alliance martial artists knew him.
A servant guided us to a small room and told us to wait there for a while.
After waiting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, someone entered the room.
He was a tall and large man with a bushy beard.
Usually, when you think of a Martial Arts Alliance member, a neat and slender swordsman comes to mind, but this person was not like that at all.
Rather, he had an appearance that would make the Green Forest bandits call him 'big brother' and follow him.
And I know who this person is.
'Heartless Saber Gwak Seok-san. Was this person originally the Hubei Province branch chief?'
In my past life, after I had made a name for myself to some extent, I was mainly active in the Martial Arts Alliance.
Since I had no affiliated family or sect, it was a natural choice in a way.
Gwak Seok-san is a person I got to know while being active in the Martial Arts Alliance. In the future, this person will become the leader of the White Tiger Brigade, the main strike force of the Martial Arts Alliance.
He gets the nickname 'Heartless Saber' because they say there is no emotion in his saber that slaughters the evil spirits, but that is a matter of several years later.
Although we were not very close, we did go on a few missions together.
It's ambiguous to say we were close, and it's also ambiguous to say we weren't close because we had saved each other's lives a few times, so it can be said that it's a really ambiguous relationship.
"I thought I misheard when they said you, Hyeon Yang, had come at this time of night, but it really was you."
"Yes. I didn't think I would come here suddenly either."
But something I hadn't thought of happened.
I hadn't thought they would know each other, but they greeted each other warmly as if they were calling a close friend.
Come to think of it, I realized that it would be stranger if the two of them didn't know each other.
Although the Wudang Sect is an independent sect, in the end, it is a sect in Hubei Province, and since it is the Martial Arts Alliance branch chief who manages the Martial Arts Alliance sects in Hubei Province, he would have no choice but to know.
And even more so in the case where they are of similar age and have similar martial arts levels.
"If you came at this time of night, it must be an urgent matter. But who is this?"
I politely bowed to him and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am Unhwi, a third-generation disciple of the Wudang Sect."
"Unhwi? If you're from the 'Un' generation, you must be just making your debut in the martial world."
"That's right. He's also my disciple."
"What, disciple?!"
He was surprised and then looked at me with a pitiful eye and said, "Tsk tsk. What sin did you commit in your past life to become the disciple of that difficult Taoist... cheer up, boy."
"No. My Master treats me very well."
"Huh? Really?"
When I nodded, Gwak Seok-san burst out laughing and said, "I can't really imagine Hyeon Yang treating someone well... but if a martial artist who had sworn he would never take a disciple in his life went back on his word and took a disciple, there must have been a reason. Let's see... it means you either have an incredibly good heart, or you have a once-in-a-millennium talent. Judging from your eyes, you must have an incredibly outstanding talent."
He said it himself and then chuckled.
Although what he said just now was no different from saying that my eyes looked rude, I didn't feel that bad.
He laughed for a long time and then said with a slightly serious face, "But, what brings you here? With blood splattered all over your clothes like that."
"Do you know about the Black Society?"
"The Black Society? I know. Those trashy things. They commit all sorts of bad deeds and then deny it like rats, pretending they didn't do it. I've been wanting to teach them a lesson someday... but those old men of the Martial Arts Alliance are always against it. They say there's no just cause. Who knows, maybe they're getting bribes from them..."
"Seok-san! Watch your words."
"No, I'm just saying. Just saying."
He even made dangerous remarks without hesitation.
Rather than him who said it, my Master was even looking at me. Perhaps because he was afraid I would misunderstand him.
But, since I have already experienced him, I don't misunderstand him at all. Because I know well that even though he talks like that, he values justice more than anyone and has a deeper loyalty than anyone.
"Why the Black Society all of a sudden? Did you get into a fight with them and kill a few on your way here? Even if those guys are in Hubei Province, it won't be easy for me to mediate. Because they are not guys who listen to me."
"That's right. We killed a few Black Society guys on our way here. About forty of them."
"What...?"
"The Black Society tried to attack the Eungnam Merchant Guild. Of course, there is evidence of that. They sent more than forty people to take over the Eungnam Merchant Guild. My disciple and I are on our way back from stopping the attack."
"What? No, this isn't just a small fight, is it? Then how many casualties were there? The people of the Eungnam Merchant Guild must have died a lot. I'll send a relief team there first. Just a moment..."
"Wait. There's no need for that."
"What? Did they all die without any injured? These dog-like things..."
"No. It means there are no injured and no dead. The two of us dealt with all of them."
"What? Is that true?!"
Gwak Seok-san was surprised and looked back and forth between me and my Master.
And the gaze returned to me again.
He looked at me a little more closely and then said, "There really was a reason you took him as your disciple."
"For now, let's talk about that later, and the reason I came to you so urgently is to strike the remaining remnants of the Black Society. Originally, we were going to take care of it ourselves without informing the Martial Arts Alliance. Because it is right that we, who have signed a sponsorship agreement with the Eungnam Merchant Guild, should be responsible for the Black Society's affairs. But, isn't attacking an innocent merchant guild and trying to kill the disciples of the Wudang Sect a matter for the Martial Arts Alliance to step in?"
"They tried to kill the disciples of the Wudang Sect?"
"Five of my disciples, including my disciple, were attacked by Unorthodox Faction guys on their way down from the mountain. Fortunately, they defeated all of them and came to the merchant guild safely. And we found evidence that the Black Society was behind the attack."
"These...! The guys who deserve to be fried in shit water dared to lay a hand on the disciples of the Nine Factions?"
And the next thing was a smooth process.
Gwak Seok-san, who was more angry than my Master or me, had his subordinates strike the Black Society.
Since he had to guard his position, he didn't go himself but sent his deputy, but if we hadn't been watching, he might have gone himself and slaughtered them.
Seeing about a hundred Martial Arts Alliance martial artists dispatched to the Black Society, my Master bowed his head to Gwak Seok-san.
"Thank you. For taking care of it so quickly."
"They were a pain in the neck anyway. I'm rather grateful that you gave me a reason to pull them out. But where are you guys planning to go now?"
"We have to go and catch the head of the Black Society. Because the Black Society will really end only when we catch him."
"The head of the Black Society? Do you know who that is? No one should know the identity of the head of the Black Society... did you torture a Black Society guy and get his name?"
"Just know that we found out by chance. The head of the Black Society... was the White-Faced Gentleman, Lee Mun-hak."
"What?!"
He shouted in surprise, and the sound was so loud that I thought my eardrums would burst.
My Master had a hard time calming him down, who was so excited.
Gwak Seok-san repeatedly asked if it was true, how he knew, and if there was evidence, and my Master just answered that he was short on time now and would tell him separately later.
Since he couldn't tell Gwak Seok-san that he had gotten the information from the Haomun, it was to avoid this situation for now and come up with a suitable reason with me.
My Master, after talking with him a little more and calming Gwak Seok-san down, stood up from his seat and said, "For now, since he might notice and run away, we have to go and catch him first."
"Do you know where Lee Mun-hak is now? Isn't his whereabouts unclear?"
"We got that information too. If it's tomorrow, we won't know where he'll hide, so we have to go now. Hwi-ya, get up quickly. We have a long way to go."
"Yes, Master."
When I stood up from my seat following my Master, Gwak Seok-san looked at my Master intently and said, "Wait a minute. As the branch chief, I can't just stand by and watch this. I'll go with you."
"You?"
"Yes. Lee Mun-hak is a better master than you think. I've given him missions from the Martial Arts Alliance from time to time, and there were times when he carried out first-class missions alone. It might be dangerous for you alone."
"I can handle that much."
"Do I not know that? But what if you get hurt trying to handle him alone? I'll be your strength."
He told us to wait in front of the main gate of the Hubei Province branch of the Martial Arts Alliance, and then he unfolded his footwork and ran somewhere.
Perhaps he was going to get his weapon and come back.
I went to the main gate with my Master and waited for him and talked.
"It's a good thing, Master. If a master of the branch chief's level goes with us, it will be much easier to capture him."
"Capture him?"
"Yes. If the two of us go, we'll have no choice but to kill him, but since we have a reliable support, we can capture him now. We can interrogate him about all the evil deeds and bad things he has done so far. If he dies, everything is over, but if he's alive, that's when the real beginning is."
A sly smile appeared on my Master's lips.
I could smell the strong scent of blood from that smile.
***
Sohyang Giru is a small courtesan house near Xiangyang.
Although it's called a courtesan house, there are only a few courtesans, and thanks to that, it hardly receives any customers, but it's a place where business is still maintained.
Because the almost only customer of the courtesan house is the White-Faced Gentleman, Lee Mun-hak, and he pours so much money into this place that they don't have to receive other customers.
To put it simply, it's no different from Lee Mun-hak's villa.
So Sohyang Giru doesn't even join the Haomun until it closes down after Lee Mun-hak dies at my hands.
I don't know if it was because the White-Faced Gentleman was holding out, so there was no need to join the Haomun, or if Lee Mun-hak settled down here because he didn't join the Haomun, but it's a chicken-and-egg problem.
"Haha... so the White-Faced Gentleman was usually staying here? That's why I couldn't find out where he was."
Gwak Seok-san, who was looking up at Sohyang Giru, burst out laughing as if he was dumbfounded.
The courtesan house is so shabby that it doesn't seem to be a courtesan house that is currently in business, and there are no particular decorations.
Usually, they are decorated splendidly by hanging lanterns of various colors.
"Hey. You said your name was Unhwi, right?"
"Yes, Branch Chief."
"As I said before, Lee Mun-hak is a great master. Don't try to block his sword as a third-generation disciple and get a beating, but fight in a way that avoids his sword as much as possible."
"Ah, yes. I understand."
I answered without sincerity.
It's natural to say that in a way. But does he say that even after seeing the footwork I unfolded while running here?
My Master also let out a small laugh.
It seems he was imagining Gwak Seok-san's surprised face a little while later.
"The White-Faced Gentleman will be sleeping on the highest floor over there."
"The highest floor? You mean the room where the window is visible?"
"No. There's one more floor above that. There are no windows, but there are stairs going up and down in two directions, so it's a special room made to be easy to escape in any direction."
"He's a cunning guy."
"So I think we should split up in two directions and..."
"Is there a need for that?"
As I was explaining, Gwak Seok-san cut me off and came in.
When I looked at him, wondering what he was going to say.
"If there are no windows, we can just make a window. Everyone, follow me."
He unfolded his footwork and jumped over the wall, and then on the next leap, he landed on the second floor of the courtesan house.
And then he went up one floor, and another, and then. He was finally able to reach the place I had pointed to.
"Good. There don't seem to be any other masters. You're saying this is the place?"
Hoo-uk!
By the time my Master and I followed him up, he had already taken out a greatsword the size of a small child's torso and was injecting his energy into it.
And the moment I was about to say something, he swung the greatsword.
Kwa-a-ang!!
With a loud noise as if a bomb had exploded right in front of us, the wall collapsed, and a hole big enough for a person to go in and out was made.
And inside, one naked man and two women could be seen.
Gwak Seok-san looked inside and shouted.
"Head of the Black Society. I've come to catch you. If you don't resist, I'll beat you less painfully."