Rebirth of the Thunder God

"What? A courtesan? Then isn't she just a one-night stand?"

"Brother. Then they should meet at a brothel, why meet secretly outside? Besides, Yewol is so popular at the Full Moon Pavilion that she's not a courtesan you can easily meet. To secretly bring such a courtesan out to meet means they're definitely not on ordinary terms. And most of all, when we witnessed it, they were clearly exchanging something like a letter."

"We? You must have witnessed it with Jihye. So you want to go to the Full Moon Pavilion?"

"Yes. It's night now. Isn't it the perfect time to go to the Full Moon Pavilion?"

"A brothel would be quite expensive... And you said Yewol is popular? How are you going to meet her?"

"Do we really have to single her out? We can just enter the brothel as customers and then secretly infiltrate."

* * *

Yelu Guang, as well as Namgung Hui, had never been to a brothel before, so they did as Heon Wonsu instructed.

Well, there was nothing special about entering a brothel, and all they had to do was dress neatly and open their purses.

It was only natural, but Namgung Hui covered all the expenses.

Namgung Hui, inwardly feeling that the silver was a waste, but since he couldn't just let the matter related to the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader pass, he meekly followed Heon Wonsu's instructions.

The brothel's guard looked at the rustic Yelu Guang with distrust, but then he was startled when he saw Namgung Hui's face.

"Ahem! Many a noble son has graced us with his presence today. You may enter. However, an important guest is here today, so if you cause a disturbance inside, you will be in trouble."

Although the guard glared, Namgung Hui didn't even snort.

On the contrary, Heon Wonsu gave the guard a smiling look and said a word.

"Of course. Would we cause a disturbance under the jurisdiction of the Martial Alliance? Thank you for your hard work. Master warrior."

"A polite young hero. I see. You have fun and then go."

Heon Wonsu gave a smooth greeting and entered the brothel.

Namgung Hui and Yelu Guang also hesitantly followed him and were busy looking around at the sight of the brothel they were seeing for the first time.

Namgung Hui tapped the splendid decorations and asked Heon Wonsu.

"Have you been here a few times? Why do you know the brothel so well?"

"Didn't I learn some medicine? And the members of the Black Tortoise Squad also patrol the brothels."

Come to think of it, since this was near the Martial Alliance, the nearby brothels were protected by the Martial Alliance.

A brothel in the center of the orthodox faction.

A situation that was absolutely unimaginable in the era of the Thunder God.

Although 60 years had passed, so there was no law that said the times wouldn't change.

Still, it was also true that a brothel was a distasteful thing for the orthodox faction to operate.

Well, even among courtesans, there were red courtesans who sold their bodies.

And there were blue courtesans who sold their talents.

If it was just to lightly enjoy drinking and singing, it wouldn't be strange for it to be under the jurisdiction of the Martial Alliance.

On the contrary, if it were under the shade of the Martial Alliance like this, there would be no evil deeds or exploitation.

As they passed the corridor with Heon Wonsu, a brothel employee ran up and greeted them.

"Young heroes. Welcome. Do you have a courtesan you'd like to name?"

"No. But I'd like to get the highest floor possible."

"The 5th floor is impossible without a reservation. And I honestly don't want to recommend the 4th floor in terms of cost. Then, shall I guide you to the 3rd floor?"

'He said the courtesan named Yewol is on the 5th floor, right? Then I'll have to force myself to get the 4th floor.'

Namgung Hui, fumbling with his purse, asked the employee.

"How much does it cost to get the 4th floor?"

"It's really expensive, are you sure?"

"So how much is it?"

"Just getting the room costs 50 silver coins. The cost of liquor and food is separate, and you have to pay extra to call the courtesans. It's better to just go to the 3rd floor..."

Namgung Hui took out 50 silver coins from his purse, handed them to the employee, and said.

"Here. Is that enough? Then please guide us to the 4th floor."

Perhaps because he didn't expect Namgung Hui to casually hand over 50 silver coins, the employee showed a slightly surprised expression and then immediately corrected his expression.

"Then please follow me. The stairs might be slippery, so please be careful."

As Namgung Hui nodded, the employee began to move his steps towards the stairs.

And Heon Wonsu, who was watching the situation from behind, carefully spoke to Namgung Hui.

"Brother. Is it okay to spend such a large sum of money?"

"It's not a large sum. I have a lot of money."

Namgung Hui spoke as if he were calm, but he was regretting it now.

Come to think of it, if he was going to sneak in anyway, he wondered if there would be much of a difference between the 3rd and 4th floors.

'But it's also true that the 4th floor is more convenient. Anyway, I can just earn more silver in the future.'

He could just rob the mountain fortress of the Green Forest Alliance.

Or he could rob the gambling dens or businesses of the Heretic Practitioners' Alliance.

Or he could rob the safes of the forces related to the Hoicheon Association.

If this Full Moon Pavilion was also related to the Hoicheon Association, he could just rob this place too.

And so, as they were climbing the stairs.

The moment they passed the 3rd floor and reached the 4th floor, the pattern embroidered on the stairs changed.

No, the material itself was so shiny that it looked so luxurious that he even hesitated to step on it.

"Haha. It's okay to step on it. It will never break."

Namgung Hui wanted to stomp his foot for a moment, but since he knew well that it would surely break, he just silently climbed the stairs and went up to the 4th floor.

As the group all safely went up to the 4th floor, the employee opened his mouth with a faint smile.

"If you go into the third room there, the Hyeonmyo room, I'll send the girls up right away."

"Alright. Please send the kind ones if possible."

"Haha. So that was your preference. I understand."

Namgung Hui felt slightly bad at the employee's sly smile, but his cultivation was deep enough to not nitpick over a mere expression.

And so, as the employee disappeared, Heon Wonsu took the lead and opened the door of the Hyeonmyo room.

Creak.

The sliding door opened, and the scene of the room was revealed.

A simple yet luxurious atmosphere.

A feeling of being decorated yet not decorated.

There was no dazzling splendor, but a sense of elegance was subtly exuded.

Namgung Hui, inwardly realizing the power of money, followed Heon Wonsu and sat on the cushion on the floor.

"Brother. Let's just order food and carry out the operation."

That's right. Namgung Hui's group had not come to just enjoy the brothel.

Naturally, they had planned the operation in advance and had come here.

Yelu Guang looked around for a long time with a foolish expression, but as soon as the word 'operation' came out, he immediately corrected his posture.

"All I have to do is just drink, right?"

"That's right. You just have to look as foolish as you do now. So that the courtesans won't suspect anything."

"It doesn't feel very good, but I'm glad it's helpful."

"And brother, when I'm dealing with the courtesans, you know what to do without me saying it, right?"

"Yes."

Namgung Hui's job was to investigate the 5th floor.

To be precise, it was to pretend to go to the restroom, use a stealth technique, and spy on the 5th floor.

He would enter the 5th floor at once, find the whereabouts of the courtesan named Yewol.

'And my mission is to interrogate her.'

Of course, she could be a simple errand girl or an innocent person who was not very related to this matter.

Wouldn't he know that only after interrogating her?

Since he wouldn't use the newly developed Root and Bone Separation technique, he just decided to coax her appropriately.

And so, as the simple strategy meeting ended, the courtesans began to come up with a table of liquor.

A liquor table that looked difficult for a woman's arm to carry just by looking at it.

Yelu Guang looked at the liquor table that was being set up and asked the courtesans.

"H-hey. We didn't order this much."

"Hoho! Our young master must be new to a brothel, just like his innocent impression. This is the basic table setting."

"Ah. It's included in the room price of 50 silver coins..."

"No. That's not it. This is the basic setting, and the fee is automatically added by 50 silver coins."

"Yes? Then isn't the room price no different from 100 silver coins?"

"No. I told you that the food price was separate at the beginning. Look. It's written on the menu here, right?"

A menu that was so small and had no presence was hanging in a corner of the room.

It was so cleverly hidden that even Namgung Hui, who had good eyesight, couldn't notice it.

If this wasn't a scam, then what on earth was a scam?

But since it wouldn't be good to cause a disturbance, Heon Wonsu let out an awkward laugh and grabbed a liquor bottle.

"Come on. Isn't it food and liquor we had to order anyway? Let's eat and drink first."

As Heon Wonsu was about to pour liquor for Namgung Hui, a courtesan next to him snatched the liquor bottle and said.

"Huhu. Young masters. We should be the ones pouring the liquor. Would you please not take away what we have to do? First, please receive my liquor."

At the flirtatious laughter, Yelu Guang blushed slightly.

That sight was so cute that it made one laugh.

And so, the liquor cups went back and forth.

Yelu Guang, unlike his foolish appearance, was a heavy drinker.

He drank nine cups of liquor in a row, but his complexion did not change at all.

Yelu Guang, who had gently put down his liquor cup, tilted his head and asked.

"Isn't this liquor perhaps mixed with water? It's so bland, it's different from what I used to drink back home..."

"N-no! Mixed with water? What a terrible thing to say. Hey, brother. Then I'll make a special effort and bring you some strong liquor. Please wait a moment."

The courtesan showed her wit and, on the contrary, tried to sell more expensive liquor at this opportunity.

Namgung Hui unconsciously wanted to stop the courtesan, but for the sake of the operation, it seemed better to let her be.

'This way, they'll think we're country bumpkins. I'll let it slide this time.'

That way, even if the operation ended in failure and a disturbance occurred, they wouldn't be suspected.

Namgung Hui, sensing that the time had come, stood up from his seat and said to his group.

"I'm going to the restroom for a moment. You guys continue drinking."

"Yes. Brother. Come back quickly. If you're late, I'll eat all of your favorite twice-cooked pork here. Hahaha!"

"Alright. Then I'll be right back."

"Hoho! Handsome young master. The restroom is at the back door. If you want, shall I guide you?"

Although the courtesan casually linked her arm with Namgung Hui's, Namgung Hui shook off her hand as smoothly as a Taoist of the Wudang Sect.

"I'm going to do a big one, so it won't be good for you to follow. Ahem. Then I'll be back."

Namgung Hui's words were not particularly wrong.

A big one. In other words, since he was going to do something important.

Namgung Hui, after confirming that there was no presence in the corridor, headed for the corridor leading to the 5th floor.

As expected. From the 5th floor, there was a warrior standing guard at the stairs.

Perhaps a martial artist dispatched from the Martial Alliance, the character '盟' (Alliance) was engraved on his chest.

Namgung Hui felt a sense of unease seeing a warrior of the Martial Alliance standing like that in a brothel.

Well, whether he did that or not, since Namgung Hui's job was decided, he said to Chichi in his bosom.

-Chichi. It's time for you to earn your keep.

-Kkik. (To come out at such a good time. Alright. I just have to lure that person, right?)

-Yes. If you just draw his attention, I'll take care of the rest.

Chichi nodded and scurried out.

Hop. Hop.

As a squirrel suddenly appeared in the corridor, the guard's attention was bound to be drawn.

"A squirrel? Why is that here? Ah. Is it because I planted a large tree recently? Oops! This is not the time for this, I have to catch it quickly."

The moment the guard disappeared, following Chichi.

Namgung Hui, who had used the stealth technique of the Black Killing Squad, quickly went up the stairs.

And the moment he set foot on the 5th floor.

At the unexpected sight, Namgung Hui almost lost his stealth technique.

(End of Chapter)