Kang Sogun

It was the home of a rather wealthy merchant. The sign read "Shangguan Residence."

The outer courtyard, inner courtyard, separate courtyard, and rear courtyard were all properly arranged, giving a sense of the owner's dignity.

Snowflakes reflected in the bamboo forest of the rear courtyard. The snow that fell on the slightly frozen pond piled up.

-Creak.

The sliding door leading to the garden opened.

Beyond the open door, a main hall with a floor made of ebony could be seen. A brazier was placed in the middle, and tea water was boiling.

The person sitting at the low tea table was Kang Sogun.

"It seems to be the first snow of the year."

The one who had opened the door was the master of the manor, Shangguan Qingyou.

He was a scholar who looked to be about fifty, and his mustache, which was split into two, and his short beard were neat.

Although he was the owner of a rather famous merchant group in Anqing City, the atmosphere he exuded seemed more suited to a man of letters.

A cold chill came in, but Shangguan Qingyou did not care. He looked at the snow falling on the pond and the surrounding bamboo forest and said as if to himself.

"This place is best on a day when spring rain falls. It is a place where you can hear the sound of bamboo shoots growing."

The sound of water boiling was heard from the kettle on the brazier, along with hot steam.

Shangguan Qingyou sat down at the tea table. Kang Sogun looked out at the garden through the open door.

The white snow brought back memories.

***

"It's like the world has stopped. It's so quiet."

A little girl had said that.

A very old memory.

On that day when the snow fell gently. A guest had come.

A large carriage, guards, and a big, strong man called a general. Such memories were faint.

But.

Only the memory of a little girl walking was clear.

The little girl who had gotten out of the carriage had seen him and had toddled over.

A boy who had gotten out of the carriage after her was looking at the walking little girl with curiosity.

The little girl, who had precariously walked on the slippery bluestone covered in snow, had come up to him and had held out her hand.

Kang Sogun had only looked at that hand.

Her older brother had strode over and had said.

"It seems Yeongyeong likes you. Hold her hand."

Kang Sogun had held the little girl's hand.

Her older brother had put his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm Jang Seonbaek. You're Kang Sogun, right?"

The memory of another snow.

He had wandered the field where the snow was up to his knees.

He had been lost for a long time.

Both allies and enemies were buried in the snow that fell as if the sky had collapsed.

He had to fight not the enemy, but the madly raging snowstorm.

A desolate land that was endless no matter how far he went. In the raging snowstorm, a huge hill covered in snow was visible. At the bottom of the hill, a small stone gate was visible.

He had reached the stone gate, breaking through the madly raging snowstorm.

The words written on the stone gate.

Martial Tomb!

***

"What are you thinking about so deeply?"

Kang Sogun suddenly came to his senses.

It had been a fortnight since he had entered this manor through the arrangement of No Ichil.

There was no more pursuit from the Heavenly Martial Faction. But everyone knew that it was not the end.

Shangguan Qingyou poured tea and continued.

"How is your body?"

"..."

The pill that No Ichil had given had a rather good effect, but it could not cure the chronic internal injury from the continuous injuries.

He would only be able to completely heal it by resting for a period of time with his own Golden Elixir True Art.

Shangguan Qingyou was very curious about the identity of this taciturn young man. That was why he had called him separately and was serving him tea like this.

"I heard you are a man of few words, and it is indeed so."

"What is it you want to ask?"

Kang Sogun asked bluntly.

"Haha. First, have a cup of tea."

Shangguan Qingyou handed him a teacup and examined Kang Sogun from head to toe.

No Ichil had said that Kang Sogun's identity would not be ordinary. He had also reported that he possessed martial arts of an unknown depth.

'Indeed, his identity does not seem to be ordinary.'

Shangguan Qingyou was a person who was deeply immersed in the tea ceremony. The tea utensils he handled were all rare and precious items that were hard to see. But Kang Sogun drank the tea naturally, as if he were very familiar with it.

Shangguan Qingyou could guess Kang Sogun's identity just by the grace with which he drank the tea.

"Since you told me to get to the point, I will ask."

Shangguan Qingyou, who had taken a sip of tea, put down his teacup and said.

"What will you do from now on?"

He was asking about his future plans.

Kang Sogun silently picked up the teapot and poured it into his own cup. For a guest to pick up the teapot was, in a way, against the tea ceremony, but it was so natural that it did not seem like a fault.

Kang Sogun was thinking of going to Nanjing to track Jang Yeongyeong's whereabouts again. He also hoped that Yeon Hwasim would safely escape the clutches of the Heavenly Martial Faction.

He had one body, but he wanted two things. So Kang Sogun did not have an answer yet.

Above all, it was urgent to completely heal his internal injuries as soon as possible.

Shangguan Qingyou did not wait for Kang Sogun's answer and continued.

"Have you thought about what it means that we have brought you here?"

Kang Sogun understood what Shangguan Qingyou was asking.

To bring in those who were being pursued by the Heavenly Martial Faction?

This was a matter of accepting a confrontation with the Heavenly Martial Faction, so he was saying that it was not a small decision for the Great Righteous Martial Hall.

"Hall Master No has a tendency to spread his affection everywhere and not look after his own interests."

It meant that he was not like that.

In fact, although he had the elegant appearance of a man of letters, his eyes were reminiscent of a merchant who coldly calculated profit and loss.

Kang Sogun suddenly opened his mouth.

"This does not seem to be a simple safe house."

At Kang Sogun's unexpected words, Shangguan Qingyou silently just drank his tea.

This manor was one of the bases of the Great Righteous Martial Hall's fifth hall master, Shangguan Qingyou. The fifth hall of the Great Righteous Martial Hall had a close relationship with the merchant world of the Central Plains and was managing its funds.

As such, the blow would be great if it were exposed to the enemy.

The fact that No Ichil had brought Kang Sogun's party meant that he was accepting the consequence of exposing one of the bases of the fifth hall master, Shangguan Qingyou.

Shangguan Qingyou had been furious, but it had already happened. As a person with outstanding business acumen, he was calmly facing the situation and preparing a solution.

Since things had come to this, he was thinking of using it as a public base.

In any case, it was true that it was not a simple safe house.

"Why do you think so?"

"If it were a simple safe house, the Heavenly Martial Faction would not have left it alone until now, would they?"

Kang Sogun knew that there were mechanisms and formations placed throughout the manor and that martial artists were ambushing, but he did not bother to mention it.

"Then you would also guess that our hall has a great interest in your party."

"I am personally grateful for the help that Hall Master No has given."

Kang Sogun drew a line.

Shangguan Qingyou clearly realized that the young man in front of him was by no means easy.

No Ichil had said to take Kang Sogun's party into the fold of the Great Righteous Martial Hall.

He had said that since neither Kang Sogun nor the Three Tigers of Shandong were masters who could be easily seen, they would be a great strength to the Great Righteous Martial Hall.

But Shangguan Qingyou did not think so easily.

Masters of that level do not easily entrust their bodies. It was just a question of why No Ichil, who knew that fact well, was showing such goodwill and had even brought them to the base of the fifth hall.

'Ichil, this man is not someone who will enter our hall!'

Shangguan Qingyou was a person who was quick and cold in his judgment.

He weighed the relationship between Kang Sogun's party and the Heavenly Martial Faction and came to a conclusion on how much to intervene.

Although the Heavenly Martial Faction was the ultimate enemy, they had never directly clashed publicly until now.

There was no reason to form a hostile relationship because of them.

Although No Ichil had clashed with the Heavenly Martial Faction's military force, it was still a line that could be smoothed over.

But the young man in front of him was different.

He was the one who had killed the Heavenly Martial Faction's third young master. The Heavenly Martial Faction Master, Gu Yeongang, would not give up on this man.

'The moment we bring this man in, we must be prepared for a battle with the Heavenly Martial Faction.'

For Shangguan Qingyou, who weighed the benefits before acting, it was not a desirable deal.

'I will send this man out and only take the Three Tigers of Shandong.'

Shangguan Qingyou was thinking of bringing in Yeon Hwasim's party.

He did not know what kind of connection it was, but the Three Tigers of Shandong were devoted to Yeon Hwasim's safety.

If they protected Yeon Hwasim, the Three Tigers of Shandong would also stay, and if they were masters of that level, they would be a great help to the Great Righteous Martial Hall.

Although Yeon Hwasim was also a target of the Heavenly Martial Faction's pursuit, if the Great Righteous Martial Hall stepped up, mediation was possible.

Gu Yeongang had already personally killed the three sworn brothers of the Three Blade Sect. If they pushed the public opinion of the martial world that he had taken revenge for his son with that, Gu Yeongang would also not be able to insist on killing Yeon Hwasim to the end.

Also, Gu Yeongang would also not be thinking of having a battle with the Great Righteous Martial Hall yet.

"You don't have to worry about the daughter of the Three Blade Sect."

Shangguan Qingyou also drew a line.

Kang Sogun looked at Shangguan Qingyou quietly.

He had heard him call the Great Righteous Martial Hall's tenth hall master, No Ichil, "Ichil." Although he had not revealed his identity, he would not be below No Ichil.

Since he had stepped up and guaranteed Yeon Hwasim's safety, she would be safe for the time being.

"I will leave tomorrow."

Kang Sogun, who had read Shangguan Qingyou's intentions, said briefly and stood up from his seat.

***

No Ichil was looking over the eyes and ears he had laid out on the outskirts of Anqing City.

The pursuit of the Heavenly Martial Faction had quieted down, but he instinctively felt that this would return as a greater threat.

The reports of the eyes and ears also supported his intuition.

According to the reports, the Heavenly Martial Faction's Shinmu, Chamryong, and Ghost Shadow Brigades were positioned across Xinyang and Lu'an.

'It means they intend to advance into Henan.'

There were no other movements. Even though they had sacrificed military brigades that could sweep away a sect one after another and had chased them tenaciously, it was now quiet as if nothing had happened.

The silence, like the calm before a storm, was rather unsettling.

No Ichil, who had looked over the eyes and ears and had returned to the Shangguan Residence, sought out Shangguan Qingyou's office.

"The signs are unusual. I don't know what the Heavenly Martial Faction is up to, but the atmosphere is that they are preparing something big."

"If you say so, then it must be so."

"Let me use a carrier pigeon to the tenth hall."

The tenth hall managed the information of the Great Righteous Martial Hall. So every major base had a carrier pigeon to send to the tenth hall.

"Hmph! Thanks to you, I have to set up a new base in Anqing. Since it's already ruined, do as you please."

Since No Ichil knew the reason why Shangguan Qingyou was angry, he could not blame him.

"A base can be set up again, but you know that a peerless master is hard to meet even in a lifetime. Think of it as an investment."

"Do you think everyone in the world has the same mind as you? I really don't know the reason why the big brother entrusted the tenth hall to you."

The big brother of the two was the first hall master, Bai Zhengwu.

He was a big brother whom both of them respected like the heavens.

"The head of an information organization should be cold. Is it right to cause trouble by being led by affection?"

"Brother Qingyou, you manage the merchant world, but you seem to know nothing about investment."

"Hey, Ichil. Are you in a position to talk about investment in front of me right now? Do you really not know that there is nothing more difficult than investing in people?"

As it seemed the conversation would get long, No Ichil waved his hand.

"Let's stop. Just give me the carrier pigeon."

Shangguan Qingyou caught three carrier pigeons from his residence.

No Ichil wrote a letter, put it in each of the carrier pigeon tubes, and tied them.

The reason for sending three was to prepare for the case that they might meet a hawk or be caught by the enemy in the middle.

Even if the carrier pigeon tube fell into the enemy's hands, it was written in code, so it did not matter, but it was troublesome if the contact did not arrive on time.

As No Ichil was about to come out after sending the carrier pigeons, Shangguan Qingyou said.

"That man, Kang Sogun, said he would leave tomorrow."

No Ichil flinched and looked back at Shangguan Qingyou.

Shangguan Qingyou was looking at the ledger on his desk. Although he had said it as if passing by without even raising his head, No Ichil had noticed what had happened.

"What did you say to him!"

"He said he would leave on his own."

"Fifth Hall Master!"

"Now you don't even call me brother!"

Shangguan Qingyou said without even raising his head.

The angry No Ichil had no intention of doing so.

"People say that the Fifth Hall Master is a true gentleman, but in my opinion, there is no one as petty as you."

At No Ichil's unrestrained words, Shangguan Qingyou said without a change in his complexion.

"Isn't it natural for a merchant to act petty?"

"Tsk, I shouldn't have said anything."

No Ichil slammed the door of Shangguan Qingyou's office and came out.

(End of Chapter)