Scholar Demon Venerable

"I know that too. That's why the Eastern Depot guys came in and were snooping around."

Although the Eastern Depot had secretly gathered information, the beggars of the Beggars' Sect already knew about the Eastern Depot's movements.

The reason why it hadn't become a rumor was because they had judged that it was not good to get involved with the imperial family and had just watched, pretending not to know.

"Do you remember the guys who came in around that time and were stirring things up here and there?"

"Uh. Those stubborn bastards like dog bones. How can they not even give alms to beggars?"

"Those guys also seem to be related to the imperial family."

"The imperial family again?"

"Yes, it's a report that they've been exchanging something with the Eastern Depot guys frequently these days."

"Damn it. If you're going to operate in Kaifeng, you should at least donate a few dogs!"

A thick complaint came out of the leader's mouth.

It was Kaifeng, where the headquarters of the Beggars' Sect was, not some other place. They were doing things in their own backyard without permission.

He was not in a good mood.

The leader couldn't hold back his anger and cursed at the Eastern Depot.

"These bastards... where are they begging in a beggar's house, begging! Should I just smash their balls?"

One of the beggars next to him cautiously called the leader.

"Uh, leader..."

"What?"

"Those guys don't have them. They don't have these."

As he made a fist and shook it up and down, shaking his head, the leader understood what he meant and sighed.

"Ah! They were poor guys without balls."

The leader shook his head and said. Come to think of it, a year ago, he had just let them be because they were poor guys without balls.

"But I can't just let it be..."

He muttered and grabbed his messy, shaggy hair.

The gathered beggars flinched when the leader tore at his hair and staggered back.

It was an action he took before he couldn't overcome his temper and went crazy.

Would his nickname be the Mad Dog Divine Beggar for no reason?

"Phew... Ah! I've calmed down a lot."

The leader took a deep breath, threw his head back, and then pulled it forward and said.

"Should we fight those bastards?"

"Gasp!"

"No way!"

"What's the point of fighting when it's hard to even eat..."

The beggars all rose up at once.

Was there nowhere else to fight that they had to fight with the imperial family?

As if their wishes had reached the heavens, the leader immediately agreed.

"Yeah, that won't work, right? Right?"

The beggars were relieved.

"Yes, they outnumber us."

"Good thinking, leader. Who's going to give us food if we fight?"

The leader's face contorted again.

"Damn it! Shouldn't we have the most numbers?"

"Leader. That's not what I meant. I'm talking about the number of people who can fight. If we fight, we'll all die."

The leader turned to the beggar who had just spoken and grinned.

"Wow, you're smart."

"Uh, uh, leader..."

"A smart person like you... why are you begging?"

The leader pushed his face forward and growled.

"Then our smart beggar should tell us. What should we do?"

"Th-that's..."

"Speak well. Because I'm pissed."

In the hands of the leader, Yeom-ak, a large bone was already held.

* * *

Near the west gate of Kaifeng, there were many mansions where the rich lived.

Since Kaifeng was a place where waterways were developed, the waterways were connected to the inside of the mansions.

Thanks to that, many of the mansions here had gardens with ponds.

One of those mansions.

A man stood on the railing of a pavilion built in the center of a large artificial pond.

"Chung! I greet the Pacification Envoy."

A man appeared by the pond and gave a military salute to the man standing on the pavilion.

The man standing on the railing of the pavilion and looking at the carp in the pond was Cheongun.

The mansion he was in was one of the countless bases managed by the Jinyiwei throughout the world.

"Welcome. Thousand-household Commander Seok."

The person who had given the military salute was the Jinyiwei Thousand-household Commander, Seok Deok-jo.

He was the deputy commander who was assisting Cheongun, who had received the Emperor's secret order this time.

"Are the preparations for the meeting ready?"

"They are waiting inside now."

"Really? Let's go."

In a fairly large room deep in the inner courtyard of the Fengyun Manor, several people were sitting around a dining table.

The person sitting in the center was Cheongun, and the people sitting around him on both sides were the Jinyiwei.

Among them was the Jinyiwei Thousand-household Commander, Seok Deok-jo.

The deputy commander, Thousand-household Commander Seok Deok-jo, stood up, drew everyone's attention, and greeted them.

"Your Excellency. May we begin the meeting?"

Cheongun nodded his head without a word.

Seok Deok-jo bowed to Cheongun again and then slowly opened his mouth.

"I will report on what we have investigated for the past three days."

Seok Deok-jo handed a scroll to Cheongun.

Cheongun unfolded the scroll and listened to the story.

"First, Hyeokryeon Hui, the eldest of the Hyeokryeon Manor, has not taken a single step out of the manor."

Hyeokryeon Hui has been staying indoors for a month?

Seok Deok-jo told him the reason.

"According to the information, he has obtained a fortunate encounter and is staying indoors, concentrating on martial arts training."

Hyeokryeon Hui had been learning martial arts before. But since he didn't show it much in front of others, it was not accurately known how skilled he was.

And he had obtained a fortunate encounter?

Cheongun glanced at the Blood Emperor.

'If it's a fortunate encounter, it should be at least this much.'

A smirk came out. No matter how great a fortunate encounter he had met, could it be compared to him?

In any case, when he heard that Hyeokryeon Hui was seriously learning martial arts, a cold sneer appeared on Cheongun's lips.

'Interesting. After failing the final examination, it seems he has completely turned to the path of martial arts.'

He thought it might be fate.

He was curious how much Hyeokryeon Hui, who was called a genius no less than him, had changed and become stronger over the past year.

'But you've picked the wrong opponent.'

It was highly likely that not only him but also his father had been killed by them.

If it was true... a bloody storm would rage in the Hyeokryeon Manor.

"Just keep an eye on his movements, and don't try to get information by force."

"I understand."

There was no need to know what martial arts Hyeokryeon Hui was learning or what kind of fortunate encounter he had obtained.

He was confident that he could win no matter what kind of appearance the guy came at him with.

As Cheongun clenched his two fists and organized his thoughts, Seok Deok-jo brought up another matter.

"Next is the change in the assets of the Hyeokryeon Manor."

At first, he hadn't paid much attention to the change in the assets of the Hyeokryeon Manor.

"It is reported that it has grown more than ten times compared to a year ago."

"Ten times?"

Cheongun was surprised and tilted his head.

No matter how outstanding a merchant was, he could not easily make a profit of ten times. Of course, it was not an impossible thing, but he had a strange feeling of suspicion.

"The change in their assets is more severe than I thought. Who is looking into it?"

The Jinyiwei were gathering information on the Hyeokryeon Manor by unit.

At Cheongun's question, a person with a good build stood up from his seat and greeted him.

"I am Baihu Xiong Tian."

He was a man with a strong impression.

He seemed to have a delicate personality that did not match his build.

"The Hyeokryeon Manor has grown rapidly over the past year. In particular, the amount earned from the escort agency is the largest. As you can see from the data, it is reported that they have made a profit of more than ten times compared to a year ago."

"Hmm. Really?"

"The scale of the Hyeokryeon Manor has also grown more than three times compared to a year ago. In addition, the number of martial artists has increased from fifty to three hundred."

"Three hundred?"

It was not a small number.

The Hyeokryeon Manor was just a collateral branch of the Hyeokryeon family. For a manor established by a mere collateral branch to have three hundred martial artists. If you included the family members who were dependent on them, it meant that there were over a thousand people.

"More than I thought."

"Most of them are escort masters."

If they had made a profit of ten times because their business was doing well, it was not wrong to recruit more escort masters.

As Cheongun nodded his head, Xiong Tian opened his mouth again.

"But there is one thing that bothers me."

"What is it?"

"Among those recruited as escort masters, some of them are quite famous."

"Isn't it possible that they needed strong martial artists?"

"Usually, that could be the case, but it doesn't suit their reputation to work as escort masters. I have prepared a list here. In particular, the four people marked are definitely not people who would work in an escort agency."

Cheongun unfolded the scroll that Xiong Tian had handed him.

About thirty people were written on it. Among them, the names of the four people who were marked caught his eye.

Lightning Spear, Rui Neiqiu

Divine Hand Noble Sword, Zhu Qian

Twin Blood Breaking Mountain, Zou Gangyuan

Yama Hand, Wu Quan

Cheongun, who didn't know much about the news of the martial world, looked at the Baihu.

"They are people who are considered to be at the peak in the wanderer society. In reality, they are at the end of the first-class or the beginning of the peak."

"Ho. They must be famous people."

"Yes. They are people who can be treated as elders in any sect or organization. Although the escort agency operated by the Hyeokryeon Manor has grown, it is still just a small local escort agency..."

"Are you saying that the Hyeokryeon Manor cannot accommodate them?"

"Yes. Moreover, Yama Hand Wu Quan is famous for hating to be tied down anywhere. And among these four, he is a martial artist who has definitely reached the peak realm."

Cheongun thought that there might be some secret in the Hyeokryeon Manor.

The Blood Emperor said to Cheongun.

[It seems other people have intervened in the Hyeokryeon Manor's business. I don't know what it's for, but it's clear that a huge sect or a large force is pushing them with determination.]

At the Blood Emperor's words, Cheongun nodded his head. His thoughts matched his own.

In the meantime, Xiong Tian continued to speak.

"Looking at the escort masters of the Hyeokryeon Manor, there are those who are classified as the underworld, but most of them are from the wanderer background."

"Hmm... are there no righteous factions?"

"There are some. Their skills are a little lacking, but they have a good reputation."

Cheongun nodded his head.

If he thought about it, the Hyeokryeon Manor would have put those from the righteous faction at the forefront. And it seemed they had slightly hidden the underworld and the wanderers behind.

Sure enough, Xiong Tian said.

"If I were to pick one peculiar thing, it would be that the righteous faction people are the representative leaders even though their skills are lacking."

As expected.

"I see. Are there any other peculiar things?"

"Not yet."

Although the Hyeokryeon Manor was rapidly increasing its scale, there was nothing illegal.

Cheongun's eyes lit up as he looked at Seok Deok-jo. There was still an important matter left.

"What happened to what I asked you to look into?"

"There has been no progress yet."

That was the reason they had gathered today.

They couldn't just wait.

They had to quickly capture the traitors and finish the imperial order.

But it had not yet been revealed who the group that had attacked the Jinyiwei was.

"You haven't even found a trace?"

"Yes, Your Excellency. We have examined the people who have visited this place over the past year, but there was no one you mentioned."

A large and well-balanced body.

A person who uses a peak-level sword.

A thick and stiff tone of voice.

Above all, there is something on the left side of his neck that could be a tattoo or a mole.

That was the information Cheongun remembered about the guy.

The most certain thing was something on the guy's neck. On a rainy day, Cheongun, who had not learned martial arts, could not see it accurately.

But it could be a decisive clue in finding the guy.

The only problem was that there were more people with tattoos than he had thought.

"Put finding the guy as the top priority and examine everyone related to the Hyeokryeon Manor. You will have to replenish the personnel and proceed secretly."

"Yes! Your Excellency."

"I receive the order."

The meeting was not long.

He only received reports on important matters and gave orders.

There was no decisive evidence yet.

Since he planned to wipe them out in one go, he had to gather evidence step by step, even if it took time.

'The time to meet you is getting closer, Hyeokryeon Hui.'