Chapter 114
“Dumplings for sale! Delicious dumplings here!”
“Fresh vegetables! Get your vegetables!”
Before long, Yeo Un-hwi arrived alone at the largest market in Hefei.
The sounds of merchants shouting and haggling with customers filled the air.
Yeo Un-hwi strolled through the market at a leisurely pace.
As he walked, he was reminded of a time long ago when he had walked through a market in Hebei with Peng Seo-yeon and Yul-i.
It had been a happy time.
Back then, he walked while thinking of Sodam Village; now, he is walking through Hefei while thinking of his memories in Hebei.
This is how memories are built, one by one.
At the thought, Yeo Un-hwi smiled quietly.
As he was looking around the market, his eyes suddenly fell upon a merchant selling beautiful accessories laid out on a stall.
He didn’t know much about women’s accessories, but for some reason, they caught his eye.
Slowly approaching the stall, Yeo Un-hwi crouched down to examine the accessories.
The ornaments, made of sparkling colored glass and fine knots, were even more beautiful and lovely up close.
The merchant, who had been dozing slightly in front of the stall, felt Yeo Un-hwi’s presence and raised her head.
“Oh my. A customer. Welcome.”
She was an elderly woman with a benevolent smile.
Yeo Un-hwi smiled back at her and offered a greeting.
“Yes, hello.”
“What I sell are women’s accessories. Are you looking for a gift?”
Despite her age, the old woman had a gentle, pleasant way of speaking.
The fine curves of her eyes and the pleasant wrinkles around them seemed to show how she had lived her life.
Unable to hide the smile that naturally formed on his lips, Yeo Un-hwi replied.
“Is there a distinction between men and women when it comes to beautiful things? I could be buying it for myself.”
“Hohoho. Now that I hear it, you’re right. I must have wasted my years. I’m uneducated, so please understand.”
“Actually, your insight was spot on. I was looking for gifts for my wife and daughter.”
“Tsk. You shouldn’t tease an old woman.”
“Haha, my apologies.”
The old woman clicked her tongue, but she didn’t seem offended. Rather, she seemed to be enjoying such a conversation with a young man for the first time in a while.
“So. Is there anything you like?”
“Hmm. Let’s see. They’re all so pretty, and it’s hard to choose.”
“Don’t rush. Take your time and choose. A gift chosen with care is always more cherished.”
Following the old woman’s advice, Yeo Un-hwi carefully examined the accessories one by one.
What color would suit my wife? And what about Yul-i?
Listening to the old woman’s occasional explanations, Yeo Un-hwi thought of the two of them for a long time before finally picking out an accessory.
It was a small ornament with a lotus-shaped glasswork piece, a blend of red and yellow, with a fine colored thread attached.
“This one will be good.”
“You’ve chosen well. They will surely like it.”
“I hope so.”
With an awkward smile, Yeo Un-hwi paid and stood up from his spot.
Just then, the old woman called out to him.
“Just a moment.”
Yeo Un-hwi tilted his head for a moment at the old woman’s slow gesture and approached her again.
The old woman then placed something on Yeo Un-hwi’s palm.
It was another accessory, identical to the one he had chosen.
“This is a gift from me. Take it.”
“Pardon? No, I can’t. I’ll pay for it.”
“Don’t, just take it. It’s a reward for a pleasant conversation. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t ignore an old woman’s sincerity.”
*Ah.*
A slightly troubled look appeared on Yeo Un-hwi’s face.
After she had put it that way, it was difficult to refuse any further.
In the end, Yeo Un-hwi thanked the old woman and clutched the accessory tightly.
“Then I’ll accept it gratefully.”
The old woman simply smiled in response and waved her hand, gesturing for him to be on his way.
Leaving the old woman’s stall, Yeo Un-hwi soon blended into the market crowd.
It was getting late in the afternoon.
The market had become even more crowded, perhaps with people preparing for dinner.
It was truly a place that smelled of life.
My wife and Yul-i also like looking around places like this.
As he thought of the two of them, the inside of his robe, where he had placed the gifts he had just bought, somehow felt warmer.
Yeo Un-hwi headed to a corner slightly away from the center of the market and stood with his back against a wall.
How long had he been standing there, gazing at the bustling crowd?
“You are quite affectionate, to come all this way and choose gifts for your wife and daughter first.”
Someone approached from the side and spoke to him naturally.
A familiar voice.
It was the Sect Master of the Hao Sect, Jin So-baek.
“You think so?”
Yeo Un-hwi let out a small laugh at his words.
“You must care for your family a great deal. You had me investigate the academy last time, too.”
“It goes without saying.”
“My, I envy your family, esteemed client,” Jin So-baek grumbled, half complaining and half envious.
But he seemed somewhat dissatisfied.
*What’s with him?*
Slightly raising an eyebrow, Yeo Un-hwi got to the point.
“Did you find out what I asked you to look into?”
But as if this were the perfect opportunity, Jin So-baek brought up something else.
“Before that, there’s something I need to make clear, esteemed client.”
“What is it?”
“You’re really going too far! No matter how much our Hao Sect prioritizes its clients, I’m starting to wonder if you think of us as some kind of information delivery service! Well, since you’re a regular client of our Hao Sect, I’ll do it this one time out of respect for our past relationship, but this will be problematic in the future!”
“Hmm. That’s disappointing.”
“No matter how disappointed you are...!”
“I’m not a man who works based on relationships. I called you to such a distant place intending to pay a suitable price, just as I always have. With travel expenses included, of course. But to speak of relationships. Then our business will conclude with this transaction...
“Wherever and whenever you call for our Hao Sect, we will do our utmost for our client’s safety and trust. Would we not go to the Outer Martial World? Of course, we would.”
“You’re a much brighter person than my first impression of you, you know.”
“It’s just that my mood improves simply by seeing my client’s face.”
Jin So-baek’s dissatisfaction had vanished as if washed away, and his face was now filled with only joy and delight.
“Then let’s hear what you’ve investigated.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Soon, Jin So-baek took something out from his robes and handed it to Yeo Un-hwi.
“First, we have secured the locations of the individuals you asked us to look into last time.”
Jin So-baek continued in a calm voice.
“I’ve written down detailed information, including their recent personal details, so please take a look later.”
“I will.”
Yeo Un-hwi took what he was given and placed it directly into his robe.
“And regarding the Five Great Families you asked about, the truth is, the five families are not on such bad terms as you might think.”
In any case, since the common goal of keeping the Murim Alliance and the Nine Sects One Alliance in check had not disappeared, the assembly of the Five Great Families had continued for a long time.
That wasn’t to say their relationship had always been good, but it was correct to say that the Five Great Families were on rather friendly terms of late.
Though it wasn’t as if the family heads themselves were particularly close.
“Peng Mugang, the head of the Peng Family, is close with Hwangbo Gyun, the head of the Hwangbo Clan. You could say he’s the only one who gets Hwangbo Gyun’s terrible jokes. As for Tang Jinwoo and Namgung Hwan, their appearances and personalities are just as they seem. However, the head of the Jegal Clan, known as the Heavenly Brain, is a bit of a peculiar figure.”
“Peculiar?”
“I don’t know if it’s true, but his actions are strange, perhaps because he’s known to read the secrets of heaven. He’s not a person who moves for the benefit of the Jegal Clan itself. Usually, when you gather information, you can predict what kind of person someone is and what they will do, but he’s become even more unpredictable.”
“Hmm. I see.”
The Heavenly Brain, Jegal Sung.
He was a man Yeo Un-hwi had met just once during his time as the Blood Demon.
Though it was a very brief meeting, he had come to the same conclusion as Jin So-baek.
Jegal Sung was a strange man whose thoughts were impossible to fathom.
Thus, the Yeo Un-hwi of that time treated Jegal Sung with a sense of great discomfort, and Jegal Sung found Yeo Un-hwi extremely interesting.
“Well, anyway, the conclusion is that there are no particular signs of discord among the Five Great Families. There was one person who might have caused such problems, but he became a cripple a while ago.”
“Tang Guhwi?”
“Ah. You know of him. He was the worst problem child of the Five Great Families, a fact known to anyone who’s anyone. His personality was so insidious and vicious, it was hard to believe he was part of the Orthodox Faction. The number of people who suffered at his hands was not small. Personally, I thought, “Ah, something is bound to happen to the Sichuan Tang Clan and the Five Great Families in the future.””
That’s what I thought back then.
Nodding his head, Jin So-baek continued.
“But then one day, didn’t he suddenly become a complete cripple? I heard his dantian was destroyed, he can’t communicate, let alone speak, and he’s become completely paralyzed, unable to even move his body. Phew. Ah, and let me say this in advance, please don’t ask me to find out the identity of that fiend. I’ve already scraped together every bit of information I could, but all I could find out was that the culprit who did it was an incredible master wearing a mask.”
As if finding that fact regrettable and a blow to his pride, Jin So-baek let out a great sigh.
I wonder how terrifying that fiend must be, to have turned that vicious Tang Guhwi into such a state and then hidden so elusively. Phew, if a fiend like that came for me, I’d run away first. A big reason why my lightfoot skill is so excellent among my martial arts is for situations like that. Haha.
“Is that so?”
“Of course.”
“Then what are you waiting for? Why aren’t you running?”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
As Yeo Un-hwi grinned, Jin So-baek, who had been staring at him blankly, suddenly turned pale.
“N-no way. That fiend is...”
“That bastard did something he should never have done.”
Jin So-baek was at a loss for words.
No, I’ve been searching so hard, and he was right next to me.
“Heh, heheh. I see.”
Jin So-baek nodded his head with a hollow laugh.
He had many questions, but he felt he shouldn’t ask any more, so he quietly kept his mouth shut about the matter.
Somehow, it felt like Yeo Un-hwi was involved in all the biggest events in the Murim recently.
If there was any silver lining, it was that Yeo Un-hwi seemed to only deal with rotten bastards who were truly beyond redemption.
Tang Guhwi, the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon, and the Phantom Divine Monarch.
Each was a name that no one could touch carelessly.
“Phew, I wonder if you’re going to say you’ll take down the Demonic Cult next.”
“...Please say that’s not the case. You’re scaring me.”
At Yeo Un-hwi’s completely unsmiling expression, Jin So-baek quickly took a step back.
A chill ran down his spine at the thought that he might have to dig deep into information about the Demonic Cult soon.
In any case, that was all the information he had brought.
It was Jin So-baek who had learned the most tremendous fact.
“Then I’ll see you again.”
“Good work. I’ll pay you at our next meeting.”
“Yes. Esteemed client. As you wish.”
His mood lifted by the talk of money, Jin So-baek grinned and then blended into the crowd, disappearing naturally.
Watching Jin So-baek’s retreating back, Yeo Un-hwi thought he was quite an interesting friend, happy at the mention of money despite earning so much.
Of course, Yeo Un-hwi knew very well how Jin So-baek used that money.
That was also why Yeo Un-hwi trusted him a little more than anyone else.
He was not a man who lived for his own desires.
No, perhaps he could be seen as the man most faithful to his own pure desires.
The good desires of compassion and benevolence.
Anyway,
“Well then, shall I be on my way?”
His business was finished in the market.
The time for the banquet was drawing near.
The figure of Yeo Un-hwi, who had been in the market just moments before, vanished as if he were smoke.