Chapter 45: An Open Guest

“No way, they’re selling the liquor separately…?”

“Why is the price of Bamboo Leaf Liquor like that?”

“Why is that guy being so friendly today…?”

“Why are we…”

The spy, who was bewildered by the merchants at the next table constantly muttering with resentful eyes, asked the man.

“Why are those people acting like that…?”

“Haha… I wonder. Why are they like that…”

The man was equally flustered and said…

“I’ll be back in a moment.”

…then suddenly turned to the merchants’ table with a grim expression.

‘Did I see it wrong…?’

The man’s face initially looked friendly, but when he turned around, his face was no different from that of a demon.

Soon… the man whispered something to the merchants…

“It’s all sorted out. It seems they made a little mistake because they were drunk. I apologize if they made you uncomfortable.”

“…No problem.”

…Suddenly, the next table became quiet in an instant.

‘Is it just my imagination…?’

It couldn’t be that the friendly-looking man threatened them.

The spy, thinking it was just his imagination, poured himself a taste of the Bamboo Leaf Liquor that was placed in front of him.

“Oh.”

And he was a little surprised.

Although he wasn’t a connoisseur of liquor, even he could tell that the taste of the Bamboo Leaf Liquor was different from usual.

The man approached with a friendly smile, observing his expression.

“Does the liquor suit your taste?”

“The Bamboo Leaf Liquor I knew… tastes slightly different. It’s excellent.”

“Haha, I’m glad it suits your taste. It was worth bringing high-quality liquor on purpose.”

“High-quality liquor on purpose…?”

When the spy asked curiously, the man twisted his body as if embarrassed and said.

“Actually… my father was also a merchant like you.”

“And?”

“My father enjoyed stopping by inns and having a drink while traveling for business. But, as you know, Honam Province originally has many mountains and rough roads, so there were no inns in between, right?”

“That’s right.”

Before he knew it, the spy found himself immersed in the man’s story, nodding in agreement.

The man’s story continued smoothly in response to the spy’s engagement.

“But one day, a considerate and warm-hearted person created a mountain path for merchants in Honam Province. I thought it was great and came here, receiving the authority to manage this pavilion. I intend to dedicate my body and mind to merchants like my father here.”

“Hmm… I see.”

The man’s face, devoid of any greed, and the reasonable price and good quality of the liquor made everything he said seem sincere.

“Is the person who made this mountain path generally well-regarded?”

“Of course. Everyone admires him.”

“The prices here seem cheap. Are other pavilions the same?”

“Yes, the prices are unified across all pavilions.”

“Hmm… The toll was expensive, but… this place is very beneficial for merchants.”

The spy even thought they should charge more.

A path made for easy travel, pavilions to rest in along the way, good quality and reasonably priced liquor available at the pavilions, and friendly guides…

‘No matter how I think about it, subjugating this place would cause more harm than good.’

The spy, giving a positive evaluation inwardly, finished his last drink. Then he stood up to thoroughly inspect the remaining parts.

“Oh, are you leaving already?”

“It’s getting late… I should get going.”

“Yes, then take care. Please come again next time.”

“Sure, I’ll come again.”

Of course, unless there was an additional mission, there was no reason to come back, but the spy packed his belongings after giving a vague answer.

And just in case, he turned around and asked the man one last time.

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“…My name? Uh… um… My name is… Bang-sam.”

“…I’m sure the person I met at the pavilion earlier was also named Bang-sam.”

“…Not Bang-sam, but Bang-sang. Bang-sam is my older brother. Haha… You must have introduced yourself to my brother too…”

“Brothers, huh…”

Thinking that the brothers didn’t resemble each other at all, the spy tried to recall the name Bang-sang in his mind.

But no matter how much he thought, there was no one named Bang-sang among the Murim Public Enemies or criminals.

‘He’s clean after all.’

…He didn’t realize that the man had given a false name and left, waving his hand.

And he never remembered seeing the man’s face in the wanted posters before.

**

As the new guest showed his back and left, the youngest member, who had gone to the mountain hideout, returned.

The youngest, looking at the disappearing back, asked me.

“It’s a face I’ve never seen before. Was he a new guest?”

“Hmm… No. He’s not a guest. He’s a spy. Probably a spy from the Murim Alliance.”

“…What? A spy? How did you know? I didn’t feel anything from him.”

“That’s the problem…”

“What?”

Martial artists who learn cultivation techniques and accumulate inner qi emit a strong aura even when they’re still. That doesn’t mean ordinary people have no qi at all.

Vital energy.

Even ordinary people have a faint flow of qi in their bodies. It’s so faint that most people can’t feel it, but I can.

But the guest who just left…

“His vital energy was unstable. It’s usually like that for people on the verge of death or the sick, but as you can see, he’s perfectly healthy, right? It’s obvious. The spy erased his aura too much, even covering his vital energy.”

Of course, that alone wasn’t enough to be sure, and there were other clues.

He tried to hide it with his clothes, but his solid muscles were visible, his eyes were not those of a merchant, and most importantly…

‘Have we met before?’

A spy from the Murim Alliance memorizes the wanted posters of Murim Public Enemies and various criminals.

“He must have seen my wanted poster.”

The wanted poster distributed by the Shanxi Yoo Family.

As soon as I got the ring from the Leader of the Lower Filth Gate, I asked him to retrieve the wanted posters circulating in the market.

However, the power of the Lower Filth Gate probably didn’t reach the Murim Alliance. The spy must have seen my wanted poster at the Murim Alliance headquarters.

‘It’s a relief he didn’t recognize me.’

Since it was the Shanxi Yoo Family, not the Murim Alliance, that issued the bounty on me, the spy probably didn’t pay much attention and let it go. Thanks to that, the spy didn’t recognize my face until the moment he left.

Not only that, but fortunately, he came to the pavilion where I was, so I could prepare to some extent.

“Youngest.”

“Yes, Big Brother.”

“Gather the fastest ones and inform all the pavilions. From today, for one week, everything except the toll will be on special discount. Tell the merchants to keep their mouths shut and act as if we’ve always sold at this price.”

“Yes!”

After answering, the youngest member immediately started running towards the mountain hideout.

The youngest member is skilled in Lightness Arts, so it won’t take long to convey my message to all the pavilions.

“Ah~, I was worried, but things turned out well.”

The spy’s expression wasn’t bad when he left the pavilion. He must have evaluated our mountain path and pavilions positively.

“Now I can finally sleep with my legs stretched out.”

With those words, I really lay down on the floor. I was really exhausted from running around myself.

But now it should be fine.

As long as that spy reports back to the Murim Alliance, they will feel reassured and reduce their interest in us.

“As long as there are no problems in between, it’s done…”

Although I went through several unexpected incidents, everything ended well, and the results were good.

Now I have hundreds of gold coins in my pocket, and my subordinates have increased to hundreds.

Finally, my sweet rich life is beginning.

So let’s get through this without any problems.

Please-!

I closed my eyes, wishing so.

**

A week later.

Even after the spy left, the daily life of the Great Green Forest Gang continued. Especially, the entrance hall where Bang-sam was located was crowded with people trying to get a pass.

“Yes, next person.”

Bang-sam couldn’t help but be dissatisfied.

‘What am I doing right now…?’

When the number of subordinates increased, he was really happy. He went from being the third in rank of a mountain hideout with only five people to the third in rank of the Great Green Forest Gang with hundreds of members.

But look at his situation now.

The third in rank of the Great Green Forest Gang was nowhere to be seen, and there was only a hard-working mountain path guide.

“Sigh… Look at my fate…”

Bang-sam lamented his situation as he dealt with the endless stream of people.

“Yes, next.”

And then…

“…Huh?”

“……”

“You, you are…”

He couldn’t hide his shock as he recognized the familiar face standing in front of him.