Chapter 152: There Is No One In The World I Can Trust (2)
Chapter 151 – There Is No One In The World I Can Trust (2)
When Son U-gon asked back with a bewildered expression, Namgung Cheon stepped back slightly and shook his head.
“Even if you play innocent now, your dark inner thoughts are clearly visible.”
“What do you mean… I was merely concerned that you might put yourself in a dangerous situation, Lord.”
“What is there to be dangerous about?”
“Because originally, a secret is dangerous just by knowing it.”
“How did you know that was a secret?”
“That is, I merely deduced it by guess after weighing the circumstances.”
“Isn’t your intuition too good? Did you happen to deduce even the Demonic Pill Valley then?”
“Yes? The Demonic Pill Valley?”
When Son U-gon opened his eyes wide, Namgung Cheon immediately regretted it.
‘Ah, damn. He hadn’t gone that far.’
Son U-gon, who blinked his eyes like a goldfish for a brief moment, recoiled as if bouncing back and shouted in shock.
“C-Could it be… you know the location of the Demonic Pill Valley… Mmph! Mmph mmph!”
Namgung Cheon, who flew over and blocked Son U-gon’s mouth before he knew it, muttered quietly.
“If you don’t keep quiet, I will boil and eat you first.”
“Keugh, I am sorry!”
Son U-gon quickly admitted his mistake and apologized.
Namgung Cheon loosened his hand and sighed.
“Sigh, my guard has collapsed too much. I shouldn’t be this lazy.”
“Ayy. We, hehe, can be trusted, I tell you. Hehehe. Demonic Pill Valley… hehehe.”
When Son U-gon could not suppress the laughter leaking out constantly, Namgung Cheon narrowed his eyes.
“Why does the meaning of your laughter seem different from earlier?”
“There is no way. Hehehe. So, have you identified the location? Hehehe.”
Look at this evil fellow.
The Demonic Pill Valley is completely filled in his two eyeballs.
Namgung Cheon shook his head, then nodded with a serious expression.
“For now.”
“Then is the Lord the only one who knows the place now?”
“As far as I know, yes. But it wouldn’t be strange if someone else knew it too. The problem is how to go there…”
“Hmm. How about leaving it to the Ghost King Stronghold or the Obscurity Society?”
“How can I trust those guys?”
“Then our squad… hehehe.”
“Right now, you look the most dangerous.”
“Ayy, if you say that, it hurts my feelings. I was just happy at the thought that I could help the Lord… hehehe.”
“Forget it. I told you, right? My motto is ‘there is not a single person in the world to trust’. First, I must meet the Obscurity Society Leader.”
As Namgung Cheon stood up from his seat, Son U-gon followed with a beaming smile.
“Don’t follow!”
“The place where the Lord goes is our path.”
“Then in a place where you can’t be seen.”
“Understood!”
Son U-gon answered cheerfully and vanished like a ghost.
Namgung Cheon shook his head.
‘I wonder if I am raising a tiger cub, dear me…’
* * *
“I was just about to pay my respects to the Lord anyway.”
The Obscurity Society Leader Black Line said as he personally filled Namgung Cheon’s teacup.
Namgung Cheon lifted the teacup and asked.
“For what matter?”
“Because of the task you entrusted me last time.”
“Last time…? Ah, you mean the surveillance on Hye-gwang, the Leader of the Shining Monk Association?”
“Yes. While monitoring Hye-gwang, we found a person identified as a contact.”
“Oh, really? Who is it?”
“We haven’t approached the background faction yet. It is operated in a decentralized cell form, so it seems we need to investigate further.”
“Anyway, that guy approached that lecher first?”
“Yes. Currently, he has set up a stall in nearby Yunmeng County and is conducting business.”
“Is he a peddler?”
Black Line nodded.
“For now, he appears to be acting as a peddler.”
“You don’t know his real identity?”
“I am sorry. Not that far yet. Because we focus mainly on information about the Martial Alliance…”
“Fine. That’s enough. First, I must go to Yunmeng County.”
“Are you going yourself?”
“That is the most certain. A man like me doesn’t postpone his work to others.”
“There are only four days left of the apprentice cadets’ recess… won’t it be too tight?”
“Four days is enough.”
As Namgung Cheon stood up, Black Line smiled and asked.
“By the way, didn’t you visit because you had another business?”
“I did, but put on hold for now. Because if my prediction doesn’t deviate much, I might solve it together with this matter.”
“I do not know the detailed inner story, but I hope it goes as the Lord wishes.”
“Why is your speech so sweet? Are you also targeting a piece of the pie?”
“Yes?”
As Black Line asked back in bewilderment, Namgung Cheon shrugged his shoulders.
“If not, then whatever.”
* * *
Namgung Cheon left his lodging early the next morning and ran to Yunmeng County. Since he could not expose his identity as it is, he put a human-skin mask on his face.
It was the human-skin mask Jin So-hong had obtained for him before.
To reduce time as much as possible, instead of using the official road, he ran solely in a straight line, which was also a habit from his past life.
Running in places that were not roads while facing the morning breeze after a long time brought back old memories fresh.
Since he flew across rivers and mountains even after passing fifty, he thought both himself, who fled and held out until the end, and the Martial Alliance bastards, who chased him persistently, were truly amazing.
‘Running like this once in a while isn’t bad.’
He thought he would have been fed up with running, but his body felt surprisingly refreshed.
A hum naturally came out.
He recalled a song he had made up and sung to forget the pain of having to run every day even in his past life.
Run, run. Run, Namgung Cheon. To the end of this world, end. Run, Namgung Cheon.
Of course, his name was different back then.
Anyway, after running like a bird for a long time, he could arrive in Yunmeng County around a bit past noon.
Before entering the town, he checked the portrait once and then moved his steps to the market street.
As he wandered around every corner of the alleys, he saw a person closely resembling the portrait setting up a stall and hawking.
‘Got you, you bastard.’
Namgung Cheon went straight into the opposite tavern and took a seat on the second-floor balcony overlooking the peddler.
“Welcome. What can I get you?”
“A bottle of Shaohong liquor and a plate of Dongpo pork.”
“Yes, please wait a moment!”
The server replied cheerfully and ran to the kitchen.
Namgung Cheon took out a small piece of paper and a brush and began to write in tiny handwriting about the peddler.
‘This is secretly fun.’
He had always wanted to try this at least once.
During his days as a fugitive, if he was eating a bowl of noodles in a tavern, there were always guys looking at him from somewhere and writing something.
Some days he pretended not to know, some days he caught and beat them up, some days he shook them off.
‘Does that guy know I am spying on him?’
He probably wouldn’t know.
The reason he could notice that was, after all, the majesty of being the Martial World Public Enemy No. 1.
Anyway, now his role was not the subject of observation, but the observer.
This is how unpredictable the affairs of the world are.
This is exactly what is called putting oneself in another’s shoes.
Writing from a changed perspective.
If not, then whatever.
Even after the food came out, Namgung Cheon continued to observe the peddler.
The stall was full of miscellaneous items; there were trivial children’s toys, women’s ornaments, hidden weapons or daggers to be used by martial artists, and tassels to hang on sword hilts.
Namgung Cheon wrote in tiny handwriting on the paper.
Many items on the stall. But no theme.
Face looks ordinary. Has not learned martial arts at all.
After a long time like that, two women approached, giggled while holding ornaments, and left.
Two women, went after only looking at ornaments for over a quarter of an hour.
The peddler swore behind their backs.
‘It’s definitely fun.’
The fun of secretly observing others.
Is this how one becomes a pervert?
How much time passed again like that?
A bearded man approached, lingered at the stall for a long time, and bought a hair accessory.
Bearded man bought hair accessory.
Could it be homosexuality?
Afterwards, a short kid appeared, hovered and only looked while touching this and that for over one mealtime, and then left.
Kid hovered as if he would buy something for one mealtime to tease him. In the end, went without buying. Even I got angry.
The peddler spat out curses. I understand that feeling.
“Excuse me… customer?”
Turning his head at the voice that suddenly came, the server smiled awkwardly while rubbing his hands.
“How long do you intend to stay? We have to prepare for dinner soon.”
Come to think of it, he seemed to have stayed for quite a long time.
Namgung Cheon put down a piece of silver and said.
“I will stay until that peddler leaves.”
“Yes?”
“Why? Is it your first time seeing someone spying?”
No, he hadn’t even seen it, but does someone usually brag about spying like this?
While the server tilted his head, Namgung Cheon put up one more tael of silver and said.
“One more bottle of Shaohong liquor. And a plate of Doubanjiang. Keep the change.”
“Oh, understood! Then spy well!”
“You punk, if you speak that loudly, I’ll get caught.”
No, who was the one who spoke first?
However, there was no way he could speak his mind to a customer who just threw a tael of silver.
The server quickly scratched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly.
“Ah, yes. Then I will bring the dish quickly!”
After the server ran off, Namgung Cheon turned his gaze again.
At that moment, the eyes of the peddler and Namgung Cheon met.
It was nothing more than an instant, but Namgung Cheon could clearly tell that the peddler had become conscious of him.
The peddler quickly turned his gaze and began hawking casually.
“Come on, come on. I brought only the items you can’t buy because they aren’t available. Take a look.”
Namgung Cheon quickly wrote on the paper.
Met eyes with the peddler. Gaze is rude. He is definitely a bad guy.
Like that, time passed, and around the time the sun was setting.
When the peddler was about to pack up, the bearded man appeared again.
As if the hair accessory was not to his liking, they even had a squabble, pointing fingers at each other.
After a long time, Namgung Cheon wrote on the paper again.
Bearded man wins. Got a refund.
Peddler is broke. Sold nothing all day.
Finally, the peddler stood up. The sound of him grumbling and spitting out curses could be heard all the way here.
Namgung Cheon also drank a cup of Shaohong liquor and stood up.
With his bundle on his back, the peddler trudged across the market street toward the red-light district.
Namgung Cheon steadily followed, glaring at the back of the peddler’s head. Around him, scantily clad women swarmed like wriggling snakes.
“Brother, play and go.”
“Me, I’m still a cadet.”
“Isn’t a cadet a man?”
“A man is a man.”
“Yes. I’ll treat you well.”
But he was busy now.
Because he had to follow the peddler.
While making his way through the courtesans selling their bodies, at some point, a cold sensation touched his flank.
“Don’t look back, just walk.”
A cool voice touching his ear.
Even without turning back, he could tell.
It’s the bearded man.
That petty bastard who got a refund for the accessory from the peddler.