Chapter 62: Chapter 62
“Uuuuh…”
The killing intent spread thickly, and the entrance area darkened like a funeral house.
The gatekeepers’ pupils had long since dilated. Some chattered their teeth incessantly, overwhelmed by terror.
“This is…”
Creeeak! The captain of the gate belatedly scrambled out, sweating profusely, and bellowed his name and rank.
“Guardian Dragon Hall Fifth Grade Ghost Yang-ho! I committed a grave discourtesy!”
Long-serving gatekeepers developed skills. Chief among them, self-preservation.
In that sense, apologizing first without any excuses was a rather sound choice.
‘I didn’t intend to make a big scene anyway.’
Jang I-seo surveyed the gatekeepers on the battlement above, who were at a loss, over the deeply bowed captain’s head. Not one could meet his eyes. Their pale faces told the story.
This much should have left an impression.
“Gah!”
When Jang I-seo turned his head and withdrew his killing intent, trapped breaths erupted simultaneously from the wall.
He answered evenly.
“Adjutant Jang I-seo. I’ve come to see the Hall Master.”
“P-please wait a moment!”
The gate captain, Yang-ho, bolted inside. The battlement stirred with commotion.
Moments later, Yang-ho returned with two subordinates and answered with vigor.
“The Hall Master has ordered me to bring you immediately. I’ll escort you.”
Jang I-seo nodded quietly and followed.
The remaining Guardian Dragon Hall warriors wiped cold sweat from the lingering killing intent he’d left behind.
Then they shot venomous glances at the warrior who’d first spoken disrespectfully.
For him, Jang I-seo had likely been reclassified from a pathetic adjutant to an unforgettable, chilling demon.
*
“Haha, welcome.”
Following the gate captain into the inner building, Ji Dae-ho himself came out to the front of the Hall Master’s office to welcome Jang I-seo.
The gate captain, Yang-ho, was inwardly stunned. Ji Dae-ho’s mood had been foul lately, the hall echoing with his roars. Yet here he was, smiling warmly.
‘To think the Hall Master was this close with Adjutant Jang. Almost caused a mass funeral.’
Jang I-seo looked more impressive by the day.
“Carry on.”
Yang-ho clasped his hands and withdrew. Jang I-seo acknowledged him with a glance and entered the Hall Master’s office.
Ji Dae-ho immediately rolled up his sleeves, produced a white teapot and two cups from his cluttered desk, and offered Jang I-seo a seat at the center.
“Coming all the way here to find me. Is it about my offer?”
Offer? Jang I-seo sat across from him and asked.
“You mean the one about joining the Guardian Dragon Hall?”
Ji Dae-ho beamed and nodded.
“How about it. Given it some thought?”
“Not at all.”
“Figured. So what brings you?”
Ji Dae-ho dropped his smile and poured tea. No steam. Cold tea. Looking around, maps and scattered documents covered every surface. And from the looks of it, he hadn’t slept well.
Clearly, Jang I-seo had arrived during the busiest period.
“My, when did this go cold? My apologies to a guest. I’ll have fresh tea prepared.”
Ji Dae-ho belatedly noticed the cold tea and looked sheepish. Without changing expression, Jang I-seo regarded him and spoke evenly.
“The Sixth Elder visited Wolha Village.”
“Ah, he came and went already?”
Ji Dae-ho, halfway out of his seat to replace the tea, sat back down awkwardly.
“I heard you asked him to examine me on my behalf. Thank you for the consideration.”
Jang I-seo rose and clasped his hands in salute. Ji Dae-ho’s grin stretched ear to ear as he waved dismissively.
“Haha! Think nothing of it. Just a word in passing. So. Did the Physician examine you? What did he say?”
“He was very helpful. Though I’m not cured.”
Jang I-seo kept the explanation brief and sat back down. Then he drank the cold tea without prejudice.
“It’s good. I can feel the Guardian Dragon Hall’s fire in it.”
Ji Dae-ho went blank for a moment, then burst out laughing. He regarded Jang I-seo with warm eyes, drank his own cold tea, and replied.
“I actually prefer it cold. Surrounded by nothing but infuriating bastards, why would I seek out hot things?”
“The most infuriating one lately… would be the Sa brothers, I assume?”
At Jang I-seo’s question, Ji Dae-ho raised his eyebrows sharply over the rim of his cup. He set it down with a clatter and spoke.
“Is it that obvious?”
“Well, everything here is about them.”
Jang I-seo swept the room with his gaze. Documents on the floor, wanted posters on the walls. Everything centered on the Slaughterhouse and Sa Ho-jeong.
For the Hall Master’s office to be in this state meant he was serious. Ji Dae-ho grimaced involuntarily and spoke honestly.
“Five warriors were martyred. I knew the Mad Dog was unhinged, but to rampage so recklessly in the main citadel… And it wasn’t an accident. He swung that axe with intent. Infuriating and shameful.”
This, Jang I-seo hadn’t anticipated. He was slightly surprised. To think he’d kill Guardian Dragon Hall members.
“He doesn’t think about consequences at all.”
This was the Demonic Cult. There was no shortage of violent lunatics. But those who’d harm the Five Dragon Halls within the main citadel were exceedingly rare.
Because that was tantamount to defying the Cult Leader, the Heavenly Demon.
Mad dog? Not even close. Even mad dogs cowered at the name Heavenly Demon.
“Nothing but frustration.”
Ji Dae-ho sighed.
Anyway, the situation was clear.
Jang I-seo got straight to the point.
“I’ll help with the search.”
“You?”
“Yes. I have a request from the Sixth Elder as well.”
“Hmm. Finding out where the Soul-Befuddling Powder came from?”
“Correct. Sa Ho-jeong would know best.”
“If you’re offering, I’ve no reason to refuse. But it won’t be easy. I’ve deployed our full strength across the north, but nothing. You know how vast Cheonsan is. Over four thousand li. If he’s determined to hide, we may need to cast a Heaven-and-Earth Net.”
As he said it, Ji Dae-ho’s expression darkened significantly.
A Heaven-and-Earth Net meant deploying every resource, requesting cooperation from every institution in the cult.
In plain terms, the Guardian Dragon Hall could no longer catch him alone and needed to beg for help.
‘But that’s no easy thing.’
The Guardian Dragon Hall was staffed by men bristling with pride. Asking for help was humiliating in itself.
The gift Jang I-seo had thrown them had turned into poison.
In that case.
“Where was Sa Ho-jeong last sighted?”
The answer was predetermined. Finding him quickly benefited both sides.
Jang I-seo glanced at the spread map and asked. Ji Dae-ho, figuring nothing to lose, clicked his tongue and answered.
“A small inn in Songshan, Hampyeong Village. We believe he was encountered while fleeing north.”
Jang I-seo placed a small wooden marker on the map with a clack, marking Songshan, Hampyeong Village.
“When the Slaughterhouse raided Wolha Village, Sa Ho-jeong didn’t show.”
“Wasn’t he at Don-u Village?”
“Then I wouldn’t have been able to loot the Lust Flower Tower.”
“Could have been drinking himself senseless nearby. He’s a depraved sort.”
“That’s unlikely.”
“Unlikely?”
Jang I-seo nodded. He’d known from the start that Sa Ho-jeong wouldn’t come to Wolha Village. He’d received advance intelligence that the assassin had headed north with his men.
That was precisely why he could send only Yong-tae to the Lust Flower Tower.
And the reason the second-in-command Sa Ho-jeong would skip a critical operation and head north could only be one thing.
Tik. Jang I-seo placed another marker at the far northern edge.
“He was likely at Jipha Village.”
“Jipha Village… Why do you say that?”
“Compared to the size of the Lust Flower Tower’s storage, the quantity of Soul-Befuddling Powder was extremely small.”
“Hmm…”
“When the storehouse is empty, you fill it. Basic logic.”
“You’re saying he went to find the Mad Physician?”
“Yes. And if the Mad Physician had been inside Cheonsan, the Demon Physician would have known. So the Soul-Befuddling Powder was manufactured outside, and Sa Ho-jeong was trying to bring it in. And the only place in the north that trades with the outside is Jipha Village.”
That was likely why the Demon Physician hadn’t expected anything beyond finding the Mad Physician’s whereabouts.
Matters outside the cult weren’t something Jang I-seo could handle.
“Hmm…”
Ji Dae-ho apparently found the logic sound. He crossed his arms and nodded for him to continue.
“Sa Ho-jeong likely wasn’t fleeing north. He was heading back south when he encountered the Guardian Dragon Hall.”
“But that’s still speculation.”
True. Speculation. But for Jang I-seo, it was near-certainty.
“Jipha Village is the most connected to the outside, but it’s also one of the hardest places to escape from. The Counter-Espionage Division and the Flying Dragon Hall, plus hidden operatives lurking everywhere. The scrutiny on defection is thorough.”
Correct. As the only point of external contact, exit screening was rigorous.
In short: getting in was possible. Getting out was impossible.
“What’s your point?”
“Songshan is the shortcut commonly used when traveling between the south and Jipha Village. The terrain is rugged and paths are few, making it difficult to divert elsewhere. If he’d planned to flee north, he would have chosen Muhaksan next to it. More forks in the road, harder to track.”
“Is that so…?”
Ji Dae-ho’s face registered disbelief. He hadn’t thought that deeply. One might wonder how a Hall Master could miss this, but this was Cheonsan.
A massive mountain range with countless peaks. Even the herb gatherers of the Poison Pavilion couldn’t know every trail.
“But how do you know all this?”
“Well…”
Because I’m a spy. Escape routes were fundamentals. But he couldn’t say that outright.
Jang I-seo asked slyly.
“Have you forgotten where I come from?”
“Counter-Espionage Division…?”
“When tracking spies, the first thing to consider is their escape route. You need to know not only mountain paths but waterways.”
The smoothly flowing answer left Ji Dae-ho no choice but to nod.
“It makes sense, and yet all I can think is how remarkable you are.”
“Moreover, the fact that Sa Ho-jeong stayed at a small village like Hampyeong on Songshan’s mid-slope, rather than a larger town, suggests he was in a hurry. Presumably… he’d heard news about the Slaughterhouse.”
Precise. Ji Dae-ho marveled at Jang I-seo’s reasoning.
But this wasn’t the end.
No. This was only the beginning.