Chapter 134: Chapter 134

Jang Geon grinned playfully and lightly patted the shivering Yang Goeng on the shoulder.

“Did someone say they’d kill you? Why are you trembling like this?”

“…Ha, haha. Th-that’s right. It’s not like anyone is going to die. Hahaha…”

Seeing that Jang Geon and Yang Goeng seemed to know each other, Ga Yong-san of the Sword Dragon Sect, who had stood up to greet him, showed a surprised expression.

“Martial Artist Yang, do you know Hero Jang?”

“Well, I know him, but not that well, just…”

While Yang Goeng stole glances at Jang Geon, Jang Geon turned his gaze toward Ga Yong-san and spoke.

“Just call me Martial Artist Jang. The term ‘Hero’ is burdensome.”

“No, how could I address our Sword Dragon Sect’s benefactor like that…”

“I do not consider myself the benefactor of the Sword Dragon Sect. You should know well why that is.”

Ga Yong-san kept his mouth tightly shut. At the time of the Plateau City incident, Jang Geon and the Shaolin monk Jin Gyeon had judged that they could not hold the Sword Dragon Sect any further accountable, considering that their sect leader and many disciples were already dead or wounded, and that neither of them were residents of Plateau City. Thus, they had moved on after receiving only the compensation for Jin Seo-ha’s salt cart.

However, after a brief silence, Ga Yong-san soon raised both hands in a cupped fist salute and bowed deeply.

“Since Benefactor does not wish it, I will not address you as Hero. But apart from the matter of our sect, it is an undeniable fact that this humble Ga owes his life to Benefactor from that time. Should you ever need help, please tell me anytime. Whatever the task may be, I will step forward and help as if it were my own affair.”

Seeing that his greeting was sincere, Jang Geon could not continue treating him with a sullen attitude either. So he sighed softly and returned the cupped fist salute.

“…I will keep that in mind.”

Having accepted the greeting like that, Jang Geon soon unfolded his hands and turned around. Ga Yong-san, staring at him with bright, glistening eyes, was so burdensome that it was difficult to stay on the first floor any longer. Furthermore, it was also impolite to keep the woman in charge of the Reception Hall waiting beside the stairs.

Only Yang Goeng, who had been trembling with needless tension, put on a bewildered look as he watched him walk away. Then, seeing Jang Geon begin to climb the stairs with the administrator, he snapped to his senses and quietly tried to get up from his seat.

At that moment, a quiet voice echoed in his ears.

[Don’t go anywhere; wait there. I’ll unpack my things and come back down.]

Yang Goeng froze in an awkward, half-risen posture at that voice. When he glanced up toward the stairs, he made eye contact with Jang Geon. Without saying anything more, Jang Geon pointed an index finger at him. As if that finger had leaped across the distance and poked him squarely in the eye, Yang Goeng shut both eyes tightly and flopped back into his seat. In that brief moment, he looked as though he had aged several years.

Jang Geon chuckled at the sight. If nothing else, this fellow was delightfully fun to mess with. Whatever schemes he might be brewing in the Reception Hall, it seemed his stay at the Murim Alliance wouldn’t be boring thanks to him.

Following behind the administrator while indulging in such thoughts, he soon arrived in front of his room. The administrator unlocked the door and handed Jang Geon a small key.

“For meals, if you come down to the first floor and notify the kitchen, they will prepare it at any time. When stepping outside the Reception Hall alone without an accompanying Alliance member, you must state a clear destination and receive permission for it. If you violate this or move to a location other than the permitted destination, you may be expelled from the Alliance or detained depending on the severity.”

The room was not very large, but it had everything needed, including a bed, a table, and a wardrobe for storing clothes; above all, it was exceedingly clean. Leaving the Alliance right now to find a room of this quality within New Sichuan would cost quite a bit of coin.

Jang Geon placed his saddlebags on the bed and opened the window. Pavilions and pagodas of the Murim Alliance filled his field of vision from the fourth-floor height. It was not as glamorous or bustling as the streets of New Sichuan, but it had a distinct charm of its own.

“If there is anything else you need, I am always on the first floor, so please call for me. Please rest comfortably.”

Saying so, the administrator bowed and tried to leave the room. But Jang Geon’s words held her back.

“I am Jang Geon. It seems I will be staying here for a few days, so shouldn’t we know each other’s names to address one another?”

When Jang Geon took off his bamboo hat and said that, the administrator smiled faintly and nodded.

“I am called Wi Ga-yeong. It is enough if you address me as Hall Member Wi.”

“Pleased to meet you, Hall Member Wi. I look forward to your care.”

Wi Ga-yeong gave a slight bow with a smile and left the room. Afterward, Jang Geon organized his bags and outerwear, then stepped out of the room once more. Approaching the railing and looking down at the first floor, Yang Goeng sat alone with clasped hands on the table, eyes closed, hardening his face in an utterly serious expression. Ga Yong-san was chattering excitedly about something or other to other people at a different table.

While chattering away, the moment Jang Geon came down to the first floor, he peeked sideways and grew quiet. Ignoring him, Jang Geon sat straight across from Yang Goeng.

Only after the clattering sound of the chair did Yang Goeng slowly open his eyes. Seeing him, Jang Geon smiled faintly and asked.

“What are you doing here?”

“…What else? Working. Shouldn’t a man work to make a living?”

“Wasn’t your job ripping people off?”

Yang Goeng, who had been stiffening his face to look serious, hurriedly leaned over the table and spoke in a low, suppressed voice.

“Hey, lower your voice. What if other people hear? It’s not like it helps you to be exposed either, Brother Jang… No, more importantly, what on earth brings Brother Jang here? Weren’t you reluctant even to receive a medal?”

Jang Geon crossed his legs and leaned back against the backrest of the chair. Although the first floor was not terribly noisy, quite a few people were chatting among themselves. It was hardly quiet enough to warrant repressing one’s voice like that.

Just then, Reception Hall’s Wi Ga-yeong approached from the kitchen holding a tray. It was tea and snacks. Jang Geon thanked her with a nod, and with a small smile, she picked up the empty tray and turned back. When Jang Geon lifted the teacup and sipped, Yang Goeng looked back and forth between him and the kitchen in utter disbelief and spoke.

“Wait, what… She served refreshments without you even asking? Have you been here before? Are you acquainted with that hall member? For that matter, this is the first time I’ve ever seen that woman smile like that!”

“We met for the first time today. Just tell me what you were doing here.”

“Well… I told you I was working…”

“Tell me about that work.”

Yang Goeng mumbled with his lips, looking unsure whether he should truly answer this. But in the end, he let out a deep sigh and spoke in an even smaller voice.

“It’s nothing grand… Friction within the Murim Alliance seemed to be intensifying lately, so I was conducting basic reconnaissance on it.”

“You? Investigating the Murim Alliance?”

“Of course it wasn’t my plan. It’s an operation from higher-ups. Aside from me, there are several other companions working, and this Reception Hall just happens to be my assigned station. The guests here aren’t Alliance members, but they are extremely sensitive to internal Murim Alliance information, so if you dig around, you sometimes hook an unexpected big fish.”

“It doesn’t seem like a very important post.”

Yang Goeng flinched as if about to flare up, but soon sighed again and slumped his shoulders.

“I told you, big fish can be caught. So to speak, you could call me a secret weapon outside the main roster… Damn it, even as I say it, that makes no sense… No, more importantly, why did Brother Jang come here? Are you just going to suck all the information out of me? Isn’t that a bit too much?”

Jang Geon smirked as he looked at Yang Goeng. In any case, he had no interest in the political internal strife involving the Dark Dragon Squad, the Imperial Army, and the Murim Alliance. Even if he learned anything, there was little an outsider like him could do. At any rate, it seemed fine to pass the time by messing with this fellow until Jeok Se-in came looking for him.

Since he had said he would come by tomorrow at the latest, there was plenty of time for that.

* * *

The fourth day of Jang Geon’s stay at the Murim Alliance. Neither Jeok Se-in nor anyone else from the Murim Alliance had come looking for Jang Geon.

Yang Goeng, who had been trying to find out why he came here, obediently merely refilled his teacup from the second day onward due to Jang Geon’s foreboding expression. Whenever Jang Geon moved his hands, he would flinch needlessly.

Originally, most guests at the Reception Hall stayed briefly for a single night, but when a lockdown order was issued on the Murim Alliance four days ago and each department became busy for unknown reasons, people were unable to conclude their business and all ended up lingering at the Reception Hall. And among them were guests who had stayed for a long time due to other complicated issues, even without such a lockdown order.

Conversations in the Reception Hall tended to be led by such individuals, and Ga Yong-san of the Sword Dragon Sect was precisely one of those guests. That was why Jang Geon’s name came to be mentioned among the guests of the Reception Hall.

Other guests who saw him greet Jang Geon on the first day grew curious about Jang Geon, and Ga Yong-san, unable to reveal the disgrace of the Sword Dragon Sect, only mentioned that Jang Geon had eliminated the demonic person who had murdered the previous sect leader.

That story naturally led them to guess that Jang Geon’s martial arts surpassed that of a sect leader. Of course, managing a faction was not accomplished through martial arts alone, so there were cases where a sect leader was not the sect’s supreme expert. However, just as the number one expert of the Central Plains held the number one power of the Central Plains in his hands, in the end, one who practiced martial arts had to prove it through martial arts.

The Sword Dragon Sect was a massive faction that ruled the city called Salt Lake City. Through salt, the surrounding gold and silver mines, and eastern trade, they had amassed great wealth and possessed enough power to put on airs even in the Murim Alliance. It was only natural that the leader of such a sect could not be compared to some wandering martial artist on the streets.

On top of that, Jang Geon’s face did not appear to be past his early thirties at most. To have martial arts superior to a sect leader at such a young age, and going by Ga Yong-san’s words, he did not seem to belong to any special power. Although it brought to mind the background of the undercover Imperial Army, if not that, it was the image of a young expert who would lead the Murim in the future.

Naturally, the Reception Hall guests sought an opportunity to strike up a conversation with Jang Geon to become acquainted, and if possible, with the intention of drawing him into their own factions.

Of course, not many people could brazenly offer greetings after seeing his deeply grim expression from the second day onward. Even those who thickened their faces to greet him ultimately had to turn away at Jang Geon’s curt replies.

The only one who benefited from this was Yang Goeng. Seeing that Jang Geon seemed unapproachable, some guests tried to pry various bits of information from Yang Goeng, who appeared close to him, and Yang Goeng conversely extracted information from them to wrap up his own work.

Having uncovered one of the gifts meant for the Murim Alliance Council of Elders, Yang Goeng sat across from Jang Geon with a satisfied look. He then took an inverted teacup, filled it to the brim, and gulped it down noisily.

“Whew, warm tea is the best. Tastes great.”

As he nodded contentedly, Yang Goeng suddenly felt the gaze of Jang Geon sitting across from him and looked at him. Jang Geon’s sullen gaze was fixed on him.

“…Heh, hehe. The tea tastes fine. Hall Member Wi must have brewed it with great care. Thanks to you, I’m getting to drink fine tea.”

However, Jang Geon merely stared at him in silence for a long time without answering, and under that stare, Yang Goeng grew increasingly restless as if he were dying of discomfort, before finally letting out a deep sigh and casting his eyes down.

“Well, what is it… You need to at least explain what’s going on so I can help or not. You know that the Alliance Leader’s Office and the Council of Elders have continued to seal off the main gate for four days now, don’t you? Previously, they would lift it in a day or two at most. Seeing that Brother Jang entered that day, it seems you are entangled with their troubles… but those two places are regarded as extremely difficult locations for infiltration and intelligence gathering even by our side…”

“Did anyone say anything to you?”

At Jang Geon’s curt retort, Yang Goeng’s expression, which had been cast down, crumpled violently.

“…Then why are you looking at me like that? It makes me uncomfortable.”

“Does it make you uncomfortable?”

Yang Goeng’s crumpled expression smoothed out rapidly. That was because Jang Geon’s expression remained just as cold while speaking. Instinctively sensing danger, Yang Goeng’s face turned pale, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead and cheeks.

“N-no, not necessarily that, well, what I mean is… not that it’s truly uncomfortable…”

“Shall I make you truly uncomfortable?”

The cold sweat on Yang Goeng’s face began to pour as if doused in water. He hunched his shrunk body even further and glanced alternately between Jang Geon’s face and his hands. It felt as though the hand fiddling with the teacup might shoot forward at any moment and grab him by the throat.

The one who saved Yang Goeng was Jeok Se-in, who threw open the main doors of the Reception Hall and barged in.

“Jang Geon!”

Yang Goeng, who had somehow been unable to move his body, regained his freedom only after Jang Geon’s eyes turned toward Jeok Se-in, and collapsed flat onto the table.

“…Ugh, holy shit…”

While he muttered curses, Jeok Se-in, who had rushed over with a grave look on his face, spoke abruptly.

“Disaster! Elder Namgoong is about to be executed; we must stop the Council of Elders!”

Despite the disjointed words, Jang Geon instead asked simply.

“Do you need my help?”

“…I do!”

Jang Geon nodded, picked up the bamboo hat hanging on the chair, put it on his head, and stood up.

“Let us go.”