Chapter 92: Chapter 92

Jo Won-sik mouthed words as if not knowing what to say, looking back and forth between the pummeled Wang Sam, Branch Head Gal, and Jang Geon. Then, as Jang Geon, holding a leaf of tobacco in his mouth, turned to look at him, he finally opened his mouth.

“No, do you think the Alliance’s secret contact is someone you can just meet because you want to? Do you know how complicated the procedure is to arrange a single meeting… And why is that bastard suddenly acting like that? He was speaking fine until just now?”

Jang Geon ignited the tobacco leaf with the tip of his right index finger and gently rubbed his fingers together. Having concentrated a lot of internal energy, his fingertips throbbed slightly.

“That man will no longer answer any questions. Whether that is by his own will or due to the power of the sorcery used when slaughtering spirits. So now the only way left is to find his other brothers.”

“S-Spirits? Sorcery? What are you talking about?”

Jang Geon inhaled the tobacco smoke deeply and naturally let it flow out as he spoke.

“I came to investigate the massacre of a native village that occurred far to the east in the plains. To be precise, I came with the intention of finding the fellow who committed that act. And that fellow and the organization he belongs to are ones who cultivate demonic arts without a second thought. That is also the reason I said there is a matter you people need to know.”

Jo Won-sik’s eyes widened, and Branch Head Gal, who was holding Wang Sam while trembling all over, turned around with a startled face.

“…Demonic arts? Are you saying a demonic practitioner? But already a while ago, the Imperial Army swept away all the demonic practitioners in Gamsan…”

“That Imperial Army is not here now.”

Branch Head Gal stared at Jang Geon with trembling eyes, then set down Wang Sam, who was still muttering only his personal details, and stood up straight. He then asked Jang Geon with a hardened face.

“Are you an inspector from our main headquarters?”

Jang Geon shook his head. On the contrary, a look of fluster surfaced on Branch Head Gal’s face.

“…Didn’t you say you came to investigate a massacre and catch the tail of a demonic practitioner? If not from the Martial Alliance, are you from the Imperial Army?”

“I am a wanderer. I have no backing.”

Branch Head Gal lowered his eyes to look at Wang Sam’s haggard face. A master who knew a bizarre acupoint-striking technique for interrogation, and who could subdue dozens of grown adults even though they were mere thugs. Though it was only for a short moment, the Jang Geon he saw was no ordinary individual.

He turned his gaze back to Jang Geon and asked.

“Then why are you pursuing that tail? If you are neither from the Alliance nor the Imperial Army?”

There was no firm conviction or intense determination in Jang Geon’s eyes. Merely tranquility and calmness. Only unshakeable composure existed. He answered.

“I am merely an agent of revenge.”

“An agent?”

“For someone who slaughtered innocent people as he pleased, shouldn’t there be a price to pay anyway?”

Branch Head Gal looked at Jang Geon for a moment upon hearing that brief answer, then slowly nodded his head.

“…Whoever you are and wherever you came from, I like those words. Making them pay for their sins. Good, even if the secret contact hasn’t found my son’s location yet, they must have figured out at least the hideout of the Wang brothers. The wheels have already begun turning as we rounded up the Returning Dragon Gang members. Perhaps clearing out the underworld quickly is the way to find my son.”

He shifted his gaze to Jo Won-sik and spoke.

“I will hold you accountable for disobeying orders later. Starting now, mobilize all branch personnel as well as those off-duty who went home, and set out to sweep the underworld. You must have already identified the main strongholds of the other bastards, if not the Returning Dragon Gang, right?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes!”

“Then what are you doing standing around?”

“Yes! Understood!”

Jo Won-sik handed the torch to Jang Geon to hold and hurried off at full speed. Having spat out such long orders all at once, Branch Head Gal caught his breath as if it were arduous. In truth, that order was one he should have issued the moment he received the report that Jo Won-sik had captured a crowd of Returning Dragon Gang members. Arresting those gang members was equivalent to abandoning his kidnapped son.

However, Branch Head Gal Woo-seon could not do so. He had tried somehow to interrogate Wang Sam first to learn his son’s location, seeking to delay the branch’s movement as much as possible in that manner. Those who kidnapped his son had indeed chosen a vicious method to paralyze the Gamsan Branch.

Having issued the orders belatedly, Branch Head Gal took a deep breath for a moment, met Jang Geon’s eyes, and spoke.

“…Let us go now. I will guide you to the secret contact myself.”

Jang Geon nodded silently, and they soon exited the underground dungeon.

In the underground dungeon they left behind, Wang Sam, who had been suffering until moments ago, lay slumped on the cold stone floor, bound hand and foot, still muttering the exact same words.

“…I am Wang Sam, vice leader of the Returning Dragon Gang. The youngest of the three Wang brothers, and a cultivator of the Iron Skin Golden Tendon Art. To tie down the intervention of the Martial Alliance Gamsan Branch, we kidnapped his son, and taking advantage of the absence of intervention, we were unifying the underworld of Gamsan City…”

His two eyes, which until moments ago had been filled with a bizarre fervor, gradually cooled down during that time and turned achromatic. And at a certain moment, the muttering ceased, and along with it, his breathing stopped as well.

All that remained in that place was a corpse on the cold stone floor, stripped of its temperature until it turned as cold as the stone itself.

* * *

By Branch Head Gal’s order, the Martial Alliance Gamsan Branch was noisy even in the late hours of the night. There were plenty of people running off to wake up those who had gone home for the night, and warriors staying at the branch gathered their weapons and gear, quickly exiting the main gate. The air, which had been cool due to the night rain, seemed to heat up with that flurry of movement.

Normally, Branch Head Gal should have taken the lead to command them or issue orders from the branch, but that task was temporarily entrusted to Jo Won-sik. Branch Head Gal walked ahead of Jang Geon, heading toward the Martial Alliance secret contact.

The expression of Branch Head Gal walking ahead on the rainy night street was extremely dark. In the damp and dark night street, he appeared to be increasingly coming to accept his son’s death.

Following behind him wearing his bamboo hat, Jang Geon could offer no particular words of consolation. Had he been someone who had known the Branch Head for a long time, he might have said something, but he was a stranger who had met the Branch Head less than half a day ago.

Meanwhile, Jang Geon realized he was retracing the streets he had already passed through. Branch Head Gal and Jang Geon were heading toward the courtesan house street.

“…The secret contact’s hideout is disguised as a courtesan house. The thugs probably jabbered away merrily in that place without knowing such a thing.”

Branch Head Gal walking ahead muttered barely audibly. Knowing that those words were not spoken in expectation of an answer, Jang Geon did not open his mouth.

As the night grew late, the courtesan house street was empty of people, save for a few drunkards staggering in the rain or people hurrying along with umbrellas. Along the way, Jang Geon passed by Gwan Su-chan’s Great Peace Pavilion where he was staying, and glanced at it. Seeing the lights dim and quiet, business seemed to have ended.

Branch Head Gal’s footsteps continued past that place for a long while, reaching the far end of the courtesan house street. He then stopped in front of a courtesan house whose lights were out. It was small, but neat without any particularly worn-out spots.

Branch Head Gal stepped forward and prepared to knock on the firmly shut door of the courtesan house. However, slightly before his hand reached it, the door smoothly opened. Inside, where faint lighting diffused, a man appearing to be a clerk bowed his waist.

“The Mistress is waiting. Please come upstairs.”

Whether they knew they were coming or simply spotted them approaching from afar, this secret contact was already prepared. Branch Head Gal coughed lightly, then stepped inside first.

Jang Geon followed behind him, examining his surroundings. Decorated with red carpets and fluttering silks, the interior was glamorous yet sensual thanks to the dim lighting. Just then, the clerk approached Jang Geon’s side and extended his hand. It was a gesture asking to take his outer coat and bamboo hat.

“I will be leaving shortly.”

The clerk bowed his waist deeply once more and quietly stepped back. Passing him, Branch Head Gal and Jang Geon began ascending the staircase in the middle of the courtesan house. As if accustomed, the Branch Head ascended the stairs, reached the top floor, and unhesitatingly pushed open the closed door.

A room appeared that could be called decadent, lit even dimmer than the lower floor, decorated with dark red cloths, gloomily glittering gold, and white porcelain. At the far end hung a thin curtain through which the other side was faintly visible, and behind it, someone lay reclining. Perhaps smoking a long pipe, a bright red spark seemed to flash faintly for a second.

Branch Head Gal stepped forward and spoke.

“Mistress, do you know why I have come?”

“Of course. You have come to learn the hideout of the Wang brothers, haven’t you?”

Beyond the thin curtain, a woman’s voice drifted out. It was a voice filled with leisure and softness, somehow making one’s ears itch. Branch Head Gal could not answer immediately, hesitated for a moment, and asked.

“…By any chance, have you found my son’s location?”

“Regrettably, we have not found Gal Won-myeong’s location. Branch Head Gal, surely you haven’t refrained from moving your Alliance warriors yet? If so, I too can no longer…”

“I know. The branch is already moving… I also remember that you have taken good care of our branch until now. Thank you.”

It was likely gratitude for not reporting the Gamsan Branch’s affairs to main headquarters. Collusion between a branch and a secret contact far removed from main headquarters in Gamsan City was hardly unusual. In the end, both were cooperative partners under the single roof of the Martial Alliance.

“The Wang brothers maintain about five hideouts and constantly move between them. The duration is irregular, and the sequence is undetermined. We only know there are five locations, not that we have identified all five. It seems your son is hidden in one of those hideouts, but he was not present in the three locations we currently identified.”

“Mmm… Then you do not know the current location of the Wang brothers either…”

Beyond the curtain, a small ember flashed for an instant, as if the woman had puffed on her pipe. Exhaling a breath with a puff, she continued speaking.

“Of course that is not the case. Just today, Wang Sam among the Wang brothers moved leading the Returning Dragon astral force, and we located the hideout where they are currently hiding. Not even a single night has passed, so they will still be there. By now, they must be flustered by the sudden action of the Martial Alliance. They are probably gathering all forces of the Returning Dragon Gang into the hideout.”

“All forces? How many factions have they swallowed up and grown from? Even assuming only half survived, and subtracting those currently captured, they would exceed a hundred. Would they gather that number in one place and risk drawing attention?”

“From what I confirmed until moments ago, that is what is happening. We cannot know their thoughts, but at any rate, that is how the visible movements are.”

Branch Head Gal frowned, but could ask nothing further. Since the visible movements were such, there was nothing more to ask.

“…Understood. Then tell me that location.”

“Go to Cuisine Street. Among the alleys between Hwangseon-gak and Jeyang-ru, enter, and a small house will appear. And that house’s basement is broader than Hwangseon-gak and Jeyang-ru combined.”

“Hwangseon-gak, Jeyang-ru. I know where that is. Thank you. If the alliance between the branch and this place continues well, we will be able to preserve the peace of Gamsan.”

Having offered that greeting, Branch Head Gal turned his body to head out. However, at that moment, Jang Geon took a step forward toward the curtain instead.

“You know me, don’t you?”

Branch Head Gal, who was about to leave, turned bewildered and looked back and forth between Jang Geon and the curtain. Beyond the curtain, the woman also puffed deeply on her pipe and exhaled a long breath.

She spoke.

“How could I not? Are you not the warrior who picked a fight with the Black Blood Gang at Great Peace Pavilion a few days ago?”

“No. Not that.”

Jang Geon’s eyes pierced through the dim curtain to gaze beyond.

“What was your name back then? Geom Jung-chan?”

“…My word. Branch Head? Would you mind waiting downstairs first?”

Branch Head Gal frowned at those words, but soon, with a despondent expression as if it didn’t matter, trudged out of the room. While the sound of him leaving the room and descending the stairs resonated, Jang Geon and the woman beyond the curtain remained silent for a moment.

Finally, the moment Branch Head Gal’s footsteps faded away, the woman spoke first.

“The Branch Head seems to believe his son is definitely dead. Well, his love for his son was indeed exceptional.”

“The bastards knew that too, which is why they kidnapped him.”

Hearing Jang Geon’s blunt response, the woman remained quiet for a moment, then smoothly rose from where she lay. She then walked slowly, lifting the thin curtain to step out.

Red lips, heavy makeup, hair elegantly pinned up in a topknot, and a dark red robe that seemed to match this room fluttered. Emphasizing a slender waist according to the New Continent’s trend, the garment widened below, wrapping around her long legs.

She looked at Jang Geon with an enigmatic face, approaching with slow steps. Her lips opened, and the voice that had been heard from beyond the curtain drifted out.

“How did you know?”

“That cloth was too thin.”

“Are you saying you simply saw through it? But when we met last time, I was a man.”

“There are lines of the body that cannot be hidden even if you twist and alter your frame. Of course, back then even I did not know you were from the Dark Dragon Corps.”

The woman laughed as if entertained.

“Indeed, you deduced it from seeing Yang Goeng. I figured as much.”

Jang Geon looked down at her smiling face as she approached close.

“Was the Martial Alliance’s information line seized by the Imperial Army?”

“No. It’s nothing like that. It’s just that there are many overlapping lines between the Dark Dragon Corps and the Martial Alliance secret contact. Shall we call it an exchange for a common goal? In truth, if we wished to conceal ourselves from each other, we could. It’s just that the current situation in Gamsan City is special.”

As she spoke, she stepped closer to Jang Geon and began examining him thoroughly from his toes upward.

“…Special. I reckon I know who created that special situation as well.”

“Green Snake. The snake of the Demonic Palace. The other day when I struck Guild Leader Son Gwang, I was able to strike the head of the snake here in Gamsan, but after that, I couldn’t completely purge the body. Because the bastards had penetrated deeper into Gamsan than expected. Thanks to that, when the Imperial Army stepped out due to business, a new head rolled in and replaced the body.”

“Why did the Imperial Army leave Gamsan?”

She smiled brightly.

“I cannot tell you that. In fact, I shouldn’t even be showing my face like this. At any rate, that name Green Snake is one of the ranks in the Demonic Palace. The highest position among the snakes. Above that, they say there are generals or whatever, but I haven’t even seen a single tail hair of them, so they are either meticulously hidden figures or a bluff.”

“Did you know what that fellow named Green Snake did a while ago at the native tribe in the eastern plains?”

“New information. That is always welcome.”

Jang Geon quietly met her gaze as she slowly raised her eyes to look into his, then began stepping backward slowly.

“It seems we will need to talk a bit longer.”

“…After catching Green Snake, you mean?”

Stepping back, Jang Geon raised his hand, pointed his index finger at her, and spoke.

“I will be back shortly.”

The woman who possessed quite a few names besides Geom Jung-chan and Dark Dragon Agent No. 3 bowed her waist lightly as she looked at that finger and Jang Geon.

“I shall be waiting.”

Walking backward, Jang Geon turned his body at that greeting. It was time to hunt the snake in earnest.