Reaper of the Drifting Moon novel - Chapter 583

Chapter 583

“This is the Red Turban Association. Quite impressive, isn’t it?”

Taemu Sang introduced the Red Turban Association to Soma with pride.

The main gate of the Red Turban Association was wide open. Men with red turbans bustled about, coming and going through the gate.

It was not always like this.

The Red Turban Association was so closed that it would never leave its doors so wide open.

The leader of the Red Turban Association, Yu Il-seok, consolidated his power by monopolizing the workers at Sea Gate City’s dock. But after his defeat at the hands of Tarha, his power was greatly diminished.

Nevertheless, Yu Il-seok had to be satisfied. Thanks to Tarha’s mercy, he was able to keep his position as the master of the Red Turban Association. Otherwise, he would have had to work hard like the red-hooded laborers.

Soma marveled at the scale of the Red Turban Association.

“Amazing. They send workers from here to all the docks in Sea Gate City?”

“Yes! The dock work can’t run without passing through here.”

“So you know the ins and outs of this place?”

“Of course. There’s no place I haven’t been. Why, is there something you want to know?”

Taemu Sang’s eyes sparkled.

The same was true for Geom Yeong.

Both of them felt deeply indebted to Pyo Wol. Had it not been for Pyo Wol, they would not have become Tarha’s disciples and would still be living a miserable life.

Pyo Wol had saved their lives and allowed them to live as human beings. They had vowed to repay this favor one day.

“He must have come to Sea Gate City for a reason. He always has a clear purpose.

“We’ll help you with anything you need. Just say the word.”

Geom Yeong followed Taemu Sang’s words.

After watching them for a moment, Soma chuckled.

It occurred to him that their faces were very similar to his own.

Like him, they were willing to do anything for Pyo Wol. It seemed that he could ask them for help.

Soma opened his mouth.

“My elder brother is chasing the Ghost Fleet.”

“The Ghost Fleet?”

Color drained from Taemu Sang and Geom Yeong’s faces.

“You know about it?”

“We’ve had experience with them before.”

“That makes it easier to explain. My elder brother thinks that the Ghost Fleet is hiding here in Sea Gate City.”

“Really? The Ghost Fleet has come here?”

“They must be disguised as ordinary ships. We need to find that ship. Can you do it?”

“If we’re sure they got here, we can find them.”

When a ship comes in, a Red Turban Association worker is always dispatched.

Whether it’s unloading cargo or restocking supplies, they need help.

There is no place that escapes the eyes of the Red Turban Association, at least not within Sea Gate.

If the Ghost Fleet had really entered Sea Gate City as Soma said, they were confident they could find them.

“We will mobilize the entire Red Turban Association.”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you? It’s something we should obviously do.”

Taemu Sang smiled at Soma.

Soma smiled back.

Then Geom Yeong interrupted their conversation.

“Hold on! You just mentioned the Ghost Fleet, right?”

“Why?”

“Huh?”

The two looked at him with puzzled expressions.

Geom Yeong frowned as he spoke.

“I don’t know if it has anything to do with the Ghost Fleet, but it’s been said that strange people have been appearing in the guest houses recently.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The innkeepers there say they’ve seen people of uncertain origin lately.”

Geom Yeong was originally an innkeeper.

Before becoming a disciple of Tarha, he had a solid foundation from working as an innkeeper. He maintained those relations with the innkeepers who worked in Sea Gate City.

If they saw anything out of the ordinary, they would tell him first.

Taemu Sang asked Geom Yeong,

“Of uncertain origin? Most people who come here by ship from foreign lands are like that, aren’t they?”

Dozens of ships arrived at Sea Gate City each day.

Many of them came from the West or other foreign lands. They couldn’t possibly know the identities of everyone who arrived on those ships.

Geom Yeong retorted,

“We may not know their exact identities, but we usually have a rough idea of what ship they arrived on, don’t we? But now there are those for whom even that is uncertain.”

“Really? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought it was nothing.”

“Okay. Let’s focus our investigation on them.”

“Shall we gather the innkeepers?”

“Do it quietly for now. Gather them discreetly. How much time do you need?”

“It won’t take long.”

“Good! Start immediately.”

“Understood.”

With his reply, Geom Yeong dashed towards the bustling street.

Soma shouted at Geom Yeong’s retreating figure,

“Be careful!”

“I will!”

Geom Yeong turned and waved before running again.

Taemu Sang spoke with a smile,

“Don’t worry. He’s sharp as a ghost. If he senses danger, he will evade it well.”

“They are not ordinary people.”

“We know from experience. Don’t worry about Geom Yeong; let’s focus on our task.”

Taemu Sang led Soma inside the Red Turban Association.

Soma nodded and followed him.

＊＊＊

When Pyo Wol opened his eyes, Yul Ayeon was nowhere to be seen.

She had slipped away quietly before daylight.

Knowing this, Pyo Wol had not stopped her.

Despite their passionate time together, they had no intention of binding themselves to each other.

Pyo Wol wasn’t the kind of man to settle down, and Yul Ayeon wasn’t sure she could handle him.

She thought that their relationship was just fine as it was. That’s why she quietly left Pyo Wol’s room at dawn.

Pyo Wol, too, had no thoughts of clinging to Yul Ayeon.

He was not someone who could settle for just one woman.

An ordinary martial artist might have, but an assassin could never settle. The moment he settled down, a weakness would appear, and his enemies would exploit that weakness.

An assassin’s destiny was to live and die alone.

Pyo Wol had no thoughts of defying his fate.

He got up and dressed.

It was only after he had put on his wrist guards and his black blood robe that he stepped out of the room.

“Did you sleep well?”

The first person to greet him was Sal-no.

Sal-no’s breath was fragrant with alcohol.

“You’ve been drinking all night?”

“Tarha, this friend, we got along better than expected.”

“Friend?”

“We’re about the same age, so we just decided to call each other friends.”

“Second after the Divine Physician?”

“This is how it turned out. Our days are numbered, aren’t they? We don’t have much time to live, so we decided to make each other comfortable”.

Sal-no rattled on…

Pyo Wol thought that Sal-no’s humor had gradually improved.

Whether Sal-no really thought his days were numbered, or whether he felt more comfortable around Pyo Wol, was unclear.

Either way, it wasn’t too bad.

No matter how his personality changed, as long as he did his job well, it was fine. And the Sal-no Pyo Wol knew was someone who understood his intentions better than anyone else and did his job accordingly.

That was enough.

Together with Sal-no, Pyo Wol walked around the Sea Dragon Manor.

The morning sunlight that shone down on Sea Dragon Manor was incredibly beautiful. The exotic atmosphere made them feel like they were truly in the West.

Pyo Wol and Sal-no slowly wandered inside.

A group of people dressed in Western clothes that covered both their heads and bodies approached from the opposite side.

Pyo Wol and Sal-no immediately recognized them as the martial artists sent by the Mara Law Sect, as their aura and energy were similar to Tarha’s.

When they saw them, they bowed slightly in acknowledgment. But none of them opened their mouths.

It was as if they were looking at an assassin.

Pyo Wol and Sal-no also bowed slightly in greeting.

And so, they casually passed by each other.

When they were out of sight, Sal-no spoke in a low voice.

“Their qi feels quite powerful. The elites of the Mara Law Sect, they truly live up to their reputation.”

Sal-no couldn’t hide his admiration.

Pyo Wol silently nodded and moved on.

At that moment, two people approached them.

“Are you up?”

“Did you sleep well?”

It was Tarha and Yul Ayeon.

Yul Ayeon looked at Pyo Wol nonchalantly, as if she didn’t know what had happened the night before.

Pyo Wol only nodded slightly.

Tarha spoke to the two of them,

“Everyone must be hungry, so let’s eat first.”

He led the two into the rear garden.

In the beautiful back garden, a large table was set and a sumptuous meal was served.

The four sat down to eat.

“How about a drink?”

“No, I had enough yesterday.”

Sal-no shook his head at Tarha’s offer of alcohol.

In truth, he hadn’t drunk much yesterday.

Despite the camaraderie with Tarha, he had not forgotten the duty of an assassin.

The moment an assassin succumbs to pleasures such as alcohol, the senses begin to dull.

Sal-no knew all too well what dulled senses meant to an assassin.

Tarha spoke with a laugh.

“I knew you’d say that. Let’s just eat then.”

He didn’t press further and continued his meal.

Suddenly, Pyo Wol opened his mouth.

“The children are nowhere to be seen?”

“They went out and haven’t returned. There should be no problem. If something happened, a report would have already come up.”

Yul Ayeon answered.

Tarha chimed in.

“Every single event in Sea Gate City reaches our ears. So don’t worry.”

His tone was filled with confidence.

He prided himself on his perfect control over Sea Gate City.

Although the Sea Dragon Hall was still around, they were no match for Sea Dragon Manor.

Given a few more years, they would lose all influence in Sea Gate City and fade into history.

Of course, whether anyone would remember them was another matter.

Pyo Wol simply nodded.

It was extremely rare for Yul Ayeon and Tarha to be so sure of something. It was a sign of their confidence.

Yul Ayeon asked.

“What will you do after the meal?”

“I plan to take a walk.”

“A walk? So you intend to move yourself?”

“Hmm!”

Pyo Wol nodded.

Even if he stayed put, information would come.

With Sea Dragon Manor, the Red Turban Association, Soma, and the children on the move, any suspicious movement would be quickly captured.

There was no need for Pyo Wol to move himself. However, he preferred to gather information himself.

No matter how good the information that came in, he felt it was not as good as seeing for himself.

Yul Ayeon smiled and said…

“Then I’ll guide you.”

“There’s no need for that. I know Sea Gate city well enough.”

“Sea Gate City has changed a lot since you were last here. It won’t be easy to find your way alone.”

“She is right. This is no longer the Sea Gate City of the old days. It will be more comfortable to move around with Ayeon.”

With Tarha joining in, Pyo Wol could no longer refuse.

“Let’s do that.”

“You’ve made the right decision. I’ll gather as much information as I can too.”

“Thank you!”

“What are you talking about? Do you know how much you’ve helped me? I’m glad to have a chance to repay you.”

Tarha’s look at Pyo Wol was incredibly warm.

He was colder than anyone to his enemies, but infinitely generous to those on his side.

Moreover, Pyo Wol had bestowed great kindness upon him.

He could do anything for him, even more than this.

“If there’s anything you need, just say the word. I’ll get it for you, even if it’s to the ends of hell. Your enemy is my enemy. I swear that those who are hostile to you will not be left alone by the warriors of the Mara Law Sect”.