Chapter 47: When Three Walk Together, One Must Be My Teacher (1)
A cold wind blew, shaking the tree branches.
A single leaf that had been attached just a moment ago left the embrace of the bare branch and flew off somewhere.
The branch gave birth to the leaf, yet it did not know where it went.
“…….”
In the dark night, Chui and Oh Ja-woon stood on the high wall surrounding the manor of the Hegemon Society.
Beyond where blazing torches illuminated various parts of the manor, numerous people were moving.
In mourning.
A funeral was being held in the Hegemon Society.
Those walking around right now were all mourners from the outside.
Oh Ja-woon looked back at the white condolences wreaths outside the wall and spoke.
“……It seems someone from the Hegemon Society died.”
“No matter who died, it is a good thing if there are many people.”
Chui looked beyond the long queue formed by the mourners.
If there are many people, it is easy to blend in.
From the perspective of an attacker planning a quiet infiltration, that was the case.
The path leading toward the inner manor beyond the torches.
Warriors of the Hegemon Society carrying swords were seen standing with firm expressions.
They were guiding the mourners to the funeral hall prepared inside only after meticulously checking their identities.
Oh Ja-woon asked Chui.
“Will it be possible to blend in among the mourners? It seems they are checking identities meticulously.”
He had reason to worry.
It was because among the mourners who came to express condolences to the Hegemon Society, the face of Won Wol, the guard captain of the Zhaoguan Pass, was also visible.
He had probably come to offer condolences because he felt a bit guilty, wondering if someone he let through had caused the disaster at the Hegemon Society.
Chui shrugged.
“Originally, in a house of mourning, they do not serve food that is stir-fried or fried in oil, or that has heat remaining. So they will surely use cold rice and pressed meat.”
“Pressed meat. Do you plan to infiltrate by disguising yourself as a butcher?”
“I did so in the Namgung Clan.”
“A butcher is good, but I have another way. It is a slightly more certain method.”
Oh Ja-woon presented one method he had used when shaking off the pursuit of the Mount Hua Sect.
Hearing that, Chui slowly nodded his head.
“That is also a decent method.”
“Did you learn a lesson?”
Seeing Oh Ja-woon’s grinning face, the events of the past naturally came to mind.
Before returning, the memories of breaking through many passes with Oh Ja-woon in this manner fresh and vivid once again came to mind.
And now, Chui was trying to learn a lesson through Oh Ja-woon once again.
Through his former master who was much younger, healthier, and knew how to smile like this.
* * *
“Night soil collectors~”
The back gate of the Hegemon Society.
Two men in shabby attire dangled two buckets beneath a pole slung over their shoulders.
The guards protecting the gate frowned.
“What is it?”
“We are here to empty the night soil, the night soil.”
The tall man spoke in a jovial manner.
The guard turned his head slightly.
“…….”
Because there were many mourners, the latrine was overflowing with excrement.
Because those who ate and drank to their hearts’ content frequently urinated and defecated, the outhouse, which originally would have easily lasted for a few days, was on the verge of overflowing.
Perhaps because it was a hastily arranged funeral, they had not yet paid attention to such trivial and minor things.
The guard roughly scanned the two men before his eyes.
Their hair was disheveled, and their faces were covered in ash and soil dust.
As if they had already gone around several houses, night soil water was splashed here and there on their clothes, and a foul odor was also emitted.
At the bottom of both buckets hanging from the ends of the pole, wet excrement that had not yet dried was pooled, emitting a nauseating stench.
The guards covered their noses and scowled.
“Do not come too close. Stay back a bit.”
“Still, we must receive a body search……”
“Forget it, forget it. Hurry and go inside.”
“Thank you—”
“The smell is severe, so only walk through shaded areas. Try not to stand out before the guests’ eyes if possible.”
The guards did not properly examine the two men who came to empty the night soil.
Let alone a body search, they showed a reluctance to even go near them.
Thanks to that, the two men were able to easily enter the manor of the Hegemon Society.
The ones carrying the night soil buckets were, of course, Chui and Oh Ja-woon.
“…….”
Chui scanned the interior of the Hegemon Society.
Beyond where several guards were standing watch, the mourners drank liquor.
They were all people wearing silk clothes.
Inside the high wall, buildings were clustered together.
Beyond them, a large lake and several bridges crossing over it were visible.
Across the bridges, there was an artificial island, and upon it, several tall pavilions rose once again, but the lower part of the pavilions was blurry as if covered in water mist.
The mourners entered that pavilion through the eastern bridge and exited through the western bridge, and it seemed they could only move along a designated path.
As if a formation was deployed inside the island.
At that moment.
“Hey.”
A passing warrior covered his nose and glared at Oh Ja-woon.
“Since it smells, only walk behind that building. It will be a big problem if the guests are displeased.”
“Yes, yes. Of course.”
“Get lost quickly.”
Oh Ja-woon quickly bowed his head and ran off with hurried steps to blend into the shadows.
And then he turned to Chui and spoke.
“How is it? The treatment is better than that of a butcher, right?”
“Indeed it is.”
Chui nodded.
No one said anything even if a night soil collector walked through remote and shaded areas.
It was because beyond not mixing words with them, other people hated to even look at them in the first place.
A butcher could cover the smell of blood and was a profession looked down upon wherever they went, making disguise easy, but the night soil work had far more advantages than that.
Oh Ja-woon snorted.
“It is a ridiculous thing. How can those bastards who squeeze the lifeblood of others and run rampant in evil deeds find feces dirty? If they only knew that they are far worse than feces……”
“Enough.”
Chui cut off Oh Ja-woon’s sermon.
“We have infiltrated, but it seems there might be a variable.”
“Do you mean the water bandit of the Yangtze River?”
“Yes. Thousand-Head Hae Baek-jeong. If she assists the Hegemon Society, the matter will become annoying.”
Do Mak-saeng, the Hegemon Society Leader, and Hae Baek-jeong, the Thousand-Head of the Yangtze River Water Bandit Union.
It was necessary to know what kind of relationship these two currently had.
Chui adjusted the night soil bucket and night soil carrier and spoke.
“If Hae Baek-jeong observes the affairs of the Hegemon Society from the sidelines, it will be easy, but if that woman decides to cooperate with the Hegemon Society, things will get troublesome. Since both of them likely hold resentment against me.”
“We just need to find out what their relationship is like right now before we start the work. How should we find out?”
Hearing Oh Ja-woon’s worry, Chui answered simply.
“If you do not know, you must ask.”
“Ask? To whom?”
Then Chui looked at Oh Ja-woon and spoke.
“When three walk together, one must be my teacher.”
“……?”
Oh Ja-woon knitted his brows.
‘When three walk together, one must be my teacher’ meant that if three people walk down a road, there must be someone among them who can be one’s teacher.
Oh Ja-woon asked.
“Why are you saying that now?”
“It is because we are two right now. Two who do not know much. And……”
Before long, Chui raised his head.
And he looked at a warrior of the Hegemon Society who was walking toward the latrine.
“Look. The third one who knows a lot is coming.”
He would be the teacher who would inform Chui and Oh Ja-woon in detail about what they did not know.
* * *
Hwang Chun, a Second-Class Guard of the Hegemon Society.
He was a man who loved gold ornaments so much that his nickname was ‘Gold Bug.’
Hwang Chun unfastened his gold-decorated sword from his waist, leaned it against the wooden wall, and opened the door of the latrine.
Creak—
The wooden door of the latrine made a loud noise.
In the center of the dirty wooden plank floor, two footrests to step on were seen, and between them, a pitch-black hole was visible.
“Sigh, I almost soiled myself.”
Hwang Chun hurriedly lifted the hem of his cloak and took off his pants.
“Ugh—is it because the cloudy wine I drank during the day was not warmed enough? My stomach is somehow throbbing……”
And then he aligned his anus with the latrine hole that was wide open toward the bottom.
Splat—
A signal came from his stomach immediately.
Plop—
From down below, the sound of feces falling into the night soil water was heard.
“Phew—”
Hwang Chun let out a long breath while crouching on top of the wooden frame of the latrine.
Plop— plop— plop— trickle……
After handling his urgent business and less urgent business in succession, other thoughts finally arose.
“……Come to think of it, it is about time to collect money from those bastards whose tongues I cut out last time.”
A while ago, he had received the order of the Hegemon Society Leader and cut out the tongues of several merchants in the tavern.
For reference, one of those whose tongues were cut out at that time was the owner of a rival fabric shop located across from the fabric shop run by his wife’s family.
That was why Hwang Chun had cut out his tongue even more viciously and persistently.
“With this, my wife will become a step friendlier. I also have face to show when I visit my father-in-law next Mid-Autumn Festival.”
Hwang Chun chuckled and stood up.
Since he had established his prestige by cutting out the tongues of those in the tavern last time, the rumor must have spread all over the area by now.
For a while, he would be able to receive free liquor and free food from neighboring merchants, let alone pocketing plenty of spending money.
“For a while, I should focus on field duty. I must collect money tightly to repair the house and change the cart……”
Hwang Chun drew a hopeful future and stretched out his hand.
It was to find the straw rope piled in a corner of the wall.
However.
Grope— grope—
There was nothing in the corner of the latrine.
The straw rope for wiping had run out completely.
“Ah, damn it……”
Hwang Chun gritted his teeth and spat out a curse when there was nothing to wipe with.
Is it not human nature to be flustered when one runs to the latrine to handle urgent business, only to find nothing to wipe with?
‘Let’s see. What should I wipe with?’
There was no straw rope or wooden stick for wiping, and it was also embarrassing to shout and call the colleagues outside.
Furthermore, because the toilet was located in a remote and quiet place, no one would come unless he screamed at the top of his lungs.
Hwang Chun began to seriously contemplate whether to tear off a piece of his cloak and use it.
Right at that moment.
Rustle—
Hwang Chun felt something moving from below.
“What is it?”
Looking down, only the darkness inside the deep feces pit entered his eyes.
‘Strange? Surely something white brushed past?’
There were many rats near the night soil water beneath the latrine.
Could it be one of them? Hwang Chun thought roughly.
Rustle, rustle……
Again, something white flickered in a corner of Hwang Chun’s vision.
Even until then, Hwang Chun could not focus on the bottom because he was looking for something to wipe with.
At that moment.
“……Huh?”
The white thing entered the vision of Hwang Chun, who was tearing the hem of his outer garment, properly.
Something that suddenly popped out from the deep hole inside the latrine.
It was, indeed, a pale palm.
“Gasp!?”
Hwang Chun was so shocked that he could not even make a sound.
Grab—
That white hand rising from beneath the hole grabbed Hwang Chun’s ankle just like that.
“Aaack!?”
And dragged him down into the dark hole beneath the latrine just like that.
…Plop!
Inside the latrine, only a quiet silence remained once again.
Unrivaled Spear Ghost