Chapter 164. You Two Are My Signal Flare.

Because the drinking party truly went on all night, I escaped Zhenmu County as soon as the sun came up.

There were quite a few drunk people, but Murong Bai and I had stopped touching alcohol at some point, so we were perfectly fine.

Whenever something this joyous happens…

Do people really have to pour this much liquor down their throats?

That was the thought that came to mind.

Fortunately, after I glared at him a few times, Gang Leader Huang was also restraining himself from drinking. Judging that nothing good would come from staying any longer, we left just like that.

As soon as we were out of Zhenmu County, I asked Gang Leader Huang how he felt.

“Gang Leader Huang, how does it feel to be called a great hero all night long?”

Gang Leader Huang answered.

“It feels good, but deep down, it’s also uncomfortable.”

“What feels good? And what’s uncomfortable?”

“I was called a great hero, which was never in my fate, and I heard more words of thanks than I have in my entire life.”

“And what’s uncomfortable?”

Gang Leader Huang spoke with a bitter expression.

“I’m not a chivalrous hero, so hearing such words made me uncomfortable.”

I glanced at Murong Bai, then smiled as I spoke to Gang Leader Huang.

“You shouldn’t think of it that way.”

Gang Leader Huang looked at me.

“How should I think of it, then?”

“In Zhenmu County, from now on, Gang Leader Huang is absolutely a chivalrous hero. You accomplished something that can’t be denied. I’ll acknowledge it.”

“Yes.”

“You are also the gang leader who leads the Daeo Gang.”

Seeing Gang Leader Huang nod, I stated the conclusion.

“But you’re a captive of the Hao Sect.”

“Mm.”

“A chivalrous hero of Zhenmu County, the leader of the Daeo Gang, and a captive of the Hao Sect.”

Only then did Gang Leader Huang realize the reality of it.

“That is what I am.”

“Don’t forget it.”

“Yes.”

I was about to tell Murong Bai that we should eat breakfast somewhere nearby, but then I stopped and turned around. Gang Leader Huang and Murong Bai also turned back after me.

“……”

From the road we had come by, a man was approaching with a smile on his face. The unfamiliar man spoke.

“…I finally caught up to you. I wondered where you had gone.”

I looked the approaching swordsman up and down.

I couldn’t immediately tell whether he was an enemy or an ally. What stood out at first glance was how well-dressed he was.

I instinctively grew wary of this man, though I didn’t show it. There are people you dislike the moment you see them, and he was close to that sort.

Up close, the fellow had handsome features and a fine build. He cupped his fist and said,

“Gang Leader of the Daeo Gang, Sect Master of the Hao Sect. You were mixed in with so many people that I was unable to greet you. I am Ye Yahong.”

Murong Bai and Gang Leader Huang looked at me, so I had no choice but to ask.

“What business do you have?”

Ye Yahong took a wanted portrait from his robe and showed it to us.

“Do you know who this is?”

I examined the wanted portrait, then replied.

“Looks like Zimen Honggui.”

Ye Yahong read the amount written beneath the wanted portrait.

“The man with a bounty of twenty standard gold pieces on him was Zimen Honggui. If his head was cut off and brought to Zhenmu County, the people of Zhenmu County had agreed to gather the standard gold pieces and hand them over. You seemed to do nothing but drink all night. Did you receive the money?”

I answered in a dry tone.

“I didn’t kill him for money, so I don’t need it. Anything else?”

The people of Zhenmu County had clearly tried to step forward and punish Honggui themselves, so I wondered where a wanted portrait like that had come from.

I checked the hilt and pommel of the sword Ye Yahong was carrying. It was so finely made that it wasn’t a sword one could easily obtain.

Ye Yahong said,

“There was something I was curious about, so I had intended to accompany you for a short while on your way and ask. Would that be rude?”

I nodded.

“Ask.”

“My apologies to Gang Leader Huang, but you do not appear to possess the skill to kill Honggui. How did you kill him…?”

I answered immediately.

“He was exhausted from facing me, so Gang Leader Huang was able to kill him. Does that answer your question?”

“Ah, I see.”

Ye Yahong gave a sly smile, then cupped his fist again.

“My curiosity has been satisfied. Well then. Take care on your way.”

I touched my nose, then called out to Ye Yahong as he turned away.

“Young Hero Ye, what sect are you from?”

Ye Yahong answered with a smile.

“My apologies. My master dislikes having that revealed.”

As Ye Yahong turned and walked a few steps away, I stared blankly at his back, then asked again.

“What sect are you from?”

At the repeated question, Ye Yahong stopped walking.

I asked again.

“Where?”

Ye Yahong turned around. He was still smiling.

“Sect Master of the Hao Sect, please understand that I cannot tell you.”

I nodded and said,

“You chased after me at this hour before dawn, checked who killed Honggui, and now you say you’ll leave without revealing your sect… I’ll ask one last time. What sect are you from?”

Only then did Ye Yahong’s expression stiffen.

“……”

I looked at Ye Yahong, then said this with the intention of letting him go.

“Young Hero Ye.”

“Speak.”

“Honggui had properly learned martial arts. They weren’t techniques he could have displayed merely by being a horse bandit. Honggui must have had a master too, no?”

“How would I know that?”

I said with a smile,

“I was the one who killed Honggui, so take care on your way.”

I deliberately waved him off with an obnoxious gesture, as if telling him to get lost. In that instant, Ye Yahong’s complexion changed completely, and he spun around and left down the road.

Once Ye Yahong had grown distant, Murong Bai said,

“Sect Master, shouldn’t we catch him?”

I shook my head.

“I don’t know who his master is, but this will only end when that master comes. From the beginning, I thought there must be colluders for the horse bandits in Zhenmu County, and it seems to be those bastards. Let’s walk for now.”

I walked down the road with Gang Leader Huang and Murong Bai.

After a short while, Gang Leader Huang asked,

“What do you think that wanted portrait was?”

“Maybe they scattered them outside to lure them into the wilderness. Or perhaps they used them before and no longer do.”

If Jin Mokhyeon had been toyed with like this all along…….

Yeop Yahong’s master was a villain who played in rather deep waters.

Whether that villain belonged to the White Path, the Black Path, or the Demonic Path, I could not tell right away. Once one’s skill reached a certain level, the martial arts one had mastered tended to be varied, so one could pass down different martial arts to different disciples.

As we walked, I asked Gang Leader Hwang.

“Gang Leader Hwang, recite a list of the experts you know in the vicinity.”

“Does it matter whether they’re White Path or Black Path?”

I nodded. Since he had led an organization called the Daeobang, what he had heard on this side would differ somewhat from what I knew.

Gang Leader Hwang began to recite what he knew without much difficulty. As he named experts and organizations, there were some from the White Path and some from the Black Path mixed in. There were names I knew, and there were also organizations so shabby, like the Daeobang, that I did not know them.

Then Gang Leader Hwang began mentioning figures presumed to stand between righteous and evil.

“In the vicinity, Valley Master Yuxiang, Yao Xianzi, and Bai Mian Gongzi are famous, and the three are on friendly terms. They stand between righteous and evil. There is also Leng Xia, who is not part of a White Path faction but has gained fame through chivalrous deeds…….”

“Hold on.”

“Yes.”

I stopped and looked at Gang Leader Hwang.

“Valley Master Yuxiang, Yao Xianzi, and Bai Mian Gongzi are close?”

“Yes.”

“That’s what you know? Anything else about the three of them?”

“No.”

“I see.”

I yawned as I looked at the two of them. Since all three of us had stayed up through the night, drowsiness was beginning to creep in. Moreover, Gang Leader Hwang had run and fought until his stamina had hit rock bottom, so it would not have been strange if he collapsed.

I watched the road Yeop Yahong had taken when she left. I did not say it to the two of them, but for some reason I had a feeling Yeop Yahong would bring her companions here.

I had no choice but to say to Moyong Baek and Gang Leader Hwang.

“……I think there’ll be a pursuit party. It’s just a feeling.”

“Yes.”

“You two leave for the Black Cat Gang first. Gang Leader Hwang, your stamina is spent, so you won’t be able to fight. Master Moyong, you still lack practical combat experience, so the risk of serious injury is high.”

I took out a banknote from my robe and handed it to Moyong Baek.

“On the way, get a horse or carriage and run to the Black Cat Gang.”

Moyong Baek said,

“Wouldn’t it be better for us to wait together and, if there is a pursuit party, face them as three?”

In any case, I thought sending the two of them ahead was the priority, so I frightened them appropriately.

“The situation doesn’t allow it. If Yeop Yahong’s or the Red Ghost’s master is there, his skill will be about equal to mine. While I’m crossing hands with their master, you two may be overwhelmed by their numbers and get injured, so return to the Black Cat Gang first. That’s an order.”

Moyong Baek and Gang Leader Hwang looked at each other.

“…….”

Since the two of them did not seem likely to move easily, I added another order.

“Master Moyong, go to the Black Cat Gang and, if there are Four Divine Generals or subordinates who can come as reinforcements, bring them. If I return unharmed, it won’t matter, but if the fight drags on, I may be able to receive help. You two are my signal flare. You understand what I mean, right? Go quickly.”

Only then did the two, realizing what they had to do, nod.

“Then we will move quickly as well.”

Gang Leader Hwang spoke as if apologetic.

“Take care of yourself.”

I waved my hand and sent the two of them off.

I slowly walked after Moyong Baek and Gang Leader Hwang along the road they had taken. In any case, Yeop Yahong would think I had killed the Red Ghost, so I would be the target.

Originally, whether it was the Black Path or mounted bandits, once you touched them, the blade of revenge often came back around.

Moyong Baek and Gang Leader Hwang had hurried away.

But there was no reason for me to run away in a panic as well, so I sat down at an inn along the quiet road and rested for a while. From inside, without even coming out, a waiter asked,

“What can I get you?”

“Do you have noodles?”

“No. What can I get you?”

“Dumplings.”

“We’re out. What can I get you?”

I looked toward the inside of the inn. There were unfriendly shops everywhere one went, so it was not anything to be that surprised about. Since I came from a waiter’s background, it was true that I treated waiters well, but this kind of waiter had displeased me in the past, and he displeased me now. Having sipped liquor all night, I did not feel like drinking either.

My appetite was gone too, so I took the Flash Dagger from my robe and stabbed it into the table.

Then I put both legs up on an empty chair and closed my eyes for a moment.

A short while later, the waiter came outside in an annoyed voice.

“No, I asked what I should get you. Customer, cus…….”

Only then did the waiter seem to see the Flash Dagger stuck in the table, and he muttered as he went back inside.

“Please rest comfortably.”

I dozed off for a while.

Reality and dreams mingled, and hazy illusions peeked through.

Moyong Baek and Gang Leader Hwang, carrying a giant signal flare on their shoulders, were running toward the Black Cat Gang while shouting, “One-two, one-two.” From the opposite side, men carrying enormous blades on their backs were running while cursing me.

Out of nowhere, the figures of the Five Evils, who were all older than the Four Demons that had been public enemies of murim, flashed past one by one.

The Five Evils were dancing or training in martial arts with various weapons and appearances, and black strings were attached above all of them. In my dream, I slowly looked up those strings and then looked at the person manipulating the Five Evils like puppets.

Naturally, it had to be the Heavenly Evil, one of the Three Calamities.

I had never seen him, so the Heavenly Evil’s face was not revealed, but dreams are inherently unrealistic. After playing with the Five Evils like puppets for a while, the Heavenly Evil, as though he had lost interest, threw away the strings attached to the puppets.

I opened my eyes because it felt as if I was about to have a nightmare akin to qi deviation.

I thought I had only slept for a moment, but before I knew it, the sun was high in the sky. Only then did I feel thirsty and hungry.

When I looked at the waiter avoiding the sunlight inside the inn, the fellow came running quickly.

“……Did you call for me?”

This time as well, I took out a banknote and handed it to the waiter.

“Sorry, but.”

“Yes.”

“Bring me liquor, some dried snacks, and any food you have. And let me rent the inn for a day. Fixtures and the like may get broken, so buy replacements with that afterward. If you don’t want to die, go hide somewhere.”

“Ah, yes. Understood. I’ll tell the cook and the old proprietor as well. But must you fight at our inn, of all places? I mean, I’m glad to earn the money.”

Only then did I look at the waiter. He had the face of someone filthy disobedient. Like a squid leg, you could say.

“I feel at ease fighting in inns.”

“……I have no words. Understood.”

“There’s no signboard here. What’s the name?”

“It is the Chunmeng Inn.”

“No wonder my dreams were ominous. So it was a spring dream.”

A moment later, the waiter who had gone inside brought out the wine first, and then came back with a large bowl piled high with sweet-and-sour pork tenderloin.

Only the dumplings and noodles were missing.

After I had been poking through the sweet-and-sour pork for a while, all sorts of greens, rice, soup, and fish dishes were brought out one after another until the table was full.

I asked with a bewildered expression.

“What is all this?”

“Ah, our chef said you paid far too much, so he decided to show off his skills for the first time in a while. Please enjoy.”

I rolled up both sleeves, then smelled the food.

After that, I poured wine into an empty bowl, picked up the dishes with my chopsticks, and dropped them into the wine one by one. It was a method I often used when I did not have a silver needle for testing poison.

I looked closely at the various foods floating in the wine, then threw them onto the floor and watched the ants nearby. If poison had gotten into the food, bubbles would usually form as it spread through the wine, or an unexpected color would appear. There was no particular problem.

Only after seeing that nothing was wrong with the ants did I eat.