novelraw Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Tragedy of Hebei (3)
“What is the meaning of this outrage, coming here in a mob once again!”
Jang Pyo stepped forward and shouted. A middle-aged man wearing somewhat dirty white martial robes replied.
“A missing child has been found! That child testified that the Bisa Clan is the culprit, so we have come here to investigate!”
“...!”
Jang Pyo’s expression stiffened at the unexpected news. Jiwon also had to look at the middle-aged man with a look of surprise. With his plump build and gentle impression, the man was certainly Paeng Ungi, the captain of the Martial Alliance investigation team he had met at the inn.
“I have no intention of taking in any more resident guests.”
At that moment, Jang Gihu appeared, accompanied by the warriors of the Bisa Clan. Facing the many righteous warriors who were radiating murderous intent, he remained cold and spoke dismissively.
“I am Paeng Ungi, the captain of the investigation team dispatched by the Martial Alliance.”
When Paeng Ungi cupped his fist, Jang Gihu responded in kind.
“I am Jang Gihu, the Clan Leader of the Bisa Clan.”
After their formal introductions were over, Jang Pyo whispered to Jang Gihu, explaining the reason why the crowd had gathered. Jang Gihu frowned and spoke to Paeng Ungi.
“Is it not far too narrow-minded to brand us as criminals based solely on the testimony of one missing child?”
“We are not necessarily branding you as criminals. However, since a clear witness has appeared, please allow us to search the interior of the Bisa Clan.”
“I refuse.”
Paeng Ungi had tried to persuade him calmly, but Jang Gihu rejected him flatly. He then stated his reason in a voice that was incredibly cold.
“Who knows if you will enter the Bisa Clan only to plant fabricated evidence?”
“...You are being stubborn. Why would an investigation team from the Martial Alliance do such a thing?”
When Paeng Ungi frowned, Jang Gihu countered in an even colder voice.
“The very fact that the missing child pointed us out as the culprits is someone’s scheme. What guarantee is there that you are not that someone?”
“...”
“...”
The two men stood in a tense confrontation. However, it was Paeng Ungi who sighed first and looked away.
“Phew. I will give you until tomorrow morning to think it over. If you do not accept the proposal, we will have no choice but to use force.”
Having said that, the plump middle-aged man slowly turned around. While listening to the conversation between the two, Jiwon looked for Mak Hwaryeong. When he spotted her, he signaled her desperately with his eyes.
...Nod.
Fortunately, she was quick-witted enough to nod back. The warriors of the Martial Alliance retreated slowly, as if they were in no hurry. After watching them for a while, Jang Gihu spoke to him.
“It seems it would be best for you to leave now.”
“...”
Jiwon had to look at him with a complicated expression. Although he had initially entered as a guest to dig for clues about the disappearances, he had found that everyone here was actually quite decent.
“I will also find out exactly what is going on.”
When he spoke with a serious expression, Jang Gihu burst into a hearty laugh.
“Haha. Does Hero Cheon Siu believe in our innocence?”
“I only believe in what I have seen for myself.”
How many rumors had he dealt with back when he was at the company? In the end, what he saw with his own eyes was the truth.
“Since time is short, I will head out now.”
“...Thank you.”
Leaving behind Jang Gihu, who was cupping his fist, Jiwon stepped away.
Step. Step.
As he walked beneath the eerily glowing full moon, Jiwon felt a strange emotion.
‘Emotional attachment is truly scary.’
This was a Wuxia world created by a god-like being. He had simply possessed the protagonist of a novel, Jin Yun, yet he found himself becoming emotionally invested. Everyone here was living and breathing with their own emotions and beliefs.
‘Well, I suppose that makes saving them feel more worthwhile, does it not?’
Letting out a smirk, he moved his feet even more busily. He arrived at the vast abandoned house located at the city entrance. There, he found the woman in white sitting on the porch, staring at the ground.
“What exactly happened?”
When he approached Mak Hwaryeong and asked point-blank, she replied with a reluctant expression.
“...I told you a few days ago that a child disappeared, right? That child has been found. And they testified that the Bisa Clan is the culprit.”
He frowned even more at her answer.
“Found? You mean they escaped?”
“That seems to be the case.”
“And exactly what kind of testimony did they give?”
“I... I do not know.”
She answered in a weak voice and lowered her head. He spoke to her firmly.
“You must feel it too, since we have been sharing information. That something is wrong.”
“...”
Silence served as her affirmation. Thus, he continued to persuade her.
“If the Martial Alliance destroys the Bisa Clan, and it is later revealed that all of this was a misunderstanding... Ah.”
He realized it as he was speaking. The true ‘Tragedy of Hebei’ was not the disappearances, but the destruction of the Bisa Clan.
“It could become the trigger for the Martial Alliance and the Wicked Cult Alliance, which are currently in a truce, to go to war again.”
That was why he could be certain. If he could not stop this incident, things would flow exactly as they did in the original story.
“I am not asking for much. Just tell me where that child is. I will ask them myself.”
“The child is currently under protection at the Hyeobui Clan, and they are standing guard strictly. Even if I tell you, you will not be able to see them.”
“I will handle that myself.”
At Jiwon’s resolute answer, Mak Hwaryeong could not help but struggle. Telling him where the child was would mean betraying the Hyeobui Clan and the Martial Alliance. However, as he said, having shared information with him, she could instinctively feel that something was amiss.
“...The child is in my father's bedroom, located in the center of the main building. And.”
She paused for a moment, then leaned in and whispered in his ear. Since she had ultimately acted on what she believed was right with a firm expression, he bid her farewell with a smile.
“Thank you. I will be off then.”
Leaving the abandoned house, Jiwon began to move toward the Hyeobui Clan. After walking for about thirty minutes, he entered a quiet, empty street and suddenly stopped walking.
“Let us talk for a moment.”
His voice echoed hollowly. Though he looked like a madman talking to thin air, Jiwon spoke again calmly.
“I know you are watching. If you do not come out, I am going to charge straight into the Hyeobui Clan as I am.”
Hoot—. Hoot—.
Only the sound of an owl hooting echoed through the night sky as if in mockery. But that lasted only a moment.
Swish—.
Six people in black masks emerged from the darkness like ghosts, surrounding him. Their presence was so faint that it was barely caught by his energy sense. Jiwon looked at them and could immediately tell they were the ‘Dark Fragrance Seven Killers.’
‘Things definitely have changed.’
In the original story, they were all killed by Sama Seorin, except for their leader, Il-sal. The reason was that they had allowed Jin Yun to leave after he lost his inner energy. At any rate, he looked into the indifferent eyes behind the masks and opened the conversation.
“Seeing as you have shown yourselves, Sama Seorin must not have given orders just to watch.”
“...What do you want.”
The masked person closest to him asked in a voice that made it impossible to distinguish gender. He smirked and spoke.
“Teach me how to sneak in safely. Are you not experts in that sort of thing?”
“...”
Although the masked man remained silent, the fact that his brow seemed to furrow slightly was surely not just Jiwon’s imagination.
***
The Hyeobui Clan was a sect that had been established in Xingtai like an old fixture. Consequently, even though it was located in the middle of the city, its grounds were quite vast, and six magnificent buildings stood within its high walls.
‘...It must be twice the size of the Bisa Clan.’
Following the advice of the Dark Fragrance Seven Killers, Jiwon was dressed in black light armor and a mask. Under the eerie full moon, he crouched on the branch of a tall tree and monitored the interior before suddenly bursting into a chuckle.
“Hehe. I must look like a scene that often appears in Wuxia stories.”
He gave his chin a stroke and leaped forward.
Tap. Thud. Tap.
With agile movements, he reached the base of the wall in an instant and waited while hiding his presence as much as possible.
Step. Step.
When he felt the presence of warriors walking in a pair of two, he calmed his racing heart and prepared himself.
‘Three. Two. One. Now!’
Whoosh—.
After counting the numbers in his head, he leaped. The moment the warriors turned the corner, Jiwon dropped down.
Pitter-patter—.
Quickly running to hide in the shadow of a building, he glanced at his destination, the main building.
‘...It is awfully far.’
Because the grounds were unnecessarily large, the distance was significant even after he had successfully sneaked inside. Jiwon frowned as he prepared to run.
Step. Step.
As two more warriors moved along the training ground, he counted the numbers in his head again.
‘Three. Two. One!’
Whoosh—!
As soon as he leaped, the warriors turned their bodies, allowing him to slip into their blind spot. It was a perfect harmony, as if they had planned it together.
‘Wow. This actually works.’
Jiwon himself was inwardly impressed. He was infiltrating according to the route taught by the Dark Fragrance Seven Killers, and they clearly had a perfect understanding of the Hyeobui Clan’s security system. Thanks to that, he reached the main building without much difficulty.
Creak—.
He opened a window and carefully stepped inside. A wide corridor was dimly lit by candlelight. The child was in the Clan Leader's bedroom, located in the center of this building.
‘...Did she say it was the safest place in the Hyeobui Clan?’
The top experts of the Hyeobui Clan and the investigation team of the Martial Alliance were staying here. However, he actually took off his mask and black armor and walked boldly down the corridor.
“Who goes there!”
Before long, he encountered two warriors on patrol. They placed their hands on their sword hilts with grim expressions, but Jiwon spoke in a relaxed voice.
“I am Mak Pyeong of the Martial Alliance investigation team. I am on my way back from the restroom.”
“Hyeobui!”
The warrior shouted the challenge of the pre-determined ‘password.’ If he gave the wrong response or showed suspicious movement, one would attack while the other blew a whistle to trigger an emergency.
“Chungcheon.”
Even in this touch-and-go situation, Jiwon spoke in an easygoing voice. Then, they relaxed their expressions and took their hands off their sword hilts.
“Confirmed. Do not wander around too much at this hour.”
“Yes, yes. Good work.”
He gave a dismissive nod and walked past them. Though Jiwon looked composed, he could not hide the single drop of cold sweat rolling down his forehead.
‘Man, that was tense.’
He had already heard the password from Mak Hwaryeong, but for a regular office worker like himself, an infiltration mission was far too stimulating.
Step. Step.
He continued forward for a while, intentionally making his footsteps audible. Eventually, he reached the Clan Leader's bedroom in the center of the building. Fortunately, there were no warriors standing guard, so he carefully opened the door and entered.
“Whew... Whew...”
On the bed in the large bedroom, a child who appeared to be about ten years old was sleeping with steady breaths. He approached slowly and tried to wake the child carefully.
“Hey. Hey, kid. Could you wake up for a second?”
“...!?”
The child, who woke up groggily, soon widened his eyes and opened his mouth. Jiwon, having anticipated this, stuffed something into the child's mouth and covered it.
“Mmph! Mmph! Mmmph...?”
The child, who had been resisting strongly, soon realized that what was in his mouth was a sweet candy and quieted down.
“I am not a bad person. Let us talk for a bit, and I will give you something delicious.”
When he spoke as kindly as possible, the child nodded obediently. As he slowly took his hand away, the child fortunately looked at him quietly.
“Should we have a snack first?”
Smiling broadly, he pulled out various snacks he had brought in his robes. Then, he felt inwardly relieved as he watched the child's eyes sparkle while he began to pick and eat various things.
‘...I am in a hurry, but I must not rush.’
Children tend to lie when they feel fear. Therefore, to have a sincere conversation, he had to win the child's favor first.
‘I may not look it, but I am an avid fan of parenting advice shows.’
Letting out a smirk, he popped a piece of beef jerky into his own mouth and began to chew.