novelraw Chapter 58
Chapter 58
58. I Guess I’ll Have to Go Myself.
“You lunatic.”
The Ho Family Head spat out a curse as he stared at the door.
Inside that room were seven courtesans—each considered the most beautiful among all the Brothel Houses in Anhui Province.
“How insatiable must a man be to keep going for hours on end…?”
The Ho Family Head clicked his tongue in disbelief.
It didn’t sound like moaning anymore—it was more like screaming.
And it wasn’t as if the room was poorly soundproofed, yet the noises rang out crystal clear.
Thinking of Sun Wukong, the Ho Family Head couldn’t help but curse again.
“Crazy bastard. He told me to feed them well and keep them safe. Was this the reason?”
He clicked his tongue again. Whatever grumbling he’d been doing stopped abruptly.
Sun Wukong emerged, looking as cheerful as ever.
“All done?”
“Yeah, all wrapped up.”
“You were in there for hours…”
“Was it that long?”
“Heh. I heard there’s an important event at the Namgung Clan, and here you are, fooling around with women. Is that really okay?”
“That’s exactly why I’m here.”
Sun Wukong grinned.
“There are plenty of people in the Namgung Clan interested in what I’m up to.”
Not that they were actively spying on him.
But this was something the Namgung Clan was better off not knowing about.
Right now, Sun Wukong was doing something purely for himself.
“So, what brings you here? I doubt it’s just to have tea with me.”
“Oh, sometimes tea is nice instead of wine. Brew up something good.”
“…”
A vein twitched on the Ho Family Head’s forehead. Sun Wukong looked younger than his own son… but his body responded honestly.
The Ho Family Head quickly went to brew some tea.
“Chief, you know the Hao Sect, right?”
“Hm? Of course I do.”
“Do they have a presence here in Anhui?”
“They do, but they keep a low profile. Still, if you count their hidden forces, their scale is huge. It’s the Hao Sect, after all.”
“I see.”
A brief silence fell. The Ho Family Head tilted his head, unable to guess what Sun Wukong was thinking.
“Chief.”
“Yes?”
“I need you to do something for me.”
A glint flashed in Sun Wukong’s eyes.
The Ho Family Head took a deep breath.
‘So, the time has come.’
In his eyes, Sun Wukong was not a generous man.
He’d never help someone unless there was something in it for him.
‘He didn’t help me keep my position as Ho Family Head for nothing.’
He must have seen some use for him.
“What is it?”
“I want you to drive the Hao Sect out of Anhui.”
“…What?”
The Ho Family Head’s voice went blank for a moment.
He’d been prepared to follow any order, no matter what.
But this was beyond the pale.
Drive the Hao Sect out of Anhui Province?
“To be precise, I want you to beat them in the information game and take over their intelligence network here in Anhui.”
“…No, wait.”
That’s even harder.
Driving the Hao Sect out was already a tall order, but at least there was a sliver of possibility—if you harassed them and fought, maybe you could push them out.
In theory, anyway.
“Even if you help me drive them out by force, how am I supposed to take over their intelligence network?”
Driving them out was one thing, but taking over their information network?
Sun Wukong clicked his tongue.
“I think you’re misunderstanding. I’m not telling you to drive them out by force.”
“…”
The Ho Family Head let out a sigh of relief. That was something, at least.
To go up against the Hao Sect, whose influence stretched across the entire Central Plains—Ho Family Fortress would be annihilated for sure.
Unless Sun Wukong helped, of course.
“I mean for you to gradually infiltrate and take over their information network, pushing them out bit by bit.”
“So, you want me to compete with the Hao Sect in intelligence and slowly edge them out?”
“Now you get it.”
“…”
Is he insane?
The Ho Family Head barely swallowed the words rising in his throat.
Compete with the Hao Sect in intelligence?
Is that even possible?
Seeing his expression, Sun Wukong smirked.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. As they say, even a fool can move a mountain if he starts digging. Just start small, and you’ll get there eventually.”
“That’s… hard to believe. For now, Ho Family Fortress can provide you with most of the information you want about Anhui’s underworld.”
“See? That means you can compete.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. Why do we need to push out the Hao Sect in the first place?”
“Because I can’t stand the sight of them.”
The Ho Family Head’s jaw dropped.
That’s the reason?
Just because he doesn’t like them, he wants to drive out a nationwide sect?
He was at a loss for words. Sun Wukong spoke firmly.
“Maybe not right away, but the Hao Sect’s influence in Anhui needs to shrink, little by little.”
There was no room for negotiation.
‘According to Wujing, it’s unlikely the entire Hao Sect is under that shadowy group’s control.’
The Hao Sect was a massive organization.
To be precise, it was a web spread all across the Central Plains.
A sect made up of society’s outcasts—waiters, courtesans, thugs, porters, sedan chair bearers, woodcutters—all sorts of lowlifes gathered there.
‘It’s more likely that group infiltrated only a part of the Hao Sect, not the whole thing.’
The martial artists killed by the Shandong Seven Shadows and Muhwa were probably undercover Hao Sect members.
There was no need to go after the entire Hao Sect. Frankly, Sun Wukong had no desire to make an enemy of such a huge organization. Not out of fear, but because it would be foolish.
But he couldn’t just leave things as they were.
‘If they infiltrated the Hao Sect like the Shandong Seven Shadows, there could be more of them.’
At the very least, the Hao Sect’s presence in Anhui had to be reduced.
And on top of that—
“I need an intelligence network that strong.”
“Hmm…”
The Ho Family Head swallowed hard. His eyes, lined with deep wrinkles, sharpened.
‘He’s not joking. He’s dead serious.’
If he refused, Sun Wukong would probably get rid of him and put his own son in charge.
Who cared about justification? If he needed a reason, he’d make one up.
So the Ho Family Head considered it seriously.
‘It’s not… completely impossible.’
He swallowed again.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t entirely out of reach.
‘If all the underworld factions in a region unite…’
The underworld and society’s outcasts were closely linked. There were plenty of thugs who belonged to the Hao Sect but also lived as Black Path Faction members.
That was the Hao Sect’s weakness. Many members only paid lip service to the sect and didn’t actually feel loyal. In regions where the Black Path Faction was strong, the Hao Sect often couldn’t get a foothold.
‘And our Ho Family Fortress… isn’t it the only Black Path Faction in Anhui right now?’
The Ho Family Head looked quietly at Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong grinned.
“It might be a bit sudden, but since you’re the only real Black Path Faction in Anhui, wouldn’t it be easy to absorb the rest of the small fry?”
“…!”
“If the only Black Path Faction in Anhui, backed by the Namgung Clan—the province’s top dog—unites the underworld, would the Hao Sect really be a problem?”
He was right.
Whatever the process, the only group in Anhui worthy of being called a Black Path Faction was the Ho Family Fortress.
The rest were just small gangs.
If he set his mind to it, absorbing them would be easy.
And the Ho Family Fortress had already been acknowledged by the Namgung Clan, the rulers of Anhui.
With that backing, they had nothing to fear.
His true loyalty was to Sun Wukong, but that wasn’t the Ho Family Head’s concern.
‘He’s saying he’ll help if any problems arise while unifying Anhui’s underworld.’
Whether directly or indirectly.
Realizing this, the Ho Family Head’s eyes sparkled.
‘This is an opportunity!’
Not just another run-of-the-mill Black Path Faction, but a powerful organization with an intelligence network rivaling a Hao Sect branch!
“So? Do you get it now?”
Sun Wukong’s eyes curved into a sly arc.
‘He’s already thought this through before giving the order.’
He hadn’t just blurted it out on a whim.
If he’d refused too strongly, who knows what would have happened? The thought sent a chill down his spine.
He’d have been replaced for being short-sighted.
It was certainly no easy task.
The Ho Family Head cautiously brought up his main concern.
“I can expand the Ho Family Fortress and increase our size. But the problem is, we don’t have the secret.”
“The secret?”
“The Hao Sect and Beggars’ Union aren’t just big because they have a lot of people everywhere. They train the smart ones, the promising ones. They teach them how to open people’s hearts, how to get close, how to make others spill their secrets… That’s what we lack.”
Sun Wukong folded his arms, signaling for him to continue.
“No matter how clever a waiter is, he’s still just a waiter. Martial artists aren’t going to blurt out important information in front of a waiter.”
He had a point.
You could gather plenty of minor information, but getting the crucial stuff was another matter.
“The Hao Sect and Beggars’ Union can do that. They train their people. But we don’t have anyone with that kind of experience.”
So even if he could build the Ho Family Fortress up to rival the Hao Sect in size, their intelligence network wouldn’t even come close.
“So, you need someone to teach you the secret?”
“Yes. Someone with the experience of a seasoned informant.”
“Then start by setting up a Brothel House.”
“A Brothel House?”
“Let’s start by running one.”
“Running a Brothel House isn’t hard. We can just renovate the Ten Thousand Scents Pavilion and turn it into one. The problem is, the core of a Brothel House is the courtesans…”
He trailed off.
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
Sun Wukong chuckled and jerked his thumb over his shoulder.
“How about those girls?”
“Well, of course…!”
If not for Sun Wukong’s strict warning not to touch them, even at his age he’d have been tempted by their beauty.
“And besides, they’re all former Hao Sect members.”
“…!”
“Start with them, run a Brothel House, and gradually expand.”
The Ho Family Head’s body trembled.
‘He’s already calculated everything in his head.’
There was no room for further argument.
He had to obey.
The ambition of the underworld.
To grow in power and rule like a king.
Even if Sun Wukong was the true power behind the throne, so what? A king was still a king.
It was Sun Wukong’s order, but it was also a way to fulfill his own ambitions.
Seeing the Ho Family Head’s determined face, Sun Wukong’s eyes curved again.
‘Maybe I’ll leave this to him for now.’
He didn’t trust the Ho Family Head completely.
‘Wujing’s gotten pretty capable, so I’ll have him take over at the right time.’
Sun Wukong knew better than anyone the importance of intelligence.
On his journey to Tianzhu.
He’d overcome countless trials, hardships, and demons on that perilous path.
Even for Sun Wukong, it hadn’t been easy. Especially with the burden of Tang Sanzang.
There were many crises.
Each time, it was the Earth God and Mountain Spirits who helped him.
They watched and monitored everything that happened in their domains. If Sun Wukong slammed his Ruyi Jingu Bang on the ground and shouted, they’d rush to help.
‘The Namgung Clan’s intelligence network is pretty weak.’
Namgung Cheon-Young, the Master of Myeong’i Hall, was a sharp man, but the organization was too small.
Sun Wukong couldn’t use them as his own hands and feet. And if he tried, Namgung Jin-Baek would hear about it.
Sun Wukong needed an intelligence network just for himself.
Like the Earth God and Mountain Spirits of the past.
By coincidence, the Ho Family Fortress, now uniting Anhui’s underworld, would be the foundation, and those former Hao Sect members—the Shandong Seven Shadows—would be the pillars.
‘Those spiders are a win-win. They’re useful for intelligence, and they’ll make tempting bait for anyone looking for them in the future.’
Sun Wukong sipped his tea, satisfied.
Just then—
Knock, knock-knock-knock, knock.
Someone tapped on the wooden window.
“Who’s throwing stones at the window now…?”
The Ho Family Head frowned. Sun Wukong waved his hand.
“My guest.”
“Excuse me?”
Sun Wukong opened the wooden window, and a snow-white owl poked its head in.
Meow.
The moment the owl appeared, the cat in his arms stuck out its face and hissed.
Sun Wukong sighed.
“When are you two going to get along…?”
Owl Demon chattered noisily.
Sun Wukong clicked his tongue.
“What brings you here?”
“Something big?”
Sun Wukong’s face soured.
“Namgung Jin-Baek is there. What could go wrong?”
Even if a Great Demon or two attacked, it wouldn’t be a problem.
But as Sun Wukong remained unconcerned, Owl Demon shrieked.
Sun Wukong’s eyes narrowed.
If even the Earth God and Owl Demon couldn’t deal with this spiritual power…
Sun Wukong clicked his tongue.
“Tsk. Looks like I’ll have to go myself.”