Reincarnated Sword Ghost

Chapter 89 : Secretly

Secretly

Yang Se-ok guided Jeong-un to the innermost room, saying that this would be the place for him to stay from now on.

When martial artists from the Heavenly Martial Hall went out on a mission, the Murim Alliance's local branch would always arrange a separate residence for them.

Usually, for convenience, they would rent a room at a large guesthouse in the city, and if there were many people, they would rent the entire guesthouse.

Here in Kaifeng as well, the Murim Alliance maintained an official branch.

They, too, must have received word from the Heavenly Martial Hall that Jeong-un would be arriving.

That's why Jeong-un had intended, after hearing more details about the mission from Yang Se-ok, to go to the guesthouse prepared by the branch and unpack his things there.

But Yang Se-ok shook his head and stopped him.

"As I mentioned earlier, you must act with the utmost secrecy in this task. I am truly sorry."

A rumor was already spreading through most sects in Kaifeng that the Heavenly Martial Hall's martial artist had visited the Yang Clan.

"If that's the case, doesn't that mean they already know that I have set foot here?"

When Jeong-un asked this, Yang Se-ok nodded.

"Anyone who needs to know, already knows. There is no point in assigning someone to tail you. Every passerby on the street could be considered their eyes and ears, much like the people at our guesthouses, cloth shops, and courtesan houses serve as our own hands and feet."

"Then what is the reason you are requesting that I stay here?"

"They only know that we have taken in a martial artist from the Heavenly Martial Hall as our guest, but they do not know the precise reason. Only my father and I know the true purpose of this matter. And we hope that, moving forward, no one else will know what you are about to do."

Jeong-un gazed quietly at Yang Se-ok's face. From what he had already heard, it was clear why he needed to stay out of sight.

Even so, Yang Se-ok's caution seemed excessive.

Jeong-un asked, "So, there's another reason we must act so secretly, then?"

Yang Se-ok nodded with a hardened expression, then let out a low sigh before speaking.

"As you know, just because we are 'righteous' sects does not mean our relationships are strong. Each sect—just like our clan—puts its own interests first. Unless there's something binding us together, we are, in effect, nothing more than acquaintances."

"Heavenly Martial Hall is..."

As Jeong-un began to speak, Yang Se-ok hurriedly interjected, as if burned.

"Of course, this matter is not for the benefit of our clan alone! I know that the Heavenly Martial Hall would never act for such reasons."

He quickly continued.

"As I said earlier, the Musan Group are clearly villains that undermine the well-being of the people here. They absolutely must be eradicated, no question. If only the authorities weren't so entangled, we would have long since destroyed them, even if it meant suffering losses ourselves."

"So the authorities aren't the only ones the Yang Clan is wary of."

"..."

Yang Se-ok looked intently at Jeong-un, surprised that he had grasped the crux of the matter before he had even said it.

"That's right. Just as we wish to avoid the eyes of all the righteous sects, we also wish to stay out of the Beggar's Union's gaze. Even if we were to avoid the authorities and the Hao Clan and cut off Jeon Seok-gyeon's head, if word of it reaches the Beggar's Union, it would cause yet another problem."

"That seems... odd. Killing the head of an evil sect is grounds for conflict with the righteous ones? It sounds absurd."

Yang Se-ok gave a bitter smile.

"They wouldn't openly pick a quarrel with us. Instead, someone will simply leak the information that 'the Yang Clan borrowed the power of the Heavenly Martial Hall to remove the Musan Group's leader,' and sell it to whoever's interested. That isn't even seen as wrong—selling information is their business after all, so no one could blame them. However, if that happens..."

"Someone who buys that information could threaten the Yang Clan using the authorities as leverage. Then, the wrath of a District Head, who has lost a lucrative source of income, would fall squarely on the Yang Clan."

"... Yes."

"And worst case, the Beggar's Union could use a puppet to justify putting pressure on the Yang Clan."

"...!"

Yang Se-ok stared in silence at Jeong-un, speechless.

This was by no means a simple matter. Kaifeng was a city where the interests of countless sects were deeply entangled.

Even the evil sects were no exception to this complex web—a delicate balance maintained after years of mingling and conflict.

The Yang Clan was attempting to topple one of the pillars maintaining that balance.

If they acted recklessly, the entire balance of powers could shift completely to one side. That was why such caution was needed.

And now, Jeong-un had precisely identified what the Yang Clan feared most.

'He didn't come alone for nothing, after all.'

There had been collateral children from the Yang Clan sent to the Heavenly Martial Hall before—talented in their own right, but still at the one-stripe tier.

With two stripes, you were on another level as a master.

Still, for this task, Yang Se-ok had wished for someone of the three-stripes rank or higher.

That's how serious this matter was. If the Heavenly Martial Hall didn't send a suitable person, they were even prepared to scrap the entire operation.

'I want him.'

He had already heard that the boy standing before him was a peerless prodigy.

Entering the special test for the Heavenly Martial Hall at a young age as the top candidate, racking up achievements, and earning the two-stripes rank among the rising stars...

To call him exceptional did not do him justice. It was no wonder that rumors had reached even this faraway Kaifeng.

But he hadn't expected the boy to be so astute as well.

With talent and intellect like this, he had the makings of a dragon destined to rule the martial world.

'If only someone like him joined my clan...'

At that thought, Yang Se-ok subconsciously swallowed.

Changing the five great families to the six great families might not be such an outlandish dream after all.

Meanwhile, Jeong-un nodded and spoke.

"I understand. I'll remain here and move quietly."

"I cannot thank you enough for your easy understanding."

"There's no need for thanks. It's no trouble at all."

This wasn't false modesty.

Jeong-un had no desire to get involved in the tangled power struggles between the city's sects.

Nor did he believe the Yang Clan's motives were purely righteous.

If things "went according to plan," and the Musan Group collapsed from internal conflict, there was no way that wouldn't stir things up in this city.

The massive profits controlled by the group would be left up for grabs, and the Yang Clan wouldn't simply watch while others fought over it.

Their desire not to be caught by the Beggar's Union was just an extension of that.

'Beyond that isn't my concern.'

This was something that the General Affairs Department of the Heavenly Martial Hall had surely already calculated.

They had likely judged that things turning out this way would be best for the people here, and had sent Jeong-un as the most suitable person to see it done.

Most important was the opportunity, using the information provided, to wipe out a band of outlaws disrupting the people's peace.

All he had to do was take the head of their boss—a straightforward task.

Usually, when you cut down the leader of a group, you had to deal with the vengeful remnants.

In that sense, there was no reason to refuse.

Who ended up taking over the Musan Group's interests—be it the Beggar's Union or the Yang Clan—had nothing to do with Jeong-un.

"There's one more reason you must remain in this room."

Yang Se-ok looked at Jeong-un as he spoke and then approached a bookshelf set against one wall.

With Jeong-un narrowing his eyes in curiosity, Yang Se-ok pushed the shelf aside with one hand.

Srrrk—

The heavy shelf, as if fitted with a mechanism, slid aside smoothly.

Behind it, a large wooden door was revealed, hidden within the wall.

Without a word, Yang Se-ok immediately swung open the door.

Whoosh—

A passage of indeterminable depth appeared beyond the doorway.

At the same time, a cool, gentle breeze ruffled Jeong-un's hair.

"What is this...?"

As Jeong-un turned wide-eyed to Yang Se-ok, the latter nodded.

"It's a secret passage leading outside. It connects to an abandoned warehouse far from here. If you use this route, no one will notice the movements of the Annihilating One-Sword."

"Does anyone know of this passage?"

"It was created solely for this mission. In fact, that is the very reason for this residence's existence."

At those words, Jeong-un let out an inward laugh.

They had bought land and constructed a residence simply for the sake of this passage.

It was evident just how seriously the Yang Clan was taking this, and how powerful their influence in Kaifeng was.

Yang Se-ok then gestured to the bedding, where a set of clothes and a brown conical hat had been laid out.

"It may be a bother, but it would be best to conceal your appearance with these while outside. There may already be those who have seen your face..."

"That's not necessary."

Jeong-un shook his head.

"There's no need to put effort into a disguise for me. In fact, this is quite convenient."

"...?"

As Yang Se-ok looked on in puzzlement, Jeong-un placed his travel bag down by the bedding and thought,

'A great opportunity to practice.'

* * *

The passage was left unlit, perhaps to reduce the risk of fire, and was pitch dark inside.

But for a martial artist with highly developed senses, that wasn't an issue.

Step, step.

Jeong-un made his way quietly down the passage.

It was just wide enough for a single person and much longer than expected.

It really did connect to somewhere far from the residence, just as Yang Se-ok had said.

Eventually, a faint light became visible in the distance.

At last, he reached the end.

Rustle.

Jeong-un pushed aside a bundle of straw and stepped out.

"..."

Inside an old warehouse, filled with discarded items. He glanced around, then opened the dusty door and headed outside.

Creeeak.

A few scraggly trees came into view. Looking back, he saw the half-collapsed, crumbling facade of the warehouse.

Outside was a small clearing with patches of grass here and there.

The distant murmur of crowds came faintly from far away.

Jeong-un estimated his location by following those sounds.

'On the outskirts of the city, it seems.'

No one would guess that a person who entered the residence in the city would emerge from a place like this.

"Well, then."

Jeong-un raised his hand and brushed off the straw and dust clinging to his clothes.

Tap, tap.

He now wore a light blue martial artist's outfit instead of his usual black attire.

At his waist hung an antique norigae ornament.

The poised motion with which he dusted himself off was reminiscent of the young lord of the Hebei Peng Clan, whom he had once faced rolling in the dirt.

Raising his head, a clear breeze swept the hem of his garment.

Fwaaah—

Sunlight spilled through his fluttering hair and broke across his face.

The sculpted bridge of his nose cast a defined shadow across his clear features, lending striking contours to his face.

With a countenance situated at the boundary between boy and young man, it was hard to tell his age.

Gently tapping the sword guard at his waist with his fingers, Jeong-un murmured to himself,

"Now, who shall I be...?"

An endless stream of martial artists he had seen before flashed through his mind.

Their habits, mannerisms, and presence all swirled together in his head, gradually crafting the image of a single person.

"... Shall I play?"

And so, at last, he created a new persona.