Swordless Demonic Path

Chapter 16 : Spill (1)

The area around the stream that cut through the residential area near the north gate was quiet.

Only the sound of trickling water filled the air, and deep darkness lingered around it.

Jin Sawoon sat on a place where flat stones were laid and did not move. The place where he was was a laundry place that would be bustling with people washing clothes during the day.

"You're out early?"

Eun Soo-soo, who had appeared silently behind Jin Sawoon, asked. Jin Sawoon, who knew Eun Soo-soo's voice, answered without a hint of surprise.

"They said they would dispose of the Cult's goods that were supposed to be taken from Hwahwaru to the Jeon family manor within two days. If we retrieve those goods, we can catch Seomun Ok. Because it's evidence of her betrayal of the Cult."

If they caught Seomun Ok, they could naturally implicate Cheon Woo-rin as well.

"Anything else?"

"Nothing."

"Good. I'll take care of that."

Jin Sawoon nodded.

A short while later, as Eun Soo-soo's presence disappeared, Jin Sawoon also stood up from his seat.

Three people were sitting in the dark room. Although not even a common candle was lit, the three seemed to know each other well.

They were Jin Sawoon and his comrades.

Jang Muryong and Seo Woon-gang were sitting facing each other, and Jin Sawoon was sitting on a bed a little away.

Seo Woon-gang said in a low voice.

"It will be difficult to retrieve the ten thousand nyang of gold, but we should be able to find the hundred rolls of silk, the medicinal herbs, and the jade and jadeite. Since they are goods with the seal of the Heavenly Divine Cult, they will be evidence. But even if we can't find everything, they said we must find the Butterfly Crown."

"The purple Butterfly Crown was something the Cult Leader had received from the head of the Jeon family in the past, and he was returning it this time."

Although Jang Muryong's story flowed out, Jin Sawoon was not very interested.

He had informed them that the goods that were supposed to go from Hwahwaru to the Jeon family manor would be disposed of within two days, and they were talking about it now.

The report had gone up, and now an order would come down.

Rustle!

With the sound of wind, black smoke seeped into the room, and Kang Yu's face appeared.

"Tomorrow morning, the Inspection Pavilion will search Hwahwaru. We will chase those who leave Hwahwaru."

"Yes."

As the three answered in unison, Kang Yu smiled with satisfaction.

As Kang Yu disappeared with the smoke first, the remaining three also disappeared from the room.

* * *

Rumble!

Early in the morning, a large number of Heavenly Divine Cult members appeared around Hwahwaru and surrounded it. Their number easily exceeded a hundred, and they were all patrol warriors.

Behind them, warriors from the Inspection Pavilion appeared and began to search Hwahwaru.

As dozens of warriors began to search Hwahwaru as if they were catching lice, furniture was overturned, porcelain was broken, and doors were torn off or broken.

Creak! Thump! Thump!

Crash!

From vases to wine bottles, the goods of Hwahwaru fell to the floor without exception.

A middle-aged warrior from the Inspection Pavilion stood in front of the separate courtyard where the owner was staying.

He was a figure of the division leader level and the person in charge of this investigation. Next to him stood Seomun Ok.

Creak!

As the door of the separate courtyard fell, a wrinkle appeared on Seomun Ok's brow.

"Do you think we betrayed the Cult?"

"How could that be? I'm just following up on a tip and looking for evidence."

"Who gave the tip?"

"A reliable source."

The middle-aged man answered with an indifferent face.

Seomun Ok spoke sharply as her cherished flowerpot broke with a 'clang!' sound.

"If you don't find the evidence you're looking for, you won't be able to avoid responsibility."

The middle-aged division leader just nodded without a word. Just then, Cheon Woo-rin, who had woken up, entered the separate courtyard.

"What's all this commotion?"

As he appeared, the division leader's expression hardened.

"Division Leader Ilshin greets Young Master Cheon."

"Isn't it Division Leader Song? What's all this commotion about?"

"I heard that the Cult's gifts that were supposed to be taken to the Jeon family manor are being stored at Hwahwaru, so I came to find them."

"This is a place that sells wine, not a warehouse. How could there be such a thing?"

At Cheon Woo-rin's words, Division Leader Song just frowned and did not answer. A short while later, the subordinates who had searched the separate courtyard approached and shook their heads.

"What about the warehouse?"

"Not yet."

"Let's go there."

Division Leader Song lightly bowed to Cheon Woo-rin and Seomun Ok and then moved to the warehouse with his subordinates.

As Division Leader Song's subordinates rumbled away, Cheon Woo-rin asked Seomun Ok.

"The goods?"

"They're not here."

After answering, Seomun Ok soon followed Division Leader Song and moved to the warehouse. Cheon Woo-rin followed behind her.

Cheon Woo-rin whispered quietly with a hardened expression.

"I'll have to cut his throat, right?"

Seomun Ok nodded.

* * *

Because of the commotion that had occurred at Hwahwaru since early in the morning, many people had gathered around the brothel.

A pair of a man and a woman who had slipped out of the crowd were hastily heading somewhere.

Both looked to be in their early to mid-twenties.

Their destination was a pier where many boats were gathered. They boarded a small pleasure boat among the many boats.

The area around the river was filled with fog. Since it was early in the morning, it would take time for the fog to lift.

The boatman who was waiting on the boat slowly rowed and moved the boat as the man and woman boarded.

It was then. Five warriors jumped onto the boat at once.

"Stop!"

With a loud shout, the warriors who had boarded the boat aimed their swords at the man and woman. The boatman also stopped rowing and raised his hands.

As the five warriors searched the boat, Jin Sawoon and Kang Yu, who had appeared at the pier, watched another fishing boat.

It was because when the pleasure boat left, the fishing boats around it also moved.

What Jin Sawoon was watching was not the one man and two women who looked like a young couple, but the worker who had moved with them when they set out.

A figure in his mid-thirties with a small build and plain clothes that didn't stand out had followed the two.

That person had taken a fishing boat from the pier and moved, and when the Martial Alliance warriors stormed the pleasure boat, he had cut through the fog and leisurely moved across the river.

"Let's go."

Kang Yu moved first. As he boarded a small boat and grabbed the oars, Jin Sawoon stood at the bow.

Since Seo Woon-gang and Jang Muryong were chasing another person, only the two of them were here.

Creak! Creak!

As Kang Yu rowed, the small boat cut through the waves at a fast speed and advanced.

But they couldn't find the fishing boat that had departed earlier.

When they reached the pier across the river, many boats came into view. They looked for the fishing boat among the people and boats that were moving busily from early in the morning, but they couldn't see it.

Jin Sawoon discovered a large merchant ship and the small boats staying around it and said.

"If they hid the goods on a boat, they would have hidden them on a large boat."

"That's likely."

Kang Yu answered and then turned the boat and headed for the merchant ship. On the merchant ship, several sailors were carrying luggage.

Thump!

Kang Yu, who had kicked the boat and jumped up, landed on the deck in one breath.

The sailors who were moving busily all turned their gazes to Kang Yu.

Whoosh!

With the sound of wind, Jin Sawoon appeared next to Kang Yu. Then, a large, well-built deckhand with a face full of beard approached.

"Who are you?"

"Heavenly Divine Cult."

At Kang Yu's words, the deckhand's expression hardened, but only for a moment. Behind him, a large number of sailors with sabers appeared.

"This ship is also a ship of the Heavenly Divine Cult. What is your affiliation?"

At the deckhand's words, Kang Yu turned his head, discovered the flag with the words 'Heavenly Divine' written on it, and nodded.

"Then the story will be easier. I'd like to inspect the luggage. Is that okay?"

"You think I'll allow it when I don't even know who you are?"

The moment the deckhand's words ended, Kang Yu's figure blurred and he instantly went behind the deckhand.

Thwack-thwack!

The deckhand's eyes widened as Kang Yu moved.

But that was all. The whole world turned black, and he instantly collapsed to the floor.

As the deckhand fell, the sailors also staggered and then fell powerlessly onto the deck with a 'thump! thump!' sound.

Whoosh-whoosh!

Kang Yu, who had instantly subdued the sailors with sabers with the sound of wind, headed for the cabin.

Jin Sawoon was leaning against the deck and observing the surroundings to find the person who had disappeared from the pier.

The other workers who were carrying luggage were surprised and stood still. Some were at a loss and just stomped their feet.

Jin Sawoon, who was looking around, saw a small boat leisurely crossing the river and his expression hardened.

The young man standing on the boat met his eyes, smiled, and then turned his head. It was the young man who had come out of Hwahwaru.

"Team Leader."

As Jin Sawoon called, Kang Yu, who had entered the cabin, came out.

"Why?"

"He's crossing the river again."

As Jin Sawoon raised his hand and pointed to the boat, Kang Yu was startled and shouted loudly.

"It's a trick to shake us off!"

Whoosh!

Kang Yu threw himself and landed on a nearby small boat. Jin Sawoon also followed.

This time, Jin Sawoon grabbed the oars and began to row.

"That boat was full of only rice."

Kang Yu muttered complainingly and then realized that he had missed something and his expression hardened.

"Wait."

As Kang Yu raised his voice, Jin Sawoon quickly stopped rowing. Kang Yu turned his head and looked up at the merchant ship.

"What if that person has already hidden all the goods in a safe place and is going back?"

"Then it must be around here."

"Turn the boat around."

At Kang Yu's words, Jin Sawoon turned the boat and said.

"We were thoroughly had."

"I know."

At Kang Yu's answer, Jin Sawoon nodded. Soon, the two went up to the pier and began to search the surroundings.

If the goods they were looking for were not stored here, they would have missed both the person and the luggage.

But they couldn't just leave the warehouses around the pier.

The two moved busily, searching all the nearby warehouses and the remaining boats.

* * *

Around noon, the Heavenly Divine Cult warriors who had stormed Hwahwaru all withdrew.

Division Leader Song had a troubled expression.

He had also searched the manor and the main building owned by Hwahwaru, but nothing came out. Division Leader Song, whose face was flushed red, had no choice but to turn back.

Watching them move away, Cheon Woo-rin and Seomun Ok entered the third-floor separate room and sat down.

Many people from Hwahwaru were cleaning the surroundings, and the two drank tea.

"That person's words were true."

"Indeed."

At Cheon Woo-rin's words, Seomun Ok smiled.

This morning, a person had come to their bedroom. Although they couldn't see his true identity, he had informed them that the Inspection Pavilion would raid Hwahwaru in the morning.

Hearing that news, the two had sent people in advance and moved the goods to a safe place.

"He's a useful person. I think we can use him for a while."

At Seomun Ok's words, Cheon Woo-rin shook his head.

"A person who betrays once will betray twice. Was this business so easy?"

"Then?"

"Slit!"

As Cheon Woo-rin made a throat-slitting gesture, Seomun Ok smiled with her eyes. As Cheon Woo-rin said, he couldn't keep a traitor under him.

That person had asked to enter under Cheon Woo-rin through this incident. Cheon Woo-rin had decided to accept him if his words were true.

But he had no intention of letting him live from the beginning.

"Let's get ready."

"Okay."

As Cheon Woo-rin emptied his teacup and stood up, Seomun Ok also stood up from her seat and grabbed her sword.

(End of Chapter)