novelraw Chapter 55 : Chapter 55
Chapter 55 : Chapter 55
Chapter 55 - Let's Go Catch the Rats
‘Amazing!’
At this very moment.
Biyoung was genuinely impressed by the man named Uma.
He had known from the beginning that he was someone who could easily intimidate people.
He had experience running a loan shark business alone in Simao, and he had a face perfectly suited for that business.
But he had never expected that he could neutralize a person's will just by scowling and talking a bit like this.
‘Amazing! A genius!’
Perhaps in this field (?), there was no one in the Murim who could follow Uma.
Biyoung patted Uma’s back with a warm hand.
“Senior Brother. I really don't think martial arts suits you. Let’s just go down this path.”
“Are you saying that as a compliment now?”
“It’s high praise.”
Biyoung grinned and held out his fist.
Uma snorted once but soon held out his fist to meet Biyoung's and stepped back.
He was confident in collecting money, but that was not the purpose of this meeting today.
“Your name?”
“Han Hoe.”
“What was your job at the Tiger-Bear Stronghold?”
“I served as Wi Sung's strategist.”
Since it was not particularly important information, the answer came smoothly from Han Hoe's mouth.
‘Not bad.’
Uma, who was watching silently from behind, gave a sly smile.
If you try to dig out sensitive information from the beginning, hesitation may arise.
But if you ask a few easy questions like now, the resistance to the subsequent questions naturally disappears.
How did he know such a thing at such a young age?
‘Is it simple luck…… or…….’
Perhaps I am not the only one suited for the loan shark business.
It was because of such thoughts that a smile appeared on Uma's lips.
“You ran off as if you were waiting for it as soon as the attack began, what was the reason?”
“I just happened to end up with Wi Sung while going with the flow, I never intended to stay here forever from the start.”
“Hmm. Right. It would be a waste for someone who can use such hidden weapons to just be a strategist.”
“Are you being sarcastic?”
Han Hoe’s face crumpled.
Last night, the one who had snatched that very hidden weapon from the air like a paper airplane was the boy right in front of him.
However, Han Hoe's contorted expression was immediately straightened out by Uma.
“Who are you scowling at? You want to die?”
“………….”
“Want me to inject some manners into you?”
Han Hoe shut his mouth like a clam.
This is quite convenient.
Biyoung thought so and opened his mouth again.
“I didn't mean to be sarcastic. With your dagger skills, it would have been possible to slit the throat of a sleeping Wi Sung.”
“That is impossible.”
“Why? Ah, right. There's Absolute Protector.”
Biyoung tapped his head as if he had forgotten.
Seeing such an innocent appearance, he seemed no different from the men commonly seen in the marketplace.
Han Hoe felt as if he were talking to two different personalities.
“But even Absolute Protector couldn't handle you when you raided the safe. Absolute Protector said you left a message saying you would come back here. At that time, I had a hunch. I thought I might have to leave this place soon.”
“Your judgment is very accurate.”
Biyoung's lips formed a circle as if he was genuinely impressed.
In the end, all of Absolute Protector's judgments were correct.
If it weren't for Biyoung's extraordinary senses, Han Hoe would have gracefully escaped the Tiger-Bear Stronghold by now and been plotting his next move.
“Well then……”
Enough with the admiration.
Biyoung approached the core of the matter.
“Who are the ones giving you information?”
“!”
Biyoung revealed his thoughts with a sticky smile.
“Don't even think about making excuses. I have my reasons, you know?”
“……Reasons?”
“We are the descendants of the Diancang Sect.”
“!!!”
Han Hoe's pupils swayed like a pendulum.
Even when he first saw Uma’s face, his reaction was not this severe.
That was how big of an event the survival of the Diancang Sect was in the Jianghu.
Were there survivors of the Diancang Sect?
No, even if there were survivors, did they have the capacity to produce such a new generation of masters?
How on earth?
From where?
Han Hoe's face was filled with deep confusion.
“Something that even the Diancang Sect's descendants did not anticipate cannot be figured out by an unrelated person. No matter how suspicious the muddy ground after the rain is, you wouldn't think of tearing down all the pavilions just based on such a suspicion. It's only possible because there is information that something is hidden somewhere, isn't it?”
“………….”
Han Hoe was silent like a clam.
It was just as Biyoung said.
The expectation that taking over Diancang Mountain might be quite profitable, and the speculation that their legacy might be left behind, were all possible because he had been tipped off by someone.
“The timing of raiding the Tree-Uprooting Stronghold right after Jang Pae's death was also very keen. Even when I directly mentioned 'I came from the Tree-Uprooting Stronghold' when I stole the safe, they were dragging their feet. Those who are cooped up in the mountains are usually a step behind the world's news, but they were fast as if there was an information group nearby, weren't they?”
The news that the giant of the Tree-Uprooting Stronghold, Jang Pae, had died was something that even Biyoung, who had destroyed his Dantian, learned only after a few days.
And that was through the information network of Sedong, the son of the Yi Family merchant group.
The Tiger-Bear Stronghold's quick reaction was suspicious enough in that sense.
So Biyoung came to the following conclusion.
That there might be someone inside the Tiger-Bear Stronghold who was in collusion with an information group.
Biyoung did not get such a feeling when he dealt with Wi Sung.
The possibility that Absolute Protector, who only knew about protection, had done so was even less likely.
In that case, there was only one person left on the list of suspects.
It could only be Han Hoe, who was called the strategist.
“…………!”
At the words 'information group', Han Hoe's face hardened.
Reading that expression, Biyoung was confident that his reasoning was more or less correct.
“It seems you have a foot in both camps. Where is it?”
Biyoung’s expression turned quite murderous.
It was rude to compare it to Uma's impression, but the anger contained within it made Han Hoe swallow hard.
The reason for the sudden change in Biyoung's atmosphere was due to the information he ultimately wanted to know.
‘Who were the dark path warriors who attacked the Diancang Sect.’
Perhaps the group Han Hoe was involved with could be the key to unlocking that secret.
At Biyoung's question, Han Hoe let out a big sigh as if he had resigned himself.
“I don’t have a foot in both camps. It’s just that my cousin is in that group.”
“Cousin?”
“His name is Han Ryeong. The group my brother belongs to is called the Syndicate of Ten Thousand Eyes.”
Syndicate of Ten Thousand Eyes.
It was a group he had never heard of even during his time as the World's Fastest Sword.
‘……It might not be as big a force as I thought.’
Biyoung licked his lips in disappointment and asked again.
“Where is your brother now?”
On this question, Han Hoe’s hesitation was palpable.
Even a child could easily guess what Biyoung would do if he met Han Ryeong.
As if reading his mind, Biyoung offered a carrot.
“I only deal with those who have caused great harm to the Diancang Sect. Are all the people in the Syndicate of Ten Thousand Eyes like that?”
At that, Han Hoe answered urgently.
“N-no, they are not! As far as I know, the Syndicate of Ten Thousand Eyes has no connection to those who attacked the Diancang Sect in the past. My brother only gave me information.”
“What information?”
“He said that even if a rich man goes broke, he can last for three years, but nothing special had come out of the Diancang Sect yet. In particular, he said that the location of the object considered the greatest treasure within the Diancang Sect was also unclear.”
The greatest treasure in the Diancang Sect.
At those words, Biyoung let out a sneer.
“The Diancang Treasure Red Seal?”
At the words 'Diancang Treasure Red Seal', Uma looked more surprised than Han Hoe.
“The, the Diancang Treasure Red Seal! Can it be found?”
At that, Biyoung replied in a nonchalant tone without even turning his head.
“I already found it. I handed it over to Elder Jeokseo when I was in Simao.”
“Wha-what?”
The Diancang Treasure Red Seal was a burden on the minds of the people of the Diancang Sect who had been exiled to Simao.
A red seal that guaranteed the sect leader's intentions and symbolized the sect's highest authority.
Just the words that the item could be found made his heart stir like this, but he had already found it and delivered it?
‘When did he have the time to do that?’
Uma's gaze was as if he were looking at a ghost.
“I told you. I brought the safe from here. The Diancang Treasure Red Seal was inside that safe.”
“……I see.”
Uma nodded his head, genuinely pleased.
Recovering the Diancang Treasure Red Seal into the hands of the Diancang Sect was as meaningful as retaking the main headquarters.
Meanwhile, a question arose at the same time.
“What other items were in the safe?”
If it was a safe that contained an item of the Diancang Treasure Red Seal's level, naturally the items contained with it would also be equivalent to treasures.
At Uma's question, Biyoung gave a devilish smile.
“Well. Should I call it a map of hell?”
“A map of hell?”
“Yes. A map of hell. Because those items are scheduled to guide the senior brothers to hell.”
What kind of ominous words were these all of a sudden?
Uma could not guess.
How could he have predicted that the remaining items were the secret manuals of the Diancang Sect?
And that the pain the next-generation disciples would have to endure until they mastered those secret manuals would be enormous.
After giving Uma a meaningful smile, Biyoung turned his head again.
“The Diancang Treasure Red Seal might be hidden somewhere…… that was a pretty sharp guess. Was that Han Ryeong's speculation? Or his superior's?”
“He said he overheard…… what the higher-ups were saying.”
“Hmm.”
As if there was something suspicious, Biyoung tilted his head once.
“This won't do. I have to go meet this Han Ryeong person.”
At the words that he was going to meet Han Ryeong, Han Hoe flinched.
“A-aren’t you contradicting yourself? A moment ago, you said you would only deal with those who caused great harm……”
“That's why I have to deal with him.”
“?”
“Even if it's an ownerless place, the crime of suggesting that the Diancang Sect's headquarters be used for banditry deserves death.”
“!”
This con artist bastard……!
There was no particular error in Biyoung's words, but Han Hoe felt as if he had been robbed blind in broad daylight.
“Choose. Now that I know about the existence of the Syndicate of Ten Thousand Eyes, I will eventually find Han Ryeong. Especially if I gently use your name, he will have no choice but to show up even if he knows it's a trap.”
“That’s……!!”
“If that happens, Han Ryeong will surely die. But if you personally bring him and we meet, I can at least listen to his side of the story.”
At this point, it was hard to tell who was the descendant of the orthodox sect and who was the villain.
Uma thought so and showed his teeth.
On the other hand, for Han Hoe, who was forced to make a choice, it was a living hell.
To die for sure right now.
Or to hold on to even a sliver of hope.
What Biyoung presented was a choice between two cruel options.
‘I cannot die a dog’s death here like this.’
He was not without guilt for having to sell out his brother, but the path Han Hoe had to choose was all too clear.
“……Alright. I will try to arrange a meeting with my brother. In any case, he will be curious about my whereabouts since the news of the Tiger-Bear Stronghold being attacked would have reached him.”
“Good.”
Biyoung nodded once and got up from his seat.
“Lead the way. Just in case, it’s better not to think about running away. Your knees will be shattered.”
Then he looked towards Uma.
“Senior Brother.”
“I already know. What you are going to say.”
In such dark matters, Uma's presence was absolute.
And for Uma personally, it was also a rather interesting matter.
“Yes. Let's go catch the rats.”