Dogon, who had delivered most of the dumplings he made straight into his own mouth, patted his belly and said,
“Take care of me. I’ll move over soon.”
“Yeah.”
“And if your master shows up anytime soon, tell me in advance. So I can get far away.”
Jin Sohan replied with a laugh.
“That won’t happen, so don’t worry. He’s a busy man.”
Dogon, recalling old memories, said,
“Come to think of it, the person who came down off the roof back then was your master… and that master belongs to the Four Great Villains. That’s why he was wearing black clothes… It all clicks into place. Since you’re his disciple, you were able to punish the Blood-Whisper Sect Master so brutally. Of course, for now, only I should know, right?”
Jin Sohan nodded.
“For now, I have no intention of revealing it, and there’s no reason to.”
“If a dispute breaks out with other places?”
“There’s no reason to lean on my master’s fame. It would only backfire.”
“Ah, right. If the orthodox faction finds out, it’ll be a bigger headache.”
Were they called the Four Great Villains for nothing?
In the Unorthodox Faction, people sometimes called the Four Great Villains the Grand Dukes, as if honoring them. The reason they did it was a little ridiculous.
In the orthodox faction, they often called the Four Great Villains the Four Public Enemies, and since the orthodox faction hated them, the Unorthodox Faction picked out the middle words and “honored” them as the Grand Dukes. Of course, those Grand Dukes weren’t the kind of people who would like being “honored” either. It was just wordplay.
In that sense, Jin Sohan was, in any case, becoming “a Grand Duke’s disciple.”
It would be nice if only the Unorthodox Faction knew and it ended there, but the moment the orthodox faction found out, sects that styled themselves as righteous heroes would come flooding in.
Also, among what they called the Four Public Enemies, only the Venom Demon was included. But to the Demon-Immortal, that meant almost nothing. The two of them wandered together nearly all the time. That was why they were also classified as eccentric monsters—because the Medicine Immortal was mixed in, and there were plenty of times they gave poison and gave medicine right after.
Dogon put a lid back on the dish he had carried the dumplings in and said,
“I’ll handle the food from now on. You just watch out for assassins sent from the north or the south, starting soon.”
“Assassins?”
“Won’t they send some to test you?”
“Hah… Those lunatics, seriously.”
“They’ll send them. Don’t ignore it just because it’s coming from a tavern server. Be prepared.”
“Got it.”
Dogon’s actual job was tavern server, but what went on in his head was no different from an Unorthodox gang officer.
Dogon continued.
“Truth is, the person who sent assassins outside most often was the Blood-Whisper Sect Master. He was a recognized rich man not just on West Black Road but across the Thousand Sun Unorthodox Lands. There was a rumor that spread around West Black Road.”
“What rumor?”
“That the Blood-Whisper Sect Master kept sending assassins at his competitors because he didn’t want to be assassinated himself. Sounds like he didn’t even care if they failed. They said he did it so they couldn’t even sleep in peace. With overwhelming money behind it.”
“So he really was vicious.”
“He was vicious. You don’t have assassins to send, and you won’t send them either.”
“Why would I send them.”
“That’s exactly why you need to be more careful.”
Jin Sohan nodded and replied,
“Is that a prophecy too?”
“It’s not a prophecy. It’s what always happened here. East Ghost Road is packed with drifters who got chased out of everywhere or have nowhere to go, but the north and the south aren’t like that. There are piles of people like the Blood-Whisper Sect.”
Jin Sohan smiled. Come to think of it, was there anyone who knew how the world turned more closely than a tavern server?
“Is there a sect I need to worry about right away?”
“In the north, North Wind Sword Wolf. In the south, the Great Dragon Society. Those two are the most active. They said if someone killed the Blood-Whisper Sect Master, it would most likely be the leaders of those two organizations. No one imagined he’d die to Dream Kid from the Mystic Lunar Dance Troupe, doing a sword dance.”
“North Wind Sword Wolf and the Great Dragon Society.”
“You remember them?”
“Not at all… My master never even mentioned them.”
“If your master is one of the Four Great Villains, he wouldn’t have bothered caring. Sohan.”
“Yeah.”
“If North Wind Sword Wolf and the Great Dragon Society join forces and come down to West Black Road, what happens to us? Could you handle it alone then, too?”
The reason Dogon asked was simple.
Right now, the Blood-Whisper Sect had collapsed. The Blood-Whisper Sect Master was dead or scattered, and the Blood-Whisper Sect’s enormous funds were piled up here. From North Wind Sword Wolf’s and the Great Dragon Society’s standpoint, no matter what had happened, it would look like an opportunity.
If one side got their hands on a mountain of money, the power structure of the Thousand Sun Unorthodox Lands could be reshaped.
Dogon was only a tavern server, but as they shared dumplings and drank, he naturally laid out this kind of talk in front of Jin Sohan.
From Dogon’s view, it had become a situation where the peace of West Black Road had to be maintained by Jin Sohan’s force.
Jin Sohan replied.
“Dogon.”
“Yeah.”
“The ones who should worry aren’t West Black Road. Now the Thousand Sun Unorthodox Lands should worry. North Wind… I can’t even remember them. Anyway, they should be the ones worrying.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s right.”
“And the assassins?”
At that, Jin Sohan smiled.
“Like you said, I’ll be prepared.”
“How? You barely have any underlings. This is a brothel building. Just move your residence over to the Blood-Whisper Sect headquarters or something. I should get going now. I’ve got to clean up the tavern.”
Jin Sohan rose as if to see him off and replied,
“Dogon, I’m the assassin… why are you so worried? You, Cook, just make good food.”
“Hah… Fine.”
“Let’s go. I’ll walk you back to the tavern.”
“I said it’s fine.”
“Let’s go. To get some night air…”
The two of them left the front of the Mystic Lunar Dance Troupe, strolling with their bellies full of dumplings, patting them as they walked.
*****
“A man who learned martial arts returns to his hometown after a long time and takes revenge. What a stale, worn-out story. Isn’t it? It gives me goosebumps… touch my arm.”
The man called the One-Eyed Dragon, Im Haseong, leader of the Great Dragon Society, spoke.
A half-naked woman in his arms gently stroked the leader’s bicep and said,
“It really did.”
“How stale does it have to be to give goosebumps? It’s as old as rumors that went around the Thousand Sun Unorthodox Lands twenty years ago.”
The One-Eyed Dragon, Im Haseong, sat half-reclined with a guest kept standing, his arm wrapped around the waist of a woman who wore only a thin outer garment.
The woman in his arms replied,
“Leader, isn’t it still cool? You said you like men who take revenge.”
“I don’t like men who take revenge… It’s fun killing the ones who come for revenge.”
“Ah, right. I forgot.”
The Great Dragon Society’s leader, Im Haseong, made his single remaining eye gleam as he spoke to Elder Cho.
“Elder Cho.”
“Yes, Leader.”
“So what do you want me to do? What’s your intent in bringing me this news?”
Elder Cho was flustered.
The Great Dragon Society was the strongest sect in the southern Thousand Sun Unorthodox Lands, which shared part of its border with West Black Road. And of course, the Great Dragon Society was a rival of the Blood-Whisper Sect. He had expected Im Haseong to be delighted—but here he was, greeting a guest while holding a woman who was practically stripped…
Elder Cho was the very old man who had tried to sell a low-quality miracle elixir at the Moonlit Night Pavilion and gotten scolded by Jin Sohan.
Elder Cho said,
“The Blood-Whisper Sect Master, the unit leaders who followed him, and the disciples of the Ash-Blood First Blade were all killed by a single person. He seized control of West Black Road, taking the black markets and brothels, the merchant caravans and escort agencies, and even the Blood-Whisper Sect Master’s wealth.”
Im Haseong slipped his hand into the woman’s chest as he replied,
“So.”
Elder Cho, stealing glances at the woman’s chest, said,
“Isn’t it an excellent opportunity for you, Leader? West Black Road is an empty mountain with no master. I heard you were ready at any time to decide who stands above the Blood-Whisper Sect. Your forces are superior, and you have many experts—if you don’t take West Black Road now, the north may strike first.”
Im Haseong kneaded the woman’s body as he replied,
“Elder Cho, you’re saying something strange. Have you gone senile?”
“Yes?”
“You have not a single piece of information on the person who killed the Blood-Whisper Sect Master. By your words, he alone shattered the Blood-Whisper Sect. Even if I move, I can’t guarantee the outcome. If we don’t know who he is, your information isn’t worth one coin.”
Im Haseong glared at Elder Cho and continued,
“Are you trying to use me?”
“How could that be? There’s no reason I would approach so foolishly. In truth, my goods can go elsewhere and be sold face-to-face, all the same. And as for the identity of the man who killed the Blood-Whisper Sect Master, no one knows yet. Only that he is alone. He merely commands the remnants of the Ghost Blade Sect…”
“Honestly, you can’t understand plain words. You wasted my time with pathetic talk. Leave.”
At Im Haseong’s words, Elder Cho lowered his head and replied,
“I’m sorry, Leader… I never meant ill—”
“Elder Cho.”
“Yes.”
“Leave. I got my hopes up because you said you brought tremendous news…”
Im Haseong flicked his hand, and the men who had been waiting came up behind Elder Cho and said,
“We’ll escort you out.”
“Ah, Leader, I truly apologize. I only meant—”
“Please go.”
When Elder Cho was dragged out, Im Haseong patted the woman’s back and said,
“You go out for a bit too.”
“Yes, Leader.”
Im Haseong straightened his posture, then walked to the table and sat with his back rigidly upright.
Then a gaunt man who had been listening inside came out and said,
“Still, no one knows the identity of the man who killed the Blood-Whisper Sect Master. It really may be an empty mountain.”
Im Haseong replied with a face completely different from how he had treated the woman and Elder Cho.
“Seems so. What do you think?”
The man known as the Great Dragon Society’s strategist replied,
“There is a low plan and a high plan.”
“Start with the low plan.”
“The low plan is, of course, assassination. Dispatch an investigation party to read the situation, attempt assassination first even if you have to throw away a few assassins, and if it succeeds, push your forces in. Even if you simply seize the wealth the Blood-Whisper Sect Master stockpiled and return before North Wind Sword Wolf comes down, the profit is immense.”
“The Blood-Whisper Sect Master didn’t fall to assassins, and you want to handle that man with assassins?”
“The Blood-Whisper Sect Master was an old hand. They say the man is only in his mid-twenties. Even a honey trap will work far better. From what we’ve learned, he’s staying at the Moonlit Night Pavilion, so his guard will surely be sloppy.”
“And the high plan?”
“The high plan is to contact North Wind Sword Wolf immediately.”
Im Haseong replied with a displeased expression,
“You want to run a feint operation?”
“One expert cannot easily withstand a combined attack by North Wind Sword Wolf and the Great Dragon Society. However, even if we succeed, we would have to split West Black Road in half. In truth, it is difficult for our forces to seize all of West Black Road. Using the Central Road as the line, give the northwest to North Wind Sword Wolf, and we take the southeast—our profit would still be large. Then decide who stands above whom with North Wind Sword Wolf after that.”
Im Haseong replied,
“Strategist Jo.”
“Yes.”
“Even the high plan is sloppy. Sword Wolf won’t cooperate with me like that. The only reason things have been quiet is because the Blood-Whisper Sect Master, him, and us have grudges tangled together—so no one formed an alliance.”
The man called Strategist Jo turned it over in his head and replied,
“Then should we send investigators first? In any case, if we leave West Black Road’s upheaval as it is… I fear North Wind Sword Wolf will take the profit. If he absorbs West Black Road’s money, it will be bad news for us. The Blood-Whisper Sect Master had the most money. That’s why he constantly brought in drifters from East Ghost Road to fill his numbers, wasn’t it.”
At that, Im Haseong fell silent and tapped the table.
In the end, the decision belonged to Im Haseong.
He found a strategist’s “plans” thoroughly distasteful, so he deliberately kept a hard expression and dragged out the look of deep thought for a long time.
“This is what we’ll do.”
“Yes. Give the order.”
“Let’s try the low plan first. But I’ll provide part of the war funds—find the Shadowless Flying Knives. Send sharp blades and test his skill. And find one female assassin as well. I need a feel for what kind of man he is.”
Which was, in the end, saying to use the low plan.
Strategist Jo replied with a stiff expression,
“Yes.”
“And if it fails… I will announce that all the bosses of the Thousand Sun Unorthodox Lands are to gather at West Black Road. We will revive the Overlord Assembly that had its thread cut.”
“The Overlord Assembly?”
Im Haseong nodded.
“We’ll respond depending on how things look then.”