First Mission
Jeong-un was now sitting face-to-face, alone with the man, in the rather spacious room he'd been guided to.
Any sense that this was supposed to be a formal affair faded quickly, as the man offered him drinks and food before anything else.
Only when Jeong-un shook his head was tea finally served.
"I misunderstood, it seems. I sincerely apologize."
The man spoke with a warm smile.
Just a mont ago, he'd looked at Jeong-un intently, startled, but now his face had softened as if nothing had happened.
Still, he didn't miss a single one of Jeong-un's slight movents, thoroughly observing him.
'Shalessness must be a skill, too.'
At this point, Jeong-un wondered if quick adaptation wasn't an essential trait of a typical martial artist from the martial world.
He mused inwardly; everyone here changed attitudes as if it was nothing, as if being two-faced was hardly a flaw.
The man introduced himself as Yang Se-ok, the second son of a martial clan prominent in Kaifeng.
'The Yang Clan, huh.'
To be honest, Jeong-un had never heard the na. For a clan to wield such influence in a major city, they should have considerable sway with the Murim Alliance, and then, serving at the Heavenly Martial Hall, Jeong-un thought he should have at least once heard the na.
'It's just that there are too many of them.'
He internally dismissed the thought as such.
The land was vast, and there were countless martial artists and innurable sects or groups they'd ford.
The territory of a single castle was larger than that of most countries.
There were several such castles, so unless you paid specific attention, it was stranger to know the nas of every martial clan.
"In fact, I had heard of your na before, young hero. I heard you ca first in the special test this year. Moreover, to have been promoted to two-stripes at the youngest age—truly remarkable."
Yet Yang Se-ok did know Jeong-un.
He hadn't recognized him at first sight, but once Jeong-un introduced himself, his expression imdiately changed, and he'd quickly bowed and ushered him to this room on the second floor.
'To think my na has even reached here.'
He was reminded anew of what it ant to distinguish yourself at the Heavenly Martial Hall.
It made him realize why so many capable warriors were so eager to make a na for themselves.
The Heavenly Martial Hall really was a stage to spread your reputation throughout the Central Plains.
"To be honest, I was quite surprised to see you co alone. We provide significant financial support to the Murim Alliance. I heard that those given solo missions from the Heavenly Martial Hall are usually three-stripes or above... But you ca alone as a two-stripes martial artist, so it startled ."
"I understand."
"But you're the Annihilating One-Slash... In that case, coming alone is understandable. Still, you are every bit as outstanding as the rumors say."
"That's high praise."
"Not at all—if anything, my words fail to do you justice. We should burn the facial sketch we have of you right away. Ah, apologies, that was tactless again."
Yang Se-ok's eyes glead as he looked at Jeong-un, brimming with curiosity like soone discovering a rare, unripe fruit.
anwhile, Jeong-un was hiding his own incredulity.
'So they really do have a facial sketch of .'
He'd heard the rumors that most sects had information on the Heavenly Martial Hall's martial artists, but facing it directly was still absurd.
And Yang Se-ok didn't even bother to hide it.
"I would like to hear about the mission."
"Before that—how old are you this year?"
"...?"
"Do you intend to join the Mount Hua Sect after graduating from the Heavenly Martial Hall?"
"... I don't have plans for that yet."
Yang Se-ok clapped his hands and smiled widely.
"That's fortunate! May I call for my younger sister? She's admittedly not your equal, but for her age, she wields a sword very well."
"Young Hero Yang."
Jeong-un unconsciously closed his eyes for a mont before speaking.
"Let's see to the business first. We can talk more after that."
"Yes."
Even faced with Jeong-un's firm expression, Yang Se-ok grinned brightly.
It was clear he must have called for support on urgent business, yet he seed more delighted to be eting Jeong-un than worried about any looming crisis.
"But surely your clan has several outstanding martial artists. Why did you request assistance from the Murim Alliance?"
This wasn't the Yang Clan's main base.
He said this was just one of the many establishnts they managed, often used for eting important guests from outside.
'Is it that they find it awkward to bring certain matters directly ho?'
Jeong-un quietly assessed the situation, trying not to overlook any detail, as befitted a solitary martial world journey.
"That's true. While there may not be anyone to match you, young hero, our main clan alone has several hundred exceptional martial artists."
"Then why...?"
"Are you aware of what sort of place Kaifeng is?"
Seeing Jeong-un's questioning look, Yang Se-ok's expression stiffened.
"This is where the main headquarters of the Beggar's Union of the Nine Great Sects and One Union is located. They have dozens of disguised branches here, so it's hard to ascertain the main office's exact location, but there's no doubt it's sowhere in this city."
"The main headquarters of the Beggar's Union..."
Among the Nine Great Sects and One Union, the Beggar's Union was renowned for its intelligence-gathering, second to none.
The Hao Clan of the unorthodox path may threaten that position—or so they claid.
But anyone in the martial world would always put the Beggar's Union above the Hao Clan.
Jeong-un tilted his head slightly. The story that the main headquarters of the Beggar's Union was in Kaifeng was widely known.
That's exactly why they had disguised branches throughout—to keep anyone from finding the actual location.
'So what's the point?'
Was the mission ant to be hidden from the Beggar's Union's eyes, even though they were both righteous sects?
Yang Se-ok seed to understand Jeong-un's look and nodded.
"You must be wondering why I'm bringing up the Beggar's Union. How much were you told about this matter, young hero?"
"I heard the mission is to slay the leader of a dark sect based in this city."
"That's right. It's those Musan Group bastards. They charge rchants usurious interest, extort absurd sums, and even dabble in human trafficking. They've dug in so deeply that it's hard to get a full grasp of their numbers."
"They're that formidable? To the point that neither the Beggar's Union nor the Yang Clan can act?"
"No, in terms of martial arts prowess, they're not worth ntioning. They can't compare to you, young hero."
Yang Se-ok answered firmly, as if questioning their worth was ridiculous.
Jeong-un pressed further.
"Then why?"
"As I just ntioned, the relationships here are quite tangled. If we use force to sweep them away, they'll just lt into the city's shadows. They'll vanish temporarily. Of course, if we really set our minds to it, we could eventually track them all down..."
Yang Se-ok trailed off bitterly before continuing.
"We would have to accept serious losses, too. They've been entrenched here for decades, spreading their influence everywhere. If we moved on them, the scattered groups would retaliate, ambushing our clan and the shops we manage all across the city. They won't spare the innocent, either. It would definitely result in blood running in the streets for quite so ti. The security of the entire city would beco unstable, and then the authorities would have no choice but to intervene."
"Isn't it natural for the authorities to step in?" said Jeong-un.
"We should cooperate with them and wipe these n out. Isn't that what's needed, even if it ans accepting so damage? Surely the authorities would draw their swords against those who suck the lifeblood of the people?"
"Actually, that's the issue."
"...?"
Yang Se-ok furrowed his brow and shook his head.
"They've been able to act like this for decades because they're connected to the authorities."
"The authorities are colluding with the dark sect?"
Jeong-un widened his eyes in disbelief, and Yang Se-ok nodded.
"Not so surprising, is it? There's hardly a place in the Central Plains that's any different. But it's particularly bad in Kaifeng. Everyone knows the enormous silver coin Musan Group sends each month ends up in the District Head's pouch. People just keep quiet."
"... And the royal family just lets this slide?"
When Jeong-un ntioned the royal family, Yang Se-ok let out a hollow laugh.
"The District Head here is Zhu."
"..."
Jeong-un couldn't hide his astonishnt at that.
'Zhu?'
Whatever the relationship, it ant there was imperial blood involved.
That ant he was more than just an ordinary official.
He might have gotten his position as District Head due to the imperial connection—or perhaps was demoted to District Head as a form of exile.
Either way, it was an impressive official rank.
'What a situation.'
Now Jeong-un understood exactly why the Yang Clan couldn't act.
Even if they tried to use force, if the authorities intervened on behalf of the enemy, there was nothing they could do.
Even the mightiest martial clans, akin to local nobility, were nothing in the eyes of the Great Ming's rule.
Especially if the opponent was of royal blood.
Whoever the District Head was, it was clear he had no intention of giving up the wealth Musan Group continually supplied.
At this point, he was the archetype of a corrupt official.
"So then, the real target to be eliminated is...?"
Now grasping the situation, Jeong-un asked quietly. His face was calm, but his eyes were sharp.
The force of his presence made Yang Se-ok startled, hastily waving his hands.
"No, no, not at all. We dare not touch the District Head."
"Then?"
"As you said from the start. The target is the leader of Musan Group—a man nad Jeon Seok-gyeon. Please take his head. We can do nothing ourselves. Musan Group is tied with the local Hao Clan branch. They keep us under close observation, so if anyone on our side tries anything, they would know imdiately."
"And is that all?"
"Excuse ?"
"I don't think killing just one man will bring down such a group."
Understanding what he ant, Yang Se-ok replied,
"The group may be spread around the city, but everything revolves around their leader. Plus, they have several heirs, so killing the leader doesn't usually shake things up that much. But right now, it's different."
"Different?"
Yang Se-ok nodded.
"The group has grown so large that there's a fierce succession fight. Three candidates are currently vying to beco the next head, each checking the others. No one has erged victorious yet."
"So if the leader dies now, they'll turn on one another, swords drawn?"
"That's right. At that point, cleaning up the aftermath will be much easier for us."
Yang Se-ok's expression turned serious as he straightened up and bowed deeply.
"Please kill Jeon Seok-gyeon. If you do so, we will reward you with anything you wish. We have many valuable things that could be of use to the Annihilating One-Slash Young Hero."
He looked up at Jeong-un and added,
"Let say again, my younger sister is both beautiful and kind-hearted. It may sound like boasting, but she's considered the most beautiful woman in Kaifeng."
"..."
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