Chapter 676: It’s been a long time!

So Yeomra, Gu Yangcheon.

He is the eldest son of the Gu family of Shanxi, a prestigious orthodox sect family located on the Shanxi border, and the child of Gu Cheolun, the ‘Tiger Hero’ (호협), who is said to be ranked below the Hundred Great Masters.

In his youth, he was called the scoundrel of Shanxi, committing wicked deeds and earning the reputation of being a ‘bad father, bad son’ (호부견자), but whether it was mere childishness or not, as time passed, his talent began to emerge.

In the past, before the massacre at the Divine Dragon Pavilion (신룡관), he showed off overwhelming martial power at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering (용봉지회), earning the nickname ‘True Dragon’ (진룡).

A short while later, he defended against the massacre that occurred at the Divine Dragon Pavilion, slaughtering the unrighteous factions, and gained the nickname ‘Little Yama’ (소염라).

Afterward, due to plans orchestrated within the Alliance (맹), his name briefly spread throughout the Central Plains… However, his whereabouts began to become unknown shortly thereafter.

Furthermore, the ‘Divine Dragon’ (神龍) plan, carried out in collaboration with the Shaolin Temple (소림), even managed to suppress the rumors that had briefly spread. In just a few short years, the rumors about Little Yama (소염라) vanished as if they had died.

‘What is this?’

Bum Dong looked at the letter in his hand and tilted his head.

It took Bum Dong four days to gather this information. It wasn’t particularly difficult information; he could have finished gathering it within two days if he had tried. Yet, Bum Dong felt a strangely subtle sense of incongruity.

‘It’s not just one or two strange things.’

While reading the information about Little Yama (소염라), several noticeable blank spaces were present. It was information that clearly indicated someone had intentionally erased it.

‘Who could it be?’

Only a handful of people could tamper with the Alliance’s (맹) own information. The leader of the Azure Dragon Unit (청룡대), who serves as the current Alliance Leader’s (맹주) bodyguard and is one of the current Ten Great Masters. Or perhaps the head of the Beggars’ Sect (개방), or the Abbot of Shaolin (소림)… At most, there wouldn’t be more than ten people. Why would someone leave blank spaces in this kind of information?

That wasn’t the only strange thing.

‘Did he also intervene in the affairs of the Four Thousand Tang Clan (사천당문)?’

It was an incident that had caused a stir throughout the Central Plains a few years ago. The Tang Clan (당문), which was considered a prestigious family among the Four Great Clans (사대세가), was exposed for conducting human experiments in secret. Because of that, the Tang Clan (당문) was removed from its position among the Four Great Clans (사대세가), and those within the orthodox sects tended to hush up the matter concerning the Tang Clan (당문).

The problem here was.

‘It’s classified information?’

The events that transpired back then were treated as top secret even within the Alliance (맹), and information was stored categorized by color, much like the classification of demonic beasts. Among these, the incident originating from the Four Thousand Tang Clan (사천당문) was classified as White (白色) information. Even the Alliance’s (맹) Unit Leaders (대주), who could access most of the information department, could not access it.

Yet, in such information, ‘there are traces of So Yeomra’s (소염라) involvement…’

According to the processed information, the head of the Tang Clan (당문) had discovered the human experiments and sought to stop them by proceeding with the exposure. It was said that he personally slaughtered the elders, gathered evidence, and submitted it to the Alliance (맹)… The fact that information about So Yeomra (소염라) was intertwined with this means…

‘Does this imply something else happened?’

What could possibly have happened that even the Unit Leaders (대주) couldn’t know? Bum Dong continued to examine the information with a frown.

‘He has many women around him. His fiancée, Sword Dancer (검무희), and someone from the Tang Clan… The Tang Clan?’

Bum Dong’s eyes widened as he read on. Including Poison Phoenix (독봉) of the declining Tang Clan (당문), Snow Phoenix (설봉) of the Moyong family (모용가)…

‘And even a descendant of the Sword Master (검존)?’

They say he indulges in women, and it certainly seems to be the case. However, the puzzling part was.

‘If he indulges in women, why didn’t he fall for Bi Hyeonhwa (비현화)?’

Bi Hyeonhwa (비현화), known as the Number One Beauty of Henan (하남제일미). She was an outstanding individual adept at using her looks to gather information.

‘She failed.’

Not only did she fail to approach him, but Bi Hyeonhwa (비현화) returned as a broken shell of her former self.

-Save me… P-please save me, save me, save me…. Save… me.”

Her heavily applied makeup was completely ruined. She continuously scratched her face with her long fingernails. Bi Hyeonhwa (비현화), with eyes like a dead fish, was found somewhere broken in an alley near the Alliance’s (맹) entrance.

“I have to run…. I’m scared, so scared… save me…. Save…”

Her trembling, broken state was enough to instill fear in others. Afterward, Bi Hyeonhwa (비현화) was handed over to physicians for treatment, but her mind never truly returned. Even now, she remained terrified, refusing to leave the treatment room.

What on earth could she have experienced?

According to the information written on Bi Hyeonhwa’s (비현화) person, regarding So Yeomra (소염라), it noted the name Pajyeolyeop (파절엽) at the time and the sect leader of a crumbling minor sect.

‘That was false.’

Digging a little deeper afterward, I discovered that all of it was a lie. It would be more accurate to say he had noticed the purpose behind Bi Hyeonhwa’s (비현화) approach from the start. As a result, I had no choice but to spend more time than expected gathering information.

Moreover.

‘There are no traces.’

If she was found near the Alliance’s (맹) entrance, there should have been someone who approached that area. None of the guards on duty, including Yi Wonjung (이원중), sensed any trace or presence. There was no evidence. Since Bi Hyeonhwa (비현화) was too broken to answer any questions, the situation was undeniably bizarre.

‘And on top of that, an incident occurred midway.’

While Bum Dong was carrying out his task, the Azure Dragon Unit (청룡대) sent one of their members, but that member inexplicably went missing. The problem was.

‘Of all places, it had to be the Hundred Flowers Trading Company (백화상단) again.’

The Hundred Flowers Trading Company (백화상단) was gathering personnel on a scale that could form a sect. The Alliance (맹), finding this suspicious, dispatched a member from the Azure Dragon Unit (청룡대), but that member also disappeared. A warrior from the Azure Dragon Unit (청룡대), the Alliance’s (맹) finest sword unit, no less.

It seemed the situation had become strangely entangled in just a few days. And at the center of it all.

‘Is So Yeomra (소염라)?’

The Demonic Cult (마교), wasn’t that what they called it? It was the name of an organization recently heard not only in Henan (하남) but throughout the entire Central Plains. Starting from the fringes of the Central Plains, the name had begun to spread all the way to Henan (하남), where the Alliance (맹) currently stood firm. As the Alliance (맹) was intensely monitoring this, Bum Dong was also conducting his own investigation. Amidst this, the recent activities of the Hundred Flowers Trading Company (백화상단) were bound to seem suspicious.

‘They don’t seem directly involved, but something about them is bothering me.’

The Hundred Flowers Trading Company (백화상단) is one of the most prominent trading companies in the Central Plains. Even if they aren’t pro-Alliance (친무림맹), they wouldn’t likely stir up unnecessary trouble.

‘Looking at their recent actions, there’s something subtle about them.’

The fact that they’re proceeding with something without the Alliance’s (맹) knowledge is one thing. Especially the moment I identified the young master I met as So Yeomra (소염라), my suspicions began to amplify. He was a rising talent a few years ago, known by rumor even before he became the ‘Divine Dragon’ (신룡), the youngest officially recognized master of the Hua Jing (화경) realm.

Furthermore, the most crucial reason.

‘Is that he is a member of the Gu family (구가).’

The Gu family (구가) is a prestigious orthodox sect family located on the Shanxi border. Not quite on the level of the Four Great Clans (사대세가)… or rather, even the Three Great Clans (삼대세가), they were an ordinary prestigious family in a decent position. It’s known that they have existed for centuries, but they only began to truly distinguish themselves from the time the current family head, the Tiger Hero (호협), became active. After that, there was Sword Phoenix (검봉), Gu Huibi (구희비), the Tiger Hero’s (호협) eldest daughter, the eldest son, So Yeomra (소염라), and the second daughter, Gu Yeonseo (구연서), among others. Recently, public opinion began to suggest that the Gu family (구가) was quite a powerful clan.

However.

It was precisely because of the ‘Gu family’ (구가) that Bum Dong felt a subtle unease. The reason was simple.

‘Ink-black (墨色) information…’

Among the information categorized from Green (녹색) to White (백색), the classification for information regarding the Gu family (구가) was Ink-black (묵색). It seemed the information had been updated recently. Even Bum Dong didn’t know what Ink-black (묵색) signified. One couldn’t even attempt to access it, let alone view it. That’s what Ink-black (묵색) meant. It was a classification I had never seen before, and it pertained to the Gu family (구가) of all people. Even the other Four Great Clans (사대세가) were classified at best as Red (적색), so I had no idea where this Ink-black (묵색) classification came from.

It wasn’t just one or two strange things. The fact that an unknown energy signature landed precisely on the Hundred Flowers Trading Company’s (백화상단) grounds. And meeting So Yeomra (소염라) by chance at the trading company when I went to investigate it. The fact that the Gu family’s (구가) classification was Ink-black (묵색). And everything from the attitude he showed me there to the subsequent events. It was a situation that inevitably raised questions.

‘In cases like this,’

Bum Dong had two methods he had employed so far. One method was:

‘To assemble more personnel and meticulously gather information.’

It’s a method of monitoring every single move, looking for an opening.

‘But that’s rather difficult right now.’

The Alliance’s (맹) current situation made it difficult to handle things this way. The martial arts tournament (비무제) was just around the corner, and we also needed to deal with the Demonic Cult (마교). Furthermore, Bum Dong’s own available forces, which he could deploy independently, were currently spread across the entire region due to these issues. Trying to infiltrate the Hundred Flowers Trading Company (백화상단) to obtain information while avoiding their forces would be difficult, as their strength was considerable. It was practically impossible.

Therefore.

‘Is the second method the only option left?’

It seemed there was only one method left for now.

Go find him directly.

If stealthy reconnaissance had its limits, then the solution was simply to go find him openly.

‘The justification seems a bit lacking, though.’

If there’s no justification, one simply creates it. That’s what the Alliance’s (맹) intelligence department was for.

‘Besides, no matter how high his cultivation level might be, he’s just a young pup who’s barely passed his minority. He shouldn’t be too difficult to handle.’

His strength was unexpected and disconcerting, but he’s still just a kid. No matter how strong he is, it would be difficult for him to openly challenge the Martial Arts Alliance (무림맹). Moreover.

‘From what I see, he seems to have many things to protect.’

He appears to have strong bonds with the women around him. I can use that to start provoking him. Therefore, before official investigative authority is granted, I need to put him in his place a bit.

Thinking thus, Bum Dong turned and spoke.