Chapter 20: Mission 2

Baek Moo-jin and Seo Moon-geuk arrived at the Seogwang Branch after three days. They revealed their names and identities before entering the main hall.

“Where is the Branch Chief?”

The deputy branch chief of the Seogwang Branch, who had guided the two men, replied stiffly to Baek Moo-jin’s question.

“He is currently away on business. But why have you come out of the Myeong? We received no word.”

Baek Moo-jin listened silently while Seo Moon-geuk replied.

“If he’s away, wouldn’t he have left word where he went?”

“Please tell us what this is about first. When the branch chief is absent, I am in charge.”

“This matter has nothing to do with the deputy chief for now.”

At that moment, the main hall doors swung open, and the martial artists of the Seogwang Branch rushed in with a clamor.

“What’s going on?”

“They came from the Myeong?”

The crowd scrutinized Baek Mujin and Seo Mun-geuk from head to toe. Yet, upon seeing the two young men seated, they seemed inwardly relieved.

Baek Moo-jin and Seo Mun-geuk exchanged glances.

‘Something’s off.’

Baek Moo-jin spoke.

“It’s not even late at night, yet the branch chief is absent, and the Seogwang Branch’s response is that they can’t tell us where he went?”

Baek Moo-jin drove straight to the heart of the matter. But he deliberately omitted the honorific ‘nim’ from ‘branch chief’ and quietly observed the people’s reactions. Sure enough, one martial artist who had entered the main hall late immediately raised his voice at Baek Moo-jin’s tone.

“Did you just call me ‘Chief’?”

At that, Deputy Chief Jeong In-hyeok quickly replied.

“He is the Messenger of the Lord. Watch your words.”

A heavy silence hung in the air after Jeong In-hyeok’s words.

‘············.’

Everyone seemed flustered at the mention of the Lord’s messenger.

Baek Moo-jin stood up and said.

“If you won’t tell us, we’ll find out ourselves.”

When Seo Mun-geuk also stood up, Deputy Chief Jeong In-hyeok calmly replied.

“No need. We’ll find out immediately and report back. Please remain seated.”

Jeong In-hyeok looked around and ordered.

“What are you lot doing? Find the branch chief’s location and bring him here. And get some tea over here.”

“Understood.”

The people bowed and exited the main hall. The main hall door slammed shut with a loud bang.

Three people remained inside the main hall.

Yet, the scene felt distinctly like they had locked Baek Moo-jin and Seo Moon-geuk inside the main hall and gone to inform the branch chief.

2.

Bong Yu-hak, the head of the Seogwang Branch, had been entertaining someone at the brothel called Yongjeongru since broad daylight. Hearing his subordinate’s words, he quietly stepped out into the corridor and asked.

“Who came?”

“They say they’re from the Alliance. Have you heard the names Baek Moo-jin and Seo Mun-geuk?”

At those words, Branch Chief Bong Yu-hak frowned deeply and shook his head.

“Names I don’t recognize. But they sent only two men? What rank of martial guests were they said to be?”

“They didn’t specify their ranks.”

“Their ages?”

“Young. Both appear to be in their early to mid-twenties.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, the deputy director is holding them in the main hall, saying they’re going out to look for him.”

“Didn’t they say what this was about?”

“They said they’d tell me in person.”

“Then it must be bad news. Understood. Wrap things up and come to the carriage soon.”

As the subordinate bowed and withdrew, Bong Yuhak reopened the door and stepped inside, flashing an awkward smile.

“My apologies. It seems a guest has arrived unexpectedly.”

A man in his thirties, who had been holding the waists of the courtesans with both hands, chuckled and replied.

“A guest?”

Each time the man smiled, the two long scars on his cheeks twisted strangely. Every time Bong Yuhak looked at those scars, his heart grew uneasy. Bong Yuhak replied casually, as if it were nothing.

“Nothing much.”

The man shook his head.

“Bong, the branch manager.”

“Yes.”

“We must handle this properly. I heard you came from the Myeong. My ears are sharp, you see. If you’re going to draw a line, wouldn’t it be better to make it clear? Our Lord has already fully approved your position and the entire branch. In fact, our forces will only grow… Moreover, once you’re under our Lord’s command, there won’t be any need to call you back to the Myeong for such petty matters. This isn’t something you handle alone.”

The man glanced at the black sword he had placed on the table with his words.

“If I need a sword, wouldn’t it be better for me to wield it myself? Branch Chief Bong can just play dumb about the whole thing.”

The man chuckled and addressed the courtesan beside him.

“Suryun, wouldn’t things be easier if your regular patron used the strategy of borrowing someone else’s blade? Seems you’re still troubled. Am I right?”

The courtesan called Suryun replied with a laugh. But it was a foolish answer, completely missing the point of the question.

“Master Makso-gwang, what is a ‘borrowed knife strategy’?”

The man called Makso-gwang clicked his tongue, ignoring the courtesan’s words, and addressed Bong Yu-hak.

“Either go with him or bring him back. There’s no contract, but let’s settle this once and for all. Branch Chief Bong, if you let yourself be dragged away like this, the lightest punishment will be demotion.”

Bong Yuhak’s face turned pale.

‘Damn bastard…’

He later learned it was highly likely the man sitting across from him now was the one who leaked the fact he’d taken bribes. It hadn’t even been a bribe at first. They’d just met at a brothel and hung out a few times, but he later discovered the man was a rising master cultivated by the Iron Blood Sect.

But there was no evidence he had leaked the information, and since he had indeed accepted hospitality and bribes afterward, he had no choice but to accept his punishment.

He’d been completely duped.

Moreover, Mak Sogwang belonged to the Iron Blood Sect.

Mak Sogwang, who understood Bong Yuhak’s feelings well, rose with a smile.

“Well, Branch Chief Bong, you’re truly indecisive. I’ll handle it for you. Just say he died in a dispute. Surely the North Heaven Alliance won’t send their sword squad? If they do, we’ll send ours immediately. Let’s settle this once and for all over the Seogwang Branch. What exactly are you worried about?”

As Mak Sokwang stood up, sword in hand, Bong Yu-hak replied with a stiff expression.

“Just stay put. I’ll send them back.”

“Heh heh, just return? Those people? They sent someone because even after sending a letter, the branch chief refused to return to the Alliance. I don’t know who came, but they must have sent a master capable of easily subduing a branch chief. Can you handle that?”

The more Bong Yuhak listened to Mak Sogwang, the more his head spun. He finally voiced the thought he’d been harboring, which amounted to accepting Mak Sogwang’s proposal.

“If it’s an envoy… they would have sent a top-tier assassin. It’s not a matter of numbers.”

“A top-tier assassin?”

Mak Sogwang chuckled.

“First-class? Second-class? Ah, so that’s how the Northern Heaven Alliance ranks them? Then what class do you think I am? Hahaha. Come on, let’s go. Today, I shall meet that formidable first-class envoy of the Northern Heaven Alliance.”

Baek Moo-jin and Seo Moon-geuk didn’t expect today’s affairs to conclude smoothly. The atmosphere among those waiting and passing by had already grown stiff and tense.

Having ridden for three days, Seo Mun-geuk was quite exhausted. Because of this, Baek Moo-jin deliberately waited, drinking tea and having a light snack, to give Seo Mun-geuk time to rest.

Before long, the main hall doors opened, and a crowd of unfamiliar faces poured in.

Baek Moo-jin fixed his gaze on the two men at the front.

One man wore an uncomfortable expression, clearly suppressing his panic, while the other was a swordsman with two distinct knife scars running down his face.

The scarred swordsman, Ma Xiao Guang, curled the corners of his mouth upward the moment he saw Baek Moo-jin and Seo Moon-geuk, greeting them warmly.

“Well, well, you’ve come a long way. How pleasant. Two of you, no less. Members of the North Heaven Alliance’s elite mercenaries…”

Bai Wuzhen immediately recognized that the swordsman, who appeared to be in his thirties, was not the branch chief. Therefore, he quietly asked the man in his forties, who had been hiding his uneasy expression since entering:

“Branch Chief Seo Gwang, who is this man?”

Baek Moo-jin posed the question and slowly scanned the room.