Chapter 32 The Guest

Chapter 32: The Guest

After the incident at the Red Dragon Sect, I chose a day and told Yongmasan the truth.

That the Red Dragon Sect knew his true identity and was watching him.

It felt unsettling, but since he was a regular customer who visited Mugeun’s restaurant daily, I felt I had to at least warn him his life was in danger.

But he replied as if it were nothing.

“I know. I even know what proposal you heard when you went to the Red Dragon Sect.”

Seeing my flustered reaction, he chuckled and continued.

“Nothing will change. I won’t run away either.”

Then, without a care, he sat down and started eating his rice.

Watching Yongmasan like that, I thought.

‘Lord, no, Buddha, it seems a pitiful being will be joining you soon.’

Pitiful bastard.

He doesn’t even know his life hangs by a thread, just stuffing his face.

“Huh? You have something to say?”

“No. Eat plenty. Sister, bring some more meat dishes. Is the rice enough? Should I get more?”

He might die tomorrow, so I should feed him well.

They say ghosts who die after eating well look good in the afterlife.

Yongmasan looked at me with puzzled eyes.

“Did you get something wrong?”

“Just… thanks to you, our work got easier.”

“At least you know how to show gratitude. That’s a bit better than a beast.”

“You bastard?”

After that harmonious breakfast ended, I went into my room and flopped onto the bed.

“Ugh… Nice.”

Officially, the outer guards worked seven days a week, twelve hours a day. No vacation, not even annual leave.

In modern times, these would be working conditions so brutal a judge would cry while acquitting someone who set fire to the company.

But I wasn’t subject to that.

Because from the rank of First Guard, commuting was flexible.

‘This is why you have to become an executive.’

Unless something major happens, I only need to drop by the command post once a day for a quick briefing.

But the responsibility is heavy.

If an incident causes major unrest in the outer city, or if a security breach leads to the destruction of key facilities, submitting my resignation is the bare minimum. I could be held fully responsible and thrown into the dungeon.

‘Of course, that doesn’t apply to me.’

He didn’t know when Yongmasan’s head might roll, but as long as their cooperation held, trouble simply couldn’t arise.

So today, he figured he’d just take a nap, sneak in, and punch the clock.

“The Lord of the Fort demands your immediate presence at headquarters.”

Ha Jin-hyeong’s words forced me to rise from my seat.

“Why?”

“Well, that is… The Three Princes of Muwangseong are coming.”

“What?!”

* * *

Muwangseong.

One of the Five Great Powers of the World, like Guryongseong, it’s essentially a nationwide gangster holding sway over the northeastern part of the Central Plains.

With the universally acknowledged strongest man in the land as its lord, the entire city reveres martial prowess.

If there’s one difference from Nine Dragons City, which shares the character ‘城’ (city) in its name, it’s that Wu Huang City operates under a one-party dictatorship, not as a coalition of factions.

In other words, it wasn’t tangled up in messy power-sharing arrangements.

Thanks to this, Wuhuang Fortress is regarded among connoisseurs as one of the Two Strongholds—the most powerful factions among the Five Great Clans, alongside Shima Lian.

The third son of the Fortress Lord, the absolute ruler of Wuhuang Fortress, would be equivalent to a minister-level official in modern society.

Upon hearing news of such a figure’s visit, Deputy Chief Garip gathered all the squad leaders and barked out an order.

“Starting today, we begin beautification efforts!”

This was because the inner city’s leadership was highly likely to come out to the outer city walls to greet the guest.

An important guest was visiting, yet the outer city was littered with all kinds of trash and filth?

‘This is a disaster waiting to happen.’

It would be a diplomatic embarrassment.

If such a thing happened in the modern world, the foreign minister would be dismissed.

So, cleaning was necessary, but… there was a problem.

“Isn’t it impossible to clear everything in time?”

As the sole female member of the Outer Court, the Fifteenth Division Chief pointed out, time was insufficient.

The inner city of Nine Dragon Fort alone covered over 100,000 pyeong; the outer city encircling it was so vast it could be considered a city in its own right.

It wasn’t just the sheer scale.

Forget janitors—this was a martial arts world without even pay-as-you-throw bags. The streets of the commercial district were filthy beyond belief.

If forced to compare, it was dirtier than Hongdae’s night streets at dawn.

Finishing this within the deadline with just a hundred Outer Sect members was an utterly impossible project.

But Garipp was a bolder man than expected.

“That’s why I intend to activate the Reserve Order.”

At the word “emergency order,” all the team leaders in the conference room gasped in shock and shouted.

“Yes!”

“Order!”

“Order!”

That was it.

Garyeop had resolved to mobilize the entire force of the Oedang and devote all efforts to environmental beautification.

‘Then there’s a chance.’

Adding the reserve warriors, the project’s participants numbered four hundred.

Finishing it overnight was impossible, but if they took their time and methodically cleaned it up, they had a good chance of success.

The next day.

Every single person listed in the Oedang took up a broom and began sweeping every corner of the outer city.

From all kinds of household trash to filth.

It was dirtier than anyone imagined, and a few with weak stomachs clearly showed their reluctance.

But every time, a thunderbolt of scolding came from the leaders and team captains, so they had no choice but to move their bodies, sweating buckets.

The one silver lining was that this era had no plastic or vinyl.

Most of the trash was just wood, worn-out cloth, stones, and such. Simply clearing it away, hauling it out, and burning it took care of most of it.

For filth, just burying it in the ground was the end of it.

The only problem was the sheer vastness of the outer walls, making the work grueling.

‘Huh?’

Sitting in a nearby inn, ‘managing’ my team members, I spotted a ‘solution’ passing through the streets.

I immediately leaped down from this floor and approached him.

“Long time no see? How have you been?”

“Isn’t this Team Leader Jin?”

It was Lee Seon-bang, who had helped me find North Palace Baek earlier.

Would it be accurate to call him a disciple of Hao Gate?

Anyway, now wasn’t the time to quibble over such things, so I quickly got to the point.

“You said you’re close with the inn clerks, right?”

“You mean this? Of course the clerks, but there isn’t a single person from the market merchants to the day laborers who doesn’t know me.”

True to form for a disciple of Hao Gate, the era’s premier spy sect, his connections were extensive.

“That offer you made last time, about coming to me if you had trouble—is it still good?”

“Of course it is. Just say the word, and I’ll assist you wholeheartedly.”

“Then, help me out with some cleaning.”

* * *

That help proved more effective than expected.

The shop assistants from the inns, taverns, and brothels gathered in the bustling district stepped up to clean around their workplaces, cutting the workload in half.

Thanks to that, the environmental beautification of the outer city, which had been estimated to take three days, was completed in just one day.

Clap clap clap clap clap.

Garipp clapped his hands repeatedly, nodding his head.

“You really are a master craftsman. I recognized your talent from the very beginning.“

”This is all thanks to the heavenly guidance of our esteemed Master, isn’t it?”

For reference, Garip was the one who rejected my application when I applied to the Outer Hall.

Still, there was no need to bring up past grievances, so I pretended not to know and accepted his praise.

And that decision brought tremendous rewards.

“Here’s a bonus! Not much, but it should be enough for a drink somewhere.”

“A bonus?!”

Despite the dire financial state, Garip had arranged a bonus for me.

In my third year at the Oedang, I’d never once seen anyone receive a bonus.

Even when my performance at Jianchang Mountain improved the Outer Hall’s reputation, I hadn’t received one.

This meant Garip valued this matter highly and recognized my contribution.

“Thank you!”

“You must be tired. Go rest now.”

As he patted my shoulder and left, overwhelming emotion washed over me like a tsunami.

“Damn it. Shit!”

That is, until I looked inside the coin pouch.

* * *

Even after finishing the environmental beautification, the Oedang warriors remained busy.

They were tasked with monitoring the route the Three Princes of Muwangseong would take from a distance.

Of course, the Oedang warriors couldn’t stop top-tier assassins or masters hiding their identities. No one expected that in the first place.

It was merely a formality, a way to show the Three Princes that they were being given this level of attention.

Therefore, Garip ordered the Outer Hall warriors to wear red hoods throughout the entire period the Three Princes stayed.

So they could be recognized from afar.

And.

Finally, the envoy party that had departed from Muwangseong arrived before Guryongseong.

The guards from the Gate of the Dead and the City Lord’s Palace, who had come out ahead of time, greeted them.

The Outer Court warriors stood lined up like screens behind them.

None of the people from Wuhuang City spared the Outer Court warriors a glance, treating them like real screens.

Well, what can you do?

We’re all in the same boat as Outer Court servants.

The Outer Court kids working in Wuhuang City are probably the same.

Lost in thought for a moment, he soon heard Wushang’s voice.

“Welcome. I am Sima Mu, Deputy Military Commander of Guolong City.”

In response to this simple yet respectful greeting, a young warrior stepped forward from the group of Wu Huang City.

“Thank you for your hospitality. I am Yi Jieha, the Third Young Master of Wu Huang City.”

‘That man is the Third Young Master of Wu Huang City?!’

Seeing his face, he couldn’t help but be shocked.

“······!”

And it seemed the others felt the same, for everyone stared at him with wide eyes.

Yi Jeokha was ugly······. No, his appearance was so bizarre it couldn’t even be described as ugly.

‘Shouldn’t someone in that position be handsome?’

In all the martial arts novels I’d read, the sons of powerful families were invariably described as handsome. I’d assumed it was the same here.

That toad-faced creature is the Third Young Master of the Wu Huang Clan? If I hadn’t known, I never would have recognized him. Prejudice is truly terrifying.

Pretending not to be shocked, I shifted my gaze and saw the warriors who had accompanied the Third Young Master.

Evidently, they had cultivated profound internal energy; not only were their solar plexuses bulging prominently, but their entire bodies were covered in steel-like muscles.

It was proof they were masters who had trained both internal and external martial arts equally.

‘Look at those thick necks. They’re like logs.’

It was fitting for the warriors of the Wu Huang Sect, a group obsessed with martial arts.

‘If I’d gone that way, I’d have been screwed.’

Gratitude surged within me for Grandfather Hyun-geomja, who had brought me to Guryongseong.

“Please enter. The Lord of the Fortress awaits you.”

“Understood.”

When Mun Sang signaled, everyone stepped aside. Those from Muheongseong entered.

Our job ended here.

The guests would proceed to the main castle, and from there on, it was the domain of the high-ranking officials.

“Good work today. I’ve assigned the reserve unit to duty, so everyone should get a good rest tonight.”

The team members stifled their cheers at Garyp’s words.

An unexpected day off was always welcome.

Woo Je-jun approached, unable to hide his pleased expression.

“Since you took office as the First Lieutenant, we haven’t really spent time together. How about we all grab a drink?”

It was an unavoidable invitation to a team dinner.

Even for someone like me, I couldn’t possibly not treat the team members I’d be spending so much time with to a meal.

The money going out was a given; now the key was minimizing the expense.

“Alright. Come over to my place around dinner time.”

Home-cooked food was the best way to handle this.

“Your place? Won’t that be too much trouble?”

“Don’t you think showing them where I live would help us get closer?”

“Hmm, that makes sense. That’s a very reasonable thought, just like you, Team Leader.”

“I’ll head over first and get things ready. Take your time coming. The guys from Team Seventeen know where I live, so just ask them.”

“Yes, understood.”

What a smart and perfect way to save money. I was proud of myself for coming up with such a brilliant plan.

“You’re crazy! How are you supposed to cook enough food for all those people with so little time left? You’re swamped with work at the clinic too!”

That was before I heard Myohyang’s sharp nagging.

“Ah, no, it’s not that…”

Now I finally understood why my mom used to give my drunk dad such a hard time when he brought his friends home in my past life.

‘I miss you, Father.’

“I can’t live like this, really!”