“I heard that the Mu siblings received great favor during the process of curing the syphilis,” someone said.
“That’s right. That mad dog. Thanks to them, the Mu siblings leaked information to Haomen about Jin Chunxi’s movements.”
“They’ve grown a lot. I heard that once you fall behind in the demonic faction, it’s hard to rise again.”
“A good wind has blown, so they should soar. But it won’t be easy. Hahaha… Fundamentally, those two kids’ temperaments don’t suit the demonic faction. That will keep holding them back. Don’t you think so, mad dog?”
If the Beggar’s Sect is like a union of beggars across the world, then Haomen is a union of shadowy figures scattered throughout the world.
The Beggar’s Sect is a righteous faction and has acted as such, which is why its scale is large and it can operate in the open.
On the other hand, Haomen, being a demonic faction, has many ties to criminal organizations, so its scale is naturally smaller than the Beggar’s Sect, and it operates cautiously in the shadows.
Moreover, the Beggar’s Sect has a peerless divine technique, while Haomen does not.
At the very least, there is a gap of several levels between them.
However.
That’s only in terms of overall power.
When it comes to assassination or covert operations, the story is different.
Haomen is an expert in those areas.
“Have you forgotten that they are better than us in covert operations?”
“But they will surely target Jin Chunxi because of the Lord of the Night’s matter. If we leave it be, the Beggar’s Sect will be criticized for being ungrateful, won’t it?”
“I know. Our Beggar’s Sect cannot forget favors.”
Seolgyeon spoke.
“Who among our disciples can find a child who is constantly on the move, chase after them, deliver a letter, and even provide escort? Moreover, they must be familiar with the surrounding geography.”
Seolgyeon counted the useful disciples of the Beggar’s Sect one by one on his fingers.
Ilgeol clicked his tongue as he watched.
“That’s why you’re still a rookie sect leader.”
At that moment, a dog approached Seolgyeon’s feet with a bark.
It was Hwanggu.
“My first disciple.”
“Am I not your first disciple?”
“No, Yonseok. Even cold water has its hierarchy. Hwanggu has been learning under me for years. Don’t you remember? When you were still toddling, Hwanggu was already learning under me.”
Bark, bark!
“Damn that dog.”
Seolgyeon clicked his tongue.
Pant, pant, pant—
Hwanggu licked Seolgyeon’s palm.
Haomen.
After detecting Jin Chunxi’s movements, the internal situation of Haomen became extremely complicated.
Mu quickly wrote her opinion and sent a messenger bird to the Haomen leader.
What Mu wanted was simple.
Jin Chunxi’s safety.
It was fortunate that she had risen to a position where she could directly write a letter to the Haomen leader.
But that was as far as it went.
In the end, the final decision lay with the leader.
In the demonic faction, where the strong are respected, holding power in Haomen meant being able to wield both strength and schemes like limbs.
Haomen’s reach extended to prostitution, smuggling, information gathering and manipulation, assassination, and even black markets selling human flesh.
If the Beggar’s Sect is a gathering of countless beggars, then Haomen is a gathering of countless criminals.
Mu couldn’t guess what decision the leader would make.
Mu sat next to Mu.
“Sister, you should rest.”
“The messenger hasn’t arrived yet.”
“Sister…”
To the two siblings, Jin Chunxi was a benefactor sent from heaven.
But being human, they still needed to eat and sleep.
Upon hearing the intelligence about Jin Chunxi, Mu immediately secretly contacted the Beggar’s Sect and passed on the information.
It was a matter of life and death.
But she didn’t hesitate.
Then she sent a long letter to the Haomen leader about how much Jin Chunxi had done for Haomen.
After that, she did her best to gather internal intelligence on how the higher-ups were moving.
“Bai Lin’s condition has worsened.”
“We don’t know the exact details, but it’s certain that he’s having difficulty moving.”
“That’s right. That’s why Xiao Bailong is risking his life to move.”
Xiao Bailong is Jin Chunxi’s nickname.
At that moment, the messenger bird arrived.
“Finally…!”
It was the long-awaited letter.
A Haomen disciple brought the letter from the messenger bird.
Mu received the letter with trembling hands.
“Please, let it be good news.”
She opened the bamboo tube and read the letter.
Soon, her expression twisted strangely.
“Sister, what does it say?”
Instead of answering, she showed the letter to Mu.
The decoded cipher text read:
- A bounty of a thousand gold taels is placed on Xiao Bailong, Jin Chunxi’s head.
The time limit is one hundred days from today.
After that, all grievances will be forgotten.
There was another page attached.
The cipher text, written in an unclear hand, read:
- For one hundred days, Mu and Mu are forbidden from any action.
Knowing the favor of saving lives, I will overlook this mistake.
‘They already knew I leaked information to the Beggar’s Sect.’
Normally, this would have resulted in severed tendons and a destroyed dantian.
For Haomen, this was quite lenient.
But it also contained a firm warning.
Do not move again.
“One hundred days… one hundred days…”
Mu spoke.
“Sister, you’ve done enough.”
“Mu.”
“Didn’t you want to rise higher? One hundred days is enough to become stronger.”
Mu immediately understood what he meant.
“The demonic faction respects the strong.”
“The martial world respects the strong, sister. You haven’t even fully digested the internal energy you gained from the Bai Lin Divine Pill.”
“Are you telling me to sharpen my blade?”
“Yes. Didn’t you always teach me to face reality?”
“…”
She bit her lip.
After a moment of thought, she said:
“I’ll go into seclusion for a while. Take care of things in my absence.”
“Yes.”
Jin Chunxi used relay stations to keep moving without rest.
Days passed where he even skipped meals or ate on horseback.
By the time he reached the fourth relay station, Jin Chunxi finally stopped to wash his body.
As he soaked in the hot bath, he organized his thoughts about what he needed to do next.
‘First, in the novel, the Ten Thousand Year Snow Lotus is mentioned to be in the underground lake of Tangshan, east of Nanjing.’
Nanjing is located southwest of the main hall of the Righteous Sect.
‘I’ll have to cross the Yangtze River along the way.’
Fortunately, there are no water bandits in Nanjing.
It was once the capital, so many people from influential families live there, and the river is well-maintained.
Since the flow of goods is active, crossing shouldn’t be too difficult.
‘After arriving in Nanjing, I can find a guide through the Beggar’s Sect…?’
Tangshan, east of Nanjing, has been a place where the wealthy, officials, and royalty have built villas since ancient times.
The scenery is beautiful, and the hot springs themselves have therapeutic effects, making it a famous scenic spot.
Up to this point, it’s a place where people frequently visit.
But as the saying goes, the area under the lamp is dark.
The underground caves and lakes of Tangshan are said to contain the Ten Thousand Year Snow Lotus.
A world similar to ancient China but with martial arts.
The Tangshan Jin Chunxi saw on Earth’s map would be different from the Tangshan in this novel.
‘In such a vast place, is there really a guide who can lead me deep into the underground caves?’
Moreover, the deeper you go underground, the hotter it becomes due to geothermal heat, making it difficult for ordinary people to even breathe.
In the worst-case scenario, Jin Chunxi would have to search Tangshan inch by inch alone.
But there was no other choice.
At that moment.
Bark, bark!
“What’s with this dog… Get lost!”
A commotion broke out outside.
Jin Chunxi roughly dressed and went outside to find a familiar dog wagging its tail.
Bark!
“Hwanggu!”
Although he wasn’t wearing the knot collar symbolizing the sect leader, Jin Chunxi immediately recognized Hwanggu.
“Do you know this dog?”
When the station attendant asked, Jin Chunxi awkwardly smiled.
“Yes. I’m not sure why he’s here.”
Hwanggu happily body-slammed Jin Chunxi.
“Have you gotten bigger?”
Lick, lick!
Hwanggu licked Jin Chunxi’s face with his big tongue.
Jin Chunxi pushed Hwanggu away and noticed the letter tube hanging from his neck.
When Jin Chunxi reached for the tube, Hwanggu barked again, short and sharp.
It meant to take it.
“Is this for me?”
He opened the letter and found a simple message from Seolgyeon.
Since it wasn’t written in code, it was clearly meant for Jin Chunxi.
Also, it showed Hwanggu’s confidence that the letter wouldn’t be stolen.
‘Right.
Hwanggu is Hwanggu.’
A spiritual beast that has protected letters against the demonic factions.
The letter stated that Haomen had placed a bounty of a thousand gold taels on Jin Chunxi, with a time limit of one hundred days, and that Haomen had declared this would settle all grievances.
After one hundred days, all grudges would be buried forever, and all favors would be considered null.
A strange rule that would be hard to understand by modern standards.
‘One hundred days of survival.
And a thousand gold taels.
By modern standards, that’s about a billion, right? I’m quite expensive.’
Impressive.
Jin Chunxi roughly patted Hwanggu’s head.
Hwanggu, happy, kept licking him.
The letter also mentioned one more thing.
Wherever Jin Chunxi wanted to go, Hwanggu could guide him.
“Is that… possible…?”
Bark!
“A spiritual beast-level messenger dog can do that? But even humans have a hard time finding their way…”
Bark, bark, bark!
Hwanggu, frustrated, thumped his tail on the ground.
Jin Chunxi spoke to Hwanggu.
“I’m going to Tangshan to find the Ten Thousand Year Snow Lotus. Can you do it?”
At that, Hwanggu puffed out his chest and struck a victorious pose.
Awooo—!
He even howled.
“Does that mean you can?”
Bark!
“Can you do better than the other guides from the Beggar’s Sect?”
Hwanggu enthusiastically gestured toward Jin Chunxi.
Roughly translated, it meant, ‘Why use them when you have me?’
It was hard to believe, but this was Hwanggu.
The dog that guided through the vast snowy mountains against the demonic factions.
Where Hwanggu led was the safest path.
“Alright. I’ll trust you. Who else would I trust?”
Pant, pant, pant—
Hwanggu, happy, licked Jin Chunxi again.
Jin Chunxi roughly scratched Hwanggu’s head.
“Killing Bai Lin’s disciple might bring bad luck…”
“Brother. Since when have we cared about that?”
“Youngest. Isn’t this mess because we didn’t care about such things?”
“So, from now on, will you care, second brother?”
“No. Not that.”
Three men stood on the mountainside, looking down at the relay station below.
Where their gaze fell, there was a young boy and a majestic dog.