An old man stood in the middle of the stage. He straightened his back and slowly looked over the dense crowd of onlookers on the first floor of the inn. Tilting his head back, he made eye contact with the martial artists on the second and third-floor railings before opening his mouth.
“Fellow martial artists of the martial world! It is good to see you! I am Ha Eul-san, the guild master who organized this martial arts tournament.”
His voice was full of energy, unlike that of an old man. When the head of the martial arts tournament appeared, a great stir went through the crowd. I had worked for many factions, but I had rarely met their masters directly.
All business was always handled by the subordinates. The martial arts tournament was no different. Eloquent and quick-witted staff members were busily greeting the guests.
For the leader of any organization to appear in person meant that something had gone wrong. The reason Ha Eul-san had dragged his old body onto the stage was to announce the suspension of the martial arts tournament.
“The sponsor of this tournament, the Blood Snake Gang, was attacked by vicious assailants two hours ago. The master of the Blood Snake Gang is my own younger brother. Therefore, we must stop the tournament here today and look forward to another day.”
Fierce protests and grumbles erupted from the crowd.
“What do you mean? We have to at least get to the finals!”
“After all I’ve lost so far, you have to give me a chance to win it back!”
“What kind of way is this to handle things…”
As Ha Eul-san glared at them one by one, as if memorizing their faces for later, the disgruntled expressions flinched and avoided his gaze. Into the silent inn, Ha Eul-san’s voice echoed once more.
“We will pick a suitable day soon and continue the tournament. So for today, let’s call it a day and everyone please return. Anyone who causes a disturbance will have to see me separately later.”
Ha Eul-san flicked his sleeves and descended from the stage. His subordinates, having received their orders, moved swiftly.
“Alright, everyone out! Out! I said out!”
They began to hound and chase out the spectators as if they were unwanted guests, and the chaos inside the inn reached its peak. To avoid being swept away by the crowd, I stood quietly in front of the kitchen and grabbed a familiar staff member who was passing by.
“Is the tournament really ending like this?”
The staff member scratched his head with a troubled expression.
“We have no choice. It’s the guild master’s decision.”
“What happens to the one silver tael I paid as a participation fee?”
“Please show me your participation token.”
When I took out the token, the staff member opened a ledger.
“You are Hero Blue Saber. Normally, participation fees are non-refundable under any circumstances, but we are making a special exception this time. Since you won one match, we will pay you five taels, which includes four taels as a reward. Please come this way.”
The payment was made in a room under the stairs. Handing me the silver, the staff member asked in a suggestive tone.
“By any chance, are you interested in earning a little more money?”
“What money?”
“The guild master is gathering wandering swordsmen to go and support the Blood Snake Gang. The pay will be generous…”
“No, thanks.”
I refused flatly and turned away. I had no intention of playing the part of a swordsman in someone else's war. Besides, the opponent was undoubtedly the Black Night Gang led by Bok Ha-gyu.
I should be cheering them on to successfully take over the Blood Snake Gang and recover the stolen inner cultivation method. When I went up to the third floor, Tang Hye-seo and Bi-hyeon were also getting ready to leave.
“That was the masked saber wielder from before, right?”
“You saw?”
“You were much better than when you were clearing out those bandits. Have you been training a lot?”
“Is that so?”
Tang Hye-seo’s high praise made me feel strange. I had won, but I hadn’t used the Heavenly Steel Saber Technique. It was a meaningful victory, achieved by exquisitely breaking the flow with the basics of saber technique, without any flashy forms.
It probably looked dull to the spectators and even most martial artists, so it was quite surprising that Tang Hye-seo recognized it. Come to think of it, Tang Hye-seo had used a sword rather than hidden weapons when dealing with the bandits before. Bi-hyeon looked over the chaotic railing and asked.
“Great Hero Jeong, is the Blood Snake Gang here in White Rooster County?”
“No. They’re in a village about a two-hour horse ride away.”
“Do you happen to know who ambushed them?”
“It’s probably the Black Night Gang. They don’t get along.”
Tang Hye-seo tilted her head.
“The Black Night Gang, you mean those dark path people in the Western Village?”
“That’s right. Let’s head down.”
We slowly descended the stairs, joining the tail end of the crowd that was flowing out like a receding tide. The spectators, spewed out of the inn like vomit, gathered in small groups and scattered into the night streets.
They disappeared into open taverns and pubs to enjoy the lingering excitement, talking about the martial artists' performances they had just seen. The unexpected martial arts tournament ended in an equally unexpected way. Tang Hye-seo, Bi-hyeon, and I headed to our inn.
“Well, that ended awkwardly.”
Bi-hyeon looked back at the Silver Handle Pavilion with a regretful expression. Tang Hye-seo stretched languidly and looked up at the night sky.
“Still, it was quite fun. I got to see how people live and earn some money.”
Could sword slashes and splattering blood truly be called a spectacle of human life? Even though Tang Hye-seo had a high status in the Tang Clan, it didn’t seem like she was raised like a sheltered princess. Being a Tang Clan member, she had probably seen all sorts of grim things from a young age.
Well, whether man or woman, you weren't a true martial artist if you shied away from watching a fight.
“Did you place a bet too?”
“I bet ten silver taels every time a masked man appeared, and I won both times.”
“You bet on me?”
“There was a masked swordsman too. Both of you won. As expected, masked men are the main event of a martial arts tournament.”
I had been worried before participating in the tournament, but the outcome wasn’t bad. It was a shame I couldn’t get the spiritual herb, but I fought a light match with a saber wielder and earned four silver taels. Where did Do Gwang-il get his spiritual herbs to supplement his inner energy?
When he returns next spring, I’ll have to find a way to ask him. As we got closer to the inn, the streets became deserted. It was then that I felt a presence, as if something was loitering.
I turned around and saw a yellow dog with its tongue out at the entrance of a distant alley. It had no collar, but judging by the flesh on its belly, it wasn't starving. The yellow dog wagged its tail with gentle eyes and stared intently at me.
Its gaze was so fixed on me that an unknowing person might mistake it for my own dog. But it was definitely a dog I had never seen before. I watched the dog for a moment before entering the inn.
* After sleeping for about two hours, we left White Rooster County early in the morning by carriage. The atmosphere in the streets was unsettled, perhaps because the tournament had ended prematurely. Once we left the city, a wide-open field unfolded before us.
Previously, the ripening crops had swayed and rippled in the wind under the summer sun. Now, all that remained in the harvested fields were piles of rice straw and manure. I kept a close watch on the area around the main road, wondering if a gang of bandits would attack again like last time.
In the tranquil and peaceful morning landscape, there was no sign of ominous dust clouds. By then, the sun had fully risen over the eastern mountains. I relaxed, feeling the sunlight coming through the open back door, and closed my eyes.
Next to me, Tang Hye-seo munched on my jerky and grumbled to herself.
“I scattered so many banknotes and left such a trail, but not a single one of them has shown their face…”
It seemed she was not pleased about returning empty-handed. Where did the carrier pigeon sent by the Sichuan black market merchant involved with the Iron Arm Guards go? If another black market merchant received it, it must have been one of the merchants in White Rooster County.
If someone suddenly ordered a rare inner energy-scattering poison, they were bound to show their face, either to sell it or to find out who was asking. If they hadn't been contacted yet or were still testing the waters, it would take some time.
“Are you coming to the black market again in ten days?”
Tang Hye-seo nodded with a firm expression.
“I have to. I’ll need to bring several Tang Clan members with me then.”
Tang Clan members… Given the coordinated attacks and hidden weapon techniques they showed when they took down the bandits, it would be no trouble at all for them to stain the black market with blood. Of course, I wouldn’t be there.
The carriage swayed monotonously, continuing its journey toward my home in the Western Village without stopping. Looking at the distant scenery, I became curious about the events of last night. What happened to the Blood Snake Gang?
If Bok Ha-gyu launched a surprise attack at night, it should be all settled by now. The Blood Snake Gang had lost quite a few members in an ambush on their way to attack the Black Night Gang before. With their forces weakened, the Black Night Gang probably swallowed them up without much trouble.
If Ha Eul-san led reinforcements to save his brother, I wasn’t sure how much help they would be. If the Black Night Gang was determined not to leave any loose ends, the owner of the Silver Handle Pavilion might change soon.
If they recovered the inner cultivation method, who would learn it and perform the direct transmission of true energy to Jeok Chu-yeong? Bok Ha-gyu would probably do it, but it wouldn't be easy just by reading a book. Still, the Black Night Gang had plenty of money, so they could afford to buy a few spiritual herbs.
Damn it…
I crossed my arms and leaned back to get some sleep when something moved in the distant forest. I narrowed my eyes and stared closely. It was the yellow dog.
“Is something there?”
“A dog is following us.”
“A dog?”
“It’s far, so I’m not sure… but I think it’s the same one I saw near the inn on our way out of the tournament yesterday.”
Tang Hye-seo came over to my side and stared intently in the direction I was pointing. Strangely, the yellow dog avoided the wide main road and moved only through the bushes and fields. As a result, you wouldn’t even know it was following unless you looked closely.
After observing the dog’s movements for a while, Tang Hye-seo stared at me.
“Did anything happen last night when you went out alone?”
“Nothing special…”
The drunkard I ran into in the alley on my way to the apothecary. When he fell while vomiting, a faint cloud of dust had risen.
“Dust?”
Tang Hye-seo’s eyes narrowed. She suddenly buried her face in my chest and started sniffing.
“What are you doing?”
I was flustered and tried to push her shoulder away, but she clung to me, ignoring me.
“Just stay still. This is important.”
After a moment, she took out a few bamboo tubes from her bundle. She dipped a brush into the white powder inside and applied it all over my clothes. Parts of my upper body turned blue.
Tang Hye-seo’s large, clear eyes sparkled with a strange sense of delight.
“I knew it. They weren’t the type to just sit back and do nothing.”
“What is it?”
“It’s Tracking Scent.”
“Tracking Scent? You mean the stuff they use for tracking?”
A notorious scented powder that, once applied to a target’s body, is said to be impossible to wash off for at least half a month. I had only heard of it; I had never seen or experienced it myself.
“The scent is too faint for a person to detect, but it’s different for dogs. Their sense of smell is so sensitive they can even follow the trail of the scent left in the air.”
I was in a predicament. I couldn't return to the Western Village with Tracking Scent on my body. I stopped the carriage.
I got out to take a short break and called the yellow dog, holding out some jerky. The yellow dog remained hidden in the forest about a hundred paces away and didn’t budge. Even when I started a fire with a flint and roasted the jerky to spread its smell, it was the same.
“It’s no use. It’s probably been trained since it was a puppy. Usually, they don’t get this close. The quality of the Tracking Scent must be low, or the dog is not fully trained.”
“Then I’ll have to kill it.”
Tang Hye-seo shook her head.
“It’s pointless. There’s no guarantee that’s the only tracking dog, is there?”
“Is there no way to get rid of the Tracking Scent?”
“There is. You can mix a stimulating scent with a neutralizing agent and spray it. No matter how good a dog’s nose is, it will be helpless against such a mixture.”
“Can you do it now?”
“Not now. We need to keep this thing on us so that they’ll come looking for us.”
With no other choice, the carriage headed for the Western Village with the yellow dog following from a distance. Just as the sun had set and twilight was falling, the carriage stopped in the alley in front of the Deep Fragrance Pavilion. The person who had stopped the carriage was one of Bok Ha-gyu’s trusted men.
“Are you here for me?”
“Yes.”
“Is it true that Master Bok attacked the Blood Snake Gang?”
The subordinate straightened his shoulders proudly and smiled.
“We took over the Blood Snake Gang last night. The master wishes to see you regarding the matter we promised before.”
“I understand. Tell him I’ll see him at the Wandering Swordsmen Inn tomorrow evening.”
The carriage went directly into the Deep Fragrance Pavilion. I decided to stay in the detached house as well until the matter of the Tracking Scent was resolved.
“Wait here for a moment.”
Tang Hye-seo sat me down in a corner of the rear garden, which was filled with Tang Clan members, and went into the inner chambers. She seemed somehow excited, her steps light. That made me feel even more ominous.
Sure enough, a troublesome event that I never wanted to encounter happened. Her auntie was looking for me.