The pay I was promised for escorting the prefectural city was 10 silver taels. I completed the mission safely and even rescued his grandson. I had expected a decent reward, and it turned out to be a whole 100 silver taels.
That alone was more than enough. I didn't want anything more. The prefectural city, holding his grandson in his arms, said he would remember my name.
If I were a patrolman belonging to the authorities, I would have been over the moon. It would have meant gaining a powerful backer, guaranteeing promotion and success. But I am just a martial artist making a living as a house guest of the Underworld Information Clan.
When a martial artist gets involved with Officials, it usually ends with them serving as a hired sword. To be honest, I hoped the prefectural city would just forget about someone like me. Given his age and busy schedule, that would likely happen whether he wanted it to or not.
The way the prefectural city handled the child, so cautiously, also bothered me a little. For him to go so far as to secretly negotiate with the kidnappers through the Underworld Information Clan, the boy must be a precious grandson, the apple of his eye.
But when the prefectural city held the grandson who had returned after so many trials, he neither showed overwhelming emotion nor shed any tears. He was greatly relieved and happy, but there was a certain distance, not quite the affection of a blood relative for his cherished kin. Was he really his grandson?
Whatever the circumstances were, I didn't want to know any more. I had received 100 silver taels, so I just hoped this would be a clean end to it. I put away the banknote, drank my tea, and took a breath.
"Has the matter with the Dragon Sky Escort Agency been resolved?"
I had no desire to interfere in the affairs of the Underworld Information Clan, nor did I have the authority. But the situation had become too nasty to simply ignore. If things went wrong, a storm of blood could sweep through my hometown of Western Village.
I needed to know what was going on to respond appropriately.
“The main sect and the Tang Clan have agreed to cooperate closely.”
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to attack the Dragon Sky Escort Agency?”
Geuk-hwan coolly shook his head.
“That won’t happen. The pavilion master will meet with the agency master and handle things properly.”
The Dragon Sky Escort Agency had intercepted the massive amount of opium that the Underworld Information Clan had paid as ransom to the kidnappers. It was a situation that warranted investigation, but the Underworld Information Clan’s response was extremely cautious. Was it because they lacked concrete evidence?
The involvement of the escorts was clear. But they hadn't managed to raid the scene or catch them in the act. Perhaps they were keeping things quiet for now because the prefectural city was involved.
It was a matter handled in secret, even using his personal guard. No matter how precious his grandson was, he had paid the ransom with opium, a substance strictly forbidden by national law. Though very few people knew, if this fact were to leak, the prefectural city's political enemies would not hesitate to impeach him.
In the process, the Underworld Information Clan would also face trouble or get into a difficult position, and naturally, I would be in danger too. It would do no good if the authorities learned that the Western Village branch of the Underworld Information Clan had been storing opium.
Did the Dragon Sky Escort Agency calculate all this before making such a bold move? From what I heard from Tang Hye-seo, the Tang Clan was also taking a wait-and-see approach for the time being.
The Tang Clan, notorious throughout the land, wouldn't shy away from a fight out of fear of some backwater agency like Dragon Sky Escort in Western Village. The Tang Clan's current priority was to recover the stolen Iron Arm Guards as quickly as possible. There were only about a dozen Tang Clan members currently in Western Village.
That was barely enough to track the carrier pigeon sent by the Sichuan black market merchant. They had no time to spare for opium or gold. It wasn't as if they had shed blood in a direct clash with the Dragon Sky Escort Agency either.
Geuk-hwan didn't mention the issue further and changed the subject.
“An investigator from the Murim Alliance will be coming soon. He will want to meet with Great Hero Jeong.”
If the Murim Alliance was looking for me, there could be only one reason. A bothersome task I had completely forgotten about amidst all the other incidents.
“Is it because of Pyo Hol-deuk?”
Geuk-hwan smiled faintly and refilled my teacup.
“The case of impersonating an inspector is not something that can be easily overlooked.”
It was something I would have to face sooner or later. I had been mentally preparing for it, but the thought of actually meeting those Murim Alliance bastards gave me a headache.
“Will I be interrogated or something?”
“You’ll be a witness. Since you personally dealt with the imposter, they will probably want to hear about the circumstances." "They’ll also try to identify the martial arts the imposter used and who was behind them…………….”
It would be nice if it ended there, but would it really be resolved so easily? If the investigator wanted to hear something specific from me, he wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted. He might pressure me, intimidate me, and if necessary, even harm me.
I had never dealt with the Murim Alliance bastards before, but no matter where you go, the high and mighty were skilled at using other people's lives as pawns on a board of their own design. This time, the shelter of the Underworld Information Clan probably wouldn't be much help.
In the eyes of those from the prestigious Nine Great Sects, the Underworld Information Clan were just messy lowlifes they wouldn't even deign to share a table with. Seeing how the Murim Alliance despised the Beggars' Sect, I could more than imagine how they would treat the Underworld Information Clan. They only dealt with them because they had some use.
After finishing our conversation, I left the Deep Fragrance Pavilion. Despite the unpleasant incident with the Dragon Sky Escort Agency, the main entrance of the Deep Fragrance Pavilion was still guarded by their escorts. The guards from the Western Village branch of the Underworld Information Clan should have been sufficient.
What on earth was the pavilion master thinking? The stares of the gatekeepers sticking to the back of my head were quite blatant. Why did the Dragon Sky Escort Agency seize the opium?
How did they know it was there? Had they been watching from the start? If those gatekeepers had reported it when the prefectural city secretly left Western Village in a carriage, the picture would start to fit together.
As I walked down the street, I carefully reflected on my connection with the Dragon Sky Escort Agency. The agency was the first place I worked after returning to my hometown.
The escort leader, Pung Kang-ik, whom I had faced with a wooden sword in the training ground, had considerable martial ability, but when I caught him off guard, he used his wooden sword to execute a bizarre spear technique. The Chief Escort Leader, Du Ja-ryeom, with a clear light in his deep-set eyes.
He had the air of a Daoist, yet he was cunning enough to try and pin the blame on an unknown assailant when Bang Jo-in died, to absolve the agency of responsibility.
The agency master, Gam Hu-jeong, with the delicate face of a scholar but eyes that flashed like a general's. He was a master who didn't seem like he would ever serve under anyone. Looking back, they were all extraordinary individuals. Could the escorts' attack on the kidnappers to seize the opium be unrelated to them?
That was unlikely. The escorts were merely the hands and feet; all orders must have come from the top. What do they plan to do with the opium…
Surely they aren't planning to sell it. Dealing in opium was a guaranteed death sentence. The entire agency would face annihilation.
No matter how much they loved money, it made no sense to take such a dangerous risk. Opium wasn't something you could sell openly either. It had to be disposed of secretly through the black market or other distribution networks.
How did the Dragon Sky Escort Agency, originally from Sichuan, end up all the way here in this remote Western Village? If they were the first to arrive and establish themselves, from whom did they buy the land of Western Village? Doubts about Dragon Sky Escort tangled in my mind, one leading to another.
Then, I suddenly stopped walking. Among the bustling shops, a familiar sign caught my eye.
'Oh-seong Brokerage.'
It was where I had bought Sister Soso's house. After visiting just twice when I bought the house, I had always passed by this area without a second thought. I had no particular business there, but strangely, my feet wouldn't move.
Narrowing my eyes, I carefully retraced the process of buying the house last spring. Only then did I realize what I had been missing.
The registry.
When you buy or sell land or a house, you have to officially register it with the government office. I had done so, and the buyer who purchased the land and house from Sister Soso's father must have done the same. Sister Soso and the residents of Western Village were taken away by Jeok Chu-yeong in a carriage.
Before that, men with sabers at their waists had taken control of the reservoir and cut off the water supply. This led to a bad harvest, and the villagers were forced to leave their homes. Those men probably bought the houses and land from the villagers for a pittance.
If so, wouldn't their names be left on the registry? The broker Oh-seong was sleeping on one side, snoring. He seemed to be a light sleeper, because as soon as I opened the door and entered, he startled awake.
"Welcome!"
“It's been a while.”
Oh-seong rubbed his eyes, and his expression brightened when he saw me again.
“Well, well, look who it is! You’re the Hero who bought the tiled-roof house last spring, right? Hahaha. You’re looking even more dashing. Is the new place to your liking?”
“It’s fine. About the registry for that house, can I check it again?”
Oh-seong blinked and tilted his head.
“What’s the matter? Surely you’re not thinking of selling the house? Was there something wrong with it?”
“No. I just want to know who purchased the house from the original owner.”
Oh-seong, who had been watching my expression, let out a sigh of relief. He must have been worried that I was going to find some fault and demand my money back.
“It’s possible, but you’ll have to pay a fee like last time. The Officials don’t do anything for free.”
“I’ll pay. Let’s go right now.”
“Right now?”
“Why? Are you busy?”
“Not at all. Let’s go.”
Excited at the thought of an unexpected commission, Oh-seong led the way to the government office. I had gone there on my own two feet, but upon arriving at the government office, I felt as tense as if I were standing before a Green Forest mountain fortress. All desire to enter vanished.
As Oh-seong slipped some coins to the guards at the gate, he gestured to me.
“Let’s go.”
I couldn't just turn back after coming this far. I might be able to find a clue. I checked the long blade at my back and followed Oh-seong through the main gate of the government office.
After a suitable bribe, an official with a goatee brought out a thick registry book. The contents of the registry were the same as what I had seen before. The original owner was Yang Chu-ho, Sister Soso’s father.
After passing through several buyers, the current owner was me. The name listed right below Yang Chu-ho's was unfamiliar. I had never heard it before, so of course, I didn't know who it was.
Was this person the one who bought the house from Sister Soso’s father? Was he in league with the men who cut off the water from the reservoir, caused the bad harvest, and took the villagers' land and homes? Next to the name, the character '축(縮)' was stamped in faded red ink.
“What does this mean?”
Oh-seong leaned his face close to the registry and checked the character my finger was pointing at.
“Ah, this? It’s nothing much. When land prices in the Western Village area were said to be rising, transactions were very active in the beginning. The owner would change several times a day. We couldn’t fit all the transaction details in the registry, so when a new one was made, some parts were abbreviated.”
“So this person didn’t buy the house directly from the original owner?”
“That’s right.”
“Can you find out who the buyer who dealt with the original owner was?”
“We can find out by looking at the original ledger. Everything is recorded there without exception.”
“Let’s see it.”
Oh-seong glanced towards the official and lowered his voice.
“The original ledger is probably stored separately in the archives. It takes quite a while to find it. It’s such a hassle that the officials rarely allow it.”
“So?”
Oh-seong grinned and rubbed his thumb and index finger together.
“We need to grease the wheels a bit.”
I swallowed the curse that was about to escape my lips and opened my pouch. As Oh-seong skillfully handed over the money, the goatee cleared his throat again and disappeared inside. In the department that handled registrys, there were no chairs, and they didn't offer tea to quench one's thirst.
I couldn't wander around the government office freely, so Oh-seong and I stood and waited for the official to return. Outside the window, an official's robe of red and black passed by. I had a bad feeling, and when I looked closer, it was the Inspector in charge of public security and punishment.
The same man who came to the Deep Fragrance Pavilion during the investigation of Bang Jo-in's murder and pressured me. No wonder I didn't want to come in… I stealthily stepped back from the window and hid myself to the side, then froze.
When we had met before, the Inspector had been as arrogant and cruel as the King of the Underworld. Now, his expression was completely different. His face was tense with some worry, and his complexion was dark.
The Inspector glanced around nervously and hurried inside the building. After a full hour, a low-ranking official covered in dust came with the original ledger. As expected of a document that had been stuck in a warehouse for a long time, it was yellowed, and the corners were so worn they crumbled like dust.
We spread it on the table and carefully checked it page by page. About halfway through, I found the part I was looking for. 'Original owner, Yang Chu-ho.'
I pointed my finger and checked the name of the first buyer listed right below. The moment the three characters of the name entered my sight, I was dumbfounded. Why is that man's name here…
I blinked in bewilderment and lifted my head. I stared out the window for a long time before checking the ledger again. I hadn't seen it wrong.
It was definitely him. Could it be someone with the same name? The possibility was low.
It wasn't a common surname or a common name. An escort from the Dragon Sky Escort Agency who had worked as a gatekeeper at the Deep Fragrance Pavilion with me. A third-rate gambler who couldn't let go of his tiles even until death.
A foolish man who was killed by Lee Yun-jae after trying to extort money from the pavilion master, Hong Hee.
'Bang Jo-in' He was the first buyer who purchased the house directly from Sister Soso's father.