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EP.6 Hao Gate (2)

As soon as I had Hao Gate Master in my mouth, the guards of Hao Gate drew their swords from all directions.

Despite being martial artists of the Hao Gate, their combat prowess was supposedly pretty low, yet they drew their swords swiftly.

However, the rain of swords couldn’t touch me.

Seeing this, Muyeon, who was considerably slower in unsheathing his own sword, managed to deflect all of them in an instant.

“Didn’t you just apologize for your aggressive attitude? Isn’t this a bit too much?”

I scoffed, but Dou Unchuu was still glaring at me.

“With this much information, it seems the fees for the request should definitely suffice, don’t you think?”

“I guess I need to drop my prejudices about you, Prince. You’re nothing like what I thought you were.”

“I don’t know how you knew, but I guess you’re right?”

“How did you know?”

The fact that the Hao Gate Master had vanished was top-secret even within Hao Gate.

Most of both the beggar clan and the righteous faction were unaware of this.

After all, the existence of the Hao Gate Master was shrouded in secrecy, so knowing that he had disappeared was bizarre.

“If I say I learned it from the future, do you think they’d believe me?”

If I were treated like a fool and swords started swinging, that wouldn’t lead to anything good.

“Why do you keep asking weird questions knowing I won’t reply?”

“If the Gu Clan’s intel is this good, did you really need to come look for us?”

“Branch Leader, I didn’t come here looking for riddles.”

Dou Unchuu’s opinion on this wasn’t something I was concerned about.

Tap tap.

Amidst the peculiar silence in the room, only the sound of fingers tapping on the desk resonated.

“I have the information you need, and you have the capability to bring me what I seek. That’s all that matters.”

“Prince, how can I trust that information is true or false from the start?”

“That’s for you to verify. Why keep going around in circles like this?”

I stopped my tapping fingers.

Dou Unchuu returned to his impassive expression, but I believed his mask had already cracked.

“That kind of concern is something you only have when in a position to pick and choose, Branch Leader. If you don’t need it, just toss it aside. I have my own matters to tend to.”

Ah, if it came down to it, I could casually drop some info about the Hao Gate Master to the beggar clan.

With that last whispered thought, the conversation ended.

Whatever judgment they made was up to them, but from my perspective, the answer was already set.

“Why did you just let him go?”

After Gu Yangcheong left, only a few from Hao Gate and Dou Unchuu remained in the room.

At the guard’s question, Dou Unchuu chuckled bitterly.

“It was off to a rough start; I should have maintained ignorance from the beginning, yet I failed to do that.”

To know but act as if you don’t.

To not know but act as if you do.

That was the motto of the Hao Gate.

Dou Unchuu had survived until now by adhering to these words. He had weathered countless crises and brushes with death while holding on to that principle.

Yet simply having a secret discovered by a mere boy had turned everything upside down.

“…It seems like letting him go was a mistake.”

“So what should we do? Capture him and torture him?”

“If necessary, then yes….”

“Ya-cheol, don’t talk nonsense. Do we really look like the Gu Clan’s punching bag to you?”

The Gu Clan is a proper noble house.

Why is the Gu Clan a noble house?

Because their power and prestige were built over centuries, elevated high above all else. They never stopped their growth through that long time.

They grew with the flow, which is why they are now referred to as a noble house.

Messing with the Gu Clan, the protector of Mount Shan?

Let alone touching the only son and blood of the Clan Leader could send the entire Hao Gate crashing down.

“If it had just been the Gu Clan, it would have been one thing, but messing with them just hands the righteous factions a reason to attack us. We should’ve been even more careful in this situation.”

“…I’m sorry, Branch Leader.”

“The reason I don’t blame you for recklessly swinging your sword is twofold – first, because the Gu Clan Prince didn’t blame you for it, and second, because I already botched it from the outset.”

And the third reason I wouldn’t tell Ya-cheol was about the young man guarding Gu Yangcheong.

Though he seemed a bit clumsy at first glance, he had instantly knocked away all the swords aimed at Gu Yangcheong.

If the guards had even made a single further move….

“I bet he was planning to cut everything down.”

The reason he didn’t swing his sword any further must have been that there was no killing intent behind the drawn swords aimed at Gu Yangcheong.

Those swords were drawn merely as a threat.

Likewise, the guards only deflected the swords and didn’t retaliate.

Even then, Dou Unchuu hadn’t even seen the sword swung by the guard properly.

With Dou Unchuu’s level of martial arts, he should have seen it if he were at least top-tier, yet that guard might have touched the edge of that elite status.

If he was good enough to have such a guard, he must have predicted the situation ahead of time.

His thoughts were tangled beyond belief.

What on earth was the Gu Clan’s young prince doing coming to the Hao Gate? Was it truly for a request?

Surely, that young boy did not come alone with information. The Gu Clan was undoubtedly involved, possibly even the Clan Leader.

‘…What was he thinking?’

Frustration welled up.

Not only was Dou Unchuu overwhelmed by the challenges closing in on him, but now another figure had entered the fray, making it tough to draw answers.

Dou Unchuu grabbed his chin and tugged at the flesh.

Creeeak—

The skin stretched, and with a tearing sound, it came off.

Just as Gu Yangcheong had guessed, it was an Infi-Secret Mask.

Beneath the mask Dou Unchuu wore was a hidden woman.

She had a cool yet beautiful gaze, slender eyelashes, and skin so white it looked as if she had never seen the sun.

As Dou Unchuu discarded the mask, Ya-cheol asked.

“Are you sure it’s okay to take it off?”

“I was just suffocating. Please just bear with me a bit. Anyway, I doubt anyone is watching right now.”

Even his voice, which was somewhat feminine for a man, changed into a delicate timbre.

“…No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t make sense. Only a handful know that the Gate Master is missing.”

Due to the nature of the Hao Gate, they didn’t truly reverence or trust the Gate Master when referring to him as such.

In fact, many would like to scheme behind his back to take his position.

That was why the Hao Gate Master lived in hiding.

And of course, even if the Gate Master disappeared, it wouldn’t mean just anyone could become the next Gate Master.

One had to inherit the Hao Gate’s token from the Gate Master to be accepted as its new leader.

Others, who may know he was missing, probably would be frantically searching for the Master’s whereabouts for that very reason.

How much the boy Gu Yangcheong knew about this was uncertain, but Dou Unchuu believed he hadn’t come with shallow knowledge.

So he must have come looking for the truth.

‘That kind of concern is something you have only when you can afford to pick and choose.’

Gu Yangcheong’s words echoed in his ears.

Dou Unchuu recalled the missing Hao Gate Master.

‘…Father.’

Just like Gu Yangcheong said, he was not in a position to pick and choose.

‘That was close.’

After handling matters at the Hao Gate, I returned to the marketplace.

“Seriously, they actually drew their swords. What the heck?”

Even though it was clear they weren’t trying to kill me, I never expected them to pull out swords.

I was momentarily startled.

Had I barged in too arrogantly?

The fact I could maintain my composure in that situation was thanks to the sword Muyeon had shown.

Casting a glance back, I saw Muyeon looking around, his pupils shifting as he surveyed the surroundings.

‘He looks clumsy, but he’s actually quite alert.’

Thanks to the thought that I might just make it back safely, I managed to keep my cool and gain the upper hand in our conversation.

I could feel Muyeon stealing glances at me, sensing that he was watching without me noticing.

“Stop glancing at me and just ask if you’re curious.”

“I doubt you’d answer even if I asked, so I won’t.”

“…You really catch on fast, how did you know?”

“….”

“I was joking! I’m also a member of the Gu Clan, so there are bound to be things to deal with, right?”

As if there was really such a thing.

If it came to it, I could just say I happened to stumble upon the Hao Gate out of curiosity after causing trouble elsewhere.

Going to meet the demonic faction was no small consequence either, but it was a necessary priority before I got delayed.

‘It would’ve been much more comfortable if I could have gone alone.’

I had no choice but to bring Muyeon along.

Though it seemed that things had worked out because of it.

Fortunately, Muyeon didn’t nitpick at my words. Instead.

“…So that’s why you were so determined to head into the marketplace last time.”

“Last time…?”

He must be referring to the first day I returned.

“The Elder said he would personally work on your martial arts that day, and you run away claiming you didn’t want it. I genuinely thought you were just really unwilling to endure it.”

“Er…?”

“The Elder said he would rip you apart halfway through if he found out you fled, but were you in fact just acting with him too? I didn’t even know that… The Gu Clan’s bloodline truly has a reason behind even the smallest actions…!”

“….”

It wasn’t that I was on the verge of disaster; I was already in deep water. What was even more insane was that I had fled!

The Elder personally working on my martial arts was one of the greatest privileges I could receive as a bloodline member, aside from the Clan Leader Gu Cheolun overseeing it.

Yet here I was, running away claiming it was too hard.

What an idiot I was…. How could I be such a fool?

“Let’s get some rice cakes….”

Recalling how Wi Seol-Ah enjoyed them, I bought a few.

But then it struck me; I hadn’t brought any money, so Muyeon had to cover for me. Could you not give me that look of despair?

At any rate, I would put the Hao Gate issues on hold for now.

‘Please, give me some time to think.’

That was Dou Unchuu’s line, but I’d soon bait them anyway.

A few years down the line, in the event of the ‘Hao Gate Master Retrieval,’ that would be the case. Years into the future, the elite of the Hao Gate would infiltrate the Black Night Palace to recover the missing Hao Gate Master.

Ultimately, the retrieval failed, and the Hao Gate Master died.

But the one who took charge of the retrieval ended up being replaced by the Master himself, and this incident became a tangled series of events that eventually brought the Hao Gate back into the spotlight.

‘All I know for sure is that the Hao Gate Master was trapped in the Black Night Palace for over five years. The one leading the retrieval had ties to the Mount Shan branch.’

After the Master was replaced, the new leader also went into hiding, but in the flurry of events, there were traces they simply couldn’t conceal.

Though it was referred to as a retrieval, it was an undeniable war against the Black Night Palace, one of the major forces of the demonic faction, and afterward the palace fell, leaving the Hao Gate close to annihilation.

It was the Martial Alliance that capitalized on the fight against the Hao Gate to topple the Black Night Palace.

Just how significant was that event? Even I, who at that time had zero interest in worldly affairs, still remembered it as such.

‘Lucky me. Had it been in Anhui or Shanxi, the distance would have made it impossible to even attempt.’

It was half a gamble.

Did that person really match the rumors? Was there even a Hao Gate branch in Mount Shan? I didn’t even know if a branch leader existed, but I had to plunge in without a second thought.

In the end, while I gathered some answers based on their reactions, I was simultaneously worried.

Given that I was dealing with the Hao Gate, I had to prepare myself for anything.

I needed to either request someone from the Beggar Clan or find a way to dig out information myself.

Tian Yu Ranga (天有郞牙), Jiegal Hyeok.

A young man who held a position in the upper ranks of the Demonic Sect.

He was known as the brain of the demonic faction.

I had plans to find and kill him for the future.

*

After buying some rice cakes while out in the marketplace the day before, I ate just a few and gave some to Wi Seol-Ah.

In my absence, something had happened as her entire body was covered in spices. She’d been learning to cook, but how could one learn to end up like this?

Still, seeing her so excited when I handed her the rice cakes made me think, ‘Should I buy her some next time too?’

I told her to share the rice cakes with the other apprentices.

Muyeon said he would go report back right after returning.

I asked Muyeon to keep today’s affairs regarding the bloodline a secret.

He obviously agreed, but I used a fallback plan to cover my tracks, so I didn’t feel entirely at ease.

So the next day.

As the sun rose and I stepped outside, I found Muyeon chatting with the Sword Sovereign.

“…What’s that unique scenario over there?”

Sword Sovereign was sweeping the courtyard with a broom just like yesterday.

He was conversing with Muyeon beside him.

“Elder, Sword Master refers to ‘how closely one should integrate with the sword.'”

“Is that so, hehe.”

“For example… Ah, by any chance, do you know about the Three Eminent Beings? I heard that the Sword Sovereign found enlightenment while dancing with a sword under the moonlight. He said he could hear the heart of the sword at that moment.”

“Hahaha!”

What is going on here?

Is this what it’s like to show off in front of a caterpillar?

“I sometimes feel that way when training with the sword at night, like the sword is trying to talk to me. When I swing it at that moment, I can feel the sensations in my body… Ah, even explaining it like this is hard for you to grasp, I’m sorry….”

“It’s alright; I’m merely an old man who doesn’t understand these things, so I’m enjoying listening.”

Seeing them excitedly discussing swords in front of the Sword Sovereign made me want to cover my face in embarrassment.

Feeling that it was getting out of hand, I interjected into their conversation.

“What’s going on?”

Muyeon and Sword Sovereign both performed a salute when they saw me. Even after witnessing this for days, I still wasn’t used to how Sword Sovereign saluted.

“…Well, I had a little moment of realization yesterday, and I think I unconsciously wanted to share it with someone.”

I understood the sentiment, but the problem lay in who he was sharing it with.

Muyeon, feeling embarrassed, looked at Sword Sovereign, who responded with a laugh.

“Prince, I’m fine. In truth, despite being born a man, I’ve never even held a sword, so it’s exciting to hear stories about a young warrior who commands the world.”

The words came from an old man who had genuinely commanded the world, yet he was now closing up and pretending not to know.

In the meantime, Muyeon, who was receiving praise, couldn’t help but hop a bit, which was a bit annoying to see.

“So what’s up with you this morning?”

Upon my question, Muyeon made a face as if he had just realized something and handed over a slip of paper. This guy had been so caught up in boasting that he forgot!

On the paper, written in red was ‘Gathering of the Nine Dragons.’

As soon as I frowned at it, Muyeon hastily said.

“Prince, today is the day you’re supposed to attend the Gathering of the Nine Dragons.”

An annoyingly conspicuous event had popped up.

 

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