Chapter 30: Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Is It Auditory Hallucination?

"Ink Sword Hero! Flying Black Bear! You were here!"

Someone approached Kwak Daebang and me standing before the warehouse. Blood spattered here and there on his Taoist robe, as if he'd already fought several times.

Kwak Daebang chuckled.

"With your skills, you came here well without getting hurt."

"Black Bear, there you go again!"

Looking carefully, a familiar face. A martial artist belonging to the Outer Hall.

"Iron Eagle Blade, it's good to see you."

It was Iron Eagle Blade Jo Gyucheon, who'd greeted me with thanks on the day I applied for leave at the Alliance. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novèlfire.net

I had saved him when he nearly fell to a Black Path master.

"Iron Eagle Blade, I thought we wouldn't fight together for a while, yet we met quickly."

"Brother Kwak said it was the Ink Sword Hero's matter, so bring trustworthy people. I gathered them right away and ran here!"

I'd told Kwak Daebang to gather Outer Hall warriors. He said he'd entrusted it to someone else while following me.

"You entrusted it to Iron Eagle Blade?"

"You saved that friend's life. He was anxious and unable to repay that grace."

"When I saw him last time, didn't you rebuff Iron Eagle Blade? Saying if he follows me around, he'll die soon."

"So I called him this time. Attacking a trading company is just right. Can't trust him for dangerous work at all."

"Black Bear! I'm telling you my skills are useful!"

Kwak Daebang only snorted at Iron Eagle Blade's protest.

A blunt face—confusing whether cherishing or looking down.

Still, Iron Eagle Blade couldn't be misunderstood. He greeted with gratitude aplenty.

"Let's spar next time! I'll slice that fat belly with my blade."

"Ah, go ahead. Will probably just tickle though."

After finishing greetings, Iron Eagle Blade asked me.

"Ink Sword Hero, you said you were taking leave yet solved such a big matter. Are you returning to the Alliance?"

Returning to the Alliance.

"No. I only requested Outer Hall warriors precisely to avoid that."

"Really? Unfortunate. I wanted to go on missions with the Ink Sword Hero."

I just smiled slightly.

But he brought up something that caught my ear.

"Deputy Branch Leader Gong Pilsang brought in a desk made of cypress this time. Really the worst seeing him polish and polish again like with the ebony desk before. Would be nice if the Ink Sword Hero smashed it once more."

The Deputy Branch Leader's new desk.

"I can't tolerate that."

I was planning to visit the Alliance anyway.

Shall I go see the new desk?

First, organize this place.

"Iron Eagle Blade, where's Swift Wind? I asked to call government at an appropriate time, but I don't know how it went."

"Don't worry about that. Constables are assaulting now. The trading company's warriors are busy fleeing."

Human trafficking at trading company scale. Not something for me alone to investigate and handle. Since many commoners suffered damage, government should also step forward.

Iron Eagle Blade left.

Not only Kwak Daebang but Jo Gyucheon too are on my side.

Even outside the branch, not insufficient to observe the atmosphere inside.

Time to see if someone inside the branch is colluding with Black Path.

'Still, won't have to assault the branch, right?'

For that to happen, a colluder would need to control the branch.

With the Deputy Branch Leader's scale, bribes are maximum.

Direct conflict won't occur.

"Ink Sword Hero! Government came out."

This time it was constables.

"I'm Dong Gwan. This is Yang Chak."

Though Kwak Daebang also revealed his name, both people's gazes focused on me.

Dong Gwan, who looked older, took the lead, and Yang Chak, who seemed his junior, followed.

Yang Chak was looking at me with sparkling eyes.

"Indeed the Ink Sword Hero! I've long admired your heroic reputation—to meet you here. To solve such a big matter!"

Dong Gwan made a disapproving expression beside him.

"Long admired. A guy who hasn't lived long."

"Constable Dong, how many matters did the Ink Sword Hero solve after coming to Luoyang five years ago? Actually, thanks to that, we're also comfortable."

"You weren't even a constable five years ago."

"I heard the heroic reputation from then."

Though they say government and Alliance are friendly, that's talk among high people.

Often ambiguous between people facing each other directly.

Even today's matter—if arguing whose jurisdiction, it gets complicated.

"I don't obsess over the name Ink Sword Hero Yang Chak guy. But it's also true I mobilized trusting that name. Thank you."

Even Dong Gwan clasped hands in greeting.

The constables' cooperation could be expected.

"Inside the warehouse will be Captain Jeong Yangtak's and Cloud Shadow's corpses. They died betraying each other amid chaos."

Wouldn't want to say they were executed by people inside the warehouse?

Dong Gwan and Yang Chak exchanged glances then nodded.

"Understood. We'll report that way."

"Ink Sword Hero! Don't worry and leave it to us."

"Of course. I'll leave it to you."

The two constables called subordinates and entered the warehouse.

"Right. People can also return to their hometowns."

Kwak Daebang bobbed his head.

Hometown chaotic from crop failure.

They hadn't wanted to leave that hometown.

What made them leave wasn't dry fields but more parched humans.

As long as such people exist, White Path can't rest.

Returning them to hometowns—only with people would minimum balance be met, right?

"Brother Kwak, why have you been looking at me like that?"

"Don't know if you feel it."

"People who stepped forward for this matter all come looking for you."

Thinking about it, they did.

But isn't the reason simple?

"Isn't that because I was the person who first set out tracking?"

Kwak Daebang didn't answer, just chuckled.

"You're not someone who'll rest comfortably."

He just added this one remark.

Thinking about it, somehow I've felt extremely busy after submitting leave.

Inner courtyard of Golden Cloud Trading headquarters.

"Ink Sword Hero, you're really busy."

Captain Zhu Hochong greeted me with a smile.

After parting with Swift Wind, Kwak Daebang and others, I came to meet Captain Zhu.

"Would I be as busy as Captain Zhu?"

"Not as busy as me? Are you resting?"

No, why did this happen?

When submitting leave, this wasn't the plan.

"I'm preparing to rest. Earning living expenses, finding a physician for Taebok to visit. So just busy briefly—going forward I'll rest."

Captain Zhu clicked his tongue.

"Doesn't seem like that kind of person."

Current busy matters are temporary. They must be. Going forward, I'll rest very very deeply except for spiritual medicine journeys.

"Let's finish business quickly. I want to return home and see Taebok. And Captain too must be busy reconstructing the trading company."

"Reconstruction? Hehehehe."

Captain Zhu laughed showing teeth.

"Not reconstruction. I'm doing business more aggressively than before."

"What? Is that okay?"

Instructions given while hiding in Luoyang couldn't have handled everything.

Yet aggressive business?

"Actually, right before going into hiding, I had something to obtain large funds. The mine I bought in Hubei-Hunan was higher value than I expected."

"Such a thing happened. Congratulations."

"Congratulations are premature. Anyway, while I was gone, a confidant kept operating the mine. Funds piled up more for half a year, so nothing to hesitate."

Not moderately high value apparently.

Returning after just half a year enabled shifting business to offensive.

However, what surprised me wasn't the mine's value but Zhu Hochong's character.

"Couldn't guarantee Luoyang's matters. You could have lived comfortably with the mine's income."

Usually wouldn't it be so?

Captain Zhu Hochong wasn't usual.

He endured hiding for half a year promising a return.

The moment he mistook me for an assassin and prepared for death,

Even then he was aiming for a counterattack with the short blade in his chest.

"Hmph, then it wouldn't be me."

His character isn't so.

"I'll revive Luoyang. Though now called a ruined capital from war and bandits, Zhu Hochong became a trading captain from being a refugee, I'll make Luoyang likewise. And make people who left, people who wandered, also return."

To speak the word 'revival' so fiercely.

"Of course, Golden Cloud Trading flags must fly everywhere."

While saying so, he vigorously clenched his fist.

Watching that hand grasping personal gain and great cause at once, I also smiled slightly.

A wonderful goal I'd gladly help.

"Is the person trying to stop that Guyang Je?"

Guyang Je of Banyang Trading.

The name Jeong Yangtak mentioned catches.

Captain Zhu flinched.

"How does that name come up here?"

"They say the person who recommended human trafficking to Jeong Yangtak was Guyang Je."

Conveying the interrogation of Jeong Yangtak.

Captain Zhu's face distorted.

"As expected, that bastard was behind it."

"Didn't know he'd instigate even such work. Anyway, interference with me intensified after Guyang Je appeared. Trading companies banded together opposing me."

Captain Zhu swallowed a sip of tea.

"You came to Luoyang five years ago?"

"Information is important for trading companies too. But you're a martial artist to the bone, so had no exchanges with merchants like us."

Looking back five years, so it was.

Never even thought about knowing commercial circles.

Martial artists just in the martial world.

"Around when you came was when various people entered and left Luoyang. Didn't Branch Leader Hwangbo Gak also come around then?"

"I heard he came slightly earlier than me."

"Right. Guyang Je also appeared around then. Even now he goes around wearing scholar's robes, but at that time he was a scholar, not a merchant."

Yet became a trading captain in five years?

"Even devastated Luoyang has influential people and celebrities. Guyang Je first appeared at gatherings where such people compose poetry and enjoy."

Gatherings where participants compose poetry according to the day's theme, rank them, award prizes to top ranks and punishments to low ranks.

"I hear Guyang Je's poetic talent was tremendous. Enough to win the favor of influential people and celebrities."

"He raised a trading company based on that favor?"

"Right. Obtained funds from influential people and celebrities to create the trading company. Also actively utilized their connections. Thinking now, seems he pretended to be a scholar for such purpose from the start."

Because it's a devastated place, influential people's and celebrities' influence exerts more power.

Because there's no one who can block that influence.

"He got close to the previous magistrate that way too."

"Probably. The previous magistrate liked poetry. Different grain from me who's just a merchant."

I don't know much about poetry.

However, I know this.

"Poetry and poets don't necessarily match. Not surprising if someone composing beautiful poetry has ugly inner thoughts."

They say poetry including the four scholarly arts are representative means of civilizing people. Then are authorities of the four scholarly arts upright in heart?

"Your words precisely match my evaluation of Guyang Je."

Zhu Hochong spoke slowly with warning.

"Don't be deceived. Someone whose outside and inside differ."

Murim Alliance Branch.

"What do you mean? Why would Outer Hall warriors attack a trading company?"

Deputy Branch Leader Gong Pilsang shouted in confusion.

"I don't know well. When commotion happened at Xinyang Trading and we checked, Outer Hall warriors were involved."

The Alliance member reporting was equally clueless.

"Beggar's Gang branch and government constables were also there."

"Together like that? Isn't it similar to Black Path subjugation?"

"But we know nothing?"

The Alliance member bowed his head.

"However, that is..."

"I heard the name of the person who led the work."

Last time, pretending not to know Beggar's Gang matters, he'd been thoroughly beaten. Because Golden Cloud Trading Captain Zhu Hochong's life-saving was involved.

Branch Leader Hwangbo Gak lamented missing the opportunity to make a commercial giant indebted.

No—heavily blamed Gong Pilsang.

Then too a name popped up.

One name he didn't know why it came up.

Asking while thinking no way, no way.

"Is it the Ink Sword Hero again this time?"

The returning answer was unfailing.

"Yes. The Ink Sword Hero."

"Kreuk. Ink Sword Herooo!"

The moment Gong Pilsang's anger boiled over and he shouted.

A low voice was heard.

Auditory hallucination?

Gong Pilsang doubted his ears.