CH 113

Hong Yushin was not in a good mood.He was locked up in Chengdu during the winter without any results. This was the first time in his life that he had wasted a few months of his life by doing nothing.He always moved with a purpose. Even his small actions and gestures had a clear purpose. What he hated the most was wasting time on meaningless things.But over the past few months, he’s been doing what he hates the most.“Damn it!”Hong Yushin slammed his fist against the innocent table and cursed,“Chief!”A subordinate’s voice came from outside.“What’s the matter?”“There is a customer looking for the branch manager.”“So why didn’t you guide him to the branch manager?”Hong Yushin asked in reply.After the former branch manager lost his life to Pyo-wol, Hong Yushin promoted another person as the branch manager. Although he is staying in Chengdu due to unavoidable circumstances, that doesn’t mean he could take over the branch manager’s job.“I’m sorry, but the new branch manager is not someone who can handle him.”“Why? Who is the big shot?”“It’s Jin Geum-woo, the Blood-Weaving Warrior.”“………..”In an instant, the irritation on Hong Yushin’s face disappeared.Jin Geum-woo was one of the warriors who the Hao clan kept a close eye on. He stood out and gathered attention on himself at an early age because of his grandfather who is one of the Eight Constellations.“Is it really Jin Geum-woo?”“Certainly. His appearance perfectly matches our information about him. Above all, the Golden Heavenly Hall was spotted having a meeting in Chengdu.”“The Golden Heavenly Hall’s meeting is held here?”There was a deep frown on Hong Yushin’s forehead.The Golden Heavenly Hall always had an irregular meeting. They had no permanent meeting place. So, there was nothing strange about them assembling in Chengdu. Theoretically that is.However, Hong Yushin was well aware that things in the world do not always follow common sense.“What is their purpose?”“We’re still trying to figure it out.”“I will meet with Jin Geum-woo personally. I’m sure the other members will be able to quickly grasp the purpose of their entry into Chengdu. Go to the branch manager and tell him to step down. I’ll go in his stead.”“Alright.”The subordinate quickly moved away.Hong Yushin, who was left alone, briefly caressed his clothes and then left the room.Hong Yushin walked as slowly as possible. He was trying to take the initiative by making the opponent wait. He opened the door and entered the room where Jin Geum-woo was waiting.“Sorry to keep you waiting. I was late because I was dealing with some urgent work.”Hong Yushin entered the room with the most sorry expression on his face. He looked at Jin Geum-woo, who had his eyes closed and arms crossed.“Tch!”The moment he saw the appearance of Jin Geum-woo, Hong Yushin clicked his tongue. He was overwhelmed by the unwavering steel-like tower atmosphere of his guest.As he looked at him, he thought that Jin Geum-woo is not a good opponent for psychological warfare.Hong Yushin changed his tactics. “Sorry to keep you waiting. I am the Hao clan’s Chengdu branch manager.”“I’m Jin Geum-woo.”Jin Geum-woo opened his eyes.Hong Yushin was shocked as if he had been beaten with a hammer as he looked into Jin Geum-woo’s eyes. This is because Jin Geum-woo’s eyes were so intense.‘What kind of eyes…”Hong Yushin thought that Jin Geum-woo’s eyes were like steel. A strong will that will never be broken no matter how much you beat it seems to be conveyed in his eyes.He has met a lot of warriors so far, but he has never seen anyone with such intense eyes.‘In terms of shock, it’s similar to him.’He recalled Pyo-wol whom he met last year. Pyo-wol’s eyes were different from Jin Geum-woo’s. Unlike Jin Geum-Woo, who reveals himself without hesitation, Pyo-wol thoroughly hides everything.They were two completely different people, but Hong Yushin felt the two were somewhat similar.“I’ve heard about the prestige of Young Mister Jin. May I know the reason for you to visit our branch?”“Are you really the branch manager?”“What do you mean?”“You have a different atmosphere from the other Hao clan branch managers I’ve met so far.”Jin Geum-woo’s eyes shone sharply.Hong Yushin thought that he was quick-witted, but he still did not reveal his true identity.“Maybe because I’ve been the branch manager for a long time already.”“Is that so?”“You didn’t come here to ask for my identity, did you? I still don’t know Young Master Jin’s purpose of visiting our branch.”“I’m looking for someone.”“Who?”“I don’t even know his name.”“Are you saying you want to find someone whose name you do not know?”“That’s the reason why I came to the Hao clan. The provincial branch of the Hao clan would know everything that occured in Chengdu, right?”Jin Geum-woo looked at Hong Yushin with intense eyes.Hong Yushin secretly turned his head away because his eyes, which were as intense as the sun, felt burdensome.Jin Geum-woo continued to talk while looking at Hong Yushin.“I know that there was a big incident in Chengdu last year. Many people have died and the damage the Qingcheng and Emei sect experienced was so great that they were forced to close their doors.”Hong Yushin frowned. He could already expect Jin Geum-woo’s next words.“Did you come to find the man who caused the incident?”“That’s right.”“Hoo…”Hong Yushin let out a sigh without realizing it. With his head bowed, his face was filled with a bewildered light.The person Jin Geum-woo was looking for was Pyo-wol. The problem is that Hong Yushin, together with the rest of the Hao clan had also scoured Chengdu last winter to find Pyo-wol. However, Pyo-wol disappeared without leaving a trace. They have no clue of his whereabouts whether he rose to the sky or fell to the ground.Hong Yushin persistently followed the trail of Pyo-wol. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find him.The Chengdu branch gave up looking for Pyo-wol, and even the subordinates of the inspection team expressed their opinion that Pyo-wol must have already gone outside of Sichuan.But Hong Yushin is convinced that Pyo-wol is still in Chengdu.It was not as if he had any evidence. He just trusted his sixth sense, which had been honed as chief inspector of the Hao clan for a long time.It was taboo to trust one’s sixth sense unconditionally, but Hong Yushin was sure that his sixth sense would be right in this case.‘He just hid his presence. He must still be in Chengdu.’The problem is that he can’t express his thoughts.He could not claim that Pyo-wol is still in Chengdu basing only on his sixth sense. This is because he had already mobilized the entire Hao clan provincial branch and all its inspectors, and yet Pyo-wol’s actions still have not been revealed. Hong Yushin asked cautiously,“Why are you looking for him?”“Do I have to tell you the reason?”“Hu…!”Hong Yushin let out a sigh.Jin Geum-woo was right.The reason for the search did not matter to the Hao clan. If the price is right, it would be enough for them to search all the way to the ends of hell just to find the target.Hong Yushin opened his mouth after thinking about it for a moment.“He is not in Chengdu”“Well…”“That’s what everyone else is saying, but I don’t think so.”“So you think he’s still staying in Chengdu?”“Yes. I have no evidence, but that’s what I think. He is like a ghost. He is obviously in the same space, in the same city, but we can’t find any traces of him. But he is still definitely here.”“So we have to find the ghost.”Jin Geum-woo quickly understood Hong Yushin’s words.He suddenly rummaged through his arms and pulled out a large glow orb.Even in broad daylight, a glow orb was considered as a rare treasure. The glow orb boasted the finest quality to the extent that it is worth the price.“I’ll give you this as a deposit. If you can find him, I’ll give you one more like this.”“Hu…”“Will you accept my request?”“Alright.”Hong Yushin readily accepted Jin Geum-woo’s request. This would give him the opportunity to legally seek Pyo-wol once again, so he had no reason to decline.Jin Geum-woo got up from his seat and said,“Then I look forward to the good news. I’ll be staying at the Four Sea Pavilion, so you can send me a message there.”“We will do our best to live up to the expectations of Young Master Jin.”“Okay then.”Jin Geum-woo went on ahead and came out. He immediately returned to his residence, the Four Sea Pavilion. Won Ga-young was sitting alone on the second floor of the guest house while sipping a glass of wine.Jin Geum-woo sat across from Won Ga-young and asked, “What about the others?”“So-ha went to visit Mister Yu Shinfeng, while Soun went outside to understand the overall atmosphere of Chengdu.”“What about Pyeong?”“Can’t you guess?”“He must have gone to a brothel.”“Yes. He went to visit the Water Lily Pavilion with the new friend he made in Chengdu.”“Water Lily Pavilion?”“I don’t know about it, but they say it’s the best brothel in Chengdu. He got excited and ran like a dog in heat.”“Hahaha!”Jin Geum-woo burst into laughter at Won Ga-young’s harsh words..All the members of the Golden Heavenly Hall knew that she did not like Seo Mun-pyeong. As such the two were always at odds.The two were not on good terms that they would always tend to argue about everything whenever they met. But they weren’t foolish enough to act on their personal feelings.“Can I have a drink too?”“Get as much as you like.”With Won Ga-young’s permission, Jin Geum-woo picked up a bottle and poured it into his own glass. Amber liquid filled the glass.Jin Geum-Woo drank the glass in one go.“This tastes good.”“They said this was made by the owner of the guest house.”“Seems like it. The guest house has its own distinct smell.”Jin Geum-woo wiped his lips with his sleeve and nodded.Won Ga-young stared at Jin Geum-woo and asked,“Do you think he has anything to do with them?”“I don’t know. That’s why we’re here to check it out.”“What if he’s not related?”“Then we traveled in vain, but it doesn’t matter. It’s still a method of going through the options one by one.”Jin Geum-woo replied, looking into the empty glass.Won Ga-young looked at Jin Geum-woo with complex emotions.Jin Geum-woo is the strongest man she knew. If it’s simply in terms of martial arts.There were many more powerful experts than him. The sect leaders of Two Factions, Three Clans, Three Packs, Three Villages and the Eight Constellations were some examples.However, Jin Geum-woo had a stronger heart than the rest of them.A heart as hard as steel and a strong disposition attracted other warriors. Won Ga-young was also one of those who were attracted to Jin Geum-woo.“Hu! I don’t like complicated matters. Let’s go get some fresh air.”“Air?”“I heard that they regularly perform at a place called Celestial Music Hall, and today is one of those days.”“Really?”“You don’t have anything to do today, right? So let’s go!”“Okay, sure.”Jin Geum-woo nodded his head.Knowing that Won Ga-young is obsessed with music, he followed her. He thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to organize his complicated thoughts while listening to the performance.The two left the guest house and went to the Celestial Music Hall.It wasn’t too difficult to find the Celestial Music Hall because it was located in the middle of a busy street.As they entered the Celestial Music Hall, they could hear the clear sound of the zither. The students have already started playing. Many people gathered and listened to the performance. Most of them closed their eyes, completely immersed in the sound. They seemed to have considerable knowledge about music.Jin Geum-woo and Won Ga-young weaved through the crowd as they went inside.A woman presumed to be a courtesan was playing the zither. Each time her long, white finger plucked a string, a clean sound would rang throughout the room.When the courtesan finished her performance, the audience applauded vigorously.“Wow!”“You’re the best! I’ll definitely go to the Divine Fragrance Pavilion and find you.”People seemed to know the identity of the courtesan. After the courtesan bowed shyly and stepped back, a new person came up to play.He was an ordinary man who looked to be in his mid-late twenties. It was definitely Jin Geum-woo’s first time seeing the stranger’s face. However, he felt that the performer’s eyes were strangely familiar.Suddenly, the eyes of the man and Jin Geum-woo met.‘That’s it.’At that moment, Jin Geum-woo realized when he had seen the man’s eyes.The day he first entered Chengdu, the secret gaze he felt at Four Sea Pavilion was the same as that of the man.