As soon as I mentioned the name of the Haowen Sect Leader, the disciples scattered around drew their swords.
Despite the fact that the combat abilities of the Haowen disciples were said to be far below par, their quick draw was surprisingly swift.
However, the swords that rained down did not reach me.
Wuyan, who saw this, drew his sword much later than the disciples, but he instantly deflected all the swords.
"Didn't you say you would apologize for your aggressive attitude? Isn't this a bit too much?"
Though I said it with a sneer, Douzhu only continued to glare at me.
"Shouldn't this information be enough to fill your coffers with commission fees?"
"I must put aside my prejudices about you, Young Master. You are a completely different person from what I knew."
"I don't know how you know, but I guess you're right?"
"How did you know?"
The disappearance of the Haowen Sect Leader is a closely guarded secret within the Haowen Sect.
Most people, including those in the open world and the righteous sects, are unaware of it.
Given that the Haowen Sect Leader himself is a figure shrouded in secrecy, it is strange to know that he has disappeared.
'If I say I learned it from the future, will they believe me?'
If they start treating me like a fool and draw their swords, it won't have a good effect.
"Why do you keep asking strange questions? You know I won't answer them."
"If the Gu family's information network is this good, there was no need for you to come to us."
"Branch Leader, I didn't come here to play word games."
I didn't care what Douzhu thought.
Tap tap.
In the strange silence that filled the room, only the sound of fingers tapping on the desk echoed.
"I have the information you need, and you have the ability to bring me the information I need. That's all there is to it."
"Young Master, how can I trust that the information is true?"
"You need to verify that. Why are you beating around the bush?"
I stopped tapping my fingers.
Douzhu's expression returned to its usual blankness, but I thought the mask had already broken.
"You only do that when you're in a desperate situation, Branch Leader. If you don't need it, just throw it away. I'll go to the open world anyway."
Ah, if necessary, I'll leak some information about the Haowen Sect Leader to the open world.
With that whispered remark, the conversation ended.
Whatever judgment they make, in my view, the answer is already set.
******************
"How could you just let him go?"
After Ouyang Qian left, only a few Haowen disciples and Douzhu remained in the room.
Douzhu gave a bitter smile in response to the disciple's question.
"It was wrong from the start. I should have just ignored it, but I couldn't."
If you know, pretend you don't.
If you don't know, pretend you do.
This was the golden rule of the Haowen Sect.
Douzhu had survived until now based on this principle. He had adhered to this single rule through countless crises and brushes with death.
Yet, the entire sect was shaken by a mere youth revealing a single secret.
"…It seems we shouldn't have just let him go."
"Then what should we do, capture and torture him?"
"If necessary, we might have to…."
"Yache, stop talking nonsense. Because you only focus on the four major families, does the Gu family seem like a punching bag to you?"
The Gu family is a prestigious clan.
Why is the Gu family prestigious?
It is because of the power and prestige accumulated over several centuries. They have not stopped growing over this long period.
They have grown with the times, which is why they are called a prestigious clan today.
To touch the Gu family, the protectors of Shanxi?
Moreover, to touch the only son of the clan leader, the Gu family, could shake the Haowen Sect itself.
"If it were just the Gu family, it might be manageable, but touching the Gu family would naturally give the righteous sects a reason to attack the Haowen Sect. In this situation, we need to be even more cautious."
"…I apologize, Branch Leader."
"I'm not blaming you for drawing your sword on your own. The first reason is that the Gu family's young master didn't blame you, and the second reason is that I made a mistake from the start."
And the third reason I didn't tell Yache is the young man who was guarding Ouyang Qian.
He looked naive at first glance, but he instantly deflected the swords aimed at Ouyang Qian.
If the disciples had taken even one step forward….
'He was definitely going to cut them down.'
The reason he didn't swing his sword further was probably because the swords aimed at Ouyang Qian had no killing intent.
They were drawn to threaten, after all.
Similarly, the guard only deflected the swords and did not counterattack.
Yet, Douzhu couldn't even see the guard's sword.
Even at the first-class level, Douzhu's martial arts were not enough to see it, but perhaps he was at the peak of the first-class level.
The fact that he had such a guard suggests that he had predicted the situation from the start.
My thoughts are a mess.
Why did the young master of the Gu family come to the Haowen Sect? Was it to actually make a request?
The information the boy brought couldn't have been something he discovered alone. It must involve the Gu family, and possibly even the clan leader.
'…What is he thinking?'
It's suffocating.
Already, the situations coming at Douzhu are difficult, and now with another person involved, it's hard to find a solution.
Douzhu grabbed his chin and pulled it.
Squish-
The skin stretched and tore, peeling off.
As Ouyang Qian had guessed, it was a human skin mask.
Under the mask, a woman's face was hidden.
Her eyes looked cold, her eyelashes were fine, and her skin was as white as if it had never seen the sun. A beautiful woman.
When Douzhu threw the mask away, Yache asked.
"Is it okay to take it off?"
"It's suffocating. Just understand for a bit. Besides, there's no one to see right now."
Even his voice, which was somewhat feminine for a man, had changed to a woman's delicate tone.
"…No matter how I think about it, I can't understand. There are only a few people who know that the Sect Leader has disappeared. How did he find out?"
Given the nature of the Haowen Sect, they treat the Sect Leader as a leader but do not necessarily respect or follow him.
Most of them are plotting to become the Sect Leader themselves.
Therefore, the Haowen Sect Leader also lives in hiding.
And just because the Sect Leader has disappeared, it doesn't mean someone else can immediately take his place.
To be recognized as the Haowen Sect Leader, one must inherit the symbol of the Haowen Sect.
Other elders and disciples who know about the Sect Leader's disappearance are likely searching frantically for him.
I don't know how much Ouyang Qian knows or why he came to me, but from Douzhu's perspective, it doesn't seem like he came with superficial information.
So, he must have come to find me.
'You only do that when you're in a desperate situation.'
Ouyang Qian's words echoed in his ears.
Douzhu thought of the missing Haowen Sect Leader.
'…Father.'
As Ouyang Qian said, he is not in a position to take risks.
**************************
'I almost got into trouble.'
After finishing my business at the Haowen Sect, I returned to the market.
"Seriously, they drew their swords, those crazy people."
Although I knew they weren't trying to kill me, I didn't expect them to actually draw their swords.
I was momentarily frightened.
Was I too arrogant in my approach?
I was able to maintain a calm demeanor thanks to Wuyan's sword.
Glancing back, I saw Wuyan looking around with his eyes darting.
'He looked naive, but his movements were real.'
With the thought that I could survive, I was able to maintain a calm demeanor and take the upper hand in the conversation.
I could feel Wuyan secretly glancing at me.
"If you keep glancing like that, just ask if you're curious."
"I don't think you'll answer even if I ask."
"...You're really perceptive. How did you know?"
"..."
"Joking, I'm a member of the Gu family, so I might have some business."
There's no way that's true.
Since I've caused so many accidents, I could say I found the Haowen Sect by chance and went to check it out.
Although it wouldn't just end with a scolding for visiting a rogue sect, it was a priority before it got worse.
'If possible, I would have preferred to go alone.'
I had no choice but to bring Wuyan.
Of course, it seemed to work out well because of that.
Fortunately, Wuyan didn't pick on my words. Instead,
"...So, there was a reason you insisted on going to the market last time."
"Last time…?"
You must be talking about the first day I returned?
"The day the elder said he would personally refine your martial arts, the day you ran away. I really thought you ran away because you didn't like it."
"Uh…?"
"The elder said that if he saw you next time, he would tear you in half, but was that also part of the act? I didn't know… Indeed, even a small action by a member of the Gu family has a reason…!"
"..."
It wasn't just a close call; it was already a mess. What a lunatic, why did he run away!
Being personally refined by the elder, except for the clan leader Gucheyun, is one of the greatest privileges a clan member can receive.
But he skipped it because it was too difficult.
What a lunatic… How can I be so stupid?
"Let's buy some pastries…"
I remembered the pastries Wuxia ate and bought a few.
But then I realized I didn't bring money, so I had to rely on Wuyan. I'll pay you back later, so don't make that face.
In any case, I'll pause the Haowen Sect business for now.
'Give me some time to think.'
Douzhu said, but he would eventually take the bait.
A few years in the future, the 'Haowen Sect Leader Rescue' happened. The Haowen Sect's elite infiltrated the Black Night Palace to rescue the Haowen Sect Leader, who was being held in the underground of the Black Night Palace.
The rescue failed, and the Haowen Sect Leader died.
However, the person who led the rescue replaced the Haowen Sect Leader, and this incident brought the Haowen Sect to the surface.
'What I know for sure is that the Haowen Sect Leader was held captive in the Black Night Palace for more than five years, and the person who led the rescue was from the Shanxi branch.'
After the rescue, the new Haowen Sect Leader also went into hiding, but the traces left in the urgent situation revealed this.
In fact, the rescue was a full-scale war between the Haowen Sect and the Black Night Palace, which led to the collapse of the Black Night Palace and the near destruction of the Haow