I had no choice but to tense at the feel of that Qi.
Because it was the very same Qi I had sensed at the place where Poet Na Jeong-su had been murdered.
In other words, the culprit was here.
As soon as I stepped inside, Elder Namgoong Geon-ji came out to receive me.
“Welcome.”
I quickly cupped my fist and greeted him as well.
“Junior Merchant Eun Seo-ho greets the Elder. Thank you for inviting me here.”
“Ha ha ha! How could I possibly pass by after meeting the Handsome Young Hero, a hero of the martial world?”
“That epithet is far more than I deserve.”
“Not at all. Would the Alliance Leader have bestowed an epithet for no reason? Come, sit comfortably.”
“Thank you.”
I sat in the seat he offered me. Young Lord Namgoong Yang was seated across from me.
Everyone else, however, remained standing around us.
Eating a meal while being watched by all these people…
It was impressive that I could still digest anything in a place like this.
I inwardly muttered that to myself and exchanged greetings with Young Lord Namgoong Yang.
“I enjoyed your poem and prose today. Though it was a shame you were eliminated in the preliminaries.”
At my words, Young Lord Namgoong Yang gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
“It couldn’t be helped. My opponent was simply better than me at composing poetry and prose.”
“Even so, don’t give up. You should challenge it again next time.”
“I intend to. How could a man give up so easily?”
“That’s the right attitude.”
At my praise, Elder Namgoong Geon-ji nodded.
“That’s right. If you were born a child of the Namgoong Clan, you ought to have at least that much spirit and persistence.”
While we spoke, the waiters began bringing out the food.
When I saw the arrangement of dishes, I put on a look of surprise.
“Are these dishes, by any chance, the Butterfly Dream, the finest full-course meal this pleasure house serves?”
“Oh! You know it well.”
Butterfly Dream was Spring Dream Pavilion’s full-course meal.
It was a harmonious assortment of various dishes prepared for those who had trouble choosing.
Naturally, the contents changed depending on the price.
And the finest full-course meal served here at Spring Dream Pavilion was the Butterfly Dream.
It was a feast that filled the entire table with all kinds of dishes made from premium ingredients.
“Ha ha ha ha!”
Elder Namgoong Geon-ji laughed heartily.
“Our Namgoong Clan is not so petty! When we meet a hero of the martial world, this is only the proper way to treat him.”
“I can only thank you for such undeserved hospitality.”
I cupped my fist, bowed my head, and quietly let out a sigh.
Whew. What a waste of food.
There were only three people eating, yet they had ordered enough food to feed ten with plenty left over.
The famine still hadn’t even ended…
As expected, famine was a story from some other world to the Namgoong Clan.
Of course, the imperial dining table was also incredibly lavish. But that had a purpose, which was to prevent poisoning.
And whatever food the Emperor left behind was shared among the eunuchs and palace maids.
So it wasn’t wasteful.
But as far as I knew, the food left behind by members of the Namgoong Clan was not allowed to be eaten by others.
Their reason was that they disliked the thought of servants doing menial work eating the same food they did.
That was how arrogant they were.
On top of that, the Namgoong Clan placed enormous importance on appearances.
By tomorrow, rumors would probably spread all across Beijing that Elder Namgoong Geon-ji had hosted the Handsome Young Hero.
“All the dishes have been served. Should you require anything else, please call for us at any time.”
The Pavilion Owner of Spring Dream Pavilion had personally come to attend to us.
At that, Elder Namgoong Geon-ji said,
“If a man has come to a flower garden, it is only right that he admire the flowers. Isn’t that so?”
“Ho ho ho, of course. How could there be any doubt?”
She clapped her hands.
Clap, clap!
At that signal, three lovely courtesans came up and took seats beside me, Elder Namgoong Geon-ji, and Young Lord Namgoong Yang.
I knew this would happen.
I inwardly clicked my tongue.
“I’d heard the courtesans of Spring Dream Pavilion were of exceptional quality, and it seems the rumors did not disappoint. Ha ha ha ha!”
“Oh my, you’ll make me blush.”
“You little thing, you really do drip with charm. Ha ha ha ha!”
While Elder Namgoong Geon-ji chatted merrily with the courtesan as if he were thoroughly used to this, Young Lord Namgoong Yang looked completely lost.
It was only natural. The courtesans’ clothing looked like it had been chosen with very clear intentions.
Young Lord Namgoong Yang sent me a Voice Transmission.
– U-um, what am I supposed to do?
Whew. I couldn’t very well pretend not to notice when someone I had made a deal with was in trouble.
– Do you remember what I told you before? What you were supposed to say if they took you to a pleasure house?
– Yes, I remember.
– This is when you use it.
I spoke carefully.
“Um, Elder. It seems Young Lord Namgoong Yang is still not accustomed to women.”
Elder Namgoong Geon-ji gave a hearty laugh and said,
“Ha ha ha. Why be like that? A man ought to know how to embrace a beautiful woman. Isn’t that why you went to a pleasure house in the first place?”
“That was simply curiosity. And at that time, I made up my mind. Until I reach the Transcendent realm, I will not keep women close to me.”
He’s using exactly what I taught him.
“Therefore, I will send the courtesan away.”
“If a martial artist has made such a resolve, how could I stop him? Do as you wish.”
“Thank you.”
At Elder Namgoong Geon-ji’s glance, the courtesan sitting beside Young Lord Namgoong Yang rose from her seat.
However, I did not send away the courtesan beside me.
Because when she sat down next to me, she had secretly written a character on my thigh.
The character eun, meaning concealment, and the wave pattern that symbolized the Eunhae Merchant Group.
That was the mark of the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Intelligence Unit.
Looking at her, I felt proud.
To think they had even turned a courtesan from a famous Beijing pleasure house into one of our agents.
It made me realize just how much the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Intelligence Unit had truly grown.
But why did I feel guilty toward Lady Seohyang even though I wasn’t keeping this courtesan beside me because I liked courtesans?
“So, as I was saying…”
“Is that so?”
I pushed those thoughts aside and humored Elder Namgoong Geon-ji.
I had come here to listen to Elder Namgoong Geon-ji’s nonsense anyway, so I might as well enjoy the food while I was at it.
Besides, I had gained an unexpected harvest.
Thanks to coming here, I could now find the person who had killed Poet Na Jeong-su.
After taking my time and carefully observing, I had discovered that the Qi was coming from behind Young Lord Namgoong Yang.
Of course, the Qi was not coming from Young Lord Namgoong Yang himself.
His Qi was extremely clear.
The Qi was coming from an Escort Guard standing behind him, guarding the area around us.
His realm was also exactly First-rate.
Judging by his clothes and behavior, he seemed to be Young Lord Namgoong Yang’s personal Escort Guard… but why hadn’t I seen him before, when they came to the inn to bring Young Lord Namgoong Yang back?
Ah… he must have gone to the Namgoong Clan to deliver the news that Young Lord Namgoong Yang had been arrested.
Then the pieces fit.
The dinner continued for nearly six hours.
By the time it ended, the surroundings were completely dark.
I had no idea why a dinner had to last this long.
Still, it probably ended at this point only because the Prohibition Decree remained in effect.
Had there not been a Prohibition Decree, we might have ended up watching the sun rise, and I might have had to witness something that made me frown.
“Then be careful on your way back.”
“Yes. Please return safely as well.”
I greeted him that way, then spoke as though something had just occurred to me.
“Ah, I almost forgot to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
“To be honest, I think we may be able to identify the culprit who killed the victim this time.”
Elder Namgoong Geon-ji’s eyes widened.
“What did you say?”
“Truthfully, I have not told anyone else yet, but since you came here representing the Namgoong Clan Lord, I thought it proper to tell you in advance.”
“How did you find him?”
“The culprit left behind a piece of evidence at the scene. It might seem trivial, if one wished to call it trivial, but we did not overlook it. And through that, we were able to narrow down the culprit.”
I continued speaking.
“So once the culprit has been confirmed, I ask for your cooperation at that time.”
“Of course.”
After hearing his firm answer, I casually sent a Voice Transmission to the Escort Guard from whom I had sensed that Qi earlier.
– In other words, if you don’t want to be exposed as the culprit, bring something appropriate.
Then I deliberately waited a little while before sending another Voice Transmission.
– I’d say it will take at least ten Gold Taels to keep my mouth shut.
After exchanging farewells with Elder Namgoong Geon-ji and Young Lord Namgoong Yang, I grabbed the shoulder of the courtesan who had been glued to my side and spoke to the Pavilion Owner.
“I think I’ll stay here tonight. Do you have a separate villa?”
“Of course. We will see to it that you suffer no inconvenience, Great Hero.”
I spoke to Palgap and the Escort Guards.
“You know how I am, right? Everyone, keep your distance.”
“B-but you must not keep your Escort Guards too far away!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Do you think there’s anyone in Beijing who can harm me?”
I deliberately spoke loudly and glanced back.
This much should be enough bait.
It wasn’t as though I had seriously demanded a bribe from him so openly.
The reason I named ten Gold Taels was to make him decide to take action against me.
And just now, I had acted that way to make his resolve even firmer.
Looking at his eyes, I could tell my plan had worked.
.
.
.
A short while later, I headed to one of Spring Dream Pavilion’s separate villas.
It was a place used when one wanted to quietly embrace a courtesan without worrying about others.
At times, confidential matters passed through these rooms, and illegal acts were carried out here as well.
For that reason, it was located in a deep and secluded area that could not easily be seen from outside.
“This is the place.”
Inside the room I was shown to, there was a splendid bed, along with a neatly arranged table and chairs.
Soon, I sensed waiters approaching.
“We will bring in a drinking table.”
Then a selection of luxurious refreshments was set on the table.
I gave the waiters a greedy look and said,
“Do not come unless I call for you.”
“Of course.”
Tak.
The door closed, and I examined the surroundings.
Mm. There’s no one here.
I sat before the table and asked the courtesan,
“Are you operating from this place?”
At my question, the courtesan immediately prostrated herself before me and said,
“Yes. I greet the Deputy Merchant Lord. Intelligence Unit, Number Fifty-Eight.”
As far as I knew, there were over a hundred agents in the Intelligence Unit.
In other words, this courtesan was somewhere around the middle in rank.
That aside, if the Intelligence Unit had grown this much, we really would need to give it a proper name and reorganize its structure.
For now, I would think about that later and deal with the matter at hand first.
“I don’t have any hobby of rolling around with courtesans.”
“I am well aware. If I did not know even that much as an Intelligence Unit agent, I would be unqualified.”
“Now then, why do you think I came here?”
At my question, she thought for a moment before opening her mouth.
“Could it be that these foods have been drugged?”
“…!”
Her words impressed me.
That meant she had reached that conclusion in this short amount of time.
“Why do you think so?”
“Considering what you said when you left the banquet earlier, and the fact that you dismissed your guards and said you would spend the night with me in a secluded villa with few people around…”
She carefully continued.
“I judged that you were trying to lure out the true culprit behind the murder case that has been causing such an uproar in Beijing.”
I restrained the smile that tried to rise to my lips and nodded.
“Go on.”
“He now has a reason to silence you, Deputy Merchant Lord, so he would want to act. The problem is your skill. You are already known as a Peak martial artist. Therefore, he must prevent you from displaying your true ability. And the method he chose for that would be…”
She pointed to the table with her hand and said,
“Drugging this food. Sleeping medicine, for example.”
At those words, Palgap, who was beside me, started in surprise and asked,
“What are you saying? Then this food has sleeping medicine in it?”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
Then I spoke to the courtesan.
“Correct. Your skill is impressive.”
I rated her highly.
She had excellent insight, and her instant judgment seemed sharp as well.
She did not stop there and added one more thing.
“And… I suspect that you separately provoked that person, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Even a rotten fish is still a fish, as they say. No matter what, he is still one of the Namgoong Clan’s elites. I thought you must have done something to make such a person lose his reason and fail to judge properly.”
She was right.
My words telling him to bring a bribe had also carried that purpose.
My eyes brightened.
This courtesan is a real talent, isn’t she?
Her ability was far too valuable to rot away as a mere field agent.
“What is your name?”
“Pardon?”
“Not your affiliation or number. Not your courtesan name. Your real name.”
“My name is… Ha Hwa.”
Ha Hwa. A summer flower…
I would need to tell the Intelligence Unit Commander to properly nurture this agent.
Rather than letting her rot away as a field agent, she needed to be cultivated into officer-level talent.
When capable people like this rose to the top, the field agents below suffered less.
As a bonus, the Intelligence Unit’s overall level would rise more quickly as well.
I told Agent Ha Hwa to step aside.
Then I instructed Palgap and the Escort Guards to keep well away.
He had to see the Escort Guards standing far away before he would dare come at me so recklessly.
Still, it was a bit early…
Should I use the time to think of a name for the Intelligence Unit?
A good idea suddenly occurred to me.
Geumryeong had an uncanny sense for anything that made money, so maybe it would also know a good name.
I placed Geumryeong on the table.
“Geumryeong, I’m trying to come up with a name for the Intelligence Unit.”
“Kui?”
“What name do you think would be good?”
“Kui.”
Geumryeong nodded as if telling me to hurry up and say them, so I began listing the names that came to mind.
However, with every name I suggested, Geumryeong’s reaction was thoroughly underwhelming.
“Kui…”
Then, in the end, it slipped right back into my sleeve.
Hey… are you seriously doing this to me?
That was when I felt Qi.
“…!”
I smiled in triumph.
He had finally made his move.
–TL Notes–
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