Chapter 355 – Where is the Doorkeeper? (1)
What is the most trustworthy thing in the world?
Many people may have different answers, but for Gaebang Bangju Noh Hee-bang, it was the “instinct to pursue profit.”
That profit doesn’t necessarily have to be materialistic. For example, personal satisfaction can also be a sufficient profit to pursue for someone.
“This time, he left the place completely empty?”
“Yes, Bangju.”
That’s why Noh Hee-bang tried to figure out what the person’s most sought-after profit was when he saw someone. He believed that it revealed the person’s roots.
“I saw Yook So-hyup running around wildly for a long time. He left without saying a word.”
“Hmm… Is that so… I understand. You may leave now.”
“Yes, Bangju.”
Jung Tak, whom Noh Hee-bang had been eyeing as a potential successor, left with a polite demeanor, and she watched him leave carefully.
“Even a too pure personality can be a consideration…”
Since Jung Tak didn’t seem to show any interest in what she was worried about, Noh Hee-bang was excited.
But if you think about it, does she really need to feel suspicious about herself to the extent of the aftereffect index, Kang Yoon?
It wasn’t hard to understand because she was thinking that way, considering the incident and timing he was involved in.
Except for the one time he was involved with Magyo in the Paengga, wasn’t everything else related to the so-called “Eunryunhui”?
And it was like he was hiding like a non-existent person, and every time he moved somewhere, something happened as if he had been waiting.
It would be convenient to explain it as their enemy, who was destined by fate, but Noh Hee-bang didn’t believe in the existence of such a thing.
“I should consider the possibility that he is involved with them in some way…,” she thought.
It was not a bad way to plant their people in the Jeongpa Mureum. She thought it was a way to quickly raise her reputation by pretending to be friendly with her allies.
The problem was that by hiding this time, she missed an opportunity to further enhance her reputation. In other words, it was an action that directly confronted her guess.
Here, Noh Hee-bang’s thoughts were blocked, and she tilted her head. Even in the midst of the intoxicating scent of the liquor, her mind didn’t stop thinking.
Chapter 355 – Where is the Doorkeeper? (1)
What is the most trustworthy thing in the world?
Many people may have different answers, but for Gaebang Bangju Noh Hee-bang, it was the “instinct to pursue profit.”
That profit doesn’t necessarily have to be materialistic. For example, personal satisfaction can also be a sufficient profit to pursue for someone.
“Why is that? Is it really just a coincidence that he met them several times and fought with them? And the fact that his martial arts skills have improved so rapidly is not a trick, but really?”
There wasn’t enough information to come to a conclusion.
Normally, she would have expected to be able to gather information easily by taking advantage of increased contact with other martial artists, but he disappeared after only a fortnight.
At this point, she was still thinking about her paranoid suspicion.
“Bangju, may I speak with you for a moment?”
“What’s the matter?”
“A guest from the Murim League has arrived… She was sent by the Prince himself.”
“Sent by the Prince himself?”
Noh Hee-bang raised an eyebrow. She tried to think if there was anything that had happened recently that would warrant the Prince sending someone to find her, but nothing came to mind.
“I think she’s here to see Hwangbo Yeohyeop…”
“Ah, I see. Bring her in.”
Noh Hee-bang put her thoughts aside and welcomed the guest.
The woman who came in with a frown was quite beautiful, and when she met Noh Hee-bang’s gaze, her expression brightened and she bowed.
“Nice to meet you, I am Mong-ah of the Okyeongae Siju.”
Noh Hee-bang noticed that Mong-ah, who introduced herself as Mong-ah, didn’t seem to care about the strong scent of alcohol emanating from her and felt puzzled as she invited her to sit.
Dealing with nine different Milps at the same time was a daunting task, and I set off for Honam Province early in the morning, accompanied by women’s farewells.
The journey on horseback was quite leisurely.
There was no need to rush, as I wasn’t running away from any crime or avoiding any unpleasant tasks.
If I didn’t have to meet the Magyo Milp, traveling in the winter would have been quite annoying, but the thought of the Botepae Milps waiting at my destination made my hand holding the reins involuntarily tense.
“Enjoy your meal.”
While leisurely driving the horse, it was also fun to order food if there was a clean inn with good food.
It’s also good to ask locals for a good restaurant, but in this day and age, food is first and foremost about hygiene, so the building itself should be clean.
Chapter 355 – Where is the Doorkeeper? (1)
As the hot soup entered my stomach, my body, which had been stiff from the chilly weather, relaxed. I slowly filled my stomach with the chopsticks, thinking to myself, “It shouldn’t take too long to get there…”
Although I would be able to meet a familiar face when I arrived, that wasn’t the only reason I was going.
The biggest problem was confirming the Magyo’s position regarding the Eunryunhwe.
“I told them that someone from the Magyo had joined them, but there’s no need to confront them.”
It was certain that the elder Hwang had joined the Eunryunhwe in the past.
Fortunately, because he had joined a group that was obviously suspicious, even if they were to talk about who my master was, they would be dismissed as nonsense, so I was less worried about my side.
“But the Magyo…”
“Oh my!”
Thud.
I reached out reflexively towards Inyoung, who had suddenly fallen over.
I grabbed the back of the small old man’s clothes and pulled him up by his shoulders, as there was no point in pulling him towards me.
“Are you okay, sir?”
“T-Thank you…”
The old man looked at me with a surprised expression.
Although my clothes weren’t flashy, they were clean and neat, and my small stature and youthful face looked quite good with a healthy complexion. I waited for the old man to calm down for a moment, and when he seemed to have recovered from his surprise, I just nodded and waited for him to pass.
“Phew… That was close. Thank you, young man.”
“No problem, sir. I’m glad you’re okay.”
But the old man continued to look at me instead of going on his way.
“…Is there something else, sir?”
“No, it’s not something else. Since I received your favor, I can’t just leave like this, can I?”
The old man chuckled, and although he seemed like a good person, his laughter seemed like that of a swindler, which bothered me for some reason.
“It’s okay. We can help each other out in life. You don’t have to worry about it.”
“No, I’m not okay! If it weren’t for your help, I might have been seriously injured!”
So I tried to cut him off and send him on his way, but it was too late. The old man was already in a frenzy, saying that he wanted to repay this favor.
“…Then let’s make it quick. I’m in a hurry, so it’s inconvenient if it takes too long.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I don’t have anything to do since I’m getting old, so time is the only thing I have left. My little brother will surely be satisfied with…”
“That damn old man! He’s there!”
Oh, please.
The men who broke into the tavern like they were breaking down the door were probably humans who looked like gangsters. They gave the old man in front of me a menacing look.
The old man’s complexion turned pale, and it seemed like he had some idea of why they were coming out like that.
“Li-Little brother! Let’s ru-run away!”
“Am I included too?”
It was ridiculous that they suddenly tried to drag me along, but considering their level, there was no need to do so in the first place.
Just by looking at them, you could tell their worth. None of them had properly learned martial arts.
If I wanted to, I could wipe them out with just one finger, but the problem was whether the gangsters and this swindler of an old man had done something wrong.
When I narrowed my eyes and looked at the old man, he looked at me with a guilty expression before starting to come out with a half-hearted excuse.
“That’s right! I was the one who made the mistake first! But if I get caught by those demons, I’ll die! Little brother, you have to see me die at the hands of those monsters, right?”
“Sigh…”
“You! Who are you again? Are you in cahoots with the old man?”
The gangster who chased after the old man discovered me and threatened me with a palm-sized knife, causing my head to throb.
I had a feeling. This old man had definitely approached me intentionally.
Perhaps he had pretended to fall for me several times to find me, thinking that he could deceive me with a plausible opponent.
The problem was that I didn’t have the power to save the old man, and I wasn’t an individual who could completely ignore the logic of ‘if you don’t save me now, it’s the same as killing me.’
In the end, I sighed deeply at the men who were slowly closing in on me and stood up from my seat.
“What, what is it! Are you really in cahoots with him?!”
“Sir, hold on tight.”
“What, what are you saying? Huk!”
I held the old man tightly against my side and looked around. And as soon as I found a gap, I used the Dragon’s Soaring Technique to fly out of their encirclement.
Since the old man hadn’t learned martial arts, I minimized the burden on him by using my strength, and I was able to easily slip out of their outer perimeter with a simple movement, leaving me feeling empty.
“These, these are martial artists!”
“These stupid guys! Don’t they know that I’m a martial artist? Get them!”
To be honest, I didn’t need to say that their knives couldn’t pierce through my tricks, and I just took the old man and left the tavern, picking up my horse from the stable.
And after moving to a place far from the tavern with the old man, who had a vacant expression, I was able to speak to him.
“Old man, is it over now? You won’t say that you got into trouble because I didn’t help you, right?”
“Uh… y-yes.”
The old man, who had regained his senses on the way, nodded his head with a trembling expression as he got off the horse.
“Then, I’ll go now. Please be careful when you go back.”
I quickly got on my horse, not knowing what else the old man would say.
‘If he causes any more trouble, I’ll just leave him and run away.’
But then, the old man opened his mouth again while looking up at me, and I stopped my legs at the words that dug into my ear.
“I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before… Hmm… Where is my little brother from?”
“What?”
I definitely didn’t feel anything from the old man. That’s why I didn’t even consider the possibility that he was a martial artist.
“I’m getting old, so my memory is getting blurry… I’m sure I remember seeing you somewhere…”
Even if a master hides their aura with a Qi-blocking technique, you can still tell if they have learned martial arts or not.
In other words, if the person I felt nothing from earlier was a martial artist…
‘A true master?’
“Was it a difficult question to answer?”
The old man, who seemed to be recalling his memory, frowned, still looking up at me.
But unlike before, I could clearly see a faint light emanating from his deep eyes.
