Chapter 92

Jowon-sik looked at Wang Sam, who seemed to be at a loss for words, and then at Gal Jibjang and Jang Geon, who were being beaten, his mouth twitching. It wasn’t until Jang Geon, who had a cigarette in his mouth, turned to look at him that he finally spoke.

“Do you really think you can meet the secret advisor of the alliance just by wanting to? There are so many complicated procedures to go through for a single meeting... And why is this guy suddenly acting like this? He was talking just fine a moment ago.”

Jang Geon lit his cigarette with the tip of his right index finger, gently rubbing it. His fingertips tingled from the concentrated inner strength.

“This guy won’t answer any more questions. Whether it’s by his own will or the power of the spell used to kill the spirit, I don’t know. So now, the only way is to find his other brothers.”

“What, spirit? Spell? What are you talking about?”

Jang Geon inhaled deeply on his cigarette and exhaled naturally.

“I came to investigate the massacre of a native village far to the east. Specifically, I came to find the one who did it. And the group he belongs to practices martial arts without any qualms. That’s why I told you that you need to know this.”

Jowon-sik’s eyes widened, and Gal Jibjang, who had been trembling while holding Wang Sam, turned around with a shocked expression.

“...Martial arts? You mean the mines? But the Imperial Army already...”

“There is no Imperial Army now.”

Gal Jibjang looked at Jang Geon with a wavering gaze, then put Wang Sam down and stood up straight. With a stern face, he asked Jang Geon.

“Are you an inspector of our branch?”

Jang Geon shook his head. Gal Jibjang’s face showed confusion.

“...You said you came to investigate a massacre and to track down the mines? If not the alliance, then the Imperial Army?”

“I’m a wanderer. I have no backing.”

Gal Jibjang looked down at Wang Sam, whose face was haggard. Jang Geon, who had learned a bizarre torture technique and was a master capable of subduing dozens of adults, was not an ordinary person. Gal Jibjang turned his gaze back to Jang Geon and asked.

“Then why are you tracking them down? If not the alliance or the Imperial Army?”

There was no firm resolve or intense determination in Jang Geon’s eyes, only calmness and composure. He answered.

“I am merely an agent of revenge.”

“An agent?”

“Those who slaughter the innocent without reason must pay a price, don’t you think?”

Gal Jibjang listened to the short answer, looked at Jang Geon for a moment, and then slowly nodded.

“...I don’t know who you are or where you come from, but I like what you said. About making them pay. Good. The secret advisor may not have found my son’s location yet, but he must have found the hiding place of the Wang brothers. The investigation of the Huilong Sect members has already started. Perhaps quickly clearing out the underworld is the way to find my son.”

He turned to Jowon-sik.

“I’ll hold you accountable for disobeying orders later. For now, gather all the branch members and those who have returned home, and launch a raid on the underworld. You should have already identified the bases of the other groups, even if not the Huilong Sect?”

“Yes? Ah, yes!”

“Then why are you still standing there?”

“Yes! Understood!”

Jowon-sik handed the torch to Jang Geon and ran off. Gal Jibjang, who had just delivered a long speech, took a moment to catch his breath. In fact, he should have given the order the moment he heard that Jowon-sik had captured many Huilong Sect members. Capturing the members meant giving up on his kidnapped son.

But Gal Jibjang couldn’t do it. He tried to interrogate Wang Sam to find out his son’s location first and delayed the branch’s actions as much as possible. The people who kidnapped his son had chosen a particularly vicious method to paralyze the branch.

Gal Jibjang, who finally gave the order, took a deep breath and then met Jang Geon’s eyes.

“...Let’s go. I’ll guide you to the secret advisor.”

Jang Geon nodded silently and soon left the underground prison. In the underground prison, Wang Sam, who had been tied up and left on the cold stone floor, was still muttering the same words.

“...I am the deputy leader of the Huilong Sect, Wang Sam. I am the youngest of the three Wang brothers and a practitioner of the Iron Skin Golden Muscle Technique. I kidnapped the son of the Gamsan Branch to prevent the alliance from interfering, and used the opportunity to unify the underworld of Gamsan City...”

The strange heat in his eyes had gradually cooled, turning colorless. At some point, his muttering stopped, and his breathing ceased.

* * *

By Gal Jibjang’s order, the Gamsan Branch of the alliance was in turmoil even in the late night. Many people were running to wake up those who had returned home, and the warriors who were staying at the branch were quickly gathering their weapons and equipment and leaving through the main gate. The cool air, made chilly by the night rain, seemed to warm up with their movements.

Gal Jibjang, who would normally lead them or give orders from the branch, temporarily handed the task to Jowon-sik. Gal Jibjang was leading the way to the secret advisor of the alliance, walking in front of Jang Geon.

Gal Jibjang’s expression was very dark as he walked through the rainy night streets. It seemed he was gradually accepting his son’s death in the damp and dark night.

Jang Geon, wearing a hood, followed behind, unable to offer any words of comfort. If he had known Gal Jibjang for a long time, he might have said something, but he had only met him for less than half a day.

As they walked, Jang Geon realized they were retracing a path he had already taken. Gal Jibjang and Jang Geon were heading towards the pleasure district.

“...The secret advisor’s hideout is disguised as a pleasure house. I’m sure the gangsters didn’t know and were having a good time there.”

Gal Jibjang muttered this almost inaudibly as he led the way. Jang Geon knew it wasn’t a question that required an answer, so he didn’t speak.

The pleasure district was almost empty except for a few drunkards staggering in the rain and a few people hurrying along with umbrellas. Jang Geon passed by Taipinglou, where Guanshuchan had stayed, and glanced at it. The dim and quiet interior suggested that business had ended.

Gal Jibjang continued walking past Taipinglou, eventually reaching the end of the pleasure district. He stopped in front of a pleasure house with the lights off. It was a small but clean place, with no particularly old or shabby areas.

Gal Jibjang approached the door, which seemed to be tightly closed, to knock. But the door opened slightly before his hand could reach it. Inside, a man who looked like a waiter was bowing.

“The master is waiting for you. Please come in.”

Whether they knew they were coming or just noticed them from a distance, the secret advisor seemed to be prepared. Gal Jibjang cleared his throat and entered first.

Jang Geon followed, looking around. The interior, decorated with red carpets and gauzy curtains, was both luxurious and subtly lit, giving it a sensual atmosphere. A waiter approached Jang Geon and extended his hand, gesturing for him to hand over his outer clothing and hood.

“I’ll be leaving soon.”

The waiter bowed deeply and stepped back. Gal Jibjang and Jang Geon started up the stairs in the middle of the pleasure house. Gal Jibjang, familiar with the place, climbed the stairs and opened the closed door at the top without hesitation.

Inside, the lighting was even dimmer, and the room was decorated with dark red fabrics and gold and porcelain, giving it a decadent feel. At the far end, a thin curtain faintly revealed someone lying on the other side. A red light flickered, suggesting someone was smoking a long pipe.

Gal Jibjang stepped forward and spoke.

“Master, do you know why I’m here?”

“Of course. To find the hiding place of the Wang brothers?”

A woman’s voice came from behind the thin curtain. It was smooth, soft, and slightly tickling.

Gal Jibjang hesitated for a moment before asking.

“...Have you found my son’s location?”

“Unfortunately, I haven’t found Gal Won-myeong’s location. Branch Leader, you haven’t moved the alliance members yet, have you? If so, I can’t...”

“I know. The branch is already in motion... I remember that you’ve been watching the branch well. Thank you.”

It was probably a thank you for not reporting the branch’s actions to the main alliance. In Gamsan City, far from the main alliance, it wasn’t unusual for the branch and the secret advisor to collaborate.

“The Wang brothers have five hiding places and move between them irregularly. I know there are five, but I haven’t identified all of them. It seems your son is hidden in one of them, but he wasn’t in the three I’ve identified so far.”

“Hmm... So you don’t know where the Wang brothers are now...”

A small spark flickered behind the curtain, suggesting the woman had taken a puff of her pipe. She exhaled and continued.

“No, that’s not true. Today, Wang Sam led the Huilong Sect forces and found one of their hiding places. They’ve been there for less than a day, so they should still be there. They must be surprised by the sudden actions of the alliance and are likely gathering all their forces at the hideout.”

“All their forces? How many large organizations do they control? Even if half of them survived, and we exclude those already captured, there must be over a hundred. They wouldn’t gather such a large number in one place and make themselves visible, would they?”

“From what I’ve confirmed just now, that’s what’s happening. I don’t know their thoughts, but that’s the visible movement.”

Gal Jibjang frowned but didn’t ask any more questions. There was nothing more to ask about the visible movement.

“...I see. Then tell me the location.”

“Go to the food market. Enter the alley between Huangxian Pavilion and Jeyang Tower, and you’ll find a small house. The basement of that house is larger than the combined space of Huangxian Pavilion and Jeyang Tower.”

“Huangxian Pavilion, Jeyang Tower. I know where it is. Thank you. If the branch and this place continue to collaborate well, we can maintain peace in Gamsan.”

Gal Jibjang bowed and turned to leave. But at that moment, Jang Geon took a step towards the curtain.

“You know me, don’t you?”

Gal Jibjang, who was about to leave, looked confused, alternating his gaze between Jang Geon and the curtain. The woman behind the curtain took a long puff of her pipe and exhaled deeply.

“I can’t not know. Weren’t you the warrior who provoked the Black Blood Sect at Taipinglou a few days ago?”

“No, not that.”

Jang Geon’s eyes pierced through the hazy curtain, looking beyond it.

“What was your name then? Jian Zhongchan?”

“...Oh. Branch Leader? Shall you go down first?”

Gal Jibjang frowned at this but then left the room with a resigned expression. As he went down the stairs, Jang Geon and the woman behind the curtain remained silent for a moment.

Finally, as Gal Jibjang’s footsteps faded, the woman spoke first.

“It seems the Branch Leader believes his son is definitely dead. After all, he loved his son very much.”

“The gangsters knew that, which is why they kidnapped him.”

The woman, hearing Jang Geon’s blunt answer, remained silent for a moment, then slowly got up from her reclined position and walked towards