Chapter 21

## Chapter 21. The Expert's Help

At my words, Cheoncheon looked at me with a blank expression and repeated, "You want the will?"

"Yes. In exchange for quietly covering up this incident and eliminating the side effects of the Blood Wolf Martial Art."

"..."

"Surely you haven't already torn it up or burned it, have you?"

That would complicate things...

Fortunately, Cheoncheon shook his head. It seemed the will was hidden somewhere safe.

Then, with a serious expression, Cheoncheon shook his head again.

"I have no intention of revealing the contents of the will. Rather than expose the fact that he is my biological father, I'd rather die..."

"Tsk tsk. Why are you so naive?"

"Naive? What do you mean by that?"

I clicked my tongue and asked Cheoncheon, "Is your name written exactly in the will?"

"...No. He wrote it as 'Hucheon,' using his surname. He wrote that he would leave all his assets to Hucheon..."

Clap!

I clapped my hands and said with a bright smile, "Really? Then that's even better."

"What's better! He changed the surname I inherited from my mother..."

Misunderstanding my words, Cheoncheon looked indignant and pressed me.

But that wasn't what I meant.

"Your name is Cheoncheon, right? And it says Hucheon in there, doesn't it?"

"...So what?"

Hehe.

I couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from curling up. The plan forming in my mind was becoming clearer and clearer.

"Actually, it doesn't matter if it says Cheoncheon. There are plenty of people with the same name in the world."

"You can't be serious..."

Cheoncheon isn't that stupid. He caught on to my plan and asked, "You want to impersonate me and claim that man's inheritance?"

Exactly.

I planned to become the 'Hucheon' mentioned in the will and claim the inheritance that the rightful heir had given up.

"It's not that difficult. All I need is a seal and a mask."

"...Forging an identity isn't as easy as you make it sound. And if a stranger suddenly appears claiming the inheritance, they won't believe it easily. They'll definitely investigate..."

The 'they' Cheoncheon referred to were Madam Sun, the owner of the Red Flower Pavilion, and her bodyguard, Bokmanchun.

The prime suspects in the murder of the old man and the two people closest to him.

To take the inheritance without any trouble, I needed to deceive them.

But I had a plan for them too, right in front of me.

"What a pain. Who are you?"

"Me? If you suddenly ask who I am..."

Cheoncheon bowed his head and fell into deep thought.

I smacked his head, pulling him out of his unnecessary musings.

He looked at me with a hurt expression.

"Who asks about the essence of human existence? What's your job?"

"...Podo, Podo."

Cheoncheon answered hesitantly, but I was very pleased with his answer.

That's right. Cheoncheon's job is a Podo.

While martial artists often look down on Podos for their lack of martial skills, the value of a Podo lies elsewhere.

"He's a state official who passed the military examination."

"..."

The highest-ranking official in charge of law enforcement in the government office where Cheoncheon works is the Podo Captain.

Under him are several Podo Lieutenants, and then the Podos.

It might seem like a low-ranking position, but Podos are the ones who actually investigate crimes and catch criminals on the ground, leading a team of dozens of constables.

'In other words, they are the ones who enforce the law in the city.'

The old man initially called Cheoncheon to offer a bribe but realized he looked just like him.

So, to the point,

"Getting a new seal made. It's not that difficult, right?"

"..."

A Podo in a major city like Nanchang would have a significant network, regardless of how clean he had been before killing the old man.

"My identity can be vouched for by you."

"..."

If Cheoncheon accepted my proposal, he would become my accomplice.

From the moment he exposed himself as the culprit to me, he was already in a position where he couldn't move. But now, we would be a community of fate.

"Make your choice."

I didn't give Cheoncheon time to think.

"Do you want to cover up this incident and treat the side effects of the Blood Wolf Martial Art? Or..."

I smiled coldly and continued, "Do you want all your secrets to be exposed, be dragged to the Martial Alliance, and be tortured to death, even making up false memories about the man who gave you the martial art?"

"...There's only one choice, isn't there."

Cheoncheon looked at me with a pale face and slowly nodded.

* * *

At the top floor of the Red Flower Pavilion.

Madam Sun stroked the jewels and gold ingots in her safe and smiled contentedly.

"So beautiful. Truly beautiful."

She had seen many beautiful men and women in her life, but they all aged and withered over time.

But gold and jewels never aged, never changed, and never betrayed her.

That's why she couldn't help but love them.

'They're all mine. This Red Flower Pavilion, and that old man's inheritance!'

Thinking of the old man's face, Madam Sun's expression turned vicious.

'A snake of a man. He got what he deserved. He got what he deserved.'

She had been his concubine for over thirty years.

The hardships she endured were extreme.

She had been beaten many times and suffered countless humiliations she didn't even want to remember.

When the old man aged and became a bit more docile, and his mind started to wander, things improved a little, but the deep-seated resentment only grew deeper, never fading.

Crack.

"...If that foolish son of his hadn't killed him, I would have done it myself someday."

But she wouldn't have made a scene like Huiyi.

It could have been done quietly, with just a drop of poison in a wine glass.

'I wanted to see his face contort in pain before he died...'

That was a pity, but perhaps it was better that her hands remained clean.

Hugging the gold and jewels with both arms, she muttered to herself.

"...Now I just need to find the will."

The old man's only son, Huiyi, was dead (she didn't care how many illegitimate children there were).

The old man, who was born an orphan, had no other blood relatives. His wife had died long ago.

So, there was no legitimate heir to his estate.

That's why she had to find the will.

If she couldn't find it, she would have to forge it.

'If I can't find a match for the handwriting and seal, I can just bribe the officials and bring the prettiest girls to their side...'

Men are always weak for women and money.

Manipulating such people would be easier than turning a palm for someone who runs one of the top ten brothels in Nanchang.

"Hehehe!"

Madam Sun felt elated, already imagining herself in possession of the old man's wealth.

Until Podo Cheoncheon came to see her, that is.

Cheoncheon came with Bokmanchun, the old man's bodyguard, and a man she had never seen before.

Feeling uneasy, Madam Sun asked, "What brings you here?"

"Could you please clear the room?"

Following Cheoncheon's request, everyone left, leaving only Cheoncheon, Madam Sun, Bokmanchun, and the stranger.

Cheoncheon, with his usual expressionless face, delivered a shocking announcement.

"I found the will left by the old man."

"Huh?"

"What?"

Bokmanchun, who had come with them but hadn't heard this before, jumped up from his seat.

Cheoncheon gestured for him to sit down and continued.

His expression was particularly stiff today.

"Since the two of you were closely related to the victim, I thought it best to inform you first, which is why I arranged this separate meeting."

At that moment, Madam Sun felt her heart sink.

'Of all people, why did the tight-lipped Podo Cheoncheon find the will...'

If the old man had written something unnecessary in it, it could cause problems.

She had a bad feeling about it.

"Suddenly, a will..."

Bokmanchun was equally bewildered.

As a hired bodyguard, he was now effectively unemployed after the old man's death.

The contents of the will could determine his future.

Then Bokmanchun's gaze shifted to the young man standing next to Cheoncheon.

"Who is this person? Should he be here to hear this..."

"He is the heir mentioned in the will."

"What?"

"What?"

The two of them screamed and stared at the man.

The young man, like Cheoncheon, had a blank expression.

He was tall, with a colder and more chilling demeanor than Cheoncheon.

"Nice to meet you."

The young man bowed slightly and said, "My name is Hucheon. I have my father's will."

* * *

Cheoncheon summarized the contents of the will.

It stated that the old man would leave all his assets to his son, 'Hucheon.'

"Nonsense!"

Madam Sun's face turned red and she jumped up from her seat.

"I can't accept this! A man I've never seen before is his son!"

As expected.

Madam Sun had no intention of giving up the Red Flower Pavilion. Bokman