The Start Of The Cleanup (2)

“Heh.”

Yeom Hang shook his head.

“The more I think about it, the stranger it is. What do you think?”

Gu Hee gave a wry smile.

“It was sudden, but Lady Seol has no reason to lie to us.”

“Granted… but the Lee brothers of Mighty Tiger. That is far too out of the blue.”

It seemed Yeom Hang could not easily believe Seol So-ha’s words.

‘Understandable.’

Aside from the suddenness, Gu Hee had to admit Seol So-ha’s response was very resolute.

Just last night she had been one pole of the conflict among the heirs of the Eight Houses. Yet the very next day she sent invitations and gathered those present.

It was an action easy to misread in many ways. Seol So-ha would know that, and still she made the meeting, which proved how decisive she was.

‘So the rumors that the Flower of the White Sword had only looks and would fade quickly like her forebears were all empty talk.’

Everyone who should know knows the Seol Clan’s true line dies young.

If it were one or two it would be different, but since it is most of them, it must be a matter of their bloodline. Seol So-ha would hardly escape that fate.

‘A flower that falls quickly can be said to be more beautiful because it falls quickly.’

Whatever the case, she felt she had seen a new side of her.

“To be honest, I am not sure. I may need to tell my uncle.”

Yeom Hang had come to the Radiant Sword Festival with his uncle, the Black Bamboo Fort Lord’s younger brother.

Gu Hee spoke calmly.

“You should report it to him first. Lady Seol even mentioned the Investigation and Defense Court’s Chief Constable.”

Yeom Hang nodded.

“You are right. Because it was sudden, I was ignoring something I should not ignore. If even the Chief Constable is involved, it is likely no lie.”

“Yes.”

“I will go on ahead. See you tomorrow.”

“Take care of yourself now that you have reached the main round.”

“Right, thank you.”

Parting from Yeom Hang, Gu Hee looked up at the sky a moment.

‘Mighty Tiger… Mighty Tiger.’

A name that should not be heard and need not be heard kept returning.

This was not good. She did not know much, yet she knew it was bad for the already vanished name, ‘Mighty Tiger’, to surface again.

‘Whatever it is, it is not for me to judge.’

In the end there was nothing to do but tell her father.

Past the crowds and outside the festival grounds, the Abundant Prosperity Guild had set up a base about two and a half kilometers to the northeast, and the building held many warriors. The Guild Master had come with his children, so the number of attendants was naturally large.

“Young Lady.”

The warriors saluted Gu Hee.

“Where is Father?”

“In his room.”

Gu Hee quickly ascended to the top floor.

“You have come.”

“Father.”

Gu Yong-seon was drinking tea with his second son Gu Hyeon and youngest daughter Gu Yeo-eum.

“You came sooner than I thought.”

“Yes.”

His eyes flashed. Something unusual filled his reliable daughter’s face.

“So why did the Seol Clan’s eldest daughter call you?”

Bowing her head, Gu Hee relayed what she had heard.

After a moment,

“W, what did you say?”

Gu Hyeon and Gu Yeo-eum were startled.

“Are you saying that a Chief Constable of the Investigation and Defense Court has stepped in on this matter?”

Gu Hee nodded in silence.

Unease he could not hide filled Gu Hyeon’s face.

“Father, if that is true, this is serious.”

Gu Yong-seon stroked his chin without a word.

Gu Hyeon grimaced and spoke.

“I was feeling uneasy about all this, and as expected, the Lee brothers created a mess after all. How could they make such a mistake when they brought so many masters…”

“Calm yourself.”

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

After calming his son, Gu Yong-seon tilted his head.

“I had found it odd that they had not contacted us. So this means that they have already tried to attack them and failed?”

“That’s how it seems. Otherwise the two would hardly know of the Lee brothers’ presence.”

“Yes, that makes sense.”

Thinking again, Gu Yong-seon asked Gu Hee,

“What do you think?”

“Setting aside my initial surprise, I think it is not something we can let pass.”

“That goes without saying.”

“As I said, it appears true that the Lee brothers attacked Seol So-ha and Jin-hyeon and failed.”

“So it seems.”

“What puzzles me is the Investigation and Defense Court stepping in. It is true that after the bribery scandal their discipline has grown very strict. Their intelligence is truly formidable. Yet the sudden mention of Chief Constable is odd.”

“It’s Lee An.”

“Huh?”

After wetting his throat with tea, Gu Yong-seon spoke.

“When the Mighty Tiger affair was resolved, Seo Jong-dam happened to be on leave and intervened. Seo Jong-dam is sworn brothers with Seol Hong-baek. And Lee An is a veteran who went through fire and water with Seo Jong-dam. There is a point of contact.”

“!”

“Did Seol So-ha specify whether it was the Left or Right Chief Constable?”

“She did not.”

Gu Yong-seon’s gaze deepened.

“If she’s lying, she is decidedly crafty. Without naming which Chief Constable it was, those involved must worry which of the two is moving.”

“That raises a question.”

Gu Hee’s expression had clearly hardened.

“Would any of the Chief Constables tell such a thing to Seol So-ha directly?”

“If the Chief Constables truly believed the Lee brothers are targeting the heirs of the Eight Houses, they could indeed send word of it. However…”

“…”

“Whether there was any need to entrust that to Seol So-ha is another matter. If they know the brothers are targeting the heirs of the Eight Houses and that one of the Eight Houses joined hands with them, they might handle it quietly while accepting some sacrifice.”

Then Gu Yeo-eum shook her head.

“I do not think so.”

“What do you think?”

“The Chief Constable is a high post, but they’re not the head of the Investigation and Defense Court. If they do not prepare measures for the heirs of the Eight Houses in this operation, they could be blamed later for mishandling things even if they catch the Lee brothers.”

“In short, you’re saying that it is not strange for the Chief Constable to have told Seol So-ha to pass the word?”

“That’s what I think. Lives are at stake here. The Investigation and Defense Court had failed to see through the Mighty Tiger affair. This time they will want to handle it properly.”

Gu Yong-seon was pleased that his youngest daughter showed such discernment at her age.

Gu Yeo-eum continued,

“Moreover, if it is the Left Chief Constable, I can understand why he would tell Seol So-ha separately. She was directly attacked by the Lee brothers, and the Left Chief Constable and the Seol clan are connected through the great Seo Jong-dam.”

“Hmm.”

“I can actually understand why she didn’t specify if it was the Left or Right Constable. If she was to name the Left Constable, the Seol Clan could be misunderstood as cultivating ties with the Investigation and Defense Court’s number three.”

Gu Yong-seon looked to Gu Hee and asked.

“What do you think?”

After a moment’s thought, Gu Hee sighed.

“The youngest has a point.”

“Mm.”

“Frankly, for anyone not involved, there is no reason not to believe Seol So-ha.”

She meant that they might be overthinking it because they were entangled with this situation.

For the first time, Gu Yong-seon’s face twisted.

“Then we must accept it as fact that the Investigation and Defense Court is moving.”

Swallowing, Gu Hyeon said,

“Isn’t that a big problem for us? If the Investigation and Defense Court has approached the truth and arrests the Lee brothers to investigate as Seol So-ha said…”

“But something bothers me as well.”

All looked to Gu Yeo-eum.

Frowning, she said,

“Is it not strange? The Chief Constable knows the brothers joined hands with one of the Eight Houses. If Seol So-ha passes this on, the House that joined them will inevitably realize their plan has gone wrong in advance.”

“!”

Gu Hyeon’s face stiffened.

Gu Yong-seon nodded.

“Yes, I can’t help but keep thinking about that too.”

“From the Chief Constable’s position, before a culprit is confirmed, he has provided public information to those possibly belonging to the culprit. What does that imply?”

“That this is a trap to make them move rashly… is one way to read it.”

“It is also hard to rule out that this is a trap.”

Then Gu Hee shook her head.

“There is one thing I didn’t say.”

“What is it?”

“The Cheongyang Association and Divine Spear House were not invited today.”

“What?”

“Jin-hyeon said his ruckus yesterday was to sound out the Cheongyang Association. And according to Seol So-ha, though she cannot be certain, it is hard to rule out the Cheongyang Association as the culprit.”

That made the situation delicate again.

Gu Yeo-eum frowned.

“So the Cheongyang Association were not invited because they’re being strongly suspected as the collaborators?”

“She did not say so outright.”

“And the Divine Spear House…?”

“It would have been awkward to send them a letter. Given how Song Geon behaved there, it would be hard for Seol So-ha to treat him amicably.”

“Even so, her statement is vague. More precisely, the Chief Constable’s statement. If he has indeed set a trap, then not only is he using Seol So-ha but he also arranged things in a way that was far too careless.”

Then Gu Yong-seon spoke with a sigh.

“It’s a no-way-out bind.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know what the Chief Constable intends, but if this is a trap, we’re in a bind.”

“Why is that?”

“Right now we can be certain of no information. The Chief Constable knows too much for us to sit idle, yet if we move rashly we invite suspicion.”

“!!”

“The worst is to tremble with only possibilities and no certainty. We can do neither this nor that, and even when matters end we will not know how to respond. What is that if not a bind?”

Gu Hee and Gu Yeo-eum turned pale.

Gu Hyeon ground his teeth.

“We must act.”

“Why do you think so?”

“If we seize the Lee brothers before the Investigation and Defense Court, we gain an escape route. If we stay idle and the Investigation and Defense Court catches them first, we’ll be dragged along having done nothing.”

“But…”

“If we are caught moving, we explain that as people of the Murim, we couldn’t stand by doing nothing. With kidnappers aiming for the heirs of the Eight Houses rampaging, we should be joining forces instead of waiting. We press that hard.”

He was no paragon of wit, yet at times he offered usable counsel.

In a strong tone, Gu Hyeon said,

“I will lead the warriors. It is common for a hot-blooded youth to make a move.”

Cautiously, Gu Hee said,

“Brother’s point has merit, Father.”

After a brief thought, Gu Yong-seon spoke dryly,

“We should contact the Divine Spear Patriarch as well. We cannot keep it to ourselves. If we move, it is better to move together.”

“That seems best.”

“However, the lack of information still hinders us. We have no operatives to deploy, and as a covert matter, nearby constables will hardly know.”

“Then…?”

“We’ll make our move when we see the Investigation and Defense Court’s elite constables and the Lee brothers. For that we’ll need eyes.”

Gu Yong-seon’s eyes flashed.

“We’ll buy the Black Society’s eyes.”