Episode 118

Slap!

A clear and sharp sound echoed from Jun Myung’s head.

“Stupid fool!”

“Ah, r-right. That couldn’t be. Hehe.”

Dam Hyun burst into anger, and Jun Myung awkwardly scratched his head.

Dam Hyun’s hand seemed to hurt more than the smack he had given to Jun Myung.

Yi-gang, who was standing nearby, chuckled.

“Surely, even if Senior Brother Dam Hyun’s temper isn’t great, he wouldn’t skin someone’s face off.”

“Eh? Ah… actually, it wasn’t Senior Dam Hyun but Senior Yi-gang who…”

This time, Yi-gang smacked Jun Myung on the head.

Dam Hyun chuckled beside them.

“Ouch!”

“You’re ungrateful after all I’ve done for you.”

“He-hehe…”

Until then, Flowing Cloud Flying Dragon and Lightning Flash, who had been rolling their eyes, finally realized it was a joke when Jun Myung laughed.

“I only thought that for a moment, just for a moment.”

Of course, it seemed like it wasn’t entirely a joke.

The eyes of the next-generation successors sparkled with curiosity this time.

Yi-gang, who appeared to be of similar age as the third-generation disciples, was being called “Senior.”

“I am Zhongnan’s Flowing Cloud Flying Dragon, Lee Jae-il.”

“I’m Diancang’s Lightning Flash, Yu Tae-jin. By any chance, are you…?”

As they introduced themselves with a formal bow, Yi-gang also responded with a bow, “I am Baek Yi-gang, currently misunderstood as a suspect.”

“Ahaha… I made a mistake earlier. The officer conveyed the message incorrectly.”

Lee Jae-il, who had shouted at first upon hearing that a witness and suspect were coming, laughed awkwardly.

Yu Tae-jin, standing beside him, still had a curious expression.

“By any chance, are you from the Baek Noble Clan…?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“Then you are the son of the Iron Blood Merciless Baek Ryu-san…”

“Yes, he is my father.”

“Ah…!”

Yu Tae-jin’s expression became complex. Lee Jae-il, who had been silent, also exclaimed as if surprised.

“So, it’s true that the eldest son of the Baek Noble Clan joined the Azure Forest!”

“It’s been just under five years.”

“To leave your own clan and join another sect… You must have faced many hardships.”

The remark about enduring hardships was oddly phrased.

“Did you come to participate in the Dragon-Phoenix Conference?”

“Yes, I’m not participating directly, but I came to lead my juniors.”

“Then, your younger brother, Baek Ha-jun, must be participating in the Seven Stars Conference.”

“Do you know Ha-jun?”

“How could I not know the Iron-Blood Genius? It’s a well-known story that the Left Guardian of the Murim Alliance, who visited the Baek Noble Clan, named Baek Ha-jun’s swordsmanship and bestowed him with that title.”

“Iron-Blood Genius…?”

Yi-gang had a look of disbelief.

Iron-Blood Genius? Was it a title passed down from his father, known as the Merciless Iron Blood?

It was true that Baek Ha-jun was a genius with the sword. Among the rising stars, it was rare to find a sword genius surpassing Baek Ha-jun. Yi-gang was certain of this.

But he couldn’t understand the word attached to it.

‘Iron-Blood…? That clueless guy?’

Ha-jun was indeed known for his minimal emotional expression and his extremely rational demeanor.

However, the Baek Ha-jun that Yi-gang remembered was still just a clueless kid.

“That’s quite an ill-fitting title.”

“Haha… Is that so?”

Yi-gang himself didn’t realize he was judging based on his standards from nearly five years ago, and very much from an older brother’s perspective.

Then, Jin Ri-yeon chimed in, “Anyway. Now seems like the time to focus on the current matter.”

“Ah, right.”

She was correct.

They had gathered in this old inn by the order of the governor.

It was a forceful approach, expecting the martial artists to put their heads together and achieve some results.

It was all due to the anger of the fearsome Henan Province governor that could even frighten birds away.

Yi-gang listened to what Jin Ri-yeon had found out and the process so far.

Yi-gang also explained what happened in Yanling County. Of course, considering the next-generation successors behind him, he omitted anything related to the Low Down Sect.

“First of all, I’m curious about the purpose of that fiend.”

“It’s important to know why he skinned people’s faces.”

As Jin Ri-yeon and Yi-gang murmured this, Flowing Cloud Flying Dragon joined the conversation.

“A perverted murderer, perhaps.”

“A perverted murderer?”

“Among the fiends, there are those whose nature is twisted, suffering from perversion. Could it be someone who gets excited by the act of skinning people’s faces?”

“Hmm… That could be possible.”

It’s not a helpful thought, Jin Ri-yeon thought to herself but held back saying it. If they assumed that, the case would only become more of a mystery.

How could they catch someone who got excited by such acts and skinned anyone’s face?

Lightning Flash Yu Tae-jin interjected with confidence, “It must be a skin mask maker.”

“I did think about that.”

“The only thing you can do with skinned faces is make a human skin mask and wear it. In my opinion, it could be an organized move by an unorthodox sect.”

It seemed like a rational opinion at first glance. It was better than Lee Jae-il’s, which is why Yu Tae-jin was so confident.

However, Jin Ri-yeon looked disappointed.

“Did I say something wrong?”

Yi-gang interjected softly, “It couldn’t be a skin mask maker.”

Yu Tae-jin frowned and turned to look at Yi-gang.

However, Yi-gang’s expression was not one of mockery or arrogance towards Yu Tae-jin.

It was more like he was evaluating the junior’s half-baked reasoning, much like Jin Ri-yeon would.

“Why do you say that?” Yu Tae-jin asked, irritated by his expression.

Yi-gang answered as if it were obvious, “If they were making a skin mask, they would have hidden the bodies.”

“…Ah.”

Even the death of the Three Virtues Sword Hero had quickly spread rumors throughout the entirety of Kaifeng. If someone appeared wearing a mask made from the Three Virtues Sword Hero’s skin, they would immediately become a public enemy of Murim.

Realizing his mistake, Yu Tae-jin’s face turned red.

Fortunately, at that moment, the door swung open. The officers had saved him.

“Follow me. I’ll take you to the scene.”

Yu Tae-jin was the first to follow Head Officer Jang.

The group also left the room with slightly tense expressions.

Having looked away from the corpse, Yi-gang asked Head Officer Jang, “Was it the owner who was attacked?”

“Not exactly the owner, but he had passed the inn to his nephew. The nephew has been handling the actual operations.”

“It was also the nephew who discovered the body and reported it to the authorities.”

“They are investigating downstairs right now.”

Yi-gang surveyed the room.

As old as the inn was, the rooms used by the owner’s family were also aged.

The corpse lay in the middle of the room, its face skinned like the others.

However, there was something unusual.

“This victim is a bit different from the others.”

“Some of the facial skin was left. Dead all the same, though.”

Like before, the corpse lay in a pool of its own blood.

But unlike the previous cases where the face was completely skinned, this time the skin on the right cheek and jaw was left intact.

It was as if someone had harshly torn off the face, starting from the left cheek.

“Ugh.”

“How horrible.”

Jin Ri-yeon was somewhat composed, but the rest of the group was not.

Even the third-generation disciples and the previously arrogant next-generation successors turned pale.

Only Yi-gang inspected the corpse and rummaged around the room without feeling queasy.

Head Officer Jang quietly asked Jin Ri-yeon, “He’s your junior brother, I heard.”

“Yes.”

“He remains calm even after seeing the body.”

His expression seemed to question why Yi-gang was leading instead of Jin Ri-yeon, but she quietly acquiesced.

Yi-gang, unconcerned, suddenly stood up and knocked on the wall beside the room.

Thump, thump—

The wall was thin.

“It seems there’s another room next door.”

“That room is occupied by the nephew and his spouse, the innkeepers.”

“Why did the family in this room come to live with the nephew?”

“The inn’s owner explained that they used to run another inn which was lost in a fire. He came here after losing his family.”

“…That’s tragic.”

Yi-gang paused for a moment, then nodded.

「Poor guy,」 the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon muttered. She had come out of Yi-gang’s ring and was looking around the room.

Yi-gang whispered to the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon, ‘I need to ask a favor.’

「Did you find out something?」

‘Not yet, but I need to check.’

The Blue-Eyed Mad Demon, looking puzzled but intrigued, nodded in response to Yi-gang’s request.

Yi-gang surveyed the room again and walked towards the open window, looking down below.

It was only the second floor, so it would have been easy to jump down.

“Was the window open from the beginning?”

“Yes. The door was locked, so if the person didn’t have the key, they must have escaped through the window.”

Yi-gang nodded, then turned his attention to a desk and chair where the victim might have sat.

His eyes sparkled.

“They use expensive candles in the lamp. There’s a writing brush. The inn is old, but…”

The furnishings were high quality.

But what did that have to do with anything?

Head Officer Jang was gradually losing his patience.

Yi-gang continued to move around, examining even seemingly insignificant things.

He gathered the dry dust on the table into a clump, then blew it away with a puff.

“The wind is blowing.”

“That’s because the window is open. What about it?”

Someone chuckled at that irritated tone.

It was Lee Jae-il. As everyone’s attention turned to him, he waved his hand with a grin.

“…Ah, my apologies.”

“Why did you laugh?” Yu Su-rin boldly asked.

Lee Jae-il wasn’t flustered and replied, “It reminded me of a street novel I read a long time ago.”

“A novel?”

“It was a miscellany, titled <Detective Adventures>. It’s about a naive young man chasing a murderer. It just came to mind.”

Whether such a novel really existed was unknown, but his intention was clear.

He was comparing Yi-gang, who appeared to know what he was doing, to the naive young man in the story.

In other words, it was a roundabout way of insulting him.

Only Jun Myung, who failed to grasp the metaphor, interjected nonchalantly, “Senior Yi-gang is quite smart.”

“They say being born with meridian blockage endows one with exceptional intelligence. I’m looking forward to it.”

It was a look of utter disinterest.

Jin Ri-yeon frowned, and Yu Su-rin and Son Hee-il also had reactions that showed their displeasure.

But since they couldn’t come up with anything to say in response and couldn’t start a fight either, they remained silent.

Of course, there was someone here who didn’t care about such things.

“That rude brat. What an attitude,” Dam Hyun, who had been crossing his arms, muttered with a tired look in his eyes.

For Lee Jae-il, it was a phrase he had never heard in his life.

“W-what? What does that mean…!”

However, he couldn’t stay angry to the end.

“That’s enough,” Yi-gang said so and stood up.

“We’re done here. Let’s go outside.”

Head Officer Jang looked baffled.

“…It seems you don’t understand. The governor has given a strict order. Until the fiend is caught, you all must continue to cooperate with the investigation here.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“You must take this seriously!”

“I have discovered the identity of the fiend.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

Head Officer Jang stopped in his tracks.

The others also looked at Yi-gang in disbelief.

Yi-gang, unconcerned, opened the door and stepped out.

He leaned on the railing that overlooked the first floor.

Head Officer Jang hurriedly followed.

“What do you mean by that! You discovered the identity of the fiend. Based on what!”

“When I came in, I saw many people gathered in the inn. Those wearing official robes are investigators, and there are associates too.”

“…The situation is serious.”

“It seems the Grand Coordinator takes this case very seriously.”

“…”

“Grand Coordinator!” Yi-gang suddenly shouted this, causing everyone below to look up in unison.

Head Officer Jang was startled, but Yi-gang immediately shouted, “I have found the fiend.”

“How reckless!” an investigator in official robes scolded with a fan in hand.

But then, an elderly man in plain clothes gently pushed the investigator’s shoulder.

The investigator quickly bowed and stepped back.

“Even knowing I am here, you dare to look down from above.”

Despite being elderly, his voice rang out sharply.

“My apologies. It was urgent.”

And then, Yi-gang leaped off the railing.

The people below were startled, but the elderly man stood calmly.

Yi-gang landed softly, making no sound at all.

Even the officers admired his perfect secret art of light footwork.

The elderly man, with Yi-gang kneeling on one knee before him, commanded, “You say you’ve found the fiend. Explain.”

“The body is upstairs.”

“…What?”

The Governor of Henan Province, who had come incognito, hardened his expression.

“The owner of this inn was the fiend who skinned people’s faces. He has… taken his own life.”

“You wretch—!”

The moment the governor shouted, the officers simultaneously pointed their spears and swords at Yi-gang.

“If you do not provide a satisfactory explanation, I will take it as an insult to me.”

Amidst that mountain of blades and forest of swords, Yi-gang calmly opened his mouth.