What Do I Even Know? (1)

It had already been four days since Wang Sa-pyeong had gone to the palace.

For some reason, he still hadn’t returned.

What on earth was happening over there?

Yu Jinsan was curious, but for now, there was nothing to do but wait.

“Another dead end today.”

Yu Jinsan had been guarding the prison at the Kaifeng administration for days.

They had expected the Blue Dragon Troops to break the unit leader out, but there had been no sign of anything.

The dull stretch of time continued.

Cheers could be heard approaching from somewhere.

“As expected, you’re amazing!”

“Haha! I knew you’d pull it off.”

“They said you’re the rising comet of the rivers and lakes; just as the rumors said, you’re truly the best.”

A group of constables were walking toward them.

They kept flattering someone incessantly.

At the center was the granddaughter, clutching a bloodstained club.

Yu Jinsan hurried over and asked.

“What happened?”

Yu Seol pointed the end of the club toward the rear.

“I caught him. Five silver coins.”

From the rear, someone with a swollen face was being dragged along, bound.

He wore the official robes of a county magistrate, with nothing particularly notable about him.

That left two possibilities: he either hadn’t practiced martial arts, or he had reached the stage of returning to simplicity where his qi had withdrawn inwardly without giving them any indication.

If he were a Blue Dragon Troops member, it would be the latter.

“How did you find him?”

Yu Seol covered her eyes with her index and middle fingers, then extended them the other way and said.

“You can’t fool my eyes. He was hiding in the storage room.”

Yu Jinsan scanned him once more.

Normally he’d be flustered or terrified, but he reacted as if the situation didn’t scare him at all.

“Good work. Seems like it’s certain.”

He hadn’t expected they could catch a Blue Dragon Troops member this way.

To actually bring in someone arrested—he couldn’t help but be surprised.

Head Guard Jang-ho bowed to Yu Jinsan and said.

“We’ll lock him up first; if you wish, you can meet him separately.”

“Do so. We’ll have a talk later.”

Yu Jinsan, nodding, suddenly looked to the right.

Someone was running over there out of breath.

“Head Guard!”

“What? What’s the matter?”

He was a constable from another squad.

Catching his breath, he spoke urgently.

“We need backup. We found a suspicious group and there’s trouble.”

“Are they saying there’s a brawl?”

“Yes. It’s about to turn into one, and we think we might be pushed back.”

“What kind of bastards dare resist the public authority? Lead the way!”

No sooner had they returned than they were dispatched again.

Everyone except the two constables heading to the jail and Yu Seol began running after him.

Yu Seol, who hadn’t left yet, patted her grandfather’s shoulder as if to reassure him.

“Grandpa, I’ll be back. I’ll make some money, so keep watch well.”

Yu Jinsan couldn’t answer.

He couldn’t say why, but his mind suddenly felt muddled.

At that moment, his granddaughter caught his eye and nodded once with a serious look.

Then she turned and vanished like a lightning strike.

Left alone, Yu Jinsan stared blankly at his granddaughter’s receding figure.

“…What is this? This uneasy feeling?”

It was an estate located on the outskirts of Kaifeng.

Wagons and stacked cargo everywhere marked it as an escort service.

At the entrance, two groups were engaged in a scuffle.

They were Kaifeng administration officials trying to enter and the border guards who were stopping them.

The border guards vastly outnumbered them, so it looked hard for the officials to get in.

“Why are you suddenly trying to search our courier station?”

“We received a tip. We’ll check quickly and be done, so please cooperate.”

“If there’s an accusation, at least tell us! Isn’t this a bit much?!”

Neither side would give an inch.

At that moment, Head Guard Jang-ho arrived on the scene, brandishing his club.

“Everyone, stop!”

The newcomers numbered six in total — including Yu Seol.

They were fewer in number, but brimming with confidence.

The officials looked expectantly at one spot.

“You’re here!”

“It’s those guys.”

“Please clear a path, Great Warrior.”

She was a girl about chest-high to an adult.

In her left hand, she held the constable badge issued by the Kaifeng administration; in her right, a bloodstained club.

There was an inexplicable weight to her presence as she strode forward with long hair flying.

“Here?”

Jang-ho murmured as he stretched out his palm.

“Yes. Just open the way; we’ll handle the rest.”

Although he was a superior, he bowed to the junior.

But nobody found that odd.

Yu Seol glanced over the border guards and nodded once.

“Everyone, wait here. Understood?”

At that moment, an intangible aura burst from Yu Seol’s whole body.

It was like a volcanic eruption, overwhelmingly powerful.

Whoosh!

Dozens of officials surrounding them stepped back at once.

The stifling pressure chilled the air around them.

When everyone fell silent as if a mouse had been killed,

Head Guard Yang-jeong, who had been here earlier, lifted his club.

“E-everyone, step back!”

Everyone moved far to one side.

Yu Seol then slipped through them and walked slowly.

How could the border guard of a single courier station withstand the force of the Profound Realm?

Those guarding the entrance stepped aside left and right as if a wave had parted.

Everyone’s gaze was fixed on Yu Seol’s face.

For she was smiling silently.

A smile in this situation—it sent chills down their spines.

Even her comrades looked frozen, as if gooseflesh had risen.

One step. And another.

Thus Yu Seol began to walk slowly toward the main building, which had three stories.

She lightly raised her left hand and the pavilion doors opened by themselves.

Yu Seol entered alone and shut the door.

A quick glance revealed a dozen or so men and women blinking—likely the stationmaster and the escort service’s officers.

A silence stretched for a moment.

As another breath passed,

Yu Seol, who had been quietly smiling, suddenly spread her arms and lunged.

“Mister Pung-ho!”

The middle-aged man in the center scooped Yu Seol up.

“Oh my! Our Seol, why have you gotten so heavy? You’re a full lady now.”

Yu Seol realized the moment she reached the estate entrance.

How could she not remember?

The Black Night Clan’s Pung-ho, disguised under the sign of the Seol Mountain Courier Service.

“Heeheehee. I missed you, Uncle. Hello to my sisters too!”

The women around came over, touching her and giggling.

“Oh, Seol, how long has it been?”

“When did you become so much prettier?”

“Look at your hair. It’s so soft.”

Outside the pavilion, tension choked the air, but inside the main building, laughter filled the place.

“I heard you met Aunt Hyeon-hee too. I heard about it.”

“Yes. I hugged Yeop too. Heehee.”

Pung-ho gently set Yu Seol down and asked.

“By the way, I heard you’re staying at the Kaifeng administration with the elder? Why didn’t you come visit sooner?”

True to the Black Night Clan’s intelligence work, they had already learned the details.

They simply hadn’t risked a meeting while the city was in upheaval.

“Grandpa told me to wait until things settled. But what’s going on outside?”

The Kaifeng administration’s mission was to root out disguised Blue Dragon Troops members.

So why had the officials come to the Black Night Clan? It made no sense.

“Mister doesn’t know either. We were in a bind thinking there was a misunderstanding, and we never imagined you’d come.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”

Pung-ho smiled and patted Yu Seol’s head.

“Mister here thinks his niece is the most dependable in the world. Want to stay for a meal?”

“No, next time I’ll make you something delicious. I have to go—I’m waiting outside.”

“Alright, alright. When things quiet down, be sure to come visit with the elder.”

“Okay, Mister.”

The Black Night Clan’s officers bid a reluctant farewell to Yu Seol.

A while later, Yu Seol stepped out of the main building, holding back her smile.

She was acting, but the twitch in her face made her look almost angry.

As she approached the estate entrance, Yang-jeong came up and asked.

“…How did it go?”

A search of the main building could risk revealing an underground chamber where they kept information, and verifying identities could also lead to trouble.

Yu Seol didn’t answer and shook her head once.

It meant it was a bust.

None of the officials had the courage to argue back with the Yin Monster.

Head Guard Yang-jeong shouted without hesitation.

“Retreat!”

The two squads, totaling a dozen or so men, broke ranks and moved off.

As they returned to the Kaifeng administration, the officials’ flattery toward Yu Seol never ceased.

Half of it was sincere, but the other half was because escort Jeon Chung had advised them.

“You were incredible just now. To subdue everyone with your presence alone.”

“Indeed. They say there’s no one in the martial world who can match you, right?”

“Your martial arts are as great as your beauty.”

Feeling pleased, Yu Seol lifted her chin and put on a haughty expression.

“It’s nothing.”

Yang-jeong sidled up, flattering.

“Nothing, you say? I’ve wanted my whole life to see a peerless warrior who practiced Age Revival at least once. If it’s not rude, may I ask about your sect?”

Yu Seol didn’t answer; she stared intently at something.

Then she pointed her index finger in that direction and said.

“But over there, aren’t those men your friends?”

They were about fifty paces away.

Everyone squinted and began to look that way.

They saw someone in official robes limping along.

“Isn’t that Mun-ho?”

“Where is he going alone?”

“What’s wrong with his leg?!”

This was no time to just watch.

Everyone moved toward him, shouting.

“Mun-ho! What’s going on?!”

“What about the others? Why are you alone?”

The official called Mun-ho who had reddened eyes.

He bowed to the Head guard and said, choking up.

“The officials in my squad are all being taken away.”

“Taken away? By whom?”

Who would be taking away Kaifeng administration officials who handled the city’s administration and justice?

It was completely incomprehensible.

“The Impe… No, the Golden Guard.”

Everyone stood with shocked expressions, mouths agape.

The Golden Guard—the emperor’s palace guard that protected the royal residence.

There was no reason for them to clash with such a force.

“What, the Golden Guard? What do you mean? Why would they?”

“I don’t know the details. They attacked out of nowhere; I barely escaped to report it…”

Jang-ho rubbed his forehead with his left hand.

“Of all times, just when the governor is away…”

“What shall we do?”

“What do you mean what shall we do? We go and check. Which way are they headed?”

The guard called Mun-ho pointed in the direction.

“They’re heading that way. It wasn’t long ago.”

“Understood. You return to headquarters and wait.”

The party, returning to the Kaifeng administration, changed direction and ran that way.

Meanwhile, Jang-ho approached Yu Seol and spoke cautiously.

“…Um, Great warrior.”

“What is it?”

“The opponents are the Golden Guard. If things get too troublesome, please leave it to me.”

Yu Seol replied with an incredulous expression.

“Are you afraid? Worried I’ll blow things up?”

“N-no, it’s not that…”

“I’m not someone who acts recklessly.”

“S-sorry, Great Warrior. I was short-sighted.”