The Culprit Leaves Traces Behind. (1)

Their destination was Jinrong Trading Company in Hwan County, Guangdong Province.

It was roughly two hundred li from the seaside village they’d been staying in — not far by murim-world standards.

They could have reached it in a single bound, but there was no hurry, so they traveled slowly.

When would they next come to the southern region? Everything was simply experience.

The grandfather and granddaughter stopped at every famous spot and sampled local specialties in each village.

It had been four days of travel like that.

They were nearing their destination.

“By the way, how much travel money is left?”

Yu Jinsan didn’t know the exact sum at the moment.

From Sichuan onward, the granddaughter had been handling the money.

“There’s not much left, so we’ll have to save. We bought something expensive yesterday, remember.”

“‘We’? You ordered the lobster dish, didn’t you? Grandpa only ate noodles.”

Embarrassed, Yu Seol grinned and changed the subject.

“Grandpa, the maple leaves here are really pretty, aren’t they?”

A lake stretched to their left; to the right, a woodland path was dyed red with maple leaves.

The maples in this area were especially large and brilliantly colored.

Yu Jinsan kept glancing around at the scenery.

“I see. Now that you mention it, your mother liked maple leaves a lot too.”

“Really?”

“Of course. She used to walk with the family along the maple path behind the house.”

“Heehee. Maybe that’s why I like maple leaves too.”

“Yes, that’s right. You must have taken after your mother.”

Their faces glowed with delight on this rare outing.

After walking another short distance, they came to a fork in the road.

Suddenly Yu Seol sighed and spoke.

“But how long will that man keep following us?”

She was referring to a Murim Alliance warrior who had been following them from afar.

They had noticed the tailing from the start but had been ignoring it until now.

“Is he bothering you?”

“Yes. He’s been hiding and staring.”

He was only a first-rate warrior.

He had been trailing from more than thirty chang away, but to their keen Profound Realm senses it might as well have been right beside them.

They had intended to ignore him, but if the granddaughter was uncomfortable, they couldn’t just let it be.

“Hm. In that case, there’s nothing for it.”

Suddenly the pair vanished as if swallowed by the road.

They disappeared like a mirage; there was no trace of them anywhere.

Had they used their lightness skill to fly away?

A moment later, a swordsman in white robes appeared at the spot where they had been.

“…?”

Clutching his scabbard, he stood and searched for traces of the Yin Yang Twin Monster who had been tailing them.

But masters who left no footprints left no trace.

Of all places, he had lost the trail at a fork in the road.

He hesitated, then flinched in surprise.

A girl’s reprimand sounded from somewhere.

“Is it okay or not okay to follow strangers while hiding?”

The Murim Alliance swordsman’s hair stood on end.

Only now did he realize he had fallen into the Yin Yang Twin Monster’s trick.

He couldn’t even dream of running away.

He forced himself steady, suppressing his fear, and shouted.

“Yin Yang Twin Monster! Did you think you could disturb the murim world’s order, commit all manner of evils, and get away with it?”

At that moment, the Yin Yang Twin Monster appeared three chang ahead.

Ta-at-!

The two leapt down from a nearby tree and each snapped out a line.

“What order are you talking about?”

“Did you really think you’d get away with it?”

Facing the Yin Yang Twin Monster, the Murim Alliance swordsman swallowed hard.

He had only two choices.

Either throw away his pride and beg for his life, or cling to his pride as a martial man.

Usually people chose the former rather than die senselessly—the gap in fame and skill was overwhelming.

Most of the enemies the Yin Yang Twin Monster had encountered so far had reacted that way.

But the swordsman before them was different; even his gaze betrayed it.

Chwaang-!!

Without warning he drew his sword, crouched, and glared at the Yin Yang Twin Monster.

“You vicious brutes! Do you think I’m a laughingstock?!”

It was utterly incomprehensible—what could make this warrior so furious?

Yu Seol crossed her arms and shook her head.

“You aren’t seriously going to attack us with that, are you? I hope not.”

Yu Jinsan echoed his granddaughter’s words with a look of derision.

“He seems to be an inexperienced Murim Alliance novice, so I’ll give him a chance. If he kneels and apologizes now, I might consider letting him go.”

They gave him a chance precisely because he was a fledgling.

But he narrowed his brows and radiated murderous intent.

“Don’t insult me! Do you think this Bang Yu-cheol would bow his head to demons?!”

At that, Yu Jinsan and Yu Seol burst into laughter.

Pfft. He’s really trying to pick a fight with us, isn’t he?

Such courage. It’s commendable.

When even top masters fled, here stood a mere first-rate master charging head-on.

Had he gone mad from fear? The absurdity knew no bounds.

Then the warrior—Bang Yu-cheol—tightened his brow and drew his sword.

He let out a resounding cry.

“Iyeoyeop!!”

With a solemn expression, Bang Yu-cheol launched himself in a final charge.

His movements suggested he had accepted his end, abandoning defense.

His target among the Yin Yang Twin Monster was the Yin Monster.

Tat-at-!!

Yu Seol didn’t move as he charged.

She simply released the gathered momentum.

Swaaaak-!!

It wasn’t the sort of force a mere first-rate master could handle head-on.

“…Huh!?”

Bang Yu-cheol’s legs gave out after only a few steps.

His feet tangled; he tumbled, unable to sustain his pace.

He sprawled face-up at the Yin Monster’s feet.

Thud-!

Yu Jinsan let out a short laugh as he looked at the unconscious man.

“You see all sorts of crazy people in life.”

Meanwhile Yu Seol squatted and rummaged through Bang Yu-cheol’s clothing.

After a moment her lips twitched and she cried out in glee.

“Found it!”

“What did you find?”

When Yu Jinsan asked, Yu Seol hummed and showed him something.

“My spoils!”

It was two silver coins.

Yu Seol was ecstatic, as if she’d struck it rich with the unexpectedly sizable haul.

While his granddaughter tucked the coins into her pouch, Yu Jinsan clicked his tongue disdainfully as he looked down at Bang Yu-cheol.

“Tsk tsk. Consider that the price of your life.”

In high spirits, Yu Seol hopped and urged them onward.

“Heehee. Let’s hurry, Grandpa.”

“All right. It’s not far from here, so let’s go in one go.”

The Jinrong Trading Company estate bustled with people from the gate.

Merchants, bodyguards, even laborers—the scale was considerable.

At the entrance they had only to say, “We are martial artists known as the Yin Yang Twin Monster,” and the estate guards bowed and offered an escort.

“We will escort you inside.”

It seemed Eun Hwa-rin had given prior notice.

She was indeed capable; anything related to her was handled briskly.

They walked through the estate under the guards’ guidance.

The rare items displayed everywhere piqued Yu Seol’s curiosity.

“Wow… what are all these?”

“They’re crafts from Goryeo—genuine pieces legally imported.”

“They’re so pretty.”

“Made by the finest artisans. Feel free to look as much as you like.”

Yu Jinsan felt a different kind of surprise.

The Black Night clan had grown into intermediary trade; it was no longer merely an information agency.

After a short while they reached an antique pavilion at the innermost part of the estate.

“Please wait a moment,” the guard said, then dashed inside.

Soon a familiar woman’s laugh sounded from within.

A moment later Eun Hwa-rin opened the door and greeted them with a delighted expression.

“I’ve heard the news. We’ve been waiting every day to see when you’d arrive.”

“It’s been a while. You heard about us? You already know what happened on Sea Dragon Island?”

Eun Hwa-rin smiled softly.

“If we couldn’t even grasp something like that, how could the Black Night Clan call itself an information agency? Please, come inside, elder.”

“You’re as capable as ever.”

“It seems you two have something good to celebrate.”

She said it because the pair’s faces kept breaking into smiles.

Yu Seol, linked arm-in-arm with her grandfather, giggled and said,

“Something funny just happened. Want to hear it?”

“Yes, I’m curious too.”

The three sat at a table inside the pavilion.

As she prepared tea, Yu Seol recounted the earlier incident.

Eun Hwa-rin burst into laughter after hearing the story.

“Hoho. My goodness. That man charged at you both with his sword?”

“I told you, sister. We almost died.”

“Good heavens. He must be one of the bravest of the Murim Alliance.”

Yu Jinsan snorted.

“He has no fear. What kind of pride is worth risking your life for? By the way, are you settling here now?”

“No, elder. Once operations here stabilize, we’ll move elsewhere.”

“Impressive. I haven’t seen anyone as driven and decisive as you.”

Eun Hwa-rin refilled their teacups with a faint smile and said,

“You’re flattering me. By the way, after gathering rumors from Sea Dragon Island, your deeds were remarkable. But there may be things we don’t know, right?”

She was likely referring to details they hadn’t shared with southern martial artists.

“You’re perceptive. Who do you think Jeon Sa-ryong really was?”

“Hmm. I heard Jeon Sa-ryong occupied the island and used poisonous herbs to cultivate terrifying masters. Was he trying to invade the Central Plains’ martial world?”

“That’s right. Precisely—he was a man from Tianzhu.”

At that, a shadow crossed Eun Hwa-rin’s face.

“I had kept that possibility in mind, but to see the worry become reality… it’s serious.”

Yu Jinsan rotated his teacup with his finger and said quietly,

“If an invasion began, Tianzhu’s main force would move from the west at Dunhuang, while using Sea Dragon Island to shake the southern region.”

“Yes. If Jeon Sa-ryong had been left alone, terrible things would have happened.”

“That may be so. But tell me… how can we be sure there’s not another Jeon Sa-ryong somewhere in the Central Plains right now?”

“If there is, we must catch him. We’ll investigate as thoroughly as we can for any suspicious figures.”

Yu Jinsan nodded and then brought up the main topic.

“Do that. Now, I’d like to talk about the eastern murim world.”

“Yes, elder. We’ve been preparing for that.”

“You’ve worked hard. Let’s hear it.”

Eun Hwa-rin spread a map on the table and took a handful of documents.

It seemed she had done a lot of investigation while they were on Sea Dragon Island.

She flipped through the papers for a moment, picked one up, and asked,

“Have you ever heard of Storm Rider or Pung Un-ja?”

As expected, the name they’d been expecting came up first.

Yu Jinsan was also very curious about who exactly he was.