Chapter 203: Investigation (3)

A few days later.

"Haaahhhh..."

Il-mok stretched lazily as he woke from sleep.

‘Man, this is the life.’

Being able to sleep when you wanted and wake when you pleased, now that was what he called a blessed life.

"I'll have them prepare washing water and your meal."

As soon as Il-mok stirred awake, Jin Hayeon's voice came from outside where she stood guard.

Shortly after, Jin Hayeon and Jeong Hyeon entered the room with each carrying a basin and a tray.

After washing up and enjoying the meal they'd brought, Il-mok strolled out of his quarters with an unhurried gait.

The branch headquarters had a pretty lively atmosphere going on.

The branch members were each acting according to whatever cover identities they'd taken on. Dam Bin, on the other hand, was busy passing down various teachings to Seon-ah, Ouyang Mun, and Ju Seo-yeon.

Meanwhile, Baek Cheon was either enthusiastically teaching the trio of women how to act or lost in some bizarre contemplation with the strangest expression on his face.

Right now, word about the Maitreya Luminous Cult was spreading through Lanzhou in the shadows.

Yet for some reason, they weren't actually doing any missionary work.

And it was all because of an order from Il-mok.

There were two main reasons for this.

First, they'd figured out that Beggar Gang had kept an eye on them during the last gathering.

He had decided not to do anything conspicuous in order to avoid their eyes.

He had a few people on his team who stood out for their appearance alone. If they kept walking around the city trying to recruit people, it was only a matter of time before their disguise wore off.

Of course, they couldn't just cancel the gatherings entirely, but at least they could buy some time.

And according to the reports from the branch members operating in Lanzhou under their disguised identities, the atmosphere was such that missionary work was happening all on its own since the last assembly.

This was thanks to the power of the hymns and the late-night snacks.

This was yet another reason why Il-mok had ordered them to stop their activities.

‘With our current numbers, controlling all of Lanzhou is impossible.’

If they gained any more believers, they'd risk losing control and causing problems instead.

He'd anticipated this, which was why Il-mok had sent a letter to headquarters before even launching the Lanzhou gathering.

The only problem was that the distance from Lanzhou to headquarters was so damn far that it would easily take another two weeks for reinforcements to arrive.

And to buy that time, Il-mok had stopped the missionary work to avoid the Beggar Gang's gaze for even one more day.

As Il-mok stepped outside, Dam Bin, who'd been teaching, approached him.

"Did you sleep well, Young Master?"

"You've been working hard, Squad Leader Dam Bin."

Il-mok meant it.

Dam Bin was working nonstop morning and night. She'd secretly visited the red-light district to manage things there, took turns standing guard over Il-mok with the others, and taught her juniors whenever she had spare time.

And on top of all that…

"Senior Hayeon!"

"Hayeon!"

Even at this very moment, she had to deal with the stalker duo antics. The fact that Dam Bin could hammer lessons to these two was a miracle in itself.

"Big brother!"

Of course, Seon-ah was no different. It’s just that her target was someone else.

Understanding the hidden meaning in Il-mok's praise, Dam Bin smiled enchantingly.

‘The more I see her, the more mysterious she is.’

The bewitching aura Dam Bin had given off when using her martial arts the night they'd attacked the Heavenly Orchid Society, and the atmosphere she projected as an ordinary maid in daily life were completely different.

Having seen that other side of him, Il-mok still found it a little weird to look at her sometimes.

As Il-mok recalled that night's scene, Dam Bin spoke up.

"Young Master, there's actually something I need to tell you."

"Speak freely."

"The Red Blossom Pavilion's madam has requested a meeting with the Crimson Silk Pavilion Master."

"A meeting? With us?"

“Yes. To put it briefly, she wants to pay protection money so they can also come under our umbrella."

Il-mok, who already knew exactly what other organization she worked for, took a moment to think.

A moment later, Il-mok spoke.

“Alright, let’s see what she has to say. Set up a meeting.”

***

As the sun went down, the streets of Lanzhou started to empty out as people headed home for the night.

But there is one street that was just getting started.

Women dressed in flowing clothes stepped out in front of shops to solicit customers, and people already flushed red with booze stumbled in even though night hadn't fully fallen yet.

This is the red-light district.

On the top floor of a pleasure house called the Crimson Silk Pavilion, located in the heart of that street of indulgence, sat a middle-aged woman and an old man.

The Madam of Red Blossom Pavilion and Crimson Silk Pavilion Master.

Appetizing-looking food and alcohol sat on the table between them, but neither woman nor man looked at the food or drink.

Their expressions were tense instead.

Before long, the person they were waiting for arrived with a barely audible sound.

Swoosh.

The window slid open as if on its own, and a dark figure filled their view with the red glimmer of sunset shining on him.

The man wore black robes and a wrathful Buddha mask, making it impossible to discern his appearance or age.

As if testing them, the man looked down at the Red Flower Pavilion Madam and the Crimson Silk Pavilion Master before finally stepping down to the floor and approaching the table where they sat.

Thump.

Only then did the two people hurriedly rise to their feet and pay their respects to the man.

After watching them for a moment, the man spoke.

"I'll speak with the Red Blossom Pavilion Madam alone; you may leave."

"As you command."

The Crimson Silk Pavilion Master bowed again and carefully left the room, and a heavy silence descended over the room with just the two of them remaining.

No.

It was a silence that felt heavy only to the Madam of the Red Blossom Pavilion.

The man in the wrathful Buddha mask sat down in a chair with a carefree gait.

"Sit comfortably."

"Thank you."

The Red Blossom Pavilion Madam sat with proper etiquette, then carefully poured wine into Il-mok's cup as if serving an elder.

As she began pouring wine into her own cup, the man spoke.

"I hear you wanted to meet with us?"

"That's correct, O’ Incarnation of Maitreya."

"Why?"

At that sharp question, the Red Blossom Pavilion Madam answered carefully.

"Like the Crimson Silk Pavilion, we too wish to receive the Maitreya Luminous Cult's protection."

"Protection?"

As if the word itself was foreign to him, the masked man spoke in a peculiar tone before asking again.

"Why exactly would you need our protection?"

"...Though the Heavenly Orchid Society has disappeared thanks to you, human greed is a terrifying thing. Even if they don't dare oppose the Incarnation of Maitreya, ruffians who realize we're not under the Maitreya Luminous Cult's jurisdiction will surely appear, which is why we also wish to receive the Maitreya Luminous Cult's protection."

Despite her lengthy answer, the masked man somehow just stared at her in silence.

The blank look in his eyes was so unnerving that she had to swallow hard before she quickly added.

“Of course, we’re prepared to show our goodwill. We’ll give you half of everything we made the other night when all the other places were closed. And from now on, we’ll pay you a cut of our profits, same as everyone else.”

When she finished speaking, a smile appeared on the man's lips.

But that smile only made the Red Blossom Pavilion Madam feel a chill run down her spine.

It wasn't a smile of satisfaction.

It was closer to a sneer.

‘Was the money not enough?’

Before she could open her mouth to offer more generous terms—

“I see you didn’t understand my question.”

The masked man's mouth opened first.

"Or are you looking down on us?"

He wasn't even flaring his aura, but the Red Blossom Pavilion Madam felt like a herbivore placed before a predator.

Cold sweat was pouring down her back, but she managed to force a smile. "This foolish woman doesn't understand what you mean."

“Then I shall grant you my mercy and ask one more time. Why do you need our protection? You, who belong to the Hao Clan."

"......"

The Red Blossom Pavilion Madam's cold sweat had already spread beyond her back and begun trickling down her forehead toward her face.

The Hao Clan.

Using the characters below (下) and filthy (汚), it was a group formed by people living at rock bottom. In some ways, it was similar to the Beggar Gang, but unlike the Beggar Gang, they could never be treated as part of the Orthodox Faction.

And for good reason. The Beggar Gang had been created during wartime to help those who'd become beggars. But the Hao Clan was an organization formed when people wallowing in the mud banded together to survive on their own.

And they'd employed various schemes to survive.

Unlike beggars who lived on alms, they'd practiced pickpocketing and many other things.

The children were forced to make money or beg, the women would sell themselves to men and make them drunk with alcohol to rob them blind while the men slept. Not only that, the women often inflate their target bills, hence plunging them into debt.

That said, they usually drew the line from serious crimes like human trafficking, drugs, murder, or robbery.

It wasn't that they had morals. They were just smart enough not to pick fights with people who could crush them.

And similar to the Beggar Gang, they also made money selling information gathered from operating taverns and brothels throughout the Central Plains.

As the masked man said, she belonged to the Hao Clan. More than just belonging, she could be called the Branch Leader of the Lanzhou Hao Clan branch.

As befitting a Hao Clan branch master, she tried to keep her cool, even though her heart was hammering against her ribs.

She had already considered that they might know who she was.

After all, when the Maitreya Luminous Cult had taken over the red-light district, they had deliberately skipped over her businesses.

That alone made it highly likely they knew who they really were.

"Though we belong to the Hao Clan, the Central Plains is so vast that we are mostly on our own out here. We can only receive help when misfortune strikes. And by then, it’s too late to bring back the dead."

Even as cold sweat trickled down her forehead, the Red Blossom Pavilion Madam forced a smile as she gave a lengthy answer.

"For the same reason, we'd been paying protection money to the Heavenly Orchid Society while living in Lanzhou."

Hearing her very believable excuse, the masked man’s smile grew even wider.

“Let's be honest. You don’t want our protection. You want our information, don't you?"

"......"

She was so thoroughly struck on the mark that for a moment, she was at a loss for words.

She'd succeeded in fooling even the shrewd Crimson Silk Pavilion Master, but she felt like her innermost thoughts were being read completely under that indifferent gaze.

As she stood there, completely frozen, the masked man continued.

"The reason I came here today was to give you a warning."

"......"

"If you don't want to see your underlings slaughtered because of your useless greed, I suggest you learn some self-control. Immediately.”

As the Red Blossom Pavilion Madam stared at him with a tense face—

“Our cult’s primary rule is that we don’t harm innocent people.”

He said it in a completely flat voice.

“But I have to wonder… are any of you in the Hao Clan truly innocent?"

And with that, a tsunami of killing intent that didn't match his indifferent expression pressed down on the Red Blossom Pavilion Madam.