The coast of Guangdong.Under the full moon, black waves shattered.Sssaaa— sssaaa—A man who had come out to get some air cast his gaze toward the sea. The cool sound of the waves ceaselessly pounded his eardrums, as if scraping off the fatigue clinging all over his body.The laughter of Qinghai Pavilion’s guests and the clink of colliding wine cups were buried beneath the sound of the surf. Yet his heavy heart did not vanish along with them.The man casually untied the pouch at his waist. Contrary to his silk long robe, there was little money inside.He was a merchant who used the Guangdong route.After the pleasure quarter had vanished three years ago, merchants had been currying favor by bribing the provincial magistrate dispatched from the central government.Though custom had changed that way, a few months ago the Qinghai Pavilion reopened, and a new pleasure quarter formed again in no time.With things thus, the provincial magistrate once more began to expect entertainment. As soon as one disembarked, he would, as if it were only natural, bring up the idea of “meeting at the pleasure house.”The problem was, the merchant had already bribed the magistrate several months earlier, before setting out on his trading trip. With his expenses now doubled, his heart felt heavy. If he had made a large enough profit, it would have been nothing more than a foul mood, but in truth, he had gained nothing. As soon as the goods were unloaded from the ship, bandits had stolen them.“Damn it, is Guangdong cursed or what.”Thinking of his next trading trip, he wondered whether he ought to maintain good relations with the magistrate — but the problem was, he had no money left. Recently, the Qinghai Pavilion’s owner was obsessed with hoarding cash, so the one running the pleasure house no longer accepted credit.“Ah, what am I supposed to do.”The merchant let out a heavy sigh.Because he had been pressured so much, he had at least come to Qinghai Pavilion, but he had no idea how to ask for credit.Perhaps next year he would have to find another sea route instead of Guangdong.Frustrated, the merchant leaned his body against the railing.Then it happened.Someone pulled him down from below. It happened so suddenly that no one saw it.Fortunately, before long, the merchant climbed back up to the railing. Yet his posture was hunched and strange. He did not return to his room, instead quietly slipping away toward the corridor.“Master Han! Where are you going?”The drunk magistrate called out, but the merchant didn’t seem to hear.“What’s with him?”“Maybe he needed to relieve himself? He kept fiddling with his belt earlier, looking like he couldn’t decide whether to do it outside.”“Ah, then I’d better pretend I didn’t see it. Haha.”The merchant straightened his back as he walked down the corridor. Strangely, he now seemed a handspan taller.Glancing at the rooms lined up on both sides, he walked slowly, as if confirming something.Voices sounded constantly from each room. The overflow of guests proved how stable Qinghai Pavilion’s business had become.It had been more than half a year since it reopened, and clearly the rumors weren’t false.The pavilion’s workers were so busy they paid no attention to the intruder. They only gave a fleeting glance at the entry token dangling from his belt.“Well, they must have checked his identity at the entrance anyway. The owner’s very particular about such things.”On a day when trade ships returned, everyone was too busy to pay attention to who was who. The intruder, it seemed, had waited several days precisely to take advantage of that.Thanks to that, the merchant could easily make his way toward the owner’s room. He pressed the acupoints of the few guards standing by the stairs — no need to make a scene.Sssaaa—Gradually, the sound of waves grew louder than the human voices. When the surroundings were filled entirely with the sound of nature, he reached the top floor.The owner’s office had a mechanical warding formation installed. Yet it did not react to the intruder and quietly allowed him through.Creeeak—When the door opened, the owner seated at the desk came into view. He «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» gave the intruder a brief glance, then lowered his gaze again, murmuring as he focused on his work.“I thought someone of your rank would arrive sooner, but it took longer than I expected.”Hae-rak entered with his hands clasped behind his back. The spacious room contained nothing but a simple desk and a single bookshelf.From the information he’d picked up around Guangdong, Hae-rak knew the Qinghai Pavilion had been refusing credit and diligently collecting cash.“The underground vault was empty too. Someone must be collecting the money every day.”“You already knew that, didn’t you?”The owner answered carelessly, flipping through his ledger.Suddenly, he frowned. He could feel the quiet gaze looking down upon him.“Ah, don’t look at me like that. People like me don’t make decisions. If we don’t want to die, we just do as the stronger one orders.”“How strange. You talk like that, yet you look like you’re dying to die.”The owner let out a dry chuckle with a disloyal expression.“Well then, go ahead and kill me.”The owner seemed like a different man. The appearance was the same, but his tone and demeanor were far more relaxed.The Qinghai Pavilion’s true owner had always been a coward. Even surrounded by dozens of mercenaries as guards, he would tremble in fear.Sensing something, Hae-rak quietly approached the “owner.” Perching on the edge of the desk, the Red Blood Hall Lord stroked the man’s head.“Come to think of it, you’ve worked hard all this time, and I never properly praised you.”“Ugh…”Following the Red Blood Hall Lord’s touch, the man’s face began to melt. He tried to pull his head back, but his nape was caught and could not move.With lowered eyes, Hae-rak whispered as if in pity.“Stay still. Today, I mean to commend your efforts. Wearing that ill-fitting human-skin mask in this sweltering place — must’ve been hard, huh?”“Hey, you could’ve just said so!”When the “owner” tore off the mask, a face red and raw as if burned was revealed.“How could you burn something that valuable! Now I can’t even pretend the owner died suddenly— damn it!”Apparently numb to pain, he only fussed over the ruined mask. Watching the man’s tantrum, Hae-rak asked,“When did you kill the owner?”“Hmm… six months ago? Seven? I don’t really remember.”Hae-rak didn’t scold him. He simply asked as if out of genuine curiosity.“If you’d kept him alive, you wouldn’t have to do all this grunt work yourself. Why kill him?”The man, called Cheol-myeon, reacted fiercely, as if in agreement.“Ah, exactly my thoughts! But the Red Blood Hall said there was no need for him and ordered me to dispose of him. I get it, though — how could someone so exalted use a dirty tool touched by a non-believer’s hand?”Hae-rak tilted his lips. Seeing this subordinate run his mouth so arrogantly meant the time of arrival was near.Sure enough, Cheol-myeon straightened his shoulders, as if confident in his backing.“Anyway, you’ve come at last. I was dreading the trip to Hubei to visit you, but you coming in person — I can’t thank you enough. Should I bow?”Taking some salve from a drawer, he muttered while rubbing it on his cheek.“Actually, the Blood Demon said Red Blood Hall had earned great merit cutting off the Martial Alliance’s pursuit for three years, and ordered Hubei to be handed over. But he didn’t say we couldn’t kill the Red Blood Hall Lord, did he?”The man’s small eyes gleamed as he sneered.“If the Hall Lord dies, wouldn’t it make sense for Red Blood Hall to manage Hubei for the sake of the cult? The Blood Demon will understand.”Turning from Cheol-myeon, Hae-rak glanced toward the railing. Stretching as if bored, he asked,“But why is your superior so late? Is he wasting energy fighting small fry?”“Heh, the main character’s always supposed to be late, isn’t he?”“Hm? What’s that supposed to mean.”As if hearing something absurd, Hae-rak snapped his head toward him.Then, in a grave tone, he rebuked the subordinate of the Red Blood Hall Lord.“You should remember the old man’s words. ‘The one who survives to the end becomes master of the world.’ If you spout nonsense before him, your head will fly.”“Oh, was that it?”As Cheol-myeon tried to recall, Hae-rak opened his fan and waved it lightly against his face.“Don’t go repenting now. Use that time to replay your life like a revolving lantern.”“What’s a revolving lantern?”“They say people see fleeting visions before they die. Whether good memories or ones full of regret, bring them to mind.”“Hey, why so grim? If you meant to kill me, you’d have done it already instead of talking this long.”Hae-rak let out a soft laugh, light as a breeze.“I enjoy talking, whoever the opponent may be. Seeing you run your mouth without knowing your enemy — you’re a lucky one.”“Excuse me?”“You’ve lived far longer than your ability deserves.”Cheol-myeon frowned, not understanding.Then it happened.His view suddenly rose.Puk—Before he could even comprehend what had happened, pain burst through his chest.Cheol-myeon’s mouth gaped soundlessly as he saw the man now standing before him.“L-Lord.”The Red Blood Hall Lord’s red eyes slid sideways. Behind Cheol-myeon’s shoulder, Hae-rak leaned out and smiled, eyes curling.“I can’t get blood on someone else’s clothes. I promised to return them clean.”

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