The Introverted Heavenly Demon - Chapter 94

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Introverted Heavenly Demon Episode 094
Ho Rim Escort Agency
A first-rate martial artist’s stamina does not easily falter from mere long-distance travel.
I retrieved two bamboo hats I had hidden away earlier, placing one upon my own head and the other upon Baek So Cheong’s.
Once I wrapped the face cloth around us, Baek So Cheong’s visage became entirely invisible to any outside observer.
This should prove sufficient.
“Follow me.”
I led the bewildered Baek So Cheong toward the rear of the guest quarters, moving with careful, silent footsteps to avoid drawing attention.
There stood a lean boy, dressed in a bamboo hat just as we were, waiting for us.
“Hyeon Yi as well? Minor Sect Leader, what is this about?”
Baek Hyeon’s shoulders bounced with excitement upon seeing his older brother and sister prepared for departure.
I cleared my throat once more and spoke.
“Did we not speak of visiting the night market?”
“Ah…!”
“Tonight is the perfect opportunity for us to venture out together. Come now, follow along.”
Late into the night, when travelers returning from their journeys lay in deep slumber.
Slipping past the guards and evading the eyes of others, scaling the manor estate’s walls proved remarkably simple.
The three Baek siblings thus embarked on their secret nocturnal expedition.
Chengdu, Sichuan’s greatest city, blazed as brightly as day beneath the night sky.
“Who was it that said we weren’t coming to Chengdu to play?”
“If you dislike it, we may return at once.”
Was it merely my imagination?
Despite her face concealed by the cloth, I could sense Baek So Cheong’s lips pouting as she cast a sidelong glance in my direction.
“Besides, tonight is not merely a leisurely outing.”
“Then what is it?”
“We have come to ascertain what transpires within Chengdu at this very moment.”
“An incognito inspection!”
“…One might call it that, I suppose.”
Where had this young one picked up such terminology as incognito inspection?
Regardless, the prospect of conducting a secret inspection through Chengdu’s night market alongside his most beloved siblings seemed to elevate Hyeon Yi’s spirits even further.
‘If Hyeon Yi is pleased, then that suffices.’
Yet one truth remained undeniable—I genuinely sought to ascertain what transpired within Chengdu’s nocturnal hours.
Chengdu’s night market drew merchants of every conceivable variety, each establishing their stalls.
Among them were naturally establishments belonging to the Cheong Yun Merchant Group, as well as merchants conducting trade with them.
There would certainly exist merchant guilds in competitive relation with the Cheong Yun Merchant Group.
Through conversations with them, I could glean valuable intelligence regarding the Cheong Yun Merchant Group’s reputation and current circumstances.
Perhaps I should first venture toward the district where Cheong Yun Merchant Group’s establishments concentrated?
“Let us first sample some hu bing!”
“Sister, an excellent choice! Chengdu’s hu bing is renowned for its extraordinary flavor!”
“Do you know of a good establishment?”
“Of course! Please follow me!”
“….”
“Minor Sect Leader, what are you doing? Why aren’t you coming?”
“If we consume the ho-byeong and immediately proceed to the sugar painting shop next door, we can optimize our route!”
“You truly are my younger brother!”
But these two… do they really struggle to eat well on normal days?
“Minor Sect Leader, what are you doing? We don’t have much time!”
“…I’m coming.”
“Hurry, let’s go!”
Filling my stomach wouldn’t be a bad idea, I suppose….
Even as I thought this, I felt oddly drained—perhaps because I still hadn’t overcome my introverted nature.

* * *
“Minor Sect Leader. From now on, be especially careful with your speech. We can’t risk anyone recognizing us. I’ll call you Yeon from now on.”
After we had spent considerable time mingling among the children at the night market, purchasing various snacks, Baek So Cheong spoke with unusual gravity.
We were just before entering the district densely packed with shops belonging to merchants of the Cheong Yun Merchant Group and other merchant guilds, where we would begin our formal market investigation.
“Wipe the sugar painting fragments from your mouth before speaking.”
“Oh…!”
Sugar painting is a confection made by drawing pictures with melted sugar water and then hardening it.
Baek So Cheong and Baek Hyeon insisted on purchasing at least one of each design—dragons, phoenixes, and the like—and lingered endlessly before the shop.
The shop owner’s smile never faded, his lips stretched wide with joy as wealthy customers snapped up the sugar paintings the moment they were completed.
It was fortunate that such a sight was common in the night market and drew little attention from passersby.
“Welcome, honored guests! We have silken fabrics, ornaments, trinkets—everything you could desire. Please browse at your leisure!”
As we entered the first fabric shop that caught our eye, a shop owner who appeared to be in his fifties greeted us with meticulous courtesy, treating us as valued customers arriving at this late hour.
Seeing no flags or banners within the shop indicating affiliation with any merchant guild, he appeared to be an independent merchant.
“Please show me some jade trinkets.”
While a female shop assistant hurried over to Baek So Cheong and began laying out various trinkets, I drifted casually toward the shop owner and spoke in a natural, offhand manner.
“Curious—the night streets of Chengdu are quieter than I expected. Has there been no trouble lately?”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“My sister and I learned some martial arts at a small martial academy our father operates. I was wondering where we might find work.”
“Ah, so you are a martial artist! Is this your first time in Chengdu?”
“It is.”
As I exchanged a few words according to the script we had prepared beforehand, the shop owner’s wariness quickly dissolved.
Merchants, by the nature of their profession, either fear martial artists or treat them with at least some goodwill.
“Then you must be considering work with a merchant guild or escort agency?”
“That would be agreeable. Do you know of any place you might recommend?”
“If your skills are as strong as they appear, the Cheong Yun Merchant Group is the finest choice.”
“The Cheong Yun Merchant Group?”
“Indeed.”
At the mention of the Cheong Yun Merchant Group, Baek Hyeon, who had been listening to our conversation, perked up her ears.
“Chengdu has long been plagued by the Black Path thugs of Pal Cheon Am Bang. Ever since the new Cheongyun Merchant Master took office recently….”
“Ah, the Cheongyun Merchant Master changed?”
“Yes. I hear the new master is barely fifteen years old—don’t be surprised—but he’s the second son of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect’s Sect Leader.”
“What….”
“In any case, that merchant master….”
The rest of the story aligned closely with what I had already learned through Baek Hyeon.
The Cheongyun Trading Company had mobilized its forces to apprehend the lawless Black Path thugs, causing them to cower in fear. As a result, merchants found business far more convenient, and their livelihoods had improved considerably.
Naturally, Baek Hyeon had been delighted to hear this account directly from the merchants themselves.
“Thank you for your patronage, honored guest. Please visit us again!”
As Baek So Cheong purchased a hairpin to wear, the shop owner bowed respectfully and saw us out.
Baek Hyeon asked with a triumphant expression.
“What do you think, brother?”
“The Cheongyun Trading Company is held in remarkably high regard.”
“Ha. Truly so. I’m glad I came out with you today.”
We visited several more shops afterward, but the stories we heard were largely the same.
Ordinary merchants praised the stabilization of market order since the Cheongyun Merchant Master’s succession, and the company’s own merchants carried themselves with pride.
Even merchants in direct competition with them openly displayed their respect for the Cheongyun Trading Company.
‘Then why would Ho Rim Escort Agency seek to sever ties with the Cheongyun Trading Company?’
Yet I could not shake the premonition that there remained something I did not know.
It was then.
From within a dark alley, the sound of several men quarreling reached our ears.
It appeared to be a shop selling groceries and sundries deep within the alley, but the extinguished lamp suggested it had already closed for the day.
“I know this place was doing business just recently, so what are you talking about now?”
“You’re saying dangerous things. Go inquire elsewhere.”
“Damn it. Are you mocking me right now?”
The voices of the men quarreling grew louder and higher as time passed.
“I’m telling you it’s not here! You, if you keep making a fuss like this, things won’t end well for you!”
“Open the shop door! I need to see it with my own eyes.”
“Tch, this man! This won’t do. Fetch the boss.”
“Yes.”
Though I couldn’t discern the full details, it seemed a rough-voiced man with a gravelly tone had come to the shop alone and was demanding something be handed over.
As I stood quietly listening to their exchange, Baek Hyeon approached and whispered in a voice only I could hear.
“Be careful, brother. These appear to be Black Path thugs.”
“Black Path? Which side?”
“The ones demanding goods be handed over. In my opinion….”
Before Baek Hyeon could finish, the newly arrived man called “boss” spoke in a deep voice, exchanging words with his subordinates.
“A traveling merchant, I take it?”
“Yes. He was previously conducting business with Seo Pil. Even though we no longer handle salt, he persists regardless….”
“That’s enough. Let me speak. Tell me, what’s your name?”
“Gwak Soon.”
“So you’re from the Gwak family. Where do you live?”
“Pyeong-an Village, just beyond the South Gate.”
“I am the Acting Manager of Sunhyeong Trading House. Have you been buying salt from Seo Pil all this time and selling it to the villagers?”
“That’s correct.”
“From now on, you’ll need to find other work. We no longer deal in salt.”
“I’ve heard as much. But tell me—is there any merchant who simply abandons their business like this? My livelihood depends on it.”
“Do you think we want this? Seo Pil was suddenly arrested by the Government Office, and we’ve suffered tremendous losses because of it. Last time—”
The Acting Manager of Sunhyeong Trading House abruptly fell silent mid-sentence.
“Who’s there?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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