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Episode 9
“Aaaargh!”
“Eeeek!”
Countless people, bound to chairs, let out agonized screams. No matter how much they begged to be killed, the torturer paid no attention to their cries.
He was only concerned with tormenting them, savoring their suffering like a meal.
He seared their flesh with a branding iron, peeled their skin, poured water over cloth-covered wounds, plucked their nails, and cut their fingers—carefully avoiding the arteries as he flayed their flesh.
“Please… kill me…”
“I’m sorry, I was wrong… forgive me! …Please spare me!”
The man torturing them calmly observed a dozen or so broken, bloodied figures in front of him. Sitting where he could see them all clearly, he casually ate his noodles and smiled faintly.
These were the people caught in the current incident.
Though he tried to make them speak through torture, nothing substantial came out, so the torment continued.
Yet from his gaze, it was clear he enjoyed even that.
He put down his chopsticks and stood up, holding a skewer in hand, approaching slowly with a smirk.
Finally, he stopped in front of the weakest-looking victim.
The person’s eyes, dead like a fish’s, flickered nervously.
Wham!
“Ughh!”
“Aaahhh!”
“Please… please spare me!”
The man did not hesitate.
He drove the skewer straight into the victim’s forehead.
As the man’s head went limp, turning instantly into a corpse, the torturer didn’t even remove the skewer. Instead, he turned his gaze toward a nearby maid.
Their eyes met, and the maid shivered violently.
There was a faint, strange smell—perhaps she had wet herself.
Just as the man raised his hand again, the door opened, and someone entered.
The torturer turned reluctantly and bowed politely.
“You’ve arrived?”
“Yes. How goes it?”
“We’ve extracted all we could, but they all say the same thing: they don’t know anything. They claim Hong Guhyeon paid them to do it.”
Yuhyeon’s brow twitched at that.
He didn’t know how much Hong Guhyeon had paid, but the salaries of those in the household were already enormous compared to the outside.
And yet they had greed enough to get involved anyway?
It was absurd—he couldn’t even find words.
Yuhyeon frowned, glancing at the papers laid out on the side.
They were records of the information the captives had given.
He went through them one by one, shaking his head.
“Nothing they said contradicts what the young master said.”
He took a deep breath, thinking this.
“Torture won’t get us anything. Those with real connections, like Hong Guhyeon, would have resisted to the end and died.”
Indeed, during the process of subduing them, some had resisted to the last moment. Even those barely captured had bitten their tongues to commit suicide.
By that measure, these are the real ones.
But now, it didn’t matter.
As if by some unspoken agreement, they had all chosen death.
Even knowing the torture would be pointless, Jin Cheonwoo had arranged it to demonstrate the terror of the Nakyang Jin family.
The screams echoing from the torture chamber spilled outside.
No matter the hour, the horrifying sounds continued, impossible to block out.
Fear silenced the people.
It was cruel, certainly, but effective.
Yuhyeon took another steadying breath.
“Dig a little deeper. There still seems to be something to uncover.”
“Understood.”
As soon as he spoke, the captives’ faces turned pale, while the man’s smile widened slowly.
In Nakyang, the Unryong Guesthouse was a place so grand that it lived up to the name of a flagship location. Seven floors in total, each higher floor more luxurious than the last, the price of food reflected the grandeur.
The seventh floor was particularly extravagant, offering a view over all of Nakyang’s streets—a place where one could feel as though they ruled over everyone below.
Naturally, it was costly. Simply securing a table required a small fortune, and most meals had to be paid for in silver.
No matter how powerful, one couldn’t reach the top without money.
Here, I sat with Jang Chuhyeong and a young woman.
“My goodness—what is this place?”
Jang Chuhyeong’s eyes widened as he took in the surroundings.
Though he’d been to Unryong Guesthouse before, he’d never made it to the seventh floor. He seemed stunned by the splendor and the view.
Like a country bumpkin seeing the streets of Beijing for the first time.
I chuckled.
“You wanted to come so badly, so enjoy the view.”
“Oh, of course! I will. But… you’re buying the food, right?”
“Yes. Eat as much as you want.”
“Yes!”
“But… keep quiet.”
At my word, Jang Chuhyeong shut his mouth and nodded, glancing at me and the woman alternately.
Even someone slow-witted would understand: they were here for something important.
At that moment, a soft voice spoke.
“Impressive. I’d only heard about this place, but now I see for myself.”
Baek Jinhwa smiled politely, her words brightening the atmosphere around us.
“I’m glad you like it. I thought your competitive spirit might make you put it down.”
“Hoho, Hwasun and Unryong exist in harmony. No need to belittle.”
Her laughter spread softly.
At that moment, servers rushed in with food in one hand and various drinks in the other.
The feast was lavish enough to rival an emperor’s table. Even Baek Jinhwa was impressed.
“The food is incredible. Now I see why it’s the best in Nakyang. Hoho.”
“It’s just a place for those with too much money and nowhere else to spend it.”
She seemed surprised but smiled again, refilling my empty cup.
“One drink?”
“Gladly.”
I sipped, enjoying the smooth taste of alcohol after a long while, and glanced at Baek Jinhwa.
Her eyes, still enjoying the taste, slowly opened, showing a pleasant expression—meaning she liked it.
“So… coming to see me means you brought what I asked for?”
“Of course. Why else would we come?”
“Impressive. And so soon.”
“Our intelligence is, I think, something the young master already knows more about.”
She didn’t ask further. Whether she knew I was part of the Hao Sect, or that she was affiliated, was irrelevant now.
After all, this was the Nakyang Jin family. They had tight control over information, so it was natural for her to already know about Hao Sect.
And at this moment, it didn’t matter much.
I poured another cup.
Baek Jinhwa handed over a letter.
“Her name is Chae Sohwa. Twenty-two. Skilled in medicine, but her beauty caused her to attract trouble.”
“I see.”
“Because of that, she disfigured her face and caught a disease treating patients, leaving her hideous. She doesn’t appear in public, only helping the poor and powerless.”
In a short time, she brought detailed information.
It wasn’t strange—Chae Sohwa’s beauty was well-known, so naturally Hao Sect would have intelligence on her.
But there were things they didn’t know. I chuckled softly, raising my cup.
“She’s in Hwajeon Village, a little outside Nakyang.”
“Close?”
“Even by horse, it takes fifteen days to get there.”
It was farther than expected, coinciding with the timing of the men entering Nakyang.
I’d have to adjust my plan. Luckily, the poison in my body was somewhat suppressed, so detoxification could wait.
“Anything else?”
“Hmm… only that the royal family is moving to find her. The reason hasn’t been discovered yet. People were sent, but nothing came of it.”
I nodded. Important information, few knew.
Even for Hao Sect, obtaining information would be difficult.
But that was fine. I already knew what I needed to know.
I handed over silver to Baek Jinhwa, as agreed before. She smiled.
“Thank you, young master. I hope this cooperation continues.”
“Indeed, I think so too.”
“Hoho—shall we drink again?”
As we drank, Baek Jinhwa’s gaze stayed fixed on me, still smiling enchantingly.
“But young master…”
“Yes?”
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“….”
“Hohoho.”
Even her expression alone revealed she knew something of what had happened inside the Jin household.
I chuckled.
“I slept deeply for the first time in a while. Cough… so I feel refreshed today.”
“Really? I thought you wouldn’t have slept well at all.”
“Ever had a tooth pulled?”
“Not yet.”
“Refreshing. Even with noise, I slept soundly.”
Baek Jinhwa covered her mouth, laughing softly.
She seemed aware there had been a commotion, though not exactly what had occurred. The household had enforced strict secrecy, so even Hao Sect couldn’t know everything.
Her eyes, filled with curiosity, showed she wanted to investigate further.
I filled my empty cup again and spoke.
“We’ll be recruiting people on a large scale soon.”
“People?”
“Yes. To replenish our numbers.”
Hearing that, Baek Jinhwa’s eyes brightened—she understood the significance.
It was clearly connected to last night’s events.
I didn’t deny it. Deceiving Hao Sect completely was impossible for now.
So it worked to our advantage.
“Hao Sect has quite a few people, right?”
“Hoho—of course. Shall I send you some capable ones?”
“Good idea.”
“…Yes?”
Baek Jinhwa looked startled at my sudden agreement. Allowing Hao Sect people in meant information from Nakyang Jin family would keep leaking out, and I had just approved it.
I smiled faintly, then coughed.
“Some people from Hao Sect are needed. Quite a few.”
Her eyes trembled at my words.
Yes, the trap was slowly being set.
