RDM (Novel) Chapter 355


C 355


"Have a cup, my son sends me good tea."


Noh Tae-tae said, pouring tea into Pyo Wol's teacup.


The strong aroma of tea stung his nose.


Just smelling it made him feel like his head was clearing.


Pyo Wol nodded and took the teacup.


Noh Tae-tae smiled and watched Pyo Wol drink the tea, her eyes warm as if she were looking at her grandchildren.


It was then.


Knock,Knock!


There was a knock on the door.


A young man cautiously spoke.


"Great-grandmother! I am Jo Seolpung, your great-grandson. I heard you called for me."


"Come in."


As Noh Tae-tae gave her permission, a young man around Pyo Wol's age entered.


He was none other than Noh Tae-tae's great-grandson, Jo Seolpung.


Jo Seolpung was surprised to see a stranger in Noh Tae-tae's room. Instead of showing his surprise, he maintained a calm expression and looked at Noh Tae-tae.


Just by looking at him, it was clear how well-educated and cultured he was.


Noh Tae-tae smiled proudly.


Jo Seolpung had the most outstanding ability and temperament among her 

great-grandchildren. That's why Noh Tae-tae trusted him the most.


Noh Tae-tae introduced Pyo Wol to Jo Seolpung.


"This is Pyo Wol, the grandmaster. You've probably heard of him."


"Ah!"


Jo Seolpung's eyes flickered momentarily.


He too had heard of Pyo Wol's name before.


Jo Seolpung bowed to Pyo Wol.


"It's an honor to meet you, Grandmaster Pyo. I am Jo Seolpung of the Je-won merchant group. It's a pleasure to meet you."


"Je-won merchant group?"


"You didn't know? It's a well-known merchant group in Kangho."


"It's my first time hearing the name."


"How did you come here...?"


"By chance..."


"Hmm!"


Jo Seolpung let out a groan.


He looked at Noh Tae-tae with disbelief, but Noh Tae-tae nodded her head.


Noh Tae-tae wasn't one to make things up.


'So, he really came to the Sea Cliff Pavillion by chance?'


Many people visited Sea Cliff Pavillion after rumors spread that Noh Tae-tae, who made the 


Je-won Merchant Group the number one merchant group in Kangho Province, was staying there.


Jo Seolpung thought that Pyo Wol must have come for that reason, but Pyo Wol's unexpected response confused him.


Noh Tae-tae cleared up the confusion.


"Grand Master Pyo is tracking down the whereabouts of the Heavenly Flower Troupe who performed on my birthday. It seems he followed them all the way here."


"Ah!"


Finally, Jo Seolpung could understand.


Jo Seolpung asked Pyo Wol.


"May I know why you are looking for the Heavenly Flower Troupe?"


Pyo Wol looked into Jo Seolpung's eyes.


They were clear and unblemished.


He couldn't precisely tell what was in his mind, but at least he could tell that he wasn't someone with ulterior motives.


Jo Seolpung met Pyo Wol's gaze without flinching. It was impossible for someone with a weak heart.


"They're missing."


"What?"


"They went missing after their last performance here."


"Uh-huh!"


Jo Seolpung  heaved a sigh.


His mind was spinning rapidly.


Jo Seolpung  knew about Pyo Wol just as much as Noh Tae-tae did, because all the information that reached Noh Tae-tae had passed through his hands.


He thought there was no way Pyo Wol would track the heavenly flower troupe without any reason. Pyo Wol was too influential for that.


Jo Seolpung   cautiously asked, "Can you tell us why you're looking for the heavenly flower troupe ? Is it a personal matter? Or is there another reason?"


"It's not personal."


"Then it must be because someone commissioned you, or it's a public matter. If it's significant enough to involve Pyo Wol, it must be something serious, and if that's the case, a storm could potentially hit the Kangho Province."


Jo Seolpung   was both a martial artist and a merchant.


He possessed the intuition of a martial artist and the sense of a merchant simultaneously.


His mind was constantly ringing alarm bells.


He sensed danger just by exchanging a few words with Pyo Wol.


Pyo Wol admired Jo Seolpung's astuteness.


Jo Seolpung had the most outstanding mind Pyo Wol had ever encountered.


Although the meetings with Noh Tae-tae and Jo Seolpung were mere coincidences, their reactions and intelligence moved Pyo Wol.


Pyo Wol decided to show them some favor.


"The Chief Inspector of Hao Clan has gone missing."


"Hao Clan?"


"My goodness!"


Noh Tae-tae and Jo Seolpung were stunned by the unexpected news.


As merchants, they knew Hao Clan's influence better than anyone else, and they had used him a lot in their business.


Now, they had established their own information network, but in the beginning, they had purchased and utilized Hao Clan's information.


So they knew how powerful the Chief Inspector of Hao Clan was. 


The Chief Inspector of Hao Clan held power and authority equivalent to the head of a considerable martial arts faction.


Such a Chief Inspector going missing was definitely not a trivial matter.


"Then there must be some kind of contact between the Heavenly Flower Troupe and the Hao Clan's chief inspector, and your job is to track down that contact."


Although Pyo Wol didn't say much, Jo Seolpung inferred the exact information he wanted from their conversation.


Pyo Wol admired Jo Seolpung once again for his extraordinary intelligence.


If they had been enemies, Pyo Wol would have found dealing with someone like Jo Seolpung quite troublesome.


Pyo Wol would have eliminated Jo Seolpung first if they had been enemies.


Jo Seolpung  said to Pyo Wol, "We, Je-won merchant group, will also cooperate in tracking down the heavenly flower troupe . Among those who attended the birthday party of our great grandmother, there must be someone who has been in contact with the heavenly flower troupe . If we talk to them, we might find a clue."


"Would that be possible when they've already dispersed?"


"It may not be possible elsewhere, but it is in Poyang Lake and Kangho province. We'll let you know the good news soon."


"One more thing."


"Yes?"


"Check if there have been any recent instances of a group of ten or more people staying at inns around Poyang Lake."


"Why?"


"Hao Clan's Poyang Lake branch was burned down a few days ago."


"My goodness!"


Jo Seolpung 's eyes widened in surprise.


Although their exchanges had dwindled recently, the fact that he had no idea that Hao Clan's branch had been annihilated sent shivers down his spine.


"It's not a publicly known place. It's more like a secret branch."


"That makes it an even bigger problem. Someone else found out about a place we didn't know and ambushed it. Understood. We will mobilize the Je-won merchant group and the intelligence group to investigate this matter."


"Alright."


Jo Seolpung  clenched his teeth.


The most important thing to him was the Je-won merchant group and the intelligence group.



It was the result of the blood, sweat, and tears of countless family members, from his great-grandmother Noh Tae-tae, to his grandfather, father, and many other relatives.


He couldn't tolerate anything that threatened the Je-won merchant group and the intelligence group, which meant everything to his family.


"Give us a day, and we will definitely find those who annihilated the Poyang Lake branch."


"Then I'll leave it to you."


Pyo Wol stood up from her seat.


Noh Tae-tae said with a regretful expression, "It's late. Why not stay the night and leave tomorrow?"


"I've received enough hospitality for an uninvited guest like me. Anything more would be burdensome."


"Then there's nothing we can do."


"I had fun today. I hope you stay healthy in the future."


"Thank you for your kind words. Since I've received blessings from the god of death, I think I'll be fine for a few more years."


Noh Tae-tae smiled brightly.


Pyo Wol gazed at her for a moment and then leaped outside.


As she disappeared, Noh Tae-tae's expression turned serious.


She said to Jo Seolpung ,"Seolpung!"


"Yes, great-grandmother!"


"You must have felt it too, right? An unusual current is flowing in Kangho."


"Yes! I've been keeping an eye on the unusual atmosphere in Poyang Lake as well."


"If we deal with it carelessly, everything we have will be swept away by the storm."


"From now on, I will put the Je-won merchant group and the intelligence group on high alert and closely monitor Pyo Wol's actions. Depending on his actions, the direction of the storm may change."


"I'll leave this matter to you. Your great-grandmother is too old, and your father is weak at thinking on his feet, so he can't respond well to this kind of variable. Only you can react quickly."


"Leave it to me, great-grandmother!"


"And don't skimp on support for Pyo Wol. Give her whatever he wants."


"I will do so."


"Sigh! It's been too peaceful lately. The higher the mountain, the deeper the valley, and the longer the peace, the more people's desires pile up. It's time for desires to erupt."


At Noh Tae-tae's sigh, Jo Seolpung  clenched his fist.


'There won't be any threat to Je-won merchant group from the storm. I, the descendant, will make sure of it.'

***

Pyo Wol left the Sea Cliff Pavillion and started walking.


The streets were quiet since it was late at night. There were occasional patrols, but they couldn't even detect Pyo Wol's shadow, let alone his face.


His meeting with Noh Tae-tae and Jo Seolpung was a great gain. With this, he could effectively gather information in Poyang Lake.


No one knew better than Pyo Wol how important it was to collect information.


He knew very well the power of being one step ahead of others in obtaining information.


Pyo Wol headed towards the guest house by Poyang Lake.


The moonlight poured down over the reed fields as the wind blew.


Swish, swish, swish!


The reed fields created a spectacular scene as they swayed like waves.


Pyo Wol stopped in the middle of the reed field and watched the scene of the reeds swaying under the moonlight.


Reed leaves, swept by the wind, fluttered in the air.


The next moment, Pyo Wol's figure disappeared among the reeds.


Soon after, someone appeared at the spot where Pyo Wol had been standing, with a puzzled expression.


It was a man with his face covered by a mask.


He looked around desperately, but Pyo Wol was nowhere to be seen.


"What on earth?"


He muttered involuntarily.


The man heightened his senses to track Pyo Wol's whereabouts. However, the blowing wind and the sound of rustling reed leaves disrupted his senses.


"Damn it!"


The man cursed.


He was Wolui, Yeom Hee-soo's loyal follower.


He was an assassin raised with care in White Fox Clan, usually tasked with protecting Yeom Hee-soo.


Although he wasn't as well-known in the martial arts world as the Hundred Wraith Union or Man Slaughter, he had immense pride in his assassination skills.


Even so, Pyo Wol was a burden to him.


His opponent was a man who had earned the nickname "Reaper."


He was considered to have reached the peak among assassins.


It was no lie that secretly following such a person was burdensome. 


However, as he pursued Pyo Wol all day, he gradually regained his confidence because Pyo Wol had not noticed his pursuit at all.


'So the Reaper isn't all that special.'


He secretly thought little of Pyo Wol, and also judged that Pyo Wol's reputation was overrated. He was about to stop following Pyo Wol and return to Yeom Hee-soo to report when Pyo Wol suddenly disappeared.


'Did he just hurry back to the guest house?'


It was then.


Suddenly, he felt a chill down his spine.


At the same time, he felt an intense sense of danger.


"Ugh!"


Wolgui exhaled sharply and looked around, but all he saw was the reed field shimmering like waves under the moonlight.


'Could I have been discovered?'


The worst-case scenario crossed Wolgui's mind.


Wolgui clenched his teeth.


The only existence that could make him feel such a sense of danger was Pyo Wol.


Only he could hide his presence so well and pressure Wolgui.


It was only then that Wolgui realized that Pyo Wol hadn't let him off the hook because he hadn't detected his trail.


It was clear that Pyo Wol had known about his tail all along. The fact that Pyo Wol had let him be was because he had judged that Wolgui posed no significant threat.


It was a blow to Wolgui's pride, but his opponent was a person who had more than enough ability and qualifications to do so.


Whoosh!


At that moment, a strong wind blew.


Reed leaves scattered in the wind, obscuring his vision.


"Argh!"


Wolgui's face contorted.


It was because he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.


A single reed leaf was embedded in his shoulder like a dagger.


Only then did Wolgui realize that the wind that blew was caused by Pyo Wol.


A look of terror appeared on Wolgui's face.


It was because he had an illusion that all the reed leaves in the vast reed field had become 


Pyo Wol's weapons.


"The Reaper."




Side note:-Mwahaa, looks like someone's get fucked up for messing with the Reaper

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