C 437
Pyo Wol raised his head and looked at Do Yeonsan.
Do Yeonsan's face was flushed red.
"What's wrong?"
"You need to go outside now."
Do Yeonsan's atmosphere was unusual.
Instead of asking why, Pyo Wol went outside.
As soon as they stepped outside of the Red Pine Manor, Pyo Wol could see why Do Yeonsan had such an urgent expression.
Not far from the Red Pine Manor, flames were blazing.
The flames were shooting up into the sky with terrifying momentum.
The raindrops had grown quite large, but they were insufficient to extinguish the flames.
The problem was that Pyo Wol knew where the fire was currently raging.
"Snow Cloud Manor!"
Without further thought, Pyo Wol rushed off.
"Let's go together."
Do Yeonsan followed Pyo Wol.
Boom!
Pyo Wol broke down the door to Snow Cloud Manor and entered.
Inside Snow Cloud Manor, the place had already been completely engulfed in flames.
The fierce flames and the thick smoke obscured their vision.
Pyo Wol held his breath and looked around.
It was already impossible to see anything with his eyes.
Pyo Wol brought up his other senses.
His senses were extremely sensitive, able to detect even the slightest changes. However, even with Pyo Wol's heightened senses, he couldn't detect any signs of life.
It meant that there were no living beings inside Snow Cloud Manor.
Swoosh!
Pyo Wol swung his hand toward the area where the flames were the fiercest. A powerful gust of wind arose, momentarily subduing the flames.
In the midst of the subdued flames, Pyo Wol discovered people lying on the ground.
Pyo Wol discovered people lying in the middle of the subdued flames.
"Hey!"
Pyo Wol shouted and ran towards them, but they didn't move at all.
Pyo Wol checked their faces.
One was Woo Jang-rak, whom he had met recently, and the other was Yoo Gi-cheon, the owner of Snow Cloud Manor.
Neither of them showed any signs of movement or breath.
Pyo Wol hastily examined the two bodies.
There was a sword wound on Woo Jang-rak's neck.
The wound was so sharp that it would have been impossible to recognize it without Pyo Wol's keen vision.
'Killed by a single sword strike.'
Woo Jang-rak was a martial artist who could be considered an expert.
Yet such an expert had lost his life without showing any signs of resistance.
'A terrifyingly swift sword.'
It was a delicate and swift sword that Woo Jang-rak couldn't properly resist.
His wide-open eyes were filled with disbelief.
It meant that he had not anticipated the opponent's swift sword.
Pyo Wol turned his gaze to Yoo Gi-cheon.
Yoo Gi-cheon was already in a state of absolute death.
He too had the same sword wound on his neck as Woo Jang-rak.
"Hey!"
Pyo Wol called out, but Yoo Gi-cheon remained motionless.
Pyo Wol frowned slightly.
He didn't have any sympathy for Yoo Gi-cheon, but he knew that Soma had liked him quite a bit.
It was certain that Soma would be sad to find out that Yoo Gi-cheon had died.
Pyo Wol carried the bodies of Yoo Gi-cheon and Woo Jang-rak on his shoulders and went outside.
Whoosh!
As soon as he escaped, the flames soared even more fiercely.
Pyo Wol laid the bodies of Yoo Gi-cheon and Woo Jang-rak on the ground and looked at Snow Cloud Manor.
Even in the pouring rain, the flames wouldn't die out.
"Big brother!"
"Big brother!"
Eun-yo and Gwi An belatedly ran toward Snow Cloud Manor.
Their faces were full of confusion.
"Snow Cloud Manor…"
"What happened? Older brother!"
Eun-yo looked at Pyo Wol, shielding herself from the intense heat with her sleeve.
Her face was full of despair.
Pyo Wol answered.
"They were attacked by someone. Both Yoo Gi-cheon and Woo Jang-rak were killed."
"No…"
Eun-yo couldn't speak and just opened her mouth slightly.
She was on her way back from the underground gambling den.
She never expected that Snow Cloud Manor, located near Red Pine Manor, would be attacked while she was away.
"They were all killed by a swift sword. They died without being able to resist."
"What about the culprit?"
"We can't tell for now."
Pyo Wol looked at the burning Snow Cloud Manor.
The flames that didn't die out even in the rain.
It was the worst situation.
The fire would erase all traces. When water is added, any remaining evidence would also be destroyed.
Indeed, all the worst conditions were in place.
Eun-yo shouted.
"Could it be the Galactic Escort Bureau?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Well…"
Eun-yo told Pyo Wol everything she had found out so far.
She explained how she had learned about the Galactic Escort Bureau, and why she found their actions suspicious.
Pyo Wol suddenly recalled his last conversation with Woo Jang-rak.
"Woo Jang-rak also mentioned going to meet with the Galactic Escort Bureau."
"Did he? That makes the Galactic Escort Bureau even more suspicious."
"Where are they now?"
"They're at Gujang Guesthouse."
"Let's go there."
"Yes!"
Pyo Wol left Gwi An and Do Yeonsan in charge of cleaning up Snow Cloud Manor and headed to Gujang Guesthouse with Eun-yo.
"Huh?"
As they approached the guesthouse, Eun-yo furrowed her brow.
No matter how late it was, guesthouses usually had a few lanterns lit.
It was because there were customers who came late at night or early in the morning.
If the lights were completely off, those customers would turn back. So, it was common for a guesthouse to have one or two lanterns lit until dawn.
But the lights at the Gujang Guesthouse were completely off.
If there had been even a single light on, they would have felt some warmth, but the air was only chilly.
Eun-yo quickly opened the door of the guesthouse and went inside.
"Mr. Jang!"
But there was no answer from Mr. Jang.
Searching the first floor, Eun-yo soon found Mr. Jang and the attendant. They were unconscious and collapsed behind the counter.
Someone had struck their pressure points.
It was fortunate that they hadn't lost their lives.
After looking around the guest house, Pyo Wol said.
"There's not a single person inside."
He couldn't sense any human presence at all.
It wasn't that people were sleeping deeply and their vital signs couldn't be detected, but rather, there were no people at all.
It made no sense for such a large and spacious guesthouse to have no guests.
Eun-yo quickly woke up Jang Noya.
"Mr. Jang! Mr. Jang!"
"Ah, Miss?"
"What happened?"
"Well…"
Jang Noya had a momentarily confused expression. But soon he regained his composure and spoke.
"I remember that the Galactic Escort Bureau's leader suddenly wanted to meet… Up to that point, I remember…"
It seemed like his pressure points were suddenly struck.
Jang Noya could not recall anything else. But this much was enough.
It was now certain that the leader of the Galactic Escort Bureau had struck Jang Noya's pressure points.
Pyo Wol said.
"Let's go to the stable."
"Yes!"
The two headed to the stable where the horses were kept.
As expected.
There were no horses that the Galactic Escort Bureau had ridden.
"What about the cargo?"
The Galactic Escort Bureau had definitely returned with their carts and wagons fully loaded.
According to what Eun-yo had gathered, they had not yet disposed of the goods
Creak!
When they opened the warehouse door, the goods brought by the Galactic Escort Bureau were still stored.
Eun-yo frowned and said.
"Did they leave all the cargo behind?"
Pyo Wol approached the cargo and swung his hand.
Bang!
With a loud noise, a large box was shattered.
The inside of the box was completely empty.
They broke other boxes as well, but none of them contained any goods.
They had arrived with empty boxes in the first place.
The goods were merely a distraction to draw attention.
From the beginning, they must have intended to abandon the carts and wagons.
"Galactic Escort Bureau. You said they claimed to be a subordinate agency of New Moon Manor?"
"They did, but there's a chance it was a disguise."
"I guess so."
Pyo Wol shook his head.
Eun-yo said,
"Should we pursue them?"
"We should."
"Then let's go."
"Not now."
"What?"
Eun-yo didn't understand and opened her eyes wide.
"Because of the rain, all traces have been erased. If we try to track them now, we'll only cause confusion and it will be difficult to achieve any significant results."
"But we can't just give up, can we?"
"Of course not."
A cold smile appeared on Pyo Wol's lips.
Snow Cloud Manor, of all places, had been attacked.
Considering the relationship between the Red Pine Manor and the Snow Cloud Manor, it was almost like a challenge to himself.
Pyo Wol was not the type to endure an attack without retaliation.
"By the way! Big brother. Actually, I've captured a few Galactic Escort Bureau's leaders and agents at the underground gambling den."
"What happened?"
"Well…"
Eun-yo told him that a few of Galactic Escort Bureau's leaders had visited the underground gambling den and lost all their fortunes.
"Did you set them up at the gambling den?"
"Yes! I captured them after running up huge debts. I was planning to pressure the Galactic Escort Bureau with their debt as an excuse, but they were one step ahead."
Eun-yo bit her lip.
Seok, the Guard, had not come to the underground gambling den alone.
He brought several agents with him to the gambling den and gambled excitedly.
At first, they were lucky and won a lot. However, the fate of those who entered the gambling den was always the same.
Eventually, they lost all the money they had brought and borrowed a large sum from the gambling den. And they lost all of that as well.
No matter how good Seok was at gambling, he couldn't beat the gamblers at the gambling den.
That's why Seok and his companions were all captured in the gambling den.
Eun-yo was the one who orchestrated all of this.
Since Seok and the others were practically hostages, Eun-yo let her guard down to some extent.
The price of her carelessness was this.
They abandoned Seok and his group and attacked the Snow Cloud Manor.
At that very moment, Pyo Wol was absorbed in martial arts and didn't notice what was happening.
Coincidence and inevitability overlapped, leading to today's predicament.
"They're at the underground gambling den?"
"Yes! Shall we go?"
"Let's go."
"Yes!"
Eun-yo answered and led the way.
The raindrops had grown thicker. The two of them walked through the pouring rain and arrived at the underground gambling den.
Upon opening the door and entering, they sensed a strange atmosphere.
There were no customers, and the gamblers were watching her.
Eun-yo asked,
"What's going on? Why is the atmosphere like this?"
"I'm sorry, miss!"
At that moment, a stranger appeared among the gamblers.
He was Geum Jo-gyeong, the owner of the underground gambling den.
"What are you sorry for?"
"Well…"
"Speak up."
"The Galactic Escort Bureau leader and agents we had captured are all dead."
"What did you say?"
"I'm sorry. We had them locked up in a small room, but they all died."
"How?"
"We don't know the reason. It seems like they were poisoned, but we don't know how they ingested the poison."
"What?"
As Eun-yo made a baffled expression, Pyo Wol stepped forward.
"Where are the bodies?"
"Ah, they're over there."
Geum Jo-gyeong personally guided Pyo Wol to the bodies.
Pyo Wol knelt on one knee and examined the corpses.
"The poison capsules were hidden in their teeth."
All the corpses were missing one of their teeth.
It wasn't missing from the start, but the tooth had completely melted just before Pyo Wol arrived.
As evidence, the melted tooth debris still remained in their mouths.
Pyo Wol touched the melted tooth debris with his finger and muttered,
"How interesting!"