CFZ

Why Is Mok Ri-seon a Spy?
There are several reasons to suspect him.
First.

“Too many gaps in the information.”
The condensed report he provided was full of suspicious details. While it’s true that the Celestial Stream Sect isn’t exactly reputable, Mok Ri-seon exaggerated their connections with external forces.
“Even he admitted they appear to be a legitimate trading company.”

It’s worth raising doubts.
Was it the Choya Trading Company or the Chia Trading Company? I’m not sure of the exact name, but within two weeks, there were at least seven meetings.
Even at a glance, that’s an excessive number of contacts...

But here’s what’s important.
“He was unreasonably precise and overly sensitive about the frequency.”
Looking at the information he provided, it was clear that he had investigated this with almost obsessive persistence.

Especially since he even resorted to tailing them—he took significant risks to investigate this matter.
The problem is...
“There’s no solid justification for such efforts.”

What plausible reason could there be for Mok Ri-seon to act so excessively just because the Celestial Stream Sect seemed suspicious?
No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t make sense.
As I mentioned earlier, was it because he considered the Celestial Stream Sect part of a heretical faction?

That’s possible.
Especially since, as Mok Ri-seon stated, the Tang Clan had ceased operations for the time being.
That leaves only the Martial Alliance and the Emei Sect... But even now, the Emei Sect’s leader, Kon Seon, is absent.
Given this situation, it might make sense to keep a close watch.

“Then what about the Demon Fang Spear?”
There’s also Tang Deok’s account to consider.
Associating the Demon Fang Spear with the Demonic Cult just because of a resemblance in appearance? That seems forced.

Granted, rumors about the Demonic Cult have been resurfacing across Zhongyuan lately.
Perhaps they were being cautious about the Demon Fang Spear, which is associated with Tang Deok, who allegedly killed the Blade King and fled?
No. If anything, it feels like a hasty attempt to make the pieces fit.

Even the matter with the Azure Dragon Unit raises questions.
“He didn’t seem the least bit disappointed when the Azure Dragon Unit was delayed.”
If he were disappointed, wouldn’t that imply he was disregarding me? No.

Look at it objectively.
The Azure Dragon Unit was on its first deployment, and their experience was limited.
Even their captain—me—was fresh to the role.

“A captain who had just been promoted after graduating as a late-generation disciple.”
No one knew yet if I was truly capable. Yet, despite that, the main headquarters sent reinforcements, and this young captain showed up.
“No matter how strong I was rumored to be, that’s a separate issue.”

In such a scenario, what would be the usual reaction?
“They’d be relieved or even rejoice.”
Naturally, people would prefer a more experienced and competent captain rather than someone young and unproven. This wouldn’t be seen as a bad thing. That would be the normal reaction.

But what about the branch leader’s behavior?
“He did seem relieved.”
Yes, he did feel relieved. But...

“He was relieved that the Azure Dragon Unit’s captain didn’t show up.”
The Azure Dragon Unit was simply delayed.
Mok Ri-seon reacted to that delay. And his reaction—subtle as it was—definitely showed relief.

That was odd.
Why would Mok Ri-seon react like that to news of the Azure Dragon Unit’s delay?
And conversely...

“Why did he seem so uncomfortable when I showed signs of competence?”
It was such a minor difference that most people wouldn’t have noticed.
But with my heightened senses, even faint emotions like that didn’t escape me.

And it didn’t stop there.
Even when I requested the full report instead of the condensed version.
Even when I decided to forego rest and immediately start moving around.

Mok Ri-seon’s reactions were consistently strange.
Subtle, but strange.
Of course, I could chalk it all up to me being overly sensitive.

Maybe I was just imagining things because I was being overly cautious.
But there was one reason I was absolutely certain Mok Ri-seon was a spy.
“Fortunately, I recognized him the moment I saw him.”

Forget actions or motivations—the truth was, I had seen him once before in my past life.
“Mok Ri-seon, the Bloodstained Iron Demon.”
The Celestial Stream Sect Leader, who had fallen into demonic corruption in his previous life, and the demon who had been by his side.

That bastard was him.
‘I forgot about this.’
The fact that the head of the Sichuan branch had turned into a demon—it had completely slipped my mind until I saw him again.

It wasn’t unusual for righteous martial artists to fall and become demons. It was such a common occurrence that I had carelessly forgotten about it.
‘Was it starting now?’
Mok Ri-seon, who seemed to be tangled up with the Celestial Stream Sect Leader.

He appeared to have some ulterior motive.
“I thought something felt off.”
It had already seemed strange when the Demonic Cult got involved with the Celestial Stream Sect. Now, it was starting to look like there was more to it.

That included both the Martial Alliance branch and the Celestial Stream Sect.
‘The information mentioned external contacts…’
Since the information had come from the branch, I couldn’t trust it completely.

For all I knew, even that could be a lie.
‘Hmm.’
Now, what should I do about this?

‘What else is there to do?’
There was always one answer in situations like this.
The information couldn’t be trusted, but something was clearly happening. That left only one option.

‘Go and find out myself.’
The easiest way was to check it in person.
Creeak.

I opened the door and stepped inside.
The location was a bit removed from the main town of Sichuan.
The moment I entered, the faint aroma of food filled the air.

“Welcome!”
A young waitress greeted me cheerfully as she hurried over.
“I’m a bit hungry. Could I get something to eat?”

“Ah, well…”
The waitress looked troubled by my question.
“It’s possible, but… as you can see, we’re currently full. I’m afraid you’ll have to share a table. Would that [N O V E L I G H T] be alright?”

I looked around.
Just as she said, the tavern was packed with people.
For such a small, out-of-the-way inn, the food must have been exceptionally good to attract this kind of crowd.

Smiling faintly, I answered the waitress.
“I don’t mind.”
“Ah! Thank you for understanding, sir! I’ll guide you right away.”

After the waitress left and returned a short while later, she led me to a table.
“Please sit here.”
At the table, there was a woman who seemed to be a mother and her child.

“Excuse me for intruding.”
I smiled as I spoke, and the woman and child responded with polite nods and smiles.
“It’s nice to meet you.”

“Wow!”
“You little brat! Dongjin, don’t yell in the tavern. Eat your food before it gets cold.”
“Yes, Mom.”

Amused by their natural interaction, I took a seat and called the waitress.
“Just bring me something light to eat and some tea.”
“If it’s something light…”

“If you have dumplings, bring those. Otherwise, any kind of noodles will do.”
“Would you like any alcohol? Our food pairs wonderfully with our drinks.”
“I’m not in the mood. Just bring what I ordered.”

“Understood. One bowl of noodles!”
The waitress took my order and left.
As I waited quietly, I felt a gaze on me.

It was the child who had been eating enthusiastically.
I glanced at him, wondering why he was staring at me.
“Um, mister.”

The child spoke to me.
“Hm?”
“Are you a martial artist?”

The boy’s innocent question startled his mother, who immediately tried to stop him.
“You! Don’t call him ‘mister’ like that! Show proper respect!”
“Uh…?”

“I’m so sorry, sir. He’s still too young to know better. Please forgive him.”
“It’s fine. No need to worry so much.”
I waved my hand lightly to dismiss her concerns and turned back to the child.

“Yeah, I’m a martial artist.”
“Wow! But you don’t carry a sword?”
“I don’t use things like that.”

“Oh. But everyone else has one…”
“They usually do.”
Most martial artists used weapons rather than relying solely on martial techniques, so his observation wasn’t wrong.

The boy’s curiosity seemed endless as he continued to bombard me with questions.
“Where do you live?”
“Far away. Have you heard of Shanxi?”

“Nope.”
“It’s far away. Don’t bother going there—there’s nothing to see.”
“Then did you come from there?”

“I live there, but I came here from Henan.”
Hearing that, the woman widened her eyes.
“Oh my, so you came from Henan? I figured you were from out of town, but that’s quite a distance.”

“Yes. I had some business nearby and decided to stop here for a meal.”
We exchanged light conversation until my noodles arrived.
“Here’s your food. Enjoy!”

The dish looked delicious—enough to make my stomach grumble a bit just from the sight of it.
Before digging in, I took a sip of the tea first.
“Hmm.”

It was just plain tea.
Completely ordinary.
I found it unexpectedly reassuring.

“There’s no poison? I was sure there would be.”
I muttered quietly to myself.
The change in atmosphere came instantly.

Ssshhh.
The once noisy tavern fell silent in an instant.
Amid the strange atmosphere, I calmly continued eating.

Slurp.
I took a few more bites of noodles and swallowed the broth.
It wasn’t a large portion, so I finished quickly.

After eating everything, I wiped my mouth in satisfaction.
“Not bad.”
I nodded, but the silence persisted.

The sharp tension in the air pricked at my skin, but I paid no attention.
I had expected this from the start.
Besides—

‘Time to begin.’
Now that my stomach was full, it was time to make my move.
I reached out.

Tap.
My hand rested on the crown of the boy’s head beside me.
I felt the texture of his hair as I lightly patted it.

“…Brother?”
The boy looked up to speak, but—
BANG!

I slammed his head straight into the table.
CRASH!
The table split in half with the impact of the boy’s head.

Tea and food scattered everywhere.
I immediately shifted my body—this time toward the boy’s mother.
Would she scream in shock, seeing her child attacked?

Unfortunately, her reaction was nothing of the sort.
Shiiing!
The moment the boy collapsed, a dagger shot out from the woman’s sleeve.

It lunged straight for my neck, but—
Thwack.
“What the—?!”

I caught the blade between my thumb and forefinger, halting it in place.
And then—
Thud!

I clenched my fist and drove it into her stomach.
I felt something break inside her.
Her ribs had shattered.

She collapsed onto the floor, vomiting blood, and I tilted my head.
“That was surprising.”
“Ugh… guh….”

I lightly tapped her head with my foot as she writhed on the ground.
“You shouldn’t rush at someone like that—it’s scary, you know.”
I looked around the room.

Despite the sudden outbreak of violence, no one seemed shocked.
Instead, what I felt was—
‘Hostility.’

The waves of hostility directed at me were too unnatural for a simple tavern.
But—
‘I like this.’

For me, this kind of situation was more than welcome.
“Quite the looks you’re giving me. Are you even planning to run a business like this?”
As I leaned back in my chair, I heard the sound of weapons being drawn from all directions.

The lively, cheerful diners from moments ago had vanished without a trace.
Of course.
‘This place wasn’t even a real tavern to begin with.’

As far as I could tell, I was the only genuine customer here.
The current situation confirmed it.
“…Who are you?”

A man with a scowl asked, and I looked him in the eye.
“Why bother asking? You already know, don’t you?”
“…”

Hearing my words, he fell silent.
As expected, these people already knew who I was.
That only made them more curious.

“…How did you figure it out?”
How did I know?
Normally, I wouldn’t have answered, but I decided to make an exception this time.

“Because your acting was shit—wait, no. It actually wasn’t bad.”
“…”
“The kid played his part well, and the mom put in a lot of practice too. Pretty decent. But if you’re gonna hide weapons, you should work on those movements.”

Critiquing their performance probably seemed ridiculous coming from me, but it was true.
“Honestly, it’s something most people wouldn’t have noticed. But the real giveaway?”
Tap.

I nudged the collapsed boy’s head with my foot and spoke.
“Neither the mom nor the kid looked surprised when they saw me. Usually, the kid at least would’ve been startled.”
“…!”

Explaining my reasoning pissed me off even more because they actually seemed to understand and nodded in agreement.
Damn it.
I held back a sigh.

I had come here prepared, but even if I hadn’t known, their reaction alone would’ve made me suspicious.
That only made it more frustrating.
Grinding my teeth, I said,

“I was planning to flip this place upside down from the start, but since the food was surprisingly good, I’ll give you a chance.”
This wasn’t a normal tavern.
Its name was Dongyu Tavern.

“Where’s your sect leader?”
This place was secretly run by the Celestial Stream Sect.