Moon-Shadow Sword Emperor

Episode 129

“……Anyway, the number of known missing people is five. “Maybe more people than that were sacrificed.”

“That’s a scary story.”

“As I said before, tell your daughter to be careful. “It would be better to refrain from going out for a while.”

“Even if it’s not a disappearance case, going out is prohibited. “Wouldn’t it be a big deal if I made a mistake and got caught up in a fight between the martial arts people?”

“Well, the disappearance case is a disappearance case, but the bigger problem is the movement of the Cheonghyeoldomun. “I can’t live because I’m so nervous that protests break out every day.”

The story about the disappearance did not last very long.

The men exchanged drinks and talked about Cheonghyeoldomun.

“…….”

I rubbed my chin and was lost in thought.

Serial disappearance case.

It may not be an issue worth paying attention to.

When regional security becomes unstable, it is inevitable that various incidents and accidents will follow.

However, if there is a possibility that Mine is involved in the incident, the story is different.

‘The number of missing people confirmed so far is five. All young women. Regardless of whether the destination is a deserted field or a crowded market, it disappears without leaving a trace. To date, there has been no case of a missing person returning home.’

There were some issues that made it difficult to view this as an ordinary kidnapping case.

There is a clear commonality among those who have disappeared.

The incident occurred regardless of time and place.

Presumably, the evil beast that caused the incident was a martial artist.

‘What if Mine, who was secretly working in Gwiju, did this because he couldn’t resist his impulses?’

It was a reasonable assumption.

A demon intoxicated with demonic powers sometimes prioritizes desire over reason.

It was like that even with Eumsalgwima.

As can be seen from the title, he was a madhu among madhus who enjoyed fornication and murder.

According to the facts revealed by the Cheongseong faction’s investigation after the subjugation, it seemed that the demon of Eumsal frequently kidnapped and murdered young women living nearby.

If this was the case for the demons of Eumsal, who were secretly carrying out secret missions from the cult leader in Sacheon, there was no way that demons in Gwiju would not commit aberrations.

‘It might be worth investigating.’

After organizing his thoughts, he arranged the food that Jeomsoi brought out one by one in an orderly manner on the table.

The group showed up at the restaurant one by one one after another and sat around the table, quenching their appetites.

I looked back in the direction where Tang Seoyeon was and said.

“I would like to ask you to do one thing right away.”

“……?”

“It appears that there have been several disappearances in the area recently. Please look into the matter.”

“Disappearance case? Why is that…”

“It may have something to do with the secret demons in Gwiju.”

“All right.”

Tang Seo-yeon picked up the chopsticks and nodded gently.

I then asked Seo Ho-seon and Bang Cheok-sam to help her.

Normally, he would have to ask Bangcheoksam, the eldest, first, but this time was an exception.

No matter how great a warrior he is, he won’t be able to keep up with a Tang family figure in the field of tracking.

I muttered in my mind as I diligently shoved the piece of meat into my mouth.

‘If Hao Mun’s intelligence power is added to Tang Seo-yeon’s tracking skills, we will soon be able to catch the tail.’

Even if I ended up wasting money, it didn’t really matter.

Anyway, while Damun and I went to the Gwiju branch, the rest of the group was going to wait at the dorm.

‘I hope I catch a big fish if possible.’

* * *

Early moning.

Damun and I visited the Gwiju branch and met with Namgung Baek, the branch leader.

“So you’re from the Sichuan branch?”

“That’s right. “You should have contacted Jeonseo-gu in advance.”

“Of course, I received the call…”

Namgung Baek frowned and scratched the back of his head.

I thought I knew why he was expressing his disappointment so openly.

It could have been frustrating to see that only the two late Jisoos came by and claimed to be reinforcements.

However, you can’t spit out abusive language against the same branch leader.

“How much do you know about the situation here?”

“I heard that the Cheonghyeoldomun is rapidly expanding its sphere of influence by taking advantage of the Great War. To date, there are five martial arts forces that have succumbed to their military power and been subjugated. Four clans and segments voluntarily turned to the side of the Blue Blood Blade. “I understand that the rest are joining forces with the Guizhou branch to fight against them.”

“…You know more than I thought.”

“It’s not like I was blinded by a sense of fairness and just went ahead without prior investigation.”

Nangong Baek’s eyes softened slightly.

Let’s chat about miscellaneous things for a while.

A servant employed at the branch brought out tea utensils.

Namgungbaek asked while pouring tea himself.

“Anyway, I heard that the Sacheon branch leader was the winner of the Yongbong branch. Rumor has it that he has already reached the pinnacle…”

There was a small sense of anticipation in his eyes.

Instead of answering, I drew a faint smile on my face.

In reality, it was a flower scene, not a transcendent peak.

I didn’t even feel like bragging about it.

“That’s amazing. “A young man who has just completed his contract is a transcendent expert.”

Did he accept the unspoken words as positive?

Namgungbaek let out a low exclamation and put down the kettle.

For a moment, I had the urge to ask about his past.

‘……No way.’

I felt like asking why you, a member of the White Tigers, were demoted to the Gwiju branch, but I decided to hold back for now.

There was no need to make the other person wary by revealing their secrets.

“I think you know, but I overthrew the Sichuan branch not long ago. In the process, most of the members of the branch were expelled.”

“The news was delivered through an official letter. You made a bold decision. It must have been easier said than done to eradicate the rampant corruption within the branch. “And that too on the first day of my appointment.”

“I haven’t done anything great to be praised like that. Anyway, because of that, the current Sacheon branch does not have enough money to help other branches. “They are support staff, and that’s why only the two of us showed up.”

“…….”

“Are you disappointed?”

“no.”

“I have some news that will make the branch manager happy.”

“……?”

“We are the only ones who came to support us as leaders of the Murim League, but there are more people who came from Sacheon to Gwiju.”

“What kind of people are they?”

“This is Sojeo, Tang Seoyeon, a direct descendant of the Tang family, and senior Chang Myeong-gung, a 100-year-old expert.”

“Cha Changmyeong Palace?!”

Namgungbaek raised his voice with a very surprised expression.

He was truly a person who was honest about his feelings.

He reacted indifferently until Tang Seoyeon’s name was mentioned, but as soon as he heard the name Changmyeonggung, his attitude changed immediately.

‘I like it quite a bit.’

I narrowed my eyes and observed Nangong Baek’s reaction.

At least I didn’t think he was acting.

‘I guess this is the end of my speculations.’

There was one thought that came to mind as I read the information I received from Hao Wen.

The assumption is that there may be some kind of contact between the Iron Blood Demon Lord and the Blue Blood Demon Lord.

One doubt led to another.

‘If the Blue Blood Demon Lord was captured by the Iron Blood Demon Army, there is a high possibility that Ganja was planted in the Gwiju branch as well.’

There was no particular basis.

However, I trusted my intuition.

Having memories from my past life, I knew very well what kind of personality the Iron Blood Demon had.

The Iron Blood Demon was the person with the most similar tendencies to the cult leader among the four brothers in his previous life.

Meticulousness and thoroughness.

In addition, he has a personality that enjoys using dark words.

If the Iron Blood Demon Army had appeased the Blue Blood Demon Lord, the purpose was most likely to divert attention.

But would a person with a cautious personality like the Iron Blood Demon be satisfied with just one arrangement?

I can assure you that it would not be so.

If I were the Iron Blood Demon Army, I would have planted a wind catcher in the Maeng branch to encourage the martial forces in Gwiju in response to the movements of the Blue Blood Demon.

‘Well, it’s a hypothesis with nothing certain.’

Maybe it was too much to worry about.

Still, there would be no harm in being careful.

‘There is no need to reveal all of our cards.’

It was necessary to maintain an appropriate distance from the leaders of the Guizhou branch.

That was the reason why Seo Ho-seon’s name was not mentioned on purpose.

“Currently, we are staying in a guesthouse nearby. “I think it will stay there for a while.”

“Instead, why don’t you come to the branch’s separate room with the Grand Hyeop of Changmyeong Palace?”

“It is a grateful offer, but I will decline it.”

“Why?”

“A sharp knife should be kept hidden.”

“…I understand what you mean.”

“If you need to make contact, send someone to the guesthouse.”

“All right.”

* * *

After finishing my meeting with Baek Nangong and returning to the guesthouse, I immediately handed over the request to Hao Wen.

Two days passed and an interim report was delivered from Tang Seo-yeon and Hao Wen.

“Are you saying there is no income?”

“That’s right.”

Dang Seo-yeon answers as if sighing.

I squinted and looked at the contents of the letter sent from Hao Mun.

The content written in the letter was not much different from the report of the Tang Seoyeon.

Investigation into serial disappearance cases.

-There have been no more incidents since the disappearance four days ago.

-There are no new missing persons, making investigation difficult.

-Finding out that there are several missing people other than the young woman.

-The young man of the covenant, the boy of Jihak, the twelve-year-old girl, and the seven-year-old boy. In addition, it is estimated that there are several more victims.

I rubbed my chin and was lost in thought.

I thought I would be able to catch up quickly, but things weren’t going as well as I thought.

It seemed that tracking him had become difficult because the beast had disappeared.

‘Did I guess wrong?’

The content written at the end of the letter caught my attention.

‘The young man of the covenant, the boy of Jihak, the twelve-year-old girl, and the seven-year-old boy. ‘Even if I wash my eyes and look for anything in common, I can’t find anything in common.’

I thought that there might be some kind of connection between the disappearances and the demonic cults operating in secret in Sacheon.

That hypothesis was based on rumors that the missing people were all young women.

However, contrary to what was known, it appears that among those missing were men and children.

‘…Further investigation may be meaningless.’

I was reluctant to invest any more time and money, saying that the investigation itself was difficult regardless of whether the beast was a demon or not.

There was a need to stop the investigation or change the method.

“wait… … .”

As I was tapping the table with my index finger, I raised my head as a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

‘If you just need a sacrifice to satisfy your desires as a demon.’

Kidnapping was not necessarily the only method.

There were many ways to satisfy desires more quietly and secretly.

Because people who engage in illegal human trafficking exist in certain regions.

‘It wouldn’t be a bad idea to search the black market.’