Book 13 Chapter 17

Searching for their whereabouts…

At the beginning of the Zishi hour (around 23:00), at the Shaoxi Branch of the Kaibang sect in Huayin County, Shaanxi Province.

He was abruptly woken from a deep sleep.

It was a bolt from the blue for Ogai, the master of the Kaibang Shaoxi Branch. It was because of the uninvited visitors.

The Kaibang sect, which boasted that there was no corner of the martial world untouched by their influence, and no scent not clinging to them, naturally had a branch here as well.

It was named the Shaoxi Branch because it only managed the Huashan Sect and its surroundings.

Even though it was a branch, it didn't have a proper building. It was a makeshift structure woven haphazardly from branches under a scenic bridge, with straw mats plastered all over it, so crudely made it was a wonder it didn't collapse in the wind. However, by repeatedly adding and overlapping these straw mats, it had grown to occupy a rather large space.

Since this was, without a doubt, the territory of one of the Nine Great Sects, the Huashan Sect, the branch was very modest. Its actual power was also correspondingly small. It was maintained because it served as a communication channel with the Huashan sect and a place for information exchange. It never interfered in matters of profit, which is why its status was much lower than other branches.

Ogai glared at Nohak with a very displeased look. He seemed to still be unhappy about being woken up from his sleep. However, Nohak's standing was actually higher than Ogai's, the branch master, so he couldn't complain. Nohak also felt a tiny bit sorry.

"They probably wanted to avoid being seen. They wouldn't have taken so long to transport such a strikingly beautiful woman. Because she stands out!"

Bilyeon said, looking around. He had somehow become the leader of this rescue party. Everyone listened to his words before acting. This happened very naturally.

"They probably used a carriage!"

"That's right!"

Jang Hong agreed. There was nothing fundamentally wrong with the deductions made so far. Above all, their greatest enemy now was time. There was no time to waste on arguments.

"The recent sunset time is the You Shi hour (around 18:00). That narrows down the possibilities. Is there any information about carriage movements here?"

When Bilyeon looked at Nohak, Nohak looked back at Ogai. Ogai was momentarily flustered. Wasn't he asking something incredibly obvious…

'Fine, whatever! You can't know everything in life!'

Ogai said.

"Where do you think this is?"

"Kaibang."

The obvious answer came back.

"There isn't much here that can escape the hungry eyes of us beggars."

Of course, there was. Bilyeon nodded with satisfaction.

"Bring me all the information about carriage routes after midnight, especially those that moved after sunset today! As quickly as possible!"

It was a race against time. Too much time was being lost. They had to return to Cheonmubong before dawn. If they were late for the morning roll call, they would be in serious trouble.

That day, all the beggars dwelling in the shadows of Huashan experienced the most breathless half-shichen of their lives since they were born.

As soon as the order was given, a young beggar immediately brought a report on the day's carriage movements.

However, it wasn't a written report as spoken of in common parlance.

Yoon Junho briefly glanced over the report brought by the young beggar, but it was filled with incomprehensible symbols. However, this was not because the information was classified as "secret" and required the use of codes for recording.

In Kaibang, having talent in literature, or being intellectual, meant being able to distinguish between the white and black on paper. In other words, it meant being able to read. A higher level than this was called "an embodiment of Confucius," and these were individuals who could not only read but also, surprisingly, write.

In the small branches of Kaibang, people who could read were extremely rare human resources. The ability to comprehend was a special ability of the chosen.

Even in Huashan, they had managed to reduce the number of illiterate people through harsh education for the sake of appearances, but it was like fifty steps to a hundred steps in technical terms.

Therefore, most information was recorded in symbols whenever possible. This was to allow more people to read it. Of course, information that did not need to be accessed by many people was recorded and classified separately using special methods.

To become a branch master of Kaibang, one had to pass a reading and writing test. This test was the most dreaded and hated by most beggars and was also called the final hurdle. Since information cannot exist without writing, branch masters, who are responsible for regional information, must master it.

As an exception, sometimes thick-skulled beggars who relied solely on their strength would move up. In such cases, they were usually assigned to manual labor.

Ogai was also an intellectual beggar who had successfully passed the arduous reading and writing test.

"The carriage movement records within this county today are: 45 high-class carriages, 63 medium-class carriages, 123 low-class carriages, 89 heavy upper-class carts, 130 heavy middle-class carts, and 204 heavy lower-class carts, for a total of 231 carriages and 423 carts."

Everyone looked surprised at Ogai's report. Indeed, Kaibang's information network was astonishing.

Ogai, the branch master, puffed out his chest with pride.

"Do you also have information about movements at dawn?"

"Of course. Carriage surveillance is operated continuously for twelve shichen a day. Especially since nighttime movements are very rare, it's actually easier to monitor if there are enough people."

Bilyeon nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"Good. Then, how many carriages departed from the Fengmei Inn from midnight until the beginning of the You Shi hour today?"

Bilyeon asked.

"Fengmei Inn, you say?"

"You know it, right?"

"Naturally."

It was one of the top ten reporting centers for the beggars here. As a must-visit location for begging, there was no way they wouldn't know it.

"Then, were there any carriages or carts that moved from Fengmei Inn from midnight until sunrise today?"

The reason for mentioning midnight was that it was around that time that Han Nu and Eun Seollan infiltrated Fengmei Inn.

"Hmm…, no!"

Ogai replied after scanning the report item by item.

"That's fortunate! They probably avoided moving their carriages in the deep dawn to avoid attracting attention. Then, what about the movements that started after sunrise?"

The possibility of moving as early as sunrise could not be ruled out.

"Yes! From sunrise onwards, 25 carriages have been reported to have departed from Fengmei Inn. No carts were reported as they were all rented by the Zhongyuan Express Company."

"Can you tell if any of those carriages went out?"

"Of course. External movement carriages are always monitored. Hmm, let's see…"

Ogai's hand flipped through the report again. If any carriages went out, it could lead to trouble. The horrifying thought of Eun Seollan being inside one of them did not even cross their minds. Everyone looked at Ogai with tense eyes.

"Hmm…, no!"

Only then did sighs of relief erupt from here and there.

"Perhaps there wasn't enough time to move the abductee out."

If so, the search area was narrowed down to this region. That alone was a significant achievement for now.

However, 25 carriages were still too many.

"What if we exclude carriages heading to brothels or taverns?"

Ogai quickly scanned the report and replied.

"Eh…, 15."

The number of carriages and carts, which had exceeded 600, was narrowed down to just 15. However, it was still an impossibly large number.

"Are there any dedicated carriages among them?"

Bilyeon asked again.

"Dedicated carriages…?"

"Yes! They wouldn't use commercial carriages driven by the Carriage Association to lead an abduction. That would leave too many traces,"

Nohak exclaimed in a fuss.

"Hmm, there are a total of 8. Of those, 3 headed to one location, so that makes 6 locations."

"3 to one place?"

Bilyeon's eyes widened.

"Do you have information on where each carriage moved?"

"Yes, of course."

Ogai's gaze turned to the report again. The places they moved to were all marked with numbers.

Number 1 was the branch, number 2 was the Huashan Sect, number 3 was the government office, and so on. It seemed there was a separate person in charge of recording. The report was written using a combination of symbols and numbers. It was designed so that even someone unfamiliar could read it in an emergency.

"Where did those three carriages go?"

"Hmm…, eh?"

Ogai's eyes widened.

"Is there anything special?"

Yeom Do asked.

"Ah, no. It's just a rather unexpected result."

"Where is it?"

"Eh…, three number 2s. All three are Huashan Sect."

Suddenly, disappointment fell upon everyone's faces. No crazy kidnapper would entrust a kidnapped person to the Huashan Sect.

"They probably came for a visit and stopped by the Huashan Sect, the local authority, as a courtesy."

That was the custom, Nohak said. Ogai added.

"All three used dedicated carriages provided by Fengmei Inn."

They were pushed even further away from the suspect list. Nohak turned his gaze to Bilyeon. His eyes asked what they should do now.

For them now, six places were too many. Even one place would be overwhelming.

'Should we divide the personnel?'

Moyong Hwi thought anxiously.

However, Bilyeon still had questions. Moreover, he was smiling.

"Yerin, do you know the saying, 'The thief's conscience betrays him'?"

"Yes!"

Na Yerin nodded. Then she understood.

"Ah!"

Bilyeon nodded. Then he said to Ogai.

"Among those six locations, can you tell if there's any place where security was suddenly strengthened today?"

"Of, of course. But to do that, I'd need to find other reports. And gather people."

Bilyeon smiled and nodded.

"We need it right away. It would be best to get it done within one shichen (the time it takes to eat a bowl of rice - about 30 minutes)."

"Otherwise, we might not be able to eat again,"

Yeom Do added in a chilling voice.

"Yes!" Ogai shouted and rushed away. Then, for a while, it seemed quite noisy outside.

Ogai returned exactly one shichen later.

"Excellent sense of time. You'll live a long life!"

Yeom Do said with a smile and a blessing. Of course, Ogai was not happy at all.

Bilyeon asked.

"Did you investigate?"

"Yes! I did!"

"And you found the results?"

"Yes! I did!"

Perhaps intimidated by Yeom Do's demeanor, Ogai replied in a nearly rigid posture.

"There was exactly one such place."

Everyone's eyes suddenly focused on Ogai.

"What is its name?"

"Yes! Hwapyungjang (和平莊)!"

"Hwapyungjang?"

Bilyeon asked, raising his voice.

"Yes! It's a rather old manor located on the outskirts of the village…"

Ogai paused for a moment and then said again.

"The dedicated carriage that headed there seems to belong to Hwapyungjang. The carriage has not left since entering there."

"Hmm…"

"It's a normal manor with a long-standing presence in this area…"

Then Bilyeon replied.

"We'll find out if it's normal when we go!"