Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign

Chapter 18: Hao Clan (1)

Thwack.

A vein popped on the forehead of Gui Nangnang, the Kaifeng Hall Leader of the Hao Clan.

Did he just call her auntie?

Calling an unmarried woman auntie?

She was already on edge, thinking she’d been seeing more wrinkles lately, and now he’d gone and said it out loud?

“I told you, I’m not a beggar from the Beggar Sect.”

“…How can you prove that?”

“How would I prove that? This auntie is hilarious. Auntie, are you even really from the Hao Clan?”

“I am.”

“Then how are you going to prove it?”

“Because I’m standing here.”

“Then I’m from the Hao Clan too. I’m standing here.”

“I have someone who can testify.”

“I’ve got someone too—this beggar right here is saying I’m not with the Beggar Sect.”

“He can’t be trusted.”

“Then ask the other Beggar Sect beggars.”

“…”

“And didn’t you say this was an information organization? An information group that can’t even figure out if I’m from the Beggar Sect or not? And you make a living selling information? No fundamentals at all. No fundamentals.”

The veins on Gui Nangnang’s forehead bulged even more.

“Gongmu.”

“Yes.”

As Gui Nangnang opened her mouth, a voice rang out from the air.

“What’s that person’s identity?”

“Nothing is known. However, he is not affiliated with the Beggar Sect.”

Wi Yeonho shrugged.

“See?”

“…”

Gui Nangnang looked at Wi Yeonho’s smug face and felt an urge to punch it.

Watching a skull-like face smirking at her… That was something she hoped never to experience again in this life.

“So, can I buy the information now?”

“No, I’m not selling.”

“What?”

“I’m in a bad mood, so I’m not selling! Get out!”

Wi Yeonho let out a deep sigh.

“Business ethics really are in the gutter. Even when I’m offering money, they won’t sell. The Hao Clan’s days are numbered at this rate.”

“You’d better watch that mouth of yours.”

“Well, I’m not exactly wrong, am I?”

“Gongmu.”

“Yes.”

“Teach him a lesson.”

“Yes.”

In that instant, a pale shape appeared in front of Wi Yeonho.

“Tch!”

Jang Il, sensing things taking a bad turn and feeling tense, stretched out his hand to protect Wi Yeonho the moment the ghostlike figure appeared.

And then…

Thwack!

With a crisp impact, the pale figure was launched at terrifying speed and smashed into the floorl.

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

Jang Il and Gui Nangnang both gaped in unison.

But Wi Yeonho hurried over to the person now embedded in the wall, startled.

“Are you okay?”

“…”

“Oh, sorry. I’ve been hit so much by this senile old man that whenever someone tries to attack me, I reflexively counterattack without thinking. If you’d given me a heads-up before attacking, I could’ve adjusted or something…”

Gongmu stared blankly at Wi Yeonho.

He couldn’t even grasp how he had been hit and thrown away. He’d clearly reached to grab Wi Yeonho’s throat, but the next thing he knew, he was planted into the ground.

A master.

He was a master of unimaginable caliber.

And yet...

“Does it hurt a lot?”

...he was a master who made people feel deeply pitiful.

Gui Nangnang's tone changed.

“I didn’t realize that a great master had graced us with his presence.”

“What are you talking about? You’ve been chatting with me this whole time.”

But despite Wi Yeonho’s words, Gui Nangnang no longer lost her temper. There was no way someone who had sent Gongmu flying in one strike could be ordinary.

Jang Il was just as shocked.

‘I figured he was trained in martial arts, but still…’

Ordinary people, if they were that emaciated, would be long dead. The fact that someone like that could walk around normally meant he had definitely trained in martial arts.

But the move Wi Yeonho had just shown—Jang Il couldn’t read it at all. It was, in the truest sense, impossibly swift and untraceable.

‘A monster.’

The Kaifeng Hall of the Hao Clan was, in some sense, one of the most dangerous places.

It was located right in front of the General Bureau of the Beggar Sect, and its importance could not be overstated.

That’s why Kaifeng Hall was staffed with only the most elite members the Hao Clan could muster.

Normally, those assigned here weren’t from the information wing but from the elite units responsible for assassinations and force.

Even though the Hao Clan wasn’t a force-based organization by trade, living in constant contact with the dark corners of the world meant they were under perpetual threat.

Because of that, the Hao Clan spared no expense or time in training elites. And their best agents were on par with the elite warriors of any martial clan.

‘Even so, he took him out in a single strike.’

Jang Il considered.

Could he produce the same result as Wi Yeonho?

He shook his head.

At the very least, it would take him twenty seconds.

In other words, Wi Yeonho was far stronger than Jang Il.

And that carried a significant implication.

Gui Nangnang looked at Jang Il with cold eyes.

“Doesn’t seem like you’re here for a friendly visit.”

Jang Il let out a long sigh.

“Hall Leader Gui, I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but that truly wasn’t my intent. It’s just that the Beggar Sect came across information beyond what we could handle. I came to ask for help.”

“And this is the person you brought for that?”

“Yes.”

“You dragged a tiger into a rabbit hole and are now saying you just needed some fur?”

“It’s hard to believe… but it’s the truth.”

Gui Nangnang stared silently at Jang Il, then gave a small nod.

“I’ll believe the Kaifeng Branch Leader’s word.”

“Thank you.”

“However, giving out information is a separate matter. Regardless of anything else, it’s a fact that this person injured one of our members. We must receive fair compensation for that.”

“Compensation?”

“There’s no special compensation in the underworld. Blood for blood, life for life. Four Shadows.”

In that instant, four figures dressed in black emerged from the ground.

Wi Yeonho was impressed.

"Everyone here makes such a flashy entrance, huh?"

Gui Nangnang spoke as she looked at Wi Yeonho, who remained completely nonchalant.

“I don’t know what your goal is, but after injuring one of our people, you’re not walking out of here unscathed.”

“I told you, it wasn’t on purpose. He tried to hit me first, and I just reflexively gave him a light tap, that’s all.”

“…”

Gui Nangnang frowned at Wi Yeonho’s flippant attitude.

The Four Shadows.

They were stationed at the hall in case of an unexpected conflict with the Beggar Sect.

And yet, even with those individuals revealing themselves, this skeleton-like guy remained relaxed, as if it were nothing at all.

“The underworld has simple rules. If an arm is cut, we cut off the limbs. If someone’s slapped, we peel off their cheek.”

“Sounds like a loan shark’s logic.”

“Then let’s settle for peeling off the skin on your face.”

“Well, in that case…”

Wi Yeonho touched his face lightly and put on a miserable expression.

“Um…”

“What is it?”

“Sorry, but I don’t really have any facial fat left under the skin. Haven’t been eating much lately.”

“You… right up to the end…”

It looked as if ghostly flames rose in Gui Nangnang’s eyes.

“Kill him!”

The Four Shadows lunged at Wi Yeonho with lightning speed.

“Wait a second! First you said you’d just slice off some skin, now suddenly it’s death? That interest rate piled up real quick. Scary compound interest!”

Wi Yeonho trembled as he faced the vicious black blades flying toward him.

No doubt, those dark blades were coated with such potent poison that even the slightest graze would melt flesh away.

And yet, Wi Yeonho did not move.

“Dodge!”

Even as Jang Il shouted, Wi Yeonho remained calm.

The four blades closed in, about to skewer his body like a spit!

Still, Wi Yeonho didn’t move.

Swish!

Instead, with an eerie slicing sound through the air, the four blades all passed cleanly through Wi Yeonho’s body.

Gui Nangnang let out a breath of relief.

She had braced herself to lose two or three of the Four Shadows, knowing Wi Yeonho had the skill to send Gongmu flying in one strike.

But thankfully, Wi Yeonho had offered no resistance and simply let the attack hit.

“That’s the price of running wild in the Hao Clan’s domain.”

A reply came at once.

“I didn’t run wild, though.”

Gui Nangnang turned to Wi Yeonho in astonishment.

He was still standing there as if nothing had happened.

Even though the Four Shadows' blades had clearly pierced through him, he looked completely unscathed.

“W-What…?”

She had seen with her own eyes the blades slice through his body.

Then why was he standing there without even a scratch?

If even one of those blades had grazed him, the Seven Steps Soul-Severing Poison on them would have taken his life instantly!

“How…?”

“I dodged them.”

“Huh, when?”

“When? I just avoided them one by one.”

“…”

“Kill—”

“Don’t move.”

At that moment, just as the Four Shadows moved to drive their blades into him again, their motions halted instantly.

It wasn’t of their own will.

The moment Wi Yeonho opened his mouth, their bodies froze—as if caught in a spider’s web, utterly unable to break free.

Their bodies had slipped out of their own control.

‘What in the world…?’

Could someone achieve this just by having strong martial skills?

What kind of sorcery was this?

Wi Yeonho calmly spoke again.

“My master used to say, you can forgive once, but never twice. If someone strikes twice, they’ll strike three or four times. So never leave behind any regret.”

“…”

“I hate that old man, but one thing’s for sure—he never said anything wrong. So if any of you attack me again, I’ll erase the possibility of regret. And I still don’t want to kill anyone. So don’t move.”

Wi Yeonho looked toward Gui Nangnang.

“My father said it too—never be merciful if you're going to act. My brother said the same. A soft heart will tighten around your neck. So when I make a move, I never end it half-heartedly.”

As Gui Nangnang met Wi Yeonho’s gaze, she felt as if she had fallen into a freezing cave.

This was something different from mere martial prowess.

A fear far deeper, one that couldn’t be precisely defined—a primal terror.

“Did you understand what I said?”

Gui Nangnang nodded before she realized she was doing it.

“Then give the order.”

“W-Withdraw…”

“Clear. Ly.”

“Withdraw!”

Gui Nangnang screamed the command.

Thud. Thud.

At that, the Four Shadows collapsed to the ground as if their legs had been cut from under them.

Their robes were already soaked through with cold sweat.

The sense of helplessness from having their bodies under another's will, the despair, and the terror of knowing they could be killed at any moment if he so wished—those feelings had completely drained them.

Only now did Gui Nangnang fully realize it.

The man before her was not someone they could handle.

If he chose, he could take her life in the blink of an eye.

He was not someone to be provoked.

Gui Nangnang bit her lip hard.

She needed to keep her wits about her.

They had already stuck their heads into a tiger’s mouth.

If she lost composure now, the Hao Clan’s Kaifeng branch might be erased this very day.

“…What is it you want?”

If force didn’t work, negotiation was the only path left.

If he made an unreasonable demand, then today would be the end of Kaifeng Hall.

“Information, like I said.”

“So what information exactly?”

“Ah, right… where did that document go again?”

Jang Il pulled a document from his robe.

“I have it. Here.”

He handed the document to Gui Nangnang.

“Help us fill in the blanks.”

Gui Nangnang opened the document with trembling hands.

“…Eh?”

After reading it for quite some time, she slowly lifted her gaze and looked at Jang Il.

“This?”

“Yes.”

“This is the information?”

“That’s right.”

“You came here because you couldn’t figure *this* out?”

“No, it’s just… it was so trivial that…”

“…”

Flames of ghostly fury flared in Gui Nangnang’s eyes.

“Kaifeng Branch Leader.”

“Yes.”

“I. Will. Make. Sure. To. Repay. This. Debt.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Jang Il lowered his head deeply.

One look at the venom in Gui Nangnang’s eyes, and he realized he probably wouldn’t sleep peacefully for a while.

There’d be poison in the cold leftovers he begged for, and venomous needles would rain from the ceiling as he slept.

Shaking with rage, Gui Nangnang stared at Jang Il for a long moment before turning to Wi Yeonho.

“This really is the information you want?”

“I told you, yes.”

“It’s not difficult. But it will take some time to locate the details. Can you wait?”

“Yes.”

“Then please wait just one quarter-hour. And Kaifeng Branch Leader.”

“…Yes?”

“May I speak with you for a moment?”

“…Yes.”

Jang Il followed her like a man being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

It was understandable if he felt wronged, but ultimately, the entire situation stemmed from him, so there was little he could say in defense.

Besides, the two shared similar positions, which meant they were already somewhat acquainted—ignoring each other now would’ve been awkward.

When Jang Il returned a short while later, his eyes were badly bruised.

Upon seeing him, Wi Yeonho burst into laughter.

“Pwahahaha! You got beat up?”

“…Shut it.”

“Still, you’re a Branch Leader in the Beggar Sect and you go around getting hit like that!”

“You don’t know how vicious that woman is. Sometimes it’s better to just take a hit and be done with it.”

“You’re really a pushover, huh? A complete fox-dog.”

“Don’t say that…”

“Why? You are a fox-dog, aren’t you?”

“I said stop it!”

Wi Yeonho flinched and asked cautiously.

“You gonna hit me?”

“Ugh…”

Jang Il lowered his raised fist carefully.

If it had been earlier, he might’ve rushed in while screaming, but after witnessing Wi Yeonho’s martial prowess, he had developed at least enough judgment to know that would be suicide.

“The Beggar Sect’s not much, huh? Getting beaten up by the Hao Clan.”

“You think she’s just some regular Hao Clan member?”

“Aren’t a Hall Leader and a Branch Leader about the same rank?”

“That woman… she’s the daughter of the Clan Leader of the Hao Clan.”

“Huh?”

“She’s the next Clan Leader! The next Clan Leader! She grew up eating spiritual medicine like it was rice and chewing spiritual pills like meat. How am I supposed to deal with someone like that?”

“Well, still, your ranks are technically the same.”

“Ugh…”

Just then, Gui Nangnang re-entered the room.

“I’ve brought the information you requested.”