“Aaaaargh!”
“Hiiieeek!”

Countless people bound to chairs screamed in agony. They begged to be killed, but the one torturing them didn’t listen.

He was far too busy enjoying himself—licking his lips as he delighted in their suffering.

He seared their flesh with heated irons, flayed their skin, poured water over their heads with cloths covering their faces. He pulled out nails, cut off fingers, and skinned them with precision, deliberately avoiding the arteries.

“Kill… please, kill me…”
“I-I was wrong. I’m sorry… Please, spare me!”

The man torturing them calmly gazed at the dozen or so broken figures in front of him. Sitting in full view, he slurped cold noodles as if to appease his appetite and smirked.

These people were the ones captured during the recent incident.

They were trying to extract confessions through torture, but no useful information had surfaced yet, so the torture continued endlessly.

Still, judging from the look in the torturer’s eyes, he seemed to be enjoying this nonetheless.

He put his chopsticks down and slowly stood up.

Holding a metal skewer in one hand, he approached with a crooked grin.

Soon, he stood in front of the weakest-looking person.

The person, eyes dull like a dead fish, trembled slightly as the torturer loomed.

Thwack!
“Krrraagh—!”
“Aaaah!”
“Please spare me! Please!”

The man didn’t hesitate.

He thrust the skewer right into the victim’s forehead.

As the lifeless head slumped down, the man didn’t even bother to pull out the skewer. Instead, he turned to a maid nearby.

As their eyes met, the maid trembled violently.

A foul smell suggested she had wet herself in fear.

Just as the man raised his hand again, the door opened and someone entered.

The man turned around reluctantly, hiding his disappointment, and bowed politely.

“You’ve arrived, sir.”

“So, how goes it?”

“We’re doing our best to make them talk, but they all say the same thing. They claim not to know anything. Just that Hong Guhyeon paid them to do it.”

At that, Yoo Hyeon’s brow twitched.

He didn’t know how much money Hong Guhyeon had thrown around, but the wages these people were already receiving from the Jin family were generous by any comparison.

And yet—they had betrayed them out of greed?

He was speechless.

Frowning, Yoo Hyeon went over the papers laid out on the side.

They contained the statements extracted from the captives.

After reading through them one by one, he shook his head.

“The Young Master was right about everything.”

Yoo Hyeon sighed deeply at the thought.

“We’re not going to get anything else from torturing them. The real ones—the ones like Hong Guhyeon—would’ve resisted until the end and died.”

As Jin Cheon-woo had said, some of those they tried to apprehend resisted to the very end. Even those barely caught bit their tongues and committed suicide.

If Cheon-woo was right, then those people were the real culprits.

But now, it was meaningless.

As if prearranged, they had all chosen death.

Even knowing that this torture was pointless, Cheon-woo had still ordered it—for one simple reason:

To demonstrate the terrifying authority of the Luoyang Jin Family.

The screams echoing through this torture chamber spread far and wide.

Those horrifying sounds were heard all day and night by people passing by. No matter how much one wanted to cover their ears, it was impossible.

And so, fear sealed their lips.

It was truly a cruel method—but all the more effective for it.

Yoo Hyeon let out another sigh.

“Dig a bit deeper. There might still be something left.”
“Yes, sir.”

As soon as those words were spoken, the faces of the captives turned pale, while a sinister grin crept across the torturer’s lips.

* * *

The Unryong Guest House in Luoyang was vast and luxurious, fitting its reputation as the original main branch. Spanning seven floors, it grew more extravagant and expensive the higher one climbed.

Especially the seventh floor—its splendor was unmatched.

From there, one could gaze down on the entirety of Luoyang, evoking a sense of ruling over everyone below.

Naturally, it was extremely pricey. Even getting a seat required a golden token, and the meals were expensive enough to be paid in silver coins.

No matter how powerful one was—without money, they couldn’t set foot here.

It was a place that made the message clear: “The world runs on money.”

And now, seated here on the seventh floor were Cheon-woo, Jang Chu-hyeong, and a mysterious woman.

“Whoa—what is this place?!”

Jang Chu-hyeong looked around in awe, tongue clicking in amazement.

He had likely been to the Unryong Guest House a few times—but never to the seventh floor. Now dazzled by the extravagant decor and view, he seemed mesmerized.

Like a country bumpkin seeing Beijing for the first time.

Cheon-woo couldn’t help but smile.

“You wanted to see it so badly—enjoy it to your heart’s content.”
“Absolutely! I will! But… you’re buying, right?”
“Yeah, eat as much as you want.”
“Yes!”
“But… keep quiet.”

“…”

At that, Jang Chu-hyeong zipped his mouth shut and nodded, glancing between Cheon-woo and the woman.

Even someone as dense as him could read the situation.

It was clear they had come to discuss something important.

That’s when a soft voice spoke.

“As expected, this place is incredible. I’ve only heard of it until now—thanks for satisfying my curiosity.”

Baek Jinhwa smiled gracefully. Her gentle tone seemed to brighten the entire atmosphere.

“I’m glad you like it. I thought you might criticize it out of rivalry.”
“Hoho, Hwaseon and Unryong coexist peacefully. Why would I do that?”

Her laugh quietly spread through the room.

Just then, the door opened, and servers flooded in carrying dishes in one hand and assorted liquors in the other.

The food was so extravagant, even an emperor would envy it. Baek Jinhwa clicked her tongue in amazement.

“The food is amazing. I can see why they say this is the best in Luoyang.”
“It’s just a playground for the wealthy with too much money and nowhere to spend it.”

Baek Jinhwa’s eyes widened at Cheon-woo’s unexpected remark, but she soon smiled enchantingly and poured him a drink.

“A drink?”
“Gladly.”

Lifting the full glass, he took a light sip. The smooth taste brought a pleasant buzz.

Cheon-woo smiled unconsciously as he looked at Baek Jinhwa.

She closed her eyes to savor the flavor, then opened them with a satisfied expression.

It meant the drink was to her liking.

“So, I assume you found what I asked for?”
“Of course. What other reason would I have to come?”
“Impressive. It hasn’t been that long.”
“You know better than anyone how good our intelligence network is.”

She didn’t ask how he knew she was with Haomun or how he found her.

After all, the Jin family dominated the intelligence world in Luoyang. It wasn’t surprising they knew.

And in the current situation, those details didn’t matter.

Cheon-woo refilled his empty glass.

Finally, Baek Jinhwa took out a letter and handed it to him.

“Her name is Chae So-ha. Twenty-two years old. She’s highly skilled in medicine, but more than that, her beauty was the cause of much trouble.”
“Go on.”
“Because of that, she disfigured her own face. Then, while treating patients, she caught an illness and became even more grotesque. Now she works quietly in a poor village, treating only the powerless and penniless.”

It was detailed information, especially considering the short amount of time.

But it wasn’t surprising.

Chae So-ha’s beauty had spread rumors far and wide. Naturally, Haomun had intel on her.

Still, they didn’t know everything. Cheon-woo smiled faintly as he raised his glass.

Focused on the letter, Baek Jinhwa didn’t notice.

“She’s currently in Hwajeon Village, just outside Luoyang.”
“Is it close?”
“Even on horseback, it would take fifteen days round-trip.”

It was farther than expected. And that timeline overlapped with when the enemies were due to arrive in Luoyang.

He’d have to adjust his plans.

Fortunately, he had managed to suppress the poison through internal energy circulation, so detoxification could be delayed.

Cough.

“Anything else?”
“Hmm… The royal family is also searching for her. I’m not sure why. We’ve tried investigating, but nothing solid has come up.”

Cheon-woo nodded.

It was clearly sensitive information—known only to a select few. Even for Haomun, uncovering it wouldn’t be easy.

But that didn’t matter.

He already knew what he needed to.

Cheon-woo pulled out a silver note from his pouch and handed it over.

Baek Jinhwa smiled as she accepted the payment.

“Thank you, Young Master. I hope our partnership continues.”
“Likewise.”
“Hoho—another round?”

As she lifted her glass, he did the same.

When he drank again, her mesmerizing eyes lingered on him.

“By the way, Young Master.”
“What is it?”
“Did you sleep well last night?”

“…”

“Fufufu.”

Cheon-woo froze, chopsticks raised mid-air, staring at her.

Just her sparkling eyes and playful tone told him everything.

She knew—at least some of what happened in the Jin family last night.

Well, there was much to profit from Luoyang’s largest clan.

Of course, Haomun would keep close watch. It would be impossible for her not to know.

Cheon-woo chuckled.

“I slept soundly for the first time in a while. Cough. Thanks to that, I feel refreshed today.”
“Really? I would’ve guessed you had a sleepless night.”
“Ever had a rotten tooth pulled?”
“Not yet.”
“It’s freeing. So peaceful, I slept through the noise.”
“Hohoho—”

Baek Jinhwa giggled behind her hand.

She seemed to have caught wind that something had happened, but didn’t know the full details.

Despite being Haomun, even they couldn’t uncover everything with the internal silence being enforced in the Jin family.

The curiosity in her eyes said it all.

She was dying to dig deeper.

Cheon-woo refilled his glass and spoke.

“Soon… we’ll be recruiting people on a large scale.”
“Recruiting?”
“Yes. We need to replenish our numbers.”

Baek Jinhwa’s eyes sparkled. She clearly understood the implication.

It had to be connected to last night’s events.

Cheon-woo didn’t bother to deny it.

At this point, fooling Haomun completely was impossible.

So why not use them instead?

“Haomun has quite a few people, right?”
“Hoho—of course. Shall I send you a few capable ones?”
“That’s a good idea.”
“…Pardon?”

This time, it was Baek Jinhwa who looked shocked.

Sending Haomun agents into the Jin family meant their intel would constantly leak—yet Cheon-woo had just agreed.

Seeing her wide-eyed expression, Cheon-woo smiled and coughed again.

Cough.

“I need people from Haomun. A lot of them.”
“…!”

Her eyes trembled at his words.

Yes—the noose was slowly tightening.