Cha Seong-tae stared at the blade pressed under his chin and answered,

"Why are you doing this all of a sudden? These bastards were never my men. They were always hanging around with Wu-geum and Jun-gu. You saw me kill them with my own hands. I had no idea this would happen either."

I responded,

"Think carefully. Are you really not at fault here...?"

Cha Seong-tae, who had been deep in thought with a serious expression, answered in a subdued tone.

"There wasn't... but now I see there was."

"What is it?"

Cha Seong-tae spoke honestly.

"…I did warn those two a few times. Told them that the errand boy suddenly got stronger, that everyone should be careful. I was actually being cautious myself, but those idiots didn’t take it seriously. Thinking about it now, I see my mistake."

Cha Seong-tae understood the situation perfectly.

I asked,

"What will you do from now on? At this rate, I’ll have to kill half the men in Ilyang County before things settle down. Want me to do that?"

"There's no need for that. What should I do? Tell me."

I replied,

"I already told you before. Stop speaking informally to me. Not just in front of me, but in front of others too. Everyone in Ilyang County knows I used to be an errand boy at Zaha Inn. I’ll be establishing the Hao Clan soon. If you keep acting like this, I might have to keep drawing my sword every other day. I don’t mind. It’s not like I can die to the likes of these fools. But you, out of everyone, treating me lightly is why unnecessary bodies keep piling up."

"You're right. I acknowledge that."

"From now on, spread the word. Say that I’m truly terrifying… since all those who got on my bad side are already dead anyway."

"That’s not a lie."

"Exaggerate it more. Say I’m even more ruthless than what’s been told. That I have no mercy, that I’m a madman. Say I’m stronger than you even realize. Because it’s the truth."

"Understood."

"You should be the first to fear me. Only then will those under you be afraid, both now and in the future."

"I completely understand now."

"My true strength doesn’t even need to be shown in a backwater place like this. If you don’t want to spend your life cleaning up corpses, do things properly."

"Yes."

"Do it well."

"I will."

Only then did I withdraw my sword and speak to Cha Seong-tae.

"Give me your outer robe."

A vein popped on Cha Seong-tae’s forehead.

"What?"

For a moment, he realized his mistake and how it had led to this situation. Quickly correcting himself, he continued,

"Ah, understood. I’ll take it off. My words keep slipping."

Cha Seong-tae smacked himself across the cheek before handing me his robe.

As I put on his robe, I looked toward the corpses and muttered,

"…Idiots who don’t even know what happens when they pick a fight."

Cha Seong-tae asked,

"What happened to Wu-geum °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° and Jun-gu?"

"They had some business in the afterlife. Left in a hurry."

"Ah, I see. Busy men, then."

Since he knew them, Cha Seong-tae did show some respect for the fact that they had died.

"Back then, Wu-geum and Jun-gu once suggested that we gather some men and kill the Jo Brothers. If I hadn’t stopped them, they would have died then."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. This time, they went ahead with their nonsense without even consulting me. That proves I was never really close to them."

"Impressive."

A little later, we arrived at Maehwaru together. Cha Seong-tae spoke.

"Go inside and rest. I’ll gather some men and take care of the bodies. If we leave them like this, a plague might spread. There are too many corpses."

"This isn’t enough to cause a plague."

I looked around the disorderly Maehwaru and ascended the stairs. With all the fights happening daily, customers had completely stopped coming.

Perhaps this was my fault.

But it was a necessary growing pain.

As I climbed the stairs, all the workers cleaning up or handling the corpses froze and looked at me.

I stopped at the stair railing and spoke to the Maehwaru workers.

"What?"

"It’s nothing."

"Spread the word to people you know. If anyone dares to come at me again, this will be their fate. At least in Ilyang County, they should forget any thoughts of dealing with me. The results are plain to see. Close up shop for today. Don’t sell any alcohol either. If we’re going to mourn the dead, let’s do it properly in silence."

"Understood."

Maehwaru fell silent.

Before heading up to Jo Ik-yeol’s room, I washed up again.

Even now, I still thought of it as Jo Ik-yeol’s room.

After all, once the burnt-down Zaha Inn was rebuilt, I intended to return.

***

Sitting cross-legged with my eyes closed, I heard a song begin somewhere in Maehwaru.

The voice was pleasant.

It was a song I had heard before, and the singer was Chae-hyang.

The song’s title was Clear, Clear Riverbank Grass.

The lyrics told the story of a woman in a beautiful pavilion, applying red rouge at a moonlit window, extending her pale hand. She was once a courtesan but later became the wife of a wayward man… and now even that man had not returned, leaving her to guard an empty bed alone.

The lyrics contained phrases like clear, clear, lush, lush, full, full, bright, bright, graceful, graceful, and slender, slender.

These were not peaceful words.

Combined with the melody, they evoked images of a woman’s skin, the curves of her body, hidden places, the atmosphere of the night, the nuances of intimacy, and a woman's gentle seduction.

Of course, one could choose not to interpret it that way.

But ultimately, the phrase Empty Bed, Hard to Guard Alone marked the true meaning.

Singing in such a lovely voice about clear, clear, lush, lush, full, full, bright, bright, graceful, graceful, slender, slender—only to end with it is hard to guard an empty bed alone—what else could it mean?

It was a song of seduction, akin to Soul-Enchanting Arts in Jianghu. In fact, beautiful women from unorthodox sects often sang Clear, Clear Riverbank Grass while caked in makeup, luring naive men from the righteous sects and robbing them blind. If robbery was the worst of it, they were lucky—not uncommonly, these men were killed afterward.

But none of that mattered to me.

Seduction tactics didn’t work on me.

And in my eyes, Chae-hyang wasn’t even a beauty.

Only a kind heart made a person beautiful.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Just as Clear, Clear Riverbank Grass ended, another song began.

My focus wavered momentarily, and the instant I opened my eyes, I roared.

"Shut up!"

My voice, laced with internal energy, echoed throughout Maehwaru, cutting the song off instantly. In the same commanding tone, I issued an order from the top floor, ensuring that everyone in the building heard me clearly.

"Take down the green lanterns and hang the red ones."

Cha Seong-tae, who had just returned after giving orders to his subordinates, immediately echoed my command from the first floor.

"Take down the green lanterns and hang the red ones!"

I reiterated my decree.

"The courtesans may stay, but the women working as prostitutes must find other work. From now on, Maehwaru, Ihwaru, and Siwharu will be run as Red Towers. If any guest tries to behave as if this is still a Green Tower, report them to me."

Cha Seong-tae repeated only the last part.

"From now on, we will operate as Red Towers."

The meaning of Red Tower varied by region, but in general, it was a place where selling art, not bodies was more strictly enforced.

I may have been a lunatic in many ways, but I had never been obsessed with money. There was no reason for women to engage in prostitution in a place where I resided.

"Seong-tae…"

A short response came from downstairs before Cha Seong-tae sprinted up the stairs, covering four flights in rapid succession. He stopped at my door.

"You called for me."

"The bodies?"

"I gave the order for them to be disposed of and returned."

"Make sure Ihwaru and Siwharu are run as Red Towers as well."

"Yes."

"Give those who have a place to return to a generous severance from the Jo brothers' wealth. Especially the prostitutes—send them all away. Only the ones willing to learn an art or do other work may stay. I don’t want to see them around."

"Understood."

"Tell the men working here something very clearly—if they cause trouble, I’ll come to kill them. And I’ll say this again, rebuild Zaha Inn quickly. The scent in this room is strange, and the bedding is too luxurious. I can’t sleep comfortably."

"I will relay the message."

"Now get lost."

"Yes, I’ll disappear."

As soon as I sent Cha Seong-tae away, I returned to meditation.

I erased everything from my mind in an instant.

Black Cat Gang, Black Lotus Guard, the Twelve Divine Generals, their master, the dead Jo brothers, and the Twin Phantom Blades—one by one, I shredded them with the sword of my mind, erasing their presence.

I repeated One Cycle of Energy Circulation until dawn.

By sunrise, I finally lay down to sleep.

Tonight, I could rest peacefully.

In the face of exhaustion, even Empty Bed, Hard to Guard Alone was meaningless.

I slept until noon.

In my dreams, I encountered a nameless man.

He was locked in a prison cell.

I couldn’t recall our conversation, but one thing was clear.

Because of me, he would remain imprisoned for a very long time.

For some reason, I woke up feeling vaguely apologetic to him.