Ghost Du Hongmo

Ghost

In the following week Hongmo did her own investigation on all three people that she chose. Through her investigation, she found out that the first man was a corrupted official that stole from the poor as well as the royal treasury. The second man was a deprived rapist who took advantage of anyone with two legs. He didn't care if the person he took advantage of was a man, woman or child, as long as they caught his eye, he took what he wanted from them. The third man was a cheating spouse who bought the services from whore houses.

Hongmo decided to kill the first and the second man, while reserving judgement on the third man until he broke one of her rules. Cheating on a wife with a whore didn't constitute a good enough reason for her to kill him.

Hongmo struck her targets in the early hours of the morning. Before the sun could rise and the sky still dark with with the haunting hours of the night. Hongmo struck silently and quickly as she took care of business. The body-less head wrapped within the several sheets of black muslin and placed the head into a bag before she strapped the bag on to her back.

After the corrupted official, she killed the merchant rapist. The nobleman slept in a hidden room, built underground so no one would hear his victims scream. Hongmo made her way towards the hidden room silently, avoiding any guards on her way. Instead to making this killing quick and fast. She took her time killing him. Ensuring that he felt extreme pain as she gutted him slowly and pulled out his organs. His screams were muffled down with a rolled up necktie that she found on the floor. After a while, his screams finally die down as Hongmo took his head.

With both heads wrapped up in black muslin and placed in the bag on her back, Hongmo moved away from the crime scene as silently and stealthy as she came in. Hongmo made her way back to The Crimson Light Tea House as the doors opened up to the public. The same hostess that met her earlier that week recognized her and immediately brought her to the room in the back of the tea house. Hongmo took the bag off her back as the heads hit the table loudly, making the a thumping noise.

The hostess jumped as she stared at the black bags. Everyone who worked for Master Mace knew the side business that The Crimson Light Tea House conducted. She swallowed the saliva with a big gulp as she left to tell Master Mace of the visitor.

Within moments, Mace arrived to the room and stared at the mysterious and elusive woman. None of his shadow guards could find her. With 20 of them deployed and searching the city, none of them could find any trace of her. How she kept herself hidden away from them, he couldn't understand.

"Two heads, 20,000 gold coins." Hongmo said as Mace opened the bag. He stared in surprise as the head of Minister Jinson and High Merchant Shuma stared back at him. Their faces frozen in horror. He purposefully gave her hard to kill targets to gauge her skills and with hopes to deter her from coming back to the Blood Moon Organization. The third file of the cheating husband was of a lowborn scholar with ambition as great as his passion. However he had caught the eye of the Crown Prince and have been seen with the Crown Prince over the last 6 months.  The young scholar was well protected because of his association to the Crown Prince.

"Hmm." Mace said as he quickly hid the surprise look behind his indifferent mask. "Not bad."

Not bad! Mace thought to himself. He should tell her 'good job' but didn't want her ego to grow, so he told her 'not bad' instead.

The indifferent look on Hongmo's face caused him to feel depressed. He provoked her with the hopes of getting an reaction out of her, but she didn't even move a facial muscle.

Mace sat down heavily into the empty seat and ordered the money to be brought out for her.  200 gold notes worth 100 gold coins for each note was given to Hongmo.  She made sure to count each one in front of Mace, making him feel disgruntled that she would think he would cheat her and give her less money.  

"All there?"  Mace asked her when she finished counting.  

"Yes."  Hongmo said.  "Do you have other jobs?"  

Mace tapped the table with his fingers making four thumping sounds in succession.  The young woman was obviously great at accomplishing the jobs she chose.  He watched at the young woman gave the files back to him then she stuffed the money in the purse tied to her belt.  

"I never got your name."  Mace told her.  

"Ghost."  Hongmo told him.  "You can call me Ghost."  

Mace raised an eyebrow as he questioned her.  

"Why Ghost?"  Mace asked her.  "You could have a million other names.  A more fearsome name, like Red Flash or Frozen Raven or Dark Trident, why Ghost? It's so dull and plain."

"What are people afraid of? Ghosts.  Vengeful Ghosts.  Hungry Ghosts. Wandering Ghosts. The word 'Ghost' alone brings fear to those who hears it.  You can't see Ghosts.  You can't kill Ghosts.  You can't poison Ghosts.  You can't hurt Ghosts.  You can try to exercise the Ghosts, but this Ghost doesn't believe in the Gods."  Hongmo tells Mace.  "My name will bring fear into the hearts of those I kill and they won't even see me coming.  Not until I take their life, will they see me.  Everyone will know my name and they will be afraid of the dark, because that's  when the Ghosts comes out to play."