3
5
9.
Even on his way back to the Murim Alliance, Kang Soon-tak would enter shops or martial arts schools associated with the Cheongseong Sect every time and send out carrier pigeons.
Move during the day, and fly carrier pigeons at night.
He stayed up all night and saved every moment to send messages to his network of contacts across the board.
“I thought I would collapse here……! Absolutely, absolutely! That will never happen!”
Not only Kang Sun-tak and the members of the Cheongseong faction, but also all the instructors stepped forward together.
Because it wasn’t just the honor of the current Kang Sun-tak and the deceased No Jin-ha that depended on this matter.
They clearly saw it, too.
That existence in Mukrim.
An overwhelming, intimidating, and astonishing sight that transcends common sense.
The reason they could not respond was not merely because the opponent possessed greater power than themselves.
Fear stemming from ignorance.
Fear of the unknown.
Hesitation about something one has not learned.
All those emotions were tangled up, so I had no choice but to run away.
Forgetting even the responsibility they are carrying on their shoulders.
And by the time they realized their duty, they had already run too far away.
Now, the fear and terror of that time have somehow turned into shame.
A place that could be easily breached by the academy students alone.
An enemy that Jin So-un and a few academy students could have easily dealt with.
After realizing that I had run away leaving such an insignificant being behind, only anger remained.
If you are startled by a dog’s shadow, shouldn’t you take your anger out on the dog?
They had no intention of losing everything just because they were startled by a dog’s shadow.
“It’s just the beginning. Just you wait, Jin So-un…!”
That is why I moved desperately.
They underestimate the enemy appearing in the Mukrim as much as possible and minimize their own mistakes.
At the same time, it greatly exaggerated the unruly attitude of Jin So-un and his gang, who habitually engaged in disruptive behavior and rebellious actions against the instructors.
In the end, the suspicion that the academy students might have been used as test subjects within the Mandokmun by exploiting their friendship with the Mandokmun was also briefly mentioned.
The truth doesn’t matter anyway.
Because there will be plenty of people who want to believe this is true just by being mentioned briefly.
I contacted the headquarters of the Cheongseong Sect and spread the word to my seniors in the Murim Alliance.
The people who received the letters acted according to their close relationship with him.
From the perspective of the Murim Alliance, instead of identifying an enemy that had not yet been confirmed, they took issue with the academy student rebelling against the instructor, and furthermore, defined the visit by the Ten Thousand Poisons Martial Arts Group as a serious act of reaction.
Thanks to traveling while sacrificing sleep, Kang Soon-tak was able to arrive at the Murim Alliance much earlier than scheduled, and by the time he arrived, the information had already matured to some extent.
but.
“You mean Jin So-un committed espionage?”
For some reason, the reaction of the Inspection Bureau, which I was sure would welcome this news the most, was lukewarm.
I deliberately sought out the leader of the Three Sects, who has a seizure at the mere mention of the word “Black Sect.”
This Yaksha-like man, who had just come up from hell, asked the same thing over and over again.
The problem is that the reaction wasn’t what was expected.
“I heard that his nephew, Ak Ju-pyeong, had become disabled and been expelled from the academy, and that Ak Ga and Jin So-un had crossed the point of no return… … ‘Why do they seem unbelievable?’ Kang Sun-tak and the instructors were extremely bewildered.”
For now, the priority was to expand the work related to Jin So-un as much as possible.
If you keep building up the suspicion like that, even if it ultimately leads to an unwanted outcome.
Because by then, their mistake will have already faded from everyone’s attention.
In that respect, the personnel selection was the best.
Because it was that very infamous Blood Star that would turn anyone suspected of being a Black Sword into one no matter what, even if it meant framing them for a crime they didn’t commit.
“Are you really sure?”
He, however, is doubting the very accusation against Jin So-woon, who is practically his enemy.
I came here specifically to find the Three Party, but…
Beyond bewilderment, I started to feel regret.
“Many academy students died in Mukrim, yet the instructors who were supposed to protect them didn’t move with the students. Instead, they rushed to the Murim Alliance as fast as they could…….”
Ak Byeong-bi, sending sharp glances as he meticulously flips through the documents one by one, which appear relatively small compared to his massive physique.
“Instead, we should suspect that the instructors deliberately abandoned the academy students in the Muklim to kill them.”
The panicked instructors struggled even before Kang Soon-tak did.
“……
What are you talking about!
“Look here! Master of the Three Clans!”
“If you keep doing this, I will report you to the Grand Master……!”
Confess.
“huh?”
Ak Byeong-bi put down the documents and leaned back leisurely in his chair.
Then, lifting his chin, he made eye contact with the instructors one by one.
Didn’t I tell you to confess?
“What is that…….”
As the flustered instructors recoiled, Ak Byeong-bi curled the corners of his mouth with a gaze colder than frost.
“Isn’t the Grand Master you are looking for right before your eyes? Go ahead and confess.”
“…….”
As Ak Byeong-bi, who was soon to be promoted to Grand Master of the Inspection Office, stepped forward, all investigations into Jin So-un were temporarily suspended.
And around that time.
A message arrived from the personnel of the Executioner’s Office who had been dispatched to Yunnan and had first made contact with the academy students.
– Dispatch Report.
– Multiple academy students killed by unidentified attackers in Mukrim.
– Numerous pieces of evidence found within Mukrim that appear to have been used by raiders.
– Yongbong Branch ‘Yongsoa’ confirmed the facts.
Due to the nature of the confidential message, only brief content could be conveyed, but its impact was powerful.
The Murim Alliance was turned upside down. The problem at the Kunming branch was resolved successfully.
No, it wasn’t just resolved well; it was resolved excellently.
The personnel from the execution office who had come to arrest us searched far and wide to arrange a carriage, as if trying to make amends for their wrongdoing.
Because they tried to take everyone, including the injured and even the healthy, on the carriage, causing us trouble.
In any case, unlike when they arrived, all the students were able to return on horseback.
In addition, members of the Kunming branch accompanied them as escorts.
Up to this point, everything was very good.
Yes, it was very good.
The problem is.
“ha…….”
This useless hanger-on(?)
The fact that even the fields clung to it.
The noodles here aren’t tasty.
He said he came to Mukrim while touring the South on some mission…
Suddenly, they unilaterally declared that they would join our side and return to the Murim Alliance together.
The road, which was already tiring, became an even more tiring road.
As I gazed blankly at Dang Seo-hui clearing away the half-left noodles, she tilted her head.
“Why? Ah, is it hard to watch those villains?”
Dang Seo-hui picked up a few chopsticks and glared at the men who looked like black swordsmen sitting in a corner.
What’s with that arrogant, justice-filled look?
“Just say the words…”
“They didn’t do anything. Senior Party Member.”
Namgung Seon-hwa snatched the chopsticks from Dang Seo-hui’s hand.
Namgung Seon-hwa, who initially found it difficult even to speak to her, has now reached the point of trying to dissuade Dang Seo-hui after realizing her true nature.
“The name of the Namgung family is wasted on them! Just look at their faces. It is written on their foreheads that they are villains!”
His voice was quite loud, so it reached even the men sitting in the corner of the restaurant.
They seemed to flinch for some reason, and upon seeing our numbers, attire, and flags, they scowled and turned their heads away again.
For some reason, I felt sorry.
Poor thing…….
Namgung Seon-hwa snatched the chopsticks from Dang Seo-hui’s hand again with an expressionless face.
“It is foolish to judge everything by appearance alone. Look at Young Master Jin here. He is called the Black Flame Dragon, and while he sometimes acts like a villain and his demeanor is indistinguishable from the Dark Way, he is a man more righteous than anyone else.”
What is this? Is this some kind of sarcastic remark?
A sudden attack(?)
While I blinked in confusion.
Dang Seo-hui looked back and forth between me and the men presumed to be Black Swordsmen as if deep in thought, and eventually took the chopsticks she was holding back and put them back into the container.
“I mean, I understand…”
It is a huge relief that Namgung Seon-hwa is here with us.
I don’t know why, but ever since we started moving together, the Yongbong Branch has joined my table every time we ate.
At first, the people I was eating with just accepted it and ate along with me.
After a few incidents, before I knew it, Namgung Seon-hwa was the only one left among our group. ‘What kind of combination is this, really?’ However, a presence more alien than anything else stood before me.
Turning my gaze away from Dang Seo-hee and looking straight ahead.
A man who looked just like a picture right before my eyes was quietly eating somen noodles.
Even when our eyes met because I was staring intently, he immediately continued eating his noodles as if nothing had happened. ‘What on earth is he up to?’ The Mandok Sect tried to kill him, but the Kunming Branch proved the truth instead.
And since we started traveling together.
“……,”
There was no word.
As if the events of that day never happened.
It really feels like I can’t read my mind, whether in my past life or now.
Even so, considering that in our previous lives, except for the moment right before death, there was no opportunity or reason to meet this close, it is understandable.
Even though we are this close, our true feelings are not revealed at all on the outside…
It is certain that he is a devious fellow by nature.
“Ugh…….”
Hwajungsan, sitting next to me, was drinking alcohol in broad daylight.
This guy is totally like an old man…
Then, a question suddenly came to mind.
How have these three been working all this time?
Dang Seo-hui must have been making a fuss, claiming she would play the role of a chivalrous hero…
Yongso-ah is such an unpredictable character.
However, there is no one to put the brakes on them like Il-myeong or others.
Mt. Hwajung is… … *sigh*.
Hwajungsan answers my question indifferently.
“Taking out a few Black Sect henchmen isn’t a big deal. We don’t really need to step in. Dang Seo-hui is taking care of it.”
onlooking.
Their choice was to stand by.
After all, even if a fight breaks out and things escalate, these three will be able to resolve it somehow.
Honestly, even for me, I can’t gauge how many ordinary warriors I would need to mobilize to deal with them.
Pitter-patter.
“Ugh!”
Hwajungsan, sipping his drink and eliciting exclamations of admiration, was truly the epitome of a free spirit.
It was clear that if it weren’t for the Plum Blossom Sword leaning to one side and the Heroic Sword on his head, no one would believe that he was a disciple of Mount Hua.
I do not view the author favorably because he tormented me along with Gye Cheol-yeong in a past life, but if I had to describe him in a single word, there was one that fit perfectly.
A tragic genius.
He would probably have been a person who followed the path of a hero no matter what era he was born in.
The reason the word ‘tragic’ was attached to Hwa Jeong-san is because of the other ‘monsters’ that happened to be born in his era.
“Ahem, I’m not full yet.”
Dang Seo-hui and Yong So-ah, who are sitting in front of me right now, are also among them.
At first, you probably tried to make an effort.
But once he realized why the word ‘monster’ is used and to whom it is used, he probably gave up on becoming a hero soon after.
In a different era, Hwajungsan might have taken that place instead of Yongso-a or Ilmyeong.
Like everyone else of our time, he was merely born with talent that had faded in a harsh era. ‘At least in our time, we could yearn for it.’ What thoughts must have crossed his mind as he gazed at the brightest star shining closest to him?
Did they sense something in my gaze?
Hwajungsan shook his eyes as if feeling anxious.
“What, what? Why? Why are you glaring at me?”
I didn’t have many positive feelings toward him, but I spoke to him with comfort nonetheless.
This bastard… …!
Seeing that he seemed about to cause a commotion, I quickly changed the subject.
By the way, what brings you to the South? Aren’t the Yongbong Branch activities nearing completion?
I came to investigate.
An investigation?
It is a secret of the Yongbong Branch.
Hwajungsan spoke with a haughty air, as if he wanted to show off.
however.
It’s not a secret.
“Hey, hey! How could you say that!”
Dang Seo-hee, who is more righteous and sincere than anyone else, corrected the statement.
Hwa Jeong-san was startled, but Dang Seo-hui did not stop talking.
Hwajungsan is a scoundrel who spouts lies the moment he opens his mouth.
“Ugh……!”
While the two were bickering, the answer came from the wrong person.
The atmosphere in the martial arts world is ominous.
What’s going on? Yong-so-ah, why is she suddenly butting in?
Despite my questioning gaze, Yong So-ah continued speaking as if she only had something to say.
The forces of those hostile to the Murim Alliance are growing.
“Well, isn’t that something that happens all the time?”
“It has always been this way throughout history. After all, the Murim Alliance needs enemies to survive. But this time is different.”
What is this? Did you find a clue about the existence of the Demonic Cult?
Yong So-ah, who had been eating noodles while staring only at the bowl, lifts her head and meets my eyes with an unwavering gaze.
This unprecedented enemy is more dangerous than ever.
“An unprecedented enemy?”
“It is clear that he is formulating a plan to bring down the Murim Alliance step by step without revealing himself.”
I was shocked inwardly.
The people of the martial arts world in this era stopped at treating the Demonic Cult as nothing more than heresy.
But… did Yong So-ah truly know the danger of the Demonic Cult?
“What is the basis?”
I swallowed hard.
If Yong So-ah knows the true identity of the Demonic Cult, and if that is different from her previous life…
Because the future might certainly look different.
Along with Yong So-ah’s dry gaze, an indifferent voice rang out.
The formation of the Black Alliance and the unification of the Green Forest Alliance centered in the South.
huh?”
As I tilted my head, Dang Seo-hui elaborated.
“Recently, the leader of Ssangryong Citadel unified the entire Green Forest Alliance in the South. We expect this to spread to the North as well.”
Yong So-ah quietly nodded at Dang Seo-hee’s words.
“If things unfold as predicted, a powerful force called the Green Forest Alliance will appear in the martial arts world not long after the Black Alliance has emerged.”
And I don’t think this is a coincidence at all.
Yong So-ah’s eyes, which had been emotionless until now, flashed for a moment.
Staring into my two eyes.
“It is clear that someone behind the scenes is orchestrating this to bring down the Murim Alliance.”
I don’t know where things went wrong, but this creepy human was hot on my heels.
