Chapter 148 - The Ones Wearing Black Masks (7)

The Light-Splitting Five Ghosts Sword Array came to a halt just an inch away from Jin Sowoon's nape, and the middle-aged man of the Mount Cangshan Sect looked for the leader among those standing on the wall as if grinding his teeth.

"Who goes there? Who dares to interfere with the affairs of the Mount Cangshan Sect!"

At the middle-aged man's shout, the warriors all looked toward a single point.

"It has been a while. Senior Bungwang Ilseong."

Seeing the woman lightly drop down from the wall and cup her fists in greeting, Bungwang Ilseong ground his teeth.

"Since when was the Namgung Clan above the Mount Cangshan Sect?"

The Namgung Clan.

And men in martial robes bearing the insignia of the Cangqiong Squad were surveying the interior of the manor with stern eyes.

"The Namgung Clan has never been above the Mount Cangshan Sect."

"Then how do you explain this current situation?"

"..."

Bungwang Ilseong pointed at Jin Sowoon with his sword.

"Jin Sowoon wore a mask and inflicted irreparable damage upon a disciple of the Mount Cangshan Sect in the Yuwol Sect's manor. Have you stepped forward to defend him?"

Namgung Seonhwa, who was looking at Jin Sowoon, gave a small nod and said.

"Not at all. I merely came here to investigate the disappearance incidents occurring in Yueyang."

"..."

At Namgung Seonhwa's words, Bungwang Ilseong's eyebrows trembled slightly before he turned his gaze toward the warriors of the Yuwol Sect.

"..."

One of the Yuwol Sect's warriors gave a small shake of his head, and in response, Bungwang Ilseong hardened his expression and glared at Namgung Seonhwa.

"What are you talking about? What disappearance incidents in Yueyang?"

"If you have been in Yueyang, Senior, you must have heard of those committing murder and kidnapping while claiming to be the Demonic Cult. We have set out to investigate those people."

"Are you saying... that it is the Yuwol Sect?"

"For now, yes."

"You must be saying that knowing the Yuwol Sect is a lay sect of the Mount Cangshan Sect, right?"

Insulting a lay sect meant insulting the Mount Cangshan Sect itself.

Bungwang Ilseong was asking Namgung Seonhwa if she could handle the Mount Cangshan Sect.

"They committed evil deeds and hid their shameful acts by claiming to be the Demonic Cult. Whether they are a lay sect of the Mount Cangshan Sect or not is not what is important right now."

"Answer me! Are you acting like this knowing that the Yuwol Sect is a lay sect of the Mount Cangshan Sect!"

At Bungwang Ilseong's severe voice, Namgung Seonhwa glared at him for a moment.

"..."

If she was pushed back now, a massive backlash would blow in.

She absolutely could not back down.

"... I am very well aware."

"Good. We shall judge the rights and wrongs of this matter through the Murim Alliance. I will undoubtedly extract compensation for this current situation, as well as for crippling a disciple of the Mount Cangshan Sect."

At Bungwang Ilseong's words, Namgung Seonhwa's face stiffened.

If they took this matter to the Murim Alliance now, it was glaringly obvious that the evidence would be destroyed.

Furthermore, although it was unclear how it happened, if they brought up the fact that Jong Byeokgi was heavily injured, any proper investigation would be out the window.

At that moment, Jin Sowoon, who was surrounded by the Light-Splitting Five Ghosts Sword Array, took off his mask and spoke.

"What reason is there to go all the way to the Murim Alliance?"

At Sowoon's relaxed voice, Bungwang Ilseong's lips trembled.

"You shut your mouth. Separate from this matter, the damage inflicted upon Junior Brother Jong will be repaid with the blood of your sect."

"That will not happen. The Mount Cangshan Sect will have to take responsibility first for the incident where its disciple claimed to be the Demonic Cult."

"You bastard!"

Bungwang Ilseong flared with killing intent as if he would explode at any moment.

"You had better not do that."

Namgung Seonhwa's low voice.

"What?"

"I am telling you to stop if you are thinking of silencing us to destroy evidence. Our Namgung Clan is not that weak."

A chilling coldness lingered on the face of Namgung Seonhwa, whom he had thought to be just a naive and ignorant person.

Bungwang Ilseong, who had paused for a moment at that sight, steeled his resolve again and gritted his teeth.

"Everyone, get that guy..."

However, Bungwang Ilseong could not finish his words.

A leisurely voice coming from somewhere had cut him off.

"Now, now, let's stop. What are you doing among fellow members of the Murim Alliance?"

Five men came crossing through the main gates.

Wearing the Murim Alliance's uniform, it was a face that Bungwang Ilseong also knew well.

"Yueyang Branch Chief..."

"It has been a while, Brother Song. You said you were just going to rest quietly in Yueyang, but it seems that was not exactly the case."

"How are you here..."

"Naturally, I came out to investigate because there are people impersonating the Demonic Cult."

Bungwang Ilseong glared at Namgung Seonhwa as if he could kill her.

The situation was flowing in an unfavorable direction.

After the Demonic Spirit Plateau incident, the Yueyang Branch Chief who belonged to the Wudang Sect had resigned, and the one who newly took that seat was a figure from the Sichuan Tang Clan.

If the scales tipped, it was certain that they would lean entirely toward the Five Great Noble Clans.

"Branch Chief, we cannot just carelessly submit to an investigation regarding such a grave matter without the permission of the main sect."

"That is of course true. But surely you can cooperate with just an investigation, can you not?"

"This is an insult to our blood ally, the Yuwol Sect, and to the Mount Cangshan Sect."

"Oh my, what should I do about this..."

While the Yueyang Branch Chief was scratching his head.

"If it is about that, I believe I can help you."

Looking toward where the voice came from, it was Jin Sowoon, who was standing inside the Light-Splitting Five Ghosts Sword Array.

"Hmm? And you are?"

"I am Murim Academy representative Jin Sowoon."

"Ah, you were Jin Sowoon? I have heard stories about you from Seo-hee until my ears bled."

Jin Sowoon put on a flustered expression.

"... Stories about me, you say?"

"Yes, that normally quiet girl chattered on and on, so I figured I would have to see you sometime. To think we would meet in a place like this... Anyway, what did you mean when you said you could help?"

"First... if you release Lady Seong Moran, you will be able to learn about the incident without having to investigate this place."

"Is that so?"

The warriors of the Mount Cangshan Sect, who initially tried not to back down, were soon pressured by the Murim Alliance members and ultimately had no choice but to step back one by one.

As soon as she was released, Seong Moran, who had crossed the wall and entered the forest, appeared carrying a pale-faced woman on her back.

"This person is Jang Seol-yeon. She was imprisoned in the basement of this manor."

* * *

A heavy silence lingered in the area for a long while.

Jin Sowoon looked down at Jong Byeokgi, who was squirming on the ground, and opened his mouth.

"I came here to find Lady Jang, and I met Jong Byeokgi here and explained the situation to him. However, he attacked me as if he had been caught red-handed as the mastermind behind this scheme, so I merely responded in kind."

As if Sowoon's claim was complete nonsense, a warrior of the Yuwol Sect suddenly shouted.

"Do not lie! Did you not attack Young Master Jong without saying a word!"

Jin Sowoon formed a creepy smile.

"Whether my words are true or not can be seen by examining the basement of that warehouse over there. That was where I found Lady Jang, after all."

"Ah...!"

Only then did the warriors of the Yuwol Sect realize their mistake.

However, words already spat out could not be taken back.

At this point, neither the warriors of the Mount Cangshan Sect nor Bungwang Ilseong could interfere with the proceedings.

While the Cangqiong Squad and the Mount Cangshan Sect were confronting each other, the Murim Alliance members quickly opened the warehouse and went inside.

And a moment later...

"Huh?"

"Here..."

"People... there are people imprisoned here!"

At the shouts of the Murim Alliance members inspecting the warehouse basement, the Branch Chief looked at Bungwang Ilseong.

"..."

A silent question of whether the Mount Cangshan Sect was also involved.

Bungwang Ilseong, his face turning bright red, spread his internal energy in all directions.

B-B-BOOM!

His martial robes swelled as if they would burst, and his killing intent drew out the tension of the warriors.

"Everyone, get ready!"

At Namgung Seonhwa's shout, the warriors of the Cangqiong Squad also drew their swords in unison and prepared for battle.

The moment Sowoon and the kids of the Taiyi Sect also unfolded the White Tiger Lethal Sword Array again and prepared for battle.

Bungwang Ilseong flew like an arrow toward the warriors of the Yuwol Sect.

"You dared to commit such acts in the name of the Mount Cangshan Sect!"

The flustered ones were the warriors of the Yuwol Sect...

"G-Great Warrior! In the first place, this matter was orchestrated by the Mount Cangshan Sect..."

"Shut up! What are you all doing! These are the ones who dared to soil the Mount Cangshan Sect from within its own embrace!"

As soon as Bungwang Ilseong's words finished, the warriors of the Mount Cangshan Sect began to cut down the warriors of the Yuwol Sect.

"Gah!"

"S-Spare me...!"

"Spare me!"

The people of the Namgung Clan did not even have time to stop them.

It was such a violent and bold move that they could not stop them, nor could they even think to do so.

It was a scene of one-sided and overwhelming slaughter.

The dying warriors of the Yuwol Sect all looked at the warriors of the Mount Cangshan Sect with resentful eyes, but the warriors of the Mount Cangshan Sect looked at them as if looking at bugs.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

The Yueyang Branch Chief, who had approached Jin Sowoon's side at some point, spoke.

"What a truly cruel form of justice."

It was a remark whose true intent was hard to fathom, but Jin Sowoon somehow thought those words were not wrong.

* * *

Jang Dowon was a truly strong person.

In his past life, when he had come to the Murim Alliance.

The experts of Jianghu, their eyes rolling back in greed over the fifteen divine weapons he had created, tried to use him to make their own divine weapons, but it did not work.

Even though there were those who held blades to his neck, as well as those who used direct violence, Jang Dowon did not yield.

It was a time when everyone wondered if a person without a single ounce of internal energy could possess such a level of strength.

"Huk... huhuk..."

Right now, that same Jang Dowon was shedding endless tears.

Embracing his granddaughter—an existence even I had not known about—he wept for a long time.

"We should give them some space."

Did they not need time to release the anxiety they had felt over losing each other and to fully enjoy the joy of reunion?

The hostages who had been captured were sent home after a brief investigation.

The Murim Alliance tried to step up for their anxious sakes, but before that, the Mount Cangshan Sect had already taken the initiative and graciously escorted the hostages home.

"Why did the Mount Cangshan Sect go out of their way to step up? In the end, it was something they committed."

"If this is not a thief feeling a guilty conscience, what is it?"

They had pinned the blame on the Yuwol Sect by cutting off the tail, but everyone, centered around the Murim Alliance, had come to know the rotten true nature of the Mount Cangshan Sect. It was self-evident that their prestige would progressively plummet into the ground through word of mouth.

On the way the Mount Cangshan Sect was leaving, I had a chance to speak alone with Bungwang Ilseong.

Bungwang Ilseong ground his teeth as he looked at me.

"Jin Sowoon, I will not forget what happened today."

"Of course you should not forget, shouldn't you?"

"... What?"

"Did I not catch the ones who soiled the name of the Mount Cangshan Sect from within? This is naturally a situation where you should bestow a reward. Is that not so?"

"..."

Bungwang Ilseong's two eyes trembled violently.

"Don't tell me the great Mount Cangshan Sect is just going to brush it off after receiving help from a blood ally? I cannot believe it. Goodness, tsk..."

Going beyond his trembling pupils, Bungwang Ilseong's lips were now quivering in rage.

Just then, the Yueyang Branch Chief, who was passing by, saw the two of us and stopped.

"Are you two still fighting?"

"No, Senior Bungwang Ilseong was just trying to wipe his mouth clean even after receiving my help, so I was arguing with him a bit. I didn't know the great Mount Cangshan Sect was so petty."

"..."

The Yueyang Branch Chief also looked at me with eyes not much different from Bungwang Ilseong's.

"Well, I am not asking for much. I used up a lot of stamina on this matter, so please send me a spiritual elixir. And do not mix in poison trying to assassinate me for no reason."

The Yueyang Branch Chief's gaze shifted from me to Bungwang Ilseong.

"Will you send it?"

"... The Mount Cangshan Sect."

Bungwang Ilseong spoke, forcefully swallowing his seething anger.

"...never forgets a debt of gratitude or a grudge."

Saying that, Bungwang Ilseong swiftly spun around.

The moment I left a scoff at his retreating back and was about to turn around.

"You, come see me."

"For what reason are you asking?"

The Yueyang Branch Chief moved first without even answering.

No really, when a person asks, can't you give a response?

* * *

So, the inside story was like this.

Yueyang, where personnel from Wudang had served as the Branch Chief for a long period.

Because of that, even though Yueyang had lay sects of the Mount Cangshan Sect, the influence of Wudang was strong.

However, when the Wudang Branch Chief lost his power and disappeared due to the Demonic Spirit Plateau incident, the Mount Cangshan Sect tried to take over Yueyang once again.

But what do you know, as the Underworld Murim, including the Heukbu Palace, which had lived with their teeth clenched and holding their breath while Wudang was present, began to run rampant, the Mount Cangshan Sect found it difficult to take over Yueyang with just two sects, so they brought up the 'Demonic Cult' of all things to clean up Yueyang once again.

"Since you know so well, why haven't you done anything all this time?"

I asked in disbelief at the story from the Murim Alliance Branch Chief revealing the inside details.

The Yueyang Branch Chief scratched his head roughly as if asking what nonsense I was spewing and said.

"Do you think I didn't do anything because I didn't want to?"

"And why aren't you conducting additional investigations?"

"Investigations? You think we would do that?"

"..."

"The Mount Cangshan Sect has already made their move. They declared that the mastermind behind this incident was the Yuwol Sect, and they raided the Yuwol Sect."

It had been less than a day since the incident occurred.

"They are fast."

"Well, weren't they preparing to run away at any moment?"

"You are not surprised."

"Is that not how the justice of Jianghu is generally maintained?"

Saying that, the Branch Chief walked to one side of his office.

There were a bunch of bizarre devices in the Branch Chief's office. When the Branch Chief lit an oil lamp placed on one side of a device, the apparatus made of iron and wood started up with a squeaking noise along with the sound of a mainspring winding.

The flame lit from the oil lamp heated a cup placed above it, and it seemed the principle was that the steam rising from the cup moved the machine.

Eventually, fragrant tea trickled out from the end of the machine with a trickling sound.

The Branch Chief offered two cups of tea.

I quietly smelled the aroma of the tea and took a sip, and the fragrant scent of tea lingered in my mouth.

"It is delicious... Is this a special tea?"

"It is just a common Longjing tea. In tea, how you brew it is more important than the quality of the tea itself."

After drinking half the tea, the Branch Chief closely watched the steam rising from the tea and muttered as if talking to himself.

"Justice is similar. Depending on how you use it, it can yield a murky taste or a clear taste."

"..."

"You have an expression that does not quite agree."

"A murky justice can no longer be called justice."

"Is that so?"

Perhaps not having much intention to debate, the Branch Chief scratched his head roughly once again.

"Anyway, you worked hard on this matter. Thanks to you, my term in office will be extended a bit longer. It was quite a headache for a while."

Feeling a bit frustrated, I asked again.

"Did you have no thought of resolving it yourself?"

The Demonic Cult—to think they impersonated the Demonic Cult.

At this level, it wasn't just having guts, it was like having two sets of them.

And this nonchalant Branch Chief had known about it yet stood by as a spectator, looking at it as if staring at a distant mountain.

"I did."

"And?"

"It was quickly blocked. By the Mount Cangshan Sect."

"..."

"This is why the position of Murim Alliance Branch Chief is strange. Sometimes it is an omnipotent power, yet at the same time, sometimes it is nothing but a scarecrow."

"..."

"If I brought in the power of a noble clan, I could have tried clashing with them, but I had no confidence in resolving it. If it hadn't been for someone like you, it wasn't an issue that would have been resolved in the first place."

Scratching his head roughly, he spoke.

"Anyway, thanks to you, it was resolved cleanly all at once, so Yueyang should quiet down a bit for a while."

"Still, shouldn't you step up a bit?"

"Me? Why?"

"Won't the Mount Cangshan Sect target me because of this?"

At my disgruntled voice, the Branch Chief smiled brightly for the first time.

"My word, what do you mean asking me to specifically make an escape route for you when you've already prepared one yourself?"

"..."

"Leaving Jong Byeokgi half-dead must have been partly due to a personal grudge, right? As expected, the Mount Cangshan Sect has framed the culprit of this incident as a secret alliance between Jong Byeokgi and the Yuwol Sect."

"..."

"Moreover, when you are even receiving compensation from the Mount Cangshan Sect through that fellow Bungwang Ilseong, what on earth could the Mount Cangshan Sect possibly do to you?"

Hmm, well, I've been completely found out.

It wasn't a scheme meant to be discovered this easily.

I closely looked at the Yueyang Branch Chief's face.

Judging from his quick wits and sharp perception, he was definitely no ordinary person, but no matter how much I searched my memories, he was someone I was seeing for the very first time in my life.

"I do not know what you mean."

"Haha, just as Seo-hee said, you certainly have an incredibly shameless side to you."

"But since earlier, you have been speaking as if there is some sort of connection between us, and I find it quite unpleasant."

"Unpleasant? It can't be unpleasant, right. Of course it can't be unpleasant. I have committed a grave sin. I have absolutely committed a grave sin."

"..."

The man who had just thrown a fuss suddenly stopped in his tracks, opening his mouth and beaming widely.

Now, it even felt a bit scary.

"Why wouldn't we have a connection?"

"Pardon?"

"Didn't you freely use the Golden Dragon Hidden Weapon that I made? With a connection like that, isn't it a grand connection?"

Crazy.

Why is that story suddenly popping up?