Chapter 247 : Sichuan (4)
Chapter 247: Sichuan (4)
After dealing with Mun Chang, Il-mok and his group made their way back toward the Black Island Gang's headquarters.
Hiding just far enough away to watch without being seen, Il-mok clicked his tongue.
“Look at them, bunch of naïve kids.”
Dozens of Black Path thugs were forced to their knees at the Black Island Gang's base, while the Orthodox Faction's young warriors were busy lecturing them about their wrongdoings.
A quick look showed six dead bodies. About twenty guys were messed up bad enough that they’d be crippled for life. The other half, who only had scratches, were the ones stuck on their knees listening to the lecture.
Although Il-mok had missed the specifics while chasing the leader, this outcome was the result of the Black Island Gang members discarding their weapons and surrendering the moment they realized their leader had fled.
“You seriously trust these scumbags? They’re the same trash that shot arrows at us while we were talking!”
Peng Ji-gwang was still throwing a fit, his face red with unresolved anger.
"Brother Peng, remember that we're part of the Orthodox Faction, not some evil cult. We can’t just slaughter people who threw down their weapons and surrendered.”
Taoist Unbaek tried to calm him down, but the people eavesdropping from the shadows just shook their heads in disbelief.
“They are begging for mercy because they don’t want to die. How true is that repentance?”
Il-mok nodded, agreeing with Dam Bin’s remark.
Just then, a young guy in a robe with plum blossoms on it walked into the compound, bringing a middle-aged man and an old man with him.
"These are the ones."
When the Mount Hua swordsman pointed to those with critical injuries, the faces of the middle-aged man and the elderly person turned pale.
“Look, in that condition... treating them is going to be a nightmare.”
"Their chances of survival are low, and even if they live, they'll likely be crippled."
The two looked like local physicians in Guangyuan County.
“Regardless, leaving them here is dangerous. It would be best to transport them to the clinic first.”
Hwangbo Yeon nodded at the physicians' explanation and spoke, "We'll help move them. Please wait a moment."
After saying this, Hwangbo Yeon approached those who had surrendered.
"You claim to have repented, but who knows what you'll do after we leave. You need to pay the price for what you’ve done.”
Without hesitation, she struck the abdomens of those who had surrendered, shattering their dantians one by one.
"Kugh..."
"Gaaaargh..."
The men whose dantians got destroyed foamed at their mouths and collapsed while clutching their stomachs.
"Let's go."
She and the other young warriors picked up the guys with missing limbs and crushed bones, then followed the physicians out of the headquarters.
***
The next morning, the young warriors of the Orthodox Faction left the county.
Watching from afar, Dam Bin turned to Il-mok and asked. “Then, shall we proceed to eliminate the remnants of the Black Island Gang now?”
Il-mok shook his head at the question.
“Start spreading the faith, but we’re going to wait and watch for a day or two.”
When the group looked puzzled, Il-mok added an explanation.
"All the Black Island Gang members are either crippled or have lost their martial arts, right? There's a high chance that someone who's been holding back because of the Black Island Gang will step up and try to take control of this place."
“Do you plan to deal with such individuals to make the name of the Maitreya Luminous Cult known, Young Master?”
“Exactly. Just like when we took out the Red Serpent Gang in Gulang. If nobody makes a move, then we’ll hit the brothel run by the Hao Clan first.”
He already knew where the Hao Clan’s brothels were. Thanks to the intel from the Heavenly Demon Cult branch and the secrets Mun Chang spilled yesterday, he had a clear picture.
With the briefing done, Il-mok gazed at the young warriors of the Orthodox Faction as they disappeared into the distance.
He was staring specifically at little shit Peng Ji-gwang.
'Thanks for the help, and let's never meet again, you piece of shit.'
After mentally bidding farewell to the useful turd, Il-mok turned to his companions and tilted his head in confusion.
"What’s wrong?"
Most of the group seemed different from usual somehow.
“It’s not about your plan, Young Master. We’re just disappointed that taking over this place is getting delayed.”
Dam Bin answered for the group, but Il-mok still didn’t get it.
"Do you have some special connection to this place?"
“It’s not about me personally. We’ve just been waiting for the day we could plant the Divine Cult’s flag in Sichuan once more."
Il-mok thought about it for a second and then remembered something they had talked about before.
“Is this about the Blood Tears Heavenly Demon?”
The Blood Tears Heavenly Demon. The Ninth Heavenly Demon and the one before the previous Heavenly Demon. He was also the first to attempt an invasion of the Central Plains after the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was driven to Xinjiang.
He managed to wipe out the Kunlun Sect and make it all the way to Sichuan, but that just ended up causing the creation of the Murim Alliance.
When Il-mok mentioned this figure, Dam Bin nodded.
"Sichuan Province is a land that our Heavenly Demon Divine Cult must reclaim. More than anything, the Blood Tears Heavenly Demon's body might still remain somewhere in this place."
Legend had it that on the day they lost to the Murim Alliance’s trap, the Blood Tears Heavenly Demon cried tears of blood and ordered his people to retreat while he stayed behind alone. He sacrificed himself to buy them time to run.
Thanks to him, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult didn't perish and was able to start anew in Xinjiang, but the Blood Tears Heavenly Demon never returned.
Since the cultists worship the Heavenly Demon like a god, it made sense they’d want to find his body no matter what.
‘But it’s not like we can search all of Sichuan for a corpse when we have no clue where it is.’
From Il-mok's perspective as a half-hearted believer, this seemed like complete nonsense.
‘So that’s why they were so happy about coming to Sichuan, unlike when we went to Gansu.’
Il-mok finally realized why these fanatics were so excited when he told them they were heading here.
But knowing why didn’t change a thing.
'We'll deal with the Hao Clan folks and get out.'
He still had no desire to mess with Sichuan's three major powers.
Unless, of course, things went sideways and his unholy luck strikes again.
***
Following Il-mok's instructions, Dam Bin, Jin Hayeon, Hyeokryeon Seon-ah, and Jeong Hyeon went out for proselytizing activities.
It was a historic moment when various cult recruitment methods were deployed all at once.
Meanwhile, the movements within Guangyuan County also flowed exactly as Il-mok had predicted.
After the Orthodox Faction's rising stars, a bunch of local thugs waited about a day before banding together and raiding the Black Island Gang’s hideout.
With their powers gone and only about twenty guys left, the Black Island Gang got wiped out instantly. The new guys hung up a sign with some ridiculous name on it.
But honestly, only the name changed. They still shook down merchants, brothels, and innkeepers for cash just like the old guys.
A few days later, on the day of the Maitreya Luminous Cult’s first gathering, a group of people wearing wrathful deity masks knocked on the gang’s door while preaching about mercy with their swords.
Unlike the Orthodox Faction's rising stars, they delivered divine punishment to the Black Path thugs who had been torturing the common folks.
In the past, they might have concluded matters there, but their actions did not stop at that point.
After cleaning up the gang, they hit the brothels and red-light district, targeting anywhere linked to the Hao Clan.
At first, people were terrified seeing them take out brothel owners and Hao Clan members.
But the fear didn't last long.
Just as they had in Gansu Province, they showed mercy to anyone who joined the Maitreya Luminous Cult.
They didn’t rip off the merchants, and even from the brothels, they only took a tiny cut of the profits.
On top of that, they taught people how to read and hired local doctors to give free checkups.
Naturally, the common folk of Guangyuan County split into two groups.
“Do you really think they’re going to keep being this generous forever?”
Some people thought it was all just a fake act.
“So what if we don’t believe them? They’re still way better than the last guys, aren’t they?”
Others thought that at least they were an improvement over the old thugs.
In this atmosphere, the name Maitreya Luminous Cult was gradually seeping into Guangyuan County.
“Glo~ ry! Glory! O’ Divine Cult!!”
Along with the cult's unique hymns.
***
While the Maitreya Luminous Cult was busy taking over, something had happened at the Murim Alliance’s headquarters near the Dongting Lake.
A beggar with seven knots hanging from his waist had appeared.
It’s the Little Tiger Beggar, the Heir of the Beggars’ Gang.
He walked right past the main gate and headed for the building marked [Flying Dragon Pavilion].
"It's been a while."
"It has been a while indeed, Flying Dragon Pavilion Lord."
They hadn’t seen each other in months, not since they teamed up to track the Blood Cult.
“If the Beggars Gang's successor came all the way here yourself, it must be important. Is this about the Blood Cult?”
Little Tiger Beggar nodded.
“I was aware that there had been multiple setbacks in pursuing the Blood Cult recently. As expected of the Beggars’ Gang."
"Our Beggars’ Gang is just as confused. Whether they've noticed we're tracking them or not, their movements are becoming increasingly secretive. What I've found this time isn't certain either."
"The fact that a Seven-Knot Beggar came personally for something uncertain… that means the matter is quite serious."
Little Tiger Beggar nodded once and opened his mouth with a grave expression.
“We found traces that look like the Blood Cult in Sichuan.”
"...Sichuan of all places."
Creases appear on Jeong Yeong’s forehead.
Sichuan was already a volcano waiting to erupt before this news.
“It definitely is the perfect place for them to start something. Could you wait here for a moment? This matter isn't something I can decide alone."
“I’ll wait.”
Jeong Yeong got up and left the Flying Dragon Pavilion.
He headed straight for the Military Strategy Hall.
“Greetings, Chief Strategist.”
"Come in. I heard the Little Tiger Beggar came to visit. Is it about the Blood Cult?"
Chief Strategist Gongsun Hyeon seemed to know everything already. Jeong Yeong nodded.
“It’s not confirmed, but they think the Blood Cult is up to something in Sichuan.”
It was vague intel, completely unverified. But it was also intel they couldn’t ignore.
"Sichuan, huh?"
The Chief Strategist seems to be lost in thought for a moment before chuckling.
"Flying Dragon Pavilion Lord, I need you to go personally this time."
"...With all due respect, if I leave my post, there's a risk of gaps appearing in our surveillance of the Demonic Cult."
"That's exactly why I'm sending you. Did you forget? Our goal is to concentrate all the power of the Central Plains right here in the Murim Alliance, not just to block the Demonic Cult.”
"!!!"
“If the Alliance holds all the power, why should we be scared of the Blood Cult or the Demonic Cult? We’re only in danger because we’re all divided.”
Gongsun Hyeon gave a gentle smile as he reminded him of their true objective.
"That's why I'm sending you. If the Blood Cult causes a blood calamity in Sichuan, that would be more than enough to get those lazy old men off their heavy asses, wouldn't it? They only care about their own safety, after all.”
Jeong Yeong could easily grasp the meaning behind the Chief Strategist's words.
If the intel about the Blood Cult was fake...
‘I need to stage a massacre that looks like the Blood Cult did it.’
And if the intel was true…
'He's telling me to step in after the blood calamity occurs.'
To pull that off, he’d have to find the clues before the Beggars’ Gang did and sabotage their investigation while he was at it.
Jeong Yeong quickly sorted out his priorities and clasped his fists to the Chief Strategist.
"For the safety of the Central Plains and the justice of the Murim Alliance, I will surely succeed and return."