The Mad Dog Inspector of the Martial Alliance

The method was the same as the first time. If he investigated the corruption of the Heavenly Celebration Squad, Seok Pacheon would kill the supply manager. Then, as Yang Gwan had said, he could request a duel for the honor of that official.

"If we win, you guys admit your guilt?"

"I think that would work."

"If we lose, this will be the end of us..."

It was a fight for the honor of the Hengshan Sect. Since they had even sent a duel request over a trivial money matter, their feelings would be beyond uncomfortable, and they would hate them like a mortal enemy. Although it was a duel, it would be difficult to return alive.

"I will definitely win."

"And there is one problem. This is something that only starts when one person dies."

"Ah, the supply manager of the Heavenly Celebration Squad might be innocent."

"That's not it."

It was something he had felt after coming into the Martial Alliance.

This place was rotten to the core, without a single exception.

"There was an old man named Oh Sundeok in Sichuan, and that old man ran a general store. The old man's skills were not bad, so the business was so-so. But that general store went completely bankrupt. Do you know why?"

"I don't know."

"It was a wooden building, and white ants had laid their eggs. Once they laid their eggs, they multiplied enormously, gnawed at the pillars, ate away at the floor, and brought down the ceiling. In the end, on a day when the wind was strong, the general store couldn't withstand the wind and collapsed."

"Oh my..."

"As it happened, there were quite a few customers at that time, and their heads were smashed by the falling timber. To compensate for that, he borrowed money from even his distant relatives and paid it back, so there was no money left. The goods he handled were all smashed, so he had no means of making money. His life was completely over. The current Martial Alliance is in that state. It's teeming with white ants. The house called the Martial Alliance has completely rotted away. It's a wonder it hasn't collapsed yet."

As Jang So-gil said that, Yang Gwan's expression became complicated. As a member of the Orthodox faction, he also had a longing for the Martial Alliance, and he still had a feeling of envy for the Nine Sects One Alliance.

"Why did it become like this?"

"Because of the Demonic Cult."

"The Demonic Cult?"

"How many people died during the Demonic Cult War? The foundation of the sects was shaken, and the people who could be called assets also died in droves. So many secret manuals were lost that they were afraid and created something called the martial library to store even the secret manuals that could be called their history. There is no sect that has not seen blood. That is why everyone has a fit when they hear the words 'Demonic Cult'."

The Demonic Cult War inflicted great wounds on the entire martial world, regardless of the Orthodox or Unorthodox factions.

"If you're wounded, what should you do?"

"You should eat delicious food and rest well in a warm bed."

"That's right. That's the situation of the martial world right now. They are trying to heal the wounds of the Demonic Cult War quickly, trying to fix their bodies greedily. At this point, it's not about discussing the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions. It's not that the Orthodox faction isn't in pain, and it's not that the Unorthodox faction isn't in pain. Rather, if you think about the opponent, you need to heal your wounds even faster."

"Why is that? This can be called a peaceful era."

"It's a peaceful era if it's a peaceful era. There is the Martial Alliance, the incarnation of justice that defeated the Demonic Cult. The Alliance Lord, the symbol of peace, is steadfast. But look at how the Martial Alliance is going. Isn't it on the verge of bankruptcy because it has no money? The Alliance Lord won't last long either. If the Alliance Lord wavers, the fight between the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions will start again, so they have to recover their strength quickly. To do that, it's not the time to be picky about the means. If there is blind money, they have to take it, and they have to gather even more money by doing bad things."

Yang Gwan flared up in anger. He didn't like the story of the other sects' situation, that they had to recover their bodies quickly because the Martial Alliance might go bankrupt.

"N-no. Isn't the Martial Alliance wavering because they are spending money recklessly?"

"In terms of cause and effect, you are right. The Martial Alliance is collapsing because they are embezzling recklessly. But for them, such a cause-and-effect relationship doesn't matter. They don't want to maintain the martial world, their own sect is the most precious. Didn't you also say it? The name of the sect, the family, is more important than anything else."

He had said it. It wasn't that he didn't understand.

As Yang Gwan kept his mouth shut, So raised the corners of his mouth and said.

"That's why the current martial world is a more peaceful era than ever before, but it also lacks morality more than ever before. There probably hasn't been such a corrupt Orthodox faction in hundreds of years. As for the Unorthodox faction, there's no need to say more. They are probably doing terrible things that are unspeakable."

"That's terrible."

"Yes. That's the current situation. Do you think the supply manager who was in charge of the funds under Seok Pacheon would be clean? The lower stream is clear only when the upper stream is clear."

"I see. But then what are you worried about, Guild Master So? If he's a guy who deserves to die, can't you just let him die?"

Jang So-gil flicked the abacus beads roughly.

"Where did the crazy law of punishing embezzlement with death come from?"

"Yes?"

"For embezzlement, the law is to make them vomit the embezzled amount and to serve as a slave for the difference. Why does the law exist? The law is there to be followed. For me, I see it as more efficient and wise for him to become a slave for the amount he embezzled and compensate with his labor, rather than him dying. So if I think about the principal, I should prevent him from dying."

He flicked the abacus beads roughly one more time. Then the abacus broke, and the beads scattered in all directions.

"But no matter how I think about it, in this case, it's more efficient to let him die. There's no choice. The plan remains the same. I'll leave the duel to you."

Yang Gwan finally understood what Jang So-gil was angry about. He was angry at the conclusion itself, that it was more efficient to let a person die. And he must be annoyed at himself for making that choice. He was also angry about the difference between a merchant and a martial artist, and he was also angry at the fact that the martial artist's strategy was effective now. Nevertheless, in the end, he had chosen the method of a duel, so he could also see that he was trying to walk the path of a martial artist.

Respecting Jang So-gil's decision, Yang Gwan bowed his head.

The master is ordering him to fight.

"As you command."

The subordinate will just fight happily.

The place to prove his loyalty had come, so now he had to draw his spear.

* * *

The next day, listening to the information reported by a spy, Seok Pacheon's white eyebrows twitched.

"He's investigating the Heavenly Celebration Squad this time?"

"Yes."

"He didn't seem like such a foolish child. Did he not understand my intention? What do you think?"

"In your subordinate's opinion, I think he is more foolish than you are concerned about, Elder."

The spy said that and recalled the circumstantial evidence.

Jang So-gil was investigating the supply manager of a large battalion again, regardless of Yu Heon's death. He had entered the office with an arrogant attitude, as if there was nothing on his mind, openly and carelessly.

"He saw the tail-cutting on the first day, but he hasn't made any preparations at all."

"Was there no move to protect the witness?"

"None at all."

"Strange."

By killing Yu Heon, Seok Pacheon had sent a signal to Jang So-gil. A bloody signal that if he investigated further, he would kill that guy. A clever person would have noticed that signal and, when investigating, would have tried to protect the witness in preparation for the tail-cutting. If he were a very clever person, he would have known that this method was useless and would have taken a step back and not acted rashly until the next weakness appeared. A dull person would have lamented the absence of a witness and continued to investigate the Seven Star Squad, and a very dull person would have gone to Guyang Su and argued with him, providing a pretext for his own downfall.

"Very strange."

Seok Pacheon's scheme was not ordinary, and he had dug several holes in preparation for when he would argue with Guyang Su. If he had touched even one of those holes, Jang So-gil's head would have been cut off despite his position as an inspector.

It could be said that it was wise to have avoided that trap.

But to withdraw from the Seven Star Squad incident, and to start investigating the Heavenly Celebration Squad in the same way?

The skill of finding out that Seok Pacheon was involved in Yu Heon's death was commendable, but that was all. To touch the Heavenly Celebration Squad was not just dull, but a method that only a fool among fools would use. The enemy would just double, and it was natural that the same result would come out, wasn't it? It was only right that the spy looked at him with a contemptuous gaze. It was a foolishness that made him feel like a fool for having been on guard.

"The him I saw was quite an outstanding person. I predicted that he would take a step back and watch the progress of the incident, but it's really strange."

"What about the alert level?"

The Hengshan Sect's alert level for Jang So-gil was at the highest level. They had deployed three trained first-class spies, and two first-class assassins were also deployed to be able to assassinate him at any time. The amount of money used for his surveillance reached a hundred taels a day, so one could see how high Seok Pacheon's vigilance was.

But to be so foolish. Wasn't it a waste to maintain the alert level?

Anyway, even if it was the Martial Alliance's money, they could take it all out and use it, so it was like the Hengshan Sect's money.

"It's better to reduce waste. Lower the alert level by two stages."

"As you command."

In the place where the spy had left, Seok Pacheon, who was standing alone, stroked his beard.

He gave a faint sneer.

"In the end, he's just a merchant brat. In the end, he's just a little kid in his early twenties."

* * *

Jang So-gil suddenly asked.

"By the way, about this duel. As I recall, didn't you go up and down?"

"What do you mean?"

"The ranks. You said that if you threw a duel request, you would fight a second-generation disciple."

"That's right."

"If you fight and the other side demands that a senior person come out, doesn't the senior person have to fight too?"

Yang Gwan, who was training, took a breath, "Hmm," and spun his spear. He kicked the spinning spear to spin it one more time, then received it with his back and spun it a few more times before replying.

"It's a fairly common case. I believe so."

"Then, what if they say, 'Bring your senior!' to you?"

"You'll have to come out, Guild Master So."

"...Hey."

"What can I do when my senior is you, Guild Master So?"

"Then I have to fight?"

"Originally, that would be the case, but you are a very ambiguous person, Guild Master So."

In terms of rank, he was Yang Gwan's direct superior.

The same goes for seniority. Yang Gwan, who had been a subordinate of Jang Daegil, had sworn to be loyal to Jang So-gil. So he was definitely a subordinate.

But what about as a martial artist?

"Guild Master So, as a martial artist, you started your career before you even entered the martial world, didn't you?"

Usually, one trains in martial arts and stays in the sect for several years until a direct master says, 'This is enough. You can go out into the world.' You cannot go out into the martial world unless you have the skill to carry the name of your family and sect on your back. A person who has made their first appearance in the martial world like this is called a 'martial arts novice'.

But Jang So-gil didn't have that.

He had no master, and he had started his career by receiving the position of Martial Alliance Inspector.

Only then did he enter the world of martial arts.

And it hadn't even been a few days.

"If you had a proper master, you would follow the master's rank, but you don't even have that. In terms of age, you are far below."

"Yes. But I still have to fight?"

"You'll probably end up fighting a third-generation disciple."

A third-generation disciple refers to someone who has just entered or has been in for about 5 years.

"A person who has just entered and a 5-year veteran are in the same rank, the deviation is enormous..."

"If you put it that way, the deviation for a second-generation disciple is also large. It refers to someone who has been in for about 20 years."

"Then what about a first-generation disciple?"

"They are direct disciples, so the year of entry doesn't matter."

"This is crazy. Anyway, if I'm unlucky, I have to fight too."

"It seems so. Is your martial arts training going well?"

At Yang Gwan's words, Jang So-gil held up the White-Clear Divine Sword he had been holding tightly.

The cold energy shimmering like a heat haze on the sword enveloped his body and rotated.

Jang So-gil, as if possessed, looked at it and muttered.

"I don't even know if it's going well or not."

"That was a foolish thing to say. If you don't have a master, it's natural that you don't know your own achievements."

"Right? Since we're on the topic, I'll try it once, so take it."

"A mock duel? Interesting. Go ahead."

"This is making me nervous. I'm coming?"

"Come at me with all your might."

Jang So-gil, unable to hide his nervousness, aimed the White-Clear Divine Sword at Yang Gwan with a stiff expression.

Yang Gwan smiled and raised his spear. To be honest, at times like this, he understood that he was like a younger brother. He was also cute.

But a moment later.

"Uwaaaaaaaah-!"

Yang Gwan had to let out an unsightly scream.

(End of Chapter)