The Mad Dog Inspector of the Martial Alliance

The man who had hanged himself yesterday was named Wu Jeongchu, a supply manager of the Heavenly Celebration Squad. He, too, had committed a crime and left a suicide note saying he was leaving this world because he could not overcome his guilt. It seemed that he had committed suicide because he could not withstand the pressure when his traces were discovered by Inspector So and the investigation network was closing in.

But the rumor circulating in the marketplace was not that.

"A serial killer..."

The suicide was a disguise. In reality, it was the work of a serial killer trying to satisfy his twisted desire to kill, and the story was that he had easily killed a good official because he was deeply involved in the Martial Alliance. Others said that he was a descendant of the Demonic Cult, so his purpose was to damage the righteous spirit of the Martial Alliance and lower its morale.

"Well, well... the Demonic Cult?"

Another rumor was a sinister story that a martial artist of the Orthodox faction had fallen into qi deviation after arduous martial arts training, so he was looking for a victim every night to release his demonic energy. The blood-crazed martial artist in the rumor was said to be a Taoist from Mount Hua, Wudang, or Kunlun, and there were also rumors that he was from the Diancang Sect or the Hengshan Sect. It was a relief, if it was a relief, that the Shaolin Temple, which was said to be the conscience of the Orthodox faction, was not mentioned.

"More than half of the Nine Sects One Alliance has been swept up in an instant."

Sama Hwi knew the scariness of rumors. A word without feet travels a thousand li. Rumors that are not beneficial to the Orthodox faction and the martial world shake the world even faster through the mouths of the Unorthodox faction. That's why he had tried so hard to prevent such rumors from spreading. But in Luoyang, the headquarters of the Martial Alliance, and in the Martial Alliance at that, a serial killer from the Nine Sects One Alliance? A descendant of the Demonic Cult?

"This is going to be a mess."

His title was the Thousand Li Young Master, and this was a title given to Sama Hwi because he could predict things a thousand li away. Even now, he could clearly see people spreading rumors about the serial killer a thousand li away. He would have to crack down on it right away.

But Sama Hwi's body, which had jumped up and was preparing to move, stiffened. He felt a sense of unease. There is a saying, "Will smoke rise from a chimney that has not been lit?" If there is a result, there must be a cause. For two mid-level officials to hang themselves and be called a serial killer, wasn't that going too far? Then it was clear that someone was setting a fire and creating smoke.

"This series of events seems so natural, he's no ordinary skilled person."

He had linked the two suicides with the theme of a serial killer, made it plausible, and then quickly spread the rumor through the marketplace. This was not the way of a martial artist.

"Don't tell me?"

Sama Hwi had a thought that the one spreading this news was that mad dog he knew.

* * *

Around lunchtime, when the sun was at its highest.

Jang So-gil, who was enjoying the fruit pulp and juice in a bowl of fruit punch while receiving the bright sunlight, saw a sudden visitor and held up his bowl.

"What brings you here without any notice? It's a hot day, would you like a bowl of fruit punch?"

"A lukewarm fruit punch will only make me angry, so no thanks."

"It's a very cool fruit punch."

"Cool in this heat?"

As Jang So-gil gestured, Yang Gwan brought a bowl of fruit punch. It was a cool fruit punch with ice floating in it.

Ice was an enormous luxury. And in the middle of summer, its value would rise endlessly. Not long ago, the ice in the stone icehouse of Luoyang had melted due to poor management, so the price of ice these days was literally the price of gold.

Sama Hwi's eyes lit up.

"You wouldn't have bought the ice, so don't tell me you've already learned to handle ice arts?"

"This is all thanks to you, Strategist Sama. You've added such detailed annotations to the Soul-Stealing Ice Art, so there's no reason I can't learn it. I'm also getting a lot of help from the White-Clear Divine Sword."

"Hah... even so, it's an amazing achievement. The ice art that draws out and uses the true qi of a divine object instead of one's own internal energy should not be able to control its force, but you've managed to make such small ice."

"I was able to do that because of some damn bastard."

As Jang So-gil narrowed his eyes, Yang Gwan avoided his gaze. Because he had been tormented so much in the name of training, Jang So-gil's reaction was sharp even though several days had passed. It was a good thing he had completely learned how to control the force. If he had failed to learn, he would not have left Yang Gwan alone.

"Anyway. Hmm."

He had intended to refuse, but the ice fruit punch on a hot summer day was too tempting, so Sama Hwi ended up taking a spoonful. The sweetness made his mind clear, and the coldness of the ice revitalized his tired body. After moistening his dry throat, it was much easier to talk.

"There's a rumor circulating in Luoyang about a serial killer. Is that perhaps your work?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"As expected."

Sama Hwi slapped his knee. There was the joy of his prediction being correct, but the relief of confirming that there was no one else in Luoyang who could do such a thing was greater. He took another bite of the fruit punch with a sense of relief and reflected on Jang So-gil's intention. If he was the spreader of the rumor, there must be an intention. It was difficult to guess that intention, but it was not an impossible task. Sama Hwi began to speak when the bottom of the fruit punch bowl was visible.

"Are you aiming for Hengshan, or is it Diancang?"

"Hengshan."

"Then is Elder Seok Pacheon the serial killer?"

"You get it right away. That's right."

Sama Hwi lacked business talent, but his eye for reading the flow of the times was outstanding. Especially if it entered the realm of strategy and military tactics, the work became even easier. The reason Jang So-gil had deliberately spread the rumor of a serial killer must have been to draw out the hidden people. That is, the higher-ups of Yu Heon and Wu Jeongchu. So he had mentioned Diancang and Hengshan, the higher-ups of Yu Heon and Wu Jeongchu, and the moment Jang So-gil said Hengshan, Elder Seok Pacheon, the higher-up of the Heavenly Celebration Squad, was confirmed as the culprit.

Elder Seok Pacheon had killed Yu Heon and Wu Jeongchu. To be precise, he had instigated their deaths. Sama Hwi, who had approached the truth in an instant, opened his folding fan and said.

"It will be a tough fight. Elder Seok Pacheon is a man of considerable ability even among the elders of this alliance. His martial arts are beyond first-rate, he's a supreme master, and he also has the skill to have revived the Hengshan Sect from the ashes after it suffered great damage from the Demonic Cult's surprise attack. I see it as premature to touch him now."

"It's true that there's a saying that you shouldn't poke a hornet's nest, so your words are also right, Strategist Sama. But what can I do? They're pissing me off."

"Even if you're angry, how about you endure it and take a step back for now? Now is the time to judge calmly."

"I'm so pissed off I can't."

Sama Hwi's eyebrows twitched at the vulgar vocabulary.

A mad dog won't change its ways. But no matter how he thought about it, it was quite a burden to link Elder Seok Pacheon to embezzlement and punish him. It didn't seem possible.

Sama Hwi's eyebrows furrowed into the shape of the character for eight.

"Strange. I've taught him ice arts and even given him the White-Clear Divine Sword, but that beggar-like mad dog temperament hasn't subsided. At this rate, it's quite different from my design..."

"If it weren't for you, Strategist Sama, I would have hit you just now."

"I'm sorry. My inner thoughts just came out. But you don't really seem to be in a state where you're so angry that you're out of control..."

"I am very calm."

"Then did you calmly judge that this is possible?"

"Seok Pacheon or whatever, what can't I do if I set my mind to it?"

"I need to prepare my mind to handle the aftermath. Just give me a hint of how you plan to solve it."

"It's no big deal. I'm going to send a duel request. I plan to solve it with force, like a martial artist."

"...That's a truly crazy, martial artist-like method. It's not something Inspector So would think of. Whose advice was it?"

Yang Gwan, who was standing blankly, smiled "heh" and scratched his cheek. At that sight, Sama Hwi grabbed his throbbing head. Come to think of it, since that man was by his side, he could have suggested such a method.

"It's certainly an effective method. If you win, you can expose the crime and tarnish his honor. But what if you lose?"

"It's a duel, isn't it? They won't kill me openly."

"This is crazy. The opponent is the Hengshan Sect. If they receive a duel request, they will gather only the top masters of each rank."

"I know. But we are only two. And one is a martial artist who has just become one, and the other is a youngster. Even if the youngster is said to have been selected as a dragon, the best among the rising generation, he's still a rising generation, isn't he? At most, it will be a second-generation and a third-generation disciple."

"That's what I mean by underestimating Elder Seok Pacheon! If the situation calls for it, he can just fold up his justification. Disguising a first-generation disciple as a second-generation disciple, and a second-generation disciple as a third-generation disciple, is something he would do without even blinking an eye."

"In preparation for that, I have already secured the list of the first, second, and third-generation disciples. Since I know their names and appearances, I can see through any rank forgery."

"Then what if Elder Seok Pacheon says he wants to fight?"

"Why would I fight him?"

Sama Hwi tapped his own head with his fan. The headache wouldn't go away. If he was so ignorant of the ways of the martial world, he would be severely punished. A bad picture was drawn.

"After receiving the duel request. If Elder Seok Pacheon responds by staking his personal justification and honor, not as a matter of the Hengshan Sect, it becomes a personal matter between Elder Seok Pacheon and Inspector So who sent the duel request. Then the parties involved will fight and resolve their grudge."

"Eh? Then..."

"Yes! You will have to fight Elder Seok Pacheon!"

It was a fight between a martial artist who had just started learning martial arts and couldn't even take a step, and an elder who had taken the heads of many enemies during the Demonic Cult War. No matter what kind of fortuitous encounter or luck there was, this was a fight that could not be matched.

"No, would an elder do such a childish thing?"

"It's true that if you accept such a fight, the one who accepts it will be disgraced, so it's common not to accept it. Killing someone during a duel is an even greater disgrace. But if he can kill Inspector So with one disgrace, Seok Pacheon is a man who would endure the disgrace. Anyway, that disgrace is something that will disappear if you just cover your eyes and ears for a while. Isn't it more efficient to kill the enemy first?"

"No, you said the honor of the sect is more important than anything else?!"

"That also depends on the person!"

"...!"

"There are sometimes guys like that in the Orthodox faction too!"

Jang So-gil's mouth hung open and he looked back at Yang Gwan. It wasn't a look of reproach or criticism, but just a blank stare, but Yang Gwan quietly turned his head and avoided his gaze.

That was the reality. There were definitely those in the Orthodox faction who, after weighing honor and efficiency, would choose efficiency without hesitation.

Jang So-gil muttered.

"Ah, fuck. I really... I really hate those martial artist bastards."

"So you haven't sent the duel request already, have you?"

"Since it's quite far to the Hengshan Sect, I sent a messenger yesterday, considering the time."

"I'll have to catch the messenger and stop him."

"I sent it by express, so what's there to stop..."

"Why express?"

"I thought it would be good if it went quickly."

"..."

Sama Hwi let out a long sigh. He was too meticulous in his work, so it took a lot of effort. But if he left it like this, Jang So-gil would really be beaten to death by Elder Seok Pacheon. He couldn't let that happen. Considering the investment and effort that had gone into him, he wouldn't even get his principal back if he died here.

"I'll go and catch the messenger."

"What kind of skill do you have to catch an express messenger who left yesterday?"

"The Sama family raises blood-sweating horses."

"Oh, blood-sweating horses."

The blood-sweating horse, so named because it sweats blood-like sweat.

Its maximum speed and endurance were incomparable to the common pony used by the messengers of the Central Plains. A blood-sweating horse could easily catch up even if it was a day late. No, wait a minute?

"You have a blood-sweating horse?"

Jang So-gil grinned.

"That's a grateful offer, so I'll gladly accept your help."

"Then I'll go right away."

"No, wait a moment. Since you've taught me the part I missed, Strategist Sama, I have to fill in that missed part, don't I? Give me a moment. I'll turn this situation into an opportunity."

"What is this crazy mad dog trying to do again..."

"Your inner thoughts have leaked out again."

"It's not my inner thoughts, I just said it."

"...”

(End of Chapter)