The Mad Dog Inspector of the Martial Alliance

A duel is a place where martial artists compete with each other with a humble attitude and promote mutual development. But how can everything in the world go ideally? A duel is also, in the end, a place of victory and defeat. If there is a winner, there is a loser. Since honor is built up by accumulating such trivial things, a duel in the martial world was a competition where one fought with one's life on the line, with the honor of one's sect on one's shoulders.

Naturally, the expectations and honor of the sect rested on Mo Xihan. But the man named Mo Xihan was not a delicate person who would feel such a burden. He spoke nonchalantly as if he were handling a trivial matter.

"In the end, isn't it enough if I go out and win everything?"

The rule of the duel was a three-win, winner-stays-on system.

Each side puts forward three people as players and has them fight one by one. The person who wins the fight stays and receives the next challenger. The duel ends when either side has achieved three wins. It means that the final winning side is decided.

Seok Pacheon clicked his tongue as if he felt sorry for the boasting Mo Xihan.

"The future of Hengshan is dark..."

"Wh-what?!"

"How can you be so simple-minded?"

Everything has an intention and a meaning. Seok Pacheon did not think for a moment that Jang So-gil had set up this stage without any thought. It was a situation where he would fall into a trap even if he tried to give meaning to every little thing and grasp his intention, but to act so foolishly was a pathetic thing.

"You fool! Even a foolish bear does not willingly jump into a trap."

"Elder Seok!"

"Just listen quietly. This duel is a stage that he has thoroughly planned. We are now halfway into a trap, so if we don't pull ourselves together, we will see a terrible sight."

"What on earth is the trap? Isn't it enough if we win the duel?"

"I've never seen such a fool... Think carefully. Why are there three people competing, not two?"

"He must have hired some lowly ronin from somewhere."

"Just give that habit of looking down on your opponent to the dogs."

It would have been enough to just think about Jang So-gil and Yang Gwan, but a third variable had appeared. Seok Pacheon's head throbbed with a headache. There were too many variables, and the strategies he had intended to use were almost all neutralized.

'Since Gwon Cheonhui, the Luoyang Inspector, is among the spectators, I can't kill Jang So-gil by pretending it was a mistake during the duel. And it's too late to go back and re-examine the incident itself and claim that the Hengshan Sect is not involved. At this rate, there is no way out other than winning the duel. How did it come to this?'

The means he could use were all blocked in advance. The flow of Seok Pacheon's thoughts was completely controlled by Jang So-gil. Did he really have the wisdom of a divine strategist and could he hold Seok Pacheon in the palm of his hand and play with him?

'That can't be. A youngster in his early twenties can't have such an ability. What kind of trick did he play?'

Being pushed back in speed was the beginning of all the problems.

Considering the time it took to go from Luoyang to Hengshan and from Hengshan to Luoyang, Jang So-gil's work processing speed was more than twice as fast as the speed at which Seok Pacheon implemented his plan. This was only possible if there was an overwhelming difference in the speed of the messengers.

'To create that much of a difference, the first method is to hire a master of lightness skill and send them as a messenger. But such masters of lightness skill are not common, and I haven't heard that any of them have been recruited. Then the remaining one method is...'

An answer flashed through his mind.

"A blood-sweating horse!"

Belatedly, Seok Pacheon understood all of Jang So-gil's strategy. With the speed of a blood-sweating horse, he could move at more than twice the speed. He could also spread rumors in his spare time and could return before the members of the Hengshan Sect who had received the duel request arrived in Luoyang. A blood-sweating horse was that fast.

'Then that third person is!'

Blood-sweating horses are rare. There were only five in Luoyang, and even then, one family had a monopoly on them.

The family that had the blood-sweating horses was the Sama family. And right now, there was only one person in Luoyang who could use them freely.

'Thousand Li Young Master, Sama Hwi!'

Seok Pacheon's face hardened as he identified the third participant.

Seok Pacheon was already a man renowned as a supreme master. He had roamed many battlefields and had never skipped his martial arts training for a moment. But he was old. Age was something that could not be avoided.

On the other hand, Sama Hwi was a supreme master of the rising generation. He had achieved his level after the Demonic Cult War, and he had become a supreme master not through harsh real combat, but through a regular lifestyle and repeated training. And he was relatively young.

If you compared the two, Seok Pacheon had a lot of real combat experience and seniority, and Sama Hwi had youth and an intelligence different from other martial artists.

By Seok Pacheon's own judgment, he could not rashly say who would win in a fight between these two.

'Why Sama Hwi?'

Why was that proud, arrogant, and high-nosed man, the epitome of a genius, getting involved in this duel? Seok Pacheon, not understanding it, wore a bewildered expression.

* * *

Jang So-gil, who had come back after talking about the duel, entered the waiting room, and Sama Hwi was sitting there, covering his mouth with his fan. Even though his face was half-covered, his displeasure was palpable.

"Uncle Hwi, please relax your expression."

"Do I look like I can relax? And I must have told you a hundred times not to call me Uncle Hwi!"

"That's why I said that if you help me this time, I won't call you Uncle Hwi again. The work isn't over yet, so I have to call you that a lot before then so I won't feel regretful."

"Ughhhhhh. That little brat's mouth..."

How did it come to this? The beginning of the incident was that he had helped Jang So-gil a little out of a whimsical heart. He had thought that this fellow would be killed by Seok Pacheon at this rate, so he had helped him out of necessity, but what was this? He had said he would do one thing, but he demanded two, and when he did two, he demanded ten. If he had demanded ten from the beginning, it would have been natural not to listen, but after listening to one, listening to two was not a very difficult thing. As he did them one by one, it had come to this.

"I'm a fool, an idiot."

"Pahahahaha-!"

"You, don't laugh."

He had thought that all he had to do was ride a blood-sweating horse and quickly deliver the duel request to the Hengshan Sect. But since it was obvious they wouldn't accept it, he had asked him to do some behind-the-scenes work on the way and spread rumors. He had asked him to tail the people of the Hengshan Sect to see if they were up to any tricks while they were coming. After doing all that, he was now asking him to participate in the duel.

It was like helping a fallen person up, and then they ask you to carry them on your back. You carry them on your back, and then they ask you to take them home. You go home, and then they ask you to repair the house and even cook for them. It was funny when you said it, but it was absurd to experience it. Sama Hwi had never seen someone who so slyly passed on work to others like a snake slithering over a wall, like Jang So-gil.

"Do you happen to know the saying, 'a human face, a beast's heart'?"

"Oh my, my dear brother Hwi. You're still sulking."

"Who's your brother!"

"This younger brother is saying he'll serve you, so why are you like this? I've even set the ranks and am willing to go below you, so what's the problem now?"

Jang So-gil's position was that of an inspector, a special position directly under the Alliance Lord. Originally, only the Alliance Lord existed above him. But this time, while reorganizing the organizational chart, they had inserted Sama Hwi between the Alliance Lord and Jang So-gil, so nominally, Sama Hwi had become Jang So-gil's direct superior.

"But even if my rank is higher, isn't it just a scarecrow role anyway!?"

"Well, that's true. Hahahaha."

Even if his direct superior was Sama Hwi, he still only received orders from the Alliance Lord. He also reported to the Alliance Lord. Sama Hwi could do nothing as Jang So-gil's superior. That's why he was a scarecrow.

"In my language, we call it a 'pants captain'."

"Pants captain? What does that mean?"

"It means a captain who acts as a shield (pants)."

"Damn it!"

Sama Hwi huffed and puffed, bursting with anger. He pretended to be calm and acted as if he were the smartest in the world, but in the end, he was a martial artist of the Orthodox faction. To Jang So-gil, Sama Hwi was no different from Yang Gwan. If you gently coax him, give him a justification, and guide him to do the work, in the end, he moves with his own recognition, loyalty, and chivalry. Since he knew Seok Pacheon's lawlessness, knew the situation of the Martial Alliance, knew Jang So-gil's situation, understood it, and had the insight to predict the future, that chivalry was truly easy to handle. In short, compared to how smart he pretended to be, he was a pseudo-intellectual, a klutz, and a better person than he looked.

"Aish. Anyway, know this one thing. Even I cannot achieve a hundred victories out of a hundred against Elder Seok Pacheon."

"Is that so?"

"Even if his peak has long passed, a supreme master who has survived the Demonic Cult War is not comparable to an ordinary master in both strength and experience. Internal energy deepens with age. An old ginger is spicy."

"Then are you saying he is stronger than you, brother?"

"Don't call me brother. Tsk, I was late in becoming a supreme master, so I did not participate in the Demonic Cult War. I have never fought a big battle, and all I have done is clean up the remnants, so my real combat experience is ridiculously lacking compared to Elder Seok Pacheon. So the only advantage I have is my young stamina. If we were to fight ten times, I might win three times, so it can be said that I am at a disadvantage. At best, it's an even match."

"Don't worry about that."

Jang So-gil beat his chest and laughed.

He had a plan.

A surefire secret plan for Sama Hwi and Seok Pacheon to fight a hundred times and win a hundred times-!

* * *

The vanguard, the second-in-command, and the commander.

In a duel, three people come out in this order and fight.

The vanguard of the Hengshan Sect was Seok Jungmyeong. He was thirty-three years old this year, and since he was Seok Pacheon's nephew, he was listed as a first-generation disciple. It meant that he was a person who had eaten spiritual medicines for three meals a day and had polished his martial arts since he was young.

"Seok Jungmyeong? He's a first-generation disciple."

Sama Hwi frowned. The subjects of this duel were Jang So-gil and Yang Gwan. So in terms of rank, only a third-generation and a second-generation disciple should have come, but the vanguard was a first-generation disciple. Furthermore, the second-in-command was the young sect leader Mo Xihan, and he was also, of course, a first-generation disciple in terms of rank. Moreover, the commander was the elder, Seok Pacheon. A first-generation disciple, a first-generation disciple, and an elder. There was a huge difference in rank that could not be compared, so this was clearly an unfair thing.

But Jang So-gil neither pointed it out nor condemned it. Rather, he crossed his arms boldly and watched the stage arrogantly, as if he had expected it. Sama Hwi, who was inwardly displeased with Seok Pacheon's petty tricks, asked casually.

"This is unusual. Why aren't you pointing it out? With your damn temper, I thought you would."

"What's the point of pointing it out? The people of Luoyang and the officials who have come to watch probably don't know anything about the troublesome things like ranks and seniority. So if I point it out and explain it, Seok Pacheon will pretend to admit his mistake and try to postpone the duel."

"So it's a deliberate bait?"

"Isn't it a wonderful thing for a martial artist of the Orthodox faction to humbly admit his mistake?"

"I see..."

He might be a genius in handling troops and martial arts, but he still didn't know the human heart. Sama Hwi looked back and forth between Seok Pacheon and Jang So-gil as if he had learned something. The psychological warfare between the old monster who had endured for decades in the political scene of Luoyang and the world of martial arts, and Jang So-gil who had lived his life roaming the streets, was profound.

Jang So-gil raised his chin as if it were ridiculous.

"Anyway, rank is not strength, is it?"

"Well, that's true."

Rank refers to position, not strength. Yang Gwan, who was of the rank of a second-generation disciple, was a master of a much higher level than the vanguard, Seok Jungmyeong.

"Then-! Let the duel begin."

With the shout of the official who had been called as a witness for the duel, the duel began, and at the same time, Yang Gwan shook his staff. Since he couldn't use a spear in a duel, he had taken up a staff as a last resort. Spearmanship and staff techniques are similar but strictly different. But even so, he did not feel that he would lose.

"I ask for a bout, Senior Seok."

"I'll yield the first move. Come."

Seok Jungmyeong arrogantly extended his wooden sword.

Yang Gwan glared at him with a burning gaze and then shook his staff.

(End of Chapter)