The Mad Dog Inspector of the Martial Alliance

As one travels through the martial world, one realizes that the place called the martial world is not a world full of romance or a world with dreams and passion. A fair and square fight is as rare as a rose blooming in the middle of winter. The numerous disputes that arise in the martial world are not a competition of weapon against weapon, technique against technique, or strength against strength, but a battleground to see who is more cunning and who is more cheap.

Most martial arts novices die without even showing half of their skills. The seasoned and hardened masters of the martial world do not create situations where they have to show all their skills. So, many martial arts novices experience absurd deaths. Most of their causes of death are miserable, such as having their heads smashed by a thrown stone, becoming a hedgehog from being hit by arrows, or being beaten to death by more than ten ruffians.

It is natural for those who have survived the stage of such a martial arts novice and are called masters to become skilled in all sorts of trickery. Seok Pacheon was also a man called a supreme master, and he was a veteran of a hundred battles who had experienced the Demonic Cult War, so he prided himself on having tasted all the cheapness in the world. But even to such a Seok Pacheon, Jang So-gil's cheapness was beyond common sense.

"You mad dog bastard-! How dare you use such a petty trick on a duel stage!"

Since a duel is a place to compete in martial arts, it is common sense not to use trickery.

It was true that Seok Pacheon had intended to use a killing blow in the duel to kill So. But that was also, in the end, just a part of the rudeness and tyranny of using his power excessively to kill a subordinate. It was not of a nature to be called a dirty trick.

He had unconsciously set an upper limit on the trickery he would use on a duel stage and had not done anything that greatly deviated from the principles. At most, it was to the extent of disguising a first-generation disciple as a third-generation disciple. At most, it was to the extent of arriving at the same time as the reply to the duel request. At most, it was to the extent of using his own hands. This meant that even Seok Pacheon was, in the end, a martial artist of the Orthodox faction.

On the other hand, what Jang So-gil had done. To receive the yielding of the first three moves from an elder and attack with all his might as soon as it started, and then to withdraw without hesitation and run away, was something that could not happen, regardless of the Orthodox or Unorthodox factions. No one would dare, dare to say not to do such a thing. It was customary not to do it, and it was common sense. It was something that did not even need to be pointed out or warned against.

But Jang So-gil had done it.

He had done it without hesitation and had delivered a fatal blow, leaving a small wound on Seok Pacheon.

It was inevitable that Seok Pacheon's anger, who had been hit by that absurd attack, would rise. With a face with bulging veins, full of anger, he glared.

"Move aside, Strategist Sama. I will kill that bastard, no matter what kind of insults I receive!"

"That is troublesome, Elder Seok. Not only are there many spectators, but such a private revenge cannot be tolerated as a strategist of the Martial Alliance. Above all, that damn mad dog bastard is, at least nominally, my subordinate."

"A subordinate?"

"It's only nominal, but you know how important a name is."

"Are you really doing this to me? I wasn't on bad terms with you!"

"At least twenty thousand taels per battalion. At the point where the amount embezzled by the Hengshan Sect's Invincible Group, which is made up of three such battalions, is estimated to be sixty thousand taels, wouldn't it be strange if I didn't do a sword dance?"

"You bastard! Your arrogance pierces the heavens."

"No matter how much I support you with my private funds, the reason the Martial Alliance's financial situation does not improve is because of bloodsucking parasites like you, Elder Seok Pacheon. I'll have to drive out the bugs even if it means setting fire to a thatched-roof house. It's a good place. Let's clear up all the grudges and anger and make a fresh start."

Sama Hwi looked at Seok Pacheon with cold eyes. It was the eyes of someone looking at a mortal enemy.

It was inevitable. The elder of the Nine Sects One Alliance, whom he had trusted until now, was the head of the bloodsucking parasites. As much as the trust he had sent, not recognizing the leader of the mosquitoes until now, his anger towards himself flared up, and his sense of betrayal towards Seok Pacheon was even greater. He didn't even think of prohibiting a killing blow.

"Yes. It's a good place. A very good place to shake everything off and leave."

As Seok Pacheon extended his hand, a wooden sword flew from outside the duel stage like an eagle. It was the Void Object Grasping that only a supreme master could perform. The audience burst into admiration at that majesty, and Sama Hwi furrowed his brow into the shape of the character for eight and sneered.

"The Void Object Grasping consumes a considerable amount of internal energy. Your desire for showing off is too much. Will you be alright? It seems you have consumed a lot of internal energy thanks to the ice art just now."

"Shut up. That damn mad dog's ice art couldn't do any damage to me. I'll tear your mouth with my Seven Kills Sword Technique, so let's start the duel quickly."

"Let's do that. I'm also so anxious that I can't stand it anymore."

The official in charge of judging the duel nodded his head.

He raised his hand high and shouted.

"Let the duel begin-!"

Emitting a dense killing intent as if blood would drip, Sama Hwi and Seok Pacheon moved.

* * *

It is extremely rare to fight in a perfect condition. It is a matter of course in a chaotic battle, in a war, and it is a common occurrence to be hit on the head in a surprise attack in a sudden fight while traveling through the martial world. It is not easy to maintain a perfect condition for as many reasons as there are stars in the night sky, such as being held hostage, having civilians nearby, having a boil on one's back hurt on that particular day, the weather not being good, the weapon being damaged, or the number being insufficient.

It is a difficult situation to keep one's own body in a perfect condition, and at the same time, to expect the opponent to be in a perfect condition is more difficult than picking a star from the sky. So, among all those situations, a duel is an extremely rare case where both sides fight in a perfect condition with their best bodies.

The fight between Seok Pacheon and Sama Hwi was disadvantageous, as Sama Hwi himself had said. Seok Pacheon was a master of many battles. He was not a person who would be easily defeated.

Judging calmly, the odds of winning were only thirty percent.

But that was only when both were in a perfect condition.

As Jang So-gil's secret plan exploded, the odds were completely reversed. The internal energy Seok Pacheon had used to drive out the ice art that had settled in his body was about twenty percent. And because he had suddenly raised his internal energy, his true qi was damaged, and he had lost another ten percent of his internal energy. Considering the bleeding from the bronchial damage and the fatigue of his muscles, Seok Pacheon had a clear leakage of his full strength compared to when he was in a perfect condition.

On the other hand, Sama Hwi was in a perfect condition. And it was not an ordinary perfect condition.

Considering that he was fighting on this hot summer day, he had lowered his body temperature with iced honey tea and had maintained his best body until just before going up to the duel stage through appropriate hydration.

It was a trivial thing if you say so. The same goes for the body management and the situation of the duel stage.

Seok Pacheon's weapon was a sword, but he had to use a wooden sword during the duel.

It was called the Seven Kills Sword Technique because it could kill seven people in seven steps.

The Seven Kills Sword Technique was not a martial art suitable for being performed with a wooden sword.

But Sama Hwi's weapon was a fan with iron on both ends, that is, an iron fan.

Originally a scholar's weapon, a gentleman's self-defense tool, the iron fan becomes an ordinary fan by removing the iron on both ends. Even so, since it was a fan in the first place, there was no great leakage of full strength during a duel, so it was possible to fight as usual.

Seok Pacheon, who was laden with restrictions.

Sama Hwi, who was in a perfect condition without any restrictions.

Raindrops gather to form a river.

These trivial differences gathered and created an uncontrollable large difference, and that was Jang So-gil's true secret plan.

"The etiquette of a duel is truly difficult. I have to shout out the name of each technique... The next is the Eight Desolations Fan."

"Ugh!"

Sama Hwi used the Tomb Tiger Moon Fan, a martial art that used a fan among the secret martial arts passed down in the Sama family. It took as its specialty the handling of the wind as if it were its own limbs, not allowing the enemy to approach, and slashing from a distance. The Eight Desolations Fan was an attack that could not be avoided as it swept the entire duel stage with wind that tore in eight directions. One had to endure it with strong external arts or block it with internal energy, but Seok Pacheon's external arts were not very strong, and his internal energy was in a state of shortage.

"Aaargh-!"

With a single scream, blood splattered. The eight-pronged wind, as sharp as a blade, inflicted a considerable wound on Seok Pacheon. Drip, drip, the blood fell in drops. A huge wound on his wrist, he could not hold his sword, and the wooden sword fell onto the duel stage with a loud noise.

The match was decided.

"That's it! The winner is Young Master Thousand Li, Sama Hwi, of the Martial Alliance!"

Hearing the official's shout, Sama Hwi licked his lips.

And then, with a sense of regret, he muttered like this.

"I was planning to torment him a little more... what a pity."

Seok Pacheon's tired body trembled.

He had known about the viciousness of Young Master Thousand Li, Sama Hwi, but it was the first time he had engraved it on his own body. Seok Pacheon, who had judged that he had no more chance of winning, agreed with the official's judgment and bowed his head.

"I lost."

The audience once again let out a cheer.

* * *

The duel ended in great success. The audience, who said they had seen an interesting spectacle for the first time in a while, left, and the officials, who had confirmed the reality of the Martial Alliance's internal reform, disappeared in a flurry. The children ran to the empty duel stage to clean it up. Asam shouted, "We have to make it clean and return it. Everyone, clean meticulously!"

On the opposite side of that lively scene were the adults with deadpan faces.

Elder Seok Pacheon of the Hengshan Sect, the young sect leader Mo Xihan, and Seok Jungmyeong sat side by side and stared blankly at the night sky. A round moon shone clearly below them, and the satisfied face of Sama Hwi and the white face of the grinning Jang So-gil were too clearly visible. He gritted his teeth in humiliation, but everything was already over.

"Then I will inform you of the current situation. The amount used by the Heavenly Celebration Squad is, as I said, thirty-five thousand taels. And the tally of the amount used by the remaining battalions of the Invincible Group, the Red-Blue Squad and the Chivalrous-Blue Squad, has also been completed. The total amount is a whopping seventy-five thousand, four hundred and fifty-six taels. Since the amount embezzled by the deceased Wu Jeongchu was four hundred and twenty taels, the Hengshan Sect's Invincible Group has spent seventy-five thousand and thirty-six taels so far."

"Seventy-five thousand and thirty-six...!"

Mo Xihan gasped. It was such a huge amount that it was beyond imagination. Startled, he looked back at Seok Pacheon, who had his eyes closed and was regulating his breathing. From his appearance, it seemed he had already guessed the amount.

Well, since it was Elder Seok Pacheon who had made them spend that money, it would have been disappointing if he hadn't guessed. Expecting what kind of lame excuse he would make, Jang So-gil was watching, and Sama Hwi, who couldn't hold back his curiosity, asked.

"But Inspector So, I have something to ask."

"What is it?"

"It may be a leap of logic, but let's assume that all the ten great elders of the Martial Alliance are embezzling money like the Hengshan Sect. If we take it as seventy thousand taels per person, the total would be seven hundred thousand taels. How could the elders, who receive a share of the Martial Alliance's tax revenue, afford that money? Of course, the Martial Alliance's tax revenue is over seven hundred thousand taels, but not all of that money is used by the elders."

"That is simple. They used credit, not money."

"Credit? What do you mean by that?"

"In a pawnshop, they take goods and lend silver. It's similar to that. They use the trust of the Martial Alliance as collateral and borrow silver from merchants or pawnshops."

Merchants sell everything they can sell and buy everything they can buy.

That's why they also saw intangible things like credit and trust as objects of trade.

"If you look at the inside, it's a mess of parasites, but in the eyes of the world, the Martial Alliance is an impregnable fortress that is unlikely to collapse easily. Even if you lend them tens of thousands of taels, they are a safe trading partner who can pay it back later. Merchants also rate this credit, and the Martial Alliance is a first-class organization with the highest credit rating."

"Hah, to even rate credit, what a great business spirit."

"Since it's a first-class blue-chip, they can lend a large sum of money without any burden, and such a transaction gives mutual trust. The relationship between the person who received the money and the person who gave it becomes strong. So it's an even better thing for the merchants. Isn't it foolish to miss the opportunity to build a proper connection with the Martial Alliance?"

"Then is that huge sum of over seventy thousand taels not money we have already paid?"

"That's right. To be precise, it's money that 'will be paid' in the future."

Jang So-gil took out a book from his bosom and shook it.

Seeing that, Seok Pacheon's eyes widened as if they would tear.

"You bastard! Where on earth did you get that!?"

"Where else would it be? I got it from the pawnshop that traded with the Hengshan Sect."

The book that So had taken out. It was a credit ledger.

(End of Chapter)