The Mad Dog Inspector of the Martial Alliance

"For that reason, I have to go to Yunnan again."

As he slowly recounted the details of his meeting with Gumen Long, Yang Gwan's jaw dropped.

"The Sun-Shooting Sword Art, isn't that one of the Ten Great Sword Arts of the World? This is something you must go for, even if it kills you."

"Right? I really don't want to go, but I have no choice. I have a mountain of things to do in Luoyang..."

Jang So-gil had every right to frown. Luoyang was currently in a rather chaotic state because, since Jang So-gil's inauguration as inspector, he had only started a lot of things and had hardly cleaned up after them. The beggars of the Beggars' Sect had stopped all activities other than begging while waiting for the next branch leader, and on top of that, the prestigious Diancang Sect and Hengshan Sect of the Nine Sects One Union had been completely shattered, so it was a crucible of chaos for martial artists and commoners alike. To speak in detail would be endless.

"Of course, cleaning that up is not really my duty. But the amount of things I can take care of in this chaos... Ughhh..."

It is precisely in the chaos where people can't get their act together that a merchant's true worth emerges. Jang So-gil had intended to cleanly reorganize this chaotic Luoyang and expand the influence of the Martial Alliance Inspector.

It was not simply a matter of making money. It was a grand project of controlling and realigning the power structure and flow of capital in Luoyang, where the orthodox and unorthodox sects, the Beggars' Sect, the imperial family, and local powerful families were intricately intertwined.

"It was a chance to get rid of all the insects spewing venom from here and there..."

"How about passing it on to someone else and going?"

"Who else can do this job but me?"

"What about Military Advisor Sima or Young Lady Jin Sangran?"

"Both are impossible. Military Advisor Sima has the Alliance Leader's trust in terms of military and martial arts, but he is not very trusted when it comes to internal affairs. In the first place, Military Advisor Sima is a man who looks at secular power outside the martial world as if it were a stone, so he is not on good terms with the officials. Young Lady Jin Sangran has excellent internal affairs skills, but her career is short and she is too young to gain the trust of the Alliance Leader or the officials, and her talents other than her business acumen have not yet been proven, so I can't entrust her with a great task and leave."

Should I have forced the work through even if it was unreasonable? Jang So-gil licked his lips.

The reason he hadn't started reorganizing Luoyang even though several days had passed since his return from Yunnan was partly because Sima Hui, who would be his strong backer, was still in Yunnan, but the decisive reason was ultimately Jang So-gil's own greed.

"I didn't know learning martial arts was this much fun."

"You really lost track of time."

After his first real fight, Jang So-gil properly felt his own immaturity and spent his days training every day. He solidified his internal energy by practicing the Sima Divine Art, and when the sun rose, he ran and ran to train in the Eight Forms of the Cloud Dragon. When the sun set, from then on, he used Yang Gwan as a straw doll to train his external arts, and fell asleep while replaying Gumen Long's movements in his mind. When he fell asleep hugging the White Azure Divine Sword, from then on, the yin energy of the great nature gathered in the sword and replenished the internal energy he had exhausted all day, so he lacked neither internal nor external energy.

In this situation where his safety was guaranteed, he drank elixirs like water, trained using the movements of the number one master in the martial world as a textbook, and continuously sparred with Yang Gwan, one of the Ten Dragons and Ten Phoenixes, the prodigies of the world, so his skills improved by leaps and bounds every day.

But now that he was being dragged to Yunnan again, he had no choice but to give up on training and reorganizing Luoyang for now.

"If I don't act now, it might take a lot of effort later, but even if it does, it can't be helped. For now, I'll be satisfied with just starting a new merchant guild."

"Then, Young Master So, are we all going on this trip to Yunnan?"

"Only you and I are going."

"I suppose that's how it has to be?"

Yang Gwan looked up at the guest room on the second floor with a reluctant expression.

Jin Sangran and the porters were currently recuperating there, and until a little while ago, they had called Go Danyeong to check their pulses.

"They're thoroughly worn out, I hear."

"It's a relief that it's not to the point of causing a disability."

The road from Yunnan to Luoyang is long and arduous. It was a series of days of fleeing with a pursuit team and losing most of their comrades, so it was only natural for even a strong man who could chew iron to fall ill. Their whole bodies were bruised, and their muscles and bones were damaged due to malnutrition, leaving them completely exhausted. If the porters were like that, Jin Sangran, who was only sixteen, was even worse. The five who had hidden in Yunnan were in a slightly better condition compared to Jin Sangran and the two porters, but it was the same for them that they could not set out on a proper journey.

Still, the pulse diagnosis said it wasn't to the point of leaving a disability, so if they rested for about half a month more, they would probably shake it off and get up.

"She's tougher than she looks. I like her very much."

"Then the plan will be to leave the task of creating the merchant guild to Young Lady Jin Sangran and go. Will that be alright?"

"Hmm, it can't be helped. It's earlier than planned, but I'll have to use that to test her."

Jin Sangran's abilities had been verified. Her eye for genuine articles, her boldness, and her ability to act were all top-special grade. But her morality and trustworthiness had not yet been verified.

"A merchant does not use an unverified item. If I entrust this task to her and check on it later, I'll be able to know what kind of person she is."

"But the money here is also several thousand taels. What if she blows it all?"

Jang So-gil grinned as Yang Gwan looked at him with a worried face.

"In that case, I'll have to teach her why I'm called a complete scoundrel."

"I can only pray that such a thing doesn't happen."

"Now, let's start packing for the trip. We won't be doing any trading this time, so we should travel light."

"Understood."

The excited Yang Gwan ran off with a whoosh. He seemed to be in a good mood at the thought of riding his beloved horse, Yang Hwangbi-jeon. Jang So-gil scratched his cheek as he watched the back of the fellow who disappeared, humming a tune.

"He's not a child, really."

* * *

A considerable amount of time had passed since they left Luoyang and started running towards Yunnan. It was not a journey for trading, so their bodies were light, and it was not a matter of life and death, so they had leisure. Yang Gwan grumbled as he walked along the babbling stream.

"Young Master So's Cheongwol is getting healthier by the day, how did you do it?"

"What do you mean how? I just shared a little of the fleeceflower root I eat and mixed it into his morning feed."

"What, you're giving that expensive elixir as horse feed?!"

"It's just a one-year-old fleeceflower root anyway. It's not an expensive item."

Fleeceflower root was a plant that looked like a sweet potato, and its name and price changed depending on its size and internal energy. Yang Gwan's lips twitched.

"Even a one-year-old fleeceflower root costs more than 3 silver taels a piece."

"Gwan, think back on the past few months. I'm going to Yunnan for the second time now riding this fellow. Isn't it to my advantage that this fellow runs strong and well? 3 silver taels to make this fellow run healthy is a steal."

"Then why did you get angry when I shared the elixir I was eating with Yang Hwangbi-jeon?"

"Think from my position. It's an elixir I gave you to eat, but you gave it to a horse without permission, so of course I'd be angry. That's embezzlement if it's anything, you punk."

"So what did you say when I bought an elixir with my own money?"

"I said you're not a child, why are you buying and offering an elixir just because you got your first horse."

"The person who said that is taking care of his own horse?"

"It's my horse, of course I'm taking care of it."

Hiss- ha.

Yang Gwan, who had inhaled sharply, clenched his fists.

"Young Master So, I'm being serious, can I just punch you in the face once?"

"Ahem, are we on a pleasure trip right now? Is it right to commit insubordination while on an official mission?"

Jang So-gil said so and shook the small blue jade ornament hanging from the tip of the White Azure Divine Sword. Inside the blue jade, the characters 'Martial Alliance' were engraved, which meant that a high-ranking person from the Martial Alliance was on a mission.

"I'm wearing the Blue Jade Token, so don't say things that will damage my dignity. The commoners will see and laugh."

"Ughhh."

Most ruffians would run away just by seeing this blue jade ornament. Not only that. Since it could also serve as a proof of identity, they could exchange silver for bank notes when they stopped at a large military camp or a post station. Since silver was incredibly heavy even if it was just over a hundred taels, it was necessary to exchange it for a journey. Thanks to the Blue Jade Token, Jang So-gil and Yang Gwan's trip to Yunnan was very comfortable.

"It's comfortable and nice, but it's also a pity."

"What's so pitiful? Did you want to experience insubordination once? It's possible right away if you just remove the token."

"Aren't there many stories of heroines who meet bandits harassing women while walking on a road like this?"

"Such stories are certainly common. Ah, so you wanted to try something like that."

"Yes. I've always admired the stories of a fledgling hero saving a beauty, and that beauty turning out to be a princess, and him changing his fate. If I saved a princess, I could really milk it for all it's worth. I wouldn't just stupidly suck the honey of half-baked power like that..."

"You're speaking wistfully, but that's treason against the imperial family, Young Master So."

"Kekeke. Is that how the story goes?"

When you travel on horseback for a long time, the only thing that increases is idle chatter. In Jang So-gil's case, the Sima Divine Art was a leisurely internal energy cultivation method that could be done even while riding a horse, so he was continuously practicing it, but Yang Gwan's Fire Wheel Art was very difficult to practice, so he couldn't. So his job was to be on guard while making idle chatter.

"Young Master So, just a moment."

Yang Gwan, who had been making idle chatter, stopped his horse.

His ears twitched, which meant that he had detected a small sound that Jang So-gil could not hear. As Jang So-gil held his breath and quietly soothed his horse, Yang Gwan opened his mouth.

"I heard a small scream from over there."

"Over there would be Huize County. Is there something wrong in the village?"

"In any case, I don't think hearing a scream is normal."

"Yes. Huize County is a village I was planning to stop by anyway. Let's go and find out the circumstances."

"Understood! Hyah-!"

As their masters spurred them on, Yang Hwangbi-jeon and Cheongwol ran vigorously.

* * *

Huize County was the place with the best location among the villages on the road connecting Yunnan and Luoyang, excluding the road through Sichuan. A well-maintained official road continued along the babbling stream.

Jang So-gil had planned to use Huize County as an intermediate point to exchange goods. So he actually needed to see this village with his own eyes.

"A bridgehead connecting Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi. I heard it's a relatively prosperous village... Indeed, it was a good thing I came to see it in person. Rumors are not to be trusted."

From the outside, Huize County looked like an ordinary village at first glance. The streets were clean. Even though the traces of horses passing by were clear, there was no horse dung scattered around, which meant there was definitely someone managing it. There were no wrinkles on the faces of the commoners. It meant that there were no officials who stubbornly and viciously aimed for the pockets of the commoners.

Yang Gwan had a bewildered expression. Wasn't it a very ordinary, good village, belying the sound of the scream?

"Was I being too sensitive? It looks like nothing is wrong."

"No, you probably detected it correctly."

"What?"

"Gwan, hide the Blue Jade Token."

His voice was cold. There was something Yang Gwan didn't know, and Jang So-gil had noticed it.

To Yang Gwan, who took off the Blue Jade Token hanging around his neck and put it in his bosom as he was told, Jang So-gil said quietly.

"We're going to enter the village now. Be prepared, but don't show that you're prepared."

"You mean I need acting skills."

"Yes. Pretend to be an ordinary traveler as much as possible."

"Understood. But may I ask why I have to do that?"

Jang So-gil did not speak for a moment and stared at the village.

His eyes were full of contempt and scorn, as if looking at filth.

He spat out the answer like phlegm.

"That village is a black village."

(End of Chapter)