The Mad Dog Inspector of the Martial Alliance

The Dali Ye Clan. To be precise, it was called the Dali Duan Clan.

Originally, they were the royal family of the Dali Kingdom that existed in Yunnan in the past.

The Dali Kingdom was a kingdom that had prospered for quite a long time, exerting its influence over the Yunnan area.

Was it a symbol of absolute power until it was destroyed by the Mongol invasion?

'Well, which clan wasn't like that at one time.'

Any family that was large enough to form a clan, even if their current power had declined, were families that had been something in the past. It meant that even the Dali Ye Clan, which was now acting like a local lord in the barren land of Yunnan, had a time that could be called its golden age, no less than the Five Great Clans.

And such people generally have an arrogant nature, riddled with a sense of superiority or privilege, clinging to the glory of the past. The people of the Dali Ye Clan that Ye-er saw were the same. She pouted her lips and complained.

"They're so annoying. They call us Southern Man."

The characters for Southern Man, if interpreted literally, mean southern barbarians. But nowhere in the world are there people who call themselves barbarians. The Southern Man people called themselves descendants of the Yue tribe, the Yue tribe of the south, and thus called themselves Nan Yue. Therefore, if one were to speak with etiquette, they should be called the Nan Yue tribe, and it was also right to call the Beast Palace just the Beast Palace, or the Nan Yue Beast Palace, without the Southern Man part.

But there were very few people in the Central Plains who called them that, and there was a reason why the Dali Duan Clan could never call them Nan Yue.

'If you trace the ancestors of the Dali Duan Clan, they are also Yue people in the end.'

Strictly speaking, the Dali Duan Clan and the Beast Palace were of the same bloodline, so the Dali Duan Clan was the Northern Yue and the Southern Man was the Southern Yue. They wouldn't want to admit, and would never admit, that they, who were a royal family, were of the same bloodline as the southern barbarians. So they knew all this and still openly called them Southern Man.

'It's a hassle to soothe a pouting child.'

Jang So-gil nodded his head and cursed the Dali Ye Clan back.

"They're very rude fellows. They should have called you the Nan Yue tribe."

"Yes. That's right!"

"So what did those guys say?"

Ye-er continued with a clumsy tone.

We can't just stand by and watch the wind disaster in the Southern Man, so we will provide food. In return, we need a close alliance with the Southern Man Beast Palace. Shall we not form an alliance with our lives at stake? For trust, let's marry our precious children. Then we can trust each other no matter what happens.

Her father and an uncle named Duan Sijin had said something like that. At the name Ye-er mentioned nonchalantly, Jang So-gil's eyebrows twitched.

'Duan Sijin is the current head of the Dali Ye Clan.'

The situation was finally becoming clear.

'The clan head himself went all the way to the Beast Palace to talk?'

The messenger changes depending on the value of the transaction. For ordinary support, a single messenger would suffice, and for a fairly large scale, the general manager could go.

But the clan head himself went, all the way to that distant land of the Southern Man?

'Then this is a very serious deal.'

The food provided to the Beast Palace was highly likely not to be at the level of a few hundred sacks of rice sent as a token of goodwill. At least in the thousands. In that case, what they wanted in return for such support could not be just a marriage alliance.

'I see. They intend to borrow their military power to gain hegemony over the land of Yunnan, where the Diancang Sect has disappeared.'

Just as that tiny little girl sent Yang Gwan flying several dozen zhang, the warriors of the Southern Man possessed monstrous strength. If they borrowed their power, conquering Yunnan would be a piece of cake. They could probably finish it in less than a month. It wasn't a bad story for Jang So-gil either.

'Whether they borrow the power of a foreign force or whatever, the faster it's resolved, the better for the people's livelihood. It's a good thing for me as an inspector too.'

Getting this information at this stage was huge. The options he could choose as an inspector increased dramatically. It was worth soothing a little kid and getting dozens of bruises on Yang Gwan's body. Now it was a crossroads of how to utilize this, how to make use of it.

To give such precious information. The little girl who looked like a bear now looked a little cute.

Jang So-gil untied the rope that bound Ye-er and roughly ruffled her hair.

"Thanks for your cooperation. I'll take care of the Nan Yue tribe's food problem, so you go home now."

* * *

As soon as the next day dawned, Jang So-gil fed Ye-er a hearty meal and sent her home.

Ye-er looked back this way several times as if she was reluctant, and then ran off. Her running form was quite funny. She wasn't running on two legs, but on all fours like a foal.

Yang Gwan stretched his back with a groan and said.

"That must be the lightness skill of the Beast Palace."

"I guess so. I was wondering how she got here, but she's faster than a horse."

"Then what are you going to do now?"

"The matter of Huize County has been settled here, so let's go to Mount Diancang where Military Advisor Sima is waiting."

From then on, it was a repetition of running, eating, talking, stopping at post stations to sleep, and running. A journey was originally like that, so he could understand.

But Jang So-gil kept doing something on the way, and it was something Yang Gwan couldn't understand at all. He would suddenly measure the width of a bridge, or sit blankly and count the number of people passing by for half a day. He seemed like a person who had forgotten the fact that he was on an important official duty.

Still, Yang Gwan had enough sense not to rush him, so he silently guarded Jang So-gil's back.

One day passed, two days passed, and ten days passed. The two who arrived at Mount Diancang began to climb the mountain.

The closer they got, the different the atmosphere was. It was because the scars of the battle between the Martial Alliance and the Diancang Sect remained intact.

As he walked on the collapsed road, Jang So-gil suddenly smiled.

"I've realized anew how good an internal energy cultivation method the Sima Divine Art is. While living the life of an inspector with many long business trips, an internal energy cultivation method that can be practiced while eating, sleeping, and riding a horse is truly precious."

"Huh, did you perhaps gain some enlightenment?"

"It's not to the point of enlightenment. My internal energy was the size of a millet grain until now, but just now after finishing the circulation, it suddenly grew to the size of a rice cake. At this rate, it would be about a year's worth of internal energy."

"Congratulations!"

"Yes, thank you."

"But excuse me, in my humble opinion, your achievement seems rather slow?"

It was only natural for Yang Gwan to have doubts. Jang So-gil lived on 9th and 10th grade elixirs every day. Sometimes he even ate more expensive elixirs. Even a third-rate warrior would have surpassed five years of internal energy if they had eaten as many elixirs as Jang So-gil had so far. So wasn't a year's worth rather slow now?

Jang So-gil chuckled and slapped his knee.

"Internal energy isn't all about size, is it? I heard that purity is important. Military Advisor Sima said that one year of clean and pure internal energy can beat ten years of impure and turbid internal energy."

"That's true, but the internal energy gained from elixirs cannot be pure. Only when the true qi of the elixir is completely melted into one's own internal energy and assimilated can it become pure and dense internal energy."

"That's the greatness of the Sima Divine Art. It utilizes the energy of the elixir to the fullest and gathers purity in my lower dantian. So it's slower than just accumulating internal energy with the power of elixirs, but an internal energy like that of someone who has trained for a long time without relying on elixirs is completed. Hup-!"

Jang So-gil threw a punch into the air. Then, a fist wind as sharp as a blade blew from the end of the punch's trajectory, and a distant tree branch was cut off with a snap.

As it happened as he had thought, the corners of Jang So-gil's mouth lifted.

"With this much, I won't get beaten up and live somewhere. Will I not need an escort in the future?"

"Hmm, well. The martial world is wide, so don't be careless, and it would be best not to leave the area I am escorting. You're not at a level to be called first-rate yet."

"What, didn't you say a while ago that I wouldn't need an escort?"

"Well. It must have been your imagination."

"Imagination my foot... Then let's talk about your martial arts. You're at the level of a first-rate master now, how long will it take for you to become a peak master?"

Yang Gwan closed his eyes and crossed his arms. Yang Hwangbi-jeon, as if knowing its master's heart, climbed the mountain path on its own even though the reins were released. Jang So-gil tried to imitate it once, but Cheongwol, perhaps anxious because the reins were released, stopped and glanced at its master. I'll have to try that horse riding training when I get back, Jang So-gil resolved, and Yang Gwan opened his mouth.

"To increase my internal energy, it would be faster to eat elixirs and do wall-gazing training. If I give up on purity, that is."

"Internal energy and a peak master are different stories, aren't they?"

"That's why it's difficult. Looking back on my martial arts, it's full of shortcomings, but I myself don't know where I'm lacking. I probably need enlightenment."

"Hmm, should I get you a new martial arts manual?"

Yang Gwan fell into thought again and then shook his head.

"At my current stage, I don't think I need a new martial art. I haven't even mastered the Fire Wheel Art yet, and I can't even gauge how many levels I've mastered of the Yang Family Spear Art. It would be futile to learn a new advanced martial art when I haven't even digested what I have."

"You punk, are you saying that for me to hear, who is always looking for a new advanced martial art?"

"You started with a completely blank slate in the first place, Young Master So. It's okay to do that when you know nothing."

"This bastard, he seems to be subtly looking down on me."

"It's true. Coming into contact with various martial arts is only possible at the beginning of martial arts. After achieving a certain level, it's very burdensome to walk a new path. Because you have to fight with your past self."

"Still, sometimes you have to boldly take a step forward even if it's burdensome to make progress... Ah, we've arrived."

When they finished climbing Mount Diancang, they saw the broken sign of the Diancang Sect.

Originally, there must have been a garden. Now it was ruins.

"Mugwort will grow well here. It's a complete mess."

"The people of the Martial Alliance seem to be over there, in the tent beyond the ruined building."

"They're not Mongols, but they've built something like a ger. It might be convenient, but is it okay?"

When he hung the Blue Jade Token on the hilt of the White Azure Divine Sword and led his horse, the people who looked like guards shouted.

"Sir!"

"Where is Military Advisor Sima?"

"He is in the barracks inside!"

"Alright, good work."

"Yes, Sir!"

There were ten guards in total. All of them were A-class warriors of the Martial Alliance, and each of them was a strong person at a level that could easily beat Georyanggi, who was the boss of the mountain fortress. In terms of martial arts level, they were at the upper end of second-rate warriors. So they were similar to Jang So-gil. Indeed, they could be called warriors representing the number one Martial Alliance in the world.

But it was excessively overkill for guards. The reason for that could be known soon.

The exhausted Sima Hui brought tea and said.

"The thieves come without rest. They keep sneaking in, aiming for the manuals or treasures. I've already caught and cut down thirty of them, but they're increasing, not decreasing."

"Are they thieves with a backer?"

"It would be easier if they were. They're all wandering ronin."

"Why are wandering ronin...?"

"They're coming in impulsively at the rumor that the Diancang Sect's manuals are rolling around anywhere."

Martial artists love martial arts more than food, and cherish them more than their own lives. There were many who would throw away their lives for the Diancang Sect's manuals. It was a common occurrence, especially in an abandoned land like Yunnan.

Sima Hui grinned at the mountain of bamboo slips.

"Anyway, now that you're here, I can pass the work on to you and leave."

"Where are you going?"

"Huh? What? What?"

"You didn't read the Alliance Leader's message properly. It's not a return order. We're working together."

"Why should I work when you're here? Why, for goodness sake?"

"What do you mean why? You know my position. I'm an inspector, an inspector."

The character 'gam' for supervision.

The character 'chal' for observation.

The character 'gwan' for official.

If you write these three characters, it means an official who supervises and observes the discipline of an organization and the actions of its members, an inspector.

"My job is to run around here and there, pointing things out and supervising. Paperwork is not my job."

"Th-then-!"

"Administration is the job of our proud and wonderful Martial Alliance Grand Military Advisor Sima. Where are you running off to? Just quietly do your administrative work there."

"Ah, ah, ahhh..."

"Then shall we start work right away? Let's see how well our Grand Military Advisor King Brother Sima has done his job. Let me see those bamboo slips."

He had been waiting for the day he would return to Luoyang until now, but to think...

"Am I being inspected?"

"The inspector is here, so of course you're being inspected. Who told you to get a personnel transfer as soon as Elder Seok Pacheon's work was done?"

Jang So-gil grinned.

(End of Chapter)