The Mad Dog Inspector of the Martial Alliance

Sima Hui was no longer Jang So-gil's superior. He had no desire to be a superior who served as an arrow shield, so as soon as Seok Pacheon's matter was concluded, he had immediately reorganized the organization and escaped. At the time, he thought it was a wise move, but to think it would come back to bite him here. Jang So-gil scanned the bamboo slips that Sima Hui handed over with a rotten look in his eyes.

"Hmm, in the end, to summarize what needs to be done now, it's this."

One. Organize the wealth of the Diancang Sect and convert it into silver.

Two. Distribute it to those who were harmed in this incident and to the collaborators.

Three. Restore the collapsed public order of Yunnan as much as possible.

It seemed simple when summarized and written down, but when examined one by one, it was an incredibly headache-inducing task. First of all, no matter how high-quality the items were, most of the household goods were already used, so converting them to cash was difficult, and it was even harder in the barren land of Yunnan. To handle it in the Central Plains, the transportation of the goods itself was a difficult reality. If it was like this for ordinary items, there was no need to mention manuals, divine weapons, or elixirs. If one were to transport the items, arrange auctions, assign merchants, and establish security, the work would increase endlessly.

And how difficult was it to distribute the silver? Not only the people of Yunnan who were harmed in this incident, but it had to be distributed fairly so that there were no complaints from the Emei Sect and the Sichuan Tang Clan who participated in the subjugation of the Diancang Sect, as well as the three branches of the Martial Alliance. At this rate, rewarding meritorious deeds was more difficult than war. One had to consider face, think about actual influence, and also consider political issues.

But it wasn't impossible. No matter how much the Martial Alliance had a messed-up capital structure that had even experienced the risk of internal collapse, there were many internal affairs officials belonging to it. Under Sima Hui's command alone, there were twenty guys whose teeth were black from drinking so much ink. Ten people were assigned to Jang So-gil to clean up the messes he made. These were people who had passed the county, provincial, and metropolitan examinations and had the qualifications of a scholar. In terms of the amount of ink they had drunk, they were so highly educated that Jang So-gil was no match for them. With thirty such people clinging to it and handling it, there was no way the work wouldn't proceed. It was a tedious and difficult task, not an impossible one.

Then why were Jang So-gil and Sima Hui needed?

Because this was a matter of the martial world.

It often happened that after a scholar had worked hard and done his duty, a martial artist would suddenly draw his sword and request a life-and-death duel, saying that the honor of his sect had been touched. There was a huge gap between the common sense of the crazy martial artists who valued their pride and the honor of their sect more than human life, and the common sense of the scholars who had lived buried in books and knew nothing but the words written in the law books.

If left alone, a sword fight would break out. So someone was needed to mediate between them.

In short, Jang So-gil, in short, Sima Hui. That was the role of someone who was a martial artist, had a working brain, and had common sense.

Then why did both of them have to come?

Comparing Sima Hui and Jang So-gil, Sima Hui had a way of thinking closer to a scholar, and Jang So-gil had a way of thinking closer to a merchant. So wouldn't it be perfect if the two of them worked together? The lacking perspective as a martial artist was a part that could be resolved if Jang So-gil consciously paid attention to it.

Gumen Long had judged so and dispatched Jang So-gil and Sima Hui at the same time.

The effect was indeed excellent.

"My goodness, it's not like you're showing off that you're a desk-bound scholar, but isn't this too blatant?"

Jang So-gil grinned as he flipped through the bamboo slips.

It was because the plan Sima Hui had conceived in advance was so very Sima Hui.

As if that smile was an eyesore, Sima Hui furrowed his brow.

"What's the problem that you're picking a fight?"

"I know very well that it's a plan made by organizing reports and looking at a map. But the field doesn't work as prettily as it's written on the bamboo slips. Wrong information sometimes gets mixed in."

"There's wrong information?!"

"This area that's supposed to pass by a stream, I've seen it, and there's no space for a carriage to move. If you force it, it will collapse, so take a detour."

"I have nothing to say if you've been there... Alright."

"And this side, I asked an old man in a nearby village, and he said the rainy season will come in ten days. Do you want to transport the wealth on a rainy day and get robbed of everything? Let's change the route here too."

"You want to change the transport route because of an old man's words? The schedule will be delayed if we do that."

"Don't they say that an old man is a living history book? The wisest person in that village is the oldest person. Since he's a farmer, the probability of his weather forecast being correct is high."

"Still..."

"So what if it's wrong? Even if it's delayed by a day or two, it's not a big loss in the long run. The loss occurs when the plan fails. Is someone chasing us with a knife in their mouth? Put some leeway in the schedule, leeway. If you rush, the horse will collapse, and the escort will fall over. Then who gets screwed? You and I get screwed."

Sima Hui's plan was watertight and tight. If it was this tight, a problem would surely arise somewhere.

It was better for a plan to have some gaps so that it could be modified on the spot. What was important was flexibility.

Jang So-gil modified several parts of the plan while talking with Sima Hui on the spot. After some modification, it became a somewhat decent plan. Now this would be delivered to the field, and Jang So-gil would visit that field again and modify the plan in real time.

Leaving aside future matters, it was a much better transport plan even in Sima Hui's eyes, so he satisfyingly folded the bamboo slip containing the new plan.

"The conversion to silver is proceeding step by step. And with this, the rough outline of the transport plan is finished. Then the next is the distribution of the wealth, and this is..."

"If you leave it to me, I'll only give the bastards from Sichuan a pittance, and I'll give eight-tenths to the Emei Sect."

"The reason?"

"Because I want to."

"You shouldn't let personal feelings interfere with public affairs."

"What are you saying in front of a person who became an inspector to resolve personal feelings under the guise of public affairs?"

Come to think of it, this bastard was an inspector to screw over the Sichuan Tang Clan.

Sima Hui clicked his tongue.

"I'll take care of rewarding meritorious deeds myself. If I leave it to you, many will die."

"Please do."

"Then how should we solve the public order vacuum in Yunnan? Do you have any opinions?"

Yunnan after the disappearance of the Diancang Sect. If the Martial Alliance left as it was, the Black Way, the Unorthodox Way, the Green Forest, and everyone else would rise up and start a war to expand their power. The Martial Alliance did not want innocent people to die, so they had to clean up to some extent before leaving.

Jang So-gil took a sip of tea, took a deep breath, and said.

"To prevent chaos, the best way would be to support the existing forces in Yunnan and have them suppress it."

"I think so too, but the situation is not good."

"Are there no prominent forces?"

Sima Hui nodded his head heavily.

"There are no forces with the same standing as the Diancang Sect. First, there is an alliance of eight unorthodox sects called the Eight Sects, and in total, their military power is sufficient, but what peace can they maintain when they are fighting among themselves? It will only increase the chaos. They have no justification, their history is weak, and they have no great cause, so they are out of the question."

"What about others?"

"There is a small sect called the Changzhe Sect on Mount Meili, and they are quite benevolent and have a good reputation."

"What can such a small sect do? The loss would be greater if we were to nurture them."

"I also think the Changzhe Sect is out of the question for that reason. But the situation in Yunnan is so poor that I have to mention such a sect."

"What about the Dali Ye Clan?"

The Dali Ye Clan, the Dali Duan Clan. Sima Hui repeated the rhythm several times as if chewing on it. Then he shook his head as if it was not the one either.

"They are too arrogant. They still think they are the royal family of the Dali Kingdom."

"What if you only look at their abilities?"

"Even if you only look at their abilities, they fail. They seem to have made a lot of money selling tea and hemp, but their military power is pathetic. What can they do with a sect leader who hasn't even learned their own secret martial arts and a force of only third-rate warriors that is nothing more than a disorderly mob?"

"Hmm, I see. Then, as of now, the most likely candidate is the unorthodox sect alliance called the Eight Sects or something?"

"No, it's the Sichuan Tang Clan."

"Why them?"

Jang So-gil's breath became a little rough. It seemed that just thinking about it made his heart demon boil.

Yang Gwan, with good sense, brought cold tea. Jang So-gil gulped it down and narrowed his eyes. Sima Hui covered his mouth with his folding fan.

"Are you alright? No, you're probably not alright. Let's talk about this later."

"I'm fine. Please tell me now."

"Then, if your complexion changes even once while I'm talking from now on, the story ends there. Understood?"

"Understood."

"As you know, the Sichuan Tang Clan is the de facto ruler of Sichuan. This can be seen in a good way and a bad way. To put it badly, it means that the Tang Clan's sphere of influence is limited to Sichuan."

"..."

"The Tang Clan thinks they are trapped in Sichuan. So it's not unreasonable for them to try to expand their influence to Yunnan at this opportunity. No matter how chaotic Yunnan is, it's not something the Tang Clan can't control if they pour all their power into it."

Jang So-gil smiled faintly.

"They might lose both rabbits while trying to catch two."

"That's right. But the current Sichuan Tang Clan can catch both."

"How so?"

"They have a lot of money. Overwhelmingly so. They have enough money to hire countless ronin and still have some left over."

Why do they have so much money? What skill did the Sichuan Tang Clan have to get money?

The answer comes just by thinking of the question.

"The money of the Great Cloud Guild."

"Yes."

The wealth accumulated by the Great Cloud Guild was vast. Goods gathered for business, gold, silver, and jewels, various rights such as land documents. It takes a considerable amount of time to take possession of expensive wealth. Now the Sichuan Tang Clan had finished cleaning up and had made it completely their own. After it was over, they must have had some energy left. So much left that they were coveting Yunnan beyond Sichuan.

Then it was understandable that they had intervened in the Diancang Sect's affair. It was a justification. They had thrown their hat in the ring to create a justification to occupy Yunnan. It was not a simple act of heroism for the sake of justice like the Emei Sect, but a good deed with a purpose. It was exactly what the Sichuan Tang Clan would do.

"..."

Jang So-gil managed his expression, but his body was honest.

A stream of blood flowed from his nose.

Sima Hui said in a low voice.

"The story ends here."

* * *

Although his heart was greatly agitated, Jang So-gil did not suffer a fatal injury. It was partly thanks to Sima Hui cutting off the story at the right time, and partly thanks to receiving immediate treatment from a doctor and sleeping soundly.

When Jang So-gil opened his eyes, it was the middle of the night when everyone else was asleep.

"The air is good."

When he came out of the tent and took a breath, the air of Mount Diancang was very clear. Many Daoists of the Diancang Sect must have cultivated their noble spirit by breathing this air. The fact that the result produced in this clear air and picturesque scenery was the annihilation of the sect and the burnt ruins stimulated the corners of Jang So-gil's mouth. As he smiled and looked up at the sky, the clouds were hiding the moon.

"It's a good day, a good day."

For the people of Yunnan, the intervention of the Sichuan Tang Clan was a good thing. They were strong, and although they were cold, ruthless, and cruel, they were rulers who knew how to manage the people. Compared to the Dali Ye Clan, who were arrogant and only thought of reigning, there was a difference as big as between a gangster and a tyrant.

If the Tang Clan managed it, the public order of Yunnan would soon stabilize, and the suffering of the people would decrease. It was something the government and the imperial family would also be happy about.

"It's a good thing, a good thing."

It was a good thing for many. Except for a few who had reasons to dislike it.

The remaining three of the Five Great Clans would dislike the balance of power being broken.

The Martial Alliance, which had to readjust the stable balance of the martial world, would not like it either.

And then there was Jang So-gil.

For the sake of the people of the world, it would be right to just leave it alone.

But if he had to choose between the stability of the world and personal revenge, Jang So-gil would of course pursue personal revenge.

Because that individual was himself.

There were plenty of ways to ruin it. If he wore the mask of a beast, ignored the screams of the people, and became inhuman, the job would be easy.

Just off the top of his head, there was the method of supporting the alliance of the Dali Ye Clan and the Beast Palace from behind the scenes and making them fight with the Sichuan Tang Clan. He could just involve the guys called the Eight Sects or whatever.

The money of the Sichuan Tang Clan was ultimately the money of the Great Cloud Guild. They didn't know how to make money grow, so when that money was exhausted, they would have no choice but to withdraw their hand that had reached out to Yunnan.

Money is blood. Circulation is the blood vessels. He could create several ways to block the blood vessels and make the blood dry up and die.

In other words, if Jang So-gil put his mind to it, stopping the Sichuan Tang Clan's grand plan was like twisting a child's wrist. So there was only one problem.

To do it, or not to do it.

To become a beast, or to become a person.

It was when Jang So-gil was contemplating so. He felt a presence. It was probably the thief Sima Hui was talking about.

The guards of the Martial Alliance did not notice. It was proof that Jang So-gil's senses were superior to theirs.

"I don't know who you are, but you're unlucky."

This was taking it out on someone. He was so angry he couldn't stand it.

Would cutting something down relieve his anger?

Jang So-gil drew the White Azure Divine Sword and walked, following the presence.

And then, there was a shadow that looked familiar for some reason.

"Why are you here?"

It was Ye-er, curled up like a pangolin.

(End of Chapter)