Chapter 159
Martial Alliance, Anhui Branch—
Anhui Province was a city where the local hegemon had never changed for thousands of years of history.
That's how powerful the ruling group was, and it had come to exert more influence than the government today...
The master of Anhui was none other than the <Namgung Family>.
Therefore, Namgung Mun, who had graduated from the academy as the top student and had been appointed as a thousand-man commander-level official, had become the branch leader of the Martial Alliance's Anhui branch.
Furthermore, Tang Il-gi and Tang Hwa-rin, who had also graduated from the academy with excellent grades, had been assigned to Anhui and were serving with Namgung Mun.
Today, around sunset.
They had received an imperial edict from the Alliance Leader to return to the main office.
"Branch Leader Namgung. Brother Il-gi. Isn't it surprising? Gansu is not that far from the main office, right? To think that a large number of demonic beasts are sealed in the front yard of the Orthodox Path! It really gives me the creeps."
Tang Hwa-rin, who seemed to have been surprised after reading the Alliance Leader's letter, shook her head.
Also, since she had once encountered a rare demonic beast called a Ghost Demon Jiangshi when she was climbing Mt. Cheol-gak with So-ah in her youth, the shock she felt was bound to be great.
"Hwa-rin-ah... I'm just as surprised. But on the one hand, I also think it's a good thing. This will be a chance that will never come again. And if we have a decisive battle with a large number of demonic beasts, the Tang family, which is proficient in long-range attacks, will be at the center. Let's send a letter to the family head and return to the main office."
Tang Il-gi considered this situation as an opportunity.
As he said, in dealing with demonic beasts that had lost their reason, the Tang family, which was proficient in hidden weapons, would be able to show great firepower.
As a young martial artist with a long way to go, his heart was burning.
And...
"Brother Tang is right. This is a chance that will not come again."
Namgung Mun's two eyes were filled with a glaring light.
"Until now, the martial artists of our generation have lived too comfortably compared to the martial artists of the previous era. We have never experienced the hardship of a full-scale, life-or-death battle with a huge dark force."
"Branch Leader Namgung..."
"Brother Namgung..."
"It will be a hardship. Perhaps there will be casualties even among the officials from our In-dan. But it is something that must be done once, and it is a task that a martial artist must be able to overcome. The parents of both of you. My parents too. It is something that everyone has experienced..."
Namgung Mun raised his head on the high castle wall and looked at the sky.
His appearance, reflected under the moonlight and starlight, was somehow lonely and pathetic.
"Brother Tang. Deputy Branch Leader Tang."
"Brother Namgung."
"Branch Leader Namgung..."
"Now we have become the martial artists who represent our era. Let's go, to annihilate all the evil things in Gansu! As the masters of this era!"
"Alright!"
"Okay!"
The three people tightly grasped each other's hands.
Then, suddenly, the memories of their cadet days came to mind.
From the incident of challenging a duel in defiance of the appointment of the hell instructor, to the terrible threshing training and physical training.
And the moments when everyone cried and laughed together...
"Please!"
"Alive!"
"Let's stand in this place again!"
Namgung Mun, Tang Il-gi, and Tang Hwa-rin.
The three people put on bright smiles and wished each other good luck.
***
'...!'
Jin Won-tak, the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who had examined So-ah's appearance, which had appeared like a lie, felt an emotional turmoil that was difficult to explain and that he himself could not understand.
And it was the same for So-ah.
'What is this...'
It was a strange thing.
So-ah was intelligent and had excellent senses, so he never forgot a person he had seen once, even after time had passed, and he had recognized from the first moment he saw a strange person like Baek In-hwa that he was not an ordinary person.
But Jin Won-tak's impression was different from those, and it gave a rather heterogeneous feeling.
Therefore, So-ah, with his deep eyes, was silently staring at Jin Won-tak for a moment.
"Are you Jin So-ah?"
"So what. Who are you brats to dare to cause a ruckus in our family?"
"We are the <Embroidered Uniform Guard>. I am the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Jin Won-tak."
The moment he heard Jin Won-tak's words, So-ah understood how the situation was going at once.
"The Embroidered Uniform Guard... it seems you've come because of the matter of the Eastern Depot and Eunuch Han. I don't understand. Wasn't the Embroidered Uniform Guard a sworn enemy of the Eastern Depot?"
"In executing the imperial command, personal feelings and political interests are null and void. The Embroidered Uniform Guard simply follows the command of His Majesty the Emperor. The Embroidered Uniform Guard will definitely search the Moyong family and escort you."
Jin Won-tak's resolute will was exuded from his voice and eye light.
"Yes. That's right. Brats like you don't listen to others. How the situation is going, what happened, and how to solve it. You don't care about such things, do you?"
"..."
"Well, I understand. Because you are officials. Officials have to do as they are told, and do as they are told. But you guys are really unlucky."
"What did you say?"
"Because you happened to find me. I'm not a person who would obediently follow even if the emperor came to me with his socks on."
"How arrogant..."
"Everyone says that. They say I'm arrogant. But the guys who said that, they all regretted it."
At So-ah's provocation, the faces of Jin Won-tak and the Embroidered Uniform Guard hardened into a blue color.
If they continued the argument, they would collapse from their own anger.
"There's no need for words."
Jin Won-tak ground his teeth.
Of course.
The one who desperately felt that there was no need for words was, on the contrary, So-ah.
"You dogs of the emperor. Come at me. After you shit a bucket of blood, your thoughts will change!"
In all the world, the only one who would call the <Embroidered Uniform Guard> 'the emperor's dogs' would be So-ah...
Even in the midst of a full-scale war, the people of the Moyong family,
'Oh my... So-ah.'
'Young Master Jin is really... amazing. What kind of eloquence is that...'
'Who can stop that guy! Who!'
...could not help but click their tongues at So-ah's spirited and absurd language.
***
'...Crazy!'
'My goodness!'
'This can't be! This is something wrong!'
It wasn't just Jin Won-tak.
All of the <Embroidered Uniform Guard>, the moment the battle with So-ah began, could not hide their astonishment.
And.
As So-ah's martial prowess, which unfolded the gang-ki as if it were water, continued, that astonishment had even reached the stage of 'disbelief' that denied reality...
This was only natural.
Gang-ki.
It was an extreme realm that could be realized only when one had not only mastered a field, but had reached enlightenment.
Those who had mastered the sword art would have the sword gang.
Those who had mastered the saber art would have the saber gang.
Those who had mastered the fist art would have the fist gang.
And those who had entered the manifestation of this gang-ki were called the top masters in the martial world.
But...
"Ugh!!"
When So-ah extended his fist, that fist became a fist gang without fail.
"Kwa-a-a-a-ak!"
When So-ah kicked, he became a leg gang.
Besides.
From his shoulders and elbows to his headbutt, all parts of So-ah's body became ruthless blunt weapons and formed a gang-ki with a blue lightning streak, and who could not disbelieve this unheard-of and immense manifestation of gang-ki!
'The combined attack formation... has been shattered!'
Only one shichen had passed.
But in that short time, the Moyong family, with the addition of So-ah's power, had succeeded in breaking the combined attack formation, and of the fifty or so members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, only about twenty were left standing and holding their swords.
A deep color of defeat was cast on Jin Won-tak's face.
In that moment.
[So-ah! You must not kill or seriously injure them!]
Moyong Baek, who had found his composure with the victory just around the corner, took a step back and sent a telepathic message to So-ah.
[Why, Uncle? I want to make these bastards cry and snot.]
[So-ah. You have already dismantled the Eastern Depot and crippled the eunuch. Of course, since it was for a great cause, it is a just act and a mistake that can be offset. But if you also kill the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you will become a traitor without a doubt.]
[Uncle... they started the fight first. How dare they be so tyrannical!]
[So-ah... I'm not saying we should bend. But didn't you say it? That you would not only the Martial Alliance, but also the foreign, black path, and demonic cults, and even the imperial court, to annihilate the White Lotus Cult. To realize that, you must restrain yourself.]
At Moyong Baek's telepathic message, So-ah had no choice but to break his stubbornness.
Because, at a glance, it was not wrong.
So-ah had originally intended to dismantle the Eastern Depot, thereby proving their secret activities with the White Lotus Cult, and to move the imperial court to wrap up the White Lotus Cult as a group of traitors.
As his uncle said, if he were to kill or cripple the Embroidered Uniform Guard as well, no matter how righteous his actions were, there would be no way to avoid the responsibility for it.
[Still, Uncle...]
[Yes?]
So-ah opened his mouth instead of using telepathy.
"The crime of being arrogant in front of the Great Moyong Family must be punished."
"Hah!"
"For now, you guys will get beaten up a little more."
The lightness skill was shot out, scattering afterimages.
***
'Ugh...'
It didn't take long for Moyong Baek to get a headache.
In just one shichen.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard, which was called the number one martial force of the imperial court, had been beaten to a pulp with bruises and fractures and had collapsed on the training ground, screaming.
"Ugh-a-a-ak!"
"Ugh..."
"Keuk!"
But.
"..."
Even in the state of being captured by the hands of the Moyong family members, kneeling with a sword at his throat, the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Jin Won-tak, did not let out a single groan.
Furthermore.
'His eyes are still alive. Is his heart made of steel?'
So-ah was inwardly impressed as he looked at Jin Won-tak's eyes, which had still not lost their fighting spirit.
"Hey, head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"
"..."
"Why are you so quiet? Why don't you babble about searching and escorting like before?"
"Jin So-ah. It was a mistake not to have properly analyzed your power. I hope you will spare the members. Instead, I will give you my head. If you kill the members, the Moyong family will have to face the military."
Jin Won-tak's words could be seen as a plea at a glance, but depending on how one heard it, it could also be a threat.
But that threat was strictly an 'uncomfortable truth'.
So-ah had already attacked the Eastern Depot.
Furthermore, if he were to kill the Embroidered Uniform Guard as well, it was clear that it would lead to an uncontrollable escalation of the war.
"I've broken a few of your bones, so that should be enough to pay for your foolish words... I have no intention of killing you guys. Am I some kind of murderer?"
"Jin So-ah..."
"But, head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I just want to tell you the truth. The one who plotted the rebellion was not me, but Eunuch Han, and the Eastern Depot committed the corruption of accumulating a huge amount of illegal assets while protecting Eunuch Han."
"..."
Jin Won-tak still remained silent.
But in a corner of his heart, a ripple naturally arose.
"Head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you must have a thought, right? If I were a real traitor, would I need to spare you guys? I would have just buried you in a wild mountain."
Although it was a harsh thing to say, it was a statement with a point.
So-ah continued to speak.
"Just pretend you're being deceived and do as I say. You'll find out the truth. Who is the enemy of the imperial court, and who is the ally."
"Jin So-ah..."
"Go and see Lord Bao, the magistrate of Kaifeng, right now. Surely you wouldn't not believe his words. This is the price for sparing the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
At So-ah's words, Jin Won-tak felt a logical contradiction and asked.
"What do you trust to let us go? What if, on this path, we go to the palace and, under the emperor's command, move the military to attack the Moyong family? You guys will disappear into the back of history."
At that.
"This guy is looking down on people. Do you think I'm that stupid? The members will be held for the time being. If you guys do that, I'll cut off these guys' heads first, and then I'll deal with the military and the emperor."
"Are you saying you'll take the members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard as hostages?"
"Of course."
"You're a meticulous person."
"That's how I live."
"Alright. On this path, I will go to see Lord Bao. Instead, all the members must be safe."
"The Moyong family does not break its promises. Instead, you also make a promise."
"What is it?"
Everyone except Jin Won-tak, as if their curiosity was piqued, pricked up their ears.
"Because of you guys, we couldn't work for a day."
"???"
"And we have to pay the labor costs."
"..."
Moyong Baek somehow felt his face flush.
"Besides, our disciples couldn't train, right? This is a clear obstruction of business... let's see... ah! The training ground floor and fixtures are broken, and all the damaged weapons. Compensate for all of this."
"What did you say?"
"When I'm saying it nicely.”
(End of Chapter)