Chapter 104
"I came after hearing that a person was being privately arrested and tortured. Is that true?"
A person in official attire said.
Mok Wigun's party was in the middle of bringing Jo Uin out, and Elder Jo pointed his finger and shouted loudly.
"There he is. That child is my son."
"There is a strict national law, so how can you do such a thing? Hey."
When the official spoke, the soldiers who were behind him came forward.
"Bring those people here immediately."
The soldiers brought Sect Leader Jeung Yakcheon and Mok Wigun's party to where the official was.
"Aigo. Uin. Are you okay? You're hurt a lot, aren't you?"
Elder Jo held his son and looked him over here and there. Then he glared at Mok Wigun and shouted.
"You're running wild, not knowing how high the sky is. Did you think everything would go your way?"
As he said that, he said to the official.
"Such people must be strictly punished."
"Since they have broken the national law, of course they must be."
Elder Jo and the official seemed to know each other well. Well, if you're trying to do something in this region, you would naturally have built a friendship with the officials.
The official said with a gesture of his chin.
"Bind those people immediately. And bring them before me and make them kneel!"
"Yes."
The soldiers approached. And when they tried to bind Mok Wigun, the warriors who were behind the Light Wind Unit stepped forward.
"Where do you think you're putting your hands?"
When the warriors came out threateningly, the soldiers were flustered and looked at the official. At that, the official shouted loudly.
"Who are you to interfere with the work of the government?"
At that, one of the warriors took out a piece of paper from his bosom.
"I am from the Chang'an Magistrate's Office."
At the words that he was a person of the Chang'an magistrate, the official was startled. If it's the Chang'an magistrate, he's an official who is far above him. A high-ranking official that he can't even look at. So even if he's a subordinate of the magistrate, he can't treat him carelessly.
"Aigo. Is that so? Then you should have told me in advance."
The official quickly gestured to the soldiers. He waved his hand to back off. But one more person stepped forward. He showed a plaque.
"I am from the Seol General's Residence."
"Aigo. You are under the command of the great general."
If it's the great general Seol, he's a real power in the military. Like the Chang'an magistrate, he's a big shot among big shots that he can't even talk to.
"No. Who on earth is that person that both the Chang'an magistrate and the great general Seol would send people?"
The official asked, looking at Mok Wigun as if he couldn't understand. But he couldn't get an answer. Because they had no obligation to answer the official. They just stood silently guarding Mok Wigun's side. So the official could only guess that he must be a great person.
On the other hand, Elder Jo's face had turned completely pale. He had a face full of anxiety, not knowing what would happen. But since he was bowing his head deeply, no one noticed it.
"Let's see."
Mok Wigun stepped forward.
"It's a good thing. Since the official in charge of this region has also come."
"Yes. I am in charge of this region."
The official approached Mok Wigun with a smile on his face.
"I think I should take you somewhere and treat you..."
"I'm a little busy right now, so I think I should take care of my business first."
"Aigo. Of course. You should."
The official became servile and tried to please Mok Wigun in any way. At that sight, Elder Jo felt even more despair.
"I found out something while I was investigating..."
Mok Wigun said, wrapping his arm around Jo Uin's shoulder.
"This friend helped a person who was trying to harm someone. What kind of punishment does he get in that case?"
"Trying to harm a person is strictly punished by the national law. Even if he didn't do it directly, if he assisted, that is also a grave sin."
Mok Wigun nodded. And he said to Jo Uin.
"Tell me what you've done."
* * *
"Then he must receive the price for his sin."
"You mean this? Hey. Bind this person immediately."
The official, as if he had made up his mind, actively cooperated with Mok Wigun's words. In the sudden situation, Elder Jo pulled the official's arm and talked.
"Hey. You can't do this, can you?"
"Ahem. Why not? Didn't you see that people from the magistrate's office and the general's residence came?"
"Still, that's right. We can't do this between us."
"Hey, Elder Jo."
The official said as if it was pitiful.
"You have to have some corner to rub against to do anything. If it's the Chang'an magistrate and the great general, I'm a dead man even if they just blow their noses."
So give up. It's an unavoidable situation.
"Know that."
Mok Wigun watched it all, and the official soon ran over and confessed.
"That person tried to make a request using his past friendship, so I sternly rebuked him."
"Well done. You are a truly capable person."
"Aigo. What are you talking about? You're overpraising me."
It was funny to see what the official was doing. But it's enough if he just gets what he wants. Mok Wigun decided to leave Jo Uin's matter to the official for now.
'Since I tortured him and gave him pain, this much should be enough.'
And he had also heard everything about who had instigated it. Baek Seokhu and Lady Jang. Those people will not be well.
"And by the way. As I was looking around here, I found some corruption..."
Mok Wigun gestured. At that, Heo Songon brought what he had investigated. Heo Songon had also been ordered to come with the Light Wind Unit and had been given a task.
"Phew. What's with all this that you've sorted out?"
What he had sorted out was very thick. He showed it to the official and said.
"The unfairly gained profits so far should be confiscated and returned to the original owner, right?"
"Of course. That is the natural thing to do. That's what the national law is for."
It seemed a little different from the national law I knew.
"The government office will also take care of this."
"I will process it as quickly as possible and give it to you."
They were in perfect sync. Mok Wigun thought he should remember the official's face.
'Since he's a sycophant, I have to be careful.'
And so, thanks to Elder Jo bringing the official, the matter was easily concluded.
'I thought it would take a long time, but since Elder Jo dug his own grave, I even saved time.'
Since he had thought it would take at least a few days, he had saved that much time. It seemed that time could be usefully used to prepare for the Heavenly Martial Arts Assembly. It seemed this was what they called the heavens helping.
"Now, let's wrap it up."
Mok Wigun entrusted the finishing of all the work to Jeung Yakcheon. Since he was the sect leader, it was right for him to finish it. Jeung Yakcheon had a troubled expression until the end.
In the meantime, the official finished sorting things out and came to say goodbye, saying he would take Jo Uin and leave.
"Then I will be on my way. Great person."
Leaving those words, the official left. Elder Jo and his faction were all standing blankly as if they had lost their minds. They probably felt like they were dreaming right now.
"Elder Jo, listen."
Jeung Yakcheon, as if he had finally made up his mind, opened his mouth. Elder Jo, who was standing blankly, also raised his head and looked at the sect leader.
"Elder Jo, although you are a disciple of Zhongnan, you have repeatedly acted to harm the well-being of Zhongnan."
A stern voice. The sect leader said that far and then took a breath and composed himself. And then he started to speak again.
"The sin is so great that it is indescribable. Therefore, I will pass judgment as the sect leader of the Zhongnan Sect."
Suddenly, all around became quiet. Except for the sound of the wind and the rustling of leaves, no sound could be heard. Jeung Yakcheon's voice tore through the silence and spread.
"Elder Jo is excommunicated from the Zhongnan Sect!"
* * *
"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you in advance."
The masters of the government office who had come with the Light Wind Unit greeted them.
"No. But how did you get here?"
"Ah. Actually, I came for a couple of things..."
A martial artist who said he was from the general's residence smiled awkwardly. Hearing the story, he said he had become very interested in sparring while he was with the Light Wind Unit.
"I don't think I've ever had such an interesting spar."
"Me too."
They were all completely absorbed in sparring with the Light Wind Unit executives, but the problem arose when three people came this way. Since they had a sparring partner, they had said they would follow when they suddenly said they were leaving.
"Of course, it's also because I came on orders."
The magistrate had also told Mok Wigun to do well. But more than that, the old lady had made a special request.
"She told me several times to pay special attention and make sure there was no inconvenience."
The warriors were all people from the general's residence. Although the magistrate's order was also important, the old lady's words were much more important to them.
"If you have any problems, please tell us. Since we also have many connections in the government, we can solve most things."
"Or we can also move the army."
He has no intention of moving the army. Unless a war breaks out, what's the point of doing that? Besides, moving the army privately is a huge matter.
"It's reassuring and good that you're taking care of it that much."
As expected, it's important to have a good relationship with good people. Unexpectedly, since the internal traitors had been sorted out quickly, two things remained.
'One is to finish off those guys who instigated the assassination.'
Was it just the assassination? They had also proceeded with the sealing of the gate. By promising the Elder Jo faction a position in the Martial Alliance or money.
Besides, when he thought about it, he wondered if the sudden exclusion from the Nine Sects One Gang was also related to them.
'It probably wasn't the Baek family alone.'
And the equally important thing. The task of preparing for the Heavenly Martial Arts Assembly remained.
'To do that, I first have to grasp the information about the Heavenly Martial Arts Assembly and the skills of the participants.'
* * *
"The individual competition is important, but it's not easy because we only have one person to go out."
Pung Oksan said with a worried look. He was now able to live a normal life. Although intense movements like using martial arts were unreasonable.
Mok Wigun was consulting with Pung Oksan, who had a lot of experience, because there were still parts he didn't know well about the Heavenly Martial Arts Assembly.
"What if only the group competition has good results?"
"It's difficult with just the group competition. To remain in the Nine Sects One Gang, you have to have a certain level of results in the individual competition as well as the group competition."
The Heavenly Martial Arts Assembly West Academy preliminaries are held on the Huashan side. Anyone who is eligible to participate can participate in the individual competition, but since there is a qualification test, there are not as many people who pass as you might think.
"What is the qualification test like?"
"You leave a handprint on a stone tablet with your palm force. The decision is made by its depth."
Well, you can't check the martial arts of so many people one by one. And hearing that, a good idea came to Mok Wigun.
"Then let's just all participate."
"All? Who do you mean by all?"
"All of them. All the way to the second-generation disciples."
(End of Chapter)