A Needle in the Satchel (2)
“What did you say?”
“It’s that……”
Hwan Sa swallowed hard as he spoke.
“The core experts of the Salt Demon Merchant Guild have been annihilated, and the guild leader was defeated.”
Defeated?
This was another peculiar report.
The Salt Demon Merchant Guild was a faction he had personally placed in the final slot of the Thirty-Six Gates. Their overall strength might have been laughably weak, but at least their spirit and loyalty were genuine.
In other words, he had recruited them with the deliberate intent to cultivate them properly.
But even so, they were still just a ragtag bunch.
The guild hadn’t been wiped out, so why report something as trivial as the leader’s defeat?
Something’s off.
Yang Cheon was a sharp man. Rather than waste time complaining about such a pointless report, he pondered why it had been sent in the first place.
“The Salt Demon Merchant Guild’s forces are the weakest among the Thirty-Six Gates. Their leader was nothing special either. There are countless martial artists in Hunan Province alone who could beat him.”
“That’s true, but this time the circumstances were different.”
“Explain.”
“It’s that……”
Hwan Sa hesitated.
Yang Cheon furrowed his brow.
Why is this guy acting like this?
Among those under his command, the twelve known as the Twelve Branches Gods were peak experts whom even the black path wouldn’t hesitate to call the strongest. They matched their prowess with boldness and exceptional competence.
So what was with that look on Hwan Sa’s face?
“Is it hard to explain?”
“N-no, it’s not! It’s just…… I thought there might be some misunderstanding in how I relay it.”
Hwan Sa pulled a letter from his bosom. It was quite thick.
“So I’ve written down only the clear facts. Please forgive me for the trouble.”
The corner of Yang Cheon’s mouth curved up.
Hwan Sa might seem a bit clumsy at first glance, but he was deep-thinking and cautious. That was why Yang Cheon valued him.
Wooong.
The letter floated lightly into Yang Cheon’s hand.
“Wait here a moment.”
“Yes, sir.”
Chwaruk.
Yang Cheon unfolded the letter. It was quite lengthy.
It seemed a lot had happened in the meantime.
Yang Cheon read with an intrigued expression, but soon his eyes grew serious.
“Is this true?”
“I’ve only recorded the verified facts. No personal opinions included. I thought it best for you to judge entirely on your own, Vice Leader.”
Interest flickered across Yang Cheon’s face.
“Mujong Gate?”
It was a sect few remembered nowadays.
Yet it lingered in Yang Cheon’s mind.
It was a faction with such uniquely unforgettable traits.
Rumor had it that Mujong Gate was formed by masters of various martial arts gathering together. No one knew the truth.
What mattered was that the experts from Mujong Gate all possessed exceptional martial arts, each of wildly different styles and origins.
I heard they were wiped out a century ago.
Of course, even how they were destroyed remained unknown.
Mujong Gate was a group shrouded entirely in mystery and suspicion.
And the noteworthy point now was……
“Hidden weapons……”
A faint smile crept across Yang Cheon’s face.
What a coincidence.
Right now, he needed someone proficient in poison and hidden weapons.
He didn’t expect Sichuan Tang Clan level, of course. That would be ideal, but no other faction in the current martial world matched the Tangs in poison and hidden weapons.
Anyone top-tier among the rest of the martial world, excluding the Tangs, would suffice.
“Quick on the uptake.”
“Yes.”
The black path’s spies and informants fundamentally differed from the white path’s elites.
Historically, the black path prioritized stealth over raw power, survival over skill. Naturally, their paths of development diverged from the white path.
Even Yang Cheon had been surprised by the black path’s capabilities at first. Back when his own martial arts were already well-established, he hadn’t noticed the black path groups watching him.
In other words, they spotted and killed black path informants that even top experts would struggle to detect.
Intense greed burned in Yang Cheon’s eyes.
I want them.
Exceptional hidden weapon skills. Keen insight. And the audacity to boldly demand an audience with the Earth King right before a black path faction.
Arrogant, but that arrogance appeals to me.
To be precise, it wasn’t mere arrogance.
Reviewing the letter’s contents once more, Yang Cheon pictured the youth who had crushed the Salt Demon Merchant Guild’s core experts barehanded.
“Crushed beyond recovery…… Ruthless. But the skill is genuine. And at around thirty, overwhelming that many foes.”
A young man achieving such heights could afford some arrogance.
Yet after reading the detailed account several times, Yang Cheon sensed something more in this youth.
This one has no hesitation.
If he knew of the Earth King’s existence, he must have some grasp of their situation.
In other words, he had his own intelligence network.
Thus, he couldn’t be ignorant of the might of the Thirteen Seats of Heavenly Blood.
No matter how hot-blooded a youth, few in black or white paths would so brazenly declare a desire to meet the Earth King.
Can’t confirm from the letter alone. But if my guess is right……
Yang Cheon’s face flushed slightly.
He was quite excited.
“He uses barehand techniques?”
“Yes.”
“Combat prowess top-notch, solid martial foundation. At this level, he’s no worse than the One Dragon Three Phoenixes the white path praises so much.”
A girl wielding supreme hidden weapons that pierced black path informants. A man in his thirties with top white path late-generation martial arts, boldly proclaiming his desire to meet the Earth King.
“Wants to meet me? Fine. I’ll grant it.”
An unusual glint flashed in Yang Cheon’s eyes.
“But only if they’re truly Mujong Gate descendants.”
* * *
“W-what?!”
“Keep your voice down.”
Gadeuksang glanced around.
Fortunately, Dang Sang-a and Jegal A-yeon weren’t nearby.
Only Paeryul was beside him.
Gadeuksang scowled.
“So you brought the Tang miss because you knew Yang Cheon wanted a hidden weapons expert?”
“That’s right.”
Yeon Hojeong still treated him like a senior brother, but Gadeuksang wasn’t in the mood.
Paeryul asked, “Why does that guy want a hidden weapons master?”
Of course, he had before too. But setting that aside, Yeon Hojeong figured he’d do the same in Yang Cheon’s position.
“It’s about efficiency.”
“Efficiency?”
“Yes.”
“Explain in detail.”
“The black and white paths have different growth backgrounds. You know that, right?”
Do I……?
Paeryul glanced at Gadeuksang.
Gadeuksang explained with a displeased face but as politely as possible.
“The white path, or righteous faction, is a moral ideal born from the people’s aspirations.”
“Moral ideal?”
“The white path’s highest values are chivalry and justice. It embodies the ideology of standing with the weak, toppling evil, and bettering the world—the peace most people desire.”
Paeryul nodded.
He’d only ever proclaimed the righteous path without deep thought.
But hearing it like this made perfect sense.
“Right. That’s why they emphasize benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom.”
“Yes. But the black path is different. It’s the remnants of aspirations that couldn’t rise to moral ideals.”
“That’s a headache. Remnants of aspirations?”
Yeon Hojeong took over.
“If the white path is the people’s ideal, the black path is their reality.”
“Reality……”
“They steal, kill, rape, oppress. No different from the beast world. From the view that humans are just one species in great nature, the black path maximizes human nature—beast instincts.”
“Hmm.”
It was a unique explanation.
No one had ever described white and black paths this way.
Thus intriguing—and surprisingly easy to grasp.
“So the two paths developed in entirely different directions. The white path, straight from the people’s aspirations, built clear systems: power, decorum, laws, and all.”
“The black path lacks that.”
“Exactly. No long-term vision, only immediate survival. Surviving the day is enough. Their world unstable, no time to safely build strength.”
“Why?”
“Laws collapsed.”
Paeryul’s eyes gleamed.
“Got it. Even if they luckily obtain an ancient supreme art, they might die knifed by a thief mid-cultivation.”
“Yes.”
“Truly no leeway. That from collapsed laws too?”
A bitter shadow crossed Yeon Hojeong’s face.
“People say the world must be fair and just. In reverse, it means the world is still unfair and unjust.”
“……!”
“Politics always chased that ideal. And always failed. Reality didn’t improve—only the gap between ideal and reality widened.”
“That’s…… a sad tale.”
“Still, we must pursue the ideal. If we don’t reach for the sky because it’s impossible, we all become beasts crawling the earth. Minimum rules crumble.”
“Mm.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes shone.
“Back to the black path: ultimately, they can’t beat the white path with raw power. Not without fixing the root issue.”
“No minimum rules, so can’t build strength.”
“Yes. And Yang Cheon knows it. Black path’s intel and survival skills are superb, but to truly fight enemies, they need real power.”
Paeryul suddenly sighed.
“Ah! That’s why hidden weapons?!”
“Yes.”
Yeon Hojeong raised a fist.
“Even a child ignorant of martial arts can kill experts with poison and hidden weapons. If Yang Cheon thinks ahead, he’d fix the black path’s chronic issues from the root—but time is the problem.”
“To guarantee survival until fully arming the black path, he needs the martial world’s top killing power: poison and hidden weapons.”
“Exactly.”
Paeryul smacked his lips.
“Now I get why you brought the Tang miss.”
“……”
Gadeuksang glared at Yeon Hojeong with fierce eyes.
“Young Master Yeon.”
This time, even Yeon Hojeong couldn’t treat him like a senior brother.
“Speak.”
“You’re my friend. And I thought you made extreme calls but never wrong ones.”
“……”
“But this is too much. The Tang miss came knowing nothing. You dragged in an unrelated person with one word: ‘I need you.’”
“And so?”
“W-what?”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes chilled.
“I’ve got plenty to argue, but just one thing now.”
“……”
“To fight ruleless foes, we set aside morals too.”
Gadeuksang bellowed.
“That’s for when we clash! You could’ve explained to her first……!”
“If she refused?”
“Find another way!”
“Can’t.”
“Why!!”
“Failure’s not an option.”
Gadeuksang, eyes blazing with fury, spun and stormed off.
Paeryul cleared his throat awkwardly.
“That guy’s got a temper, huh.”
“Good man.”
“Huh?”
Yeon Hojeong smiled—a strange mix of bitterness and resolve.
“The righteousness and straightforwardness hidden beneath his clownish face and rough looks—that’s the white path’s essence.”
“……”
“That’s why I like late-generation heroes. They’re the true chivalrous souls this world can’t lose.”
“But that chivalrous fool seems disappointed in you, the mission leader. What if it affects the task?”
“It won’t.”
“Confident?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Yeon Hojeong closed his eyes.
“He’ll understand me in the end.”
Two days later.
Seven experts clad head to toe in black bloodwind robes appeared at the Salt Demon Merchant Guild, now under Yeon Hojeong’s group’s control.
“Who dares claim to be descendants of Mujong Gate?”