The Beginning of the Cleanup (2)
The young man lounging in a careless sprawl frowned deeply.
“I heard Gyu Jeok and Yo Roe are dead.”
“That’s correct.”
His face, which had been utterly languid, twisted into an expression of pure annoyance for the first time in a long while.
“Who the hell did it?”
“We haven’t identified them with certainty yet. However, the chance that it was one of the righteous factions is low.”
“Didn’t they all die in Henan Province? The Martial Alliance is right there in Henan. So it has to be those bastards, doesn’t it?”
“That was my first thought as well.”
“Then why do you think it isn’t?”
“The Martial Alliance—no, the righteous factions—would never move in such a manner. Not unless you people have already revealed your presence.”
“Hmm.”
“Moreover, the traces left on the corpses clearly do not belong to righteous martial arts. I may be ignorant of martial techniques, but every intelligence agent under my command is first-rate. If they say it is so, then it is.”
The young man let out a short, derisive laugh.
“My, what impressive agents you command.”
“……”
“The Beggars’ Sect, was it? The greatest information network of the righteous path?”
“Correct.”
“Those agents of yours haven’t been exposed to the Beggars’ Sect, have they?”
“If I wished to start a war with the government, I would have moved already.”
“Hmph!”
“Trust me. I may despise your kind, but I hate uncertainty even more. I am currently exerting every effort to uncover their identities.”
“Huuuaaaah~!”
After a massive yawn, the young man smacked his lips and continued.
“What a damned mess this has become. Still, those pathetic fools—to be slaughtered so pathetically by the halfwits of the Central Plains. This is exactly why trying to substitute age for talent never works.”
His voice dripped with mockery.
Listening to it, Yeo Sang-do thought to himself that these people were not sane.
No matter how poor their relationship, weren’t they still on the same side? If they had joined hands for a single purpose, it was only natural to feel rage at a comrade’s death.
Yet there was none. Not even the slightest mourning for their fallen brothers-in-arms.
“So? How long until you identify them?”
“I cannot guarantee a timeframe. However, I have already secured the suspects’ location.”
The young man’s eyes flashed.
“Location?”
“Yes.”
“How amusing. They touch our people and then strut about in the open?”
“Which is precisely why I conclude they are not from the Martial Alliance. The Martial Alliance would never act so boldly.”
“That’s merely your opinion. We should keep every possibility open.”
“You are correct.”
“Enough. Where are they?”
“Near Xuchang.”
“Xuchang… Xuchang, is it.”
The young man stroked his chin. His jawline, smooth and utterly devoid of facial hair, was razor sharp.
“Numbers?”
“Two. Perhaps three.”
“You don’t even know the exact count.”
“They are high-level experts capable of killing both Yo Roe and Gyu Jeok. Approaching them is not easy.”
“Replace the subordinates you command. For the great Provincial Military Commander to employ nothing but rabble—small wonder your eyes and ears are blocked.”
It was an outrageous statement.
Yet despite his words, the young man’s eyes blazed with clear anticipation.
“Two… or three…”
Yeo Sang-do, who had been quietly observing him, tossed out a casual question.
“Are you planning to go yourself?”
“Who knows? Unfortunately I must keep a firm grip on this place. Even if I wished to move, it isn’t easy.”
“I see.”
“That aside…”
Whoosh!
Yeo Sang-do’s eyes trembled violently.
The young man, who had been sitting on a chair a fair distance away, had appeared directly before him in the blink of an eye.
…!!
For a moment, Yeo Sang-do felt the urge to simply close his eyes.
The young man’s eyes were right in front of his nose. The savage, bestial madness pouring from them was fierce enough to ravage a man’s spirit to the brink of collapse.
“Old man.”
“……”
“I might overlook it, but shouldn’t you know better?”
“……”
“What do you mean?”
“You hold the title of Provincial Military Commander. Even if we ignore Gyu Jeok, with Yo Roe dead, shouldn’t you be mobilizing government forces on a massive scale? A Military Inspector slain by a jianghu practitioner—this is a major incident, is it not?”
Yeo Sang-do answered in a deliberately calm voice.
“It was you people who ordered me not to escalate the matter.”
“That was before we had been exposed. This incident could have given us perfect justification to shake the entire Martial Alliance, yet you did nothing?”
The young man smiled.
His protruding fangs gleamed especially white.
“Do you wish to become food for the beasts, old man?”
A terrifying killing intent washed over him.
Even so, Yeo Sang-do maintained his composure. His heart pounded wildly beneath the oppressive aura, yet with superhuman willpower he kept his expression blank.
“Is that what you desire?”
He countered boldly instead.
The young man stared at him for a moment, then grinned.
“As expected of the Provincial Military Commander. Your courage is truly exceptional. I like people with guts.”
“……”
“But that is that, and this is this. I will overlook it this once. There will be no next time. Understood?”
“I will keep it in mind.”
“Release the government troops. Have them stir up the Martial Alliance first.”
No matter how one looked at it, the young man was not normal.
Clearly insane, yet not stupid. On the contrary, his ability to strategically exploit conflicts between factions rivaled that of a battle-hardened veteran.
Yeo Sang-do asked, “If we do that, the suspects may flee.”
“That is why you must release them after capturing the bastards.”
“…?!”
The young man returned to his seat.
“Whether it was the Martial Alliance, those clever little shits from the Black Dragon Department, or some reclusive expert who happened to be passing by—it doesn’t matter. This place has its own rules, doesn’t it?”
“……”
“We need to teach them that running wild here will cost them their lives.”
“Will you dispatch experts?”
“Naturally.”
“Who—”
Slap!
Yeo Sang-do’s head snapped to the left.
The distance had been considerable, yet he had been slapped across the cheek. He had no idea how the blow had landed, nor when the young man had returned to his original position.
“Ptui!”
The saliva Yeo Sang-do spat contained blood. The inside of his mouth had split open.
The young man spoke in his usual languid tone.
“Useless questions annoy me when repeated. I believe I warned you before?”
“……”
“Enough. Just keep those bastards under close surveillance. We’ll catch them and carve them up nicely.”
“It will require a considerable number of troops.”
“That is for me to handle.”
I will handle it.
At first listen, it sounded like the answer of the highest commander who had infiltrated the region.
But Yeo Sang-do knew the truth. This young man was not the supreme leader dispatched by the Shinhwa Sect.
In Henan Province there existed a true expert that even this young man feared. That expert was the real highest authority the Shinhwa Sect had sent to the province.
“I will inform the subordinates.”
“You may leave.”
Yeo Sang-do departed the residence in silence.
The young man, chin propped on his hand with a bored expression, burst into soft laughter the moment the door closed behind his visitor.
“A tedious daily life needs at least this much entertainment. Excellent.”
Yo Roe and Gyu Jeok.
Those two had lingered in the same position far too long. Had they possessed any potential for further growth it might have been different, but they had occupied seats among the Eighteen Martial Generals for an excessive amount of time.
“It’s for the best. Only when the stagnant water above is swept away can the clean water below rise.”
In truth, there were already more than five candidates waiting to become the new Eighteen Martial Generals. It might have reached ten by now.
And among them were those who would gladly leap into a sea of flames at his command.
“Still, if it wasn’t the Martial Alliance, then who? That old fox Yeo Sang-do may be slippery, but he wouldn’t lie about something like this.”
At present, Yeo Sang-do’s hands and feet were completely bound. He had no means of requesting outside assistance.
Of course, a secret intelligence organization did exist. They had allowed him just enough breathing room for an investigation of this scale.
Even so, the chiefs of that organization were under the Shinhwa Sect’s surveillance.
“How interesting.”
The young man’s pupils ignited with a golden glow.
“Regardless, they killed one of our sect’s martial generals. I suppose I should at least go see their faces.”
“Boring.”
Dang Gwan let out a long, drawn-out yawn.
For ten days now they had been spending their nights wandering through these wild mountains. Staying in one location too long might make the enemy suspicious.
Yeon Hojeong spoke up.
“Why not train if you’re so restless?”
“Does merely moving the body count as training?”
“You look bored, so it seems you aren’t cultivating your mind either.”
“Sitting in meditation does not automatically equal mental cultivation.”
“Then does simply sitting still count as training?”
“Of course it does.”
Unexpectedly, Dang Gwan was completely serious.
“Simply stepping on the earth, feeling the wind, and gazing up at the sky is enough to sense something new. Martial arts are scattered throughout every corner of the world.”
It was not a statement one would easily expect from a man who specialized in poison and hidden weapons.
Yeon Hojeong looked surprised.
“You understand the martial principle of ‘Martial Arts Belong to Nature’?”
He had asked out of genuine curiosity, but Dang Gwan appeared even more astonished.
“You know of Martial Arts Belong to Nature?”
“I do.”
“Hah!”
Dang Gwan was dumbfounded.
“That principle can only be encountered after reaching the ultimate realm of enlightenment. How could someone like you possibly know of it?”
Dang Gwan himself had only learned of the principle thanks to his father, Dang Hyeong.
And it had not been long since he actually began attempting to dissolve himself into nature. He had understood it intellectually, but his level had not been high enough to put it into practice.
He was only now beginning to touch upon it in small ways—yet how did this rude brat already know?
“I simply picked it up along the way.”
“……”
“Hmm.”
Dang Gwan stared at Yeon Hojeong with displeased eyes for a moment, then nodded.
“In any case, once you feel you have trained to a sufficient level, turn your gaze toward nature. In the process of observing, feeling, realizing, and experiencing, martial arts can grow once more.”
Yeon Hojeong smiled faintly.
“Thank you for the advice.”
“Though even if one knows, it is useless if one cannot truly feel it.”
Grumbling, Dang Gwan shifted the mood with a sharp tone.
“So, where do we move next?”
“There is no need to move anymore.”
“Hm?”
Yeon Hojeong tapped the ground lightly with his foot.
“Right here. We will fight in this very spot.”
Dang Gwan scanned the surroundings with keen eyes.
“……”
“The terrain is rather decent.”
It was not a bad position to receive approaching enemies. The slope was gentle, yet the entrance was narrow, and a massive cliff stood at their rear.
The terrain held both strengths and weaknesses. Fighting at the entrance would be advantageous, but if they were pushed back to the cliff, there would be nowhere left to run.
“Our allies will come to assist. Do not worry too much.”
“I’m not worried. Still—our allies?”
Dang Gwan glanced up at the top of the cliff.
“You mean that girl?”
Muk Bi had already taken position atop the cliff, camouflaged among the bushes on a rock that jutted out like a railing. It was the perfect spot for sniping.
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
“There are such arrangements.”
Dang Gwan turned his head away in clear displeasure. The boy wasn’t going to tell him even if he asked.
Time continued to pass.
The night gave way to morning, the sun climbed to its zenith, and eventually began its descent toward the west.
Flap flap flap!
A single pitch-black bird flew straight toward Yeon Hojeong.
After accepting the carrier pigeon and reading the message, Yeon Hojeong called out.
“They’re coming! They will arrive within one to one and a half hours!”
“Their forces?”
“Approximately one hundred men, with at least three or more at the martial general level.”
“Oh?”
Yeon Hojeong shouted toward Muk Bi.
“Do not attack until a full melee breaks out!”
There was no reply. Nevertheless, Yeon Hojeong was certain she had heard him.
Whoooong.
Yeon Hojeong lifted the Mad Dragon Axe.
“Shall we begin warming up?”
“Sounds good to me.”
Dang Gwan rolled his shoulders.
“It’s been a while since I last spilled blood.”
One hour later.
Whoosh!
A group radiating overwhelming killing intent drew near.