The Scent of Rebellion (3)
The group walked the road in silence.
It was a quiet march. Each of them was a renowned master whose name shook the martial world, yet none of them released even a hint of their presence.
They walked like that for some time.
“I couldn’t greet you properly earlier because things were so hectic.”
Moyong Gun addressed Dang Gwan, who was leading the way.
“It’s been a while.”
Having composed himself, Moyong Gun smiled as he offered the greeting.
From behind, Pae Yul watched him and thought, What an impressive man. Even after the bitter political strife that had driven them completely apart, he could still smile and exchange pleasantries.
What was truly surprising, however, was Dang Gwan’s response.
“It has been a while.”
His reply was far calmer than expected.
Several members of the group who knew the history between the two men were inwardly astonished. Even Moyong Gun looked at Dang Gwan with a strange expression.
Silence returned to the group.
A moment later.
“One cannot change what one is born with, but I still believe that people can change.”
Moyong Gun smiled again.
“It seems the Tang Patriarch has become much more lenient than before.”
“Is that so?”
“That is how it appears to me.”
Dang Gwan shook his head.
“Let me be clear—I still dislike you.”
“Hahaha.”
“I simply have no desire to treat someone who came to help my family with coldness. Do not misunderstand.”
It was a remarkable statement.
Moyong Gun’s eyes widened.
“You really have changed a great deal.”
Has he changed that much? Dang Gwan thought. He had indeed changed.
Yet his fundamental nature remained the same. Only his manner of responding had shifted.
The old Dang Gwan would have maintained a sharp, cutting conversation to the very end.
But the man he was now was different. He no longer had the luxury for such things, nor did he feel the need.
He still found Moyong Gun disagreeable, but there was no reason to waste emotion on someone like him at this moment.
“Since you came to help, move properly.”
Moyong Gun let out a short laugh.
“If the Tang family falls, Sichuan will fall with it. Do you think I would stand by and watch that happen?”
“……”
“I know you do not trust me, Tang Patriarch, but at least for this matter we must all stand as one. You need not worry about that part.”
It was sincere—at least half of it.
Dang Gwan did not trust the other half of Moyong Gun. He trusted his ability, but not his character.
Moyong Gun was the sort of man who would never abandon his ambition to swallow the world, not even in the moment his own life was cut short.
Of course, he would not cause chaos within the Tang family itself. But the moment an opportunity presented itself, he would surely devise some scheme beyond their imagination to fatten his own pockets.
It does not matter, Dang Gwan thought.
He did not trust Moyong Gun. Yet because he believed it would not matter even if the man tried such things, he spoke this way.
I have already failed once. If it means I can correct the broken atmosphere of my clan, I would join hands even with a demon, let alone Moyong Gun.
Dang Gwan did not know how wretched a father’s heart became when he witnessed his own son fallen into the demonic path.
The image of Dang Yang-seon rose in his mind.
That sharp, handsome face now twisted with sinister emotions, turned into a grotesque figure so repulsive that merely looking at him was unbearable.
Dang Gwan closed his eyes.
Yang-seon.
He had raised his son poorly. As a parent, his sin was great.
A family head who could not even protect his own son was a failure as a patriarch.
Meanwhile, the clan’s power had grown stronger, yet within it, blood relatives driven mad by obsession now bared their fangs.
Dang Gwan felt deep despair and a crushing sense of defeat.
He had never imagined that such a thing could happen to the family he had believed he was leading well—perhaps even better than others.
Knowing that pride alone could not bring back a clan that had gone astray, he could not bring himself to bare his claws at Moyong Gun.
Dang Gwan opened his eyes.
Though his heart was in turmoil, his gaze remained deep and steady.
“The moment we enter the clan’s territory, a fight may break out.”
“Everyone is already aware of that.”
“You may not know how to prepare. A battle within the Tang family is nothing like what you are imagining.”
A glint flashed in Moyong Gun’s eyes.
A battle in the Tang family was different from their own?
In a way, it was obvious. They were a clan that wielded poison and hidden weapons. The danger would be on an entirely different level from assaulting an ordinary sect.
Yet even as he said this, there was not the slightest trace of pride in his voice.
As expected, this was not the Dang Gwan he knew.
He has let go of everything, Moyong Gun realized. Even his own life.
Dang Gwan intended to tear the Tang family apart from the roots in this affair, even if it cost him his life.
A crease formed on Moyong Gun’s nose.
Is it that serious?
Did Dang Gwan view this incident with such gravity?
Of course he would. If one’s clan had descended into chaos without one’s knowledge, even he would struggle to maintain his sanity.
What if one of his own younger brothers had staged a rebellion?
What if that brother had hidden himself for years, concealing his treachery?
And what if he had remained ignorant of it all until now—what would his feelings be?
It will not happen, but… if such a moment truly came, I would likely be even worse than Dang Gwan.
His response, however, would be different.
Dang Gwan had been caught off guard, but Moyong Gun would never allow such a thing. He possessed the power to restore a ruined clan in an instant.
He would not rely on others. He would not show weakness.
Moyong Gun had no doubt that this was true.
“That is the place.”
The group, each lost in their own thoughts.
As dawn broke and the eastern sky brightened, they arrived at the rendezvous point with Yeon Hojeong.
“Rest. Until we hear from that rude brat.”
Dang Gwan clasped his hands behind his back.
“And circulate your energy. If you do not want to die the moment we enter.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes trembled.
Hwa Jin-cheon continued.
“Yes. In the end, it was the Beggars’ Sect.”
“……”
“The so-called elders of the Beggars’ Sect—those who should have cast honor aside and lived in freedom and simplicity—were swayed by the sweet words of high officials and learned greed.”
“Even if that is true… there are countless branch offices of the Beggars’ Sect in Sichuan, are there not?”
“There are. In fact, quite a few of our young ones have sent up various pieces of information over the years.”
Hwa Jin-cheon closed his eyes.
“Upon investigation, most of the young ones who reported information related to Nakwonso met with accidents.”
“……!”
“Of course, those accidents were the kind that could happen quite naturally and expectedly. To begin with, those young ones did not even know what kind of place Nakwonso was. They likely had no idea how serious the information they had gathered truly was.”
“What about the branch leaders?”
“Every day, the young ones scattered across the Central Plains bring in over hundreds of thousands of pieces of information. The branch leaders sift through those hundreds of thousands of reports and only pass on to me what they deem important.”
“……”
“It is unfortunate, but kidnappings, murders, and robberies occur every single day in every corner of the world. To the branch leaders, such information has long since ceased to be particularly stimulating.”
Yeon Hojeong furrowed his brow.
Emotionally, he could not understand it, but upon reflection, it was not entirely incomprehensible.
Moreover, Nakwonso had created its own organization to control information within Sichuan.
They had recruited the Sichuan elders of the Beggars’ Sect and even established an organization to control information.
Even the Beggars’ Sect, which spanned the entire world, would have found it difficult to learn of Nakwonso’s existence. Rather, Gi Chung, who had discovered its existence and was secretly investigating it, was the truly remarkable one.
“There is one thing I would like to confirm.”
“Speak.”
Yeon Hojeong’s face grew more serious than ever before.
“I understand that high officials have plenty of money. Even if the Sichuan Three Rivers factions could not siphon off all of their sect’s public funds, their capabilities alone would have allowed them to procure enormous sums.”
“……”
“But to nurture an organization like this for over ten years would require an unimaginable amount of money. No matter how much I think about it, I cannot believe their financial power could make it possible.”
“Yes. You have already reached that point. Indeed, if one looks closely, that is the most puzzling part.”
“It is.”
Hwa Jin-cheon picked up the very last page of the documents on the table.
“Look at this.”
Yeon Hojeong read the document.
A moment later, blood vessels stood out in his eyes.
“We tried tracing their funding sources backward, but it was not easy. It could not be helped. They had already solidified their businesses. In other words, they had built a system capable of generating their own funds.”
“……”
“We are still investigating. Nothing certain has been revealed yet. However…”
“It leads to Tibet.”
“That is correct.”
Hwa Jin-cheon’s gaze had sharpened to a degree that even Yeon Hojeong was surprised. Though he had accumulated profound inner energy, he was still the Beggar Sect Leader.
“A portion of the money they earned is flowing toward Tibet. Judging from what we have uncovered, it is highly likely that most of it is actually leaking outside the Central Plains.”
“……”
“Nakwonso generates astronomical sums of money simply by existing. And we suspect that its executives, after deducting the costs necessary for operating the organization and a certain amount of public funds, send nearly everything else outside.”
“……”
“The Three Sects.”
“We do not know yet. But the possibility is high.”
Rip.
Yeon Hojeong’s right hand tore the corner of the document. He had unconsciously clenched his fist.
Hwa Jin-cheon continued.
“Shall I tell you the worst-case scenario?”
“……”
“We still do not know much about the Three Sects, but even if their financial power is immense, this has gone beyond reason. They may be extracting funds from the imperial palace or government offices as well, but if that were the case, we would not have failed to notice the distorted flow of the market.”
“……”
“We cannot rule out the possibility that even the Tibetan martial world has joined hands with the Three Sects.”
Yeon Hojeong closed his eyes.
When he had first formed a connection with Ga Deuk-sang, he had asked him to look into the movements of the Tibetan martial world as well.
At that time, there had been no unusual activity in the Tibetan martial world. Ga Deuk-sang had said so, and if he said it, then it must have been true.
But what if the absolute powers of the Tibetan martial world—the Xiaolinyin Temple and the Potala Palace—were working with the Three Sects?
What if other sects besides them were also colluding with the Three Sects, aiming to conquer the Central Plains?
“The key is the Tang family.”
Yeon Hojeong opened his eyes.
Hwa Jin-cheon spoke in a grave tone.
“Qingcheng and Emei, as members of the Nine Great Sects, possess formidable strength. But they alone will not be enough. The uncorrupted mountain masters may be rich in experience, yet they have not transcended the limits of being mere practitioners. In truth, they should not have to.”
“……”
“The Tang family must be revived. By any means necessary, we must restore the Tang family to its original state. The Tang family’s poisons, hidden weapons, gunpowder, and mechanisms are the strongest force capable of protecting the Sichuan martial world like an iron fortress.”
“……”
“The mechanisms, poisons, and hidden weapons of Nakwonso all originated from the Tang family. While we contain Nakwonso, if you restore the Tang family, a seismic shift will occur in the Sichuan martial world.”
“……”
“If the Sichuan martial world becomes strong, it will be difficult for them to enter Sichuan. If Sichuan is blocked, they will try to enter by another route, but the paths for such detours are extremely limited.”
Hwa Jin-cheon’s eyes gleamed.
“In other words, whoever controls Sichuan will hold the advantage in the power struggle. Restoring the Tang family can overturn the unfavorable situation across the entire land in a single stroke.”