The Scent of Treason (4)
The moment his son burst into the room in a panic, Dang Ho’s face hardened like stone.
Dang Yeon-seon swallowed hard before speaking.
“A man presumed to be our eldest uncle has entered Sichuan!”
Just hearing those words made his heart rate spike violently.
Dang Ho forced himself to remain calm as he asked, “Where exactly did he appear?”
He had already known Dang Gwan was coming. There was no point in pretending otherwise.
“He was spotted in Daechung County, in the western part of Sichuan.”
“Was the report from the Black Eyes?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Then the information must be recent. It will still take several days for him to reach the vicinity of the main city.”
That was more than enough time.
Even after ascending to the position of family head, Dang Gwan had never neglected his martial training. On the contrary, he had sacrificed sleep to train relentlessly while handling clan affairs, all in an effort to surpass their father.
He had even consumed the Five Great Deadly Poisons of the Tang Clan to strengthen his poison arts. It was training that truly risked his life. The current Dang Gwan was the strongest among the active generation. Even the previous generation’s elders would find few among them capable of facing him.
It wasn’t simply his martial realm. His skill in handling poison and hidden weapons was on another level.
Still, it doesn’t matter.
In the past few days, Dang Ho had completely seized control of the Elder Council.
Of course, there were many who fiercely opposed him or remained absolutely loyal to Dang Gwan. Most of them were now locked away in the clan’s underground prison.
Although their immediate fighting strength had decreased, the majority of the clan’s power now rested in his hands.
Even if the Martial Alliance’s elite forces came knocking, he was confident they could be repelled with ease.
And besides…
Dang Ho’s eyes gleamed with dark cunning.
If I can obtain even a portion of that secret transmission, Dang Gwan is already a dead man.
He hadn’t known about it until he took control of the clan. He never imagined Dang Gwan would be hiding such a card.
It might even be a secret passed down only to successive family heads.
And now, Dang Ho knew that secret.
Though he had not formally received the position of patriarch, he was, in practice, no different from the true head of the family.
“What about the hidden line?”
“They are currently pursuing the individual presumed to be Yeon Hojeong.”
“Presumed? You mean he’s moving alone?”
“Yes.”
“Moving alone…”
Dang Ho frowned deeply. What the hell is he playing at?
He had long since abandoned any hope that the boy knew nothing about Nakwonso.
Moreover, Yeon Hojeong was an extremely clever bastard. There was no way he wouldn’t realize that the moment he touched Nakwonso, they would uncover his identity.
He’s plotting something.
Dang Ho spoke again. “Monitor Yeon Hojeong’s movements at all times. And where is the force that entered Sichuan with him?”
“They are at the western edge of Sichuan. Most likely…”
“They plan to link up with Dang Gwan.”
Dang Ho let out a low chuckle.
“Not bad at all. Rather than hunting down scattered cats one by one, it’s far better to bury them all at once, wouldn’t you agree?”
Dang Yeon-seon smiled. The smile was eerily identical to his father’s—dark and insidious.
“Indeed.”
Dang Ho took a deep breath.
“We should also give the elders who joined hands with me a proper opportunity. Those men have already crossed the line. Once a person crosses that line, they begin to calculate their gains with ruthless precision.”
If he set the board properly, a fierce competition for loyalty would begin.
It was in the very nature of the Tang clan members, but the elders of the council were especially prideful. They acknowledged Dang Gwan’s ability and treated him as patriarch, but very few actually liked him as a person.
They were the kind of men who would turn their backs the moment an opportunity arose. Yet their pride had kept them from breaking their principles.
Now those same men had swallowed their pride, abandoned their principles, and become his people completely.
The Elder Council, whose power had been suppressed while Dang Gwan held real authority, would erupt like a volcano with all the desires they had been forced to repress.
“I’m quite curious. What expression will Dang Gwan make when the very elders he once commanded deny him the position of patriarch and turn their blades against him?”
Flash!
Dang Gwan, who had been sitting with his eyes closed in meditation, suddenly opened them.
At the same time, both Moyong Gun and Eon Ja-bang opened their eyes.
“He’s here.”
One by one, they released their meditative postures and stood up. Only then did Yeon Hojeong appear behind them.
“Looks like you all rested well.”
Moyong Gun asked without wasting time.
“What did the Dragon Head Ark Leader say?”
Yeon Hojeong recounted the conversation he had shared with the Dragon Head Ark Leader.
“……”
The faces of the group darkened with grim realization.
“Even the Beggars’ Sect…”
It was limited to Sichuan, but the failure to properly control them could only be called the Dragon Head Ark Leader’s mistake.
Dang Gwan asked with a calm expression, “So, just as we expected, the main house, along with Qingcheng and Emei, had connections to the foreign martial factions.”
“That appears to be the case.”
Dang Gwan nodded.
“Whatever the case, our priority right now is to uproot the seeds of evil that have grown within our own family.”
“You are correct.”
It was the right thing to say, yet no one could imagine how fiercely he must have agonized and suppressed his burning emotions to reach that conclusion.
There was not a single person here who did not despise the Three Sects.
Even so, the one whose heart must be the most complicated was undoubtedly Dang Gwan.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“Pardon?”
Dang Gwan spoke bluntly. “I am the master of the Tang clan. I may have to bear the shame of failing to manage the family properly, but I will not accept the accusation that I could not correct my own rampaging clansmen.”
Yeon Hojeong, who had been quietly watching him, smiled.
“Yes. That is how it should be.”
Moyong Gun frowned.
“Enough with the sentimental talk.”
It was a mood-killing remark, but ever since they confirmed the connection to the Three Sects, his own mood had sunk to its lowest point.
“From now on, we must face a dangerous Tang clan. Time is of the essence. Whether it’s a strategy or anything else, we need to put it together quickly.”
Yeon Hojeong nodded.
Dang Gwan gazed toward the distant Tang family estate.
“At first glance, that place looks like any other city. But the eyes of the Tang clan are cast over that entire region. More than seventy percent of the people living there are of the Tang bloodline.”
“I knew that, but it’s still astonishing.”
“In other words, before we can even enter the outer court of the main house, we must break through that place without causing any damage.”
“We will have to.”
“I know the back roads. I also know people we can trust. We can reach the front of the outer court without being detected by anyone.”
Moyong Gun cut in.
“The real problem will begin at the outer court.”
“Correct.”
“By now, the Tang clan side will have already figured out our route of movement. They will know we are lurking nearby, waiting for a chance to strike at the family. They will have made preparations accordingly.”
Dang Gwan nodded.
At that moment, Yeon Hojeong spoke.
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Hm?”
“The Dragon Head Ark Leader has already taken measures.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Dragon Head Ark Leader has been monitoring Sichuan long before we entered. Eventually, he learned of the elders’ betrayal and even uncovered the true nature of Nakwonso.”
Given the gravity of the matter, even the Dragon Head Ark Leader of the world could not move recklessly.
He knew some of the Beggars’ Sect elders were involved, but it would have been difficult to determine exactly how many of the lower-ranking members were connected to them.
Thus, he had quietly gathered those not involved with Nakwonso and issued orders. After the group entered Sichuan, he had shaken up Nakwonso’s intelligence network.
“Right now, they will believe I am moving separately, and they will be convinced that the Tang family head is still on the outskirts of Sichuan. They will expect us to meet up with my companions before launching a full-scale assault.”
If that was true, this was an unexpected boon.
Moyong Gun asked, “Can we trust the Dragon Head Ark Leader?”
Yeon Hojeong gave a bitter smile.
“Even if the possibility is infinitely close to zero, I haven’t completely ruled it out. However, the Dragon Head Ark Leader I saw didn’t seem insane enough to join hands with those fools.”
“If it’s your judgment, it should be reliable, but…”
Moyong Gun trailed off.
Indeed. He trusted Yeon Hojeong’s abilities. In particular, he believed the young man’s insight was second to none in the entire Central Plains.
However, relying solely on insight when the opponent was this dangerous was too risky. Even if they were simply considering a clash between great clans, facing the Tang family demanded the utmost caution.
Yeon Hojeong turned to Dang Gwan.
“That is why I require the Tang family head’s forgiveness.”
Everyone looked at Yeon Hojeong with puzzled expressions.
Forgiveness from Dang Gwan? What did that mean?
“The Beggars’ Sect is the greatest intelligence organization in the Central Plains. That is why, throughout the generations, only those whose righteousness has been proven could sit in the position of Dragon Head Ark Leader. Although part of the Beggars’ Sect may have fallen into corruption, there have been almost no cases where the Dragon Head Ark Leader himself was tainted by the demonic path.”
“And?”
“To become the Dragon Head Ark Leader, one must possess stronger resolve than anyone else. Even if the entire Central Plains hates them, they must endure and continue forward.”
“You’re taking too long. Get to the point.”
“Because it is the greatest intelligence network in the Central Plains, if the Beggars’ Sect falters, the entire murim’s information network will be paralyzed. Therefore, the Dragon Head Ark Leader has planted agents within several key sects.”
“……?!”
“In preparation for the worst-case scenario, so that the breath of the Central Plains intelligence network could still flow, he embedded operatives who were ordered to remain dormant indefinitely within the most critical organizations in each region.”
Dang Gwan’s eyes trembled.
It wasn’t just him. Moyong Gun and the rest of the group were visibly shocked.
“An operative capable of instantly lifting the paralysis of the intelligence network in their respective region. A shadow operative who does not act even during a war in the Central Plains, but awakens and begins operations the moment the Beggars’ Sect falls into crisis.”
“……!”
“Such a shadow operative was also planted within the Tang clan.”
“That damn old bastard…!”
A terrifying killing intent erupted from Dang Gwan’s body.
His reaction was perfectly natural. To discover that a spy from the righteous Beggars’ Sect was hidden within his own family—who wouldn’t be furious?
“That was the reason the Dragon Head Ark Leader called me. Right now, the Beggars’ Sect cannot exert its full power in Sichuan. Simply disrupting our current location has already forced the Dragon Head Ark Leader to overexert himself considerably.”
“……”
Yeon Hojeong took out a small golden pouch from his robe.
“There is powder inside this. If you burn it, trained dogs will catch the scent. When the signals are passed along in succession, the shadow operative will resume activity.”
“So?”
Dang Gwan’s face looked like that of a vengeful demon. Just knowing that his own blood relatives were causing this chaos was enough to make his blood boil. And now he learned that a spy from the Beggars’ Sect had been hiding within the family as well.
The reality was so shocking it made his mind reel. For the patriarch of the Tang clan, there could be no more devastating blow.
Even so, Dang Gwan maintained his reason until the very end. Though his insides felt like they would burst from extreme rage and murderous intent, he refused to let go of the thread of rationality.
“If we burn that powder, the shadow operative will resume activity?”
“Yes.”
“But we cannot be certain whether that operative will help us or instead report our location to the traitors of the main house who deserve to be torn apart and devoured. Isn’t that right?”
“Correct. We cannot be certain.”
“Then what the hell—!”
“However.”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes deepened.
“I have poisoned the Dragon Head Ark Leader.”
“……What?”
“I used the poison you gave me to poison the Dragon Head Ark Leader. Only a small amount.”
“……!!”
“He is holding on with his profound inner energy, but he has at most two months. If we do not return within two months to provide the antidote, the Dragon Head Ark Leader’s life will be forfeit.”
The group stared at Yeon Hojeong with stunned expressions. They had never imagined he would play such an extreme card against the other party.
“Do you understand now? The stakes of this battle are that high. It is a fight in which even the highest figures of the murim are wagering their lives.”
Yeon Hojeong smiled bitterly.
“Now we, too, must risk our lives. Whether it becomes porridge or rice, we have no choice but to see it through.”
Half a day later.
Hiss—!
The smoke from the burned powder rose into the air and scattered before vanishing completely.