Chapter 109: Murim Alliance
Chapter 109: Murim Alliance
Murim Alliance Military Headquarters.
Jegal Ji-gang, who had been lost in deep contemplation for a long while, suddenly slammed the table—Pak!—and cried out.
"It wasn't the Sama Family! Cheongyeon! It was that child all along!"
Jegal Ji-gang's clenched fist trembled violently.
Now, all the puzzling questions were finally resolved.
No matter how much he thought about the recent incidents involving Jeonghyeopbang and Sangeommun, something had always felt off.
Of course, there was the Sword Saint, who kept acting contrary to expectations. There was the story of the Shadow Unit's Team Eight, who had reported on Georyeokma and Jeonghyeopbang only to be completely wiped out. And then there was the tale of the Five Siblings of Doksu, who had suddenly appeared in Zhejiang Province, performed absurd feats, and vanished.
So much so that Jegal Ji-gang had even harbored suspicions that figures from the Sama Family, which he himself had brought to ruin, were resuming their activities.
But no movement whatsoever had been detected from the thoroughly monitored Sama Family.
Then, oddly enough, the first clue came when he heard the names of those so-called Five Siblings of Doksu.
'Iron Body Meteor Bae Jong-gwan, Quick Blade Cat Maiden Cheon Ju-eun? I was sure I had definitely heard those names somewhere before...'
But while he remembered having heard the names somewhere, he could not recall at all where that had been.
They were surely names that were not very important, ones that had merely passed by briefly.
It was when he heard the news that the Sword Saint had started compiling and managing a roster of discharged warriors that he finally remembered where he had seen their names.
So, just as he was thinking that it would now be difficult to assassinate discharged warriors from the evil factions or of ronin origin, Seol Pung, the squad leader of the Thirteen Squad's Seventh unit, had suddenly crossed his mind.
'His name was Seol Pung, wasn't it? I never even got the chance to try wooing someone of his caliber to my side, and now I can't even have him eliminated.'
He had been thinking just that.
When suddenly, their names flashed through Jegal Ji-gang's mind.
'Bae Jong-gwan! Cheon Ju-eun?! That was it! It was them!'
Only now could he remember.
They were the very members of the Thirteen Squad's Seventh unit.
The memory of having glanced at the members' names when the Shadow Unit's Team Five leader, Sak Mu-heun, reported on them had abruptly resurfaced.
Since they were still only second-rate at the time, he hadn't paid them the slightest attention, but Jegal Ji-gang's exceptional memory had even caused him to remember their names.
And through that, Jegal Ji-gang was able to deduce the rest as well.
'If the two members of the Five Siblings of Doksu are Bae Jong-gwan and Cheon Ju-eun, then the one called Reincarnated Zhao Zilong, Chang-hyeok, must be Seol Pung. And if the woman called the Sword Fairy is Vice Squad Leader Na Seo-yu, then the one called Heavenly Beautiful Smile is...'
There was no way the woman said to be as beautiful as a celestial maiden descended from heaven was anyone other than Hae Cheong-yeon.
Because the only young woman he had ever thought more beautiful than his own daughter, Jegal Seoyul, was her, the third daughter of the Sword Saint Hae Un-baek.
Of course, while one of Hae Cheong-yeon's eyes was blue, there had been no such rumor about Heavenly Beautiful Smile Yeon Hae. But concealing an eye color wouldn't be such a difficult task.
And if one assumed she was alive, everything made sense.
Hadn't the Sword Saint's actions begun to completely deviate from his predictions right after he gave the order to kill her?
"To be precise, it probably started with that letter."
The letter to the Sword Saint that he had been asked to deliver at the Blood Summit. That was likely intended to test him.
And the place where the Sword Saint, who was supposedly in closed-door training at the time, had actually been was probably...
Finally, Jegal Ji-gang muttered with a dumbfounded expression.
"I had been completely toyed with. By that mere child."
It was utterly dispiriting.
He had heard countless times from the Sword Saint that she was a child whose talent outshone her beauty, but he had dismissed it as nothing more than the raving of a doting father.
To think he had been played so thoroughly—it was simply astounding.
But that was only the case up until now.
Now that the cause was identified, could he not find a solution as well?
Jegal Ji-gang murmured with a grim smile.
"If everything stemmed from that child, then eliminating her is the priority."
Of course, with the initiative at the front lines now completely in the Sword Saint's hands, it would not be easy.
Moreover, he could no longer move the Shadow Unit, nor could he even trust them, could he?
But he could find a way.
The place she was located was the front line, a place where being killed by Blood Cultists was entirely natural.
'I'll have to draw in the Blood Demon. And I must deal with the Sword Saint first.'
Jegal Ji-gang now realized he could no longer let the Sword Saint be.
Whereas before he had thought, 'I should eliminate him when the opportunity arises,' it had now changed to, 'I must eliminate him no matter what.'
Because if Jegal Ji-gang's deductions were correct, the Sword Saint already knew far too much.
'And to kill him...'
Jegal Ji-gang immediately emerged from the Military Headquarters.
His escort warriors promptly fell in behind him.
"Military Advisor, where are you going?"
"Let us go to the Alliance Leader's Hall."
"Yes! Understood!"
The current Murim Alliance Leader, Cooperative King Mo Yong-geom, was practically Jegal Ji-gang's partner in shared destiny.
Yet despite that, Jegal Ji-gang did not particularly enjoy visiting him.
That was because of the voices that gradually began to reach his ears as he approached the Alliance Leader's Hall even now.
"Oh dear, Alliance Leader, it's broad daylight..."
"Heo-heo-heo! What does it matter that it's broad daylight? Who dares to speak ill of the doings of I, the Cooperative King Mo Yong-geom?"
"Oh my, Alliance Leader, ha-ak!"
The sweetly seductive voice of a woman, the Alliance Leader's voice, and the sounds of moaning echoed from within the Alliance Leader's Hall.
Jegal Ji-gang finally halted before the Alliance Leader's Hall and shouted loudly at his escort warriors.
"Inform the Alliance Leader that Military Advisor Jegal Ji-gang has arrived with urgent matters to discuss!"
In that instant, the inside of the Alliance Leader's Hall fell silent.
And after a moment, the Alliance Leader's voice was heard.
"Do come in, Military Advisor!"
As soon as he entered the Alliance Leader's Hall, the first thing Jegal Ji-gang's eyes fell upon was the thoroughly disheveled figure of Alliance Leader Mo Yong-geom.
It was an appearance that left no doubt as to what had been happening moments before. Seeing it, Jegal Ji-gang let out an inward sigh.
He was torn between whether he should lament this, or feel fortunate that the woman had at least been sent out the back door.
At that moment, Cooperative King Mo Yong-geom greeted Jegal Ji-gang with a bright smile.
"Welcome, Advisor Jegal! I take it you've been as busy as ever these days?"
He likely said this because it had been such a long time since Jegal Ji-gang had visited.
In truth, Jegal Ji-gang wasn't always busy, but since he had scarcely shown his face despite being nearby, it was only natural for Mo Yong-geom to speak that way.
However, Jegal Ji-gang decided not to bother correcting his misconception.
"Yes, as always, there was a mountain of trivial matters."
At this, Mo Yong-geom nodded with seeming delight.
"Oh, I must not keep such a busy advisor long, then. So, what is the matter?"
It seemed he meant for Jegal Ji-gang to state his business quickly and leave.
Jegal Ji-gang forcibly suppressed a rising sigh and lowered his voice to speak confidentially.
"A matter has arisen that urgently requires the Alliance Leader's permission."
At this, sensing something amiss, Mo Yong-geom's expression stiffened as well.
"...What is the matter?"
"Huuu, it is..."
Jegal Ji-gang first exhaled a deep sigh, setting the mood.