Chapter 298
Chapter 298
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 298
Chapter Title: Beating the Grass to Startle the Snake
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Alright. So how can we help?”
As Myo Cheon-u asked, Bu Eun-seol took a long breath.
The fury that had consumed him vanished like mist, and his usual cold, composed demeanor returned.
“The reason we’ve caught their tail but always lost it is because they were always one step ahead of us.”
At Seong-ga-cheol-jang, and at the Martial Alliance.
Whenever Bu Eun-seol found a clue and pursued them, they always cut their tail off in an instant.
But this time was different.
Bu Eun-seol was no longer chasing them alone. He would use all of his status and power to pursue them at once.
“I deliberately announced at the meeting that I would strike the Geumjeok Merchant Guild. And this story will surely reach their ears.”
Bu Eun-seol said in a low voice.
“But I am not going.”
At that, Myo Cheon-u, who had been silently lost in thought, nodded in admiration.
“A classic feint—make a sound in the east to attack in the west.”
It meant to make noise in the east and raid the west.
Yu Un-ryong let out a smirk.
“It’s more like ‘beating the grass to startle the snake’.”
In the martial world, ‘beating the grass to startle the snake’ is commonly used to mean ‘do not commit the folly of acting rashly.’
But in military strategy, it refers to a tactic of beating around the bush to expose the enemy's true identity.
Bu Eun-seol’s target seemed to be the Geumjeok Merchant Guild, but in reality, his goal was to provoke the masterminds behind it, forcing those lurking in the shadows to reveal themselves.
“In truth, it could be called a diversionary tactic. Because I really will be sending troops to the Geumjeok Merchant Guild.”
“I see what you mean. But… will they fall for it?”
Yu Un-ryong said with a serious expression, his arms crossed.
“No matter how you look at it, attacking a merchant guild without just cause isn’t easy. They might predict your plan.”
“They won’t be able to.”
Bu Eun-seol stated firmly.
“I mobilized the Cheon-sal-dae to ruthlessly annihilate the evil sect alliance called Sahwaryeon. And to save Seo Jin-ha, I drew my sword on the leader of the Cheon-sal-dae without hesitation.”
A faint smile touched Bu Eun-seol’s lips.
“They will conclude that not only am I enraged, but I am also a person fully capable of committing such an act.”
“……”
“Even if there’s the slightest chance it could be real, they will be compelled to erase their tracks.”
To save Seo Jin-ha, Bu Eun-seol had pointed his sword at the leader of the Cheon-sal-dae, the symbolic vanguard of the Demonic Cult.
There was no way they hadn't heard such rumors.
They would judge Bu Eun-seol as someone who would relentlessly push forward to achieve his goals.
“Don’t tell me, even what happened until now…?”
Yu Un-ryong’s mouth fell open.
“Did you do it all so openly on purpose? To make this deception work?”
Bu Eun-seol gave no answer.
In truth, he hadn't planned this in advance or deliberately picked a fight with the Cheon-sal-dae leader.
No matter how brilliant his schemes were, he couldn't have laid out such a plan beforehand.
He had been genuinely enraged by the Cheon-sal-dae leader’s attitude.
He was simply using what had already happened to his strategic advantage.
“So in the end, you’re trying to deceive those who are a step ahead in information and power. All to find the real enemy.”
As Myo Cheon-u muttered, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
“Correct.”
“But this method is flawed. Even if you send troops right now, it’s too late.”
Myo Cheon-u shook his head.
“If they’re skilled enough to cut their tail off instantly despite your immediate pursuit until now… they would have already started erasing any remaining traces in the Geumjeok Merchant Guild.”
“Of course.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded and turned to So Ja-myeong, who had been listening silently.
“What is the status of the Geumjeok Merchant Guild?”
“It is as you predicted, my lord.”
So Ja-myeong slowly opened his mouth and spoke in a low voice.
“According to our members’ reports, a large number of personnel have already secretly departed from the Geumjeok Merchant Guild and are heading somewhere.”
“What are you talking about? You’ve already placed members at the Geumjeok Merchant Guild?”
Myo Cheon-u asked in surprise, and Bu Eun-seol nodded calmly.
“When we struck the Cheon-sal-dae and Sahwaryeon, it was revealed that funds had been funneled into the Geumjeok Merchant Guild, wasn't it?”
A sharp light glinted in his eyes as he stared into the air.
“From that moment, I ordered the leader of the Gu-sal-dae to monitor the Geumjeok Merchant Guild. They would surely try to erase all traces and cut ties with anything related to Sahwaryeon.”
Until now, the mysterious faction had always been one step ahead of Bu Eun-seol.
The moment it became known that Sahwaryeon had been struck, it was obvious they would eliminate all related traces and cut their tail.
Bu Eun-seol had instead used the enemy’s superior information network and power against them, setting a trap.
“We haven’t yet found evidence of a connection to Sahyang… but we have definitively uncovered traces of them funding not only Sahwaryeon but also several other assassin sects.”
Hearing So Ja-myeong’s words, Myo Cheon-u let out a sound of admiration.
“So you’ve at least secured enough evidence to ensnare the Geumjeok Merchant Guild.”
Bu Eun-seol hadn't dispatched troops without any proof; he had already acquired enough information to bring down the Geumjeok Merchant Guild.
—That mind of his is terrifyingly sharp.
—I’m glad I’m not this guy’s enemy.
Myo Cheon-u and Yu Un-ryong looked at each other and swallowed hard.
The frightening thing about Bu Eun-seol wasn't his fearsome martial arts, but his uncanny strategies and intellect that always struck where least expected.
But because this fact was completely unknown to the world, they were bound to be caught off guard.
“So, what do we need to do?”
As Myo Cheon-u asked, Bu Eun-seol handed two rolled-up scrolls, one to Myo Cheon-u and one to Yu Un-ryong.
“The details are written here.”
The two men unrolled the scrolls simultaneously.
After glancing at the contents written for the other, Myo Cheon-u threw a joke.
“Well, Yu Un-ryong, looks like you’re getting a promotion. To think you’ll be commanding first-rate squad leaders.”
Then he asked Bu Eun-seol.
“Do we just need to do as it’s written here?”
“Yes. Select the most outstanding members from the Sa-yeong-jeon if possible.”
Bu Eun-seol said with a cautious expression.
“Provoke them and create a volatile situation, but you must not attack. If you do, it will put the Cult in a difficult position.”
He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky.
“If this strategy works…”
Bu Eun-seol didn't finish his sentence.
But all three of them knew.
With this, they would finally be able to find the main base of Sahyang.
The assassin sect that had stirred up the martial world for generations without ever revealing its true form.
* * *
The Geumjeok Merchant Guild.
Initially, it was a place that made a modest profit by trading with the landowners in Hangzhou who cultivated tea leaves.
Then, starting about a decade ago, it began to trade almost exclusively in the high-quality leather produced in Sichuan, reaping huge profits.
As its scale grew, the Geumjeok Merchant Guild established broad connections not only with government offices but also with martial arts factions, sending them a considerable amount of silver each year.
Growing rapidly every year, the Geumjeok Merchant Guild was rumored to soon be counted among the Ten Great Merchant Guilds of the Central Plains.
In Im-hyeon, where this prestigious guild was located, the air was thick with the tension of impending battle.
This was because warriors dispatched from the Demonic Cult had surrounded the Geumjeok Merchant Guild without leaving a single gap.
Their numbers were a staggering five hundred.
Moreover, all of them were warriors from first-rate squads, which was equivalent to the full military might of a major faction being deployed.
However, the warriors, resident masters, and hired wanderers of the Geumjeok Merchant Guild were preparing for battle without fear.
—Even if it is the Demonic Cult, to send such a large force to our guild without any justification?
—Could it be because of the Hyeol-sa-gok incident? All we did was send silver to Sahwaryeon every year, didn't we?
—Hmph, even if they have a reason to wipe us out, the Demonic Cult won't escape unscathed!
*Squeak.*
Just then, a side gate of the Geumjeok Merchant Guild opened, and dozens of people walked out.
They were sending out all the children and women from within the guild.
Unless one was a sworn enemy, it was an unwritten rule not to harm children and commoners who knew no martial arts.
Besides, their opponent was the Demonic Cult, which could be considered the alliance of the demonic martial world. They would surely show such leniency.
*Thud.*
At that moment, about fifty warriors blocked the path of the departing children and commoners. It was the warriors of the Sa-yeong-jeon and Myo Cheon-u.
“You cannot leave.”
“What did you say?”
A middle-aged woman’s eyes widened, and Myo Cheon-u spoke in a voice laced with killing intent.
“There must be some cronies related to Sahwaryeon among you.”
The woman, as if she had no choice, pleaded.
“Then please let the children go. Taking children hostage in the affairs of martial factions is…”
*CRASH!*
At that moment, a garden rock placed in front of the main gate exploded into powder with a loud bang.
Myo Cheon-u had used his palm energy.
“I said, go back.”
*Rumble.*
Terrified by Myo Cheon-u’s indifferent gaze, the children scrambled back inside.
*Creak.*
Then, the main gate, where the sign of the Geumjeok Merchant Guild hung, opened, and an old man in fine clothes slowly walked out.
It was the leader of the Geumjeok Merchant Guild, Yeo Un-sang.
“What is the meaning of this in broad daylight!”
He shouted as he swept his gaze over the warriors surrounding the guild.
“What crime has our guild committed for the Demonic Cult to send such a force!”
Befitting the head of a guild that earned hundreds of thousands of silver taels each year, Yeo Un-sang’s demeanor was dignified, and he showed no fear in front of the warriors.
“And why are you not letting the children out? What crime have the little ones committed?”
“Father! You mustn’t.”
Just then, a middle-aged man who appeared to be Yeo Un-sang’s son ran out and stood in front of him.
“You must not provoke them.”
“Gye-un. You go back inside!”
While the father and son were arguing,
*Clop, clop.*
A man at the forefront slowly rode forward on a fine steed.
He wore a mask over his face, but he was tall and slender, with a black sword, scabbard and all, at his waist.
A sharp, piercing light continuously poured from his eyes, feeling as if it were stabbing one's body.
*Thud.*
Dismounting from his horse, he looked down at Yeo Un-sang and his son, Yeo Gye-un.
*Swoosh.*
He threw off his mask, revealing the sharp gaze of the man beneath. It was Yu Un-ryong.
—Huh?
The expressions of the first-rate squad leaders watching became strange.
They had thought the one commanding them all this time was the Martial Soul Lord, but it was his adjutant, Yu Un-ryong.
“To expand its power, the Geumjeok Merchant Guild funneled funds not only to Sahwaryeon but to various other evil sects.”
As Yu Un-ryong spoke in a loud voice, Yeo Un-sang shouted back.
“Is it wrong to give money to the factions located along our fur transport routes?”
“Since when did assassin sects collect passage fees from merchant guilds?”
Yu Un-ryong looked down at Yeo Un-sang with a cold gaze.
“Especially from scoundrel assassins who don't even hesitate to kidnap children.”
“Wh-what are you talking about? I have never done such a thing!”
Though he said that, Yeo Un-sang’s face turned deathly pale.
“Did you take our Cult’s intelligence network for a joke?”
Yu Un-ryong sneered and took a scroll from his robes.
It contained the evidence gathered by the Gu-sal-dae, who had been monitoring the Geumjeok Merchant Guild in Im-hyeon for a long time.
“This is the proof that details all of your evil deeds.”
*Toss.*
Yu Un-ryong threw the scroll at Yeo Un-sang.
With urgent hands, he read the contents written on the scroll. And next to him, his son, Yeo Gye-un, did as well.
“F-Father…”
Yeo Gye-un’s complexion turned ashen.
The scroll contained a shocking truth.
It held clear evidence that the Geumjeok Merchant Guild had not only funded assassin sects but was also involved in the kidnapping of children.
*Thump.*
Yeo Un-sang, who had been biting his lip, knelt before Yu Un-ryong.
“I simply could not refuse the offer of a sponsor who was helping to grow my guild.”
He lowered his head with a devastated expression.
“Because the funds were managed secretly, I was the only one who knew of this! My son and his wife are innocent… please, spare them.”
As he confessed his crime, the subordinates of the Geumjeok Merchant Guild who had been preparing for battle, and all the household members, gaped in shock.
To think that Yeo Un-sang, who had always been a benevolent guild leader, was involved with the assassins who had recently been kidnapping children?
“It is not for our Cult to decide whether to spare you or not.”
Yu Un-ryong, holding the horse's reins, laughed coldly.
“I have already handed over all the materials to the authorities. As you were involved in the kidnapping of children, you shall be punished according to the laws of the state.”
“Wh-why?”
Yeo Un-sang looked over the Demonic Cult's forces with an uncomprehending expression.
“If you weren’t going to punish me, why did you bring so many troops?”
“If we hadn’t turned things upside down like this, all the warriors and members of the Geumjeok Merchant Guild would not have been able to witness your confession.”
Yeo Un-sang’s face grew pale.
If the Geumjeok Merchant Guild were to be annihilated by the Demonic Cult, that would be the end of everything.
But if they were to be punished by the authorities, the Geumjeok Merchant Guild would not only have its assets confiscated, but the disgrace would be passed down through generations of their descendants.
“We’re leaving.”
As Yu Un-ryong turned his horse and shouted, the Demonic Cult’s forces moved with perfect discipline.
‘I wonder if things are going well over there.’
Yu Un-ryong’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the distant sky. The matter of the Geumjeok Merchant Guild was trivial.
What was truly important was for Bu Eun-seol to catch Sahyang’s tail.
* * *
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol, along with So Ja-myeong, arrived at Hoe-dang Mountain in Cheon-ju-bu.
This was the destination of the secret personnel who had left the Geumjeok Merchant Guild.
*Swoosh.*
One of the Gu-sal-dae members hiding in the forest revealed himself before Bu Eun-seol and So Ja-myeong.
It was the vice-leader of the Gu-sal-dae, Bi Hong.
“Vice-leader of the Gu-sal-dae, Bi Hong, greets the Martial Soul Lord.”
Bu Eun-seol gave a slight nod, but he couldn't easily speak.
The place with the pavilions in the distance was what the Gu-sal-dae, after waiting for a long time at the Geumjeok Merchant Guild, had finally found.
“That place… is Sahyang.”
“Yes, my lord.”
At Bu Eun-seol’s question, Bi Hong bowed his head and said in a low voice.
“We have also confirmed that the kidnapped children entered that place.”
The faces of Bu Eun-seol and So Ja-myeong hardened.
Sahyang.
The reason they had become a mysterious assassin sect that never showed its face in the martial world for generations was…
Because they had built their nest in a place no one could have ever predicted.
“However, it seems that very few people know that place is Sahyang. Sahyang’s facilities are all concealed, and most of the residents are ordinary commoners.”
As Bi Hong continued his explanation, So Ja-myeong spoke cautiously with a grave expression.
“My lord. This is a place where not only our Cult, but no one, can deploy forces.”
Bu Eun-seol also nodded.
Sahyang was in a place where not only the Demonic Cult, but the Martial Alliance, or any martial faction for that matter, would dare to deploy forces.
Furthermore, most of the people there were ordinary commoners. There was no way to know who among them was a member of Sahyang.
“Hmm.”
After a long period of deep thought, Bu Eun-seol spoke.
“You’ve done well. All Gu-sal-dae members who were deployed, including the squad leader, are to return to the Cult.”
He took a deep breath and spoke again.
“To attack that place, simple force will be impossible. After I have thoroughly grasped the internal situation, I will handle it.”
“Understood.”
So Ja-myeong and Bi Hong paid their respects, then led the members and secretly departed from Hoe-dang Mountain.
“Sahyang.”
Bu Eun-seol clenched his fists as he looked at the distant pavilions.
He had caught the main body now, regardless.
All that remained was to uproot the hidden roots buried deep below, all at once.