Baekmyeongok’s Riotous Welcome
I spent the nights at inns and the days flinging myself up and down the mountains with Lightfoot Movement until I was sick of the sight of them. After several days of hard travel, I finally reached my quarters only after the sun had completely set.
“Hoo. It’s been a while.”
Even in my absence, Yeon Hong had clearly kept everything in immaculate order. The place looked just as tidy as ever.
Where did she go?
I didn’t sense anyone nearby, so I unpacked first, washed up, changed my clothes, and then came back out to the manor.
That was when I saw a familiar face.
“Sama Ryang!”
“Young Master!”
Sama Ryang’s eyes went wide as he trudged toward me.
“You’re back at last. That must have been quite a journey. Did everything go well?”
“Went fine.”
He looked me up and down in surprise.
“You seem to have been through a great deal. Not only have you put on muscle, but your complexion is far better too. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take your pulse first—”
“No need. My body’s fully recovered. More importantly, are you getting any sleep at all? You still look half dead.”
Sama Ryang gave an embarrassed laugh.
“Adjusting to the Military Council hasn’t been entirely easy. I’ve had to cut even my sleep into pieces. Haha. Well, that’s only natural.”
“Come on inside first. I’ve got a lot to tell you.”
* * *
Sama Ryang asked in a hurry, “Young Master, what happened with Unambong?”
“To put it simply, it ended well. Imaje agreed to lend a hand.”
Relieved, Sama Ryang brightened at once.
“That is excellent news. May I hear the details?”
“Of course. I’ll have to start with the road to Unambong. There, I—”
Cheon Sohyeon began telling him everything that had happened: meeting Gang Hyeon, wiping out the Jagui Sect, and the events that led him to persuade Imaje.
Now that it was over, it all felt like a blur, and explaining it in detail was surprisingly difficult.
Even after he finished, Sama Ryang remained silent.
“What is it?”
“Allow me a moment to organize my thoughts.”
“...?”
Just when it seemed he might be thinking for too long, Sama Ryang finally spoke.
“You accomplished something remarkable. Convincing Imaje was impressive enough, but to even draw out his intention to look into the Senate—that is a tremendous result. It could scarcely be better. However, there is one thing I would like to ask.”
“Then stop dragging it out and ask.”
“What exactly was the Jagui Sect doing?”
“Ah. I forgot to mention that part. Seemed like they were doing all sorts of shady things. The biggest ones were loan sharking and human trafficking.”
Sama Ryang’s eyelid twitched.
“...Human trafficking?”
“Yeah. I destroyed them because they were doing filth I can’t even repeat without getting sick.”
“Then there are no survivors?”
“None, except for a fellow named Heuksi. Everyone present was killed by his ultimate technique. I gathered them all together at the end and had them cremated before I left.”
Sama Ryang did not bother hiding his disgust.
“Unbelievable. To think there were people in the Cult committing such atrocities... You confirmed all of this yourself?”
“I did. Their sect master—a bastard with a snake’s face—kept babbling about finding a suitable buyer. It was so revolting I gave him a proper lesson on the spot.”
“...A lesson?”
Cheon Sohyeon nodded at the puzzled look that asked what on earth he meant.
“A very valuable lesson. In any case, they were all trash that deserved to die. But why ask?”
“I see... Young Master, I think it would be wise to dig deeper into human trafficking from here on.”
“Hm? All of a sudden?”
“As you know, the decision to seal the mountain gates was made to preserve and strengthen the Cult’s power. Matters that would harm the disciples were strictly forbidden, which means anyone connected to human trafficking will be executed without mercy.”
“And?”
“Which means there must be something worth risking danger for. A great deal of money must be changing hands, and some sort of vested interest must be involved. If we investigate that trail, I believe another path will open.”
“So you’re saying tracking those bastards down might be useful. Find them, threaten them, then demand cooperation in exchange for information?”
“Precisely. This is something that must be rooted out completely, so I will look into it through the Military Council.”
Sama Ryang’s expression had grown serious; it was clear this was the real subject he had come to discuss.
“And there is more information I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“News that you oppose the grand strategy is spreading quickly through the Cult. Anyone with even a moderate amount of intelligence has likely already heard of it.”
Cheon Sohyeon folded his arms and answered calmly. It was bound to get out sooner or later, so it didn’t surprise him much.
“So there are already people starting to obstruct us?”
“That is... to be blunt, I do not believe they will make any overt moves at present.”
“Hm? They won’t?”
“Yes. Whether they sent people to the Military Council to verify it, or tried to contact us directly, their purpose was generally the same. They found it strange that the Military Council accepted a contrary opinion.”
“...”
“But once they confirmed it was only your personal opinion, they no longer showed any reaction.”
Cheon Sohyeon let out a dry laugh.
“So they think I’m clinging to something impossible. They must see it as the flailing of a man who died once and came crawling back.”
“Forgive me, Young Master... but that is exactly how they see it. In their view, as someone entering the Central Plains with no foundation of power, you would be unable to accomplish any merit, so they take it as an attempt to delay things somehow. Of course, that also gives us a path forward.”
“Fair enough. But then they should at least understand why the Chief Military Strategist accepted my objection, shouldn’t they? Even knowing that, nobody reacted?”
He remembered the words he had spoken to the Chief Military Strategist in the tavern.
That war would amount to harming the Cult’s reserves; that the Cult Leader had not yet stepped onto the level of the Heavenly Demon, so now was not the right time.
The Chief Military Strategist had accepted those arguments, so there should at least have been someone who wavered. The fact that no one had reacted at all was strange.
Sama Ryang answered in a low voice, his expression dark.
“That is the core of the problem. In the course of our investigation, we learned that there is an unbridgeable gap between the Cult’s higher officials—the Military Council and the other senior figures.”
“A gap?”
“Yes. The Council’s objective is clear: preserve the Cult’s strength as much as possible and secure victory. That is why they listened to our proposal and even promised they would consider dissent if the rationale was sound.”
“And the others are different?”
Sama Ryang nodded.
“As you said before, the Left Scholar and the senior officials gathered around him—the camp representing approval—seem convinced that if they set out now, they could dominate the demonic world.”
“...!”
Cheon Sohyeon’s face hardened.
“What in the world are you talking about? Explain that properly.”
“They judged that even with the Cult Leader’s current martial prowess, it would be an achievement he could certainly accomplish. No one in the world would dare stand against the Cult Leader’s tyranny.”
It was absurd.
Those lunatics.
How exactly did they view the world?
Had fanaticism blinded them so completely that it warped their vision?
There was no denying that the Cult Leader’s martial prowess had reached a realm far beyond ordinary expectation. The strange pressure Cheon Sohyeon had felt when he faced him was still vivid enough to make his spine go cold.
But did that mean no one in the world could oppose him?
Not a chance.
The martial artists of the Central Plains had not spent all this time idling away either.
There were certainly monsters capable of standing against the Cult Leader, and even if no single man could face him alone, they would surely join forces the moment the demonic world began to descend.
Sama Ryang spoke in a subdued tone.
“Moreover, many senior officials regard the people of the Central Plains as enemies and burn with murderous intent toward them. To such people, the very concept of reserve disciples would sound like nothing but nonsense.”
Cheon Sohyeon felt his anxiety rising of its own accord.
Damn it.
If they still believed the demonic conquest was possible, then it would not be strange for them to march out tomorrow.
And what catastrophe would follow then? How many sentient beings would be dragged into suffering?
At the end of that suffocating chain of questions, only one conclusion emerged.
I’m not letting those lunatics out. Not a chance.
Cheon Sohyeon let out a long breath and steadied himself. What mattered now was what came next.
“So there’s no chance of going to the senior officials and persuading them?”
“That is correct. Based on the information you obtained, we should focus on Heuksi and news from the Senate. As for Imaje, do you have any sense of when he might send word?”
Cheon Sohyeon considered it briefly before answering.
“It won’t take many days. Imaje is a man who hates delay like a disease. He’s probably already moving at full speed.”
“Then I must hurry as well. I will begin by investigating through the Military Council.”
“Go on.”
* * *
At the entrance to Baekmyeongok, Gang Hyeon looked around in confusion.
“Master, are you sure this is the place? I think we might have taken a wrong turn somewhere.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, the atmosphere is a bit...”
He had come along to deliver a letter to the Third Young Master, but the scene before him was like stepping into some other world altogether.
Under the glittering lanterns of the pleasure quarter, gamblers were already fighting over their tables, while nearby a brawl was underway with two men gripping each other by the collars.
“You damn old geezer! Didn’t I say I’d cut your tongue out if you got caught spouting lies? Did I or didn’t I?”
“Honestly, why are the young always so rude? Lies, my ass—got proof?”
“Look, I know it stings to lose money, but you can’t go making a scene over it. If you lost, admit it cleanly and step aside. Who knows? Maybe they’ll toss you a little something for your trouble.”
“Keep your own grubby hands off my money. That pocket change is worthless!”
After a string of bitter losses, the young man flipped the table in a fit of fury, and the whole mood turned ugly at once.
Shouts and curses flew back and forth. Then they began tossing around strange nicknames as if to prove how close they were, before finally seizing each other by the collar.
What exactly are these people doing?
There were hopeless fools everywhere in the world. The row of taverns here was so dense that calling it a street of indulgence would not have been an exaggeration.
“Didn’t you say we were going to meet someone named Sama Je?”
“I did.”
“Then why are we going to a place like this... Ah, is there a sect nearby that teaches saber arts?”
Imaje turned to look at Gang Hyeon, puzzled.
“Saber arts?”
“Yes, you said he’s also called the Saber Emperor.”
“Ah, the Saber Emperor... yes, I suppose that’s right.”
How should he explain this? Unable to settle on a proper answer, Imaje simply quickened his pace.
“Anyway, we’ve come to the right place, so follow me.”