Chapter 557: Mentioning Impeachment
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 557: Mentioning Impeachment
"The Alliance Leader has declared that he will decide the succession contest unilaterally."
Zhuge Chan spoke as he scanned the room with a calm expression.
"No, how can that be?!"
"The succession of the Alliance decided by the Leader alone?"
"How... how could such a thing happen?!"
Upon hearing those words, the members of the leadership began to let out groans of dismay one by one. Their faces were flushed with rage. A wave of backlash was surging against the Alliance Leader’s arbitrary behavior.
"This is preposterous!"
At that moment, Gu Ja-yeop, the Hall Master of the Yellow Turban Party, raised his voice and shouted. His face was crimson with fury.
"The Cheonmu Alliance is not the Alliance Leader’s private organization! Therefore, the Leader does not possess absolute power! And yet, he intends to select the successor unilaterally? What kind of bullshit is this!"
Gu Ja-yeop continued, pointing a finger at Zhuge Chan with a face full of indignation. It was unthinkable. The Cheonmu Alliance was merely a community of chivalrous warriors from the Orthodox Faction who revered the code of chivalry. How could the Alliance Leader act as if he were their owner?
It was impossible not to be enraged. He was neither a king nor an emperor, so how could he practice such autocracy? It was utterly absurd.
"He's right! The Alliance Leader is someone who rose to that position through consensus; he is not our master! Such unilateralism cannot be permitted!"
"Indeed! We cannot allow this!"
"We must lodge a protest immediately!"
"Exactly!"
The other leaders all voiced their agreement.
"The Alliance Leader said this: anyone with a complaint is welcome to come see him at any time."
Zhuge Chan continued in a composed tone as he listened to them.
"Excellent! Let us go right now!"
"Right! I shall head to the Alliance Leader’s Hall this instant!"
Hearing this, the leaders began to stand up from their seats one after another. They looked ready to storm the Alliance Leader’s Hall and demand an explanation.
"However, he stated he would only grant private audiences," Zhuge Chan added the condition as he watched them.
"............"
"............"
The men, who had been moving as if they would charge out at any second, froze instantly. The pressure of meeting the Alliance Leader one-on-one weighed heavily on them.
"Who will go?" Zhuge Chan asked back, looking at them with a dry expression.
"............"
"............"
But no one answered his question. None of them wanted a private audience with the Alliance Leader.
By forming a group, humans gain power that transcends the individual. This was true for the leadership as well. Though the Alliance Leader possessed power so immense that one would not dare to oppose him, there was nothing they couldn't do if they swarmed him all at once. The thought of being together mitigated their fear.
But for an individual, the dynamic changed. One would be overwhelmed—overwhelmed by the colossal power of the World's Greatest Martial Artist.
"It seems no one is stepping forward."
Looking at the silent crowd, Zhuge Chan continued in a flat tone, as if he had expected this.
"Why will he only grant private audiences?!" Gu Ja-yeop, the Hall Master of the Yellow Turban Party, asked with a scowl. He felt the Alliance Leader’s insistence on private meetings was cowardly.
"I have nothing to say on that matter. I can only tell you what the Alliance Leader said."
"No, if he’s going to handle everything his own way, why even have a leadership council?! I simply cannot understand this!"
"..........Haven't you been doing exactly that until now?" Zhuge Chan replied calmly. "For the past several decades, hasn't everything been handled solely by the Alliance Leader’s discretion? Why start protesting now?"
"Until now, we simply let it slide, assuming the Alliance Leader had his reasons! But the situation is different now, isn't it?!" Gu Ja-yeop snapped, raising his voice.
"How exactly is it different?" Zhuge Chan asked, sounding curious.
"Public opinion within the Cheonmu Alliance is not favorable toward the Leader! People are questioning his management abilities!"
Gu Ja-yeop glared sharply at Zhuge Chan and continued.
"His relatives are recklessly seizing and embezzling the Alliance's assets, using them for their own pleasure! Assets that are the blood-price of chivalrous warriors united by righteousness! Not only that, but to protect his own honor, he used his disciple Jang Sam—who fled to preserve his own dignity—as a scapegoat, framing him for the serial rape and murder cases that no one could solve for decades! All to save his own face! How can we trust a man like that!"
"............Wasn't the perpetrator of the serial rape and murder cases... judged to be Jang Sam?"
"You speak of absurdities. It has been over fifteen years since the first case occurred! At that time, Jang Sam was only twelve years old! How could a twelve-year-old kidnap and rape-murder a female master who had reached the Super-Peak Realm? Does the Strategist truly believe this makes sense?"
Gu Ja-yeop looked at him with an incredulous expression. His lips were curled in a sneer.
"............."
Zhuge Chan remained silent, his mouth shut tight. He had never expected Gu Ja-yeop to bring up that story so directly.
In truth, the leadership knew. They knew that Jang Sam was nothing more than a scapegoat—a sacrifice to protect the Alliance Leader’s honor and power. It made no sense from the start. The first incident happened when Jang Sam was only twelve. According to the Leader’s claim, Jang Sam would have had to be a monster capable of killing a Super-Peak martial artist at the age of twelve.
How could anyone believe such utter bullshit?
However, the leadership at the time had let that bullshit pass. The serial rape and murder cases had a devastating impact not just on the Alliance Leader, but on the Cheonmu Alliance as a whole. To restore the martial world's trust in the Alliance, they had tacitly agreed to set up a scapegoat.
But now, Gu Ja-yeop had broken that unspoken agreement and spoken the uncomfortable truth. How could anyone have anticipated this? It was unheard of.
"If you have a mouth, speak! Am I wrong?"
When Zhuge Chan didn't respond, Gu Ja-yeop asked again with a triumphant look.
"........Hall Master Gu." Zhuge Chan called his name calmly. "Do you intend to make an enemy of the Alliance Leader?"
"The Alliance Leader was the one who made us enemies first! How can he unilaterally decide the succession contest? This is an act of total disregard for us, the leadership!" Gu Ja-yeop growled at Zhuge Chan.
".........Even so..... those words are.... far too dangerous."
Zhuge Chan glared at Gu Ja-yeop, his face hardening. It was dangerous. Extremely dangerous. The statement that the Alliance Leader and the leadership had manufactured a scapegoat to maintain power—this was a statement that could shake the very foundations of the Cheonmu Alliance, a gathering of righteous men bound by chivalry.
"A man of your standing, how can you say such things?" Zhuge Chan spoke as if scolding him.
"I say it precisely because I am a man of my standing! We are the ones who followed without a word, even when such low-life deeds were committed, simply because it was the Alliance Leader’s will! But if he continues such tyranny even in the succession contest, we cannot stand idly by!"
Gu Ja-yeop’s eyes sparkled with a formidable spirit.
"Tell the Alliance Leader. Tell him that the details regarding the succession contest will be decided through a leadership meeting."
He spoke firmly, glaring at Zhuge Chan as if there were no other option.
"What will you do if the Alliance Leader rejects your proposal?" Zhuge Chan asked, looking at him.
"Impeachment."
Gu Ja-yeop stared back at Zhuge Chan with eyes full of conviction.
"If our proposal is not accepted, I will reveal the whole truth to the public, denounce the Alliance Leader, and impeach him."
"Hall Master Gu!"
Zhuge Chan shouted, his voice rising. His face was filled with bewilderment. Impeachment? Impeaching the hero of the Great War of Righteousness and Demons who saved the Murim? How could he not be bewildered?
"If the truth is revealed, you all will also bear immense dishonor," Zhuge Chan warned.
"Could it be worse than the Alliance Leader's?" Gu Ja-yeop replied bluntly.
Zhuge Chan’s words were true. If this fact were revealed, the leadership would certainly face massive disgrace. But it wouldn't be as bad as the Leader's. After all, the final decision-maker was Lee Jae-won, the hero of the Great War.
".............."
Zhuge Chan fell silent. He realized Gu Ja-yeop wasn't wrong. If this uncomfortable truth came to light, the one who would suffer the most was Lee Jae-won. Unlike the leadership who had merely remained silent, he was the party who had actively put forward his own disciple, Jang Sam, as the scapegoat. If things went wrong, everything he had achieved until now could crumble in an instant.
"Think about it rationally, Strategist."
When Zhuge Chan didn't speak, Gu Ja-yeop continued in a calm tone.
Thud.
He then stood up and began to walk away.
"Wait, where are you going?!" Zhuge Chan asked in confusion as Gu Ja-yeop moved. The meeting wasn't over yet. Where was he heading so suddenly?
"I'm going for a private audience."
"What?!"
"Didn't the Alliance Leader say so? If there's a complaint, come for a private audience."
Gu Ja-yeop continued with a stoic face.
"The Alliance Leader is in a very foul mood right now. Going to see him now will not end well," Zhuge Chan said, trying to persuade him.
Currently, Lee Jae-won was fuming. He was irritated because nothing was going his way. The appearance of the stubborn Gu Ja-yeop before such a leader would surely be poison—a lethal poison that would provoke him.
"Please wait! I... I will speak to him properly!" Zhuge Chan called out urgently. His voice carried a firm resolve that he could not let Gu Ja-yeop go like this.
"Forget it. Looking at the state of you, I doubt anything would get done."
Gu Ja-yeop snorted and walked straight out of the conference room. He headed toward the Alliance Leader’s Hall, where Lee Jae-won resided.
'This is bad!'
Seeing this, Zhuge Chan’s face began to turn pale.
*
"Hrmmm..........."
Lee Jae-won was lost in thought, wearing a somewhat serious expression. He had no idea how to proceed with the contest. He had boldly told them to leave it to him out of a greedy desire to act unilaterally, but he hadn't actually thought of anything.
'Ah... I should have just left it to those leadership bastards.'
Lee Jae-won regretted it slightly. For such a difficult agenda, he could have just let it be decided through a meeting, but he had stubbornly insisted on doing it himself and given himself a headache. It was impossible not to regret it.
'Should I hold a World's Best Sex Contest? The woman who's best at sex becomes the Alliance Leader. Of course, I'll be the judge.......'
Lee Jae-won began to chuckle to himself, indulging in absurd delusions. Even he knew it was a dog-shit fantasy, but it wasn't a bad way to kill time. He felt surprisingly cheerful.
'Or maybe a World's Best Virgin Selection Contest and rank them by how well they tighten. Of course, I'll be the judge........ hehehehe.'
It was while Lee Jae-won was giggling and continuing his pointless delusions.
Bang, bang, bang.
Someone began to knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
Lee Jae-won instantly wiped the vulgar smile from his face and spoke with a serious tone.
"It is Gu Ja-yeop, Hall Master of the Yellow Turban Party. I have come for a private audience with the Alliance Leader."
A stiff voice came from outside the door.
'What does that prickly bastard want?'
Lee Jae-won frowned deeply upon hearing the voice. Gu Ja-yeop, Hall Master of the Yellow Turban Party. He was a man whose rigid personality Lee Jae-won found quite distasteful. He was the polar opposite of a free spirit like himself.
"Come in," Lee Jae-won said bluntly.
Creeeeeak.
The door opened, and the stubborn-looking middle-aged man, Gu Ja-yeop, appeared.
"I greet the Alliance Leader."
Entering the office, Gu Ja-yeop gave a slight nod in greeting.
'That disrespectful little shit... he won't even bow?'
Lee Jae-won’s frown deepened even further. Irritation flared within him at the sight of the man failing to bow properly. He was the Alliance Leader. Furthermore, he was the hero who had saved the Murim. Having a private audience with him should be a sacred and glorious occasion. And yet, instead of a deep bow—or even a prostration—he just tilted his head. Where on earth were his manners? He didn't like it one bit.
"It's been a while."
Lee Jae-won spoke in a calm tone. Although his insides were boiling with rage, he couldn't lose his temper. According to Alliance Law, nodding one's head in greeting was not illegal.
"I have been busy with public and private affairs. I hope you have been well."
"Whether I've been well or not, don't you know better than anyone?"
Lee Jae-won looked at him as if asking if he was mocking him. He was the one who had been humiliated by the Large-Character Poster incident. To ask if he had been well—what kind of nerve did this man have?
"It seems you have been well, then."
Gu Ja-yeop spoke with an unbothered expression.
'You son of a bitch.'
Hearing that, Lee Jae-won suppressed his anger. He knew he was being baited, but he couldn't get angry. Getting angry here would be proving himself to be an amateur.
".........So, what brings you here?"
"I came after hearing what the Strategist had to say."
Gu Ja-yeop replied in a calm tone to his question.
"Didn't you say that anyone with a complaint should come see you directly?"