Chapter 204: Inspector (1)
Judging by Je Gal Sung and Paeng Yu-gun's reactions, my words had hit the nail on the head.
Gutsy, or reckless?
Both.
In truth, it was a bit of a gamble, a risky bet.
Of course, I had my reasons.
"What are your grounds?"
"There are three."
I lifted my head confidently and spoke.
"First, I was directly involved in the Blood Cult incident and resolved the disturbance at the Hwasan Sect."
"Couldn't that be the very reason they summoned you?"
"I've already received more than enough commendations from the Hwasan Sect. I can't imagine the busy Murim Alliance's military strategist summoning me for redundant matters."
Paeng Yu-gun was smirking faintly, clearly amused by how things were unfolding.
"What's the next reason?"
"Second, because I'm strong. Even if the Blood Cult pulls some trick, I can protect myself."
[...Shameless.]
What's wrong with that? That's how they see me anyway.
Even Paeng Yu-gun was under that impression.
"Good. And the final third reason?"
"This one's the most important. That I'm from the East."
"...And what does being from the East have to do with it?"
"Because I'm free from any faction's influence."
I continued.
"I don't need to worry about the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Families."
"Aren't you the Tang Clan's honored guest?"
"Honored guest is just a title. By that logic, I also received the Kunlun Token from the Kunlun Sect. In fact, being recognized by two major powers, and now gaining the Murim Alliance's authority, would give me the right to intervene not just with them, but even mid- and small sects."
"......"
Je Gal Sung fell silent for a moment.
Paeng Yu-gun chuckled softly.
"See? Sharp as a tack, right?"
"It's basic reasoning anyone with a brain could make."
"You look pretty surprised for basic reasoning."
"Most martial artists don't have brains."
"Tsk tsk. What a nasty temperament."
Je Gal Sung snapped his fan shut with a crack and turned to me.
"Your reasons all check out. But that last one is the problem."
Je Gal Sung slammed his closed fan down on the table with a thwack.
In that instant—
Whooooosh—!
The scenery before my eyes shifted in a flash.
It wasn't the cozy abbot's room anymore.
I was standing on the edge of a cliff.
Or was it even a cliff?
I was on a sheer vertical wall of earth, dizzyingly high with clouds far below.
The problem was the space was so narrow I couldn't even take a step. Barely enough room for two feet side by side.
Whiiiiiish—!
The wind howled fiercely, threatening to hurl my body away. I braced my lower body and stood firm.
I quickly grasped what was happening.
My opponent was the Murim Alliance's military strategist, Je Gal Sung.
And the Je Gal family was renowned as the world's best in formations.
A formation, huh.
I was impressed.
Though I'd encountered formations often since arriving in the Central Plains,
manifesting one this vividly without any prior setup was something else.
Probably the fan hitting the table was the trigger.
Such a simple action yielding such profound results showed Je Gal Sung's mastery was unparalleled.
And moreover,
it was Je Gal Sung's formation.
I could dismiss it as an illusion and not worry about falling, but someone of his caliber deploying it deliberately meant
if I fall, it'll hurt for real.
Just as super peak experts could wield mental images to exert physical force, formation masters at the pinnacle could perform similar miracles.
They could make events in the illusion manifest in reality.
Given how rigorously the Je Gal family head was selected—on par with the Tang Clan—Je Gal Sung could certainly do it.
But then—
Pa Cheon?
Normally, he'd toss in a snide remark by now.
But Pa Cheon was silent.
He was definitely at my waist.
The formation's effect...?
If it targeted just 'me,' that might be it.
Meaning I'd have to break out with my own power.
I tried summoning the Heavenly Demon Divine Art as usual—
Oh right. Poisoned.
No response.
The meridian-blocker and lung poison prevented me from circulating energy.
Using the Heavenly Demon Divine Art in front of the Shaolin abbot would be problematic anyway.
...Damned if I do, damned if I don't.
No Pa Cheon, no Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
So I'd have to escape purely on my own.
What now?
That's when it happened.
A thunderous voice shook the four directions, as if answering my question.
"Dongbang Geomryong Kim Dong Yun."
It was Je Gal Sung's voice.
Like a hundred megaphones blasting at once, a near-roaring sound echoed from all sides.
"Answer the question."
Stay calm.
Even bound hand and foot, there's always a way out.
Je Gal Sung using a formation like this meant he was testing me.
Tests are all about grasping the examiner's intent.
"Dongbang Geomryong Kim Dong Yun. Are you truly from the East?"
The thunderous voice made my head spin for a moment, but I tensed my core and stood firm.
Je Gal Sung is watching me.
Observing my every move to discern truth from lies.
So I—
"I am Kim Dong Yun."
—decided to act as myself.
Not as Sado Hwan, but as Kim Dong Yun, the aspiring actor from modern Korea.
So.
"Yes, Kim Dong Yun is indeed from a small Eastern nation."
Every word I spoke as Kim Dong Yun was the truth.
Rumble!
In that instant, the ground beneath me began to widen.
From barely enough for two feet, it expanded to the size of a studio apartment.
I got the sense immediately.
I didn't know the exact mechanism, but speaking truth would keep expanding the ground.
"Dongbang Geomryong Kim Dong Yun. Are you not a Blood Cult spy?"
"I am not a Blood Cult spy."
Rumble!
The ground widened again.
Now nearly the size of a small sports field.
"Dongbang Geomryong Kim Dong Yun. Finally, I ask: what is the purpose of leaving the East for the Central Plains?"
We were past the hurdle.
Having cleared the prior questions, the final one already assumed I was from the East.
So, just speak the truth again.
"It's a secret mission, so I cannot answer. However, my goal—past and present—is peace."
Rumble!
The ground beneath me began expanding endlessly.
It kept growing—
"Hahaha, well done."
—and when I came to, I was back in the abbot's room.
"You must have been startled, but you stayed calm. Good job."
Paeng Yu-gun welcomed me back.
The squinting abbot's face was still unreadable.
"Well done."
Je Gal Sung said to me.
Gone was his earlier prickliness; he even wore a faint smile.
"That was the Prohibited Firmament True Spitting Formation. Ever heard of it?"
I shook my head.
"No, I haven't."
"Figures. It's top-secret."
Paeng Yu-gun chimed in.
"Using that on the Sword Dragon? You're something else, Je Gal family."
"You agreed to it, didn't you, senior?"
"No skin off my back."
"Don't interrupt, senior. I'm not done."
Paeng Yu-gun pouted and leaned back in his chair. Je Gal Sung glanced at him with mild disdain before turning back to me.
"As you can see, Senior Paeng is rather childish."
"He does give off that vibe a bit."
"Exactly. You get it. Anyway, the formation you just experienced is the Prohibited Firmament True Spitting Formation. It links the target's mind and spirit to the formation, judging truth from lies."
In simple terms, it was the Taoist Un Yeop Ja's 'truth-seeing eyes' as a formation.
I had no idea how it linked minds, but...
"Truth be told, the moment I activated it, I suspected your words were true."
"Pardon? Really?"
"No trembling or anything. The formation requires linking minds, which a super peak expert could easily block. But you didn't."
"Ah."
"That means you were confident even with your mind exposed. Implying no lies in your words."
It was a clever trap.
Refuse, and it looks suspicious. Accept, and the truth comes out anyway.
Of course, I accepted because I couldn't block mind-linking nonsense.
I might have messed with it using the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, but that was sealed too.
Anyway, it seemed Je Gal Sung now trusted me.
Hence the warm atmosphere.
During a brief lull in conversation, I called out to Pa Cheon.
Pa Cheon?
Here. You were so noisy in that formation.
...What? You came along?
Yes.
Then why didn't you help?
You handled it fine without me.
Hey.
Spirit.
Pa Cheon spoke with unusual firmness.
Don't assume I'll always be with you in every situation. You need to handle things alone sometimes.
...What's this guy on about?
I'm serious. Say you become inspector. What'll you do at the Wudang Clan's Sword-Shedding Pool?
Sword-Shedding Pool.
The small pond at the Wudang Sect's mountain gate where all non-Wudang martial artists must leave their weapons.
An ancient tradition, absolutely enforced.
I'll figure it out when I get there—
That's why now. You have Paeng Yu-gun as insurance for emergencies.
Pa Cheon's sudden shift left me more puzzled than angry.
What had changed in his mindset?
We'll talk later.
I couldn't keep chatting with three elders present.
"Then we'll proceed with appointing you as inspector."
There were many clauses, but it boiled down to one thing.
Conduct inspections without mentioning Blood Cult searches, and even if discovered, just note it—don't capture immediately.
Later, mobilize the full Murim Alliance for a decisive strike.
"Are there other inspectors besides me?"
"A few more. Ah, you know two: Kunlun's Un Yeop Ja and Jeomchang's Jang Yeong-o. They're from the Nine Great Sects, but fitting in reputation and skill."
That explained why they stuck together so much. They were inspectors too.
"Now."
Then the abbot, who'd been silently squinting, finally spoke.
"We'll discuss details later. For now, I need to speak with the Dongbang Geomryong."
"Of course, Abbot."
"We'll take our leave."
True to form, the Shaolin abbot issued a guest dismissal with one word, and Paeng Yu-gun and Je Gal Sung departed.
Unsure if his eyes were open or closed, Hye-neung slowly poured tea into my cup. I drank it.
"Shaolin is a monkly sect, so we have no fine teas."
"It tastes of sincerity."
"Heh heh heh!"
Good lord.
A squinting character with a "heh heh heh" laugh.
He exuded the aura of a master with hidden depths.
As I inwardly admired, Hye-neung said,
"By the way, did you sleep well last night?"
"Yes, thanks to your consideration. The quarters were very comfortable."
"Hoho, I see. I thought otherwise."
Hye-neung's next words nearly made me spit out my tea.
"I figured you were too busy playing with the Thousand Changes Face Mask to notice the time passing." Pretending to be the Heavenly Demon