Monopolizing Fortunes (201)
Monopolizing Fortunes (201)
"I don't believe such absurd information."
"The Hell of Unbelief... someone called it that. Believe it or not, you're going to tell me a great many things."
The scarred man clamped his mouth shut with the resolve never to open it.
"Sichuan Province."
Shutting his mouth was useless. His inner surprise showed plainly. Whatever else he was, he had no talent for hiding what was in his mind.
"Poison."
The scarred man's Adam's apple bobbed up and down. Do Tong-dal settled back into his chair with a leisurely expression.
"When it comes to poison from Sichuan Province, doesn't one clan come to mind? Right? That's right, that's the answer I wanted."
"I said nothing."
"You just told me. The Sichuan Tang Clan."
"When did I ever say such a thing!"
"You didn't say it out loud, but you thought it in your head. My divine power can read the thoughts in your mind clear as day."
"Th-there's no way such a thing exists."
"Hey, messenger of the Directorate."
The messenger's eyes widened until they could grow no wider.
"H-how do you know my identity...!"
"The world is full of mysteries you can't comprehend. Though I suppose you wouldn't know much, having only ever moved according to orders from the military."
Now he had no choice but to believe that Do Tong-dal possessed divine power. Otherwise, there was no way he could know so much about him in such detail.
"What's your name?"
"Gwon Cheol-hyeon. Hup!"
After answering reflexively, he sucked in a sharp breath.
"Don't be so shocked. Do you think I asked because I didn't know?"
"If you already know everything, why ask?"
"I don't know everything. If I knew everything, I wouldn't have divine power—I'd just be a god. What I'm curious about is who's targeting me. Of course, I don't expect you to tell me that. You probably don't know either."
From his expression, Do Tong-dal could tell his guess was right.
'Damn, looks like I'll be taking the long way around.'
Grumbling inwardly, he continued his questions.
"What I'm curious about is whether the entire Sichuan Tang Clan is my enemy. So they are. Hm, so the Sichuan Tang Clan is behind this conspiracy? So that's a no. There's someone moving the Sichuan Tang Clan? They say it's one mountain after another—I resolve the Revenge Society, and something else pops up."
What made this matter more troublesome than the Revenge Society was that it targeted Do Tong-dal directly.
"Is it certain that if they capture only me, they won't touch the people around me?"
Perhaps because he had spent three years in a cave, his expressions were far easier to read.
"So that's a yes? Is killing me the goal? You don't know that. What's the name of your organization?"
Gwon Cheol-hyeon kept his mouth firmly shut.
"Hey, you've already told me a lot."
"I said nothing."
"But I even know your name. And that the Sichuan Tang Clan is part of your organization, and that you belong to the military. What else is there? Even your affiliation and rank."
"I didn't say it!"
"If you didn't say it, how would I know?"
"That's because of your divine power..."
And so Gwon Cheol-hyeon acknowledged Do Tong-dal's divine power. He himself had not said a word, yet Do Tong-dal had discerned it as if reading his thoughts. What could that be but divine power?
"Since it's come to this, how about you spill everything and get it off your chest?"
Gwon Cheol-hyeon's will was resolute. Even if Do Tong-dal had learned it using divine power, he swore that he himself had said nothing but his name. His loyalty, which he carried even to the point of swallowing poison, could not be broken.
"Let me ask just one last thing. How strong are you within your organization?"
The question was too vague.
"How many masters stronger than you have you met? Two? Four? Six? So it's five."
Gwon Cheol-hyeon was no longer surprised.
"For someone of your level, you're a considerable master, yet you've met five people stronger than you. Which means in reality there are far more than that..."
At Do Tong-dal's words "considerable master," shame washed over Gwon Cheol-hyeon. In truth, he had been quite confident in his martial arts. If he was confident he would not be pushed back even against an elder of the Nine Great Sects, it was natural to feel that way.
Yet Do Tong-dal had subdued him as easily as twisting a child's wrist. Saying he had been ambushed was nothing but an excuse.
If the positions had been reversed and he had ambushed Do Tong-dal, the result would have been completely different.
Do Tong-dal rose to his feet and spoke.
"If you insist on death, then I'll have to grant your wish."
There was no hesitation in Do Tong-dal's motion as he twisted Gwon Cheol-hyeon's neck. With a crack, Gwon Cheol-hyeon's neck broke and he died.
Do Tong-dal recovered Gwon Cheol-hyeon's bronze token and left the warehouse. Learning only his name and that he belonged to the military would not have been bad, but he had also uncovered the fact that the Sichuan Tang Clan was involved.
"The Sichuan Tang Clan—aren't they a rather troublesome opponent?"
Though they were a member of the Five Great Clans of the martial world, perhaps because they were located in the remote region of Sichuan Province, they rarely involved themselves in martial world affairs.
That they exerted more power with poison and hidden weapons than with martial arts was the entirety of Do Tong-dal's knowledge.
"Hall Master Do!"
As he was leaving the warehouse, Jo Sang-guk, the sixth of the Twelve Zodiac Shadows, came running up.
"Has something happened?"
"Word came from the imperial palace—His Majesty the Emperor is in critical condition!"
"What? He's still young and healthy—how can he be critical?"
"I don't know the details, but they're urgently looking for you, Hall Master Do. It seems they've sent word not only to the Righteous Chivalry Sect but everywhere connected to you."
Do Tong-dal's fists trembled. He had finished that grueling closed-door training (actually, aside from the beginning, it hadn't been that hard) and thought he could now enjoy the leisurely life of a scoundrel.
He had come in such a cheerful mood that the first place he stopped was a pleasure house. But before he could even have a single drink there, incidents kept erupting one after another.
"Why do all the world's troublesome incidents seem to wait for me? Damn it!"
It wasn't just any matter—Ju Hyeong-seon was critically ill, so he couldn't simply not go.
"If the emperor is critically ill, shouldn't they look for the imperial physician? Why are they looking for you, Master?"
At Jang Yeon-seon's question, Do Tong-dal let out a long sigh.
"Exactly. I thought I'd be able to rest easy once the Revenge Society matter was over."
Jang Yeon-seon consoled Do Tong-dal.
"It's because your abilities are too outstanding, Master. And there's good news."
"At a time like this?"
"They say all the hostages were rescued safely."
It was just as Do Tong-dal had expected. They would have concentrated their forces on the Righteous Chivalry Sect, so that side had no choice but to be relatively weak.
"That's good."
"Word that you've returned, Master, has already been passed along."
"Looks like I'll have to leave without even having time to meet those people."
Jang Yeon-seon spoke with a disappointed face.
"We just met, and now we have to part again?"
"Right. I should be up all night chatting warmly with my disciple and checking your martial arts, but this damn emperor had to go and get sick at exactly this time."
Jang Yeon-seon hugged Do Tong-dal tightly.
"You have to come back quickly."
"I will. I'll come straight back as soon as it's resolved."
After saying goodbye to Jang Yeon-seon, Do Tong-dal headed for Beijing. He had spoken as if it were nothing, but his steps were different.
He exerted his Lightness Art at maximum speed, and it was so fast that even he was surprised. He didn't even get tired.
The Wonhyeong Musang Art, which contained the Boundless Blazing Fire Art, was like a spring that never ran dry. No matter how much he exerted his Lightness Art, there was no sign of his internal power diminishing.
His stamina had even improved so much that he was able to reach Beijing in three shichen. Probably not even a carrier pigeon could have arrived this quickly.
Upon arriving at the imperial palace, he looked for Yang Su-pan. The Embroidered Uniform Guard soldiers guarding the Meridian Gate had changed over the past three years and did not recognize Do Tong-dal.
"You want to meet the Minister of Personnel?"
The two guards, who looked to be in their mid-twenties, looked Do Tong-dal up and down.
"State your identity and business, then wait."
"I already gave my name, and I came because that gentleman summoned me. How long am I supposed to wait?"
"You brat, do you think you can meet the Minister of Personnel so easily? And is it really true that His Excellency summoned you?"
"If it were anything else, I'd just leave."
Since Ju Hyeong-seon was said to be critical, he couldn't simply turn back. He was thinking, 'Should I just climb over the palace wall?' when the two guards suddenly snapped to attention.
"We greet Commissioner Tae!"
When Do Tong-dal turned his head, he finally saw a familiar face. At that moment, Tae Jun-seo also saw Do Tong-dal.
"Oh? Oh!"
Startled, Tae Jun-seo belatedly bowed toward Do Tong-dal.
"I greet Lord Do!"
"Finally, a familiar face. You've been promoted to Pacification Commissioner."
"It's more than I deserve, and it's thanks to your care, Lord Do. But why are you standing out here?"
As soon as he asked, he could guess the reason. Tae Jun-seo's expression as he looked at the two guards turned fierce.
"You wretches, do you know who this is? How dare the likes of you block his way?"
"N-no, that's not it, we... procedure..."
"Did you not receive the order that when the person with the name Do Tong-dal arrives, you are to escort him inside immediately!"
Judging by the atmosphere, if they said they hadn't received it, their heads would fly. At times like this, the best course was to flatten yourself on the ground. That was the art of survival they had learned in the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
"We apologize! We have made a grave error!"
Tae Jun-seo also apologized.
"I apologize. I failed to properly train my subordinates."
"It could happen. If you want to blame someone, blame that fellow Yang Su-pan. I came after receiving a letter—how serious is it?"
Tae Jun-seo fell in beside Do Tong-dal and lowered his voice.
"The fact that His Majesty the Emperor is bedridden is still a secret."
Of course it would be. That was why he hadn't been able to tell the guards that he had come because of the emperor's illness.
"From what I've heard, it seems he was poisoned."
He wasn't surprised, because he had already thought that if the young and healthy Ju Hyeong-seon was ill, it might be due to poison.
Since he had heard about the Sichuan Tang Clan from Gwon Cheol-hyeon, the thought naturally occurred to him that it might be the same mastermind.
"There's no position more thoroughly protected than the emperor's, so if someone managed to poison him despite that, it's no ordinary matter."
Even though he had omitted the honorific "His Majesty," Tae Jun-seo let it pass. In this world, the only person who was permitted such a thing was Do Tong-dal. Though Do Tong-dal himself wasn't even conscious of it. People curse the king when he isn't around, so what did omitting an honorific matter?
"The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot conducted a secret investigation to find the culprit, but they have yet to find any clues."
"Understood. First, Censor Yang... no, it seems he's become the Minister of Personnel. Anyway, I'll have to meet with that gentleman first. Is the physician in black still serving as imperial physician?"
"Yes. Even His Majesty the Emperor personally stepped in to forcibly stop him from returning to Hangzhou. I heard that as long as it isn't a palace maid who has received the imperial favor, they've agreed to turn a blind eye even if he falls for someone."
Do Tong-dal couldn't help but let out a chuckle. This was why a criminal record was a frightening thing.
Upon hearing that Do Tong-dal had arrived, Yang Su-pan came running as if his feet were on fire.
"Tong-dal—!"
Forgetting even the dignity of the Minister of Personnel, Yang Su-pan ran from afar, calling Do Tong-dal at the top of his lungs.
Like a parent welcoming a child returned from the battlefield, Yang Su-pan threw his arms around Do Tong-dal and shouted.
"Where have you been that you only now return! You really have returned now, right? You didn't come back earlier and just not come find me, did you?"
"It hasn't even been a day since I arrived at the Righteous Chivalry Sect. But I hear His Majesty has been poisoned?"
"Yes! First, let's go see the physician in black."
"You still call them the physician in black?"
"He asked to be called that. He says it reminds him of when he lived in Hangzhou, or something."
Even though they had grumbled every day as if deeply dissatisfied with life, the physician in black had been happy in Hangzhou too.
The physician in black was startled by Do Tong-dal's visit.
"Do you really have some kind of divine power?"
"Why?"
"How do you show up at exactly the right time like this?"
Do Tong-dal let out a long sigh.
"It seems hardship is simply my fate. The emperor is ill, so why did you send for me? You should be the one treating him."
The physician in black smiled a peculiar smile.
"You'll have to make one more trip to the Southern Barbarians."
"The Southern Barbarians—that place I went to last time..."
"That's right. The place where you earned the fearsome name Eight-Clawed Young Master."
"Damn it all! I have to do that again!"
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