Chapter 194
Chapter 194
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 55
>Chapter Title: Test (4)
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“I am a ghost who should have died.”
The Chief caught his breath and released his support as the middle-aged man with a long scar above his left eyebrow spoke. He asked in bewilderment,
“Haa… haa… A ghost who should have died?”
“Exactly as I said.”
The Chief’s eyes narrowed.
The phrase “a ghost who should have died” could be interpreted in reverse as “someone who survived despite dying.”
Digging deeper, it could also mean “someone we thought was dead.”
‘Sickle Murder Ghost…’
It was a nickname he had never heard in the martial world.
Who on earth was this Sickle Murder Ghost to make such a statement?
If the man had brought it up directly like this, it couldn’t be someone he could simply dismiss.
After a moment of thought, the Chief spoke.
“Just ask.”
“Yes.”
“Did you kill him yourself?”
“Yes. I shattered his five viscera and six organs with a single palm strike and pierced his chest where his heart lay with this sword.”
The scarred middle-aged man raised his pitch-black sword, charred as if burned.
The Chief asked in response,
“That should have definitely killed him.”
Surviving that would be impossible.
The man nodded in agreement as he replied,
“Yes, he should be dead.”
“…But you say this because you think the boy from earlier might be the Sickle Murder Ghost who died by your hand?”
“The possibility is extremely low.”
“Then why bring it up?”
“It goes beyond mere resemblance—he looks exactly like the same person.”
“Exactly like the same person?”
The Chief furrowed his brow at those words.
Then, soon after,
“No way…”
“Chief, let me say this first: it has nothing to do with ‘that.’”
“It doesn’t?”
“No.”
“Then is that truly possible?”
“That’s why I’m concerned as well.”
Concerned, he said.
It meant he couldn’t rule out even the slightest possibility.
The Chief stared intently at the man, coughed, and asked,
“Cough, cough. Why did you kill that Sickle Murder Ghost?”
“He was digging into ‘our’ tracks.”
‘!?’
The Chief’s eyes flickered strangely at the middle-aged man’s answer.
It was a form of agitation.
What did “our” signify to elicit such a reaction from him?
Soon, the Chief spoke.
“Digging into our tracks, you say. That changes things. Left Guard.”
“Yes.”
“Verify the truth of that man’s death, whether he’s the Sickle Murder Ghost or not.”
So far, there was no connection beyond the resemblance.
That was why the Chief demanded confirmation.
The middle-aged man clasped his hands in a fist salute and replied,
“Understood. But if there’s even the slightest chance it’s the Sickle Murder Ghost, what shall we do? It would be better to eliminate him immediately for the sake of the future…”
“…”
After catching his breath for a moment, the Chief spoke in a voice laced with killing intent.
“No.”
“But…”
“If that’s the case, wait until the mission is complete.”
“Ahhh.”
The man grinned, understanding the Chief’s intent to use him to the end, and replied,
“As you command.”
* * *
Mok Kyung-un stood side by side with Seop Chun, the captain of the Main Residence’s Third Guard Unit and one of the Five Tigers, and Mong Mu-yak, another of the Five Tigers and the Vice Chief’s son.
In front of them, Vice Chief Mong Seo-cheon stood with his hands behind his back and spoke.
“There’s been a delay, and time is short, so I’ll explain the mission now.”
‘Mission…’
What a troublesome situation.
A top-secret mission that required the Chief’s personal summons and the Vice Chief’s explanation couldn’t be an ordinary task to take lightly.
Mok Kyung-un glanced at Dark Clan Leader Hwan Ya-seon, who stood far back near the entrance behind Vice Chief Mong Seo-cheon.
Even she, who handled intelligence and secrets, was kept at a distance, suggesting this mission hadn’t been consulted with the Dark Clan Leader at all.
That meant,
‘…We can’t trust the Dark Clan Leader for this mission.’
Mok Kyung-un could deduce this from the fragmented information alone.
At that moment, Vice Chief Mong Seo-cheon began the explanation.
“I’ll start with the objective of this mission. The goal is to abduct a certain individual imprisoned at some location and bring them back to our Society’s inner stronghold.”
At those words, Main Residence Third Guard Captain Seop Chun lightly raised his hand and said,
“Is the person we need to abduct one of ours in the Society?”
Vice Chief Mong Seo-cheon stared at Seop Chun before replying,
“No. For now…”
“If not, is he an enemy?”
At Seop Chun’s follow-up question, the Vice Chief frowned and responded in a heavier tone,
“Whether the target is an enemy or an ally is none of your concern. Your only task is to bring that person here to the Heaven-Earth Society’s inner stronghold by any means necessary, without regard for methods.”
“…”
What kind of person required such restricted information about the abduction target?
Seop Chun said in a somewhat puzzled tone,
“I understand, but with such limited information, how are we supposed to abduct a person—not an object, I might add?”
Mok Kyung-un nodded in agreement with his words.
Seop Chun’s doubts were reasonable.
Vice Chief Mong Seo-cheon shook his head and answered the question.
“You’ll learn the details about the abduction target once you arrive at the location where they’re held after leaving the Society.”
‘Once we arrive at the location?’
Mok Kyung-un realized something from that.
No matter who they were abducting, the information couldn’t leak within the Society before they departed for the mission.
This led to two inferences.
One was,
‘Someone who could stir up negative public opinion?’
The Chief had a capricious side, but above all, he was highly authoritarian, tending to push through what he wanted.
If even he was keeping the identity of the person he wanted secret, it was likely the executives or Society members would view it negatively.
The second,
‘A spy…’
Revealing it only upon reaching the target’s location was a countermeasure against internal leaks.
While it could mean strict secrecy for mission success, it also implied spies might exist within the inner stronghold.
‘…Not consulting the Dark Clan Leader means they suspect a spy among the key executives.’
Mok Kyung-un’s lip twitched as his thoughts reached that point.
It was all speculation, but if even part of it was true, it could ripple through this massive organization.
At that moment, the Vice Chief said,
“Any more questions?”
“None.”
-Swish!
Realizing further questions wouldn’t yield more due to the information restrictions, Seop Chun lowered his raised hand, apparently having nothing more to say.
The Vice Chief crossed his arms and continued,
“This mission will naturally become known later, but until then, it requires utmost secrecy. Don’t harbor major doubts. Understood?”
“Yes!”
Everyone replied in unison.
The Vice Chief pressed on,
“The personnel for this mission are divided into the advance team and the follow-up team. The advance team has already departed, so you’ll hear more details from them upon arrival.”
‘Advance team?’
There were others to coordinate with.
Whatever the mission, Mok Kyung-un hoped it could be completed as quickly as possible rather than being difficult.
Of course, with such scant information, it was still too early to gauge.
“The first rendezvous point where the advance team awaits is Anlu in Henan Province.”
‘Anlu?’
At those words, the eyes of Mok Kyung-un and the other two flickered oddly.
That made sense, as Anlu in Henan Province was right near Kaifeng, the capital and seat of the imperial palace.
The first rendezvous to join the advance team and receive information being Anlu meant…
‘…The capital.’
All three could guess the true rendezvous point for the mission.
* * *
After the brief mission briefing concluded and before departure, Dark Clan Leader Hwan Ya-seon, who had been waiting for Mok Kyung-un, beckoned him over.
Once they were distanced from the others, the two began their conversation.
“Master.”
“What a coincidence.”
“Yes.”
“Did they tell you where the mission takes place?”
“They didn’t. They only gave the first rendezvous point.”
“I see… Then…”
“It seems certain it’s the capital, Kaifeng.”
Dark Clan Leader Hwan Ya-seon smiled at Mok Kyung-un’s words.
Not because he was her disciple, but this kid was truly sharp.
“Oh ho ho. Correct. It’s Kaifeng. Precisely, the imperial palace in Kaifeng.”
‘!?‘
Mok Kyung-un’s eyes gleamed at the mention of the imperial palace.
He had suspected a capital mission, but he hadn’t expected it to truly be the imperial palace.
“There are eyes watching, so don’t show it on your face.”
“Understood.”
“No time, so I’ll tell you about our Dark Clan spies in the imperial palace first.”
“Thank you.”
In fact, this was the biggest reason Mok Kyung-un, the Dark Clan’s heir, and Dark Clan Leader Hwan Ya-seon herself were assigned to this mission.
With the heir personally deployed, the Dark Clan spies in the palace would cooperate even more desperately, staking their lives.
Mong Mu-yak, the Vice Chief’s son, was included for a similar reason.
The spies under the Chief’s direct division managed by Mong Seo-cheon were also in the palace, so they would obey Mong Mu-yak without question.
“…There they are. Memorize them. You can handle it, right?”
“Yes, understood.”
“And take this.”
The Dark Clan Leader handed Mok Kyung-un a jade plaque engraved with a tiger.
“What’s this?”
“With this plaque and the code phrase I told you, they’ll cooperate willingly.”
“Yes.”
Mok Kyung-un took the jade plaque.
But he felt something else in his palm beneath it.
It was,
‘A ring?’
It seemed like a ring to wear on the finger.
She had slipped it under the plaque to hide it.
Dark Clan Leader Hwan Ya-seon whispered even more softly than before.
“It’s a cultist’s credential. Keep it.”
“Why this?”
“From now on, as a senior cultist of the Church—not the Society—I issue you this order.”
“…”
‘As a senior cultist?’
Mok Kyung-un’s eyes narrowed.
Was this mission entangled with the Blazing Flower Church too?
As he puzzled over it, Dark Clan Leader Hwan Ya-seon whispered quietly,
“The one you’re to abduct on this mission is our Church’s Sacred Flame Edict Lord.”
‘!?‘
Sacred Flame Edict Lord?
He had heard about it from Hwan Ya-seon before.
The Blazing Flower Church had two highest positions: the Cult Leader and the second, the Sacred Flame Edict Lord, who communed with the sacred flame and handled rituals.
According to her, the Cult Leader had lost his life, and the Sacred Flame Edict Lord had gone missing.
Mok Kyung-un quietly asked,
“Why is the Chief after him?”
It didn’t make sense.
Hadn’t the Blazing Flower Church been rejected by the orthodox sects regardless of politics?
So why was the Heaven-Earth Society’s Chief trying to abduct the Blazing Flower Church’s Sacred Flame Edict Lord?
Hwan Ya-seon answered his question,
“…I can’t explain the details now. But the success or failure of this rests solely on you.”
“What’s the mission?”
“If you succeed in the abduction on the Chief’s secret mission… before returning to the Society, spirit away the Sacred Flame Edict Lord.”
“…”
Mok Kyung-un’s eyes flickered strangely at her words.
He had anticipated conflicts might arise someday from playing both sides with the Church, but he hadn’t expected it to come like this.
‘Ahhh… This is getting annoying.’
It was uncertain if the abduction would even succeed, and failing to spirit away the abducted Sacred Flame Edict Lord could brand him a Heaven-Earth Society traitor.
No, attempting it would already make him one.
Ignoring the Dark Clan Leader’s order would likely lead to its own troubles.
It was a true dilemma with no easy choice.
‘What to do.’
It seemed a moment for decision had arrived, whatever the case.
* * *
While Mok Kyung-un conversed with Dark Clan Leader Hwan Ya-seon, Vice Chief Mong Seo-cheon was also giving his son, Mong Mu-yak, a secret order beyond the spy information.
“Monitor Mok Kyung-un.”
“Mok Kyung-un… you say?”
“Yes. Watch his every move.”
“Father, why?”
“Outch! Who told you to call me that in an official setting?”
Mong Mu-yak bowed his head at his father Mong Seo-cheon’s rebuke and replied,
“…My apologies, Vice Chief. But why issue such an order?”
“To confirm his loyalty.”
‘Ah!’
Right.
Even though he swore loyalty in Blood River Valley, his roots were in the orthodox sects.
It had only been half a month since his pledge; it was too soon to fully trust him as a Society man.
“If… there’s any cause for suspicion, what then?”
At that, Vice Chief Mong Seo-cheon drew a small red gourd bottle from his bosom.
He handed it to his son, Mong Mu-yak.
“Take this.”
“Is this perhaps…?”
“Yes. If he contacts the orthodox sects or shows suspicious behavior, use it. You know how, right?”
“Yes.”
How could he not know?
He had witnessed its tremendous effect with his own eyes.
But he wondered if it would work properly on that monster who endured even the Chief’s profound true energy without so much as a groan.
* * *
While Mok Kyung-un and Mong Mu-yak each received secret orders from the Dark Clan Leader and Vice Chief, Main Residence Third Guard Captain Seop Chun, waiting alone, shrugged his shoulders with a sigh and muttered,
“Looks like those without backing end up on the cold rice bench.”
Seop Chun’s position differed from the other Five Tigers.
From a mid-tier martial family, his clan had joined the Society not at its founding but twenty years ago, holding no influence.
Thus, he was like a pawn that could be used and discarded at any time.
Unlike those with powerful backers like the Vice Chief or Dark Clan Leader, he had no protector for contingencies in this secret mission.
That meant, if things went south, they might demand his sacrifice.
“Tch.”
What a depressing, boring life.
Lost in thought, Seop Chun subtly glanced at Mok Kyung-un.
Though they met today for the first time, he wasn’t ordinary.
Exceptional, perhaps?
Few gave him that impression.
‘The Youngest Young Master, maybe.’
No, the Eldest Young Master, Na Yul-ryang.
He was in a completely different league from the Chief’s other disciples.
Was this the aura of one walking the path of hegemony?
That was the feeling.
Curiously, a bizarrely similar aura emanated from Mok Kyung-un, who was merely seventeen.
He didn’t seem like someone meant to be under anyone.
‘Hm.’
Come to think of it, if this mission succeeded safely, the Chief had promised to take him as the fourth disciple.
That also meant he’d gain heir qualifications, however weak his base.
Seop Chun, staring at Mok Kyung-un, faintly lifted the corner of his mouth.
‘Life’s short anyway. Shall I gamble once?’
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