Chapter 224
Chapter 224
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 224
>Chapter Title: Joy (4)
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‘Officials and martial artists do not infringe upon each other.’
The government and the martial world do not trespass on one another. Recalling that strange phrase, Il-mok thought back to something that had happened a few days earlier.
After cleaning up the Nancheon Society.
“Brother.”
It had started with a question from Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a.
“While the trash from the Nancheon Society and Red Silk Chamber tormented the common folk, why did the government just sit idly by?”
At the girl’s innocent question, Il-mok, who had drunk deeply from the bitter waters of society, hesitated for a moment.
Should he protect her purity, or tell her the truth?
In the end, after agonizing over it, he chose to tell her the truth. There was no point in spinning lies to a child who had already seen things with her own eyes.
“From the ledgers, it looks like those bastards were paying their taxes on time. From the government’s perspective, as long as the taxes came in steadily, they couldn’t care less about anything else.”
The higher-ups didn’t give a damn about how the little people lived. As long as the taxes flowed in, everything was fine.
“But they were tormenting the common folk, weren’t they?”
“That torment was how they squeezed money out of the people to hand over as taxes. Isn’t it far easier for the government to let them collect it than to go door-to-door themselves? And thanks to those bastards extorting the folk, all the resentment is aimed at them instead of the government.”
At Il-mok’s cynical explanation, Jin Ha-yeon, who had been listening in from the side, chimed in.
“What a horrific story. It really makes me think our Divine Cult needs to reclaim the Central Plains as soon as possible and save the common folk.”
As she said this, Jin Ha-yeon stared piercingly at Il-mok, clearly believing he would lead the charge in that great undertaking.
But Il-mok had no intention of taking the forefront in such matters.
“Even if our Divine Cult recaptures the Central Plains, it won’t be easy. This place is just too damn big for no good reason.”
Seeing the puzzled looks on Jin Ha-yeon and Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a’s faces, Il-mok continued his explanation.
“Even here in Lanzhou, it takes at least half a month to reach the capital in Beijing. And that’s only if you’re using lightness skills or riding nonstop. Information travels so slowly that if the local officials send falsified reports, Beijing has no way of knowing the truth.”
In modern South Korea, which was a fraction of the size and called the information age, tax embezzlement and backroom deals were commonplace.
There were even lunatics who saw overseas trips on the taxpayer’s dime as their right.
No wonder people said the country wasn’t short on money—it was just overrun with thieves.
If it was like that even in modern South Korea, it was only natural for corruption to run rampant in a place like this, where information barely traveled and the land was absurdly vast.
“In that sense, the Central Plains is a paradise for villains. With corruption everywhere, black道 or evil factions in cahoots with corrupt officials can thrive. Even places run by upright officials aren’t safe.”
“I get the corrupt officials’ territories, but why are even the upright ones dangerous?”
To Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a’s question, Il-mok replied.
“For the same reason—the land is too big. If a villain commits murder or crime and flees to another province or hides in one of the countless mountains, tracking them down is nearly impossible. That’s why there are always those who think, ‘If I get caught, I’ll just run,’ and commit their evils.”
“Don’t the government have martial artists? Can villains really escape that easily?”
“Common folk might not, but anyone trained in martial arts can shake off their pursuit easily enough. Aside from Beijing, the border regions, and the provincial capitals, there are hardly any real experts in government offices.”
“Are there really that few experts in the government?”
“Hmm. Less ‘few’ and more a matter of priorities. From the emperor’s standpoint, nothing matters more than his own safety. Any top experts would first be assigned to guard him personally, and second to defend the borders, don’t you think?”
At Il-mok’s explanation, Jin Ha-yeon said pityingly.
“I can’t fathom how a leader could think so narrowly. In our Divine Cult, isn’t it the strongest who takes the cult leader position?”
Il-mok gave an awkward smile at her point.
Not because she was right.
‘Because of that doctrine where the strongest becomes cult leader, every time the Heavenly Demon ascends, the cult’s fortunes plummet.’
He couldn’t say that to her, a fanatic—she’d brand him a heretic.
‘Administration and martial prowess are separate to begin with. Just because you’re good at fighting doesn’t mean you can run a country without screwing it up.’
He couldn’t voice that either.
Swallowing his inner thoughts, Il-mok cleared his throat and changed the subject.
“Ahem. Point is, rooting out evil in the Central Plains is that tough. And while I’m not certain, that bizarre ‘officials and martial artists do not infringe’ custom probably arose from all this.”
Drawing on his year as a waiter, what he’d learned in the cult, what he’d seen and heard in Gansu Province, and his modern memories, Il-mok pieced together the truth behind it.
“Since perfectly managing this vast land is impossible anyway, they probably grant martial artists a degree of freedom. Naturally, they’ll form factions to carve out interests. From the imperial or government view, it’s easier to manage lumped-together villains than chase scattered ones everywhere. Just cull the ones who cross the line, and done.”
At Il-mok’s explanation, Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a nodded and asked.
“Then, what counts as crossing the line?”
To that, Il-mok smiled and replied.
“Why don’t you think about it yourself, Seon-a?”
* * *
Remembering that day, Il-mok felt a laugh bubbling up.
Not because of Seon-a’s innocent question.
‘One wrong step, and I’d have stepped right into a trap.’
Examples of crossing the line?
Jin Ha-yeon and Hyeok-ryeon Seon-a, right there in front of him, were perfect ones.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was the prime example.
‘With doctrines like that, of course they’d be seen as rebels. Sheesh.’
A god called the Heavenly Demon descends to shatter the old order and bring peace to the masses? Any dictator would see that as a rebel faction’s creed.
‘They’ve hung on this long, impressive. After driving out the Qin Dynasty, no reason to poke the bear?’
Most of the Divine Cult’s territory was wasteland. They might try seizing easy land, but with fierce resistance, it was a hot potato for the Han.
What a shame.
‘If they’d stamped it out ages ago, I wouldn’t have been dragged here!’
Without the Divine Cult, he might still be living peacefully as a waiter.
In any case, “officials and martial artists do not infringe” was an unwritten rule born of tangled interests.
And in Il-mok’s view, the current state of the Central Plains felt oddly off.
‘It’s true that managing organized factions is easier than scattered martial artists causing chaos everywhere, but the Martial Alliance is the exception.’
The rule only held for groups that could be dealt with if they crossed the line.
Even the Nine Great Sects or Seven Great Clans—taken individually—were “manageable” if the court set its mind to it.
But united as the Martial Alliance? Different story.
‘Hmm. Gotten too big to handle? Or maybe the Alliance is only united on the surface, with serious internal strife. Ah, or are they leaving it because of the Divine Cult? They say the last two Heavenly Demons’ invasions were blocked more by the Alliance than the court.’
Various possibilities came to mind, but nothing certain.
Almost no info on the imperial side.
As Il-mok organized his thoughts on the non-infringement rule, Hong-gae, having sorted his own, spoke up.
“Now that you mention it, it’s strange. Public works in Gongdong Mountain or Pingliang County should be less of an issue than what Ghost Valley and his disciples did.”
Il-mok nodded in agreement.
Just as the Divine Cult was one example of the court stepping in directly, another was the Blood Cult.
Mass slaughter.
The government ignored one or two deaths, but hundreds or thousands? They’d come out swinging.
It meant losing tax revenue and mass labor under the guise of taxes.
In that light, what Ghost Valley and his disciples did warranted government intervention.
Killing over a hundred was bad enough, but worse was breeding addicts. Those stabbed deep by hookweed couldn’t labor properly.
And Il-mok knew why the government hadn’t stepped in.
Thanks to the journal left by one of Ghost Valley’s disciples.
* * *
By the time Il-mok descended the mountain with Hong-gae and reached Pingliang County, the sky was darkening.
The two headed first to where Beggar Clan members were helping carpenters repair the manor.
There, the beggars had scoured Pingliang County and selected a few with especially severe symptoms for protection.
Fortunately, their numbers weren’t that high.
Ghost Valley and his disciples had spread it gradually, so recent converts weren’t as deeply addicted.
The reason few early victims—like Pingliang’s beggars—showed severe symptoms was simple.
‘…Most of them were probably already used as sacrifices.’
As if reading Il-mok’s thoughts, his demon sword hummed faintly.
‘For now, we’ll need to set up a care system like at Peach Blossom Ridge.’
As Il-mok organized his thoughts while eyeing the severe addicts, a Beggar Clan member spoke to Hong-gae.
“We have a matter that’s hard for us to handle, Branch Leader.”
“What is it?”
“It’s… related to the government.”
“I knew it. The government’s finally stepping in.”
Hong-gae frowned, as if things were getting messy, but the beggar shook his head.
“No, there are lots of addicts in the government offices too.”
“!?”
“Even the county magistrate is in as bad a state as these folks.”
That was the moment the reason the government hadn’t intervened in Pingliang’s crisis was revealed.
Ghost Valley and his disciples had targeted the county magistrate and government workers first—along with Pingliang’s beggars.
As Hong-gae pondered what to do.
“Even if they’re government folk, if their condition is this dire, they’re common folk we need to care for. Shouldn’t we bring them here and treat them right away?”
Il-mok, who already knew the magistrate and officials were addicted, stepped forward and said.
He genuinely intended to “care” for them.
“And while treating the magistrate and officials, we can handle the county’s duties ourselves.”
He could even take care of the magistrate’s workload in the process.
Catching Il-mok’s intent, Hong-gae frowned and asked.
“What’s that supposed to mean? The Maitreya Illuminated Cult handling government work? We should report this to the provincial capital in Lanzhou and request a new local official!”
At Hong-gae’s objection, Il-mok’s lips curled in a sneer.
“A beggar who’s never paid a cent in taxes his whole life, from a martial group preaching non-infringement, calling on the government? Even a stray dog would laugh.”
“…….”
As Hong-gae was momentarily speechless at the sharp mockery, Il-mok continued.
“And do you know who the new magistrate might be? If a corrupt bastard shows up, can you really not imagine the hell that’ll unfold in this hookweed-soaked village?”
Regaining his wits, Hong-gae snorted.
“Hmph. Think I don’t see through you? You just want to pocket the profits from Gongdong Mountain and Pingliang however you like!”
Hong-gae’s point was spot-on.
Under the Han Dynasty laws ruling the Central Plains, all land belonged to the emperor. Developing Gongdong Mountain arbitrarily for profit would give the government all the excuse they needed.
“So you already knew the magistrate was addicted!”
To Hong-gae’s accusation, Il-mok brazenly replied.
“Didn’t know. Just figured something was off since they sat out Ghost Valley’s mess. And isn’t the Beggar Clan on the side of the common folk, not the government? If the government butts in, do you really think Gongdong’s profits will go to the people?”
At Il-mok’s final question, Hong-gae, who had been vigorously arguing back, fell silent.