Chapter 227
Chapter 227
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 227
>Chapter Title: Rehabilitation (2)
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The opening of the letter sent by Il-mok contained information about Pingliang County and the Ghost Valley Crew.
In addition to the evil deeds they had committed, it requested the dispatch of physicians and one warrior to resolve the Hojapcho poisoning issue.
The story that followed was about the Beggars' Union.
- The Beggars' Union's division head, who suspected the Maitreya Divine Church, came to visit. However, this disciple showed his ingenuity and successfully deceived the division head, obtaining several important pieces of information in the process.
The contents written there were shocking in many ways.
It revealed that the Martial Alliance and the Beggars' Union had already grasped the changes in the New Frontier to some extent.
- Furthermore, this disciple linked the events at Joint Mountain to the Blood Cult, successfully diverting the Beggars' Union's attention from our Heavenly Demon Divine Cult to the possibly nonexistent Blood Cult.
While reading the letter, both Wi Jin-hak and the Demonic Physician unwittingly let out exclamations of admiration at Il-mok's ingenuity.
However, by the end of the letter, their expressions crumpled completely.
It was due to the shocking content written there.
- The division head, after being deceived by this disciple, said there is a very special way to distinguish spies from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Thus, this disciple asked for that method, saying it was needed to monitor the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult in Gansu Province, and the division head answered.
Il-mok had mixed a slight lie into the letter.
To avoid revealing that he had uttered the words 'Heavenly Demon's Dog', which could lead to dire consequences, he had twisted the sequence of events to make it seem as though he had deceived the division head first, prompting the division head to reveal it voluntarily.
- He said that if you insult the Master in front of someone suspected to be a spy from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, they will definitely react. Furthermore, if you order them to insult the Master themselves, they absolutely will not do it, and this is the secret technique for distinguishing spies from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
After reading Il-mok's letter in full, Wi Jin-hak shouted with a face flushed in rage.
"You filthy, despicable beggars!"
In contrast, the Demonic Physician looked at the Heavenly Demon with a face full of worry.
"Will it be alright?"
The Heavenly Demon let out a light sigh.
"Letting them insult this old man could crack the doctrine and the faith of the believers, which is a problem, but ignoring it risks falling victim to those Beggars' Union bastards, which is also a problem."
As the Heavenly Demon said, this was quite a serious issue.
For a proper Heavenly Demon Divine Cult follower—namely, those whose minds had been warped by intensive indoctrination—it was a technique they would inevitably fall for.
That was why the Beggars' Union had kept it hidden as a sure-kill method.
If it became widely known, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult might devise countermeasures, so it was a secret technique passed down only to experts beyond the Six Precepts level.
But thanks to the division head falling for Il-mok's deception, the information had now reached the Heavenly Demon himself.
Even so, now that he knew the situation, the Heavenly Demon couldn't immediately think of a solution.
Simply allowing insults against the Heavenly Demon risked unraveling the brainwashing of the cultists. In the Heavenly Demon's terms, it risked shaking their faith.
The three—no, four including the Silver Shadow Pavilion Master who was listening nearby—pondered the problem together for a moment.
"Come to think of it, I heard such a story from Physician Seo Jae-pil."
The Demonic Physician spoke up as if something had occurred to him.
"He said that after the Demonic Path Academy cadets were attacked by those Western cultists from over there, there was a period when they suffered mentally."
"Was there such an incident? I haven't heard about it from Pavilion Master Yeom."
In that instant, a slight crack formed in his trust toward Pavilion Master Yeom Hwi.
Realizing the impact of his words, the Demonic Physician inwardly apologized to Pavilion Master Yeom with 'Sorry, Pavilion Master Yeom' and cleared his throat.
"Ahem. And during that time, while Physician Seo was pondering what to do, the Eighth Young Master provided the solution."
"Hohoho. So you're saying that Pavilion Master Yeom couldn't solve it, but our youngest did."
"Ahem. Y-yes, Lord of Ten Thousand Demons."
"Then, what was that solution?"
"It was the advice to confess their weak and frail selves to the Supreme One."
"To this old man?"
The Heavenly Demon asked back with an expression of incomprehension. It was natural—they had neither confessed sins to him nor even heard the story.
"Of course, since they couldn't confess directly to the Supreme One, he advised them to offer prayers every night. He said that humans are inherently wicked and weak, so if they confess their sins, the Heavenly Demon will forgive them."
The Heavenly Demon understood why the Demonic Physician was bringing this up now.
"You're saying to inform the cultists operating in the Central Plains of that method. Even if they insult this old man in front of the Beggars' Union or others, they should let it pass first and then seek forgiveness from me for that sin."
"Yes, Lord of Ten Thousand Demons."
Having grasped the Demonic Physician's intent, the Heavenly Demon quickly turned his mind to devising a concrete plan.
"Having them come to me every time to confess would be ridiculous, so how about this?"
As the Heavenly Demon, who had brought a new era of prosperity to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and was the object of faith, proposed an idea, the others perked up their ears.
"We'll create a new doctrine. If someone commits acts contrary to the cult's teachings, including insulting this old man, they must go to a superior, reveal their sin, and seek forgiveness. Conversely, if a sin they haven't confessed is later revealed, they will face severe punishment."
That was the moment the confession sacrament was born in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Naturally, the root cause of it all was Il-mok.
As everyone admired the Heavenly Demon's brilliant wisdom, the Demonic Physician realized one important issue.
"Supreme One, may I ask one thing? What is the criterion for the superior to whom sins must be confessed? Does it not matter as long as they are of higher rank than oneself?"
"As expected of the Demonic Physician. An excellent question. Hohoho. The superiors to whom sins must be confessed will be divided according to the severity of the sin and the cultist's role. For example, if a branch warrior somewhere in the New Frontier comes to the main headquarters every time to confess a sin, they can't properly fulfill their duties, which would itself be a sin."
"Hahaha. The youngest said, 'One day no work, one day no food,' which is truly wise, Master."
Wi Jin-hak recalled the contents of the letter from Dam-bin he had read earlier and shouted.
Upon reflection, not only had the youngest deceived those despicable beggars, but he had also lectured them with such excellent words, making him a model younger brother for the cult.
Wi Jin-hak, who had been furious at the beggars daring to tarnish the Master's prestige, felt his anger subside somewhat as he recalled the youngest's ingenuity.
Understanding Wi Jin-hak's feelings, the Heavenly Demon nodded and added.
"Conversely, if the sin is too grave, then it would be appropriate to come to the main headquarters and confess to this old man or the Protector Elders. Especially, as written in the youngest's letter, if one must endure hearing or uttering words insulting the Heavenly Demon, which is the foundation of our cult, that sin must be confessed to the Heavenly Demon of the era."
"Then, how will we set the standards to judge the high and low severity of the sins?"
At the Demonic Physician's question, the Heavenly Demon smiled softly and stroked his beard.
"We'll leave that to the most suitable person, of course."
With that, the Heavenly Demon turned his head and looked at the Silver Shadow Pavilion Master.
"Summon the Protector Elder and the Shadow Pavilion Master shortly. The cult's doctrines and laws are under the Protector Court's responsibility, and the Central Plains branches fall under the Shadow Pavilion, so we'll entrust this matter to them."
"Your command!"
The Silver Shadow Pavilion Master bowed crisply with an emotionless face.
' I need to tell the children of the Silver Shadow Pavilion not to go near the Protector Court or Shadow Pavilion for a while.'
Inwardly, he offered silent condolences to the cultists of the Protector Court and Shadow Pavilion who would be torn apart for some time.
Of course, he had no intention of delivering those condolences personally.
If he lingered nearby, he risked getting caught in the splash damage himself.
'Ahem. My duty is to serve the Supreme One, so I won't run into them anyway.'
Having rationalized it suitably, the Silver Shadow Pavilion Master thought.
'While in Gansu Province, he pushed the main headquarters' Protector Elder and Shadow Pavilion Master into the pit of hell. As expected, the Eighth Young Master is a terrifying man.'
Honestly, he worried that someday the Eighth Young Master might get assassinated.
Not by the Martial Alliance or Beggars' Union discovering his identity, but by someone in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult suffering from overwork.
Thanks to the Eighth Young Master, there were too many candidates suffering from overwork to narrow it down.
While the Silver Shadow Pavilion Master entertained such idle thoughts with his seasoned expression control, the Heavenly Demon, who had offloaded the work with skill rivaling Il-mok's, spoke up.
"Come to think of it, it seems the Martial Alliance and Beggars' Union are closely watching our Divine Cult and the movements in the New Frontier."
"It would be best to order the Shadow Pavilion to root out those rat bastards."
At Wi Jin-hak's words, which casually tried to offload more work onto the Shadow Pavilion Master, the Heavenly Demon nodded.
"Naturally, but moving hastily risks backfiring. We should slowly tighten internal security, but for now, it's best to shelve the letter from Team Leader Dam."
"The hymns, 'One day no work, one day no food,' and even the proselytizing methods—all of it?"
"Indeed. If the Maitreya Divine Church's hymns and proselytizing methods are spreading in the New Frontier under our Divine Cult's name, won't the Martial Alliance or Beggars' Union catch the scent? In the worst case, the youngest could end up trapped in their heaven-and-earth net."
"This disciple's thinking was shortsighted, Master. Then, we shall put the matters in that letter on hold."
Fortunately, the Demonic Path Hall's demons were spared from being torn apart.
"However, when the time comes, we must implement them swiftly, so compile the youngest's proselytizing methods and hymns, devise an introduction plan, and prepare a proposal. Select only the most trustworthy few to avoid information leaks."
"I shall obey your command, Master!"
Instead, only the most trustworthy individuals handpicked by Wi Jin-hak were doomed to be torn apart.
Having sorted out the matters of hymns and proselytizing as well, the Heavenly Demon turned his head to look at the Demonic Physician.
The Demonic Physician, grasping the meaning in that gaze, quickly bowed and replied.
"I shall promptly compile and report the physicians to send to Pingliang County in Gansu Province."
The Demonic Physician had noticed that lingering too long might splash the terrifying embers of overwork onto him as well.
No— it had already splashed.
Sending a few physicians would double the number of patients the remaining ones at the main headquarters had to handle.
* * *
Thanks to the letters from Dam-bin and Il-mok, a massive typhoon of tasks began sweeping through the main headquarters.
A few days before the physicians and one warrior escaped the main headquarters to flee the typhoon.
At the county office in Pingliang County, Gansu Province.
The visiting Red Beggar conveyed to Il-mok.
"As per the Maitreya Divine Church's request, I've found three madams and scribes and sent them to the theater troupe members. Also, the stables and inns near Joint Mountain should be completed soon."
"Thank you."
"It's done. It's for the people here."
The Red Beggar replied as if he had simply done his duty and left the county office. Il-mok watched his retreating figure for a moment, then lowered his head to gaze at the demonic sword strapped to his side.
"Aren't you excited? From now on, Pingliang County will be even more enjoyable. Hahaha."
At Il-mok's question, the demonic sword let out a frenzied 'Wiiiing!' as if having a seizure.
"Hahaha. You seem excited too."
The demonic sword vibrated frantically again at Il-mok's words, but Il-mok merely smiled and set off to meet the madams and scribes.