Chapter 11
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: The Ill-Fated Tang Clan (1)
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Inside the office of the Embroidered Guard's intelligence division, the liaison assigned to Lee Geum-yeong cautiously observed the high-ranking warrior in the golden uniform standing before him.
“Crazy bitch…”
The high-ranking warrior, who had just received a message from Lee Geum-yeong, muttered a curse.
His gaze was fixed on the report she had written.
The report was filled with absurd stories, like how a five-story pavilion was demolished with a single sword strike, and over a hundred disciples of the Jeungbyeok Sect were subdued in an instant.
It was written in such a hurry that the handwriting was a mess, hardly befitting the daughter of a prestigious family.
“There’s a limit to exaggeration. Is she writing a novel? This is why you can’t trust people hired through connections.”
Lee Geum-yeong had scored nearly perfectly on the martial arts exam, but unfortunately, she had received a near-failing grade on the written test.
A position in the Embroidered Guard, the emperor's personal guard, couldn't be obtained simply by being skilled in martial arts.
Her appointment was entirely due to her background as the daughter of a Great General.
“Is the problem with her eyes or her brain?”
The high-ranking warrior cursed as he tossed the report onto his desk.
The frown etched between his brows showed no sign of smoothing over.
“Well… I suppose she has to make it look like she’s working, one way or another.”
The liaison who had delivered Lee Geum-yeong’s report smiled wryly.
Just as the warrior had said, Lee Geum-yeong, the youngest daughter of the Great General, had been assigned to investigate the Sinnae Sword School before she had even finished her training. Meanwhile, all her peers were training their bones off at the academy.
But the subject of her investigation, the Sinnae Sword School, was the least likely lead among the various baits A-mun had scattered.
‘A man like A-mun, skilled in both literary and martial arts, coming from a quiet rural area? It’s unbelievable.’
A-mun possessed a knowledge of state affairs so profound he could overwhelm officials, and his martial arts were formidable enough to be noticed even by the Embroidered Guard.
The idea that such a man hailed from a remote martial arts school in the Sichuan countryside was simply incredible.
‘In the end, this mission is just a way to send the Great General's youngest daughter on a little trip.’
“I really can’t stand this.”
“Still, if you take good care of Geum-yeong, won’t the Great General’s family reward you someday, Team Leader?”
“Reward me? As if.”
Despite his words, the high-ranking warrior secretly hoped for support from the Great General’s family.
He licked his lips and spoke to Lee Geum-yeong’s liaison.
“Haa… Just take good care of her. Skim over the report.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The liaison bowed his head to the high-ranking warrior.
***
“G-Grandmaster has passed away?”
Nam Gyeong, who visited the Jungrang Inn the next day, asked again with wide eyes.
I nodded. Since they hadn't been in contact for the past few years, Nam Gyeong hadn't heard the news of our master’s passing.
Upon hearing the belated news, tears welled up in Nam Gyeong’s eyes.
“I should have gone to see him…”
“Master was always worried about your tender heart, Gyeong.”
I patted Gyeong’s shoulder to comfort him.
Nam Gyeong finally broke down in tears. A man over thirty was sobbing like a child.
“I looked after Master until the very end. So don't cry so sorrowfully.”
“*Sob*! I’m sorry, Instructor!”
“It’s alright. Everyone has their own circumstances… It’s enough that you mourn for Master so deeply.”
Although Nam Gyeong learned swordsmanship from me, he regarded our master more like a father.
This was something that age and experience couldn't ignore. While one could learn swordsmanship from a young instructor, one couldn't confide in him about life's troubles.
Moreover, Nam Gyeong had become an escort through our master’s connections, and he had joined the Righteous Alliance because our master was a former member.
“So, did you handle your business well?”
Nam Gyeong had been tracking the middle-aged man who fled from the Jeungbyeok Sect.
He nodded and answered confidently.
“I arrested Team Leader Min and put him in the local branch’s prison.”
“Team Leader? Hmm, what business would a Righteous Alliance team leader have with the Jeungbyeok Sect, an evil faction…”
Though not to the same extent as Nam Gyeong, I also held a certain admiration for the Righteous Alliance.
This was largely because our master had been a member. If he hadn't stopped teaching disciples and if he hadn't fallen ill, I might have taken the entrance exam myself.
I couldn't understand why a team leader of the Righteous Alliance would join hands with an evil faction.
“They say the problems from the Righteous Alliance’s rapid expansion after the War of Righteousness and Evil are only now starting to surface.”
Jeok-sam, who was well-versed in worldly affairs, resolved my confusion.
“After twenty-five years?”
“Yes. The people who joined twenty-five years ago have now risen to become the core of the Alliance’s leadership.”
“Hmm… So you’re saying it’s different from when Master was in the Alliance, twenty-five years ago.”
I knew our master had been a warrior of the Righteous Alliance, but he rarely spoke of it.
Even I, who had served him for twenty-five years, only knew that he had fought against the Blood Demon Cult as a warrior of the Alliance in the War of Righteousness and Evil.
“Thanks to that, the Righteous Alliance, which was just a coalition of small and medium-sized sects until the war, has now become the foremost power of the righteous faction, encompassing the Nine Great Sects, One Union, and the Five Great Clans.”
“Then the current leadership is…”
“The influence of the Five Great Clans is quite strong. The Namgung, Jegal, Tang, Peng, and Murong. They are the main force leading the Righteous Alliance.”
Jeok-sam added that in just two decades, the founding leadership of the Righteous Alliance had been completely replaced.
He also mentioned that this had caused some of the original members and warriors from the small and medium-sized sects, which had once been the backbone of the Alliance, to become disillusioned.
“This Team Leader Min, he wasn't from one of the great sects or the Five Great Clans, was he?”
“No, Senior Brother. That’s why he was a bit timid compared to the other team leaders, despite his skill.”
“If he had met someone like our master, none of this would have happened.”
Our master was not just skilled in martial arts. His teachings were as valuable as gold; whether it was the sword, how to live in society, how to defeat people, or how to track and evade them, learning even one of these skills could make a person first-rate.
The proof was Jeok-sam himself. A simple country boy, he had become a successful merchant thanks to our master’s teachings.
He would not have harbored wicked thoughts out of an inferiority complex about his origins. Nam Gyeong had also struggled, but he had not fallen from grace.
“Well, if he had met Grandmaster and you, Instructor, it certainly wouldn't have happened.”
“If he had faced your sword, Instructor, he wouldn't have even dreamed of such things.”
Jeok-sam and Nam Gyeong replied.
As the two agreed with me, Nam Gyeong, for some reason, mentioned me instead of our master.
“Anyone would come to their senses after a taste of your swordsmanship, Instructor.”
Jeok-sam nodded in agreement with Nam Gyeong’s words.
Anyone hearing this would think I was a ruffian who drew his sword at the slightest provocation.
I opened my mouth to correct my disciples’ mistaken perception.
“And Sam, Gyeong. I do not draw my sword so easily.”
“…”
“…”
The two disciples looked at each other in silence for a moment, then nodded with awkward smiles.
“Ah, yes, well, that’s true.”
“Ha, ha, ha, of course, Instructor, you are not one to draw your sword lightly.”
Their eyes held not a shred of belief.
It seemed my teaching was lacking if my own disciples couldn't trust their master.
It looked like it was time for some long-overdue sword training with my disciples.
“…It has been a long time since I have seen your swords. Come, out to the courtyard.”
“I-Instructor?”
“B-but I’ve already graduated?”
Jeok-sam and Nam Gyeong took a step back, their faces pale.
But unfortunately for them, no one had ever been able to escape my sword.
“Haha! How can there be a graduation from learning?”
I slowly drew my sword.
***
Geum Gye-seong and the other warriors from the Righteous Alliance’s local branch arrived at the Jeungbyeok Sect.
For the sake of their investigation, they cordoned off the area around the sect, restricting public access.
“Was the Jeungbyeok Sect the kind of faction to fall overnight?”
The Jeungbyeok Sect, a long-standing fixture in Jungrang County, had been under the Righteous Alliance’s watch for a long time.
Their numbers approached two hundred, and both the Sect Leader, Gun Dae-byeong, and the action commander, Gu Gi-po, were considerable martial artists.
The situation was made worse by the lack of any significant righteous sects or Alliance-affiliated factions in Jungrang County to keep them in check.
“They’re still just a local ragtag sect, Team Leader.”
Dang Jin-wi appeared on the scene, sauntering over.
Geum Gye-seong clicked his tongue softly and ignored him.
“There must be more that wasn't revealed due to Team Leader Min’s falsified information. Today, our Jungrang County Branch Team One will thoroughly investigate their crimes and clear the name of the Righteous Alliance.”
“Yes, Team Leader!”
At Geum Gye-seong’s solemn command, the team members, excluding Dang Jin-wi, responded with a powerful shout.
The warriors currently assigned to the local branch were divided into two groups: those on rotational duty like Geum Gye-seong, and those permanently stationed like Min Sik-gi. Those on rotation generally had better prospects for promotion.
If they could earn merit by clearing the stain left by Min Sik-gi and the Gwang warriors, they would receive a significant boost in their performance evaluations.
“Brother-in-law, that Nam Gyeong fellow is involved in this. Isn’t that suspicious?”
“He is the one who brought this corruption to light. And he is your senior, so watch your words.”
Geum Gye-seong frowned at Dang Jin-wi’s thoughtless remark.
Since Dang Jin-wi was his wife’s only brother, he found it difficult to reprimand the constantly straying young man.
“And I heard Warrior Nam’s family has visited the branch, so do not act rashly.”
“…”
“Jin-wi!”
When Dang Jin-wi evasively averted his gaze, Geum Gye-seong shouted.
“…Yes, I understand, Team Leader.”
Geum Gye-seong sighed at Dang Jin-wi’s half-hearted reply.
Dang Jin-wi had joined the Righteous Alliance not only because he was from the Tang Clan, but also thanks in no small part to Geum Gye-seong’s help.
‘He’s going to cause big trouble sooner or later. Should I talk to my in-laws before he does?’
But he had been having the same thought for years.
As a son-in-law who had married into the Tang family, he couldn't raise his voice, and could only swallow his frustrations.
“Team Leader, this… isn’t this the mark of a sword?”
Just as the atmosphere turned awkward from Geum Gye-seong shouting at Dang Jin-wi on the job, one of the team members pointed at the collapsed pavilion of the Jeungbyeok Sect and reported.
Geum Gye-seong approached the pavilion and examined its condition.
“He cut the pavilion with a sword? No, what kind of madman cuts down a pavilion with a sword? A five-story one at that.”
Geum Gye-seong himself was a skilled martial artist, but he lacked the internal energy to slice through an entire pavilion.
A master who had reached the pinnacle might be able to create a similar mark by squeezing out all their internal energy, but it would be so inefficient that fighting the two hundred warriors of the Jeungbyeok Sect would be a better option.
“That’s not all. The mark on that wall over there also appears to be from a sword.”
At his team member’s report, Geum Gye-seong turned his gaze toward the main gate.
He had already seen it when he first arrived at the scene.
However, the team member wouldn't have bothered to report something he had already seen upon entering.
As Geum Gye-seong examined the sword marks on the pavilion and the wall, his face turned deathly pale.
“N-No way?”
“Yes, Team Leader. It seems that wall and the pavilion were brought down with a single sword strike.”
Geum Gye-seong even used his lightness art to stand behind the pavilion and look at the wall.
The mark of the sword that had sliced diagonally through the pavilion continued all the way to the wall. The distance was a hundred yards.
Geum Gye-seong’s eyes widened.
“Is this the work of a human?”
It was an event shocking enough to startle even Geum Gye-seong, who had been in the martial world for a long time.
And it was an event that would send ripples through the righteous martial world, which had long existed within the system of the Righteous Alliance.