Chapter 72
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: The Secret of Payang County
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Yuseong shuddered.
How magnificent those words were.
Dull phrases starting with "die" or "I'll kill you" held no thrill for him.
Long ago, Yuseong had come to see death as merely a natural phenomenon.
And now, he had met someone whose thinking aligned with his own to some extent.
"Ah!"
Pipipiping!
The orbs floating in the air shot toward the Demonic Cult thugs with their fiendish faces, streaking like beams of light.
Pfufufufuk!
Seeing their foreheads pierced, their bodies limp like puppets with cut strings, he couldn't help but cry out in admiration.
"Beautiful!"
Yuseong shouted without realizing it.
"O evil! Return to nature!"
He gazed at the scholar with the fervent eyes of a cult follower devoted to a false prophet.
Even as the Demonic Cult warriors steeled themselves for death, the scholar's orbs shattered their resolve, and their fighting spirit crumbled all too easily.
"Heavenly Suradan, charge and annihilate the enemy!"
The Iljimun warriors blocked the Demonic Cult fighters rushing from the rear in desperate suicide attacks.
As a result, casualties among the Heavenly Suradan, Iljimun, and Hopyeon Manor warriors were minimal.
On top of that, the scholar kept launching orbs, drilling holes into the foreheads of the Demonic Cult experts, preventing any real danger.
The surviving Seongcheon Ironblood Squad was cleanly mopped up by the Heavenly Suradan and Yuseong in less than half a shichen.
"We need to secure the mine."
Cheon Taesan said to Gwan Ryongjin.
"We'll handle it from the main unit."
"Contact us after securing the mine."
Cheon Taesan confirmed the mine's location and immediately dispatched the Heavenly Suradan.
Myeong Ujong swept his gaze over the county magistrate and officials kneeling in the government office.
Seeing Yuseong's murderous intent not yet subsided, he turned to Cheon Taesan.
"Should I kill these too? They're the Demonic Cult's lackeys. I can finish them off cleanly."
"These ones cooperated with the Demonic Cult under golden seal restrictions. We need more investigation."
"Golden seal?"
Myeong Ujong replied.
"When I interrogated them, most officials said they'd been fed the Demonic Cult's poison insects. That's why they had no choice but to obey until now."
Ho Hyeonbyeok asked Myeong Ujong.
"Have you confirmed my brother's status?"
Myeong Ujong grinned.
"Of course. Just wait a moment."
Soon, Myeong Ujong's guard warriors entered the main hall, supporting a man.
"B-brother!"
The gaunt man smiled at Ho Hyeonbyeok.
"You've come, little brother."
"Brother!"
Ho Hyeonbyeok couldn't hold back his emotions and hugged Ho Hyeonjun tightly.
"Hahaha, you rascal."
Ho Hyeonjun grinned at Myeong Ujong.
"You've come, Ujong. I figured out of everyone, you'd come find me."
"Why think that? Because I'm your sworn brother?"
"What nonsense. Don't I owe you a hundred taels? I knew a money-grubber like you would track me down for it."
"You scoundrel! You still remember that? Consider it settled since I saved you today."
"That won't do. Did you forget I saved you once? Even subtracting that, a hundred taels remain."
"Uhahaha! As precise as ever. I had to find you just to collect that. Indeed."
Cheon Taesan smiled involuntarily at their awkward banter.
'Having a friend you believe would come save you even in a life-threatening situation is truly wonderful.'
The night of blood and screams groaned as it slowly deepened.
"Uwaaaak!"
One of the officials suddenly bled from his seven orifices and died.
People rushed over.
"What happened?"
The officials had been gathered separately by Myeong Ujong for interrogation.
Myeong Ujong replied with a troubled expression.
"The Demonic Cult fed poison insects to all the officials, but it died while being extracted, spreading its toxicity."
Myeong Ujong's guard warrior had been drawing out the poison insect with qi, but it died and released poison.
Gwan Ryongjin spoke gravely.
"If it can't be extracted with qi, then how?"
Yuseong replied indifferently.
"They'll have to live with it until the insects die, then die along with them."
Since it reacted to qi and died, there was no method.
The Payang County magistrate grabbed Myeong Ujong's trouser leg.
"P-please save me, Inspector."
Living with a poison insect that could kill at any moment was no different from hell.
The officials prostrated themselves, wailing desperately. But Myeong Ujong had no solution either.
It was my turn to step in.
"I think I can find a way."
Myeong Ujong brightened.
"Really? How?"
"I'll explain after confirming first."
I called over one official.
The official was dragged to me like an ox heading to the slaughterhouse.
"It's just a check, so don't be scared."
I examined the official's blood flow, detecting a foreign object within it.
'So this is the poison insect.'
I sensed the poison insect's blood flow and infused it with spiritual energy.
The insect easily accepted my spiritual energy.
'How curious. It doesn't resist at all. Is it because spiritual energy is the foundation of life?'
Even after grasping its blood flow and infusing spiritual energy, there were no side effects.
This led to more thoughts.
"I think I can extract the poison insects."
"Line up in single file."
As morning broke, I gathered the county magistrate and officials to remove the poison insects.
The difficulty in removing them stemmed from not knowing where they hid.
They could be in the brain, lungs, or intestines.
Poison insects settled where they pleased.
Any foreign substance in the blood flow was the insect.
I placed my palm on the suspected area and infused spiritual energy.
Extracting the reacting insect outward was easy.
When a centipede-sized one wriggled out through a nostril, even I felt nauseous.
"Wow, boiled, it'd be tasty."
Yuseong seemed sincere, but it made listeners gag.
Once again, normal people were scarce around me.
"Brother, how do you extract the poison insect?"
I stared blankly at the guy stuck to my side calling me brother.
It was Yuseong.
"Since when did I become Young Master Yu's brother?"
"We fought side by side risking our lives all night—aren't we comrades, brothers? Right, brother?"
"I don't think one night of fighting earns that."
"There's a saying: even one night can build walls a thousand li long. Fighting together one night is more than that, isn't it?"
"That doesn't apply here."
I avoided Yuseong and sought Myeong Ujong.
After I removed the poison insects from the magistrate and officials, Myeong Ujong was hearing their reports.
"This should suffice to dispatch troops here. Magistrate, request military support from the Provincial Commander immediately."
"Understood, Inspector."
"And though threatened by poison insects, you've committed grave sins. You must face punishment."
"We know."
Myeong Ujong was showing his imperial inspector's demeanor.
"We've secured the gold mine."
The next day, Gwan Ryongjin returned to Hopyeon Manor to report.
"No wonder the Demonic Cult bastards went wild—there really was a gold mine."
Mak Jimong muttered upon hearing the report.
Myeong Ujong said to Mak Jimong.
"From now on, the government office will take over the gold mine. We'll send garrison troops, so withdraw all Heavenly Gate warriors."
Mak Jimong widened his eyes.
"What do you mean? Do you not know how many Heavenly Gate people died guarding Hopyeon Manor and the mine?"
"Wasn't that to help Scholar Cheon?"
"Hey now, what are you saying? We helped Scholar Cheon guard Hopyeon Manor. We secured the mine along the way. Without us, could you have driven out the Demonic Cult?"
Myeong Ujong frowned.
"Is this what you were aiming for?"
"Aiming? It was pure goodwill."
"I see. Sending so many forces with Scholar Cheon had its reasons. The Heavenly Gate Sect Leader's intent?"
Myeong Ujong seemed to grasp the full situation.
Sending elites, along with his son and daughter with Scholar Cheon, meant accounting for this scenario.
Myeong Ujong asked me.
"Did you anticipate this outcome?"
"I had a vague idea."
"And you stayed silent?"
"Whatever the Demonic Cult targeted, my friend's life came first. I couldn't handle them alone, so I didn't refuse the Sect Leader's aid. If it wasn't the mine, he'd have taken a loss. I didn't expect a gold mine either."
"Hmm..."
Myeong Ujong trailed off, then continued.
"Gold mines and salt are state enterprises. No individual or family can touch them."
"But there's ownership, right? The ancestral mountain belongs to Hopyeon Manor, and Heavenly Gate helped reclaim it."
"You."
Myeong Ujong viewed the mine from a bureaucrat's perspective.
I smiled.
"In such cases, the government shares profits. Owner gets four parts, operator three, local office three. Many gold mines run like that."
Myeong Ujong looked at me with distress.
"Think carefully. If the government tries to seize it all, what happens?"
Ho Hyeonjun said to Myeong Ujong.
"Ujong, Scholar Cheon has a point. We own the ancestral mountain, but developing and operating it is another matter. We have to hand operations to others. And that would be Heavenly Gate, the hegemon of Gangseo. Otherwise, this mess repeats."
Ho Hyeonjun had accurately gauged the power balance.
Myeong Ujong calmed after his friend's words.
He seemed to drop the idea of full government ownership.
"I'll consult the Gangseo Inspector on this. I'll inform the Provincial Administration Commander and Judicial Inspector and seek approval."
I said to Myeong Ujong.
"Just so you know, the Demonic Cult might not let go of this mine easily. They could do anything to secure it. Emphasize that government forces alone can't defend it."
Myeong Ujong nodded.
"I understand fully."
The Provincial Administration held administrative power over provinces, while the Judicial Inspector handled judicial.
Approval from both was needed for shared mine operations.
Mak Jimong said.
"Inspector, the Heavenly Suradan elites will escort you."
Myeong Ujong pondered, then accepted.
Demonic Cult remnants could strike anytime.
Having Heavenly Suradan warriors would make explanations easier.
"Until I return, handle Payang County first, Joon. Sorry, you're still recovering."
"No problem. Aside from being locked up, I'm fine. I'm an inspector too. Go handle it without worry. When do you leave?"
"As soon as what I'm waiting for arrives."
"Waiting for what?"
As the words ended, Myeong Ujong's guard approached.
"Inspector, it's back."
"Perfect timing. Wait a moment."
Myeong Ujong went out, met his guard, and returned.
"Why so serious?"
When Ho Hyeonjun asked, Myeong Ujong explained.
"I instructed my guard back at Heavenly Gate, and it's arrived. Very important."
"What is it?"
Myeong Ujong handed me a fairly large box.
"Open it."
Opening the box revealed two items.