Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: The Cult Leader's Gambit
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“We must dispatch a martial unit to the Heavenly Pillar Gate at once!”
“…”
“Five days have already passed. You must issue a mobilization order to the nearby sects! He is not just anyone, but the Cult Leader’s disciple! We don’t know what that vile man is plotting to bring down the Heavenly Pillar Gate!”
“…”
Despite the middle-aged man kneeling before him pleading repeatedly, the old man simply savored his tea and gazed out the window, remaining silent.
“Head!”
“…Cheon-ah.”
“Yes!”
“Bring me the letter the Heavenly Pillar Gate sent you.”
“Pardon?”
“They were dogs you raised, so surely they must have sent a request for your help?”
“…”
At the old man’s calm words, the middle-aged man tilted his head with a look of confusion.
“Hmph, you rascal. Wasn’t that the reason you came to me at the crack of dawn, asking to move the Alliance?”
“That is…”
“Bring it.”
“…Yes.”
Though puzzled, the middle-aged man took a letter from his robes and respectfully presented it.
“Hmm.”
As the old man unfolded the letter and read it, his face remained expressionless.
“My, my. How can the contents be so different?”
“Pardon?”
“Would you like to see?”
“…”
The old man casually tossed a scroll that was on his desk to the middle-aged man.
“This is…”
“Read it.”
“…”
With a trembling hand, the middle-aged man unrolled the scroll, an unknown anxiety creeping over him.
“Th-This is?”
“As you can see, it is an official document sent from the Demonic Cult.”
“…”
The middle-aged man knew.
Below, the name of the Cult Leader, Dam Un-cheon, was clearly written.
It was a letter sent directly to the Orthodox Murim Alliance by none other than the leader of the Demonic Cult.
And its contents…
“It says that the moment we interfere in this matter, the Demonic Path will begin its march south.”
“What? Wh-What does that mean?”
“Haha, is that not what is written?”
“…”
“And do you not see? The problem right now is not the Heavenly Pillar Gate, but the fact that Dam Un-cheon has publicly declared he will move personally.”
The old man was calm, but the middle-aged man couldn't help but gulp.
“I trust you know better than anyone what the Heavenly Pillar Gate has been doing all this time.”
“…”
“I know, I know. I know how much loyalty the Heavenly Pillar Gate has shown our Alliance through you.”
“…”
“But as you can see from the contents, this matter involves a disciple so favored that the Cult Leader himself is willing to move.”
“Th-They didn’t know…”
“They may not have known. But you should have.”
“…”
“There should be nothing in this world that we do not know. Sometimes, a single small crack like this can bring down a sturdily built dam.”
“Head.”
“Haha, it’s alright. People grow by making mistakes.”
“…”
“But what do you think has happened because of that mistake? Do you see the demands listed below?”
At the old man’s words, the middle-aged man hurriedly read down the scroll.
“Establish an official Demonic Cult branch… you say? In the Central Plains?”
“So it seems. Under the pretext of monitoring the Central Plains to ensure they never tarnish the Demonic Cult’s name again.”
“What kind of…”
“Nonsense, it is. But the Heavenly Pillar Gate has turned that nonsense into reality.”
“Are you planning to accept this? Who doesn’t know they’ve been operating in the shadows of the Central Plains? But this is a declaration that they will operate openly!”
It was true.
Using this incident as leverage, Dam Un-cheon had sent a letter to the Orthodox Murim Alliance, demanding the establishment of a Demonic Cult branch.
There were clauses stating they would not use coercive force to invade the territories of the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions, and that their business interests would be limited to the vicinity of the branch, but it was essentially a declaration that they would now hang their sign and operate in plain sight.
“Then what should we do? Should we wage war with the Demonic Cult?”
“Pardon?”
“I dispatched the Beggars’ Sect after receiving his letter.”
“…”
“The Heavenly Pillar Gate’s crimes were crystal clear. What’s more, starting the day after the Heaven-Cutting Gate—no, the Qilian Mountains Demonic Cult Branch—clashed with them, they have been recovering all the people they had sold off.”
“Wh-What does that mean?”
“The Beggars’ Sect moved quickly, but they say over a hundred people have already been recovered. Naturally, the authorities were informed, and rumors have begun to spread. What use is the principle of non-interference when they’ve inflicted such harm and committed crimes against the populace?”
“…”
“We spent a good deal of money to barely keep the officials from getting involved, but how do you think the Alliance Leader reacted when he heard the news?”
“…”
“He was in a rage throughout the entire meeting. He asked what would become of public opinion, how the name of the Orthodox Faction would be judged, if the Demonic Cult were to publicize the fact that the Orthodox Murim Alliance knew of the Heavenly Pillar Gate’s deeds and protected them all along.”
“S-Such a thing…”
“Wouldn’t our name be dragged through the mud?”
“…”
“A branch? We can give them something like that anytime. Though it will cost a fortune to monitor them and ensure they don’t try anything foolish.”
A hint of anger began to seep into the old man’s voice.
“Cheon-ah, the new Alliance Leader and his supporters have long considered us a thorn in their side. They’ve wanted to oust us, who have controlled the Alliance, one way or another.”
“…”
“But they know they dare not strike us down. They know that if the history we have built crumbles, the very foundation of the eternal righteousness the Alliance has championed will be shaken. And because it would mean revealing the true face of the Alliance to everyone.”
“…”
“But we cannot stop it forever. Remember that a mistake like yours can be a fatal blow to us.”
“…”
“It was the first time. The first time that whelp of an Alliance Leader sent a warning that seemed aimed at me during a meeting.”
The edge of his anger turned sharp and cold.
In an instant, a divine light glinted in the old man’s eyes, directed at the middle-aged man.
The moment their eyes met, a pain as if his brain was being pierced shot through him, and the middle-aged man quickly bowed his head.
“I-I apologize. I…”
“No, no. Did I not say it? Everyone makes mistakes.”
“…”
“But it must only happen once. Learn much from this incident.”
“…I will take it to heart.”
“There will not be a second time.”
The old man waved his hand dismissively and turned his head toward the window.
“Then the Heavenly Pillar Gate…”
“…”
The old man’s hand paused at the words the middle-aged man had uttered unknowingly.
*Ripple.*
A cold ripple spread across the surface of the tea in the cup.
*Swoosh.*
Simultaneously, the air in the room transformed.
A chill touched the nape of his neck, and the middle-aged man’s face began to turn pale.
It felt as if the very air flowing through the room had turned into formless blades, all aimed at his body.
His limbs would be torn apart. If the old man willed it.
The middle-aged man, feeling his heart tighten with overwhelming fear, slammed his head on the floor.
*Thump!*
“H-Head! Please, forgive me…”
“…”
Seeing him cry out and tremble, the old man let out a sigh.
“Cheon-ah.”
“Yes, Head.”
“A dog should be raised as a dog, and when the hunt is over, it should be boiled and eaten to avoid future trouble.”
“…”
The fate of the Heavenly Pillar Gate was sealed in that moment.
The faction that had reigned as the hegemon of northern Gansu had been abandoned in an instant.
“I will erase everything related to them.”
“Good. It seems your head is working as it usually does now. I hope there will be no trouble.”
“…Yes.”
“You may leave. And reflect on your actions to take responsibility for this matter.”
“Yes.”
The middle-aged man retreated, dejected.
Reflection.
The word was like a bolt from the blue.
How much effort had he put in just to be able to stand before the old man?
Yet, all that time was rendered meaningless as he was cast out in a single moment.
The price for raising a dog poorly…
After the middle-aged man left, the old man rose from his seat and approached the scroll.
*Shhh! Fwoosh!*
With a light flick of his hand, the scroll on the floor flew into his grasp and unfurled.
*Slurp.*
As the old man carefully sipped the hot tea, his gaze rested on one part of the letter sent by Dam Un-cheon.
“A disciple who stepped forward out of pity for the plight of the innocent people harmed by the injustice committed by the Orthodox Faction…”
A smile appeared on the old man’s lips.
It was a gentle yet cruel smile, somehow unsettling.
“It seems the Demonic Cult has an interesting fellow. Acting like he’s from the Orthodox Faction, how unfitting…”
He was terribly curious.
A disciple who had made Dam Un-cheon, who had been coiled up like a hibernating bear, move personally…
“So he’s a favorite, is he?”
The old man’s finger twitched, and the scroll spontaneously burst into flames.
*Fwoosh.*
Watching the scroll turn to ash and crumble to the floor, the old man once again gazed out the window.
*Slurp.*
The hot tea went down his throat.
Unlike other days, the tea did not taste good.
“…Hmm, is it time to change this as well?”
A strange light gleamed in the old man’s eyes.
“I will give you the Heavenly Pillar Gate. I will permit the branch as well. But I must gain something in return. Dam Un-cheon, that favored disciple of yours, I mean.”
*Crack!*
The teacup in the old man’s hand shattered into pieces.
***
In a meeting where even the leaders of the Heaven-Cutting Gate had been gathered, Wang Cheon stared blankly at the personal letter sent from the Demonic Cult addressed to Neung Un-bi, before summarizing its contents in a single sentence.
“…He says we can do as we please.”
“Huh?”
“Look.”
“…”
After reading the letter, Neung Un-bi blinked at Wang Cheon and Ju Seung.
He understood the contents. It was exactly as Wang Cheon had read.
“But… we’re supposed to do it on our own?”
“That’s what he says.”
“…”
Thinking he might have misread, he read it again and again, but the letter clearly stated so.
“What does that mean?”
“…”
“The Orthodox Murim Alliance has already agreed not to interfere… so I hope you will handle the Heavenly Pillar Gate well? Of course, as I’ve already promised not to intervene, I cannot go back on my word as the Cult Leader, so work with the Heaven-Cutting Gate to bring glory to the name of the Demonic Cult… is that right?”
Ju Seung snatched the letter and read it, but there wasn't the slightest discrepancy in its contents.
You may attack.
But only by yourselves.
“My lord.”
“Yeah?”
“By any chance, did you make some kind of mistake in the inspection report you sent to the Cult Leader before?”
“A-A mistake?”
“Yes. Otherwise, this makes no sense.”
“…”
“The Orthodox Faction may have agreed not to get involved, but our opponent is the Heavenly Pillar Gate. And we are just a powerless Demonic Cult branch that has lost its branch master and twelve guardian escorts.”
Wang Cheon said, glancing at the leaders inside the meeting hall.
How could anyone not understand the meaning in his gaze?
They were nothing special.
So much so that they couldn't even break through the defense of thirty members of the New Moon Squad.
And they were being told to fight the Heavenly Pillar Gate, the reigning hegemon of northern Gansu, alongside such a branch. The number of warriors under the Heavenly Pillar Gate’s command would easily exceed several hundred.
No, if you included the martial artists from the escort agencies and the various martial arts schools they controlled, the number would likely reach a thousand.
And yet… we’re supposed to do it on our own?
Bring glory to the name of the Demonic Cult?
What a crazy Cult Leader!
Neung Un-bi slammed the scroll onto the floor.
How was this any different from tattling to your dad, only for him to say you have to overcome your own trials and wash his hands of it!
I was an idiot to trust the Cult Leader.
“What should we do?”
“What do you mean, what should we do! He told us to do it! On our own!”
“Why are you shouting! Did I do it? You’re the one who wrote and sent the report yourself!”
“Damn it all!”
As Wang Cheon retorted, Neung Un-bi clenched his teeth and raised his fist, only to let out a deep sigh.
But the conclusion was already set.
Neung Un-bi had absolutely no intention of forgiving the Heavenly Pillar Gate. He planned to tear them down to their very foundations.
“Hoo… It can’t be helped. We have to try.”
As Neung Un-bi ground his teeth and steeled his resolve, Takbal-ryeo cautiously held out another scroll.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a separate scroll that came for the branch. I thought you should see it as well, my lord…”
“Damn it! Who’s your lord!”
“I-I’m sorry. Everyone else calls you that… and I thought it sounded better, too.”
Takbal-ryeo explained, shrinking his neck.
Neung Un-bi glared at him disapprovingly before sighing once more.
Fine, call me whatever you want.
I’ll be gone soon enough anyway.
Neung Un-bi irritably unfurled the scroll.
“Help the Third Young Master establish a Demonic Cult branch and hang its sign… huh?”
“Yes! That has also been settled with the Orthodox Murim Alliance. We can now operate proudly out in the open, my lord!”
“…”
For a moment, it felt as if he had been struck on the head with a hammer.
What did you say? Establish a branch in this situation?
Hang a sign out in the open? The Orthodox Murim Alliance gave their permission?
What in the world is this, you damn Cult Leader!
This is like me doing all the work, and the Cult Leader taking all the credit!
If he were here right now, he felt like he would punch him, even knowing he was no match.
But how could he…
Sigh after sigh escaped him.
What was important now was to destroy the Heavenly Pillar Gate, one way or another.
The compensation promised to those who were sold off was no small sum.
“Haaah…”
At a time like this, if only someone would offer a helping hand…!
Suddenly, he remembered. The existence of an incredible master who could help.
Having found a thread of hope, Neung Un-bi, despite knowing others were present, shouted forcefully into the empty air.
“You’ll help me, right?”
“Yes!”
“…”
The warriors of the Heaven-Cutting Gate, now able to operate in the open, answered Neung Un-bi’s cry with vigor.
Not you guys!
“Please help me?”
“Yes!”
The warriors answered again, but Neung Un-bi ignored them, staring intently into the air.
And after a long moment, an answer came.
[State your terms.]
