Chapter 283
Hong-hyeon.
The grandmaster of the previous generation's Shaolin Sect and the senior martial uncle of the previous Shaolin Sect leader, he was the most revered figure in Orthodox Murim, hailed as a Living Buddha.
Moreover, having mastered the Sinew Reforging Classic to a divine realm, it was said that despite being over two hundred years old, he maintained a vigorous appearance akin to an immortal.
One of the Three Demons and Three Honored Ones—legendary figures who had reached the farthest limits of martial arts, surpassed only by the Twin Celestial Emperors of Righteousness and Demon.
The Buddha Honored One, Great Master Hong-hyeon.
"Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
Yet the old monk's words from yesterday seemed to reverberate loudly in his ears.
—When crisis comes, become an unshakable pillar. No matter where you stand.
What he had asked for wasn't to protect Orthodox Murim.
He had told Bu Eun-seol to become a pillar—wherever he stood—when Murim faced peril.
'Did he... see through my true identity?'
From Bu Eun-seol's perspective, keeping his promise to Great Master Hong-hyeon wasn't particularly difficult.
'No matter where I stand...'
It almost felt as if the monk had considered Bu Eun-seol's position—a promise that favored him yet carried no burden at all.
Bu Eun-seol was the Successor of the Demon Hall.
If Murim truly fell into crisis?
Then, as the Demon Hall's heir, he would simply become its pillar.
At that moment, Jongjeong Yak spoke again.
"Young Hero Seol. It seems we'll be late again today because of paperwork."
With the Ten Righteous Assembly approaching, Jongjeong Yak and Neung Jo-un were still organizing the evidence they had gathered on Danri Muk's embezzlement.
Without definitive proof, they needed to at least make the hall leaders suspicious of his misconduct.
"The assembly will convene soon. Please bear with us a little longer, even if it's frustrating."
Bu Eun-seol gave a slight nod.
"Don't trouble yourself over it. Attend to your duties in peace."
Night fell once more.
Slipping out of his quarters in secret, Bu Eun-seol activated his Movement Technique and headed toward the northern outskirts.
He intended to investigate the abandoned warehouse again—the one he hadn't been able to enter properly last time.
Tsk tsk tsk.
This time, he deployed his movement art to get inside swiftly.
Slipping past the patrolling guards and weaving through the buildings unnoticed, he finally arrived inside the derelict warehouse once more.
'They did come back.'
Spreading his Empty Mind Spirit Perception, he examined the bluestone floor—fresh footprints were vividly imprinted.
It seemed they had returned, reassured now that no further signs of intrusion remained.
Creak.
Stepping cautiously inside, Bu Eun-seol furrowed his brow deeply.
He had expected to find elixirs, poisons, or perhaps Evil Fragrance's hidden weapons.
Instead, the shelves were lined with nothing but expensive Night Luminous Pearls and banknotes—valuables of gold and jewels.
'This makes no sense.'
If someone were embezzling money privately, they would store it in their own residence or a secret vault.
So why had Danri Muk kept piles of treasures here?
And in an abandoned warehouse where even low-grade martial artists could easily enter?
'Then...'
Just as Bu Eun-seol's mind raced—
Creeeak.
The sound of the door opening echoed, and five shadowy figures stepped inside.
Though their faces were masked, Bu Eun-seol recognized them instantly by their posture—the same Law Enforcement Hall martial artists who had taunted him days prior.
"Damn it, what a hassle every time."
Each carried a cloth bundle in hand.
After scanning the surroundings, they spotted an empty shelf and placed their bundles atop it.
The clinking sounds left no doubt—precious gems or gold lay within.
"Let's just go already."
"My body's stiff as hell. Need a drink and some sleep."
Muttering in low voices, they exchanged idle chatter before slipping back out of the hidden storeroom.
From the shadows, Bu Eun-seol observed them and gave a faint nod.
Only now did he grasp the situation.
'They've been using this hidden storeroom like an escort bureau.'
The abandoned warehouse was accessible to any Murim Alliance martial artist without restriction.
In other words—since anyone could enter, anything could be easily deposited or retrieved.
'I can catch their tail now.'
They had left money here. Sooner or later, those meant to collect it would arrive.
Concealing his presence in the darkness, Bu Eun-seol waited motionlessly.
How much time passed?
Creeeak.
The sound of mechanisms turning echoed again as the hidden door opened once more.
This time, two men in Murim Alliance uniforms entered.
'They're not Murim Alliance members.'
Bu Eun-seol sensed it immediately.
Though dressed in the alliance's garb, these men were not its disciples.
Why?
Because despite wearing low-grade martial attire, their gait and aura neared the Transcendent Realm.
"Hmm."
The two martial artists examined the bundles left by the Law Enforcement Hall members before swiftly tucking them into their robes.
Then, as if nothing had happened, they stepped out of the secret warehouse.
'I must pursue them.'
Bu Eun-seol stealthily followed the two men.
Once outside, they walked for a while before stopping in front of a building near the northern gate.
It was an ordinary lodging house—the kind used by merchants and other outsiders visiting the Martial Alliance.
Once inside, they changed clothes with practiced ease.
Now dressed as merchants, they passed through the lodging and slipped out of the Martial Alliance through the northern gate, guarded by sentries.
'Smooth. This isn't their first time.'
As Bu Eun-seol followed them outside, one of the guards at the gate called out to him.
"Where are you headed?"
"Just going for a drink nearby."
"Understood. Sign your name here before leaving."
Bu Eun-seol swiftly scrawled his name.
Meanwhile, the two men who had just left the Martial Alliance immediately activated their Lightness Art.
Bu Eun-seol, too, began tailing them in secret.
Whoosh—! Thud.
The two men quickly passed through the village.
Judging by their speed and direction, they weren't heading toward a meeting point—they were clearly moving toward another city.
'No choice.'
Bu Eun-seol needed to return to the Martial Alliance by nightfall.
He couldn't blindly chase them to wherever they were going.
Finally making up his mind, he accelerated his Movement Technique, overtaking them before blocking their path.
"Halt."
The two men, startled, immediately descended to the ground.
After studying Bu Eun-seol's appearance for a long moment, they exchanged glances and nodded at each other.
Without hesitation, they split to either side—then suddenly thrust out twin palm strikes.
Whoom!
Their martial arts were highly unusual.
The man on the left extended both palms toward Bu Eun-seol, while the one on the right took a defensive stance, as if absorbing Palm Energy.
BOOM!
At the same time, an inexplicably powerful Internal Power surged into Bu Eun-seol's body.
It felt as though an invisible hammer had smashed into him.
Thud.
As dust billowed in all directions, the two men smirked in satisfaction.
"This isn't martial arts from the Central Plains."
Tap. Tap.
When the dust settled, Bu Eun-seol calmly brushed off his robes—and their eyes widened in shock.
"As bizarre as your stances are, your power is impressive."
Bu Eun-seol nodded, glancing down at the torn fabric on his chest.
"Any lesser master would've had their ribs crushed by that."
Crack!
The startled men immediately raised their palms again, preparing another attack—
But their movements froze.
Fwoosh!
Bu Eun-seol had vanished from their sight.
BAM! BAM!
With two explosive sounds, the men collapsed face-first onto the ground.
Bu Eun-seol had already circled behind them—and struck each with a single One Fist.
"Guh—!"
They immediately coughed up black blood, their organs twisting in agony.
Though his strikes had seemed light, the impact was like being hit by a massive iron block.
Moreover, the Internal Power infused within his Fist Energy was terrifyingly potent—their Body Protection True Qi shattered instantly, and they suffered severe Internal Injuries.
"Who... are you?"
Bu Eun-seol's brow twitched slightly at their voices.
Though they spoke fluent Han speech, their accents carried a strange inflection.
"I'll be the one asking questions."
Bu Eun-seol's voice was low as he gathered his Internal Power.
"Where did you come from?"
A vicious glint flashed in their eyes as they stared at him.
Shh—
In an instant, they disappeared from sight.
But Bu Eun-seol's Extrasensory Perception had already detected them—floating mid-air.
"DIE!"
Simultaneously, they unleashed twin palm strikes.
The ground beneath Bu Eun-seol split apart as a storm of Palm Energy erupted like a downpour.
'Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm.'
Their technique eerily resembled the Thousand-Hand Tathagata Palm used by Buddha Venerable Hong-hyeon.
At that moment, without realizing it, Bu Eun-seol activated the Martial Emperor's Enlightenment Art—and unleashed the Thirteenfold Qi Induction.
Originally, he had intended to use the Burning Realm Single Fist with his left hand and the Autumn Mountain Immortal Step with his legs.
But then—an Insight he had learned from the Venerable flashed through his mind.
'One martial art—yet again, a new martial art.'
"All things are impermanent."
All phenomena are in constant flux—never remaining in a single form.
Just as the laws of nature dictate that all things arise and perish moment by moment—why should martial techniques be confined to a single form?
Swish!
With a flash of realization, Bu Eun-seol's eyes gleamed as he thrust out his fist.
What appeared to be a simple strike was, in truth, a single motion that fused the transformations of the Burning Realm Single Fist and the Autumn Mountain Immortal Step.
Slice!
Then, from his left shoulder, a crescent-shaped surge of immense force erupted—
Whoosh!
—wiping away the palm energy raining down from the sky.
The force drew crimson lines across their necks, then flew far into the night sky.
Thud. Splurt!
As they landed, blood gushed from their necks like a fountain.
"...A Martial God... I see."
With that brief exclamation, they collapsed simultaneously, their bodies hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
Despite unleashing overwhelming palm energy, they had failed to block even a single strand of Bu Eun-seol's force—dying instantly.
"Hm."
Bu Eun-seol wore an expression of surprise at the unexpected might of his attack.
He had merely intended to deflect their palm energy lightly... So why had such an enormous force erupted?
'The Thirteenfold Qi Induction holds this kind of power?'
Only now did Bu Eun-seol understand why the Martial Emperor, despite wielding only simple martial arts with his bare hands...
...had been able to conquer the world.
Unlike Yeop Hyo-cheon, who utilized different parts of his body separately,
the Martial Emperor had overlaid thirteen distinct martial arts into a single strike.
'Like the Buddhist Venerable, the Martial Emperor also reached a realm where he could alter the very principles of martial arts.'
At last, Bu Eun-seol grasped the true essence of the Thirteenfold Qi Induction left behind by the Martial Emperor.
Not only could it unleash a force surpassing even the sharpness of divine weapons, but it also achieved perfect harmony between offense and defense—rendering counterattacks irrelevant.
This was the Martial Emperor's secret art, the Thirteenfold Qi Induction.
'Had I mastered only orthodox martial arts, I might have considered the Martial Emperor's techniques the pinnacle.'
Within Bu Eun-seol's spirit and mind, the Mind-Training Formulas of the greatest masters from both the orthodox and unorthodox paths coexisted in a chaotic blend.
Because of this, he was not bound by the highest realms of either the Demonic Path or orthodox martial arts.
Instead, his goal was to unify the two and reach an entirely new realm.
'I will achieve it someday.'
But now was not the time to delve deeply into martial techniques.
Taking a deep breath, Bu Eun-seol began meticulously examining the two corpses.
"Masters from Beyond the Frontier?"
Those who practiced internal energy methods from beyond the border primarily utilized the Upper Dantian, so they did not accumulate formidable true qi in the Lower Dantian.
Looking back, even the signs of internal energy usage—
—such as dilated pupils or accelerated blood flow—had been nearly absent.
"They enhanced their power with drugs... like Human Flower."
Their martial prowess had not truly reached the Transcendence Realm. They had merely amplified their power drastically through a special drug.
"They don't seem to be Han Chinese. Where did they come from?"
No matter how closely he inspected them, their martial arts, clothing—nothing provided a clue.
Hadn't they even used an unusual Palm Art that even Bu Eun-seol had never seen before?
"No choice, then."
Clicking his tongue, Bu Eun-seol stood.
Even if these two yielded no leads, he still had another pawn.
The Ten Justice Assembly would convene soon.
Once Danri Muk's true nature was fully exposed, the identities of these men would also come to light.
"In the end, it's all part of the script."
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
Though Jongjeong Yak was an outstanding martial artist, given the circumstances, she wouldn't be able to gather irrefutable evidence against Danri Muk.
From the start, Bu Eun-seol had resolved to find the proof himself—the evidence exposing Danri Muk's embezzlement.
Because this investigation into the Martial Alliance had another purpose beyond uncovering Wicked Incense's connections.
A few days later.
Bu Eun-seol arrived with Jongjeong Yak at a building bearing the signboard: Inspection Hall.
At last, the Ten Justice Assembly was about to begin.
Inside, seven individuals sat around a table.
Among them were the Inspection Hall Leader, the Nectar Bureau Leader, and five other hall leaders summoned for the assembly.
And standing before them was a middle-aged man clad in plain white martial robes.
His beard was thick and well-groomed, his demeanor imposing—
—but his eyes were narrow and elongated, lending him a somewhat sinister air.
This was none other than the Deputy Chief of the Law Enforcement Hall, Danri Muk.
"Everyone is here."
Jeong Ji-ryong, the Inspection Hall Leader seated at the center, nodded and spoke.
"Then let the Ten Justice Assembly commence."
He glanced down at the documents placed on the table before addressing Jongjeong Yak.
"Are the contents written here all true?"
"They are."
"Do you have evidence to prove it?"
Jongjeong Yak gestured toward Bu Eun-seol.
"He is Young Hero Seol, a wandering martial artist from the Red Sky Curtain Branch, who will testify regarding this matter."
At that, Bu Eun-seol stepped forward and clasped his hands together.
"I am Seol-so, a wanderer from the Red Sky Curtain Branch."
"Hmm."
Jeong Ji-ryong, who seemed to have already heard all about Bu Eun-seol, spoke in a low voice.
"Tell us everything you witnessed."
Bu Eun-seol nodded and recounted in detail everything that had happened—from the incident at the Crow River Escort Agency, through the Secret Market, to the events at Song Manor.
Jeong Ji-ryong then turned to Danri Muk.
"If you have anything to say, speak now."
"Young Hero Seol. You are a wandering martial artist, so you must have come here for money."
"That is correct."
"How much did you receive?"
"By the terms of the contract, I cannot disclose that to others."
Danri Muk smiled thinly.
"Given that you are a Special-Grade Mercenary, it must have been at least ten thousand taels. Am I wrong?"
"You are not."
"Then how can we trust the testimony of a mercenary who sells himself for money?"
Danri Muk swept a cold gaze over Bu Eun-seol before continuing.
"Had I offered you more, you might have given a different testimony. Isn't that so?"
"It is."
"Good that you admit it honestly."
Then, Danri Muk turned to Jeong Ji-ryong.
"This deputy hall leader has served the Martial Alliance for twenty years."
He sighed deeply as he looked at Jongjeong Yak.
"And I have always supported policies like the Law Enforcement Commander's policy, which nurtures talented young warriors. Yet this is the treatment I receive in return."
Truly, the Deputy Chief of the Law Enforcement Hall.
His voice carried not only strong persuasiveness but also flawless logic—no forced arguments, no exaggerations.
'Damn it, this is bad.'
From a distance, Neung Jo-un swallowed dryly.
If the meeting ended like this, not only would Danri Muk escape investigation, but Jongjeong Yak might even have to relinquish her position as Law Enforcement Commander.
"Do you have any other evidence?"
Jeong Ji-ryong turned his head and asked Jongjeong Yak.
In response, she confidently stepped forward and produced a book.
"Of course I do."
She hadn't just idly waited for the Ten Righteous Assembly to convene after returning to the Martial Alliance.
She had deliberately spread rumors about the assembly, lured witnesses, and even provoked Danri Muk into destroying evidence.
And with the help of the Nectar Bureau Chief, she had obtained proof that the Law Enforcement Hall's warriors had embezzled funds under Danri Muk's orders.
"This is evidence that the Deputy Hall Leader has been siphoning the Alliance's assets."
Jeong Ji-ryong accepted the book Jongjeong Yak handed him.
Watching this, Danri Muk let out a soft chuckle instead.
"Listen here, Law Enforcement Commander. Does that book contain any proof that I did it?"
"What do you mean?"
"What's written there is evidence that the Law Enforcement Hall's warriors embezzled money, isn't it?"
Shockingly, Danri Muk seemed to already know exactly what kind of evidence Jongjeong Yak had submitted.
"They acted under the Deputy Hall Leader's orders, did they not?"
"Not at all."
Danri Muk's gaze as he looked at Jongjeong Yak brimmed with confidence.
"That was their own deviation. If I had wanted to embezzle, I would have taken the money directly. Why would I involve my subordinates?"
Bu Eun-seol, observing the scene, gave a faint nod.
Only now did he understand why Danri Muk hadn't stored the money in his personal quarters or warehouse but had instead built a secret mechanism in an abandoned storeroom.
It wasn't just for convenience—it was so that, even if discovered, he could easily deny involvement.
"I admit I failed to properly supervise my subordinates."
Danri Muk turned to Jeong Ji-ryong with an aggrieved expression.
"But to claim that as proof of my wrongdoing—"
"Here is that proof."
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol retrieved several letters from his sleeve.
"These contain explicit instructions from the Deputy Hall Leader of the Law Enforcement Hall."
"What?! What nonsense is this?!"
Ignoring Danri Muk's outburst, Bu Eun-seol handed the letters to Jongjeong Yak.
"The documents you previously requested from me, Law Enforcement Commander. I happened to find them in the abandoned storeroom."
Jongjeong Yak blinked in confusion.
She couldn't comprehend what Bu Eun-seol was talking about.
"What in the world—"
[Take them. Assisting you was part of the additional contract terms.]
Hearing Bu Eun-seol's telepathic transmission, Jongjeong Yak was momentarily dazed.
But as soon as she skimmed through the documents he had handed her, her expression stiffened in shock.
She immediately passed them to Jeong Ji-ryong, the Inspection Hall Chief.
Murmurs spread.
The expressions of Jeong Ji-ryong and the other hall leaders darkened as they read the letters.
Contained within was undeniable evidence—written in Danri Muk's own hand—of his embezzlement and his orders to subordinates to stash the money in the abandoned storeroom.
'That bastard—'
Danri Muk's eyes burned crimson as he glared—
Sssk.
Bu Eun-seol bared his white teeth in a faint smile.
Though he was in disguise, an inexplicable air of elegance lingered in that smile.
But to Danri Muk's eyes, it looked like the grin of a water ghost, dragging him straight into hell.
"Lies!"
Danri Muk roared.
"Where is the proof that I wrote those letters?!"