Chapter 146
Chapter 146
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: It's Going to Be Noisy for a While
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Jin Sahong of the Martial Alliance and Jeok Gyeolmyeong of the Black Alliance met in a shabby tavern, quietly raising their cups.
A couple of hours had already passed since they met, yet neither had spoken a word, simply drinking in silence.
They hadn't even touched the stir-fried meat that had been served as a side dish.
Only the empty wine jugs continued to pile up.
How long had they been drinking like that? It was Jin Sahong who finally broke the silence.
"I'm starting to feel the alcohol."
The corner of Jeok Gyeolmyeong's mouth lifted slightly.
"I'm still a long way off."
Jin Sahong shook his head.
"You're not a child..."
After a brief pause, Jin Sahong casually asked.
"Found anything?"
Jeok Gyeolmyeong's expression hardened instantly.
"Well... a thing or two?"
Jin Sahong's eyebrow twitched, but he quickly composed his expression.
"Same as us, then."
Jeok Gyeolmyeong stared intently at Jin Sahong. Jin Sahong met his gaze without flinching.
Soon, both men shook their heads and sighed simultaneously.
"Hah. Instead of this, why don't we just lay it all out? I'm already tired and my head is a mess. I don't want to waste energy on something like this."
"I agree."
In the end, the two laid their cards on the table.
"It seems certain they came looking for something at the Golden Jade Trading Company. We interrogated the three we caught separately, and all three told the same story."
Jeok Gyeolmyeong nodded at Jin Sahong's words.
"The ones we caught said the same thing. The problem is..."
"We don't know what 'it' is."
"How about meeting Byeok Taesu and sounding him out?"
"Already tried. Unlike the Black Alliance, we have a fairly direct business relationship with the Golden Jade Trading Company, so we had a pretext, however weak."
"What did he say?"
"He claimed he didn't know. Said he wasn't even aware such a vault existed there. In short, he didn't want to tell us."
"Do you think it could have been something like demonic arts or jiangshi?"
Jin Sahong smirked at Jeok Gyeolmyeong's words.
"Are you suggesting we push that narrative? If you're going to talk nonsense, you can just get lost."
"It was just a thought. No need to tell me to get lost over something like that."
Silence fell between them once more.
This time, too, it was Jin Sahong who broke it.
"The ones we couldn't catch must have escaped Wuhan by now, right?"
"They've probably returned to the Golden Moon Trading Company."
"And they would have taken the treasure with them?"
"That's right."
Jin Sahong's lips twisted.
"Damn them."
"And I'm a little jealous."
Jin Sahong looked at Jeok Gyeolmyeong as if glaring at him. Naturally, Jeok Gyeolmyeong met his gaze without backing down.
"I have a feeling we're thinking the same thing right now. Am I mistaken?"
"I don't think so."
Jin Sahong grinned.
"I figure if I can't have it, I might as well stir the pot."
"Oh, really? My thoughts are a bit different. I want to tear them to shreds."
"The Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance could make that happen if we step in. And who's good at spreading rumors?"
"When it comes to rumors, it's the Underworld Sect."
"Good. I'll commission the Underworld Sect. Oh, and while we're at it, wouldn't it be great if the Hubei Martial Alliance, the Namgung Family, and the Jegal Family got involved too?"
"I'll contact them."
The two men looked at each other and smiled faintly.
"Wouldn't everyone be happy if we let the world know who has such a treasure?"
"My thoughts exactly."
The two men drained the last of their wine in one gulp.
***
As expected, there was almost no information to be gained from the warriors of the Blue Martial Faction.
The Underworld Sect handled their interrogation. Their special methods didn't work, so they resorted to psychological tactics.
They managed to extract more information than the Martial Alliance or the Black Alliance, but since the warriors themselves didn't know much, it was of little value.
After the Underworld Sect's interrogation, the men were handed over to Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan took them one by one, extracted their souls, and burned them.
It was a method to read the images that flowed out during the process.
If used correctly, it could yield unexpected information, but this time, there were almost no results.
These men truly knew nothing beyond the fact that they had to retrieve a very important treasure from the Golden Jade Trading Company.
The information that the Underworld Sect and Byeok Taesan did extract was not about the treasure, but about the Golden Moon Trading Company and the Blue Martial Faction.
And it was the same for the warriors of the Upper Heaven Sect.
The information obtained from them was mostly about the Golden Moon Trading Company and the Upper Heaven Sect, with occasional bits about the Nine Dragons Sect mixed in.
The interrogation of Jang Jungsan, Gwan Huseung, and Ja Deukcheol was also first conducted by the Underworld Sect.
But these men were more thorough. None of the methods the Underworld Sect tried worked on them.
They even resorted to torture, but to no avail.
Ultimately, they were handed over to Byeok Taesan in their entirety.
Byeok Taesan simply stared at the three men.
The three were sitting comfortably in chairs. They were even free, their pressure points not sealed.
And yet, they couldn't move a muscle, sitting there obediently.
Honestly, they couldn't even understand why they were acting this way.
The thought of escaping didn't even cross their minds.
The first to realize the reason was Jang Jungsan.
'Could it be... that I'm crushed by fear?'
At first, he dismissed the idea. He didn't feel afraid of the situation at all.
But once the thought entered his mind and he kept mulling it over, he slowly began to grasp its reality.
This was undeniably fear. But the fear was so immense that the person experiencing it failed to even recognize it.
It was a fear that acted on the subconscious, on instinct, so until he touched upon its true nature, he didn't even know what was happening to him.
Having figured this much out, Jang Jungsan stared blankly at Byeok Taesan.
What in the world was his true identity, to be able to do something so terrifying so nonchalantly?
Although Jang Jungsan was the first to grasp the situation, it was Ja Deukcheol who spoke first.
"I will keep my mouth shut for the rest of my life. And in the future, I will give my full support to all matters concerning the Golden Jade Trading Company. If necessary, I can provide immense compensation. So, will you not let us go now?"
Jang Jungsan was inwardly amazed. Honestly, he couldn't open his mouth even if he wanted to.
But Ja Deukcheol, while crushed by that immense fear, had overcome it and spoken.
'They said he has a rotten personality but the highest potential.'
Objectively speaking, Ja Deukcheol's martial arts were slightly inferior to Gwan Huseung's.
Even though the Blue Martial Faction was considered a notch above the Upper Heaven Sect, Gwan Huseung was the master of his sect.
Jang Jungsan glanced at Gwan Huseung.
His face was expressionless, but his eyes were filled with panic.
It was clear he wanted to speak but couldn't.
Sure enough, Byeok Taesan was looking at Ja Deukcheol with a hint of interest in his eyes.
Seeing Byeok Taesan's gaze, Ja Deukcheol quickly spoke.
"If there's anything you're curious about, ask away. As long as you let me go, I'll answer everything I know."
"Not necessary."
At Byeok Taesan's words, Ja Deukcheol's eyes wavered. He felt the finality in his tone.
But that didn't make sense. If he truly didn't want to know anything, why had he captured and interrogated them?
Ja Deukcheol recalled the questions the Underworld Sect members had asked during the interrogation.
"Are you really not curious why we were trying to find the Golden Tablet?"
Byeok Taesan silently stared at Ja Deukcheol.
Ja Deukcheol took this as a sign that Byeok Taesan's mind had changed and quickly continued.
"The Golden Tablet contains the secret to the Heavenly Demon's martial arts."
Byeok Taesan tilted his head slightly.
"That's a bit different from what I know."
Byeok Taesan's words were enough to freeze the three men solid.
They stared at Byeok Taesan, their eyes trembling violently.
"You... know about the Golden Tablet?"
Ja Deukcheol mumbled in a trembling voice.
When Byeok Taesan smirked, Ja Deukcheol quickly asked.
"What, what is your identity? Who are you to know such a thing!"
Byeok Taesan smiled faintly.
"I am the Heavenly Demon."
"Nonsense! The Heavenly Demon is dead!"
As Ja Deukcheol screamed as if in a frenzy, Byeok Taesan nodded.
"He was."
Ja Deukcheol fell silent and stared at Byeok Taesan. Byeok Taesan grinned and continued.
"And now, I'm back."
Fear crept into the three men's eyes. Not the fear that had been pressing on their subconscious until now, but a real, tangible fear that seized them.
"How, how...!"
The three men realized their fate. How could they possibly survive after hearing those words?
Byeok Taesan casually raised his hand, showing them the golden bracer on his forearm.
"I made this after seeing the Golden Tablet. It's... not too bad."
Byeok Taesan looked at the three men and asked.
"But what I'm curious about is how you know about the Golden Tablet. To be honest, it's something even I, the Heavenly Demon, didn't know about."
The three men pressed their lips together and stared at Byeok Taesan. Their gazes deepened.
They believed the value of the information they possessed was by no means small.
They wanted to use it to somehow find a way to live.
Seeing their expressions, Byeok Taesan smirked.
"You fools. Did you really think I was asking so you could tell me with your own mouths?"
With those words, Byeok Taesan strode towards them.
He first placed his hand on Gwan Huseung's head and swiftly pulled out his soul.
"Think hard. The more you do, the more thoughts I'll be able to hear."
Gwan Huseung's soul burst into flames.
Of course, the remaining two couldn't see the spectacle. They could only hear it.
"Guaaaaaaaah!"
A desperate scream filled with an agony that seemed to tear out his very lungs.
An even deeper fear crept into the eyes of the two remaining men.
***
A rumor, its origin unknown, was circulating.
It was a rumor about the Golden Moon Trading Company.
The rumor was that two of the martial factions under their control had moved to steal a treasure from the Golden Jade Trading Company.
What that treasure was, remained unknown. But its value was said to be greater than hundreds of luminous pearls and a hundred *gwan* of gold combined.
The rumor circulated mainly among martial sects and large trading companies.
And several people emerged who wanted to verify the truth of this rumor.
Among them, those with relatively strong power or authority personally visited the Golden Jade Trading Company to confirm its veracity.
They did not intend to publicly disclose the conclusions they reached after visiting the Golden Jade Trading Company.
But that itself quickly spread as another rumor.
It's true.
The Golden Jade Trading Company kept a low profile as much as possible. However, they did publicly announce that there had been an official visit from the Golden Moon Trading Company, and that warriors from the Blue Martial Faction had attacked the Golden Jade Trading Company's guards before fleeing.
Since no less than five organizations had witnessed the event, not even the Golden Moon Trading Company could distort or bury the truth.
The rumor, layered upon that truth, spread explosively.
Thanks to this, the Golden Moon Trading Company was experiencing unprecedented difficulties.
No one openly used their power to pressure the Golden Moon Trading Company, but there were countless individuals working behind the scenes, using various methods to check them and uncover the truth.
And the Golden Moon Trading Company had to block such attempts with utmost thoroughness.
Because they had several secrets that were truly difficult to reveal.
Because of this, an atmosphere of walking on thin ice continued daily at the Golden Moon Trading Company.
In a pavilion located in the deepest part of the Golden Moon Trading Company's headquarters, the main figures of the company were gathered, sitting with serious expressions.
"It's been five days since I ordered you to grasp the situation accurately, yet no one has come to see me. My disappointment is immense."
At the Master's words, everyone bowed their heads with embarrassed expressions.
It wasn't that they had nothing to say.
Normally, when a similar incident occurred, it would have taken them only three days to grasp the situation and resolve the matter.
No, depending on the issue, it could be handled in just two days.
That was the extent of the power the Golden Moon Trading Company wielded.
But this time, the situation was a bit different.
For one, there were too many factions trying to keep them in check.
With every Tom, Dick, and Harry jumping in, even the Golden Moon Trading Company couldn't help but be overwhelmed.
Of course, once this situation calmed down a bit, they would thoroughly punish those fools, but that was a matter for later.
"Not a single one returned. Not one."
The Master said this and then glanced around at the gathered people.
"Have you confirmed their life or death?"
As if waiting, one person stepped forward and answered.
"We were able to secure the cooperation of the Martial Alliance, the Black Alliance, the Hubei Martial Alliance, the Namgung Family, and the Jegal Family to bring back the members of the Blue Martial Faction."
He didn't bother to report the considerable sum of money that had been spent in the process.
"And the rest?"
"They've vanished without a trace."
The Master stared intently at the person who had reported.
"Honestly, I don't understand. Wasn't So Mareuk involved in this too?"
"That is correct. He insisted on following."
"And he didn't return either?"
"No."
"And you couldn't find any trace of him?"
"No."
The replier's voice trailed off.
"How many people in the current martial world can stand against So Mareuk?"
"To my knowledge, no more than twenty."
"If So Mareuk was determined to escape, would it be possible to kill him without leaving a single trace?"
"The Nine Dragons Sect could do it."
The Master nodded.
"Right. Which means the Upper Heaven Sect or the Blue Martial Faction couldn't. And it also means that most ordinary sects or organizations couldn't do it either."
Everyone looked at the Master with expressions of agreement.
"What is the probability that the Golden Jade Trading Company orchestrated all of this?"
At the Master's question, everyone showed skeptical expressions.
"It is almost impossible."
The Master tilted his head.
"It's strange. It's really strange."
Logically, the Golden Jade Trading Company was the unilateral victim.
But for some reason, he had a feeling that wasn't the case.
This was just a gut feeling, not based on any logic or reasoning.
It felt as if several crucial links in the chain of information were snapped.
"Anyway... it's going to be noisy for a while."
The Master muttered this and thought of Nameless.
It was about time to contact them.
< It's Going to Be Noisy for a While > End