The Black Flame Dragon Cashes In (2)
Chaseokdu led his elite troops charging through Sahyeokryeon. He already knew the assassins had swept through once before. It had been a diversion to draw eyes away, so they wouldn't show up again.
Even so, he commanded dozens of fully armed men to patrol the grounds, barking pointless orders.
"Alliance Lord! Our sect leader...!"
"I'll catch the culprits myself! Light every torch in the compound and collect all weapons. Execute anyone who resists on the spot!"
This was his chance to show who the true leader of Sahyeokryeon was. To etch into everyone's minds that he wasn't just some interim figure.
Heroes are born in chaos, and trust comes from competence. People naturally follow those who tell them what to do in unexpected crises. Even stubborn black path folk weren't immune to that instinct.
"Hear this, everyone in the alliance! We're tracking the killers now—stay calm!"
"Understood!"
"Understood!!"
Those who hated Chaseokdu started to like him; those who liked him turned into fanatics. And as that faith piled up, it birthed awe.
The black path warriors' trust in Sahyeokryeon—which had been split in half—and in Chaseokdu himself skyrocketed.
Chaseokdu felt a swell of satisfaction at the shifting tide of opinion.
"This enough?"
"One or two more laps around town."
"Again? You said they'd all fled already."
His subordinate shook his head firmly at the retort.
"Alliance Lord, do you know how many busybodies are gathered here?"
"Busybodies? Why the fancy words all of a sudden? They're just a bunch of drunken louts."
"...Anyway, today's events need to spread across the entire martial world through them."
If awe had solidified internal unity, now it was time to project that power outward. Only then could Sahyeokryeon take root as a legitimate organization.
Reading his subordinate's intent, Chaseokdu nodded readily.
"Got it."
"Oh, and check on the wounded while you're at it. Why do you keep just passing by?"
"You saw it too. Those aren't assassin wounds—they're from infighting. Those guys don't wound; they kill."
His subordinate's brow furrowed slightly.
"Alliance Lord, what the hell are those killers? I've never seen skill like that. Way cleaner than any Salmak assassin."
"..."
Chaseokdu almost answered on reflex but stopped himself. What good would it do? Would his subordinate even believe him?
That they were from a group that vanished five hundred years ago? He could barely believe it himself. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes...
He would've thought Jin Sowoon had lost his mind.
It was unmistakably the martial arts of the Sahwangbong.
The hooded guards had demonstrated their techniques before Chaseokdu multiple times during conflicts in Sahyeokryeon's founding. No doubt about it—they matched perfectly, and reviewing his memories turned up no inconsistencies.
But then...
One shed its skin like a snake molt, transforming into something else entirely.
Just like Jin Sowoon said, the same creatures from the Bopyeong Plains...
He regretted not investigating that incident more thoroughly.
His head was starting to ache. He'd thought keeping the Murim Alliance in check was enough, but another faction? Redrawing Sahyeokryeon's future plans made his temples throb.
Then.
"Alliance Lord..."
"Yeah?"
His subordinate pointed to one spot.
"Over there."
It was Damak's quarters. Everyone from the delegation except Jin Sowoon—plus Hyeol Tu and Yeom Gwi-bi—had gathered there.
He'd gotten the report that Damak was rescued, but... what were they doing?
Chaseokdu headed over without delay.
"What's going on, elders?"
The Murim Alliance delegates, Hyeol Tu, and Yeom Gwi-bi—who had saved Sahyeokryeon in its hour of need—looked up at him with dejected faces.
"Jin Sowoon..."
But Hyeol Tu, answering his question, suddenly clammed up.
The mood felt off, so he glanced around: Dang Seohui was shedding fat tears like a chicken, while Ak Byeongbi and Il Myeong wore clouds of worry.
No one wanted to speak.
Finally, Yeom Gwi-bi continued.
"...That child Jin Sowoon is dead."
"What?"
Chaseokdu double-checked if he'd heard right.
"What do you mean?"
Jin Sowoon, dead? That guy?
Jin Sowoon was the tenacious bastard who'd survived Ma-ryeong Plateau and Jeongsi. The kind who'd need ten lives and still come up short in those hellholes—yet he clawed through.
And now he was just... dead?
"...Is it confirmed?"
Yeom Gwi-bi and even Hyeol Tu scowled at his words.
"How else did they get out of there?"
In one corner of Damak's quarters, an ominous red wall shimmered like hellfire—so vivid it drew an involuntary groan from Chaseokdu.
As Hyeol Tu said, it was obvious even without looking.
But still.
"I need to see for myself."
Chaseokdu's eyes hardened with resolve.
The first thing Chaseokdu did after forming Sahyeokryeon was gather formation experts. He never wanted to relive the nightmare of Ma-ryeong Plateau.
But Sahyeokryeon's nature posed a problem. Would scholarly formation masters—who avoided the jianghu—join an unsecured black path alliance?
Chaseokdu didn't give up. If he lacked teeth, he'd use gums.
He rounded up gamblers from sects like the Jegal family and Mosanpa—those deep in qimen dunjia. Like all gamblers, they were drowning in debt and threats, making recruitment easy. Just buy the debts from creditors.
These new Black Law Division members, knowing Chaseokdu held their debts, outperformed their old sects. In just one hour, they located the life and death gates.
"But this is just the start. To dismantle it, we need thorough analysis..."
"I heard hitting life and death gates at once shatters weak formations—is that right?"
"Y-yes, but we don't know the formation's strength, and if we mess up, the people inside..."
Chaseokdu ignored the gambler's words.
It was a hasty setup for the ambush. How strong could it be?
One issue: no single person could hit both gates simultaneously.
Then.
"I'll join you."
Hyeol Tu stepped forward.
"Aren't you worn out?"
"You think I'm comparable to trash like you?"
Hyeol Tu and Chaseokdu struck both gates together. As predicted, the formation shattered.
And inside...
"Ugh..."
They found Jin Sowoon collapsed, vomiting blood.
"H-help... fuck."
Half-conscious, groaning for rescue like a plea.
A chill ran down Chaseokdu's spine as he bellowed.
"...He's here!"
"What?"
Chaseokdu shouted again.
"He's alive... the bastard's alive...!"
The delegation dropped to their knees in relief.
"As expected from the Black Dragon Stronghold Chief and Sahyeokryeon Vice Lord Jin Sowoon—he wouldn't go down easy!"
"Amitabha..."
Not just them—the Sahyeokryeon members gathered at Damak's quarters erupted in cheers.
Damak, who had the young black pathers' absolute support, and the sacrificial devotion of the Murim Alliance delegates who saved him—it struck a chord.
"Jin Sowoon!"
"Jin Sowoon!"
"Black Flame Dragon!"
"Black Flame Dragon!"
Soon, the nickname Jin Sowoon despised echoed far and wide from their lips.
Jegal Somyeong visited Hyeok Mu-gang's office.
"Word from Mu Yeong."
"What happened?"
"Unknown entities blocked all messenger birds and couriers around Sahyeokryeon."
"Unknown entities?"
Hyeok Mu-gang furrowed his brow. Had Jegal Somyeong ever been this vague?
Jegal Somyeong nodded.
"No traces of affiliation whatsoever."
From his bitter tone, Hyeok Mu-gang could guess who they were. Jegal Somyeong probably thought the same but, true to his role, wouldn't speculate without proof.
"Worse, assassins trained in orthodox sect arts had infiltrated Sahyeokryeon."
"What?!"
Hyeok Mu-gang flinched.
With intel cut off, orthodox assassins? Perfect fuel for old grudges between white and black paths.
He had to clear up any misunderstandings. Assure them it wasn't Alliance doing.
The delegates' safety was at stake—could spark full war.
"Are the delegates safe?"
Jegal Somyeong sighed softly at Hyeok Mu-gang, who looked ready to bolt to Shanxi.
"They're fine."
"Not detained?"
Sahyeokryeon couldn't wage full war even now, but delegates made perfect scapegoats to vent black path rage.
"No need to worry."
"No worries?"
Hyeok Mu-gang's eyes filled with doubt. Even a rough sketch screamed trouble. If he saw it, so did Jegal Somyeong...
Why so calm?
As if reading his mind, Jegal Somyeong added.
"The delegates uncovered the infiltrators in Sahyeokryeon."
"What?"
Another curveball. Not Sahyeokryeon insiders, but Alliance delegates found them?
...If the assassins used orthodox arts, wouldn't that make the delegates prime suspects?
"To be precise, Jin Sowoon found the infiltrators."
"Jin Sowoon? Why? No, how?"
"..."
Jegal Somyeong's lips twitched like he hated even saying it.
Hyeok Mu-gang grew more anxious.
"Chief Strategist."
Prodded, Jegal Somyeong finally spoke.
"...He found them with stargazing."
"...Pardon?"
Silence blanketed the room.
Hyeok Mu-gang scowled unwittingly. Misheard?
"Stargazing?"
"Yes."
"...But Tae-eul Gate is a Daoist sect, isn't it?"
"Alliance Leader..."
Daoist or Buddhist, using something as absurd as stargazing to catch assassins? That should raise flags.
"No, wait—that can't be right. What does that even mean?"
"No idea. That's all Mu Yeong's report said."
"..."
Resumed intel was welcome, but fragments—absurd ones at that—painted no clear picture. No proper explanation for the nonsense.
Jegal Somyeong resolved to train the signal guards on reporting once Mu Yeong returned.
"Anyway, catching the assassins cleared the spy misunderstanding for the Alliance."
"...Dodged a bullet."
With Blood Cult remnants in Sichuan, war with Sahyeokryeon could've crippled the Alliance unprecedentedly.
Dissolving the misunderstanding—wittingly or not—was huge.
"But..."
Hyeok Mu-gang, lost in thought, spoke up.
"Did he really use stargazing?"
"...Alliance Leader."
Hyeok Mu-gang was dying of curiosity. If not, how'd he sniff out hidden killers in enemy territory while suspect?
"Aren't you curious, Chief Strategist?"
"..."
Jegal Somyeong's lips quivered—he was just as hooked.
"Not the time."
The "not now" implied grilling Jin Sowoon later.
Hyeok Mu-gang nodded.
"Right. Sichuan's dragging longer than planned."
Winter loomed. Prolonging war risked uprooting the Alliance.
But couldn't retreat with Blood Cult ahead—leaving demon sorcerers unchecked spelled disaster.
Hyeok Mu-gang broached carefully.
"Even if Sahyeokryeon cleared the air, can't pull back the black path sects in Sichuan, right?"
Stuck advancing or retreating. He knew it hopeless, but facing it choked him.
Jegal Somyeong, after a pause, spoke firmly.
"Alliance Leader, finish the Blood Cult."
"...Safe? With black path sects at our backs?"
"Sahyeokryeon pledges support for Sichuan."
"What?"
Hyeok Mu-gang's eyes bulged.
Jegal Somyeong continued evenly.
"At the opening ceremony, the Alliance delegates signed a pact: declare Blood Cult a public enemy and maintain peace with the Alliance until it's eradicated."
Hyeok Mu-gang gaped.
No rear stabs was blessing enough—public enemy declaration? Slim black path aid could end Blood Cult swiftly.
"What the hell does that mean?"
Too good to be true—like a lie.
Jegal Somyeong chuckled in disbelief.
"It's real. Jin Sowoon brokered the pact."
"Jin Sowoon?"
"Ak Byeongbi's report confirms it."
"Ak Byeongbi..."
Hyeok Mu-gang knew the bad blood between Ak family and Jin Sowoon. No reason for Ak Byeongbi to falsify praise.
"What exactly went down in Sahyeokryeon?"
"No clue."
As Inspection Hall alum, Ak Byeongbi didn't know Mantongbu needs. Jegal Somyeong desperately wanted unified reporting across divisions.
"Anyway, monitor Sichuan black path movements, then crush Blood Cult. Harsh winter's coming."
After long silence, Hyeok Mu-gang nodded.
"I owe that kid a debt."
"...Yeah. Process is highly suspicious, though."
Unforeseen methods, unimaginable results. Jegal Somyeong couldn't rank Jin Sowoon with other prodigies—even Yong So-a.
No martial genius could've pulled this.
"Hm... Shouldn't say it, but hearing about the pact stirs greed."
"What kind?"
"Alliance. With the big war ahead, shouldn't the whole jianghu—including us—prepare together?"
Demonic Cult traces in Alliance and Sahyeokryeon. Current events were mere preludes.
When it hit, white-black divides meant nothing.
For that, riding with Sahyeokryeon temporarily appealed.
Jegal Somyeong slowly shook his head.
"Sahyeokryeon has plenty who joined to war on the Alliance. Doubt Chaseokdu controls them all."
"Mm... Too much to hope?"
"Yes."
Despite the quick no, Hyeok Mu-gang pressed.
"Pushing more makes me a thief, huh?"
"..."
"Even Jin Sowoon couldn't swing that, right?"
This guy...?
Jegal Somyeong suddenly saw Hyeok Mu-gang as a sneaky thief.