Spark of Evil (2)
After O Il-sik's death, the Jeondeungmun disciples' attitudes shifted a bit. The ones who'd been mindlessly charging forward with battle cries now started holding back, focusing on their own pain and tending to their wounds.
"Aaaagh!"
"My arm!!"
"M-my leg! My leg!"
The screams were far better than hearing that fucking slogan of theirs.
Of course, things didn't end there. Once they snapped out of it, they realized I was the one who'd killed O Il-sik, and their outrage boiled over.
"Aren't you a righteous sect disciple too? How dare a fellow righteous warrior side with black path scum and commit murder!"
"We won't stand for this! We'll report you and your sect to the Cheongsung faction and the Murim Alliance...!"
From threats to report me to vows of revenge against Tae-eul Gate—it was a total shitshow.
I responded lightly.
"Ah, you guys wanna die right now or what?"
"......"
Gulp.
They stayed silent, but their bodies trembled faintly with barely contained rage. Hmm, still haven't grasped the situation, huh?
"You think this is just gonna blow over?"
"What... what do you mean by that?!"
"Your sect leader was someone the Murim Alliance publicly named as practicing a forbidden art. And you're all suspects in learning it too."
"What? Th-that's ridiculous...!"
"D-don't lie! Our lord would never!"
"You're trying to frame us!"
At least their sect was made up of adults aspiring to be warriors. If it had been a family-style sect like Tae-eul Gate, with kids and elders all together, the scene would've been even more pathetic.
I spoke coldly to those refusing to face reality. O Il-sik practicing demonic arts wasn't their sin, but letting them go could spell bigger disasters down the line.
"Well, an investigation will sort it out."
Excluding the critically wounded, I bound them all and headed to Dok-ah Sect. It was the only sizable force around Hwangcheon-hyeon anyway.
I had Dok-ah Sword's men fetch shackles and ropes, then drove iron stakes into the house they'd been using as lodging and chained them up like a makeshift prison. Crude, but it should hold for a few days.
I glanced at the Dok-ah Sect disciples lined up on either side and rolled my stiff shoulders.
"A Murim Alliance investigation team will come. If even one dies before I hand them over, you all..."
Dok-ah Sword gulped loudly, the sound like thunder.
"...get killed by me."
"Y-yes, sir!"
No need to bow that deep... And why's this guy been so polite since earlier?
Anyway, it looked like only O Il-sik and his closest follower, Deung Go-hyeon, had learned demonic arts. He'd have known how suspicious it was, so he probably hadn't passed it on easily. They knew demonic arts were a capital crime that could wipe out their entire clan—couldn't just hand that off casually.
And Deung Go-hyeon probably didn't even realize he'd learned it himself.
Still, that didn't clear the Jeondeungmun disciples. They might've learned it unknowingly, like him... Whatever, the Murim Alliance's Inspection Hall and Execution Hall would figure it out.
I handed Dok-ah Sword a bill of exchange.
"Use this for food costs until the Alliance arrives, and fix the damaged facilities."
He took it with touched eyes.
"...Y-young master..."
"Don't worry, just take it..."
"This is for a hundred nyang of silver?"
"......"
"There are over eighty Jeondeungmun bastards alone..."
What? With one nyang of silver, I bought ten bottles of leaf-green liquor, braised pork, and even some sweets as snacks. A hundred nyang is more than enough—hell, you could build a whole annex with the leftovers.
The news that Jin Sowoon, who'd visited Dok-ah Sect last night, had stormed Jeondeungmun left the Daecheon Merchant Group and Wang family folks stunned.
Of course, if that were the end of it, they'd count their blessings. But after hearing Jeondeungmun was a righteous sect with loose ties to Cheongsung faction...
Clang—
......He ended up dropping his chopsticks.
"No way!!! Young master!!! Weren't you just going to reclaim the money!!! How could you raid a righteous sect!!!"
"Ah, there were circumstances. Don't worry. Even the sect leader's death was handled cleanly..."
"Whaaat?!!! Y-you killed the sect leader???"
"Ah... You didn't know?"
As Jin Sowoon scratched his head sheepishly, Go Jungtak was so shocked he nearly fainted. Even Wang Soso's usual relaxed expression turned serious.
"Oppa. Even if they're not part of the Murim Alliance, claiming to be righteous means trouble."
"Don't worry. I've got it handled."
"......"
The merchant caravan leaving Hwangcheon-hyeon carried one extra coffin. At first, everyone freaked at the idea of transporting a corpse, but they shut up tight when told it was necessary to resolve the Jeondeungmun mess.
After entering Hefei in Anhui Province, Jin Sowoon hauled the coffin straight to the Murim Alliance's local branch.
By then, word had spread that he'd killed Jeondeungmun's leader, causing a brief uproar.
"Jin Sowoon, academy student. You owe a proper explanation for this. Even as an academy rep, killing a righteous sect leader is a grave offense."
Under strict scrutiny, what Jin Sowoon presented was Deung Go-hyeon's corpse.
"Urk!"
"Wh-what is this?!"
"Fuck! Open a window!"
With the weather warming, the untreated body reeked to high heaven. Jin Sowoon, seemingly used to the stench, reported calmly.
"This happened during the investigation."
"This?!"
At the branch manager's shout, Jin Sowoon's finger pointed to Deung Go-hyeon's eyes.
Their gazes followed, noses pinched and faces twisted... and one by one, their eyes widened like rabbits', hands dropping from their faces.
"......!?"
"What trickery is this?"
"Ink splattered or something?"
"No, it's too black for that..."
The unnatural eyes instantly convinced them this was no ordinary case, clearing Jin Sowoon on the spot.
He added details.
"The only visible change was in the eyes. But he moved beyond human limits, like he felt no pain."
"Beyond human limits?"
"He didn't notice his own ankle snapping and still kicked off the ground to charge."
"......"
Behavior no sane warrior would show. True experts knew their qi and body limits—no reckless bullshit like that.
The branch folks didn't say it, but the clues screamed forbidden art.
Their attitude flipped instantly.
"As expected of the academy's top student."
"Makes sense coming from prestigious Tae-eul Gate."
"Heh, knew a standout would emerge from Hefei's pride someday."
"How's the Tae-eul Gate Lord doing?"
With the top academy rep reporting directly, no details would slip. This would boost their performance reviews too. Jin Sowoon, knowing that, said nothing extra.
Unusually, the Hefei branch publicly announced suspicions against Jeondeungmun before a full probe: stirring chaos with sorcery.
Branch members rushed to Hwangcheon-hyeon first, and the Alliance's Execution Hall dispatched investigators.
Meanwhile, as the righteous Murim buzzed over the Jeondeungmun probe...
Strange rumors began spreading in the black path world, centered on Hwangcheon-hyeon.
"Heard the Black Flame Dragon's actually a joint vanguard for black path masters."
"Kuhahaha! You moron, buying that bullshit?!"
"No, for real! Dok-ah Sect in Hwangcheon-hyeon was under attack by Jeondeungmun, and get this—the Black Flame Dragon solo-raided them and wiped 'em out!"
Of course, no one bought the absurd tale easily. Jin Sowoon hailed from Tae-eul Gate, one of the Murim Alliance's 108 Peaks, and was the academy's top rep. Academy spots guaranteed Alliance futures, so backgrounds were thoroughly vetted. No shady pasts allowed.
At first, dismissed as black pathers' jokes to troll the righteous... but the rumors were too detailed and vivid to be mere banter, so they snowballed.
Jeondeungmun had taken near-annihilation damage, after all.
"Locked all the Jeondeungmun guys in Dok-ah Sect and tortured 'em mercilessly?"
"Even killed their sect leader!"
"Damn, impressive... But why's the Alliance sitting idle? Those hypocrites pounce on any black path sect like rats if shit hits the fan, Alliance or not."
"Why do you think he's the Black Flame Dragon? Must've schemed from inside."
"Right! Framed Jeondeungmun for sorcery and slapped 'em on the extermination list... Not your average guy!"
Baseless chatter meshed with the Alliance's response, and black pathers started buying in.
"Heard he toured all Henan, inspecting every black path sect?"
"Calls black pathers 'friends' whenever he meets 'em!"
"Word is, back in the Four Black Alliances, he caught up with Elder Blood Battle after ages?"
"So he learned arts from Elder Blood Battle too?"
"That's his one and only disciple!"
The snowball grew.
"The Black Flame Dragon's prestige is unreal!"
"True joint vanguard of the black path, the Black Maitreya!"
......The rumors spread from Henan and Anhui across the land.
Of course, the man at the center, Jin Sowoon, remained oblivious.
After wrapping up at the Alliance branch, I headed straight to the black market spot.
"Oh! Young master, welcome."
The owner, a stranger, recognized me without checking my Black Command plaque.
"Same as last time. How the hell do you know me?"
"Haha, we can't not know our VIP guests. We've got full profiles on appearances, and this too."
"Huh?"
He pulled out a small scroll. On white silk, a man stood in ornate clothes embroidered with golden threads. Across his chest, in huge letters: TOP STUDENT.
Tremble tremble.
I couldn't stop my shaking hands.
"Wh-where the fuck did you get this?"
That damn Eunho made this cursed painting...
"Ah! Didn't you know? After you topped the academy entrance, parents bought these 'top student talismans' like hotcakes. They're everywhere now."
What the hell?! Why turn my humiliating past into fucking lucky charms?!
"Might be rude to say, but... folks see a Tae-eul Gate disciple topping the academy as a miracle like fireflies and snow. Exam-time households always hang one... Huh?"
Before reason kicked in, my hands shredded the scroll. Only after the shameful thing was in pieces did I realize it belonged to the owner.
"Ah, s-sorry."
"......It's fine."
Swish—
"Got another one."
The owner beamed innocently, pulling out another.
"......"
I reached out again, then stopped.
...Feels like there are more.
Fuck.
He rolled it up neatly and stashed it safely, then eyed me.
"So, what can I help with today?"
I refocused and stated my business at Haomen.
"I need to meet Yang Gunbaek, the division head."
"......"
His smiley face hardened instantly.
"What's it about?"
"Jeondeungmun."
"......The sorcery?"
"That's the surface story."
He tilted his head, puzzled. I met his eyes squarely.
"Remember the corpse I handed over last time? It's about that."
The Alliance might start an investigation, but it wouldn't be thorough. They were dead serious about demon extermination, yet paradoxically saw the Demonic Cult as mere bogeymen from stories.
Plus, like the branch folks showed, politicking over merits would blur the truth.
So I needed to probe before traces vanished.
Might be something bigger...
Faster prep than planned seemed necessary. If the Demonic Cult had infiltrated righteous Murim before the great war, all my schemes so far would be worthless.
That's why I omitted the exploding blood pill in my Alliance report. Unsure if it drew demonic qi, and leaks could alert them, spawning new variables.
"Sigh... Guarding the jianghu's peace is no joke."
"What the hell, punk!"
"I said guarding the jianghu's peace is hard."
"You little shit with that loose mouth! Hands up proper!"
I shot my hands up again. Honestly, what'd I do wrong? Saved the Daecheon Merchant Group escort fees, even set up protection for future trips. Should get praise, right?
"Ugh! Y-you!"
My father, fuming, grabbed an inkstone to hurl—till Wang Geumsan intervened.
"Enough. It's all for Daecheon Merchant Group."
"No, if that punk ain't gone black path, why raid a strict righteous sect and stir shit?!"
"Ah, they were practicing sorcery, weren't they? Just did what had to be done."
"As expected of the Wang Lord..."
"Jin Sowoon, you shut it! Sigh, so why'd that crazy bas— I mean, that punk do it?!"
Who knew safeguarding the jianghu's peace would be this lonely and tough?
Dodging my father's glares, I trained under Baek Hae-gwang at Tae-eul Gate, passing out daily—till word came from Haomen again.