Chapter 146
Translator: penny
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: The Incident Spreads
Mok Jimyeong's incident spread through the Murim Alliance in the blink of an eye.
The news traveled so fast that it even reached Cheon Woojin, who was changing out of his uniform in preparation to head home.
"Cheon Woojin, have you heard the news?"
"What news do you mean?"
"Remember that Mok Jimyeong I mentioned before? The man said to be the Sword Phoenix's lover. Well, today..."
Upon hearing of his lord's exploits through someone else, Cheon Woojin's first thought was, It had to happen eventually.
Mok Jimyeong mingling with others like it was nothing had always been a stretch to begin with.
In Cheon Woojin's view, this was Mok Jimyeong showing remarkable restraint.
However, the rumors had spread so hastily that no one knew exactly what had set him off.
Even the senior warrior who brought the news didn't seem to know the precise reason.
"The exact reason for their fight hasn't been made clear yet. But if I had to guess, it was probably over the Sword Phoenix. Everyone knows the Sword Dragon had feelings for her."
Cheon Woojin nodded lightly at the obvious answer anyone might imagine.
Then he asked the most important question.
"So, what happened to this Mok Jimyeong?"
"From what I heard, he was dragged off to the Enforcement Hall."
"The Enforcement Hall?!"
The Enforcement Hall was where the Murim Alliance handled judgments for martial artists who had committed offenses within its grounds.
Of course, the Alliance didn't officially have such authority, but with the saying "the laws of officials don't reach martial artists," crimes committed by warriors in the Central Plains were typically dealt with by warriors themselves.
Thus, the Murim Alliance had established its own code of laws and meted out punishments accordingly.
But here was the problem: the Murim Alliance was a deeply political place.
There was an Alliance Leader and a Chief Strategist, but in reality, it was a coalition of numerous orthodox sects.
With no independent revenue and relying solely on sponsorships, it had no choice but to defer to the eyes of massive powers like the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families.
The Zhuge family provided some central stability, but even that had its limits.
For these reasons, when the Enforcement Hall judged crimes—especially those involving capable or well-connected individuals—elders and higher-ranking figures gathered for a trial.
Those without ability or backing could be punished swiftly under the code, but touching those with connections risked backlash from their sects or clans.
In any case, it wasn't unusual for Mok Jimyeong to be hauled before the Enforcement Hall for his crime, but what surprised Cheon Woojin ran deeper.
...Did my lord really go along without a fight?
Who was Mok Jimyeong?
A transcendent realm master who had even defeated the head of the Moyong family.
If he'd decided to flee, no one would have caught him by now.
So he'd gone of his own accord...
I need to hear the details from Lady Moyong.
He needed to know the full situation.
Mok Jimyeong wasn't the only one to hear about the incident.
The news reached Jeogal Wi as well, who had been scheming from the shadows.
"The Sword Dragon lost...?"
No, that wasn't even the issue.
Apparently, he'd taken down nearly fifty White Tiger Unit members along with him.
I knew he'd be strong, but this is just monstrous!
He couldn't even gauge the extent of that strength.
Peak transcendent? Or transcendent realm?
Transcendent realm at barely thirty? Impossible... But he did something no peak transcendent could.
For a moment, he wondered if sorcery was involved, but Jeogal Wi quickly shook his head.
Mok Jimyeong had been recommended by the Alliance Leader himself, and Jeogal Wi despised those who branded anything incomprehensible as sorcery.
Yet this time, the word "sorcery" kept circling in his mind.
It was just that unbelievable.
Jeogal Wi shook his head vigorously again and turned to Wi Jong-san, who had brought the intelligence.
"So, where is this Mok Jimyeong now?"
Wi Jong-san was a fellow Black Tortoise Unit member, but one who had received aid from the Zhuge family since childhood.
Thus, he replied with utmost courtesy, even to Jeogal Wi, who was much his junior.
"The White Tiger Unit leader stepped in personally and took him to the Enforcement Hall."
"The White Tiger Unit leader...?"
Based on the information he'd just heard, it didn't make sense for the White Tiger leader to forcibly drag Mok Jimyeong away.
Reading the implication, Wi Jong-san added more.
"He showed no will to resist. Having avenged the Sword Phoenix's insult at the Sword Dragon's hands, he's presumed to have gone willingly."
"...I see. You're dismissed."
At the order to leave, Wi Jong-san handed Jeogal Wi the prepared documents.
Only after confirming Jeogal Wi had taken them did he quietly withdraw.
Left alone, Jeogal Wi read through the detailed report.
The more he read, the hotter his head grew.
In the end, Jeogal Wi pulled out a hidden bottle of liquor from under his desk.
Gulp, gulp—
He downed the alcohol alone in his office.
The heat scorching his mind diluted into drunkenness, gradually cooling.
So my true rival was someone else all along.
He could hear the sound of all his carefully laid plans crumbling.
In truth, Namgung Chan's defeat to Mok Jimyeong wasn't a huge issue by itself.
The man's skill had far exceeded expectations—vastly so—but it didn't derail Jeogal Wi's overall scheme.
The real problem was the timing of the fight.
If the Three Kings had fought in the morning as hinted to Ju Wangpil, things might have turned out fine.
But Mok Jimyeong held the moral high ground.
Namgung Chan, you fool. Couldn't even keep your mouth shut...
He'd insulted the Sword Phoenix right in front of Mok Jimyeong.
Mok Jimyeong couldn't tolerate it and attacked, leading to this mess.
The Sword Phoenix had witnessed it firsthand, so how much closer would those two grow?
And how much would Mok Jimyeong's reputation soar?
On top of that, willingly going with the White Tiger leader was another issue.
According to Wi Jong-san's report, Mok Jimyeong's offenses boiled down to two: "disobeying orders" and "assault."
-The White Tiger leader had ordered unit members not to fight that morning. Namgung Chan is presumed to have provoked him in the presence of the parties involved for that reason. However, Mok Jimyeong's actions were more extreme than imagined.
For "disobeying orders," the superior decided the punishment.
While extremes like "instant execution" were prohibited by regulations, a lenient superior could release the offender without penalty.
Would the White Tiger leader impose a harsh punishment on Mok Jimyeong?
Jeogal Wi deemed it unlikely.
Unless he'd resisted even slightly on the way to the Enforcement Hall, the leader had little reason to harbor grudge.
Namgung Chan had started both the morning provocation and the later one.
Not even the intervening White Tiger members were seriously hurt; they were light injuries that would heal by tomorrow.
Of all people, the White Tiger leader is beyond our family's influence...
If Mok Jimyeong were in the Black Tortoise or Azure Dragon Unit, there might have been ways to bind him.
Even the Vermilion Bird Unit could have been pressured via the Namgung family.
But the White Tiger Unit was different.
Its influence came more from the Nine Great Sects than the great families, and leader Hyeok Jong-dae was from the Jeonchang Sect.
If that were all, it might have been manageable, but Hyeok Jong-dae particularly despised the Black Tortoise Unit.
Just days ago, he'd come stirring trouble, and Jeogal Wi had represented the unit in the ensuing brawl.
In this situation, no words from Jeogal Wi would sway Hyeok Jong-dae.
Thus, he was powerless against the "disobeying orders" charge.
That left the elders' council at the Enforcement Hall...
This will likely pass lightly too.
Jeogal Wi judged that even the elders wouldn't impose severe punishment on Mok Jimyeong.
Not complete acquittal, perhaps, but nothing strong enough to drive a wedge between him and Moyong Hui, as Jeogal Wi desired.
The elders' council would focus mainly on Mok Jimyeong injuring Namgung Chan.
And truthfully, whether Namgung Chan provoked first didn't matter much there.
Such councils were steeped in politics.
The issue was Mok Jimyeong's surprisingly solid backing.
He was recommended by the Alliance Leader himself and connected to the Moyong family through Moyong Hui.
And his own prowess?
Transcendent realm at barely thirty, they said.
Even if not, he'd already bested the Sword Dragon.
The council was too worldly and political to judge solely on the crime.
And Mok Jimyeong was the most outstanding young talent, with the highest potential to become the World's Greatest Martial Artist.
For all these reasons, he'd likely face light punishment at most...
But if I miss this chance, I may never win the Sword Phoenix.
Jeogal Wi didn't want that.
What he'd thought was a rowboat turned out to be a massive galleon, one that would only grow larger by the day.
The time to sink it was now.
Mok Jimyeong's trial is tomorrow afternoon?
Thus, Jeogal Wi decided to act immediately.
Meanwhile, at that very moment in the Enforcement Hall's prison...
Ah, wonder if I could slip the guard some silver and ask for a courtesan...
Mok Jimyeong was seriously contemplating bribing the jailer.