Chapter 160
Translator: penny
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: Chief Strategist's Proposal
Murim Alliance's Chief Strategist, Zhuge Hak.
He was brewing tea alone in the Military Affairs Hall.
The tea leaves stood up like needles in the yellowish water before sinking again, repeating the process.
It was the famous "Junshan Silver Needle" tea from Dongting Lake.
Tea leaves more expensive than gold of equal weight.
For anyone who loved tea, it was a precious brew they dreamed of tasting at least once, but even with the steeped Junshan Silver Needle right in front of him, Zhuge Hak simply sat there quietly observing it.
Normally, inhaling the aroma of Junshan Silver Needle when his mind was troubled would calm him down, but today, it was as if a heart demon had taken hold—his thoughts were nothing but chaos.
In truth, it was understandable. The matter weighing on him now was no mere trifle that could be soothed by a cup of tea.
'In the end, is there no way to prevent the war from breaking out?'
War with the Four Black Alliance was right around the corner.
At dawn today, the White Tiger Unit had been dispatched, and countless other warriors were awaiting orders.
The fragrant tea aroma felt like the stench of fresh blood today.
Over the rippling yellow surface, visions of the coming catastrophe unfolded.
Not even he could guess how many would die.
But what shook Zhuge Hak's heart the most was something else entirely.
'What is this war even for?'
Justice and righteousness, relief and liberation, freedom, ideology—all wars begin with some righteous cause.
This cause is something more precious than life itself to those involved, which is why war, though horrific, is sometimes necessary.
Not this time, however.
It was nothing but hatred and revenge.
A fight born of some incomprehensible misunderstanding had bred hatred between them, turning revenge into a cause.
No one had wanted this.
And that wasn't the only problem.
'The aftermath of war.'
As Zhuge Hak saw it, this war was not an end, but a beginning.
Countless people would die, and countless sects would crumble.
New powers emerging from the chaos would fan the flames for their own gain, and the ones left groaning in the ruins would be the powerless common folk.
'Especially the demonic hordes of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains...'
Just as Zhuge Hak's thoughts reached that point, the guests he had been waiting for arrived.
"Chief Strategist, sir. I've brought the man you requested."
"Ah, so Huigae is here."
Huigae Bae Cheolsan and one young man.
Among them, the young man was the very figure who had recently turned the Murim Alliance upside down.
"And you too, Mok Jimyeong. Come on in."
"Greetings, Chief Strategist."
Mok Jimyeong bowed perfunctorily.
Zhuge Hak noticed the attitude but, having already witnessed his temperament from the Enforcement Hall, just chuckled good-naturedly.
"Do you like tea? I brewed some fine leaves knowing you'd be coming."
Bae Cheolsan's role apparently ended with escorting him, as he quietly bowed and withdrew.
Left alone with the Murim Alliance's Chief Strategist, Mok Jimyeong played along with the mood.
"Junshan Silver Needle, huh."
"Oh? You know your tea."
"I studied it briefly once."
Mok Jimyeong preferred liquor over tea, but he wasn't entirely ignorant of it.
Back in his Flowery Playboy days, he'd studied not just the qin to seduce the ladies, but also calligraphy, painting, tea, and more.
The two exchanged a brief conversation on tea before diving into the main topic.
"Huigae may have told you, but we're hoping to uncover the mastermind behind the incidents in Shandong and Jiangsu provinces through you."
"And if there's no mastermind?"
Though Mok Jimyeong believed there was one, he asked just in case.
Zhuge Hak smiled in response.
"That would be a relief, actually. At least we wouldn't have to worry about some third party's machinations."
"I see. So what exactly do you want me to do?"
"Hmm. First off, are you alright with this? I heard the Alliance Leader mentioned you planning to leave the Murim Alliance..."
"I'll hear you out and decide."
Mok Jimyeong shrugged nonchalantly.
His casual tone made even Zhuge Hak pause for a moment.
"...Understood. For now, we plan to form a new secret organization with you as its leader. The goal, as I said, is to identify any behind-the-scenes force and gather evidence of it."
"Traces of the Demonic Cult?"
Mok Jimyeong probed lightly.
But Zhuge Hak shook his head firmly.
"I think the Demonic Cult is the most likely suspect, but it might not be them. We still haven't found concrete evidence, after all..."
'The leadership isn't completely clueless.'
As Mok Jimyeong thought to himself, Zhuge Hak continued.
"In any case, I'm convinced there's some puppet master at work, Demonic Cult or not. Therefore, this new organization will..."
I sipped the expensive tea as I listened to the Chief Strategist's tale.
In the process, I learned something quite surprising.
'They're not just suspicious of a third force—they suspect spies too?'
I didn't know which faction or who exactly, but the Murim Alliance was more than half-convinced there were moles among them.
The Four Black Alliance, too, no doubt.
Thus, the mission of this new group was to root out these traitors and their backers.
And with that evidence, halt the war with the Four Black Alliance as soon as possible—that was the goal.
As I listened, something suddenly occurred to me.
'Halt the war as soon as possible?'
In my previous life, the Great War of Righteousness and Evil had abruptly ended with the emergence of an absolute being called the Martial Emperor.
From what was known, he'd beaten down the Murim Alliance Leader and Four Black Alliance Chief, forcing a truce...
'Maybe it was planned from the start.'
If the Four Black Alliance had similar ideas to the Murim Alliance, the Martial Emperor's appearance might have just been a well-scripted play.
I nodded vaguely in agreement, and the real details came out.
"First, gather some trustworthy people."
"How many?"
"Too many, and the secret might leak, so fewer than ten."
"Then what?"
"I'll assign my grandson to you."
The sudden mention of a grandson made me frown.
The Chief Strategist belatedly added,
"The kid they call the Young Dragon. His martial prowess is naturally no match for yours, but since he handles intel in the Black Tortoise Unit, he'll be plenty useful."
I knew him, of course.
How could I forget Zhuge Wei, the Young Dragon who would later take the Chief Strategist's seat and hound me when I was the Lecherous Demon?
I was just frowning because he was a guy, that's all.
"And?"
"Let's take it one step at a time. You still have house arrest to serve anyway, so use that to recruit..."
"No, not that. Chief Strategist, you're so dense."
He tilted his head as if to ask what I meant.
I decided to spell it out more clearly.
"Benefits! Authority! Power! You have to tell me about that stuff!"
"Ahem, aren't you being a bit too blunt?"
"You're asking me to recruit people. You think they'll just say yes if I tell them to join? I have to lure them in—'Join up and get this! We'll pay you that much!' Something like that."
Of course, there were people I'd snag even without that.
Like Cheon Woojin. Or Cheon Woojin. Yeah, Cheon Woojin.
'Come to think of it, was there a group like this in my last life too? Hmm...'
It probably formed a bit later.
And the one to lead it would've been...
'Cheon Woojin, maybe? He figures it out and runs to daddy?'
It fit perfectly.
And if that led him to get close to Moyong Hui and get engaged, it made even more sense.
'Her finding out the Blood Cult's secrets and fighting the Blood Demon fits too.'
Whatever, not important right now.
What I needed to hear from the Chief Strategist was something else—what benefits I got for leading this group. That came first.
"Ahem."
The Chief Strategist cleared his throat and flushed.
But I kept staring shamelessly.
Finally, he let out a small sigh.
"First, we're budgeting ten nyang of gold per month. For ten people, that's twenty nyang of silver each—should be plenty."
"Can I distribute it as I see fit?"
"...Do as you like."
'Jackpot. Brothel money secured.'
With Namgung Sua gone, I'd been wondering what to do with my days. Now I had pocket change.
This would keep me comfortable for a while.
Maybe I showed too much glee, because the Chief Strategist continued,
"The ten nyang of gold isn't for you personally—it's for operating the group. Use it wisely."
"I'll handle that. So, when do I get the money? Today?"
I got a firm promise he'd hand it over when I left, and grinned ear to ear.
He sighed again.
"You'll also get audit and immunity privileges. Of course, serious crimes like murder won't be covered, but for anything deemed a necessary means, the Enforcement Hall won't press charges."
Auditing for spies was obvious, and immunity meant little to me anyway.
I'd only gotten house arrest for breaking Namgung Chan's limbs—what was there to fear?
"And?"
"You can access Black Tortoise Unit intel through the Young Dragon."
"And?"
Maybe I said it too casually, because the Chief Strategist finally snapped.
"And what 'and'? Isn't this enough?!"
"Nothing like issuing orders to the Nine Great Sects, or taking bribes from the Five Great Families?"
"..."
Apparently not.