Chapter 177
Translator: penny
Chapter: 177
Chapter Title: Shadows of Suspicion
'Just rape her.'
Of course, even with my mind made up, I couldn't do it right away.
How was I supposed to rape Baek Ilyeong with the White Tiger Unit's members right there on Mount Tai?
'I'm not some Lecherous Demon.'
Back in the day, maybe, but now I was a rising star of the orthodox faction.
A Divine Dragon, no less.
'Tch, if it were the old days, I would've just gone for it without a second thought.'
The White Tiger Unit there with her? Didn't matter.
I could take on the whole damn unit and win.
The problem came after.
'They'd brand me a public enemy of the martial world in no time.'
No matter the Harmony Unit's immunity privileges, this wouldn't fly.
The Chief Strategist had made that clear from the start.
"We also have auditing and immunity privileges. Of course, major crimes like murder are hard to excuse, but for other necessary measures, the Enforcement Hall won't press charges."
In other words, if I raped her, I couldn't get caught.
If I did, the Murim Alliance would come hunting me down immediately.
It wouldn't be as bad as my previous life, sure.
Just the Alliance after me—no involvement from the unorthodox sects or the Demonic Cult.
But the first step's easy; after that, where do I go? I'd end up walking the path of the Lecherous Demon for sure.
And that wasn't the life I wanted.
I wasn't worried about Baek Ilyeong reporting me afterward.
It's not like this would be my first or second time raping someone.
'It's just the lead-up that's the issue.'
So I needed to target a moment when she was alone.
Or create one.
'...Let's take it slow for now?'
This wasn't something to rush into.
I'd only just gotten intel on her—hastily plotting now would just amp up the risks.
As long as I pulled it off before the Great War of Righteousness and Evil ended, that was fine.
A few plans were bubbling up, but first, I decided to meet the Shadow Gate Sect Leader.
"Hm? Need something else?"
He looked puzzled when I returned after stepping out for Baek Ilyeong's info.
I asked him to keep an eye on the White Tiger Unit's Third Squad and Baek Ilyeong up on Mount Tai.
"If anything dangerous happens to her or she moves alone, let me know."
"Ho? Alright, got it."
The Shadow Gate Sect Leader gave me a knowing, meaningful glance, but I didn't care.
Rape was a grave crime in the Alliance, sure—but not much to nitpick for the unorthodox sects.
'Chumunrak was a Four Black Alliance elder, after all. Says it all.'
I didn't bother asking him to keep it secret and just left.
The Shadow Gate Sect was already in the same boat as me—they wouldn't spread anything harmful.
After parting with him, I sent a letter to the Murim Alliance.
More precisely, to Cheon Woojin, handling the Harmony Unit's tedious duties.
-Need info on the White Tiger Unit leader and squad captains. Monitor their movements continuously and report even the smallest details to me immediately.
Truth be told, I only needed info on Third Squad and Baek Ilyeong, but that would raise suspicions.
My letter would likely pass through Cheon Woojin, Jeon Galwi, and even the Chief Strategist, so I kept the request broad.
Now, all I had to do was wait patiently.
With intel flowing from both the Shadow Gate Sect and the Alliance, an opportunity would come eventually.
If not?
'Can't be helped. I'll use Cheon Woojin to get orders from the Alliance.'
Just send Third Squad to a dangerous battlefield.
Then rescue only Baek Ilyeong.
With my tasks done, I went to find Baek Ri Eunjeong.
To relay what I'd discussed with Eun Garyeon.
'And maybe spend some hot time with Baek Ri Eunjeong while I'm at it.'
She was pretty tasty, after all.
I spent the night in Jenam Castle and headed back to the Eun Merchant Group's base.
With my plan to seduce Baek Ilyeong scrapped, I didn't need Paeng Deokjo anymore—but I'd promised to return, so I had to meet him.
'Tch, what a hassle.'
If I'd known it'd be this annoying, I wouldn't have stuck him in the Harmony Unit.
But what could I do?
He was already in.
'Stick with him for a bit, then ditch him.'
Plenty of excuses to split off.
Leave him behind somewhere suspicious, or send him to Peking claiming we needed the North Hebei Paeng Family's help—like this time.
The issue was ditching him right now. Paeng Deokjo currently suspected the Eun Merchant Group.
I knew there was no link between my backing forces and them, but I worried about what conclusions he'd draw alone.
'If weird rumors reach the Chief Strategist or Alliance Leader, it could spell trouble for Eun Garyeon.'
Unlike my leisurely pursuit of Baek Ilyeong, the Eun Merchant Group taking over Shandong was a time-sensitive race.
If Paeng Deokjo's suspicions prompted an Alliance investigation team, their losses would be massive.
So I planned to convince him quickly and move elsewhere.
'Tell him about the Chumunrak incident from before—he'll buy it.'
No need to mix in lies.
Starting from how his disciple Im Jungdo infiltrated the Eun Merchant Group—anyone could see they were the victims.
It was real experience on my part; no verification needed.
I met Paeng Deokjo and broached the topic naturally.
"Find anything?"
Just two days.
What could he have found?
I readied myself to steer into the past story smoothly.
But Paeng Deokjo's response blew past my expectations.
"Somwol seems suspicious."
"...Pardon?"
"Ah, let me explain in detail. After you left for Jenam Castle, I talked not just to the Paeng Family warriors but to the Eun Merchant Group's employees too. Somwol's name kept popping up from them, but she's apparently not on their official staff. That struck me as odd, so I dug a little deeper..."
Paeng Deokjo proudly laid out his findings, but it all washed over me.
Instead...
'Shit, we're screwed?'
Time slowed as my mind raced.
Honestly, I hadn't imagined Somwol's name coming up here.
Not a slight on Paeng Deokjo—it was just reality.
Who was Somwol?
The Shadow Gate Sect's successor candidate.
Now all but confirmed after the Sect Leader's endorsement.
'How the hell did he find out?'
Two possibilities sprang to mind.
First: betrayal from the Shadow Gate Sect disciples.
As I knew, after the Eun Merchant Group's near-collapse, most staff were filled with Shadow Gate Sect members.
But they weren't from Somwol's Brothel Hall—they were pulled from rivals like the Carriage Hall or each branch.
So they might've leaked info to Paeng Deokjo to undermine their strong rival Somwol.
'Nah, that doesn't fit. Rivals or not, they wouldn't betray fellow sect members.'
If betrayal was common, how had the Shadow Gate Sect survived this long?
With its five halls, it'd have splintered into five factions already.
Plus, I'd heard as much directly from Somwol and the Sect Leader.
'If not that, then...'
Second: the Eun Merchant Group breaking free of Shadow Gate Sect influence on their own.
Think of the Baek Ri Family for an easy example.
Why had they nearly fallen?
Partly because I made the Sect Leader cut ties, but fundamentally, they'd leaned too hard on the Shadow Gate Sect.
'No independent intel network.'
Forces depending entirely on one outsider don't last.
Eun Garyeon surely knew that.
So she'd probably hired extra staff beyond the Shadow Gate Sect disciples.
Gradually diluting their influence.
Nothing wrong with that.
Borrow hands when needed, but stand alone when you can.
'I'd have done the same.'
But it shrank the Shadow Gate Sect's hold, letting Somwol's story leak.
Sure, Somwol had tried her best to hide...
'They seemed pretty close, those two.'
From her side, keeping her name completely unknown was impossible in practice.
To fully hide her identity, she'd have needed Eun Garyeon there every time—but Eun Garyeon was a woman, and Somwol operated in a brothel.
Her visiting a brothel constantly would look even weirder.
And honestly, employees just knowing the name wasn't a problem.
No one would've linked "Somwol" to the Shadow Gate Sect.
Except this time was different.
"So Somwol strikes me as highly suspicious. What do you think?"
The young master of the North Hebei Paeng Family—the Earth Dragon himself—was suspicious.
And as a Harmony Unit member, he had considerable Alliance authority.
If he dug in earnest, he'd quickly connect Somwol to the Shadow Gate Sect.
'Tsk, looks like we're really fucked?'
This was bad. Real bad.