Chapter 409
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 409
Chapter Title: It's My Sect's Secret Art
Great Elder Yeon Ja-kyeong's office.
He sat quietly at his desk.
But his mind was racing.
Because the subordinates he had planted throughout the Righteous Heaven Alliance were continuously sending him secret sound transmissions with reports.
'So Hwi-woong went to the Heavenly Eye Pavilion...'
He must have gone there after hearing the news about Ha Mu-baek.
Yet to soar straight into the air and slip through the window in one go.
And on top of that, the wooden coffin Ha Mu-baek had brought was suspicious beyond measure.
What was a coffin for, anyway?
To hold a corpse.
There was no way he had dragged a corpse all the way to the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
There was no intelligence about anyone that important dying, or Ha Mu-baek getting tangled in such a disturbance.
'If it's not a corpse, then what could be inside...'
Yeon Ja-kyeong pondered deeply.
Then his thoughts halted somewhere.
Something that wasn't a corpse, but akin to one.
'A jiangshi.'
But he immediately shook his head.
There was no way a jiangshi could fit inside a coffin like that.
'No, the corpse of a jiangshi?'
In that case, it could be boxed up in a coffin.
But was there any reason to do so?
As Yeon Ja-kyeong's train of thought reached that point, his body froze.
Cheon Gi-buk hadn't received a report about a jiangshi that warranted such treatment?
'How did Ha Mu-baek, that bastard...'
The Demon-Sealing Corps had encountered it by chance in the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest as well. How could Ha Mu-baek have brought it here?
At that moment, one of the trusted retainers he had brought from the clan approached cautiously, holding a letter.
"Clan Head. News from the Dragon Training Pavilion."
The Hubei Yeon Clan had been indifferent to the Dragon Training Pavilion.
For the simple reason that it differed from their pursuits.
They hadn't sent a single instructor, nor paid any mind to its news.
That was why they hadn't been able to locate Yeon Ha-min.
There had been no means to pressure Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul over the field training matter.
Which was why they had mobilized the Hidden Dragon Corps Leader through the Huashan Sect.
Yeon Ja-kyeong was no longer indifferent to the Dragon Training Pavilion.
Not after Yeon Ha-min's incident and the field training affair.
The Yeon Clan still hadn't sent anyone as instructors.
But he had begun to take an interest.
At the very least, he was receiving discreet reports on its activities about once a month.
Ha Mu-baek.
Because of that man, the Haomen had refused to handle the matter.
The best they could do was send a few clan members who couldn't cultivate martial arts.
Secret channels would yield faster, more detailed intelligence.
But true secrets demanded utmost discretion—minimal contact was the way.
Yeon Ja-kyeong tore open the letter and scanned its contents.
His hands trembled.
'Th-this...'
Infiltrating as laborers or befriending those around the pavilion—that was the extent of their capabilities.
Yet the report contained utterly unbelievable tales.
The contents were as follows.
The Fierce Dragon Corps had captured jiangshi from the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest and used them for training.
A foul stench had permeated the Fierce Dragon Corps' grand training grounds for a full seven days straight, keeping everyone away from the area.
Yeon Ja-kyeong paid no heed to trifles like the stench.
He had no interest in such details.
What mattered was the part about capturing jiangshi for training.
Ha Mu-baek had shown up with a cart loaded full of wooden coffins, then pulled out jiangshi to train the disciples with.
'Subduing and capturing them is possible?'
It was news beyond imagination.
His world of common sense shattered to pieces.
Wooden coffin.
Wooden coffin.
Yeon Ja-kyeong's eyes locked onto those words.
His subordinates in the Alliance had reported the same: Ha Mu-baek arriving with wooden coffins.
'He went to the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest, somehow captured jiangshi by means unknown. And brought one straight to the Righteous Heaven Alliance...'
The pieces were falling into place in his mind.
This was intelligence he had tried to keep from the Alliance as long as possible—but no longer.
"Summon Elder Cheon. As quickly as possible."
He now knew what lay inside that wooden coffin.
"What should we do?"
So Hwi-woong, inquiring about the lapse in reporting.
Gong Son Dan-gyeong fell silent in thought.
Yeon Ja-kyeong would already know of Ha Mu-baek's visit by now.
He would be dying to know what was inside the coffin.
But Yeon Ja-kyeong had no means of finding out.
Gong Son Dan-gyeong's gaze drifted to the wooden coffin Ha Mu-baek had brought, containing the jiangshi.
Anyone seeing it whisked through the air by void-grasping would grow curious about its contents.
Yet it wasn't something one could easily discern.
Perhaps it was best to keep concealing it—such was his thinking when...
He recalled the documents he had been reviewing just before Ha Mu-baek caused his commotion.
They concerned the Dragon Training Pavilion, and he vaguely remembered seeing mention of wooden coffins.
Gong Son Dan-gyeong rose and retrieved the documents from his desk for another look.
On the final page.
There it was—details on the wooden coffins.
He brought the papers over and passed them to So Hwi-woong.
While So Hwi-woong perused the contents.
Gong Son Dan-gyeong turned to Ha Mu-baek.
"You're truly remarkable. Just how did you manage it?"
Ha Mu-baek merely shrugged.
"Geez."
Subduing and binding jiangshi.
He had been shocked enough when Ha Mu-baek first extracted one from the coffin.
But to venture into the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest and capture them like that.
He had never even dreamed it possible.
"Why didn't you say something like this was feasible?"
So Hwi-woong asked Ha Mu-baek after finishing the documents.
"Say what?"
"Binding and subduing jiangshi."
"Why report every little thing like it's a big deal?"
Ha Mu-baek's retort.
"Besides, they already knew."
Ha Mu-baek jerked his chin toward Dam Mu-hyeon and the Hocheon Corps members.
So Hwi-woong's eyes naturally shifted their way.
"Ah, during the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest operation, former Corps Leader Ha Mu-baek did demonstrate such feats a few times."
So Hwi-woong frowned at Dam Mu-hyeon's report.
His gaze carried a sharp edge of interrogation.
"It was... at the time, the former leader said it's something you can naturally do at a high realm. We assumed the Alliance Leader could manage it as well..."
It was a rationale that left him speechless.
Simply deeming it a given for the strong.
Back when Ha Mu-baek led the Hocheon Corps, the abilities he displayed to his subordinates had been monstrously powerful.
Of course, he was an even greater monster now.
"A thousand-year-old sly fox right here."
Gong Son Dan-gyeong chuckled as he spoke.
Dismissing it casually as something the strong could do, no big deal.
That offhand remark had ingrained the extraordinary ability as commonplace among his men, stifling any rumors.
They would assume any peak expert could pull it off—no need to gossip.
It was like saying one must eat breakfast in the morning: so obvious, no one bothers voicing it.
"How exactly is it done?"
So Hwi-woong asked Ha Mu-baek directly.
His own subordinates had assumed even he could do it effortlessly.
But he couldn't.
Now he sought to learn the method.
"It's my sect's secret art."
Ha Mu-baek's curt reply.
An ironclad shield against further prying.
So Hwi-woong held his tongue, though his expression betrayed clear dissatisfaction as he eyed Ha Mu-baek.
"More importantly, we have no real countermeasures against the Demon-Sealing Corps Leader or Elder Cheon. We could reprimand the Corps Leader for breaching protocol..."
Gong Son Dan-gyeong spoke up, having finished his deliberations.
"What do you mean by that?"
So Hwi-woong's gaze turned to him.
"If they've stirred up this much fuss at the Dragon Training Pavilion, the news has surely reached the Alliance by now. It's only a matter of timing. It's in Great Elder Yeon's ears too, and he won't have trouble guessing what's inside Instructor Ha's coffin. Not if he knows about those poison jiangshi."
So Hwi-woong's face crumpled once more at Gong Son Dan-gyeong's explanation.
He had hoped to use this as leverage to clip Cheon Gi-buk's wings a bit.
"You mean..."
"Elder Cheon will come calling on me soon. Claiming he has word from the Demon-Sealing Corps."
So Hwi-woong crossed his arms and sank into thought.
He had thought he grasped a decent blade, only to hear it might slip away.
"If we move quickly..."
Before So Hwi-woong could finish his regretful mutter.
"Elder Cheon Gi-buk of the Elder Council has arrived."
Came the attendant's announcement.
"Fast,"
Gong Son Dan-gyeong said with a wry smile.
Ha Mu-baek had already returned the comatose poison jiangshi to its wooden coffin.
Cheon Gi-buk entered Gong Son Dan-gyeong's office and startled upon spotting So Hwi-woong and Ha Mu-baek.
"I pay my respects to the Alliance Leader."
He immediately cupped his fists toward So Hwi-woong in formal greeting.
A single glance at Ha Mu-baek was all he spared.
"I came urgently to report to the Heavenly Eye Pavilion Lord."
"What matter requires the Elder to report to me in person?"
Gong Son Dan-gyeong asked, tilting his head.
Cheon Gi-buk shot Ha Mu-baek a furtive look and hesitated.
Former Hocheon Corps Leader or not, he was just a Dragon Training Pavilion instructor now.
Did he dare discuss this in front of him? His demeanor suggested as much.
"Pay no mind to this instructor, Elder Cheon. Speak freely."
At So Hwi-woong's prompting.
Cheon Gi-buk finally spoke.
"My disciple—the current Demon-Sealing Corps Leader—relayed some peculiar intelligence recently. I deemed the evidence insufficient for a report to the Pavilion Lord and ordered further investigation. The results have just arrived."
It was precisely as Gong Son Dan-gyeong had anticipated, spilling from Cheon Gi-buk's lips.
"What sort of intelligence?"
Gong Son Dan-gyeong inquired calmly.
"A bizarre jiangshi has appeared. Reported as a variant—poison jiangshi, specifically. Poisonous vapors leak from its nose and mouth."
Gong Son Dan-gyeong and So Hwi-woong watched Cheon Gi-buk silently.
Awaiting his next words.
But Cheon Gi-buk fell quiet.
He stared at Gong Son Dan-gyeong with the look of one who had said his piece.
An unexpected turn, yet Gong Son Dan-gyeong's countenance remained gravely serious.
"Hmm. Is that true? A jiangshi spewing poison aura in the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest... Did you confirm the type of poison?"
"That's what delayed things. It seems to be a variant of Mi-hon Poison. One member who inhaled the fumes lost consciousness."
It was the exact content Do Sim-geuk had initially reported.
Precisely as Feng Jian had fabricated in his dispatch.
"Understood. My deepest thanks for this valuable information. We'll devise countermeasures accordingly."
"I apologize for not reporting sooner. Given the gravity, I sought greater certainty..."
"I fully understand Elder Cheon's position. You've confirmed it personally before relaying—I'm nothing but grateful."
The two rose and exchanged cupped-fist salutes.
Cheon Gi-buk offered the same to So Hwi-woong before departing the office.
He spared Ha Mu-baek not a glance.
Once he was gone.
"You set up quite the amusing prank. Who'd have thought Demon-Sealing Corps members would deceive their own leader."
Gong Son Dan-gyeong said, clicking his tongue in amazement.
"Their antics were just too ridiculous. Ah, speaking of which."
Ha Mu-baek's face twisted into a savage scowl.
He had come over the poison jiangshi, but he had scores to settle with the Demon-Sealing Corps Leader's conduct as well.
"Alliance Leader."
Ha Mu-baek's gaze fixed on So Hwi-woong.
His demeanor had shifted.
The prior courtesy evaporated.
"What?"
"Vermilion Bird Flying Heaven. What did you say when you took it from me?"
"That it's an essential lightness skill for the Demon-Sealing Corps. For the sake of its warriors, let them learn it."
He remembered it clearly.
"Have you checked on how that's going?"
At the follow-up question.
So Hwi-woong's expression gradually hardened.
If Ha Mu-baek was this incensed, it meant the skill was being misused contrary to intent.
"I'll look into it."
"They say only those who have reached the peak realm can learn it."
At Ha Mu-baek's words.
Not only So Hwi-woong, but Gong Son Dan-gyeong's face grew taut.
The Hocheon Corps members, Dam Mu-hyeon included, reacted the same.
All of them had mastered Vermilion Bird Flying Heaven; they knew full well how absurd that claim was.
"Then I'll be off. Take a good look at that bastard."
Ha Mu-baek left the coffin behind and launched himself out the window.
So Hwi-woong and Gong Son Dan-gyeong watched him go with wry smiles.
Dam Mu-hyeon hurriedly sent a sound transmission after Ha Mu-baek.
[You've come this far—shouldn't you at least see my face before leaving!! Leader!!]
But no response came.
Having left the Heavenly Eye Pavilion, Ha Mu-baek did not depart the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
There was somewhere he had to go.
If he hadn't come to the main headquarters, it wouldn't matter.
But he had.
So he would meet them.
Poking the brush hadn't flushed them out.
Time to enter the snake den.
Ha Mu-baek's footsteps turned toward the Elder Council.
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