Chapter 184 :

<Rewriting the Sichuan Blood Incident (4)>

[The Righteous Path Association has been attacked in Sichuan.]

When the news first arrived, the other elders of the Council of Elders could not suppress their sneers.

Hearing that a fierce rival had fallen flat on his face was more satisfying than any meal.

The White Path Association and Twelve Peaks Fortress members, who had been irritated by the Righteous Path Association's petty event, felt as though an aching tooth had finally been pulled.

Upon receiving the news from Sichuan, the Martial Alliance immediately began preparing to assemble a force for dispatch.

The Council of Elders, however, wanted the Righteous Path Association to suffer a little longer. They kept postponing discussions about assembling the force, leaving the Martial Alliance's martial pavilions unsure whether to prepare.

But it did not take long for the smug expressions on the elders' faces to stiffen.

—Numerous casualties among the Qingcheng Sect and its affiliated sects.

—Numerous casualties among the Emei Sect and its affiliated sects.

—Numerous casualties among the Mount Hua Sect and its affiliated sects.

—Numerous casualties among the Kongtong Sect and its affiliated sects.

—Elder Eun Huigwang of the Qingcheng Sect missing.

—Elder Jeongmyeong of the Emei Sect missing.

—Elder So Chunghyeon of the Mount Hua Sect confirmed dead.

—Elder Jeong Saik of the Kongtong Sect confirmed dead.

—Elder Hyeseong of Shaolin suffering adverse effects from sorcery.

—Elder Myeonghyeon of the Diancang Sect suffering adverse effects from sorcery.

The endless stream of grim news shocked not only the Council of Elders but the entire Martial Alliance.

Some nearly fainted at the note at the end of the document explaining that no figures had been provided because it was difficult to distinguish the dead from the wounded.

After that, no one continued obstructing the dispatch of alliance warriors to Sichuan.

But if matters ended there, it would not be the Martial Alliance.

This time, objections arose over the size of the force.

"Strategist Jegal, do you think this makes any sense? Has a war broken out between the righteous and heretical factions? The Blue Dragon Pavilion, Red Dragon Pavilion, Cheukmu Pavilion, and even the Golden Phoenix Pavilion? Are you planning to fight all of Sichuan?"

"It seems the Council of Elders does not take the current situation seriously. Elders from Mount Hua, Kongtong, Qingcheng, and Emei are missing or dead. Moreover, Elder Hyeseong of Shaolin and Daoist Myeonghyeon of Diancang are suffering from the aftereffects of sorcery."

"Even so, this is excessive! There are limits!"

"And those of you who understand limits questioned and obstructed the dispatch of warriors?"

"Listen here, Chief Strategist!"

The men who had once roamed the murim world together in their youth abandoned all decorum, pointing fingers and arguing as fiercely as they had in those spirited days.

Frankly, had it not been for their positions and the people watching, the argument was heated enough that they might have settled it with martial arts.

Jegal Somyeong, who knew the truth, was on the verge of exploding.

'I can't exactly tell them the Blood Cult has appeared!'

What Jin Sowoon had told him was, after all, only a deduction.

Jegal Somyeong had found his account credible and tried to dispatch the minimum personnel—the absolute minimum. Yet even that offended the Council of Elders and the other sects.

Meanwhile, Qingcheng and Emei, whose elders had disappeared in Sichuan, practically their own backyard, were declaring that they would wait no longer and mobilize their warriors to catch the culprits themselves.

It was chaos, plain and simple.

Some complained that he was sending too many men.

Qingcheng and Emei insisted on immediately dispatching their own warriors.

Even a marketplace would have seemed orderly by comparison.

"That damned brat. If he was going to dump a problem on me, shouldn't he have provided a solution, too?"

At Jegal Somyeong's words, Maeng Juwon, whose forehead still bore a lump, grumbled.

"Isn't persuading the Council of Elders your responsibility, Chief Strategist?"

"…Why the hell are you listening to me mutter to myself?!"

Of course, he knew this was not Jin Sowoon's fault, but that did nothing to ease his frustration.

If he believed the Blood Cult had appeared, even this sizable force seemed insufficient.

If he treated it as merely an incident in which elders had died, he still worried that, should the enemy truly be the Blood Cult, a small force would never resolve it.

While he wrestled with those concerns, another message arrived by carrier pigeon.

—Iron jiangshi have appeared.

—The enemy has been confirmed as the Blood Cult.

They said hearing something utterly absurd could make a person's mind go blank.

Jin Sowoon's message turned the entire Martial Alliance to stone.

Even Jegal Somyeong, who had suspected the Blood Cult, trembled as though struck by lightning.

"J-jiangshi? Jiiiangshi? Iron jiangshi?!"

"Chief Strategist, please calm down."

"Hey, you brat! How am I supposed to calm down?! It says jiangshi! Jiangshi! Not anything else—jiangshi!"

The events in Sichuan were being treated as confidential, yet somehow the news began spreading throughout the Martial Alliance, making it more unsettled than ever.

Like an anxious examination candidate unable to stop jiggling a leg, the Martial Alliance remained in constant agitation. Eventually, it decided to dispatch its finest warriors to Sichuan.

This time, no restrictions were imposed on the force's size or affiliations, and the Council of Elders approved the dispatch unconditionally.

The Martial Alliance's Alliance Leader's Hall.

Carrying the dispatch approvals from the Council of Elders and the Intelligence Department, Jegal Somyeong was speaking with the alliance leader before receiving his seal of approval.

"Iron jiangshi… What do you make of it?"

At Hyeok Mugang's question, Jegal Somyeong answered without concealing his concern.

"I can only hope… That it isn't true."

"So you believe it is true as well, Chief Strategist."

"There is one puzzling point. Even after searching the historical records, I found no account of the Blood Cult being able to manufacture iron jiangshi."

"Does that mean they are connected to the Demonic Cult after all?"

Hyeok Mugang asked lightly, but Jegal Somyeong pressed his lips shut.

Even the Martial Alliance's chief strategist had truths he did not wish to confront.

He believed in making thorough preparations, but above all, he hoped such events would never happen in the first place.

"Even so, if it has already happened, we must face it."

"…"

Jegal Somyeong silently agreed with Hyeok Mugang.

"That is an impressive number of warriors to dispatch."

"It is a precaution, but if the Blood Cult truly has iron jiangshi, even this many will not be enough."

"Will the Dark Faction Alliance not take issue with it?"

Mobilizing such a large force would surely unsettle their rivals.

The heretical martial world, which was only just establishing itself and attempting to form an alliance, would inevitably feel uncomfortable about the Martial Alliance's actions.

Worse, if this became the trigger for a conflict with the Heretical Alliance while they were fighting the Blood Cult, the Martial Alliance could find itself beset on all sides.

Jegal Somyeong suppressed a rising sigh and answered.

"We will have to explain the situation in detail to ease their objections. Even if we must accept some losses, we cannot simply leave the Blood Cult alone."

Hyeok Mugang's worried expression remained.

"I'm already concerned about what the master of Four Emperors Peak will demand."

Jegal Somyeong nodded in agreement.

"But our immediate concerns are the Blood Cult and the iron jiangshi. If they enter the murim world, the damage will be on an entirely different scale from our clashes with the heretical factions."

"Understood. I will consider what we can concede. Incidentally, what happened to the academy students?"

At that question, the chief strategist's expression grew complicated again.

"…They say Shenghu Hall's presence in Sichuan prevented even greater losses."

"What a relief. This was thanks to that boy Jin Sowoon as well, wasn't it?"

For some reason, Hyeok Mugang looked pleased. Jegal Somyeong let out a long sigh.

"That is correct. However, there may be procedural issues, so I cannot decide whether to punish him or reward him."

Everything he had accomplished was good.

He had gone there, rescued the academy students, exposed the Blood Cult's presence, and informed them of the iron jiangshi. He undoubtedly deserved a reward.

But he had ignored the academic schedule and talked an Intelligence Department head into mobilizing Shenghu Hall.

On the surface, there might be no procedural violations, but anyone looking for faults could find something to criticize.

Jegal Somyeong already had a headache from the countless problems demanding his attention. The thought of adding Jin Sowoon's case made his head feel ready to burst.

"We should reward him."

Hyeok Mugang's voice was calm.

Jegal Somyeong frowned.

"It is not that simple…"

"Aren't procedural issues minor when compared with the greater problem? He saved countless lives and bought us time to respond to the crisis."

Clack.

The alliance leader set down his teacup.

"If we punish someone for that, everyone will prioritize their own safety and hesitate to act in the future."

"…"

Jegal Somyeong knew that all too well himself, so he could offer no rebuttal.

How readily people conformed within a system.

Once they lost the will to question and reflect, allowing the system to consume them, they became people who simply looked away even when they saw something wrong.

That was why he had brought Maeng Juwon, a low-ranking scholar, into the Intelligence Department.

It was also why he wanted to recruit Jin Sowoon of the Taeul Sect.

Both were intended to guard against that stagnation.

"If anyone objects to rewarding him for this, the Alliance Leader's Hall will take responsibility."

At Hyeok Mugang's firm declaration, Jegal Somyeong finally nodded.

"…Understood. The Intelligence Department will do the same. But let us settle rewards and punishments after the Blood Cult matter is resolved."

"Of course."

Having finished most of what they needed to discuss, Jegal Somyeong presented the deployment order.

"Then, here…"

Hyeok Mugang read through the document and raised the golden seal, only to stop just before stamping it.

"Once I stamp this, there will be no turning back, will there?"

"…"

Despite Jegal Somyeong's silence, Hyeok Mugang nodded and pressed the seal down heavily.

The enormous giant called the Martial Alliance, which had remained as motionless as a rotten old tree, began to move.

"Hall Leader."

At Jin Sowoon's call, Gu Jeongryong turned around.

"Have you gathered all your companions?"

"Yes, thanks to your consideration."

Gu Jeongryong frowned slightly.

'What consideration did I show?'

In truth, all he had done during this incident was arrange the evacuation of the wounded.

The one who had taken the lead in resolving the events in Sichuan was Jin Sowoon.

He dared say that, had Jin Sowoon not come to Sichuan, the Martial Academy's Righteous Path Association would have met its end there.

Thinking about that made Gu Jeongryong curious about Jin Sowoon all over again.

"Just what are you?"

"Pardon?"

"I'm asking who you really are."

"Who I am? A disciple of the Taeul Sect, the Martial Academy representative…"

"Never mind. That was a pointless question."

As Gu Jeongryong shook his head, Jin Sowoon scratched the back of his head, looking as though he had no idea what he had done wrong.

"Anyway, why did you call me?"

"Ah, there was something I wanted to ask."

"Hm? Me?"

"Yes. Several Shenghu Hall members keep asking when I'm going to buy them 'Evil-Banishing Spirit-Exorcising.' What are they talking about?"

Gu Jeongryong's face turned bright red.

"Ahem… Well…"

"Does 'Evil-Banishing Spirit-Exorcising' mean banishing evil and exorcising spirits, as I understand it?"

Gu Jeongryong's coughing grew louder.

"Ahem! Cough! Ahem!"

"Have you suffered an internal injury?"

"Ugh… No. There was a little personal matter. Um… Could you just buy them some food and tell them it's Evil-Banishing Spirit-Exorcising?"

"…"

Jin Sowoon tilted his head, looking utterly bewildered.

In the end, Gu Jeongryong had no choice but to reach into his robe and take out several silver coins.

"I'll pay. They worked hard, so please smooth things over with them."

Then Jin Sowoon broke into a bright smile and readily accepted the coins.

His innocent expression vanished without a trace.

"Of course. For people who worked so hard, I'd gladly do that."

"…"

For some reason, Gu Jeongryong felt distinctly uneasy.

He quickly changed the subject.

"I'm thinking of increasing the procession's pace. What do you think?"

"With so many wounded, will that be all right?"

"From what I've seen, the situation in Sichuan is far from ordinary. The Blood Cult… They will never give up."

"Ah, you don't need to worry about that."

Gu Jeongryong tilted his head.

"I don't?"

"No. I cut off their young cult leader's head. If only because they'll need to report that, the Blood Cult won't make a move for a while."

At that utterly nonchalant explanation, Gu Jeongryong was briefly lost for words before finally managing to speak.

"You cut off his head… You did?"

"Yes. I thought they might pursue us, so I nipped the problem in the bud."

"…"

Gu Jeongryong's gaze naturally drifted toward the bundle in Jin Sowoon's hand.

It was about the size of a watermelon and reasonably round.

And Eun Seollan had been using her ice arts on it every morning and evening…

"Don't tell me that's…"

Jin Sowoon answered cheerfully.

"Yes! It's exactly what you're thinking."

"…"

'Why are you carrying that around?'

The question rose to the tip of Gu Jeongryong's tongue, but he forced it back down.

Starting with how Jin Sowoon had anticipated the events in Sichuan, there were countless things he wanted to ask.

But hearing all the answers would surely make his head far too complicated.

Gu Jeongryong decided to stop caring immediately.

"…I see. You're quite remarkable."

"You flatter me."

He quickly changed the subject again.

"Even so, I think we should increase our pace. The Green Forest strongholds seem to be involved in this incident as well as the Blood Cult."

"…Ah. You mean that?"

"As you must have noticed from the bodies…"

"That was my doing."

"…What?"

Gu Jeongryong's head began to spin. What was the brat talking about now?

Unlike him, Jin Sowoon remained perfectly composed.

"Well, there was simply no way to break through the Blood Cult's forces, so I brought in the Green Forest bandits and set them against each other."

"…"

Gu Jeongryong once again tried his hardest to ignore the complicated story, but this time he could not hold back.

"Are you insane? The Blood Cult was already more than enough to handle, and you dragged the Green Forest into it?"

"Ah, I can take care of all of that…"

Just then, Gam Cheonak approached them with an unusually grave expression.

"Hall Leader."

"What?!"

The reply came out needlessly sharp.

Normally, Gam Cheonak would have snapped right back, but his voice remained grim.

"The Green Forest has appeared up ahead."

"…"

"There seem to be about a thousand of them."

There was a reason Gam Cheonak had tolerated Gu Jeongryong's prickly tone.