Episode 426
Time passed quickly.
The entrance exam has also reached its final stage.
It was expected that there would be difficulties in selecting the jade stones, but since there were many outstanding applicants, that problem was easily solved.
‘Rather, another problem arose.’
There were too many talented people that it was a shame to eliminate them.
However, it was not possible to accommodate an unlimited number of people.
The number of those who were already confirmed to have joined exceeded three figures.
I didn’t know that if we hired more people here, the new base of Cheonan Gambu, which will soon be completed, might not be able to accommodate all the members.
In addition, we had to consider the increase in money spent on operating the department.
Currently, most of the funds for Cheonan Gambu’s activities are coming from the Hwayang Trading Company, or more precisely, from the shares received by selling the foundation of the Geumryong Trading Company.
Naturally, as the number of people in the department increased, my burden inevitably increased.
‘Although there are operating funds that come from the bank.’
Most of the members of Cheonan Gambu were highly qualified personnel.
If you wanted to give a salary commensurate with the ransom, there was no other option than just the base money.
‘I wish I could quickly become an elder and spend a lot of public money to show off in front of my subordinates.’
It’s not that we don’t have enough money, but we still had to adjust what needed to be adjusted.
There was nothing good about indiscriminately increasing the number of people.
‘There’s going to be a big expense in the near future.’
Fundraising through Hwayang Sangdan was proceeding smoothly.
Soon, a huge amount of funds would be delivered to the clans and families located in areas adjacent to the front lines.
Of course, even if that were the case, the Old Daemun Sect and the Five Great Families would not ignore the elders and take my side.
Still, it could put the elders in an awkward position.
Going back to the story.
Among those who would become new members, there were several unmanned islands representing each region.
Representative examples were Geomhu of Botaam, Hwagon Daeju of Guangdong Jinga, and Jeomchang Ogeom of Jeomchang school.
Many warriors belonging to the martial arts faction located in areas far from the front lines volunteered.
This meant that there were quite a few martial arts forces that dispatched their warriors for similar reasons to the Gwangdong Jinga.
I was surprised when I heard from the head of Hwayang Sangdan that Geomhu and Great Master Hwagon wanted to join, but I was even more surprised when I saw as many as four of the five swords of Jeomchang in the examination room.
Perhaps because there was no need to worry about the Beast Palace’s presence, they made a very determined decision to send personnel.
[······yes?]
[Changgyeom Dojo, Changyeon Dojo, Changgyun Dojo, Changseon Dojo. Four people are currently taking the entrance exam.]
[You’re being too loud.]
[I don’t know why you thought it was a joke, but it’s true.]
[Please tell me you were just trying to make fun of me!]
I remembered how Changin Dojang looked distraught because four of his brother-in-laws suddenly applied to the department.
I don’t know how hard it was to hold back laughter.
‘We have selected enough people to be assigned to the administrative team. You will no longer have to suffer from a manpower shortage. Rather, I’m worried about what will happen if there are more left behind.’
Now there is only one thing left to do.
All they had to do was to hunt down those who had been planted by the Demonic Cult.
In the meantime, Geomhu, Dokgoseong, and Byeokriso suffered greatly.
Now is the time to reap the fruits.
* * *
“It’s done.”
Sima Yun, a young man who had inserted a small object into a hole in the wall, straightened his bent back and made a groaning sound.
I felt tired because I had been checking formations and traps all day.
My whole body was screaming.
“······.”
The Great Lord Hwagon, who had been dozing off while sitting on the floor, got up, wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth.
Currently, the two were located on the top floor of Cheonan Gambu’s new base, which is nearing completion.
Simaun stretched out and drew a pleasant smile on his lips.
The sense of pride I felt was indescribable as he was in charge of everything from design to conducting.
“Is this enough to prepare for an attack?”
“It’s almost overflowing.”
“Honestly, I don’t know. Will it really be possible to subdue a master of fireworks with only the formation method and organs?”
The Great Master of Hua Kun recalled the conversation that Sima Yun and Ye Yanyun had not long ago.
[May I ask why you are making such a request?]
[It’s simple. This is because there is a high possibility that I will be the target that the infiltrators will target first.]
[What does that mean?]
[Think about it. The Demonic Cult suffered severe losses in the last battle. What would be the best way to make up for it?]
[······?]
[It’s simple. The goal is to elicit the cooperation of Sima Xuhuan, the only person who can manufacture jiangshi.]
I had no idea how surprised I was when I heard from Sima Yun the secret history that was unknown to the world.
The reason why the Demonic Cult is currently unable to manufacture Jiangshi and deploy them into the battlefield is because the entity called Sima Yun is suppressing Sima Segaju.
Sima Yun said this:
If the infiltrators kidnap him and take him away, the Demonic Cult will be able to do Sima Seohwan as they wish.
If that happens, the outcome of the war will change.
[If kidnapping is deemed impossible, the next best option may be murder.]
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[If you do that, won’t you end up incurring Sima Xuhuan’s animosity?]
[Don’t you know the obsession that Sima Seju has? You are now the only person left to lead Sega’s revival. If you say so, he is the person who will be shaken.]
[surely. After listening to the story, it seems like that might be the case.]
[So I’d like to make some preparations.]
[But what does that have to do with requesting that the Great Lord of Hwagon be assigned to Xiaohyeop?]
[There are two main reasons why the manager did not discuss hunting down infiltrators with other members. Firstly, because I don’t want to cause confusion. Second, if there are too many people involved, the probability of unexpected problems occurring increases. Isn’t it?]
[That’s right.]
[My thoughts are the same as the manager. It would be better to quietly proceed with the work behind the scenes until the critical moment. If possible, it would be a good idea to seek help from a trustworthy outsider.]
[······.]
[In that sense, I think there is no better candidate than Jin Daehyup.]
[understand.]
The Great Lord Hua Kun, who suddenly became Sima Yun’s bodyguard, has been hectic and busy.
The horse was a guard, but in reality, it was no different from an assistant.
I haven’t slept well the past few days, and dark shadows have formed under my eyes.
“I want to ask you one thing.”
“Please speak.”
“Why did it have to be me?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You said that before. There is no one better suited than me. But in reality, that’s not necessarily true. “There would have been plenty of substitutes.”
“Why did you pick on me and make me suffer? Are you asking that?”
“It’s not like that. “I was just purely curious.”
“It’s simple. As I said at the time, it was because I thought Jin Daehyup could be trusted. Since the matter is a matter of concern to him, shouldn’t he prioritize trust over ability or friendship?”
“That’s the part I don’t understand the most. “What on earth do you believe in me?”
“I heard that the Hundred-faced Reaper and his disciples learned the vision of Ghost Valley, which was destroyed in the distant past. “It is said that it is thanks to this that they are able to perfectly reproduce other people’s appearance, voice, and even the quality of energy they emit.”
“······?”
“One, they are also people after all. If you are not given sufficient preparation time, you will not be able to portray the subject perfectly. “In order to perfectly follow even the smallest habits and actions, a long observation period will inevitably be required.”
“In that sense, they probably didn’t have enough time to infiltrate using my identity?”
“That’s right. Who would have expected that Jin Daehyup would apply to the Cheonan Inspectorate?”
“······.”
“I even sought help from the owner of Hwayang Sangdan and expressed my intention to join. If Jin Dae-hyeop had been an infiltrator, he would not have tried to join in such a dangerous way. “Unless you are belittling the sharp sense of the leader of the caravan group.”
“I guess that’s true too.”
“This is probably why the manager requested help from the Women’s Association and the Jin Women’s Association. “I guess you two decided you could trust them.”
The Great Lord Hwagon nodded as if he understood.
Sima Yun, who was drying his sweat with an iron wire, drew a line at the corner of his mouth and said.
“Now, let’s wait leisurely for the fish to enter the net.”
* * *
“Did you get caught as expected?”
Late at night.
Namgung Choun, a man who was looking up at the sky with a rising moon, sighed deeply and muttered.
I had been feeling anxious since I first received my mission.
Disguise yourself as a warrior from the Namgung family and infiltrate once more.
Isn’t the probability of being suspected too high?
‘Cheonan Gambu’s large-scale recruitment of members. It is true that this is an opportunity that will never come again.’
Even taking that into account, it didn’t feel like things were done too hastily.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was in too much of a hurry.
‘Wouldn’t we know if our existence wasn’t known?’
Due to the death of the Sword King, the entire Baekdo martial forest was on high alert.
At a time like this, does it make sense to hide in the Murim Alliance, or Cheonan Kambu?
‘It’s bittersweet.’
Of course, the teacher was not a fool.
From the beginning, he was just an outcast.
Janggi pieces intentionally placed forward to draw the enemy’s attention.
‘I thought this day might come someday.’
It was an unreasonable order with a high possibility of death, but he could not refuse it.
Because he was raised to be consumed from the beginning.
I thought that if I developed my skills and raised my level, I would be treated differently.
However, it was an illusion.
The attitude of the religious leader and teacher towards him has not changed from past to present.
‘Someday, definitely.’
He will take the teacher’s head and take his place for himself.
It was the only way to escape this damned bondage.
I couldn’t die before I even met that day.
He vowed to survive and return, and checked his future plans in his head.
‘The Cheonan Inspectorate probably already knows that I am an infiltrated demonic cultist.’
But there were three facts they didn’t know.
First, there was not just one infiltrator.
Second, there is a unit waiting outside, not inside, but rather in a nearby hideout.
Thirdly, the ganja already planted in the Murim Alliance will help this side.
‘Soon, the entrance exam will be completed and the time will come when Cheonan Gambu will move its base.’
It would be then that the ganja planted by the Demonic Cult would begin to move.
The moment when the attention focused on the infiltrator wearing the mask of Namgung Choun turns into a void.
The poisoned blade we have prepared will cut through that gap.
‘by the way.’
Suddenly, a boy’s face flashed through my mind.
A young Cheonan police inspector who did not look like he had even signed a contract that I saw at the interview site.
Did you say Dok-go-seong?
At first I was hesitant, but now I am confident.
He was the first person to realize that he was an infiltrator.
I was prepared to be suspected as I was disguised as a warrior of the Namgung family, but I expected that my true identity would be revealed a little later.
At least at that point, I could confidently say that there were no factors that could have led to my identity being discovered.
‘How on earth did you find out?’
martial arts,
