The Mad Dog Inspector of the Martial Alliance

Chapter 129 : Lamp of Enlightenment (3)

A tower built on lies will soon collapse.

A tower must be built on truth to last a thousand years.

Because it was a statement made by a man who seemed to handle everything with his mouth, it had even more weight. It even felt as if he had transcended the affairs of the world.

Hyeonam Jin-in quietly recited the name of the Primeval Lord of Heaven and took a step back. Song Baek also saw Jang So-gil in a slightly different light.

But thinking back, Jang So-gil was like that. He lied and cheated, but when it came to important deals, he responded with truth. He drew a sharp line between where to cheat and where not to. He did not seem like a person who would mix lies into the public affairs of the Martial Alliance.

This strange sense of trust was impressive. Was this the inspector that the Martial Alliance Leader had chosen?

As he was admiring, the Lamp of Enlightenment clicked his tongue next to him.

"Well done, well done. With one honeyed word, both Hyeonam and Myeongseong have lost their minds."

"Ah, really..."

The rice was all cooked, but he was ruining it. Jang So-gil frowned slightly.

Hyeonam Jin-in and Song Baek, dumbfounded, looked at the Lamp of Enlightenment. Their eyes were demanding an explanation.

Yeondeung, with a benevolent smile, said.

"That's not the answer to Hyeonam's question, is it?"

"Ah."

"He says with his own mouth that a tower must be built on truth because lies will soon collapse. So is that the answer to Hyeonam's question?"

"Aah!"

Hyeonam had asked. 'Who will guarantee that you won't mess with the ledger?'

Jang So-gil had just glossed over it like a snake slithering over a wall with a cryptic answer, and had not given a clear answer. Yeondeung had pointed that out.

Song Baek and Hyeonam, who had almost been taken in by Jang So-gil, their eyes wide, turned to look at him. Jang So-gil scratched his head.

"Well, you're being very difficult. Do you really want to hear the answer from my own mouth?"

"I'd really like to hear it."

"I can't guarantee it. There's no such thing."

The Martial Alliance Leader had created the position of the inspector of the Martial Alliance to expose the corruption and crimes related to the martial world.

Then who would inspect that inspector?

No one. That was the answer.

"As expected..."

Yeondeung, who had gotten the answer he wanted, quietly closed his eyes, and Hyeonam did not hide his dumbfounded expression.

In front of the shocked and bewildered Hyeonam, Yeondeung calmly continued.

"And the people who are aware of that fact?"

"The people who are said to have some brains in the Five Great Noble Families would know, and the rest, well, they would know through hearsay."

"Hmm. Things have gotten interesting."

"In your old age, when you were bored, yes. It must be interesting."

"Of course, interesting things are important."

"Do you still say that even after losing the Plum Blossom Divine Pill while looking for fun?"

"It seems you still have some lingering feelings."

"Aigoo, I don't have any of that. Why? Are you going to take it back?"

"If the Plum Blossom Divine Pill is not enough to get rid of the lingering feelings, what can I do? I'll have to take it back and reconsider this relationship."

The two of them began to exchange sharp words. It was an atmosphere that was difficult to easily interrupt.

As if they were close, as if they were not close. It was hard to tell if they were like that because they didn't understand each other, or because they understood each other too well.

Song Baek, keeping a slight distance from them, approached Hyeonam, who was still in a state of shock.

"Excuse me, Hyeonam Jin-in. I have something I want to ask."

"Huh? Oh, Myeongseong. Yes, what is it?"

"I don't understand how the story is flowing at all."

"...Hoo, yes, it must have been a little difficult for you. I'll explain it a little bit."

"I will listen attentively."

"The Martial Alliance is made up of the Alliance Leader, a supreme ruler, and the elders of the Nine Sects One Alliance and the Five Great Noble Families who assist him."

"Yes. I know that too."

"But in between, the position of inspector was created. This is a huge problem."

"It's just a position to catch those who evade taxes, so it's not a huge problem..."

Hyeonam shook his head roughly.

"Look at what the inspector is doing now. Is this a job of catching tax evaders?"

"...Ah."

The Alliance Leader had ordered the extermination of the Four Black Alliance. The inspector had carried out that order.

He had generously displayed his influence in the martial world and had gathered the martial artists, and the alliance that represented the Black Way had turned to ashes in a single day.

If he branded them as a public enemy of the martial world with that slender finger, a force would disappear.

Since the Four Black Alliance was a group of the Black Way, a famous person of the orthodox sect could try a similar thing. If it were Song Baek, the level of those who gathered would be a little insufficient, but if it were someone in the position of the Lamp of Enlightenment, he might be able to obtain a similar result.

"But any sect, even our Huashan. If we declare a big war like this, the losses will be great and the gains will be infinitely small. It's a path that cannot be easily chosen."

You couldn't just dip your toe in the battle by sending a few strong martial artists to help, but you had to be the main axis from beginning to end and stand at the forefront. In addition, if you tried to organize the property alone after exterminating the Four Black Alliance, it was obvious that the gathered martial artists and other sects would check you to death, not just leave you alone.

But what if it was an inspector whose power base was in the alliance called the Martial Alliance, which transcended the sects? It meant that he could take the profits without being checked.

And what was more of a problem was the next thing.

'Who will guarantee that you won't manipulate that ledger?'

'Frankly, wouldn't it be strange if the Tang Clan's name didn't appear in the transaction ledger of the Four Black Alliance?'

The inspector was not inspected by anyone.

As long as he exposed corruption and crime, and as long as it suited the Alliance Leader's taste. It meant that even if Jang So-gil wielded his power as he pleased in the process, there was no person or institution that could stop him.

'Under one person, above ten thousand people' in the martial world.

It was a completely different, true meaning of the power that the inspector possessed, unlike the rumor that had spread in the world that he was a scoundrel who collected overdue taxes. Depending on how you framed it, any force could suffer the same fate as the Four Black Alliance, so it was too much power for a brat of a young age to have.

The thought that the Alliance Leader was not in his right mind suddenly crossed his mind. But he had the discretion not to say that out loud.

"The military advisors who represent the Five Great Noble Families are checked by the Nine Sects One Alliance in an official setting. The same goes for the elders of the Nine Sects One Alliance. Everyone in the Martial Alliance is structured to check each other."

"Was that so?"

"That's the intention, at least. Since stagnant water is bound to rot, it's to aim for a self-purifying action through mutual checks."

"But..."

"Yes."

Despite such a structure, the water had rotted in the end. The Martial Alliance had almost gone bankrupt.

Since he had been backstabbed by the people of the Martial Alliance he had trusted, the Martial Alliance Leader, Gumen Long, had no choice but to feel skeptical about this structure itself.

"So the position of inspector was created. You know the authority of the inspector now. With this much authority, it's good to see that the inspector's domain is not just limited to correcting the alliance, but that he is representing the Alliance Leader's will."

The Martial Alliance was an alliance created by the union of the Nine Sects One Alliance and the Five Great Noble Families. Until now, it was a structure where even the Alliance Leader could not wield absolute power.

But Gumen Long was now directly managing and wielding the sharp sword called the inspector.

He had decided to stop respecting the Nine Sects One Alliance and the Five Great Noble Families.

"Will the other sects just let this be?"

A sect could be blown away by a single word from a brat who had just passed his coming-of-age ceremony. A person with such authority had fallen from the sky.

There would be few who could just endure it and move on.

"There might be those who use this as a pretext to drive out the Alliance Leader."

"Heok! Such..."

"Those who tolerate this situation and those who do not. The martial world will be largely divided into two."

Huashan had chosen to stand on the side of the inspector. Zhongnan, who had been deprived of the Dark Fragrance Float, would be grinding their teeth at Huashan and the inspector, so they would stand on the side of hostility.

Those who had a connection with Zhongnan would unite as one, and those who supported the inspector would also gather and unite. It was the moment the martial world was split in two.

This was a spark that was bound to cause a civil war.

Song Baek, who had understood the situation, his eyes wide, and Hyeonam, on the contrary, closed his eyes.

'So that's how that story continues.'

The Lamp of Enlightenment had once had a conversation with Hyeonam on a similar topic. At that time, it was a vague inference based on the inspector's connections and the surrounding situation.

The story of that time was now right in front of him and was beginning to have a sense of reality.

A sense of burden slowly rose. This might become a life-or-death battle that would stake the fate of the Huashan Sect. Perhaps there would be more damage than the Great War against the Demonic Cult.

There was nothing certain.

No, thinking about it, there was something certain.

'The fact that the Lamp of Enlightenment, we, had already predicted this situation before.'

The sect leader named the Lamp of Enlightenment was a giant who had never failed until now.

He had predicted this situation and had chosen the inspector. He had even given away the Plum Blossom Divine Pill and had strengthened their alliance.

This side was the side that would win.

The sense of burden disappeared. Huashan had properly ridden this big wave.

Since they had ridden the strong wave of the winning side, the future would be a smooth road.

Hyeonam, with his eyes full of trust in the sect leader, looked back at Yeondeung and the inspector.

"Ah, if you're going to keep talking about the lingering feelings, let's just get it over with completely. Give me a Zixia Pill in addition to the Plum Blossom Divine Pill. Let's go all out!"

"What a robber! Is the Zixia Pill your family dog's name!"

"You keep talking about the Plum Blossom Divine Pill because you're stingy, so I'm getting annoyed!"

"Then is it not a waste, is it not a waste!"

"If it was a waste, you shouldn't have played dog tricks with people from the beginning!"

"So I said I was sorry! I also gave you a generous compensation!"

"Damn it, that's true. Then at least don't show that you think it's a waste!"

"A young fellow talking back like that!"

They were fighting, raising their voices like children. It was the first time he had seen the Lamp of Enlightenment like that.

And it was also the first time he had seen someone talk so rudely to the Lamp of Enlightenment.

My goodness. Was it okay to be like that?

A little bit of trust disappeared from Hyeonam's eyes.

* * *

The commotion was over. Everyone had left to do their own thing. The Lamp of Enlightenment was taking care of the martial artists of the Huashan Sect. Hyeonam Jin-in had joined the ranks of the Fengya Unit to calculate the profits that the Huashan Sect would gain from this matter. Song Baek had returned to the front line to subjugate the remaining forces and to secure the documents.

In the clearing, a tent with a sign that read 'Temporary Inspector's Residence' had been set up. Jang So-gil, inside, took off the comfortable clothes he had worn for battle and changed into a luxurious silk robe that was long and flowing.

Yang Gwan, who was watching him, touched the corner of his eye and asked.

"Young Master So, what are you going to do from now on?"

"Although the Fengya Unit can be trusted, it's better if fewer people know a secret. I will read and organize all the information that comes in and report it to the Alliance Leader-nim."

"And then?"

"First, we have to organize the businesses of the Four Black Alliance. Since they are businesses of a bad quality, we can't take them over, but we have to put some regulations in place so that they can be operated in a slightly more proper direction."

"Can we rest after that?"

"For now, the immediate problem is the organization of the by-products that arise from organizing the businesses. We have to organize not only the cash but also the property that can be easily converted to cash, such as rice and weapons, and among them, we have to organize the valuable ones separately. We also have to set an appropriate compensation for those who participated in this matter."

After the fight was over, a mountain of work was waiting.

As Yang Gwan showed a slightly fed-up expression, Jang So-gil, fixing his long hair with a jade hairpin, grinned.

"Doesn't it seem like it'll be really fun?"

"What? I didn't hear you correctly?"

"This is what's fun. This is why the emperor makes a fuss about not being able to fight a northern or southern expedition when he has no money. Because war makes money for the winning side. The smell of money is everywhere. Hah, was the Four Black Alliance a group with a history of about two hundred years? Since we've torn open a two-hundred-year-old abscess, how much money will overflow? It's exciting."

Jang So-gil, who was full of life like a fish that had met water, snapped his fingers.

Come to think of it, Jang So-gil had almost always considered himself closer to a merchant than a martial artist. He felt a thrill from the numbers written in a ledger rather than from a battle where he held a sword and crossed the line between life and death.

Yang Gwan, whose excitement from the battle had not yet subsided, shook his head as if he didn't understand.

"But Young Master So, I have a little question."

"What is it?"

"Before the fight, didn't you say that the Black Killing Hegemon King would try to kidnap you for negotiation, so he wouldn't aim for your life?"

"I did."

"But he was aiming for your neck without any hesitation. Was that fellow more foolish than you thought, Young Master So?"

Jang So-gil, after quietly tidying his clothes for a moment, put the White Azure Divine Sword on his waist and patted Yang Gwan's arm as if to say he was quite something. Because it was a question that unexpectedly pierced the core.

"That fellow is not foolish. Rather, he's a very smart fellow."

"Then did he make a mistake?"

"No. Because he's a smart fellow, he had a different idea. He found someone to trade my head with."

Someone who needed Young Master So's head?

Yang Gwan's expression became grim. Because one force naturally came to mind.

"Is it the Sichuan Tang Clan?"

"It could be, or it could not be."

"If it could not be?"

Jang So-gil wrote a character in the air.

Demon.

Yang Gwan's face hardened.

(End of Chapter)