The Mad Dog Inspector of the Martial Alliance

Chapter 135 : Public and Private Affairs (1)

The evil deeds of the Maoshan Sect had gone too far. Slaves, drugs, human flesh. Each one was a serious crime that could not be overlooked.

Gumen Long's anger pierced the heavens. He knew that the way of the martial world had plummeted to the ground, but he had never imagined that a member of the Nine Sects One Alliance would have fallen this far.

Jang So-gil, calming his startled heart, gripped his teacup. The sweet and sour plum tea soothed his stomach.

He swallowed the tea, swallowed his saliva, and looked at Sima Hui, who was sitting across from him, with slightly trembling eyes.

"I had a hard time stopping the Alliance Leader-nim, who was shouting that he would immediately attack the Maoshan Sect and slaughter them all."

"You stopped him well. Well done, well done."

The enraged Gumen Long was like a thunder dragon that had descended upon the human world. The dragon's anger burned mountains and dried up rivers.

When faced with a passion that was difficult to call the wrath of a single martial artist, and was more like a natural disaster, reason was paralyzed and only fear remained.

Sima Hui admired Jang So-gil, who had been able to stop such a Gumen Long.

"But, did the Maoshan Sect really do such a thing?"

"They did. Brazenly. Not once or twice, but dozens of times. The trade of human flesh has been going on steadily for the past three years, and the slave trade has been concentrated in the last year."

"And the drugs?"

"The drugs, hahaha. There are so many that there's no need to even mention them. Half of the poppies managed by the Four Black Alliance are the share of the Maoshan Sect."

Although there were various types of drugs, they were usually made from the juice squeezed from the fruit of the poppy after making a wound on it.

But since the poppy had a strong analgesic and sedative effect, it was also used as a medicinal herb, so it was often cultivated by farmers. It was a very difficult thing to crack down on.

Sima Hui smiled bitterly.

"The Maoshan Sect will probably claim that they didn't buy drugs, but just stockpiled a large amount of emergency medicine."

"Although it's a ridiculous excuse, they'll buy time that way."

"Yes. Then let's crack down on the drug case later, but the problem is the human flesh..."

Since human flesh was cheap and easy to obtain, it was a meat that was often traded through hearsay. In addition, it was addictive, so if you ate it, you would show signs of dependence.

Jang So-gil roughly put down his teacup.

"These bastards, we can't leave them alone."

"I agree."

The common point of human flesh and drugs was that they were addictive.

Even Jang So-gil and Sima Hui could not figure out what on earth the Maoshan Sect, which called itself a Daoist sect, was doing by buying these things.

"The slave problem is also not small. These beast-like bastards."

"But rash actions are forbidden. We can't create a loophole for them to escape."

"Isn't that why I stopped the Alliance Leader-nim in the first place?"

The Martial Alliance was currently being reorganized under Jang So-gil's command. He was reorganizing the organizational structure and was looking for a new Nine Sects to fill the vacancy of Diancang.

However, the only places that showed a favorable attitude towards this were the Shaolin Temple, the Huashan Sect, the Sima Clan, and the Namgung Clan. All the other Nine Sects One Alliance and the Five Great Noble Families were dissatisfied with the way things were going.

There was a shortage of manpower due to being busy with public and private affairs, but there was only a lot of noise.

"In the midst of this, if the Alliance Leader-nim leaves his post, it will be uncontrollable. You really did well to stop him."

"Is it just that it will be uncontrollable? There's also the problem of the Demonic Cult."

The headquarters of the Demonic Cult was in the west. That was why their invasion started from the west.

And in the west of the Central Plains, there were many breakwaters. The closest, Kunlun, was a representative, but the Tang Clan of Sichuan, the Qingcheng Sect, and the Emei Sect were also walls that the Demonic Cult had to pass through to set their muddy feet in the center of the Central Plains.

So many martial artists feared the movement of the Demonic Cult, but they did not actively prepare for it. Because it was only after they were sacrificed that their turn would come.

"But now the way of the Demonic Cult has changed. Instead of a direct confrontation like until now, they are slowly seeping in, planting their spies everywhere, and expanding their power. It's a groundwork to advance only after making the Martial Alliance wither and building an environment where they can win."

"Ugh. Is that certain information?"

"It's a conclusion I came to by combining the information of the Fengya Unit and the information of the Four Black Alliance. The Four Black Alliance had a rather close connection with the Demonic Cult. The Demon God Pills that those guys were storing alone were enough to fill a warehouse."

"Then it's highly likely that the Maoshan Sect is also connected to the Demonic Cult."

Jang So-gil nodded his head at Sima Hui's reasoning.

Since the Maoshan Sect was in the east of the Central Plains, if the Alliance Leader moved to attack the Maoshan Sect, the attack of the Demonic Cult might start from the west. Perhaps the hidden forces of the Demonic Cult might rise up all at once.

Although it was in the realm of suspicion, assumption, reasoning, and speculation, the possibility was sufficient.

The Demonic Cult had blocked Gumen Long, the best and strongest force of the Martial Alliance, by laying such a groundwork.

Even to Sima Hui, who handled the military affairs of the Martial Alliance, it was a rational and valid strategy.

"It's a headache."

"It's a headache."

The inspector and the military advisor were the heads of the Martial Alliance.

Once a decision was made, many things would become irreversible, so they could not easily decide on anything.

The two, who were racking their brains, simultaneously drank the cold tea.

"Let's decide on this part carefully."

"Let's do that."

There was too much to do.

Sima Hui and Jang So-gil immediately turned the topic to the next one.

"How is the reorganization of the alliance?"

"Since there's a lot of money, it's not very difficult. It's just a bit of a hassle to watch out for embezzlers."

"You have to get the beginning right. Was there no interference from the Five Great Noble Families or the Nine Sects One Alliance?"

"How could there not be? I don't know about the others, but they resisted the rotation system with all their might."

The rotation system was a work system where you didn't just work fixedly in one place, but changed your affiliation at regular intervals. Jang So-gil had proposed it, Sima Hui had reinforced it, and Gumen Long had approved it.

"I heard that those who opposed the rotation system had gone to the Alliance Leader-nim to protest. They said they wanted to put it on the agenda for today's alliance meeting."

"Aigoo, how unlucky."

"They were unlucky."

Gumen Long was in a very bad mood because of the matter of the Maoshan Sect.

Since he had heard such an unpleasant thing at such a time, there was no way he would respond well.

Jang So-gil looked at the manor with a distant eye.

"No wonder the lightning kept striking..."

The truly enraged Gumen Long was uncontrollable. Even the Huashan Sword Saint avoided Gumen Long's anger.

It was just that he had briefly regained his reason because his favored inspector had stopped him.

Since they had had to face his unsubsided anger head-on, it must have been a disaster for those who had gone to protest.

"Speaking of lightning."

Sima Hui's eyes shot up sharply.

"You made a bet with the Alliance Leader-nim."

Since it was scary, he had asked him not to let the lightning strike.

Alright. If it strikes, I'll give you a Ferghana horse.

It was a bet made on the spot, and in the end, the lightning had struck.

So Sima Hui had been ordered by the Alliance Leader to give Jang So-gil a Ferghana horse.

"..."

"Ha, hahat. Why are you looking at me with those eyes?"

"There are too many things that come to mind."

What kind of person was the person called Jang So-gil? He was a fluent speaker and a swindler whose mouth would float if you threw him in the water.

His guts were big, so he would nonchalantly put a spoke in the Alliance Leader's wheel, cheat Man Bakja, and act friendly with the Explosion Demon, Byeokryeokja.

A fellow who was not afraid of anything in the world. That was Jang So-gil.

"You were scared of the lightning?"

"Heehit."

Although he might have been a little scared, he was by no means a fellow who would tremble his pupils and shoulders and say, 'Alliance Leader-nim, I'm scared.'

It must be an act. It was definitely an act.

As Sima Hui was convinced, Jang So-gil smiled brightly.

"But didn't three Ferghana horses be born this time? Give me one."

"How did you know that?"

"You boasted to the Alliance Leader-nim. Then the Fengya Unit knows, and I also know."

"You swindler bastard! As expected, it was intentional!"

"If possible, I'd like a male."

"You want a stallion? Hey, where's your conscience?"

"There's a stallion that's about two years away from retirement, isn't there? Give me that one. It's about time for Cheongwol and Yanghwangbijeon to have foals, so I have to make him a groom."

He even knew about the stallion that was nearing retirement. How well he knew the property situation of another's house, it was as if he were managing his own family's property.

To Sima Hui, who was at a loss for words, Jang So-gil grinned.

"They say in the countryside, you even know the number of dishes in your neighbor's house."

"This is Luoyang. Sigh, do as you please."

Sima Hui sighed and looked up at the sunny sky.

It was a terribly good weather.

* * *

There was really a lot to do.

First, he had to investigate the sects that had traded with the Four Black Alliance.

Although the crimes of the Hengshan Sect and the Maoshan Sect were the worst and their transaction volume was the largest, it was not that the names of other orthodox sects had not appeared in the ledger.

At the same time, he had to pay attention to the reorganization of the Martial Alliance and continue to check the Nine Sects One Alliance and the Five Great Noble Families.

He had to manage the merchant guild of the Martial Alliance, maintain the post stations and routes. He had to handle the petitions of the small and medium-sized sects that requested the mediation of the Martial Alliance.

He also had to establish countermeasures against the Demonic Cult.

"This is the important work of the Martial Alliance."

Jang So-gil's personal affairs were also a mountain.

The handling of the Plum Blossom Divine Pill he had received from the Lamp of Enlightenment. The marriage proposal of the Namgung Clan and the handling of the Emperor's Sword Form.

He also had to manage the business of the Daewoon Guild, and he had to pay attention to managing the connections with the people from all walks of life who were rushing to form a connection with the inspector of the Martial Alliance.

And yet, he could not be lazy in his martial arts training, including the Zixia Divine Art. Even though he could freely access the martial arts library, he did not have the time to go in.

"I'm really blessed with work."

There were many immediate problems. But Jang So-gil did not hurry.

If you hurry, you'll ruin things. Even if it seems like an impossible task, if you handle the things you can do one by one, there is no impossibility.

Jang So-gil was competent, calm, and had deep patience. Although his innate disposition was like fire, it was a calmness that had been cultivated by experience and necessity, completely different from such a disposition.

Whenever his head got hot and he felt impatient, the White Azure Divine Sword was a great help.

If he held it, the heat that had risen to his head would cool down, and a cool and pleasant freshness would spread throughout his body.

Jang So-gil calmly distinguished the importance of the things he had to do.

"I can put off the matters of internal affairs for a step."

The management of internal affairs was a complex and difficult task. But in the Martial Alliance, Jang So-gil was not the only one who used his head.

There was no need to mention the competence of the scholars, and the old, retired officials were corrupt, but they were also that much more experienced.

So for now, he would delegate the work to them. If he entrusted it to them, there might be some mistakes, but at least the work would proceed.

"And when the time is right, I'll intervene and fix it."

Wasn't that what an inspector was for?

Excluding internal affairs, half of the work disappeared in an instant.

"Next is my personal business. Shall I eat the Plum Blossom Divine Pill in the evening?"

As if it were a single meal, the fate of the Plum Blossom Divine Pill was decided.

If he ate it, his internal energy would increase by about ten years.

However, the more you ate an elixir, the less effective it became. If you ate it several times, it was better to eat it with a long interval in between to properly enjoy its effects.

Sima Hui had said that that period was about five years. Since Jang So-gil had already eaten the Fierce Bull Live Bezoar Pill, if he kept the Plum Blossom Divine Pill and ate it five years later, he could see twice the effect.

But he couldn't wait. Although he had obtained a great power that he could not have imagined before, Jang So-gil was still thirsty.

The growth that would have made others gasp was good enough to be called a leap, a jump, but Jang So-gil's adversaries were masters who were above his head.

Far away, there was Man Bakja, and closer, there was the dead Four Black Alliance Leader, Ha Hu-yeong.

There was a limit to what you could do with just your mouth and your head. Power, he needed power.

The martial world was a place where you could die in an instant if you didn't have power.

So the thirst did not disappear.

Jang So-gil carefully took out the wooden box containing the Plum Blossom Divine Pill from his bosom.

It was a fellow he had kept preciously in his bosom, afraid that someone would see it, that someone would take it.

After savoring the strong scent of plum blossoms, Jang So-gil shouted.

"Ye-er, Gwan-ah. Stand guard."

(End of Chapter)