The Mad Dog Inspector of the Martial Alliance

Chapter 136 : Public and Private Affairs (2)

Most sects that have established a family learn only the martial arts of their own sect. This is because harmony is important in martial arts.

The mind method, footwork, and various martial arts are harmoniously unified to gather the mind, qi, and body in one place. Unless it is a peerless divine art, impurities that break the harmony only hinder achievement.

This was the reason why the groups of the Black Way could not easily become masters.

If one learns various powerful martial arts without order just to survive in a hurry, the foundation of the martial arts becomes weak and the center is shaken. Naturally, the harmony is broken, and growth slows down.

Therefore, those who have become masters in the Black Way martial world have a high probability of becoming even greater masters if they had a proper growth environment or support.

Then how much potential did Ha Hu-yeong have?

'Black Killing Hegemon King Ha Hu-yeong.'

He was a strong man who had far surpassed Jang So-gil and was recorded as the 37th in the Martial Arts White Paper.

But the martial arts he had learned were close to miscellaneous studies. Even his special skill, the Black Killing Heavenly Gang, was something he had created himself through countless real battles.

If he had been able to have the same environment as Jang So-gil, he would have become an even more tremendous master.

'Well, building an environment is also an ability.'

The martial arts of the Black Killing Hegemon King were miscellaneous. The mind method and footwork played separately, and even his weapon was a sickle.

A sickle was not a 'proper' weapon. Its blade was facing inward, and it was curved to be able to cut grass with little force. The fact that the blade was set on the inside meant that the direction of the force was towards oneself, and the fact that it was curved meant that it was not upright.

On top of that, he had even learned a technique called 'earth-hiding art', so it was not 'pure'.

The harmony was already broken.

In contrast, the many martial arts that Jang So-gil had learned were all in harmony.

Although it was based on the martial art of the 'outside the pass', the Soul-Stealing Ice Art, the peerless life-nourishing method called the Sima Divine Art held a firm axis on top of it.

Since the life-nourishing method was originally from the Daoist mind method. In addition to that, now that he had learned a part of the Zixia Divine Art, Jang So-gil's Soul-Stealing Ice Art had come to have a strong Daoist martial art tendency.

In addition, the footwork that Jang So-gil had learned was the Kunlun Sect's Cloud Dragon Eight Steps and the Diancang Sect's Plucking String Body Step. The sword art was the Diancang Sect's Sun-Shooting Sword Art.

These martial arts were originally from Quanzhen. Since they were beans from the same pod, they were harmonious, and were rather in the process of regaining their original form.

The design of the genius martial arts scholar Sima Hui and the generous support of the Martial Alliance Leader.

Even if you searched among the martial artists of all time, there would be no one who had such a blessed environment.

People of the world called this a 'fortuitous encounter'.

But Jang So-gil did not think of this as a fortuitous encounter.

It was an environment that he had created with his own intention. So it should be called an inevitability, not a fortuitous encounter.

"Don't be ridiculous. Are you going to say it's not a fortuitous encounter while eating the Plum Blossom Divine Pill?"

Yang Gwan protested roughly.

Jang So-gil, who was sitting still and looking at Yang Gwan, his mouth slightly raised.

"Are you jealous?"

"Yes... I'm jealous."

"Really? Then shall I give it to you?"

For a moment, Yang Gwan doubted his ears. He was so surprised that his eyes popped out, and his composure was disturbed.

He had thought to himself that he was not a person whose training was so shallow as to be swayed by such a thing.

But that was the Plum Blossom Divine Pill. What martial artist would not be fascinated in front of the treasure of Huashan?

If you asked a hundred passing martial artists, all a hundred would give the same answer.

Although Ye-er next to him seemed to have no thoughts, that was because Ye-er's physiology was closer to that of a panda than a martial artist.

"Ugh. They say seeing is wanting."

Yang Gwan, blaming his own greed for coveting his lord's precious object, groaned. It was because his nature was simple and his heart was upright.

The Plum Blossom Divine Pill had been leaked out only once in the long history of Huashan. At that time, it was said that a river was made of the blood of the martial artists who were aiming for the Plum Blossom Divine Pill, and a mountain was built with their corpses.

A subordinate betrays his lord, and the lord suspects his subordinate, causing conflict and a bloodbath.

The Plum Blossom Divine Pill was an elixir of that much value.

Yang Gwan agonized for a moment, but in the end, he shook his head.

"...It's okay. You take it, Young Master So."

"I knew you'd answer like that. I wasn't going to give it to you anyway."

"No, a person is really... Young Master So, how can you be so hateful?!"

Just as harmony was important in martial arts, there was also a harmony that was important in elixirs.

The Plum Blossom Divine Pill was a secret treasure of the Huashan Sect. Although the Fierce Bull Live Bezoar Pill was an elixir that did not distinguish between mind methods, the Plum Blossom Divine Pill was made to exert its proper effects on those who had learned the Daoist mind method. So if a Buddhist martial artist ate it, it would be difficult for its effects to be properly exerted.

Even if the effects of the Fierce Bull Live Bezoar Pill he had eaten before remained and the effects were reduced, it was more rational for Jang So-gil, whose internal energy system was consistent, to eat the Plum Blossom Divine Pill.

In other words, it was much better for Yang Gwan to eat an elixir of a Buddhist sect.

Jang So-gil, looking at Yang Gwan who was groaning from his rising anger, let out a grin.

"Anyway, you guys just stand guard well."

"Not even an ant. Will be allowed."

"Yes. I'm only counting on you, Ye-er."

Jang So-gil, wearing a thin mourning robe, slowly sat in a cross-legged position.

Yang Gwan, who had been groaning, erased his expression and changed his expression to a serious one. And he stood two steps away from Jang So-gil and gripped his spear.

Ye-er also clenched her two fists and likewise stood guard.

Although it was doubtful that there would be a big-guts fellow who would attack the inspector at the headquarters of the Martial Alliance, you never knew.

Someone might aim for this gap and attack. Even if the possibility was infinitely small, Jang So-gil was not careless.

The breathing technique after eating an elixir would suffer a great blow even from a small shock.

The more powerful the elixir, the greater the reaction, so a great elixir like the Plum Blossom Divine Pill required great caution in its consumption.

"Hrmmm..."

With a low groan, Jang So-gil entered a state of breathing technique.

* * *

At the time Jang So-gil had entered the training room and had begun his breathing technique. In the Martial Alliance, the Five Great Military Advisors had been summoned by the order of the Alliance Leader.

One by one, they passed through the main hall and stood before the Alliance Leader. Gumen Long looked at their faces.

Sima Hui of the Sima Clan, Zhuge Xian of the Zhuge Clan, and Namgung Saeng of the Namgung Clan had answered the summons.

But there were only three. Two were not seen.

"I called five, but why have only three come?"

"Tang Sahong of the Sichuan Tang Clan has sent a letter of apology, saying he has a severe cold and it is difficult for him to move, and Paeng Hyeok of the Hebei Paeng Clan is in closed-door training and could not answer the summons."

The one who answered the question was Zhuge Xian. Gumen Long silently stroked his beard.

At that sight, Zhuge Xian had a hunch that something big had happened.

Gumen Long was a more frivolous person than he looked, and he would sometimes gather the Five Great Military Advisors and say things like, 'The reason I called you today is none other than because I'm bored. Is there no one to play with me?'

He had thought it was something like that this time too, but his momentum was frighteningly sharp. Namgung Saeng was also overwhelmed by Gumen Long's aura and quietly swallowed his saliva.

After a while, Gumen Long muttered in a slightly cracked voice.

"The Paeng Clan can be like that. Because it's the Paeng Clan."

The Hebei Paeng Clan was a family that could be called the best in the world among the sects that handled the 'dao'. It was their family tradition to be strict with themselves and to enjoy practicing martial arts.

Although he was one of the Five Great Military Advisors of the Martial Alliance, Paeng Hyeok was also a person of the Paeng Clan, so he was a person closer to a pure martial artist than a military advisor.

Although he had no military talent, he was skilled at raising the morale of the soldiers by standing at the forefront, and although he had no strategy, he was strong in tactics, so he had shown a rather strong side in real combat and had obtained the position of a military advisor.

It was not strange that such a person was in closed-door training.

But.

"In the middle of summer, a direct descendant of the Sichuan Tang Clan. A cold?"

Tang Sahong was a direct descendant of the Sichuan Tang Clan, which was among the top three in the world in the use of medicine, and was called the 'two powers of the world' along with the 'Dokmun' when it came to poison.

His resistance to disease and poison would be at a level that martial artists of the same level would not even dare to approach, but he had caught a disease. And of all things, it was a cold that only the common people caught.

Gumen Long smiled coldly.

"He's trying his best to die."

In any case, the Sichuan Tang Clan was already out of favor with Gumen Long because of the inspector's matter.

Although they were a corner of the Nine Sects One Alliance, they had committed an unrighteous act, and his favored inspector hated the Tang Clan to the bone. It was only natural that Gumen Long had also come to dislike the Sichuan Tang Clan.

And now they were openly not answering the summons. It was a matter that was enough to displease him.

Sima Hui carefully asked.

"Shall I send another letter?"

"It's okay. It's their own doing."

"Yes. I think so too."

A calm tone, a peace without any agitation.

Zhuge Xian and Namgung Saeng read the leisure in Sima Hui's attitude. Sima Hui clearly knew the reason why Gumen Long was displeased.

But the two of them did not know what it was. The gap in information was stark.

Although Sima Hui was the second son of the Sima Clan, since he had been swayed by Gumen Long's overwhelming strength and was sincerely following him, it was no exaggeration to call him a loyal subject of the Alliance Leader. It was Sima Hui who had even used his private property to help the bankrupt Martial Alliance.

That was why no one could deny that he was now the head of the Five Great Military Advisors.

Sima Hui was clearly sharing information with Gumen Long. But Zhuge Xian and Namgung Saeng were not.

The cronies they had planted had already had their positions changed, so the internal information of the Martial Alliance did not come into their hands, and the reorganization of the information network was a distant matter.

Based on the few pieces of information they had, the two of them came to their own conclusions.

'It seems the Alliance Leader's mood has been soured while reorganizing the internal structure of the Martial Alliance.'

Namgung Saeng was discouraged.

Namgung Saeng of the Namgung Clan had been a military advisor who had advised on the finances of the Martial Alliance during the Great War against the Demonic Cult. Even after the war ended, the part he was in charge of in the organizational structure of the Martial Alliance was the largest, so he had the greatest blame for the situation of the Martial Alliance becoming like that.

'Damn it, I was just following the will of my family. Did I know things would turn out like this!'

The Namgung Clan had had a choice. Would they get a chance to earn a lot of money by destroying the Martial Alliance, or would they maintain the Martial Alliance and establish the justice of the martial world?

The Namgung Clan as martial artists had completely lost their family's secret martial arts while experiencing the Great War against the Demonic Cult.

The Namgung Clan as merchants were extremely competent, and they knew that war and chaos brought great profits.

Then wasn't it obvious what the Namgung Clan had to choose?

It felt as if the price of that choice had now come.

Even if it was a dragon with its teeth pulled out, a dragon was a dragon. When the dragon became angry, dark clouds gathered and lightning struck with a storm.

Namgung Saeng's palms became completely soaked with anxiety and fear.

Unlike him, Zhuge Xian was calmly observing the situation.

'A weather anomaly, lightning. This is a phenomenon that occurs when there is a great change in the Alliance Leader's mind. What made the Alliance Leader so enraged?'

Perhaps something had happened in the process of reorganizing the Martial Alliance that had greatly provoked his anger.

If that were the case, since the information Zhuge Xian had now was ridiculously insufficient, he had no choice but to first listen to the Alliance Leader's story and then respond with improvisation.

If it wasn't because of that, there was another thing that could have recently touched the Alliance Leader's emotions.

'The inspector recently cleaned up the Four Black Alliance. Some bad information might have come out from there.'

The Four Black Alliance was convenient. If you just gave them money, they would get or handle any item.

Zhuge Xian tried to recall the transaction details between the Zhuge Clan and them. Fortunately, as far as he knew, there were no very serious crimes.

'Even if they found out about the transaction between our clan and the Four Black Alliance, it doesn't matter. They can't impose a heavy punishment for that much of a crime.'

He didn't know exactly what the Alliance Leader was going to say. But he had clearly said, with a sarcastic tone, to the absent military advisors, 'It's their own doing.'

That meant that there was a disadvantage for those who were absent. Then he had not called those who had answered the summons for a bad reason.

Zhuge Xian, after finishing his thoughts, concluded that there was no need to bow his head. He brazenly changed his expression and held his head high.

It was then that the Alliance Leader opened his mouth.

"The reason I summoned you today is simple. A ledger of transactions with the orthodox sect was found in the Four Black Alliance."

As expected. It was this.

Zhuge Xian inwardly nodded his head.

"Smuggled wine and smuggled salt were from the Hengshan Sect. The places that had commissioned various trivial requests, including the trade of stolen goods, were Wudang, Zhongnan, Kongtong, Qingcheng, Hengshan, Hainan, and the Sichuan Tang Clan, Namgung, Zhuge, Murong... Hah. There are so many that I can't even say them all."

Famous sects came out one after another. In a flash, it seemed that about half of the members of the Martial Alliance had been called out.

Zhuge Xian kept his mouth shut. Namgung Saeng's mouth trembled, as it was difficult for him to maintain his expression.

Although the two were not the heads of their families with full authority, nor were they the eldest sons who were the next heads. But they were not so powerless as to not know about the corruption of their families at all.

Since it was not a place where excuses were allowed, they had no choice but to keep their mouths shut like clams.

But.

"The Maoshan Sect was buying slaves, and they were also buying human flesh, and they were also buying drugs. Can you believe it? The guys who call themselves a Daoist sect were even buying newborn babies!"

At Gumen Long's continuing roar, the mouths of the two also dropped open.

(End of Chapter)