The Mad Dog Inspector of the Martial Alliance

Chapter 144 : Maoshan Sect (3)

Human beings are creatures that cannot stay still. It is harder not to move than to move.

It is impossible to stop breathing, to stop the minute movements of the muscles. When martial artists read a presence, it means they are reading these small pulsations.

But the jiangshi's presence could not be read until just before it moved. Because it was already a dead corpse.

The fiends of the Maoshan Sect had made full use of that point. To think that they would disguise themselves as stone statues and launch a surprise attack, he had never imagined it.

Jang So-gil, gripping the White Azure Divine Sword in a reverse grip, shouted.

"I'll leave my back to you!"

"Alright! This is going to be fun!"

They had fought for half a day and had come to know each other's skills to a disgusting degree. It was enough to entrust his back to him.

Baek Yugyeong and Jang So-gil, who had been surrounded by numerous jiangshi disguised as stone statues and had naturally stood back to back. The two kicked the jiangshi in front and behind with their legs wrapped in cold qi.

A loud metallic sound, 'kaang-', came from the kicked jiangshi. They said that the body of a jiangshi was like cast iron, and it was really so.

On top of that, it was not just simply hard.

"Ugh!"

A heavy and uncomfortable cold qi rode up from the kicked foot and made his knee stiff.

Baek Yugyeong was a master who had learned the peerless ice art, the Soul-Stealing Ice Art, so he was startled to find that the cold qi, which had always been familiar, could feel so unpleasant.

"Ugh-! It feels bad!"

That unpleasant feeling was no different for Jang So-gil. But Jang So-gil, instead of being startled, drove the cold qi out of his body and looked for the cause of this repulsion.

Why did the cold qi not work properly on the jiangshi? In fact, the reason was easy to know.

'The principle of yin and yang!'

The principle of yin and yang was the principle by which all things in the world operated. Basically, the living harbored the qi of yang, and the dead harbored the qi of yin.

The ice art was a martial art with strong yin qi, and the jiangshi was yin qi itself. So the ice art could not deal an effective blow to the jiangshi. On the contrary, the cold qi only caused a repulsion.

Jang So-gil, who had come to that conclusion, clicked his tongue.

"The 'Hot Yang Art' would be more effective than the ice art."

It was a moment when he missed Yang Gwan, who was not here.

The Fire Wheel Art was originally a martial art of purification that burned away such unholy beings. A jiangshi would have been reduced to ashes with a single thrust of his spear.

It seemed that the power of 'exorcising evil' was far from Jang So-gil and Baek Yugyeong.

But, he was not very disappointed. Jang So-gil and Baek Yugyeong simultaneously drew out their strong qi.

The only way to deal with a strong qi that cut through cast iron like tofu was to block it with the same strong qi.

The two, who had exchanged glances as if they had brushed past each other, swung their swords in a disorderly manner, as if they had arranged it beforehand.

A stream of strong qi stretched out and drew a trajectory. The statue of the Primeval Lord of Heaven that the jiangshi had thrown crumbled without leaving a trace, and behind it, the body of the jiangshi, which had been cut into neat squares dozens of times, fell with a 'hudeudeuk' sound.

Three in front and three behind, six jiangshi disappeared in an instant like that.

Baek Yugyeong, who had slightly raised his heels, moved his body as if drawing a circle with the tip of his foot as the axis. In response, Jang So-gil turned to face him.

A basic combination formation. By changing positions while standing back to back and spinning like a 'taiji', they covered each other's openings that were created the moment they extended their swords.

Baek Yugyeong knew that Jang So-gil was matching him.

No, to be precise, he was probably copying and absorbing the secrets of the fight even in the midst of this.

Although it should have been an unpleasant thing, it was not so bad now. It felt good when the harmony of a joint work was right.

All the movements were accurate without any error. That fellow's observation skills and senses were truly outstanding.

Baek Yugyeong gradually raised the difficulty of the techniques, as if to say 'try to imitate more'.

Unlike the martial artists of the Central Plains, the sword arts of the warriors of the North Sea had no fixed form, no 'forms'. They would instinctively find and draw the optimal sword path needed at that moment, as they pleased, as their excitement rose.

Jang So-gil followed it without even a single breath being disturbed.

How much time had passed?

The sword, which had been swung without hesitation like flowing water, stopped.

"What, this is no fun. Is this all?"

The dozens of jiangshi had all disappeared. They had all been slaughtered. On the floor, only pieces of chopped meat were rolling around like gravel.

It was a shame, as he was just getting excited. Baek Yugyeong, licking his lips, sheathed his sword.

Jang So-gil, who was carefully observing the fragments of the chopped jiangshi, let out a groan.

Although they must have been made with humans as the material. These were closer to pieces of iron than pieces of flesh.

No blood flowed, and each and every piece was still hard.

"This, this is no joke..."

"Really? It's not as big a deal as the rumors, is it?"

They said that a jiangshi had a body of 'vajra' that could not be cut with a sword. But in reality, since strong qi worked, it was not his match.

As Baek Yugyeong regarded it as not a big deal, Jang So-gil let out a sigh.

"You're thinking too lightly because it's someone else's country's business."

"Ah, you caught me."

There were few martial artists who used the 'Hot Yang Art' as their main skill. There were even fewer masters who could create strong qi.

A jiangshi, which could not be dealt an effective blow without such means, was bound to be a very threatening being.

Since it was highly likely that even the sword qi of a first-rate master would not work, he could not even imagine how many a single soldier could slaughter if they faced a jiangshi.

A single jiangshi could annihilate a platoon of soldiers.

'If the jiangshi army were to aim for the North Sea... there would be no way to stop them for now.'

Baek Yugyeong, who had calculated calmly, erased his sneering attitude and scanned the shrine with cold eyes.

Although this place was cleared, the basement still remained. Although no presence was felt, there would surely be more jiangshi.

"The key is how many more jiangshi there will be from now on. What do you think?"

"Well. I can't know for sure for now."

The Maoshan Sect had completely taken control of Maoshan.

If those guys had operated Maoshan with the sole purpose of creating jiangshi during the past time, the pilgrims and travelers who visited this place would also have been used as good materials.

In other words, there was a high probability that a jiangshi army of a larger scale than he had thought existed.

"First, let's take a look at the bottom."

"You're suggesting we voluntarily enter a jiangshi den now? What kind of foolishness is that?"

"Yes. Alliance Leader-nim."

"Hey, you... you're a real bastard. You know that?"

"Yes. I know."

The stairs leading to the basement had scorched marks here and there.

Yes, he had been chasing the fellow who had made these marks until now, so there was no way he would back down now.

I don't want to go. But I have no choice.

Baek Yugyeong, shrugging his shoulders, took a step forward.

* * *

The stairs were very deep and long. While going down, jiangshi continuously came up from the basement.

But to a transcendent master who could use strong qi, they were not such a difficult enemy.

"I'm getting tired of this."

Perhaps they had connected it to a space that was originally in the basement. Around the time the stairs that had been going down in a straight line became a shape that went down a large cavity in a circle, Baek Yugyeong, who was tired of dealing with the jiangshi, grumbled.

Jang So-gil, who was deep in thought, reacted a beat late to his words.

"What, what are you thinking about so much?"

"It's nothing special. I was just thinking about the jiangshi."

"Is there anything more to think about? Their strengths and weaknesses are clear."

It was a simple matter. Jiangshi were weak to yang qi and strong to yin qi. Although they were as hard as a lump of iron, they were pierced by strong qi.

But Jang So-gil was not contemplating such a simple thing.

"I was contemplating the labor of using the jiangshi and its details."

"What?"

"Think about it. What if the Maoshan Sect were to do business using the jiangshi? Those guys are very strong and can lift a stone statue that must weigh a thousand 'geun', right? They could use that strength to do transportation or shipping. Since they can lift a log by themselves, they would be very successful even if they became lumberjacks. Since they don't get tired even if they walk for three months and ten days, they would be very successful even if they became escort warriors. Since they can't be cut without strong qi, it's also good when dealing with Green Forest bandits or thieves."

"..."

"How about making them farm? Humans get tired, but jiangshi don't. They would be able to clear land without resting. Although they can't be made to manage the fields, a rental business where they lend out the jiangshi to farmers for a few days to do the heavy lifting is also worth a try."

Baek Yugyeong's mouth dropped open.

"No, what are you talking about?!"

"It's just a suspicion that the Maoshan Sect is aiming for 'going against heaven'. There's no physical evidence. So when we actually confront them, those guys might make an excuse, saying that the jiangshi are a new way of business. Although the jiangshi itself is an evil trick, the story can change depending on how you package it."

"No matter how you package it, a jiangshi is a jiangshi!"

"Well. How about saying it like this?"

Jang So-gil, with an expression as if tears were about to fall, opened his mouth.

"A while ago, my father passed away, leaving me, who is still young. My mother is sick, and my younger siblings were starving. Sob, sob. But it's okay now. Because the Daoists of the Maoshan Sect, who had learned of my father's concern for us who were left behind, sent us a jiangshi. So our family is living day by day with the wages that the jiangshi earns. Thank you, Daoists of the Maoshan Sect!"

As Baek Yugyeong was at a loss for words and just moved his mouth, Jang So-gil changed his expression and grinned.

"Do you think there won't be a single story like this if you look for it? Packaging a story with family love is a method that merchants often use. Because it works well on everyone."

"What a crazy fellow..."

"Although it appears as an evil villain in novels. Since the jiangshi was originally a method to return the dead to their hometown, it can be said that it was made with a good intention. If you make good use of these parts and cover it with good deeds and goodwill, even a jiangshi can be disguised as a good thing. What's important is the skill of the person who uses it."

"Ah, my head is spinning just listening to you. If it's a good thing..."

"All the troublesome and difficult labor is done by the jiangshi, and people can enjoy a leisurely life. They say that even if you are poor, you can achieve the 'Dao' by living a simple life. But it's only natural that it's easier to attain the 'Dao' if you have a lot of money and your body is comfortable. The reason why labor is the duty of the common people is because the country prospers by doing so, not because labor is the inherent joy of human beings. Humans originally like to play rather than work. If we can use the jiangshi to improve the human environment, how can I dismiss it as only evil?"

Jang So-gil, who had let out a long speech, smiled again.

"And, the Maoshan Sect might run their mouths like that. What do you think? Were you moved a little?"

He was quite moved. For a moment, even Baek Yugyeong thought about what it would be like if there were jiangshi in his hometown, the North Sea, and if the common people could be freed from the hard and harsh labor of breaking the thick ice and clearing the cold fields.

As the Young Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace, it was a very attractive story.

"I saw the jiangshi, and I knew that the Maoshan Sect was operating it. Then, as an inspector, I would have to judge whether a business using the jiangshi could be established or not and report it to the Alliance Leader-nim. Unfortunately, there is no law regarding the jiangshi in all of history, so if a rule is needed, it is something I will have to make. I will also have to think about whether this thing called a jiangshi can coexist with the justice of the Martial Alliance or the morals of the world. So wouldn't I have a lot to worry about?"

In the middle of the long story, he saw a flame flash once from below. It was the flame of the Fire Wheel Art.

Jang So-gil smiled brightly.

"Shall we think about the jiangshi business later? For now, I'll have to go and save my dull subordinate."

(End of Chapter)