The Mad Dog Inspector of the Martial Alliance

Chapter 83 : To Huashan (1)

A rest period is important for a martial artist. No matter how strong a martial artist who has accumulated internal energy is, if they only continue harsh training, their body is bound to wear out. It could be said that resting well is also the job of a martial artist.

Yang Gwan decided to take this opportunity to mend his creaking body from the harsh training he had continued for a long time. The training of internal energy and mental image training could be done without moving the body. So there would be no stagnation in his achievements as a martial artist.

But because of that, another problem arose.

"The escort is vacant, what should I do?"

A Dharma protector is absolutely necessary. It was because Jang So-gil had too many enemies.

Close by, even within the Martial Alliance, there were rotten waters of the orthodox sect who looked at him unfavorably and wanted to get rid of him at any time, and far away, there were those who had been caught up in the work Jang So-gil had done as an inspector and had suffered damage.

Of course, among them was also Jang So-gil's lifelong nemesis, the Sichuan Tang Clan. So without a Dharma protector, Jang So-gil was in trouble in many ways. Even if the current Jang So-gil had the skill of a mid-to-high level among first-rate masters, he could not achieve a great cause alone.

Yang Gwan was first-rate as a martial artist, but as a Dharma protector, he was a talent that could be counted on one's fingers. A firm mindset and sincerity. A deep loyalty to Jang So-gil. On top of that, his manly and sturdy appearance had the pressure of a divine general, which reduced useless disputes.

As a finishing touch, the nickname 'Fire Dragon', which he had obtained by showing outstanding skill at the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly, played the role of a useful seasoning that made things go smoothly. It could be said that there were few talents more suitable for being a Dharma protector than him in the current era.

But such a Yang Gwan had been removed from the party due to a knee injury. For a whopping three months.

Yang Gwan's vacant spot had to be filled, but such a talent could not be easily found.

Even the Martial Alliance Leader, Gumen Long, had shown his disapproval, and even Sima Hui had seriously advised Jang So-gil, 'How about you lower your standards a little?'

But how could the eyes that had been raised so high while using Yang Gwan be lowered? Jang So-gil was searching high and low for someone to serve as a Dharma protector.

After five days of such difficulties.

Ye-er said.

"I'll do it."

"You?"

"Me. Strong."

The skill of Ye-er, who had been raised as the next palace lord of the Nan Yue Beast Palace, was equal to Yang Gwan's, and perhaps even more.

Jang So-gil had not yet seen the end of her power. All he knew was that even Yang Gwan, who was using his full power, had once been sent flying with a single blow and had gone to see the moon.

Her martial arts level was also not something he could guess. Since the martial arts of the Nan Yue Beast Palace were on a different track from the martial arts of the martial world, it could not be easily measured. The reason was the ignorant martial arts theory of storing internal energy not in the dantian but in the muscles.

So it was also a problem that no one could know exactly how much power Ye-er had.

Jang So-gil pressed his brow and shook his head.

"No, no."

"Why? I'm strong."

"I know you're strong. At least I know. So put your fist down. Please."

Jang So-gil stopped Ye-er, who had taken a posture to break the wall as if to prove her strength. If he had stopped her a little later, the high-class furniture donated by Gwon Cheonhui would have been broken, and the newly repaired second-floor pavilion would have collapsed.

Jang So-gil hurriedly explained the situation.

"Being a Dharma protector is a job of protecting people, so it's not something that can be done just by being good at it. To put it simply, you need a pressure that makes even my enemies think, 'Ah, that fellow won't be easy. Let's aim for the next opportunity,' and a strength that is also visible on the outside."

Ye-er was a young girl. There was a saying in the martial world that a child was a master who had returned to their youth, and an old person was a reclusive master, so don't touch them, but that was just a joke. There was no assassin or killer who would be intimidated by a child.

"So a Dharma protector needs a pressure of appearance that even an enemy can recognize at a glance."

"Me. Threatening."

"I'm sure you're very threatening."

"Yap."

Ye-er, showing her biceps and taking a posture like a Diamond Guardian. She looked like the Sapsali dog that Mr. Heo was raising, if anything, but she definitely did not look like a Diamond Guardian.

She was cute, but an inspector who went around with such a Dharma protector would only be laughed at. This was really not it, and as Jang So-gil frowned, Ye-er replied.

"Since coming here, I. A burden. Want to work."

"Ah."

After assisting as a Dharma protector in Yunnan. She had not done any work. All she had done so far was study the language of the Han people.

It seemed her head was not bad, as she could now write letters well and read well, but it seemed she wanted to work more than that.

"If you don't work, you shouldn't eat."

"That's true."

But that was a statement that applied only to ordinary people who lived from hand to mouth, not a statement that a person in the position of the young palace lord of the Nan Yue Beast Palace would make.

This is a very desirable attitude towards life. Was this the family tradition of the Nan Yue Beast Palace?

"Tsk."

Jang So-gil flicked the abacus. It was a habit when he was organizing his thoughts.

What should he do?

In fact, it wasn't a time to be picky about this and that.

Could he find a Dharma protector with more skill than Ye-er?

No.

Was there a Dharma protector more reliable than Ye-er?

No.

A pressure that was visible at a glance or a strength that was easy to see from the outside were secondary things for a Dharma protector. They were like luxurious accessories that would be better if they were there.

The most important thing was trust. The next most important thing was real skill.

Ye-er was truly a talent that was hard to find as a Dharma protector.

'It seems my standards have gotten too high because of that fellow Gwan.'

When handling a product, the job of a merchant is simple. Fully grasp the value of the product, cover its shortcomings, and highlight its strengths.

If the characteristic of Yang Gwan, who looked like a master at a glance, was a good characteristic as a Dharma protector, then the appearance of Ye-er, who looked weak and could not give pressure, could be a talent in another aspect.

A characteristic itself is not a shortcoming. Depending on how it is used, it becomes a strength, and it becomes a shortcoming.

'It seems I'm starting to get the taint of a martial artist. I almost forgot the basics.'

Jang So-gil twisted the corners of his mouth.

To be clear, Ye-er was a top-grade talent. If he couldn't use her properly, it would mean he was incompetent.

"Alright. The Dharma protector for this trip to Huashan is you."

The companion was decided. Since the preparations had been finished long ago, Jang So-gil set off for Huashan that very night.

The horse he had prepared was one. The little child running on her own two feet next to him was faster than a horse.

"Work! Food!"

"Yes, yes. When we arrive at Huashan, let's eat some delicious noodle dishes. They say that the swords of Huashan are the best in the world, and the noodle dishes are a delicacy of the world, so we have to taste how delicious they are."

"Noodles! Noodles!"

* * *

The martial world had been greatly wounded because of the war with the Demonic Cult. Just as a wounded tiger roughly hunts a deer, greedily tears at the meat, and then goes into a cave to rest. The martial world was coveting wealth and talent, and was mending the wounds of the Great War against the Demonic Cult.

Bad things become money easier and faster than good things. The way to mend the wounds was mainly through methods that were unjust, disloyal, and inhuman.

Threats and extortion based on violence. Tax evasion and embezzlement against the imperial family.

Humans sell humans, and they accumulate wealth by repeatedly committing evil deeds that abandon humanity and righteousness.

That was the reality of the current martial world. To the extent that there were even those who acted like that in the orthodox sect, it was painful to even speak of the groups of the Unorthodox Faction and the Black Way.

But, in the midst of that, there were those who tried not to lose the spirit of the orthodox sect.

Huashan.

Huashan was the best sword sect in the world. Even Diancang, which was said to have the ultimate fast sword, Wudang, which contained the principles of the Taiji, and even Zhongnan, which contained the power of Mount Tai, yielded a step to Huashan in terms of swords alone.

The best, the strongest sword without a doubt was the sword of Huashan.

Thus, the swordsmen of the entire martial world climbed the Lotus Peak of Huashan for a discussion of swords, and talented people gathered with a thousand gold to receive teachings from them.

The most important thing to Huashan was fame. They had no intention of committing an unpleasant act and tarnishing the name they had built up so far.

Receiving the spirit of the Western Great Mountain, they pursued and discussed the sword on the summit of the Lotus Peak with a lofty posture, and only ran towards the extreme of the martial arts.

They had taken the money of the Martial Alliance? Well, couldn't they, who had suffered great damage from the Great War against the Demonic Cult, do that much? And even then, when the problem arose, hadn't they cleared it up cleanly right away?

There was no filth or fault in the Huashan Sect.

That was the image of the great Huashan Sect that they pursued.

But.

That was only a story that applied to the main mountain of the Huashan Sect.

"I'll summarize the main points of the work."

Jang So-gil, who had rented a large room at an inn, sat on the bed and began to speak.

"The Daoist sects of the Western Great Mountain have the privilege of not having to pay taxes. We will catch the fellows who are pretending to be Daoist sects when they are not, in order to use that privilege. Do you understand up to here?"

"I understand."

Ye-er nodded her head greatly.

"Good. There are several ways to use this privilege. The most common one is to live as a secular disciple of the Huashan Sect for a few years and then come out and create one's own sect. They hold a grand opening ceremony, pay a protection fee to Huashan, and receive a congratulatory message to decorate their entrance plausibly. And after that, they can do whatever they want. If they want to open a shop, they open a shop, and if they want to open an escort agency, they open an escort agency. No matter what they choose to do, there is no loss. Because there is no need to pay taxes. Do you understand up to here?"

"I understand. There are many. Such kids."

"Are there such fellows in Nan Yue too?"

"If you farm, you don't pay taxes. But, they pretend to farm and don't farm."

"They say that wherever people live is the same. So there were fellows who did that in the south too."

Jang So-gil frowned as if he were fed up. He didn't know it, but that was one of the causes that had brought about the food shortage in Nan Yue. Pests, heavy rain, and typhoons were also problems, but in the end, it was something that had happened because the number of people who were actually farming was ridiculously smaller than what the Nan Yue Beast Palace had grasped. The fake farmers had become a big problem even in the Nan Yue Beast Palace, and it had been mentioned several times by the palace lord.

Out of curiosity, Jang So-gil asked.

"How do you deal with such fellows in Nan Yue?"

"We catch them and."

Ye-er made a gesture as if she were pulling out a neck with her hand.

Perhaps with the superhuman strength of the palace lord of the Nan Yue Beast Palace, the neck... 'ppyok'?

"Keuheum. Uh, that's very radical."

"If not. They don't listen. Even if you curse. Even if you hit. It's no use. The people of Nan Yue. Their guts are the best."

"It seems so. To think there are fellows who evade taxes even when you pull out their necks while they're alive, how big on earth are their guts?"

"Dad, by himself. He even does the dismemberment by five horses."

The dismemberment by five horses was the most extreme punishment of tying the head and limbs to horses and making them run in all directions to tear them apart.

He could do that by himself?

"You have an amazing father. Are the people of Nan Yue, who show such guts even when they are punished in that way, more amazing, or are the people of the central plains, who show guts even when their three clans are exterminated, more amazing... Anyway!"

Jang So-gil cleared his throat and finished his words.

"So we, we will catch such ghost sects that are only Daoist sects on the outside and collect taxes from them justly. That is what we will do at Huashan. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Then let's start by thoroughly enjoying the noodle dishes of Huashan. First, yes..."

Jang So-gil tapped the bed.

"Shall we start with this inn?"

(End of Chapter)