The Miraculous Divorce Technique

Chapter 19

After laying waste to the Ilsuhoe's headquarters.

Cheok Sagyeol was walking in the direction of the Pungryu Inn.

But as he was walking on the main road, he suddenly turned into a side path and moved into a bamboo forest on one side.

"You can come out now."

As Cheok Sagyeol's words ended, a figure in black martial arts attire rose from under the shade of the bamboo.

Judging by the red crescent moon drawn on his left shoulder, he was clearly one of the members of the Red Moon.

"Who are you? How did you use the mark that only the supreme one of our cult knows?"

"It's Sa-wol. You must have been in charge of Henan."

"...!"

Even though he was wearing a mask, the opponent had recognized him.

And by his name as an intelligence agent, Sa-wol.

'The Hao Sect? The Beggars' Sect? The Flower Shadow Sect? Where... don't tell me they really broke through our security...'

Sa-wol guessed that the opponent was an intelligence organization, but he couldn't be sure.

It was only natural, as no one in the cult, other than the supreme one, knew of the existence of their Red Moon.

"Don't underestimate the skills of your Red Moon. To detect your movements in the world, the entire Hao Sect would have to come at you."

Cheok Sagyeol spoke as if he knew what was in Sa-wol's mind.

Sa-wol was even more confused by the familiar gaze despite the unfamiliar appearance. It was because he had a dignity as if he were facing their supreme one.

"...I'll ask again. Who are you?"

"Hehehe, you've been watching me since the Ilsuhoe, but you still don't know?"

"..."

As he said, Sa-wol had been watching Cheok Sagyeol after receiving a report of the mark from his subordinate.

And what he had seen when he exchanged moves with Eum Ga-gyeong at the Ilsuhoe was the sword stance of the Blood Fiend Asura Art, Blood-Stirring, Soul-Shaking.

Although it was only the form of the stance.

'Don't tell me he's the supreme one's hidden disciple? No. If there was such a person, the supreme one would not have failed to inform us. Besides, even if he were a disciple, he would not have revealed the existence of the Red Moon... In that case...'

SWOOSH.

Sa-wol's figure disappeared as if melting into the air.

Cheok Sagyeol was smiling warmly.

'Let's see how much you've improved.'

The opponent knew his identity, but he did not know the opponent's identity.

For someone who dealt with information, there was nothing more shameful than that.

In this case, the action that the Red Moon would take was to find out through force.

Although they were an intelligence unit, they were also members of the Demonic Cult who revered martial arts.

SWISH.

He twisted his body at the sensation he felt in an instant, but a scratch appeared on Cheok Sagyeol's neck.

Considering that he had not even allowed a graze in the battle with Eum Ga-gyeong, Sa-wol's skills were top-notch.

"Mountain Moon Single Kill. You've improved a lot."

Cheok Sagyeol smiled faintly as he said the name of the stance from just now.

SWISH. SWISH, SWISH.

Again, a sword strike came out from the invisible void, and this time, Sa-wang was swung with its scabbard.

It was because he was worried that Sa-wol might get hurt by the sharpness of Sa-wang.

CLANG. CLANG, CLANG.

"Black Night Full Moon. Pay more attention to your lower body."

Cheok Sagyeol blocked Sa-wol's offensive as if he were giving a training session.

The spar that was not a spar continued, and after about thirty moves of one-sided defense? it reached its end.

TING.

Sa-wang spun half a turn and sent Sa-wol's dagger flying into the air.

Cheok Sagyeol caught the dagger falling from the air with one hand.

"You pass."

Cheok Sagyeol handed over the dagger in his hand with a smile. Sa-wol received it while prostrated and shouted.

"The cult rises, the ten thousand demons submit. Your subordinate, Sa-wol, greets the supreme one."

Who else but Cheok Sagyeol, who had taught them the Red Moon Sword Art, could show such divine might?

Besides, the tone and intonation of 'you pass' were words he had heard dozens, hundreds of times when learning martial arts.

Only then was Sa-wol seeing the inside of Cheok Sagyeol, not his shell.

"It's been a while."

It was the first time he had met a member other than Il-wol and Wol-wol after sending them to the Central Plains.

Cheok Sagyeol, along with the long-awaited reunion, told Sa-wol what had happened to him.

Although it was a ridiculous and unbelievable story, Sa-wol accepted it calmly.

Cheok Sagyeol, who had finished speaking, asked Sa-wol.

"Is there anything you want to ask this one? If so, speak without reservation."

"If the supreme one calls a deer a horse, your subordinate will only accept it as such. How can I have any doubts?"

Pointing at a deer and calling it a horse.

It was a proverb that originated from the anecdote of the eunuch Zhao Gao, who enjoyed more power than the emperor at the time of the first unified empire, Qin.

Zhao Gao had presented a deer to the emperor Huhai, calling it a famous horse, and the emperor had not been able to correct Zhao Gao's behavior of calling a deer a horse.

This was because even the ministers, wary of Zhao Gao, had praised it as a famous horse in unison.

Sa-wol was paradoxically using 'pointing at a deer and calling it a horse' as an expression of loyalty.

"However, I would like you to tell me what the supreme one's future course of action will be."

"Of course, I will. That's why I contacted you."

Cheok Sagyeol told him about his guess and the Four Eccentrics, and Sa-wol nodded his head.

"Then I will inform the members and have them find out the whereabouts of the other Four Eccentrics, excluding the one in Luoyang."

"Do so. And tell Il-wol and Wol-wol to find out the movements of that bastard Muheo in our base."

"As you command. Is there anything else you wish to order?"

"As I said before, there are guys who are currently tracking this one. The bald monks will be tied up with the Ilsuhoe case, but you should take care of any possible variables. And find a way to erase the Thousand Li Tracking Incense of the Embroidered Uniform Guard bastards. I don't know what the ingredients are, but the smell won't go away."

"As you command."

Sa-wol, who had received Cheok Sagyeol's command, melted into the air on the spot.

"Now I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."

The difference between having a subordinate and not having one is huge.

Until now, a being of such a lofty position as himself had to scuffle with the likes of ruffians.

It was Cheok Sagyeol, who was feeling a relaxed mood for the first time in a long time.

* * *

"You bastard! Can't you confess the truth!"

Jongli Gwang, the leader of the Jongli family's outer hall's Light Sword Squad, shouted at the man kneeling before him.

He was Yong-sik, the head of the Ilsuhoe.

"I have really told you everything. That bastard, who is a secular disciple of Shaolin, disbanded our Ilsuhoe and confiscated all our assets."

"It has been over ten years since this area became the jurisdiction of our family. In the meantime, Shaolin has never once come near here, concerned about such disputes. Are you telling me to believe that now!"

Jongli Gwang's anger flared up.

It was only natural, as there was a reason why the Jongli family had left the Ilsuhoe's behavior alone until now.

They had grasped the Ilsuhoe's financial flow through the nearby money lenders and had accurately grasped the scale of all their assets, regarding the Ilsuhoe as a kind of slush fund.

They were like a piggy bank that could be used when needed, having been made so that they could be confiscated at any time.

That's why they were able to collect a large sum of one hundred thousand nyang despite being a gang of ruffians.

"It's true. I picked up the identity token that the bastard dropped during the fight. It was definitely engraved with 'Shinhyun Sect'."

Yong-sik, as Cheok Sagyeol had ordered, took out the identity token from his bosom and handed it to a Light Sword Squad martial artist.

Jongli Gwang, who received it, frowned and gritted his teeth.

As the bastard had said, it was a clear identity token of the Shinhyun Sect, and that place was one of the secular sects of Shaolin.

'Because of the Five Great Families that are checking our family, I raised these guys and made a slush fund, but some damn bastard just took the good stuff!'

If it were a demonic path person like Eum Ga-gyeong, it would have been a relief.

Because he was a ronin who wandered around without a force, he could just track him down, retrieve the assets, and kill him.

But with Shaolin, he had to have a headache-inducing argument about justice and what not.

While Jongli Gwang was thinking, a subordinate in charge of the outer perimeter entered the mansion.

"Leader."

"What is it?"

"Shaolin's movements have been detected on the outskirts of the village."

"What? How many?"

"One Arhat from the Arhat Hall and about thirty martial monks. Also, many disciples of the Shaolin secular sects are also being discovered."

"These bastards..."

A large number of people had appeared in their jurisdiction without any prior request for cooperation from the main family.

And that was while their secular disciple was wiping out the Ilsuhoe.

'What a shitty act of justice. Don't tell me the ghosts of the Nine Sects and One Gang are trying to move again...'

The mainstay of the current righteous faction, the Eui-cheon Alliance, was the Five Great Families, and the Daoist and Buddhist schools, which were the past Nine Sects and One Gang, had greatly declined in power. In particular, in the case of Shaolin, it was considered a custom not to move unless it was for the rise of the Demonic Cult.

Moreover, with the recent war, even the Kongtong Sect had fallen, so their sense of crisis, who had been living off the reputation of being the traditional powerhouses of the martial world, must have intensified.

"Jongli Yang."

"Yes, Leader."

"Take the first team and capture all the Ilsuhoe bastards who have fled. You can kill them if they resist. The rest will go with this leader to the Shaolin monks."

"What should we do with this bastard, the head?"

"Deal with him as if he was killed while trying to escape."

At Jongli Gwang's words, Yong-sik's face turned pale.

For him, who did not know that they were puppets in charge of the slush fund, it was an incomprehensible statement.

Because in the territory of the righteous faction, even if economic criminals were severely punished, they would be released after living in a prison for a few months.

"Why did I settle here! This can't be! This can't be! Ugh!"

Yong-sik looked down at the pain that arose in his chest.

"G-gak... th-this... bastard..."

STAB.

As the sword that had protruded from his chest was pulled out, blood gushed out like a fountain.

In his fading consciousness, Yong-sik regretted and regretted.

'I would have been better off in the Demonic Sect, where they kill unconditionally, or the demonic path, which is teeming with wild dogs... you dirty righteous faction bastards...'

* * *

"Great hero! What is all this?"

Ah Pyeong asked Cheok Sagyeol with wide eyes.

In front of him, a pile of gold and silver treasures and bills collected from the Ilsuhoe and the Jakdupa were piled up.

Cheok Sagyeol had put it out without touching a single pun.

"Distribute it to those who have suffered from the ruffians until now. Of course, it must be done secretly. You know the reason well."

If such a huge amount of money was released conspicuously, the Jongli family would immediately notice and would surely ask where it came from.

And they would surely confiscate it under various pretexts, such as acquiring stolen goods.

The old merchant called Mr. Hwang, who was watching from the side, stepped forward and said.

"Don't worry, benefactor. We also know what you mean. Everyone will handle it well."

Cheok Sagyeol nodded his head.

As he had guessed, if they were a community of common destiny, they would be able to handle even this much money without getting caught.

"Old Hwang. Can we really take this?"

"Ah Pyeong, you man. Don't you know the reason why the benefactor is giving us this much money? The path of justice. I've only seen it once or twice in my youth, but the benefactor is doing an act of justice. For such a person to appear in this harsh and desolate world. It's truly a great blessing for people like us. Hahaha."

Hearing Old Hwang's words, Ahwa smiled brightly and added.

"Grandpa is right, Dad. They say you should even share a single bean. If Mr. Jeokun eats all this alone, he'll get sick. Right, mister? Hehe."

At Ahwa's words, Cheok Sagyeol burst out laughing.

"Puhahaha. That's right. A large sum of money beyond one's means brings misfortune. I feel like I'm going to get indigestion, so let's share some."

She was truly an audacious little girl.

"Great hero, thank you. On behalf of the nearby merchants, I sincerely thank you."

As Old Hwang bowed his head, a round of applause broke out from the surroundings.

"Thank you, great hero."

"You are a true hero."

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP. CLAP, CLAP, CLAP.

About ten merchants surrounded Cheok Sagyeol and sent him warm smiles.

'It's something I always did in the cult... If I revealed that I was a man of the demonic path, they would spout nonsense like 'demon' or something... Just because my shell has changed, I'm a hero... Geez... I don't know whether to laugh or cry.'

Cheok Sagyeol smiled bitterly at the people's cheers.

(End of Chapter)