Chapter 359

Chapter 359
## Chapter 359. Encounter with the Enemy (6)

—

Exactly as Jin-so-un had anticipated, Gang-sun-tak shifted with such frantic urgency for the sole purpose of burying his own blunders as deeply as possible.

Throughout his return journey toward the Murim Alliance, Gang-sun-tak paused at every commercial post or martial arts training hall connected to the Qingcheng Sect to dispatch carrier pigeons.

He traveled restlessly beneath the sun and unleashed his message-bearing birds under the cover of night.

Denying himself even a moment of rest, he stayed awake through the dark hours, begrudging every tick of the clock to weave a web of correspondence to his contacts across the land.

“To think anyone believed I would be ruined by this……! Absolutely never! That will not be my fate!”

It was not merely Gang-sun-tak and the practitioners of the Qingcheng Sect who rallied; every single accompanying instructor threw themselves into the effort.

This mattered far beyond the personal reputation of the living Gang-sun-tak or the memory of the deceased No-jin-ha.

They had witnessed it with their own eyes.

That entity lurking within the Silent Forest.

That crushing, terrifying presence that defied reality and shattered their sensibilities.

Their paralysis in that moment had not stemmed purely from the fact that their adversary wielded a might far eclipsing their own.

It was the paralysis born of absolute ignorance.

The dread of what cannot be comprehended.

The freezing indecision when confronted with a horror completely omitted from their training.

The entanglement of those exact sensations had left them with no alternative but to turn and run.

They had fled while entirely abandoning the weight of the duties resting upon their shoulders.

Yet as the reality of their obligations finally caught up to them, they had already traveled far from the scene.

Now, the lingering dread and horror of that encounter abruptly curdled into bitter humiliation.

That very location could have been easily breached by the martial academy students on their own.

That very foe could have been adequately managed by Jin-so-un alongside a mere handful of disciples.

The realization that they had panicked and run from such an insignificant threat left them burning with nothing but fury.

When a person is terrified by a hound’s shadow, is it not natural to take out that anger on the hound itself?

They refused to forfeit their entire standing simply because they had been frightened by a mere shadow.

“This is only the opening move. Mark my words, Jin-so-un……!”

Driven by this, they exerted themselves desperately.

They minimized the threat encountered in the Silent Forest to the absolute limit, casting their own missteps in the smallest possible light.

Concurrently, they wildly inflated the insubordinate nature and defiant conduct of Jin-so-un and his peers, who had frequently acted out of turn and disregarded the instructors’ authority.

To crown their narrative, they injected a calculated rumor suggesting the academy students were being utilized as human test subjects by the Mandok-mun, capitalizing on their known ties to that particular sect.

The objective truth was irrelevant.

Simply planting the seed of suspicion ensured a multitude of willing minds would eager accept it as fact.

They established contact with the primary sanctuary of the Qingcheng Sect and broadcasted their version of events to their seniors stationed within the Murim Alliance.

Those who received these dispatches began taking action based on their personal loyalties and alliances.

From the administrative perspective of the Murim Alliance, rather than focusing on identifying an unconfirmed external adversary, they chose to penalize the reality that an academy student had openly defied an instructor. Furthermore, they categorized the unauthorized excursion to the Mandok-mun as a flagrant act of subversion.

By sacrificing his sleep to press forward, Gang-sun-tak managed to reach the Murim Alliance well ahead of his anticipated arrival time, and by the hour he passed the gates, the engineered narrative had already taken firm root.

However—

“Are you claiming Jin-so-un engaged in treasonous espionage?”

Contrasting his expectations, the reception from the Inspection Hall (*Gam-chal-gak*)—the very department he assumed would seize upon this narrative with the greatest fervor—was remarkably cold.

“Are you claiming Jin-so-un engaged in treasonous espionage?”

He had intentionally sought an audience with the 3rd Hall Master, a man notorious for throwing furious tantrums at the slightest whisper of the ‘Black Way.’

“Are you claiming Jin-so-un engaged in treasonous espionage?”

This individual, bearing the terrifying countenance of a Yaksha risen from the depths of the underworld, simply muttered the identical query over and over.

“Are you claiming Jin-so-un engaged in treasonous espionage?”

The issue lay entirely in the fact that the reaction deviated completely from his calculations.

Word had spread that because his nephew, Ak-ju-pyeong, had been maimed and subsequently cast out of the academy, the Ak family and Jin-so-un had severed all ties permanently, crossing a line of no return…….

‘Why does his demeanor suggest he doubts the claim?’

It was an entirely perplexing situation for Gang-sun-tak and the instructors.

For the moment, their primary objective remained to balloon the allegations surrounding Jin-so-un to the absolute maximum.

If they could expand the severity of the accusations sufficiently, then even if the ultimate outcome proved less than ideal, their own failures would have long since faded from public scrutiny.

With that strategy in mind, selecting this specific official should have been flawless.

He was, after all, the infamous Blood Star (*Hyeol-seong*), a ruthless inquisitor reputed to manufacture guilt and brand anyone as a member of the Black Way through sheer fabrication if necessary.

However—

“Are you absolutely certain of these charges?”

This very man was expressing skepticism toward the crimes levied against Jin-so-un, who ought to be viewed as his sworn enemy.

He had specifically targeted the 3rd Hall Master for this exact reason…….

Puzzlement rapidly gave way to a creeping sense of anxiety.

“A multitude of academy students perished within the Silent Forest, yet the instructors tasked with their protection failed to stand their ground alongside them. Instead, you scurried back to the Murim Alliance with your tails between your legs……”

Ak-byeong-bi fixed them with a piercing stare as he deliberately flipped through the pages of the reports, which appeared almost microscopic in his massive hands.

“By this measure, I have more reason to suspect that the instructors deliberately marooned the academy students in the Silent Forest to ensure their demise.”

The defensive instructors immediately exploded in a panicked uproar before Gang-sun-tak could even open his mouth.

“……What utter madness is this!”

“See here! 3rd Hall Master!”

“If you persist with these baseless accusations, I shall bring this matter directly to the Grand Hall Master……!”

“By all means, lodge your complaint.”

“What?”

Ak-byeong-bi set the paperwork onto his desk and settled back into his seat with total composure.

Then, tilting his face upward, he locked eyes with every instructor present in the room.

“Did I not just instruct you to go ahead and file your report?”

“What are you implying by that……”

As the bewildered instructors hesitated and took a collective step backward, Ak-byeong-bi’s lips curled into an icy smirk that carried the chill of winter.

“Is the Grand Hall Master you intend to seek out not standing directly before you this very moment? I told you to make your report without delay.”

“…….”

dishonesty.

“…….”

With Ak-byeong-bi’s imminent elevation to the position of Grand Hall Master of the Inspection Hall, all official inquiries regarding Jin-so-un were instantly placed on indefinite hold.

It was during this exact window of time.

An official dispatch arrived from the operatives of the Execution Hall who had been deployed to Yunnan and had made initial contact with the surviving academy students.

— Operational Report.

— A significant number of academy students have lost their lives following an ambush by unrecognized hostiles within the Silent Forest.

— Abundant physical evidence indicating the methods of the attackers has been recovered from the perimeter of the Silent Forest.

— Yong-so-a of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering has personally verified these circumstances.

Though the restrictive nature of an encrypted transmission forced the intelligence to be brief, the shockwave it sent was immense.

The Murim Alliance was thrown into utter chaos.

The complications surrounding the Kunming branch concluded favorably.

In truth, calling it merely favorable would be an understatement; it was an extraordinary resolution.

The operatives from the Execution Hall, who had originally arrived to place us under arrest, scoured the region to secure transport wagons as though attempting to atone for their previous missteps.

They went to such lengths that they caused a bit of friction by insisting that even those of us who were perfectly healthy ride alongside the severely wounded.

Regardless, in stark contrast to their initial arrival, the academy students were all permitted to make their journey back on horseback.

Furthermore, the practitioners from the Kunming branch rode beside them to provide additional security.

Up to this juncture, the situation was highly satisfactory.

Indeed, it was going remarkably well.

The true complication was.

“Sigh……”

That these irritating tag-alongs had chosen to hitch themselves to our party.

“The *ssomyeon* served at this place is utterly flavorless.”

They claimed to have been traversing the southern territories on an independent assignment when their path led them to the Silent Forest, yet…….

Out of nowhere, they simply declared they were joining our caravan to return to the Murim Alliance as a single unit.

An already grueling march was instantly transformed into an even more exhausting ordeal.

As I sat staring blankly at Dang-seo-hui while she pushed away her unfinished bowl of *ssomyeon*, she tilted her head in confusion.

“What is it? Ah, does the sight of those criminals over there disturb you?”

Dang-seo-hui raised a pair of chopsticks and directed a sharp glare toward a group of men huddled in a distant corner who bore all the markings of the Black Way.

What was the source of that intense, self-righteous zeal?

“Give me the word, and I shall……”

“They have committed no offenses, *Sunbae* Dang.”

Namgung-seon-hwa smoothly confiscated the chopsticks right out of Dang-seo-hui’s grip.

Namgung-seon-hwa, who initially found it awkward to even engage in casual conversation with her,

Had now progressed to a point where she thoroughly understood Dang-seo-hui’s volatile temperament and assumed the responsibility of keeping her curbed.

“This is an insult to the reputation of the Namgung family! Just observe their countenances. Their villainy is practically carved into their features!”

Because she made no effort to lower her volume, her words carried clearly across the dining room to the men occupying the far corner.

They visibly flinched for a brief second, but upon assessing our superior numbers, our martial garments, and our organizational banners, they merely sneered and averted their gazes once more.

I couldn’t help but feel a sudden pang of sympathy for them.

“Those poor bastards……”

Namgung-seon-hwa once more disarmed Dang-seo-hui of her chopsticks, her face remaining entirely unreadable.

“It is short-sighted to form a conclusion based solely on outward appearances. Take Master Jin sitting right here. Though he bears the title of the Black Flame Dragon, occasionally behaves like a rogue, and possesses conduct that is entirely indistinguishable from a member of the Black Way, he remains an individual of unmatched righteousness.”

What in the world was that? Was she subtly taking a shot at me?

As I sat blinking in utter bewilderment at that unexpected verbal jab.

Dang-seo-hui shifted her gaze back and forth between myself and the suspected Black Way thugs as if weighing the comparison, before ultimately dropping her chopsticks back into their container.

“I suppose you have a point……”

It was an absolute blessing that Namgung-seon-hwa was traveling in our company.

For reasons beyond my understanding, ever since our departure, the members of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering insisted on occupying my table whenever we paused for a meal.

In the beginning, my regular companions simply accepted the intrusion and dined alongside them.

Yet following a sequence of minor disturbances and arguments, Namgung-seon-hwa eventually became the sole representative of our original group left at the table.

‘What a bizarre gathering of people this truly is.’

Even so, an even more jarring anomaly sat directly across from me.

Shifting my attention away from Dang-seo-hui, I looked straight ahead.

Directly in my line of sight, a youth who appeared as though he had stepped out of an exquisite scroll painting was gracefully consuming his *ssomyeon*.

Even when our eyes locked due to my intense scrutiny, he proceeded to eat his noodles as though nothing out of the ordinary was occurring.

‘What game is he playing?’

Back at the Mandok-mun, he had actively sought my demise, yet at the Kunming branch, he had stepped forward to validate our innocence.

And throughout our subsequent travels.

“…….”

He maintained absolute silence.

Acting as though the violent occurrences of that afternoon had never transpired.

In truth, across both my previous existence and this current life, deciphering his internal motivations remained an impossibility.

In my past life, save for the fleeting moments directly preceding my execution, I had never possessed the chance to be in such close proximity to him, nor any cause to do so, so that could be discounted.

Yet even with him situated this close to me, not a single glimpse of his true intent manifested on his features…….

It confirmed beyond a doubt that he was an inherently calculating and deceptive individual.

“Ahhhhh……”

Hwa-jeong-san, seated right beside him, was actively consuming alcohol despite the sun being high in the sky.

This fellow behaves entirely like an old *ahjussi*…….

Then, a sudden curiosity struck me.

How exactly had this trio managed to cooperate while journeying across the provinces?

It was a certainty that Dang-seo-hui would have constantly disrupted things with her obsession with playing the roaming vigilante…….

Yong-so-a was completely erratic to begin with.

And there was no steady presence, like Il-myeong or the others, to place a check on their impulses.

As for Hwa-jeong-san…… good grief.

Replying to my unspoken thought, Hwa-jeong-san offered a lazy response.

“What is so difficult about dealing with a few insignificant Black Way grunts? There is no call for the rest of us to intervene. Dang-seo-hui massacres them all on her own initiative.”

Apathy.

Their strategy was simply to act as passive observers.

In reality, even if a massive brawl erupted and the situation spiraled out of control, this specific trio possessed the capability to settle it regardless.

To be perfectly candid, even from my perspective, I could scarcely calculate how many standard martial artists would be required to overwhelm them.

*Trickle.*

“Excellent!”

The spectacle of Hwa-jeong-san exhaling in satisfaction as he emptied his liquor cup was the very definition of a lazy vagabond.

Were it not for the distinctive Plum Blossom Sword resting against the bench and the Hero’s Bandana tied around his brow, it was a certainty that no observer would ever mark him as a disciple of the Huashan Sect.

Given his record of making my life a living hell alongside Gye-cheol-yeong in my previous life, I harbored no affection for him, yet a specific label remained undeniably fitting if one had to summarize the man in a single phrase.

A ill-fated prodigy.

In virtually any other era into which he might have been born, he would have undoubtedly walked the path of a celebrated savior.

The reason the label ‘ill-fated’ clung to Hwa-jeong-san was entirely due to the presence of the true ‘freaks’ born within his exact generation.

“Hmph, my appetite is far from sated.”

“…….”

Dang-seo-hui and Yong-so-a, currently seated directly across from me, belonged to that exact category of freaks.

In the beginning, he had likely striven to keep pace.

Yet upon recognizing the true definition of a ‘freak’ and the caliber of people to whom it applied, he had undoubtedly abandoned his aspirations of heroism shortly thereafter.

Had he lived in a different age, Hwa-jeong-san might very well have claimed the pinnacle instead of Yong-so-a or Il-myeong.

Like so many of our contemporaries, he was simply an individual born with an eclipsed genius in an unforgiving time.

‘At the very least, our generation can still experience a sense of yearning.’

What thoughts crossed his mind as he gazed upon the luminary that burned brightest from such immediate proximity?

Had he picked up on the intensity of my gaze?

Hwa-jeong-san’s eyes shifted nervously, betraying his sudden discomfort.

“W-what is it? Why? Why are you staring at me like that?”

Though I possessed very few positive sentiments regarding him, I nonetheless addressed him with words meant to offer a strange comfort.

“You poor creature……”

“……You little piece of work……!”

Observing him preparing to throw a tantrum, I swiftly redirected the conversation.

“Setting that aside, what purpose brings your group to the southern provinces? Has the operational scope of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering not reached its conclusion?”

“……We traveled here to conduct an inquiry.”

“An inquiry?”

“……It constitutes classified intelligence of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.”

Hwa-jeong-san declared, puffing out his chest as though eager to display his importance.

Nonetheless—

“It is by no means classified.”

“Hey, hold on! What do you think you are doing, revealing that!”

Dang-seo-hui, whose commitment to honesty and justice eclipsed all else, instantly corrected his claim.

Hwa-jeong-san looked utterly scandalized, but Dang-seo-hui pressed on without a care.

“Hwa-jeong-san is a degenerate who breathes fabrications every single time he parts his lips.”

“Gah……!”

While the pair engaged in their petty bickering, the actual explanation emerged from the most unexpected source.

“The current undercurrents of the Jianghu are highly irregular.”

“…….”

What was the meaning of this? What prompted Yong-so-a to suddenly contribute to the conversation?

Ignoring my bewildered expression, Yong-so-a kept speaking, his tone conveying only what he deemed essential.

“The factions harboring hostility toward the Murim Alliance are expanding their influence.”

“Is that not a constant reality of our world?”

“It is a phenomenon that has repeated across generations. The Murim Alliance is an entity that relies entirely on the perpetual existence of an adversary to justify its cohesion. However, the current landscape is fundamentally altered.”

What could this mean? Had he perhaps uncovered an inkling regarding the hidden operations of the Demonic Cult?

Yong-so-a, who had remained entirely focused on his meal until this very moment, lifted his gaze to lock his eyes directly with mine.

“This unprecedented threat poses a danger greater than any we have faced before.”

“An unprecedented threat?”

“It is clear they intend to dismantle the foundations of the Murim Alliance progressively, all while remaining entirely in the shadows.”

I experienced a profound internal jolt.

The denizens of the Jianghu in this current timeline had ceased regarding the Demonic Cult as a mere fringe group of eccentrics.

But…… could it be that Yong-so-a alone truly grasped the sheer lethality of the Demonic Cult?

“What is your proof?”

I swallowed hard, waiting for his response.

If Yong-so-a was aware of the true nature of the Demonic Cult, and if that knowledge represented a deviation from the timeline of my previous life—

The trajectory of the future would undoubtedly undergo a massive shift.

Accompanying Yong-so-a’s detached stare, a flat, emotionless voice filled the space.

“The emergence of the Sa-heuk-ryeon, alongside the consolidation of the Nok-rim-maeng concentrated throughout the southern territories.”

“……Huh?”

As I tilted my head in confusion, Dang-seo-hui volunteered a clarifying detail.

“In recent days, the Lord of the Twin Dragon Fortress brought the entirety of the southern Nok-rim-maeng under a single banner. We anticipate this consolidation will rapidly migrate toward the northern regions.”

At Dang-seo-hui’s interjection, Yong-so-a offered a silent nod of agreement.

“Should these events unfold as anticipated, shortly after the manifestation of the Sa-heuk-ryeon, an immensely potent coalition known as the Nok-rim-maeng will establish itself across the Jianghu.”

“…….”

“And I am convinced this alignment is by no means accidental.”

The gaze of Yong-so-a, which had been devoid of warmth until now, flared with a brief intensity.

He stared directly into the depths of my eyes.

“Without question, a hidden architect is manipulating these events from the shadows to orchestrate the downfall of the Murim Alliance.”

suicide.

“…….”

I have no inkling of where the timeline fractured, but this terrifying individual was tracking my footsteps with chilling accuracy.