Episode 146: The Return of the Demonic Instructor
“What do you think you’re doing here? Instructor Sa is merely a witness—”
“Let’s hear him out for a moment.”
Gu Yoon’s voice cut through the sharp tone of Deung Wangpa.
‘What the…!’
In the past, Gu Yoon wouldn’t have dared to interrupt him. But now, Gu Yoon held a position undeniably higher than his own.
Deung Wangpa clenched his teeth, choosing silence, while Sa Bigang stood up with a sly grin.
Then, to everyone’s shock, he began tearing up the treaty the negotiation team had just received.
Even the seasoned warriors of the Blood Alliance, including Deung Wangpa, were left wide-eyed in disbelief.
‘What is that lunatic doing? Right now!’
Just as he was about to speak,
“Let’s stop with these tricks and start a proper negotiation.”
Sa Bigang interjected suddenly.
Ryu Yeojoong furrowed his brow, staring intently at Sa Bigang.
‘This is dangerous.’
His instincts screamed a warning. This man was dangerous.
With someone like Gu Yoon, you could engage in a battle of wits. Even if you lost, you wouldn’t feel wronged. You’d simply accept it.
But with someone like this…
‘He’s unpredictable…’
Indeed. People who could go in any direction were always a nuisance. They couldn’t be dealt with through logic. For a strategist, they were the most undesirable opponents.
Sa Bigang paced the room as he continued.
“May I make a proposal?”
“Is this the will of the Justice Alliance?”
Ryu Yeojoong asked, slightly narrowing his eyes.
“Probably.”
“Probably…?”
“Well, I’m also a member of the negotiation team, after all.”
“But I heard you’re just a witness…”
“Ah, that’s not for you to decide. If the Justice Alliance acknowledges me, that’s all that matters, isn’t it?”
Ryu Yeojoong glanced at Gu Yoon, who nodded.
“We hold his opinions in high regard within the main alliance.”
At this, Deung Wangpa bristled.
“Strategist!”
“Let’s hear him out first, Master Deung.”
“Hmph…!”
Sa Bigang chuckled and said,
“Then let’s begin.”
“Please, go ahead.”
Ryu Yeojoong replied, inwardly tense.
Sa Bigang raised a finger.
“First, the Justice Alliance will not contest the Blood Alliance’s takeover of the Yellow River trade.”
“What? Who gave you the right!”
Deung Wangpa exclaimed, jumping to his feet. This was something to be settled in detail after the treaty was confirmed. Yet, this seemed more beneficial to the Blood Alliance than the Justice Alliance.
Gu Yoon, too, looked at Sa Bigang in surprise.
Sa Bigang continued with a grin.
“However, the Blood Alliance will pay two million nyang to the Justice Alliance every month.”
Now it was the Blood Alliance’s turn to be dumbfounded.
“W-What…!”
Dok Go-jin stammered, trembling, but Sa Bigang pressed on.
“Second, during the treaty period, if any conflict arises between the factions, the Justice Alliance will have full authority to arbitrate.”
“This is absurd…”
“I’m not finished. Please hear me out.”
Dok Go-jin glared, his mustache quivering.
Sa Bigang continued.
“Third, to show responsibility for the chaos brought to the martial world and to demonstrate commitment to the ten-year treaty, the Blood Alliance will send one of their warriors to reside with the Justice Alliance.”
“Who exactly…?”
“Hong Myo.”
Sa Bigang stated decisively.
The eyes of the Blood Alliance negotiators widened again. Seo Lae-hyang, in particular, glared at Sa Bigang as if she could devour him.
But before they could voice further objections, Sa Bigang raised a fourth finger.
“Fourth, the Blood Alliance will release all captured Justice Alliance warriors without any conditions.”
“Ha!”
“And finally…”
“What else?”
“The Blood Alliance will transfer the Okgyo branch to the Justice Alliance without any conditions.”
“The Okgyo branch?”
Ryu Yeojoong asked, slightly furrowing his brow. Not only him, but Chu Hee-ryong and Dok Go-jin also seemed puzzled.
The Okgyo branch was just another regional branch, neither secretive nor strategically crucial. While no branch was unimportant, this one was relatively less significant, leaving the Blood Alliance negotiators baffled.
Sa Bigang nodded.
“Yes, just hand over the Okgyo branch. The rest is as you proposed.”
Dok Go-jin clenched his fists, trembling. Even Chu Hee-ryong seemed to struggle to accept it.
Meanwhile, Ryu Yeojoong tried hard to suppress a wry smile.
What was this?
He thought a bizarre character had appeared—someone whose actions couldn’t be predicted by normal logic or common sense.
Was he too tense?
Now it seemed he was just a simple eccentric.
How was he any different from a clueless rookie making a fuss?
Deung Wangpa shared the same thought.
‘That foolish guy! Does he really think they’ll accept such ridiculous demands? And asking for Hong Myo? Is he interested in her?’
Deung Wangpa glanced at Seo Lae-hyang. She was indeed a woman of exceptional beauty and figure. But if you compared, wasn’t Mae Seol-ran even more beautiful?
To covet another woman when such a beauty was already present—was he a lust-driven fool?
In any case, the Blood Alliance would never agree to such absurd demands. Making such unreasonable claims would only tarnish their reputation. For the Justice Alliance, which valued justification, this was a strategic blunder.
Ryu Yeojoong, now more relaxed, asked,
“Instructor Sa Bigang, thank you for sharing your personal thoughts.”
“These aren’t personal thoughts; they’re official demands. Isn’t this an official meeting?”
“In that case… may I ask one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why should we accept such unreasonable demands?”
“Because if you don’t, the war will continue.”
“Even so, these demands are excessive. I’m sorry.”
“Hmm… even if the butterfly’s wings are clipped, the old tree falls, and the wolf’s fangs are broken?”
The cryptic words left Ryu Yeojoong and the Blood Alliance warriors visibly shaken.
‘How does he know that!’
Butterfly, old tree, and wolf were code names for secret Blood Alliance branches. Only Blood Alliance warriors should have known these names.
But how did Sa Bigang know?
In truth, Sa Bigang had thoroughly researched the Blood Alliance in his previous life and knew these details well.
But the Blood Alliance warriors had no way of knowing this, leaving them bewildered.
If those three locations fell…
‘It could be truly irreversible…!’
Meanwhile, Gu Yoon noticed the sudden change in the Blood Alliance warriors’ demeanor after Sa Bigang’s cryptic words.
‘There’s something here! Perhaps…!’
If Sa Bigang could secure a victory here, it would be a tremendous boon. It would also provide momentum for future internal investigations.
Finally, Ryu Yeojoong spoke heavily.
“One more question.”
“Ask away.”
“Why do you want Hong Myo?”
“Because she’s beautiful.”
A simple answer. If anyone else had said it, they would have been accused of mockery. But with Sa Bigang, it felt like there was no other reason.
Of course, that wasn’t true.
Sa Bigang knew well what Hong Myo meant to the Black Dragon. Others simply didn’t know.
‘I know how much the Black Dragon cherishes her. You’ll find out in ten years.’
The Black Dragon pretended to treat Hong Myo as a mere plaything to stabilize the organization’s hierarchy. But he had already taken her to heart.
Later, the Black Dragon would admit,
“I’ve loved her since ten years ago.”
As long as Seo Lae-hyang stayed with the Justice Alliance, the Black Dragon wouldn’t dare break the treaty or act recklessly.
“I’m sorry, but we need some time to discuss this among ourselves.”
Gu Yoon nodded.
“Of course.”
Ryu Yeojoong and the Blood Alliance warriors moved to an adjacent room to confer. Their conversation was inaudible from this side.
While they talked, Seop Cheong, the head of the Sword Shadow Pavilion, continuously praised Sa Bigang. Meanwhile, Deung Wangpa looked displeased at the prospect of Sa Bigang achieving success.
Finally, Ryu Yeojoong returned to the meeting room, his expression stern.
“The monthly payment is too high. We need to negotiate.”
Gu Yoon inwardly rejoiced. That meant they were considering the proposal to some extent.
“What kind of adjustment are you looking for?”
“We could consider twenty thousand nyang.”
Compared to the two million nyang Sa Bigang proposed, it was an absurdly low amount. But since two million was an outrageously high demand, the Justice Alliance could somewhat understand.
However, Gu Yoon shook his head.
“That’s difficult. We can consider one hundred fifty thousand nyang.”
“How about five hundred thousand nyang? Sending that much would be unprofitable for us. If it comes to that, I’d rather give up the Yellow River trade.”
Ryu Yeo-jung was playing his final card.
He wasn’t bluffing.
Paying one and a half million nyang every month could turn the Yellow River trade into a loss rather than a gain.
In that case, it might be better to abandon the trade altogether.
And that would mean Jeongdo Alliance would miss out on an easy opportunity.
After much negotiation, the two parties finally settled on seventy thousand nyang per month.
It was far less than the initial offer of two hundred thousand nyang, but for Jeongdo Alliance, it was an unexpected windfall.
All thanks to Sabi-gang.
The negotiation team redrafted the agreement and exchanged formal bows.
“With this, the pact between our factions is established. It will be firmly announced across the martial world,” Gu Yoon stated clearly.
‘It’s done. I’ve bought us ten years. Now it’s time to begin the internal reforms! Time to cut out the rot and wage the real battle!’
His eyes gleamed with determination.
**
Sabi-gang’s reputation soared even higher.
No one in the leadership of Jeongdo Alliance questioned his versatility.
He was widely praised as a talent too valuable to remain just an instructor.
Regardless, Sabi-gang had work to do and moved swiftly.
After the pact was sealed, the first thing he did was take Yeon Woo-gyeong and Mok Dan-hwa to Okgyo.
There, they had a branch they had recently taken over from the Blood Lotus Sect.
“Why are we here?” Mok Dan-hwa asked, tilting her head as she looked at the iron door before them.
A cave carved into the cliffside.
Until recently, it had been used as a prison by the Blood Lotus Sect.
Yeon Woo-gyeong frowned deeply and asked, “You’re not planning to lock us up here, are you?”
With Sabi-gang, it was hard to tell if it was a joke or not.
“Why? Have you done something to deserve it?”
“No!”
“I heard you two have been badmouthing me.”
“W-when did we ever!”
“Complaining that I didn’t give you the new recruits.”
“N-no, we didn’t! Well, maybe we grumbled a bit…”
“Go inside.”
“Why are you doing this? Are you really going to lock us up?”
“No. There’s something in there you’ve been looking for. This should put an end to your scavenger hunt for a while.”
A sly smile played on Sabi-gang’s lips.