Episode 177: Return to the Demonic Sect

Standing by the pond, Deung Wangpa remained silent for what felt like an eternity. His brow furrowed deeply, forming a distinct川 shape, and his lips were tightly sealed.

Finally, he spoke. “Things are taking an unexpected turn.”

“Excuse me?” asked Lee Saheum, who had been anxiously waiting behind him. Lately, playing the role of a double agent had left him on edge whenever he faced Deung Wangpa. So, whenever Deung Wangpa uttered something cryptic, it only heightened his anxiety.

Still gazing at the pond, Deung Wangpa continued, “I’ve been thinking… this situation is far from straightforward. It’s all tangled up.”

”…”

“So, I’ve made a decision.” He turned around, hands clasped behind his back, a look of determination on his face. Whenever he wore that expression, it meant he was about to unveil a grand scheme. And those plans never failed to astonish Lee Saheum. This time was no different.

“When things get complicated, I tend to eliminate the most troublesome elements first.”

“You mean…”

“Yes. We need to get rid of them.”

”…!”

“This is the perfect opportunity to eliminate the Inspector General and the Celestial Annihilation Squad.”

“But that’s too dangerous…!”

“Which is why it must be done well.”

“What do you mean…?”

“The Inspector General and the Celestial Annihilation Squad have recklessly entered Hangsan. The Black Wolf Brigade is there. Isn’t it the perfect setting to erase something and create new traces?”

Lee Saheum’s expression faltered. The Black Wolf Brigade, known for their tracking skills, excelled at creating false trails to confuse their enemies. In essence, Deung Wangpa was…

“We’ll strike the Inspectorate with the Northern Alliance and use the Black Wolf Brigade to fabricate evidence. Then, we’ll frame the heinous act on the Blood Demon Sect. What do you think? Quite a clever plan, isn’t it?”

“If it succeeds… it could completely overturn the current power dynamics.”

Deung Wangpa nodded. “Exactly. The Blood Demon Sect harbors a subtle grudge against Sabigang due to the recent political agreement. They have plenty of motive to kill Sabigang.”

“If that happens, there’s a high chance of another major conflict erupting.”

“Heh, that’s precisely what we’re aiming for. When that time comes, our hardline stance will inevitably gain more influence.”

It was indeed a brilliant strategy. If it worked. In the past, he would have welcomed such a plan with open arms. But now…

‘Will Sabigang really fall for it?’

A strange sense of doubt crept in. How many times had they failed before? The more he delved into it, the more he felt he couldn’t outwit Sabigang and Gu Yun. If he informed Gu Yun, Sabigang would immediately prepare a countermeasure. But if he didn’t?

Would Sabigang truly be eliminated? Would everything unfold according to Deung Wangpa’s plan? Slowly, he shook his head. It was a clever move, but not a divine one.

‘To truly overturn this game, it would take nothing short of a divine move.’

Somehow, he felt that Sabigang and Gu Yun had already anticipated such a scheme from Deung Wangpa.

Deung Wangpa spoke again. “Send a secret message to the Northern Alliance.”

**

“What kind of mess is this?” Won Sang clenched his fists, trembling with frustration. It was already a headache that the Red Martial Squad had died in Hangsan, but now there were traces of the Northern Alliance’s involvement. With the Inspectorate already a concern, now they had to worry about the Black Wolf Brigade too? And Sabigang’s arrogant attitude…

‘That insolent brat.’

Just thinking about it made his head throb. He knew the newly established Inspectorate’s leader was a hot topic. But Sabigang and the Celestial Annihilation Squad, who had stayed at the Gangjin Branch, showed no particular signs of interest. They had left after indulging in revelry instead of investigating the branch’s corruption. So he thought a warm reception would suffice when they arrived. But Sabigang’s attitude towards him was anything but warm. It was downright chilly.

‘Could it be… because we didn’t hold a welcoming ceremony?’

Just then, Bok Ilryong, standing nearby, offered a suggestion. “I’ve instructed them to treat him well, so let’s observe for now.”

“Damn it, a mere instructor who used to teach cadets dares to…”

Grinding his teeth, Won Sang took a deep breath. This wasn’t the time to act on emotions. The priority was to send the Celestial Annihilation Squad away without causing a scene.

“Isn’t there a clever solution? We need a way out of this damned situation… a clever solution…”

At that moment, the chief officer hurriedly entered the room. “Sir, a secret message has arrived from the Alliance.”

“The Alliance?” Won Sang flinched and took the letter from the chief officer. As he read, his expression shifted from surprise to a wicked grin.

Bok Ilryong furrowed his brow and asked, “What does it say?”

“Heh heh heh. Lord Deung has proposed a clever plan for us.”

“A clever plan…?”

**

The Northern Alliance has two armories: the Cat’s Claw Pavilion and the Tiger’s Claw Pavilion. The Cat’s Claw Pavilion mainly stores practice weapons, while the Tiger’s Claw Pavilion holds lethal weapons. As a result, the Tiger’s Claw Pavilion always had guards on duty, but the Cat’s Claw Pavilion had no one guarding its entrance.

Late at night, Sabigang headed to the Cat’s Claw Pavilion. After a quick glance around, he entered, sensing no presence. Shortly after he entered, there was a faint crashing sound. But the night wind was so strong that it was barely audible.

A little later, Sabigang emerged from the Cat’s Claw Pavilion. He surveyed the area once more before heading off somewhere.

Soon after, a shadow silently descended at the entrance of the Cat’s Claw Pavilion. The figure watched the direction Sabigang had gone. It was none other than Churyang. While taking a nighttime stroll, he had spotted Sabigang from a distance and decided to follow him out of curiosity—a habit of his.

But…

‘Hmm. Was he searching for something at this hour?’

He hesitated for a moment, pondering whether to follow Sabigang or check inside the Cat’s Claw Pavilion. The sound he had heard earlier still nagged at him. Though faint, it had been the distinct noise of something breaking.

Ultimately, he decided to enter the Cat’s Claw Pavilion. Seeing the wooden swords and staffs stored there brought a smile to his face.

“Brings back memories.”

He recalled his younger days, swinging wooden swords and dreaming of becoming a master swordsman. ‘Well, it’s a shame I haven’t met a mentor who could make that dream a reality. But why did he come here? There’s nothing unusual…’

Contrary to his expectations, the Cat’s Claw Pavilion was intact. There were no broken items in sight.

‘Did I mishear?’

He was about to leave when he noticed something on the floor. A small ring protruded from one side. Pulling it, a cover creaked open.

‘There’s a basement.’

In most armories, such basements were used to store miscellaneous items.

“Still, I should check it out.”

The sound of something breaking still bothered him. Jumping down into the basement, Churyang nearly fell on his backside. His mouth gaped open as he took in his surroundings. There were no broken items. Instead, what filled his view was far more astonishing.

“What… is all this?”

The darkness was filled with stacks of yellow gold bars.

**

In the dark forest, Sabigang pulled a piece of scrap metal from Ragel’s pouch and tossed it into a deep pit. The pit was filled with all sorts of junk and scrap metal, all taken from Ragel’s pouch. Just then, a shadow dropped down across from him.

“You’re here?” Sabigang said without looking up. The figure in black was Hongyeom, a member of the Ghost Shadow Squad. He glanced at the pile of scrap and junk in the pit and asked, “What’s all this?”

“Just doing a bit of cleaning. There was too much useless stuff.”

Though he didn’t quite understand, Hongyeom didn’t press further and continued his report. “We’ve confirmed that Lord Deung sent a secret message to the Northern Alliance from Hyesong Pavilion.”

“As expected. Anything else?”

“All plans are proceeding without a hitch.”

“Good. I’ll let you know when the time is right.”

“Understood, then.”

With a respectful nod, Hongyeom vanished. Sabigang tossed the last piece of scrap from Ragel’s pouch into the pit and muttered to himself, “The bait is set.”

**

The next day, the Celestial Annihilation Squad began their thorough search of the Northern Alliance. Their official objective was to find any connection between the Red Martial Squad’s death and the Northern Alliance. As a result, progress was slow as they meticulously combed through documents.

Meanwhile, someone watched them from a distance, perched on a rooftop…

“Everything’s a mess,” Ham Cheon-seok muttered, narrowing his eyes and letting out a long sigh.

The most suspicious person right now was Won-sang, the head of Bukmyeong Newspaper. He knew about the gold bars from the Dongbang family. Then there were the traces of the Bukmyeong Divine Sword found on the bodies. And finally, the gold bars that the leader of the Jeokmu Brigade had in his possession. These three clues alone were enough to raise suspicion.

But what really grated on his nerves was the Cheonmyeol Brigade, constantly hovering around. This gold bar incident was something they absolutely couldn’t find out about. Yet, with the Jeokmu Brigade leader’s death so closely tied to the gold, the Heukrang Brigade couldn’t just jump in and investigate without caution. Of course, he had made sure his men kept their mouths shut, so there shouldn’t be any issues.

“Still, it’s hard not to be bothered,” he thought, another sigh escaping his lips.

Just then, Choo-ryang, who was crouched nearby, suddenly spoke up. “Boss, what are those people doing over there?”

Ham Cheon-seok glanced down at him, wondering what nonsense he was about to spout this time. “You mean the Cheonmyeol Brigade? What do you think they’re doing?”

“Looks like they’re searching, right? That’s what they’re doing, isn’t it?”

“Of course. What else would they be doing? Does it look like they’re out for a leisurely stroll to you?”

“Well, no, but… hmm. It’s strange.”

Choo-ryang scratched his forehead, recalling the events of the previous night. “Did I see a ghost or something?”

He was sure it was Sa Bi-gang who had entered the tomb last night. Yet, there was no reaction about the gold bars. Of course, Sa Bi-gang and the Cheonmyeol Brigade didn’t even know about the gold’s existence, but if they had discovered such a large amount underground, they wouldn’t just ignore it. Shouldn’t they be searching the tomb by now?

“Could it be… they really didn’t see it?”