Episode 181: Return to the Demon Sect
Sabikang frowned slightly.
“This guy… definitely has a bit of a wild streak.”
But he wasn’t particularly surprised.
He knew a fair bit about Churyang.
In the distant future, Churyang had shown exceptional talent while tracking the Demon Realm’s army.
As Sabikang prepared for his return, he had gathered and memorized a lot of information about Churyang.
Churyang’s personality was naturally free-spirited, almost to the point of being reckless.
How did someone like that end up in the Black Wolf Brigade of the Justice Alliance?
It was thanks to the persistent persuasion of Ham Cheonseok, who had lived in the same neighborhood.
Ham Cheonseok had recognized Churyang’s talent from a young age.
When he became the leader of the Black Wolf Brigade, he sought out Churyang and convinced him to join his ranks.
After much effort, Ham Cheonseok managed to recruit Churyang, and as a result, he had to offer him more conveniences than the other members.
“He’s definitely an interesting character.”
Sabikang chuckled and asked, “Why do you want me to be your master? You already belong to a group.”
“Just because I belong to a group doesn’t mean I can’t have a master. All the Black Wolf members have their own masters.”
“But you don’t?”
“No, I haven’t found anyone worthy of being my master yet. But if it’s you, Master Sa, I’d be honored to serve under you! I’m truly impressed!”
“Well, alright. I’ll be your master.”
“What? Really? Thank you, Master! Thank you so much!”
Churyang hadn’t expected Sabikang to agree so easily, and he bowed repeatedly in gratitude.
“But there’s a condition.”
“A condition…?”
“There are some things I need you to do.”
“What are they?”
“You’ll find out in due time.”
Sabikang gave a knowing smile.
**
Once again, the martial world was in an uproar.
The news that the Northern Alliance had committed treason was a shocking event among the righteous sects.
Especially since it was against the rising Inspection Bureau, people felt not just disappointment but anger towards the Northern Alliance.
No one would be surprised if the Northern Alliance faced complete destruction.
As a result, the authority of the Inspection Bureau within the Justice Alliance was significantly strengthened.
These rumors spread even to the dark sects.
Perhaps because of this, there were calls within the Blood Sect to train promising young talents like the Justice Alliance, to form an organization similar to the Heavenly Destruction Brigade.
Upon returning to the alliance, Sabikang declared that he would thoroughly investigate and expose all the crimes of the corrupt Northern Alliance.
Officially, that was the stance.
However…
“This incident isn’t over yet. We need to milk it for all it’s worth until we root out the corruption.”
This was what Sabikang told the Heavenly Destruction Brigade.
As soon as he returned to his office, Tang Yi-hyeop and Mae Seol-ran came to see him.
The two had been meticulously investigating around the Eastern King Faction under Sabikang’s orders.
“During our investigation, Chief Mae Seol-ran proposed a new possibility.”
“And Chief Tang agreed with it.”
Sabikang asked casually, “Is there someone behind the Eastern King Faction?”
Tang Yi-hyeop and Mae Seol-ran exchanged glances.
Their findings and deductions had been hard-won.
And the results were so unexpected that even they were surprised.
To think he would mention it so easily.
“Did you suspect it from the start?”
“Well, roughly.”
Sabikang shrugged.
Having experienced the future once, he had considered the possibility of someone being behind the Eastern King Faction.
Though he still didn’t know who it was.
When the Demon Realm invaded, there were rumors that the Eastern King Faction was merely a puppet.
And now, it seemed those rumors were true.
Sabikang looked at the two and asked, “So who is behind it?”
“Elder Seolbaek.”
Mae Seol-ran spoke clearly.
Sabikang furrowed his brow.
“Elder Seolbaek, from the Elder Council…?”
“Yes, the head of the council.”
“That’s unexpected. Do you have any physical evidence?”
“None… yet.”
Mae Seol-ran replied in a low voice, but then continued firmly.
“Chief Tang conducted the investigation, and I verified it. It’s certain. While we don’t have physical evidence, all circumstantial evidence points to Elder Seolbaek as the mastermind. I was quite shocked myself.”
Sabikang nodded at Mae Seol-ran’s words.
Elder Seolbaek was known for his relatively quiet and gentle nature.
When the Demon Realm invaded, he disappeared without a trace.
Many assumed he had died heroically fighting the demons somewhere.
But…
“Perhaps not. Maybe he hid somewhere to save himself…”
Tang Yi-hyeop spoke again.
“And about the Black Wolf Brigade leader you asked us to look into…”
“Ah, right. How’s that going?”
“Well, we discovered something interesting.”
“Interesting?”
“Perhaps it’s a twist of fate?”
“A twist of fate?”
“It has some connection to me as well.”
Tang Yi-hyeop continued his story slowly.
As Sabikang listened, his expression changed several times before he finally nodded and stood up.
“I suppose I should meet with the military.”
**
“You’ve achieved remarkable results.”
Gu Yun praised as he lifted his teacup.
Sabikang chuckled.
“It’s nothing. This is just the beginning.”
“But with this, we can tie the Northern Alliance and the Eastern Faction together and punish them. They won’t be able to maintain their previous influence.”
Gu Yun smiled warmly.
Sabikang had handled things far better than he had anticipated.
He had been somewhat worried about how Sabikang would use the stolen gold bars.
But to think he would entangle the Northern Alliance like this.
The public believed that the gold bars, amassed through corruption and bribery, had caused a conflict between the Eastern Faction and the Northern Alliance, leading to the incident.
The Northern Alliance had tried to bribe the Eastern Faction’s Red Martial Brigade, only to betray them, and the Inspection Bureau had intervened to reveal the truth.
Of course, the Northern Alliance continued to deny the charges.
As a result, the heads of the Eastern Faction and the Northern Alliance couldn’t avoid imprisonment.
“But we can’t be satisfied with just this.”
Gu Yun nodded at Sabikang’s words.
“You’re looking for the real mastermind, aren’t you?”
Sabikang was inwardly impressed with Gu Yun.
While he had experienced the future and suspected someone was behind the Eastern King Faction, Gu Yun had deduced it from the current events.
His analytical skills were truly remarkable.
“Did you know?”
“No, it’s just a thought that occurred to me recently.”
Gu Yun replied calmly.
Until recently, he had believed that eliminating the Eastern King Faction would rid the alliance of all impure forces.
But his perspective had changed recently.
As Sabikang made his moves, the Eastern King Faction’s reactions seemed noticeably anxious.
It wasn’t the demeanor of the Eastern King Faction he knew.
When everything went according to their plan, nothing seemed amiss, but when the situation reversed, things started to stand out.
And he thought, “Perhaps Chief Tang isn’t the mastermind.”
The qualities expected of a leader were absent in him.
“Your intuition was correct. There’s someone else behind the Eastern King Faction.”
“Who is it?”
Even Gu Yun couldn’t help but feel tense at this moment.
He was about to learn the identity of an enemy he hadn’t even suspected.
Of course, if the Intelligence and Surveillance Divisions had been as strong as they are now, they might have already uncovered it.
But Gu Yun had been a military strategist with his eyes and ears covered, hadn’t he?
Sabikang spoke.
“Elder Seolbaek.”
“Seolbaek? Is that true?”
Gu Yun stood up abruptly.
He was not easily surprised.
But this time, he was genuinely shocked.
Wasn’t Seolbaek a figure respected by all?
Sabikang continued in a low voice.
“If you don’t trust the Inspection Bureau’s investigation, there’s nothing more we can achieve.”
“But… it’s just so hard to believe…”
“That’s why they could remain hidden.”
Even after that, it took Gu Yun a while to accept the truth.
Sabikang silently savored his tea, waiting patiently.
It was the reaction he had expected.
After organizing his thoughts, Gu Yun asked, “So what do you plan to do now? Do you have any concrete evidence linking him to the Eastern King Faction?”
“No. But I trust my subordinates’ judgment.”
“But we can’t just act recklessly…”
“Of course, we must be cautious. That’s why I’m thinking of setting up a plan.”
“A plan? What kind of plan?”
“It will be a large-scale operation. We need to pull off a grand deception.”
“Your words are making me nervous. The previous operations weren’t small in scale either. Is there a chance of success?”
“If all the pieces fall into place.”
“And I’m the one who has to fit those pieces together.”
Sabikang smiled warmly.
“As expected, you catch on quickly. Yes, you’ll need to place those pieces in their respective spots.”
“And you’ll be the one to set the stage.”
“Exactly.”
Gu Yun felt as if their roles had reversed, but he didn’t mind.
“What if we fail?”
“Though unlikely, I’ve prepared for that possibility.”
“And if we succeed…”
“We’ll be able to eliminate both Elder Seolbaek and Chief Tang. What do you say? Are you up for the task?”
Gu Yun narrowed his eyes and looked at his empty cup.
After a long pause, he spoke with a faint smile.
“That’s a redundant question. You already know my answer, don’t you?”
“But I still need to confirm.”
“Who will be the main player in this operation?”
“The Alliance Leader.”
“The Alliance Leader?”
Gu Yoon’s eyes widened once more.
Sabi Kang continued with a smile.
“I told you, didn’t I? The stakes are high.”
“Hmm. What’s the plan of action?”
“First, we need to find someone who will act according to our wishes. Then, we employ the strategy of sowing discord.”
Sabi Kang chuckled slyly.
“There’s nothing more entertaining than stirring up a fight.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“Well, sir, you’ve been looking a bit under the weather lately. I thought you could use some nourishment.”
“Hah. You’re the only one who seems to care about me.”
“Of course. You know how much I think of you, don’t you?”
“You little…”
“Ah, my lord, my lord.”
As Ham Cheonseok glared, Choo Ryang quickly corrected his address.
Ham Cheonseok shook his head with a resigned smile. Having grown up together, such exchanges were all too common between them. Besides, Choo Ryang was someone he had practically dragged along with him, and his free-spirited nature was hard to change.
In truth, as Choo Ryang had pointed out, Ham Cheonseok’s mind had been a tangled mess lately, making it difficult to focus on work. It was all because of a recent incident at the Northern News Agency.
The event had left Deung Wangpa in shock. Fortunately, they hadn’t held the Black Wolf Brigade accountable. Despite having every reason to vent his frustrations, Deung Wangpa had chosen to ignore the brigade, likely to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings during such a sensitive time.
Inwardly, Deung Wangpa seemed relieved that the Black Wolf Brigade hadn’t been implicated in any treasonous activities. However, Ham Cheonseok couldn’t shake a lingering unease. Was it his intuition as the leader of the Black Wolf Brigade? He felt like a pawn being moved around on a well-crafted board, which darkened his mood.
As Ham Cheonseok let out a long sigh, Choo Ryang patted him on the back.
“Come on, my lord, don’t worry too much. I’m sure you’ll like it.”
“Alright, let’s drink until we can’t stand. Are you buying?”
“Oh, I couldn’t possibly let you pay, sir. You have a family to support.”
“Keep that in mind more often.”
“Hahaha. Let’s get inside. We’re here.”
The two entered a tavern near the Justice Alliance. Although there were several inns within the alliance’s grounds, Choo Ryang had brought them here under the guise of needing a change of scenery.
As the server approached, Choo Ryang beamed.
“I have a reservation on the third floor.”
“Ah, yes. They’re waiting for you.”
The server bowed and led the way. Ham Cheonseok tilted his head in confusion.
“Waiting…?”
“Come on, don’t think about it. Let’s go.”
Choo Ryang practically pushed Ham Cheonseok up to the third floor. The server opened the door and gestured them inside.
The room was lavishly decorated, with the dining area tucked away behind a curtain for privacy. Ham Cheonseok whispered under his breath.
“Are you crazy? This room must cost a fortune!”
“Don’t worry about the money. Just go in.”
“If you stick me with the bill again, I won’t let it slide.”
“I promise, that won’t happen.”
Practically shoved by Choo Ryang, Ham Cheonseok parted the curtain and froze in place.
Under the ornate chandelier, a luxurious table was set. Two people were already seated, waiting for them.
“Ah, we meet again. Good to see you,” Sabi Kang said, raising a hand with a sly grin.
Beside him, the strategist Gu Yoon smiled warmly.
“It’s been a while, Chief Ham.”
Ham Cheonseok, still in shock, shot a cold glare at Choo Ryang.
[You little… What have you done?]