Episode 184: Return to the Demonic Sect
Deng Wangpa narrowed his eyes and nodded faintly.
Yi Sahum’s words made perfect sense.
After the discovery of gold bars at Bukmyeong News, the Supreme Commander suddenly announced a tour plan.
Officially, it was to ensure the stability of the Justice Alliance.
But was that really all there was to it?
No.
The answer lay in the fact that the Chief of the Inspection Bureau and the Celestial Annihilation Squad were part of the tour group.
Though it was under the guise of seeking stability, the true purpose was clear.
“They intend to use this opportunity to root out dissident forces. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have arranged such a grueling schedule, especially with the leader’s health in question,” Deng Wangpa muttered, twitching his lips.
“Exactly. The recent incidents involving the Dongbang family and Bukmyeong News have likely caused unrest among the leader’s close allies. If the leader and the Inspection Bureau go on tour now…”
“You mean their loyalties might waver?”
“Humans are fickle creatures. They’d rather endure a beating than face death. The power you’ve painstakingly built could crumble entirely.”
“Is there any guarantee that this masterstroke will succeed? No matter how brilliant a move, if it lacks a chance of success, it’s just a bad play. I ask you, do you have a masterstroke to turn this tilted situation around?”
Yi Sahum paused, then spoke with resolve.
“Using the leader’s people is too risky. We need to involve outsiders.”
“Outsiders?”
“Recently, we discovered a way to contact Salmak through Cheonan Pavilion.”
“Salmak?”
Deng Wangpa’s expression shifted with interest.
Salmak was one of the most skilled assassin organizations, shrouded in mystery.
It was part of the dark world, and contacting them was so complex that it was never considered an option.
If word got out that a leader from the Justice Alliance was contacting Salmak, it would be a disaster.
Yet, Cheonan Pavilion had found a way to make contact.
“Indeed, this pavilion proves invaluable at critical moments,” Deng Wangpa’s face lit up with rare enthusiasm.
“You flatter me.”
“So, what’s the plan?”
Yi Sahum’s eyes gleamed as he outlined the plan.
It was simple.
During the tour, the leader would be assassinated by Salmak.
To prepare for this, Deng Wangpa would bring trusted warriors along.
They would pretend to protect the leader but would actually assist Salmak.
Once the leader was killed, the Black Wolf Squad would be deployed to fabricate evidence.
“And we’ll pin all the blame on the Blood Alliance. If the Chief of the Inspection Bureau and the Celestial Annihilation Squad die in the process, all the better. If they survive, we’ll hold them accountable and neutralize the Inspection Bureau.”
“Then we can divert attention to a war with the Blood Alliance, effectively quashing any internal inspections.”
Deng Wangpa nodded vigorously.
It was a brilliant scheme.
With the Black Wolf Squad fabricating evidence, they could create ghosts out of thin air.
Blaming the Blood Alliance would be child’s play.
Given the Blood Alliance’s defeat in the Great War, they had plenty of motive to kill the leader.
‘If this works…’
They could eliminate the leader and crush the Inspection Bureau’s minnows.
Moreover, Gu Yun, who planned this tour, wouldn’t escape blame.
“Hahaha! This is not just a double win, but a triple or quadruple win! So, how should we assemble the tour group?”
“First, select trustworthy warriors to join the tour, and include the Black Wolf Squad. They can claim to assist the Inspection Bureau. When the incident occurs, the warriors will testify that it was the work of the dark forces.”
In other words, they would perfectly fabricate witnesses and evidence.
“Indeed. A clever plan. But will Salmak accept the job? Assassinating the leader is no small task…”
“They likely will, for the right price…”
“No, I don’t think that’s the way to proceed.”
“Then…?”
“I’ll meet with Salmak myself.”
“You, personally?”
Yi Sahum asked, feigning surprise, and Deng Wangpa nodded thoughtfully.
“I must stake everything on this. I need to see with my own eyes if they are trustworthy.”
It was a matter of skill over trust.
Assassin organizations like Salmak were known for their strict adherence to client confidentiality.
But skill was even more crucial.
This task was both complex and critical.
“Understood. I’ll arrange a meeting.”
“Good. I’ll leave that to you. This might be our last chance. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. You should become the master of Hyeseong Pavilion, after all. Haha.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
Yi Sahum bowed deeply, though a bitter smile lingered on his lips.
**
In a secluded forest, there stood an old house.
Deng Wangpa stopped at the entrance and glanced at Yi Sahum.
“Is this the place?”
“Yes, I’m certain.”
Yi Sahum bowed, his tension evident.
Deng Wangpa looked up at the old, rickety door with a stern expression.
Salmak had chosen this place for the meeting.
As Deng Wangpa moved to enter, Yi Sahum followed, but Deng Wangpa waved him off.
“No, I’ll go alone.”
“But…”
“It was their condition, wasn’t it?”
Salmak had insisted Deng Wangpa come alone.
That was the condition for the leader to meet him personally.
After a moment’s hesitation, Yi Sahum bowed his head.
“Understood. Please be careful.”
“Don’t worry.”
Deng Wangpa replied nonchalantly, but his expression betrayed his tension.
Meeting the leader of a mysterious organization he’d only heard of in rumors.
How could he not be nervous?
Inside, two men sat in the dim room.
Both wore masks, and the aura they exuded was anything but ordinary.
‘They said to come alone…’
Deng Wangpa felt a twinge of annoyance but didn’t show it.
The one who reaches out first is always at a disadvantage.
For now, he had to comply with Salmak’s demands.
Though there were two men at the table, there was no chair for him, so Deng Wangpa stopped at an awkward distance.
“You wanted to see me.”
The man on the left spoke.
A voice unfamiliar to Deng Wangpa.
In truth, it was none other than Sabi Kang.
But his voice was entirely different.
He used a memorized voice mimicry technique to sound like Bok Lichu.
With the mask on, Deng Wangpa had no idea it was Sabi Kang.
He simply assumed it was the leader of Salmak.
“I assume you know the details.”
Deng Wangpa addressed Sabi Kang.
Sabi Kang’s eyes crinkled with amusement above the mask.
“Then why insist on meeting?”
“I wanted to see for myself. To meet the leader of the most mysterious organization in the martial world.”
“Ha! What nonsense.”
Sabi Kang maintained a deliberately rude demeanor.
He spoke in a cold voice.
“You doubt our skills.”
“I’ve heard, but this task is no easy feat.”
“Are you saying we’ve only taken on easy tasks until now?”
Sabi Kang exuded a palpable killing intent.
The old windows and ceiling rattled with the force.
It was a suffocating aura, different in quality from the killing intent of ordinary martial artists.
It was stickier, more unsettling.
Yet Deng Wangpa narrowed his eyes and stood firm.
He had spent years in the martial world, after all.
After a long pause, Sabi Kang withdrew his killing intent and spoke.
“If it’s such a difficult task, you must have prepared a substantial payment.”
“How much do you want?”
“How much have you prepared?”
Deng Wangpa furrowed his brow.
The constant disrespect in their tone was grating.
But what could he do?
He had to appease them for now.
“Five million nyang. Paid in full.”
It was indeed a generous offer.
Paying in full meant no separate advance or completion fee.
Sabi Kang smiled inwardly.
‘He must be desperate.’
But Sabi Kang wasn’t one to accept the offer as it was.
He intended to extract as much as possible.
“Hahaha!”
Sabi Kang suddenly burst into laughter, and Deng Wangpa frowned slightly.
“What’s so funny?”
“You said it yourself, didn’t you? This task isn’t easy.”
“And?”
“Yet you offer five million nyang. You were desperate enough to seek me out, but that’s all you can muster? I’m disappointed. You bring a difficult task, but you see us as easy.”
“Five million nyang is no small sum.”
“If that’s what you think, there’s nothing more to discuss.”
Sabi Kang stood abruptly.
Deng Wangpa quickly interjected.
“Then how much do you want?”
“Ten million nyang.”
Sabi Kang stated flatly.
Deng Wangpa’s face hardened.
‘This lunatic… Ten million nyang! Does he think ten million nyang is a dog’s name?’
In truth, even five million was a lot.
He didn’t want to haggle over money when a major event was at stake.
He thought that if he offered five million nyang first, the other party would quickly agree before changing their mind.
But he was mistaken.
“That’s too much. Can you adjust it a bit?”
“Alright, fifteen million nyang.”
“What?”
“You asked for an adjustment.”
Sabi-gang’s eyes glinted with a mocking smile.
Deung Wang-pae’s lips twitched.
He had asked for a lower amount, but instead, it went up?
Suppressing his rising anger, he spat out his words.
“Fine. I’ll accept.”
“Heh, not so fast. It’s up to us to decide whether to accept. You’ll need to add another five million nyang. That makes it twenty million in total.”
“This is absurd…!”
“Consider it the price for testing the real deal.”
Sabi-gang interrupted, standing up abruptly and snapping his fingers.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind narrowly grazed Deung Wang-pae’s cheek.
The wind arced gracefully and struck a spot on the ceiling.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
A shadowy figure fell from the ceiling.
As soon as he hit the ground,
Swoosh!
A masked figure sitting to the right dashed forward, thrusting a dagger into the fallen figure.
Thud!
“Gah!”
The figure from the ceiling was instantly killed, his heart pierced.
It all happened in a flash.
Deung Wang-pae stood there, mouth agape.
“You’d better prepare twenty million nyang. The position you want will soon be vacant.”
Sabi-gang’s words sent a shiver through Deung Wang-pae.
It wasn’t anger that made him tremble.
It was a kind of exhilaration.
He had brought along his most skilled subordinate in stealth, not for protection, but to test the capabilities of this group.
If they hadn’t detected his subordinate’s presence, he would have canceled the contract.
But the leader had already noticed.
Deung Wang-pae looked down at his fallen subordinate with a burning desire.
“It’s possible. With them…!”
With skills like these, they could even take down the leader.
The wind that had grazed his cheek was no ordinary breeze.
If the leader had intended to eliminate his subordinate personally, he could have done so easily.
But he had deliberately let the assassin do it, showcasing their abilities.
In truth, the assassin was none other than the real leader, Akcheon-gwe.
Had Deung Wang-pae known this, he would have been utterly shocked.
But with the mask on, there was no way for him to know.
Deung Wang-pae clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.
“I’ll have the twenty million nyang ready for you soon.”