sinovels Chapter 226
Chapter 226
“Right.”
Jin Cheongha nodded obediently.
“To do that, I need to win the goodwill of the two of you—especially Brother Hu Gae’s.”
At those words, Kwak Yeon could tell that Jin Cheongha was trying to learn something within the Martial Alliance.
Because the work Chwi Dugae would handle in the Martial Alliance was in the field of information.
Through Jin Cheongha, Kwak Yeon could faintly sense that something out of the ordinary was happening inside the Martial Alliance.
‘The Demonic Eight Divisions... or maybe something tied to a swindle that could shake all under heaven.’
There had to be a reason the Young Castle Lord of Ghost Night Castle was taking such risks.
‘Hng...!’
Suddenly, Kwak Yeon felt a presence rushing in fast, piercing through the External Spirit Boundary qi he had spread with the Solitary Moon Illumines the Boundless Skill.
“Miss Jin, it seems Brother Hu Gae can’t quite be called a gentleman.”
Jin Cheongha understood that Kwak Yeon was saying Chwi Dugae had returned, and nodded.
“Let’s continue this pleasant talk next time.”
Just then, the door to the main hall of the detached annex burst open.
“What do you mean, next time!”
Chwi Dugae walked into the hall with a wide grin.
“The night’s long. Finish what you were talking about. This lowly beggar will flop down and sleep like a dead rat.”
Kwak Yeon smiled faintly.
“Brother, you really are Brother Hu Gae of the Beggar Clan. To keep your ears that wide open even while someone is using lightness skills—truly.”
“Then... you did that on purpose...?”
“Wasn’t there a reason you came in fast while hiding your presence?”
“Hey, that’s....”
“Speak honestly. Miss Jin is here as well.”
“Damn it! ...I was just curious what you were talking about. Satisfied now?”
When Chwi Dugae snapped, Kwak Yeon said,
“I, your foolish younger brother, am fine. But shouldn’t you apologize to Miss Jin? It can’t feel good to have someone eavesdrop on your voice.”
Chwi Dugae spoke toward Jin Cheongha.
“Sister Jin, try to understand this beggar. Picking up talk anywhere is a habit of mine, you see.”
Jin Cheongha smiled softly.
“Sub-Branch Master, a person’s ears cannot be opened and closed in the first place. What is there to be sorry about? I don’t mind at all.”
Chwi Dugae’s face brightened.
“Right. That’s a hundred times correct.”
He glared at Kwak Yeon and went on,
“It’s the bastard with a mouth that can be opened and closed who should be careful. Don’t go blaming ears that are always open.”
“I lose.”
Kwak Yeon shook his head and said,
“Now sit and have a drink. You ran around in such a hurry—aren’t you thirsty?”
“Yeah, my throat is dry.”
Chwi Dugae sat in an empty chair, gulped down liquor straight from the bottle, then let out a suggestive cry of admiration.
“Kyaaah!”
“......”
“Anyway, you two were chatting all cozy. The mood was good.”
“Brother, if you keep pushing it like that, Miss Jin will feel uncomfortable.”
“Uh... ahem!”
As Chwi Dugae watched Jin Cheongha’s face, Kwak Yeon asked,
“How did it go at the Branch?”
“There wasn’t anything special.”
It meant there was still no news of the Supreme Patriarch, but Kwak Yeon wasn’t deeply disappointed.
It had only been a “just in case.” He hadn’t expected news right away.
“Dark Cavern Taoist—meaning you—there was a request for you even at this Beggar Clan Branch. Of course, the Branch knew it was because of the Alliance of the Demonic Path’s....”
Chwi Dugae dragged out the end of his sentence as he glanced at Jin Cheongha.
Jin Cheongha hurriedly stood up.
“You two, please talk comfortably. I’ll take my leave—”
“Miss Jin, just sit.”
Seeing Kwak Yeon press Jin Cheongha back into her seat, Chwi Dugae flinched in surprise.
‘What’s gotten into this Dark Cavern Taoist all of a sudden? Up until dinner he treated her so cold you could feel the chill. Don’t tell me....’
With a face that said, Look at this bastard, Chwi Dugae stared at him. Kwak Yeon said,
“Brother, I told Miss Jin that I am the target of the Alliance of the Demonic Path’s Public Contract. I told her to be prepared, since the danger could be great.”
“Then were you talking about that just now?”
“Well, it was something along those lines.”
A look of disappointment flickered in Chwi Dugae’s eyes, then vanished.
“Then from now on I can say anything without worrying about reading the room.”
Jin Cheongha said,
“Sub-Branch Master, I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable.”
Chwi Dugae waved a hand.
“Sister Jin—no, no. What I meant is I was watching this Dark Cavern Taoist’s mood.”
“Anyway, I’m sorry to you, Sub-Branch Master. And I’ll probably be sorry in the future as well....”
“Come on. You didn’t have anything to be sorry about earlier either, so what would you even be sorry about later....”
“Brother, have a drink.”
Kwak Yeon thrust a cup toward Chwi Dugae.
—When you’re in someone’s debt, you end up feeling sorry about everything. I don’t think it’s proper to keep asking.
At Kwak Yeon’s Sound Transmission, Chwi Dugae replied with Sound Transmission as well.
—That might be true.
—Brother, sitting in the same place and talking through Sound Transmission is a grave discourtesy. From now on, speak with your own voice.
Chwi Dugae nodded, drained the cup in one go, then asked Kwak Yeon,
“How far did I get just now?”
“You said a request to find me came into this Beggar Clan Branch in Seochang County.”
“That’s right! Anyway, this Beggar Clan Branch knew it was because of the Alliance of the Demonic Path’s Public Contract, so they rejected the request cleanly. Which means people everywhere are searching for you.”
“If you hadn’t suggested borrowing a carriage, Brother, it could’ve become quite troublesome.”
Chwi Dugae spoke as if he felt good about having been right.
“Still, you can’t let your guard down. But if you just stay careful like you’ve been doing, we should be able to travel quietly for a while.”
Chwi Dugae spoke toward Jin Cheongha.
“I only learned it now from Brother Kwak, but it turns out we’re benefiting from Sister Jin as well.”
Jin Cheongha said,
“I’m glad I could be helpful in an unexpected way. Anyway, please tell me anything you need going forward.”
Chwi Dugae’s face brightened.
“If Sister Jin wants that, then....”
“Brother—did you hear anything about the Martial Alliance?”
When Kwak Yeon cut in again, Chwi Dugae turned his gaze from Jin Cheongha back to Kwak Yeon.
“They say the All-Under-Heaven Heroes Assembly is almost wrapped up. It’s entered the final stretch, and it sounds like the Martial Alliance is in an uproar inside and out over picking the Eight Corps Commanders.”
“What are the Eight Corps Commanders?”
“Isn’t the whole point of this All-Under-Heaven Heroes Assembly the subjugation of the Demonic Eight Divisions? So they’re forming eight corps and sending them out at the same time to subjugate the Demonic Eight Divisions. The leaders of those subjugation corps are the Eight Corps Commanders.”
Seeing Jin Cheongha’s expression harden, Kwak Yeon’s heart felt bitter.
“Anyway, I hear the struggle between sects and clans for those Eight Corps Commander seats is fierce. There were even rumors blades were drawn—no idea if it’s true. But even if it happened, the Martial Alliance would’ve hushed it up and buried it.”
“White-path sects are fighting each other over a seat like that?”
“Hah—‘a seat like that,’ he says. Look at this innocent fellow.”
“......”
“Brother Kwak, did you forget there was a Martial World Pact? The future balance of the martial world hinges on those eight seats. Of course the sects and clans would stake their lives on it. Taking an Eight Corps Commander seat is the same as being recognized as one of the martial world’s eight great powers.”
Kwak Yeon understood those inner workings as well. If you served as an Eight Corps Commander, your achievements would be recognized the most, and it would be advantageous in expanding your sect’s territory.
“But that’s only possible if you earn major merit during the subjugation, isn’t it?”
“Right. But right now, the white-path martial artists don’t even have the Demonic Eight Divisions in their eyes. The Demonic Eight Divisions were only just rebuilt, so nobody thinks they’ve got real strength.”
To the white-path martial artists, the Demonic Eight Divisions were nothing more than a lavishly set banquet table, and they were fighting over who would pick up chopsticks first.
“I thought the same myself until I went through what happened at Huayang Temple, so I’ve got nothing to say.”
Chwi Dugae shuddered as he recalled the madmen of Huayang Temple, then continued.
“That aside, I heard one piece of news about the Jegal Family.”
Given Kwak Yeon’s ill ties with the Jegal Family, his ears naturally pricked up.
“They say the Fire Dragon of Jegal is at the Martial Alliance as the Jegal Family’s representative.”
Kwak Yeon had heard of the Fire Dragon of Jegal, one of the Jegal Family’s Three New Dragons.
“He was almost never seen because he’s a martial arts fanatic, so when he finally emerged into the world, it was a big topic for a while. But now he’s become a topic for a different reason.”
“...?”
“They say the Fire Dragon of Jegal made Chang Unja—the top expert of the Gongdong Sect—kneel in a sparring match within ten exchanges.”
“Ah...!”
A low gasp escaped Jin Cheongha’s lips. She knew the fame of Chang Unja of the Gongdong Sect well.
But when Kwak Yeon just stared blankly instead of looking shocked, Chwi Dugae was struck dumb.
“You’re not surprised?”
“In a sparring match, of course there’s a winner and a loser. Should I be surprised?”
“That’s true, but the man he beat was Chang Unja of the Gongdong Sect—counted among the white path’s ten great experts. And he made him kneel in only ten exchanges!”
“So you’re worried about me, Brother.”
“...Yeah. It’s not that I don’t trust your skill. It’s just that trouble breaking out in the Martial Alliance won’t be good for you... damn it.”
Chwi Dugae fumbled around for words, then suddenly snapped in irritation.
“Dealing with the Alliance of the Demonic Path’s Public Contract is already hard enough. If you go and stir up an incident in the Martial Alliance too... you’ll really be in deep trouble.”
Kwak Yeon knew Chwi Dugae was angry because he genuinely worried for him, and his chest tightened.
“I understand what you mean, Brother. I will be careful how I act in the Martial Alliance.”
“......”
“And I understand your concern, but officially, the Jegal Family isn’t in a position to speak of a grudge against me.”
Kwak Yeon did not mention that he had already sent a warning to the Jegal Family’s Clan Master through his hidden hand, along with the full truth of what the Hidden Dragon and his father had plotted.
“I know that too. It’s just that the other side is the Fire Dragon of Jegal....”
Chwi Dugae could not bring himself to add, As his epithet suggests, his temperament is like fire.
Because Kwak Yeon was not going to abandon the road to the Martial Alliance no matter what.
‘There’s no helping it. The only thing to do is be as careful as possible not to run into the Fire Dragon of Jegal inside the Martial Alliance.’
It wouldn’t be something he could truly avoid, but if it was an official place, then no matter how much he was the Fire Dragon of Jegal, he wouldn’t be able to act rashly.
There was yet another thing Chwi Dugae worried about.
The white path martial world’s opinion of the Dark Cavern Taoist was not very good.
Because wherever he went, bloody incidents erupted. Of course, from Kwak Yeon’s perspective, it was because he had been punishing the wicked, but still.
‘To be honest, there were times it went too far, too. Either way, at least while we’re on the road to the Martial Alliance, it’s better not to see more blood.’
It was only natural to be wary of someone whose hands were thickly stained with blood, and in the white path martial world, that always became a weakness.
“Fine. For today, let’s just drink.”
They had finally managed to stay at a guesthouse for once—what was the point of staying up all night over needless worry?
Just ruining the taste of the liquor for no reason.