Chapter 59: Chapter 59
Martial Alliance Headquarters, White Dragon Pavilion.
Inside the desolate office, only the crisp crunch of White Dragon Squad Leader Jang Seo-hwi nervously biting into an apple resonated.
Seeming as though a headache was rushing in, he pressed his temples firmly with his thumbs while letting out continuous sighs.
How much quiet time had passed like that?
Jang Seo-hwi, who carelessly tossed away the apple that had quickly been reduced to its core, struck the table lightly with his fist.
“Dammit all…”
Rumors regarding the Black Tortoise Squad recruits were rampant within the alliance.
Receiving a mere convoy escort mission, they returned after accumulating absurd merits.
Because those two fellows were rising stars who had distinguished themselves since the selection exam, the phrase ‘a needle in a sack’ naturally followed them.
Right, that could happen.
“Because geniuses and monsters that surpass them have always existed.”
The problem was that they were the recruits of the Black Tortoise Squad.
This time it was the recruits’ solo mission, but going forward they would belong to the Black Tortoise Squad and carry out missions together.
They would surely accumulate merits rapidly and succeed in increasingly difficult missions.
Of all times, precisely at this moment when one division head position was vacant.
Jang Seo-hwi tilted his head back and exhaled a long sigh.
“To think I would end up worrying about the perennial squad leader’s promotion.”
He should have foreseen this situation long ago from the moment those punks chose the Black Tortoise Squad.
Rumors were already circulating that Cheol Ji-ak might become the candidate for the next promotion. The first step was precisely this upcoming mission. From what he heard, it was not a level of mission for the Black Tortoise Squad to undertake, but the Alliance Leader had pushed for it strongly.
On the other hand, the White Dragon Squad was currently idling. In the end, it meant the Alliance already rated the Black Tortoise Squad higher than the White Dragon Squad.
The White Dragon Squad Leader glared at the thick money pouch sitting on one side of the table. He intended to seek out the Personnel Inspection Hall Master once more and plead.
However, before he could even visit, a letter arrived from the Personnel Inspection Hall.
‘They are children cherished by Master Beop-jin of Shaolin and the Alliance Leader. It is a matter beyond my capability.’
It was a rejection without unnecessary clutter.
It had also become impossible to block Cheol Ji-ak’s path by bribing the Personnel Inspection Hall Master. The reason he went so far to stop his promotion was solely one.
‘I can clearly envision that fellow Cheol Ji-ak running wild like a naked child unaware of thunder once he becomes a division head.’
The White Dragon Squad Leader knew Cheol Ji-ak better than anyone.
They had lived the life of squad leaders together for a long time, and were on such unreserved terms that they often tipped wine cups together outside the Alliance.
Likely Cheol Ji-ak also knew him well. He must roughly guess that he had other sources of income besides the stipend provided by the Alliance.
The reason the White Dragon Squad Leader could hand over a thick money pouch to the Personnel Inspection Hall Master. And the reason the orchard run by his family could grow exponentially.
It was a common story: an official repeatedly passed over for promotion colluding with evil people through his authority to satisfy selfish desires.
Everyone lived doing at least this much. In the first place, wasn’t it all done to make a living? The amount was merely a bit larger. It was merely a bit more covert, and just a tiny bit more evil.
“No matter how I think about it, as expected…”
Cheol Ji-ak must never become a division head.
“Squad Leader. Are you inside?”
It was the Vice Squad Leader’s voice.
When the White Dragon Squad Leader granted permission, the Vice Squad Leader who entered the office handed over a tightly wrapped letter.
“It is a letter delivered to the Squad Leader, but the sender is unknown.”
The White Dragon Squad Leader nodded his head.
Where it came from was clear without even looking.
Only after the Vice Squad Leader who delivered the letter left the office did the Squad Leader take out the letter. Reading it down slowly, the White Dragon Squad Leader’s expression crumpled drastically.
“These vermin-like bastards…”
The contents of the letter were long and detailed, but summarizing them made it simple.
‘What? You want to pull out now? Did you ingest poison or something? Just try doing that. Even if it means our Black Ox Faction goes ruined, I shall personally lead the boys to storm the Martial Alliance and confess the whole truth to the Alliance Leader.’
In other words: if I die, you die with me.
The furrow on the White Dragon Squad Leader’s brow deepened further. Because these Unorthodox Path bastards had no future to lose, they were bastards entirely capable of doing just that.
One could tell simply from how they fearlessly sent a letter to the Martial Alliance right off the bat. The White Dragon Squad Leader tore the letter into shreds and shoved it into the desk drawer.
In that manner, washing his hands of his collusion with the Unorthodox bastards had also become impossible.
“This won’t work. That won’t work either…”
There was no further place to retreat.
Feeling suffocated, the White Dragon Squad Leader went to the window to catch the breeze.
Outside, the scenery of the Martial Alliance entered his view at a glance.
He saw the peaceful setting and the young rising stars walking around earnestly with eyes filled with resolve for some reason.
Watching this only made his heart feel more stifled.
It was then.
“My, it sure is hard to see the faces of our recruits!”
A clear and resonant voice rang out. It was Zhuge Rin, daughter of the Zhuge Clan and Vice Squad Leader of the Black Tortoise Squad.
In an instant, the White Dragon Squad Leader’s eyes flew wide open.
“That’s it!”
Come to think of it, there was one more person besides himself who wished for Cheol Ji-ak not to become a division head.
On top of possessing enough power to exert influence in the Martial Alliance, their interests even aligned…
The White Dragon Squad Leader hurriedly donned the white robe draped over the chair and prepared to head out.
* * *
Leaving the Alliance and even driving a horse, the place the White Dragon Squad Leader headed for was Mount Longzhong, Hubei Province.
Located here was the Zhuge Clan, one of the five families with the highest prestige under heaven. It was the family of Vice Squad Leader Zhuge Rin, a venerable clan that had served as the brain trust of the Righteous Path martial world across generations.
Dismounting from his horse, the White Dragon Squad Leader entered the Zhuge Clan following the guidance of an attendant. It had an atmosphere somewhere between a martial family and a scholarly clan. Scholars fluttering folding fans and martial artists wielding judge’s brushes and soft swords mingled naturally.
Perhaps because formations were basically established, the density of energy within the martial training ground was high, and books were strewn across various spots in the spacious courtyard.
‘This is the Zhuge Clan…’
At that profound atmosphere, the White Dragon Squad Leader marveled inwardly. It was also his first time visiting the Zhuge Clan personally.
Passing the Patriarch Hall where the stone statue of Zhuge Liang stood, he arrived before a pavilion no less gigantic.
“He is waiting inside.”
The attendant bowed politely.
“Ah, thank you.”
The moment the White Dragon Squad Leader feigned a nod and cautiously placed his hand on the door handle.
Creak, the door opened on its own and the interior revealed itself.
‘Haze?’
The spacious room was filled with ash-gray smoke.
The White Dragon Squad Leader instinctively held his breath. At any rate, he was also a squad leader who had undergone formal training in the Martial Alliance.
Parting through the smoke, a strand of a dignified voice was heard.
“Quite unusual. To think a squad leader of the Martial Alliance would come seeking me.”
“White Dragon Squad Leader Jang Seo-hwi greets Elder Zhuge Seong.”
The White Dragon Squad Leader clasped his hands politely toward Elder Zhuge, who was invisible due to the smoke.
A gaze was felt behind the smoke.
Zhuge Seong originally intended to refuse the White Dragon Squad Leader’s request. What reason could a mere squad leader have to meet him?
However, hearing that it was an affair related to Zhuge Rin, curiosity arose. That child’s father was Zhuge Min, Patriarch of the Zhuge Clan and his older brother.
Yet, seeking out himself specifically rather than the Patriarch?
It meant he knew the inner circumstances of the Zhuge Clan to some extent.
“Come inside.”
“…Yes.”
Still holding his breath, the White Dragon Squad Leader stepped inside the pavilion. As the hazy smoke touched him, his eyes and skin stung somewhat.
‘Sorrow-Forgetting Herb…’
Rolling it into leaves and lighting it to smoke was the standard way, but Elder Zhuge Seong seemed to have filled the room with Sorrow-Forgetting Herb smoke through a different method.
Parting the smoke and stepping deep into the pavilion, there sat Elder Zhuge Seong in the seat of honor wearing a white robe.
The White Dragon Squad Leader swallowed hard. It was also his first time meeting Zhuge Seong directly, and rather than the diminutive and frail appearance usually imagined of Zhuge Clan martial artists, he was large-framed and possessed rough eyes like a man of the Unorthodox Path.
As the White Dragon Squad Leader let out dry coughs due to the smoke, Zhuge Seong pointed toward the opposite seat with indifferent eyes.
“Sit.”
“…Ah, yes.”
The White Dragon Squad Leader sat in the seat. An attendant approached and set down a teacup, but he had no intention of drinking tea amidst such smoke.
Zhuge Seong asked point-blank.
“You said you had something to say regarding Rin-ah.”
The White Dragon Squad Leader looked steadily at Zhuge Seong. He had hesitated until coming here, but in the end he did not change the subject. At any rate, if Cheol Ji-ak became a division head, his lifespan as a squad leader was over.
Pondering for a moment, the White Dragon Squad Leader opened his mouth.
“Elder, you do not want Vice Squad Leader Zhuge Rin to be promoted, do you?”
“Mmh.”
Zhuge Seong stared silently at the White Dragon Squad Leader.
He was clearly treading carefully. It was natural: because a mere squad leader was attempting to meddle in the deep affairs of the Five Great Clans.
Even so, the material greed distinctly settled in his eyes had driven him this far.
Zhuge Seong let out a smirk as if having seen an amusing object.
“Speak in detail.”
* * *
Having listened to the White Dragon Squad Leader’s story, Zhuge Seong merely nodded his head in silence for quite a while. When he reached his hand into the air, an attendant approached and handed him a Sorrow-Forgetting Herb.
“Hoo.”
Smoke from the Sorrow-Forgetting Herb spread thickly over the table.
For the White Dragon Squad Leader, who could not discern the intention of the man sitting before him, it was merely an anxious time.
Only after slowly puffing out Sorrow-Forgetting Herb smoke a couple more times did Zhuge Seong open his mouth.
“Good. Hand over all information you know regarding the Black Tortoise Squad Leader to me, including this mission. Family relations of course, what he likes and dislikes, where he frequently goes, how he spends his time when resting, every single trivial thing you know. Down to the color of his undergarments. If you do so, I shall personally paint the picture.”
The White Dragon Squad Leader finally breathed a sigh of relief. Seeking out Zhuge Seong was a gamble for him as well. At any rate, the Zhuge Clan was one of the pillars of the Righteous Path.
If Elder Zhuge Seong had not accepted this and raised an issue, the White Dragon Squad Leader would have been thrown straight into the subterranean dungeon. However, Elder Zhuge Seong was looking at him with satisfaction.
“First, that fellow Cheol Ji-ak is…”
Thereafter, the White Dragon Squad Leader recounted everything he knew about Cheol Ji-ak, and Zhuge Seong merely nodded his head.
Soon, as Zhuge Seong waved his hand telling him to leave, the White Dragon Squad Leader exited the pavilion with a relieved expression.
Watching his receding back, Zhuge Seong took a deep puff of the Sorrow-Forgetting Herb.
“Quite lucky. I was pondering what to do with that child Zhuge Rin soon anyway. Not to mention the Treasure Map of the Three Eccentrics.”
Zhuge Seong’s laughter spread low across the table.
Suddenly, the attendant standing blankly to the side asked.
“However, Elder. Is it alright to trust that person? He is a fellow who sells out a long-time friend just to cover up his own misdeeds…”
At that question, Zhuge Seong chuckled softly.
“I am not trusting the person. I am trusting that bastard’s desire. Could a bastard who sought me out to survive dare pull any foolish tricks?”
“…I see.”
Suddenly, Zhuge Seong set the Sorrow-Forgetting Herb down onto the table with a clack.
A thick smile hung over his face.
“A good idea came to mind. Summon the Divine Thief.”
The attendant’s eyes widened in an instant. Because Divine Thief meant the most famous thief of the era, the Shadowless Divine Thief. It seemed Elder Zhuge Seong intended to handle this affair thoroughly.
‘The young lady is truly finished now as well…’
The long, protracted secret feud of the Zhuge Clan was running toward its conclusion. The attendant thought he must be careful not to get entangled needlessly and lose his head.
Wearing a satisfied smile, Elder Zhuge Seong rose from his seat.
He would remove the niece who was like a thorn in his side, gain a limb blinded by greed, and take the treasure of the Three Eccentrics at the same time.
Was this not catching two birds with one stone?
He had a premonition that this year would be an immensely auspicious one. Zhuge Seong, who was about to leave the pavilion with such thoughts, suddenly looked back and spoke.
“By the way, isn’t it quite amusing?”
“…Pardon?”
“Cheon Woo-jin, was it? In the end, a squad leader of the Martial Alliance came to me so tense and guarded because of a mere recruit. Seriously, the martial world is just like this. It is amusing because things beyond common sense always happen.”
Zhuge Seong suddenly felt both curiosity and pity rise at the same time.
Curiosity over what kind of fellow he was to stir up such a wind when he was merely a low-ranking alliance member.
And also a light pity that such young punks would needlessly get swept up in a political gale and vanish without a sound.