Chapter 93: Chapter 93
Heavenly Tiger Squad Leader Cheon Do-hwi.
Despite being the youngest among the Martial Alliance squad leaders, he was the martial artist who took charge of the Heavenly Tiger Squad, known as the foremost elite.
Ever since he entered the Alliance, not only had he never once failed an assigned mission, but his personal martial prowess was also known to already surpass the division head level.
To the extent that in some quarters, there were those who believed Cheon Do-hwi would seize the position of Alliance Leader once Bukli Cheon retired.
“How unusual.”
Such a Cheon Do-hwi tilted his head repeatedly.
Vice Squad Leader Zhuge Rin had sought him out. What was more, she had not visited in person, but had sent a letter telling him to come to the Black Tortoise Pavilion.
For a vice squad leader to summon a squad leader. It was an insolent matter. Even so, Cheon Do-hwi merely thought it strange and willingly set his steps in motion.
Of course, it was not because Zhuge Rin was the greatest beauty in the Martial Alliance.
‘That fellow will be there too.’
Setting the beauty aside, Cheon Do-hwi looked forward to seeing a certain man. If anyone knew, they would have sent strange glances his way, but Cheon Do-hwi was a man far more interested in martial arts than women.
When they previously engaged in a joint mission, the martial prowess Cheon Woo-jin displayed was truly astonishing. Who would have thought that a newly joined youngest recruit would kill a subordinate of the Lust Demon and fend off a disciple of the Dark Emperor?
Furthermore, the spectacle he showed during this martial arts tournament was deeply impressive as well.
Tang Bi-cheon was an opponent whom even Cheon Do-hwi himself could not guarantee victory against, yet Cheon Woo-jin had utterly toyed with that fellow.
The thrilling sensation he felt while watching the spar between the Alliance Leader and Cheon Woo-jin still lingered as an aftertaste.
Walking with such thoughts in mind, he arrived at the Black Tortoise Pavilion before he knew it.
The martial artists of the Black Tortoise Squad were training with awkward movements.
“Ah, Heavenly Tiger Squad Leader.”
Jang Woo-pyeong welcomed Cheon Do-hwi gladly.
Cheon Do-hwi nodded with his characteristically dry expression. He did not look too favorably upon Jang Woo-pyeong, who was always scatterbrained.
“Where is the Vice Squad Leader?”
“She is inside.”
Cheon Do-hwi merely nodded, then stepped inside the pavilion. Looking at his retreating back, Jang Woo-pyeong inwardly advised.
‘Do not be surprised.’
* * *
To the point of rendering Jang Woo-pyeong’s advice meaningless, Cheon Do-hwi was greatly flustered. It was because inside the dimly lit hall of the Black Tortoise Pavilion, the Alliance Leader and the Chief Strategist were crouched gloomily, eating rice balls.
“…Alliance Leader. Chief Strategist.”
“Oh, you’ve arrived, Squad Leader.”
Could they know that their appearance was a bit strange? Bukli Cheon lowered his voice for no reason to display the dignity of an Alliance Leader, while Chief Strategist Sima Hwi slightly pulled out a folding fan and fluttered it.
“Please understand. It is because there is a mission to be conducted discreetly.”
At the mention of a mission, Cheon Do-hwi’s expression shifted in an instant.
Cheon Do-hwi was truly a man who seemed born to become a martial artist of the Martial Alliance.
Cheon Do-hwi asked in a grave tone.
“Please give your orders.”
While bowing his head, Cheon Do-hwi lightly surveyed left and right. Vice Squad Leader Zhuge Rin and Cheon Woo-jin were present. It seemed they had received the details of the mission first.
The Alliance Leader’s words followed.
“You need to help the Black Tortoise Squad a little.”
“I will assemble the Heavenly Tiger Squad.”
Cheon Do-hwi did not ask this and that. When an order came down from above, he simply executed it.
However, as it was currently a period without missions right after the tournament ended, there were also members among the Heavenly Tiger Squad martial artists who had briefly gone to their hometowns.
In that brief moment, Cheon Do-hwi calculated the time it would take for all squad members to return.
“Seven days are needed for all members of the Heavenly Tiger Squad to return. Is it an urgent mission?”
Tang So-yeon, who had gone to Sichuan, would take the longest time to return.
Exactly seven days would be needed after sending an urgent letter through the Courier Hall Master until Tang So-yeon returned immediately.
The Alliance Leader shook his head.
“It is not a mission assigned to the Heavenly Tiger Squad.”
“Pardon? Then…”
With a bewildered face, Cheon Do-hwi looked back and forth between Zhuge Rin and Cheon Woo-jin.
Chief Strategist Sima Hwi explained the specific details of the mission.
Signs of the founding of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance spearheaded by Tang Bi-cheon.
The investigation into this, and the fact that depending on the situation, armed conflict could also potentially occur.
As the explanation continued, Cheon Do-hwi’s expression hardened.
“…Certainly, the Heavenly Tiger Squad cannot be assembled.”
The Heavenly Tiger Squad was precisely the combat squad that had the largest number of martial artists from the Five Great Clans and the Nine Great Sects and One Clan.
Right in this selection examination as well, excluding Cheon Woo-jin and Song Yi-yeon among the top five recruits, all the rising stars from prestigious clans and renowned sects had chosen the Heavenly Tiger Squad.
“Can you do it?”
At the Chief Strategist’s gentle question, Cheon Do-hwi once again showed a puzzled expression. The question itself made no sense to him.
“I merely execute orders.”
The Chief Strategist smiled with satisfaction and spoke.
“The Black Tortoise Squad Leader is currently down in his hometown. I will send a letter instructing him to head directly to Sichuan. He will probably arrive around the same time as you all. Well then, I leave it in your hands.”
“Understood.”
When Cheon Do-hwi nodded, the Chief Strategist handed two mission documents written with the same contents to Cheon Do-hwi and Zhuge Rin respectively.
The expressions of the two reading through the mission documents were grave.
In short, it was a mission to monitor and observe the Sichuan Tang Clan. With whom they colluded, whether there was anything unusual in the flow of funds, whether any signs were revealed in the movements of their martial artists, and so on…
The characters written at the very bottom stood out and struck their eyes particularly hard.
– In the event of a conflict, prioritize preserving lives above all else and escape the scene.
In the silence, only the sound of someone gulping down saliva could be heard.
The one who broke the rather heavy silence was neither Squad Leader Cheon Do-hwi nor Vice Squad Leader Zhuge Rin.
“If a conflict occurs…”
At the words of the low-ranking Alliance member, everyone gathered in the room turned their heads.
Cheon Woo-jin’s words followed calmly.
“May I kill them?”
In any case, Tang Bi-cheon was the Young Clan Leader of the Tang Clan, one of the Five Great Clans.
If he was killed, the relationship between the Sichuan Tang Clan and the Martial Alliance would become utterly irreversible.
Alliance Leader Bukli Cheon looked at the Chief Strategist. Because matters regarding missions fell under his purview.
Sima Hwi, who was fluttering his folding fan as if troubled, soon spoke.
“While driving you all to a place that might well be death’s door, how could I tell you not to kill the enemy?”
It meant permitting Tang Bi-cheon’s summary execution depending on the situation.
Cheon Woo-jin nodded.
“Understood.”
* * *
A dark night when the moon was veiled by clouds.
Spearheaded by Heavenly Tiger Squad Leader Cheon Do-hwi, the martial artists of the Black Tortoise Squad lined up covertly.
Unlike usual, their expressions were solemn. It was because they knew the importance and danger of this mission.
Cheon Do-hwi suddenly spoke.
“Vice Squad Leader.”
“Yes?”
“You take charge of this mission. In any case, it is the Black Tortoise Squad’s mission, and I am merely here to assist.”
Cheon Do-hwi had been assigned to this mission not as a squad leader, but to fulfill the role of supplementing the Black Tortoise Squad’s combat power.
Zhuge Rin scratched her head.
“…Even so.”
How could a vice squad leader give orders to a squad leader?
However, Cheon Do-hwi was resolute.
“I am not saying this out of courtesy.”
She was the daughter of the Zhuge Clan, no one else.
At least when it came to judgment and strategy, he evaluated Zhuge Rin’s capabilities higher than his own.
In the end, Zhuge Rin nodded. The order of the mission was already neatly organized inside her mind anyway.
“Let us depart for now. We will move at full speed until we cross Hubei and reach Shaanxi. Thereafter, until we enter Sichuan, we will move while conserving our internal energy.”
Cheon Do-hwi nodded. It was a rational judgment. In that manner, the Black Tortoise Squad and the Heavenly Tiger Squad Leader secretly slipped out of the Martial Alliance.
Cheon Woo-jin, who was at the end of the formation, suddenly lowered his voice and spoke to Song Yi-yeon.
“Did you resolve that matter?”
It was a vague question, but Song Yi-yeon understood it perfectly.
It referred to the money received from the White Dragon Squad Leader.
He had even received permission from the Disciplinary Hall Master. The problem was the high likelihood that the Black Tortoise Squad Leader would not accept that money.
Having racked his brains over it for a while, Song Yi-yeon nodded with a somewhat relieved expression.
“I happened to come across someone who handles money far better than I do, so I entrusted the entire matter to him.”
Cheon Woo-jin tilted his head.
Song Yi-yeon was born and raised in a merchant family. Among the Martial Alliance martial artists, there would be few who knew money better than he did.
Then Song Yi-yeon’s words followed.
“My father.”
“Ah.”
Song Yi-yeon’s father, Song Ha-baek.
A tycoon of Anhui and one of the wealthiest men in the Central Plains.
Cheon Woo-jin let out a smirk. It was because he recalled the chant Song Ha-baek and his entourage shouted toward Song Yi-yeon during the martial arts tournament.
“So, were you recognized as the eldest son of Anhui?”
Song Yi-yeon scratched his head in embarrassment.
Even while thinking that chant was rather embarrassing, he had boldly uttered the words to Namgung Jin about finding out who Anhui’s eldest son was today.
“Well, the spar ended in a draw as a result. We decided to go with the twins of Anhui.”
Of course, that was merely the Anhui Song Clan’s stance.
“By the way, I wonder if Father handled it well.”
From what he heard, the Black Tortoise Squad Leader’s mother had been suffering from a chronic illness for a long time. To the extent that it was rather difficult to cover the medicine costs with only a Martial Alliance stipend.
While he trusted his father’s competence as a merchant, on the other hand, it was also true that he felt uneasy due to that characteristic hearty and breezy personality.
Soon, Song Yi-yeon shook his head.
“Ah, whatever. He must have handled it well on his own.”
* * *
The outer edge of Hubei Province.
A small village called Yun County, situated on the border with Shaanxi, was the hometown of Black Tortoise Squad Leader Cheol Ji-ak.
Having returned to his hometown after receiving a rare month-long vacation, Cheol Ji-ak had no choice but to have his mouth fall open on its own.
“…What is all this?”
It was a small house. The courtyard was not very wide either.
Thanks to that, the stacked medicinal herbs were packed full beyond the courtyard all the way to the back of the house. Furthermore, two physicians were attending to his mother with utmost devotion.
At Cheol Ji-ak’s question, an elderly relative who was caring for his aged mother answered amiably.
“Why, isn’t there the Yun County Clinic nearby?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
How could he not know? For a small village, it was an exceptionally large clinic. To the extent that it had as many as seven affiliated physicians.
At least because the Yun County Clinic provided herbs at a somewhat discounted price on account of him being a squad leader of the Martial Alliance, he had been able to ease his burden a little.
The elderly relative’s words continued.
“It seems the Yun County Clinic is going to expand its business significantly. They say they will look after the chronic illnesses of the neighboring villagers with the goal of fostering a large number of physicians.”
“…For free? The losses must be substantial.”
Medicinal herbs were expensive. The price of physicians was even more expensive.
Yet, no matter how much they aimed for business expansion, there should be no reason to bear such losses?
This time, the physician who was checking his aged mother’s pulse answered.
“They say our clinic caught a big fish. It seems we received a tremendous investment. The number of physicians recruited this time numbers as many as fifty, after all.”
“F-f-fifty people, you said?”
Cheol Ji-ak’s jaw dropped wide.
Fifty physicians was almost at the level of the Martial Alliance’s Hall of Medicine.
No, just how big of a figure was this investor?
Cheol Ji-ak asked, but the physician merely shrugged.
Before coming out here, the clinic director had repeatedly given instructions several times.
‘He told me to keep the fact that the Anhui Song Clan acquired the entire Yun County Clinic an unwritten secret.’
He did not know the reason. Perhaps it was just the wealthy tycoon of Anhui’s taste to conceal his good deeds.
In any case, as a physician, it was simply wonderful to be able to care for patients without being confined by economic constraints.
Thanks to that, Cheol Ji-ak had nothing to do.
Perhaps because top-grade herbs and premium manpower were dedicated to her, his mother’s expression looked far more comfortable even to the eyes of Cheol Ji-ak, who knew little about medicine.
In the end, just like the physicians, Cheol Ji-ak himself was also able to concentrate on his own matters.
“It is a shameful thing.”
He had only received help from the subordinates he ought to protect.
While he was framed and confined in an interrogation room spending helpless hours, Cheon Woo-jin caught the Shadowless Divine Thief alone, resolved the Zhuge Clan affair, and brought the White Dragon Squad Leader incident to light.
How could he not be ashamed? He knew there were voices in the Martial Alliance mocking him as a pathetic squad leader.
Even so, he was not the type of personality to fall into despair.
Since he had obtained a rare vacation, he intended to concentrate purely on training. Cheol Ji-ak unpacked his luggage and immediately left the house. Because his training had a rather violent side to it, the physicians might have been startled.
* * *
The place Cheol Ji-ak headed toward was a mine situated on the outskirts of the village.
Miners whose faces were stained black were swinging pickaxes vigorously, while a fat middle-aged man supervised them.
Cheol Ji-ak approached him and asked cautiously.
“Excuse me, are you busy?”
“Do I look leisurely, then?”
He glanced at Cheol Ji-ak, then refocused on the miners. A mine was an enterprise of the wealthy. The person who employed him was a rich man of a rather severe temperament.
If they failed to meet the target quantity of ore within the designated time, their wages would be docked.
Feeling sheepish, Cheol Ji-ak asked cautiously once more.
“I was wondering if I could do some work.”
“Have you ever done miner’s work?”
“Just very briefly in my youth.”
He had done similar training back then as well.
The middle-aged man snorted.
“Then no thanks. Despite how it looks, this isn’t work just anyone can do. Seeing your build, you seem to possess some strength, but this is work that requires knack.”
He looked down on Cheol Ji-ak. Several such people visited even in a single day. Since miner’s work was hard, it was an occupation that guaranteed quite a good income. Teaching the work to riffraff who flocked only seeing money, they would end up running away in less than a day.
‘A day, my foot. I’d be grateful if they lasted even a single double-hour.’
Soon, completely taking his gaze off Cheol Ji-ak, the middle-aged man shouted toward a miner in the distance.
“Hey! If you slack off, your wages will be deducted!”
Startled, the miner hurriedly lifted his pickaxe.
Cheol Ji-ak did not bother revealing his identity as a Martial Alliance squad leader. Because from the start, there was no need to do so.
Cheol Ji-ak strode through the miners with heavy steps. Then the middle-aged man shouted for him to get out because it was dangerous.
Regardless, Cheol Ji-ak walked right up to where the miners were pickaxing and glared straight ahead.
Soon, he raised his fist. Not a single trace of energy was contained in it.
Boom!
A massive hole was pierced forward. He had shattered the rock solely with pure physical strength forged through external martial arts.
Not only the miners, but even the overseer was struck dumb.
Cheol Ji-ak had experience working in a mine. If shattered haphazardly, it could collapse. It was a method of digging out a suitable amount, propping it up by making wooden pillars, and gradually advancing deeper.
Entering the cave he had made, Cheol Ji-ak held up the ceiling.
“Carpenters, come in.”
Then the carpenters hurriedly entered and began erecting wooden pillars.
Cheol Ji-ak looked at the manager and asked calmly.
“Can I work?”
“B-bring that man a pickaxe right now! Water and dried meat too!”
“I do not need a pickaxe.”
Cheol Ji-ak once again raised his pot-lid-sized fist.
He probably could not become stronger than Cheon Woo-jin. Viewed objectively, that was the truth.
‘However, I can become sturdier than anyone.’
He would become a shield sturdier than any lump of iron, blocking every blade and sword surging toward his subordinates.
That was the form of himself Cheol Ji-ak chose.