Kang Sogun Novel Chapter 80

"The secret hall master was a cautious person. He must have prepared for an unforeseen accident. Do you have any idea?"

"Until just now, I did not even know that my late father was a mber of the Great Righteous Martial Hall. I know that there was no list of the secret hall in the posthumous works he left behind."

At Kang Sogun's words, Mo Sang made an excuse on his behalf.

"The young master was at the empress dowager's palace at that ti. The duke of the state passed away so suddenly that he could not even hear his last words. It was a regrettable matter."

"Hmm."

Shangguan Qingyou was at a loss. Mo Sang continued.

"Since the duke of the state t with a sudden misfortune, he may not have had ti to leave it behind."

At Mo Sang's words, Shangguan Qingyou flinched in surprise.

"A misfortune?"

The death of Kang Ilbu was known to the public as a sudden death from a sudden illness.

Since Kang Sogun's mother, Princess Yeongan, had thoroughly controlled it, everyone in the world knew it so.

"I was just about to ask for help from the Great Righteous Martial Hall anyway."

Mo Sang rather asked Shangguan Qingyou for help.

"Could you find out if there is an assassin who uses a poisonous insect called the Blood lting Grub? Also, I would like to ask for an investigation of the powerful people of the Nanjing governnt office who have passed away from a sudden illness in the past ten years."

Shangguan Qingyou also knew what Mo Sang's request ant. If the secret hall master had been assassinated, not from an illness, the Great Righteous Martial Hall could not just stand by.

"I will consult with the tenth hall master and will let you know the result."

Shangguan Qingyou answered Mo Sang and then said to Kang Sogun.

"You will attend this state funeral, right? The great senior brother has asked

to tell you that he would like to see you in Beijing."

The great senior brother was the first hall master of the Great Righteous Martial Hall, Baek Jeongmu.

"The Great Righteous Martial Hall was actually organized by the great senior brother and the secret hall master. He will surely have sothing to say."

"If there is a chance, I will see him."

Kang Sogun nodded. As Shangguan Qingyou returned, Mo Sang said with an embarrassed face.

"I am sorry, Young Master. Since the matter of the secret hall was top secret, the duke of the state had told

not to tell even you, Young Master."

"Is there anything else I don't know?"

"Captain Jin was also actually a mber of the secret hall. But we two only carried out the duke of the state's orders and did not know how the secret hall was run."

It ant that rather than being true mbers of the secret hall, they were Kang Ilbu's errand boys.

"Is there a possibility that the list of the secret hall was with Captain Jin?"

"If so, he would have already told ."

Mo Sang shook his head.

Kang Sogun's mind was complicated by the facts he had suddenly learned.

His father, whom he had thought had been just a conversation partner and advisor to the emperor, seed to have been deeply involved in the court.

'The Great Righteous Martial Hall's secret hall.'

Kang Sogun suddenly had a thought that his father might also have been involved in the downfall of the General Jang's family.

The General Jang's family had been the backbone of the military since the founding emperor. The number of generals in the military who followed the old general, Jang Yeonbo, was greater than those who were loyal to Emperor Yongle.

Following Jang Yeonbo, Jang Hong also had both literary and martial skills, and he showed outstanding ability, so he was a prominent figure among the many generals.

Emperor Yongle might have been burdened by the fact that the power of the General Jang's family was growing stronger day by day. Perhaps he had abolished the General Jang's family even knowing that it was a false accusation.

If the Great Righteous Martial Hall was an imperial force, wouldn't it have contributed to this?

But Kang Sogun wanted to deny it.

'That can't be. My father was a friend of General Jang Hong. He is not a person who would drive out his friend and cause his father to die.'

Kang Sogun shook his head.

Whether he knew Kang Sogun's complicated heart or not, Mo Sang seed relieved after revealing the truth.

"The fifth hall master told . He asked

to find out if you, Young Master, have the intention to succeed the secret hall."

"I have no intention of doing so."

"I thought so. You must protect the Kang Residence, Young Master."

"I am thinking of moving the Kang Residence."

At the sudden words, Mo Sang was greatly surprised.

"Moving the Kang Residence? Ah, do you an you are going to the capital?"

"No, I am thinking of going south."

"What? What do you an by that?"

Mo Sang jumped.

"It is a matter for later. For now, we must first catch the culprit who killed Captain Jin."

Kang Sogun had deliberately provoked Zhu Gaoxu and had shaken the powerful families of Nanjing.

It was a plan to startle the snake by hitting the grass, but the assassin he was aiming for did not co.

Kang Sogun had hardened his suspicion that Jin Uncho's death was related to his investigation of the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

'If it's not Nanjing, it must have been sent from the powerful families of the capital.'

Kang Sogun could not leave the matter of revealing the deaths of his parents, including Jin Uncho, to the Great Righteous Martial Hall alone.

"But you must attend the state funeral."

"There is still ti. Don't worry."

Kang Sogun was waiting for the Cho siblings.

The Cho siblings and Hwang Oh had gone to find Jang Yeongyeong, but there was no news. Kang Sogun had sent the red jade dagger with the Cho siblings.

And he had asked them to find out the circumstances of how the red jade dagger had been lost.

***

Kang Sogun stopped his steps at the young voice coming from one side.

"Hiyah."

The voice ca from the training ground.

Jinyeon was swinging a wooden sword.

While the Cho siblings were away, he was training alone.

Kang Sogun stood on one side and watched Jinyeon swing the wooden sword.

Jinyeon, as if he were conscious of Kang Sogun, swung the wooden sword even more diligently. But since he was a child, his stamina quickly ran out.

Jinyeon, holding the wooden sword, ran out of strength and plopped down.

Kang Sogun approached and massaged Jinyeon's legs.

"Master! I'm fine."

"Master? Am I your master?"

"He told

to call you that."

Kang Sogun smiled, looking at Jinyeon's bright eyes.

"No. Just call

older brother."

"Older brother? But you're an uncle."

"Since I am not yet married, you can call

older brother."

"Is that so? Then I have an older brother too?"

Jinyeon was happy.

"It's amazing. Since you, older brother, massaged them, my legs don't hurt at all."

"Really? If you do as I told you, your legs won't hurt even if I don't massage them."

"Really?"

"But it's not easy. First, you'll have to morize what I said."

"I'll morize it."

Kang Sogun taught Jinyeon the Great Natural Will Art.

"It's too long."

Although Jinyeon frowned, he morized it after hearing it three or four tis. Jinyeon was very intelligent.

Kang Sogun taught him breathing again.

"Can you morize it while breathing like this?"

Jinyeon nodded.

As the two were training together, Mo Sang approached with short steps.

"A ssage has co from Cho Hagyeong."

Mo Sang held out the note in his hand.

"What is this?"

"It's a carrier pigeon ssage."

"Did the Kang Residence also have carrier pigeons?"

"They have been there for a long ti. The duke of the state had trained them. In the anti, since there was no use for them, they just bred, and the food cost was quite high."

It seed Mo Sang had sent a carrier pigeon with the Cho siblings when they had left.

「Capital. Three months」

Since there was no code between them, he had sent only the words.

"They are going to the capital. It seems it will take about three months."

Mo Sang reported and interpreted it himself.

'Did Jang Yeongyeong go to the capital?'

Kang Sogun had heard that the Dragon Slaying Society had ambushed Zhu Zhanji. He had a thought that Jang Yeongyeong, as a mber of the Dragon Slaying Society, might be trying to assassinate the crown prince.

Since the imperial family was an enemy to Jang Yeongyeong, it might be a natural thing.

Kang Sogun said.

"I must go to the capital."

"I thought you would, so I have already prepared everything.

The next day.

Kang Sogun was surprised to see the carriage, servants, and private soldiers who were guarding in front of the main gate. There were as many as twenty private soldiers.

"What is all this?"

Mo Sang said with a proud face.

"This much is needed to show the authority of the Kang Residence."

"It is not necessary. Send them all back."

"What do you an? In the old days, when the duke of the state entered the palace, more than a hundred guards followed."

"I am not the duke of the state."

Kang Sogun said and then got on his horse.

Although Mo Sang made a fuss, Kang Sogun left Nanjing alone, just as he had co.

***

Although the emperor had died, the people were not interested. Since their lives depended on the local officials or the local magnates, it was understandable.

The interest of the public was rather focused on the ranking battle of the ten great masters.

After the confrontation between the Heavenly Demon Saber, Wu Mungeuk, and the Heaven's Center One Sword, Baek Jeongmu, a rumor that a ranking battle between the ten great masters would break out was rampant.

It was the sa now.

In a crowded inn, there was a particularly noisy spot. A group of martial artists were gathered and were talking.

"I heard that the Azure Sky Martial Dragon, Namgung Ak, has challenged the Phoenix Hand this ti."

"Really?"

"Of course, it must be so. Didn't the Phoenix Hand suddenly butt in on the spot where the Yocheon Pavilion Master had died?"

"Who on earth is the Phoenix Hand?"

The Phoenix Hand was a person who had suddenly beco one of the ten great masters after the Yocheon Pavilion Master, Pung Gachae, had died. And he had inherited the ranking of the Yocheon Pavilion Master as it was.

But the Phoenix Hand's origin and na were not known. So there were even more words.

"That's what's suspicious. I think that the current debate about the ten great masters is intentionally created by soone. It's as if they are inciting a fight."

A middle-aged scholar wearing a Confucian scholar's hat said.

"What do you an by that?"

"At so point, the ten great masters were suddenly ntioned. Was there a precedent for ranking them before that? In fact, how is it possible to choose the ten most outstanding among the many masters of the martial world?"

"Well, wasn't it decided by comparing the judgnts of the people who had seen their martial arts?"

"Alright, let's say that's so. But this ti, a person who has never been heard of or seen is one of the ten great masters. I can't believe that ranking. Have you ever heard of the nickna Phoenix Hand? This is sothing that cannot be without soone's intention."

The middle-aged scholar's argunt represented the critical view of the martial artists about the ten great masters.

Then a rebuttal imdiately flew in.

"Hmph! If a master who is not in the ten great masters cannot accept the ranking, can't he challenge and take that spot? But no one has done so. Doesn't this an that they are tacitly acknowledging it?"

"You say that because you don't know the martial world. A true master does not cling to the fa of the martial world. Even the Iron Fist Hero is not lacking compared to the ten great masters. But he rather dislikes being talked about by people."

A heated debate broke out. It was a matter that could not be concluded.

Just then.

"Hah, the Namgung family?"

Soone took a breath and said a word, and the inside of the inn suddenly beca quiet.

Everyone's gaze turned to the door.

Four martial artists in blue clothes were standing there, having entered at so point. From the blue dragon drawn on their martial arts uniforms, it could be seen that they were the martial artists of the Namgung family.

The people had been talking about the decisive battle between Namgung Ok and the Phoenix Hand until just a mont ago. But as the martial artists of the Namgung family appeared coincidentally, everyone closed their mouths as if they had planned it.

A waiter approached. The martial artist looked around and asked.

"Is there a quiet seat?"

"As you can see, there are many custors today. The only remaining seat is over there."

The waiter said, stealthily looking at a corner seat.

The martial artist frowned, as if he did not like the seat.

"It seems you are from the Namgung family. We will give up our seats."

They were the martial artists who had been talking until now. They were at a window seat, and the middle-aged scholar in the group cupped his fists and said.

"Thank you."

The martial artist of the Namgung family cupped his fists and then went out of the inn.

A carriage was visible through the open inn door.

As the martial artist approached and reported, a pair of a man and a woman got out of the carriage with the flag of the Namgung family.

The man, who was wearing a blue jade pendant, was extrely handso, and the woman also had a beauty that drew people's attention.

The woman frowned, as if she did not like the inn.

"How about we just go a little further?"

"The sun will soon set. Shouldn't the subordinates also rest?"

The man dismissed the woman's words and then entered the inn.

(End of Chapter)