Chapter 65 – Asura Bright King (4)
Ban Seo-jeong was guided to a well-furnished guest room deep within the Martial Righteous Alliance’s inner courtyard.
Elder Bing, who had accompanied her, couldn’t enter this far and had to wait outside for her.
The person waiting in the guest room was Sima Cheon.
“Welco, Head Ban.”
“It’s an honor to et you, Commander Sima.”
“Please, have a seat.”
A table with alcohol was already set up. It could be considered rude to prepare alcohol in advance for a first eting, especially knowing the guest was a woman.
Regardless of gender, for an official first eting, it was customary to start with tea and then ask if the guest would like so alcohol.
“Thank you so much for accepting my invitation.”
“Not at all. It’s only natural that I should co and pay my respects.”
“Haha, I feel much more at ease hearing you say that. Here, have a drink.”
She could happily have a drink at a first eting if the other person was good, even as a woman. As soone living in the martial world, she had long since moved past gender distinctions.
But she knew Sima Cheon in front of her better than anyone else.
He was a figure who had been involved in all sorts of corrupt activities while attached to the Heavenly Blade Sect faction. He wasn’t suited for the high position of Martial Righteous Alliance Commander-in-Chief, nor did he have the ability for it. He was more of a politician skilled in scheming rather than a military commander.
Regardless of her inner thoughts, Ban Seo-jeong’s expression showed no sign of discomfort.
Her tactic was to maintain a smile especially towards unfavorable individuals.
With good people, one could convey emotions as they were. If angry, one could say why they were angry. At least they wouldn’t misinterpret it and hold a grudge.
But honestly revealing one’s emotions to soone considered an enemy is truly foolish. Especially if it’s anger. It might feel like venting at the mont, but in the end, it only hurts oneself.
At that mont, soone entered.
“You called for ?”
The person who arrived at Sima Cheon’s call was Gal Sa-ryang.
Gal Sa-ryang was startled to see Ban Seo-jeong there. Ban Seo-jeong was equally surprised. She never dread she would see Gal Sa-ryang here.
“Ah, co to think of it, you two must know each other.”
He pretended as if he hadn’t known when he called.
But both Gal Sa-ryang and Ban Seo-jeong could sense that Sima Cheon had intentionally orchestrated this eting.
“It’s been a long ti. Have you been well?”
As Ban Seo-jeong greeted him first, Gal Sa-ryang also bowed politely.
“Yes. I’ve been well, thanks to you.”
Ban Seo-jeong felt a sad emotion in that response. To her, it sounded like:
How could I be well after losing my lord?
Gal Sa-ryang handed the docunts he had brought to Sima Cheon.
“Here are the docunts you requested.”
“Haha, thank you. Since you’re here, have a drink before you go.”
“I’m still on duty, so I’ll accept it in spirit. Then, I’ll take my leave.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
Sima Cheon didn’t realize there were subtle emotions between the two.
The reason he called Gal Sa-ryang to this eting today was to humiliate him in front of her.
It would be sufficiently humiliating just to show him doing miscellaneous errands as a re soldier now.
Sima Cheon was constantly trying to destroy Gal Sa-ryang’s spirit and bring him to rock bottom. He was enjoying this vicious hobby.
Gal Sa-ryang left the room. Before the door closed completely, Sima Cheon said,
“He was truly a capable person.”
He deliberately used the past tense for Gal Sa-ryang to hear, and at the sa ti, it was a way to gauge Ban Seo-jeong’s attitude towards him.
Ban Seo-jeong smiled and said,
“There are many capable people in the martial world. But there aren’t many that the tis demand.”
Although it wasn’t sincere, to Sima Cheon’s ears, it sounded like sweet words implying that he was the one the tis demanded.
Sima Cheon smiled contentedly.
‘Yes, this is the taste.’
This was the taste of power. If he weren’t the Commander-in-Chief, how could he drink alcohol served by the head of the Heaven’s Net Association, and how could he hear such sweet words sweeter than alcohol?
Before becoming the Martial Righteous Alliance Commander-in-Chief, he wouldn’t have even been able to et the head of the Heaven’s Net Association easily.
He was thoroughly enjoying the rewards of diligently cleaning the Heavenly Blade Sect’s behind. Of course, he was also working hard not to fall from this position.
Various conversations were exchanged, and it was ti for her to leave.
“Then, I’ll see you next ti.”
“Let’s do that.”
Before standing up, Ban Seo-jeong took sothing out from her bosom.
“This is information that recently ca into our association. I brought it as a gift to commorate our eting today, Commander.”
Sima Cheon unfolded it and read.
After reading the contents, Sima Cheon was shocked.
“Is this really a writing left by the forr Alliance Leader?”
“Yes. We have already confird that it’s in his handwriting.”
“How did you obtain this writing?”
Ban Seo-jeong smiled and said,
“As you well know, information in the martial world flows naturally like the laws of nature. Just as no one asks how sumr ca, it’s the sa.”
Sima Cheon couldn’t ask further. He knew well that it was an unwritten rule not to ask about the source of information among information organizations. Moreover, this information was brought as a gift.
In fact, Ban Seo-jeong had been contemplating whether to leak this information or not. It seed better to leak it for Gal Sa-ryang’s sake, but given the nature of the matter, there were various burdens.
However, after seeing Sima Cheon call Gal Sa-ryang here to humiliate him, she decided to leak the information.
She left the guest room first, and Sima Cheon also hurriedly left the place.
***
“Sothing is suspicious.”
Cho Byeok, who had rushed at Sima Cheon’s call, imdiately expressed doubt after hearing about the conversation with Ban Seo-jeong.
“Moreover, the timing is too coincidental.”
“Wasn’t it confird to be written by the Alliance Leader himself?”
“Handwriting can be forged.”
“There was content about the Soul-Chasing Asura Sword Arts that only the Alliance Leader would know. How do you explain that?”
“That also ans it can’t be accurately verified unless it’s the Alliance Leader himself.”
“Let’s wait for now. Our side is also analyzing the handwriting.”
He had entrusted it to the most skilled analyst in the Martial Righteous Alliance.
“If, as you suspect, it’s forged, does that an the head of the Heaven’s Net Association is opposing ?”
He still couldn’t understand. Opposing him ant opposing the Martial Righteous Alliance, in other words, risking the life of the organization.
“Would the Heaven’s Net Association risk their lives over sothing like this?”
Sima Cheon tilted his head. No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t seem likely.
“Soone might be using them.”
“Who? That forr Alliance Protection Regint Leader?”
The first person that ca to mind was Baek Pyo. He was currently under suspicion of possibly having the sword.
“From my impression of him that day, and judging by his past record, he doesn’t seem like soone who would plot such a thing.”
Cho Byeok agreed with this opinion.
“Gal Sa-ryang might have plotted it.”
“That’s possible too.”
Gal Sa-ryang was under surveillance. If he had contacted the Heaven’s Net Association, he would have been notified. Of course, being a seasoned veteran, he might have evaded surveillance and t with the head of the Heaven’s Net Association.
But seeing the two earlier, it didn’t seem likely. When they first t, they were genuinely surprised to see each other. He could tell it wasn’t feigned surprise, and he could also sense that they hadn’t t for a very long ti.
At that mont, a subordinate entered the office to report.
“The handwriting analysis confirms it’s definitely written by the forr Alliance Leader.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, they’re certain.”
“Any possibility of forgery?”
“None at all. The analyst says it appears to have been written a few months before the forr Alliance Leader passed away. The part ntioning martial arts was also confird by the elder masters in the Council of Elders to seem like it was written by the Alliance Leader.”
“I see. You may go now.”
After the subordinate left, Sima Cheon looked at Cho Byeok.
Cho Byeok still couldn’t shake off his doubts.
“Even if this is real, we should be suspicious of it being released at this particular ti.”
“If soone intentionally released it, it would be either Baek Pyo or Gal Sa-ryang. They’re the only two who might have kept the Alliance Leader’s belongings. But what aning does it have now? The important thing is that the Asura Bright King Sword no longer exists in this world.”
The reason Sima Cheon had wanted to obtain the Asura Bright King Sword was to present it to Ma Bong-gi and gain his trust.
But once it was revealed that the sword didn’t exist, his interest disappeared along with it.
“Stop the investigation on Baek Pyo. We have more important things to do.”
Sima Cheon wasn’t interested in what martial artists wanted. As he had lived his whole life, he was still looking for what Ma Bong-gi wanted.
***
That evening, I was able to briefly et Baek Pyo’s son, Myeong-i, who ca on an errand for his mother.
“Say hello. This is Young Master Byeok.”
“Nice to et you. I’m Myeong-i.”
He was Baek Pyo’s seven-year-old son. With intelligent eyes, he was well-mannered for his age. Well, whose son wouldn’t be well-mannered?
“Who does he take after to be so handso? Your wife must be very beautiful.”
Baek Pyo was flustered at the word “sister-in-law.” After all, he was just the owner of a tavern, while I was a custor and the heir of the Byeok Clan Sword Manor.
When I gave a friendly smile, Baek Pyo soon relaxed. A look of appreciation flashed in his eyes towards . He was more touched because he hadn’t expected it.
It should have been like this in my past life. A single word, a small consideration like this moves people’s hearts. Why did I live so rigidly, thinking that the authority of the Alliance Leader was so important?
“Myeong-i, always listen to your parents.”
When I handed the child a coin, he looked at Baek Pyo, asking if it was okay to accept it.
When Baek Pyo nodded, the child thanked with a bow and ran off through the back door.
Baek Pyo’s gaze towards Myeong-i deepened.
“These days, I live for the joy of raising that boy.”
Baek Pyo spent his youth protecting .
He wandered through all sorts of battlefields with , fighting like mad.
In the process, he lost countless comrades. The wounds in his heart must be deeper than the dozens of scars on his body. Wounds that will never fade.
And now, after leaving the Martial Righteous Alliance, Baek Pyo is guarding my sword.
He has spent his entire life protecting and things related to .
Considering his life… what was so important about the life of an old man full of authority? What was that sword worth?
So, Baek Pyo, you can be happy now. Enjoy happiness to your heart’s content.
Now, I will protect you.
***
Three n entered a manor on the outskirts of Wuhan.
They had different body types and ages, each with their own characteristics.
The older-looking man was hairy. His sideburns covered his face, and hair was thick on the backs of his hands and arms. Another man was an enormous figure, with forearms that seed as thick as an ordinary person’s waist. The last man had an incredibly ugly face, like smashed soybeans.
While they each had distinct features, one thing was similar.
Their eyes were full of killing intent, a chronic bloodlust that made it seem like they could casually kill soone and then eat a al next to the body.
These were the Three Shadows, Cho Byeok’s three shadows.
The person waiting for them was Cho Byeok.
“You’ve co.”
“You called all three of us. What’s the matter?”
“Unfortunately, the mission that required you has been canceled.”
The Three Shadows showed disappointnt.
Then Cho Byeok took out three or four 100-nyang notes and gave them to them.
“Rest for a while, enjoying won’s company.”
The Three Shadows’ expressions imdiately brightened.
“Don’t leave Wuhan until I give orders.”
Cho Byeok didn’t send them away. While Sima Cheon had dropped this matter, he still felt uneasy. He had a feeling there was sothing more, sothing hidden.
So he planned to secretly find out more from Baek Pyo. Of course, he didn’t intend to report the results to Sima Cheon. He wanted to prove to himself that his intuition wasn’t wrong.
As the Three Shadows were about to leave, one of them casually asked,
“By the way, who was our original target?”
“The forr Alliance Protection Regint Leader.”
“He must be quite strong.”
“Strong is an understatent. Even if the three of you attack together, you won’t be able to kill him.”
“Is he that powerful?”
“What do you think the Martial Righteous Alliance’s Alliance Protection Regint is? They’re the ones who protect the Alliance Leader. The Alliance Protection Regint Leader is the head of such people. Even I can’t win in a direct confrontation. But don’t worry. He has a wife and son. We can make him kneel anyti.”
A vile expression crossed the faces of all four n simultaneously. This was how they had lived so far, and how they had survived.
“Once soone’s on your kill list, brother, whether it’s the Alliance Protection Regint Leader or his grandfather, the result would be the sa, right?”
After all, no one who got involved with them had survived. No matter how skilled, they always found a weakness and killed them.
After they left, I revealed myself.
I had been keeping a close eye on the Three Shadows’ movents as they were coming to Wuhan.
I heard their entire conversation while concealing my presence.
When I heard that the order had been canceled, I realized my plan had succeeded.
But it was only half a success. That Cho Byeok hadn’t completely let go of his suspicions. The evidence was that he didn’t send the Three Shadows away.
The mont he ntioned Baek Pyo’s family, I made up my mind.
To eliminate all four of them completely.
It’s the act I hate the most. ssing with family and harming people who don’t know martial arts. And if it’s Baek Pyo’s family?
I wanted to eliminate them all right here, but I didn’t.
I had gone to great lengths to make them believe I had gotten rid of the Asura Bright King Sword, so there was no need to create another reason for Sima Cheon to be suspicious.
I will eliminate them with a ti delay, entangling them in a completely different matter.
You’ve been added to my kill list.
Leave your last words on your own kill list.
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