In Search of the Head (1)
Jin’s report was astonishing.
“The Grand Martial Alliance has announced that the Blood Sky Cult has revived.”
For a moment, I wore a blank expression.
Jin would think I felt as if I had been struck hard, but that was not it.
I had already experienced an attempt to remove the fatal restrictions of the Bulhoe Ma-Ryeong-In.
To be precise, it was not the revival of the Blood Sky Cult, but likely the conspiracy of a new force using the name of the Blood Sky Cult.
The Blood Sky Cult could not revive. Because every last one of them had died by my hand.
The reason I was briefly lost in thought was because countless memories of the Blood Sky Cult came to mind. The long battle against them, and that difficult final bloody struggle against the cult leader.
“And so, in the coming third month, the Grand Martial Alliance is said to be recruiting large numbers of new martial artists for each of its organizations. In a few days, this news will spread throughout the entire Central Plains.”
The third month meant two months from now.
How should I interpret this matter? Was this Ma Bong-Gi’s will? Or was it the will of the force behind him?
It was something one could not know unless there were spies deep inside the Grand Martial Alliance. We had not yet planted spies inside the Grand Martial Alliance. Jin and Su said they were confident, but I still considered it too early.
I was still thirsty for information, and I knew the solution.
I went to visit Baek Pyo for the first time in a while.
He was rolling through the snow together with the Black Panther Unit in the middle of hellish training. Compared to their training, the Lesser Sword Unit’s training could be called light warm-up exercises, so severe and dangerous was the Black Panther Unit’s training.
Their eyes had completely changed from when I had come before.
“Have you escaped being cats now?”
At my question, they answered thunderously.
“Yes, we have!”
I called forward the man who had faced me before once more.
Now, without another word, he drew his sword and charged in.
Swish.
He was faster and more accurate than before. Enough that the fruits of his training could clearly be felt.
Whiriririk.
Even at the moment when he spun through the air regardless of his own will and slammed into the ground, his gaze did not leave me.
Thud.
Being defeated was the same, but this time, he had recognized that he was being defeated.
When I extended my hand, he clasped it and rose to his feet.
Looking at him, I smiled and said,
“You are still a cat. But you have become a fiercer cat than last time.”
The man wore a dejected expression, but soon revealed his will that next time, he absolutely would not be defeated so easily.
As I was about to turn and leave with Baek Pyo, the man asked,
“That technique just now—what Martial Art in the world was it?”
The other martial artists of the Black Panther Unit also looked at me with the same question in their eyes.
I tapped the sword at my waist and said,
“I am a person who uses swordsmanship.”
Not only the man, but everyone was startled. It seemed they had thought barehanded Martial Arts were my main skill and that I wore a sword to confuse my opponents. Then again, the level of the Immortal Crane Secret Art was so high that it was understandable.
“Someday, try to become able to draw my sword from me.”
Everyone looked at one another with startled and bewildered expressions.
Leaving them behind, I walked side by side with Baek Pyo.
“How are they?”
“Very good.”
Rather, Baek Pyo’s own presence was the sharpest. A tremendous amount of mental effort must be going into making them be reborn anew. At the same time, Baek Pyo too was being reborn as if grinding his sword on a whetstone.
“Be careful not to wear down your body.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
I revealed to Baek Pyo the reason I had come to find him.
I told him what Jin had reported. That the Blood Sky Cult was supposedly trying to revive, and that in preparation for it, the Grand Martial Alliance was recruiting people.
“The revival of the Blood Sky Cult? It is difficult to believe.”
Because he had spent much time with me, he knew. It was truly not easy for them to revive.
“Moreover, has it not been more than thirty years since they were destroyed?”
“I think the same.”
“What in the world are they plotting?”
“When I heard the report this time, I judged that I needed one person.”
“Who is it?”
“The person you mentioned.”
Baek Pyo said with a pleased expression,
“It is Strategist Gal.”
“That is right.”
“You have thought well. If we are to accomplish the great undertaking, we absolutely need Strategist Gal.”
Originally, I had intended to bring him over a little later. But the way the situation was moving was far from ordinary. I had decided that I had to bring Gal Sa-Ryang over before those bastards created an even bigger incident.
“I will go. If I persuade him, perhaps he may leave the Grand Martial Alliance and come to our lord.”
“That may be so.”
Just from the fact that Gal Sa-Ryang had entrusted the Asura Hell King Sword to Baek Pyo, one could know how deep that trust was.
But there was a reason it could not be done that way.
“Do you not have work you must do?”
Raising the Black Panther Unit was just as important as bringing Gal Sa-Ryang over. I did not want to interrupt the flow of this training.
“Moreover, Strategist Gal is the former Chief Strategist, and they must still be watching him. It is not desirable for you to attempt contact with him.”
And the decisive reason was this.
“As you know, this is something I must do personally.”
This was the formation of a bond between lord and retainer. It was not something for a matchmaker to step forward and arrange. I thought I had to move him sincerely and make him follow me.
“You are correct. Then do you have any plan?”
“I intend to go meet him.”
“Yes? You, Young Master? How?”
“This time, all the organizations of the Grand Martial Alliance are gathering new personnel. The Justice Pavilion is the same.”
“You mean you will enter the Justice Pavilion?”
Perhaps it was unexpected, because Baek Pyo was startled.
“That is right. I intend to enter the Justice Pavilion and make him my person.”
Whether I would take him out or leave him there would be decided according to the situation at that time.
“Will that be possible?”
“It will not be easy.”
“No, I mean entering the Justice Pavilion.”
I had naturally thought I would be able to enter.
“Is it difficult?”
“Of course it is difficult. It is a place even the descendants of the greatest scholarly families in the Central Plains barely manage to enter.”
I shrugged and said,
“I will study hard from now on. There are still two months left.”
Baek Pyo shook his head and burst out laughing.
“Haha, you truly are remarkable.”
He was probably half-doubtful and half-believing, but I was sincere. By any means necessary, I would enter the Justice Pavilion and make Gal Sa-Ryang my ally.
“I will bring Strategist Gal.”
Now was the time to go find my person.
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“Strategist Gal! Have you still not found his whereabouts?”
Sima Tian’s voice rose.
“Yes.”
Gal Sa-Ryang lowered his head deeply with an apologetic face.
“The Nameless Great Hero has completely vanished from this Jianghu.”
“You pathetic fellow. Do you call that an answer? Truly incompetent. Incompetent!”
“I apologize.”
It was not that he had deliberately not searched. Gal Sa-Ryang had done his utmost to find the Nameless Great Hero. Of course, he had even mobilized his own private intelligence network.
But he had not found any trace of him.
Gal Sa-Ryang kept three possibilities in mind. That he had died, that he had completely gone into hiding, or that he was operating as another person.
He thought he was probably operating as another person. Someone capable of screwing over Ma Ryeong-In could not have died or gone into hiding so easily. He must be preparing some other blow.
“Instead, in the process, I discovered one thing.”
Gal Sa-Ryang held out documents with a secretive air.
“Oh-ho.”
Sima Tian’s expression relaxed, and a smile appeared around his mouth.
“It is worth investigating.”
He had investigated and reported on corrupt figures among the people of Jianghu.
The investigation mentioned here was not a simple investigation. It meant the process of pressuring those bastards and wringing interests and money from them. It was taking from evil bastards and filling the belly of an even greater villain.
The money that had entered Sima Tian’s pockets over the course of a year reached one hundred thousand taels. He had made Sima Tian earn money he had never touched in his life.
Of course, Gal Sa-Ryang took a portion of it for himself, proving that they were in the same boat. If they were caught, they would die together.
Since it was money wrung from villains anyway, there was no pricking of conscience, and he did not even think the method was wrong. Gal Sa-Ryang did not think of personal honor or what would come later. Once he found those who had killed Cheon Ha-Jin and took revenge, he intended to leave this Jianghu forever.
Thanks to that, Gal Sa-Ryang escaped Sima Tian’s surveillance. Of course, Sima Tian must still be watching him, but the surveillance from before had disappeared. Though he was scolded as incompetent, he had become much closer to Sima Tian. In the first place, when people share bad deeds, they tend to grow close rapidly. Gal Sa-Ryang had put in a great deal of effort to come this far.
“You heard the news, didn’t you? In spring, our pavilion must also accept new martial artists. You take charge of that matter.”
“Understood.”
Gal Sa-Ryang, who was about to turn and leave, asked as if something had suddenly occurred to him.
“By the way, where in the world did this absurd talk of the Blood Sky Cult’s revival come from?”
It was something the Grand Martial Alliance had announced, despite the Justice Pavilion not even being aware of it. Of course, Gal Sa-Ryang knew it was Ma Bong-Gi’s announcement. He was merely testing the waters once.
“Well, that…”
Sima Tian trailed off and slightly lifted his eyes upward. It meant the order had come down from the Alliance Lord Hall.
“When it comes to the Demonic Cult, people of Jianghu go into fits. It is the fastest way to gather power.”
“Is the Alliance’s power not already sufficient?”
“The stronger power is, the better. You do not need to know any more.”
“Yes, I will take my leave now.”
From his answer, Gal Sa-Ryang could feel it. Sima Tian also did not know the inner circumstances in detail. Ma Bong-Gi was thoroughly excluding him from truly important matters.
Did that Sima Tian truly not know about the force behind the scenes? Or was he pretending not to know?
His distance with Sima Tian had narrowed greatly, but there was still nothing but things he did not know.
When I looked into the examination for entering the Justice Pavilion, it was indeed not easy.
I immediately began studying.
If until now I had spent most of the day training, now I invested most of the day in studying. Since my internal energy had reached two gapja and I could use the Fifth Form, I now only did Martial Arts training lightly, as a way to loosen my body.
Truly, how long had it been since I studied? Ah, in my previous life, had I ever studied in order to enter somewhere?
Thinking about it, I had not.
I asked Jin and Su to find out what kind of examinations had been held before, and what kind of studying had to be done. It was not something that could be taken lightly. There were dozens of books that basically had to be read.
I read and read again. I cut down on sleep at night and read books.
Today too, I was absorbed in studying from dawn.
While I was reading a book for quite some time, I spoke without looking back.
“Stop peeking and come in.”
Gwangdu, who had been peeking through the crack in the door, came inside.
The fellow quietly approached and confirmed that the books on the desk were not Martial Arts manuals.
“So the rumors are true after all.”
“What rumors?”
“The rumor that Young Master has become strange again.”
“Haha.”
Then again, Mother had come yesterday and placed her hand on my forehead before leaving. But one thing had changed from before. Now she did not stop me from doing what I intended to do. She truly believed in me now.
“What in the world are you doing this for?”
“There should be balance in learning too.”
“So has balance been achieved?”
“It is still far off.”
While studying this time, there were things I felt. I realized that until now, I had truly lived a life far too biased toward martial force.
Of course, through decades of life as Alliance Lord, I had seen and heard an enormous amount. So I had naturally thought I could pass something like the Justice Pavilion entrance exam.
But when I actually studied properly, it was different from what I had thought. Knowledge gained by roughly hearing and guessing was completely different from formal study.
Like Martial Arts, study had a world of its own. It was absolutely not something to look down on.
Fortunately, my memory had developed dramatically, and my mind was very clear.
I diligently memorized and memorized again. Just as in Martial Arts, only after bloody repetitive training can creative forms emerge, in study too, there were things one had to fundamentally memorize. I memorized what had to be memorized and understood what had to be understood.
“By the way, I heard good news. You decided to go out with Do-Sun?”
“The rumor has already spread?”
“Where are there secrets in our sword unit?”
That was how good the atmosphere in the sword unit was, and how close the sword unit members were to one another.
“How did it happen?”
“One day, when my heart suddenly stirred, I went to her and honestly told her how I felt. That I still liked her. That before, I had been too immature and had charged in without knowing anything. In truth, I do not even know what I said or how I said it. I was too nervous.”
“Your courage bore fruit.”
“We have not decided to date yet. We simply decided to go on an outing once.”
I gave Gwangdu ten silver taels.
“Here, eat something delicious that day.”
“No. You do not need to give this to me. I have plenty of money.”
Gwangdu was flustered. He was still excessively stiff at times like this.
“I am not telling you to go and show off. I am saying that if possible, wear slightly neater clothes and eat at a place with a slightly better atmosphere. Show that you are putting in a lot of effort for the other person. If she were a woman trying to leech off a man, it would be a stupid, pointless thing to do, but Do-Sun is not that kind of girl, is she?”
“Young Master.”
Gwangdu was moved by my feelings.
“Do not be greedy and try to do everything at once. Go with the feeling that you will spend one day having fun together. There is no need to create an atmosphere, and there is no need to confess again that you like her.”
“Yes, I will keep it in mind! I will definitely with Do-Sun…”
“Do not use the word definitely in matters between men and women.”
“Yes!”
Because matters between men and women were unknowable. Perhaps they were so unknowable that even living a lifetime would not be enough to understand them.
After Gwangdu left, I opened the book again.
Even if I did not understand matters between men and women, I knew this much. Right now was the time to make effort. Women might betray, but effort would not.
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