Answer with Stratagems (3)
Song Hwa-Rin was standing in the training ground.
Far away, there stood a log the size of an adult.
She was glaring at the log as if facing an enemy, and Su-Ran was watching her from one side.
Song Hwa-Rin kicked off the ground and leaped into the air.
After springing up powerfully, she spun once in midair and thrust out her sword.
Her sword seemed to flash, and then sword qi was scattered.
Shiiiiiik!
The sword qi that flew like light split the log cleanly in half.
After landing on the ground, a bright smile bloomed on Song Hwa-Rin’s face.
“I did it!”
Su-Ran ran over, delighted.
“You succeeded! You finally used sword qi!”
Today, she had succeeded in using her first sword qi.
“Yes, I finally succeeded.”
It was thanks to the newly learned Jinhwa Sword Art. There had been a form in the early part that used sword qi. She had done as she had been taught, and the result was a great success.
Anyone who had learned Martial Arts could never forget the moment they first released sword qi.
“How was it for you? Do you remember?”
At Song Hwa-Rin’s question, Su-Ran answered,
“Of course. I could not sleep all night that day.”
“Haha. I think I will be the same.”
“I truly congratulate you.”
“Thank you.”
“Young Lady. The sword qi you released just now was not ordinary sword qi.”
“What do you mean?”
“This is the first time I have ever seen someone’s first sword qi be this accurate and clean.”
“Isn’t sword qi originally like this?”
“Of course not. Most first attempts are so weak that it feels almost embarrassing to call them sword qi.”
“You too?”
“Of course. It was just enough for me to barely feel that something had left my sword.”
“When I set up that log, you must have laughed at me inside.”
“I did not laugh, but I never imagined you would actually cut it. Even releasing sword qi is difficult, so having your first sword qi hit the target is something unimaginable.”
“Ah, I see.”
Song Hwa-Rin knew that the Jinhwa Sword Art she had learned was not ordinary, but that had only been a vague thought. Today, however, she had clearly realized just how extraordinary the Jinhwa Sword Art was.
She thought of Byeok Ri-Dan and wanted to see him. She wanted to thank him for passing on such excellent Martial Arts to her.
No, perhaps she simply wanted to see him and was using that as an excuse.
The evidence proving the relationship between Sima Tian and Jo Byeok was clear evidence that could drag Sima Tian down from the position of Chief Strategist.
Kidnapping a young child and using her as a courtesan to earn money was a grave crime deserving beheading. Having someone who committed such an act as his right-hand man was not something that would end simply with him stepping down from the position of Chief Strategist.
Gal Sa-Ryang intended to unravel the thread like this.
“We must move the Law Enforcement Hall.”
The Law Enforcement Hall was the place in charge of inspection and law enforcement within the Grand Martial Alliance. Except for the Alliance Lord, no one could refuse the orders of the Law Enforcement Hall. It was an absolute institution with the authority to summon and arrest anyone, and to search any place.
Usually, it was the quietest place, but once it began moving, it was precisely the Law Enforcement Hall that raised the most terrifying storm.
“But the problem is that the Law Enforcement Hall Master is on their side.”
When the central organization of the Grand Martial Alliance had selected the Alliance Lord before, the Law Enforcement Hall Master had also agreed to choose Ma Bong-Gi. In other words, the Law Enforcement Hall Master had also been recruited by Bright Moon Corps Leader Zuo Tie-Long.
“Even so, if we cannot move the Law Enforcement Hall, then this evidence we went through such effort to find will ultimately become useless.”
“Then we must move the Law Enforcement Hall Master no matter what.”
In other words, they had to split the enemy apart.
“And we must find a way as quickly as possible.”
Sima Tian was quick-witted and faithful to his desires. He would not simply sit by after failing to kill Gal Sa-Ryang.
He would definitely try to eliminate Gal Sa-Ryang again. Before that, we had to strike him first from our side.
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I left this matter entirely to Gal Sa-Ryang.
The matter with Sima Tian was something he had to find a method for. In any case, it was a battle of minds between strategists, and I trusted Gal Sa-Ryang.
He told me to rest for a few days and did not assign me any work.
Thanks to that, I had time to read the Ghost Gate Evasion Treatise I had obtained from the Life-and-Death Tower.
I already had basic knowledge of formations to begin with. Because of that, the terminology was not difficult, nor was it hard to understand what it was saying.
It was a book containing tremendous formations, yet it was written in a way that was easy to understand. I could guess the reason.
The Ghost Gate Evasion Treatise was a book meant to be offered to the Demonic Cult Leader. That was why it had been made easy enough for an ordinary person, not a formation expert, to read and understand.
Thanks to that, I had gained an opportunity to easily understand and learn top-class formations.
I also practiced according to what was actually written.
The most basic formations could be made simply using objects around me. Formations that made people lose their way by arranging stones or tree branches could be created easily.
Easy formations activated just by placing the materials accurately in their positions, but the higher-level formations required more materials, needed force control during installation, and some even required operating a set mental art.
Some required other instruments, and there were even formations that needed dozens of those instruments.
Naturally, the higher the formation, the more precious the materials required. There were also formations that cost hundreds or thousands of nyang to activate even once.
Such formations became terrifying formations capable of annihilating Jianghu experts.
However, what was actually more helpful to me than the installation methods of formations was the method to break them. That was the part that would be realistically useful.
I learned how to find the locations of the Life Gate and the Death Gate when trapped inside a formation.
Today, too, I was reading the Ghost Gate Evasion Treatise until late at night when someone came looking for me. When I went out, it was Gal Sa-Ryang.
“Shall we walk for a moment?”
“Yes.”
We left the lodging and walked together through the outer grounds of the Grand Martial Alliance. Under the moonlight, where there was no one around, Gal Sa-Ryang said,
“I found a way to eliminate Sima Tian.”
As expected, he did not betray my expectations.
Sima Tian was sitting in his office, flipping through documents.
He left the work to his subordinates, and the work he himself did was separate.
The report he was reading was material from background investigations on figures within the Grand Martial Alliance. One of Sima Tian’s long-held theories was that there was no such thing as a person who would not raise dust when shaken. If one did not have ability, then one had to at least display skillful means. That was his philosophy of survival.
At that moment, strategist-in-charge Chae Mo entered and carefully opened his mouth.
“There is a strange rumor circulating within the Alliance.”
“A strange rumor?”
“That is…”
He hesitated to speak, and only after Sima Tian urged him did he say it.
“It is a rumor that the Law Enforcement Hall is planning to investigate something related to you, Strategist.”
“What?”
Sima Tian was startled.
“Why would the Law Enforcement Hall?”
“They say it is an investigation into whether there is a connection with Jo Byeok.”
Bang!
Sima Tian slammed the desk down mercilessly.
“These crazy bastards! I said I have no connection to him, so why the hell are they making a fuss? And over something that is already over!”
A dead man kept trying to hold him back by the ankle. He knew very well that if he became connected to Jo Byeok, it would be the end.
The problem was not merely that Jo Byeok had operated a courtesan house with young girls. Rather, he could simply deny that and say he had not known.
He had made Jo Byeok handle countless matters. Among them were several cases where people who should not have been killed had been killed. If those things were revealed, he was finished.
“Could this be related to the recent matter?”
Gal Sa-Ryang’s face came to mind. Or perhaps it might be Ma Bong-Gi’s side trying to eliminate him. In any case, he first had to put out the fire that had fallen on his own feet.
“Damn it! Go and bring me the Law Enforcement Hall Master’s file!”
“Yes! Understood.”
Chae Mo hurriedly ran out.
Sima Tian raised his eyes in displeasure.
“Arrogant bastard! You dare try to touch me?”
Three days later, one carriage quietly entered a manor sunk in darkness.
It was late at night, so there were no eyes watching, but the two experts sitting on the driver’s seat looked around. Only after confirming that there was no one nearby did they open the carriage door.
The person who stepped down from the carriage was Law Enforcement Hall Master Ga Gyeong.
A woman with an elegant bearing guided him inside the house. She was a very beautiful and noble-looking middle-aged woman, the kind not easily seen in ordinary life.
The person waiting for him in the room was Sima Tian.
He rose from his seat and welcomed him warmly.
“Welcome, Hall Master Ga.”
Ga Gyeong, on the other hand, felt deeply uncomfortable.
“For what reason did you ask to see me?”
Since becoming Chief Strategist, Sima Tian had never once asked to meet him separately. Even more so not in such a secretive manor.
“First, sit down and wet your throat.”
Sima Tian guided him to the seat of honor. He forcibly seated him even though Ga Gyeong said there was no need.
Fine dishes and expensive liquor had been prepared at the table.
Ga Gyeong accepted the liquor but placed it down without drinking. He was reluctant to be here, but Sima Tian had contacted him saying there was an important matter they had to meet about directly. Because of the nature of his work, he almost never made contact with people from other organizations, but because the other person was the Chief Strategist, he could not refuse.
“What exactly is this about?”
“It has been a long time since we met, so there is no need to rush, is there?”
At that moment, the door opened, and the middle-aged woman who had guided Ga Gyeong earlier entered. She was so elegant and beautiful that his gaze naturally turned to her.
“This is Madam Im. She is so wise that I receive a great deal of help from her.”
Sima Tian made it clear that this place was not a courtesan house, but a private residence.
The woman politely greeted Ga Gyeong.
“It is my first time meeting you. I am truly honored to meet the highly renowned Hall Master.”
“You flatter me.”
Soon after, a young woman followed her in.
“She is my younger sister. Come in and greet these two gentlemen.”
“My name is Hwa-Seon.”
The moment he saw her, Ga Gyeong was startled.
She was a beautiful woman. Ga Gyeong could not take his eyes off her. It was not simply because she was young and beautiful. She possessed the exact kind of appearance he truly liked. She was truly a woman he would have wanted to meet even in a dream.
Sima Tian’s background investigation had even included his sexual preferences.
As expected, the preparation was worthwhile. The moment he saw her, Ga Gyeong’s heart wavered. There was something there that reason could not suppress.
“Please accept a cup, Hall Master.”
He knew this was a trap, but he could not refuse.
When Ga Gyeong came to his senses, he was lying on a bed.
His head throbbed. It had been a very long time since he had drunk this much.
A naked woman lay beside him. It was the young woman from yesterday. Memories came back in flashes. Memories of madly making love with the woman all night.
At that moment, Sima Tian’s voice came from outside.
“Hall Master Ga. Are you awake?”
Ga Gyeong gathered his clothes and went outside. He could clearly tell that this meeting had been a deliberate act of entertainment.
“What do you want?”
Sima Tian smiled and said,
“I want nothing. As I grow older, I have come to think this way. At our age, we should know how to enjoy ourselves. If we collapse and die after doing nothing but work, what a miserable life that would be.”
Sima Tian was not such an easygoing person that he would immediately say what he wanted just because he was asked.
Sima Tian and Ga Gyeong met again two days later, and again the day after that.
Ga Gyeong became completely infatuated with the woman.
Sima Tian knew that he had perfectly taken the bait. Throughout his life, Sima Tian had handled people in many ways.
There were several methods that worked well. Flattering them with pleasant words, showing off power, feeding them money, tempting them with beautiful women.
What worked best on Ga Gyeong was women.
Before the drinking table was prepared and the women came in, while the two of them were alone, Ga Gyeong asked,
“Now, tell me. I am not that slow-witted.”
Ga Gyeong’s attitude toward Sima Tian was much softer than it had been on the first day.
Sima Tian realized that the moment had come to pull the fishing rod. If he left it too long, the fish would eat only the bait and run away.
“Very well. I will speak honestly. I heard a rumor that the Law Enforcement Hall intends to investigate me this time.”
“I heard that rumor too. So it was because of that rumor after all.”
Ga Gyeong had no intention of investigating him. He, too, had heard that content only as a rumor.
On the first day he met Sima Tian, he had not even known about it. That was why he had wondered why this man was acting this way.
Only after hearing the rumor the next day could he roughly guess. He realized Sima Tian was trying to make a good impression on him because of that matter. During the two meetings after that, he had simply pretended not to know. In this kind of relationship, the one who first makes a request is naturally at a disadvantage.
Sima Tian, on the other hand, thought Ga Gyeong was pretending not to know. Come to think of it, even if it were him, he would not easily say that he was trying to investigate the other person.
Now was the time to throw the winning move.
“That man Jo Byeok, to be honest, I knew him. I occasionally had him run small errands for me. But I swear to the heavens, I did not know he was operating such a courtesan house.”
“I see.”
“When one does great work, there are bound to be things that must be handled quietly.”
“I understand.”
Ga Gyeong had already made up his mind about this.
“When one does great work, there are also things that must be buried.”
If he had intended to refuse, he should have stood up and left on the first day.
Just then, the door opened and the two women entered. When he saw the woman’s face, a smile formed naturally on Ga Gyeong’s face.
Sima Tian also smiled brightly, pleased that his method of handling people had worked properly.
“Now then, let us enjoy ourselves again today!”
But he did not know the most important thing.
Right now, he was not playing.
He was being played.
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