82.
The chill of dawn had not yet fully lifted from the Black Dragon Gang’s office.
Only a single lamp flickered, leaving the room in silence. Uncheon took the head seat, and Sa Domyeong sat opposite him.
In one corner of the floor, Jeon Manho lay sprawled, bound and half-conscious. Dried blood clung to the corners of his mouth, and the black mark of the Seal was clearly visible on the tip of his tongue.
Sa Domyeong’s gaze, which had been scanning Jeon Manho, shifted to Uncheon.
“Gang Leader. To be honest, I am surprised.”
Sa Domyeong’s tone was more respectful than usual.
“Recovering Jeon Manho alive is a result that exceeds all expectations. The Inspectorate has also been moving for a long time to capture him. While the clearing of the Gold Coin Pavilion’s hidden inn and the slaughter of the Escort Leader Gwak Tu were impressive... capturing this man alive is far more significant.”
Uncheon set down his teacup.
“Striking the Gold Coin Pavilion was, in the first place, due to the Inspectorate’s request. If so, how does the Inspectorate intend to pay for a result that matches that?”
Sa Domyeong caught his breath for a brief moment.
“...Please, tell me first what it is that you desire, Gang Leader.”
“Three things.”
Uncheon held up one finger.
“First. All interrogation records and information extracted from Jeon Manho. The codes, the list of sacrifices, the transport routes, and even the remnants of the Gold Coin Pavilion.”
Sa Domyeong nodded.
“...Of course. Since it was the Black Dragon Gang that captured Jeon Manho, that is not excessive.”
Uncheon held up another finger.
“Second. The Inspectorate’s tacit approval of the Black Dragon Gang’s absorption of the Blood Axe Fortress and the Iron Shark Gang.”
Sa Domyeong’s teacup paused for a moment.
“...Those two organizations were officially indigenous local forces. However, in reality, they were under the secret patronage of the Demonic Cult. It would be a lie to say that our headquarters was unaware of that.”
“Then leave them be. Since the Gold Coin Pavilion has committed such deeds, there will be no faction that dares to openly make an issue of it. If necessary, I can simply expose Jeon Manho’s atrocities.”
“...That is true. I will report as much to the Vice-Director. Since they are already in the Gang Leader’s hands, there is no reason for our headquarters to overturn this. For the sake of a smooth relationship with the Black Dragon Gang as well...”
In other words, as long as the current relationship between the Inspectorate and the Black Dragon Gang was maintained, there would be no issues.
Although he had attached a condition, it was, in effect, an acceptance.
Uncheon held up his third finger. And this time, he looked Sa Domyeong straight in the eyes for a moment.
“Third. Information regarding the Sura Blood Sect and the Blood Venerable.”
“...”
“Feed me information on their movements periodically.”
Sa Domyeong tapped the rim of his teacup with his fingertips.
Once.
Twice.
Even that neat sound caused the air in the room to settle.
“Gang Leader. That is... a line that is difficult to even mention lightly, even within the Inspectorate.”
Uncheon’s gaze did not waver.
“That is why it has value.”
A short silence.
Sa Domyeong breathed in deeply.
“Information regarding the Venerables is not the kind that can be easily held and moved, even by the Inspectorate. Especially in the case of the Blood Venerable and the Sura Blood Sect.”
Uncheon set down the teacup he had been holding.
“I struck the Gold Coin Pavilion’s hidden inn, killed Gwak Tu, and captured Jeon Manho alive. I even took the Iron Shark Gang and the Blood Axe Fortress. The Inspectorate will obtain the ledgers and Jeon Manho without lifting a finger.”
The air in the office turned cold.
“If you cannot even provide a few scraps of information in exchange for that... is there any reason for me to continue this transaction?”
“That is...”
After a moment of silence, Sa Domyeong spoke in a low voice.
“...Very well. But there is one condition.”
“Speak.”
“There is a trail toward the Heavenly Mountains that the Inspectorate is already tracking. Before you move independently in the future, I would like you to coordinate with us at least once.”
The corners of Uncheon’s mouth twisted slightly.
“Are you trying to keep the Black Dragon Gang’s growth in check now?”
“How could that be? The enemies we face are powerful and cunning. It is simply to avoid a situation where the Inspectorate and the Black Dragon Gang accidentally tear each other apart.”
Sa Domyeong replied, shaking his head.
He took a thin Black Iron Token from his robes and placed it on the table.
It was a small contact token with a red line wrapped around the edge.
“If someone shows this token first on the Heavenly Mountains trail, they are our people, so please give them a moment’s grace before killing them.”
“I see... so you have an informant planted there. Understood.”
Sa Domyeong rose from his seat and continued.
“I will transport Jeon Manho to the Inspectorate right away. I will send the formal reward for this matter before sunrise.”
“Good. Take him.”
The two Inspectorate guards Sa Domyeong had brought with him hoisted Jeon Manho onto their shoulders and left. The sound of rough boots and the friction of dragging robes faded into the hallway.
Only two cups of cold tea and the small iron token left on the corner of the table remained in the office.
‘...Sa Domyeong has changed quite a bit.’
The man who had once tried to frame Uncheon as a spy with Mo Wi-gyu’s bribes had now left after laying out the Inspectorate’s deepest card. It seemed the debt of having his life saved at the moment he was about to be discarded like a worn-out shoe still lingered at his fingertips.
Uncheon rose from his seat and approached the window. As he pulled back the thick curtain with his fingertips, a handful of the blue light of dawn spilled into the room.
Far away, to the northwest. Though still dim, obscured by clouds and mist, the ridges of snow-covered mountains were faintly revealing themselves. The place where the Main Sect of the Demonic Cult, including the Sura Blood Sect, was located.
‘...The day to ascend the Heavenly Mountains is not far off.’
The Blood Venerable, one of the Five Great Venerables whose face he did not even know yet.
It was clear that he, having reached the level of a superhuman, was plotting something using children as sacrifices.
A faint pressure was applied to the fingertips resting on the window frame.
Uncheon narrowed his eyes.
Harbor resentment, but do not be consumed by it. Rise above the resentment. The name of Kunlun now remained only as a pile of stones at the foot of the Qinghai Province mountains, but using that pile of stones as a stepping stone, he would climb to the very Peak of this Demonic Cult.
The path was already outlined.
‘Separate the Demonic from the Martial.’
Within this Demonic Cult, there were clearly those who pursued pure Martial Arts. Jeok Mugwang, Gal Muh-eun, the Life and Death Venerable, and the Drunken Sword Yi Mok. Even Yayul Hui. They did not use the doctrine of “Honor the Strong” as a reason for slaughter. To them, “Honor the Strong” was a whip to carve and build themselves up, not an excuse to gnaw away at others.
And on the other side, there were those who used “Honor the Strong” as wrapping paper for their own greed.
The Sand Scorpion Mo Clan. The Gold Coin Pavilion. The Sura Blood Sect. The Blood Venerable.
Demonic.
Beings who, in their pursuit of power, had crossed the line.
The Black Dragon Gang must become a banner that pursues the Martial Way. A side that embraces people, embraces the land, and embraces a name. And those who have crossed the line, he would cut away one by one.
The Inspectorate’s intelligence, the Sun and Moon Merchant Guild’s wealth, the power of the Life and Death Venerable and the Director of the Demonic Academy. He would use everything he could.
At the end of that, the seat of the Heavenly Demon would be there.
Uncheon wore a faint smile on his lips.
“To think that the one standing at the Peak of ‘Honor the Strong’ is merely the Heavenly Demon...”
He would sit in the seat of the Heavenly Demon, but that seat would no longer be a seat of the Demonic.
“It should at least be the Limitless.”
The ultimate and the pinnacle of the Martial Way.
That was the name that suited the seat Uncheon had envisioned.
He let the curtain fall back. The blue light folded away, and the room grew dim once more.
He returned to the table, picked up the black contact token wrapped in a red line, and tucked it into his robes.
Just then, a familiar voice was heard from outside the door.
“Gang Leader. I have come to report. May I come in?”
It was So Ryong.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and So Ryong entered.
Uncheon asked without taking his seat.
“Start with the Blood Axe Fortress.”
“Yes.”
So Ryong’s mouth curled up subtly. It was the face of someone who had been waiting for this moment.
“As you instructed, I combed through the remnants. Since they weren’t the type to talk if I just asked them directly, I... played a little trick.”
“Yes. I spread a rumor that you had brought the ledgers from the Iron Shark Gang. That the names of those who colluded with the Gold Coin Pavilion were inside those ledgers. And that they would be revealed within three days.”
So Ryong paused for a beat.
“The rats couldn’t even last two days.”
“How many?”
“Three. One tried to send a letter outside, one tried to jump over the wall in the middle of the night, and one... tried to bite off his tongue.”
Uncheon’s gaze sank for a moment.
The one who tried to bite off his tongue. He was not a mere lackey. There was a possibility that a line higher than that was involved.
“Keep that one alive and send him to the Inspectorate.”
“I have already handled it as such.”
So Ryong shrugged his shoulders slightly. He looked like a large dog waiting for praise.
“And, Gang Leader. Excluding those we weeded out, I’ve put the remaining Blood Axe Fortress bastards to some use.”
“Put them to use?”
“Yes, we couldn’t just leave them to act like bandits near the Black Dragon Gang.”
Uncheon sat down. It was a story worth hearing.
“I cut the toll in half. Instead, I hung a flag. ‘A road protected by the Black Dragon Gang.’”
“If you cut it in half, the prey won’t come out as much.”
“That’s the thing.”
So Ryong laughed craftily.
“The numbers have increased. Since the price is half, even those who didn’t use that road at all are turning to come through. And I asked Branch Manager Geum Bu-dong of the Sun and Moon Merchant Guild for a favor, and had them build an inn at every junction. They can sleep, they can eat, and they can let their horses rest.”
“Geum Bu-dong gave them up quite easily.”
“Since it’s a spot where the Black Dragon Gang’s flag hangs, that gentleman was actually even more excited. He grumbled, ‘Everywhere the Gang Leader plants a flag, silver follows.’”
So Ryong clasped his hands together.
“If you add the lodging fees and liquor prices from the inns to the halved tolls, we are bringing in double what the Blood Axe Fortress used to extort in just ten days. And on top of that...”
One beat.
“The commoners welcome the Black Dragon Gang.”
Uncheon looked at So Ryong without a word.
“They are extorted less, they are safer, and there is even a place to sleep, so how could they not welcome us? Among the merchants, the north of Qinghai Province is now called the ‘Black Dragon Gang Road.’”
So Ryong bowed his head slightly.
“When the commoners welcome us, the land changes. And the land that people welcome becomes the Gang Leader’s land.”
Uncheon chuckled to himself.
‘...He may look like a bear, but he’s as cunning as a fox.’
So Ryong knew by instinct that the land could not be shaken by force alone. He had kept the existing structure of the people they had absorbed, but changed the hands that once took from them into hands that protected them. In the process, he had even drawn in the wealth of the Sun and Moon Merchant Guild, reaping far more than the effort he had invested.
Uncheon said in a low voice.
“Well done.”
So Ryong bowed his waist even deeper, but a grin was plastered on his face.
“Ah, of course, all this merit is not something we have built. It is thanks to the karma—no, the prestige—that the Gang Leader has cultivated. The reason the commoners now welcome the Black Dragon Gang flag first is not because of the merit our Retainers have newly built, but rather...”
“I know. That’s enough.”
Uncheon raised a hand to cut off So Ryong’s chatter.
“Next.”
“Yes.”
So Ryong moved on to the next report.
“Yi Mok is currently handling Yayul Hyeon and Kang Hui. He is putting them through the wringer from the ground up.”
“How are the two of them?”
“Kang Hui was practically crawling at first, but these days, he is enduring it with sheer spite. He is a fellow who knows that the position of a Retainer is a bed of thorns. Ever since he was crushed by me once, he has learned exactly where his place is.”
“And Yayul Hyeon?”
So Ryong paused for a beat before speaking.
“...Yayul Hyeon arrives before Kang Hui every single day. Yesterday, he was already out on the Training Ground before the sun had even risen. While wearing the Training Weights.”
Uncheon’s gaze sank for a moment.
It was a struggle to break free from his sister’s shadow. The pride of a man who had been laid flat in a single exchange was thrashing about, trying to stand on his own two feet once more.
It was not a bad direction.
“Tell Yi Mok. Tell him to have Yayul Hyeon deepen his foundation a bit more. Speed built without a root does not last long.”
“Yes.”
So Ryong hesitated as he was about to move on to the next point. His tone softened slightly.
“As for the medical hall... it would be better for you to see it for yourself rather than hearing it from me.”
“...See it myself?”
“Yes. I think it would be good for the Gang Leader to see for himself how Seol-yeong is taking care of the children. It is a bit of a waste for fellows like us to try to put it into words.”
So Ryong bowed his head.
Uncheon rose from his seat. The blue light streaming through the window was already being dyed in a pale golden hue.
“...Let’s go.”
The sun was rising.
The children dragged out from the depths of the Gold Coin Pavilion. The children who had been called by numbers, without even a name to their own.
The faces of the young disciples who could not walk down the mountain on their own and remained on the ashes the day Kunlun was destroyed overlapped for a moment, then scattered.
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