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It was the same room he had visited before with Number Seven. Far across the room, a man sat writing something.

Number Two reported from the doorway.

“Elder Go[1] has disappeared.”

“What?”

The man stopped writing and looked up. His eyes questioned whether he had heard correctly.

Number Two repeated the same words.

“Elder Go has disappeared.”

“What do you mean by ‘disappeared’?”

“Exactly that. We lost contact with him during the mission.”

“Are you saying he’s dead?”

“It seems so, but we can’t be certain.”

“He’s not dead. There’s no way he could have been killed by the likes of the Thousand Bow Regiment leader.”

The man resumed writing what he had been working on.

“And the mission?”

“It failed. The Thousand Bow Regiment leader safely returned to the Alliance.”

He irritably threw the brush he had been writing with. The flying brush left a black ink stain on the expensive carpet as it rolled.

The man abruptly stood up. He paced back and forth, tilting his head as if unable to comprehend the situation. He was too far from where Number Two stood to discern his expression.

“Elder Go was killed by the Thousand Bow Regiment leader?”

His voice, echoing through the room, had clearly become faster and rougher than before.

“Given his usual temperament and past activities, we’ve analyzed that there’s more than an 80% chance he was sacrificed in this operation.”

“Did the entire Thousand Bow Regiment go with him?”

“Thirty members accompanied him.”

“No. Even if they all went, there’s no way they could have killed him.”

“There was one variable.”

“Variable?”

“The military officer Sima Cheon sent along was Gal Sa-ryang.”

“Ah!”

He seemed to show a slightly understanding expression.

“But even so, for Elder Go to be defeated?”

“There’s a possibility that Gal Sa-ryang set up a reverse trap. We’ll need to send someone to investigate the details.”

“Find out immediately and report back.”

“I’ll proceed right away.”

“Send a capable person. This matter is not to be taken lightly.”

Number Two bowed respectfully and said, “Don’t worry. I have someone trustworthy.”

***

There was another person surprised by the return of the Thousand Bow Regiment. It was Sima Cheon, who had been waiting for news of their annihilation.

‘Did I misjudge?’

He glanced at Ma Bong-gi. Sitting on the Grand Preceptor’s seat, Ma Bong-gi had his eyes closed.

It was impossible to tell whether he was thinking about this incident or recalling the breasts of the woman he had fondled yesterday.

Sima Cheon had considered this mission to be a suicide mission.

A secret operation targeting the Thousand Bow Regiment, sending only the leader and a small force. Originally, it should have been created in the Righteous Thought Pavilion, but it came down from the Alliance Leader’s chambers.

He naturally thought they would all die, but…

His eyes met those of Ju Cheol-ryong among the martial artists standing on the opposite side. He was a man with intentions as inscrutable as the Alliance Leader’s.

Next to him stood Ok Dang-chu[2], the leader of the Iron Cavalry Regiment. He was the one who had betrayed Gal Sa-ryang, following Ju Cheol-ryong, the Bright Moon Regiment Leader. His character was more apparent. Neither a complete villain nor someone who would sacrifice himself for others or honor – a typical bureaucrat.

The problem was Ju Cheol-ryong, whose true intentions were unknown. Clearly, some faction was backing him.

At that moment, the doors to the Alliance Leader’s chambers opened, and Jong Cheon-rak, the Thousand Bow Regiment leader who had been waiting, walked in.

Following the red carpet, he approached Ma Bong-gi and bowed respectfully.

“Thousand Bow Regiment leader Jong Cheon-rak has returned from completing the mission.”

“You’ve worked hard. I heard there were some issues this time?”

“Yes. We went to the agreed location, but no one was there.”

“Was the information false?”

“Or they might have been eliminated by the enemy beforehand.”

Ma Bong-gi nodded and glanced at Ju Cheol-ryong. He was silently staring at Jong Cheon-rak. Probably the most surprised and angry person was Ju Cheol-ryong. After all, he had secretly orchestrated this affair.

‘What on earth are they trying to accomplish using the revival of the Demonic Cult?’

Ma Bong-gi couldn’t fathom their intentions.

This time, Sima Cheon asked him, “I heard there were several ambushes.”

“That’s right. Fortunately, the elites from our headquarters fended them off well.”

Jong Cheon-rak made no mention of the new military officer’s contributions. They had agreed that if he had to say anything, he would only mention Gal Sa-ryang’s help. He had strictly ordered his subordinates not to speak of it either.

Ma Bong-gi addressed the gathered leaders of the Martial Righteous Alliance.

“Although this matter didn’t go as planned, if we fail to prevent the revival of the Demonic Cult, the martial arts world will fall into great chaos. Everyone, remain vigilant and manage your organizations thoroughly. We may need to engage in battle with them soon.”

“Yes! Understood.”

The leaders unanimously replied, bowing their heads.

“We’ll end today’s meeting here. Regiment Leader Jong, you must be tired from your long journey. Go and rest now.”

“Thank you, Alliance Leader.”

After paying his respects, Jong Cheon-rak walked out of the Alliance Leader’s chambers. He acted as if he knew nothing. How could they act so nonchalantly after trying to kill him? The thought made his blood boil, but he believed nothing had been revealed yet. This thought helped him conceal his true feelings.

The other leaders all left, with Ju Cheol-ryong being the last to remain.

Sima Cheon wanted to stay and hear what conversation these two would have, but he pretended not to notice and left. Having tried to eliminate Gal Sa-ryang under the cover of this incident, he didn’t want to linger unnecessarily.

Once they were alone, Ma Bong-gi spoke coldly.

“Your dirty trick failed.”

Ju Cheol-ryong’s expression slightly furrowed. This Ma Bong-gi never bothered to hide anything. Even though they were alone, there should be some secrecy between those who share secrets. He asks and accuses bluntly. And with such vulgar words.

‘What a pathetic fool.’

Truly, if it weren’t for the orders of those who had recruited him, he would never have put Ma Bong-gi in the position of Alliance Leader.

“It was they who failed. They tried to kill the Thousand Bow Regiment leader, after all.”

Ma Bong-gi saw this failure of theirs as his opportunity.

“I can’t trust you people. Go and tell them. If they don’t meet me, they’ll regret it.”

The look in his eyes showed this was no mere threat.

Ju Cheol-ryong uttered words he had never spoken before.

“Why can’t we just live like this?”

“Like this? As just a puppet Alliance Leader? Stamping documents as you tell me during the day, and fooling around with women at night? That’s not possible. Go and tell them. I don’t ask for much. Just say I want to meet them face to face.”

Ju Cheol-ryong left without a word, bowing respectfully before walking out.

At last, Ma Bong-gi’s sneer struck his back.

‘You idiot. Don’t act so high and mighty. You’re nothing but a puppet too.’

***

“Military Officer Gal! I’m so relieved you’ve returned safely!”

Sima Cheon rushed over and grasped Gal Sa-ryang’s hands. The overly warm welcome was almost awkward. This action alone revealed that something was bothering him.

“The Thousand Bow Regiment warriors performed admirably.”

“I just came from seeing the Thousand Bow Regiment leader. What exactly happened?”

“I’ll prepare a report and submit it soon.”

“Yes, yes. Take your time submitting it. You must have been quite shocked.”

“Through this mission, I realized one thing for certain. The Demonic Cult is truly plotting its revival.”

“It’s a terrifying situation. We must stop them at all costs.”

“I’ll do my utmost.”

“You must be tired. Rest well for a few days. I’ll receive the report later.”

“Thank you.”

Before leaving the room, Sima Cheon added one more comment with a rather emotional expression.

“If you hadn’t returned safely, I would have lived the rest of my life with guilt.”

Gal Sa-ryang smiled.

“Thank you. I returned safely thanks to your concern.”

***

Upon returning to the Alliance, Gal Sa-ryang was busy.

His top priority was the Thousand Bow Regiment. Although he too was a target for elimination, taking care of himself was a secondary concern. He had to find a way to get the Thousand Bow Regiment leader out of this danger.

That’s why I had to take care of him.

In fact, I was the one who knew the most about the background forces. It’s just a pity that I couldn’t share all that information with Gal Sa-ryang.

First, we had to deal with Sima Cheon. He had tried to kill Gal Sa-ryang, and there might be another attempt.

How do we deal with him?

I intend to kill him. Not just for revenge for trying to kill Gal Sa-ryang.

He clearly knew that Jong Cheon-rak and the Thousand Bow Regiment warriors would die. That’s why he sent Gal Sa-ryang along.

As the Commander-in-Chief of the Martial Righteous Alliance, he knowingly sent his subordinates to their deaths? He deserves not just decapitation, but dismemberment.

However, rashly killing the Commander-in-Chief of the Martial Righteous Alliance would cause major problems. The background forces might immediately discover our identity.

They must be on high alert after I killed that old man. Although he died from a single strike of my Returning Wheel Calamity, that old man was truly a formidable master.

They will try to investigate how the old man died. We can’t expose ourselves to them yet. In this situation, I can’t just cut down Sima Cheon as I please.

If I could kill him without consequences, I would, but for now, driving him out of the Alliance seems the most realistic approach.

How should we deal with this guy?

Then I remembered something related to Sima Cheon.

Ah, that’s right!

I recalled something I had prepared earlier in anticipation of this moment.

I immediately sent a secret message to Jin through a contact point.

***

“Something’s not right.”

Sima Cheon had a bad feeling. If he hadn’t personally sent Gal Sa-ryang, this situation would have been one he could observe from a distance.

After all, it was an issue between the Alliance Leader and the Thousand Bow Regiment leader. But pushing Gal Sa-ryang into this affair left him feeling uneasy.

‘Could it have failed because of Gal Sa-ryang?’

Although he thought it unlikely, he couldn’t understand how the Alliance Leader and his backers had failed in this matter. They must have planned this conspiracy because they were confident they could kill them.

Anyway, once he had decided to kill Gal Sa-ryang, he felt he had to eliminate him somehow.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

“What is it?”

“It’s me.”

The person who entered was the Responsible Commanding Officer.

“What’s the matter?”

“The Alliance Leader’s chambers are sending an investigator to look into this incident.”

“An investigator? To Military Officer Gal?”

“Yes.”

Usually, when a major mission fails, an investigator is sent out. But that task is handled by the Law Enforcement Hall. So, the fact that someone was being sent from the Alliance Leader’s chambers meant…

It meant that the Alliance Leader or the background organization intended to investigate this matter themselves.

‘Damn it!’

If he made the slightest mistake, it could be revealed that he had intentionally tried to kill Gal Sa-ryang. Then it would be discovered that he knew about the existence of the background forces.

‘What should I do about this?’

***

Three days later, a message came from Jin.

As expected, he had prepared what I had asked for previously.

I took what he sent and went to Gal Sa-ryang.

In the meantime, Gal Sa-ryang had thought of one way to save the Thousand Bow Regiment leader.

Two people from the Thousand Bow Regiment had died in this incident, and several were injured. He had them enter special training under the pretext of eradicating the Demonic Cult.

Special training usually lasted from one month to three months at the longest.

Once they left the Alliance for training, they could escape from Ma Bong-gi, and being surrounded by a thousand Thousand Bow Regiment warriors in special training was the safest choice to avoid assassination.

It seemed like an excellent plan. This is why we need Gal Sa-ryang.

In a private setting, I handed Gal Sa-ryang several sheets of paper.

“Please take a look at this.”

“What is this?”

“I thought we couldn’t leave the Commander-in-Chief as he is. So I secretly investigated him. It turns out that Cho Byeok, who was his right-hand man until recently, opened a gisaeng house with a young child.”

“Ah! I remember that incident.”

At that time, the matter was left to the Martial Righteous Alliance warriors, and the old men who had used the place were all imprisoned in the inner prison. It had been handled as an official incident.

“At the time, Sima Cheon flatly denied knowing Cho Byeok.”

“That’s right.”

“These are proofs that Cho Byeok carried out various tasks under Sima Cheon’s orders.”

“What? Where did this come from?”

At the time, I had ordered Su and Jin to investigate this matter. To collect evidence about the connection between Cho Byeok and Sima Cheon.

I thought it might be needed later, and that time is now.

“I bought it through an information organization.”

If Gal Sa-ryang kept asking about the source, I could reveal it. After all, Jin and Su had already established an information organization on the scale of the entire Central Plains. I could say I bought it from them.

Gal Sa-ryang didn’t ask about it. Considering the abilities I had shown since we met, this wasn’t such a surprising feat. Moreover, I was once the scion of the Byeok Clan, known as the best in Shandong.

“With this evidence, we can pull Sima Cheon down from his position as Commander-in-Chief. But since the entire Martial Righteous Alliance could be said to be on his side…”

Gal Sa-ryang’s eyes sparkled.

“We need to find a way to use this evidence effectively.”

I believe in him. I know he’ll find a way.

Sa-ryang. Use your mind to its fullest. I’ll watch your back.