NABC Chapter 352 : Preparation (2)
Chapter 352 : Preparation (2)
The unexpected name made Cheok Pae-myeong furrow his brow. He held that expression for a moment before a buried memory finally surfaced in his mind."It must be because of what happened at the Sichuan massacre."
During the massacre that took place near the location of the Blood Tears Heavenly Demon’s Secret Cave, the Sword Dragon and several other prodigies had gotten caught up in the Tang Family's scheme, and it was the Maitreya Luminous Cult that had pulled them out. That incident was also what had brought the Hwangbo Family close to the Maitreya Luminous Cult in the first place.
The Chief Strategist responded to the Alliance Leader's reasoning with a respectful bow of his head. "That is my assumption as well, Alliance Leader."
"I can't say I like seeing their numbers multiply like this."
The Alliance Leader seemed more impatient than usual, and the Chief Strategist chose his words carefully in an attempt to calm him.
"Please, don't let it anger you too much, Alliance Leader. A piece of good news actually arrived while you were away."
"Good news, you say. I'm quite curious."
The Alliance Leader's interest was piqued, and Gongsun Hyeon's eyes lit up as he continued.
"The old monster of the Demonic Cult is dead."
This, too, was apparently unexpected, as Cheok Pae-myeong's eyes went wide.
"The Heavenly Demon? That man?"
"Yes, Alliance Leader. According to the reports from our spies, he died of illness in his old age, and Wi Jin-hak, the First Disciple, has taken the seat of Cult Leader."
The death of the Heavenly Demon and Wi Jin-hak's rise to Cult Leader hadn't exactly been handled in secret. Even so, there was a good reason why the news took so long to reach the Martial Alliance.
Some years back, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had launched a sweeping purge of spies following the incident with the former Chief Elder, Deung Bi.
On top of that, the Martial Alliance had been so consumed with the war against the Blood Cult that it simply hadn't had the means to plant new spies inside the Demonic Cult.
"Now that the Heavenly Demon is gone, there is no need to lose sleep over a trivial cult like the Maitreya Luminous Cult. We just need to find a decent excuse to crush them, and it'll be smooth sailing from there."
Cheok Pae-myeong opened his mouth to respond to Gongsun Hyeon's counsel, then immediately raised a finger to his lips to signal him to be quiet. A moment later, the sound of someone approaching from outside the Alliance Leader's quarters reached them.
"Alliance Leader, the Beggar King of the Beggars' Gang has come to see you."
Cheok Pae-myeong exchanged a brief glance with Gongsun Hyeon before answering in a heavy tone.
"Show him in."
The guard hurried off to deliver the order, and it wasn't long before the Beggar King strolled right into the Alliance Leader's quarters.
"I'm quite sure we just saw each other in Sichuan a few days ago, so what brings you back to my doorstep?"
Cheok Pae-myeong made no effort to hide his irritation.
"Don't tell me you have more to complain about regarding the Sichuan incident?"
"Heh. What more is there to say about that? If the Maitreya Luminous Cult acts up and shows their true colors, we punish them. If not, we leave them be. Simple as that."
"Then what exactly did you come all this way for?"
"Believe me, this old beggar didn't really want to make the trip either, but I had to come in person because of urgent news. I figured if I sent some random beggar kid, the esteemed Alliance Leader would just toss him out without a second glance."
For a few tense seconds, the chuckling Beggar King and Cheok Pae-myeong locked eyes in a standoff.
"So then, what is this grand news that brought your old bones all the way out here?"
"We may have been deceived by the Blood Cult."
"Deceived? What are you talking about?"
"I'm saying the bastards we fought last time might not have been the main force of the Blood Cult at all."
"Did you scavenge a rotten meal off the streets today?" The Alliance Leader let out a scoff, not even trying to hide it.
No matter how distinguished a position the Beggar King held in the Beggars' Gang, a beggar was still a beggar, and Cheok Pae-myeong found himself wondering if the man had picked up some bad scraps along the way.
"Whether this information was scavenged poorly or scavenged perfectly is something I plan to figure out from here on."
"And where did this absurd piece of information come from?"
"Since it's unconfirmed, I can't reveal that just yet. But it's information worth taking seriously."
Beggar King didn't bat an eye as he hid the fact that the intel came from the Maitreya Luminous Cult. He had agonized over it the entire trip to the Martial Alliance before finally making this choice.
Knowing the bad blood brewing between Cheok Pae-myeong and the Maitreya Luminous Cult, he knew the Alliance Leader would brush the warning off entirely if he knew who supplied it.
"Ha. Just what do you take the Alliance for? Do we look like idle fools with nothing better to do than chase after every unverified rumor you bring us?"
"I brought it to you because it concerns the Blood Cult. And I'd like to know why you're treating information that this old beggar went out of his way to deliver personally as if it's nothing."
They locked eyes again, neither willing to back down first.
"...Fine. I'll pass word to the Flying Dragon Pavilion and have them look into it. Now, if you would kindly see yourself out."
"How thoughtful of you, putting the safety of the martial world first."
It was impossible to tell whether the Beggar King meant that sincerely or as a jab, but he turned and walked out of the Alliance Leader's quarters after saying that.
The moment the sound of his footsteps vanished completely, Cheok Pae-myeong let out a low grumble with a furrowed brow.
"This one, that one... every single one of them gets on my nerves."
"Once the war with the Demonic Cult is over, we'll be able to deal with all of them."
Cheok Pae-myeong clicked his tongue at Gongsun Hyeon's words.
"Tch. We'll have to."
Gongsun Hyeon studied the Alliance Leader for a moment before speaking up.
"What do you think, Alliance Leader?"
"Think about what? You mean that nonsense the Beggar King just spouted?"
"Yes."
"If I had to say, it's not an entirely impossible story. At the very least, there's a chance that some remnants are still lurking around."
However slim the odds, he couldn't completely rule out the possibility that it wasn't just remnants hiding out there, but the Blood Cult's main body, exactly as the Beggar King had suggested.
But it wasn't the Blood Cult that occupied Cheok Pae-myeong's thoughts the most.
"More than the Blood Cult, I'm far more interested in who it was that fed this information to the Beggar King."
"I'll instruct the Flying Dragon Pavilion to work alongside the Beggars' Gang in tracking the Blood Cult, and to identify the source of that information in the process."
"Do that. Also, handpick some reliable men to dig up dirt on the Maitreya Luminous Cult."
"Understood."
Cheok Pae-myeong added one more thing before Gongsun Hyeon could leave.
"I don't care if it's the pettiest excuse. Find something, anything. Spin a tale about that wicked sword wielded by the bastard calling himself the Incarnation of Maitreya, and that'll give us all the justification we need."
"I will keep that in mind."
Gongsun Hyeon gave a respectful salute and stepped out of the Alliance Leader's quarters.
As he walked off to brief his subordinates, Gongson Hyeon caught himself glancing back at the building over his shoulder.
'Is it because his ultimate goal is finally in sight? The Alliance Leader seems uncharacteristically on edge.'
His guess was only half right.
Even Cheok Pae-myeong himself didn't fully realize just how anxious he was getting.
Left alone in his grand hall, Cheok Pae-myeong’s mind kept circling back to a single thought.
'The Maitreya Luminous Cult. I need to deal with them quickly.'
It had been less than five years, yet that man had evolved from a weakling who could be swatted away in three moves into a massive threat.
Every instinct in his body was screaming a warning.
That if he gave that masked bastard any more time to grow, the grand plan he had spent his life building might crumble to dust.
***
After leaving Sichuan and crossing into Gansu Province, Il-mok and his companions made their way toward Lanzhou.
With everything in Sichuan already wrapped up, Il-mok saw no reason to linger. They ran at full speed and spent a few more days traveling through Gansu before finally arriving in Lanzhou.
Once they reached the Maitreya Luminous Cult's scripture hall, Il-mok first met privately with Ouyang Mun, who had been sent ahead earlier with a letter.
"I entrusted the letter to warriors from the Divine Cult and had it sent to the main headquarters. I made sure they knew it was a top-priority confidential letter, so it should definitely reach the main headquarters."
Il-mok nodded at Ouyang Mun's report.
"You've worked hard, both with this and with the battle against the Emei Sect."
"Haha, how could that compare to what the Young Master has been through? More than that, everyone seems like they've grown so much in the few years I wasn't with you. I almost didn't recognize them."
"Haven't you grown quite a bit yourself, Ouyang?"
"That's all thanks to my wife. Hahaha."
The certainty on Ouyang Mun's face as he laughed made Il-mok shake his head.
'Look at this hopeless romantic.'
A few days passed while Il-mok killed time waiting for a reply from headquarters, until an unexpected visitor arrived.
And it wasn't a messenger from the Divine Cult.
"Young Master, guests have come from the Hwangbo Family and the Wudang Sect are here to see you."
Jin Ha-yeon's report drew a dry laugh out of Il-mok.
"Talk about late reinforcements. Wonderful."
Still, he couldn't exactly turn away people who had come with at least some goodwill.
He put on his mask and headed out of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's branch office toward the Maitreya Luminous Cult's scripture hall.
When he got there, he was met with a crowd of exceptionally well-built people regardless of gender. And standing right in the middle of them were an old man and a youth wearing Taoist robes marked with the Taiji symbol.
'Looks like Wudang only sent two people.'
That didn't bother him in the slightest.
Because one of those two was an old man who would be worth more than an entire sect or clan moving together.
Il-mok approached them and gave a salute, first to a middle-aged man among the larger group, then to the elderly man in the Taiji-marked robe.
"It is an honor to meet the Fist King and the Supreme Ultimate Sword Immortal, whose names resound throughout the martial world. I am the incarnation of Maitreya, who leads the Maitreya Luminous Cult."
The two of them had apparently recognized Il-mok as he approached, and they returned his salute in kind.
"I knew of you through my children, but it seems we're only now properly meeting. I am the head of the Hwangbo Family, Hwangbo Ak."
"My disciple has told me much about you. I've long since forgotten my given name, so please call me by my Taoist name, Muheoja."
"How could I presume to call the renowned Supreme Ultimate Sword Immortal by his Taoist name so casually?"
"Hahaha. It is nothing but an empty reputation."
Before Il-mok could respond, Hwangbo Ak jumped in with a quip and burst into a hearty laugh.
"Come now. If the Supreme Ultimate Sword Immortal himself says that, where does that leave me? I'd be embarrassed to call myself the Fist King anywhere. Hahaha."
"The Family Head flatters this old worn-out Taoist too much. Haha."
With that light exchange lifting the mood, Hwangbo Ak spoke again.
"We heard the news on our way here. We set out to help the Maitreya Luminous Cult, but as it turns out, there was no need for us to step in at all. We couldn't very well just turn around after coming all this way, so we showed up unannounced. A man who's drawn his sword ought to at least cut something, after all."
"The fact that you came at all is more than enough for me."
Hearing Il-mok's reply, Hwangbo Ak's eyes gleamed as he pressed on.
"Hahaha. Glad to hear it. Well then, since I've already thrown shame out the window, let me get straight to the point. My main reason for coming here in person wasn't only to help the Maitreya Luminous Cult. Truth be told, I wanted to learn more about you people."
Il-mok had a feeling he knew exactly where this was going. The look in Hwangbo Ak's eyes was one he recognized well.
"A warrior proves himself with his martial arts, not with words. So rather than standing around exchanging pleasantries, how about we spar?"
Looking at those eyes blazing with competitive spirit, Il-mok could only sigh inwardly. 'Ah, so Hwangbo Yeon gets it from her father.'
The apple clearly didn't fall far from the tree, though there was one minor difference. Hwangbo Yeon at least had the decency to read the room before begging for a fight, whereas Hwangbo Ak was just a straight-up bulldozer.
"Father!"
The startled reactions from Hwangbo Yeon and Hwangbo Se-hui the moment Hwangbo Ak made his request said it all.
He was similar to Hwangbo Yeon, but he felt closer in spirit to the reckless lot from the Dokgo Clan, specifically the likes of Dokgo Pae or Dokgo Ryong.
And that thought led Il-mok to a sudden suspicion.
'Wait, don't tell me the Hwangbo Family has been secretly practicing Demonic Arts this whole time?'