When Dan-ri Muk bellowed in anger, the sound reverberated against the stone walls of the council chamber. Jeong Ji-ryong, however, merely frowned, his finger tapping rhythmically against the official seal stamped upon the parchment.
“The Deputy Hall Master’s seal is clearly stamped here.”
“Nonsense!”
“Watch your tongue, Deputy Hall Master.” Jeong Ji-ryong’s gaze turned glacial. “Do you think this Hall Master is leisurely chatting with you right now?” Only then did Dan-ri Muk check his outburst, forcing a mask of composition over his flushed features. “Think about it. What kind of fool stamps their official seal on instructions given to a spy?”
“…I never said the instructions were given to a spy.”
At Jeong Ji-ryong’s quiet retort, the color drained from Dan-ri Muk’s face, only to return as a deep crimson flush of shame.
“That… well, isn’t it obvious?”
The atmosphere in the room curdled. The expressions of the Flower Secret Garden Master and the five Hall Masters, including Jeong Ji-ryong, were far from pleasant. The Ten Righteousness Conference was not convened to uncover petty crimes; it was a tribunal to determine if the Inspection Hall had grounds to investigate a Hall Master-level figure for treason.
“I will announce the result of the meeting.” Jeong Ji-ryong’s voice dropped, heavy with finality. “As of this moment, Deputy Hall Master Danri’s duties are suspended. You will be detained in the Iron Prison until the investigation concludes.”
He turned his gaze to the witnesses.
“The formal trial will proceed after the Inspection Hall’s investigation results are published. At that time, Law Enforcement Junior Commander and Seol So, you will need to testify once more.”
“Understood.”
“Then, I declare the Ten Righteousness Conference adjourned.”
Everyone expected Dan-ri Muk to rage like thunder, to resist the indignity of arrest. Yet, to the surprise of the assembly, he accepted the verdict with eerie calm. He offered no resistance as the martial artists of the Inspection Hall seized his arms, casting only a single, unreadable glance toward the Flower Secret Garden Master and Jong Jeong-yak before being led away.
It’s over.
Watching his retreating back, Jong Jeong-yak smiled inwardly, a weight lifting from her chest. Dan-ri Muk’s corruption was undeniable, a rotting wound finally exposed to the sun. Once the Inspection Hall began its work, the details of his crimes would be laid bare.
“Good work.”
As the meeting dispersed, Yang Seol, the Flower Secret Garden Master, approached and gently patted Jong Jeong-yak’s shoulder. She had been a staunch ally, believing in Jong Jeong-yak when others doubted, and providing the resources necessary to bring Dan-ri Muk’s corruption to light.
“It is all thanks to you, Garden Master.” Jong Jeong-yak clasped the older woman’s hands warmly.
Yang Seol returned the smile, her expression benevolent. “We’ll have to wait for the final report, but if his crimes are proven, you’ll have much more work to do in the future.”
“Thank you.”
As Yang Seol departed with the grace of a drifting petal, Jong Jeong-yak looked at Bu Eunseol.
“We’re almost there.” Her smile was light, unburdened for the first time in months. “Once the investigation results are out, he will be formally referred to trial. Young Hero Seol, please testify one more time. Then everything will be over.”
“Understood.”
The Martial Righteous Alliance was established to protect the peace of the Murim, but righteousness was not a universal trait among its members. Wherever people gathered, power and hierarchy formed, maintained by mechanisms far removed from justice. Embezzlement and corruption were inevitable shadows in such a colossal organization.
However, Dan-ri Muk’s charges were too massive to be dismissed as simple greed. He was the Deputy Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, the very instrument of the law. For such a man to embezzle spiritual medicines and vast sums of Alliance funds required a network, not just a momentary lapse in judgment.
Because precise evidence was needed, the Inspection Hall began a thorough sweep of the Law Enforcement Hall and Dan-ri Muk’s private residence. If the allegations proved true, this would become a purge directed personally by the Alliance Leader.
***
Whoosh.
As night descended, painting the Alliance grounds in shades of charcoal and indigo, Bu Eunseol resumed his hunt.
The investigation of Dan-ri Muk was technically complete. Once the trial commenced, Bu Eunseol had only to testify, and his role as an escort would end. He would be forced to leave the Martial Righteous Alliance, yet he still hadn’t found the smoking gun linking the Alliance to the Evil Fragrance.
It can’t be helped. One cannot be full after the first spoonful.
Those were his own words, a reminder of patience. The Martial Righteous Alliance might appear lax on the surface, but its internal security was a fortress of layered surveillance, teeming with masters who surpassed his current level. Uncovering the secrets of the Evil Fragrance or the Alliance’s core in a single stroke had always been a gamble.
What I must do this time is not find the Evil Fragrance’s tail.
He had to make his name resound in the Murim once more.
This was the consensus of the Stealth Demons Pavilion. Following the inspection of the Infernal Blood Fortress, Bu Eunseol’s reputation within the Demonic Palace had soured. He had anticipated this; when a new power wields the rod, even righteous actions are viewed as tyranny by the old guard.
I must use this opportunity to ensure no one dares to question my affairs again.
When So Ja-myeong delivered Jong Jeong-yak’s dossier, Bu Eunseol saw the path. Corruption of a high-ranking official in the Martial Righteous Alliance could not be the work of one man. By excavating the rot and broadcasting it to the Murim, he would secure immense fame—enough to silence the detractors in his own faction.
Today will likely be the last.
Stepping out of his quarters, Bu Eunseol stroked his chin in thought. He wasn’t hunting for the Evil Fragrance tonight. He intended to ransack Dan-ri Muk’s residence and office before the Inspection Hall could sanitize the scene, rooting out everyone standing in the shadow behind the Deputy Hall Master.
This is why I had to topple Dan-ri Muk at the Ten Righteousness Conference.
Dan-ri Muk’s residence was a fortress, usually guarded by the Alliance’s elite. No matter how exquisite his Shadowless Supreme Speed, infiltration would have been a suicide mission. But by creating the evidence to imprison him, Bu Eunseol had stripped the residence of its masters.
Swish.
Unfolding the Shadowless Supreme Speed, Bu Eunseol became a blur, infiltrating the residence in a single breath.
Swish-swish.
Although guards patrolled the perimeter, he flowed through their blind spots like smoke, slipping into the private office.
They’ve already swept through.
Predictably, the Inspection Hall had been thorough; the office was stripped bare.
As expected. No secret mechanisms.
Dan-ri Muk was corrupt, not stupid. He knew Jong Jeong-yak was hunting him. He wouldn’t leave a secret vault or hidden lever in the first place she would look.
Instead, he made this.
Bu Eunseol, activating the Spirit Communion of the Empty Mind, picked up a calligraphy brush lying innocuously on the desk. To the naked eye, it was ordinary bamboo and wolf hair. But through the lens of his technique, a unique, artificial pattern disrupted the flow of qi.
He pressed his fingernail into the ferrule, injecting internal energy along the hidden seam.
Click.
The end cap separated, and a tightly rolled cylinder of paper slid out.
“Is this the Martial Righteous Alliance’s secret code?”
Bu Eunseol studied the cipher. He hadn’t yet learned the decryption keys for the Alliance’s highest-level correspondence. Two paths lay before him: hand this to Jong Jeong-yak, or smuggle it to the Demonic Palace for decoding.
She will definitely be suspicious.
Even for a Special-Grade Wandering Vagrant, infiltrating the sealed residence of a Deputy Hall Master was beyond the pale. Handing this over would make her question his identity far more than the code’s content.
Should I return to the Palace like this?
If this linked to the Evil Fragrance, the Demonic Palace was the safer bet. If it contained the Alliance’s shameful secrets, Jong Jeong-yak might bury it to protect the organization’s honor.
No, that’s not necessarily true.
Jong Jeong-yak was ambitious. If she were a blind loyalist, she would cover it up. But she was a woman who craved the summit. If she could rise higher, she would burn the Alliance’s reputation to fuel her ascent.
I have no choice but to take a gamble.
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath. He would show the code to Jong Jeong-yak.
***
The next day. Jong Jeong-yak’s office.
She blinked her large, doelike eyes, staring at the encoded scroll Bu Eunseol had placed before her.
“Where on earth did you get these?”
Bu Eunseol opted for partial honesty. “I went to Dan-ri Muk’s office. Something felt strange.”
“What?” Her eyes widened. To breach Dan-ri Muk’s residence required bypassing layers of security that would stop a master.
He’s definitely not just a Special-Grade Wandering Vagrant.
The suspicion that had been simmering in her gut finally boiled over. Bu Eunseol was not merely a mercenary; he was an operative with a hidden agenda.
“Young Hero Seol. What is your goal?”
It’s finally come.
“I will speak frankly.” Bu Eunseol met her gaze steadily. “For a long time, I have been investigating whether the Martial Righteous Alliance is colluding with the Evil Fragrance to disturb the Murim.”
“What? Why?”
“Forces that sensed a strange current between the Alliance and the Evil Fragrance forced me to do so.”
Jong Jeong-yak’s face hardened with suspicion. “Then did you approach me intentionally?”
“No way. I took that job long time ago. Then, coincidentally, Lady Dam assigned me to be your escort.”
“Hmm.”
“From the moment I learned you were the Law Enforcement Junior Commander, I made up my mind. To verify what you are investigating myself.”
Jong Jeong-yak massaged her temples. The coincidence was too convenient, yet if it were a planned approach, this man would need an intelligence network rivaling a Major Sect. Dam Yu-yeon was a premier information broker; she wouldn’t have charged an astronomical sum to assign a random spy.
“Fine.” Realizing she had no leverage, Jong Jeong-yak relented. “Then share with me what you have found so far. Then I will believe you.”
“Good.”
Bu Eunseol laid out his intelligence regarding the Evil Fragrance, omitting only his lineage as the successor of the Demonic Palace and the specific sources of his intel. He painted a picture of a shadow war, of connections between the righteous and the wicked.
“I see.” Jong Jeong-yak absorbed the information, her mind racing.
“Then can you figure out the contents written on this paper?”
Nodding, she pulled a cipher book from her desk and began to decode the scroll. Slowly, her expression morphed from curiosity to horror.
“He is… sending children.”
“Children?”
“The money embezzled by Deputy Hall Master Dan-ri Muk was flowing into the Assassination Sect.” Her voice trembled with suppressed rage. “He was taking young children and raising them as assassins.”
Dan-ri Muk was using Alliance funds to fund a private army of child soldiers within the notorious Assassination Sect.
“Why on earth would the Deputy Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall do such a thing?” Bu Eunseol asked, voicing the contradiction.
If Dan-ri Muk needed force, he could command the Alliance’s troops. Why risk everything to cultivate a clandestine unit of child killers?
Bam!
The door burst open. Neung Jo-un stumbled in, his chest heaving.
“Junior Commander!”
Seeing the raw panic in her adjutant’s eyes, Jong Jeong-yak felt a chill crawl up her spine. “What is it?”
“That is… Deputy Hall Master Dan-ri Muk took his own life in the Iron Prison.”
“What?”
“It seems he committed suicide out of fear that all his corruption would be exposed.”
“That can’t be.” Jong Jeong-yak shook her head violently.
Dan-ri Muk was a survivor. He had tried to assassinate her to cover his tracks and had maintained a stony silence even in chains. Suicide was not in his nature, not before a trial had even begun.
“He was silenced.”
“What do you mean?”
Bu Eunseol’s voice dropped to a sinister register. “He didn’t commit suicide; he was removed. As the Deputy Hall Master, he has no need for child assassins. There must be a separate accomplice or a higher-up pulling the strings. Wouldn’t it be troublesome if he happened to open his mouth?”
“If that’s the case…”
“Someone who knows Dan-ri Muk well surely killed him.”
In that instant, clarity struck Jong Jeong-yak like a physical blow. She realized how she had stumbled upon the missing spiritual medicines so easily, and how she had been guided to suspect the leadership.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
Jong Jeong-yak sprinted out of the office as if possessed.
The place she finally arrived at was the Flower Secret Garden.
“Where is the Garden Master?”
“Please wait a moment.” The guard ducked inside, returning a moment later with a polite bow. “The Garden Master has invited you to the Pear Blossom Pavilion.”
Guided through the manicured paths, Jong Jeong-yak entered the pavilion. Surrounded by blooming flowers, Yang Seol sat drinking tea, an image of serene elegance.
“At this hour, what brings you here so suddenly?” Yang Seol offered a gentle smile. “Isn’t it time to be in the middle of the investigation?”
“Was it you, Garden Master?” Jong Jeong-yak’s voice cracked with disbelief. “Why? You’ve helped me so much until now!”
The shout was raw, filled with the pain of betrayal.
Yang Seol maintained her calm demeanor, setting her teacup down with a soft click. After a long silence, she sighed deeply.
“You found out eventually.”
Jong Jeong-yak’s heart tore in two. She had been ridiculed for her ambition, for her desperate climb up the ladder. But her drive was fueled by admiration. She, a disciple of the small Clear Fragrance Sect, had worshipped Yang Seol, who had risen to the peak through sheer merit.
“I followed and respected you like a master all this time.”
“…”
“You should have just left me alone!” Jong Jeong-yak screamed, tears stinging her eyes. “Why did you help me all along? Why did you become a shield so I could investigate Deputy Hall Master Dan-ri Muk?”
“Worldly affairs don’t always go as planned.” Yang Seol smiled, but the warmth didn’t reach her eyes. “Dan-ri Muk was just a tail-wagging puppy to me. But as I made him do various things, he learned too much.”
“…”
“Using that knowledge, he began to make demands. A mere puppy I raised, thinking he could bite the hand that fed him.” She smiled bitterly. “So I tried to use you to pin the crimes on him. Because the only Law Enforcement Junior Commander in the Alliance who could touch Dan-ri Muk was you—someone blinded by ambition.”
Jong Jeong-yak felt her reality fracture. She was talented, yes, but her insecurity and hunger for validation had made her the perfect puppet.
Yang Seol shook her head, feigning regret. “This plan was perfect. I don’t know where it went wrong.”
“Are you admitting everything?”
“What is there to admit?” Yang Seol beamed. “It’s enough to just clean everything up.”
“Is that possible?”
“From the moment I heard word of your arrival, I ordered the masters of the Inspection Hall to arrest your adjutant.” Seeing the shock on Jong Jeong-yak’s face, she laughed softly. “The charge is fabricating evidence in Dan-ri Muk’s case.”
“I will report this to the Alliance Leader immediately.”
“That is also good.” She sipped her tea. “But I’ll have to write in my report that due to extreme resistance, we had no choice but to execute you on the spot.”
Jong Jeong-yak trembled.
It was over.
The world turned according to the whims of the powerful. Justice was a fairytale told to children.
“Why did you do this?” Jong Jeong-yak asked the final question burning in her soul. “You didn’t need to do something like this, Garden Master.”
Yang Seol had reached the pinnacle. Why descend into darkness?
“Hahaha. You still don’t know well.” Yang Seol’s smile widened, revealing a glimpse of the predator beneath. “The Martial Righteous Alliance and the Demonic Palace. There are spies everywhere. Spies who have taken root for a long time.”
Bu Eunseol’s warning flashed through Jong Jeong-yak’s mind.
“Then the reason you succeeded… was because you received help from a certain force.”
“You could say that.”
Contempt flooded Jong Jeong-yak’s eyes. The idol she had worshipped was nothing but a fraud, propped up by shadows.
“Since your curiosity is satisfied, let’s get to work.”
Yang Seol slowly extended her hand. Her fingernails were dyed a deep, venomous blue—the unmistakable sign of a mastered poison art.
Whoosh.
She merely flicked her wrist, yet Jong Jeong-yak’s limbs seized, paralyzed as if bound by invisible iron chains.
“Ugh.”
The more she struggled, the tighter the paralysis gripped her.
“We brought him.”
At that moment, several figures emerged from the shadows, throwing a bound man to the floor.
It was Neung Jo-un.
“Junior Commander.”
Neung Jo-un’s body was a ruin of cuts and bruises, his acupoints heavily sealed.
“Where is Young Hero Seol?” Jong Jeong-yak gasped.
“Masters of the Sword Squad suddenly barged in and dragged him away.”
Hearing that, Yang Seol laughed with delight. “Getting rid of a single wandering vagrant is nothing. There was no need to even fabricate evidence; I had him transported to the Bottomless Prison immediately, cited as an accomplice in Deputy Hall Master Danri’s suicide.”
“Will it be that easy?”
“Don’t dream vain dreams. We already know he not only inherited the Seven Strings Sect’s legacy but is also a Special-Grade Wandering Vagrant from Silent Heaven, Desolate Earth.” Yang Seol’s smile turned razor-sharp. “So I sent the entire Dragon God Sword Squad.”
Jong Jeong-yak’s face hardened into stone. Yang Seol had been steps ahead, erasing every threat before it could materialize.
“Now, let’s end everything.”
As the Flower Secret Garden Master channeled her poison art, the air around her shimmering with toxicity, Jong Jeong-yak’s body began to twitch uncontrollably, obeying the puppet master.
But then—
Splurt!
Suddenly, Neung Jo-un vomited a fountain of dark blood. With a guttural roar, he forcibly unsealed his own acupoints, launching a desperate sword strike at Yang Seol.
Swish!
Yang Seol dodged the strike with a graceful tilt of her head. Neung Jo-un didn’t pursue her; instead, he threw himself in front of Jong Jeong-yak.
“Run!”
“Adjutant Neung!”
“There is no time!”
A haze of red mist rose from his body—Essence True Qi. In his final moments, he was burning his very life force to buy her a heartbeat of time.
“Hurry!”
Clang! Whoosh!
Neung Jo-un unleashed a storm of flying daggers and sword strikes simultaneously. Fueled by his burning essence, the power was terrifying, momentarily pushing back the pressure of the Garden Master.
“Kuh.”
Jong Jeong-yak turned, biting her lip until it bled. If she hesitated, Neung Jo-un’s sacrifice would be meaningless.
Thud!
However, she couldn’t even take three steps before her legs betrayed her, paralyzed once more.
“Novices dreaming dreams.”
Yang Seol had subdued Neung Jo-un in a single exchange, sealing his acupoints before his desperate strike could land.
“Did my martial prowess look that pathetic?” She sneered, looking down at the adjutant. “Those with low martial arts always misunderstand. They think if they draw out their Essence True Qi, they can at least make a final move.”
She extended a blue-nailed finger toward Neung Jo-un, whose face was ashen, his life force extinguishing.
“Farewell.”
If that finger moved, Jong Jeong-yak would die.
It’s over now.
Jong Jeong-yak closed her eyes. Despite her ambition, despite her struggle, she would die here, a failure full of regrets.
Creak. Crack.
The sound of stone groaning under immense pressure broke the silence.
Rumble.
The thick wall of the pavilion exploded inward, dust and debris billowing like a cloud. Through the haze, a figure walked out slowly, calm as the eye of a storm.
It was Bu Eunseol.