Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 126
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 126. Winter Rain (1)
“Uncle Master, we shall now take our leave.”
“Very well.”
Ho Geom Jin In, having dismissed his second disciples, spoke with a smile.
“How is it? Does it suit your taste?”
“Hehe, of course.”
The person sitting across from him was none other than Hwang Ha Seong.
“It’s Longjing tea. Even I only get to drink this tea about twice a year.”
“Who doesn’t know the reputation of West Lake Longjing? I wonder if I deserve to be served such precious tea.”
“Hehe, I’m just trying to show off a bit in front of Merchant Leader Hwang who deals with precious things. Honestly, I’m an outsider who doesn’t even know what good tea fragrance is.”
Ho Geom Jin In’s face showed not even the slightest shadow as he laughed heartily.
Though he smiled back, Hwang Ha Seong was inwardly perplexed.
‘Why at this late hour of the night?’
Of course, they had enough friendship to share a cup of tea without any particular reason.
But why? Hwang Ha Seong felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
‘It’s an unnecessary thought.’
Hwang Ha Seong shook his head and spoke with a smiling face.
“In any case, the first round ended safely. You’ve worked hard.”
“What hardship is there for us? The contestants are the ones who worked hard.”
“Hehe, that’s true as well.”
“However, I’ve been thinking it’s about time we start struggling with other matters.”
“Pardon?”
“The Ma In.”
“Ah!”
Hwang Ha Seong’s face involuntarily stiffened.
“Have you also investigated separately, Jin In?”
“I did. Though I understand Jegal Dae Hyeop’s anxiety, this isn’t an ordinary matter, is it?”
“That’s right.”
It was something Hwang Ha Seong had been worrying about as well.
He had stayed quiet only because there had been no reports of casualties yet, but otherwise he would have tried to investigate by any means necessary.
“When I investigated directly, this turned out to be no ordinary serious matter.”
“Pardon?”
“There wasn’t just one Ma In.”
Hwang Ha Seong swallowed dry saliva.
“Then?”
“Two or more, perhaps even five or six.”
“Gasp!”
It was something he couldn’t help but be shocked by.
“Is, is that true?”
“It’s true. How could I lie about such a matter?”
“If that’s really the case, isn’t this a serious problem? We must establish countermeasures right away!”
“That’s why I invited Merchant Leader Hwang separately.”
“Pardon?”
Deep tension arose on Ho Geom Jin In’s face.
Could there be anything else that would make a Wudang Sect elder this tense?
“Listen without being surprised.”
“….”
“Those Ma In are connected to Jegal Dae Hyeop.”
“What?!”
Hwang Ha Seong jumped up.
“What do you mean by that? Surely you’re not saying that Jegal Dae Hyeop was commanding the Ma In?”
“I don’t know the exact details. Whether he was commanding them or… serving them.”
When a person is too shocked, they often become calm instead.
Hwang Ha Seong, having calmed his excitement, sipped his tea.
For a moment, Ho Geom Jin In’s eyes sparkled. Hwang Ha Seong failed to read that look.
“Jin In.”
“Please speak.”
“By any chance, do you have evidence?”
Given who the other party was, he wouldn’t normally say such things lightly.
But this was something that absolutely had to be addressed. After all, he had just heard that Jeong Gal Ryun, a member of the Six Great Families no less, was in league with Ma In.
It would shake not just the Jegal Clan, but the entire Orthodox Martial World.
Ho Geom Jin In took out several neatly folded documents from his chest.
“What is this?”
“Documents sent from the Wudang Sect’s Cheon I Dan branch.”
Cheon I Dan was an intelligence organization counted among the top five in Hubei, directly operated by the Wudang Sect.
Though it had been established for less than twenty years, their information gathering capabilities were renowned as exceptional, backed by the Wudang Sect’s support.
“One of them is a document recording Jegal Dae Hyeop’s activities during the tournament, sent directly by the Jin Hwa Merchant Guild. It records not just Jegal Dae Hyeop, but when and where all of us were.”
“…!”
“Animal corpses were discovered throughout the wild mountains somewhat distant from the tournament grounds. Very gruesome corpses at that.”
“….”
“Most had their blood drained or lost vitality in their blood, and some even had patterns drawn with blood and flesh, presumed to be demonic sorcery.”
Hwang Ha Seong’s hands trembled as he received the documents.
“Look at that part, right there. Jegal Dae Hyeop always stayed secluded at night. We gathered every night to comfort Lee Mu Ho Dan Ju.”
“That alone isn’t enough…”
“Look further.”
Hwang Ha Seong’s face turned pale as he carefully examined the documents.
Ho Geom Jin In nodded.
“Evidence was captured of those presumed to be Ma In secretly entering and leaving Jegal Dae Hyeop’s residence.”
“Who saw this?”
“We have the witness in custody. I’m sorry, but I cannot tell you who that person is.”
It meant he would exercise caution.
Hwang Ha Seong wasn’t offended. This wasn’t the situation for that.
“Jin In.”
“Please speak.”
“Of course, comparing the documents makes it seem likely that Jegal Dae Hyeop is in league with the Ma In, but there’s no definitive evidence.”
“That’s the problem.”
“Pardon?”
“Because there’s no definitive evidence, we can’t catch them in time.”
His tone already seemed to be convinced that Jeong Gal Ryun was in league with them.
“But even this morning, Jegal Dae Hyeop personally spoke about the Ma In…”
“He brought it up first. Knowing that we were investigating.”
“…?!”
“I’ve been watching Jegal Dae Hyeop for several days already.”
What appeared on Ho Geom Jin In’s face was clearly distress.
If his words were true, then Jeong Gal Ryun’s behavior could be understood.
‘No, that’s not why.’
In fact, any explanation could be made to fit.
That’s why evidence is important. Looking at circumstances alone, anyone could be pushed as the culprit in any way.
The problem was that the person saying this was Ho Geom Jin In.
“Jin In, please don’t take offense and hear me out.”
“Speak.”
“Honestly, I still don’t know. No, rather than not knowing, I think we should approach this much more carefully.”
“I understand.”
“How about we gather people and speak directly with Jegal Dae Hyeop instead?”
“Lord Hwang said that alone wouldn’t be enough to consider Jegal Dae Hyeop connected to the Ma In.”
“I think it could be either way.”
“Then let me ask you. If we gather everyone and go to Jegal Dae Hyeop as you suggest, and he denies it, do we have grounds to press him further?”
“…!”
“As you said, we lack decisive evidence. There may be a witness, but who knows if he might be lying?”
The fact that Ho Geom Jin In was saying this actually increased his credibility.
“But circumstantially, the possibility that Jegal Dae Hyeop and the Ma In are in league is very high. We can’t just sit still because we lack solid evidence, and asking directly would only raise his guard.”
“What does Jin In suggest…?”
“Let’s secure the divine weapons first.”
Hwang Ha Seong’s face turned pale.
“Jin In, that is….”
“I know what you’re worried about. But Lord, have you forgotten? Just thirty years ago, all of Central Plains was ablaze with battles against the Ma In.”
“…!!”
“You were young then. But you couldn’t have forgotten. Like me, didn’t you spend your youth living in fear of not knowing when you might die?”
It was true.
During the war with Seongheolgung, the entire Central Plains groaned in agony. It wasn’t targeting just one place, but simultaneous battles erupted in various regions, leaving nowhere to flee.
The reason Jianghu, especially the orthodox martial world, began to despise the demonic path was because of the war with Seongheolgung.
“Since then, Jianghu has regained peace. Haven’t the Imperial Palace and government offices also received orders to immediately report any Ma In to higher authorities? It was even an imperial decree.”
“….”
“Trust me. This matter requires acting first and reporting later.”
Hwang Ha Seong still couldn’t answer easily.
Ho Geom Jin In smiled coldly inwardly.
‘He’ll have no choice but to follow.’
With just one or two days, he could create ten more pieces of evidence that Jeong Gal Ryun and the Ma In were in league.
Of course, making Hwang Ha Seong completely believe him here wasn’t the important thing.
Making him agree with his opinion even without believing.
He could just capture them outright, but he needed to draw at least a rough sketch. That way there would be no trouble later.
He wanted to drag in all the masters who came to the tournament, but they would have no choice but to watch Mu Dang Faction’s mood anyway.
If he could just persuade Hwang Ha Seong, the rest would proceed smoothly.
‘Jeong Gal Ryun, you picked the wrong opponent.’
How dare he point a blade at Mu Dang Faction.
Furthermore, it seemed he even thought of sending him to the Martial Alliance Investigation Room. For his own sake and for Mu Dang Faction’s sake, he absolutely couldn’t let this slide.
‘Jang Moon Sa Hyeong will understand too. Jeong Gal Ryun, I’ll at least preserve the Jegal Clan’s honor, so you alone must carry that burden and be buried in the Underworld.’
Then, a dark voice came from outside the door.
“Ho Geom Sa Hyeong.”
Ho Geom Jin In was greatly startled inwardly.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Ja Dam.”
Ho Geom Jin In openly showed displeasure.
“What business do you have here now?”
“There’s an important matter I must discuss.”
“Whatever it is, come later. I’m with an honored guest.”
“Ho Geom Sa Hyeong.”
“Hey, get lost!”
“It’s about the Ma In.”
Both Ho Geom Jin In and Hwang Ha Seong were shocked.
“Ma, Ma In?”
“Hehe.”
Ho Geom Jin In hurriedly stood up.
“Lord Hwang, please wait a moment.”
“Jin In, since it’s come to this, couldn’t I also listen to what she has to say?”
“Please understand.”
Though he spoke with a smile, Ho Geom Jin In was extremely flustered.
‘What nonsensical thing is that woman suddenly trying to pull!’
Ho Geom Jin In hurriedly opened the door and went out.
Outside the door, Ja Dam could be seen with her hood pulled up.
“Follow me.”
Shortly after, the two entered a small bamboo grove in the residence’s rear garden.
Ho Geom Jin In stopped walking, his breathing growing rougher.
Ja Dam sighed and spoke.
“Sa Hyeong.”
Smack!
Blood spurted from Ja Dam’s mouth as she was struck hard across the face.
Vivid anger rose on Ho Geom Jin In’s face.
“How dare you interfere with important matters?!”
Suffocating killing intent swirled in his low voice.
Ja Dam was greatly shocked. Though she had endured all kinds of contempt, she had never been slapped before.
Still, she had to say what needed to be said.
“Sa Hyeong.”
“Shut up.”
Smack! Smack!
After being hit two more times, Ja Dam involuntarily collapsed. She had been struck wrong on the jaw and felt momentary dizziness.
“Where does a woman with the blood of filthy Western Region demons get off calling me Sa Hyeong. That disgusting mouth should be used for picking up garbage.”
It was terrible verbal abuse.
As Ho Geom Jin In became excited, Ja Dam instead became calm.
“What important matters are you referring to?”
For a moment Ho Geom Jin In flinched. He had spoken in anger without thinking, but now he realized it wasn’t something Ja Dam could know about.
“It’s not something for you to worry about.”
Ho Geom Jin In turned around.
“Don’t come looking for me at this hour again.”
“Why don’t you show interest even after hearing that a Taoist Priest of Mu Dang is a Ma In?”
Ho Geom Jin In turned around again.
His gaze glaring at Ja Dam was truly terrible. It was so evil that one might wonder if he was really someone who learned Taoist martial arts.
“Are you trying to lecture me now?!”
“What did Jegal Dae Hyeop do wrong that you’re framing him?”
“What, what did you say?”
“Sa Hyeong, were you always this vicious?”
Killing intent finally appeared in Ho Geom Jin In’s eyes.
“Damn woman!”
At that moment, he heard an air-rending sound from behind him.
Thud!
He instinctively twisted his body, but something flying at terrifying speed emitted a blue-green light.
Horror appeared on Ho Geom Jin In’s face.
Slash!
With an eerie sound, a fountain of blood spurted from his thigh.
“Kugh!”
As he staggered back, his eyes finally caught sight of the attacker.
“Oh ho, definitely better than that half-wit.”
A man with a sharp long blade casually slung over his shoulder. Though he wore a mask covering below his eyes, anyone could tell he was young.
Ho Geom Jin In’s mouth fell wide open.
“You… could it be…?!”
The mask covering his face wrinkled.
Following the smile at his lips, the writhing mask cast an eerie shadow.
“I don’t know why I always end up wearing this stuffy thing whenever I meet you people. It’s suffocating, really suffocating.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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