Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 248

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 248. Invasion (4)
After telling Young Ho Gyeong he would enter shortly, Moyong Bi rubbed his neck with his hand.
‘Certainly.’
To be honest, I didn’t know who Jong Mu Seok was. At least, he wasn’t someone I’d known during my time as Alliance Leader.
But his Skill Level seemed certain enough.
‘If he’s an Elder of the Martial Alliance, he should be at this level.’
Compared to when the war was in full swing and everything was sharp, it was true that he was somewhat softer, but Jong Mu Seok still possessed the Skill Level worthy of being called an Elder.
‘Right now, he’s not an opponent I can easily defeat.’
Of course, Moyong Bi was not disappointed.
It was simply difficult to win easily, but there were countless ways to handle him. In fact, I was the type of person for whom dealing with an opponent moderately was more difficult than facing a true Master.
‘Still, I need to accelerate further.’
I focused on my Infinite True Qi.
The Infinite True Qi, vibrating softly, surged through my entire body once more with renewed vigor.
Moyong Bi’s expression grew serious.
‘My movements have definitely improved since before I came.’
I’d been spending more days lost in meditation.
Meditation itself doesn’t advance Martial Arts, but it at least provides the foundation for creativity.
Considering only the Three Pure Infinite True Formula, I now possessed a broader perspective than even during my time as Alliance Leader.
‘And there was the Sparring Match with Meng Ha Sung.’
A single Sparring Match where I expressed what I had with a gradually widening perspective.
That one Sparring Match accelerated the flow and fluidity of my True Qi.
‘Now I’m finally getting started.’
That was when it happened.
“I’ll grant you this—you certainly have a way with words.”
Gu Wol walked up from behind.
He seemed to have observed the entire sequence of events from a distance.
“But that strategy worked only because your opponent was Jong Mu Seok. It would have failed against a different Elder.”
Moyong Bi smiled.
“I did it precisely because the opponent was Jong Mu Seok.”
“You knew Jong Mu Seok well?”
“How could I possibly?”
“Yet you speak as if you know him well?”
“Just from observing an opponent’s eyes, tone of voice, and Aura, I can discern their general nature.”
“If that’s the case, why not make a living through Divination Arts?”
“Spare me such tedious remarks. How can I understand a person completely from a single glance? I probe here, I probe there, and through continuous testing, I read where the opponent’s limits truly lie.”
In that brief time, I had continuously stimulated Jong Mu Seok while thinking about how to handle him.
‘Is that truly the case?’
It didn’t seem like he was lying.
‘If that’s true, just how many schemes and intrigues has he experienced at that age?’
Just as Martial Arts talent differs from person to person, so too does the speed at which each person learns the ways of the world.
Yet there were limits to all things. No matter how one looked at it, inducing a twenty-year-old youth to lead a seasoned Elder of the Martial Alliance—one who had weathered every conceivable trial—to voluntarily enter the Law Enforcement Hall was nearly impossible.
Still, at least his capability was beyond question.
Gu Wol, who had been observing Moyong Bi in silence, spoke in a measured tone.
“What will you do from here?”
“We proceed as circumstances dictate.”
“You promised to show me what the Alliance Leader truly thinks by resolving this matter.”
“Surely what transpired today alone provides sufficient insight?”
Gu Wol shook his head.
“I sense understanding, yet understanding eludes me equally.”
He was remarkably candid at the most peculiar moments.
Moyong Bi folded his arms as he spoke.
“By tomorrow—or rather, before this day ends—the Martial Alliance will be in an uproar.”
“Indeed it will.”
Though Jong Mu Seok held the title of Elder, he was one of twenty-eight representatives who managed the vast organization of the Martial Alliance in the Alliance Leader’s absence.
For such a figure to be arrested for exerting pressure on the Law Enforcement Hall—the rumors would spread beyond the Inner City into the entire Outer City.
“What is your assessment, Deputy Alliance Leader? How do you believe the Elder Council will respond?”
“I cannot say. There is no precedent for such a situation.”
“I see.”
“However…”
Gu Wol’s gaze turned glacial.
“The Twenty-Eight Lodges Elder Council is an organization of tremendous authority. From the outset, they neither fear the Alliance Leader nor truly assist in his proper governance.”
“I am aware.”
“In essence, the Elder Council may regard itself as sacred ground. The moment that sanctity is violated by Jong Mu Seok’s arrest, the Elders will rise in rebellion.”
Moyong Bi nodded in agreement.
“Naturally. Yet they are not fools either.”
“Should they attempt to storm the Law Enforcement Hall as Jong Mu Seok did, every last Elder would need to participate for any chance of success.”
Of course, such a thing was impossible.
While they might move as one to preserve the Elder Council’s existence, they still belonged to different factions.
Without a situation where all their heads would roll, they would never truly unite.
“Since they cannot act in perfect unity without a single absence, they will resort to subtle machinations.”
“You perceive it clearly.”
Moyong Bi nodded.
“It cannot be otherwise. I’ve heard accounts from the Alliance Leader and examined investigative documents—they regard accepting bribes and destroying lives through connections as perfectly natural.”
Silence.
“When problems arise, people resort to methods in which they are confident and practiced. This situation will be no different.”
Gu Wol, after a moment of contemplation, spoke with evident unease.
“Power is more terrifying than any blade. Are you confident you can bear this?”
“I find that notion disagreeable.”
“What?”
“That power is more terrifying than a blade. I don’t much care for that sentiment.”
Moyong Bi turned toward the Law Enforcement Hall.
“I’ll also demonstrate that power can be cracked by both sword and intellect.”
“…Is there nothing I can help with?”
“You asked me to prove myself, didn’t you?”
The corners of Gu Wol’s mouth lifted slightly.
“It seems you’re sending me to the Battlefield without even placing a single sword in my hands.”
“But behind me stands someone who built the fortress of Number One Under Heaven with nothing but their fists.”
“That’s true enough.”
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
Moyong Bi, about to enter through the Main Gate, paused briefly.
“There is one more thing I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“You said the Deputy Director is the one who actually runs the Secret Law Court, correct?”
Gu Wol nodded silently.
“Then where is the Director?”
“Absent.”
“What?”
“The position is vacant. There is no Director in the headquarters.”
Moyong Bi’s brow furrowed.
“Then shouldn’t the Deputy Director simply assume the position of Director?”
Gu Wol turned away.
“Once this matter concludes successfully and I return, I’ll explain.”
* * *
Whoosh!
At the end of the final punch, a gentle wind coalesced.
Meng Ha Sung’s body, drenched in sweat, appeared robust and beautiful in a way that defied his years.
His bare upper torso was packed with muscle like flint—neither so massive as to appear clumsy, nor so long and supple as to seem weak, but rather the ideal musculature of a martial master, filling every inch of his frame.
“Alliance Leader.”
“Has the Commander-in-Chief arrived?”
“My apologies for interrupting your training.”
Meng Ha Sung relaxed his posture and wiped the sweat from his body with a cloth set nearby.
“I was just finishing anyway. At my age, I can’t sustain long training sessions anymore.”
“I see.”
“So, what brings you here?”
Gong Sun Baek’s expression was quite tense.
“Elder Ha Sang Il has come to see you.”
Meng Ha Sung smiled.
“Yet the head of the faction hasn’t shown up.”
Ha Sang Il belonged to the same faction as the Deputy Director of the Elder Council and served as the brain of that faction in practical terms.
That said, his martial power was hardly lacking—it was Ha Sang Il who once slew all three of the Thousand Forbidden Demons that appeared in Shandong with a single sword.
That deed echoed Ha Sang Il’s reputation throughout the Central Plains.
“Bring me tea first. I’ll wash up before departing.”
“Understood.”
Half an hour later, in the Grand Hall.
“I pay my respects to the Alliance Leader.”
Ha Sang Il’s demeanor was impeccably courteous, showing not the slightest sign of impatience at the wait.
Meng Ha Sung’s eyes gleamed.
‘Impressive.’
Several Elders had grown intoxicated by power, their Qi dimmed—Jong Mu Seok, imprisoned this very afternoon, was one such example.
But Ha Sang Il’s Qi remained sharp as a well-honed sword. He was clearly continuing his training even now.
‘That’s precisely what makes him dangerous. Diligent evil is a burden even diligent good struggles to bear.’
Meng Ha Sung opened his mouth.
“My apologies. I was delayed by pressing matters.”
“You are too kind. I arrived without prior notice and fear I’ve stolen precious time from the Alliance Leader. I am truly sorry.”
Meng Ha Sung chuckled softly.
“If you came despite such remorse at taking my time, this must be no trivial matter.”
Ha Sang Il hesitated for an instant.
Yet his voice and manner remained as natural as flowing water.
“I am merely apologetic.”
“Have you drunk your tea?”
“Yes.”
Contrary to his words, the tea in the cup on the table beside him had barely diminished.
Meng Ha Sung extended his hand.
Whoooosh.
An invisible force stretched forth through the Empty Air, touching the tea cup.
Fwoom.
A faint heat haze rose above the cup.
“It had grown cold, which is why you didn’t drink it. You could have simply asked for it to be reheated.”
“….”
“Please, sit and drink.”
Ha Sang Il swallowed involuntarily.
‘Terrifying!’
The distance between his seat and the tea table exceeded ten feet.
Transmitting formless Qi across such a distance was not impossible for him either.
But to reheat tea not to a boil, yet to a precisely comfortable drinking temperature by controlling Internal Power—that was absolutely impossible.
The pinnacle of refinement. The Internal Energy Technique of the absolute master said to possess the Number One Under Heaven fist was so formidable it could reduce even a master swordsman to an infant.
“Thank you.”
Ha Sang Il carefully sat in the chair before the tea table and sipped the tea.
It would be disrespectful to refuse tea the Alliance Leader had personally prepared. He had merely touched his lips to it before, but now he truly had to drink.
Meng Ha Sung spoke with a smile.
“If you’re worried that I might have poisoned it, set your mind at ease—there’s no need for such concern.”
It was a joke with teeth to it.
Ha Sang Il accepted it with ease.
“A single punch from the Alliance Leader would erase me without a trace. There would be no point in poisoning you.”
He returned the jest with a jest of his own, yet his words carried their own weight.
Meng Ha Sung rose from his seat and walked toward the Tea Table.
A servant appeared from the right corridor of the Grand Hall, carrying a Tea Cup.
The two men settled naturally on either side of the Tea Table.
Just as Ha Sang Il was about to speak, Meng Ha Sung touched his Tea Cup and said:
“You’ve come because of Elder Jong Mu Seok.”
“…!”
“I can’t imagine what other reason would bring Elder Ha to seek out this man.”
It was a statement difficult to parse.
‘He’s asking so directly?’
Ha Sang Il was genuinely startled. The Meng Ha Sung he’d observed until now was merely an affable Alliance Leader whose strength lay in his fists.
‘Could it be… the Vice Alliance Leader’s words were correct?’
Though he followed this man, he’d always believed himself superior in intellect and analytical prowess.
But now, seeing this, he wondered if perhaps he had made a grave miscalculation.
“To speak plainly, yes.”
“Heh, I’m relieved that Elder Ha answers so honestly. Since we’ve met like this, let’s not waste time with roundabout words and needless talk.”
His tone grew firmer than usual.
Ha Sang Il’s hand, hidden within his sleeve, clenched tightly.
Meng Ha Sung asked gravely:
“Do you wish for me to release Elder Jong Mu Seok?”
“…Yes.”
Ha Sang Il maintained his respectful demeanor.
“However, it is not because Elder Jong Mu Seok is innocent or any such reason. If the Alliance Leader would permit it, I have my own justification….”
“It cannot be.”
“…Pardon?”
Meng Ha Sung twirled his Tea Cup slowly as he spoke.
“If that is your only purpose, you may leave now. I have no intention of releasing Elder Jong Mu Seok.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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