The Heavenly Demon Cult’s Strongest Maid - Chapter 330

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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 84

Jegal Mun-gi quietly set down the tea he was drinking beside him. Then he reached for his desk and picked up a bundle of old documents.

The cover of the documents had no title written on it.

Only a red stamp reading “Top Secret” was clearly imprinted.

Rustle.

As he turned the first page, the smell of old paper and dust that had accumulated over many years irritated his nose.

“I never thought I’d be looking at this at this point.”

What was written in the documents was the organizational chart of the Demonic Sect and information about key figures. These were precious materials obtained by spies secretly deployed from the Martial Arts Alliance to the Demonic Sect in exchange for their lives.

In preparation for the upcoming political summit talks, Jegal Mun-gi slowly traced through the names of Demonic Sect personnel one by one.

“Who do you think will come as the Demonic Sect’s representative?”

He asked the Mil-yeong Daejoo sitting across from him.

“I’m not sure.”

“Still, try to pick someone.”

Jegal Mun-gi was inwardly curious whether his thoughts would align with the Mil-yeong Daejoo’s thoughts.

The Mil-yeong Daejoo opened his mouth after a brief silence.

“Wouldn’t it be the head of the Hyeon-ma Tak Family?”

Jegal Mun-gi chuckled and nodded his head.

There was no way Cheonma would personally step forward for the political summit talks. Just as the Nine Sects and One Alliance and the Five Great Families were the pillars of the orthodox martial world, the Demonic Sect also had six pillars supporting the demonic path.

Among those collectively called the Six Great Demon Clans, the only family that received unparalleled support from demon cultists comparable to Cheonma was the Hyeon-ma Tak Family.

The alias of Tak Joong-hak, head of the Hyeon-ma Tak Family, was Demon Sword Master.

No, since Sword Master Namgung Cheon was dead, it would be appropriate to call him Sword Master now.

Tak Joong-hak, who was also one of the Ten Masters of the martial world, was currently the most likely candidate to come as the Demonic Sect’s representative.

“So it’s Tak Joong-hak after all…”

Suddenly, Tak Moonju of Cheon-sin-mun, who had the same name, came to mind.

Wasn’t this a truly exquisite coincidence?

If he really came, there would be two people with the same name at the political summit talks.

“However, I can’t guarantee it. His age is over eighty.”

Well, at that age, he might have already stepped down from the position of family head.

Since his only daughter was said to be dead, did he adopt a son?

Or did he have a late child?

The information had stopped too long ago.

That’s why even he, the Alliance’s chief strategist, couldn’t gauge it.

‘This is difficult.’

Jegal Mun-gi pointed his finger at the bottom of the document, at the date when the information was last updated.

“19 years ago…”

In a few months, it would be approaching 20 years.

A sigh escaped naturally.

“I apologize.”

The Mil-yeong Daejoo bowed his head, saying he was ashamed even though it wasn’t his fault.

“No. How is this something you should apologize for? It’s because we are lacking, and conversely, the Demonic Sect is superior.”

There was no longer any point in looking at the documents.

Jegal Mun-gi closed the document and took out the list of Martial Arts Alliance spies attached to the last page.

Just as Bloodsky Sect planted spies in the Martial Arts Alliance, the orthodox and demonic sides constantly sent agents into each other’s camps.

For those who had lived their entire lives in opposition, this was natural in a way.

But 19 years ago, at some point, news coming from the Demonic Sect suddenly stopped. And this was still ongoing.

“What happened in the Demonic Sect at that time that they desperately caught all the spies?”

Without that, there was no way to understand the current situation.

Clearly, the Demonic Sect had launched a massive purge operation to hide something, and succeeded in cutting off information.

“What could it be…”

Jegal Mun-gi’s muttering was a question he posed to himself.

Then a piece of information he had seen in the documents earlier flashed by.

“Ah, didn’t Cheonma have a second child around this time?”

“Yes, by now they would probably be around twenty. The first son is Eok Wi-baek, but we couldn’t secure the gender or name of the second child.”

Since the planted spies’ communications were cut off one after another, there was no way to know.

“Judging by Cheonma’s age, I believe there are more children.”

“So was it a crackdown to protect the successor?”

The fact that he had no idea how many children Cheonma had or what level their martial arts skills were at made Jegal Mun-gi feel an untimely sense of defeat.

“Gwi-hon Gak-ju Gong Pae-cheon. He was promoted to Gak-ju at a relatively young age due to his high intelligence.”

If the Martial Arts Alliance had Cheon-gi Susa, the Demonic Sect had Hyeolsan Manoe. The mass disappearance of spies was surely his work.

He had proven his ability by completely blocking all agents who had infiltrated the Demonic Sect.

“Finally, I’ll be able to see that Hyeolsan Manoe’s face directly.”

There was no way he, the Demonic Sect’s chief strategist, would be absent from the political summit talks.

Was it because they were in the same position?

Jegal Mun-gi wanted to know about Gong Pae-cheon more than anyone.

“Come to think of it, 19 years ago was…”

Coincidentally, it was the year when Dang Yeong-ryeong, who was the leader of Am Sa-dae, was falsely accused and became a public enemy of the martial world.

When he thought about that time, Jegal Mun-gi still had nothing to say due to his guilt.

“Anyway, the conclusion is that we don’t know much.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop saying that.”

Jegal Mun-gi waved his hand.

The Mil-yeong Daejoo was still silently doing his job even now.

From personally selecting and training spies to send to the Demonic Sect to deploying them in actual combat.

It was work that couldn’t be stopped even knowing that ten out of ten would not return alive.

He knew without having to say how heavy and desperate the hearts of both those who sent and those who left would be.

“What about Hyeon-wol-dang? Still haven’t found their hideout?”

“Yes.”

Just discovering that Hyeon-wol-dang was the Demonic Sect’s intelligence organization could be considered a great harvest.

But the problem was that they couldn’t grasp at all how they moved or in what manner.

“How did our Alliance end up in this state…”

Jegal Mun-gi blamed himself for his mistakes again today.

“Everything seems to be my fault.”

His once most cherished disciple, So-un.

He personally taught and raised him without knowing he was a spy for Bloodsky Sect. In the end, because of this, the guy was able to reach into the deepest parts of the Military Department.

As a result, a fatal hole was created in the system that had been built up over a long time.

It was a complete disqualification as chief strategist.

“Please don’t say such things. If the chief strategist wavers, the Secret Encampment will lose its purpose and direction and drift aimlessly. We will follow any command, so please give orders without hesitation.”

The Mil-yeong Daejoo’s intense gaze contained perfect trust toward Jegal Mun-gi.

At this, Jegal Mun-gi was startled as if cold water had been poured over him.

It was because he, who should be more cool-headed than anyone, had grabbed onto the Mil-yeong Daejoo and complained.

To fall into sentimentality with such an important matter as the political summit talks right before them was unlike him.

“Forget what just happened.”

Jegal Mun-gi pulled himself together and commanded the Mil-yeong Daejoo.

“The Secret Encampment should go to Luoyang first and prepare what’s needed for the talks. As for the political summit talks, we will be the hosts.”

“I receive your command.”

The Mil-yeong Daejoo immediately left the office.

Only after he left did Jegal Mun-gi exhale the breath he had been holding.

The fact that there were countless urgent matters to handle was at least some consolation. While working, he would be able to escape from idle thoughts.

“Knock knock.”

At that moment, someone plopped down in an empty chair and called out Jegal Mun-gi’s childhood nickname.

“A fellow who used to draw every picture in the world so well – what troubles fill your mind so deeply?”

“…S-Seon-jon Elder!”

The surprise was brief, and Jegal Mun-gi quickly stood up to bow to Tae-won Jin-in.

Seon-jon was holding the finished candy and skewer in his mouth like a pipe, as if reluctant to let them go.

“Regrets bound to the past are like hands trying to catch the wind. Mistakes are like places where wind has passed. Even if traces remain, the wind has already departed.”

These were words spoken with Hyeolcheon-hoe in mind.

“Why do you keep struggling and tormenting yourself trying to grasp what cannot be caught?”

Tae-won Jin-in looked at Jegal Mun-gi while sucking on the candy and skewer.

“It’s not that easy.”

Jegal Mun-gi gave a bitter smile.

“The past is like flowing water that cannot be scooped up again, and even if you scoop it up, it is already different water.”

“…”

“Zhuangzi said that the perfect person is not dragged by the past, does not worry about the future, and only plays in the present. What you must do is just one thing – walk righteously in this very moment.”

Jegal Mun-gi expressed gratitude for the elder’s teaching by covering his clenched left fist with his right hand, placing it on his chest, and performing the gongsurye bow.

It was the exact opposite hand position from the martial artists’ fist-and-palm salute.

Seon-jon showed a satisfied expression upon witnessing the proper Taoist courtesy.

“But what brings you to seek me out at this hour, Elder?”

Jegal Mun-gi belatedly hurried to bring out tea while asking Seon-jon.

“I hear a place called Cheon-sin-mun is mediating this Righteous Faction conference?”

“Yes. Though it’s an outer sect, it has deep ties with Shaolin and made great contributions in capturing Hyeolcheon-hoe spies.”

Half-listening to Jegal Mun-gi’s explanation, Seon-jon fidgeted his small body this way and that, searching for something.

“Is there something you need?”

“Candy?”

“…Pardon?”

“Don’t have any?”

“Well, I thought you were visiting tomorrow, so I didn’t prepare…”

It was a misjudgment to think that Jegal Mun-gi would surely have prepared candy.

Seon-jon trembled his hands as if experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

He hurriedly brought the empty skewer to his mouth and gnawed on it with his molars.

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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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