Reincarnated Sword Ghost

Chapter 133 : Report

Report

After returning their horses at the post station with Baek Il-gang, they headed to the Heavenly Martial Hall.

"......"

Jeong-un glanced at him walking beside him, recalling what had happened a little earlier.

'Come to think of it, he deals with those situations quite skillfully.'

Back when they were new recruits joining together, both one-stripe, they had even shared a room.

Yet, Jeong-un realized he actually didn't know much about him.

All he really knew was that Baek Il-gang had joined as a regular recruit and, despite his appearance, was a diligent swordsman in his martial studies.

He detested the unorthodox factions or the dark path so much it was almost phobic, but even among the orthodox, he made a face of disgust when encountering disciples from the great sects.

But that didn't mean he shunned or hated all those people entirely.

In fact, he got along fairly well with Tang Yerin, a direct descendant of one of the five great clans.

If they hadn't been getting along, the General Affairs Department—known to investigate even the smallest relationships between warriors—would never have put them on the same team.

'Should I say he's quick-witted?'

Even so, whenever small or large conflicts arose between martial artists, he handled them smoothly.

It might have looked like he was overpowering them with force, but he never crossed the line, which was a peculiar boundary.

That had been the case just a moment ago.

He'd intimidated the other with his aura, but at the end of it, he neither insulted the opponent nor laid a hand on their body.

Even so, when he finished with a final remark and walked away, the other party did nothing—except glare with a red, humiliated face.

Just then, Baek Il-gang turned his head and asked,

"By the way, why didn't you just go straight in and let yourself be caught up with people like them?"

"They suddenly blocked my way and spoke to me. They claimed to be juniors and greeted me politely, so it was hard to simply ignore them,"

Jeong-un replied calmly.

Half of it was a lie. In truth, he could have dealt with them firmly and just walked on.

Stopping to talk with them was just out of simple curiosity.

For someone to dare stop a two-stripe warrior of the Heavenly Martial Hall on the market streets of Hanyang Prefecture—he couldn't help but wonder what they'd say.

'I didn't expect them to say something so ridiculous, though.'

It didn't seem as if they recognized him. If they had, they might even have issued a duel.

The way they talked about "order" suggested they were picking their opponents.

Suddenly, he recalled the moment the man had been overpowered by Baek Il-gang's aura and had fallen backward.

'What a ridiculous person.'

Maybe that guy had been treated as an expert on his own turf, never knowing defeat.

In Jeong-un's view, he would soon experience just how vast the martial world really was.

Actually, it made sense that he could swagger around in Hanyang Prefecture—there were few places as well policed as here.

Even the martial artists tended to restrain themselves to avoid attracting the attention of the Heavenly Martial Hall.

Baek Il-gang spoke up.

"There will be plenty more like them crowding around the prefectural city in the days ahead. Is there any need to deal with every last one? Well, now that we're on our way back, I doubt we'll run into more."

"I was wondering why they picked me specifically. Does this sort of thing happen to you often, Baek?"

"It depends more on timing than the person. Isn't it about time when a bunch of martial artists who've lived shut off from the world, stuck in their own little martial worlds, end up gathering together?"

"You mean for the recruitment exam."

Baek Il-gang nodded. Looking around, he immediately spotted a group of martial artists.

There certainly seemed to be more than usual. Judging by their ages, it looked like exam time was coming.

'Isn't it still a while yet?'

Winter hadn't even fully ended yet.

Would someone arrive two months early just for an exam that started when spring was barely beginning?

Compared to how he'd always arrived just in time for schedules, it seemed excessive.

'They must be confident.'

If passing was truly urgent for them, they'd have spent as much time as possible honing their martial arts before coming.

Planning to train only upon arriving here was nonsense; Jeong-un knew first-hand how scarce suitable training grounds were for outsiders in the prefectural city.

Baek Il-gang said,

"They're so pent up, they can't control themselves. Even those guys just before."

"...... At that level..."

Jeong-un muttered, almost to himself.

Although Baek Il-gang's aura had been formidable, that man just now had been the worst as a martial artist.

To fall straight on your back and brace with your hands behind you?

Not only was it a disgraceful posture, but it also left him completely open to the opponent's next move.

Even if you have no intention to fight, that's simply unacceptable.

As far as Jeong-un knew, there was no such warrior in the Heavenly Martial Hall.

Seeing Jeong-un's expression, Baek Il-gang sneered a little.

"You know how many among the martial artists ignore the process and only care about the result? They believe 'well begun is half done', and waste all their time simply by forming their dantian. That's at least half of them."

"......"

It was a harsh comment. Just listening, one might think all martial artists were lazy.

But Baek Il-gang had the right to say it—regardless of his outwardly casual manner, he was a truly diligent practitioner.

He always seemed to be lounging around, but somehow, whenever someone went to find him, he'd be at the training hall.

Just then, it seemed Baek Il-gang remembered something and asked,

"Oh, come to think of it, was your mission successful? I didn't ask, since it felt so obvious. Looking at you, it seems you gained a lot this time too; your ki pathway, or something...?"

"......"

It was a casual question, but Jeong-un remained silent. It was hard to find an answer.

He'd been responsible for more than one mission.

Though monitoring Shaolin's movements was his main task, he found the events at Kaifeng had also weighed heavily on him.

He actually regretted that he hadn't dealt harsher blows to the enemy, but felt he'd done his best.

Afterwards, he could only trust Yan Se-ok, who'd shown a surprisingly clear gaze.

'And after that...'

The real mission entrusted to him by the Heavenly Martial Hall—what happened at Shaolin—was, undeniably, a failure.

Thinking back on every tiny detail, it was apparent.

It was the first time since joining the Heavenly Martial Hall that he felt so apprehensive about making a report.

"......"

As Jeong-un fell silent, Baek Il-gang looked at him with a mildly surprised expression.

But, instead of pursuing it, he quietly continued walking with him.

"We're here."

And so they arrived at the main gate of the Heavenly Martial Hall.

He was finally back.

* * *

He didn't go straight to report to Yeom Baek's office.

The Heavenly Martial Hall had a peculiar, implicit policy.

They did not rush warriors to report immediately upon returning from missions.

Some even took a few hours off before reporting.

As long as it wasn't too excessive, it was silently allowed.

It was a kind of consideration for warriors returning from outside missions.

"You're not heading straight to the training hall again, are you?"

"Not this time."

He laughed as he answered Baek Il-gang's bantering question.

Baek Il-gang immediately returned to his double's quarters. He was still a one-stripe.

'First...'

After quickly unpacking, he headed to the bathhouse.

His body had been away for a long time.

He wasn't particularly mindful of his looks, but that didn't mean he was negligent about cleanliness.

Besides, after changing horses at post stations and riding day and night, there had been no chance for a proper wash.

Of course, most martial artists, using their internal energy, didn't get covered in dust, and could keep their faces clean even after long periods without a bath.

Even so, there was no comparison to a thorough wash.

After finishing up, he left the pavilion.

On his way to Yeom Baek's office, he ran into a few warriors.

Some barely acknowledged him, others recognized him and offered a martial salute.

Some even stared, wide-eyed, as if startled by something they sensed. Those were the especially sensitive ones.

Jeong-un just let it all pass. He was also feeling the changes in his own ki pathway.

'They say once you reach the domain of returning to the roots, you can completely conceal your aura...'

Meaning, you could appear just like an ordinary commoner.

It would make moving about much easier.

As he was thinking that, he arrived at the door to Yeom Baek's office.

"You've come. I heard you've had quite the experience."

Jeong-un's eyes examined Yeom Baek's face.

Unlike usual, the desk was completely bare—no papers at all—almost as if he'd been waiting just for Jeong-un to arrive.

Jeong-un parted his lips and reported the outcome of his mission.

Yeom Baek listened in silence until Jeong-un finished, with little change of expression.

That was unexpected for Jeong-un.

Anyone would have found it hard not to be surprised at news that the Demonic Cult leader had appeared.

He suspected the contact, Gwak Gyeong, might have sent a letter.

After he finished, Jeong-un asked,

"Had you already heard some details, sir?"

Yeom Baek nodded.

"Yes, I knew the rough outline. All because of a letter sent to the Heavenly Martial Hall."

"......"

So that was it. Jeong-un muttered inside.

Of course, the General Affairs Department scholar Gwak Gyeong wouldn't have failed to report what he saw.

The General Affairs Department was extremely meticulous about procedures.

They would have already sent word by various channels before Jeong-un's arrival.

Yeom Baek let out a small sigh.

"That thief called Divine Thief was already notorious. Capturing him would have been a huge achievement, so we poured even more of our warriors into that region."

"I feel responsible, sir."

"What was that?"

When Yeom Baek asked again, eyes wide, Jeong-un replied in a subdued tone.

"He was protected by a bizarre technique—so much so that even the abbot couldn't immediately subdue him, sir. Moreover, the force he displayed with his palm technique was extremely powerful. Honestly... even if the Heavenly Martial Hall's warriors had formed a siege, the damage would have likely been great. I made a solo judgment, against plan, so I'll accept whatever punishment you see fit."

Yeom Baek looked at him with a slightly incredulous, furrowed brow, as if to say, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"I am not reprimanding you for not executing the original plan."

"Sir?"

When Jeong-un asked in surprise, Yeom Baek shook his head gently and continued,

"I was just wondering whether crises keep following you, or if you simply wind up where trouble happens."

"......?"

It was a baffling, strange statement. When Jeong-un looked at him, puzzled, Yeom Baek spoke again.

"That wasn't just a mere thief. He turned out to be the head of a dangerous group, and one who had entered the realm of a peerless expert. How could you possibly have stuck to the original plan in that situation? I would have made the same decision. That's not the real issue. The real issue is that he turned out to be the actual leader of the Demonic Cult."

"......"

He was right.

The problem this time was that the one called Divine Thief was, in fact, the Demonic Cult leader.

That's where it all went wrong.

"You might not know it, but ever since your last report, the corps leaders, myself included, have been tracking that man's traces directly. At the very least, we tried to determine if he really had ties to that cult. Whether he was just some unorthodox member or really succeeded the Demonic Cult's legacy, we couldn't announce anything until we knew for sure."

"So that's..."

Jeong-un then recalled facing Zhuge Cheon-woo.

The Heavenly Martial Hall had not made any official announcement about Jeong-un's report since then.

All along, the corps-level leaders had been moving behind the scenes.

"But then he showed up in front of you again? Honestly, it's bewildering. I followed the chief strategist's orders, traveling all over, and yet..."

"......?"

Yeom Baek's serious face turned a bit bitter. Looking at Jeong-un, he continued,

"Anyway, this matter is now out of my hands. To be honest, I wasn't the only one waiting for your return."

"Sir?"

Yeom Baek nodded and said,

"The chief has summoned you. He said he must see you in person."