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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“I have a question for both of you. Are the wounds on your sons’ bodies consistent with the martial arts of your respective clans?”
“…They are.”
“Do you know which techniques were used?”
The two Clan Leaders, their faces a mixture of grief and rage, examined their sons’ wounds. It was a cruel request, but necessary to prevent a war.
“…Yes, this is the Gang Clan’s Lightning Sword.”
“…This is the Nine Dragons Sword.”
The air crackled with killing intent as soon as they finished speaking. I stomped my foot lightly to draw their attention.
“Look closely at your sons’ bodies. They’ve been brutally wounded, but…doesn’t something seem off?”
“Benefactor, it seems you were right.”
Mokgyeong seemed to understand what I meant. Any swordsman who calmly examined the wounds would notice the discrepancies.
They simply couldn’t see clearly because these were the bodies of their family.
I cleared my throat and pointed at Gu’s son’s body.
“Look at Gu’s wounds. Aren’t they too clean?”
“…Indeed.”
Clan Leader Gu agreed, his voice strained.
The sword wounds on his son’s body were unnatural.
“Gang’s son injured his shoulder, his right shoulder, from Gu’s sword at the inn. How could his swordsmanship be so precise after injuring his dominant shoulder?
A seasoned expert with extensive combat experience might be able to compensate, but Gang’s son seemed to lack such experience. He didn’t display the characteristics of a seasoned warrior.”
A seasoned warrior assessed their opponent the moment they met. They instinctively gauged their opponent’s strength.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
You had to understand your opponent to win a fight.
“That is strange.”
“Unless he used his internal energy to suppress the pain and maintain his swordsmanship…but only the Clan Leader is capable of that.”
“So, as he suggested, another culprit killed our sons and their bodyguards?”
“Damn those bastards…”
The first piece of evidence supporting my claim that the two young masters hadn’t killed each other had emerged. Now, if I could find a few more clues, I could prevent the war.
“Then who inflicted these Lightning Sword wounds?”
“Even without knowing how to use internal energy, it’s possible to mimic sword techniques and inflict wounds on a corpse or a subdued opponent.
Of course…that requires some understanding of swordsmanship, so an insider’s assistance would be necessary. Or perhaps the culprit…”
“Oh…”
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
My words implied that someone had taught the culprit the Lightning Sword and Nine Dragons Sword techniques, or that someone from within the two clans was responsible.
In other words, there was either a spy, or someone from within the clans was the culprit.
“I don’t know who it is, but they’re familiar with the Lightning Sword and Nine Dragons Sword techniques.”
The number of potential suspects was limited.
Someone related to the clans.
And someone stronger than the two young masters.
They had to be stronger to subdue and kill them so cleanly.
Or…they used sleeping poison or some kind of anesthetic.
“…This is why I asked you to bring your families.”
“I think I’m going to suffer Qi Deviation…”
Clan Leader Gang Baek-hun sighed and lowered his head. It was a difficult time for him, understandably so. I pushed aside my sympathy and moved on to the next piece of evidence.
“Do either of your clans have a resident physician?”
“Unfortunately, no. We had one, but he retired due to old age. Lately, we’ve been relying on the most skilled physician in the city, even though he wasn’t our first choice.”
“I wanted to check for signs of poisoning…”
“Are you suggesting that our sons and their bodyguards were poisoned and then left in the alleyway?”
He was finally starting to think rationally. I nodded, looking at Clan Leader Gu, whose eyes were filled with rage, but still held a glimmer of reason.
“Indeed, Clan Leader Gu.”
“But there are no signs of poisoning.”
“If it wasn’t poison, wouldn’t that change things?”
“Not poison?”
“What heals can also harm. Even an elixir can be poisonous if taken by someone with the wrong constitution.”
“You mean like when someone consumes an elixir beyond their capacity, and their meridians can’t handle the energy, resulting in Qi Deviation and death?”
“Yes, like that.”
Mokgyeong provided a suitable example. While it was a common trope in wuxia stories, it rarely happened in reality.
After all, it was usually the protagonists and their allies who consumed elixirs.
And there was another piece of information that supported this possibility.
“Didn’t the physician disappear after the incident?”
“He did.”
The martial artist who had come to fetch me answered immediately.
“If the physician was involved, or if someone impersonated him and gave the young masters and their bodyguards a sleeping potion or anesthetic, that would explain why Gang’s son was found in the alleyway.
As for Gu’s son…who was the last person to see him?”
“…It was me.”
An elderly servant stepped forward and bowed to me. It felt strange for someone older than me to bow…
…but this wasn’t the time to worry about such things.
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“Yesterday around Shen Shi (3-5 PM). He stopped by the house, said he had somewhere to go…he seemed to be in a good mood.”
“Hmm.”
Was that “somewhere” the alleyway?
“Did anyone find a note or anything when they searched the bodies?”
The martial artist who had fetched me replied that they hadn’t.
…Nothing?
It was troubling that I didn’t know how Gu’s son was lured to the alleyway. Who called him…
Ah.
“Perhaps he went to meet Lady Myeong-hui?”
“Myeong-hui?”
It seemed the Clan Leader didn’t know about the woman his son was interested in. Had he been hiding it? Or was the Clan Leader simply not interested in his son’s love life?
“Does anyone know where Lady Myeong-hui lives?”
“I do. I’ll go right away!”
“Wait! Mokgyeong, go with him.”
“Understood, Benefactor.”
With Mokgyeong, a peak expert, there was little chance of anything going wrong. I watched Mokgyeong, who had used Qinggong to disappear with the martial artist, then turned my attention back to the Clan Leaders.
“If Lady Myeong-hui doesn’t come with him or disappears, it’s safe to assume she’s involved.”
“What is the meaning of this…”
“Based on the evidence, this seems like a carefully planned incident.”
But could an ordinary sect orchestrate something like this?
If they had such capabilities, they wouldn’t be stuck in a small city like this. Manipulating two clans into a war and reaping the benefits wasn’t easy.
“If the critically injured bodyguard recovers, we’ll be able to find more concrete evidence.”
“But…if we wait, they’ll erase the evidence. And deny everything.”
Of course, they would.
They would have realized their plan had failed.
They were probably already erasing the evidence.
Even if the Black Shadow Sect wasn’t directly responsible, it was highly likely they were involved.
I doubted a large organization would orchestrate such a scheme just to take over this small city. The *tanghulu* vendor had said they were “expanding their influence in the market.”
And such underhanded tactics were a trademark of the Demonic Cult.
So, if I investigated the Black Shadow Sect, I would find something.
“Does anyone know where the Black Shadow Sect is located?”
“Are you going to visit them?”
“I just want to have a chat.”
Speed was key.
I had to strike before they could cover their tracks.
“Do you think they’ll welcome you? I’ll take my men and…”
“If you go, Clan Leader, they’ll realize they’ve been discovered and escape.”
The Clan Leader’s movement would be a clear signal that their plan had been exposed.
“But it’s not wise to attack them without warning. We don’t know what they might do.”
“Don’t worry, Clan Leader Gang. I’ve already prepared a justification.”
It was time to play the knight errant again.
“Lend me a martial artist who knows the way and a few skilled warriors. And you two should pretend to be preparing for war.”
“…We’re burdening you with too much.”
“Just make sure I’m properly compensated.”
“I’ll give you half my fortune if you capture the culprit.”
“Me too.”
I nodded at the two Clan Leaders’ fervent promises.
“Mister…”
“Don’t worry. If I were going to die to small fry, I wouldn’t be here.”
I reassured Hye-ryeong, who was looking at me with teary eyes, and turned away.
“Then, I’ll be back with good news.”
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“Hey, why is it so quiet? Didn’t you say it would be chaotic if something happened?”
“How would I know? If I knew, I’d be relaxing in the inner chambers, chatting with the Sect Leader.”
“Heh, I can’t wait. Our time is coming, isn’t it?”
The Black Shadow Sect guards indulged in their fantasies, staring blankly ahead. Once they took over the city, they would have all the food and alcohol they could want, unlike now, where they were just scraping by.
“When’s the shift change…sigh.”
“About half an hour. Just be patient…huh?”
Footsteps.
A martial artist wearing a bamboo hat walked towards the main gate of the Black Shadow Sect, making no attempt to conceal their presence. The guards, alerted by the unexpected visitor, placed their hands on their weapons.
“Who’s that?”
“Were we expecting a guest today?”
“Idiot, of course not! On a day like this?!”
Ignoring their chatter, the martial artist, his bamboo hat pulled low, stopped in front of them.
‘H-he’s huge…!’
“Is this the Black Shadow Sect?”
“A-a Westerner?”
“Such lax guards. Back in my day…”
*Bam!*
“We would bash your heads in with our helmets for standing like that.”
The martial artist’s fists slammed into the guards’ faces, their cries cut short as they collapsed unconscious.
He checked that they were out cold, then looked up, jumped, and ripped the Black Shadow Sect’s sign off the wall.
‘This is the best way to provoke a sect.’
The sign was a sect’s symbol, after all.
He slung the sign over his shoulder and kicked open the main gate.
“Come out! A knight errant of the righteous factions has arrived to purge the evil that preys on innocent citizens!”
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