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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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The world is vast, and the government’s organizational power doesn’t reach every corner.
Those in the martial world do not like being bound by the government, but they always covet the power and authority that the government holds.
There’s common ground between the two, so there is no place where the government’s hand doesn’t reach in the regions outside the reach of the government or in private matters where the Martial Alliance’s hand doesn’t reach. The Hongryun Sect was also one of the sects created from such collusion. They received authorization from the government to manage security and collected taxes from the village and remitted it to the government.
Master Gold Fortune had put effort into spreading his influence by scattering a few sects like this, but one day, out of the blue, a madman with an axe appeared, killing the leader of the Hongryun Sect, and marrying his daughter to inherit the sect.
“From Master Gold Fortune’s perspective, the mere fact that this happened is humiliating. The leader that he entrusted had been committing corruption, unable to even manage the public sentiment of this small village, before his head was displayed on the streets and cursed at. If he kills you like this, then only he will be the bad guy, so it’s difficult for him to even consider sending an expert to kill you off.”
“So he’s using his connections with the Martial Alliance to call someone in?”
Sanyeo nodded and said,
“Yes. She said that she came to investigate. From now on, she’ll be thoroughly investigating the ledgers and blaming you for the previous leader’s crimes as well. Since she investigated under the name of the Martial Alliance, its authority will guarantee the credibility. If the rumor that you’re an evil man who also committed corruption and sullied the name of the sect spreads, Master Gold Fortune will be able to save face.”
“I see.”
Although I was nodding casually, my heart was far from casual. I was instead sweating profusely. Because when she mentioned inspecting the ledgers, I didn’t feel confident that I would be able to get out unscathed at all.
I had left the managing of the ledgers entirely to Seon-go, but even if Seon-go had been working with the sect’s ledgers for a long time, would she be able to match up against those bastards from the Martial Alliance who had dedicated their lives to investigations?
“…So, are we doomed?”
Sanyeo casually shook her head and said to my question,
“Do-cheol, why are you showing such a dejected appearance so soon? You’re a hero, right? You have to act confident.”
I also wanted to be confident. But the opponent wasn’t a martial artist with a sword, they were IRS agents who had come with documents to investigate. How exactly was I supposed to act confident?
Since it was an area where I couldn’t use my skills to deal with the situation, I couldn’t even imagine how to deal with it. To depend entirely on Seon-go’s ability to manipulate documents, could that even work?
I looked at Seon-go who had been sitting quietly beside me. Unlike me, who was unable to hide my anxiety, Seon-go, who was in charge of the ledgers, was smiling with a relaxed expression.
“…What? Are you really okay?”
Had she lost her sense of reality since it was the Martial Alliance who had come? Seon-go clutched my hand after seeing my confused expression and said,
“Don’t worry. I prepared the ledgers diligently, so we won’t be found out. It’s not like this is the first time we’ve been investigated, you know?”
When I thought about it, it seemed like that might be true. If even the neighboring robber gangs knew that the Hongryun Sect was trash, someone would have come to investigate at some point. The fact that they had managed to survive all those investigations.
Meant that they were experts in manipulating documents and destroying evidence.
Anyway, since I didn’t know anything about those things, I had no choice but to trust Sanyeo who was strangely relaxed, and Seon-go who was full of confidence.
“If you don’t open the door right now, then I’ll break it down! I am the Kirin of the Hengsan Sect! I’ve come here to investigate you under the name of the Martial Alliance!”
That crazy woman, who was calling herself the Hengsan Sect’s Kirin, was now screaming at the top of her lungs, seemingly about to truly break down the gates with her inner energy. Her aura was so intense that Seon-go, who hadn’t learned martial arts, widened her eyes in shock and dropped her snack, and the servant was shaking as if he had heard a beast’s cry.
Sanyeo said with a shocked expression,
“Oh my, at that level, she must be at least a first-rate master. As expected, even if they are just a low-ranking official, an investigator of sect corruption has quite a high level.”
If she was a first-rate master, then I couldn’t even think about knocking her head off with my ax and running away. Because if I were to wield my ax with my skills that had just barely reached the second-rate level, her counterattack would be even faster.
The servant’s legs were trembling, and Seon-go was clinging tightly to my arm as if she was feeling uneasy. Sanyeo, who was still relaxed, shook her shackles and said,
“Then I’ll go into hiding since it would be troublesome for me to meet those people.”
“….You’ll come if things get dangerous, right?”
Sanyeo stared blankly at me when I said that, and after giving a smile with her eyes, she said,
“Depending on how it goes.”
That bitch.
Sanyeo ignored me cursing at her with my eyes and then quickly moved through the gaps in the building, disappearing.
The servant was shaking like an elderly man with a stroke and shouted in a pitiful tone,
“L-leader? Wh, what do we do? If, if we leave it like this, won’t the sect disappear?!”
“I’ll count to three! If you don’t open the doors in three seconds, I’ll show you the true form of the Hengsan Sword Style!”
The Hengsan Sect’s Kirin was sharpening her voice like a maniac. For a person who cultivated, she was surprisingly reckless. It seemed like the Hengsan Sect was a terrifying place.
“What the fuck kind of sect is the Hengsan Sect? Is it a place where only maniacs gather? Just hurry up and open the door. I’m going to die here.”
“Yes, leader!”
And then while the servant was running toward the doors, I also imbued my voice with my energy and shouted to the person on the other side,
“We’re opening the door, so wait!”
When I looked to the side, Seon-go, who had said that she was okay, was trembling with a pale face. I hugged her and said,
“It’s okay. You said you weren’t scared?”
“…I, I’m starting to feel a bit scared after hearing those threats.”
I stroked her head and thought,
If I was destined to die here, then I would have already died.
I didn’t know what kind of bitch this Kirin of the Hengsan Sect was, but there was no way that she could take my head so easily.
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When I walked toward the gates with Seon-go on my back, a woman with a mature appearance came into view.
“Move.”
“Ugh!”
As soon as the servant opened the door, the woman pushed both the door and the servant away, and she didn’t even look at the servant who had fallen to the floor, just scanned her surroundings, before shooting a sharp look at me and said,
“Are you the leader of this Hongryun Sect?”
I nodded with Seon-go on my back.
“Yes, I am the leader, Do-cheol. And this woman I’m carrying on my back is my wife, Seon-go.”
The face of Inspector Im Seo-ryeon was distorted. The corners of her eyes were slightly raised, her impression was sharp, making her look like a fox. On the other hand, her body was voluptuous, and her butt shook every time she moved, flaunting her sensual figure.
One peculiar thing was that her hair was closer to brown than black, but she didn’t seem to mind me glancing at her hair.
“Yes? Do you know that you’re currently in a situation where you’re being investigated by the Martial Alliance?”
I didn’t care. If they were going to find fault and kill me, then they would kill me even if I were to lick their boots, so there was no need to try to impress them.
Seon-go was here, and my servants were here as well. They had all been impressed by my boldness of killing the previous leader with an ax and had started to work under me, and they were all relying on me, believing that I could do anything.
I tilted my head and retorted,
“Am I even a criminal yet? If you’re going to make me get on my knees and badger me, what’s the point of even doing an investigation? You could just come here and take my head with your Hengsan Sword Style. If you want to do an investigation, then I’ll open up the storage and let you look at the ledgers, so you should check that first. If I am guilty after that, then I’ll get down on my knees or grovel, whatever you want.”
Im Seo-ryeon frowned and glared at me at my words. And then she wiggled her lips, fidgeted with the sword at her waist and said,
“If you’re guilty of anything, your head won’t remain. No one has ever gotten away safely after being targeted by the Hengsan Sect’s Kirin.”
She said that in a spiteful tone and then swiftly turned her body. A young martial artist was following behind her.
He looked like he was around the third-rate level, his level in martial arts was far below mine, his stance was sloppy, and his face had a youthful aura. It seemed like he had just barely come of age.
Im Seo-ryeon took a few steps forward, before looking back at me and glaring at the wife on my back. Seon-go flinched when she made eye contact with the martial artist, and she tightly hugged my neck and tried to escape from her gaze.
Im Seo-ryeon smiled while seeing her actions and said,
“Hmph, are you planning on getting some sympathy points by carrying a woman on your back? None of the people who tried to get what they wanted by boasting about their love for each other turned out normal. It would have been better if you had just hugged her while standing.”
I kept silent at her words.
Im Seo-ryeon, who thought she had put me in a corner, continued in a more excited tone,
“What’s wrong? Did I hit a nerve?”
“…My wife cannot walk. But since an inspector came, I brought her on my back so she could at least see your face.”
I said that and showed her Seon-go’s injured ankle.
“Huh…”
Im Seo-ryeon froze as if she had been hit in the head.
She hesitated for a moment before awkwardly scratching her head and turning around, before saying in a low voice,
“…L-let’s start the investigation.”
What kind of woman is she?
This woman.
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Thanks vine you fucker