Chapter 378: Deception
The deeper they went into the Chief Bandit Commander’s cave, the wider Mugung’s mouth slowly fell open.
“To think banditry was something that could make this much money.”
Night pearls illuminating the dark interior of the cave.
On top of that, the farther they went inside the cave, the more countless treasures of gold and silver lay scattered all over the place.
Mugung could not understand why a bandit bastard who holed himself up in the mountains and lived wearing patched leather clothes had gathered this much wealth.
But even Mugung, whose eyes were wide open, could not accurately recognize the value of the treasures here.
Since he had lived as a monk for more than ten years, he had practically no ability at all to appraise treasures.
How long had he gone in while examining the treasures like an illiterate man?
Eventually, as Mugung reached a dead end and was examining the treasures that filled the wall, he found one object that felt out of place.
“A book?”
From his position as a monk, it was an object more familiar than treasure, rather.
Mugung, whose curiosity was stirred, approached that book.
And with the light of the night pearl attached to the wall reflecting off the gold and silver treasures, he was able to shine the sparkling light onto the book’s cover.
[Heaven-Destroying Taishan Splitting Axe]
Mugung, who confirmed the name written on the cover, frowned.
“That’s the axe art that the Chief Bandit Commander had mastered, isn’t it?”
Mugung wondered whether there was any need to leave an axe art behind as a book in the warehouse where he had gathered his treasures.
It also made no sense to say that he had left it behind for a successor in the future. Because there was no way that bastard had expected that he would die to him.
As he examined it while thinking of such questions, one more point of doubt arose.
That booklet was in such a tattered state that it looked as though it might turn into dust at any moment. Like a martial arts manual hundreds of years old, stored in Shaolin Temple’s Sutra Pavilion.
When those two points of doubt were added together, Mugung was able to infer the situation without much difficulty.
“Now that I look, that Chief Bandit Commander bastard was also a man who became strong through a fortuitous encounter.”
It seemed that the axe art called [Heaven-Destroying Taishan Splitting Axe] was not a martial art the Chief Bandit Commander had created himself.
“Maybe it might even be a martial art made by the original owner of this cave.”
Now it was filled with the treasures of gold and silver that the Chief Bandit Commander had moved here, but originally, arrangements prepared for a successor seemed to have been left behind.
Things like fasting pills for closed-door training, or spiritual medicines.
“Tsk. To think he obtained such a fortuitous encounter and was just doing banditry. The old master who created this martial art must be wailing in the underworld.”
Mugung, who lightly clicked his tongue, wrapped that booklet in a cloth and packed it away.
***
Around the time Mugung and Muyul were busily looting the Chief Bandit Commander’s cave.
Mujin had arrived at the meeting place in Yunnan.
Yunnan, a region that was the territory of the righteous faction but bordered the territories of both the Demon Cult and the Southern Heavenly Society.
In truth, the reason this situation had unfolded was because of the peace agreement that had taken place after the war two years ago.
During the period when Shincheon had raised an uprising and the Central Plains were in chaos, the left and right Guardian Envoys of the Demon Cult, who were no longer people of this world, had invaded the Central Plains.
And the place that had collapsed first because of that invasion was none other than the Kunlun Sect, located in Qinghai.
In the process of the peace agreement, in the end, the righteous faction had no choice but to reach a compromise by yielding the region of Qinghai to the Demon Cult.
Because the disciples of Kunlun had already been wiped out, and because the left and right Guardian Envoys of the Demon Cult who had committed those atrocities had already lost their lives to Gu Yangpae, the Heavenly Demon, and on top of that, the Demon Cult’s contribution in the final battle against Shincheon had been quite great.
In any case, after that, the Demon Cult, having absorbed Xinjiang and Qinghai, and even part of Tibet, was now in a situation where its territory bordered Yunnan and Sichuan, which were occupied by the righteous faction.
Also, the Southern Heavenly Society, which had won the civil war against the Evil Alliance, had taken Guangxi, Guangdong, Guizhou, and Fujian Province, which had been the existing territories of the Evil Alliance.
On top of that, Yunnan was “somewhat” the territory of the righteous faction, but it was not a place over which complete control was being exercised.
Because the Diancang Sect, which could have been called the overlord of Yunnan, had lost in the previous civil war of the righteous faction and had entered closed gates.
In the end, in a situation where Yunnan was no different from ownerless land, it had become a state where the three great powers bordered one another.
However, the atmosphere of such Yunnan was somehow strange.
It was not an atmosphere like a powder keg that might explode at any moment, but rather one like a lively trade city.
Thanks to the peace agreement, while there was no interference between them, the place through which the most people traveling between the territories of the three great powers passed was none other than Yunnan.
Most of all, since the Beast Palace of the Southern Barbarians had recently begun encouraging trade with the Central Plains, the amount of goods passing through Yunnan, which bordered the Southern Barbarians, was considerable.
Mujin, who was moving while enjoying such a noisy and bustling atmosphere of Yunnan, frowned as he approached the place set as the meeting location.
“As expected, it seems all the rumors have spread.”
The closer he got there, the more stiff the atmosphere given off by the people became.
It was not because of the news that the Second Prince would ascend the throne as emperor. Not only had the enthronement ceremony not yet been held, it was also quite secret information, so unless they were people with connections to the imperial family, it was information that could not possibly be discovered.
“They must have come very openly.”
The reason the residents of Yunnan Province were stiff was probably because the masters of the Demon Cult and the Southern Heavenly Society had come here.
If two of the heads of the three great powers had come to Yunnan Province, then naturally, from the position of ordinary commoners, they could not help but tremble in fear.
Because it was a situation where a scene of hell could unfold at any moment.
“Tsk.”
Mujin lightly clicked his tongue and approached the meeting place.
Between the villages of Yunnan Province.
On a low hill, a temporarily built tent stood.
It was a temporary barracks for the agreement, set up by the Yunnan branch of the Zhengmu League.
It was a place chosen with the thought that if the heads of the three great powers gathered near a place where commoners lived, it would cause trouble in various ways.
“We greet the League Leader.”
As Mujin approached, the warriors belonging to the Zhengmu League’s Yunnan branch who recognized him cupped their fists toward him and showed respect.
Conversely, the martial artists wearing the attire of the Demon Cult and the Southern Heavenly Society who were loitering around nearby turned their gazes away, pretending not to have seen Mujin.
“You have worked hard.”
Mujin, who lightly praised the efforts of the warriors who greeted him, entered the meeting place.
And there, with a round table between them, two men were sitting.
The man who was the master of the Demon Cult and was called the Heavenly Demon. Gu Yangpae.
And the master of the Southern Heavenly Society, the sworn brother of Dao Yuechen, the Spear King Pai Jinsheng.
“Looks like Dao Yuechen did not come.”
Mujin, who hid his disappointment inwardly, took his seat, and Gu Yangpae frowned and said.
“To move alone without even guards, you show no sense of tension at all. Or does it mean that there is no need for tension in meeting us?”
“You are pointlessly crooked. There are martial artists from the Yunnan branch who prepared this place, so I simply had no need to bring separate guards. The Zhengmu League is always suffering from a shortage of manpower.”
At Mujin’s answer, Gu Yangpae laughed dryly.
“You speak well.”
Gu Yangpae knew that Mujin had reached a realm where he could freely unfold not only the Indestructible Vajra Body, but even protective aura.
Assassinating that monster was impossible.
The bastard who handled natural energy had no limit to his internal energy, and even energy-scattering poison was meaningless, and he had reached immunity to a hundred poisons through the help of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
If one were to forcibly try to assassinate him anyway, there was only one method.
To use a powerful extreme poison so strong that even a bastard who had reached immunity to a hundred poisons would have difficulty properly responding to it.
Moreover, since it was difficult to make a wound on that bastard’s skin, the only method one could aim for was to mix poison into food or tea and make his organs melt down.
The problem was whether such an extreme poison existed in the world, one that would show no sign at all even when mixed into food or tea and yet could kill that monster in an instant.
“Enough of the trivial talk. Tell us the reason you gathered us together. Are we not all equally busy people?”
Pai Jinsheng intervened in the two’s useless battle of nerves and asked.
Mujin, as though thinking this was better, immediately got to the main point.
After explaining that the imperial family’s civil war had been settled and that the Second Prince would soon ascend the throne as emperor, Mujin said.
“Therefore, I proposed this meeting with the purpose of strengthening our alliance further before the imperial family’s interference grows stronger.”
At Mujin’s proposal, the corner of Gu Yangpae’s mouth rose. His eyes remained expressionless, and only one corner of his mouth lifted.
“So, you are saying we should strengthen the peace agreement and extend its period?”
“Yes.”
“How absurd. Why should we do that? Are you telling us to be satisfied after handing over nothing but Qinghai?”
“As if to prove you are a heretic, you keep listening in a crooked way. I mean that we should restrain ourselves for a while.”
“Hmph. In any case, our purpose is to return to the Central Plains. The imperial family is also merely our enemy. Why should we care about the imperial family’s gaze?”
When Gu Yangpae and Mujin began staring each other down and raising their momentum, Pai Jinsheng intervened in their conversation.
“It is difficult for us to accept as well. In any case, when the imperial family draws its sword, the ones in the greatest danger will be you bastards, who call yourselves the righteous faction and act out hypocrisy, will they not?”
Pai Jinsheng’s words were true.
In any case, it was the south, far from the imperial family. For that reason, officials appointed to the south were prone to corruption, and that was also the reason the evil faction had prospered in the south.
As long as they secretly handed bribes to suitably corrupt officials, they could freely carry out most things as they pleased.
Conversely, since most of the righteous faction’s forces were close to Beijing, where the imperial family was located, when the imperial family began cleaning up the martial world, they were at risk of being swept away first.
“So, does that mean you will not cooperate?”
“Hehehe. If you want cooperation, should you not spit something out? No matter how I look at it, it seems that your side is the most disadvantaged?”
Pai Jinsheng, who spoke as though teasing Mujin, pointed at Gu Yangpae with his chin and said.
“From our position, if the Zhengmu League is swept away by the imperial army, then we can simply divide up the empty places afterward.”
At that expression, this time Gu Yangpae frowned and said.
“You filthy black path bastards speak as though you are on the same level as us.”
“What? Filthy black path?”
This time, Gu Yangpae and Pai Jinsheng stared each other down and clashed their momentum.
And Mujin, who was watching that ugly scene, also gathered the energy of nature and crumpled his face fiercely.
“So, both of you are saying that you will not accept the agreement?”
“Hmph. If you want to discuss an agreement, how about spitting something out?”
“It is laughable beyond measure, that attitude of monopolizing the richest region and acting as though you are our master.”
At Pai Jinsheng and Gu Yangpae’s answers, the corner of Mujin’s mouth rose crookedly.
“Fine. So the negotiations have broken down, is that it?”
However, unlike the twitching corner of his mouth, veins had already risen on his forehead.
“Rather, this is perfect. At this opportunity, it would be more comfortable to unify the martial world completely and oppose the imperial family that way!”
As though Mujin’s words were a signal flare.
Bang!!!
Mujin, Gu Yangpae, and Pai Jinsheng, who had already drawn up their energy, all made their moves at the same time, as though none of them had gone first.
And the temporary tent, unable to withstand the energy of the three masters, ended up bursting apart with absurd ease.
The peace agreement that had promised ten years had been torn to pieces after only roughly two years.
***
Funing, located on the road from Yunnan Province to Jiangxi Province.
Pai Jinsheng, the leader of the Southern Heavenly Society, who had fought a three-way battle with the Heavenly Demon and the Zhengmu League Leader, left the meeting place and was returning to the Southern Heavenly Society when he encountered Dao Yuechen and Baek Gahwan there.
“We heard what happened. Society Leader.”
“What on earth happened?”
At the questions of Baek Gahwan, who had now become the strategist of the Southern Heavenly Society from the strategist of the Battle God Hall, and Dao Yuechen, the vice leader of the Southern Heavenly Society, Pai Jinsheng swept his gaze around.
They were gathered in a special room of a luxurious tavern, and the Southern Heavenly Society’s escort warriors were guarding the surroundings.
At least Dao Yuechen and Baek Gahwan, who were with him in the special room right now, were people he could certainly trust.
However, because he still had to consider the possibility when it came to the escort warriors outside, Pai Jinsheng answered quietly, as though whispering into their ears.
“What the Zhengmu League Leader proposed was a deception.”
The contents the Zhengmu League Leader had proposed while moving his mouth, and the contents he had secretly proposed through Wisdom Light Heart-Speech by using natural energy, were completely different.