Chapter 108

Chapter 108

Day two of the petition.

Kwang!

“Everyone, rejoice. Seonwoo Gang’s execution has been decided!”

Hudududeuk!

“……What?”

Oh Ryeong, who had been filling his stomach heartily while thinking he should work hard again today to improve Seonwoo Gang’s image, blinked at Gyeonghu’s words as he burst through the Muryeon Hall door and dropped the chicken leg  he was holding. Oh Ryeong’s question immediately followed.

“Seonwoo Gang’s execution has been decided—what do you mean? No, wait, and what do you mean ‘rejoice’?”

“Without further ado, just look at this.”

As Gyeonghu finished speaking and tossed a rolled-up proclamation , Oh Ryeong, who caught it, narrowed his eyes and read the contents.

“Let’s see. Official announcement.”

“The Sado Alliance spy Seonwoo Gang infiltrated Muryeon Hall as a disciple with impure intentions. In light of this, the Murim Alliance deeply recognizes the gravity of the situation and will strengthen identity verification procedures for Muryeon Hall disciples. At the same time, from now on, one week later, the ringleader of this incident, Seonwoo Gang, will be executed to restore the Alliance’s discipline. This is proclaimed in the name of the Murim Alliance Leader……?”

Oh Ryeong, who finished reading, blinked and thought quietly before tilting his head. The contents of the proclamation didn’t quite make sense to him.

“So what does this mean?”

“What do you mean? What does it mean? It means they won’t return Seonwoo Gang to the Sado Alliance and the Murim Alliance will handle it themselves.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s set in the Alliance regulations that spies who are rooted out must be killed.”

“Uh……? Then doesn’t that mean Seonwoo Gang is going to die?”

“That’s right, he’ll die.”

“We’re screwed!”

“Now, now. Watch your language.”

“Is this really the time to point that out? Seonwoo Gang is going to die!”

“No, no. You shouldn’t look at it so simply, should you?”

Gyeonghu, who burst into a chuckle at Oh Ryeong’s resistance, waved his hand dismissively. Oh Ryeong’s thinking wasn’t wrong, but it was too one-dimensional.

“Think about it, Oh Ryeong. What was our primary goal?”

“Our primary goal…… rescuing Seonwoo Gang?”

“That’s the final goal. What we wanted first was time. Time. If Seonwoo Gang’s custody gets transferred to the Sado Alliance, we can’t do anything.”

Rescuing Seonwoo Gang is like hitting a rock with an egg. However, if you’re going to try hitting a rock with an egg, shouldn’t the rock and egg at least face each other first?

“If the power over Seonwoo Gang’s life and death gets transferred to the Sado Alliance, we who belong to the Murim Alliance have no way to intervene. We have no foundation or connections in the Sado Alliance, and we can’t exactly make deals with the Sado Alliance either.”

“……That’s true.”

“In that sense, this means we’ve at least avoided the immediate danger. Either way, even if there’s an execution in a week, it’s within the Murim Alliance. We can have at least some influence.”

“Hmm…… so fighting on our side has a slightly better chance of winning than fighting in enemy territory?”

“Exactly.”

Oh Ryeong, who carefully considered Gyeonghu’s words, nodded for a moment as if understanding, then frowned. And another question came out.

“I understand what you’re saying. But the execution is in a week.”

“Right?”

“The Alliance has announced they’ll execute him—is there a way to stop it? Especially when it was announced in the Murim Alliance Leader’s name?”

“Of course.”

“Of course?”

“I don’t know either.”

“Why, what.”

Gyeonghu, who slightly avoided Oh Ryeong’s eyes as he stared at him blankly, shrugged his shoulders.

“Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t say it was good news without thinking.”

“But you said you don’t know how to stop it.”

“I don’t know the method, but I have a hunch. Think about who devised this operation.”

“Who devised it?”

“Where did the petition start?”

“Well, the Changcheon Corps……? Ah……!”

“Correct.”

Gyeonghu, who clapped his hands seeing Oh Ryeong let out a gasp as if realizing something, grinned. It was a simple story.

“The one who devised this operation isn’t us.”

The one who devised this operation is the former Changcheon Corps Commander, Baek Riyun. And the Changcheon Corps Commander, along with the other Muryeokdae commanders, are those who know more than anyone about the treatment of spies.

If you root out a spy, you must kill them. There’s no way Baek Riyun didn’t know there was such a clause in the Alliance regulations. Would Baek Riyun not know a clause that even mere Muryeon Hall disciples like them know?

Impossible.

“The Sect Master probably knew this would happen. There’s no way the Sect Master didn’t know that filing a petition and canceling Seonwoo Gang’s return would lead to this.”

“That’s true.”

“But the Sect Master still had the Changcheon Corps file the petition. What does that mean?”

“You don’t think……?”

“Right. It means there’s a way to break through this situation somehow.”

Gyeonghu nodded and continued his explanation.

“Honestly, I can’t guess what the method is yet. Given that it’s the Sect Master, there’s no telling what kind of extraordinary strategy he’s devised.”

“Maybe it’s a plan to break Seonwoo Gang out before he’s executed, or maybe there’s a way to persuade the Murim Alliance before that. But.”

Just because he can’t guess the strategy doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do. Because the role Baek Riyun wants from them is clear.

“We have to keep doing what we need to do.”

Gyeonghu, who paused for a moment, looked around. The question that followed immediately.

“So how’s everyone’s progress? Starting with Unjin.”

“Mm. Amitabha.”

Unjin, who stepped forward at the call, quietly chanted a Buddhist invocation and began to speak.

“First, I posted proclamations throughout Sangsan about what Benefactor Seonwoo Gang has done up until now. I didn’t have enough money to post many, but I think I posted about three thousand sheets.”

“Three thousand sheets. What’s the response?”

“Most people are reacting lukewarmly, but…….”

“That’s fine. The important thing is that we’re spreading awareness of the incident. Anyway, next.”

Gyeonghu, who nodded, turned his gaze to the side and looked at Oh Ryeong.

“Oh Ryeong, how’s your side going?”

“As you said, I’ve been going around taverns spreading rumors about what Seonwoo Gang has done up until now, but…….”

Oh Ryeong, who trailed off, glared at the chicken leg he’d dropped on the table and sighed.

“Will this even be meaningful? It’s just spreading rumors. I don’t know if they’ll all spread within a week.”

“They don’t all have to spread. As long as some spread, there will be people who support him.”

Doesn’t it say that when three people gather, they can create a tiger that doesn’t exist?

“With enough money and material, you can create a dragon or a hero—there’s nothing you can’t create. Even the smallest rumor, once it catches fire, will spread like wildfire.”

Gyeonghu, who turned his gaze to the side, looked directly at Dan Riyeon, who was sitting silently. Then Dan Riyeon immediately wrote on a wooden board and showed it.

[No progress on recruitment.]

“……As expected. Tsk.”

Gyeonghu, who had tasked Dan Riyeon with recruiting those from Muryeon Hall who held important positions in the Murim Alliance, clicked his tongue at the negative response and sighed.

“If we could have recruited our seniors, it would have been a great help.”

[Sorry.]

“No, it’s not your fault. The situation just turned out this way. Now that even the Murim Alliance Leader’s order has come down, how many people would want to go against that will?”

He hadn’t expected it from the start. In fact, the current situation where the return was canceled was much more due to Baek Riyun’s power than purely Muryeon Hall’s power.

“If only we had a bit more connections, time, and budget…….”

Gyeonghu, who let out a deep sigh huu and muttered something a member of the Military Affairs Department might say, stood up from his seat. Either way, shouldn’t they at least keep trying to do what they can?

“Right now, Seonwoo Gang and Seomun Cheok aren’t here. We have to do this ourselves. Even if it’s hard, let’s do our best as much as we can. If we don’t have swords, with fists; if we don’t have teeth, with gums. Isn’t that what we learned?”

“Amitabha. Indeed so.”

“Of course. Did you think we’d just lie around?”

Gyeonghu, who wore a bitter smile seeing the Muryeon Hall disciples agreeing with his words one by one, opened his mouth to declare dismissal. And at that moment, a voice was heard.

“Rule five of the martial force engagement code. When there are no weapons, the principle is not to fight.”

“A foolish method. If you don’t have weapons, shouldn’t you think about finding weapons first?”

Gyeonghu, who turned his head in bewilderment at the suddenly heard familiar voice, confirmed the other person’s face and opened his eyes wide. A familiar figure who had at some point opened Muryeon Hall’s door and arrived.

“You’re…….”

“What did you say you needed? Money and connections?”

Beyond the main gate.

The Mujeong Hall disciple who appeared as if responding to Gyeonghu’s words, Namgung Hyeon, walked in leisurely and casually dropped a remark.

“Coincidentally, I have both.”

“More than enough to spare.”

The Murim Alliance’s Thunder Prison .

“Food delivery’s here.”

“You came quickly.”

“Whose fault is it for not eating meals properly?”

When I released my cross-legged position and stood up at the delicious smell wafting through the bars, the guy standing outside the bars, Baek Risan, sighed deeply and grumpily extended his hand.

“Here. Eat it before it gets cold. I went and came back quickly for once.”

“Thanks. To think I’d live to see the day I get fed by you.”

“Eat it and drop dead.”

Words he doesn’t mean.

I chuckled pisik and brushed off Baek Risan’s curses, then unwrapped the packaged Dongpo pork and took a chopstick-full. Then Baek Risan asked.

“You. Did you loan Namgung Hyeon money or something?”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

“He asked me to tell you ‘to repay the debt.'”

“Ah, that. It’s nothing much.”

“……Doesn’t seem like nothing.”

As I chuckled pisik and waved my hand dismissively, Baek Risan, who was looking at me with suspicious eyes, threw out another question.

“So what are you going to do now?”

“About what?”

“Seonwoo Gang. If things keep going like this, he’s going to get his head cut off on the guillotine.”

“Hmm.”

“Is it okay to be locked up like this? I thought you’d do something.”

I nodded at Baek Risan’s valid question. As Baek Risan said, the current situation was indeed quite serious.

The Murim Alliance Leader announced that he would execute Seonwoo Gang, staking his name on it.

This statement has considerable significance for the Murim Alliance. Because announcing something by staking the Alliance Leader’s name means that when that announcement goes awry, it’s the same as the trust in the Alliance Leader’s name falling.

The Murim Alliance Leader’s authority is the Murim Alliance’s authority. The Murim Alliance Leader announcing something by staking his name is no different from the Murim Alliance announcing it by staking the signboard on their main gate. That’s why the Murim Alliance has kept every fact they’ve announced so far, unless there was a natural disaster or something.

That arrow is now aimed at Seonwoo Gang. It can’t be anything but a serious situation. Baek Risan was pointing out that fact.

However, that’s only when looking at the situation from a general perspective.

“It’s fine.”

I smiled faintly at Baek Risan’s blank expression and put the Dongpo pork in my mouth, chewing umulgeori.

“It’s delicious.”

“……It doesn’t even taste that good.”

“Though the situation is urgent, there’s nothing for me to do. I’ve already done everything I can.”

“Being locked in prison and eating Dongpo pork like this is doing everything you can?”

“That’s right.”

I burst into laughter pisik seeing Baek Risan looking at me as if dumbfounded. It seems he can’t accept it.

“San.”

“……What?”

“How do you think we should break through this situation?”

“This situation?”

“The situation where Seonwoo Gang’s execution has been decided in the Murim Alliance Leader’s name, and we must keep Seonwoo Gang alive.”

Baek Risan, who maintained silence for a moment thinking at my words, sighed and cautiously provided an answer.

“The first is to negotiate with the Murim Alliance Leader himself and save Seonwoo Gang.”

“How?”

“The Murim Alliance Leader has a pardon, doesn’t he? You could ask him to use it on Seonwoo Gang.”

The Murim Alliance Leader’s pardon.

As I remained quietly smiling, recalling the proposal I received from the Alliance Leader, Baek Risan, who was watching my expression, continued speaking.

“But in this case, you’d have to pay a price of equivalent value. I can’t even guess how much that would be. And there’s no guarantee we can pay it. So this method is practically dismissed.”

“I see. Then is there a next method?”

“……There is, but.”

Baek Risan, who paused for a moment, watched my reaction and cautiously put the next answer on his lips.

“……Second. Wearing a mask and using the cover of night to break Seonwoo Gang out.”

“Hahaha. How radical.”

“It’s radical, but it’s a certain method, isn’t it? Though the risk is high, if we can just get him out, the Murim Alliance won’t particularly try to hunt him down after that.”

“Mm.”

I nodded and agreed with Baek Risan’s words. They weren’t wrong.

The moment a criminal of the Murim Alliance escapes, they become a public enemy of the Murim Alliance and are chased for life.

If you only look this far, it seems like Seonwoo Gang would live as a fugitive for life from the moment he escapes this place, but the reality is different.

“The Murim Alliance probably doesn’t judge Seonwoo Gang’s danger level as high, and even if he breaks out, the probability they’ll actively pursue him is low. If he just escapes, he can change his face a bit, hide in some remote village, get a new identity, and live.”

“I see.”

“As long as the jailbreak is possible, it’s a fine method…… except for the fact that it’s currently impossible.”

Well, it would be. Right now, six of the martial world’s Ten Heavens are staying at the Murim Alliance.

“Is there no last method?”

“It’s not that there isn’t one.”

When I asked while watching Baek Risan shake his head regretfully, Baek Risan, who pondered for a moment, cautiously brought up the topic.

“The last one honestly has no possibility.”

“Tell me.”

“……The Murim Alliance reversing their decision. Withdrawing the execution order issued in the Murim Alliance Leader’s name.”

Indeed.

“It’s unprecedented. Unless they use a pardon to completely pardon the crime, reversing the decision by breaking Alliance regulations to save him is impossible.”

“I see.”

“……Honestly, I don’t know. Which method you’ll use.”

Baek Risan, who shook his head back and forth, looked directly at me.

“So tell me now. What method will you use to save Seonwoo Gang?”

“Mm.”

“You have a way to save him, don’t you? That’s why you’re like this, right? You’ve always been that way.”

If it were me, I would have some method. I would use some ingenious method to save Seonwoo Gang.

Looking at Baek Risan who was looking at me with such conviction, I smiled binggeut. And the denial that immediately followed.

“I don’t have one.”

“……Huh?”

“I mean there’s no way to keep Seonwoo Gang from dying.”

“……Huh? What?”

Baek Risan, who looked at me puzzled as if not understanding my words for a moment, opened his eyes wide and his mouth after a moment.

“You don’t have one? A way to save him?”

“I don’t.”

“So, you mean you’ll think of one going forward……?”

“No, I won’t even think about it. There’s no way to save him. I have no intention of saving him either.”

“Wh-what?”

At Baek Risan’s confused look as he stared at me, I nonchalantly put a piece of Dongpo pork in my mouth, chewed umulgeori, and casually dropped a remark.

“I declare this clearly. I will not save Seonwoo Gang.”

“……Wait, then Seonwoo Gang will.”

“Die.”

Didn’t the Murim Alliance Leader directly declare he would execute him?

There’s no way to avoid it. Even if we avoid it, we’d have to pay a massive price, and that result would come back like a boomerang to Seonwoo Gang himself.

“Then what do we do……?”

“What are you worried about?”

At my question, Baek Risan, who glared at me for a moment, sighed.

“You say that, but you have some method again, don’t you?”

“Mm.”

“There’s exactly one thing I couldn’t learn from you—giving up. There’s no way you’d give up here. Right?”

No. I give up on what I need to give up too.

I smiled bitterly at Baek Risan who grumpily said he believed in me, then answered.

“It’s a simple story.”

“If we can’t avoid the execution, shouldn’t we just flip the premise of avoiding the execution itself?”

“What do you mean…….”

I grinned ssiik at Baek Risan who was looking at me with a dumbfounded expression.

Seonwoo Gang will die. We can’t avoid that?

Then we just shouldn’t avoid it. Trying to do what can’t be done causes problems from the start.

“One week from now, Seonwoo Gang will die. He must die.”

That fact has been confirmed. Because if the Murim Alliance wants to kill Seonwoo Gang, there’s almost no way to avoid it right now.

And if Seonwoo Gang’s death is confirmed, what we need to do is decided.

“We will revive the dead Seonwoo Gang.”

Though I haven’t learned the Gangsi technique .

Because raising one dead person doesn’t necessarily require the Gangsi technique.