Chapter 90

“So, they said the Taepyeongdan caught fire, and I went over to comfort them. But then I got back, and our Gyeon Pohee was ablaze too. I couldn’t help but cry the moment I saw it.”

That was the testimony from a survivor of the Gyeon Pohee, Simi-pyeong.

Of course, the tears were tears of relief.

I thought I was just buying drinks to cheer up my friend who lost his job, but in the end, saving my own skin perhaps justified that saying about human compassion.

However, such sob stories didn’t fly with the impartial and unyielding Supreme Investigator Seok Heum-heum from the Divine Sect.

“You were supposed to be on lookout duty at the time, weren’t you? And you’re here for comfort?”

“W-What are you talking about?”

“There was a survivor who went to the toilet during the attack. He testified! Does the lookout just leave his post? No wonder the evildoers were able to strike!”

Seok Heum-heum shot icy glares.

“By the authority of a Senior Investigator, I declare immediate judgment at the scene. Leaving your post like that is as good as aiding the enemy. Death penalty.”

“H-Hold on a second! Investigator!”

“Don’t sulk too much. The warrior who was on the toilet didn’t fight back either, so he also gets sentenced to death for retreating in battle. You two will hang side by side.”

“Investigator! This is so unfair! Just because I drank during the watch doesn’t mean I intended to abandon my post! It’s what everyone does—it can’t be a death sentence! Investigator! Investigator!”

“Are you really that clueless about your crime?”

“If I’m not drinking during watch duty, what exactly am I supposed to do? Should I sit wide awake in the dead of night at the entrance, just in case anyone sneaks in? A six-year gap is not supposed to worry about that!”

Simi-pyeong felt genuinely wronged.

It was common sense that a ten-year veteran would drink during watch duty—it wasn’t anything unusual.

Seok Heum-heum shook his head.

Surrounded by pointless discipline, abuses, and the negligence of superiors, even a decent person could end up like this.

As he left the temporary detention center, Seok Heum-heum ordered,

“To the Thunder Prison—no, there’s no Thunder Prison now, just kill him and hang him on the street.”

“Yes, Investigator.”

The response was filled with extreme respect.

And rightly so, for Senior Investigator Seok Heum-heum was recognized as the best investigator throughout the Divine Sect.

His arrest rate for cases he took exceeded a hundred percent, hitting a staggering four hundred and twenty percent.

He’d catch ten criminals per case while also apprehending thirty-two additional criminals who confessed to being culprits themselves—what a miraculous record!

The identities of those thirty-two confessors were a complete mystery, but since they obstructed the investigation, the execution would make their motivations forever unknown.

This ruling was compounded by the fact that under severe torture, they continued to hide the truth while misleading with lies—how outrageous!

“That aside, it’s a clever and bold act that penetrates the flaws of psychology. This isn’t ordinary.”

The day after the Taepyeongdan burned, the same perpetrator attacked the Fenghua Corps under the External Affairs Combat Unit.

Who would have imagined they’d strike again using the same methods the very next day?

It was hardly surprising that the Fenghua Corps was caught off guard.

And the following day—last night—

The Gyeon Pohee was attacked again in the same manner.

Even after two days of repeating the same tactic, the killer committed a massacre for the third time the next day.

Truly, an unpredictable divine beast!

Seok Heum-heum acknowledged that he was facing a rival worthy of being called a true adversary.

The perpetrator cowardly snuck in under the cover of darkness, committing mass murder while everyone was asleep before setting fire to the place.

As a man, even if you have grudges, you should settle it fairly under the bright daylight before everyone, shouldn’t you?

How can one resort to such petty tricks…?

“Ah! I’ve figured it out! I’ve solved a riddle!”

“Investigator? Did you discover something?”

“The perpetrator could be a woman. It doesn’t fit a man’s style. Wasn’t there a lot of talk about rounding up all the men who recently arrived in the capital? Make sure to catch the women too.”

That was the sharp reasoning of the top investigator with a four-hundred-and-twenty percent arrest rate.

But the Supreme Demoness was a woman, and the traces of the blood demonic art suggested an insider, didn’t they?

As a deputy investigator and executioner, Wasun thought so but didn’t dare to voice it.

Who would dare to cough in front of a myth with a four-hundred-and-twenty percent record?

“Yes, Investigator.”

“Investigate thoroughly. The honor of the Taepyeongdan is at stake. Remember what I always say?”

“Yes. Torture knows the answers. I’ve engraved that firmly in my heart already.”

Seok Heum-heum nodded with a cold expression.

—

“You know, there’s been a lot of corpses hanging in the streets lately! The stench of rotting bodies is so terrible it’s hard to breathe! And the bugs are swarming like crazy! So hey, let’s go check it out!”

Qing tilted her head.

Hmm? What’s that about? Why the sudden conclusion?

The reasoning and conclusion seem to be worlds apart, don’t they?

“Why on earth would you want to go look at corpses that stink and are crawling with bugs?”

“Well, we can throw stones! If you hit an arm or leg, it’s one coin; if you hit the head and drop the torso, it’s three coins!”

“Oh. I see. Is this a traditional game of the Divine Sect?”

“Yup!”

Gyeon Pohee answered with a radiant smile.

Qing thought to herself.

These Demon Sect brats are getting weirder by the day.

Now they’re mutilating corpses?

She didn’t know that this was a custom that had flowed from the Central Plain.

And to insult the Central Plain would be unfair, as the Central Plain had its reasons too.

Desecrating the corpses of criminals for amusement was a very natural human tendency across both the East and West.

This was a practice employed by rulers in barbaric times.

It had a remarkable effect in cultivating a sense of lawfulness among citizens and fostering communal consciousness.

Qing looked at Gyeon Pohee with a horrified expression.

“Perhaps… Can we not go to the Central Plain?”

“No way!”

The response was instantaneous.

Her answer was quick and decisive, much to Qing’s surprise.

Well, if she doesn’t want to go, what can you do?

As the saying goes, you live your own life.

Forcing her could only backfire.

Instead, Qing chose to ask her the reason.

“Why not?”

“Why would I ever go to that terrifying Central Plain?”

Gyeon Pohee countered instead.

Qing did have an answer, but given how she’d been brainwashed to think of the Central Plain as some kind of hell on earth, she kept it brief.

“Because I’m going?”

“Then I want to go too!”

That kid really seems to have a fate that won’t last long.

You offer her a candy, and she’s following you like a puppy.

This innocent little thing thinks the Central Plain is treacherous or something, yet…

Now that I think about it, she really is a bit airheaded.

Still, there’s something admirable about that heart of hers.

Qing made a point to remind her.

“It’s a secret, so don’t go spreading it around.”

“Okay! I promise not to tell!”

And then, in the afternoon, it was another session of traditional Chinese acupressure with Master Ho, the representative.

What in the world is with all these representatives? Oh right, thinking about it, the Demon Sect fighters are all representatives of the Divine Sect. Their heads have been taken over by nature as representatives as well, so those below them have strong opinions.

With only ten more lines left in the Heavenly Heart Sound…

Stretch the time enough to make it about fifteen days, and after that, it would be time to head to the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Qing realized it was a crucial moment and hastily spoke up.

“Oh, right! My waist! Master, could you press a little harder? Why is this old man so weak? I’m out of strength and can’t even play the flute. Ah, that’s perfect.”

Qing felt satisfaction from Master Ho’s attentive touch on her tailbone and continued her train of thought.

Seolga had mentioned he would escape ahead of time, right? Why not ask to take a few of her things at that time?

It wouldn’t be an issue to suggest meeting up in Sichuan, right? After all, she needed to stop by the Amifa anyway.

—

‘Today is the new moon, so it’s a good opportunity to kill the Sutra Sword. I’ve heard they are very sensitive and cunning; they are a Supreme Martial Artist nearing the Realm of Transformation. Of course, it’s dangerous, so whether you kill it or not is your choice.’

‘What? Fight a Supreme Martial Artist? Seolga, are you asking to fight me first?!’

‘The Sutra Sword is the leader of the Sutra Sect. If the leader dies, it’ll cause a disturbance. Plus, with the Demon King presumably gone, it’s a chance to wipe out another sect.’

So, Qing spent the whole day in deep thought.

Finally, she came to the conclusion that it was worth a try.

‘I’ve heard the Sutra Sword has to see a virgin’s blood to fall asleep because of the side effects of the Demon Arts.’

‘Are you saying they kill a virgin every day?’

‘Not every day. No matter how much the Demon Sect is like that, where would they find that many virgins? So they do it twice a month, every full moon, and then sleep for a whole day afterward.’

‘Ah… So it just happens, huh?’

‘I suppose. Everyone knows when the Sutra Sword is most vulnerable. The guards should generally be tight.’

‘So what do we do then?’

‘That’s for you to figure out. I have my own ideas, but I’m not sure if you can do it.’

Seolga wasn’t a member of the Demon Sect.

He wasn’t pulling strings or having spies planted either.

If he had that level of capability, he wouldn’t have such a massive “toilet” stamped on his forehead.

Yet, from the scraps of knowledge he’d gathered, his plans fell perfectly into place.

He was truly a person fit to be considered the greatest intellect of the Central Plain, in Qing’s view.

But this also meant there were no detailed plans at hand.

She would have to tackle things as a martial artist herself.

That’s why Qing found herself squatting near the back gate of the Sutra Sect on the night of the new moon.

She’d shown up because she figured it was a good opportunity, but—

Is this really okay? Is this the right move?

Qing sighed heavily.

Just how long did she wait like that?

Eventually, she noticed a Black Robed Man coming towards her while lugging a large sack.

It was an odd-looking sack.

It wriggled like something was in it, bulging out and pulsating mysteriously.

In precise academic terms, it was an exemplary case of bojesam.

And now, it was Qing’s turn to fill in for its contents.

Of course, she wasn’t entirely without faith in her plans.

If it all went south, she could just bolt and if caught, she could reveal her identity and threaten them—that should do it.

Sure, she’d get scolded a bit, but there’s no way she can just abandon the Supreme Demoness, right?

Is she really not going to open the Heavenly Demon Sect?

If this succeeds, she kills a Great Demon Lord, but if not, a few harsh words will be the end of it, right?

There’s really no reason not to do this…

Seolga had mentioned that seeing a virgin’s blood isn’t exactly the same as her blood.

He said something like “virgin’s blood” or whatever.

It ends up not being that different to kill afterward, but Qing shrugged off the thoughts.

Forget it, let it be however it will.

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