Sunk In Grief (2)

Neung Je-gang returned to his daily life in Beijing. There had still been no contact from the Martial Alliance. Neung Je-gang clicked his tongue.

“So in the end, the Martial Alliance seems to have decided to see things through to its own destruction.”

It was regrettable from the standpoint of someone who had once been close comrades with them.

“They’re here.”

At that moment, Gongsun Gyeong-in, who had been growing interested in the work of the Eastern Depot, ran in and shouted.

“What is?”

Neung Je-gang had been lying down, holding open the Small-Hand True Manual and reading it while memorizing it. He replied curtly, as if annoyed by the interruption.

“People came from the Martial Alliance. But it isn’t just one or two of them.”

“Hm! That proves there were that many people who once tried to kill me. How did they kneel?”

Neung Je-gang sat up. If they had knelt, word would reach Princess Jang-ok, and they would receive forgiveness and leave. If they touched Neung Je-gang once more after that, there would be no such procedure of forgiveness next time.

“Um, I don’t think that’s it.”

“What? They didn’t?”

“Yes. They did arrive in front of the imperial palace, but a few people went inside the palace, while the rest are just standing there.”

“What is this? Just what scheme are they plotting now?”

Neung Je-gang no longer trusted the Martial Alliance. He already knew that Go Won-gi had also left the Martial Alliance.

He had once heard from Go Won-gi that the Alliance Leader had gone into seclusion as well. So now there was no one in the Martial Alliance he feared, and no one close to him remained there either. In other words, he could erase them just as he had erased Kunlun and the Eon Clan.

Thinking about it, the Neung Je-gang of the past had not been such a cruel existence. Nor had he been this merciless. Since his own family had suffered a blood calamity, he had no reason to enjoy such bloodshed.

The reason he had become as merciless as he was now was because of the betrayal that sent him into the Forbidden Demon Prison. He stopped trusting people. Aside from a few people close to him, he trusted no one. Even if it was the emperor himself, to Neung Je-gang, he was merely another person who could not be trusted.

And yet the Martial Alliance, which should have knelt and begged forgiveness, was doing something absurd.

“There’s something behind this. Hmm! Did they grab onto some kind of connection?”

There were many connections. From the emperor above them to the various princes, the emperor’s consorts, the high-ranking officials of the Brocade Guard, officials of court rank or higher, and even the eunuchs. Beijing was overflowing with figures who could put a brake on Neung Je-gang’s actions.

“Run to the Field Agents Bureau at once and find out in detail whom they are meeting.”

“Yes, sir!”

Gongsun Gyeong-in ran out excitedly. It was because he had learned from experience that when Neung Je-gang gave an order like that, something exciting would happen.

After quite some time had passed, Gongsun Gyeong-in returned. The sun was already about to set.

“The person they met was Prince Ye.”

“Prince Ye?”

Prince Ye was the younger brother of the current emperor. Though he was far from power, his status was more than enough to act as a mediator in such a matter. Even a Deputy Commissioner of the Eastern Depot could not defy the words of a prince.

“Yes. Prince Ye’s residence is located right in Zhengzhou. It seems the Martial Alliance intends to pressure you through his power, Captain.”

“Prince Ye, is it? They came to grab hold of a very powerful connection. So what was the result of their meeting?”

“They came out with pleased faces, so they likely heard something positive.”

“They must have fed him a fine bribe. Hmm, what should I do?”

Neung Je-gang tossed the Small-Hand True Classic roughly onto the bed and paced around the room in thought. At that moment, Gongsun Gyeong-in’s eyes turned toward the Small-Hand True Classic. If only he could get his hands on it, he too would become one of the top masters of the martial world.

“Do you want it?”

Gongsun Gyeong-in flinched in surprise.

“N-no, sir.”

“Really? I was going to give it to you if you said you wanted it. If you deny it that much, then it can’t be helped.”

“Y-you were going to give me the Small-Hand Art? But it’s a forbidden art.”

“I’ve learned four including this one, so what of it? Giving away one isn’t a problem. Or was it five?”

Gongsun Gyeong-in was on the verge of fainting. There was actually a person who got confused about the number of forbidden arts he had learned.

Gongsun Gyeong-in’s gaze turned suspicious. It was a look that asked how someone could still be alive after learning four or five of the world’s forbidden arts.

But when one thought about it, it was simple. If someone was only moderately strong, they could be branded a public enemy and killed, but if they were too strong to even touch, no one dared brand them a public enemy. Just like the current Neung Je-gang.

“If I really ask for it, will you give it to me?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“As long as you don’t betray me. Well, of course, if you betray me, you’ll die.”

“I-I will absolutely never betray you.”

“Then take it. I’ve already memorized all of it.”

Neung Je-gang spoke calmly. He truly was a relaxed person.

“But is it all right to hand out this kind of martial art so casually?”

Before anyone knew it, Gongsun Gyeong-in had approached the bed, picked up the Small-Hand True Manual, and tucked it into his clothes. As expected of a thief, he was extremely fast.

“It already passed into the Black Alliance’s hands anyway, so what does it matter if one or two more people learn it?”

“But what about the others? I feel sorry toward them.”

“It’s fine. I’ll give one to each of them. It might be better to just release forbidden arts everywhere and make the phrase ‘forbidden art’ disappear entirely.”

“Ah! So you had such a profound intention. You are admirable.”

Gongsun Gyeong-in even flattered him because he had received the Small-Hand True Manual.

Neung Je-gang had already been thinking about that. When the Black Alliance gave him the Small-Hand True Manual, he had decided to release the forbidden arts.

Ma-jil was already practicing Five Element True Qi anyway. Though he could not complete it because he had not obtained Gyese True Qi and Eulmok True Qi, Neung Je-gang was already analyzing the three types he knew and creating new versions of Eulmok and Gyese with similar performance.

Once that was completed, Ma-jil would possess Five Elements True Qi. He would become almost invincible.

He was already passing on the Way of Empty Spirit to Cheong Yeon while teaching him about sword aura. In a way, Gongsun Gyeong-in was the last to receive the Small-Hand Art.

He intended to pass the Small-Hand Art to Je So-yeon as well. He had thought about giving her Thunderclap, but it did not suit the martial arts Je So-yeon was practicing at all. So he decided to give her the Small-Hand Art.

In truth, the Small-Hand Art was an incomplete martial art. As a rapid art, its limit was the eighth level, and even as a true art, its limit was the ninth level. To reach the tenth level, the Small-Hand Art had to be completed.

The Demonic Mara Energy Method that Neung Je-gang practiced could be called the most complete martial art among all forbidden arts. That was why Neung Je-gang was now searching for the completion formula of the Small-Hand Art within the Demonic Mara Energy Method.

He intended to complete it that way and personally teach it to Je So-yeon.

However, no matter what else he taught, he did not intend to leave behind Death Demon Flow. That was because it was truly far too absurd a martial art. If used well, it might even make immortality possible. Such a martial art was truly dangerous.

These days, Neung Je-gang was thinking a great deal about martial arts like that. He was walking the path of a great grandmaster on his own. It was the work of combining all the schools of martial arts he had learned into one enormous whole.

If it was completed, he would remain in history as a true patriarch.

“Ah, right. That isn’t the problem right now. Go somewhere for me.”

“Yes. Where?”

“There is a Prince Ye’s residence in Beijing too, isn’t there?”

Princes from various regions often built small princely residences in Beijing and stayed there. Only then would they avoid the emperor’s suspicion. Keeping them close and watching them was the traditional method emperors throughout history used to handle dangerous figures.

“There is.”

“Go and find out what Prince Ye likes the most.”

“I already know that, though.”

“What?”

“I’ve already finished investigating Beijing’s market.”

“Ha! What an amazing thief you are.”

Neung Je-gang looked impressed. Gongsun Gyeong-in had not been scurrying around for nothing.

“It was nothing special.”

“What does Prince Ye like the most?”

“A single portrait of a beauty.”

“A portrait of a beauty? How magnificent a beauty painting is it for him to like it the most?”

“It is just a painting of a woman.”

“Then you could steal it.”

“What? No, are you trying to get me killed? If that disappears, they’ll suspect me first.”

“Hey, you’re with the Eastern Depot now. Who’s going to suspect whom?”

“Ah! Right. That’s true. I forgot. Then I just have to steal it?”

“It would be even better if you could hang it up at the Martial Alliance, but just the painting disappearing will make him completely forget the request those Martial Alliance people made.”

“Ah! I see. What a brilliant idea.”

It seemed a flatterer had been born because of the Small-Hand True Manual.

The next day came. Just as Neung Je-gang had predicted, Prince Ye was busy jumping up and down, ordering them to catch the thief, and had completely forgotten about the Martial Alliance’s request.