Rebirth of the Heavenly Demon

Usually, small branches are maintained with about fifty people, and this place would be no different.

I bought and wore expensive clothes and put on a human skin mask. I had purchased the mask from a martial arts general store that sold various miscellaneous tools.

It’s not made of actual human skin, despite being called “human skin”[1]. They say that in the past, real human skin was used, but in the current era, it just means it’s made to be that intricate.

There are few people in this martial world who know as much about human skin masks as I do.

During the war with the Four Evils Sect, I wore masks almost daily for my safety as the Alliance Leader. It was a time when assassins were sent from the opposing faction several times a day.

Generally, human skin masks come in low, medium, high, and top grades. Low-grade masks were obviously noticeable, medium-grade could only be distinguished by people with very keen eyes. High-grade masks couldn’t be identified except by mask experts, and top-grade masks were so well-made that even mask experts couldn’t distinguish them. Those were mainly what I used.

I spent some money and bought a high-grade mask.

You might be shocked that a mask costs a thousand nyang, but masks have always been very expensive items.

The ability to change one’s face in the martial world has many implications. If treated as a mere plaything, it might be worth just a few nyang, but if changing one’s face can save a life, it becomes invaluable.

With the high-grade mask, well-dressed clothes, and a changed voice, I became a completely different person. The reason for going to such lengths was to deceive him.

I wanted to beat him until he confessed, but there was a wiser and more certain way to resolve this.

“Who are you looking for?”

I didn’t hide my aura from the guard martial artists at the gate. Therefore, they would perceive me as a considerable expert.

“I’m here to see the Branch Leader.”

The martial artist looked at me cautiously. It was because my behavior was too confident.

“Where should I say you’re from?”

“Tell him I’m from the Heavenly Blade Sect[2].”

The guard was startled at the mention of the Heavenly Blade Sect. The Heavenly Blade Sect was one of the Five Powers of the Central Plains. The Five Powers referred to the five most powerful forces in the current martial world.

These were the five families and sects that might have vied for supremacy in the Central Plains if it weren’t for me. They were families and sects with such immense power.

I had kept them in check solely with my martial prowess. Knowing they would be crushed by my hand the moment they stuck out like a nail, they didn’t dare move recklessly.

“Who from the Heavenly Blade Sect should I say you are?”

“Would you know if I told you? Guide me to the Branch Leader immediately.”

“J-Just a moment, please.”

One of the guards hurriedly ran inside.

I’m a person who knows the inner workings of the Five Powers of the Central Plains inside out.

Among them, the Heavenly Blade Sect was the one I knew best and was most suitable for impersonation.

The reason was simple. Ma Bonggi[3], the leader of the Heavenly Blade Sect, was a man with complicated women issues. He had over ten women and dozens of children. It was said that even the sect leader himself was confused about who was who. Ma Bonggi’s brothers were no different, saying blood doesn’t lie. It was truly a complicated family.

But whether one knows these inner workings or not, the name of the Heavenly Blade Sect certainly works. As you can see from how these guard martial artists’ actions became more brisk.

Shortly after, I was guided to the Branch Leader’s office.

‘The discipline here is truly a mess.’

They didn’t even properly verify who I was just because I came wearing expensive clothes and said I was from the Heavenly Blade Sect. If I had been an assassin aiming to kill the Branch Leader, he would have been a dead man.

Even for a small branch far from the main headquarters, this was a matter that should be severely punished according to Alliance rules.

The Branch Leader’s name was Gong Jong[4]. This was the same person Gwang-du had called senior warrior Gong earlier. He had a good appearance and bearing, seeming to fit the title of ‘great hero’ quite well.

“Welcome! You say you’re from the Heavenly Blade Sect?”

“That’s right.”

“May I ask your esteemed name?”

“Ma Yeongchung[5]. The current Sect Leader is my uncle.”

Gong Jong’s head lowered automatically.

“I’ve heard your name before. It’s an honor to meet you like this.”

It’s probably just a courtesy greeting, but it’s actually laughable if you know the truth.

Ma Yeongchung did exist, but as he was a reclusive figure within the family, very little was known about him outside. What exactly had he heard about my name?

“Please, sit over here.”

Gong Jong guided me to the seat of honor.

I walked and sat down as if it were natural, but inwardly I thought it was pathetic.

No matter how high the other party’s prestige, he is still officially a Branch Leader of the Martial Righteous Alliance. Moreover, Ma Yeongchung isn’t even the legitimate successor, yet he reacted like this. If a direct descendant of the Heavenly Blade Sect had come, he might have even bowed.

Was it because I had a preconception that he might be in league with Gwak Dosu? In many ways, his behavior was irritating.

But I tried to dispel my discomfort. Having unnecessary preconceptions could prevent me from making a cool-headed judgment.

We exchanged a few conversations.

I casually dropped some inside information about the Heavenly Blade Sect that I knew as the Martial Righteous Alliance Leader.

From his perspective, it would seem like information that Ma Yeongchung would know.

Gong Jong asked about a few things he had heard about the Heavenly Blade Sect. Of course, there was nothing among them that I didn’t know. Rather, when I corrected some misinformation, he finally seemed to believe me.

Eventually, I brought up the main point.

“The reason I’ve stopped by here is that I have an urgent matter to discuss.”

“Please, speak.”

“We’ve been pursuing someone from our family.”

“Who might that be?”

“A man named Gwak Dosu.”

The moment he heard the name Gwak Dosu, I saw Gong Jong’s eyes flicker slightly. It was clearly different from just being surprised by an unexpected name.

“Why are you looking for Gwak Dosu?”

“Do you know who Gwak Dosu is?”

“Ah, of course. He’s a villain with a large bounty on his head for committing all sorts of evil deeds.”

“That’s right. That’s the man. I did some separate investigation and obtained information that he was involved in a hostage situation here. I heard you mediated.”

“There was such an incident some time ago.”

“What kind of idiot was it?”

“Pardon?”

“The fool who was taken hostage by him.”

“Ah, it was the successor of the Byeok Clan Sword Manor. Byeok Ri-dan.”

“Must be a real imbecile.”

Gong Jong showed a smile of agreement. His expression seemed to say that he couldn’t quite say such things himself.

“I heard you associated with him, according to my information.”

Then he lowered his voice and said,

“Sometimes in life, one must drink with fools, don’t you think?”

“That’s true. Hahaha.”

Thinking his joke had landed, Gong Jong laughed along. The atmosphere became more relaxed.

“But why is Master Ma looking for Gwak Dosu?”

At the title “Master,” I naturally spoke down to him while casting the bait to hook him.

“He has committed a great sin against our sect. All our sect’s martial artists are out tracking him now.”

That’s when the second reaction occurred. Gong Jong’s face stiffened slightly and his eyes trembled. He was clearly trying to forcibly hide his panic.

This reaction confirmed my guess.

That Gong Jong and Gwak Dosu had some kind of relationship.

If he had conspired with Gwak Dosu and dragged Byeok Ri-dan into it, Gong Jong would have no excuse even if he were to be executed. Just the fact that a Martial Righteous Alliance Branch Leader had dealings with a heinous criminal was a crime punishable by death.

“What crime did he commit?”

“It’s an internal matter, so I can’t tell you. Just know that this is a very important case that even the elders of our family are paying attention to. You can tell by the fact that I came here urgently without an escort, right?”

I preemptively addressed the fact that I came without an escort in case he might doubt it.

“Of course.”

“Now that our sect has stepped in, it’s only a matter of time before he’s caught. I’ll be honest with you, Branch Leader Gong. I want to catch him before anyone else in our family does. I want to prove that my abilities are superior to the other successors.”

Gong Jong swallowed hard. All sorts of thoughts must be running through his mind now.

This is the moment to throw the strongest bait.

“Don’t you want to advance to the central headquarters too?”

At the mention of the central headquarters, Gong Jong’s eyes lit up. I know that many of the Martial Righteous Alliance’s local administrators dream of advancing to the Alliance’s main headquarters.

Advancing to the central headquarters.

And with the backing of the Heavenly Blade Sect on top of that?

“If you can find Gwak Dosu’s whereabouts this time, I’ll send you to the main headquarters.”

Gong Jong’s eyes wavered.

“Are you serious?”

“I too need someone trustworthy at the main headquarters. I promise you in the name of the Heavenly Blade Sect.”

To minimize any doubt, I stood up. At times like this, one shouldn’t sit for too long. Stepping back is actually a way of pushing forward.

“I’ll be waiting for your contact. But you need to find out as quickly as possible. You don’t have much time to seize this opportunity.”

This was the final test.

If he finds out ‘as quickly as possible’, it would mean he’s admitting to his crime ‘as quickly as possible’.

***

The result was as I expected. Two days later, Gong Jong came to the inn where I was waiting.

“I’ve found out, staking everything I have.”

He found out the man’s whereabouts in just two days? Unless Gal Saryang was directing and pouring all of the Martial Righteous Alliance’s resources into it, how?

If he could find out like this, why hadn’t he caught such a vicious criminal until now? What answer could he give if asked that?

But blinded by the prospect of promotion, he was admitting to being in league with Gwak Dosu himself. He probably knew Gwak Dosu’s whereabouts all along, and spent the last two days verifying if I was real.

But there’s no way to expose me as a fake Ma Yeongchung in just two days. He probably only managed to verify a few of the stories I had dropped.

Even with just that, he couldn’t help but be fooled. The information I had leaked was indeed Alliance Leader level intelligence.

“Where is he now?”

“He’s in Jinan.”

Jinan! Luckily, it’s the very place where the Jinan branch of the Black Market is located. Gwak Dosu had been hiding in a large city with many people.

“Where in Jinan?”

“I don’t know the exact location.”

My expression hardened for a moment.

“Are you playing games with me? Are you telling me to search all of Jinan?”

He hastily said,

“No, not at all. How could I? There’s a way to find him. There’s something he’s obsessed with.”

“What is it?”

“Gambling. He’d sell his own child for gambling. If you search the gambling dens in Jinan, you’ll probably find him.”

“So it’s not definite information.”

“No, he’ll definitely be in a gambling den. It’s suspected that all the murders he committed before were to secure gambling funds.”

“Fine. I’ll believe you.”

“And look at this.”

He brought out something. It was a paper with a sketch of the man’s appearance.

“He has a distinctive scar on his left cheek, so he should be easy to recognize.”

It was indeed a certain betrayal.

“If I catch him, I’ll push to make you a Vice Leader of a branch at the Martial Righteous Alliance headquarters.”

I added one more realistic comment.

“Of course, it would be a small branch.”

Even so, going from a Branch Leader in this backwater to a Vice Leader of a branch at the headquarters would be a dramatic promotion.

“I will serve you with utmost loyalty from now on.”

Gong Jong bowed right there.

“Keep this matter strictly confidential.”

“Of course.”

“And how much is the bounty on him?”

“Five thousand nyang.”

“Twenty thousand nyang? That’s quite a sum.”

I deliberately inflated it by fifteen thousand nyang.

At first, he thought I had misheard.

“It’s not twenty thousand…”

But seeing my stern expression, he quickly changed his words.

“That’s right. It’s twenty thousand nyang.”

Being used to receiving bribes, he immediately understood my meaning. That he should offer that much for a chance to advance to the central headquarters.

He probably has about that much from his ill-gotten gains so far. The five thousand nyang extorted from my father has now grown to twenty thousand with interest.

“How would you like the payment? I can send it to the battlefield…”

“In small-denomination promissory notes that can’t be traced.”

“Understood.”

“And come to Jinan yourself with the money in three days. I plan to return to my sect right after handing over that useless man’s head. Wouldn’t it be better to proceed as quickly as possible?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

I set the meeting place not far from the Black Market.

If things proceed smoothly, I should be able to go to the Black Market within the promised time.

As I stood up, he cautioned me.

“Be careful. He’s a very vicious man.”

If he massacred an innocent family because of his gambling addiction, he’s the worst of the worst. And you’re the one who partnered with such a vicious man to make money. Let’s see what happens to these two villains.

“See you in three days.”