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Chapter : 55
My Fortunate Encounter Is a Status Window (55)
Sama Jong’s residence.
Under his leadership, a meeting of the Blood Heaven Division was being held.
All unit commanders of the Blood Heaven Division were present.
Go Il-ak of the Blood Rain Unit .
Hwang Yuk-dok of the Blood Demon Unit .
Yeom Ja-dan of the Blood Wind Unit .
Yeo Mun-tak of the Blood Spirit Unit .
And finally, I—Gye-du-pal—the unit commander directly under the Division Lord, Sama Jong.
“It’s been a while, No. 4. Or should I call you Commander Gye-du-pal now?”
“Oh my! Isn’t that Officer Yang Haeng-sang?”
Yang Haeng-sang was present as well.
Seven people in total were attending.
“Thanks to you, Commander Gye, the Nine Dragons Great Lotus Jade Bottle has safely returned to the main headquarters. The Cult Leader was very pleased.”
“Haha, is that so? That’s a relief.”
Was that loot really important enough for the Cult Leader to personally care about it?
That had to be exaggeration, right?
Merchants were always good at flattering words, after all.
“Commander Gye may already be acquainted, but since some commanders here are meeting him for the first time, let me introduce him.”
Sama Jong gestured toward Yang Haeng-sang, drawing everyone’s attention.
“You’re all familiar with the Shadow Pavilion , yes? The Shadow Investigation Team operates under it. Officer Yang is the chief investigator of that team. He has been dispatched to assist us with intelligence and strategic collection.”
“Nice to meet you all. Please feel free to call me Yang Haeng-sang.”
The Shadow Pavilion? The Shadow Investigation Team?
So he belonged to a highly covert organization.
No wonder—setting up that strange formation that day had been anything but ordinary.
Even when Seo Myeong-gyun caused that chaos, Yang Haeng-sang hadn’t panicked at all.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Go Il-ak, commander of the Blood Rain Unit.”
“I pay my respects. Hwang Yuk-dok, commander of the Blood Demon Unit.”
“My greetings. I am Yeom Ja-dan, in charge of the Blood Wind Unit.”
The commanders all greeted Yang Haeng-sang politely.
Watching this, I felt a bit puzzled.
Wasn’t the Demon Cult all about strict hierarchy?
Everything I’d seen so far certainly suggested that.
Then why were unit commanders being so courteous to a mere “agent”?
Didn’t they say he was just an officer?
Not a commander… and he didn’t look particularly high-ranking either.
Shadow Pavilion… Shadow Investigation Team…
Could it be?
Was the Shadow Investigation Team on equal footing with the Blood Heaven Division?
If the Shadow Investigation Team Leader was equal to the Blood Heaven Division Lord, then their chief investigators would be equal in status to unit commanders.
If that were the case, the mutual respect in the room made sense.
And yet…
Yang Haeng-sang subtly felt like he was slightly higher in rank.
While both sides showed respect, Yang Haeng-sang was relaxed, whereas the commanders seemed a bit cautious.
The only one standing completely at ease was Sama Jong himself.
I hadn’t expected this of Yang Haeng-sang.
Turns out he held quite a lofty position.
“First of all, on behalf of the Shadow Pavilion Lord, I would like to thank all of you for your hard work in the heart of the Central Plains for the sake of our Cult.”
Yang Haeng-sang stood and bowed deeply.
So deeply that his balding crown was fully exposed.
The sincerity in his gesture brightened everyone’s expressions.
“Next, I’ll speak about what you’re most curious about—the timing of the mission rotation.”
“…!!”
Mission rotation?
What was that about?
Since this was my first time attending a commanders’ meeting, I was struggling to keep up.
“The rotation will take place in mid-spring next year. The unit replacing you will be the Black Wolf Squad.”
“Ohhh!”
“So the day finally comes!”
“Ha! Excellent!”
The moment Yang Haeng-sang made the announcement, the commanders burst into excited exclamations.
“Has the Black Wolf Squad agreed as well?”
“Agreed? There’s nothing to agree to. This was approved by the Cult Leader.”
“Ah!”
“The Cult Leader himself!”
“Hahaha! Then it’s settled!”
Yeom Ja-dan cautiously asked the question, and Yang Haeng-sang replied with a smile.
Yeom Ja-dan had been asking whether the decision was made solely by the Shadow Pavilion Lord.
If that were the case, the Black Wolf Squad Leader might have refused depending on circumstances.
But approval from the Cult Leader was different.
That was an order that couldn’t be rejected.
This meant that by April next year, the entire Blood Heaven Division would rotate missions with the Black Wolf Squad and return to the main headquarters.
Smiles bloomed on the commanders’ faces.
“Everyone seems happy. But don’t forget—there’s still a long time until next spring.”
Sama Jong addressed the excited commanders.
His words carried a warning: you could lose your life at any moment before returning to headquarters.
He was right.
Hadn’t Go Il-ak nearly died a meaningless death at the hands of some unknown Guangdong swordsman on the Yangtze River not long ago?
“You’re absolutely right. According to our intelligence, an alliance of heterodox factions led by the Green Forest is preparing an operation to retake Changsha.”
Yang Haeng-sang spread a map across the table, his expression serious.
“Our sources indicate that the Green Forest’s main force, led by the Green Forest King Qinghu , Tan Dae-pyeong, is moving from Hubei Province into Hunan.”
“…!!”
Qinghu, Tan Dae-pyeong.
I’d heard that name before.
Back when he saved me, the Mount Hua elder Guo Hui had even asked Meng So-pyeong about him.
“If he personally leads an attack here… can we defend with our current strength?”
Go Il-ak asked anxiously.
Coming from a man missing an arm, his concern felt even heavier.
“It would be difficult. As you know, Qinghu is one of the Twelve Heroes of the Central Plains. He’s below the Five Kings, but still undeniably powerful.”
The Five Kings. The Twelve Heroes.
Those were rankings created by enthusiasts who loved ranking martial artists.
They mainly included fighters active in the Central Plains and excluded those from the Demon Cult or heterodox paths, so they weren’t fully representative.
Guo Hui, who once saved me, was among the Five Kings.
And Qinghu Tan Dae-pyeong—who now threatened us—was among the Twelve Heroes.
What about Brother Hyegong?
He wasn’t among the Five Kings or the Twelve Heroes.
Though he carried the epithet “Fist King,” it was an old title that had simply stuck.
Brother Hyegong existed on an entirely different level from those ranked among the Five Kings.
If pressed, even the enthusiasts would call him the “One Emperor.”
“Additionally, the Heterodox Alliance is sending reinforcements from Yueyang toward Changsha. The forces on the move are the Remnant Moon Palace and the Green Poison Flower Sect.”
Two more factions?
Then shouldn’t we retreat?
Why were they being so calm?
We weren’t getting reinforcements either.
Were we supposed to endure everything through sheer spirit?
Was this the Demon Cult way?
“Doesn’t this look like a full-scale offensive? I’m worried we’ll be surrounded before we can even respond…”
Yeo Mun-tak of the Blood Spirit Unit spoke up.
I agreed.
No matter how disciplined or desperate your troops were, the power gap had to be reasonable.
If the difference was overwhelming, you’d lose without even getting a chance to fight.
I knew that from plenty of street fights.
When you’re outnumbered beyond hope, you don’t even feel like starting.
“There’s no need to worry too much. The Heterodox Alliance’s forces are very unlikely to actually move.”
“Why is that?”
“Because of the Iron Ox Gang incident.”
“Ah…”
The Iron Ox Gang incident referred to the Blood Heaven Division’s first campaign.
Sama Jong had launched a surprise attack, wiping out their base that transported soybean oil for the Demon Cult.
The Iron Ox Gang had requested aid from the entire Heterodox Alliance, but no one helped—everyone just watched.
In the end, the Iron Ox Gang was crushed by Sama Jong, and most of the fleeing remnants were hunted down.
I had personally contributed as well, killing Jin Cheol-sim of the Iron Ox Gang as a member of Black Kill Sect No. 4.
“The Heterodox Alliance is loosely united. While the Remnant Moon Palace and Green Poison Flower Sect have shifted troops under pressure, it’s likely just a show of force. We also have solid intelligence from agents embedded within the Alliance.”
“Oh… I see.”
“Neither faction wants to become a second Iron Ox Gang. If you think about it from their perspective, it makes sense.”
“That’s true.”
“The real problem is the Green Forest. They seem genuinely offended.”
Yang Haeng-sang’s calm expression vanished when the topic shifted to the Green Forest.
“The losses of Meng So-pyeong and Ho Yo were significant, and most importantly, that recently killed swordsman—Eonchang. It turns out his recruitment wasn’t driven by the Heterodox Alliance leadership as much as by influence from the Green Forest.”
As he spoke, Yang Haeng-sang’s gaze settled on me.
As if to say: You killed them all, didn’t you?
If I didn’t kill them, I’d be dead, I thought.
They weren’t opponents I could afford to hold back against.
And why should I hold back, anyway?
Anyone who steps into the martial world wagers their life.
Those who lose should die—it’s simply the natural order.
“For all these reasons, the Green Forest seems serious.”
With those final words, a heavy silence settled over the room.
The Green Forest’s resolve.
Tan Dae-pyeong’s southern advance.
The lives of the Blood Heaven Division members were clearly at risk.
“Shouldn’t headquarters send some reinforcements?”
I finally spoke up.
Since Sama Jong and the other commanders all seemed unwilling to break the silence, someone had to.
Pride wouldn’t save your life.
If you needed help, you had to ask for it.
“Yes. The Shadow Pavilion is already preparing contingency plans for emergency situations.”
“What kind of plans?”
“That information is classified. It’s difficult to discuss it here.”
Yang Haeng-sang replied firmly, smiling.
Classified…
So there were plans meant for people above my pay grade.
Fine. I figured they’d thought things through.
It wasn’t like the mighty Demon Cult would just sit there and get beaten.
“There is, however, a plan I can share. And it’s an operation you commanders will need to carry out.”
My eyes sharpened.
If it was something we had to execute, then it was directly tied to my remaining mission.
“From here on, we’ll drive a wedge between the Green Forest and the Heterodox Alliance. We’ll use a strategy of discord.”
Instigation?
Ohhh… that sounded promising.
Those two sides hadn’t been allied for long.
One was eager, the other hesitant—perfect conditions for misunderstandings.
“We’ll conduct operations such as key assassinations, leaking forged ledgers, and spreading rumors. Through multiple actions, we’ll gradually separate the Green Forest from the Heterodox Alliance.”
“That sounds like a solid plan.”
“Right? As expected of someone from the Black Kill Sect who spent years infiltrating orthodox factions—Commander Gye, you catch on quickly.”
“Ah… yes.”
This bastard.
He definitely knew I wasn’t actually an orthodox spy.
Yet he was rubbing it in anyway.
His way of publicly poking at me was disturbingly refined.
There’s definitely something going on with the Shadow Pavilion. I can feel that they’re the ones pulling my strings.
Yang Haeng-sang.
The Shadow Investigation Team.
And above them—the Shadow Pavilion.
It felt like they already had a rough idea of who I really was and were treating me as a disposable piece.
How much did they know?
They definitely knew I wasn’t truly Black Kill Sect No. 4.
Did they know about my connection to the Flying Shadow Sect?
What about Brother Hyegong?
Even the source of my martial arts?
They’d probably figured out the Hundred-Step Divine Fist.
That one was easy to trace.
But had they noticed the Great Perfection Prajna Zen Art?
Or the Buddha Shadow Footwork?
Brother Hyegong had said no one would recognize them…
But could they trace it back through the Hundred-Step Divine Fist?
After all, the root was still Shaolin.
“Commander Gye?”
“Huh?!”
Lost deep in thought, I jolted at Yang Haeng-sang’s voice.
“Can you do it?”
“Ah… do what, exactly? Sorry, I was distracted.”
“Steal something from the Green Forest. In disguise. And make it look like the Heterodox Alliance did it. You’re something of a specialist in that area, aren’t you?”
Yang Haeng-sang asked with a subtle smile.
This guy.
The more I see of him, the more devious he gets.
