Chapter 182: The Culprit Behind the Fire
“Commander of the Demon Expulsion Unit.”
Moyong Cheonhwi called out to me in a low voice.
His gaze settled directly on me.
He didn't show it openly, but it was obvious what he was thinking.
As expected, he suspects me.
Still, I offered him a polite martial salute as though I knew nothing.
“Yes, Alliance Leader.”
Moyong Cheonhwi's eyes narrowed slightly.
“Master Gonghyeon said that after resolving the incident at Shaolin, you left to investigate traces of the Demonic Cult.”
He studied my face.
“Where did you investigate after leaving Shaolin?”
He was clearly checking whether my answer matched what Gonghyeon had told him.
“I searched around Shaolin and throughout Henan.”
“Did you discover anything?”
“Nothing significant.”
I answered calmly.
“I found no evidence that the Demonic Cult had intervened in Shaolin.”
Then I glanced toward the ruins of the Demon Expulsion Pavilion.
“I had only just returned to report that result.”
I looked back at him.
“But after arriving at the Alliance, it seems I now have far more questions for you than I expected.”
I put on an innocent expression.
“What exactly happened here while I was gone?”
The corner of Moyong Cheonhwi's mouth twitched slightly.
Only for a moment.
Then his usual calm expression returned.
“I also arrived only moments ago.”
He looked toward the ruined buildings.
“Apparently, fires broke out while I was away from the Alliance.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“You were away as well, Alliance Leader?”
A brief pause.
“...I received an urgent report saying your group was in danger, so I headed to Shaolin.”
“Ah.”
I nodded as though I finally understood.
“So you personally traveled all the way to Shaolin to save us.”
“That is correct....”
I gave him an apologetic look.
“What a shame.”
His gaze sharpened.
I continued,
“If only I had returned a little earlier, you wouldn't have had to make such a wasted trip all the way to Shaolin.”
The instant the words wasted trip left my mouth, Moyong Cheonhwi's eyes turned cold.
I immediately bowed and offered a martial salute.
“My report was delayed and caused you unnecessary trouble.”
“I apologize.”
"..."
Moyong Cheonhwi stared at me for quite some time.
He was probably searching every word and gesture for some hidden meaning.
I snorted inwardly.
Look all you want.
You're not going to learn anything from me.
Eventually, Moyong Cheonhwi spoke in a gentle voice.
“No.”
He smiled faintly.
“The important thing is that the Commander returned safely.”
He really could say things he didn't mean with a completely straight face.
Moyong Cheonhwi's mask remained flawless.
So I played along.
“I apologize for worrying you unnecessarily.”
He smoothly changed the subject.
“By the way, have you checked on Taoist Myeongjeon?”
I tilted my head slightly.
“Junior Nephew Myeongjeon?”
“Yes.”
Moyong Cheonhwi continued,
“I heard that when he returned to the Alliance, his condition looked extremely serious.”
I turned toward the Kunlun group inspecting the remains of the Demon Expulsion Pavilion nearby.
“Myeongjeon.”
I called him over.
“Come here. The Alliance Leader is concerned about your condition.”
Myeongjeon was among them.
At my call, he stepped over the debris and approached.
He stopped before Moyong Cheonhwi and respectfully offered a martial salute.
“Myeongjeon of Kunlun greets the Alliance Leader.”
Heo Seongbaek's eyes widened.
“You've already recovered?”
He stared at Myeongjeon.
“When you were taken to the Jesaeng Pavilion, you looked as though you might stop breathing at any moment.”
Myeongjeon gave an embarrassed smile.
“I was fortunate.”
Then he added,
“It seems the wounds weren't as deep as they looked.”
Heo Seongbaek frowned.
“Not as deep as they looked?”
“Yes.”
Myeongjeon nodded.
“After resting for a few days, I recovered quickly.”
Then he continued casually,
“I intended to come greet you once I was well enough, but by then both you and the Alliance Leader had already left the Alliance.”
"..."
Heo Seongbaek narrowed his eyes in disbelief.
Of course he did.
He had personally watched Myeongjeon cough up blood and collapse.
Now the same man stood before him perfectly healthy.
Anyone would be suspicious.
But what could he do?
He couldn't exactly ask why an injured man had recovered so quickly.
Myeongjeon pretended not to notice Heo Seongbaek's stare and looked around.
“Still...”
His gaze settled on the ruins.
“This is truly awful.”
He looked at the broken signboard of the Demon Expulsion Pavilion.
“If that piece of the sign hadn't survived, I might not even have realized this was once the Demon Expulsion Pavilion.”
Then he sighed.
“How did such a massive fire break out inside the Righteous Alliance?”
A flicker of discomfort crossed Heo Seongbaek's face.
I immediately turned toward Moyong Cheonhwi.
“Has the cause of the fire been identified?”
“Not yet.”
“I heard the Jesaeng Pavilion and Azure Pine Garden also caught fire around the same time.”
I pretended to think.
Then said,
“If fires broke out in three separate locations almost simultaneously...”
I looked around.
“shouldn't we also consider the possibility of arson?”
Heo Seongbaek immediately cut in.
“Commander.”
His voice was sharp.
“You should not make careless conclusions about matters that have not yet been confirmed.”
I looked at him with an innocent expression.
“I didn't conclude anything.”
“I merely mentioned a possibility.”
Heo Seongbaek's gaze hardened.
“What you are saying implies that an arsonist may be hiding within the Righteous Alliance.”
“Three places caught fire at the same time.”
I shrugged.
“Isn't it only natural to determine whether it was coincidence or deliberate?”
Then I looked around at the Righteous Alliance martial artists gathered near the ruins.
“If the cause isn't properly uncovered, unrest inside the Alliance will only grow.”
“How dare you—”
Before Heo Seongbaek could continue, Moyong Cheonhwi raised one hand.
“Enough.”
Heo Seongbaek stopped.
“A-Alliance Leader.”
Moyong Cheonhwi looked at me.
“The Commander has a point.”
His voice was calm.
“If several fires began at once, we should investigate whether someone acted intentionally.”
But his eyes never left my face.
“And if there is a culprit...”
His gaze chilled.
“we will find them and punish them.”
It was obvious he suspected me.
I smiled faintly and lowered my head.
“Naturally.”
Then I added,
“You absolutely should find them.”
"..."
“If necessary, I would be happy to offer whatever small assistance I can in finding the culprit.”
Moyong Cheonhwi answered immediately.
“Excellent timing.”
I tilted my head.
“What do you mean?”
“The Demon Expulsion Pavilion is the base of the Demon Expulsion Unit.”
He looked over the burned ruins.
“And you are its Commander.”
Then—
“It seems your help will be useful in investigating the cause of this fire.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“You want me to investigate?”
“I am asking for your assistance.”
His voice remained smooth.
“Surely you are curious about the identity of whoever reduced the Demon Expulsion Pavilion to this state.”
“Of course.”
I smiled at Moyong Cheonhwi.
Ordering the culprit to find the culprit.
This was getting amusing.
“Remain at the Alliance for the time being and assist with the investigation.”
Then he added,
“Until the culprit is found, it would also be best if you didn't travel too far from the Alliance.”
There it was.
His true intention.
He wanted to keep me inside the Alliance...
watch who I met...
and see what I was searching for.
But that was perfectly fine with me.
I had returned specifically because I wanted to enter their den.
I offered a respectful martial salute.
“I accept.”
Our gazes met in midair.
As I endured his scrutiny, I made a silent promise.
Just wait.
Your little game of masks won't last much longer.
After separating from Moyong Cheonhwi's group, we headed toward the quarters prepared for Kunlun inside the Alliance.
Only after we'd moved a fair distance away from the Demon Expulsion Pavilion and no Righteous Alliance martial artists were in sight did Myeongjeon finally clutch his chest.
“I thought my heart was going to stop back there.”
I glanced at him.
“Why?”
He looked back over his shoulder.
“When Moyong Cheonhwi said he would definitely catch the culprit.”
Myeongjeon shuddered.
“The way he was looking at you and me was terrifying.”
Then he added,
“I seriously thought he might grab us and start interrogating us on the spot.”
I snorted.
“Why are you so worried?”
“They have no grounds to arrest us.”
“Still, it looked like he suspected us.”
“And what can he do with suspicion alone?”
By the time our group officially entered the Righteous Alliance...
all the fires had already been extinguished.
Dozens of Righteous Alliance warriors had seen us arrive afterward.
“They can suspect us all they want.”
I continued walking.
“But they can't touch us right now.”
Myeongjeon finally exhaled in relief.
Jin Gwangung, walking beside us, snorted.
“Look at you, trembling like a frightened dog.”
He shot Myeongjeon a mocking glance.
“A little while ago, you were lying to Heo Seongbaek with a perfectly straight face.”
“And now your legs are shaking?”
Myeongjeon protested.
“Moyong Cheonhwi is the strongest under heaven.”
“Even I'd get nervous in front of him.”
Jin Gwangung scoffed.
“Anyone listening would think you accomplished something incredible.”
Myeongjeon frowned.
“I still fooled Heo Seongbaek perfectly.”
“You were coughing up blood.”
Jin Gwangung snorted.
“It would've been stranger if he didn't believe you.”
In truth...
the blood Myeongjeon had coughed up was animal blood we'd prepared beforehand.
If we were going to fool Heo Seongbaek properly, we had to prepare thoroughly.
Jin Gwangung shook his head before looking at me.
“Anyway, Mujin.”
“Yes, Master?”
“What do you think about Moyong Cheonhwi asking you to investigate the fires?”
“He's trying to watch me.”
Jin Gwangung frowned.
“And you accepted knowing that?”
“There's no reason to refuse.”
I answered without breaking stride.
“If he wants to watch what I do, let him watch.”
That was actually what I wanted.
While his attention remained fixed on me...
others could move more freely.
Jin Gwangung roughly stroked his beard.
“Still, things unfolded more or less exactly as you expected.”
“Yes.”
The fires inside the Righteous Alliance.
We had started all of them.
On the day Myeongjeon entered the Alliance to report the supposed disaster at Shaolin...
the rest of us were already hiding not far from the Alliance.
In my previous life, Moyong Cheonhwi had personally led martial artists to Shaolin immediately after the Shaolin Bloodbath.
He intended to become the hero who saved Shaolin...
then use that achievement as justification for the conquest of the Demonic Cult.
I was certain he would make the same choice this time.
And before Moyong Cheonhwi moved...
I expected his subordinates to gather somewhere together.
That night...
I used Void Night Shadow Step and watched Heo Seongbaek's residence.
It didn't take long.
Heo Seongbaek slipped out alone.
After checking his surroundings...
he moved along a deserted path toward the deeper parts of the Righteous Alliance.
I followed at a fixed distance.
Eventually, Heo Seongbaek stopped at an old side hall that had long since fallen out of regular use.
A short while later...
figures wearing black masks appeared from several different directions.
Each carefully checked the surroundings before disappearing inside the hall.
As expected.
Heo Seongbaek wasn't acting alone.
There was a strong chance everyone gathering inside was connected to the Shadow Corps.
But I didn't enter.
Void Night Shadow Step was an exceptional concealment technique...
but it wasn't invincible.
Dokgo Jinak had once detected me even while I was using it.
If Moyong Cheonhwi was inside that hall...
there was no guarantee he wouldn't notice me.
So I remained hidden outside and sent the signal we'd prepared in advance.
Not long afterward...
Jin Gwangung, Hyeongwon, and Yu Seola appeared from the darkness.
I quickly explained what was happening.
Then we agreed that once the masked figures dispersed, each of us would follow a different one.
About one sijin later...
the closed doors of the side hall opened.
The masked figures emerged one after another.
Heo Seongbaek was the last to appear.
They immediately scattered in different directions.
I followed Heo Seongbaek.
Jin Gwangung, Hyeongwon, and Yu Seola carefully followed the others.
That was how we roughly identified the places frequented by the senior Shadow Corps members hiding inside the Righteous Alliance.
Then...
after Moyong Cheonhwi left for Shaolin with the Alliance's elite forces...
security throughout the Alliance weakened noticeably.
We didn't waste the opportunity.
Late before dawn...
we set fire to the Jesaeng Pavilion, the Demon Expulsion Pavilion, and Azure Pine Garden.
Jin Gwangung spoke.
“I understand why you burned the Jesaeng Pavilion and the Demon Expulsion Pavilion.”
He looked toward me.
“There was a prison beneath the Jesaeng Pavilion where they intended to imprison people.”
“Yes.”
“And the Demon Expulsion Pavilion was where they were preparing to mobilize the Demon Expulsion Unit.”
I nodded.
Weapons and supplies for the unit's next deployment had been stored there.
With the Demon Expulsion Pavilion burned down...
Moyong Cheonhwi's ability to mobilize the unit again would inevitably be delayed.
But that wasn't the only reason I'd targeted it.
The Demon Expulsion Pavilion was Moyong Cheonhwi's symbol.
The future of the righteous faction.
The spearhead of the Demonic Cult conquest.
And the first stepping stone meant to elevate his authority even further.
Now it was ash.
For Moyong Cheonhwi...
that had to hurt more than anything else.
Then Jin Gwangung spoke again.
“But I still don't understand Azure Pine Garden.”
Hyeongwon, Yu Seola, and Myeongjeon also turned toward me.
Jin Gwangung frowned.
“Isn't Azure Pine Garden just the rear garden of the Alliance Leader's Palace, where Moyong Cheonhwi stays?”
“That's right.”
“Then why burn that place too?”
I didn't answer immediately.
In truth...
of the three locations...
the most important wasn't the Demon Expulsion Pavilion.
Nor the Jesaeng Pavilion.
It was Azure Pine Garden.
Jin Gwangung frowned impatiently.
“Why are you dragging this out again like you're the only one who knows something?”
I smiled faintly.
“Just wait a little longer.”
He stared at me.
“Wait?”
“Yes.”
I turned my gaze quietly toward the direction of Azure Pine Garden.
“You'll understand soon enough, Master.”
Then I thought of Moyong Cheonhwi.
Just wait a little longer.
Moyong Cheonhwi.
