Chapter 82: The Scheme
I stole a glance at Moyong Cheonhwi's face.
He was looking at me with a benevolent expression.
He genuinely looked like someone who wanted to do me a favor.
He's giving me a reward...? What the hell is he planning?
Moyong Cheonhwi spoke.
“I thought about what kind of compensation would be appropriate.”
He smiled.
“Two possibilities came to mind.”
“I'll let you choose one.”
Then he turned his gaze behind him.
“Bring it.”
One of his subordinates immediately stepped forward.
A small box rested in his hands.
The moment the lid opened...
a faint medicinal fragrance spread through the air.
Moyong Cheonhwi smiled.
“It's one of the highest-grade pills produced by the Righteous Alliance.”
“It should be of great help in increasing your internal energy.”
I stared at the pill for a moment.
Then answered carefully.
“...May I ask what the other option is?”
Moyong Cheonhwi smiled at my question.
“The other one is somewhat less impressive compared to the pill.”
He continued,
“I'll grant you access to the Righteous Alliance's treasury.”
“If there's anything inside you want, you may take it.”
The treasury.
It was a place where the Righteous Alliance stored weapons, treasures, and gifts presented by outside forces.
Moyong Cheonhwi continued with a smile.
“Still, don't expect anything too extraordinary simply because it's called a treasury.”
“Someone from an ancient sect like the Nine Great Sects may find most of the contents rather ordinary.”
He wasn't wrong.
If anything inside were truly precious...
someone in the Righteous Alliance would've claimed it already.
There would be little reason to leave something genuinely valuable unused in storage.
Moyong Cheonhwi looked at me.
“So, what do you want?”
He glanced toward the pill.
“Personally, I believe the pill would be far more useful to you.”
I made my decision immediately.
“Forgive me, but I'll choose the treasury.”
Moyong Cheonhwi's eyebrows rose slightly.
“The treasury?”
He looked genuinely interested.
“Unexpected.”
“I didn't think you'd turn down the pill.”
The others reacted similarly.
Yu Gwangcheol and Jin Gwangung both tilted their heads, as though they couldn't understand my choice.
After all...
there probably wasn't much in the Righteous Alliance treasury that could compare to what the Nine Great Sects already possessed.
Naturally, everyone would expect me to choose the pill.
But I thought differently.
An internal-energy pill made by the Righteous Alliance?
That feels way too suspicious.
Just look at Baek Cheongu, who had the Righteous Alliance behind him.
What had been the truth behind the pills he'd gifted Kunlun?
He had claimed they were spiritual medicines that helped improve internal energy.
In reality...
they had been Soul-Dissolving Pills.
Pills that stripped away the user's reason and eventually drove them to death.
And now Moyong Cheonhwi suddenly wants to give me compensation?
There's no way that isn't suspicious.
On top of that...
the only alternative to the pill was treasury access.
The two rewards weren't remotely equal in value.
It felt like he'd deliberately created a choice where I was supposed to pick the pill.
It's not like that pill is my only way to increase my internal energy anyway.
I still had plenty of knowledge from before my regression.
There were other methods.
Moyong Cheonhwi asked again.
“Are you certain you don't want to reconsider?”
The fact that he asked twice only confirmed my suspicion.
This bastard really is hiding something.
I answered without hesitation.
“Yes.”
“I've always been curious about what is stored in the Righteous Alliance treasury.”
Moyong Cheonhwi tilted his head.
“Curious?”
“I've heard that the treasury contains items carrying the long history of the martial world.”
He nodded slowly.
“That is true.”
“There are even old antiques whose purposes are unknown.”
I smiled faintly.
“When I was younger, I sometimes imagined finding some forgotten treasure inside a place like that.”
“A fortuitous encounter no one else had discovered.”
Moyong Cheonhwi stared at me.
“Is that truly the reason?”
I met his gaze.
“Yes.”
“What other reason could there be?”
“Hmm....”
He studied my eyes for a long time.
His gaze held a mixture of suspicion...
and regret.
Eventually...
he nodded.
“Very well.”
“If that's what you want, I can't force the pill on you.”
His words said it was fine.
His tone made it clear he was quite disappointed.
Then...
“Alliance Leader.”
Master Baekheo, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke.
“Then may we now ask why you summoned the rest of us here?”
I had been curious about that too.
There was no way Moyong Cheonhwi had summoned such prominent martial masters just to have them watch him give me a reward.
“Of course.”
Moyong Cheonhwi nodded and looked around at everyone.
“I wanted to discuss an important decision with all of you before putting it into action.”
In that instant...
his eyes and voice changed.
The relaxed atmosphere from moments earlier disappeared.
Weight entered his tone.
Master Baekheo asked,
“An important decision?”
Moyong Cheonhwi slowly looked around the garden.
Then spoke in a low voice.
“I intend to deal with the aftermath of the Lee Munjeong incident.”
Master Baekheo's expression grew serious.
“You mean the matter concerning Lee Munjeong?”
Moyong Cheonhwi answered heavily.
“What else could I mean?”
“I'm referring to our response to the Demonic Cult's infiltration of the martial world.”
Master Baekheo narrowed his eyes.
“A response...?”
Moyong Cheonhwi drew in a long breath.
Then said,
“I intend to declare total war against the Demonic Cult.”
The atmosphere in the garden instantly turned cold.
Everyone's eyes sharpened.
Mine included.
Total war with the Demonic Cult?
What was he talking about?
Was he seriously suggesting war?
There had been a war with the Demonic Cult in my previous life.
But that wouldn't happen for several decades.
And now...
Moyong Cheonhwi was suddenly talking about total war?
I stared at him tensely.
He soon continued.
“Ah, there's no need to be too alarmed by the phrase ‘total war.’”
“I'm not suggesting we pick up our swords and invade the Demonic Cult immediately.”
Master Baekheo asked,
“Then what do you mean?”
“This incident showed all of us just how deeply the Demonic Cult's influence has spread throughout the Central Plains.”
"..."
Moyong Cheonhwi continued firmly.
“So first...”
“I intend to take action against the impure Demonic Cult forces operating secretly within the Central Plains.”
His voice became harder.
“We will begin inspections and surveillance throughout all regions under Righteous Alliance jurisdiction.”
“Regardless of whether one belongs to the Nine Great Sects or not...”
“anyone traveling outside their usual region will be required to report to the Righteous Alliance beforehand.”
The expressions of everyone in the garden darkened.
Naturally.
