Ji Makpyeong, commander of the Righteous Will Unit, was brewing tea as he always did.
Among his former peers, including Cheol Jiak, commander of the Black Tortoise Unit, Ji Makpyeong had risen through the ranks the fastest.
His martial arts were certainly respectable, but his greatest strengths lay in politics and dealing with people.
He was naturally quick-witted, with an exceptional talent for knowing which connections to cultivate and which to sever.
He filled two teacups and placed one before himself and the other before the man seated across from him.
The man sitting opposite him was precisely the kind of connection he needed to maintain.
"Family Head Gu, I've taken care of everything. There's no need to worry."
The man addressed as Family Head Gu wore a black fur robe. His strong features and slightly raised eyebrows lent his face a fierce appearance.
Strangely enough, he carried the unmistakable air of someone who had spent his entire life fighting his way through the Black Path rather than that of a respected master of the Orthodox Path.
Gu Yongbaek, head of the Gu family, regarded the teacup before him for a moment before speaking.
"What will happen to Ink Guest?"
"He attempted to murder an applicant taking the Martial Alliance's selection examination. Worse, he involved a fairly substantial Black Path organization in the affair. Most likely, the tendons in his arms and legs will be severed, his dantian destroyed, and he'll be imprisoned in the Brain Prison. He won't see the outside world for at least thirty years. There's no avoiding it."
Ji Makpyeong watched Gu Yongbaek's expression carefully as he spoke.
Although the two were friends, Gu Yongbaek was still a terrifying man.
"I've taken every possible measure to ensure your son suffers as little as possible. I would have liked to protect Ink Guest as well, considering how much the Gu family must have invested in training him as a bodyguard. Unfortunately, we couldn't afford to leave any loose ends. My apologies."
Gu Yongbaek merely nodded.
"Cut out his tongue as well."
"...Hmm?"
"Make sure the matter is handled properly. You know what I'm like."
Ji Makpyeong's eyes met Gu Yongbaek's for an instant.
He instinctively lowered his gaze.
It felt as though he were facing a feral beast that had spent its entire life tearing people limb from limb.
"Ahem. Family Head Gu, there's something I'd like to ask, just to be certain. Please don't take offense."
Gu Yongbaek's eyebrows twitched.
"Did you truly know nothing about this?"
"I knew nothing. If I had known, do you think I would have handled it so carelessly? They probably wouldn't even have discovered that Cheon Woojin fellow's death by now."
Ji Makpyeong nodded.
That certainly sounded like the Gu Yongbaek he knew.
The man was capable of doing precisely that, and worse.
Gu Yongbaek suddenly thought of his son and clicked his tongue.
"Tsk. Pathetic fool."
When he first received the report, he had hardly believed his ears.
He had sent his son to the Martial Alliance to cast off the Gu family's long history of straddling the boundary between the Orthodox and Black Paths and establish its place among the righteous factions once and for all.
Yet his son had gone there and committed an act more befitting the Black Path than anything else.
And he had done it in the most pathetic fashion imaginable.
"Just what kind of fellow is this Cheon Woojin?"
His son Gu Jinseok might have been a fool, but his martial talent was genuinely exceptional.
That was why Gu Yongbaek had chosen to send his eldest son to the Martial Alliance, despite having two younger sons who were both remarkably gifted.
Yet Gu Jinseok had been driven to such jealousy.
Gu Yongbaek could scarcely imagine how talented Cheon Woojin must be.
Ji Makpyeong nodded.
"He's quite an extraordinary young man. Even I was surprised when I retraced his movements during the investigation. He practically wiped out the West Heaven Society single-handedly."
"The West Heaven Society?"
Gu Yongbaek frowned.
He was intimately familiar with the affairs of the Black Path.
The leader of the West Heaven Society was an insignificant figure, but the organization also harbored the Asura Demon Lord, a disciple of the Dark Heavenly Son.
"Impossible. He must have had accomplices."
Ji Makpyeong shook his head firmly.
He had investigated the matter more thoroughly than ever, knowing that any failure to understand the full extent of Gu Jinseok's wrongdoing could prove disastrous.
"The information is reliable. He destroyed the West Heaven Society entirely on his own."
"A mere applicant possesses that level of martial skill?"
Only now did Gu Yongbaek begin to understand why his son had been so consumed by jealousy.
All his life, Gu Jinseok had been praised as a genius, a monster of talent.
Then he had encountered someone his own age whose martial prowess utterly eclipsed his own.
Knowing his son's temperament, Gu Yongbaek could easily imagine how he had reacted.
And naturally, someone capable of marching straight into the West Heaven Society and destroying it single-handedly would never have bowed his head to Gu Jinseok.
"I believe I understand what happened."
With only a few scattered pieces of information, Gu Yongbaek had already grasped the general course of events.
Ultimately, there was little doubt that his son had been responsible.
The best course of action now was to place the entire blame on Ink Guest and eliminate any possibility of the truth emerging.
Gu Yongbaek rose from his seat and addressed Ji Makpyeong once more.
"Make certain his tongue is removed. No, cut off his fingers as well. That way, he won't be able to write anything."
"Still, he's a martial artist who has served your family for years. Must you really go that far—"
Ji Makpyeong fell silent.
Gu Yongbaek's dark eyes had turned positively murderous.
"...Very well. I'll see to it."
Gu Yongbaek was about to leave the office when Ji Makpyeong finally summoned the courage to say what had been weighing on his mind throughout their conversation.
"Ah, there's one more thing. Your son will be disqualified from the examination."
Gu Yongbaek stopped.
Ji Makpyeong instinctively prepared himself to flee.
An oppressive aura slowly began to rise from Gu Yongbaek's body.
How much time and money have I poured into this examination?
He had purchased information about the examination in advance.
He had acquired all manner of precious elixirs and fed them to his son.
He had even invited masters of the Orthodox Path to instruct Gu Jinseok personally.
And perhaps most aggravating of all, he had been forced to pretend that the worthless commander of the Righteous Will Unit was his friend, humoring the man and cultivating their relationship.
And now he's disqualified?
The selection examination was held only once every three years.
That meant he would have to endure all of this for at least another three years.
Gu Yongbaek slowly turned and fixed Ji Makpyeong with a murderous glare.
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
Ji Makpyeong hurried to explain.
"W-well, Ink Guest was your son's personal bodyguard. We can't simply pretend there's no connection between them. Under normal circumstances, your son would be punished as well. I worked hard to prevent that from happening."
Gu Yongbaek stared at him.
Then, in a low voice, each word seemingly forced through clenched teeth, he replied,
"Then you should have worked harder to ensure he passed."
"...Even I can't make that happen."
Gu Yongbaek felt a sharp throb in his temples.
Unlike most martial families, the Gu family wielded considerable influence in both the Orthodox and Black Paths.
In other words, it had twice as many complications to manage.
Gu Yongbaek himself was a man of the Black Path to his very core.
He had spent years suppressing his violent nature and laboring to establish his family among the orthodox factions.
The reason was simple.
When the Gu family had been small, the underhanded businesses of the Black Path had been more profitable.
But as the family's influence and operations expanded, the prestige and connections that came with belonging to the Orthodox Path promised far greater wealth.
For a moment, Gu Yongbaek's carefully restrained nature broke through, and a terrifying pressure filled the room.
He felt an almost irresistible urge to smash open the heads of both his son and Ji Makpyeong, abandon all these tiresome pretenses, and return to living as a man of the Black Path.
Ji Makpyeong caught the dangerous look in his eyes and sucked in a breath.
The atmosphere was as precarious as thin ice.
After a moment, Ji Makpyeong cautiously spoke.
"...If we manipulate the investigation any further, word may reach the Alliance Leader. Are you prepared to deal with that?"
Just as a frightened Buddhist monk might desperately call upon the Buddha, or a Taoist priest invoke the Primordial Heaven-Honored One, Ji Makpyeong instinctively sought protection in the name of the Martial Alliance Leader.
The effect was immediate.
Gu Yongbaek's eyes darkened, and the oppressive aura filling the room vanished as though it had been washed away.
After a moment, he sighed.
"Very well. I'll accept it."
He would have to console himself with the fact that his son had merely failed to pass, rather than being formally barred from the Martial Alliance.
After all, someone who failed an examination could simply try again three years later.
But an applicant formally disqualified for misconduct would never again be permitted to set foot in the Martial Alliance.
Soon afterward, Gu Yongbaek departed.
Left alone in his office, Ji Makpyeong released a long sigh, finally allowing the tension to drain from his body.
"Have my instincts grown dull?"
For some reason, he was no longer certain he had chosen the right connection to cultivate.
Gu Yongbaek was simply too dangerous.
And more than anything else, that young man named Cheon Woojin continued to trouble him.
He was supposedly a nobody, with neither a sect nor a powerful family behind him.
Yet there was something about him.
Ji Makpyeong was certain of that much.
The problem was that he had no idea what it was.
Thud.
The office door closed firmly.
Cheol Jiak, who had been left outside, scratched his head. Sensing that he was no longer needed, he took his leave.
An unusual silence settled over the room.
Now alone with the Alliance Leader, Cheon Woojin felt a faint pang of guilt.
How did he know?
He had indeed intended to kill Gu Jinseok once the selection examination was over.
He could hardly overlook someone who had sent a swordsman to murder him.
Neither Black Master nor White Master had ever taught him to simply forgive someone who had tried to take his life.
Beili Tian studied the young man's eyes before continuing calmly.
"When you've lived as long as I have, you learn to see things that others miss."
"..."
"There's both good and evil in your eyes. They aren't the eyes of someone who was raised solely under Senior White Master's teachings..."
Beili Tian fell into thought.
A moment later, he nodded.
"I see. You were also taught by Black Master, weren't you?"
"...How did you know?"
Cheon Woojin admitted it without hesitation.
He had no particular reason to conceal the truth.
Besides, he had no desire to lie to someone who had been his master's junior.
"When Senior White Master suddenly withdrew from the martial world, Black Master, the greatest villain of that era, disappeared at almost exactly the same time. And then there's that black staff on your back. The moment I saw it, I understood."
Cheon Woojin reached back and gently stroked the Crescent Moon Staff.
Beili Tian gazed at the weapon for a moment before continuing.
"Very few people in the martial world still remember Black Master's martial arts. Black iron staffs aren't particularly unusual, either. And Black Master himself only used the Crescent Moon Staff for a relatively brief period toward the end of his career. So the chances of anyone identifying you through the weapon are fairly small. However..."
He trailed off.
Then he rose from his seat and strode toward Woojin.
Resting a hand on the young man's shoulder, he spoke earnestly.
"There are still many people who bear deep grudges against Black Master. Most of them have retained their standing in the martial world to this day. It would be wise to exercise caution."
"...I'll remember that."
"Now, about Gu Jinseok. Do you truly intend to kill him? If you become a member of the Martial Alliance, then naturally, he should be punished according to the Alliance's laws..."
Beili Tian stopped speaking.
For a moment, he merely stared at Cheon Woojin.
Then he gave a small nod.
"I understand. You no longer intend to remain in the Martial Alliance."
"That's right. I've already accomplished everything I came here to do."
"Was there another reason for your visit besides informing me of Senior White Master's passing?"
Beili Tian's eyes narrowed slightly.
He was genuinely fond of his respected senior's disciple.
But affection was one thing, and his responsibilities as Alliance Leader were another.
If a martial artist of this caliber had come to the Martial Alliance with a particular objective in mind, it was his duty to understand what that objective was.
Both as the Martial Alliance Leader and as White Master's junior.
Cheon Woojin considered the question for a moment before answering calmly.
"My White Master told me that the Martial Alliance was an assembly of chivalrous heroes. He said it was a place where people upheld justice above all else, protected the common folk, maintained order throughout the world, and defended what was good."
A deeply satisfied smile spread across Beili Tian's face.
"Hahaha! Indeed! Those are precisely the ideals Senior White Master and I have spent our entire lives striving to uphold."
"But my Black Master told me something different."
Beili Tian's eyebrows twitched.
Cheon Woojin noticed, but continued just as calmly.
"A gathering of disgusting hypocrites. People who pretend to be righteous in the light while committing injustice in the shadows are even more contemptible than those who openly commit evil deeds."
"..."
These were hardly words one ought to speak in front of the Martial Alliance Leader.
But Cheon Woojin was not the sort of person to concern himself with such things.
"So Black Master told me to come and see for myself."
Woojin looked directly at Beili Tian.
"What do you think, Alliance Leader?"
Beili Tian abruptly rose from his seat.
Although he made no threatening movement, an overwhelming aura of authority surged through the room.
He looked Cheon Woojin straight in the eyes and answered with absolute conviction.
"Naturally, Senior White Master was right."
"Is that truly what you believe?"
The atmosphere between them grew taut.
Behind Woojin's simple question lay an unmistakable challenge.
Can you still say that when you know perfectly well that injustice is being committed right under your nose because of the Gu family's influence?
Beili Tian understood exactly what the young man meant.
A sharp pain pierced his chest.
After a moment, he sighed.
"...Now that I know what's happening, things will change."
"Is the Alliance Leader himself the Martial Alliance? Even if you're an upright man, what good does that do if everyone beneath you is corrupt?"
Every word struck Beili Tian like a dagger.
Because he could not completely refute them.
Corruption did exist within the Martial Alliance.
Beili Tian despised it and had worked tirelessly to root it out wherever he found it.
Yet no matter how diligently he pursued wrongdoing, injustice could never be completely eradicated from human affairs.
And now, with Cheon Woojin standing before him as someone who had personally suffered because of that corruption, Beili Tian had no excuse.
Even if he possessed ten mouths, he would have nothing to say.
Anger welled up inside him.
Anger at himself for failing to recognize what was happening sooner.
And anger at Ji Makpyeong, commander of the Righteous Will Unit, for allowing the Gu family's influence to compromise the handling of the affair.
The two stared at each other for a short while.
Finally, Beili Tian sat down again and released a long sigh.
"I won't deny it. The Martial Alliance is an organization devoted to upholding what is right, yet incidents like this do occur from time to time. But such things aren't all there is to the Martial Alliance. You haven't yet seen what the Alliance is truly capable of."
He wanted to prove it.
He wanted to show this young man that the words of Black Master, that infamous villain, were wrong.
Above all, he could not bear the thought of Senior White Master's disciple leaving the Martial Alliance convinced that it was nothing more than a gathering of shameless hypocrites.
Cheon Woojin, however, remained unmoved.
Beili Tian continued speaking, increasingly determined to defend the organization.
For some inexplicable reason, the situation had turned into the Martial Alliance Leader desperately explaining himself to a mere applicant.
"Let's discuss this again once the matter has been properly resolved. In any case, you aren't planning to kill Gu Jinseok while you're still inside the Martial Alliance, are you?"
Cheon Woojin nodded.
He had no intention of spilling blood within the Martial Alliance.
After all, this was the place White Master had cherished more than any other.
Soon afterward, Woojin bowed respectfully and left the office.
Beili Tian watched him go.
Once the young man had disappeared, the Alliance Leader slowly clenched his fist.
The faint trembling of his fingers betrayed the intensity of the emotions he was struggling to contain.
Beili Tian was well aware that Ji Makpyeong, commander of the Righteous Will Unit, was acquainted with the head of the Gu family.
Thinking of those two men, his expression turned cold.
He directed a quiet but menacing command toward the attendants outside.
"Summon the head of the Punishment Hall. Immediately."
The Punishment Hall was the institution responsible for establishing and enforcing the Martial Alliance's laws.
Its authority was absolute.
Even the Alliance's elders would tremble if they became the subject of an investigation by the Punishment Hall.
For someone of mere unit commander rank, facing its scrutiny would be more than he could hope to withstand.