Chapter 294: Please Hold a Funeral
Within a quiet forest.
A man with a sack covering his head knelt on the ground.
Wi Gyeong-heon, who had brought the culprit out from the Luoyang Anchaesa Office without much difficulty, politely bowed toward Jin Seong-un.
“I shall wait a short distance away, so please interrogate him comfortably, Great Hero. After all, this is for the sake of the nation, is it not?”
After laughing heartily, Wi Gyeong-heon withdrew far into the distance.
Jin Seong-un and Ghost of Divine Slaughter exchanged glances.
No matter what, interrogation was more Ghost of Divine Slaughter’s specialty than Jin Seong-un’s.
Having reached so sort of agreent through their eyes alone, Ghost of Divine Slaughter approached the man and roughly removed the sack.
The man squinted at the sudden sunlight before asking in a terrified voice,
“W-Who are you people?”
“The ones who will clear your false accusation.”
“A false accusation?”
Ghost of Divine Slaughter stared at him quietly before speaking again.
“Do you have a wife and children?”
“……No. If I had family, I wouldn’t have been able to make this choice.”
“That’s how it is for the head of a household. If there’s family to care for, even if one’s conscience aches, it’s difficult to walk into the governnt office willingly.”
The man looked up at Ghost of Divine Slaughter with an expression asking why such things were being asked.
Ghost of Divine Slaughter calmly nodded and gently helped the man to his feet.
Dusting off the dirt from his clothes, he casually asked,
“I heard a wagon fell.”
“……I heard several innocent people died because of . Ever since that night, I haven’t slept a wink because of the nightmares.”
“That must’ve been difficult. What exactly was loaded onto the wagon that caused such a massive cliff to collapse?”
“Stone, of course. It’s a quarry.”
Ghost of Divine Slaughter nodded.
“I see. But why don’t you beg for your life? If you had any sense at all, you’d know we might beco your salvation.”
“……Please spare . I know it’s a grave cri, but if you save , I’ll spend the rest of my life repaying your kindness.”
“Too late. Were you perhaps intending to die when you walked into the governnt office from the start?”
“Pardon? W-What do you an……?”
“I think you’re lying. It feels as though you’re trying to take soone else’s cri upon yourself.”
“How could that be possible?”
Ghost of Divine Slaughter gazed directly into the man’s eyes.
He was an ordinary man who knew nothing of martial arts.
Soon, Ghost of Divine Slaughter continued.
“I’ll spare you. Go ho.”
“Pardon?”
“Why? No matter how I look at it, you don’t seem to be the culprit.”
The man’s expression twitched subtly.
“I-It really was .”
“How strange. If it truly was you, then I’ve made a foolish judgnt, and I’ll take responsibility for it. We’ll release you and search for the real culprit ourselves.”
“I-I’m telling you! It really was !”
“…….”
Ghost of Divine Slaughter silently stared at the man before speaking to Jin Seong-un.
“The interrogation is over.”
“That’s really it? It didn’t even seem like a proper exchange of questions and answers.”
“This is our thod.”
‘Our,’ naturally, referred to Deathshroud.
Deathshroud’s interrogations were unusual.
They rarely resorted to torture or harsh pressure until they got the desired answer.
They simply established a standard.
In a situation where they were already certain another culprit existed, they deliberately questioned the suspect about it.
Naturally, the man lied.
Ghost of Divine Slaughter rely observed.
What habits appeared when the man lied?
How much his breathing accelerated.
How often he blinked.
Whether his fingers fidgeted.
Whether his feet unconsciously turned away from the other person.
Afterward, he calmly continued asking questions one by one, sorting truth from lies.
“He’s a man with a family to support. Soone like that willingly walked into the governnt office even though he knew execution was inevitable. aning soone forced him.”
“…….”
“Is your family being held hostage? Or are you so desperately poor that they persuaded you by promising to care for your family if you alone sacrificed yourself?”
The man tightly shut his mouth.
He felt that if he spoke even one more word, the cold old man before him would completely see through his heart.
However, to Ghost of Divine Slaughter, silence itself was an answer.
“So it’s the forr. Strange indeed. The Thunderclap Sect may be classified as an Unorthodox Sect, but they’re not the sort to commit such filthy acts.”
“S-Save !”
The man dropped to his knees before Ghost of Divine Slaughter and begged.
Ghost of Divine Slaughter’s eyes narrowed.
“This ti, you’re sincere. It seems the Thunderclap Sect threatened your family if you didn’t go to the governnt office and willingly take the bla.”
“……I owe the Thunderclap Sect a massive debt. A debt I could never repay. Eventually, even my children would be sold off because of it. But then the Thunderclap Sect approached with a proposal.”
The man continued his explanation in a confused jumble.
It was difficult to understand due to the mix of fear and desperation, but Ghost of Divine Slaughter did not pressure him and instead calmly pieced together his words.
The man explained that he had accumulated enormous debt while gambling at a casino operated by the Thunderclap Sect.
A pathetic fool.
However, another question arose in Ghost of Divine Slaughter’s mind.
“The Thunderclap Sect runs gambling dens?”
Collapsing a cliff and killing dozens of people.
Then, feeling pressured once investigations intensified, sending an innocent man as a scapegoat.
Running gambling dens and cleverly trapping people in debt to exploit their weaknesses.
None of these actions matched the Thunderclap Sect Ghost of Divine Slaughter knew.
At this point, it felt less like the sa sect and more like so vicious Unorthodox Sect rely sharing the sa na.
“When exactly did the Thunderclap Sect beco like this? If you’re from Poseong County, you must’ve heard sothing.”
The man had said he ca from Poseong County.
Poseong County in Shaanxi Province was where the Thunderclap Sect was located. Since it was such a rural place, the Thunderclap Sect ruled there practically like a local tyrant.
“It started about half a year ago. Ever since the Sect Leader beca infatuated with so strange woman, rumors have spread that he’s neglected the sect.”
“Huh.”
Even this differed from the Sect Leader of the Thunderclap Sect that Ghost of Divine Slaughter knew.
Certainly, he had been an overly boisterous man with quite a weakness for won, but he was not soone who would neglect his sect because of that.
The man cautiously added,
“……People even say the reincarnation of Noble Enchantress has attached herself to the Thunderclap Sect.”
“Noble Enchantress?”
Ghost of Divine Slaughter tilted his head.
That was a na one would only expect to hear in ancient stories.
At that mont—
Jin Seong-un, who had left the interrogation entirely to Ghost of Divine Slaughter until now, suddenly spoke.
“Explain in detail. About the woman they call Noble Enchantress.”
Ghost of Divine Slaughter turned to look at Jin Seong-un.
For so reason, his expression was extrely serious.
For a mont, Ghost of Divine Slaughter wondered what was wrong with him, but considering Jin Seong-un was at an age where interest in won was only natural, he let it pass.
“I-I don’t know much myself. I’m not a mber of the Thunderclap Sect. I rely overheard rumors…… Great Heroes, please save . No, kill instead! Only if I die will my family survive!”
At that mont—
Wi Gyeong-heon, who had been observing from quite a distance away, slowly approached and spoke.
“Shall I take him away? How about I keep his family under my protection for a while as well?”
Once again, Wi Gyeong-heon was remarkably quick-witted.
When Jin Seong-un nodded, Wi Gyeong-heon laughed heartily and bound the false culprit.
After all, if a Provincial Inspector favored by the Emperor himself took custody of them, no one would dare touch the man or his family.
“Great Hero, I’ll be staying at the Henan Anchaesa Office for the ti being, so call for whenever you require assistance.”
With that, Wi Gyeong-heon bowed respectfully and withdrew.
Left alone, Jin Seong-un and Ghost of Divine Slaughter awkwardly looked at each other.
Ghost of Divine Slaughter had repeatedly warned him.
If the force behind this was truly the Thunderclap Sect, then they absolutely must not stir the hornet’s nest.
But at the sa ti, he also knew Jin Seong-un’s personality.
This brat’s hobby and specialty was provoking hornet’s nests.
Amid the awkward silence, Jin Seong-un spoke.
“A woman, huh. What a cliché story.”
“Indeed. If left alone, they’ll collapse on their own eventually. There’s no need to concern ourselves with it.”
“Hmm.”
Ghost of Divine Slaughter sighed.
“Besides, didn’t the Daepyeong Trading Company already agree to handle the stone supply? Things are only delayed sowhat. It’s not as though you suffered severe losses.”
“Several people died.”
Of course, that was not the only reason.
The rumor about the reincarnation of Noble Enchantress bothered him.
Given how poor Noble Enchantress Master’s reputation was nowadays, it was likely only symbolic gossip.
Still, he wanted to confirm it personally.
Ghost of Divine Slaughter spoke.
“If you provoke the Thunderclap Sect recklessly, Yichang and Eonsa Prefecture may turn into seas of fire.”
“But explosives are controlled by the governnt authorities. How is that even possible?”
“Because the Thunderclap Sect supplies explosives to the governnt and military. Their martial arts themselves specialize in refining explosives.”
In other words, only the Thunderclap Sect could produce the nation’s highest-grade explosives.
The Thunderclap Sect kept the lower-grade explosives for themselves while supplying only the finest quality to the governnt army.
After all, low-grade explosives already circulated among the public under the pretense of fireworks.
In exchange, the nation tacitly allowed the Thunderclap Sect to use explosives when fighting martial artists.
“Normally, lower-grade explosives can barely destroy a pavilion. But when combined with their unique Thunder Arts, they create massive explosions.”
“But in truth, I’m not actually a martial artist.”
“I’ve noticed that whenever things beco disadvantageous, you insist you’re not a martial artist.”
“…….”
Once again, Young Hero Seo’s master was frighteningly sharp.
Jin Seong-un changed the subject.
“Understood. Then I’ll rely take a look. Just to see what exactly is happening within the Thunderclap Sect.”
“I highly doubt you’ll rely look around.”
“I can simply go alone.”
As Ghost of Divine Slaughter continued trying to stop him, Jin Seong-un beca slightly irritated and responded that way.
Ghost of Divine Slaughter let out a hollow laugh.
“Do as you please. Did you think I’d cling to you desperately like your friends do?”
Perhaps annoyed himself, Ghost of Divine Slaughter replied curtly.
The two turned away from each other and began walking apart.
Jin Seong-un spoke quietly.
“You risked your life to remove your na from the Murim Criminal Registry.”
“…….”
Ghost of Divine Slaughter halted and turned back with a dumbfounded expression.
Why bring that up now in such a shaless manner?
Jin Seong-un also stopped and looked at him.
Truthfully, even going alone did not particularly frighten him.
However, Ghost of Divine Slaughter’s worldly experience and uniquely sharp instincts would be imnsely useful for sothing like this.
So he wanted him along.
Thus, he said,
“I’m joking. Please return to Yichang first. And if I don’t return even after fifteen days, please hold a funeral for .”
“…….”
Ghost of Divine Slaughter burst into hollow laughter.
It was absurd, yet at the sa ti, seeing such a ridiculously young brat whining like this softened his heart sowhat.
Jin Seong-un was his disciple’s friend.
More importantly, he was also the person who had helped him most in obtaining a new life.
Feeling his resolve weaken once more, Ghost of Divine Slaughter finally sighed.
“Then we truly only observe the situation.”
“Yes, of course.”
Jin Seong-un answered as though it were obvious.
Ghost of Divine Slaughter found it entirely unconvincing and quietly adjusted the blade of his dagger.
---
Poseong County, a quiet rural area on the outskirts of Shaanxi Province.
In front of the luxurious and grand estate of the Thunderclap Sect, Jin Seong-un and the gatekeeper conversed.
“Who did you say you were?”
“Jin Seong-un of Yichang.”
“So?”
The gatekeeper looked Jin Seong-un up and down as though asking what that had to do with him.
Even though Ghost of Divine Slaughter beside him radiated an unusual aura, the middle-aged gatekeeper seed entirely unconcerned.
Seeing even a re gatekeeper act this arrogantly, it truly seed the Thunderclap Sect ruled the region without equal.
Jin Seong-un casually replied,
“I asked whether you know anything about the Heavenly Pillar Quarry.”
Jin Seong-un, who had promised to rely observe, imdiately brought up the main topic.
Ghost of Divine Slaughter pressed a hand to his forehead as though he had expected exactly this.
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