Cheon Sugang, who had been grinning broadly, tossed out the question as if it were nothing.

"How was your conflict with our Sect Leader resolved?"

It was nothing new that, back when he had been in the Heavenly Alliance, there had been friction with Hye Jeongsan, the Sect Leader of the Beggars' Sect.

But this was Cheon Sugang.

A man important enough to oversee headquarters would never bring up only that.

"The Great Elder of the Original-Root Blood Sect really did turn the Beggars' Sect completely upside down."

"Would there not have been reason enough for that?"

"Heh heh..."

"There is one thing I would like to ask you, Senior Cheon."

"Go ahead."

"I believe there is a certain bond between you and me."

"That is true."

"Then is it a bond between a man named Cheon Sugang who belongs to the Beggars' Sect and a man named Seol Unhwi who belongs to the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Palace? Or is it a bond between one man who bears the name Cheon Sugang and one man who bears the name Seol Unhwi?"

Cheon Sugang's eyes flashed.

It was not that the individual existed because the group existed. The group existed because the individual existed.

There were, of course, those who thought the opposite, but at least in this moment Cheon Sugang realized that his values and Unhwi's aligned.

"Naturally the latter, would it not be?"

"I feel the same way."

Unhwi was trying to protect the Snow Palace by his own free will, and Cheon Sugang as well had entered the Beggars' Sect by his own free will and protected the Beggars' Sect.

"Still, I figured you would be curious, so I will tell you this: on the surface, my conflict with Sect Leader Hye has been settled."

"On the surface?"

"Yes. How I move later will be decided according to the choice Sect Leader Hye makes."

"If Sect Leader Hye strikes you from behind?"

"Then I will have to strike Sect Leader Hye from behind as well."

"And if it is the opposite?"

"I will respond accordingly."

"...It seems you have already reached a conclusion in your head about how you will move. And in considerable detail."

"Something like that."

Cheon Sugang let out a deep sigh.

"I hope you do not end up fighting the Beggars' Sect... but who knows, when that time comes... whew..."

Unhwi watched the complicated-looking Cheon Sugang with a calm expression, then smiled gently.

"Senior Cheon."

"Hm?"

"If one thinks only about matters far in the future, even the matters of the present are liable to be ruined."

"..."

"So how about we both focus only on what is before us right now."

Cheon Sugang scratched roughly at his head, then let out another sigh.

"Fine, let us do that. But it does not seem like you came all this way just to exchange greetings, so why have you come?"

"I need your help."

"Help?"

"The Return-of-Life Society has infiltrated Heaven-and-Earth Province."

Cheon Sugang wore a puzzled expression.

"...Return-of-Life Society?"

"Yes."

"...What is that?"

That was hardly surprising.

If everyone had known the name Return-of-Life Society, then no war would ever have broken out in the future, and when Unhwi had spoken their private slogan, they would not have reacted with such overwhelming shock.

Unhwi told Cheon Sugang everything he knew about the Return-of-Life Society.

When he had heard the whole story, Cheon Sugang's mouth fell open.

"Such a... organization worse than the lowest dregs of humanity... exists?"

"It does."

"...I know you are not the sort of man to talk nonsense when it comes to handling information, but it is difficult to believe."

"Even if it is difficult to believe, they have already revealed themselves."

Cheon Sugang thought for a moment, then frowned.

"...Surely you do not mean the assassination of the former Provincial Governor..."

"That is right. There was no reason for them to move this radically, but the situation changed."

It had changed a great deal.

To begin with, the Return-of-Life Society establishing a base in Yangnyeong City was not something that had happened even in his previous life.

But in this life, it had changed.

The reason, as he had said before, was Nocheonmyeong, a master at the unity of heaven and man, and Seol Unhwi of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Palace.

Because of those two men, no force whatsoever had paid any attention to Yangnyeong. But the moment Unhwi went to the Heavenly Alliance, a gap had been created, and the Return-of-Life Society had aimed for that gap.

In their calculations, it had been obvious that Unhwi would not return from the Heavenly Alliance.

Anyone looking at it would have thought the same.

He had wielded absolute authority in the position of Chief Justice of the Heavenly Alliance, and the Heavenly Alliance had become one of the three great powers of the Central Plains.

There were two things the Return-of-Life Society had overlooked.

The first was that Unhwi, who had already established himself under the name of Chief Justice of the Heavenly Alliance, had returned to Yangnyeong City in a mere half year.

The second was the existence of Han Seokhyeon, whom Unhwi had planted in Yangnyeong City.

From the very first time he saw him, Unhwi had felt it. An unpolished jewel.

That jewel had noticed the existence of the Return-of-Life Society.

Their plan must have been to infiltrate first and naturally blend in afterward, but once things had been overturned from the very beginning and Unhwi's return had become an established fact as well, everything had collapsed.

In the end, the exposure of the name Return-of-Life Society had become inevitable.

If so, there had been nothing they could do.

Because they were people bound tightly together by malice, they would have judged that they had to do something, and Song Hak of Heaven-and-Earth Province had happened to be hovering between life and death at just the right time, so they moved.

Cheon Sugang stroked his chin.

"...So, what kind of help do you need?"

"I intend to root out every last member of the Return-of-Life Society in Heaven-and-Earth Province."

"...I feel sorry to say this, but if they are that secretive, it will not be easy either to catch them or to identify them. Is there really any help I can give you?"

There was.

That was why he had come here in the first place.

"Among the martial artists who have entered Heaven-and-Earth Province recently, how many are disciples of exterminated sects or children of exterminated families?"

Cheon Sugang's eyes widened.

"...Surely you do not mean...?"

"If it is you, Senior Cheon, then you will know everything about this place, Heaven-and-Earth Province. You must also have stationed Beggars' Sect people in the proper places, and you must have collected information on every martial artist coming and going here."

"..."

"Am I wrong?"

"You are right, but... you plan to narrow it down that way?"

"Yes."

"Heavens... well now... there would be an enormous number of them..."

Unhwi silently looked at Cheon Sugang.

Tsk.

Clicking his tongue lightly, Cheon Sugang asked Unhwi a question.

"The period?"

"At most fifteen days."

"Hoh... just wait a moment."

Saying that, Cheon Sugang opened the door, called in several Beggars' Sect members, and spoke.

"Among those who entered Heaven-and-Earth Province within the last fifteen days, sort out all those who come from exterminated sects or families and bring the list to me."

The Beggars' Sect members' eyes widened.

"All... all of them, you mean?"

"All of them."

"...Understood!"

"It is urgent, so hurry."

"Yes!"

The Beggars' Sect members ran outside, and after about half a gakhad passed, around ten of them came in.

In their hands were thick lists.

Cheon Sugang frowned.

"...How many?"

"A total of two hundred seventy-three."

"...That many?"

"Heaven-and-Earth Province is the largest city in the Yang Empire... and as you instructed, after sorting through all of them... this is what we got."

Another Beggars' Sect member added,

"And... there are more exterminated sects and families than one would think."

When Cheon Sugang sighed and gestured, the Beggars' Sect members began spreading those lists out across the floor of the office.

Cheon Sugang looked at Unhwi.

"It will take quite a while to go through all of them. Is that all right?"

"I do not intend to look through all of them."

"Hm?"

"I intend to narrow them down."

"...How?"

Unhwi spoke quietly.

"Senior Cheon."

"Go on."

"Please remove those among them who have been absorbed into other sects or forces."

"...Absorbed into other sects?"

"Yes. If they have found a new affiliation, then they have no reason to join the Return-of-Life Society."

Cheon Sugang nodded.

"That makes sense."

At Cheon Sugang's gesture, the Beggars' Sect members moved.

Perhaps because they were men who worked under Cheon Sugang, they caught on quickly, and their hands were fast.

They were not unintelligent, either.

Holding the lists, they began comparing them against one another. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"This one was taken in by the Cloud Sword Sect..."

"This one became a lay disciple of the Gangjin Sect..."

"This one is a menial in the Wonryeong Sword Sect..."

One by one, names were crossed out.

After roughly ten minutes, a Beggars' Sect member spoke.

"...One hundred thirty-two remain."

Unhwi spoke again.

"Remove those who still have family or ties remaining."

"...Family?"

"Yes. Those who still have something to protect cannot be assigned missions that require them to stake their lives."

Cheon Sugang nodded.

"If the purpose of the Return-of-Life Society is war, as you said... then in the end they would want only those who have lost everything."

"That is correct."

Impressed, Cheon Sugang urged his disciples on.

"Did you hear him? Find those who have no ties."

The Beggars' Sect members began going through the lists again.

"This one has a wife and children."

"This one has a surviving cousin."

"This one's master is still..."

Names were crossed out in a stream.

"Fifty-eight."

It had been cut by nearly half.

After thinking for a moment, Unhwi spoke again.

"In the last one to two years, were there incidents in other regions where officials died?"

Cheon Sugang tilted his head.

"As you know, what is fiercer than the martial world is the court. People of the court dying off... to be honest, that is hardly rare."

"That is not what I mean."

"Hm?"

"I mean cases where someone connected to another country killed an official of a different country. That is what I am asking."

Cheon Sugang searched back through his memory for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"...As far as I know, two years ago an official was assassinated in Namyang Prefecture, and one year ago an Enemy State merchant was murdered in Seoju Fortress. And..."

Cheon Sugang continued.

"Two months ago, near the border of the Moonbright Kingdom, a martial artist of the Yang Empire also killed a general of the Moonbright Kingdom."

Unhwi's eyes narrowed.

"Check the entry lists from those times as well."

"...What are you trying to find?"

"Traces."

Cheon Sugang's eyes widened.

"...Surely you do not mean...?"

"Is it difficult?"

Shaking his head, Cheon Sugang looked at the Beggars' Sect members.

They were already visibly exhausted, and as if they had sensed what words were about to come out of Cheon Sugang's mouth, they let out identical sighs.

Sure enough, Cheon Sugang gave the order.

"Namyang Prefecture, Seoju Fortress, the border of the Moonbright Kingdom. Bring the records and see whether there is anyone whose movements match those cases."

"...Yes."

The Beggars' Sect members who had gone outside returned about ten minutes later. In their hands were yet more lists, and it was obvious they had searched through the archives.

This was headquarters.

All information from every Beggars' Sect branch across the country flowed into the regional headquarters, and those headquarters shared information with one another.

Looking at the dust-covered lists, Cheon Sugang signaled with his eyes.

"You know what to do."

"...Yes."

They would do it because they had been told to do it, but not one of them thought there would actually be overlap.

The distances were far too great, and for the same person to have been in ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) those places at the times those incidents occurred?

And on top of that, for them to be from exterminated sects or families?

It was absurd.

However, one Beggars' Sect member's finger suddenly stopped.

"...This name."

"A name?"

"Ha Mubaek of the Sohwa Sword Sect... he was there during the Namyang Prefecture incident as well."

"...There really was one?"