Chapter 58
The Tower That Took Years to Build Collapses (1)
Everyone had the same thought.
“It’s wrong.”
“Whoever it is, if they’ve even managed to deal with the loneliness embedded in Mun Inryeong’s two sons…”
The two Hwoeryeong dispatched to Sashun would die as miserably as Hwoeryeong No. 3 right before their eyes.
Flash.
Eunryeong’s mind cleared.
“Send the masters of loneliness planted in the families of Sunyang and Pyeongri to their surroundings immediately and investigate for anything unusual. And stay on alert. Just in case.”
Eunryeong issued orders like a storm.
“And Baekryeong, you head to Ankang immediately. Find out what’s going on there.”
“Yes, sir!”
Baekryeong and the Hwoeryeong dispersed like the wind.
Following Eunryeong’s command, they unleashed divine law toward Ankang, Sunyang, and Pyeongri.
Far away, alone, Eunryeong gritted his teeth.
“I don’t know who you are, but you will pay a suitable price for this.”
Ankang
At the north government office’s official residence, Mun Inryeong, overcome with emotion, wept while holding his two sons.
“It’s alright. It’s truly alright now. It’s all over. Uhuhuh…”
“Father—! Sniff”
“It feels like we’ve been reborn. Sob”
His two sons clung to him, crying.
A life where they had to take a pill every day wasn’t really living at all.
Watching this, Mun Inryeong’s wife wiped her eyes repeatedly; her heartache had been just as deep.
“It’s truly fortunate, sir.”
“Inspector—!”
Mun Inryeong raised his tear-streaked face.
“I will never forget the Inspector’s kindness until the day I die. I swear it to heaven—!”
“Oh, sir—!”
Inspector Wang Jeongha quickly waved him off.
He brought forward Kang Yongun, who was finally wiping the sweat from his brow.
“To speak so in front of the one who truly earned merit?! It’s too much, sir.”
“Ah! That’s right!”
Mun Inryeong looked up at Kang Yongun.
“Sir…! I, Mun Inryeong, will never forget the name Kang Yongun until my dying moment—!”
“I feel the same, sir.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Thank you—! Sob”
Even Mun Inryeong’s wife and two sons looked at Kang Yongun, sending their heartfelt gratitude.
‘I’m glad I could help, but… this over-the-top gratitude is a bit overwhelming.’
Kang Yongun hurriedly waved his hands.
“Please, no need for such words. I was merely in a state to act, so it’s fortunate I could help.”
That’s all he truly thought.
If it had been something other than loneliness, he might not have been able to do anything.
“Such skill and humility—how can we ever repay you?!”
“Just say the word, sir. Whatever we can do, we will do.”
Mun Inryeong and his wife pleaded earnestly.
They wished they could repay him with money or anything else.
“Returning to the past is enough, sir.”
Kang Yongun spoke his honest feelings.
“As the Inspector said, the past you were just and righteous. That is enough for me. Now that you’ve completely freed yourself from their trap, you can watch over the people justly, as before.”
“Ha—!”
Mun Inryeong’s mouth dropped open.
He had expected Kang Yongun to ask for some other benefit, like gold or land, as if Ankang were still dominated by precious resources.
“Inspector Wang…”
He gave Wang Jeongha a fervent look as well.
It was because Wang had acknowledged that Kang Yongun had been a good official in his past.
“Hahaha. Now that it’s done, rise quickly, Sir Mun Inryeong. There’s much to do.”
“Indeed, plenty.”
Mun Inryeong’s expression gradually changed.
Freed from the shackles, his steadfast spirit began to awaken.
“Unlike me, who had to reluctantly release those scoundrels for the children’s lives, weren’t there many who colluded with them in the first place?!”
“Exactly, sir. Now we must completely eradicate such people.”
“Leave it to me. I will certainly accomplish it.”
“I trust you, sir.”
Mun Inryeong and Inspector Wang clasped hands, their eyes burning with mutual resolve.
‘Done.’
Kang Yongun quietly turned his back.
Having completed his task, he now considered the next step.
‘Now, what’s next?’
The first option: leave. Saving Mun Inryeong and his sons is enough.
The second option: track down the heretics responsible for this disaster and eliminate them, ensuring they never strike again.
‘But… is that even possible?’
I’m alone.
Of course, there are the elders of Gungchang.
But without directly using their power, it might be too much.
‘Ha! Still…’
He quickly dismissed the doubt.
‘I may not be able to solve everything in the world, but I can’t just stop here.’
If he ignored it, people like the Seo Akgong family would continue to appear.
‘Alright. Let’s try.’
A path should appear as he proceeds.
Kang Yongun thought of the heretic sorcerers with a light heart.
‘Where could those heretics be hiding?’
Just as he was about to step back to look, Mun Inryeong called out urgently.
“Sir Kang!”
“What’s the matter, sir?!”
“I thought… you were leaving like this?!”
“Hahaha. I believe that matter is already settled, sir.”
“But…”
Mun Inryeong’s voice trailed off, clearly reluctant.
Then a thought struck Kang Yongun.
‘That’s right! I can do it this way too.’
He said quietly:
“Sir Mun, while overseeing the people is your first duty, if you wish to show your gratitude, do this: every New Year’s Day, offer a pure tribute to Elder Irae of Seochok.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than:
[“Un-ah-ya! Where is the Gongcheong Pavilion… umph, umph.”]
[“Ah, geez!”]
[“Hey, you senile old man!”]
Elder Irae’s cries, mixed with the protests of other elders, filled Kang Yongun’s mind.
“Seochok’s Irae?!”
“The Irae of the Eight Immortals of Seochok?”
The learned immediately recognized the reference.
Mun Inryeong and his wife realized the identity of Elder Irae as soon as Kang Yongun finished speaking.
“Yes, sir.”
Stepping outside, Kang Yongun added a final word.
“He is a truly good person. Offering a tribute sincerely to him will be beneficial to you as well, sir Inspector. You will surely receive blessings.”
With that, Kang Yongun left, pondering where the heretics might be hiding, disappearing into the streets of Ankang.
“Seochok’s Irae…”
“A truly good person…”
Both Mun Inryeong and Inspector Wang watched Kang Yongun’s retreating figure for a long time.
Near Pajeong, Northern Sashun
Following the orders of the Guihwa Sect to track Kang Yongun, Geumryeong and his team were thrown into confusion.
“Ugh… aah—!”
“Gah—!”
Two Hwoeryeong dispatched from Ankang suddenly clutched their chests and collapsed.
“What… what’s happening?”
Shocked, Geumryeong rushed forward.
He carefully inspected his writhing subordinates, rolling on the ground in pain.
“Poisoning?”
It was a deadly toxin.
Their faces turned black in moments, vomiting blood relentlessly.
“Th-This…”
Geumryeong immediately realized.
What was killing the Hwoeryeong was the loneliness—Mogo—implanted in their hearts.
“And… what about Mun Inryeong in Ankang?”
“Because the ‘Jago’ planted in his sons died, the Hwoeryeong are in this state, sir. So Mun Inryeong must be in a similar condition, right?”
Baekryeong exclaimed in frustration.
“Damn it!”
Geumryeong swore quietly.
Baekryeong’s words were correct.
“How could this happen? Did the three commit suicide in order?!”
He shouted in frustration, but that could not be the answer.
The fear of death gripped Mun Inryeong and his sons simultaneously, which is why he hadn’t closed his eyes for two years.
“So… someone actually removed the loneliness from Mun Inryeong and his sons? Really?”
“Yes… we have no choice but to think so…”
Baekryeong cried out desperately.
Flash.
A thought struck Geumryeong’s mind.
‘Kang Yongun.’
The name that came up during the investigation of Dangga.
Could he do it?
‘He first discovered the loneliness planted in Chilsuk.’
Once discovered, the Dangga could find a way.
The Dangga had supreme poisons rivaling those who created loneliness.
‘Could he have learned the secret to safely destroying loneliness?’
The possibility was high.
Geumryeong’s heart pounded.
If so, Kang Yongun himself was a massive threat to the Guihwa Sect and especially the Guihwa Sect’s manipulators of loneliness.
“I must catch and kill him!”
Finally, he understood why Guihwa treated that brat with such importance.
“Kang Yongun. That brat is currently in Ankang.”
The dying Hwoeryeong were no longer important.
Only Kang Yongun mattered.
“W-What? The brat who completely hid his movements while leaving Dangga?”
“Yes. It’s his doing. He must have learned or possessed a secret from Dangga to counter loneliness.”
“I… I see…”
Baekryeong stopped listening.
Geumryeong unleashed divine law. He shouted:
“Go! We must catch him!”
“Yes, sir!”
Baekryeong and the Hwoeryeong shot north like arrows.
The two blackened, lifeless Hwoeryeong corpses were left behind in the forest.
Kang Yongun first headed to the Guihwa Sect headquarters.
But:
“Nothing. It’s already gone.”
The place was empty.
“No trace left at all.”
All that remained were signs of the sect master Akjin drinking and partying with the gisaeng.
He went outside, wandering the taverns and inns, hoping to spot anyone with heretic internal power.
Of course, there was no one.
Frustrated, he returned to the Guihwa headquarters, searching for clues in the darkness.
“Hmm… maybe I should ask Akjin?”
It seemed the best option.
“If we interrogate him, maybe we can get a clue.”
“That seems sensible…”
At present, it seemed the wisest course.
“No.”
Kang Yongun stopped mid-step.
“The heretics wouldn’t reveal their base to someone like Akjin.”
If they sensed trouble and left, Akjin wouldn’t know.
“Hmm. Assuming they left, where could they have gone?”
Kang Yongun quietly considered their position.
Soon, he reached a plausible conclusion.
“They probably didn’t go far.”
Loneliness, the poison that even the Dangga head feared, had been planted in Mun Inryeong. They wouldn’t give up Ankang so easily.
“There are plenty of scoundrels around. They could recruit nearby and take over again… hmm?!”
Suddenly, Kang Yongun’s eyes widened.
“Recruit from nearby counties?!”
A frightening possibility occurred to him.
“Could it be?”
Could the heretics have extended their grasp to nearby Sunyang and Pyeongri as well?
“We need maps. I need maps.”
He wanted to understand the geographic value of Ankang, Sunyang, and Pyeongri.
That way, he could gauge how important this place was to the heretics.
“Sir Mun!”
As Kang Yongun turned, he suddenly stopped.
Startled by something, he twisted his body as he was about to use his Flying Art.
Smash—Bang.
Something unknown struck Kang Yongun’s cheek, splattering the ground.
His eyes narrowed.
“Heretics—!”
A repulsive pink internal energy appeared a dozen paces ahead.
“Was it you? The one who did this to Guihwa HQ?!”
A man wearing a white mask.
It was Baekryeong.
