Chapter 162: Seolyoung, Makes Up Her Mind

Five days before the election for the new Alliance Leader, Dan Woobin began his full-scale operation.

His plan had two parts.

First, he spread news throughout Jianghu that Jang Wonso had been amassing illegal wealth.

Along with the rumor, he leaked internal documents to support it, and the amount of money revealed in those documents was beyond what ordinary martial artists could even imagine.

In truth, what he exposed didn’t include the contents of Go Nodae’s vault. It was limited to the wealth that was already known to the public, assets that would eventually become the property of the Murim Alliance.

He made no mention of Go Nodae’s vault. Even though the real fortune was stored there, Jang Wonso had stolen so much that the revealed amount alone was enough to shock anyone who heard it.

Jianghu was thrown into chaos in an instant.

— They knew he was corrupt, but not this much.

That was what everyone thought.

Even the Captains who would cast their votes felt the same. After all, anyone who had risen to the rank of a major Captain in the Murim Alliance had already eaten more than their share of Jianghu’s spoils.

They were part of that corruption too. Some had lived clean lives, but many others had accepted bribes or interfered for personal gain.

Still, no one had imagined Jang Wonso had taken so much.

As anger rose across the land, Dan Woobin added more fuel to the fire.

He leaked rumors about Jang Wonso’s lecherous relationships with women. In truth, he wanted to convince his disciple, Hwa Su, to expose everything publicly, but doing that would have ruined her life.

In the end, he left out her part and released the rest as gossip. Since none of it was fabricated, the rumor spread like wildfire, with countless eyewitness accounts added to it.

Once those stories spread, the support for Ban Yeo and the older candidates plummeted rapidly.

Conversely, Lee Jaseung’s popularity surged.

But that was when a problem arose.

“Why do you look so grim?”

When Mujin came to visit Dan Woobin’s office, he found him deep in thought, a heavy expression on his face.

It was because of an unexpected outcome.

“Our Lord should’ve taken an overwhelming lead, but that didn’t happen.”

“Why not?”

“Well…”

Dan Woobin looked troubled, then sighed lightly.

“Because of our Lady.”

The cause was Baek Seolyoung. As her popularity grew, her support rose alongside Lee Jaseung’s. The result was that the votes which should’ve gone entirely to Lee Jaseung were now split between the two of them.

Dan Woobin hadn’t expected her to gain that much influence.

“It’s almost like someone is secretly backing her from the shadows.”

“Really?”

Mujin asked, assuming Dan Woobin had already investigated it.

“No,”

He said, shaking his head.

“I can’t say for sure.”

That was the honest truth. There was nothing suspicious on the surface. She had the passionate support of several male and female Captains who admired her.

If someone was behind her rise, they had to be a truly formidable figure, because everything seemed natural and seamless.

Mujin tilted his head.

“But is it really that serious? Ban Yeo is still in first place anyway, right?”

“That’s true,”

Dan Woobin said, but the uneasy feeling had started when Baek Seolyoung was first nominated as a candidate.

He had already investigated the person who first recommended her, but nothing unusual had turned up.

Of course, several possibilities existed. That person might have been bribed or influenced by a third party, or perhaps he was just being overly suspicious.

Whatever the case, it was impossible to draw any firm conclusions in such a short time.

Then Mujin shouted,

“Ah! I get it. They’re planning to assassinate Ban Yeo! If he dies now, Gwak Jinpung could become the Alliance Leader, no?”

Even as he said it, he began to feel it made sense. Everything fit too perfectly.

“You idiot! If you were a strategist, that would be the first thing you’d think of—”

In the middle of his sentence, he let out a realization.

“I did.”

“Oh, you did?”

“Of course.”

“So then why?”

“If any candidate dies during the election period, the election becomes invalid. It must be held again through a new nomination. No one would proceed with an election filled with suspicion.”

“Ah, I see.”

That was why Dan Woobin was so troubled. Their enemies surely knew that rule. So why would they create a situation like this?

Was it really just a coincidence? He couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.

Mujin pouted and spoke.

“That’s such an unreasonable rule huh?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if it’s not assassination, but an accident? He could die from Qi deviation, right?”

“And how likely is that? And if it’s proven to be natural death instead of murder…”

Dan Woobin suddenly stopped talking. That was the part he hadn’t considered.

“If it’s proven?”

Mujin asked, and Dan Woobin answered with a trembling voice.

“Then the election continues.”

A chill ran down his spine. Mujin felt it too. He spoke with a grave expression.

“Disguising it as natural death isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible. For people like us especially.”

“If we could do it…”

“Then so could they.”

Dan Woobin stiffened and rose slowly from his seat.

“Perhaps?”

* * *

Thick fog filled the area.

Ban Yeo’s residence was surrounded by layers of tight security. He was one of the strongest candidates for Alliance Leader.

Warriors from the Guard Hall were stationed in multiple perimeters around his home, and the Virtuous Heroes maintained an additional guard.

Unless a war broke out, no one could get in or out.

Lee Jaseung had even secretly deployed members of the Divine Sword Regiment around the outer perimeter. The defense was so tight that not even an ant could have entered unnoticed.

Ssshhh.

The fog was heavier than usual that night.

“Everyone, maintain the highest alert!”

The Guard Hall’s warriors grew tense.

None of them realized that the fog around them was anything but ordinary. To them, it looked perfectly natural.

Ban Yeo sat quietly in his room.

The election was now only three days away.

‘Either way, I’m finally achieving my dream.’

Becoming the Murim Alliance Leader had always been his dream. Of course, he’d never imagined he would reach it as a puppet of the Black Way Alliance.

‘Fine. I’ll play as the dog and lick their boots, until the day I tear out their throats.’

He opened the window. He had never seen fog so thick before.

The mist entered through his nose and mouth.

A moment later,

“Mmph!”

He clutched his throat.

He couldn’t breathe.

Ssshhh.

The fog gathered before his eyes and took on a human shape.

Ban Yeo, gasping for air, widened his eyes.

He saw it.

The fog, in human form, was smiling.

Moments later, Lee Jaseung and Dan Woobin burst into Ban Yeo’s chamber, followed by the warriors of the Guard Hall and the Virtuous Heroes.

Ban Yeo sat cross-legged on the floor.

Lee Jaseung approached him slowly. He held his hand under the man’s nose, but there was no breath. Ban Yeo was dead.

“Damn it.”

There wasn’t a single trace of external injury.

Dan Woobin’s face twisted in despair. With other warriors nearby, he sent Lee Jaseung a silent transmission.

— I should’ve been prepared. I’m sorry, my Lord.

He hadn’t expected the enemy to assassinate Ban Yeo. The rule that declared an election void after a candidate’s murder had blinded him.

It was only later, while talking with Mujin, that he realized they might disguise it as natural death. He should’ve seen it sooner. It was clearly his mistake.

— No, it’s not your fault. Anyone who could infiltrate this defense and disguise a murder as Qi deviation couldn’t be stopped unless I guarded personally.

They both realized then how terrifyingly strong their enemies were.

— If someone that powerful existed, why are they only acting now?

— There must be a reason.

After their silent exchange, Lee Jaseung spoke aloud to the Virtuous Heroes.

“Seal off this place and inform the Murim Alliance immediately.”

“Understood.”

Three days before the election, Lee Jaseung lost Ban Yeo.

* * *

When news of Ban Yeo’s death spread, everything changed.

A special autopsy was conducted. The Murim Alliance’s examiner, Seok Songja, declared that Ban Yeo had died from Qi deviation. Since it wasn’t murder, the election continued.

Naturally, conspiracy theories ran rampant.

Because of the ongoing rivalry between old and new factions, both Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung were rumored to be behind it.

As a result, votes began to shift toward Gwak Jinpung.

Now, in this neck-and-neck race, Gwak Jinpung has become the strongest candidate for Alliance Leader.

In a quiet chamber, Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung sat drinking tea.

She had also heard of Ban Yeo’s death. The shock was so great that her mind felt strangely calm.

Now she understood.

She had heard that the struggle for power was frightening and ugly, and she had assumed it would be so. She had even seen glimpses of it while staying by Lee Jaseung’s side.

But now, witnessing the assassination of an Alliance Leader candidate, she truly understood.

“These people will go as far as it takes for power.”

Lee Jaseung drank his tea calmly.

“I’m one of them.”

He meant that he was no different.

Dan Woobin believed in him too much. Our Lord is different, our Lord is righteous and good. He’ll be a new kind of Black Way Leader.

That was true of course, in part. But there were sides of him that weren’t righteous at all. Being trapped by others’ expectations and moral ideals was something he never wanted. Dan Woobin was the only exception, and that much was enough.

That was why he didn’t want Baek Seolyoung to hold that same illusion.

“I too can be like them. No, I could become even worse.”

But Baek Seolyoung only blew gently on her tea and took a sip.

“It tastes good.”

“Do you think I’m lying?”

“No. I believe you could.”

“Then?”

Baek Seolyoung set her teacup down and looked at him quietly.

Their eyes met in the still air.

They already knew each other’s bodies intimately, even where every mark lay.

But they still didn’t know each other’s hearts completely. What thoughts truly hid deep inside.

That mystery made their relationship even more thrilling for her. If she knew everything, it wouldn’t be nearly as exciting.

Even so, there was one thing she firmly believed.

Lee Jaseung could indeed become cruel and merciless.

However!

She thought, if he ever did, there would always be a reason for it.

She had already staked everything on that belief.

That was why she could now say this.

“But maybe it’s time you stop holding back, right?”

Her playful words made Lee Jaseung look puzzled.

“What do you mean?”

Baek Seolyoung’s reply caught him completely off guard.

“Because you’re going to become the Murim Alliance Leader.”

Lee Jaseung’s eyes widened.

“Hey, did you forget? I’m the Black Way Alliance Leader. Do you really think a Black Way Alliance Leader could ever become the Murim Alliance Leader?”

“I do.”

She said firmly. Then she added,

“Because I’m going to make it happen.”

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