Chapter 457

Chapter 457

Tang Family Main Estate.

Countless people poured out at the news of Jin Ja-gang’s return.

From vassal warriors to elders, working servants, and guests.

Everyone came out and looked at Jin Ja-gang with eyes of wonder.

A battle fierce enough for the renowned Jin Ja-gang to return in such a wretched state.

And that news had spread through the martial world even before Jin Ja-gang returned to the Tang Family Main Estate.

Though suppressed by the Martial Arts Alliance’s momentum, the Zoroastrian Cult had once been one of the powers that divided the world into three. There was even a time when the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, the Master of the Northern Heavens, and the Zoroastrian Cult Leader were called the Three Supreme Masters of the Martial World.

But Jin Ja-gang had killed two of the Three Supreme Masters, following the Master of the Northern Heavens with the new Cult Leader of the Zoroastrian Cult, so they couldn’t help but be amazed.

While Jin Ja-gang limped along because of his broken toe, everyone watched him intently.

Even the white monkey looking around at people curiously beside Jin Ja-gang.

Soon Bian Bu came running and asked.

“Did you really block the Zoroastrian Cult’s attack and protect Emei Sect?”

“What?”

Jin Ja-gang asked back.

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Huh? Isn’t it true? The Zoroastrian Cult attacked Emei Sect but you killed the Cult Leader and drove them off.”

Jin Ja-gang was the one who should be bewildered.

Because the series of events had progressed too quickly and complexly, all sorts of false rumors circulated in society. The Tang Family’s deliberate silence also greatly contributed to the rumors becoming even more inflated.

The Poison Dragon blocked the Zoroastrian Cult’s invasion into Sichuan!

That was the rumor spreading recently.

As the sight of Zoroastrian Cult followers leaving Sichuan in large numbers was witnessed here and there, the rumor gained strength as fact.

And in the midst of this, because the poison mist Jin Ja-gang created didn’t disappear but became a poison field that no one could approach, a place of death, no one could help but believe.

Taoist Woon-jeong came and asked.

“Then what about the Zoroastrian Cult’s sacred object?”

“The rumor already spread that far?”

“They say the followers left shedding tears of blood. That they’ll definitely retrieve the sacred object.”

Jin Ja-gang showed them the Persian Ancient Sword.

All who came out from the Tang Family were shocked seeing the Persian Ancient Sword.

“It’s true! You killed the Cult Leader and took it! Then protecting Emei Sect is also true!”

“How did the story progress that far? Maybe the Cult Leader just gave it to me.”

“Come on, that doesn’t make sense. Why would he just give it? Then where is the Cult Leader?”

“He melted into poison.”

“…So you forcibly took it after all!”

Jin Ja-gang seemed to understand why the rumors spread strangely.

“More importantly, there’s something urgent I need to discuss.”

Jin Ja-gang looked at Tang Ha-ran and made eye contact. There was no time even to reunite with Tang Ha-ran.

Tang Ha-ran sent people back to their places and called a meeting.

***

Four Poison Cliques, Taoist Bok-cheon, Bian Bu, and Im Yi-eon also attended the meeting to share information with allies.

The only clue Jin Ja-gang brought was two characters.

Li Bu (吏逋).

“The Extinction Reversal Pill came from here?”

The Tang Family elders offered various opinions about Li Bu.

Most saw it as the mastermind colluding with the government.

There were other opinions too.

“Maybe the Extinction Reversal Pill flowed into the government for some reason, and a lower official diverted and sold it? If so, the word embezzlement fits.”

However, no matter how they speculated, there were too many possibilities to give a definite answer. Still, they couldn’t just grab anyone and ask about this precious clue.

But then Tap Tak-yeon from Coal Mine Laborers suddenly threw out a comment.

“I don’t think any of that is it?”

Tang Ha-ran asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Acting Family Head, all goods entering and leaving the government go through officials. Especially in local government offices, they collect taxes from each region and send them to the capital, and during this process officials often embezzle. It’s so common there’s a separate term called government embezzlement.”

“Then isn’t Li Bu the same thing?”

“The reason they specifically call lower officials’ embezzlement Li Bu is somewhat different. Lower officials record the receipts and disbursements of all goods entering and leaving the government. So if you properly manipulate a lower official, it’s possible to change ledger records at will. You could even make it appear on the ledgers that there are tens of thousands of bushels of grain when there’s actually nothing. Or vice versa.”

“What’s the difference?”

“For example, our Coal Mine Laborers supplies three thousand gwan of quality iron to the government as taxes every year, but the government doesn’t need that much iron every year. Or sometimes the price of iron rises and selling it brings much greater profit than paying it as tax to the government.”

“Do you supply it differently then?”

“That’s right. We consult with the lower official and say we’ll pay an appropriate amount of silk or money instead of iron. Then the lower official records that iron came in on the ledgers and records it as if that iron was exchanged for silk or money again. Then there’s no problem.”

One Tang Family elder asked.

“But if the price of iron rose, you’d have to pay silk or money of equivalent value anyway, so isn’t it the same?”

“Not quite.”

Tap Tak-yeon explained while stroking his large ears.

“Not all goods in the world are produced in the same quantities every year. Some years produce a lot of iron, other years silkworms get sick and no silk is produced. But regardless, officials must prepare at least a similar amount of tribute as last year.”

“Then…?”

“This is mainly a method merchants use. If you adjust the ledgers to show that cheap goods and expensive goods came in similar amounts compared to last year, the rest remains clean. In years when iron is expensive, we record receiving iron but accept money at last year’s price. Then the difference from the current market price arises, so the lower official and we can both pocket the surplus.”

The listeners asked back.

“You mean the exchange only happens on the ledgers?”

“Exactly. Simply put, it’s manipulating ledgers through lower officials. That’s what’s specifically called Li Bu.”

One elder was incredulous.

“But what madman would manipulate ledgers to show they traded deadly poison?”

“Surely they didn’t write that they traded the Extinction Reversal Pill? It must have been manipulated to appear mixed somewhere in the tribute.”

“Does that even make sense? Since the Extinction Reversal Pill was secretly taken anyway, they could just secretly distribute it. I don’t see why they’d need to manipulate ledgers to show it mixed in tribute.”

“I suppose…”

Tap Tak-yeon made an awkward expression as if even he thought there was no real connection after saying it.

But Jin Ja-gang, who had been pondering until then, said.

“No, Foreman’s words make sense.”

Everyone looked at Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang said.

“Whether mixed in salt or liquor somewhere, if it went through the government once, it has meaning.”

“That has meaning? Whether it only went on ledgers or actually went?”

“We can’t track it anymore, can we?”

Everyone’s eyes widened in surprise at Jin Ja-gang’s words.

That’s right!

From the moment the government was involved, tracking already became difficult! Especially for the martial world, which dislikes getting entangled with government offices, even more so.

“Huh.”

Even if they secretly snuck in and searched the ledgers, as Tap Tak-yeon said, those were just meaningless ledgers of mere number games. The only people who knew were the mastermind who took out the Extinction Reversal Pill and the lower official who directly entered the ledgers.

“They used the government office’s customary corruption to launder the route!”

The elders clicked their tongues.

In other words, Li Bu didn’t indicate involvement with the government office but described the method of laundering the route.

“The Zoroastrian Cult Leader also knew that and tried to enter Sichuan confidently.”

The Zoroastrian Cult permeates from the common people, not the martial world. As long as it wasn’t something the government office initiated, even if they were secretive and meticulous schemers, the calculation was that as the Zoroastrian Cult that controlled the common people, they wouldn’t be greatly affected.

‘In the worst case, if we’re in Sichuan, we can save Sichuan. Keep your hands off and wait. Our Zoroastrian Cult will become the Tang Family’s shield.’

Those were Yelu Huan’s words to Jin Ja-gang.

Only now could he understand his meaning.

However, even so, nothing changed.

The route through which the Extinction Reversal Pill leaked remained a complete mystery.

The only remaining clue was that they were people well-versed in government office and commercial dealings.

“Then… what should we do from now on?”

At someone’s muttering, everyone’s expressions darkened.

It seemed like the existence of the Hungry Ghost King, whose very existence had been doubtful, was gradually becoming visible.

However, they still didn’t know who they were fighting or who they would have to fight in the future.

Just how massive a force does the Hungry Ghost King have…

When everyone’s faces were full of worry, Tang Ha-ran said.

“When we don’t know the enemy, the priority is to firmly maintain internal unity. From today, we’ll discipline internal order and increase alliances externally so we can actively respond whenever anything happens.”

Tang Ha-ran’s will to firmly hold the center amid internal and external troubles was worthy of a family head.

And Tang Ha-ran even had Jin Ja-gang with supreme martial prowess by her side.

Those remaining in the Tang Family now realized they no longer needed to envy the time when King of Hell was present.

***

As soon as the meeting ended, Jin Ja-gang went to see his daughter.

The sight of her sleeping soundly pleased Jin Ja-gang’s heart.

However, he still disliked the childhood name Dok-cheon. Just as Jin Ja-gang was about to suggest reconsidering the child’s name,

Tang Ha-ran asked.

“What’s that?”

White Ape had followed Jin Ja-gang in, toddling along.

White Ape looked at Jin Ja-gang’s child, widened her eyes in wonder, and placed her finger in the child’s hand.

Kyaa, kyaa.

White Ape smiled happily.

“It’s a spirit creature living at Emei Sect. She understands human speech and helped me a lot this time.”

“A clever monkey. Come here?”

Unlike when other women came close and she’d throw a fit, White Ape was quiet before Tang Ha-ran. She didn’t even bare her teeth. She just stared blankly at Tang Ha-ran with wide eyes.

“A female? She’s wary?”

“She’s much calmer than usual… but you can feel her wariness?”

“As expected, a female.”

Then the sleeping child sneezed.

Achoo!

In that instant, White Ape was startled and leaped to hang from the ceiling.

The child’s sneeze contained a faint trace of poison energy.

“At least she can’t harm the child.”

At Tang Ha-ran’s words, White Ape hung upside down and scratched her head.

***

When martial world sects were experiencing chaos, the place where chaos diminished fastest, almost uniquely so, was none other than Sichuan.

The Poison Dragon who blocked the Northern Heavens’ salt line attack and even the Zoroastrian Cult’s invasion of the Central Plains!

The Poison Dragon who shattered two of the Supreme Masters!

Sichuan has the Poison Dragon!

Previously, Qingcheng Sect, Emei Sect, and the Tang Family formed the center as Sichuan’s Three Powers.

However, Qingcheng Sect had disappeared and Emei Sect received Jin Ja-gang’s help.

Now the Tang Family had become sufficient to be called Sichuan’s supreme power. Despite suffering great damage from internal and external troubles, the Tang Family alone became Sichuan’s Single Power.

So the sects in Sichuan couldn’t help but watch the Tang Family’s reactions.

They watched the Tang Family’s reactions, requested mediation, and quickly resolved the chaos.

While the Central Plains was in the midst of taking sides and internal strife, Sichuan’s chaos ended.

Everyone began paying attention to Sichuan amid the chaos.

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Tang Family Main Estate.

Countless people poured out at the news of Jin Ja-gang’s return.

From vassal warriors to elders, working servants, and guests.

Everyone came out and looked at Jin Ja-gang with eyes of wonder.

A battle fierce enough for the renowned Jin Ja-gang to return in such a wretched state.

And that news had spread through the martial world even before Jin Ja-gang returned to the Tang Family Main Estate.

Though suppressed by the Martial Arts Alliance’s momentum, the Zoroastrian Cult had once been one of the powers that divided the world into three. There was even a time when the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, the Master of the Northern Heavens, and the Zoroastrian Cult Leader were called the Three Supreme Masters of the Martial World.

But Jin Ja-gang had killed two of the Three Supreme Masters, following the Master of the Northern Heavens with the new Cult Leader of the Zoroastrian Cult, so they couldn’t help but be amazed.

While Jin Ja-gang limped along because of his broken toe, everyone watched him intently.

Even the white monkey looking around at people curiously beside Jin Ja-gang.

Soon Bian Bu came running and asked.

“Did you really block the Zoroastrian Cult’s attack and protect Emei Sect?”

“What?”

Jin Ja-gang asked back.

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Huh? Isn’t it true? The Zoroastrian Cult attacked Emei Sect but you killed the Cult Leader and drove them off.”

Jin Ja-gang was the one who should be bewildered.

Because the series of events had progressed too quickly and complexly, all sorts of false rumors circulated in society. The Tang Family’s deliberate silence also greatly contributed to the rumors becoming even more inflated.

The Poison Dragon blocked the Zoroastrian Cult’s invasion into Sichuan!

That was the rumor spreading recently.

As the sight of Zoroastrian Cult followers leaving Sichuan in large numbers was witnessed here and there, the rumor gained strength as fact.

And in the midst of this, because the poison mist Jin Ja-gang created didn’t disappear but became a poison field that no one could approach, a place of death, no one could help but believe.

Taoist Woon-jeong came and asked.

“Then what about the Zoroastrian Cult’s sacred object?”

“The rumor already spread that far?”

“They say the followers left shedding tears of blood. That they’ll definitely retrieve the sacred object.”

Jin Ja-gang showed them the Persian Ancient Sword.

All who came out from the Tang Family were shocked seeing the Persian Ancient Sword.

“It’s true! You killed the Cult Leader and took it! Then protecting Emei Sect is also true!”

“How did the story progress that far? Maybe the Cult Leader just gave it to me.”

“Come on, that doesn’t make sense. Why would he just give it? Then where is the Cult Leader?”

“He melted into poison.”

“…So you forcibly took it after all!”

Jin Ja-gang seemed to understand why the rumors spread strangely.

“More importantly, there’s something urgent I need to discuss.”

Jin Ja-gang looked at Tang Ha-ran and made eye contact. There was no time even to reunite with Tang Ha-ran.

Tang Ha-ran sent people back to their places and called a meeting.

***

Four Poison Cliques, Taoist Bok-cheon, Bian Bu, and Im Yi-eon also attended the meeting to share information with allies.

The only clue Jin Ja-gang brought was two characters.

Li Bu (吏逋).

“The Extinction Reversal Pill came from here?”

The Tang Family elders offered various opinions about Li Bu.

Most saw it as the mastermind colluding with the government.

There were other opinions too.

“Maybe the Extinction Reversal Pill flowed into the government for some reason, and a lower official diverted and sold it? If so, the word embezzlement fits.”

However, no matter how they speculated, there were too many possibilities to give a definite answer. Still, they couldn’t just grab anyone and ask about this precious clue.

But then Tap Tak-yeon from Coal Mine Laborers suddenly threw out a comment.

“I don’t think any of that is it?”

Tang Ha-ran asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Acting Family Head, all goods entering and leaving the government go through officials. Especially in local government offices, they collect taxes from each region and send them to the capital, and during this process officials often embezzle. It’s so common there’s a separate term called government embezzlement.”

“Then isn’t Li Bu the same thing?”

“The reason they specifically call lower officials’ embezzlement Li Bu is somewhat different. Lower officials record the receipts and disbursements of all goods entering and leaving the government. So if you properly manipulate a lower official, it’s possible to change ledger records at will. You could even make it appear on the ledgers that there are tens of thousands of bushels of grain when there’s actually nothing. Or vice versa.”

“What’s the difference?”

“For example, our Coal Mine Laborers supplies three thousand gwan of quality iron to the government as taxes every year, but the government doesn’t need that much iron every year. Or sometimes the price of iron rises and selling it brings much greater profit than paying it as tax to the government.”

“Do you supply it differently then?”

“That’s right. We consult with the lower official and say we’ll pay an appropriate amount of silk or money instead of iron. Then the lower official records that iron came in on the ledgers and records it as if that iron was exchanged for silk or money again. Then there’s no problem.”

One Tang Family elder asked.

“But if the price of iron rose, you’d have to pay silk or money of equivalent value anyway, so isn’t it the same?”

“Not quite.”

Tap Tak-yeon explained while stroking his large ears.

“Not all goods in the world are produced in the same quantities every year. Some years produce a lot of iron, other years silkworms get sick and no silk is produced. But regardless, officials must prepare at least a similar amount of tribute as last year.”

“Then…?”

“This is mainly a method merchants use. If you adjust the ledgers to show that cheap goods and expensive goods came in similar amounts compared to last year, the rest remains clean. In years when iron is expensive, we record receiving iron but accept money at last year’s price. Then the difference from the current market price arises, so the lower official and we can both pocket the surplus.”

The listeners asked back.

“You mean the exchange only happens on the ledgers?”

“Exactly. Simply put, it’s manipulating ledgers through lower officials. That’s what’s specifically called Li Bu.”

One elder was incredulous.

“But what madman would manipulate ledgers to show they traded deadly poison?”

“Surely they didn’t write that they traded the Extinction Reversal Pill? It must have been manipulated to appear mixed somewhere in the tribute.”

“Does that even make sense? Since the Extinction Reversal Pill was secretly taken anyway, they could just secretly distribute it. I don’t see why they’d need to manipulate ledgers to show it mixed in tribute.”

“I suppose…”

Tap Tak-yeon made an awkward expression as if even he thought there was no real connection after saying it.

But Jin Ja-gang, who had been pondering until then, said.

“No, Foreman’s words make sense.”

Everyone looked at Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang said.

“Whether mixed in salt or liquor somewhere, if it went through the government once, it has meaning.”

“That has meaning? Whether it only went on ledgers or actually went?”

“We can’t track it anymore, can we?”

Everyone’s eyes widened in surprise at Jin Ja-gang’s words.

That’s right!

From the moment the government was involved, tracking already became difficult! Especially for the martial world, which dislikes getting entangled with government offices, even more so.

“Huh.”

Even if they secretly snuck in and searched the ledgers, as Tap Tak-yeon said, those were just meaningless ledgers of mere number games. The only people who knew were the mastermind who took out the Extinction Reversal Pill and the lower official who directly entered the ledgers.

“They used the government office’s customary corruption to launder the route!”

The elders clicked their tongues.

In other words, Li Bu didn’t indicate involvement with the government office but described the method of laundering the route.

“The Zoroastrian Cult Leader also knew that and tried to enter Sichuan confidently.”

The Zoroastrian Cult permeates from the common people, not the martial world. As long as it wasn’t something the government office initiated, even if they were secretive and meticulous schemers, the calculation was that as the Zoroastrian Cult that controlled the common people, they wouldn’t be greatly affected.

‘In the worst case, if we’re in Sichuan, we can save Sichuan. Keep your hands off and wait. Our Zoroastrian Cult will become the Tang Family’s shield.’

Those were Yelu Huan’s words to Jin Ja-gang.

Only now could he understand his meaning.

However, even so, nothing changed.

The route through which the Extinction Reversal Pill leaked remained a complete mystery.

The only remaining clue was that they were people well-versed in government office and commercial dealings.

“Then… what should we do from now on?”

At someone’s muttering, everyone’s expressions darkened.

It seemed like the existence of the Hungry Ghost King, whose very existence had been doubtful, was gradually becoming visible.

However, they still didn’t know who they were fighting or who they would have to fight in the future.

Just how massive a force does the Hungry Ghost King have…

When everyone’s faces were full of worry, Tang Ha-ran said.

“When we don’t know the enemy, the priority is to firmly maintain internal unity. From today, we’ll discipline internal order and increase alliances externally so we can actively respond whenever anything happens.”

Tang Ha-ran’s will to firmly hold the center amid internal and external troubles was worthy of a family head.

And Tang Ha-ran even had Jin Ja-gang with supreme martial prowess by her side.

Those remaining in the Tang Family now realized they no longer needed to envy the time when King of Hell was present.

***

As soon as the meeting ended, Jin Ja-gang went to see his daughter.

The sight of her sleeping soundly pleased Jin Ja-gang’s heart.

However, he still disliked the childhood name Dok-cheon. Just as Jin Ja-gang was about to suggest reconsidering the child’s name,

Tang Ha-ran asked.

“What’s that?”

White Ape had followed Jin Ja-gang in, toddling along.

White Ape looked at Jin Ja-gang’s child, widened her eyes in wonder, and placed her finger in the child’s hand.

Kyaa, kyaa.

White Ape smiled happily.

“It’s a spirit creature living at Emei Sect. She understands human speech and helped me a lot this time.”

“A clever monkey. Come here?”

Unlike when other women came close and she’d throw a fit, White Ape was quiet before Tang Ha-ran. She didn’t even bare her teeth. She just stared blankly at Tang Ha-ran with wide eyes.

“A female? She’s wary?”

“She’s much calmer than usual… but you can feel her wariness?”

“As expected, a female.”

Then the sleeping child sneezed.

Achoo!

In that instant, White Ape was startled and leaped to hang from the ceiling.

The child’s sneeze contained a faint trace of poison energy.

“At least she can’t harm the child.”

At Tang Ha-ran’s words, White Ape hung upside down and scratched her head.

***

When martial world sects were experiencing chaos, the place where chaos diminished fastest, almost uniquely so, was none other than Sichuan.

The Poison Dragon who blocked the Northern Heavens’ salt line attack and even the Zoroastrian Cult’s invasion of the Central Plains!

The Poison Dragon who shattered two of the Supreme Masters!

Sichuan has the Poison Dragon!

Previously, Qingcheng Sect, Emei Sect, and the Tang Family formed the center as Sichuan’s Three Powers.

However, Qingcheng Sect had disappeared and Emei Sect received Jin Ja-gang’s help.

Now the Tang Family had become sufficient to be called Sichuan’s supreme power. Despite suffering great damage from internal and external troubles, the Tang Family alone became Sichuan’s Single Power.

So the sects in Sichuan couldn’t help but watch the Tang Family’s reactions.

They watched the Tang Family’s reactions, requested mediation, and quickly resolved the chaos.

While the Central Plains was in the midst of taking sides and internal strife, Sichuan’s chaos ended.

Everyone began paying attention to Sichuan amid the chaos.

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