-The location is gone. It seems to have been blocked using a special barrier.
“Huh? That's pretty fast….” Kang Yoo-sik made a sad expression at Percival’s story. The ‘Stigma of the Criminal' secretly engraved in the secret of the powerless vacuum incense burner, the curse that Percival possessed was immediately cut off while revealing the target's location.
‘However… If it is a government-determined and hidden facility, it would be natural for it to have such a barrier.’ Kang Yoo-sik, who put aside his regret, chewed on the strong sense of deja vu that had been felt just a moment ago.
“But, did you get an approximate location?”
-Yes. If you unfold the map, you will be able to guess.
“Great." Even knowing the approximate location was sufficient. Kang Yoo-sik smiled and opened the map of the Beijing area he had saved in advance on the table.
There were two reasons for handing over the price of his vacuum incense burner to Chen Tien. The first was to receive the reward offered by the other side. And the second was to discover the facility of this black curtain, and what had been applied there was the criminal's stigma.
‘I was wondering what if I can't… It was easy to solve because it was compatible with the secret level.’
Originally, it was not easy to contain the curse, but the vacuum incense burner’s secret level was a kind of clone that proved to be compatible with Percival. This time, while absorbing the spirit of the vacuum incense burner, the overall performance was also greatly enhanced, successfully stigmatizing the criminal in the enemy camp.
‘Now, just finish this part… If you know the location over there and give it a rough try…’
When Kang Yoo-sik was rolling his head. Percival’s voice came to his ears.
-The location has been specified.
“Ah, good. Where are you?”
– I will mark it now.
Uung, the red light from Percival’s pendant pointed to a part of the map like a laser pointer, and Kang Yoo-sik saw the location, eyes widening.
“Percival. Are you really there?”
-Yes. Its exact location is unknown, but it was caught nearby.
“….” Kang Yoo-sik looked at the map with a puzzled look at Percival’s confident answer. The place the light pointed to was three times this White Lotus Gate. The world's second largest educational institution with the largest site in Beijing. This was because it was inside Cheonmu Palace!
‘This… … No, it just makes no sense.’
Later, Zhao Xinku, the lord of Cheonmu Gung, gained power strong enough to control China. The evaluation of the public said that it was done as the top hunters he produced naturally formed forces, but Kang Yoo-sik had a different idea.
‘Just because you have some power, you can’t dominate a country.’
He couldn’t say for sure yet, but one thing was for certain. Zhao Xinku was, in some form, related to the secretly operated ‘Heaven’s Army’ by China, and the facility was handed over to the grounds of Cheonmu.
‘Could it be that his approach to me has something to do with this?’
If he was aiming as a test subject, he tended to get a little heated, but it was still too early to make a hasty decision. When Kang Yoo-sik was contemplating how to move forward due to an unexpected fact…
Quaang!
The door opened violently and Chen Tien stepped inside.
"Ah. Are you here?”
“Yes, yes, this guy….”
Chen Tien trembled as he clenched his fists. Kang Yoo-sik looked at him with a smile as he saw his usual calmness disappear. “It’s not good when an elderly person is so angry. Calm down for now.”
“Are you saying that now? I should have known who you were touching!!”
Kang Yoo-sik calmly looked at Chen Tian's screaming figure. “It touched Heaven. Do you ask me to explain it yourself?”
“Keugh….” Seeing Kang Yoo-sik answer calmly, Chen Tian shook his fist and grabbed him by the back of his neck. ‘Where did such a madman come from….?’
Putting a powerful curse on the goods sold to the heavenly army, which can be called China itself! It was an act he couldn't understand unless one wanted a fate worse than death. ‘What the hell are you thinking?’
If they were thinking of destroying themselves, there would be no way they would have left a memo in Ihwagak’s Danju room. Realizing that Kang Yoo-sik was up to something, Chen Tien caught his breath. "What the hell are you thinking of doing? If we do something wrong, not only us but the entire Guild may collapse.”
“Perhaps that’s the case.” Even before returning, it was in a stronger state than now, but it was not impossible because it was tripped and dismantled as the main culprit of the Beijing crisis.
Kang Yoo-sik leaned back on the sofa and watched Chen Tien nervously. “There is a way to get over this situation.”
“What…”
“Instead, you should listen to what I ask for.”
"Huh?"
Kang Yoo-sik calmly looked at Chen Tien's bewildered appearance. “I know you were thinking about making a deal with Heavenly Army, but… They were asking for too much. There are a lot of ganja who have come inside, and they are acting almost like subcontractors.”
"What do you, an outsider, know….”
“As an outsider, I know that the condition is not good. Honestly, you know Chen Tien-sama too, right?”
“…” He his lip at Kang Yoo-sik’s response. As they said, while making a deal with the Heavenly Army, their influence within the Guild became very strong. He accepted their request over and over again on the line that it was not a problem even if he was himself right now, and he also recommended those involved to sobriety.
“It was unavoidable. Do you think it is possible to defy them on this continent?”
No matter how well White Lotus Guild was one of the best guilds in the world, it could not easily resist if the state itself checks it. And the moment of contact to move to another country, just in case. It was because there was no guarantee that something would happen to the family members of the guild.
That was why Chen Tien accepted them instead of resisting them and tried to increase the size of the White Lotus Guild so that they could not easily touch them. “Well, holding hands isn’t a bad thing. Instead, it's that I gave up too much. Neither the opponent nor the idiot, and the guild members are all united with a great sense of mission.”
Chen Tien's leadership wasn’t altogether bad, but unless one was under 24/7 surveillance, there was a hole in it. Even more, the opponent proved to be the whole country. Perhaps the reason why the White Lotus Guild collapsed at once before returning was because of the leaks accumulated little by little.
“So, this time, let’s clean things up. You may have to lose, but don't you know? Are there any other good opportunities?”
“You speak quite well. There are no other options other than this….”
It was impossible to say that the main culprit was Kang Yoo-sik because of the previous oath. In other words, the only thing Chen Tien could do was whether or not to receive help from Yoo-sik himself. Just like when he first proposed to Kang Yoo-sik, in reality, there was only one option.
‘Scary guy…’ Chen Tien, who felt weak all over, sat down on the sofa across from him and looked at Kang Yoo-sik.
"Therefore… What are your plans?”
"What. It’s no big deal, actually. To be precise, it depends on how much you do.”
Chen Tien looked at him with a tense expression. “Is it up to us?”
"Yes. It is up to all of you.” Yoo-sik looked at Chen Tien and asked calmly. “White Lotus. How far can you give up?”
* * *
After Rongcheng, the head of the research institute had cursed and collapsed. Inside the Heavenly Army, there was an uproar as if it were turning upside down. He didn’t know if he was simply defeated, but it was because his unique skill and his S-class skill ‘source extraction', which was used as a key in all research, had been sealed!
“How about lifting the curse?”
“I'm trying, but it doesn't work. It must have been cursed with a very strong curse as an object is an object.”
“….”
At the aide's report, the black woman's face slightly distorted. A plan that he thought was almost finished ended up getting disrupted like this. The aide cautiously opened his mouth to see him looking uncomfortable. “Isn’t there a possibility that it was the work of the White Lotus Guild?”
“…No. There will be no chance of that.”
He didn’t know about the master of the White Lotus Gate, but Chen Tien, who held the real power, was afraid of them. He couldn't have acted like this unless he had a new mastermind, and there was no way they wouldn't know if there was such a contact.
‘If it's a possibility… … I will give you the first White Lotus burner.’
Except for the fact that he acquired the vacuum incense burner and sealed it, not much was known, but according to his words, he was an existence that could never be caught off guard. There was also a possibility that he had read this situation in advance and put a powerful curse on his secret.
‘It's a scary thing….’
However, the curse would be lifted someday, and one could call in a new researcher if they were serious about it. In a sense, it proved that the secret was genuine, so if you look into the distant future, you can say that you have definitely obtained a clue to immortality.
Geom Hu, who briefly summarized the situation, looked at his aide. “I can’t help but hold you accountable. He should send the appropriate person in charge to come and get a reward.”
"All right."
The aide bowed his head and went outside, and the other individual leisurely tilted the glass he had poured. ‘I can use this incident as an excuse to expand my influence on the White Lotus Guild, so it might not be that bad.’
If he could put a leash on Li Mei, the owner of the White Lotus Gate, and Lao Chang, the owner of Ilhwa Dan, it would be the best scenario. Geom Hu found himself smiling with satisfaction at the thought that they were going in the direction they wanted, even though they have slowed down a bit.
“Heh, Mr. Geom Hu!” The aide who had left came back in, and Geom Hu's eyes narrowed at the urgent appearance. “What is going on?”
“It is said that there is a fire in the White Lotus building!”
“What?" In response to the question, the aide immediately manipulated the panel and raised the screen in front of him. Roaring!
“Evacuate the residents! Quickly!"
“Move calmly!”
The White Lotus building, which was built across the mountain range, was swallowed up by fire and emitted black smoke. The burning of the White Lotus Gate, which was the symbol of the White Lotus Guild, was a huge event, but there was something else that caught his attention in the video. “That….”
The summit of White Lotus Gate. Black mist was flowing from a place called Musangwon, where the vacuum incense burner was said to have been sealed. And the black flame rising from there was engulfing the White Lotus Gate.
‘No way… That, too, is the first White Lotus owner?’
It was unbelievable considering his mentality known to the public, but considering the curse engraved on the top of the vacuum incense burner, it’s something else. In a situation that went differently than expected, Geom Hu moaned and looked at his aide. “What is the condition of the executives of the White Lotus Guild?”
“Baekryon Moon-Ju and Ihwa Danju tried to catch the fire but failed, so they are concentrating on evacuating… Some sophomores, including Chen Tien, are said to be complaining of abnormal symptoms.”
“What do we have in common?”
“They said they were all involved in this transaction.”
“A curse….”
No matter how much the later generations disobeyed their will, they left behind such a terrible curse. The aid then asked cautiously. “Anyway, the order you said earlier….”
“Stop it. In a situation like that, if you ask for responsibility, there will be a fierce backlash.”
Perhaps, with this incident as an opportunity, the Guild side may try to distance themselves from them. Didn't disaster come as soon as he went against the will of the first White Lotus master?
‘It’s a little disappointing, but I think it’s better to take some time.’
Anyway, the top priority was the low salary, which has already been secured. If the Guild were to get out of China after forcibly trying to put on a leash, they would suffer astronomical losses. Having made a decision, Geom Hu looked at his aide. “After things are sorted out, approach them and offer grants. If you accept it, use that as an excuse to expand your influence again, and if they reject it, resign without regret.”
"All right." The aide went out again, and he was soon left alone to look at the horrors that appeared on the screen. He muttered calmly as he tilted his glass. “The first White Lotus master… He was a great man.”
* * *
The fire that broke out in White Lotus Gate burned for a whole day despite the numerous hunters rushing at it, and then finally calmed down. Not a single pillar was left in the unlit clearing, and Li Mei, who had been messed up from commanding the evacuation, looked up quietly at the sight that was revealed under the moonlight.
“I felt so determined… It hurts a little to see this.”
Considering the wealth of the White Lotus Guild, this amount of loss could be quickly recovered, but that didn't save the memories. For Li Mei, who has been living in since her childhood, her hometown had been burned down.
“I’m sorry. There might have been another way….”
Li Mei shook her head at her Kang Yoo-sik’s apology. "Nope. Perhaps this was the only way. That’s why they are persistent.”
Li Mei, who heard about her situation through Chen Tien, looked up at her with a calm expression. Her sadness quickly sank to the bottom, and the vacancy was filled with hostility towards someone. For a long time, the heavenly army, aiming for the secret level of the vacuum incense burner, drove them slowly. It was the first time he recognized them as enemies. “As I said before, you shouldn’t move hastily. Because the other party is no different from the country itself.”
"Do not worry. Rather… Is Ihwa Danju okay?”
"Yes. There is no need to worry too much, as there are no restrictions on your life.”
Thinking of Chen Tien, who was probably lying in bed by now, Kang Yoo-sik looked at the ruined White Lotus Gate. ‘I thought I'd try to fly only near Musangwon… I never thought I would try to blow up the whole White Lotus Guild.’
Probably, he judged that it was necessary to completely shake off the plague called the Heavenly Army.
‘Well, there are still a few left.’ The poor-quality ganja had been dealt with by giving them a ‘special’ curse, but if one were to include the minor ones, there are quite a few.
Since Chen Tien promised to deal with it and said that he would deal with it together with Li Mei, it probably won't be a big deal. ‘Because Li Mei is amazing when she moves properly… It's because they have a kind heart and use it gently, but there are few people who can survive if they decide to use White Lotus Guild for interrogation purposes. I can assure you that this time the Guild will not be fooled like before the return.’
‘I have no intention of leaving it like that.’
This incident made Chen Tien his subordinate, and Li Mei also made her debt known. He had no intention of becoming the owner of the White Lotus Moon, but he could use it whenever he needed strength in the future. ‘At first, I was going to pick just a few people before they went bankrupt… It's something the world really doesn't know.'
Kang Yoo-sik was deep in thought. Li Mei, who was looking at her ruined clearing, turned her head. “Cadet Kang Yoo-sik.”
"Ah, yes."
“There is one thing… … May I ask you a favor?” Her voice trembled slightly even though she hid her emotions.
Li Mei, who suppressed many complex emotions, looked at Kang Yoo-sik with strong desire. “I know it’s a shameless request, but… Please hold on to the tail of the Heavenly Army. As the owner of the White Lotus Gate… And as a teacher, I must ask this of you.”
To Li Mei's earnest request, Kang Yoo-sik answered calmly, with the most trustworthy expression on his face. "Sure. Who are you asking?”
A little unpretentious, but reliable answer. Li Mei looked at Kang Yoo-sik with a slightly surprised expression, then smiled. "Thank you… Kang Yoo-sik.”
Did omitting the expression cadet mean that he had been acknowledged? Kang Yoo-sik satisfactorily responded to Li Mei’s call, who seemed to have gotten closer and softer. “Then I will go.”
Kang Yoo-sik, who left those words, left Li Mei behind and came down to the ruins of her, looking at Ihwa Danju and Lao Chang, who was waiting in front of his car.
“Is the conversation over?”
"Yes."
At this, Kang Yoo-sik nodded and looked across the mountain. “Let’s go to Cheonmu Palace.”
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