Book 10: Chapter 19: Misdirection

“The decontamination squad dispatched by the military has arrived!”

“Open the main gate right now!”

The government soldiers brightened and flung open the massive main gate.

A group of personnel swarmed into the Public Security Annex of the Luoyang Central Office.

Befitting the name of a decontamination squad.

Not only did they have their entire bodies wrapped in an unknown material, they were also completely covering their faces.

“…To think a day would come when the faces of the military are this welcome.”

As one soldier muttered, the rest of the soldiers, without exception, nodded their heads to express agreement.

There was no way the military and local soldiers got along.

Yet the personnel of the Public Security Annex currently felt like borrowing even a cat's paw if it would be of help.

“As of this moment, the Public Security Annex is completely under control.”

The soldiers quickly beginning to wrap red ribbons indicating restricted access around the Public Security Annex at the command of the decontamination squad commander, who did not even have command authority, was also for that very reason.

* * *

Around the time the military's decontamination squad was thoroughly carrying out decontamination work around the corpse of the old merchant who had collapsed and died from poison.

“A-Achoo…!”

Drenched wet, the junior constable coughed and grumbled to the officer of the decontamination squad.

“Is decontamination water originally this terribly cold?”

Decontamination water was a special solution that performed a neutralizing effect on up to one hundred types of poisons mainly used in the State of Zhongyuan.

“If you dislike the decontamination water being cold.”

Without even looking at him, the officer of the decontamination squad replied coldly.

“Next time, you can just live while exposed to poison.”

“…Geez, how prickly. Wasn't I just asking?”

One could not live without even knowing what kind of poison they might have been poisoned with, after all.

The junior constable roughly wiped his body with the provided cloth and threw the cloth into the box.

Immediately, a soldier of the decontamination squad approached and took it away, box and all.

Just like the clothing he had been wearing and the belongings he had held, it was likely going to be incinerated.

“…Fucking hell. I feel like some plague patient.”

Muttering his discomfort, he stepped outside the temporary tent.

In that place, his senior constable, who had come out first, and the commander of the decontamination squad were conversing.

“…Blood poison of the Sichuan Tang Family, you say?”

“Yes.”

The senior constable asked again with an disbelieving expression.

“Not of the Tang Sect, but of the main house, the Tang Family?”

“Looking at the condition of the corpse, one can say it is almost certainly so. Of course, to make a conclusion, the investigation must end first.”

The commander of the decontamination squad added as if advising.

“Now that I think about it, whatever is happening in Luoyang right now, if it were me, I would wash my hands of it immediately.” "……"

Through the glass of the gas mask, a cold gaze directed toward the senior constable.

“This time, it was a blood poison that killed exactly one person, but there is no law saying we will be this lucky next time.”

As the commander's steps receded, the junior carefully approached the senior constable.

“…The Tang Family's blood poison. It really seems the Eldest Young Master is involved in this commotion.”

In Luoyang, if it is the Tang Family's poison everyone would think of the Fourth Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Family.

And that Fourth Young Master was currently together with the Eldest Young Master.

“Blood poison of the Tang Family… It is excessively blatant.”

The senior constable searched his bosom to find tobacco, but it had been long since his tobacco box was incinerated along with the clothes he had worn.

“…It must be a warning meaning not to get involved if we don't want to die.”

The junior constable looked at the senior with eyes of disbelief.

“Surely, Senior, you won't stick your head in saying you'll investigate this kind of matter?”

The senior chuckled.

“I don't know how you usually view me, but if I wanted to commit suicide, I would have done so when my wife left for her family's home with the kids.”

He continued speaking while looking at the appearance of the central office.

“Anyway, an order will come down from the very top to wash our hands of this matter.”

Ordinarily, if it was a matter of the powerful, the heads of the public security office would not even go near.

“Of course, that order will come down through unofficial channels—” sure enough.

“Constable Park!”

Before his words could even finish, his superior, the chief constable, came looking for him with urgent steps.

“Yes, yes. I know very well even if you do not speak.”

The senior constable, surnamed Park, shrugged and spoke.

“I won't even piss in the direction where the Eldest Young Master of the Sword Family is, so rest assured—” his direct superior, the chief constable, spoke with a stiff face.

“Constable Park, are you in your right mind? What on earth are you saying?”

“…Pardon?”

“I mean that such a terrible thing occurred in broad daylight in Luoyang, of all places in the Public Security Annex.”

To the two constables who were not understanding what he meant, the chief constable said.

“And yet not even investigating the prime suspect, that cannot possibly happen!”

“…So, currently,” constable Park scratched the back of his head and verified again.

“You are not telling us to wash our hands of the investigation, but rather to investigate?”

“Yes. Right now, join the investigation headquarters and begin the investigation into the Eldest Young Master! Since the investigation headquarters has already been formed!” "……"

His direct superior persistently ignored the subordinate's gaze that looked as if looking at a crazy man, and finished his words until the end.

“This is the order of the Chief of Public Security!”

Looking at the retreating back of the chief constable who had only finished his words and moved away, the junior constable spoke with a sour expression.

“What on earth is going on…?”

“…What's certain is” constable Park swallowed hard.

“that something unusual is happening up there that we do not know about.”

He craved tobacco like crazy.

* * *

Half a shijin later.

Near the entrance of the Valley of Sin.

“…It seems the upper echelon has collectively gone mad.”

Constable Park, fully armed, muttered as he dismounted from the armored carriage.

“An immense force…”

Dismounting from the carriage after him, the junior constable spoke with a pale face.

“This is at the level of gathering all the public security forces of Tanryung District and Gahyo District, isn't it?”

There was not a single inch of exaggeration in his words.

“This is not at the level of an investigation…”

For the entrance of the Valley of Sin was so crowded with troops lined up that one could not even see ahead.

“…Is the upper echelon really thinking of waging a full-scale war with the Eldest Young Master?”

In Luoyang?

With the Eldest Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Family?

A full-scale war with just government soldiers?

And on suspicion alone?

It was an absurd story, but seeing the forces actually gather it was to the point of being flabbergasted.

“…I'll have to check.”

Constable Park approached the command headquarters gathered on one side.

He soon was able to spot a familiar face on the outskirts of the gathered people.

“Constable Park!”

The middle-aged man who spotted him wore a smile despite the grave situation.

“Did you also come to participate in this collective suicide group?”

“…Escort Leader Dan.”

Constable Park asked his former superior.

“What on earth is going on? What are all these troops when the investigation is barely starting? Has the upper echelon really collectively gone mad?”

A force of this size could be called the entire troop of Tanryung and Gahyo Districts, which had the Valley of Sin as their administrative district.

And considering the armed clashes currently occurring all over Luoyang, perhaps because his voice was a bit high, the surrounding people cast glances in their direction.

“have they decided to completely give up on maintaining public order?”

“Hey, don't talk about such boring things. Let's talk about the story of your wife leaving.”

“What…?!”

[Shut your mouth and follow me.] chief Dan grabbed his shoulder and dragged him into a corner.

[Even the district chiefs of Tanryung and Gahyo Districts have come here in person.] even at a rough estimate, there were well over a hundred heads.

[Even the district chiefs in person?!] they were the highest-ranking officials right below the Deputy Governor of Luoyang, the general administrative head of Luoyang.

[Yes. Although I don't know what it is, matters seem to be turning extremely serious right now.] it was a tower of severed heads delivered from various parts of Luoyang, piled high.

[…Surely those district chiefs don't intend to have an armed clash with the Eldest Young Master?] there was a tower.

[Of course not.] chief Dan wore a serious expression.

[The district chiefs are probably trying to exert pressure on the Eldest Young Master after receiving some 'solicitation,' but I don't know the details either.] cold sweat ran down Constable Park's forehead.

[From whom would people of the level of district chiefs receive solicitation?] in the middle of the path climbing toward the valley.

[Naturally, I don't know precisely either. But the one who made the solicitation.] chief Dan sent a sound transmission filled with conviction.

[It is certain that they are someone in this land of Luoyang who does not fear the Eldest Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Family.] it was impossible not to understand.

[…This is driving me crazy.] he instantly understood why the district chiefs were terrified.

[I agree.] what kind of thing were they getting caught in right now?

[Then…] constable Park covered his forehead and asked.

[Are those district chiefs meeting the Eldest Young Master right now?] chief Dan shook his head.

[No.] the hairs on his head stood on end.

[…Why?] passing the troops and climbing to the entrance of the valley, Constable Park's mouth gaped open on its own.

[The district chiefs got scared out of their wits and are holed up somewhere, saying they are holding a meeting among themselves.] chief Dan raised his hand and pointed toward the upper part of the valley.

[Even after coming all the way here? They got scared after gathering all of these forces?] an incomprehensible situation.

[If you see it yourself, you will understand the reason.] a moment later. "……!"

“W-What the hell…?” "……."

“…Ugh!”

He ended up gagging on the spot.

Under the spring sunlight thousands of flies that swarmed buzzed the blood flowing from the heads was drying sticky, and the stench of rotting corpses, decaying in real-time due to the warm weather, was terribly foul.

* * *

The Fourth Young Master, Yeon Bi, stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the tower of human human heads outside the window.

The one who ordered that tower to be piled up was himself. "……."

In his hands clasped behind his back, hair ribbons were held.

Yeon Da-eun and Yeon Da-hye.

They were the two strands of hair ribbons his twin elder sisters had used when tying their hair.

“…With this, we have bound the movements of the two district chiefs, but.”

His lips parted slightly.

“It will not last very long. Because the Second Young Master's side will badger them in some way.”

He turned his body toward the room.

His gaze looked at his eldest brother.

“Eldest Brother, the reason you only wanted to tie them down for a short moment is surely because you have a reason.”

“Yes.”

The sun of the spring afternoon was bright, and in Yeon Bi's eyes as he looked inside from looking out, Yeon So-hyeon sitting in the shadows of the room looked as if submerged in darkness.

“Eldest Brother…”

Yeon Bi saved his words for a moment and then opened his mouth again.

“It seems you are certain that the Second Young Master's side is behind the attacks on our elder sisters, and behind the movements of the district chiefs and the Chief of Public Security in Luoyang.”

“Yes.”

“But you are also certain that that is not the main attack of the Second Young Master's side?”

“Yes.”

The Fourth Young Master guessed Yeon So-hyeon's thoughts and spoke.

“Since those who attacked our sisters will all be smashed anyway, the Second Young Master's side had no need to keep their promises to them from the very beginning.”

“Correct.”

“They were discarded pawns.”

“Yes.”

Yeon So-hyeon nodded and added.

“Just like the district chiefs outside.”

Wrinkles formed on the forehead of the Fourth Young Master, Yeon Bi.

“…Does it mean the Second Young Master's side has something they want to hide so much that they would even use the highest officials as discarded pawns for a misdirection?”

“Yes.”

“Eldest Brother, how are you so sure of their moves?”

“Originally, I thought there was about a sixty percent probability that their attack was a misdirection.”

Yeon So-hyeon slowly interlaced his fingers and rested his chin.

“However.”

His gaze turned to the person sitting opposite him.

“Now that this person has directly revealed himself before me.”

Yeon Bi's gaze moved along with Yeon So-hyeon's.

“Now the probability is one hundred percent.”

An old man.

An old man so skeletal as to bring to mind a sapling that withered, unable to endure the winter, sat there.

However.

The old man's eyes alone were vividly alive with a blue gleam, creating a terrible sense of incongruity.

Yeon So-hyeon looked at the old man and smiled.

“Is it not so?”

Not a single shred of goodwill was contained within that smile.

“Chief Manager of the Inner Courtyard.”

The one who led the Inner Courtyard.

A figure who served both the patriarch of two generations ago and the former patriarch.

The most faithful servant of the former patriarch.

The most fearsome mastermind in the Sword Family.

The Chief Manager of the Inner Courtyard answered Yeon So-hyeon in a tone as if chewing him up.

“…Indeed. Eldest Young Master.”

Though there was not a handful of murderous intent between them. "……."

The Fourth Young Master, Yeon Bi, swallowed dryly in the suffocating tension.

The Chief Manager of the Inner Courtyard and the Eldest Young Master.

Those two had finally met before his eyes.