815 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

## Chapter 815: Why Is Mok Lee Sun a Spy? ### Translation Why is Mok Lee Sun considered a spy? There are several reasons for this judgment. First of all, "There are many gaps in the information." The condensed information provided was riddled with suspicions. Granted, the Celestial Pillar Sect isn't exactly the most reputable sect, but the way they were evaluated as excessively contacting external forces was overstated. "I was told it looks like a legitimate merchant group from the outside." If we examine it closely, it is indeed suspicious. Was it called the Cho-ya Merchant Group, or perhaps the Chi-a Merchant Group? I'm not entirely sure of the name, but it's not less than seven contacts in a fortnight. That's how frequently they've been in touch with the Celestial Pillar Sect. At a glance, even that amount of contact seemed excessive... The crucial part is, "He is overly sensitive and accurate about these meetings." Looking at the information sent, it was as if they had been meticulously digging into this. Especially if surveillance was added, it shows the considerable risk taken. The issue is: "The justification for doing so is weak." Was there a compelling reason for the Celestial Pillar Sect to act suspicious as they did? I couldn't see any reason, no matter how hard I looked. As mentioned earlier, it seems that the Celestial Pillar Sect was hypersensitive because they might have dismissed us as a Sects from the underworld. That could be a possibility. According to Mok Lee Sun, now is when the Tang Clan has ceased its activities. That leaves the Martial Alliance and the Arhat Sect, but even the Arhat Sect's headmaster is absent during this time. In such a situation, paying careful attention might be the right thing to do. "Then what about Gui Akchang?" Tang Deok's story matches as well. Simply connecting someone with a similar description to the Demon Sect, it’s a delicate issue. Sure, as stories about the Demon Sect start to slowly creep across the entire central plain, were they cautiously assessing Gui Akchang, who killed the Tao King and fled? No, rather than that, it seemed more like an attempt to fit things forcibly. Even the matter of the Azure Dragon Division is like that: "I mentioned that the Azure Dragon Division would be late, but there wasn't a hint of disappointment." Would he be insulted if I thought he was ignoring me? No. Think objectively. This is the first deployment for the Seongryongdae. They have little experience, and even if you look at me, the main leader, you'll know. I'm a graduate of Houkji University, newly appointed as a grandmaster. Nobody knows if I am competent or not, yet when help was requested from the main Alliance, they sent this young person instead. "No matter how strong I am rumored to be, this is a different matter entirely." In this situation, the Azure Dragon Grandmaster was supposed to come with me. Normally, how would one react to that? "They would be relieved or even glad." It's natural to prefer a more experienced and skilled grandmaster rather than a still-maturing one, so it's not seen negatively. That would be the normal reaction. So what was the branch leader's attitude? "He was indeed relieved." Yes, he was relieved. But: "He wasn't relieved because the Azure Dragon Grandmaster came..." The Azure Dragon Grandmaster's arrival was delayed. Mok Lee Sun's reaction to the news was subtle but indeed one of relief. It’s peculiar. Why did Mok Lee Sun react so significantly to the Azure Dragon Grandmaster's delay? And on the contrary: "When I was showing signs of handling things properly, why did he seem uneasy?" This transformation is only noticeable if one concentrates. An enhanced intuition allows for the detection of such emotional subtleties. Subsequently, too: When I asked for the complete information instead of a summary. When I said I would patrol rather than rest. Mok Lee Sun's reactions were undeniably strange. Such minute shifts could have been my delusions. Perhaps they were results of my oversensitivity leading to misconceived observations. But there's a separate reason why I am sure that Mok Lee Sun is a spy. "Fortunately, I recognized it immediately." Beyond his actions or justifications, he was someone I had encountered in a past life. "The Defiled Steel Demon, Mok Lee Sun." A demon that once had an affiliation with the Celestial Pillar Sect's fallen master in my previous life. He was that same person. "I had forgotten." The fact that the Southern Branch's representative became a demon. I had forgotten until I witnessed it. Many righteous individuals have turned into demons; it's easy to forget among the crowd. "Was it from now?" Mok Lee Sun, somehow connected with the Celestial Pillar Sect, seemed to be scheming with intent. "I knew something felt off." The sudden entanglement of the Demon Sect with the Celestial Pillar Sect felt strange, yet it seems there's some concealed plotting. Even involving the Martial Alliance’s branch and the Celestial Pillar Sect. "In these internal memos, it is mentioned there are contacts with external personnel..." Given the source of these emissaries, it wasn’t an easy thing to trust. This piece of information might also be false. "Hmm." Given that, what should I do? "What is there to do?" In such times, there’s only one pre-determined path. The given information can't be trusted, yet something is happening? Then there's just one answer. "Investigate it." Seeing it through oneself is the simplest way. Creak. Opening a door, I took a step forward. The location was slightly off from the prefecture of Sichuan. As I entered, a gentle aroma of food enveloped me. "Welcome!" A bright smile greeted me as a young server approached. I inquired, "I’m feeling a bit hungry. Can I fill my stomach here?" "Ah, um, it's just that..." The server seemed a bit troubled by my question. "It's possible, but as you can see, we're full at the moment. You might have to share a table, is that alright with you?" I turned my gaze to the scene. As he said, the guesthouse was packed with people. Despite being a small guesthouse on the outskirts, just how good is their food to attract such a crowd? I chuckled softly and replied to the young server, "No problem." "Ah! Thank you for understanding, sir! Right this way, please." A short moment later, the server returned and guided me to a spot. "You may take a seat over there." Upon seating, I found a woman with a child, presumably a mother and child. "Excuse me for a moment." With a smile, both the woman and the child greeted me with nods. "Pleased to meet you." "Wow!" "You little rascal! Dong Jin, remember not to make noise in a guesthouse. Hurry and eat before it gets cold." "Yes." Feeling at ease with the natural scene, I softly asked the server, "Bring me something light to eat and some tea." "As for something light..." "If you have dumplings, bring some of those. If not, any kind of noodles will do." "Would you like any alcohol with that? Our food pairs excellently with our drinks." "I'm not in the mood. Just bring what I ordered." "Understood. One noodle dish coming up!" With the order placed, the server moved on to another task. I sat there waiting, and from the side, I felt a gaze upon me. It was the child, busily eating but now peering at me with curiosity. Wondering what was up, I turned my attention to him. "Excuse me, sir." The child spoke, and his mother quickly intervened, startled by his forwardness. "You, you little rascal! How could you address him as 'sir'? Show some respect." "Uh, right..." "Apologies, sir... My child doesn't know his manners yet. Please forgive us." "It's fine. No need to worry." I waved off her concern with a gentle motion and addressed the child. "Yes, I'm a martial artist." "Wow! But you’re not carrying a sword?" "I don't use those." "I see. But I saw other people carrying them..." "Most do carry weapons." Given that there are far more martial artists who rely on weapons, it’s only natural. The child's questions didn't seem to end there. "Where do you live, mister?" "Far away. Have you heard of Shanxi?" "No, I haven't." "It's quite a ways off. You shouldn’t come visit, there's not much to see." "Then did you come from there?" "I live there, but I traveled from Henan." Upon hearing my response, the woman's eyes widened. "Oh my, did you come all the way from Henan? I knew you were from outside, but that's quite a distance." "Yes. I’m here for some business." "Business, you say? This place is quite far off from the prefecture..." "I had some errands to run, and I thought I'd get something to eat here." As we shared idle talk, the server brought the noodles to the table. "Here is your meal. Please enjoy!" The food looked quite appetizing. Indeed, after seeing it, I realized I was quite hungry. Before taking a bite, I sipped the tea beside me. "Hmm." It was just a simple tea. Nothing out of the ordinary. Noting this, I remarked with mild surprise, "No poison, huh? I honestly expected some." A softly spoken remark. The atmosphere changed almost instantaneously. The bustling noise of the guesthouse fell silent in an instant. In the eerily quiet ambience, I casually consumed the meal. Slurp. I finished the noodles and drank up the broth. It wasn’t a large portion, so it was quickly consumed. Satisfied, I wiped my mouth, feeling content. "Not bad." I nodded, yet silence lingered. The sharp tension in the air pricked at my senses, yet I ignored it. After all, I had anticipated this scenario. Moreover, "Time to get the ball rolling." Now that I had eaten my fill, it was time for me to act. I reached out. My fingers rested gently atop the child's head. Feeling the texture of his hair, I gave it a light tousle. "Mister?" Just as the little one started to react to the touch. I grabbed his head and slammed it into the table. Bang!! The table cracked in half from the force against the child's head. Of course, the tea and food spilled over. Watching that, I moved quickly toward the child's mother. Would her reaction be a scream for her child? To my dismay, that wasn’t her reaction at all. Swish! As the child fell, a dagger slipped from the woman's sleeve. The dagger lunged swiftly towards my neck but, Thud. "Huh...!?" With my thumb and forefinger, I pinched the blade, halting it. And then, "Urggh...!" I clenched my fist and drove it into her abdomen. Something felt broken inside. Her bones must be shattered. She keeled over, coughing a mixture of blood and bile. Watching this, I tilted my head. "You caught me by surprise." "Ugh... Urgh..." I lightly nudged the back of the woman's head with my foot. "Attacking like that doesn’t do you any favors, you know." I looked around while speaking. Despite the sudden violence, there was no sense of alarm. What did linger was confusion and, 'Hostility.' Emanating towards me, the hostility was obvious from every corner. For a guesthouse vibe, it felt all too unusual. Though. 'This is actually quite nice.' Personally, I couldn’t help but welcome the situation. "Quite the intimidating glares. Can you run a business with those faces?" As I casually leaned back and quipped, the sound of metal clattering echoed around me. As if waiting for a signal, everyone drew weapons. The jovial diners from moments ago were nowhere to be found. Naturally. 'To begin with, this isn’t even a real guesthouse.' Apart from myself, it seemed there wasn’t a single genuine guest. What was happening now served as proof of that. "...Who are you?" Someone with a furrowed brow asked, and I replied while looking at him. "Why bother asking? You already know who I am, don't you?" "..." Hearing this, the person fell silent. As expected, they knew of my identity. Which only made them more curious. "...How did you figure it out?" As for how I knew? Ordinarily, I would not have answered, but this time was an exception. "Because the acting was pitiful... but to be fair, it wasn’t too shabby." "..." "Your acting as a child was convincing. You must have practiced playing the mother’s role quite a bit? It was well-executed. But if you’re going to sneak around with concealed weapons, you might want to refine your movements a bit." Criticizing someone else’s acting, of all things. But honestly, it was quite evident. "Of course, this was something one might miss if not vigilant... But the most important clue was this." Thud. Tapping the child's limp head with my foot, I spoke. "Neither the child nor the mother seemed surprised to see my face. Usually, at least the child would react." "...!" As infuriating as it was, the reason I noticed was exactly that. The annoying part was seeing nods of understanding from the crowd when I explained. Damn. I suppressed the sigh that threatened to escape. Even though I had prior information, if I had come here unaware, noticing that would have still struck me as odd. That fact only adds to my frustration. Anyway... I spoke through gritted teeth. "I was originally planning to bring the whole place down, but amusingly enough, the food was good, so I'll give you a chance." The place where I sat and ate is not a typical guesthouse. This place is known as the Dongyu Guesthouse. "Where's your sect leader?" It's an establishment secretly run by the Celestial Pillar Sect.